tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post1749724788507430159..comments2024-03-19T23:03:01.685-05:00Comments on Beis Vaad L'Chachamim: אכין ורקין מיעוטין- רק עם חכם ונבוןEliezer Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-12656872977200096442020-10-20T08:05:18.532-05:002020-10-20T08:05:18.532-05:00I have learned that our intellectual and physical ...I have learned that our intellectual and physical limitations can create apparent contradictions that are not really contradictions at all. Even where it seems like a binary, it is really not. Basically, that means that I trust the truth of the scientific method and I know the truth of faith, and when they are incompatible, I believe that if I were wiser, I would understand how they could both be true.<br />For example, regarding the age of the universe. I recommend that you look up Gerald Schroeder. I myself and partial to the idea that before the creation, time did not exist, and a continuum of time can be created at any point in that continuum. I call it the bilateral creation of time. Please do not confuse this with the stupid Omphalos Hypothesis.Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-30452678228727218552020-10-20T07:38:52.063-05:002020-10-20T07:38:52.063-05:00Hi Rabbi
Just curious how you differentiate so yo...Hi Rabbi<br /><br />Just curious how you differentiate so you rely on science re Covid (and so many other aspects in your life) but don't rely on the (majority opinion of) science when it comes to questions of age of the universe evolution as and other scientific ideas that challenge one's emunah. It is an issue that I constantly face and assume will face my entire life.Arohomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-54611449911241403692020-10-18T20:54:55.797-05:002020-10-18T20:54:55.797-05:00Ok, I really don't know who is right and who i...Ok, I really don't know who is right and who is wrong. Do you go בתר רוב? Rov of what? Epidemiologists? Communicable Disease specialists? I know that Reb Chaim's point is very important. I personally knew several people that died because of the lockdown, and it goes without saying that so many businesses and cities are facing bankruptcy and disruption of services. I don't know who is right, and I feel that the harm to the spiritual development of thousands of young men and women might be irreparable. I believe, as as certain Rosh Yeshiva told his family, "The Yeshiva is worth lives." Reb Akiva was doresh b'rabbim knowing the likely cost, and he used the mashal of the fish, and that is as true now as it was then. But I am following the advice of the doctors I know and trust. They are all in the Ditchek and Glatt camp. <br />One thing I have to say: I still believe that the ultras and Chasidim have a problem with science. They have to. That is why they want to keep on making crazy weddings and such. But the demonstrations about shuls and schools, and even businesses, I no longer know who is right. But at least do what is advisable when it is not so hard! How hard is it to wear a mask? How hard is it to make a small wedding, or to skip the massive bar mitzva? That, I think, is an outgrowth of the arrogance of superiority and the willful disregard of science.Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-32629516563188861482020-10-18T10:47:36.659-05:002020-10-18T10:47:36.659-05:00Chaim B
Is there a reason you dislike the further ...Chaim B<br />Is there a reason you dislike the further subsequent study? <br />https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7253999/<br />(I am intentionally ignoring "the Federalist" as I do not consider it a legitimate source)Avihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04294345748052670103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-89843524448712477102020-10-16T15:29:58.023-05:002020-10-16T15:29:58.023-05:00Good to know.
You can come out to Staten Island i...Good to know. <br />You can come out to Staten Island in the fall. Great beaches for kite flying and fishing. I have yet to catch a fish there, and the kites are in tatters, and it's mostly Italians, who don't seem to mind the Jews too much at the moment.Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-84908456617223984292020-10-16T15:13:39.334-05:002020-10-16T15:13:39.334-05:00It is absolutely worth it, esp in late Sept when t...It is absolutely worth it, esp in late Sept when the beautiful dahlia garden is in full bloom and (I know I should leave this out) they have the most elaborate scarecrows you can imagine setup through the gardens. It is next to impossible to find a good tranquil spot anywhere in the city to recharge that compares (yes, including the NY Botanic Garden). <br />I am a little biased because I prefer parks on the water and Bayard is located right alongside the Connetquot River. Connetquot river state park is near there too and is also a beautiful place.Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-71436412174297274782020-10-16T15:05:00.547-05:002020-10-16T15:05:00.547-05:00So we will have to agree to disagree.
I find htt...So we will have to agree to disagree. <br />I find https://gbdeclaration.org/ convincing enough and supported by enough science. For those who don't, but all means, stay home and locked down and come out whenever. Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-38799487626106520622020-10-16T14:39:51.965-05:002020-10-16T14:39:51.965-05:00I just don't know. It seems to me that why doe...I just don't know. It seems to me that why doesn't matter. If there's a spike in that community, you lock it down mercilessly. That's what they did in Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh. Maybe the science is wrong. But I absolutely do not believe that the people making the rules are doing it because they hate Jews or Ortho Judaism. I would be comfortable arguing that it was justified by emergency. And whether they do the same to others does not matter to me. What matters is stopping the deaths, like the ones in the news today, Aryeh Schorr, Nachman Rubin, Respler, all the best of our people who could have had another forty years of life.Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-57579459593478437292020-10-16T14:29:36.284-05:002020-10-16T14:29:36.284-05:00That's an interesting story.
I never heard of ...That's an interesting story.<br />I never heard of that arboretum. It looks beautiful, but it's two hours from Staten Island and two hours from Flatbush or Monsey. Other than the chizuk from the jogger, was it worth it?<br />Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-81010093013592810872020-10-16T14:25:15.063-05:002020-10-16T14:25:15.063-05:00ad hominem comments, but do you have anything to s...ad hominem comments, but do you have anything to say about the content?<br />anything to say about the content of the lawsuit being brought against cuomo? https://www.dhillonlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20201014_CAL_Congregation_Doc_1_Comp.pdf<br />What in the complaint do you think is false?Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-40666143560563477212020-10-16T14:15:30.524-05:002020-10-16T14:15:30.524-05:00Maaseh she'haya: On chol ha'moed I went to...Maaseh she'haya: On chol ha'moed I went to bayard cutting arboretum with my wife. It is a state park out in the middle of nowhere and a nice place to escape. It is far from any Jewish community and in the many times we have been there I have yet to see anyone else wearing a yalmukah.<br /><br />We were sitting on a bench (not wearing masks) and Joe goy comes jogging by us and yells at us "How about Cuomo. He's like Hitler, he won't let you pray in your synagogues."<br /><br />Yes, it was one person. You can say it is the yotzei min haklal. Or you can say that outside the bubble of pundits and those who live on the upper east/west side of NY, the average Joe out there gets it. Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-4554114824855238962020-10-16T13:20:57.537-05:002020-10-16T13:20:57.537-05:00Wow! Thanks for that link! He is a fascinating man...Wow! Thanks for that link! He is a fascinating man, Liel. Not least because his father was the famous Motorcycle bank robber in Israel, but also because of his totally out of left field path towards kashrus and tefilla. In an environment that really did not make it comfortable. I occasionally listen to him on his podcast, Unorthodox. I used to also follow them on Facebook, but I got tired of the crazy liberals, the "How do I convert to Judaism if I don't believe in God?" "No problem, my friend, most Jews don't believe in God anyway." and the endless yammering about Jewish Food. Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-86051954138419190502020-10-16T12:42:24.488-05:002020-10-16T12:42:24.488-05:00I see you added Rechnitz's op-ed to the post. ...I see you added Rechnitz's op-ed to the post. What does disagreeing with Heshly Tischlet's antics have to do with whether or not to wear a mask or whether it is right or wrong to impose a lockdown aimed specifically at Orthodox neighborhoods? Apples and oranges again.<br /><br />May I suggest you at least take a look at: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/religion-science-coronavirusChaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-38910916212972086182020-10-16T12:23:19.503-05:002020-10-16T12:23:19.503-05:00Which is not because they are anti-science, but mo...Which is not because they are anti-science, but more likely because they recognize they are under the heavy thumb of a crass, socialist, dictatorial mayor who is incompetent. Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-76937897053903520522020-10-16T12:10:49.543-05:002020-10-16T12:10:49.543-05:00Also, in the case of Covid, you ignore the effect ...Also, in the case of Covid, you ignore the effect of hypocrisy. Would you believe a scientist who told you not to smoke if you saw him out of the street with his fellow scientists all lighting up? If he defended the right of some people to smoke, but demanded that you quit?<br /><br />I dont want to hear about shutting down shuls when Jews were marching in BLM rallies for George FLoyd at a time that the death toll was higher and the virus more widespread. Dont talk about shutting shuls when I (as I did last week) go to the local kosher store and find more people there in close proximity than at the minyan I was at on Y"K. <br /><br />Last point: public policy should be shaped by the facts, but is not itself a black and white issue, certainly not in this case.Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-32258968026086411532020-10-16T11:55:30.053-05:002020-10-16T11:55:30.053-05:00Fine. I understand. Rational people can disagree. ...Fine. I understand. Rational people can disagree. But the maniacs in Brooklyn are not approaching the issue with logic. And I have a tzad hashaveh. Eliezer Eisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036989084122930226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453787673476195995.post-87913029768636729322020-10-16T11:39:28.708-05:002020-10-16T11:39:28.708-05:00You are lumping together apples and oranges, which...You are lumping together apples and oranges, which is an easy way to dismiss arguments. <br />I dont think Covid is a hoax. I also dont think masks provide much protection not because I dont believe in science, but to the contrary, because I believe 14 randomly controlled studies support that conclusion (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article). Scientific studies show that the majority of people who get Covid were careful to wear masks (https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/12/cdc-study-finds-overwhelming-majority-of-people-getting-coronavirus-wore-masks/) And studies show there is no correlation between mandates that force people to wear masks and upticks or downticks of the disease. And thousands of scientists now are openly saying that lockdowns cause more harm than good.<br />The mask has become the equivalent of a red bendle, and a nice way to scapegoat people. But science? Not really.<br />Social distancing helps because you cant catch a cold when you are not around people who have it.<br />You also fail to take into consideration the politicization of science. Doctors and scientists who disagree with the mainstream have been silenced. It took months for something like the great barrington declaration to finally come out, but there were lots of voices echoing the same sentiments along the way. Are those who support it anti-science too?<br /><br />Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.com