I want to thank you, HaRav Mecharker, for allowing me to post this. It is a travesty and a disgrace that the host of the other blog adorns his loathsome website with a (fictional) image of the holy Rambam, the greatest halachist in the past thousand year, a man devoted to teaching Torah to the entire Jewish nation, whose perspective on life and Avodas Hashem could not be further from these charlatans who defile his personality and philosophy with their perverted misrepresentations. Here are the fiery words of the holy Rambam that scorch the inner recesses of our souls:
"What is the proper [degree] of love? That a person should love God with a very great and exceeding love until his soul is bound up in the love of God. Thus, he will always be obsessed with this love as if he is lovesick.
[A lovesick person's] thoughts are never diverted from the love of that woman. He is always obsessed with her; when he sits down, when he gets up, when he eats and drinks. With an even greater [love], the love for God should be [implanted] in the hearts of those who love Him and are obsessed with Him at all times as we are commanded [Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love God...] with all your heart and with all soul."
This concept was implied by Solomon [Song of Songs 2:5] when he stated, as a metaphor: "I am lovesick." [Indeed,] the totality of the Song of Songs is a parable describing [this love]."
How far this philosophy is from the so-called "rationalists" who would use the Rambam as a cudgel to demolish anything spiritual in our religion!
He has rendered himself irrelevant. First the move to a blog with LESS features (although the unmoderated comments are refreshing), and now this. This post means we collectively finally got under his skin to the point he wants to expel us by means of a typically (for him) passive-aggressive poll asking his audience for their opinion on the matter. We, collectively, put up a good fight. I would say, after my banning, and now this, it is time to leave RJ and let it become the entertaining echo chamber it deserves to be.
I admit to being tempted at times to commenting in some way, I do not, except for one sole response to the post on how false Nathan's stance on "free speech" is. I could see from my vantage point how I contribute nothing of substance they can understand. You could wait for him to ban you, but why belabor things? You have seen, as have I, that there is zero movement or consideration of our arguments. It doesn't matter whether you are polite to a fault or a little edgy like me either.
My sincere goal was tochacha, not just lolz. It was clear long ago that it not possible for them to be receptive of such, no matter how precise we are or how many words are written, and being fired just confirmed for me what I should have seen before and done on my own.
"Natan attaches great importance to the biographical details of Rabbi Duran's life."
This explains everything about him. I had not realized this before. While biographical details of a gadol's life are interesting (I would love a copy of the banned Making of a Gadol), they are of zero relevance in nearly everything Nathan raises as a topic for discussion. It's pathetic. Does anyone seriously believe this deep-seated childish thinking could be altered by us?
When there is a tayne that one doesn't know how to learn, it is very simple. This means that he makes tsu-shtells that have no shaychus, and any Mesivta age bachur can shlug him up.
If it is nisbarer that the guy who makes krumme tzu-shtells b`etzem knows how to learn, all this means that he is a mazid and not a shogeg, nafka mina where to bury him...
"The vast majority of people in kollel are not begging for charity".
You need to get out more. Roshei kollellim spend a considerable amount of their time nagging gevirim for support for 'their yungerleit". Everyday another fund raise for a kollel (using the treifoh internet which has suddenly become kosher). Numerous tzedokoh organisations exist merely to support kollellim. How can you possibly write with a straight face "The vast majority of people in kollel are not begging for charity"?
Happy, I think this is relevant as support too. I cited it before in my comments at RJ.
Shaarei Teshuva, Gate 3:160 (translation by Feldheim):
The aspect of "haters of Hashem" can also be found at times among those who perform mitzvos and are scrupulous in avoiding sin, both in deed and in speech -- if they are pained and inwardly troubled when their friends engage in Torah study, and it bothers them when others serve Hashem and fear Him.
I want to thank you, HaRav Mecharker, for allowing me to post this. It is a travesty and a disgrace that the host of the other blog adorns his loathsome website with a (fictional) image of the holy Rambam, the greatest halachist in the past thousand year, a man devoted to teaching Torah to the entire Jewish nation, whose perspective on life and Avodas Hashem could not be further from these charlatans who defile his personality and philosophy with their perverted misrepresentations. Here are the fiery words of the holy Rambam that scorch the inner recesses of our souls:
וְכֵיצַד הִיא הָאַהֲבָה הָרְאוּיָה. הוּא שֶׁיֹּאהַב אֶת ה' אַהֲבָה גְּדוֹלָה יְתֵרָה עַזָּה מְאֹד עַד שֶׁתְּהֵא נַפְשׁוֹ קְשׁוּרָה בְּאַהֲבַת ה' וְנִמְצָא שׁוֹגֶה בָּהּ תָּמִיד כְּאִלּוּ חוֹלֶה חֳלִי הָאַהֲבָה שֶׁאֵין דַּעְתּוֹ פְּנוּיָה מֵאַהֲבַת אוֹתָהּ אִשָּׁה וְהוּא שׁוֹגֶה בָּהּ תָּמִיד בֵּין בְּשִׁבְתּוֹ בֵּין בְּקוּמוֹ בֵּין בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא אוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה. יֶתֶר מִזֶּה תִּהְיֶה אַהֲבַת ה' בְּלֵב אוֹהֲבָיו שׁוֹגִים בָּהּ תָּמִיד כְּמוֹ שֶׁצִּוָּנוּ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ. וְהוּא שֶׁשְּׁלֹמֹה אָמַר דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל (שיר השירים ב ה) "כִּי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי". וְכָל שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים מָשָׁל הוּא לְעִנְיָן זֶה:
"What is the proper [degree] of love? That a person should love God with a very great and exceeding love until his soul is bound up in the love of God. Thus, he will always be obsessed with this love as if he is lovesick.
[A lovesick person's] thoughts are never diverted from the love of that woman. He is always obsessed with her; when he sits down, when he gets up, when he eats and drinks. With an even greater [love], the love for God should be [implanted] in the hearts of those who love Him and are obsessed with Him at all times as we are commanded [Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love God...] with all your heart and with all soul."
This concept was implied by Solomon [Song of Songs 2:5] when he stated, as a metaphor: "I am lovesick." [Indeed,] the totality of the Song of Songs is a parable describing [this love]."
How far this philosophy is from the so-called "rationalists" who would use the Rambam as a cudgel to demolish anything spiritual in our religion!
[edited to update bad wikipedia link]
"...perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Natan has turned himself into gourmet shark food."
An even more accurate description of what Nathan did is this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark
He has rendered himself irrelevant. First the move to a blog with LESS features (although the unmoderated comments are refreshing), and now this. This post means we collectively finally got under his skin to the point he wants to expel us by means of a typically (for him) passive-aggressive poll asking his audience for their opinion on the matter. We, collectively, put up a good fight. I would say, after my banning, and now this, it is time to leave RJ and let it become the entertaining echo chamber it deserves to be.
I admit to being tempted at times to commenting in some way, I do not, except for one sole response to the post on how false Nathan's stance on "free speech" is. I could see from my vantage point how I contribute nothing of substance they can understand. You could wait for him to ban you, but why belabor things? You have seen, as have I, that there is zero movement or consideration of our arguments. It doesn't matter whether you are polite to a fault or a little edgy like me either.
My sincere goal was tochacha, not just lolz. It was clear long ago that it not possible for them to be receptive of such, no matter how precise we are or how many words are written, and being fired just confirmed for me what I should have seen before and done on my own.
"Natan attaches great importance to the biographical details of Rabbi Duran's life."
This explains everything about him. I had not realized this before. While biographical details of a gadol's life are interesting (I would love a copy of the banned Making of a Gadol), they are of zero relevance in nearly everything Nathan raises as a topic for discussion. It's pathetic. Does anyone seriously believe this deep-seated childish thinking could be altered by us?
When there is a tayne that one doesn't know how to learn, it is very simple. This means that he makes tsu-shtells that have no shaychus, and any Mesivta age bachur can shlug him up.
If it is nisbarer that the guy who makes krumme tzu-shtells b`etzem knows how to learn, all this means that he is a mazid and not a shogeg, nafka mina where to bury him...
"The vast majority of people in kollel are not begging for charity".
You need to get out more. Roshei kollellim spend a considerable amount of their time nagging gevirim for support for 'their yungerleit". Everyday another fund raise for a kollel (using the treifoh internet which has suddenly become kosher). Numerous tzedokoh organisations exist merely to support kollellim. How can you possibly write with a straight face "The vast majority of people in kollel are not begging for charity"?
Happy, I think this is relevant as support too. I cited it before in my comments at RJ.
Shaarei Teshuva, Gate 3:160 (translation by Feldheim):
The aspect of "haters of Hashem" can also be found at times among those who perform mitzvos and are scrupulous in avoiding sin, both in deed and in speech -- if they are pained and inwardly troubled when their friends engage in Torah study, and it bothers them when others serve Hashem and fear Him.