Terrifying.
Read the whole post here. To the end. I really mean to the end because there is a real punchline there.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/07/nsfw-after-fort-hood-another-example-of-how-citizen-journalists-cant-handle-the-truth/
I, for one, never did watch the Neda video. I get frightened too easily. (Maybe because I don't watch movies?)
Whatever. Read It. and take heart.
The Matzav Phone Service - I investigate
Matzav.com has recently begun advertising VoIP phone service in the Yated, with whom they seem to be very tight with. (See the Yated book ads on Matzav's website.)
Aside from some misleading statements like "more than 90% of businesses have switched to VoIP" and that you get higher, "digital quality" sound, the pricing is totally absurd at $30.00.
I found no mention anywhere online fore the 90% claim. And if anything, VoIP can many time have latency issues which are rarely found in land-line connections, which are more reliable, btw.
Anyway, knowing that Matzav is no phone company, I set about finding out which company they are acting as affiliates. (Also to see if they offer a better price than Matzav.)
At my first try on the http://matzavphone.com website, I hit upon this gem: A link to another website for account information. Clicking that link take you to a page on www.myaccountcenter.net, which I correctly assumed was the page for the original provider.
(Interestingly, once you click the link above it creates a browser cookie which remembers that you're a Matzav customer even if you navigate to another page in the website.)
A Google search on that domain told me that many others do the same like Matzav and that the providor does a good job hiding their identity.
Now I set about finding the owner for that domain. A quick whois checkup yielded no results. An address in Portugal which has no results in Google.
Stuck? Not yet. I went along to check which IP address the website was hosted on and whoa!, look what I found!
They are now a subsidiary of IDT. And they have a website. Duh.
Interestingly, I wonder what you make of some user reviews on this sham of a company. Aha.
What did they say? Digital Quality. Yeah right.
Aside from some misleading statements like "more than 90% of businesses have switched to VoIP" and that you get higher, "digital quality" sound, the pricing is totally absurd at $30.00.
I found no mention anywhere online fore the 90% claim. And if anything, VoIP can many time have latency issues which are rarely found in land-line connections, which are more reliable, btw.
Anyway, knowing that Matzav is no phone company, I set about finding out which company they are acting as affiliates. (Also to see if they offer a better price than Matzav.)
At my first try on the http://matzavphone.com website, I hit upon this gem: A link to another website for account information. Clicking that link take you to a page on www.myaccountcenter.net, which I correctly assumed was the page for the original provider.
(Interestingly, once you click the link above it creates a browser cookie which remembers that you're a Matzav customer even if you navigate to another page in the website.)
A Google search on that domain told me that many others do the same like Matzav and that the providor does a good job hiding their identity.
Now I set about finding the owner for that domain. A quick whois checkup yielded no results. An address in Portugal which has no results in Google.
Stuck? Not yet. I went along to check which IP address the website was hosted on and whoa!, look what I found!
CustName: Net2Phone Inc.
Address: 298 State St.
City: Hackensack
StateProv: NJ
PostalCode: 07601
Country: US
RegDate: 2000-08-12
Updated: 2000-08-12We know know that the provider is called Net2Phone. A quick Google search reveals the following.
They are now a subsidiary of IDT. And they have a website. Duh.
Interestingly, I wonder what you make of some user reviews on this sham of a company. Aha.
What did they say? Digital Quality. Yeah right.
Amazing read
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200203/mann
I urge you to read this article in its entirety. You may be misled in the first few paragraphs as to the intent of the article.
This tells me great insight into scientific research and to how it is conducted. While most might have a quest for truth, it is almost always distorted and biased unintentionally (as well as intentionally, which does not need mention), on both sides of the proverbial coin.
While this article does seem to go against common knowledge and has some real holes in it, such as flimsy archeological evidence, some of it does seem to have substance to my untrained eye.
A fascinating and enlightening read nonetheless.
If true, it lend a whole new light to the subject of human driven climate change and the environment.
What I take away from this is that inusual all cases, nature has its way to right itself and adjust. The human race might sometimes be victim to such change, which can be ruthless, but the nes of teva is amazing.
If the subject of climate change is your cup of tea, please enjoy this read. And read here for some insightful comments.
Another interesting conversation.
I urge you to read this article in its entirety. You may be misled in the first few paragraphs as to the intent of the article.
This tells me great insight into scientific research and to how it is conducted. While most might have a quest for truth, it is almost always distorted and biased unintentionally (as well as intentionally, which does not need mention), on both sides of the proverbial coin.
While this article does seem to go against common knowledge and has some real holes in it, such as flimsy archeological evidence, some of it does seem to have substance to my untrained eye.
A fascinating and enlightening read nonetheless.
If true, it lend a whole new light to the subject of human driven climate change and the environment.
What I take away from this is that in
If the subject of climate change is your cup of tea, please enjoy this read. And read here for some insightful comments.
Another interesting conversation.
Learning Nach or dikduk in Slabodka
Ishim Veshitos writes that it was "illegal" to learn Nach or dikduk in the yeshiva in Slabodka due to Masilic concerns.
Josh Waxman notes that this is an example that a certain yeshiva's approach does not necessarilyhave to be in line define the overall "Torah True" approach (whatever that means).
He fails to highlight the very real issue that yeshiva faced which caused the shunning. Ask any Slabodka yeshiva graduate; he will no doubt have no issue with the learning of these subjects per se, only the effect they sometimes caused at that time.
It is a good example of a hahagah which some might later interpret incorrectly, resulting in incorrect values, a total different issue. (Unless that was what Josh meant.)
Josh Waxman notes that this is an example that a certain yeshiva's approach does not necessarily
He fails to highlight the very real issue that yeshiva faced which caused the shunning. Ask any Slabodka yeshiva graduate; he will no doubt have no issue with the learning of these subjects per se, only the effect they sometimes caused at that time.
It is a good example of a hahagah which some might later interpret incorrectly, resulting in incorrect values, a total different issue. (Unless that was what Josh meant.)
Chamor Nosai Seforim
On The Main Line writes that the term חמור נושא ספרים, may have a Koranic origin.
The first Jewish source he find for it is in the sefer Chovos Halvavos.
I view it as a emotional issue rather than a real problem. It might not feel right but I don't see anything wrong with it.
Besides, as he writes, its quite possible it entered the common lexicon by the time he wrote it.
The first Jewish source he find for it is in the sefer Chovos Halvavos.
I view it as a emotional issue rather than a real problem. It might not feel right but I don't see anything wrong with it.
Besides, as he writes, its quite possible it entered the common lexicon by the time he wrote it.
Thank you Hebrew Books
A special post to thank the most comprehensive Jewish library available online for free.
With over 40,000 seforim currently available online as of now, they have outgrown the paid-only Otzar Hahochma.
Otzar is not happy about this, and are trying to undermine HB. More on this later.
Corzine loses in New Jersey, Bloomberg wins in NYC et al
The (preliminary) result are in and it seem that the GOP won big.
With the gubernatorial election in New Jersey and Virginia won by Republicans by a wide margin, there seems to be no change for a challenge in court.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprise to see such landslide wins.
I was also happily shocked to see Bloomberg win with such a small margin.
Why I'm happy:
With the gubernatorial election in New Jersey and Virginia won by Republicans by a wide margin, there seems to be no change for a challenge in court.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprise to see such landslide wins.
I was also happily shocked to see Bloomberg win with such a small margin.
Why I'm happy:
- Christie had to win in NJ because: 1. Obama campaigned hard for him. This a figurative slap in his face.
- 2. An overall boost for the GOP which may start finding its voice to keep the balance of power.
- 3. One I cannot write since its lashon horah (These in Lakewood should know.).
- 4. Bloomberg won by a small margin, which is good because its high time he toned down.
I support Bloomberg because I think its nearly impossible to be a uncorrupted politician. Unless you're as rich as him. He did a fairly good job as well.
I'm now waiting for the Maine results.
Did the malachim eat meat and milk together?
First, see the possuk with Rashi:
From the possuk it clearly seems that the malachim ate the tongue (according to Rashi) together with the butter and milk.
While I'm unsure whether eating meat and milk is an issur deoraisa, (IIRC its only cooking or benefiting from the cooked mix, but I might be wrong, since there is a third limud that I can't remember,) I'll assume that an issur derabanan would be enough here.
Now to the central issue:
Sifsei Chachamim asks how this came to be that Avraham gave the malachim basar vechalav. And he answers that he gave them the dairy before the meat (and they waited a while in between). Alternatively, he says that Avraham possibly held like the opinion that washing in between is enough.
| 8. And he took cream and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and he placed [them] before them, and he was standing over them under the tree, and they ate. | ח. וַיִּקַּח חֶמְאָה וְחָלָב וּבֶן הַבָּקָר אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּתֵּן לִפְנֵיהֶם וְהוּא עֹמֵד עֲלֵיהֶם תַּחַת הָעֵץ וַיֹּאכֵלוּ: | |
| And he took cream and milk, etc.: But he did not bring bread, because Sarah became menstruous, for the manner of the women returned to her on that day, and the dough became ritually unclean. — [from B.M. 87a] | ויקח חמאה וגו': ולחם לא הביא לפי שפירסה שרה נדה, שחזר לה אורח כנשים אותו היום, ונטמאת העיסה: | |
| cream: the fat of the milk that is skimmed off the top. | חמאה: שומן החלב שקולטין מעל פניו: | |
| and the calf that he had prepared: that he had prepared. Each one that he prepared, he took and brought before them. — [from B.M. 86b] | ובן הבקר אשר עשה: אשר תקן, קמא קמא שתקן, אמטי ואייתי קמייהו: | |
| and they ate: They appeared to be eating. — [from here we learn that a person should not deviate from custom. — [from B.M. ad loc., Gen. Rabbah 48:14, Targum Jonathan] | ויאכלו: נראו כמו שאכלו, מכאן שלא ישנה אדם מן המנהג: | |
From the possuk it clearly seems that the malachim ate the tongue (according to Rashi) together with the butter and milk.
While I'm unsure whether eating meat and milk is an issur deoraisa, (IIRC its only cooking or benefiting from the cooked mix, but I might be wrong, since there is a third limud that I can't remember,) I'll assume that an issur derabanan would be enough here.
Now to the central issue:
Sifsei Chachamim asks how this came to be that Avraham gave the malachim basar vechalav. And he answers that he gave them the dairy before the meat (and they waited a while in between). Alternatively, he says that Avraham possibly held like the opinion that washing in between is enough.
I have a few issue with this pshat.
- As Rashi clearly states above, the Malachim didn't really eat; they only appeared so. Tosafos, does hold that they really ate, though.
- Avraham assumed that they were Arabs, he definitely didn't assume them to be Jews since there weren't any! So what would be his issue with serving this to non-Jews?
Now there is some basis in Rashi for such a pshat. As Rashi says above: "And he took cream and milk, etc.: But he did not bring bread, because Sarah became menstruous, for the manner of the women returned to her on that day, and the dough became ritually unclean." According to what I wrote above, there should be no issue for non-Jews with ritually unclean bread, so whats Rashi's problem.
It therefore seems according to Rashi, that Rashi held that Avraham was going to eat along with them, thereby prompting the Sifsei Chachamim's question above. (In Avrahams case, at least.)
However, on this very Rashi on Sarah, the Sifsei Chachamim has a different problem which he resolves by saying that Avraham couldn't serve the bread because it was chometz, and it was Pesach at that time.
Chometz on Pesach cannot be served mide'oraisah at all.
In conclusion, it seems that the Sifsei Chachamims problem is a non-issue, unless he has other evidence of Avraham joining the meal. (There is ample evidence for this according to other Rishonim. He doesn't quote them here, however.)
List of Jewish hotlines
For now I'm only making a simple list of all numbers. I hope to provide more background information on each number as I progress.
- Alter Moshe Goldberger 1-212-990-6143
- Crown Heights Hotline 1-212-434-0770 (old: 1-212-461-8874)
- Kol Bobov (MDU) 1-718-305-6300
- Kol Hachasidus (Chabad) 1-718-735-7333 (Alternates: 1-845-436-6700, 1-845-928-3115)
- Kol Halashon (70,000+ shiurim) 1-718-906-6400
- Kol Haolam (News+) 1-718-305-5000
- Kol Mevaser (News in Yiddish+) 1-845-738-1100 (Alt: 1-212-444-1100, 1-845-837-9000, 1-845-738-1100)
- Kol Munkatch 1-718-305-7575
- Kol Satmar 1-718-305-6942
- Merkaz Hashidur (belz) 1-718-305-5885
- Nachum Rosenberg 1-212-461-2778
- Wonder Words 1-718-305-6960 (Alt: 1-212-444-1119, 1-845-738-1066)
- Yehudah Shain (kashrus) 1-212-990-7238
- Zmanim 1-718-331-8463
That's it for now. I hope to organize this list in the near future. Please comment here for additions or modifications.
Daylight Savings Time, No enviromental merit?
Environmentalists have long claimed Daylight Savings Time as a great way to save energy with little inconvenience.
According to most studies, however, it seems to be the opposite!
One of the only studies to claim lowered energy consumption using DST was done dring the '70s energy crisis.
Duh.
I still find it as a great way to to be able to sleep late without missing the zman krias shma.
According to most studies, however, it seems to be the opposite!
One of the only studies to claim lowered energy consumption using DST was done dring the '70s energy crisis.
Duh.
I still find it as a great way to to be able to sleep late without missing the zman krias shma.
Hamodia skipped the Gerrer Rebbe's visit
Anyone else surprised?
The Gerrer Rebbe was on a visit to the USA last week. The visit was cut short due to his wife not feeling well in Israel, mid-visit.
Might well be because Hamodia USA has no interest in mixing into machlokes and alienating possibly most of their readership. But I could still see a claim made that has nothing to do with the machlokes regardless.
I do wonder how they got away from the pressure the Gerrer Ichud must have put on them.
The Gerrer Rebbe was on a visit to the USA last week. The visit was cut short due to his wife not feeling well in Israel, mid-visit.
Might well be because Hamodia USA has no interest in mixing into machlokes and alienating possibly most of their readership. But I could still see a claim made that has nothing to do with the machlokes regardless.
I do wonder how they got away from the pressure the Gerrer Ichud must have put on them.
Is software and music piracy against Halachah?
The first post of a hopefully larger series.
Let me preface this that I am no expert in halachah. Therefore, expect me to change positions frequently on this subject as I further refine the details.
If you have anything constructive to add to this discussion, please feel free to do so in the comments, and I'll be happy to add it to a future post.
With that aside, lets get started.
There is little basis for any concept of "intellectual property' in the Torah. The Gemara, as well, does not mention the idea.
The first instance of copyright law making its way into the Jewish psych was about 150 before copyright law came existence, in Europe.
Since my goal is not to give a history lesson here, I'll try to still to relevant halachic ideas.
From my understanding of the Rema's ruling, he disallowed reprinting of books because of Hasagos Gevul (which roughly translates into: unfair trade practices).
He then issued a cherem (ban) on these who purchase the seforim, since the publisher was a non-Jew who would have no issue disobeying the ruling.
My initial take from this ruling (assuming the cherem is still in effect):
Let me preface this that I am no expert in halachah. Therefore, expect me to change positions frequently on this subject as I further refine the details.
If you have anything constructive to add to this discussion, please feel free to do so in the comments, and I'll be happy to add it to a future post.
With that aside, lets get started.
There is little basis for any concept of "intellectual property' in the Torah. The Gemara, as well, does not mention the idea.
The first instance of copyright law making its way into the Jewish psych was about 150 before copyright law came existence, in Europe.
In 1550, Rabbi Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen of Padua (known by the Hebrewacronym, the “Maharam” of Padua) published a new edition of Moses Maimonides’seminal code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah. Katzenellenbogen invested significanttime, effort, and money in producing the edition. He and his son also added their owncommentary on Maimonides’ text. Since Jews were forbidden to print books in sixteenth-century Italy, Katzenellenbogen arranged to have his edition printed by a Christianprinter, Alvise Bragadini. Bragadini’s chief rival, Marc Antonio Giustiniani, respondedby issuing a cheaper edition that both copied the Maharam’s annotations and included anintroduction criticizing them. Katzenellenbogen then asked Rabbi Moses Isserles, European Jewry’s leading juridical authority of the day, to forbid distribution of the Giustiniani edition.
Since my goal is not to give a history lesson here, I'll try to still to relevant halachic ideas.
From my understanding of the Rema's ruling, he disallowed reprinting of books because of Hasagos Gevul (which roughly translates into: unfair trade practices).
He then issued a cherem (ban) on these who purchase the seforim, since the publisher was a non-Jew who would have no issue disobeying the ruling.
My initial take from this ruling (assuming the cherem is still in effect):
- Duplicating media for ones own use would not violate this Cherem.
- Duplicating media (without permission) for resale generally would violate this law.
- Uploading media to a file sharing website may be questionable.
This is all assuming that the cherem was comprehensive. According to some opinions, it only applied to sifrei kodesh.
Sources:
