tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44999263770265020652011-10-02T06:22:39.250-07:00onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-3219148520782823972011-01-04T07:21:00.000-08:002011-01-04T07:45:20.546-08:00

A lesson for all mankind....."Mi K'Amcha Yisrael?" "Who is like Your people Israel?" A life lesson from Howard Schultz CEO and Founder of Starbucks "When I was in Israel, I went to Mea Shearim, the ultra-Orthodox area within Jerusalem. Along with a group of businessmen I was with, I had the opportunity to have an audience with Rabbi Finkel, the head of a yeshiva there. I had never heard of him

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-31091085916076765662010-07-14T13:05:00.001-07:002010-07-16T11:50:32.437-07:00

I wonder what it must be like to be someone who thinks he has all the answers. How does his car run? What is his marriage like? Does he sleep soundly? Do birds acknowledge him? Do the trees bow to his superior intellect?Suddenly, everywhere I look, the pseudo intellectuals write their whiny diatribes on every blog in every corner of Jewish cyberspace. They call those who they look down upon names

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-15191983171061391452009-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:002009-09-15T09:00:00.675-07:00

I spent the pre-dawn hours of my day today, catching up on events from this weekend and after I had finished, I regretted that I didn't start my day a little differently. Now that I have had a few hours to think about it, however, I'm thinking that there is a lesson in the depressing events I had witnessed.I had finished watching the NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony when I realized that I had

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-90815086932011868432009-07-29T16:44:00.000-07:002009-07-29T16:46:07.901-07:00

As Tisha B'av draws near, maybe Mark Twain, in this essay from 1898, can remind us what we, as Jews, tend to forget as the world spins around us. We mourn for not only the loss of the Temple, but for the loss of all it should have stood for-community, togetherness, a place where being a Jew is to be dedicated to ones people and their Creator, a place of love and understanding, of higher learning

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-58374018818159745422009-01-20T05:13:00.000-08:002009-01-20T06:23:30.327-08:00

Well, the day has finally come upon us. How great is the Creator of All Things that he has uplifted the downtrodden and exalted the oppressed. I am, once again, overjoyed for my african american friends and hope this is a day they will always be proud of.For me, I am not a drinker of the Obama kool-aid. I do not ascribe to the theory that America is a bad place. I do not believe we are the source

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-51330764128304517832008-11-05T05:31:00.000-08:002008-11-05T06:39:45.910-08:00

I, like everyone else, have no idea what G-d's master plan is for this world or this country. What I do know is he is the Creator of all things. He is the supreme judge and jury. I believe he has a sense of justice that man cannot comprehend nor see even if they think they can. I heard a great thought from a Rabbi years ago when he was discussing the verse in the Torah "To the righteous you shall

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-3122149897965626652008-10-30T08:32:00.000-07:002008-10-31T08:38:08.234-07:00

No electorate is less concerned with it's own self preservation than the Jewish voter-Dick Morris, Jew, October 30, 2008.And therein lies the rub.I am not sure why we do what we do or what is it that drives us to work so hard against our own self interest, but we are the absolute best at ignoring what is best for us just to try and fit in. I have always wondered how the Jews throughout history

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-71166557586666484112008-10-27T07:42:00.000-07:002008-10-28T05:53:45.765-07:00

I, for one, am glad I don't actually sit and ponder what is happening in the world. Don't get me wrong, I watch my stocks plummet daily and listen to the news about how the worst is ahead....of course until November 5th when the world will be saved. Forgive me if I don't buy into the hype.I have lived a rather short time when compared to the worlds existence, but have been around long enough to

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-79443887421258182562008-10-24T04:34:00.001-07:002008-10-24T09:24:32.499-07:00

I am stepping off my soapbox just for today to get lost in the wonders of The Creator Of the Universe and all His Glory. I am in awe of His mercy, His love, His patience, His judgment, His justice, His hand, His blessings, His promise, His might, His kindness, His power, His greatness....As I write, I realize that I must ask for His forgiveness for posting this, for I am so far from the one who

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-54534189694416895662008-08-11T06:55:00.000-07:002008-08-11T08:15:19.147-07:00

I cannot believe it has been almost a year since my last post. Unfortunately, nothing has changed. This past weekend our people lost a holy Jewish soul who just wanted to be told he was a good Jew. His story resonated with me. He was a child looking to fit in. He didn't wear white shirts or learn all day. He struggled finding anyone who would talk with him and tell him that being different than

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-60858473282393974362007-08-27T05:20:00.000-07:002007-08-27T05:53:43.588-07:00

Now that Elul is upon us, the annual pilgramige has begun. Jewish boys and girls from all over America, pack their belongings and spend a year in Israel to learn and study Torah.I suppose when this idea first started-my guess is the late 60's early 70's, the idea was to open Yeshivas and seminaries in Israel in hopes that students would come to learn there and eventually immigrate to Israel. I

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-4431426774039112042007-08-17T04:57:00.000-07:002007-08-17T05:43:32.336-07:00

I guess I really was tired....been almost a month since I posted anything.I read a post somewhere recently from a girl who was in seminary at some point and that she was at a non-jewish party and was much happier there than she was at her "parties" from high school where the girls would kumzits etc. She said that the non jewish world made her feel more accepted and were much more accepting of her

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-80090013821153404172007-07-20T06:03:00.000-07:002007-07-20T06:33:32.123-07:00

I'm tired and beat down.My body is ravaged by the poundings of life.I am just too tired.I read the paper this morning and saw that the Jews leading us in Israel, in their infinite wisdom, released the 250+ prisoners I lamented about two weeks ago.May Hashem watch over our people when the "innocent" prisoners, decide to extinguish a few more Jewish lives. Maybe then we can truly rejoice in our

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-89977766750624882002007-07-09T04:43:00.000-07:002007-07-09T06:08:10.215-07:00

If our enemies only knew how stupid we really are.I have said that for the last 20+ years and as evidenced by the illogical Oslo Accords, our enemies figured it out and we have been on center stage making stupid decision after stupid decision ever since.This morning's headlines scream out-"We are still the dumbest country on the planet""The government, in its Sunday morning weekly session,

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-44080231126255146812007-07-06T04:29:00.000-07:002007-07-06T05:57:33.015-07:00

I apologize again for not writing 'til now. Family health issues have dominated the landscape. It is a topic related to that issue that I wanted to write about-or at least the helplessness that comes with it.I won't really go into what exactly the issues are within the family, but my thoughts have been directed towards the proper response in a crisis like this. Being raised FFB, you're taught

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-74442757626138136602007-06-26T07:26:00.000-07:002007-06-26T10:25:14.796-07:00

After some discussion on Friday's blog, some issues were raised as to what to do about the problems we are facing in our communities and it just seems that we a blowing in the wind. Well, yes and no.I don't think there is anything lost by addressing this issue in this forum or anywhere else. That is certainly one way to get this issue front and center. Are we a small group? Yes. Do we have a long

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-8139878603840463432007-06-22T06:26:00.000-07:002007-06-22T07:32:24.998-07:00

I apologize for my tardiness from this blog. Between family issues, weddings, work and life, time to write has been scarce and even now I am overloaded with work so I will be brief.A little over a week ago I was in Boro Park for the wedding of my cousin. It was very nice to see everyone, yet very sad at the same time. I sat at a family table with the son-in-laws of all of my cousins and surprise,

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-65282638995889537962007-06-04T06:20:00.000-07:002007-06-04T07:49:04.374-07:00

It never fails. You can start a clock by it.Question the present day Yeshivish/Kollel lifestyle and you will get blasted-personally attacked. Be called an idiot and a know nothing-anti-Torah.This is the way it works with the Jews of the 21st century.Suffice it to say there are two camps. One camp believes that the current yeshiva structure of today is the way to go. This camp believes in the

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-48052188403787803872007-06-01T04:25:00.000-07:002007-06-01T05:14:32.161-07:00

I apologize for not posting a new blog sooner but with the holiday and some family issues, I was a bit overwhelmed...nevertheless I am back and had a few questions....Before I start a few mazel tov's. My cousin has a daughter getting married in two weeks and she is moving to....you guessed it, Lakewood where her husband will be....you guessed it, learning in Kollel. But wait-there's more. Her

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-34080841183986327082007-05-21T05:01:00.000-07:002007-05-21T06:25:00.605-07:00

With Shavuot starting Tuesday evening, I just wanted to address a point I see debated all over the Internet on blogs and biblical criticism sites everywhere. I don't know if I'm missing something, but it almost seems too obvious to me. I'll explain:The argument about revelation at Sinai, when the Jews received the Torah, and were all witnesses to that fact, is that there is no proof to that. The

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-77000434518043909682007-05-18T05:43:00.000-07:002007-05-18T09:20:05.939-07:00

If there is one thing that I cannot figure out, it's how we got here.How did the Jews get to a point where it mattered what sort of table cloth you used on Shabbos?How did the Jews get to a point where not having a job was a GOOD thing?How did the Jews get to a point where the dress size of a girl was an important factor vis' a vi' marriage?How did the Jews get to a point where a girl had to

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-52573310366511850442007-05-15T06:50:00.000-07:002007-05-15T07:51:11.202-07:00

Thinking back, I think I always knew it and felt it, but until it was articulated to me, I never understood it. A few years ago I was talking to the daughter of a Chassidic Rabbi with a very famous last name and I mentioned that there was word out that the Rabbis in some cities forbid their people from using the internet and also forbid the bais yaakov girls from going to Miami on vacation. I was

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-17410919985206973752007-05-14T03:46:00.000-07:002007-05-14T06:44:23.439-07:00

Thank you to http://jewess.canonist.com/?p=370 and failedmessiah.com for mentioning this blog on their website.I will never forget it. Growing up in a small town, there were not a lot of religious people around and/or coming through there on a regular basis, so when my father's chavrusa from the Mirrer Yeshiva came to visit for a few days, I was pretty interested to what and who he was and what

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-12563377638503404952007-05-13T05:38:00.000-07:002007-05-14T08:05:57.489-07:00

A little background on this story....A boy about 12 years old is struggling at his yeshiva because the English is overwhelmed with nothingness and there is no respect for adults and teachers. His parents are professionals. Father is very learned and a well respected national attorney-A very righteous man doing huge amounts of work on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.Parents end up sending

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499926377026502065.post-18850813331453539632007-05-11T12:40:00.000-07:002007-05-11T12:42:46.691-07:00

Why have I started this blog?I am a religious Jew who is deep inside and I watch in horror as our people are torn apart from the inside and I can no longer be a silent observer like my friends and neighbors who resign themselves to the rally cry that "you can't fight city hall"I'm here to say I can and will....I hope you'll join me.... Please feel free to leave your comments. I am a member of the

onlyajewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15137903157947700396noreply@blogger.com5