tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post3554433827676244701..comments2024-03-05T21:22:43.426-05:00Comments on parshablog: Rav Shlomo Amar regarding the psychic Nir Ben Arzijoshwaxmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03516171362038454070noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-59341996466288726802015-06-15T07:57:27.054-04:002015-06-15T07:57:27.054-04:00Point is we need chizuk and especially last Summer...Point is we need chizuk and especially last Summer we got it from R' Nir Ben Arzi. Lot's of people were dying for chizuk no one could give it he could. Rabbi means teacher we need teacher's many people complain they don't have a Rav to turn to he is there. Let other teachers/Rabbi's stand up and teach us. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-8268773580845426282011-04-07T01:08:58.861-04:002011-04-07T01:08:58.861-04:00"one can nitpick about anyone to try to under..."one can nitpick about anyone to try to undermine them"<br /><br />Exactly - Just look what they did to Julian Assange when he exposed all the lies via Wikileaks. <br /><br />If there's nothing to nitpick, they'll make it up anyway.Devorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793434651294780439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-19889298449808696352011-04-06T23:03:13.926-04:002011-04-06T23:03:13.926-04:00one can nitpick about anyone to try to undermine t...one can nitpick about anyone to try to undermine them. you would not be pointing any of this out if it were something neutral to you, like a psak on a bracha for breakfast cereal.<br /><br />nobody is perfect. but it was Jesus who said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", and "judge not, lest you be judged".<br /><br />this is a 'primitive' aspect of Sephardic and chassidic culture, of applying physical force as a tactic. in some cases, it has a good effect, such as in preventing aguna. i am not going to analyze the issue here. but that does not undermine his halachic perspective on this.<br /><br />gush katif is irrelevant. how could Rav Schacter rule about copepods, when he did not take a stance about the price of tea in China!? but in terms of public outcry, he did lead a prayer service to cancel the decree of the pullout. read about it <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3118474,00.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-46381595610715101892011-04-06T20:03:31.151-04:002011-04-06T20:03:31.151-04:00Before Rabbi Amar jumps to criticize others, perha...Before Rabbi Amar jumps to criticize others, perhaps he has some work to do in his own backyard. First, what was the deal several years ago when an Arab beat up his daughter's ex-boyfriend, after Rabbi Amar did not approve of the match? Also, where was his public outcry before or after the expulsion of over 9,000 Jews from Gush Katif?shimonmatisyahuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-28362668870051687382011-04-05T07:24:30.893-04:002011-04-05T07:24:30.893-04:00ratzon:
i'll add another point to the above. i...ratzon:<br />i'll add another point to the above. i wrote above "he has a website, and a parsha sheet."<br /><br />to which you replied:<br /><i>"it is his FOLLOWERS that made his website! you think he knows anything about computers?!"</i><br /><br />even if i grant this regarding the website, if i am not mistaken, the parsha sheet is printed and goes out to various shuls. is he unaware of the text on the parsha sheet, which credits him as HaRav Nir Ben Artzi, shlita? here is <a href="http://www.tairneri.co.il/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/22.pdf" rel="nofollow">a link to the online version</a> of the printed parsha sheet.<br /><br />it is nice to try to be dan lekaf zechut, but there is a limit.<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-85917767278910070442011-04-05T06:20:26.395-04:002011-04-05T06:20:26.395-04:00"I will take Harav Nir Ben Artzi"
see, t...<i>"I will take Harav Nir Ben Artzi"</i><br />see, that is a judgement, which seems to be based on false information. do you think that Harav [sic] Nir Ben Artzi is a great scholar or kabbalist? if not, why 'harav'? if yes, on what basis?<br /><br />"over hevel and shtut not to mention lashevet bemoshav leitzim which this this"<br />this post was the opinion of the chief rabbi of Israel about Nir Ben Artzi. please explain how this is hevel and shtus, to explain what a true talmid chacham holds about something potentially critical in Jewish history.<br /><br /><i>"Your and the other blogs are now banned from my roster as well as those of my friends."</i><br />so be it, if it must be so. it certainly is your choice, and the choice of your friends. there are some nice divrei Torah posted here, though, which you might want to check out.<br /><br /><i>"Enjoy your korban pesach"</i><br />Amen! BeEzras Hashem, for this year. But are you posting this with some knowledge that mashiach will surely come before Pesach?<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-32765046896365057452011-04-05T04:08:45.895-04:002011-04-05T04:08:45.895-04:00I will take Harav Nir Ben Artzi any day over hevel...I will take Harav Nir Ben Artzi any day over hevel and shtut not to mention lashevet bemoshav leitzim which this this. Your and the other blogs are now banned from my roster as well as those of my friends. Enjoy your korban pesach.Noise Blockers and Other Remedieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15883961234797546861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-60364415788565426312011-04-04T23:11:43.535-04:002011-04-04T23:11:43.535-04:00There is a tendency for people to want to know the...There is a tendency for people to want to know the future.<br />As if knowing it you can somehow gain or prosper from it.<br />Whether it's stocks, lottery tickets you name, someone will claim how to know it.<br />Trust in HKBH will get you much further<br />We must give credit to Josh for what he does. Thank youDavidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-1030330555689593462011-04-04T19:28:33.898-04:002011-04-04T19:28:33.898-04:00hi.
please choose a pseudonym, because otherwise f...hi.<br />please choose a pseudonym, because otherwise figuring out who said what becomes difficult.<br /><br />it certainly is possible, and it certainly is possible that Harry Dent is right. However, see the 'criticism' section of his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Dent" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia article</a>.<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-27703305732497952652011-04-04T18:50:22.869-04:002011-04-04T18:50:22.869-04:00interesting commentary on economy.
http://finance....interesting commentary on economy.<br />http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/harry-dent-major-crash-coming-stocks-commodities-already-20110331-080715-415.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-8455520780995378912011-04-04T18:05:05.192-04:002011-04-04T18:05:05.192-04:00Devorah:
thanks for the kind words of support.
kt...Devorah:<br />thanks for the kind words of support.<br /><br />kt,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-39132899070919747962011-04-04T17:04:55.682-04:002011-04-04T17:04:55.682-04:00Ok this a debate on terminology. I would call tha...Ok this a debate on terminology. I would call that a logical deduction, not rationalism. Rationalism is deduction based on what we can interface with.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01822162683765760896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-16328915573110698992011-04-04T16:59:46.909-04:002011-04-04T16:59:46.909-04:00"I don't believe Rambam was a Rationalist..."I don't believe Rambam was a Rationalist"<br />me neither. but it depends on one's definitions, perhaps. Rambam certainly believed that psychics and magicians were charlatans. (see his perush hamishnayos where he makes this assertion.)<br /><br />*if* one believes in the existence of a Creator, then it is not necessarily non-'rational' to believe that people of exceptionally developed character and intellect could receive communication from that Supreme Intellect. <br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-48654434986839442242011-04-04T16:55:26.743-04:002011-04-04T16:55:26.743-04:00I don't believe Rambam was a Rationalist. A m...I don't believe Rambam was a Rationalist. A man of profound logic...yes, but rationalist no. Is it rationalist to believe in prophecy as Rambam does? A true rationalist would say no.<br /><br />That being said...as long as you feel your crusade is worth making it will be impossible to convince you otherwise. As I said, I think you maybe drawing more attention to it outside Israel than it would get without your commentary. Maybe I am wrong, but I think it maybe the case.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01822162683765760896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-59571260862983655452011-04-04T16:54:52.798-04:002011-04-04T16:54:52.798-04:00ratzon:
i've heard, here on parshablog, from a...ratzon:<br />i've heard, here on parshablog, from a lawyer who was involved in the divorce that Nir Ben Artzi caused.<br /><br />people consulted him for his psychic abilities. and he caused tremendous harm. for example, he 'psychically' advised a couple to withhold needed drugs from a child, to the detriment of the child. he told happily-married couples that they were not each others zivug, thus introducing shalom bayis problems. he told an older single girl that she was not 'destined' to get married.<br /><br />this lunatic or charlatan caused tremendous harm to (some) people who consulted him for his psychic / kabbalistic advice.<br /><br />believe it or not, that is your right.<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-12610290231892342202011-04-04T16:54:38.855-04:002011-04-04T16:54:38.855-04:00"In terms of Josh's obsession"
I wo..."In terms of Josh's obsession"<br /><br />I would like to thank Josh for "being obsessed".<br />If not for him, we probably wouldn't have got this far. Make no mistake, it was the bloggers who brought this to a head. <br /><br />It's not easy to go out on a limb and write about another Jew, be accused of loshon hora, and all other manner of character defects, when all you're trying to do is to warn other people who have been sucked in.<br /><br />As for the claim that it is not NBA but his FOLLOWERS who are doing all the promotion..... then why did NBA personally respond to the bloggers - aka "the skeptics" ?<br /><br />It was this "response to the skeptics" that brought about the ego trip/announcement of a time (and place) for the great earthquakes. This was his un-doing, publicly recorded on several blogs.<br /><br />On behalf of all the simple people in the world - thank you Josh for being obsessed enough to wake us all up.Devorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793434651294780439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-10694737722160737482011-04-04T16:50:43.542-04:002011-04-04T16:50:43.542-04:00Israel Rising:
"My point was only that it is ...Israel Rising:<br /><i>"My point was only that it is not an argument worth making."</i><br /><br />it is an argument worth making because the hamon am DOES hear the title and believe that he is speaking based on deep kabbalistic knowledge, or based on Torah knowledge. the public should be disabused of this false notion, so that they can evaluate him as a psychic, and nothing more than a psychic.<br /><br />once he is a psychic, the Biblical commandment of Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokecha would perhaps apply, and many frum Jews would agree. we don't go to fortunetellers, to ov and yidoni, and we don't consult psychics. And for those of us who follow the Rambam in rationalist Judaism, psychics are just charlatans.<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-11262259824662951442011-04-04T16:50:38.727-04:002011-04-04T16:50:38.727-04:00josh:
sigh.
i am very skeptical about rav aviner...josh:<br /><br />sigh.<br /><br />i am very skeptical about rav aviner's claim as stated here. anyone who works with troubled couples will get rapped. which is it--observations and advice or a claim to psychic abilities? at any rate, i stand by my good-person point. <br /><br />thanks for the opportunity to post whatever i posted. hopefully it will soften something somewhere for others.ratzonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236886633480511406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-43022636085502418822011-04-04T16:42:47.952-04:002011-04-04T16:42:47.952-04:00"spelling mistakes? come on."
that is on...<i>"spelling mistakes? come on."</i><br />that is one of many things, and was easy to point out. i certainly would not make such a mistake, because I read Shnayim Mikra veEchad Targum. to not know how to spell 'harbei' is pretty basic. but it is beside the point.<br /><br />did you notice that none of his parsha sheets have any thoughts of Torah? and the occasional pronouncements which touch on Torah contradict explicit gemaras... e.g. that the Shechina is not among those who daven beyechidus. why this is a contradiction is something for a separate post, which i might eventually get to.<br /><br />it is not a rampage. and it is not based on minor things, even as you would like to seize one point i made and present it as if it were the entirely. rather than a rampage, it is being perfectly frank, and preventing the masses from following the latest navi sheker.<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-42726857891195214882011-04-04T16:37:30.344-04:002011-04-04T16:37:30.344-04:00let us analyze your assertion. you write:
if he i...let us analyze your assertion. you write:<br /><br /><i>if he is a simple good person, will simply miss seeing bad things in others.</i><br /><br />however, this is contradicted by the very things he did as a psychic. i will cite an old article about the opposition of various rabbanim to Nir Ben Artzi.<br /><br /><i>"In those years, accompanied Ben Artzi quite a few allegations that he messed up marriages with his observations and advice to couples, to the extent of even open a divorce case. Rav Aviner wrote: "<b>To those women who came to get advice, he sometimes emphasized with authority the faults in their husbands as a result, produced dislike and distance in the relationship between the couple.</b>"</i><br /><br />Thus, he claimed to be able to psychically see the bad in other people. Now you assert that because he is a good person, he cannot see the bad in other people. Which one is true?<br /><br />Rabbi Lazer Berland is someone else who does not have ruach hakodesh. I could point to numerous false predictions of him, as well. Here is <a href="http://parsha.blogspot.com/2010/08/will-rav-eliezer-berlands-chassidim-go.html'>one of several false predictions</a>.<br /><br />Unfortunately, we are plagued with many, many false prophets nowadays. Rav Berland, Rav Amnon Yitzchak, the autistics, etc. Part of why I am targeting Nir Ben Artzi is that he is the low-hanging fruit.joshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-88914739228425809892011-04-04T16:34:35.357-04:002011-04-04T16:34:35.357-04:00We are in a redemptive process. WW1 was part of i...We are in a redemptive process. WW1 was part of it so this is where you and I will disagree. I am fine with this being a naturally unfolding process. My only point was by harping on this subject you draw attention to something that is really a distraction rather than focusing on something that can be a positive help to others.<br /><br />My point about the semicha is that it doesn't really matter to me. I have semicha also, yet don't use it for anything. In Israel there are people that have it that aren't active Rabbis and others that don't that are given that title by their followers. My point was only that it is not an argument worth making.<br /><br />What would be a strong argument is that we generally don't make decisions in life based on non-Torah based assertions. By doing so we risk jumping on a bandwagon that can have severe effects to ourselves.<br /><br />Be well and you are welcome in Israel anytime.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01822162683765760896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-74122984366919127592011-04-04T16:29:58.602-04:002011-04-04T16:29:58.602-04:00josh, i can't point to any predictions either ...josh, i can't point to any predictions either way since i don't hold any predictions from anyone too seriously.<br /><br />he is not a great visionary. just a "seer" of sorts. but even a visionary, if he is a simple good person, will simply miss seeing bad things in others. i have witnessed this over and over again with my own eyes. it is an amazing thing. another recent example in the news of this is rav lazer berland, shlita. i am not a follower of his, but this is in fact part of what happened. very bad things went on for years under his nose. <br /><br />i think r' nir ben artzi "wowed" a certain type of crowd that isn't used to these type of things. leaving his predictions aside, he says some beautiful things about am yisrael. they aren't necessarily unique, but beautiful nonetheless.<br /><br />people make the mistake of assuming that even a visionary knows everything like Hashem would. even moshe rabbeinu, the biggest prophet of all time, didn't know everything every moment. the biggest prophet only sees what Hashem reveals to him, nothing more.<br /><br />dunno. i still think your rampage is unnecessary and based on little things blown out of proportion. spelling mistakes? come on. there is also a ashkenaz - sephardi cultural difference going on here which further distorts some of the conclusions drawn about him.<br /><br />MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.ratzonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236886633480511406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-80879007232369272342011-04-04T16:18:31.768-04:002011-04-04T16:18:31.768-04:00Israel Rising:
"In terms of Josh's obsess...Israel Rising:<br /><i>"In terms of Josh's obsession"</i><br />it is funny that when people were promoting his false prophecy, it was not called 'obsession'.<br /><br />i am consistently reporting on this, yes. but such a tone is designed, imho, as an ad hominem.<br /><br /><i>Maybe he is correct, yet decrees can be annulled.</i><br />maybe. but why in the world would you say that. can you point to ONE non-stupidly obvious or else non-vague prediction he has made?<br /><br /><i>his followers address him that way so there is no reason not to and written semicha has no bearing on titles</i><br />by saying 'written semicha', you are insinuating that he is really a talmid chacham but that he has not formally gotten semicha. what is your basis for asserting this, that he is not an utter ignoramus who went directly from tractor driver to psychic?<br /><br /><i>I think we need to stay focused and open our eyes to all the changes in the world.</i><br />And what do those 'changes in the world' mean? I've seen others asserting that he is right, even if he is not a psychic, because the message is correct. you are free to assert that, and i am free to disagree with you. the 1918 flu pandemic killed 50 million people. world war i, starting in 1914, killed 10 million people. yet mashiach did not come.<br /><br />without prophecy, you CANNOT confidently assert that it must be the apocalyptic times, which is what you appear to be hinting at. <br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-54105845553529710222011-04-04T16:03:18.247-04:002011-04-04T16:03:18.247-04:00the utter ignoramus appellation is in fact insulti...<i> the utter ignoramus appellation is in fact insulting /demeaning and doesn't contribute anything positive</i><br />'utter ignoramus' is not my words, originally. they are the words of rav shlomo aviner, shlita.<br /><br />have you read my previous posts on the subject?<br /><br /><i>couldn't the same point be made in a different way?</i><br />absolutely not. not effectively, at least. when people are promoting him (or he is promoting himself) as a kabbalist and great Torah scholar, such that other people are being misled into thinking that this is the basis for his predictions, then one must be extremely frank. this is someone who is an utter ignoramus. someone who e.g. misspelled Harbei (many) as Arbeh (locusts), because many Israelis don't distinguish between aleph and heh.<br /><br />If he is such a great visionary, on the one hand, how could he not see that people are promoting him as rabbi and harav ... shlita?<br /><br />meanwhile, i have yet to see ANY of his predictions come true, unless they were stupidly obvious predictions or vague enough predictions that of course they would come true. can you point to one?<br /><br />kol tuv,<br />joshjoshwaxmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05149022516101476797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589564.post-75779890755719794882011-04-04T15:43:21.525-04:002011-04-04T15:43:21.525-04:00devorah, i hear you and once again, it is his &quo...devorah, i hear you and once again, it is his "followers" who zealously pushed his message via internet translations or others unwittingly just passing it on through a powerful medium. i translate alot of shiurim and know that much of what is said in hebrew must be toned down considerably for audiences abroad. it simply breaks kelim. i will restrain myself from giving humorous examples.<br /><br />he doesn't realize this since he doesn't use internet or email. he goes on the radio, yes, but in hebrew. and who do you think set up these radio gigs??? not him.<br /><br />i still don't hold him accountable. i would want to know if anyone actually explained to him in a clear way the panic engendered by his words to people outside of israel.ratzonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236886633480511406noreply@blogger.com