tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post6628324642657498100..comments2023-10-30T08:40:59.016-04:00Comments on Wolfish Musings: Infallible Gedolim Or Just A Looney Letter?BrooklynWolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-51783767724581863432008-03-31T17:19:00.000-04:002008-03-31T17:19:00.000-04:00Wolf, sometimes I think your a masochist with your...Wolf, sometimes I think your a masochist with your postings on yeshiva world. I just read the latest jerk to berate you concern your innocent question. You know a charaidi isn't supposed to question - just accept. C'mon most of the people who post their hardly have a high school education. Continuing to post in that site is just asking for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-71926323997709727602008-03-31T06:32:00.000-04:002008-03-31T06:32:00.000-04:00infallible? The Torah itself says no Rav is infall...infallible? The Torah itself says no Rav is infallible. There is a korban for when Sanhedrin (!) makes a mistake. Is any Rav nowadays greater than the Sanhedrin that sat in the Lishkas Ha'Gazis in the Beis Hamikdash? Could they make a mistake and require a Korban, but Rabbonim nowadays are infallible?<BR/><BR/>I think not.Rafi G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00699851287106903971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-55121169721204183412008-03-27T10:34:00.000-04:002008-03-27T10:34:00.000-04:00Steg said, "it hurts my soul when i see jews rehas...Steg said, "it hurts my soul when i see jews rehashing old racist european-american slanders against rock music"<BR/><BR/>Racist? That thought had never occurred to me, but you may have a point. I have seen rock described as "jungle music," which is probably a racist description.Shira Salamonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989302669175887512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-12269724191223936152008-03-27T05:12:00.000-04:002008-03-27T05:12:00.000-04:00Heck, even Catholics don't ascribe infallibility t...<I>Heck, even Catholics don't ascribe infallibility to the Pope all the time - only when he speaks ex cathedra. .</I><BR/><BR/>Basicly the Pope only gets to be infallible on church doctrine, and that is only in the sense that the Roman Catholic church gives the pope the authority to set doctrine, so if he says "The doctrine is X" then it is. <BR/><BR/>As for a "Jewish Pope" I keep expecting to see white smoke over Mea Sharim or Beni BarakZach Kessinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04276155117746098546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-79881137221909439212008-03-27T04:49:00.000-04:002008-03-27T04:49:00.000-04:00Wait, you didn't even address the last part about ...Wait, you didn't even address the last part about teshuvah and Mordechai. I have never heard that one and I spent my entire schooling in Jewish schools. When did this supposed Teshuva happen? I'm fascinated.Commenter Abbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753256568022159103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-83456659723238073042008-03-27T02:05:00.000-04:002008-03-27T02:05:00.000-04:00Other than making my blood pressure rise, what is ...Other than making my blood pressure rise, what is the poing of posts like these? :PHoly Hyraxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17704030181702087485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-81611916574062466312008-03-26T22:13:00.000-04:002008-03-26T22:13:00.000-04:00it hurts my soul when i see jews rehashing old rac...it hurts my soul when i see jews rehashing old racist european-american slanders against rock musicSteg (dos iz nit der šteg)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07694556690190505030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-33475352385814527222008-03-26T20:56:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:56:00.000-04:00Lshitatam, the writer is correct that according to...Lshitatam, the writer is correct that according to the popular understanding of charedi hashkafa they should obey when gedolim rule and no one counter-rules. BTW the Yerushalmi in Horiyot is only if it's 100% clear to one capable of making such distinctions (not just "it seems to me their judgement is not spot on")<BR/>KT<BR/>Joel RichAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-12618790518377777722008-03-26T19:23:00.000-04:002008-03-26T19:23:00.000-04:00Old Joke:I used to think it was possible for me to...Old Joke:<BR/><BR/>I used to think it was possible for me to be wrong. Then I found out I was mistaken. <BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-76942310263106977792008-03-26T19:22:00.000-04:002008-03-26T19:22:00.000-04:00"I'm a bit slow... but not *THAT* slow. :)"Yeah, b..."I'm a bit slow... but not *THAT* slow. :)"<BR/><BR/>Yeah, but are you...infallible? ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-12475055848938802332008-03-26T19:12:00.000-04:002008-03-26T19:12:00.000-04:00Nah, I realized after the third one.I'm a bit slow...Nah, I realized after the third one.<BR/><BR/>I'm a bit slow... but not *THAT* slow. :)<BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-52581941514075353862008-03-26T19:09:00.000-04:002008-03-26T19:09:00.000-04:00Wolf, do you really think that Shochet is posting ...Wolf, do you really think that Shochet is posting stuff on your blog? It looks more like someone is doing some cut & paste to provide more ammunition against him (not that any more is needed, considering that laughable "infallible" comment of his).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-5861448634375722232008-03-26T18:36:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:36:00.000-04:00Just so you know who you're dealing with.Just so you know who you're dealing with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-20704199492712300812008-03-26T18:35:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:35:00.000-04:00Non-Jewish Melodies (I)The outrageous denunciation...Non-Jewish Melodies (I)<BR/><BR/>The outrageous denunciation by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser (Jewish Press, March 19) of melodies not written specifically for Orthodox Jewish purposes smacks of a medieval type of thinking that, unfortunately, characterizes much of today's right-wing Orthodoxy. To imply that simple musical tunes - nothing more than a combination of musical notes - will in any way have a corrupting influence goes beyond any attempt at rational thinking. (Rabbi Goldwasser had previously gone so far as to state that secular melodies corrupt one's neshama.)<BR/><BR/>Now, if he had denounced the often licentious and disgusting lyrics that some modern- day songs contain, I would certainly support his assertions. But instead he issued a blanket condemnation of all non-Jewish melodies, even if they have Orthodox Jewish themes and words as their lyrics.<BR/><BR/>Maybe Rabbi Goldwasser does not recall that the Lubavitcher Rebbe permitted his chassidim to make the French national anthem into a niggun. The Rebbe stated that by doing so one raises something that is not holy into the realm of holiness.<BR/><BR/>Anyone who finds himself spiritually corrupted by a secular melody alone - especially one that's been made into an Orthodox Jewish song - is more likely to suffer from a mental illness than any spiritual threat.<BR/><BR/>Robert M. Solomon<BR/>Brooklyn, NYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-40335841106341229062008-03-26T18:29:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:29:00.000-04:00The Beat Goes OnSo, at least according to reader M...The Beat Goes On<BR/><BR/>So, at least according to reader Moshe Shochet, it is not musical notes that threaten to corrupt, but rather "the beat" (Letters, April 23).<BR/><BR/>In responding to my earlier letter to the editor, Rabbi Shochet sounds the alarm: The pulsation of a 'rock beat' will so craze us that our very souls will become corrupted. But what really stands out in his letter was that rather than address the facts, he resorts to name calling and then retreats behind what he perceives to be the invincible wall of claiming to speak for 'Daas Torah.' (Kind of like in yeshiva when you'd ask a sincere question that the melamed couldn't handle and he'd throw you out of class and call you a chatzuf.)<BR/><BR/>Sorry, Rabbi Shochet, but much as you might wish it to be, you as an individual are not infallible, nor is the right-wing community you presume to speak for.<BR/><BR/>As far as my alleged chutzpah is concerned, I welcome the charge. Better that than being a purveyor of skewed spiritual theory, a declarer of fatwah-like pronouncements, and an instigator of needless anxiety and guilt among innocent music lovers.<BR/><BR/>As for that "rock beat," I guess the good rabbi hasn't been to any Mordechai ben David concerts lately, or joined the men contorting themselves to the "rock beat" at frum weddings.<BR/><BR/>Dr. Robert M. Solomon<BR/>Brooklyn, NYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-54967942196393002242008-03-26T18:27:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:27:00.000-04:00More On Non-Jewish Melodies (I)I wish to protest t...More On Non-Jewish Melodies (I)<BR/><BR/>I wish to protest the tremendous chutzpah exhibited by reader Robert M. Solomon in his April 2 letter to the editor responding to Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser's earlier criticism of non-Jewish music being appropriated by frum Jews.<BR/><BR/>I have no problem with debating the issue in a respectful manner (see reader Kalman Fischer's letter in the same issue), but what Mr. Solomon did was to attack a beloved rabbinical figure and insult Daas Torah.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure that Rabbi Goldwasser in his column was not referring to simple and harmless melodies that our holy tzaddikim and rebbes adopted and to which they added genuine Jewish ruach and taam. What Rabbi Goldwasser was no doubt warning against is the type of rock or rap music distinguished by wild and provocative beats (and whose original lyrics celebrate immorality and sinful lifestyles).<BR/><BR/>L'havdil bein kodosh l'chol, bein Yisrael l'amim.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Moshe Shochet<BR/>Brooklyn, NYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-67393660479293437392008-03-26T18:23:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:23:00.000-04:00(Assuming, of course, that it's Rabbi Shochet post...(Assuming, of course, that it's Rabbi Shochet posting here and not someone else).BrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-19823874851951232202008-03-26T18:22:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:22:00.000-04:00Rabbi Shochet,Please stick to the topic of the pos...Rabbi Shochet,<BR/><BR/>Please stick to the topic of the post. I agree with everything you wrote in your first comment, but it (like the second one) has nothing to do with the subject of my post.<BR/><BR/>If you think I unfairly criticized your letter, then say so and rebutt it. But don't go off topic.<BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-79955038459531173932008-03-26T18:20:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:20:00.000-04:00Question For Ms. GruenbaumI was appalled that The ...Question For Ms. Gruenbaum<BR/><BR/>I was appalled that The Jewish Press would print Esther Gruenbaum's stinging, anti-kollel letter to the editor. How ironic that such an anti-Torah viewpoint would appear during Chanukah, the festival commemorating our fight to regain our holy Torah.<BR/><BR/>Ms. Gruenbaum sarcastically asks, "And if we don't drastically change things, who will support the next generation?" Well, madam, if we don't learn, who will teach and pasken for the next generation?<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Moshe Shochet<BR/>Brooklyn, NYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-40279731063812700202008-03-26T18:17:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:17:00.000-04:00Universe Maintained By Torah Study The world ...Universe Maintained By Torah Study<BR/><BR/> The world cannot exist without Torah. Even by the holy shvatim there was Yissocher, who sat in kollel and learned day and night, and there was Zevulun, who learned and worked to support Yissocher. Yaakov Avinu sent Yehuda ahead to Mitzrayim to build a beis medrash for the bnei Torah to sit and learn full time in golus. We cannot survive in golus without Torah.<BR/> <BR/> Hagaon Harav Ahron Kotler, zt”l, built Torah in America by introducing the kollel movement in Lakewood. Rav Ahron (along with other gedolim such as Harav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, zt”l, menahel of Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaas) was responsible for saving Torah in the golus of America. When Rav Ahron would visit potential donors, he would take pride in the fact that there were Yidden just sitting in kollel day and night studying Hashem’s holy Torah that keeps the entire world in existence.<BR/> <BR/> It’s true that not everyone is cut out to learn full time. But if someone has it in him to learn in kollel or to go into chinuch to be marbitz Torah, he should be praised and given chizuk, not criticized.<BR/> <BR/>Rabbi Moshe Shochet<BR/>Brooklyn, NYAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-55262045171695429862008-03-26T18:00:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:00:00.000-04:00Heck, even Catholics don't ascribe infallibility t...Heck, even Catholics don't ascribe infallibility to the Pope all the time - only when he speaks ex cathedra. But some of our flock seem to think that it's impossible for a gadol to make a wrong turn while driving.<BR/><BR/>The WolfBrooklynWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03994285019137108636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11425059.post-53036449208467300712008-03-26T17:31:00.000-04:002008-03-26T17:31:00.000-04:00Infallible??! That really got me steamed. I thou...Infallible??! That really got me steamed. I thought only the Catholics believed that any human being could be infallible. Have our rabbis suddenly become popes?Shira Salamonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989302669175887512noreply@blogger.com