Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi » Vosizneias

Restoring Credibility to the Beis Din System

rabbifink — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:47:14 +0000

About six months ago, Rabbi Hershel Schachter sat down with Ami Magazine for an interview. The conversation was mostly about the Jewish court system that we have in place today. R’ Schachter expressed deep reservations about the Beis Din system.

He exposed corruption and wrongdoing within the system. He didn’t pull punches and he spoke with the authority of a true Torah giant with a lifetime of personal experience. The article was a bit of a sensation. His opening salvo: “The present system is terrible.” From there, R’ Schachter spoke from personal experience about the flaws, inadequacies, and corruption in the system.

Here a few choice quotes:

Q: Are you saying there is a problem with the dayanim?
A: Of course. Do you think that all of the dayanim are honest? Many are acting like toanim; many of the toanim are acting like criminals. They make up their minds in advance that their side has to win,

Q: Could there be a watchdog group, with rabbanim getting together to examine how the batei din are behaving?
A: It’s a safek sakana [possible danger] for the watchdog group; they’re going to be killed.

Are all batei din corrupt? Probably not. So how are the good batei din supposed to separate their courts? How will people know which courts are honest? Is there a way to become more transparent?

I think this is the motivation behind a journal that found its way to my mailbox this week. The Journal of the Beth Din of America is a new publication that I believe was created to set itself apart from the the negative stereotypes illustrated by R’ Schachter’s comments.

From the introduction to the first edition:

Yet despite a well earned reputation for adjudicating cases fairly, efficiently and competently, the public lacks a full understanding and appreciation for much of the work of the Beth Din of America. This is because, like all batei din, the Beth Din is committed to confidentiality for the individuals, families and firms that utilize its services. Unlike secular court decisions which are published and accessible, beit din arbitration awards are provided only to parties and their legal counsel.

The publication of The Journal of the Beth Din of America is an attempt to change this situation, and educate the public about Jewish law as applied in a beit din, with particular attention to the outlook and practices of the Beth Din of America. The journal will primarily feature articles by dayanim of the Beth Din of America and other contributors. In each issue, we also hope to publish decisions actually rendered by the Beth Din of America (appropriately anonymized and approved for publication by the parties).

I think this is great. The journal features several types of articles. The articles are great for their content. Even if there was no side benefit other than to increase Torah study and wisdom, the journal is great. Most importantly, decisions of the Beth Din of America will be published after being anonymized. This will increase the Beth Din of America’s credibility as their decisions will be transparent and available for all to see. Further, it will either expose other Batei Din as closed walls with less accountability and hopefully it will incentivize them to clean up their acts.

It’s a small step, but an important step in the right direction. Kudos to the Beth Din of America.

Link: The Journal of the Beth Din of America

Enlightening Article in The New Yorker About Kosher Pork

rabbifink — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:34:36 +0000

You may have heard about the humorous mix-up that led to some pork being labeled as kosher. Yes. You heard right. The pork was not actually kosher, it was mislabeled. It would have been hard to fool somebody as it clearly said “pork” on the label.

The usual suspects among the orthodox Jewish blogs tab articles on the mix-up and the comments ran the gamut from incensed to amused and from serious to satire.

One might like to think that these comments, sometimes lucid, frequently enlightening, often written in broken English, other times written with contempt for the outside world remain within the virtual box of orthodox Judaism. This is not the case.

I have heard from prominent people who work within the interfaith community that these orthodox Jewish new sites are monitored and mined. Our comments are being read by anyone who is interested and many are interested.

Our news sites, especially Vosizneias have been quoted in the mainstream press and even comments have been noticed or quoted in the press.

The New Yorker, which I don’t read, mostly because when I do, I haven’t the foggiest idea what they are talking about, ran a story on the reactions to the kosher pork mix-up. I was able to understand this article. It has the highbrow humor that I usually don’t get, but since I know all about the kosher pork, I think I was able to follow.

Anyway, I was informed about this article because someone found it offensive. I did not. You can read it and let me know if you think it is offensive to orthodox Jews.

But I am more concerned with two much more important issues.

1) Our comments on VIN and other similar sites are being monitored. It behooves the commenters and the moderators of these sites to be sure that nothing that is published will harm relationships between Jews (orthodox or not) and non-Jews (and also between orthodox and non-orthodox Jews). I have a feeling that many commenters assume that their words are sealed within the vacuum of the orthodox Jewish world. They are not. Many of the remarks may not be sincere, they just be flip, but they can read the wrong way and they are being read.

2) Our English is horrible. The New Yorker copied and pasted random comments into their article. The comments sound like English is the second language of their authors. For many it is, but isn’t it time that all orthodox Jews living in America learned basic English? Would it not be better for Klal Yisrael if we could express ourselves in a respectful articulate manner? I think so.

Anyway, enjoy the article. It is a bit humorous and for once we can all read a New Yorker article and understand the context. And please be careful about what you write online and how it is written.

Link: New Yorker

HT: @bethanyshondark

I Am So Proud

rabbifink — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:48:39 +0000

Last year, there were a large number of public incidents that shed a negative light on Jews in general and particularly on Orthodox Jews. These events were not representitive of the average Jewish person, yet their notoriety put them front and center in the media.

It seems that the Earthquake in Haiti has marked a reversal of negative media coverage into more positive media coverage in response to more positive actions by Jewish people.

I noted last week that although the Jewish connection with Haiti is slim, there has been no shortage of Jewish efforts to aid the beleaguered people of Haiti.

It did not end with financial support. CNN has been reporting that the Israeli relief efforts were the quickest to respond and efforts were in full swing before any other country was set up. Israel was the first country with a field hospital in Haiti, Additionaly, the Israeli relief efforts have been reported as effective and efficient by CNN and others.

You can see video below of CNN’s coverage.

I am also proud to report that my uncle made the news with his personal work on behalf of Haiti.

Vosizneias is reporting that Rabbi Ronald Greenwald (Uncle Ronnie, to me) is spearheading a drive in many Monsey NY private Jewish schools (Yeshivas) to collect food and supplies to be delivered to Haiti. This comes on the heels of an unrelated visit to Haiti 6 weeks prior in which he was inspired to help the impoverished nation. Greenwald promised the members of the the Haitian community that he would meet with them and accompany them on a delegation to Washington if needed. That meeting was scheduled for January 19.

Uncle Ronnie is no stranger to projects of this nature. He has spent his entire adult life working on behalf of Jewish and non-Jewish causes. Those who know him or know of him are not surprised by this news. The only thing surprising is that some people think it is “news”. This is a typical anecdote in his accomplished life and we wish him more opportunities and more success for many years to come.

CNN Videos:

Gatorade Becoming Kosher, Drops Tiger Woods From Endorsements

rabbifink — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:02:51 +0000

In the last few weeks Gatorade has been in the news for two separate reasons. One relates to its kosher certification and one relates to an endorsement deal with a famous athlete.

Is there a connection?

[Disclaimer: Please read the rest of this post tongue-in-cheek. I'm no expert on writing in general and certainly not humorous writing. This post is intended to be 13% information and 87% light hearted banter.]

About six weeks ago it was reported that Gatorade (and Tootsie Rolls) was going to become kosher (VIN). This means that a kosher supervising agency will verify that the ingredients and machinery used in Gatorade do not contain any non-Kosher ingredients. They will monitor the production of the plant and will place their stamp of approval on the product. Jewish consumers who do not eat food or drink without a kosher symbol verification will now be able to drink Gatorade. Isn’t that exciting?

I wondered, as anybody else who keeps kosher, if Gatorade will need to adjust their formula or if the certification just verifies that the elixir was kosher all along… I am afraid I will never know.

The word kosher is commonly used to refer to food items and whether they are technically allowed to be eaten by kosher observant Jews. But the truth is that kosher means much more than that. The word means “fit” and it applies to any and everything. The word kosher can be used as a replacement for “appropriate” or “okay” in situations besides the typical food usage. I wrote about this in the early stages of the blog when the Kosher GPS was announced.

It turns out that Gatorade may or may not have needed to make their formual kosher. But they did need to make their endorsements kosher.

Gatorade announced today that they are dropping Tiger Woods as a spokesperson for their product. The company will discontinue the Tiger Focus drink. It is being reported that the decision to drop Tiger preceded his current brouhaha involving the many women in his personal life. According to ABC News, a publication was informed of this decision 2 days prior to the initial incident at Tiger Woods’ home. You can read the AP story on ABC News.

All this means to me is that Gatorade knew about the women and personal problems before we did.

More importantly, Gatorade wants to project a more kosher image across the board. Their drink will have the kosher certification and their spokesperson roster will not include the latest sports villain, Tiger Woods.

Gatorade becoming kosher to drink and dropping Tiger Woods? Most definitely NOT a coincidence…

How Many Is Too Many?

rabbifink — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:55:44 +0000

This post has been cross-posted to DovBear – more discussion there.

An article on Ynet.com featured on VIN caught my ire this afternoon.

The writer, a woman, calls upon all Orthodox Jews to reject “the evil feminists” of Kolech and “have as many children as possible, as soon as possible”. For there is no greater joy in life than having many children.

Her arguments are weak (read it for yourself) and the ending says it all: “Trust me”. Why should I trust her?

As a proud father of 2 beautiful boys (a 6 year old and 8 month old) I can attest to the joys of parenthood. Giving the gift of life to one’s offspring is both very powerful and oftentimes emotional. I cannot imagine my life without my family.

I must take issue with this woman’s assertion that “the greatest gift we can give our families is a big family. Very big”.

In the VIN comments, there is a quote from R’ Shlomo Zalman Aurbach. When approached with a shaila regarding a woman who had 6 children and suffered a nervous breakdown for a heter to use birth control. His response, “why are you asking me, ask the Rav who gave her a heter to have 6 children in the first place!?”

Reb Moshe Feinstein writes in his Tshuvos that if the mother would suffer any physical, psychological or emotional harm from bearing more children she must use birth control.

Having a large family is not rooted in halacha. It is rooted in a social pressure to conform.

What has happened is the children of the “survivors” and that generation had a social calling to have large families. They were able to bear it (for the most part) with a low cost of living and 9-5 jobs, leaving time and money to spare. Enough to support many of those children in Kollel.

For many people pregnancy and childbirth as well as child rearing are difficult. For many families the cost of living is too high to support a large family. Work hours are long and the money does not go as far as it used to go.

Today’s society requires different approaches to life’s challenges from previous generations. The cost of living is higher. This forces most families to need a dual income. Who is going to raise these large families? What about the marriages? Husbands and wives who work full time, come home tired with children who need their time and attention. The idea of marriage in Judaism is to develop a relationship with a significant other. This cannot be ignored either!

Our schools are suffering from unprecedented deficits and budget cutting. Parents are having a hard time paying the tuition bills. Large families may be all of “your joy” but they can be an unfair burden on the tzibbur.

I am not calling for a “child cap” ala China. I am saying use your sechel and please don’t tell me what is good for you is good for everyone. Please don’t preach to me about what you think is right when it is not based on halacha.

Bitachon does not allow for recklessness. We cannot overburden ourselves or the system and expect bitachon to bail us out. There are children of large families who I know resented the lack of attention they received, the handouts they needed and the hustle and bustle of their busy homes. Those parents were likely ill equipped to deal with the large family dynamics and their children felt it.

Also, I happen to think that there are folks who have lots of kids to distract themselves from their unhappy lives, or their unhappy marriages (yes like a drug). Those folks need help. Not bigger families.

The Sales Pitch

rabbifink — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:23:30 +0000

This post is cross-posted to DovBear – more discussion there.

I read an important column on a good website yesterday.

It wasn’t on NYTimes.com or Yahoo.com or ESPN.com (some of my favorite sites to link from) this article was on Vosizneias.com. VIN is a Orthodox Jewish blog with editorials and news. I recommend checking it out when you have a chance.

The column I read was a great perpective on Baal Teshuvas and their integration into the Frum community. In particular the column focused on various reactions of the BT (I use the term adoringly) when encountered with other (supposedly) Frum Jews who are not living up to their own standards.

Some BTs “can’t handle the truth” and wind up right where they started – wonderful secular people. Other BTs are more adept at maintaining their Frum lifestyle despite the disappointment. The article then enumerates some of the great things that BTs have contributed to the Frum lifestyle. Like manners, healthy eating, special education, etc.

While there is room for debate on whether the Frum community can attribute these “innovations” to BTs I am happy to give them the credit.

The article concludes by thanking the Frum community for showing them a way of life they love and appreciate.

I have two main points that I want to make in relation to this article.

1- The fake sales pitch the Frum From Birth Kiruv Rabbis spew.

2- The BTs reaction to the reality check.

I cannot stand the sales pitch that Frum people have no problems and Torah life is free from all social ills. It is simply not accurate. Please don’t use it!

In fact, the Torah is a guidebook for flawed people. If people were able to just become perfect then the Torah would give us one time instructions to “fix” our flaws and then we would be good to go! But instead, the Torah gives us instructions to develop our character through Mitzva observance with specific tasks. Some tasks only come around once in a lifetime, or once every 50 years, or once every seven years, or once a year, or once a month, once a week, once a day, and even every second. The clear message is that we need constant work because humans will eventually fall.

The Talmud explicitly states: “Do not believe in yourself (righteousness) until the day you die”. The human being is designed to fail without constant work and guidance.

I believe the honest sales pitch (and yes it is a sales pitch and that’s okay) is: Humans are flawed, we all need guidance, the Torah provides guidance. Some of it is obvious, some of it is hidden, but we believe that the Torah lifestyle is a guide for life. If you want a guide, you can buy in. We are all trying to use the guide as best as we can and we feel our lives are more enriched by using the guide. Maybe you will too.

Perhaps more important is the reaction of the BT. I sent this email to Judd Magilnick, a Pacific Jewish Center board member and he offered some great insight.

First, many “not yet” BTs back off from greater commitment by rationalizing that they saw a Frum person who lacked derech eretz (common courtesy). Judd says this is the Yetzer Hara talking but Frum folks need to realize that they are being judged and should act accordingly.

I once heard that R’ Moshe Feinstein asked why we ask in Ahava Rabba that Hashem give us the ability to understand, listen to and teach Torah. Should the teaching part be reserved for teachers and rabbis? Why does veryone say it? And R’ Moshe answers that we are all teachers. We are teaching others about how the Torah wants us to behave every time we act.

Judd’s next point was even better. Why should an impious Frum person affect one’s opinion of Torah? The analogy is if one sticks his wet finger in a socket he is going to get a shock. That doesn’t indicate a flaw in elecricity! And like electricity Torah has the power to do great good and it also has the power to cause ill. It depends on its user.

So (potential) BTs, if you can use Torah for good why would you let it bother you that someone else is abusing it? One has nothing to do with the other!

As a Rabbi in shul of mostly BTs and potential BTs I hear this kind of rhetoric often. “If he’s a Frum person he shouldn’t do X or Y etc”. It is disheartening but I have one response.

I always quote Rabbi Wein: “Don’t judge Judaism by its Jews”.

Additionally, I don’t pitch anything other that learning more Torah and experiencing a Shabbos meal. One should make their personal decisions based on an informed view that can only come from one’s own study. The Shabbos meal is just to make it a little more personal and less abstract. That’s all.

So, I am looking for insight, do people really judge Torah by its Jews?

Is there an “accurate” (non-cynical) sales pitch?

Anything else in the original column that struck you?