April 15, 2012 Were The Vilna Gaon And The Chatam Sofer Rationalists? Luke Ford No sacred cows.

Were The Vilna Gaon And The Chatam Sofer Rationalists?

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

In his fourth lecture on the Chatam Sofer for Torah in Motion, historian Marc B. Shapiro said: “The Rambam did not believe in amulets and the like. The Chatam Sofer would give out amulets. He was not a Lithuanian Torah scholar.”

“Sometimes people talk about the Chatam Sofer the Vilna Gaon as rationalists. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although most of their time was spent on Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), this does not mean they did not spend any time with kabbalah.”

“Until our own time, the prototypical Lithuanian Torah scholar had no involvement with kabbalah.”

“Today mainstream kabbalists say that kabbalah is for elites.”

“This is basic to all religions [and philosophies]. You want to keep the masses worshiping.”

“Chabad is an elite group. They try to teach this [version of kabbalah] to everyone but Chabad prided itself as an intellectual movement, as the most intellectual of the Hasidim.”

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Rabbinic Autobiography

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

The great rabbis have not been given to writing honestly and openly about themselves. The great exception (though R. Aryeh Leib of Modena also wrote an open autobiography) is 18th Century rabbi Jacob Emden, a subject of the 1988 Harvard PhD thesis of Rabbi J.J. Schachter, who writes there about Emden’s autobiography:

My impression from a careful reading of Megillat Sefer is that although Ernden’s rnemory was sometimes blurred by the passage of time, even when it came to remembering the year of his birth, he did not deliberately distort the truth in order to present himself in a more favorable light. On the contrary, he was very honest, often brutally so, graphically describing his various illnesses, failures ard manifold personal embarrassments. With unusual frankness and candor and with a remarkable lack of self-consciousness he described a rash on his private parts as a child, his frustration at not being allowed by his father to marry the girl he wanted, the impotence of his wedding night, his sexual needs, repeated marital conflicts and mental depressions. Under no circumstances was this an individual who was generally prone to consciously distorting the past in order to leave a more positive impression for the future.

Here are some highlights from the PhD thesis:

* “…Emden’s celebrated statement quoting the testimony of a Gentile woman that a circumcised penis provides her with greater sexual pleasure than an uncircumcised one is found only in some
editions of his Migdal ‘Oz (Altona, 1748), 2b.”

* Jacob’s life was not easy. “…a leprous boil appeared on my penis which blocked the urinary tract for some time in a manner that caused my parents worry, sorrow and great sighing because of me.”

* Jacob’s wedding was not a time of great joy. “For during the cohabitation of religious obligation (following the wedding) I lacked
virility and I agonized over this for several days. Although I was seventeen years old, I had not experienced the sensation of intercourse. I did not experience the feeling of joy for I was filled with grief and sorrow due to the raging60 melancholia. I experienced neither the sensation of a virgin nor that of a non-virgin. I was (thus) deprived of happiness and joy.”

* Even when apart from his wife, Jacob was able to resist temptation. “I was a young man, tender in years, in the full strength of my passion. I had been separated from my wife for a long time and greatly desired a woman. A very pretty unmarried young girl who was my cousin happened to meet me there and was alone with me. She brazenly demonstrated great love to me, came close to me, and almost kissed me. Even when I was lying in my bed, she came to cover me well on the couch, in a close loving manner. Truthfully, had I hearkened to the advice of my instinct she would not have denied my desire at all. Several times it (indeed) almost happened, as a fire (consumes) the chaff.

“Frequently there was no one in the house with me but her. They (i.e. the members of her family) were also not accustomed to come for they stayed in the store on the marketplace, occupied with their livelihood all day. Had God not given me great strength, excellency of dignity and the excellency of power (Gen. 4 9 : 3 ) , to overcome my fiery instinct which once almost forced me to do its bidding, (and) were it not for the grace of God which was great upon me, (I would have
been unable) to withstand this very powerful temptation, greater than all temptations. I was a man at the prime of my strength and passion. There was a very pleasant beautiful woman before me who demonstrated for me all manner of love and closeness many times. She was related to me, unmarried, a tender child and recently widowed. She may have been ritually pure or would have ritually purified herself had I requested it. If I had wanted to fulfill my passionate desire for her, I was absolutely certain that she would not
reveal my secret. I controlled my instinct, conquered my passion and determined to kill it.”

* Jacob’s health problems lasted a lifetime. “However, this time I drank excessively the waters of the cooked tea from which I sought respite from my sorrow and turmoil, to overcome the thoughts of my spirit and to find rest. But it turned into something which broke and shattered me, for all my blood turned to water and the source of my urine opened, flowing like a well. I would not stand for a moment without urinating. This caused me great, bitter and harsh pain at the tip of my penis. Often it was just one step between me, etc. Frequently I fainted, my spirit almost departed, were it not for the great mercies of Heaven.”

* I hazard that Rabbi Jacob Emden wrote more about his penis than any other sage.

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This Week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47)

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

I discuss the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7:00 pm PDT on my cam and on YouTube. Facebook Fan Page.

This week we study Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47).

* Should a Jew study Torah primarily because God commands it or because he enjoys it? For what reason do you study Torah? Do you see a difference between those who study out of obligation vs. those who study out of desire? Those who do it out of divine command, they tend to have no intellectual curiosity.

* Do you do good deeds and abstain from evil deeds primarily because God commands it or for some other reason?

Rabbi Berel Wein writes: “The events described in this week parsha occur on the eighth day – after the seven day dedication period of the Mishkan and the installation of the kohanim/priests that would serve in that sanctuary. And this eighth day turns into a day of challenge and eventually sad tragedy. By emphasizing that all of this occurred on the eighth day, the Torah teaches us a vital lesson in life.

“The seven days of dedication are days of exhilaration and accomplishment. But such feelings and emotions cannot usually be maintained indefinitely. In life there always is the day after, the eighth day, which is one of challenge, struggle and even of pain. This day, though, can define and determine one’s life and future.”

I had something similar happen to me. After many hours spent at shul one yom tov, I bailed, only to learn afterward that a bunch of attractive young single women had shown up.

I tend to pick and choose in my Judaism and I miss out on a lot because of my tendency to bail and go walking on my own. I have a hard time being in a crowded room for longer than a couple of hours unless I’m strongly connected. I have the personality of an observer rather than that of a participant.

* Rabbi Berel Wein writes: “One of my revered teachers in the yeshiva put it to us starry eyed teenagers quite succinctly, if not somewhat ironically, many decades ago. He said: “Life is like chewing gum – a little flavor and the rest is simply chew, chew, chew.” And so it is.”

It was that kind of instruction in my teens that sent me fleeing from religion, looking for something more exciting like hotties.

Other people get into Hasidic Judaism, which is more exciting than run of the mill Orthodox Judaism. Most people want frequent experiences of ecstasy. Where are you going to get that in Judaism outside of Hasidic Judaism?

I need regular injections of ecstasy. I get them from watching movies, good TV, football, and listening to music.

* Rabbi Wein writes: “And perhaps that is what the rabbis meant when they indicated that the two sons of Aharon who were killed in the Mishkan died because they were inebriated from wine. They were still in the seven days of celebration mode which had ended and not in the eighth day mode which now descended upon them. Such errors in life can be fatal and often disastrous.”

* Rabbi Wein writes: “Judaism is not a “you’re okay, I’m okay” religion of relativism and constantly changing standards of behavior and belief. It not only stands for something – it defines clearly, in minute detail, what it is that it stands for.”

You can’t stand for anything unless you’re willing to be unpopular. On the other hand, if you needlessly choose unpopularity, you’re doing something wrong. If all I know about somebody is that he is popular, I figure he will be a pleasant companion. If I hear somebody is unpopular, he’ll probably be unpleasant company.

* Orthodox Jews frequently have a reputation for not being nice. One reason is that we are so busy with the commandments. We don’t have a lot of time for niceties. We have standards about what is permitted and forbidden and making these distinctions is our pre-eminent concern. It’s more important than being nice or convivial.

* Rabbi Wein writes: “It is obvious from reading and studying this week’s parsha that the Torah intended not only that we eat kosher food but that we become kosher people. Kosher speech, kosher behavior, kosher money, kosher dealings with others are all in the purview of being able to differentiate between what is to be eaten and is not to be eaten. Being careful in using products with proper kosher certification – a field of one-upmanship that has reached spectacular heights in our day and society – is commendable. But it is not the goal itself, it is only meant to be a means towards becoming a kosher person – one who is sensitive towards others and can differentiate between the petty and the solid, between the eternal and the transitory. Shmini cries out to us to sharpen our abilities to differentiate and aim towards becoming a holy people.”

* Why do you think most Jews are not Orthodox?

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Persian Jews Targeted

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

The Los Angeles Times reports: “Persian-Jewish community targeted – The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a Los Angeles man of operating an investment scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $7.5 million. The SEC alleged in a lawsuit that Shervin Neman, 30, targeted members of the Los Angeles Persian-Jewish community, promising to make huge profits by investing in foreclosed real estate and pre-IPO shares of well-known companies. Instead of making such investments, he used new investor contributions to pay returns to early investors and spent about $1.6 million on himself, including on his wedding and honeymoon and on expensive jewelry and tickets to sporting events. “Although Newman promised investors exorbitant returns resulting from his investing acumen and access to pre-IPO shares of well-known companies, what they actually received was simply other investors’ money in hallmark Ponzi scheme fashion,” the SEC said in a news release.”

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Why Aren’t Most Jews Orthodox?

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

I ask an Orthodox rabbi: “Why do you think most Jews are not
Orthodox? Is the principal obstacle difficulty or expense or
intellectual or moral? And what did you think of the Newsweek top 50 rabbis list?”

The rabbi replied: “The modern era is all about personal independence and Orthodox Judaism is all about submission to external rules. Not too many people can or want to reject that modern impulse.

“The Newsweek list was about the 50 rabbis mentioned most in the mainstream media. Since the Orthodox community is largely either ignored or misrepresented in that media, its representation in the list is entirely distorted. The description of R. Shmuel Kamenetsky is a case study in cluelessness. The absence of R. Menachem Genack and R. Yaakov Perlow is inexcusable and the inclusion of Sara Hurwitz is inexplicable.”

Historian Marc B. Shapiro responds to my inquiry on why most Jews are not Orthodox: “I haven’t examined it, but I think the reasons are convenience, but also now ideological reasons. Many non-Orthodox Jews see the positions that Orthodoxy takes as immoral. E.g., when it comes to issues like gay marriage. For the non-Orthodox, this is a human rights issue, and Orthodoxy is on the wrong side of history (the women’s issue is also relevant in this regard). So the non-Orthodox are turned off by the difficulty of Orthodoxy, the expense, and what they regard as the moral failings of Orthodoxy. The intellectual issues are minor if at all.”

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Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Luke Ford

Publisher’s Weekly reviews Dennis Prager’s new book: “The culture wars rage on in this vigorous right-wing polemic. Conservative talk-show host Prager (Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism) fires salvos at “Islamism,” the redoubt of terrorists, anti-Semites, and theocrats, but his focus is the ideological struggle between “Americanism”—defined as low taxes, small government, religion, and militarized patriotism—and “Leftism,” the big tent of everyone from Karl Marx to the Democratic Party. Short on substantive policy analysis, he relies on broad, biting sociocultural caricatures: conservatives value liberty, reason, moral standards, hard work, earned rewards, faith, self-reliance, and manliness; leftists value authority, emotionalism, moral relativism, sexual license, unearned welfare handouts, spurious equality, nihilism, victimhood, and effeminacy. Prager scores entertaining points against left-liberals’ excesses—overblown health crusades, moral hypocrisies, profane celebrities, avant-garde art installations—while tossing off conservative briefs on everything from affirmative action to global-warming denial. Unfortunately, he often succumbs to the same kind of exaggerations and inconsistencies that he attacks. (He condemns leftists for hysterically equating the Guantánamo Bay prison to the Soviet gulag, for example, then offers the banning of incandescent lightbulbs as a latter-day example of leftists’ “Totalitarian DNA.”) There’s juicy red meat here for Prager’s fans, but other readers may find it underdone.”

Max Singer writes in the Washington Times: ““Still the Best Hope” makes an important contribution by encouraging believers in Americanism to stand up for their values and helping them understand the ideological challenge they face. But it is not likely to convert many convinced leftists because, even though it is much less one-sided than most political discussion these days, it obviously is a work of advocacy reflecting the strong values of the author.”

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How Do I Do It?

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Luke Ford

You may well wonder how I manage to put in seven-hour days four days a week? The answer is my faith in HaShem.

Khunrum emails: Luke, has anyone asked you if you know celebrities like ahhhhh! Ron Jeremy? Congratulations buddy. Do good work.

I wonder what Luke will do with his Alexander Technique teacher training? Will Luke do a “moonlight” Alexander after the day job? Come now Luke, fill us in.

Chaim Amalek emails:

Sounds like just what you need — an environment in which you will be respected for who you were and are. And who knows what other opportunities will come your way through your dealings with these men? More than typing, of that I am certain. I see you driving a much better set of wheels within six months, and dating a decent woman, too.

PS Congratulations to Barack Hussein Obama for so turning around the economy of this crippled land that Luke could find employment. Luke, why would you want to return to the dark days of Republican rule from the White House? Be a mensch and donate a dollar or two to Obama’s reelection campaign.

PPS Fred, isn’t it time you moved to LA and resumed your patent practice there with Luke as your paralegal?

Greg Leake emails: Hi Luke,
Congrats, buddy! Welcome back to the real world!

I want to add my agreement to the ever-wise counsel of Khunrum and Chaim Amalek.

You know, it’s interesting.. there are millions of us who have been partially successful in turning our avocations into a cottage industry. Why not? If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.

I have been down this road myself. (And I still keep my hand in. I will be lecturing on “enlightenment” in about a month. Believe it or not, we actually know a lot about this topic these days outside of the dubious attempts at extrapolating from old religious texts and the suppositions of esoteric organizations.) Like others, I did manage to keep enough money flowing in to justify my efforts. However, like so many others, I could neve realize enough money to get ahead. There was never enough money to invest or to plan for the future. Mostly there was enough to keep going as long as expenses were very modest.

In my case, I didn’t start to do well until I became a serious investor in the financial markets. Now, thank G-d, because of 25 or 30 years of constant frugality and investment, we will probably retire this year and manage to be independently middle class. (That is the goal for most of us, by the way. It is not to become rich, rather to become independently middle class.)

I think in some ways those of us who have tried to make our interests our profession are very much like musicians. I have know a lot of musicians who managed to make a living with their instruments, but it scarcely ever happens that they do so well they can prepare financially for the future.

Another reason that I feel relieved to know about your new part-time job (I heard you mention it on Torah Talks, and then I surmised the rest from looking at the post.) is because it may give you exposure outside of the Orthodox community.

Why do I say this? Sure, I think a great deal of Orthodoxy is pretty wacky, but that is not the reason.

It’s because in the Orthodox community you have cross-hairs on your forehead and a target on your back. Because of the social and moral nature of Orthodox imperatives, you can never get beyond the reputation that you forged for yourself as a much younger man. You can never earn your spurs with the community.

For example, i fyou lived in Dallas and had a similar job teaching the Alexander Technique on the side, you could tell people your name was Jack Ford, get rid of your picture on the logo, loose the yarmulke at least during working hours, and presto — you would be transformed. Although probably there is not one Orthodox community in the Western world that would not peg you early on, out in the regular world your past can virtually disappear.

You would simply be a decent, spiritual, congenial, moral guy becoming successful and living a regular life without the constant baggage of your past like a millstone around your neck.

So my hope is that your sphere of acquaintances and professional relationships could help move you into strata where Luke Ford is not a constant hot topic. You can just be a regular guy who maybe did some crazy shit when you were a kid, but who is seen and respected and appreciated for who and what you are irrespective of a dead and gone past.

Now that you are making a little dough, I recommend you read a new book by Sheldon Jacobs called Investing without Wall Street. It’s time for you to start learning how to make money while you sleep.

Posted in Personal | Tagged alexander technique teacher, decent woman, patent practice, reelection campaign, religious texts, republican rule, set of wheels | Comments Off

Santa Monica’s Rash Of Burglaries

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Luke Ford

Binky, an actor from Britain now living in West Los Angeles, phones the Dennis Prager show today: “I want to talk about this sudden influx of burglaries in Santa Monica the past few months. I believe this is a direct correlation with what Chuck Schumer and Barack Obama have been spouting the past few months about fairness and about why millionaires should pay their fair share. As a result of this, the riots we saw in London recently, the young people feel emboldened and enticed to take what they think is their’s. If they are not getting the money they feel entitled to because of Republican cuts, they feel like they can go to affluent areas and just take it.”

Dennis Prager: “There’s a new phenomenon now of kids, very often inner city, as a mob going into stores and robbing them. The latest is in Portland, Oregon. I expect this to happen more. The rhetoric of the left is that the reason they are not richer is that the rich are rich. This is what the president has been saying. Close the gap and the economy will improve. The economy will improve if the rich get poorer.”

“Kids are now taught that it is unfair that there are those with so much more money than they have. What is the difference between robbing from the rich and taxing the rich at a certain rate? The moral difference? Both are at gunpoint. If you don’t give me your money, I put you in jail. Is there any percent in which there is no difference between robbery and taxation? Come up with a figure at which taxation is thievery.”

“Mitt Romney is the presumptive nominee [of the Republicans]. It is time now with the greatest passion you have ever had, make believe he is Ronald Reagan. Substitute the face if you want.”

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The UN As A Transcendent Source Of Morality

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Luke Ford

WSJ: “The Obama Administration’s preferred global policeman—the United Nations—is on the Syrian case, you’ll be happy to know. Syrian government forces have been bombing and killing as much of the opposition as they can before a U.N.-negotiated ceasefire deadline Tuesday, and on Monday its troops shot five people at a refugee camp across the Syrian border inside Turkey and a cameraman who was standing in Lebanon.”

On his radio show yesterday, Dennis Prager said: “As countries become more left, two of the characteristics they embrace are secularism and internationalism. The reason that ends up with vast support for the United Nations — you don’t believe in any transcendent ethic because you don’t believe in God. God is the source of a transcendent morality. But they know that you have to have a transcendent morality or there is no such thing. You can’t say that what is right for me is right for me, because then you have no argument against mass torture, mass rape, mass genocide.

“Since there is no God who is the source of a trans-national and trans-individual morality, the United Nations supplants God, supplants religion. The United Nations gives you a transnational and trans-individual morality. What is right? What the United Nations says is right.”

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The Hub On Venice

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Luke Ford

David Suissa writes: The Hub on Venice aims to be just that, a busy gathering place that caters to different interests and crowds, such as the literary and culinary crowd (Sophos Café, a restaurant and music-poetry lounge); the spiritual and personal growth crowd (Institute for Spiritual Formation and Moral Psychology); Jewish families with young children (Early Childhood Center); unaffiliated Jews who can sample an array of classes and Jewish activities (Beach Communities Jewish Center); and even non-Jewish families from the neighborhood who might be interested in things like homework clubs, music, art and fitness classes or volunteer work (Venice Boulevard Community Center).

Of course, the heart of The Hub continues to be the “progressive yet traditional” Ohr HaTorah synagogue, with its full program of Torah and liturgy classes by Rabbi Finley, as well as prayer services that Meirav orchestrates with an innovative blend of musical traditions.

Will this ambitious Hub concept take off? You can judge for yourself on April 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., when The Hub on Venice will host its community open house at its location on the corner of Venice Boulevard and Barrington Avenue.

It’s clear that it took an enormous amount of effort and diligence to get this far. Getting financial support for big new ideas is not always easy. Last summer, Meirav took her Hub concept to community donor groups, but with little success. In the end, the initial funding has come from Ohr HaTorah’s own base of supporters, which include a few Hollywood players who are devoted followers of the Finleys.

I can see why the Finleys have attracted devoted followers. For one thing, they have no patience for things that don’t work. The rabbi’s teachings, which often delve into psychology, are unapologetic in trying to improve people’s lives and attitudes. “Just because you’ve been hurt doesn’t mean you’ve been wronged” is a classic example of his no-nonsense approach.

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