Natan Slifkin's Blog, page 15

Arguing Small and Strong

If you’re passionate about a certain ideology or way of life, it’s very upsetting to hear others harshly criticize anything to do with that ideology or way of life. And so the natural, instinctive reaction is to completely deny all of their claims. However, it can often be more truthful, and/or more strategically wise, to make a smaller argument.

For example, when people argue that shechitah is cruel and should be banned, many people are tempted to respond by arguing that it’s entirely painless. ...

Convenient Beliefs

Many years ago, there was a young charedi yeshiva student called Nosson Slifkin. He wrote an essay in a book called Second Focus defending why charedim don’t go to the army. (It was based upon a presentation given by none other than R. Mordechai Neugroschel). The thrust of the essay was that the arguments about army service come down to nothing other than a theological dispute about certain metaphysical realities; namely, the role that the Torah requires charedi yeshiva students to stay in yeshi...

Lawrence, Lions and Teaneck

Tomorrow night, I'm speaking in Teaneck. Tonight (Monday), I'm speaking at a private home in Lawrence, at a parlor meeting to raise funds for the museum. If you'd like to attend the Lawrence event, please write to advancement@BiblicalNaturalHistory.org (or email me if you don't get a response).

Incidentally, I'm thinking of using this lecture title as the title for the book that I'm writing, previously titled Animal, Vegetable, Biblical. What do you think?

Chessed? You mean Cruelty.

I couldn’t believe my ears.

There is a newly-released video of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the leaders of the Lithuanian charedi word, in which he declares that it is a mitzvah to refuse to report to a draft order.

That’s not the part that I couldn’t believe. After all, it’s become clear since Oct. 7 that charedi society’s idea of mitzvos is the opposite of the actual mitzvos.

Rav Hirsch then talks about how the entire existence of Israel is dependent on Torah, by which he means specifically th...

O Canada

Well, I finally received my permit to enter Canada, and managed to get another flight. Phew!

Meanwhile, for all those people who wrote to me to say that it's too short notice to host me at their shul, I do plan to return to the US in February. Please be in touch if you'd like to arrange a program. I am partial to Florida if possible!

On another note, here's a funny story. A few days ago I had a dermatologist appointment. Evidently she knew who I am, because when she was filling out the patient rec...

Stuck in NY

I was supposed to be in Toronto for Shabbos, as scholar-in-residence at a shul. I just arrived in New York but I didn't realize that I need a permit to get into Canada, even though I am British. I applied online, but meanwhile I missed my flight. And even if my permit comes through, all the flights are booked because Taylor Swift is performing in Toronto. Yes, I know that I can get there by car or bus, but there’s no point setting out without getting my entry permit.

So, it looks like I am stuck...

Black Ops

There’s an extraordinary poster that appeared in Israel, produce by an operation called Tzeva Shachor, Color Black:

Tzeva Shachor describes itself as the “National Alert Operation for Protecting Yeshiva Students.” It summons the gibborim, the “mighty heroes” of the yeshiva world to prevent the military police from arresting yeshiva students who do not show up for their draft appointments, which they claim tends to happen in the middle of the night.

And how does one prevent such things from happen...

UPDATE: What Kind of Torah Supports the War?

A reader, Gabriel, pointed out the following with regard to the previous post:

The phrase לעסוק בתורה in this Gemara doesn't even mean "study Torah"! The phrase לעסוק בתורה has a more general meaning of "being involved in Torah matters". In this Gemara it specifically means "judging people according to Torah". The judges used to sit at the city gates. They would judge people according to Torah, thus rendering *tangible services* to society: serving justice, solving conflicts between people, and t...

Is Torah Study a Part of the War Effort?

In the polemics about whether charedim should serve in the IDF, there is one source frequently quoted to “prove” that learning Torah is equally or even more important to national defense:

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״עֹמְדוֹת הָיוּ רַגְלֵינוּ בִּשְׁעָרַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם״? מִי גָּרַם לְרַגְלֵינוּ שֶׁיַּעַמְדוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה – שַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלַםִ, שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Our feet were standi...

Poppies and Cultural Appropriation

Today is Remembrance Day for the Allied nations who fought in World War I. The poppy is used to commemorate the fallen British and North American soldiers of that war, after the flower grew in abundance on the battlefields.

There are plans by Palestinian activist groups to disrupt the commemorations. Last year, Palestinian marches were designed take place on this day in competition with British marches; the Palestinians claimed that the poppy is their national symbol and implied that the British ...