Ask JTF For January 20 Broadcast

[admin]

BS"D

Note To All Posters: Only one post per person is permitted. Please make it a single, short question.

Chaim would love to answer all of your great questions but (unfortunately due to the number of questions and time constraints), if there is more than one short question, it will have to be moved to The Future Ask JTF Section. We apologize for this inconvenience and only wish that every person has a chance to be heard on the show.

Or course, comments not directed to Chaim will be moved into a separate thread under The General Discussion.

Chaim has stated that only one short question or comment per poster will be answered. Please remember that even with these rules, the program is over 2 hours long every week! If you want to post a longer question, unfortunately, Chaim may or may not be able to answer it in it's entirety. In this case, you may copy and paste parts of your question for the following week.

Thank you for your kindness and respect regarding these rules.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

BS"D

Happy Tu B'Shevat,

Was there ever a point in your life when you celebrated Thanksgiving? If so, how did you celebrate?

Also, please read the entire paragraph below and comment on it.

Thanksgiving was based on Sukkot and Hanukkah was based on Sukkot as well. So Thanksgiving is like the American Hanukkah, unlike Christmas which The Left tries to compare to Hanukkah. In 2013, Thanksgiving will even fall on Hanukkah so Jews can light the menorah before they have their Thanksgiving dinner.

Yacov Menashe Ben Rachamim,
Chief Administrator.

[TorahZionist]

I'm posting this for Yacov Menashe Ben Rachamim.

Thank you for answering my question about The Secular New Year. Do you consider it to be a Christian holiday?

Also, please read the entire paragraph below and answer the question at the end.

In Christianity, January 1 as The New Year marks Jesus's brit milah since he is said to have been born on December 25, therefore making his brit on January 1, 1 C.E.. However, many Christians just think it a time to party. What do you think of the Christians who party for it instead of going to church?

[דוד בן זאב אריה]

Dear Chaim

In 1994 a "Peace Deal" was signed with King Hussein of Jordan. Do you feel that Israel was ever at peace with Jordan

[Dr. Dan]

Shalom Chaim-

A thread was started earlier this week in which a religious dialogue took place on why certain things happen for a reason.  This discussion carried on in an off topic of whether or not reincarnation is a part of Judaism and Torah.  Two of our esteemed members pointed out a passage in the siddur a prayer, Kiryat Shema Ha-Amita (2nd paragraph) in which it states how we must forgive and not hold grudges against anyone. In the last part, it also included the following lines: 

"...I hereby forgive and pardon anyone who has angered or incensed me, or has sinned against me, whether against my body, my property, my honor, or anything else that is mine, whether unwillingly or willingly whether unknowingly or knowingly, whether with speech or with action, whether in this incarnation or any other incarnation; I hereby forgive and pardon any Israelite, and let no person be punished on my account."

Indeed it is a beautiful prayer.  However, I percieve the part about incarnations to be a mere metaphor and not a literal meaning. Such as when one of us might say, "I am so hungry I can eat a horse!" Surely that is nothing more than a metaphor of how hungry we might be...So is in this prayer we promise not to hold any grudges even if heaven and earth were to collide.

I have also asked other observant Jews about this and it seems split down the middle that reincarnation is a true after life in that if someone does not fullfill what Gd intended for them to do in this life, they will come back again as part with other souls into another life to fulfill that goal. 

Honestly, this defeats the whole purpose of free will, sort of, and personally, the concept of reincarnation being remotely a Jewish concept is really silly to me.  I was wondering what your point of view was if any.. Thanks.


Dr. Dan

[Yisrael]

Shalom Chaim,

I want to thank you for answering my questions every week.

I think we should have a FAQ thread.

Common questions such as "Is JTF racist?" can be quickly answered with a view of that thread. I think it will clear a lot of things up. Other questions should include answering the vile lies Robert Friedman yemach shemo wrote about the Rav.

Thanks as always,

Yisrael

[Rubystars]

One day I was trying to ask some questions about the Talmud of a Jewish guy in a chat room with whom I had several conversations with previously which I felt were interesting and fun. I didn't say anything that could be taken as offensive that I knew of. I was just asking if he could help me understand some parts of it.  He got really upset and told me it was none of my business and I shouldn't be asking about it. Is there some kind of rule or Jewish religious belief that says only Jews should read, study, or have access to the Talmud? I'm interested in learning about different religions.

[Zionist Revolutionary]

Dear Chaim, could you please do a show on how phony "conservative" television and radio hosts are destroying the conservative movement, and are the reason that we are in this horrible position today?

[Hail Columbia]

Dear Chaim,

What do you think about the ethnic cleansing of Italians from Yugoslavia (Istria, Fiume, Dalmatia) by Tito's partisans?

[Trumpeldor]

Shalom Chaim

I enjoyed your spirited response to my question last week.

If JTF beliefs are entirely based on the Torah, and if Torah logic is perfect, then can you please justify your belief that certain philosophical principles can be neglected if they 'get in the way' of the message? 

You dismissed the association fallacy and Strauss' reduction fallacy as irrelevant. However, contrary to what you implied, they were not formed out of thin air! Both are proven by calculus and by formal systems of deduction most commonly used by mathematicians, philosophers, linguists, and computer scientists.

Interestingly, you discredited Strauss as a self-hating Jew yet neglected to mention that he was one of the 20th century's foremost authorities on Maimonides, the ultimate Aristotelian rationalist. [see his How To Begin To Study The Guide of the Perplexed, 1963).

Todah

[judeanoncapta]

Dear Chaim,

When Al Aqsaa and the Dome of the Rock are removed from our Holy Temple Mount, what do you think the reaction of the Arab and/or Muslim Nazi World will be and how will you, as prime minister deal with it?

[Ben Yehuda]

Dear Chaim,

Have you had any contact with Brigitte Gabriel? It would appear that she is doing very good work to warn of the muslim threat; perhaps collaboration between her ACT for America and JTF could produce benefits. Would you comment on this?

Thanks again for your hard work. Shalom.

[Joe Gutfeld]

Shalom Chaim!!  I know that you are concentrating on not getting John McCain elected for president.  I feel that he is not a great canidate either but, I feel the biggest threat is Barak Obama.  What about trying not to get Obama elected for president?  Thank you for your answer.

[ape]

Chaim,
  Last week you stated that G_d doesn't take on human form. But in the Torah it states that G_d walked in the garden of eden:


  Gen. 3:8 says, "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in  the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden."

[Lisa]

Dear Chaim:

Chaimfan asked me to post this statement on his behalf, as he is having computer troubles:

"Shalom Chaim,
 
I am having Lisa post this under my account, as my computer continues to be nonfunctional. For some reason I cannot install Internet Explorer.
 
Anyway, I have a statement this week (as opposed to a question). On behalf of all real Christians, I want to apologize for what that fag FTF did. Please know that Christendom does NOT denounce the Talmud. The official Christian position on the Talmud is that it is brilliant Jewish wisdom but not mandatory for salvation and not necessarily directly inspired by G-d, NOT that it is bad. We do not disrespect Jewish Scriptures, and I know that you don't disparage the New Testament either. I am glad that he was banned, and only regret that it didn't happen as soon as he defended Anus-T or (even worse) the nation of Germany this summer. G-d bless you as always. Chaimfan"
 

[MasterWolf1]

Hello Chaim

Martin Luther King day is coming and no one other then him gets this much national recognition, not even any of the founding fathers.   We have banks, post offices and schools closed for someone that any street named after him across America is a nightmare.  Why are we as a country forced to have this as a holiday?  We don't have this much recognition about someone like George Washington.

[Christian Zionist]

Shalom Chaim,

What does the word Selah mean which is mentioned frequently in the book of Psalms and in Habakkuk 3:13?

In Psalm 9:16 it is accompanied by “Higgaion" Selah?

Thanks!

Christian Zionist

[Ambiorix]

Hello Chaim,

Without understanding World War II and the Holocaust, it is not possible to understand any of the geo-political events today.

In ask JTF of 13 January your answer to RaiseYourFist's question, states the following:

1) Hitler in the beginning of his reign assisted the Jews to emigrate to Israel. [...]
2) Churchill closed the door for the Jews to flee to Israel, and refused to bomb the "Endlösung" railroads and death-camps.
although complete air-superiority over Europe since '43.  Churchill commanded to sink the ships with Jewish refugees[...]
3) England stabbed the Zionists in the back after getting control of the Turkish occupied Israel.
4) You conclude Churchill was as bad as Hitler, against the Jews. Churchill and Roosevelt are responsible for the deaths of 4 million Jews,
that probably could have been saved by letting the Nazis deport them to Israel.
 
I totally agree with these statements

The JDL, Kahane, and you, are heroes in saving Soviet Jewry, I suppose you know the exact answers to my question on Stalin.


1) What do you think about Stalinism and Communism, in regard to the Jews?
2) Did Stalin in 1953 plan for the deportation of all Soviet Jews to Birobidjan in order to exterminate them?
3) Was Stalin's death a miracle ???
4) How does National Socialism compare to International Socialism, in regard to the Jewish State?

Do you object I ask more questions on this crucial subject, relating to the disinformation found on nazi-websites?

This animal , Frank Weltner states that Stalin, Churchill, [....] were all Zionists, if not, Jews.
Half of the Arabs in my town are convinced Hitler - may he be tortured forever - was a Jew!?!
The other half think this monster was a "prophet" like their mohammed.
I can't falsify the last statement however....

Thanks, Ambiorix.

[JTFFan]

Dear Chaim,

Can a Gentile or Jew still be righteous and believe in Evolution? In other words, can one still believe in the Bible and G-d's word, and recognize that the universe, big bang, humans, the cosmos and everything else that took place was all part of G-d's design and creation? Maybe I'm wrong, but there are some conservative people that believe in G-d, the Bible and also Evolution. Unfortunately, many liberals and atheists acknowledge Evolution and don't believe in G-d.

G-d Bless,

-JTFFan

[SirGallantry]

Dear Chaim,

By the time your show is aired President Bush will be back from his 8 days of profligacy in the Middle East.  Do you believe the time he spends in this region while foolishly entertaining the prospect of a two state solution with the PLO terrorists is an insult to the Jewish state of Israel and the greater Kahanist Movement or can this somehow be tolerated after generations of witnessing similar attempts result in calamity?  Do you expect Mike Huckabee to exchange niceties with Wahabi Saudi scum royalty if God willing he is nominated over his Democratic opponent?  Do you foresee change in American foreign policy under a Huckabee administation?

Thank you for your time,
Cherubim

[Zan]

Dear Heroic Warrior Chaim:

You say that in WWII the Americans and British deliberately didn't bomb the Nazi death camps or railroads leading to them -- even tho' they pretty much knew the terrible evil that was going on. I've read, for example, that in 1943, John J. McClay, U.S. assistant secretary of war, specifically ordered in writing that no American planes be diverted to bomb them.

But WHY was this American and British policy? I'm hopeful you can give me an insightful, well-educated answer -- not something shallow or glib. I find it hard to believe that the US and UK were just pure anti-Semites or pure evil.

Best Wishes, As Always,

Zan' [another fearless warrior] 

[YESHA]

-Hello – good week Chaim. Thank you as usual.  I don not recall this question ever being posed to you; How much does the shows you do on Queens Public Access cost, and have viewers or the management ever tried to silence you. If yes, what action did you take? --Zev.

[Manch]

Shalom Chaim,
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to thank you for the beautiful and profound blessing of our two daughters!

You missed my second point regarding creating your family, altogether!  It is far less than certain that Israeli kapos will let you in in Israel this year or anytime soon.  It is certain, however, that you need to create a family this year! Don't wait till you get into Israel - you can use your connections, friends, internet dating, local dating services to find a beatiful right wing Israeli Jewish woman who would be happy to share her life with you. There are plenty of such women in Israel. Your wife can even come to live here with you until you make an Aliyah. Many Jewish political prisoners, such as Yigal Amir were able to get married even in prison. The side benefit that your Aliyah case will be strengthened by having an Israeli wife and Israeli children, G-d willing!

My point was - remove any conditional prepositions, uncertainties and go for it this year! You are a beautiful an heroic Jew - dress better and get married!


PS By dressing better I do not mean a suite and a tie! You can pick up cool wardrobe on this site carrying discounted designer clothes:  www.bluefly.com

[Sparky]

Hi Chaim,

There's a well-known expression that states "no good deed goes unpunished."  How do you interpret this expression and do you believe it's true?

Thanks.

[imaknick]

Do you believe in dinosaurs?

[SerbChicago]

hello mr.chaim! what do you think about makeing youtube video backing michael savage?(he is in legal fight with CAIR)could we get lots of hits?maybe more members?(i would realy like if you do this) 1.more question :what would be gold for JTF in this 2008?