Judaism & Imagination

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

Rabbi Reuven Spolter writes for Hirhurim:

If my experience is any indication, Jewish education does not place a very positive emphasis on developing an imagination. Rebbeim generally associate imagination with sexuality and inappropriate sexual thoughts – which is not all that surprising given the fact that they’re usually speaking to teenage males. Thus, they encouraged us to stifle our imaginations in the hopes of avoiding violation of obvious issurim.

Moreover, most Jewish education involves the assimilation and spit back of skills and information. We teach our young children simple skills, and have them repeat them back to us. Then as they grow older we teach them more advanced skills which they must apply to more difficult texts and applications. Finally, if they reach a very advanced stage, they study extremely difficult and advanced materials which they then repeat and share with others to demonstrate their advanced knowledge. Halachah and gemara – the staples of yeshiva learning – have reached such a level of intellectual maturity that to all but the most advanced, there’s nothing really to add. How many students feel that they have substantial chiddushim to contribute to the world of Jewish study? In truth, in the academically oriented atmosphere of the Beis Medrash, creativity and imagination have been, quite literally, ushered from the room.

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Rip Van Winkle Investing

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

I stop by Rip Van Winkle Investing Monday morning, Feb. 25, to talk to my friend Selwyn Gerber.

I wanted to figure out what to do with the spare millions I have lying around the hovel and figured Rip could help me.

Who the heck is Rip Van Winkle?

According to Wikipedia: ""Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story’s fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection of stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon."

Here are the videos I made today with Selwyn Gerber.

My first two clients for my new search optimization business come from the Orthodox community. Thanks chaverim for giving me a chance.

I’m available to help you promote yourself and your businesses.

Posted in Economics | Comments Off on Rip Van Winkle Investing

The Right Wimps Out On John McCain

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

Mickey Kaus writes:

Hear No Univision, See No Univision: It’s dispiriting to watch the conservatives at National Review bend over backwards to play down the New York Times’ McCain-Iseman story. What if before McCain had effectively won the nomination–say, when he and Romney were contesting New Hampshire or Michigan–it had been revealed that he may have been excessively influenced by a gorgeous lobbyist for Univision, the Spanish language broadcaster with a vested financial interest in promoting bilingualism at the expense of a unifying common language? So much so that the lobbyist boasted of her influence at meetings? So much so that McCain’s right-hand strategist tried personally to intervene and tell her to go away? You think it might have been an issue? …

P.S.: National Review Online’s David Freddoso scoffs at the idea that McCain received a mere $85,000 from Iseman’s clients since 2000, arguing that if that’s all McCain got he’s "pathetic" at trying to "take advantage of people" in his committee’s purview. Hmm. a) Former Univision CEO, controlling shareholder and Iseman client Jerrold Perenchio is a National FInance Co-Chair of McCain’s campaign. Presumably he brings in more than $85,000; b) The worry isn’t that McCain was taking advantage of Univision, et. al. It’s rather the other way around. Or, more precisely, that this was a smarmy, mutually self-interested alliance that helped McCain and Univision in ways that maybe went beyond promoting the national interest.

If conservatives substitute "National Education Association" for "Univision" maybe the potential scandal will be easier to see. But at this point, McCain could be caught having an affair with Juan Hernandez and it wouldn’t bother the National Review. …

Backfill: Steve Smith, Matthew Yglesias and Matt Welch notice what the NR seems to miss.

Posted in John McCain, Mickey Kaus | Comments Off on The Right Wimps Out On John McCain

Renowned Kabbalist David Batzri Calls Arabs ‘Donkeys’

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

The Batzris provide gem after gem for bloggers low on content.

Here’s the latest:

In a meeting that took place last night against the creation of a joint Jewish-Arab school in the Pat neighborhood of Jerusalem, several rabbis led by Rabbi David Batzri attacked the plan.

Comments by the rabbis who participated in the meeting… included a number of racial expression against Arabs.

Kabbalist Rabbi David Batzri said: "Establishing a school like this is a disgraceful, dirty deed. It is impossible to mix the pure with the impure. They are a blight, a devil, a disaster. The Arabs are donkeys, and we have to ask ourselves why didn’t God create them to walk on all fours. Well, the answer is that they are needed to build and to clean. They don’t have any place in our school.”

His son, Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri, also referred to the commentary that says “the Ishmaelites are like donkeys”, and said: "The Arabs are inferior. What do they want? They want to take our daughters. So, call us racists. Well, they are wicked, they are atrocious, they are dirty like snakes. There is pure and there is impure, and they are impure".

— Rabbis make racial comments against Arabs Walla! News, 10 Jan 2006.

Jane writes: "What a family! Ready or not here he goes and please don’t call him a racist as he is GREAT KABBALIST. "The Arabs don’t need schools. They are B’haymot (cattle). The reason they don’t have four legs is so they can work… " In reference to mixed education Arab and Jewish students, which we may object to on religious ground but what a choice of words. He claims that his view is based on traditional sources."

Lawrence blogs: "David and Yitzhak Batzri are hardly the voice of Israeli Judaism. If I recall correctly, it was Rabbi Batzri (the elder) who reacted to Jerusalem’s first gay pride parade by suggesting that all homosexuals should be put to death(!), so there is definitely a touch of the Pat Robertson about him. But Pat Robertson’s hateful, stupid remarks about Ariel Sharon don’t really have the real-life implications of David Batzri’s hateful, stupid comments about Arabs, do they? The first phase of the Road Map requires both sides to clamp down on incitement against the other, precisely because Israel and Palestine have more than their share of kooky imams and rabbis whose hate speech attracts a large audience, some of whom from time to time act upon that hatred by attacking – and sometimes killing – the untermenschen on the other side."

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LA’s Robert Rechnitz Was The Main Man Behind Last Week’s ‘Jerusalem Conference’

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

Here’s the Jerusalem Conference website.

Rechnitz is the leader of the Western division of American Friends of Likud.

From Israel Today:

A leading right-wing Israeli commentator and former Knesset member told last week’s Jerusalem Conference that Israel’s international public relations problems can be traced back to the education of self-hate today’s Israeli youth receive.

Joining a panel dealing with Israel’s current public relations efforts, Elyakim HaEtzni told the gathering that starting in grade school, Israel children are taught to believe that they must figure out how they have angered the world, and in particular the Muslim Middle East, and what Israel can do to appease that anger.

HaEtzni noted that Israelis today grow up unaware of the Jewish state’s legal international rights because schools no longer teach them that modern Israel was sanctioned by international law, which granted the Jews far more land than they today exercise sovereignty over.

Instead, young Israelis are taught to believe that they have occupied the national homeland of another people, and that while Israel should continue to exist, it must make compromises to appease unsubstantiated Arab claims.

Approaching the issue from a more biblical perspective, Dr. Hagi Ben-Artzi told the gatheirng that the root of the problem of Israel being unable to effectively defend itself on the international stage lies in the fact that "Jewish national existence is not founded on a connection with God, or with Torah, or with the commandment to settle the Land."

Here’s a report:

(IsraelNN.com) Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy, said at the Jerusalem Conference Tuesday that Saudi Arabian bankers are the main financiers of global terrorism.

Corrupt “Sharia financing” banking practices – legal under Islamic law – are a fairly new phenomenon, Ehrenfeld said. They were first developed by the Muslim brotherhood in the 70s, following the financial power gained by Saudis during the oil boom.

Ehrenfeld at Jerusalem Conference video click here.

Steven Shamrak writes:

I visited and reviewed an official website of the Jerusalem Conference which took place this week. The only thought that came to mind was "What a waste!" The waste of time, human and financial resources and the waste of opportunity to set the agenda for reaching a Jewish National Goal and uniting Jews and our true friends around the world behind it.

The site stated: "The Jerusalem Conference openly deliberates core issues that will determine Israel’s future as a viable modern democratic Jewish State. The Jerusalem Conference provides a broad public forum for diverse viewpoints to freely discuss issues of national importance.

Topics range from national affairs and security to social welfare and economics, from Jewish education to Aliyah, Israel as a Jewish State to its functional relationship with its neighbours and nations of the world."

Very fine words, but only words!

While I was reading an itinerary of the conference, I recalled the conversation between Alice and scarecrow in "Alice in Wonderland". She asked him which road to take, but did not know where she was going. His answer was: "Take any, it will get you there!" For many years, the leadership of the Jewish people has lost the vision of the modern Zionist pioneers and, unfortunately, has been pushing Israel toward self-destruction!

The Jerusalem Conference discussed wide range of topics: Strategic Threat from Iran, Syria, Lebanon & Gaza; Importance of Aliya, Jewish migration to Israel; Israel’s and the World’s Economy; even the possibility of the World War III was discussed. Arab terrorism, the Palestinian Media and Education, The Winograd Commission, the new wave of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel Media bias also were mentioned.

I was surprised that one subject, which has been completely neglected and even sabotaged by governments of Israel for decades, was correctly defined: "Hasbara: Just Confused or Deliberately Non-Existent?"

Nobody booed Tzipi Livni or left in protest when the foreign minister of Israel told participants that she talks with Palestinians with "tears of paratroopers at the Western Wall" in her mind. "Time is not on Israel’s side, and we will eventually have to concede parts of the country" she said. I wonder, were they crocodile tears? It is her government which, by exhibiting a total lack of self-respect and an absence of any determination to pursue the Jewish National Goal, has made."

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What Should Beth Jacob Do With Its Vacant Lot?

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

Beth Jacob is the largest Orthodox synagogue west of the Mississippi. It now owns a vacant lot on Olympic and Doheney.

How about:

* A drive-in Holocaust museum to go with the Holocaust imagery on Beth Jacob’s mehitza (partition between men and women during prayer).
* A Simon Weisenthal Center banquet hall above the drive-in Holocaust museum.
* A kick-boxing center.
* A cigar shop.
* A center for the higher study of blogging.
* A kollel. That way the kollel members won’t have to be contaminated by the Modern Orthodox members of Beth Jacob.

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The First Green Gas Station – Helios House On Olympic/Robertson In BH

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

I pulled into the gas station on Olympic and Robertson this morning and was greeted by a cute woman named Peg — a green team member — asking me if this was my first time.

I admitted it was.

She proceeded to tell me about how this was the first green gas station and that all its power came from solar energy.

It was so exciting, my first conversation with a woman in some time and it was for a good cause, that I stopped her and asked if I could put this on video to show my mates.

She said yes. And now, even the nights are better because I have documentary proof that a young woman is willing to talk to me.

You, you knew just what to do, because you had been carbon polluter too, but now you’ve made a fire start and I, I can see… I never dreamed there’d be a sun to power me…

Posted in Pico/Robertson | Comments Off on The First Green Gas Station – Helios House On Olympic/Robertson In BH

What R U Doin’ Cutie?

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

That’s a great text message to send to every single woman on your cell phone list, says Sean Messenger. Some will respond with, "What do you have in mind?"

He advises not to call women because you give away your power. She may not answer because she wants to build her self-esteem by torturing you. Women are far better at phone conversations than men so you’re likely to make a fool of yourself.

Send her text messages that are simple and sweet. "Sweet dreams! 🙂 Luke"

From BecomingAPUA.com:

Sean Messenger was a participant on For Love or Money 2, an instructor PickUp101, and is now doing his own thing at http://seanmessenger.com. He’s the kind of guy who’ll tell it like it is, or make it seem like he’s telling you like it is. Here are notes from his seminar:

Notes

    – To get an interaction going just start with a joke, and then go into your routine
    He’s socialphobic

      – Having one friend who’s also insecure is a disadvantage
      – When he was a kid he stayed home and read lots about Greek mythology
    – He saw himself as different from everyone else. He saw himself as an alien brought down to observe people
    – What was missing was people. Women aren’t that different. Women are more skillful socially, and that’s what he lacked.
    – The great thing about being a man is the powerful energy that women like. What gets you pussy is not the words, it’s the energy.
    – A disadvantage to being a man is all the shit in the brain. We were rewarded for thinking when we were younger. Our brain is in the loop telling us that we are no good for anybody.
    – Got into PickUp101 cause he was alone, even when he was with someone.
    – Started with Match.com; he could sell anything.
    – When the girl was gone he realized he had no life left. He didn’t care about anything. When she broke up with him, cause she got back with the ex and got pregnant and wanted to marry her ex.
    – He realized his problem was not the girl, it was that he had no other people in his life.
    – If you are nervous when picking up the phone, then you have a problem.
    – What was missing was just to have people around.
    – What happened with the girl was he called her and said, “I have a meeting and I don’t know what to say. What should I do?” He turned her into mom.
    Steps to an interaction:

      1. Introduce yourself.
      2. Ask questions.
    How do you maintain an interaction?

      – Ask, pay attention, relate. Don’t try to be cool or try to impress someone
      – Talk to people more
    – You don’t need to impress them.
    – There is a power dynamic in every interaction
    – QUICKLY RELATE TO SOMEONE
    How to make small talk

      – “Hey How you doin’? My names ______. What’s your name?”
      – It’s polite and it’s what people do. You give something of yourself and it gives you an opportunity to talk more.
      – When meeting someone for the first time DON’T LOOK/FIND THE GREATEST QUESTION (i.e. what are you passionate about? That is inappropriate and not what people do) (“cool” kids are cool because they ask questions you listen and relate to.)
      – When someone answers a question, DON’T get into your head and try to think of the next question. Cause you’re unable to hear what they are saying and thus unable to relate.
    – EXPOSE YOURSELF.
    – You learn piece by piece
    – Get friends, get social networks.
    – You may get away lying for a day (SEE BRAVEHEART to see a leader of men).
    – Women want a guy who leads men, has passion and goals
    – IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE A LONER AND GOOD WITH WOMEN
    – Has a friend who is better with women than anyone known. He picked up a girl that everyone wants. Now she’s pregnant. He can’t be with a woman cause he’s afraid someone who is as good as him will take her away. He’s lonely cause he’s too good.
    – You make yourself invaluable by being good with people. No one cares how smart you are. It annoys them. What they care about is how you make them feel (comfortable or ill at ease), cause people respond to their emotions. With social skills, breaking out of isolation will get you ahead.
    – He has no social skills, he’s social phobic, which is what makes him a good teacher

Posted in Dating | Comments Off on What R U Doin’ Cutie?

Sexual Abuse and The Vaad of Baltimore (Jewish Religious Court)

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Luke Ford

Vicki Polin from The Awareness Center writes:

At the urging of several friends I attended the event last week on child sexual abuse that was organized  by the Vaad of Baltimore (Jewish Religious Court), The Sidran Foundation and the Shofar Coalition — which has strong ties to Jewish Family Services of Baltimore. 

I have to admit that I struggled a great deal with the fact that I did not want to attend.  I was sure that Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer and David Mandel would go on and on about not reporting sex crimes to law enforcement, that the rabbis of Baltimore could deal with the cases on their own.  I did not want to sit in a room filled with community members listening to their rationalization as to why the Vaad has notoriously ignored those who have been sexually victimized.  I also could not bear listing to Rabbi Hopfer’s speech considering his take on many cases in the community, especially the case of Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau, Rabbi Moshe Eisemann and Rabbi Yaakov Menken.

What shocks me the most about the program though, was the fact that it was sponsored by the Sidran Foundation, the Shofar Coalition (Jewish Family Services) and promoted by Phil Jacobs of the Baltimore Jewish Times on his blog.

One would think that a program like this would be informative and helpful. It would teach attendees how to make a hotline report and also encourage people in the community to work with the police when a crime has been committed. Especially a crime committed against our children.

The program was structured such that no direct questions were allowed.  Instead attendees were given index cards in which they could write down their questions and Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb chose which ones were asked.  I am aware that several people wrote questions regarding the cases of Rabbi Eisgrau, Eisemann and Menken, yet these questions were never posed to the speakers.

Toward the end of the presentation after Dr. Pelcovitz left, David Mandel got up to the podium and stated that sex crimes against children should be reported to the rabbonim.  There were over 100 people in the room and no one was saying a thing. I kept hearing people gasping their breath.  I finally raised my hand knowing I would not be called on.  I could not sit back and be quiet.  I had to ask the question "what about reporting allegations and suspicions to child protection services or calling the police".  Mr. Mandel looked at me, turned his head and went on talking about using the rabbonim.

I have to ask the question, how can there be a room filled with people and not one person, other than me have the courage to ask that vitally important question?  What was it that they were fearing?  I know I wasn’t the only one wanting Mr. Mandel or Rabbi Hopfer to respond.

It is a noble gesture on the part of Sidran and Project Shield that they are attempting to "educate" a group of people who have a vested interest in protecting their images and assets. The Vaad has no need to make changes in the way they operate until survivors of sex crimes have the courage to start taking these criminals to court both criminally and civilly. Unfortunately, we have learned from the Catholic church that without filing civil suits against those who cover up sex crimes (against both children and adults) nothing will ever change. How many years have to go by before the Baltimore community will face these facts? How many more children will have to be sexually victimized. Each day that goes by we are at risk of having another child live their lives as a rape victim.

Posted in Abuse, Awareness Center, Baltimore, Orthodoxy | Comments Off on Sexual Abuse and The Vaad of Baltimore (Jewish Religious Court)

How To Succeed With Women

Posted on February 24, 2008 by Luke Ford

If you only knew how manly I’ve been of late, you’d bow down to me.

If you put me with women who feel safe and relaxed, the odds are good that at least one out of ten will find me attractive.

I hate clubs and bars. Those aren’t my scene. I love Shabbat dinners. I’m at my best. Others are at their best. There’s no rush. Everyone is dressed nice and behaving nicely. This is the way to connect.

I love shul. I love church. Houses of God make women feel safe. When women feel unsafe, they’re not going to be open to you no matter how cool you try to be.

I can be a creepy guy because I have a bizarre sense of humor. I know about making others feel unsafe. I know my blog is like nails on a blackboard to much of my community.

I have about the worst people skills around, but if you put me around a friendly Shabbos table, I come out of my shell and behave.

Same with a good work environment. Or with school. If you can just find the opportunity to keep showing up to place where there are people you want to connect with, in time if you have any quality at all, you’ll start to connect with some of them.

As Woody Allen said, 90% of life is just showing up. If you just show up to shul every day or every week, if you just show up regularly to some place where people are dedicated to similar things to you, you’ll likely connect with others.

My greatest flaw is my inability to connect with others. Therefore you shouldn’t listen to me? No. Because I have keenly felt this big gaping hole in my life for the past 35 or so years, I’ve thought a lot about these issues and have some clarity. I know I need a home, a shul, a press club, a place to hang out with people who have similar interests to mine. No matter how weird I get, I make sure I have a home in the wider world to connect.

If you show up to church or synagogue or a book club or press club every week, you are inevitably going to meet members of the opposite sex who will soon feel safe around you. Then you develop rapport, you each let down your boundaries and in time she’ll let you inside. And once that’s accomplished, you can start thinking straight again.

I am not happy without a woman in my life. I’m just not in balance. Without a woman, I get really weird. With a woman, I become normal.

Every girlfriend I’ve had has civilized me (though most of this has been lost once we’ve separated).

Friends are easy to lose. Though it feels like the worst thing in the world, you’ll have to make peace with many friendships having a season in the sun and then they die. But if you ever turn an enemy into a friend, that should last forever. That’s the most powerful bond because you each want to believe in how wonderful you are that you overcame such giant obstacles to connect with someone you hated.

Here are some cool and best-selling books on these topics:

How To Captivate A Man, Make Him Fall In Love With You And Give You The World!

Save My Marriage Today!

500 Lovemaking Tips & Secrets

Bring Back A Lost Love! The Original Bring Back A Lost Love Resource! You Can Save Your Relationship, Save Your Marriage & Get Your Lover Back No Matter How Hopeless Your Situation Appears. Read All The Rave Reviews!

1000 Questions For Couples By Michael Webb Relationship Expert. What You Absolutely Must Know About Your Relationship – Test Your Compatibility And Grow Deeper In Love. For Those Dating, Married Or Even In A Long Distance Relationship. Couples Have Even Used It To Stop A Divorce.

The Magic Of Making Up (Get Your Ex Back).

Posted in Dating | Comments Off on How To Succeed With Women