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Of Making Many Books

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A pdf version of this essay  can be downloaded here [*] Years in brackets refer to an individual’s or book author’s year of birth Thought experiment for the day: Anyone born 1945 would be pushing towards 80 and mostly past their prime. So name any Charedi sefer written by someone born post war that has or is likely to enter the canon, be it haloche, lomdus, al hatorah or mussar. Single one will do for now — IfYouTickleUs (@ifyoutickleus) July 27, 2022 A tweet in the summer which gained some traction asked for a book by an author born from 1945 onwards that has entered the Torah and rabbinic canon or is heading in that direction. I didn't exactly phrase it this way and some quibbled about 'canonisation'. The word does indeed have a precise meaning though in its popular use it has no narrow definition. Canonisation, or ‘entering the canon’ is generally understood to

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Comments

  1. Great posting.

    This time of the year I think of the phrase, "And G-d hardened Pharaoh's heart."

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope the Jewish Tribune will defy these press reforms and continue to expose corruption and wrongdoing in the community.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And the Jewish Tribune will have its own inimitable way of ensuring that the laws of Tznius shield its readers from the sight of ladies, especially any with bare arms (r.l.) and less than fully covered hair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! We should all be protected from the sight of hairy arms!

      Delete
  4. When was the last time the tribune exposed corruption or wrongdoing?

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  5. Mr Churchill (as he was then)showed that sign to mean victory but as you and I, but not, I fear, most people in Stamford Hill, know that sign lends itself to other interpretations which it is safe to say will not be found in the chareidi press.

    Brittania is obviously excluded. Even Hilary Clinton who wore long sleeves in that photo was blanked out.

    But as regards the others perhaps we can say "THe lady doth protest to much, methinks". You know what I mean. Something like the terrible michshol
    of cardboard backed foil dish covers (May we be protected).

    ReplyDelete
  6. BLBH supporter19 March, 2013 17:34

    I think that people would be interested to see who the shareholders and loan creditors are of the Jewish Tribune.

    There is not much else of interest in this subject.

    The planned penalty regime amounting to 1% of turnover is not likely to be much!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Jewish News (abridged):

    Since its formation, SFJ has learned of literally thousands of incidents of child sexual abuse in Charedi communities. While we lack formal studies-and despair of ever having them, given Charedi reluctance to allow such research-the anecdotal evidence is nonetheless persuasive that this represents only a small percentage of the total number. In light of our experience, we believe it incumbent upon those who would challenge this belief-and in some cases label us anti-Charedi for expressing it-to prove us wrong.

    Covering for and protecting child molesters-normative behaviour in the Charedi world-turns Charedi communities into safe havens for molesters and dangerous places for children.

    Allegations of child sexual abuse must be reported directly to the police but this alone will not solve the problem. Unless the Charedi world adopts a different relationship to the outside world and a more enlightened approach to relations between the sexes and sexuality, sexually abusive behaviour towards children will continue at high rates.

    Not long ago, young ultra-Orthodox men and women mingled comfortably, developed relationships and married, today Charedim are taught it is sinful to interact with someone of the opposite sex in any way whatsoever. Dating for marriage, if it happens- is strictly controlled, and "bride" or "groom" classes, taken immediately prior to marriage, represents the sum total of sex education young Charedim receive. Even marital difficulties are dealt with by untrained rabbis-at times with disastrous results. Is it any wonder that Charedim grow into adulthood with distorted views of relationships and sexuality? Does it really seem far-fetched to speculate that those lacking opportunity for healthy sexual expression and growth may become distorted, expressing their sexuality through coercive or predatory behaviour?

    A body of research suggests that the more hierarchical, repressive and gender segregated a society is, the more likely its children will experience abuse. Charedi religious leaders have created pockets of medieval, autocratic sub-cultures that exist alongside the most open and educated societies in history. Socially engineered ignorance holds Charedim captive. And the human cost is staggering. Several hundred thousand Charedim have been deprived-by design-of knowledge and education, and all but doomed to a life of poverty because their leaders fear that marketable skills would allow them the freedom to leave the community.

    A cynically fabricated doctrine of persecution-preached relentlessly by Charedi rabbis to their captive audiences-serves to sow such distrust of government that parents readily accept rabbinic directives, which allow heinous crimes against their children to go unreported and perpetrators to remain free to harm children.

    I daresay no strictly Orthodox sage of the 19th Century would recognise this strange evolution of Orthodox Judaism and would likely be shunned if they were alive to speak their minds. To defy today's Charedi rabbis is to risk losing synagogue membership, children denied entry to community schools and difficulty finding shidduchim. This ensures almost absolute compliance with rabbinic dictates.

    I am not arguing for the adoption of mainstream norms-this is not realistic-but a greater openness to "outside" knowledge about child development and human sexuality and a respect for laws of the land. This would require education and a shift away from the near-absolute control rabbis have over all matters within these communities.
    A start would be for Charedi rabbis-most of whom lack secular education-to cede authority over mental health issues to professionals, and law enforcement issues to the police and courts.

    We do not see this happening soon. Thus it is up to Charedim to stop trembling in fear of their rabbis and instead take responsibility for themselves and their children, and lead by example. One can only hope their rabbis will follow.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Adloyda
    Why do you have to mock tznius?

    Anonymous
    There is in reality little wrongdoing and corruption in the Charedi community which needs to be exposed by the Tribune.we don't need a frummy gutterpress.
    Do you want the Tribune to become a Jewish 'News of the World'

    ReplyDelete
  9. Davidovitch-- why do you assume I mock Tznius, of which I am a strong supporter? There are methods of observing tznius other than the well known tradition of the Jewish Tribune, a publication of which I am also very fond and which I read avidly. Why are you reading the treifedik internet and particularly a blog post adorned with a picture of a distinctly un-tzniusdik lady? Shouldn't you have directed your outrage at the image? By which to Lod?

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Jewish News

    This article is written with a blatant anti-Charedi bias ,and should definitely not be regarded as authoritative comment on the Charedi community in general.
    There always has been some scandalous behaviour,but percentagewise it it is extremely little in comparison to society at large.
    There are those who choose a life of comparative poverty because the have dedicated their lives to Torah study.
    There are huge numbers of university graduates who find it hard to earn a living.Secular education is no guarantee for escaping the poverty trap.
    We will always tremble in fear of OUR rabbis,because their word is the word of G-d.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Geronimo

    "This article is written with a blatant anti-Charedi bias ,and should definitely not be regarded as authoritative comment on the Charedi community in general."

    If supporting abusers and forcing people in your community to have zero education is chareidi then the article is anti-chareidi.

    "There always has been some scandalous behaviour,but percentagewise it it is extremely little in comparison to society at large."

    This is untrue - Sexual abuse is as high if not higher. There is also a fair amount of whilte collar crime. I guess violent crime is probably lower.

    "There are those who choose a life of comparative poverty because the have dedicated their lives to Torah study."

    And there are those who are forced into lives of (pretending to learn) torah because they have had no education to be able to do anything else.

    "There are huge numbers of university graduates who find it hard to earn a living. Secular education is no guarantee for escaping the poverty trap."

    All studies show that university graduates are overall higher earning than non-university educated. Of course there are graduates who have difficualty finding jobs, but there are far far more non grads who have a lot more difficulty.

    "We will always tremble in fear of OUR rabbis,because their word is the word of G-d."

    No, you tremble in fear of your neighbours / community far more than G-d, and as for a rabbis word being the word of G-d, that has no basis in Judaism, only in Christianity with the pope.

    As I once read: "Chareidim MeHaShechainim Lo MeHaShechinah"


    ReplyDelete
  12. The Jewish News.

    It is Erev Pesach and I don't have time to write a lengthy trearise.
    The author of that article knows nothing about life in Stamford Hill.
    He has written a pack of lies based on anonymous hearsay.
    I wouldn't be surprised to hear that in a previous incarnation he was a senior member of the editorial staff of Der Sturmer.

    There you are. I live in SH. I have a full beard, wear a shtreimel. Have been, like most of my contemporaries, through the heimishe education system etc. And, like most of my contemporaries, seem to know more than that guy credits us for.

    I can spell. I am not poor (not rich, either). I have at least as happy a "personal" life as those who critcise our system.

    And, finally, neither my wife nor I knew much about the "facts of life" until about a week before the chasunah. She knew a bit more because of the "kedusha" lessons she went to.

    More to say, but you get my point.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Geronimo,

    You are so wrong when you say
    'There always has been some scandalous behaviour,but percentagewise it it is extremely little in comparison to society at large.'

    Charedi society has the same percentage of low lifes and criminals as non Jewish society outside - we are all human animals, and Charedi human animals are as apt to sin as non-Jewish human animals.

    The Chumash actually explicitly states this clearly.

    It is the Torah and its ways which keep us better than the rest.

    The section of Charedi society who chose to live according to true Torah ways (and not as the Rambam's Halachic menuval, who according to Rambam is NOT keeping a Torah lifestyle) certainly are living an exceptional and unbeatable lifestyle.

    There are unfortunately many Charedim in the UK who do not live up to the Torah's requirements, and are no better overall than non-Jewish society (which also has a section of exceptionally good people, although without the Torah not quite so good as Torah true Jews).

    If you stop thinking you are so superior and remove this protective shield, you might have to stop doing avera's and sinning (but that step might be too difficult for you).

    ReplyDelete
  14. Daniel
    Can't you understand, that our rabbis word is the word of the Torah ,the Torah is G-d's word.
    Mind you ,the rest of your comment are untrue libel against the vast majority of Charedim.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely Anonymous21 March, 2013 01:56

    You really should be hosting your blog on a small island off the west coast of Africa on a windows '95 PC that crashes intermittently. That way the rabbonim wouldn't be able to track down your IP to your secret beis hamussar you have hidden under your house. Admittedly the site may be a bit slow but that would be compensated by the happy knowledge that we would have more time to chazer shas baal peh while waiting for the pages to load.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous - A rabbis words are not "by definition" the word of G-d.
    If he is saying something that is in the Torah then that is fine. But not everything will be that. Thats why Hashem gave you brain.

    As for my other comments although polemical are likely verifiable as the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Daniel
    "Likely verifiable"?? What pathetic nonesense!
    If you don't know that it is definitely true then don't state it as a fact.
    Your nasty slurs against the Charedim are unforgivable and despicable.
    The guidance that our rabbis give us is all from Torah sources and is therefor the word of G-d.
    It might not be from a verse in the Torah,it could be from the Oral Law which was also of Divine origin.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Daniel

    Just to verify Anonymous.

    There is not an iota of evidence to back a single one of your allegations. Everything you said and, come to that, in the Jewish News article is unsustantiated rumour sourced mainly from vested interest. And you know.
    Please produce one drop of evidence or one objective informed source.

    Good Shabbos.

    ReplyDelete
  19. http://chaimhalpernscandal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/films-are-ossur-znus-is-muttar.html#comment-form

    ReplyDelete

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