Interesting Posts and Articles #185

1. An interesting back and forth in the Hakirah forum regarding Marc Shapiro's book on Rambam. Among the points, is declaring the Brisker approach ahistorical "ridiculing" the approach?
   
   A while back, Divrei Chaim asserted the value to the halachic process even where it does not equal authorial intent. Thus:
   

   For example, I sincerely doubt (with all due forgiveness to Briskers) that the Rambam had in mind notions of tzvei dinim and gavra/chaftza when he wrote the Yad. Historically speaking, R' Chaim imposed his own system of thought on the Rambam; he did not uncover original meaning or authorial intent. Does that make his interpretation false? Only if you are a historian, but not if you are a halachist.
   
   A halachist's concern is for the meaning of the Rambam's conclusion as an abstract philosophical or legal idea for himself and his community. The halachist acknowledges that this meaning is a construct and not a discovery of original meaning, but that does not matter, because Torah interpretation is validated and measured by communal consensus regarding those conclusions and not by degree of historical fidelity to some unknowable original intent.

   See at Hakirah, though, where Rav Lichtenstein argues and maintains that it does make some difference when it comes to pesak.
   
   
2. Jameel at The Muqata takes note of a Chardalist desire for separate buses, from Rabbi Aviner.
   
   
3. At Haaretz, how the Gerrer Rebbe ditched communal cups because of swine flu fears.
   
   
4. Should psukim, and our interpretation of them and application to present day, dictate Israeli policy? At Yeranen Yaakov.
   
   
5. Astrologers predict that the solar eclipse will spark world violence. It didn't.
   
   
6. YNet on overspraying pesticides to prevent bugs and be kosher; and how that may cause kashrut revocation, since how can you say poison is kosher?
   
   
7. Hirhurim posts an article by Rabbi Broyde on women rabbis.
   
   
8. Is Rambam in line with Intelligent Design?
   
   
9. Aussie Dave wonders if he fell for a hoax. More info here.
   
   
10. Conversations in Klal about a marriage which purportedly broke up because of the financial hardship of supporting all the children and grandchildren.
    
    
11. Jewish Worker with a series of posts about Tisha BeAv.
    
    
12. My roundup of my posts on parshat Devarim here.
    
    
13. If you needed any more evidence that the autistics are full of it, here is "Daniel's" take on the Munchhausen mother:
    

    Learning Who To Trust:
    
    We should learn from what has happened to the woman who has been accused by the reshaim of mistreating her child, chas veshalom [they called her “the starving mother” -see more about this in the left column]. We should learn that we are not allowed to trust reshaim to the point of forgetting Hashem, that He is kol yachol and our only salvation.

    Why did she believe them? Because even the frum community has been blinded by what is known as so-called “professionalism”. The frum have become an easy victim for the unscrupulous non-believing professionals in almost every field because they are dazzled by the superficial olam hazeh knowledge that they seem to have.