Over the past few days there has been much animosity in the comments towards my blog. If these comments were written by a genuine charedi who values torah and mitzvot, I am truly shocked and appalled. In fact, devastated that a man of God can speak in a manner which is simply not appropriate and constitutes the breaking of halacha. For all you charedim stratching your heads and wondering what I am referring to, it is the idea of speaking with carefully chosen words and making sure that the subject matter is suitable. It is known as nivul peah. The fact that you write in such an aggressive manner is beyond words and to even go as far as placing a pulsa denura on me, my family and neighbours is terrible and worthy of excommunication.
After much thought and consideration I believe that I have found a potential reason for the aggressive manner shown by this charedi. It is not this poor charedi's fault for writing in this manner, halachicly he is consider a tinok shenishba, a Talmudic term that refers to an individual who sins inadvertently as a result of having been raised without an appreciation for the rules of Judaism, rather, it is the structure of charedi society which caused this hatred.
Fear is one of the many things which causes man, in the universal sense, to act. Look at today's society. Fear is what causes us to look at Muslims with a disapproving eye. Fear is what is keeping Guantanamo
Fear is also what keeps the charedi society in tact. To their credit, it has been successful. However, is that really the best way to life? Is that really what God wants? I cannot answer this, but when I study the talmud and works of Ramban and Rambam I find it hard to believe that a restrictive world with little free thought is what God wanted. God wanted people to love His torah and mitzvot through one's ability and intellect, not primarily through fear.
It is easy to have ignorant followers following through fear. Teaching that all is bad and evil, and cannot be embraced unless approved by a godol. Openness and intellectual thought, discussion and argument is what ultimately gives a Jew an appreciation for torah and mitzvot.
Why insult when you can argue? This is a blog which attempts to shed light on religious issues. You may disagree with me, but to steep as low as to insult me, my family and friends is beyond belief.
I would like the authors of the aggressive comments below to ask their rabbis what they think of the language they implemented in the vicious attack on me and my blog.
I never did get satire. But from what I have seen, it basically involves making up stuff that sounds offensive, but is so imaginitive that it is obviously too hilarious to be taken seriously (point in case: the loophole that Pamela Anderson is a female and therefore not a halachically recognized species so yichud laws don't apply (i don't particularly like satire but even i couldn't help laughing at that). The venomous comments in response to the Mr. Men blog seem to have been an obvious failed attempt at such satire and in my opinion the work of no less than some modern-orthodox person who either knows you and wishes to add to your many jeeves or some total random that likes to play the anonymous card and take on whatever virtual personaluty serves their purposes of trying to be annoying and/or funny. Point in case: 'I have a 3/5 record for my Pulsa Denuras, not including The Rebbe... the jury's still out on him' and he had the word shmekel in his name. If this is so, it is clear from this current blog that he (as well as the 'all of us shower at least before shabbos' guy were not successful in being funny, but were therefore also not chareidim. I therefore request that you bring back the funny blogs.
ReplyDeleteThat "Celestial Crust" guy seemed legit though ...
ReplyDeleteThe shmekel man and shower dude were not funny - they were hilarious
Dearest blogger,
ReplyDeleteYou must remember that a slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
You preach of the Rambam, but you must never forget: G-d heals, and the doctor takes the fees.
We should take care not to make the intellect our G-d; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
It was the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion.
Only he can take great resolves who has indomitable faith in God and has fear of God.
Fear has its use, but cowardice has none
The gates are down and the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.
You may delay, but time will not.
To Celestial Crust,
ReplyDeleteCan your fellow blog-followers put in requests?
Franklin, Einstein, and Gandhi are so overused.
Do you mind chucking in some Shakespeare?
Actually, could you make a poem out of Rambam verses? Something from Morei Nevuchim would be grand.
Ah ... finally !
ReplyDeleteA response from someone that is not an ignoramus !