It's the bane of organisations, politicians and governments around the world. It's WikiLeaks.

This wanted poster was disseminated by the supposed
head of the CSG, Amit Bar Giora. 

Earlier this month the Jewish community pulled out support for Julian Assage and Wikileaks. The Jewish community had always supported Julian Assange and his tirade against the West’s diplomatic and governmental secrecy.  However, in a drastic turn of events the Jewish community has withdrawn support, going as far as to condemn Assange of treason.

In many Jewish communities around the world an ad-hoc security team has been set up to tackle the many dangers the community faces on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. The counter-terrorism team that supposedly protects the community in Melbourne is known as the Community Security Group (CSG). There is limited information surrounding the formation and daily running of this group. There have been anonymous claims that they work in tandem with the Australian Federal Police in preventing security threats and terror attacks. Many of the tactical operations that have been attributed to them are speculative. Until recently no one had seen a single document or shred of evidence pointing to the CSG’s existence.

Wikileaks has begun releasing documents pointing to the existence of the CSG. How they received these documents is questionable but now Julian Assange claimed (‘The Age’, Tuesday 4 January 2011) that his life is in danger.

People are now accusing founder and writer of the ‘Communal Satire Group’ for leaking the documents to Wikileaks. When interviewed, the founder of the Communal Satire Group responded that he has “no problem leaking JCCV and COSV diplomatic cables, however regarding issues of national security I refuse to disclose what I personally know to be true.”

Some might call this an advertisement

I have been criticized for not disseminating Torah on this blog. I am often told that I have disenfranchised certain people from religious Judaism. This has now changed.

A number of people created a website, albeit clean and appropriate, for the one and only Rabbi James Kennard, www.rabbikennard.com. I recommend his shiurim and commend him on the work he has done for Mt Scopus, the community and Bnei Akiva.

I wonder how long it will take for other Rabbis in various communities to create their own websites. In my opinion, it's only a matter of time.    

Please Hashem, I do all the correct sgulot with kavanah and yet I am still single, please help. On the other hand, maybe I’m not davening hard enough.

Recently I have noticed an increase of girls changing their Facebook profile pictures from individual shots of themselves to photos of themselves with either brides on their wedding day or newlyweds. At first I thought this was a standard change, as in a regular photo change to include a new friend or a salute to an old one. However, after some research into this phenomenon I realized that there was more behind it.

Numerous sgulaot regarding marriage have become popular over the past few years.

Akin to the practice of dipping one's fingers into the post extinguishment wine and dabbing it over the eyes (for healthy vision), the forehead (for seichel, wisdom) or the pockets (for parnassa, livelihood), a single girl dips her fingertip into the wine and dabs in on her left ring finger, in the hopes that it will be a segulah that a real ring should find its way there soon.

A more popular sgulah is where girls and a number of boys do not sit at the corner of the table or they will stay single forever.

The sgulot do not end there. Now, if one changes their facebook profile picture to include a bride or newlywed, marriage will occur within the year. This ‘sgulah’ has caused much division and animosity within the orthodox world.

Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Zeiglewasser, writes that because Internet and computers are assur min hatoroh it is impossible for the Facebook profile picture to be a sgulah, rather it is an avairah which would subsequently end up in a life of singlehood, “rather a child not be brought into the world, than a child brought up in the home of Facebook.”

In response to this Mark Zuckerberg sued.

The old adage sums the issue of sgulot up nicely. A man who had trouble in his marriage, complained to his rabbi: "It says that folding the tallit immediately after havdalah is a sgulah for shalom bayit. I always do it, yet, it does not help." The rabbi answered: " I have a better sgulah for you. After havdalah, roll up your sleeves and go wash the dishes." 

artscroll...

This came up when I typed in 'ArtScroll' on 'Google Images'. I
had to stay faithful.

The following is a run down of all the ArtScroll Rebbe biographies.

(Gadol X) came from a lineage of (state yichus), finished Tanach by the time he was (number under 6), mishnayos by the time he was (under 8), shas by the time he was (under 12), already caught the attention of (gedolim A,B,C ad nauseum) by the time he was bar mitzvahed, already writing teshovot by the time he was (under 15), married off to the daughter of (one of gedolim).

It is the same story rehashed. The basic difference between, say, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, The Steipler Ga’on, and Rav Moshe Feinstein according to ArtScroll is the details of where they were born, the specific yichus they had, what yeshiva they learned in, what community they served, and what family they married in to. Otherwise, same story. In real life, all three of the examples above had different personalities and lives, not to mention challenges.

You cannot forget...that (gadol X) would make a bracha before nursing and gave the dvar Torah at his own bris.

(This was adapted from the comments on www.frumsatire.net)

Where does the truth lie?

The coat of arms of the priestly Rapaport family first appeared as a colophon at the end of Avraham Menachem Rapa of Porto’s Mincha Belulah (Verona, 1594). Instead of a motto, a banner proclaimed the author’s name above and below the shield which featured a pair of hands raised in priestly benediction in the upper half, while below was depicted a crow on a branch, a reference to the author’s family name. The shield is flanked by two heraldic ‘supporters’. The ‘supporters’ feature two female torsos rampant facing away from the shield. They are nude from the waist up.

It was by no means rare to encounter nude women in Hebrew books between the sixteenth and the early eighteenth centuries, even prominently displayed on the covers. Nevertheless, nowadays such nudity proves unsettling to the Orthodox public.

The coat of arms clearly shows two topless women. This cannot be mistaken. However, when Mincha Belulah was reprinted the ‘supporters’ were modestly transgendered and piously rendered with beards! 

I am looking forward to the reprint. Black hats will most definitely feature and potentially streimels. One question still remains, why aren’t the ‘supporters’ wearing tzitzus and a yarmulke?

When interviewed, Rav Aaron Lichtenstein was offended by the fact that the ‘supporters’ were given beards. He responded, “I know that Judaism today is summed up by the size of one’s hat and length of one’s beard but look at me, I am clean shaven and whose daughter did I marry?” Rav Lichtenstein was referencing the fact that he is married to Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik’s daughter, the seminal figure of Modern Orthodox Judaism.

skinnies are banned. am i really breaking another halacha?

In the shidduch world jeans have always been considered unacceptable, however now for the first time Modern Orthodox rabbis have stated that skinny jeans are now assur for they go against the laws of tzniut.

According to Rav Tzion Amichai, skinny jeans are so tight subsequently causing girls to know the religion of the boys which they are looking at. In response to this Rabbi Elad Speiro forcefully stated that skinny jeans are assur but not because of girls noticing which religion the boy belongs to but rather due to the hashkafa behind the jeans.

Rabbi Elad Speiro furthers his argument by stating that “skinny jeans represents an anti-establishment attitude…a boy who wears skinny jeans would rather listen to indie-goyishe music than learn Torah…this must be stopped.”

Unfortunately, you will not be able to find skinny jeans with a hechsher on them anymore. The frummer society becomes the more shapeless our clothes become.

Even though Rabbi Elad Speiro, frowns on skinny jeans I would like to write that I wore skinny jeans in Yeshivat Har Etzion for a number of months without a single comment from the rabbanim. Unlike all the other talmidim at Gush I will not pretend that I was close to Rav Aaron Lichtenstein but I am sure he saw me and my jeans in the corridors of Gush. 

The truth eventually comes out

It is an indisputable fact that people enjoy touching each other. Many of us pretend we are asexual, yet when push comes to shove that is incorrect.  We all want others to think that we do not touch the opposite sex.  A girl who wants to remain anonymous told me there is something seductive about sitting around in a circle of girls talking about what it would to be like to touch a man with a 5 o’clock shadow in the most forbidden places. They all pretend to be speaking from their own personal fantasies, however in reality they are talking from experience.

This secret cannot be kept forever. There are a number of telltale signs regarding whether a girl or for that matter a boy is shomer negia or not.

During the beginning of a relationship, the girl will constantly confide in her friends. Such discussions include the yearning and longing for the touch of their ‘oh so cute frummy bnei-boy boyfriend’ who also layns on shabbat, learns ten times a week and wears his adorable little kippa on the side of his head. A few days later BOOM! The complaints cease! It may not be apparent to those of us who are absent minded. However, if you know someone well enough yet not so much that they will actually tell you that they are getting some, it becomes quite apparent when the thirst for the ‘magic touch’ has been quenched.

This is not the only sign of whether a couple is shomer negia. To see this sign one must wait until the wedding.  Right after the chuppah the photos in which the couples touch for the ‘first time’ takes place. Depending on how comfortable the couple is together while touching for the ‘first time’ is the litmus test of whether they have been touching all along.  

I hope your first touch was as wonderful as you thought to would be. As the image illustrates touch but do not tell.