Wisdom from the Gentiles: Steinbeck

“I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Expose on the gentile influences in contemporary frum world music

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THE TORAH IS NOT HEFKER!

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MODERN CHAREIDI ROCK MUSIC: ITS SOURCES AND EFFECTS

FOR ADVICE ON ALL SUBJECTS OF MUSIC IN THE CHAREIDI PUBLIC:

הועד לנגינה יהודית

THE COMMITTEE FOR JEWISH MUSIC

• ADVICE TO BAALEI SIMCHAH FOR WEDDINGS
• LISTS OF KOSHER BANDS AND MUSICIANS
• ADVICE TO ARRANGE HACHNASSAS SEFER TORAH
• BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE SUBJECT OF CHAREIDI MUSIC
• LECTURES IN YESHIVOS AND SEMINARIES
• POSSIBILITY TO CONTROL THE VOLUME AT SIMCHOS
• WITH THE APPROVAL OF GEDOLEI HADOR

TELEPHONE: 03-6191973

Today's event

The Israeli government has killed 52 people thus far today in Gaza. They are all on their side of the fence being shot at by snipers. They are nowhere near any Jewish communities. They are not firing rockets. They are protesting being locked in the largest concentration camp in the history of the world. The economic blockade has resulted in 98% of the drinking water in Gaza being polluted and enormous challenges in running businesses and getting a proper diet: "the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip is very close to the absolute minimum required for basic sustenance, as determined by the IDF itself. " (Haaretz) Not a single Israeli has been hurt in any way, not even a scratch. The protests started peacefully with few exceptions. They got wild after Israel shot 100s of people. This isn't a case of disproportionate force. It's a case of killing at will. The Israeli government has killed children. It has killed journalists, doctors, medics. Will this not inspire terrorism? Is that the goal? Is the State of Israel pushing the Arabs to start violence, to launch rockets again? Is that the goal? If the health situation continues to deteriorate it could lead to the start of disease that spreads to Israel, which let us remember is right next door. Jerusalem is 50 miles away. Is this risk being made intentionally or is just Israeli arrogance? Is the government of Israel trying to get into a war? Is the government of Israel actively trying to cast doubt on every case it has ever tried to make that it uses force only when necessary because violence is so unnecessary here. The assumption seems to be, we are so powerful we can do whatever we want. This is a bad assumption. Israel is a little country. And when America goes away, which is any day now, look out because the bad will that Israel has built up is going to come back to get us, Heaven forbid. The Torah has rules about starting up with the gentiles. These rules didn't cease to apply in 1948 or 1967. Right now, people are putting all their faith in the military and none in Hashem. We are following military rules not Hashem's rules. And it will not work out in the end. It's a house of cards. You watch.

Some Torah to address the situation:

First halacha:

"Whenever a person kills a human being, he transgresses a negative commandment, as Exodus 20:13 states: 'Do not murder.'"

Rambam. Mishneh Torah, Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - 1:1

Now musar:

"We are fortunate to have been the victims, and not the murderers. How terrible it is to be the winners, if it means being murderers. We are better off being the losers. If we are martyrs, God decided our fate. But if we murder, we have destroyed our humanity. "

Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach (1899 - 2001)