I know that I haven't posted in a while, but I saw this on Material Maidel and I couldn't resist:
Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions.
Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (artist' name)"
Pick your Artist:
Green Day
Are you a male or female:
Disappearing Boy
Describe yourself:
Nice Guys Finish Last
How do you feel:
Having a Blast
Describe where you currently live:
Strangeland
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?:
2,000 Light Years Away
Your favorite form of transportation:
Walking Alone
Your best friend?
She's A Rebel
You and your friends are:
Jaded
What's the weather like:
Dry Ice
Favorite time of day:
All the Time
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Longview
What is life to you:
Welcome To Paradise
Your relationship:
Extraordinary Girl
Your fear:
409 in Your Coffee Maker
What is the best advice you have to give:
Hold On
Thought for the Day:
Wake Me Up When September Ends
How I would like to die:
At the Library
My soul's present condition:
No One Knows
My motto:
See The Light
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Vital news for the frum community
Anyone have an idea why VIN has posted this story about NAMBLA (possibly the funniest organization around)?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Teach your kids DERECH ERETZ!!!
This post is a response to two posts I read recently, one by Honestly Frum and one by Rabbi Horowitz.
I think that the most abused idea in Judaism today is the concept of "talmud torah k'neged kulam".
The yeshivish world focuses solely on learning and becoming a talmud chacham. They don't focus at all on working on yourself to have better middos. I guess that the rationale is that through learning they will become better people.
The problem is that if you don't work on your middos, you aren't even an acceptable vessel to receive the Torah. The torah won't change you into a better person, rather your bad middos will pervert the Torah you learn. Just like someone who learns without washing netilas yadayim in the morning, the torah that is learned is worthless.
Think of the Torah as the most pure water in the world, and the person learning the Torah as a cup. A person witout good middos is like a vile, dirty cup. Any water that is poured into it will be sullied by the nastiness of the cup.
Teach your kids to work on their middos.
I think that the most abused idea in Judaism today is the concept of "talmud torah k'neged kulam".
The yeshivish world focuses solely on learning and becoming a talmud chacham. They don't focus at all on working on yourself to have better middos. I guess that the rationale is that through learning they will become better people.
The problem is that if you don't work on your middos, you aren't even an acceptable vessel to receive the Torah. The torah won't change you into a better person, rather your bad middos will pervert the Torah you learn. Just like someone who learns without washing netilas yadayim in the morning, the torah that is learned is worthless.
Think of the Torah as the most pure water in the world, and the person learning the Torah as a cup. A person witout good middos is like a vile, dirty cup. Any water that is poured into it will be sullied by the nastiness of the cup.
Teach your kids to work on their middos.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wow, it's been a month!
Thank God I've been very busy at work so I haven't updated this blog in over a month!
I've seen a few things worth commenting on but I haven't had the time or energy to formulate entire posts about them. Here are two posts that I read today on Frum Satire and Honestly Frum:
1. Frum Satire's post about facebook being banned: This is what our society has become. It's not about teaching our children the core beliefs of our religion and allowing them to live their lives, it's about banning everything that has any aspect to it that may be bad.
2. Honestly Frum's post about the Hamodia's website: This is why I think that the concept of Daas Torah is dead. Everyone has a reason that a certain psak or ban shouldn't apply to them. That's why the whole wedding guidelines thing didn't work. The same rabbis who signed on the guidelines went to weddings that were sickeningly extravagant (they were allowed to because of "circumstances beyond the norm". When you think of it, isn't everyone's circumstances beyond the norm in their own minds?).
I've seen a few things worth commenting on but I haven't had the time or energy to formulate entire posts about them. Here are two posts that I read today on Frum Satire and Honestly Frum:
1. Frum Satire's post about facebook being banned: This is what our society has become. It's not about teaching our children the core beliefs of our religion and allowing them to live their lives, it's about banning everything that has any aspect to it that may be bad.
2. Honestly Frum's post about the Hamodia's website: This is why I think that the concept of Daas Torah is dead. Everyone has a reason that a certain psak or ban shouldn't apply to them. That's why the whole wedding guidelines thing didn't work. The same rabbis who signed on the guidelines went to weddings that were sickeningly extravagant (they were allowed to because of "circumstances beyond the norm". When you think of it, isn't everyone's circumstances beyond the norm in their own minds?).
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The myth of Icarus
I heard a song by Thrice called "The Melting Point of Wax". It tells the tale of Icarus and Daedalus from Icarus' point of view.
For those who don't know the story, Icarus and his father Daedalus were imprisoned on an island. Daedalus was very handy and he fashioned wings out of feathers and wax, and the two of them attempted to fly off the island. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun but curiosity got the best of him and he flew higher and higher until the wax in his wings melted and he fell to the sea and drowned. It is usually told as a cautionary tale to children to be careful to follow instructions.
The Thrice song however takes a different approach to the story portraying Icarus as rebellious, and that he deliberately flew close to the sun, without any care for the consequences.
This brings me to my point. I wonder what kind of controlling father Daedalus must have been if Icarus felt that he had to defy his warning to see for himself. I realized that there is a similar issue in many frum homes. Parents who shelter their children from everything in the outside world, telling them that everything is assur, and when those children get old enough to realize that they've been lied to, they feel that they can't believe anything that they were taught, and they end up trying everything for themselves, even things that will do some serious damage to themselves (physically or emotionally).
It amazes me that people these days still try to absolutely shelter their children from the world around them. I think that in the 21st century its virtually impossible for someone to lead their entire life without ever experiencing contact with the outside world and the other views, beliefs, and religions that are in the world. I think that by sheltering your children to an absolute degree you are making certain that they will be woefully unprepared for the inevitable day that they experience something outside of their world and they realize that they've been lied to. At that point they are able to make their own decisions about what is wrong and right, they will want to rebel against everything that their overbearing parents told them, even if it is to their own detriment.
Like Thrice says in the song: "How will I know limits from lies if I never try?".
What I take from the song/story:
Don't lie to your kids. Don't tell them that things are assur if they're not assur. It will eventually backfire. Although telling the truth is much harder, your kids wil be better people in the end.
For those who don't know the story, Icarus and his father Daedalus were imprisoned on an island. Daedalus was very handy and he fashioned wings out of feathers and wax, and the two of them attempted to fly off the island. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun but curiosity got the best of him and he flew higher and higher until the wax in his wings melted and he fell to the sea and drowned. It is usually told as a cautionary tale to children to be careful to follow instructions.
The Thrice song however takes a different approach to the story portraying Icarus as rebellious, and that he deliberately flew close to the sun, without any care for the consequences.
This brings me to my point. I wonder what kind of controlling father Daedalus must have been if Icarus felt that he had to defy his warning to see for himself. I realized that there is a similar issue in many frum homes. Parents who shelter their children from everything in the outside world, telling them that everything is assur, and when those children get old enough to realize that they've been lied to, they feel that they can't believe anything that they were taught, and they end up trying everything for themselves, even things that will do some serious damage to themselves (physically or emotionally).
It amazes me that people these days still try to absolutely shelter their children from the world around them. I think that in the 21st century its virtually impossible for someone to lead their entire life without ever experiencing contact with the outside world and the other views, beliefs, and religions that are in the world. I think that by sheltering your children to an absolute degree you are making certain that they will be woefully unprepared for the inevitable day that they experience something outside of their world and they realize that they've been lied to. At that point they are able to make their own decisions about what is wrong and right, they will want to rebel against everything that their overbearing parents told them, even if it is to their own detriment.
Like Thrice says in the song: "How will I know limits from lies if I never try?".
What I take from the song/story:
Don't lie to your kids. Don't tell them that things are assur if they're not assur. It will eventually backfire. Although telling the truth is much harder, your kids wil be better people in the end.
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