Interesting Posts and Articles #223

1. At Life in Israel, the misguided arguing with EMTs when their rebbe is still in danger.
   
   
2. Balashon on kalgas. Which reminds me of pallax.
   
   
3. MOChassid wonders which is more annoying, someone who says mashiv haruach out loud, or someone who says Shema Koleinu. I don't the latter is being deliberately annoying. It still can be distracting, though.
   
   
4. An article in the Forward knocking bashert:
   

   The Talmudic concept of a single bashert presupposes a disappointingly narrow view of love, people and of God. Beautiful, productive and supporting relationships can surely be made with lots of different people, especially as we change throughout our lives.

   While I think the idea of bashert is often misapplied and can therefore be quite damaging, I also think that the author does not really understand bashert.
   
   
5. At HaEmtzah, shul standards and the possible drawbacks, when people over-enforce them when they shouldn't.
   
   
6. Hirhurim discusses a new periodical, and there is criticism of the name Rabbi Scott in the comment section.
   

   Merely with names like this, you have already lost the interst of most orthodox Jews. "Scott"? And "Todd"? For a RABBI??
   
   It's amazing how some MO Jews dont get this. Many of them also let their clean-shaven rebbeim walk around wearing jeans. They tell you these things, like names, are mere chitzoniyos. WRONG. A community expects moer from tis teachers than it does from ballei battim. I know so many people who agree with so much of MO, including its program of good education and zionism, but dont send their kids there because of this fundamental flaw.

   And then On the Main Line discusses Rabbenu Peter.
   
   I think that it is not ignoring chitzoniyos, but rather not assuming a false chitzoniyus. And in fact, this outward presentation may reflect MO values. Namely, that there is a value to engaging modern culture, such that names and clean-shaven presentation are deliberate. If they would adopt the outer trappings of chareidi / yeshivish rabbis for the sake of appearing more legitimate, then they are ceding ground to the hashkafos and minhagim of those other communities, and declaring that those are more Authentic Judaism.
   
   
7. DafNotes on mentioning one's father's name, and how Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta speaks of Abba Chalafta. My take on it at parshablog.
   
   
8. JNUL puts up Shaarei Dura; brings me back. And Mizrachi teaches mathematics in Sefer Hamispar.
   
   
9. Rationalist Judaism considers a picture his daughter brought back of Adam Harishon, pre-sin, with long payos, a long beard, a yarmulke, a kappotte. Should one counter such depictions, or does this undermine the chinuch being provided by the school?
   
   While it is quite possible that these are prefabricated and don't represent the beliefs of the teacher, I do think that where the parents are strongly Jewishly educated, they should play an active role in their children's education. And this particularly where the yeshiva is not a precise hashkafic match. It is the father's obligation to educate his child, but because we don't have time, we delegate responsibility to the schools. And in an ideal world, we would find a shaliach who would be a perfect match. But we do not live in an ideal word, and we optimize for certain features of schools at the expense of others. But that does not mean that we must, or should, abandon any hashkafic input into our own children!
   
   Of course, there is the risk of undermining chinuch by cutting down the teachers. But I believe that there are ways to educate one's children when there are these differences.
   
   
10. The most recent Haveil Havalim, at Ima on the Bima.