Interesting Posts and Articles #265

1. This week's Haveil Havalim, hosted at A Time of the Signs.
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2. Daat Torah gets a subpoena notice from Google.
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3. BBC has how an Ancient Egyptian city, of the Hyksos, was found via radar.
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4. In the Emanuel case, recently the Slonimer Rebbe said:
   
   

   The Rebbe adds that if he really thought the judges believed there was truly discrimination at Emanuel’s Beis Yaakov, he would act differently, but this is not the case. “But since I have no doubt whatsoever that their words are baseless, this is simply a battle of emunah against k’fira, between the koach of kedusha and the koach of tuma, the sitra achra – a battle that we all knew would come near the end of days”.

   “And in a battle of Kiddush Hashem, even if they stand us before a firing squad, there will be no compromise. Hashem is our King and we will continue in his path until our last breath”.

   This captures, for me, a major theme in this whole case. Right or wrong, the Sefardim thought that there was no merit to the Slonim segregation, believing it to be simple discrimination against Sefardim. Meanwhile, the opposing camp demonized the Sefardim as simple troublemakers. And whether or not there was discrimination, the assumption now is that the evil Zionist judges are just trying to impose kefirah and state standards on the school, and don't believe them to be really bothered by discrimination. Everyone believes the other party to be evil and malicious. I think that this is not the case, but in arguments like this, people are not used to viewing it from the opposing party's perspective.
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5. 
   
   At any rate, they reached a compromise, and so the fathers were released. It does not strike me as much of a compromise. It seems more like the Emanuel parents won. They will start their own independent school next year. And in the last three days, both Sefardi and Ashkenazi girls will attend a seminar together on Ahavas Yisrael. But this is not regular school. It is a gathering for all the four schools in the neighborhood, is not regular classes, and just all groups will attend. I would guess they reached this "compromise" because the Sefardim didn't want the bad press and pressure from not reaching a compromise and having the fathers, and then the mothers, locked up for longer.
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   Meanwhile, Rav Yaakov Yosef's take on the situation. He claims it was indeed discrimination. One interesting excerpt:

   “Apparently in these things, the Satan didn’t suffice with sending an emissary but decided to attend to things himself. We asked several times to speak with the Slonimer rebbe. They arranged a meeting for us, but each time, it was cancelled at the last moment. Apparently, they were afraid that if we would meet with the rebbe and explain certain things to him, maybe the rebbe would open his eyes and would realize who are those surrounding him, and apparently, they’re very afraid of that.”

   
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6. At Cross-Currents, Harvard and Chareidi racism:
   
   

   People who tell television cameras that there is no prejudice against Sefardim in the haredi world because we study Rambam play the rest of Israeli society for fools.
   

7. Two religious MKs attacked in Meah Shearim for cooperating with the Zionist regime.
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8. At Revach and repeated at the Lakewood Scoop, wearing a hat for davening -- is it more important than davening with a minyan?
   

   The Mishna Berura says that a person should wear a hat during Davening because it is not the practice to appear in front of prominent people without a hat. Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit’a says that if a person will miss Davening with a Minyan if he insists on wearing a hat, it is better to Daven without a Minyan with a hat than to Daven without his hat with a Minyan. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach argues and he holds although one should make every effort to Daven with a hat, he should not give up Davening with a Minyan for it. (Alon Ahavas Shalom)

   Check out the comments in both places. The Aruch Hashulchan makes it clear that this requirement is only where they wear hats in the streets. And this appears the implication of the Mishnah Berurah as well. There are other factors of double-covering during Shemoneh Esrei, or atifa during it, which are brought up in the comments, which are not what people make of them. But here is not the place to elaborate.
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9. Life In Israel notes that the Emanuel parents who were imprisoned will daven for you in exchange for your money. Now that they have been let out, I suppose the deal is not still in effect.
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10. At Rationalist Judaism, Rabbi Slifkin introduces a new edition of the Challenge of Creation, which has been out of print.
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11. Hebrew Books introduces a new IPhone and IPad application.