Interesting Posts and Articles #370

1. A new website, Shmoogle (link removed). And the DRS High School Positive Project. Anti-bullying.

2. Elder of Zion on that Jordanian translation of the Talmud.

3. There is a midrash I recall elaborating on Moshe requesting to see Hashem's ways, in Shemot 33:13.

יג  וְעַתָּה אִם-נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ, הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת-דְּרָכֶךָ, וְאֵדָעֲךָ, לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא-חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ; וּרְאֵה, כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה.

13 Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy ways, that I may know Thee, to the end that I may find grace in Thy sight; and consider that this nation is Thy people.'

or maybe on pasuk 23:

כג  וַהֲסִרֹתִי, אֶת-כַּפִּי, וְרָאִיתָ, אֶת-אֲחֹרָי; וּפָנַי, לֹא יֵרָאוּ.  {פ}

23 And I will take away My hand, and thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen.' {P}

This is reconstructed from memory, so I may have some details wrong. Moshe requests to see Hashem's ways, and Hashem agrees. Hashem shows him a well. First Ploni #1 stops by the well, takes a drink, leaves his wallet there. Then, Ploni #2 stops by, drinks, finds and keeps the wallet. Then, Ploni #3 comes by, drinks. Ploni #1 returns to seek his wallet, kills Ploni #1 for stealing the wallet. Moshe asks how this is Divine justice. And Hashem explains that Ploni #1 owed Ploni #2 the money and so the money has transferred. And Ploni #3 was a murderer, with no witnesses, and so deserved his fate.

The idea behind this midrash, I think, is that the ways of God are beyond us, because we don't see the full picture.

In recent posts, Yeranen Yaakov (and here) brings various explanations for the recent tragic car accident in northern Israel. Thus,

Rabbi Grossman added “I am not a navi and dare not attempt to understand HKBH’s cheshbonos, but I know that this family was a kapora for Am Yisrael and we mustn’t say ‘oh another tragic accident, another tragedy’ but we must contemplate the magnitude of the event, the loss, the pain, and each of us must find ways to enhance our avodas Hashem and our actions”.

and

According to Ladaat, Rav Amar said that the tragedy was due to Hashem's attribute of justice in the world which wipes out the innocent together with the guilty when He sees that we are busy with the mundane aspects of our lives and don't pay attention to the spiritual aspects which are eternal.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky and the Skulener Rebbe seemed to blame it on the Internet being in Jewish homes (h/t Mashiach is Coming).

and

Rav Benayahu Shmueli adds his reason for the tragedy in Northern Israel: Sin'at Hinam and a lack of Ahdut.  He also recommends learning Zohar, calling it the Noah's Ark of our time.

I would suggest that this was punishment for overemphasis on hyper-tznius:

They explained that the children, even the little ones, were always dressed extremely modestly, even the little ones who would never leave home without socks.

No, I actually wouldn't, because I'm not an ignorant jerk who thinks I know Hashem's reasons. It is possible to point to anything and everything as a 'cause' for the tragedy. But, as in the midrash, the only One who really knows why this occurred is Hashem. (To be fair, none of these rabbis blamed the family personally. Rather, it was klal yisrael in general who failed in some respect, and the family took the hit.)

4. R' Lazer Brody's suggestion about how to handle an extended hand from a woman.

Observe the Torah by all means, but let's do our best to avoid embarrassing others.

I try to keep a few hard candies in my pocket when on tour. If a woman extends a hand, I drop a hard candy in her palm. The potentially embarrassing situation turns into smiles.

Nice. There is a basis, according to many, for shaking a woman's hand in such a situation. (See here, here, and here for instance.) In this instance, though, I think that this woman should just go jump in a lake. This should not cause a diplomatic tempest. One would expect some measure of respect for the religious beliefs of other groups.

5. A new blog, R' Shamshon Refael Hirsch For All. (deleted: http://rsrhforall.wordpress.com/)

6. At Rationalist Judaism, the unsung heroes of daf yomi.

But who are the guests of honor at the grand Siyumim? Who performs the siyum, who makes the speeches, who gets the glory? Not the Daf Yomi participants and not even the maggidei shiurim. Instead, it's the roshei yeshivah. 

This is not only tragic; it's also ironic. For the roshei yeshivah are the ones who not only do not learn Daf Yomi; they also often speak out against it!

7. The curriculum at Volozhin.

8. Fink or Swim discusses an Ami article about a tragic divorce.

9. At Mystical Paths, a Jewish blogger comes out.

10. Here at parshablog, check out the sources for learning through parashat Behaalotecha.