Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Kidush Hashem! Seriously?


“The fathers were at the Asifa, the mothers went to the screenings and our kids stayed home logged on to the internet!” Anonymous Blogger

I may not be much of a Talmid Chochom but I can sense the difference between a Kidush Hashem and a Chilul Hashem and as much as the chareidi press tries to manipulate us and tell us the Aisifa that took place last week was a tremendous Kidush Hashem, it was anything but. Here's why.

I’m not referring to the ill-advised speeches or the waste of money involved or the 101 other questions one can ask.. I'm also not overly concerned with the terrible news coverage in the non-Jewish media, who you can argue don't like Jews; nor the secular Jewish media, who you may say hate all religious Jews. That there was a group of Jews holding signs outside screaming about the abuse within the orthodox community is sickening to me, but you can shove it off, claiming they are all "rabbi-haters and they had some kind of alternative motive". Instead I'm referring to the leitzonus and lack of respect for those sitting on the dais. How do you explain our own community ridiculing our own leaders?

While the photos in the chareidi press showed a crowd listening intensely to speeches, those that attended know this was not the case. Photos from individuals showed a crowd mostly on their blackberries, androids and iphones. Yes, the same ones the rabbis were speaking against. But that is just the beginning.

Through social media, I witnessed a non-stop supply of twitter jokes, mostly coming out of the stadium (Link for Twitter #asifa). I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. Everyone, that is, except for those sitting on the dais. Before and after the Asifa, blogs were posted highlighting the funniest one liners. And yes, I'm just as guilty as the rest. But if this event was about the worst thing Klal Yisroel has ever had to deal with and the internet is the cause for so many of our kids going off the derech, would we laugh about it? Think, if this Asifa was about the daily fatalities of texting and driving, would anyone have tweeted even one joke? If this is the biggest challenge our generation faces, how can we turn it into a peanut gallery? I can't remember a time where an event that our leaders organized was ridiculed non-stop by the larger religious Jewish population. So why was this different?

The defenders will try to blame it on the lack of respect for our current gedolim. There are others who will blame the new-age mock-everything attitude, and still others who will blame the people who posted the jokes. Its the old blame game. We blame, because we don't want to look ourselves in the mirror and see the laughing stock we have become. But I think the blame lies within and here is my proof.

The same day as the Asifa a much larger part of Klal Yisrael was celebrating the victory of the Six Day War. There were events taking place all over Eretz Yisroel and America, and search as you may over twitter, facebook and blogs you will not find a single joke from within the Jewish nation. Instead you will hear incredible stories of Jewish bravery. You will hear stories about how one Jew returned to the battlefield to save another. You will hear about Jews who risked their lives to prevent revealing information to the enemy. You will hear how a small people that had nothing, overpowered six nations that wanted to kill every last one of us, just like the stories we read in Tanach. And mostly you will hear stories of the nisim veniflaos that took place. Not simply hashgacha pratis stories, but tales of individuals who overcame odds in ways never known to take place in battlefields, either before or after.

Many people credit the Six Day War with the surge of the baal teshuva movement. Others credit it with the return of Jewish spirit to Russians Jewry and the rise of the Refuseniks. Either way it was the ultimate Kiddush Hashem. And yet we don't mention this in our Yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools, instead, on the anniversary of this day, a Torah leader has the gall to mock these heroes. Did he risk his life to save another Jew? Did he fight like the Jews did in the time of Yehoshua and Moshe or is he living happily off the work of others? Did he thank the ones who built the huge screens so that he can be seen at the Asifa or did he mock the technology that brought it about. We stick up for the Chareidim who act like animals but we mock the Jews who aren't as religious as we are. We created an olam hafuch and we are all responsible for it.

I believe we mock because we can't deal with the realities. I believe we scorn because the truth is too painful to bear. I believe we laugh because we lost respect for our current leadership.

This idea of renting a huge stadium to declare some kind of new psak is unheard of in modern times. On Shavuot night, I came accross the following Rashi and it struck me head on. Rashi brings the following reason the first luchos were broken. Shemot - Exodus - Chapter 34, ואיש לא יעלה עמך: הראשונות על ידי שהיו בתשואות וקולות וקהלה, שלטה בהן עין רעה, אין לך מדה יפה מן הצניעות: Since the first ones [i.e., tablets] were accompanied by loud noises, sounds, and with a multitude, the evil eye affected them. [Our conclusion is that] there is nothing better than modesty. It is for this reasons Rashi Says the second luchos were given without any fanfare. If Jews want to daven we go to the Bais Medrash, If we want to make a Siyum we rent out a large hall or even a stadium. But for an event like this, rashi says we must do it b’tzina. Citifield is not modesty. What happened to the Halachos of Ayin Harah? Who are we trying to impress?

I believe those involved with this Asifa are impressed with the attendance and they call that a Kidush Hashem. Yes, 60,000 Jews were there, but am I the only one that noticed they were all of one type. Saying that all of klal yisroel was at this event is another way of saying the rest of Klal Yisroel is not part of us. Was that the underlying message of the Asifa?

Since when did religious Judaism became a number game? G-d warns us about praising numbers. He loves us because we are “m’at mikol haamim” not because we can produce offsprings. Having a large family is a bracha from Hashem, but not something to show off. Does a parent that has 10 children boast about it, or is he/she concerned with the one that might not be doing so well. If we orthodox Jews play the number game we will lose big time. Like someone commented on Rabbi Eliyahu Finks blog, If the only good thing anyone can say about this Asifa is that "so many showed up, overflow crowd at stadium, hookups all across the country and world, etc.... “. If that's the case, and the measurement of success is how many showed up, then the Super Bowl is the holiest thing to ever grace this world!"

Lastly, For those that think this Asifa had an impact, let me tell you a little secret. My blog and all the others, (the thing this Asifa was really all about), the supposed Loshon Harah and Motzei Shemra that takes place, well my hits went up more than double since the Asifa (Yes, including Lakewood). These same results are found on all other kosher blogs. I implemented a new gadget on my blog that shows real time viewers and you can see this for yourself. How does this fit with what was said at the Asifa? "If one does not follow the Psak of the Gedolim as they make edicts, they lose their portion in Olam HaBah". The Psak that was given at the Asifa was the same old ban that was in place before. So this means even a larger contingent of lakewood is to now lose their world to come. How does this make any sense?!

But there is hope, because not every gadol attended. I don't need to mention the true leaders who refused to go despite immense pressure. We know who they are because they were missing from the dais. We know who they are because we never see their names mocked on twitter. We know who they are because they are quoted positively on blogs. We know who they are because they are respected both online and offline. We know who they are because they are respected at every Jew’s shabbos table. But most importantly, we know who they are because they stand up for the truth. They speak up when they should and they tell it like it is. They may be just a few or they may even be the silent majority, but they are true leaders. Anybody who went to Yeshiva knows that the rabayim that are truly respected, are respected both in class and out, and vice versa.

Like one respected rabbi I know said, “The best response to the Asifa is to pretend it didn't happen.” But I have a hard time doing that. I have kids to answer to and I have teenagers to whom I must explain what's going on. How do we expect our children to grow up religious, when their leaders are not respected. And so in my humble opinion the Asifa was a HUGE Chillul Hashem. What do you think?

This post is a followup to my previous post: My 101 Questions for the Ichud Asifa


All these questions will be answered in my future post:
How 60,000 ultra-orthodox Jews were conned by a few manipulative Askanim, and the Chareidi Press!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL TO RECEIVE THE UPDATE

33 comments:

  1. >coverage in the non-Jewish media, who arguably don't like Jews<
    I don't know if that is true. At the very lease, one can say they like you as much as you like them -- which is how it goes with many things in life.

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  2. My real loss is my own personal loss in the trust in "our Gedolim".
    I was one who used to feel strongly every time that the "Gedolim" signed something, that it was, for lack of better word, the gospel.
    Now that changed.
    When Eliyahu Fink blogged about how he felt the Aisfa should be for men AND women, he was skewered by many who felt he was being "Chutzpahdik" to the "Gedolim" who signed  on to the event.
    After all, if THE GEDOLIM felt it should be only for men, then who is Eliyahu Fink to go against them?
    Except.....
    One big problem.....
    We found out, that when "THE GEDOLIM" signed the paper, it WAS going to be for men AND women....
    So, the event that "THE GEDOLIM" signed on to, was changed.... AFTER THEY SIGNED!!!

    The organizers said, "This is not about banning the internet, it is about providing tools to deal with it"
    It turned out, it WAS a ban....
    Except....
    One big problem.....
    When "THE GEDOLIM" signed on, it was NOT going to be a ban, it was going to be about education.
    But, it turns out....
    it WAS a ban....
    So, the event that "THE GEDOLIM" signed on to, was changed.... AFTER THEY SIGNED!!!

    "THE GEDOLIM" signed on to an event before there was a program, before there was a coherent message, and EVEN THE CONCLUSION KEPT CHANGING!!!

    So, what is the signature of "THE GEDOLIM" worth, if they are willing to sign a "Haskomoh" on a blank notebook?

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  3. The unity event highlighted a lack of unity.  Maybe this will be a push for many of us to work towards genuine unity.

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  4. Monsey,
    You said it all.

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  5. Rav Teitelbaum: I'm not a member of the Haredi community, but interact with it a lot (and met your father Z"L a few times). I watched the run-up to the Asifa with fascination in some ways similar to yours. I'd noticed the leadership trying to stop the Internet in years past, but recently noticed that "everyone" seemed to have accepted it. Yeshivos now have e-mail addresses. Shuls send out tweets. Rabbonim have 'blogs. 

    So, when the Asifa announcements came out I wondered "What are they planning? They must have a practical solution or else they wouldn't do this. Citi Field is an expensive (and risky, in case of bad weather) proposition. Why not the smaller stadium at Coney Island? Or wait a few months and use Barclays Center. Or smaller Asifot in the communities? How will they pull this off?"

    I did not attend the Asifa, but did follow it online via the various official and un-official channels. I have yet to see the complete program, but problems aside, I have a great respect for the people who turned out and for the rabbanim who addressed the crowd. I'm cynical about takanot that will put up walls between families and most likely induce a new generation of corrupting lies (similar to the reaction to television). Still, 40,000 people davening and saying Tehillim betzibur, for whatever purpose, is something to be in awe of. Perhaps the best that could come out of the Asifa is to see and hear the gedolim speak their opinions, like Rav Meir and the Chachamim or Abaye and Rava, with the ultimate "halachah lemaase" being determined down the line, and each community's posek (like the Mechber and the RaMah). Perhaps this should have been made clear at the Asifa. Still, all told, I do not see this as a "chillul Hashem". The secular media (even that woman who dressed up to get in) seemed in awe of the Asifa.

    I suspect the following "things" determined why the Asifa turned out as it did.
    - Someone had the "big idea" of using Citi. Perhaps it was to emphasize the enormity of the situation. Then they had to fill it, which led to everything else they did.
    - The Asifa was conceived as a practical solution with expo, but did not get its act together. Still, the show had to go on.
    - "Too many Rabbanim", no one in charge. It seems the organizers invited diverse rabbanim with no guidelines of what to say and for how long (of course, a lay person can't lay down guidelines to gedolim). If this had been spearheaded by a clear leader of a significant kehillah (say, one of the Satmar rebbes), the tributary kehillot would have probably fallen in line and operated in harmony.

    The lack of "practical" solutions presented at the Asifa seem to be being dealt with by follow-up local workshops. The "piskei halachah" by individual communities seem to be defining what each kehillah has in mind regarding how to implement "the solution".

    The Internet presents challenges to the individual and the community, be it with inappropriate content, management of time or the demands of a 24/7 interconnected world for a shomer Shabbat. Still, I don't believe that it's "the" problem facing the comunity. (I also don't believe that people going "off the derech" is a crisis. In any community, people will choose to come and to go. It should be accepted and managed in a way that does its best to keep the individuals safe, sane and productive, and where possible, connected.) The biggest issue facing Haredi Judaism is to ensure that people can make parnassah (with, without or despite the Internet), which enables them to raise and lead families and for the community to invest in all of the programs and institutions that keep it vital.

    Best wishes for a good summer. 

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  6. As for the disrespect shown towards those on the dais, could this be because people were forced to come to prevent the scandal of many empty seats?  Renting a stadium not knowing the likely voluntary turnout was a major error..  

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  7. I'm from Lakewood. Ive had an Internet filter for 2 years before this asifa. I was tremendously depressed by this as event. The false advertising as well as the blanket bans just caused me to lose respect for our gedolim. I'm am so disappointed that no plan at all calls for the education of our children! We are raising a generation with no skills in math, science or literature! And to top it off we will completely deny them an education on technology? News flash people, our kids see iPads, iPods, mp3 players, laptops, gaming systems, etc. they will educate themselves if we don't educate them! And then they will learn about it from all the wrong places! Filters are worthless, bans dont work! Are our leaders really and truly so blind? I can't understand it!

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  8. Dear Dovid, I hope in some way that what I wrote about Yom Yerushalayim inspired you to write the very important words that you wrote in your recent blog.
    I am referring to how you described what was going on in Eretz Yisroel the same time as the asifa. I was proud of what you wrote. It was brave of you to go in that direction but I see that you are fearless when it comes to getting the "emet" out there. Kol Hakavod Dovid. May HKBH help you to open the eyes of our brethren who cannot yet see what needs to be seen. Keep up your writing. You will (are)create (ing)a kiddush Hashem. The truth will out.
    I am sure you get nasty comments too and are under pressure. It is hard to tell you don't give in but..."don't give in!!"
    The navi was never the most popular guy on the block but he was always right ( see sefer Yirmiyahu)
    You will give many what to think about and they won't be able to"slough it off" It hits close to home and it hurts but pain is a good thing as it makes us active and wake up and try to do something about why we are hurting. All the best.

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  9.  Feh! What do you know, you am ha'aretz?

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  10. Dear Dovid,
     I hope in some way that what I wrote about Yom Yerushalayim inspired you to write the very important words that you wrote in your recent blog.
    I am referring to how you described what was going on in Eretz Yisroel the same time as the asifa. I was proud of what you wrote. It was brave of you to go in that direction but I see that you are fearless when it comes to getting the "emet" out there. Kol Hakavod Dovid. May HKBH help you to open the eyes of our brethren who cannot yet see what needs to be seen. Keep up your writing. You will (are)create (ing)a kiddush Hashem. The truth will out.
    I am sure you get nasty comments too and are under pressure. It is hard to tell you don't give in but..."don't give in!!"
    The navi was never the most popular guy on the block but he was always right ( see sefer Yirmiyahu)
    You will give many what to think about and they won't be able to"slough it off" It hits close to home and it hurts but pain is a good thing as it makes us active and wake up and try to do something about why we are hurting. All the best.

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  11. Thanks. B"H I was raised with a love for Am Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel. I dont want to upset you to much but one of the Rabonim at the Asifa decided to take a stab at Zionism. I didnt quote it because it hurts to much to see our so called leaders say things like that.

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  12. The last paragraph id what gets me the most because that is what I am having the hardest time dealing with. If it were only me, I would just ignore and pretend this never happened, but what are we supposed to tell our kids and teenagers when we don't agree but their schools and yeshivas are all up with it? If you have the answer... Please help!!

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  13. A pashkevil was posted in Bnei Brak a few days ago with R' Wosner's
    signature where he retracts and/or tones down the psak he gave at the
    asifa.

    You can see the poster here http://bit.ly/Lec5sa



    What does this say about the Gedolim when we have a clear psak given and then a few days later it is changed? Not that anyone would ever admit that R' Wosner is backing out. It makes halacha look like a joke. How can we take any piskei halacha in this area seriously?

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  14. Is there an English translation of this?

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  15. I was a child once and recall picking up on inconsistencies between what was taught and what was said and practiced at home. There may be more risk to your kids from your disrespect of the yeshiva than from the Internet content. If you intend to keep your children in these schools, then you need to maintain your home in consistency with what they teach, work with the schools to alter the rules or change schools.

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  16. For better or worse, frum people talk and multi-task at public gatherings. They do it in shul. They do it at weddings. They do it at levayos. It should not surprise when they do it at asifos in ballparks.

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  17. > "That there was a group of Jews holding signs outside screaming about the abuse within the orthodox community is sickening to me..."
    Was their very presence sickening to you or was it sickening that they had what to protest about?

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  18. What was retracted? What was toned down? What was changed?

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  19. Why, you can't read hebrew?

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  20. No. I just think its sad that we don't take care of our problems within and need to resort to this.

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  21. It doesn't use the harsh language of "issur gamur" regarding filtered internet at home for work purposes. An issur is implied, but the wording says one should refrain from it.

    It no longer demands children be kicked out of schools if there's internet at home. Instead it says school need to make gedarim and syagim to deal with this.

    Here's a translation of the first 5 pertinent halachos:



    - It is assur to have, in any
    manner, unfiltered internet, even for the needs of parnassa, because “ein
    apotropus l’arayus”. And this issur exists with computers, telephones or any
    other device, both at home or at work, and it is obvious that this fence is not
    a chumra or chassidus etc., rather it is an obligation on each Jew who fears
    the word of Hashem. And whoever doesn’t accept upon himself this geder, is a
    poretz geder, rachmana nitzlan, and he declares about himself that is not among
    those who fear the word of Hashem, and one should distance himself from him.



    - For the needs of parnassa, we do
    not prohibit filtered internet, however, the allowance to use filtered internet
    for the needs of parnassa is only in one’s workplace, but at home, one should
    refrain from bringing in the internet.



    - It is obvious that whoever does
    not need the internet for parnassa, should not have it.



    - It is an obligation on all
    parents to oversee and to check that their children should have no contact with
    a computer that has internet, even if it has a filter.



    - It is an obligation on the
    administrations of chareidi schools of both boys and girls to make gedarim and
    syagim in order to uphold these takonos






    A.    
    It i

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  22. How can we as the Torah observant public accept how such an important event was so poorly presented & mis-handled & not raise our voices against how what the Gedolim signed on for was misapplied?

    If whoever responsible for the asifa really DID misappropriate what the Gedolim authorized, it IS mis-using the crown of Torah on their part & while I'm not advocating the punishment mentioned in the Mishna in Avos (d'ishtameish b'taga chalaf), those responsible for mis-appropriating the authority of Gedolim should be 'fired' as asifa organizers.

    Who really wants this problem of mis-use of technology to NOT get solutions that are so very much needed? Who wants to justify mis-using the Gedolim & allow how what they signed on for to be so cavalierly corrupted?, thereby leaving klall Yisrael to be led by the dis-honest people who seem to want to lead the whole observant world in the way they see fit.

    If 'askanim', or anybody else can get away with what is tantamount to lying about Gedolim to all of us & changing what the Gedolim authorized to be done in their name - then the problem of the internet is nothing in comparison!!!


    The abovementioned problems are best addressed by returning to the basics. The challenge of internet related problems needs yiras shamayim & Rambam tells us that first we must teach ahavas haShem, & that will lead to yiras haShem.

    Approval & withdrawal of it to reinforce what some think should be done (or not) in the observant world is hateful & against the Torah: the rabbis teach us a way to understand "V'ahavta es haShem Elokeycha" is that YOUR actions should cause haShem to be loved by others - V'ahavta is to be taken in the causitive construct.

    We need to inspire the next generation & make them want to love & serve & ultimately fear haShem, not bully them into blindly following, else the quote fm Rabbi Friefeld, that Dovid started this whole topic of this blog will be true; if we depend on assuring everything that is not Torah, we WILL be bankrupt.

    Manipulating others who don't equal up to one's own impresson of what is proper - religiously or otherwise is approval mongering & not anything connected to V'ahavhta l'reyacha komocha - another 'basic' we need to actively get back to in order to solve our problems.

    As to those who do what they want, & mis-use Gedolim & their names, the basics needed to return to are simple: doing this mis-use - even to get the chance to tell the whole Jewish world what is right - is WRONG - because it is not what the navi said "what does G-d require of you? To do justice, love chesed, & walk humbly w/your G-d… I mean, really, I'm not making this stuff up…

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  23. Very well stated. Best ending ever!

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  24.  But bullying is so much more fun! :-)

    On a serious note, you're absolutely right. It's what a doctor would call treating the symptom, not the disease. And it seems consistent with the Charedi establishment's approach to everything these days.

    That, or sweep the problem under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. Unlike Allstate, we're really not in good hands these days.

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  25. One is gratified to get such praise fm the one who brought this & other issues to light.

    You are doing something very important showing everyone (or trying to) how we need to deal w/the underlying 'illness' & not just the symptoms.

    It has been said that Moshe Rabbeinu would be confused by what 'frumkeit' has become, just as he was by Rabi Akiva's discussion of the tagin on the letters of the Torah (see the gemara in Shabbos for that story).

    So much in the 'frum world' today is ruled by the need for conformity & how far some will go to enforce that conformity is often most unfortunate - people are wrongly ostracized & thereby disenfranchising & alienating those who don't fit in 1000%. V'ahavta l'reyacha kamocha?

    It is d'oraysa & even if you disagree w/your neighbor & even if it is about religious observance - you have to keep this mitzva in
    mind.

    So keep up the good work, Dovid, & feel free to use my idea of going back to the basics when anyone questions how you would treat the illness instead of the symptoms (ditto for those who play blame game, but don't have solutions).

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  26. Very sad news headline in a story which is (thankfully) gaining steam.
    http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/may/30/brooklyn-da-says-victim-intimidation-orthodox-jewish-sex-abuse-cases-worse-mob-cases/Brooklyn DA: Intimidation in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Sex Abuse Cases Worse Than Mob CasesBrooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes continued to defend his office's record on sex abuse cases in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community at an unrelated press conference Wednesday. He said the victim intimidation in that community is worse than what he's seen in organized crime and police corruption cases over his nearly two-decade career."I haven't seen this kind of intimidation in organized crime cases or police corruption, and the reason for that is in organized crime cases, I can get witness protection," Hynes Explained. "In police intimidation cases, I can protect them as well."The New York Times and some Jewish publications reported that Hynes doesn't pursue sexual abuse cases against Ultra-Orthodox Jewish suspects as aggressively as he does others because of his political ties to the community.  The reports have also claimed Hynes failed to intervene when an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish organization told him that followers had to get permission from a rabbi before reporting allegations of sex abuse to authorities.Hynes has maintained that a significant hurdle in sex abuse cases involving Orthodox Jews is that the community cares more about protecting suspects than victims. "These victims don't believe they have anywhere else to turn. They live in this community, they want to continue to live in this community, and they want to live at peace. And they're not allowed to live at peace because no one gives a damn about victims. All they care about is protecting the abuser," Hynes said.He called the effort of the community to protect possible abusers "relentless."Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, the executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America, a powerful ultra-Orthodox organization, could not be reached for comment. In the past, however, he said people need to be cautious over allegations of abuse because a person’s life can be ruined by a false report. Last year, his organization said observant Jews should not report any allegations to authorities unless the first speak to a rabbi.”As to the claim that Hynes is soft on crimes in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, he pointed to his prosecution record.“I really showed my gratitude to the ultra-Orthodox community with more Ultra-Orthodox prosecutions than any prosecutor in this whole country," he told reporters.  "You don’t think I have a monopoly on ultra-Orthodox people, do you?”Hynes is pushing for legislation that would require rabbis and other religious leaders to report allegations of child sex abuse to authorities and has assembled a task force to target known victim intimidators within the Ultra-Orthodox community.

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  27. The top pic, are those your kids? (More Teitel-bums? Yikes! Hashem Yerachem) 

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  28. No worry they are just my campers having some fun.

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  29. I spend all day in school hearing things I dont agree with. Maybe one or two classes are good, and then I literally spend the rest of the day mentally filtering the information I dont want. Then i come home, and read the stuff u write, and I remember what Judaism REALLY is. so thank you.

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  30. The Gemara in Sanhedrin states that 2 Nevi'im cannot see the same vision and describe it exactly the same way.

    Would it not stand to reason that no 2 (certainly not more) "Gedolim: can see the bigger picture with the same exact perspective? Are we misunderstanding the nature of our relationship with "the Gedolim"?

    I do not profess to have any idea what was going between the organizers and the Rabbanim who signed or didn't sign. But maybe we can take a step back and wonder if we are seeing such a limited scope of the big picture before we are rushing to judgement of what the Gedolim should be doing to meet our expectations.

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  31. Reb Dovid.
    Thanks for sharing your perspective.
    You asked a question of what we think about whether this was a Chillul Hashem or not. Is there an objective identification as to how we determine whether something is a Chillul Hashem or Kiddush Hashem or do we essentially say "I'll know it when I see it"?

    And how do we measure a Chillul Hashem? What is the scale to measure what makes a huge Chillul Hashem vs. a small one?

    Please share. It will help us understand the question a little better,
    Bracha V'Hatzlacha!

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  32. Thank you Leah. Its teens like you that make me feel I haven't wasted all my time here.

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  33. What a horrible thing to say. You are a guest of this blog. You can disagree without being disagreeable.

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