Which
is Greater - The Redemption from Egypt or Our Redemption?
Q:
Which is greater: The Redemption from Egypt or our current Redemption, with our
return to Eretz Yisrael, the establishment of the State of Israel, our military
victories, etc.?
A:
Our Redemption, for five reasons:
1.
The Redemption from Egypt was after 210 years, while our Redemption was after
2000 years.
2.
The Redemption from Egypt was from one country, while our Redemption was from
the four corners of the world.
3.
The Redemption from Egypt was with the aid of Moshe Rabbenu, while our
Redemption was without the aid of Moshe Rabbenu.
4.
The Redemption from Egypt was with revealed miracles, while our Redemption was
with hidden miracles.
5.
The Redemption from Egypt was followed by destruction of the Beit Ha-Mikdash
(and another Exile), while our Redemption will not be followed by destruction.
Muscle
Man
Q:
My friend is always lifting weights so he'll have big muscles. He says he wants to show off. How should I relate to this?
A:
This is dangerous arrogance. Have pity
on him.
Ariel
Sharon
Q:
How do we relate to Ariel Sharon?
A:
It is complex. He had both good and bad
traits.
Q:
Which were the majority?
A:
Certainly the good. He saved us during
the Yom Kippur War.
Q:
And relating to Yesha, what were the majority?
Q:
Also the good. He helped settled 400,000
Jews in Yesha and destroyed the homes of 10,000 there in Gush Katif. By the way, how others related to him was not
always proper, since they saw him only as a medium for achieving their
goals. They used him when it was
beneficial. Someone once said to him jokingly:
You are the Messiah's donkey. He
replied: Beware, a donkey sometimes kicks…
Honoring
Torah Scholars
Q:
It is permissible to say out of respect for a Rav that he is cute and sweet?
A:
Certainly not. One must use respectful
words.
To
be Charedi
Q:
Why does Ha-Rav cite Charedi sources in his Teshuvot? Should we be Charedim?!
A:
There is one Torah. Furthermore, what is
someone who is Charedi? One who is
particular to observe "light" Mitzvot in the same manner of as "severe"
ones out of the fear of Heaven, and who learns Torah during all of his free
time. If so, everyone should be
Charedi. And one should also be
particular regarding the severe Mitzvah of the revival of Am Yisrael in its
Land. One should therefore be more
Charedi than the Charedim.
Name
of Mother in Ketubah
Q:
The groom is insisting that his mother's name is also written in the
Ketubah. I tried to convince him
otherwise but to no avail. Should I
refuse to perform the wedding?
A:
He errs, since we do not make such changes, but do not fight with him over it.
Date
of Wedding
Q:
Is there a problem with getting married on the same date that my parents got
divorced?
A:
There is no problem. On the contrary, it
is a spiritual repair.