Ask JTF for August 17, 2014 is ready, baruch Hashem

[Chaim Ben Pesach]

בס''ד

The program is 1 hour and 22 minutes this week:



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[Chaim Ben Pesach]

בס''ד

When I refer to our plan to turn our Hebrew main page into a daily news site, I am referring to hayamin.org

Our English main page is jtf.org

That is what I mean when I speak about our main pages that are independent of Facebook or YouTube.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Thank you very much Chaim.

[TruthSpreader]

Thank you, Chaim.

[kyel]

I thin I worded that question wrong. I meant specifically for avodah zarah. Thank you though.

[muman613]

Chaim,

Rambam also says that Islam is not Avodah Zarah...

http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5772/bo.html?print=1

Regarding Islam, however, most poskim follow the opinion of the Rambam[12] that it is not considered avodah zarah[13]. Hence they do not expressly forbid entering a mosque[14]. Other poskim forbid entering a mosque as well[15]. All agree that unless there is a compelling reason to do so, mosques are off limits for any G-d-fearing Jew.

12. Hilchos Ma’achalos Assuros 11:7.

13. Y.D. 124:6 and Taz 4 and Shach 12. See Ben Ish Chai, Parashas Balak.

14. See Avnei Yashfei 1:153 who quotes Rav Y.S. Elyashiv as ruling that it is not prohibited to enter a mosque.

15. Tzitz Eliezer 14:91; 18:47, based on the previously-mentioned view of the Ran. See also Meiri, Avodah Zarah 57a who quotes Chachmei Sefarad as ruling that Islam is avodah zarah.

Of course I have heard the quote concerning Mohamud being a madman... But halacha (according to most rabbis) is that Islam is not considered avodah zara...

[Rational Jew]

Idolatry or not. Who cares? Islam is an evil nazi religion that preaches nothing but hate, death, violence, genocide, and rape. We must take this as consideration before acknowledging alleged Islamic "monotheism". The very fact that they use the notion of One God to commit all the evil and atrocious things they are commanded to do is a Chillul Hashem and a more severe sin than idolatry. Talking about the religion that commands its followers to exterminate evey single non-muslim; a religion whose so-called "holy texts" refer to Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs"; a religion whose founder Mohammad (ysv) was a pedophile, rapist, and a mass murderer who slaughtered over 9000 Jews in Arabian peninsula.

[muman613]

Idolatry or not. Who cares? Islam is an evil nazi religion that preaches nothing but hate, death, violence, genocide, and rape. We must take this as consideration before acknowledging alleged Islamic "monotheism". The very fact that they use the notion of One God to commit all the evil and atrocious things they are commanded to do is a Chillul Hashem and a more severe sin than idolatry. Talking about the religion that commands its followers to exterminate evey single non-muslim; a religion whose so-called "holy texts" refer to Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs"; a religion whose founder Mohammad (ysv) was a pedophile, rapist, and a mass murderer who slaughtered over 9000 Jews in Arabian peninsula.

The question is whether we are permitted to enter a mosque, and the answer according to Rambam (one of the greatest sages of Jewish law) finds that it is permitted. As Chaim stated Rambam says that Mohamud was a madman and his religion is false, but according to his finding it is not Avodah Zarah.

And most JTFers know I am one who hates Islam with much passion. But I will not distort the halachas which I have learned just because I hate it.

[Joe Gutfeld]

Another great show, Chaim.

[Rational Jew]

The question is whether we are permitted to enter a mosque, and the answer according to Rambam (one of the greatest sages of Jewish law) finds that it is permitted. As Chaim stated Rambam says that Mohamud was a madman and his religion is false, but according to his finding it is not Avodah Zarah.

And most JTFers know I am one who hates Islam with much passion. But I will not distort the halachas which I have learned just because I hate it.

I'm kind of disappointed to learn that our Jewish Sages were so liberal on islam. I wonder why would Rambam say it's permitted to enter a place of worship of a religion that calls for extermination of Jews and why would he rule that islamic "Allah" is the same God we worship when there is so much evidence against this claim (just look at islamic major symbol, crescent)? Another evidence is kaaba stone, the holiest site of islam, having obvious pagan elements in it. If muslims are "monotheistic", why would they worship gigantic stone which looks like a typical worship place of idolatry? If you worship God, you are required to pray directly towards him and not through any subjects. Am I wrong?

It's kind of a high privilege for such a vicious lying Jew-hating Nazi religion like islam to be the only religion to whose house of worship Jews are permitted to enter.

[muman613]

I'm kind of disappointed to learn that our Jewish Sages were so liberal on islam. I wonder why would Rambam say it's permitted to enter a place of worship of a religion that calls for extermination of Jews and why would he rule that islamic "Allah" is the same God we worship when there is so much evidence against this claim (just look at islamic major symbol, crescent)? Another evidence is kaaba stone, the holiest site of islam, having obvious pagan elements in it. If muslims are "monotheistic", why would they worship gigantic stone which looks like a typical worship place of idolatry? If you worship God, you are required to pray directly towards him and not through any subjects. Am I wrong?

It's kind of a high privilege for such a vicious lying Jew-hating Nazi religion like islam to be the only religion to whose house of worship Jews are permitted to enter.

As I stated previously, there is much disagreement on this (and the piece I quoted says that a Jew should not go into a mosque unless there is an important reason.

It should be mentioned that Rambam lived at a time when Islam was spreading and he was forced to flee from his home. He was not a liberal by any stretch of the imagination and what he said was clearly meant to reduce the abuse at the hands of the muslim invaders. But with his finding several other deciders of Jewish law decided the same way.

[muman613]

Jews pray toward the Holy Temple, today they stand before the Kotel (Western Wall)... Some observers believe we are praying to the wall, but we do not..

I do not know what is in the heart and mind of a muslim, or what their religion states concerning the Kabba... It may or may not be similar to our praying to the east (toward Jerusalem).

From wiki:

At the time of Muhammad (570–632 AD), his tribe, the Quraysh, was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that time a shrine containing hundreds of idols representing Arabian tribal gods and other religious figures. Muhammad earned the enmity of his tribe by claiming the Kaaba to be dedicated to the worship of Allah alone and by having all the other idols evicted. The Quraysh persecuted and harassed him continuously,[citation needed] so he and his followers eventually migrated to Medina in 622.

This indicates that they believe that Mohamud (may his memory rot) evicted the idols and established their allah as the supreme deity. I don't know if believing this gives any power to the idols...

Remember too that Jews worshipped idols even while the Holy Temple stood...

http://www.torah.org/learning/basics/primer/torah/kings.html

So what's wrong with a monarchy?

Let's look at the record. From the beginning of David's reign (2884 - 876 BCE) until the destruction of the first Temple and death of the last king of Yehuda (3338 - 422 BCE), there were twenty one kings in Jerusalem.

Spanning a period of approximately half of that of the line of David, there were twenty one kings of the breakaway ten tribes. Every one of the northern kings was an idol worshipper, and a good majority of the population of the ten northern tribes followed their leaders' example. Nearly half of the kings in Jerusalem were themselves idol worshippers (Achaz, Menashe, Amon etc.), some in a most disgusting and insane of ways.

Note I am not suggesting that Muslims are good... Rather I am suggesting that we consider our own position before we cast stones at others.

[Rational Jew]

Here is the other source claiming allah as moon-god of Arabs:
http://www.billionbibles.org/sharia/allah-moon-god.html

Again, I have no idea what was Rambam zt'l thinking when he attributed the honor of a monotheistic faith to islam among all the other faiths (most of which, I believe, he dismissed as "idolatrous"). It was the biggest mistake any Jewish Sage ever made, in my opinion.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

It was in regards to those who made a false conversion to Islam and didn't choose death. Rambam was of the view that one can do so to save ones life as their are no icons or statues to bow down to but to only say a stupid Arabic verse.