Some Comments on the CNN Clip

I first heard about the clip via a phone call from Greg, who had received a phone call from Bill Selliger, who also left this info in a comment. It must have been within minutes.

The piece was filmed last Sunday, during the 9 Days, which is why I look like a werewolf. So then why was the ADDeRebbetzin filmed in the laundry room? A) because CNN wanted to stage it that way ( they could have entitled the piece ‘June Cleaver Makes Aliyah’), and B) kids’ clothing. I actually asked a shayla whether or not I should at least trim the beard before the interview, and was told that I shouldn’t. I felt too invested to make that decision myself.

Also within a few minutes of when the clip was posted, I received the following two bizarre emails:

This one is from an idiot. Feel free to answer him on my behalf. I sure won’t waste my time with a response:

Dear Rabbi F-

I see that you are moving to Israel.

I am 50 and I have seen the parties in the Middle Eastkill each other over and over. Most of these folks are religous. In fact, most would be termed fanatic.

In the US, there seems to be an underlying assumption that Israel has the right to exist. I have read and reread the history of the area, and it seems the best conclusion is this:

Jews were virtually non-existent in the area from 700 to 1880 with the exception of about 300 years in 4 communities. Even in Zionist sources (rather than legitimate academic resources, like say an encyclopedia), I doubt much case of a case can be made that there were more than a handful of Jews, certianly nothing approaching a majority. Even the Israeli Embassy website doesn't seem to push the matter much in its telling history.

The maps prepared by the British at the time show Jews comprised 6% of the population in 1900.

As far as I can see, a reading of history says you were once inhabitants of the area, but were at all times outnumbered by significant numgers throught the area.

Why on earth do you think you are entitled to the land? Do have any reason beyond religous fanaticism that suggest you must be there or have a right to be there?

Other than the fact that you believe you are "God's chose people" which granted, would give one religous license to do anything and kill anyone, do you have any source at all (except for one sided zionistic stuff) or any logical reasoning that suggest its OK for Jews to have not merely immigrated to Israel, but to have taken over land that clearly was not theirs and stolen it to create a country? What is it? I'd sure like to know.

Cheers-

Dave

This next one is of a totally different nature. I don’t intend to fulfill too many of the prophecies that concern him, and the Ten Tribes ain’t comin’ back, and, well, you can pretty much guess what I think of this stuff. But I’m obviously a bit more sympathetic to him, as he is to me, and so I won’t post his email address and full name:

Dear Rabbi F,

I saw your story on TV and wanted to contact you to send you some things to consider as you leave to move to Israel.

I believe God is drawing you there for a purpose. This current conflict is helpig to set the stage for the world to enter the Revelation period John foresaw in Revelation. We are within view of many of the prophecies of the Bible being fulfilled as foretold by the prophets of the Old T, Christ, and the writers of the New Testament.

I have been given the blueprint in detail and know exactly what is coming and about when.

If you care to read some of the things I have I guarantee you will NOT read all of it in a book. It isn't there for most of the Christian theologians do NOT have the right picture of the events to occur to bring the Messiah and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ back to earth to peform the things for Israel that were predicted hundreds of years ago and to the saints both Jew and Gentile.

You have a wonderful young family. You are going to Israel to be led of God to prepare for the building of the third temple, the emergence of the lost 10 tribes of Israel, and the eventual evacuation of chosen Israelites to the USA of the ALL Israelites who become the manchild spoken of in the Book of Revelation.

I hope you are moving to Jerusalem for that city is the focus of most of the prophecies of the Old T and the Book of Revelation and it is going to take a special work to save the remnant out of slaughter before the Messiah returns.

Many will be slaughtered.

I have much to say to you if you care to read and hear what God has revelaed to me about Israel and the USA as the world marches toward the consummation of ALL things.

God Bless and His Eyes watch over you and your family and protect you and them from all evil and harm.

Gary

Former Minister

Hitting the Mainstream Media

Yes, that was a clip of the ADDeMishpocha that you saw on cnn.com, rankling second in popularity to a video of a woman who saved her dog from an otter.
And I'd challenge anyone to do better than 'controlled chaos' with the kids home from school, a newborn, and within a few days of a move.
Too bad they couldn't post a link to the blog.

Having Fun While Giving a Dvar Torah

I spoke during shaleshudis today, at the out-of-town shul where a close friend is Rabbi. I spoke about the contradiction between Zachor and Shamor which this week's parsha presents. I advanced the notion that there's an underlying unity by citing the drasha from the Gemara in Brachot that 'kol she-yeshno be-shmirah, yeshno be-zekhira' and then added that based on this drasha, the Shulchan Arukh rules that a woman may make kiddush for a man. I couldn't see everyone, but I got a report that one mechanech almost jumped out of his chair. I couldn't resist. I enjoy stirring the pot too much.

Talking Between Yishtabach and Yotzer Or: The Development of an Erroneous Prohibition

This is a great post. I love contrarian halakhic essays. Well done, Josh.

God's Website

I just got Jewish junkmail announcing a service provided by Tzetel.com which allows one to send a prayer to be deposited in the Western Wall. My readers probably have a pretty good idea of what I think about this type of fetishism. However, it does shed light on a hypothetical question that I've often wondered about:
If God had a website, what would its suffix be?

A person's answer would shed light on his or her theology. For example, a .gov would betray theocratic leanings. I can imagine that a Catholic would expect to find God at a .gov.it address. A proselytizing system would probably be a .com, if not a .biz, as would any 'commercial' theology - the type you find on billboards. I prefer to think of God's website as a .edu, but there's no .edu.il, and .ac.il doesn't mean the same thing.

An Observation on Saying ‘I Love You’

There are two times that the ADDeRebbetzin says ‘I love you’ to me:

1. When she’s about to criticize me


2. When she just made fun of me

Something tells me that my experience is pretty similar to that on many, many gentlemen out there.

Tisha B’av Google Meme

I was surprised to find that I got a lot of hits on Tisha B’av. When I looked to see where they were coming from, I saw that many found my blog via Google searches, like for the following terms:
     j j schachter video
     sample kinot
     kinot
     Rabbi J. J. Schachter
     jj schachter kinot
     kinot holocaust
     rabbi schachter kinot
     english kinnah gush

Tisha B’Av Wrap-Up

With Aliyah less than 2 weeks away, there’s a lot going on that made it hard to get into the mood of Tisha B’Av. Right now, I’m actually homeless and unemployed. Well, homeless only in the sense that we’re between homes for the next two weeks. But the unemployed part is for real.
Anyhow, a few things that came up over Tisha B’Av, here in Yenem’s Velt (not far from Yehupitz), where we’ll be with our good friends, the local Rabbi and his family, through Shabbos:

• Regarding the Kinot about Pinui Azzah, I can’t imagine that this will be a lasting phenomenon. The fact that the events occurred so close to Tisha B’Av put it on everyone’s mind last year and this year. Some people will continue to say them, but it won’t ‘make it’ in the mainstream.


• On the same topic, I got a chance to look at some of the Kinot for Pinui Azzah, and some of them had some truly classic lines. For example, one says, “כף הטרקטור תלויה ועומדת, מונפת מעל לשומרון”. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Somebody call the Academia Le-lashon Ivrit! Let me state, in no uncertain terms, that the word ‘tractor’ has no business in a Kinah. Another Kinah is more of a manifesto than a lament. It includes lines like

היהודים – והמתיוונים;ציונות המאמינה – והציונות האפיקורסית
היא תברר: מי לה', ומי לסטרא אחרא? מי שומר ברית, ומי מחלל ברית

If you don’t understand those lines, then consider yourself better off. I’m not sure what he means by the whole bit about violating the covenant. As far as I know, pro-disengagement circles are not practicing epispasm (look it up).

• One of my kids stepped on, and broke, my glasses this morning. So before shul this morning, my host ran out and picked up some Krazy glue (I couldn’t drive). Later, the glue must have fallen out of my pocket, and Raphi, the 2-year-old, found it, had gotten the lid off, and was moving it toward his mouth before our host noticed, pulled it away, and made sure that all of my son’s digits were still distinct. I thought ‘tidbak leshoni le-chiki in lo ezkereichi’, which I thought was a darn funny Tisha B’av joke.


• Something I’m not proud of, I missed mincha today. The ADDeRebbetzin was nursing and fasting, a nasty combination, and needed help getting the kids to sleep. I got Raphi to sleep, went to get my tefillin, and noticed that it was one minute after sunset. I don’t regret what I did, but should have had the foresight to daven earlier. Anyhow, the sensation that there’s just nothing I can do is a very strange one. I did a tashlumin for mincha, but there’s nothing to make up not wearing tefillin for a day. Very disconcerting.

A Flood of New Kinot

At least 11 Kinot have been composed regarding the evacuation of Gush Katif. They’re all accessible here (hat tip to Shalom Berger of LookJED for the link). During Tisha B’av, I’ll probably sit down with them and ‘learn’ them, looking at how they were composed, what elements of the narrative they emphasize, what sources they work off, etc. Should be depressing.

Also depressing is the fact that some dude named Yitzchak Rom has taken credit for my composition, here and here. I’ve notified the katif.net people, but I haven’t figured out how to navigate Hyde Park. If anyone has facility there, please help me correct this.

Other than mine, the only other Kinah that ‘footnotes’ its sources is the one by R' Hillel Applebaum. I wonder if he is related to Dr. David and Nava Applebaum, Hashem Yinkom Damam.

I expect that a number of shuls will include some of these kinot this year. I wonder if it will last much longer than that. The Jewish people have tended to be very selective about which calamities are lamented in kinot. Right now, the wounds are fresh and, to a great degree, still open and festering. We'll see what history will pasken.