tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20021396437830592032024-03-05T09:39:22.981-08:00Machzikei HaDasAn attempt at identifying the intersection between "Simple Faith" and the "Path of Reason." While apparently in conflict I have come to believe that they are interdependent in Yiddishkeit, leading to a <i>strenghtened faith</i>. All material is copyrighted by the author.
Contact Me: Yirmiahu@gmail.com<p>
כל-ארח שקר שנאתי<br>
תהלים קיט:קכח</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-68736501610200067562019-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:002019-01-26T18:00:00.453-08:00Divrei Yatziv on Leket Yosher
[Note: I obviously am no longer actively blogging but noticed that this has been sitting in draft form for over five years (originally scheduled for 11/26/13) and is essentially complete so I wish to go ahead and publish it. I believe I intended on elaborating on the Gemara's admonition not to pasken based upon a ma'aseh rav unless one is told expressly that it is the halachah (at Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-79096759694589348252014-12-30T11:43:00.002-08:002014-12-30T11:43:55.220-08:00Minchas Asher on Vaccinations "A person is obligated to make sure he and his family are properly vaccinated." the opinion of HaRav Asher Weiss shlita.
http://en.tvunah.org/2014/12/28/new-question-vaccinations-and-halacha/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-37283090850431007762014-09-30T13:33:00.000-07:002014-11-14T08:29:39.981-08:00An Arbitrary Patchwork
Originally Posted on Sept. 1, '09:
Please do not point, in reply, to the current efforts to reform Judaism. There indeed, everything that does not harmonize with today's concepts of the destiny of man or the needs of the time is being pared away little by little. But its this not itself a step outside Judaism? Would it not be better, then, to adopt and implement these current concepts Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-40637548985677188282014-01-28T08:23:00.002-08:002014-01-28T12:51:46.414-08:00Tvunah: Slavery in the TorahAn interesting question and answer from HaRav Asher Weiss shlita via his interesting new project Tvunah:
Shalom Aleichem,
From a comparative standpoint the laws of the Torah regarding slavery (both those explicitly in the Torah sh’bichtav and those in the Torah shebaal peh) are superior to those of the other nations of the day and even those practiced in the United States less than two Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-6803627301420822342013-06-05T23:56:00.002-07:002013-06-05T23:56:36.267-07:00Has Amalek been Destroyed?
While I have been ruminating on the following idea and its consequences for a number of years, particularly around Purim, a question over at Mi Yodeya about whether or not Amalek has been destroyed prompted me to present the idea in its basic form:
While I haven't seen it spelled out per say, presumably because the mitzvah still has a very real relevance, it seems clear from the sources that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-24463712601224992182013-05-03T18:21:00.004-07:002013-05-03T18:32:00.605-07:00Rivevos Ephraim: On is required to imagine as if the Shechinah is before him the entire day.
רבבות אפרים חלק א סימן א
צריך לחשוב כאילו שכינה כנגדו כל
היום
נראה במה שכתב המחבר בסימן צ"ח
המתפלל צריך שיכון וכו' ויחשוב כאילו שכינה כנגדו דיש לכון כל היום אפילו שלא בשעת תפילה דהשכינה כנגדו, והוא ממה
שכתב הרמ"א בסימן א' סעיף א' כשישים האדם אל לבו שהמלך הגדול הקב"ה אשר
מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו. הרי דהרמ"א הביא דין זה אפילו שלא
בשעת התפילה וכמו שכתב הרמב"ם במורה Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-43923463569091588802013-05-01T19:32:00.003-07:002013-05-01T19:32:27.332-07:00Olive Seedlings on Emunah PeshutaAfter checking out the Blog of someone whose comments I found refreshing I was pleased to come across the following post at Olive Seedlings on Emunah Peshuta:
While we, today, no longer have that degree of direct knowledge, we do have the historical tradition of that experience, which (among other things) provides a rational basis for our belief in God and the Divine origin of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-58846444122743179192013-04-15T09:21:00.000-07:002013-04-15T09:21:51.755-07:00"Who is the "son unto Me"?
2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 17:13
--Hebrews 1:5
"I shall be a Father unto him and he shall be a son unto Me"
The first chapter of Hebrews is the only place in the Christian Scriptures which makes a serious attempt to prove the Nazarene is divine using the T’nakh.
In these parallel passages from Samuel and Chronicles, God is speaking to David telling him that he is not the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-5385223341561765822013-04-11T23:17:00.001-07:002013-04-11T23:17:23.826-07:00Who is "David's Fallen Sukkah"?
On that day I will raise up the fallen booth [i.e. sukkah] of David; I will repair their breaches and raise up its ruins, and i will build it up as in days of old so that they upon whom My Name is called may inherit the remnant of Edom and all the nations--the word of Hashem, Who shall do this (Amos 9:11-12, Stone Edition).
According to Christian Scriptures (Acts 15:16), James cites Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-38355869722991364212013-03-07T17:20:00.000-08:002013-03-07T19:54:43.288-08:00Why would a Good Person make a Bad Argument (Supporting a True Conclusion)? (Recycled)
Originally posted 9/5/08 5:20 PM:
We encounter a similar situation in poetry. The goal of those who teach mechanics and construction of poetry is to implant in their students the ability to compose poetry that is as perfectly balanced and technically correct as that of a born poet. Those who are naturally gifted poets, however, compose beautiful poetry without instruction; they would beUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-64611355252226987052013-02-28T22:34:00.000-08:002013-02-28T23:16:48.758-08:00Who is Chemdath?
A few days back a user going by the name of Ali posted a series of leading questions over at Mi Yodeya one of which seemed to be an attempt at arguing Muhammad was predicted in the book of Haggai. This line of argument is stated more explicitly (if not more cogently) over at www.answering-christianity[dot]com/adeel_khan/Prophet_Muhammad.htm:
Haggai 2:7
I will shake all nations, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-82308748913223464672013-02-21T22:40:00.000-08:002013-02-21T22:40:00.214-08:00Circular Fulfillment
There was once a novel infamous among Evangelical Christians for portraying the Nazarene and his disciples as orchestrating events to fulfill his messianic ambitions. I have not bothered reading it because its plot seems implausible and seemed to presume more historical accuracy to the Christian Bible than I am willing to concede. Needless to say Christians were not at all impressed with the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-73738380481057474182013-02-21T22:02:00.003-08:002013-02-21T22:03:04.328-08:00Bishul
Exod. 12:9 commands the Israelites: "Do not eat any of it [the Passover lamb sacrifice] raw, or boiled/cooked [bsl] in any way with water, but rather roasted over fire, its head with its legs and entrails". Deut 16:7, however, requires that "you shall boil/cook [bsl] it and eat it in the place where the Lord your God shall choose". One attempts to reconcile the two evidently incompatible verses Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-53900730435509929902013-02-19T03:01:00.000-08:002013-02-19T03:01:00.572-08:00Would God truly dwell on earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You
Would God truly dwell on earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You, and surely not this Temple that I have built! (1 Kings 8:27)
On the surface the proclamation just cited by King Solomon as he dedicated the first Beith HaMikdash is obvious, intuitive. On the other hand, it can be seen as a little difficult insofar as it seems to limit God’s Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-16685341639430272932013-02-19T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T03:00:05.447-08:00"Bodily Form" means "Bodily Functions"
I would, straightaway, like to apologize for the following content, but I do think it is necessary for us to touch on this topic in a more serious and dignified way than is typically done:
To many people the notion of God becoming human makes the Creator seem more relatable. Certainly around the time of the holidays traditionally celebrated by Christians in the winter the mental image of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-7587440109435403032013-02-18T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-18T03:00:07.890-08:00KenosisOne of the difficulties in ascribing deity to the Nazarene is that throughout the Christian Scriptures (and indeed by simple mental reflection) we encounter a portrait of the Nazarene which appears much more of a limited and finite human than an infinite God. We are informed that the Nazarene "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him." (Luke 2:40, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-11647034691044523642013-02-17T07:34:00.002-08:002013-02-17T07:34:47.334-08:00Who is a Prophet Like Moses?
Deuteronomy 18:15 A Prophet like Moses Acts 7:37
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19 A Prophet like Moses Acts 3:22, 23
"A prophet from your midst, from your brethren, like me (Moses), shall Hashem, your God, establish for you to him shall you hearken." Deuteronomy 18:15
"I will establish a prophet for them from among their brethren, like you (Moses), and I will place My words in His Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-72332814775148552932013-02-14T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-14T03:00:12.949-08:00Bias?
Honest Evaluation or Close-mindedness?
When one reads through Christian apologetic materials one finds a reoccurring theme. The image of a court weighing the evidence as to whether or not The Nazarene is the Messiah is encountered repeatedly. The apologetic books Evidence that Demands a Verdict, 1 and 2, are classics. A newer apologetic book is called The Case for Christ. These Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-38443463389852517582013-02-13T03:30:00.000-08:002013-02-13T03:30:00.459-08:00Subject of the verse is Vague
One of the first things one will notice when encountering Christian proof texts which are said to support a distinctly Christian view of the Messiah is the number of times the subject of the passage is contestable. That is to say, it is common that the individual the verse is talking is not entirely clear. More often than not, the passages cited by Christianity as referring to the "First ComingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-78948850052976726602013-02-11T03:30:00.000-08:002013-02-11T08:02:45.451-08:00Incomplete
When Christians cite a verse that is actually Messianic they often run into a problem. All though there is a particular part that they want to apply to the Nazarene, there is usually another part that the Nazarene clearly hasn't fulfilled. This is usually likened by them to one who sees the top of two mountains but is unable to see the valley in between.
Beyond the natural difficulty in a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-64386798065507376542013-02-07T03:30:00.000-08:002013-02-07T03:30:00.162-08:00Inconsequential
When one reads through the list of actual Messianic prophecies we see many significant things that will occur. All the Jews are returned to their homeland in Israel. They will have peace from their enemies. They will be united under one king. The Temple will be rebuilt. It is for these reasons that Jews who are faithful to Torah have anxiously awaited the coming of the Mashiach. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-12710562577763767652013-02-05T03:30:00.000-08:002013-02-05T03:30:00.579-08:00Out of Context
Clearly the best way of understanding a verse is to read the passages surrounding it. Likewise other parts of the T'nakh can shed light on the meaning of a verse. But when we read "Messianic Prophecies" the interpretations given by Christians frequently they have no relation to the context of the verse.1 While the passage clearly speaks about a specific topic, Christians Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-11290412651851102552013-02-04T03:30:00.000-08:002013-02-04T03:30:02.733-08:00The Method of our Counter-Missionary ApproachWhile we may on occasion stray from the primary focus of our counter-missionary posts, our aim is fairly straight forward, to evaluate the claim that the Nazarene was predicted in the Jewish Bible, the Hebrew Scriptures. We will attempt to avoid rabbit trails such as whether there are minor, or major, inconsistencies in the Christian Bible or other similar, secondary, issues. Most people would Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-68590041925168446962013-02-03T21:40:00.000-08:002013-02-03T21:40:38.167-08:00Who did Rachel Weep for?
Jeremiah 31:14(15) Matthew 2:18
"Thus said Hashem: ‘A voice is heard on high, wailing, bitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her children; she refuses to be consoled for her children for they are gone.’"
The Gospel of Matthew (2:16-18) tells us that after the Magi (popularly referred to as Wise Men) failed to return to inform Herod of the location of the infant Nazarene, Herod Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002139643783059203.post-4383101992677835272012-12-14T08:51:00.001-08:002013-01-17T22:01:52.579-08:00Do More than Complain about Child Abusehttp://seattlepolicefoundation.org/support-detective-bob-shilling/
SPD’s Detective Bob Shilling has tracked down some of our state’s and nation’s worst sex offenders, written or co-authored numerous laws to help protect our children, and in the process has made a name for himself as one of the world’s most sought after experts in catching child predators. When the world’s most prestigious Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0