UPDATE: CLARIFICATION: Some people misunderstood this post as a criticism of Avromi Perkowski, the person highlighted on the cover of Mishpacha. Nothing could have been further from my intention - he does wonderful chessed at no charge. My criticism was for Mishpacha using this as their cover story, which Mr. Perkowski himself tells me he did not want.
I'm not sure which aliens you are talking about, but I see some aliens who, instead of encouraging achdus, decide to make the entire war about their petty feuds with the people they hate (much more than Hamas, apparently).
Even for somebody who doesn't want to encourage achdus, suppose he doesn't believe in Hashem but nevertheless who cares about the war, he would have many articles about the soldiers themselves, about the soldier's families, about the commanders, about the military technology, about the evils of Hamas, about many other critical aspects of the war. Somebody who does believe in Hashem would have much more of focus on subjects of Emunah and Bitachon in the war.
But when 99% of your articles are obsessively focused on *one* thing and *one* thing only, then it's quite obvious who the alien is.
I live in America and I am Chareidi so naturally I am very removed from this war. But at least my rabbeim never let us forget. The tehilim in my yeshiva is still strong, unlike in many other places where it turned into an ashrei. And they send constant reminders about how we must not forget about those in Israel who are truly suffering/giving up their lives. And while yes,I may never fully appreciate the pain I am not part of, I work on that as an avoda and I try my best. This is the klal yisroel I love, not the petty, calloused individuals who make don't make this one of their priorities.
Please ban commentators who think this blog is THEIR home, where they reside continuously, waiting to pounce on whatever and whomever they do not like and where they think that THEY (not the actual home owner ie. blog owner) will determine its content and do so in the most obnoxious, vicious, personal, and arrogant fashion.
I gave a donation to the museum as my way of replying to the absolute jerks among your critics. They are a vile bunch, and I agree that you should ban them; let them poison the air elsewhere.
The people who black out women's and female children's faces cause both short term and long term damage to our precious society. In their efforts for "spiritual purity" they demonize and sexualize females while generating layers of confusion-bordering-on-Avodah-Zarah. The term "Ain Somchin Al HaNess" is a key principle for Jewish life and navigating complex realities. Any individual or publication that relies upon or advocates for "magical thinking" or apocalyptic messianism represents a real threat to Israel and the Jewish People.
Different alien life forms in different countries. Here in the US, the aliens are those who think that it is possible to reason with the leadership of Russia, Iran, and/or Hamas.
"I write posts about genuine life-and-death issues and how to come to terms with them, but these people completely ignore the topic, and instead obsess over such things as whether the girl murdered by terrorists had a neckline that was too low, or whether a moving song about living in a war features a few words here and there sung by women and are sexually provocative, or try to distract the discussion in other ways."
1) To put this plainly, if the only thing or even the main thing you wrote about was how to deal with trauma, I think you would get a lot less trolling. That's not a justification or a condemnation of the trolls' behavior. It's simply (what I believe is) the reality. Also, 2) no one forces you to have a freewheeling comment section. You can (and do) post things where only paid subscribers can comment. 3) In general, I believe Substack is becoming more and more social media like. That means that point 1 may become less true as time goes on.
"They use phrases like “sacrificing one’s life” to refer to their sitting safely in a comfortable room indulging in intellectual pursuits, while in my world the phrase refers to people who are ready to actually sacrifice their actual life and sometimes actually do."
When you live a life insulated from reality, your little things become big things, kind of like a child's world. In many ways, they exist in an infantile society, which is reflected in their childish cultural vocabulary.
In Israel, it certainly feels on the ground like there is an alien population that lives here in an alternate reality. Gaza may as well be Mars, there's a war being fought by "other people", and the most pressing concern is how to spend Bein Hazmanim.
UPDATE: CLARIFICATION: Some people misunderstood this post as a criticism of Avromi Perkowski, the person highlighted on the cover of Mishpacha. Nothing could have been further from my intention - he does wonderful chessed at no charge. My criticism was for Mishpacha using this as their cover story, which Mr. Perkowski himself tells me he did not want.
I'm not sure which aliens you are talking about, but I see some aliens who, instead of encouraging achdus, decide to make the entire war about their petty feuds with the people they hate (much more than Hamas, apparently).
Even for somebody who doesn't want to encourage achdus, suppose he doesn't believe in Hashem but nevertheless who cares about the war, he would have many articles about the soldiers themselves, about the soldier's families, about the commanders, about the military technology, about the evils of Hamas, about many other critical aspects of the war. Somebody who does believe in Hashem would have much more of focus on subjects of Emunah and Bitachon in the war.
But when 99% of your articles are obsessively focused on *one* thing and *one* thing only, then it's quite obvious who the alien is.
I live in America and I am Chareidi so naturally I am very removed from this war. But at least my rabbeim never let us forget. The tehilim in my yeshiva is still strong, unlike in many other places where it turned into an ashrei. And they send constant reminders about how we must not forget about those in Israel who are truly suffering/giving up their lives. And while yes,I may never fully appreciate the pain I am not part of, I work on that as an avoda and I try my best. This is the klal yisroel I love, not the petty, calloused individuals who make don't make this one of their priorities.
Please ban commentators who think this blog is THEIR home, where they reside continuously, waiting to pounce on whatever and whomever they do not like and where they think that THEY (not the actual home owner ie. blog owner) will determine its content and do so in the most obnoxious, vicious, personal, and arrogant fashion.
As in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUlBA4GvFfw
I gave a donation to the museum as my way of replying to the absolute jerks among your critics. They are a vile bunch, and I agree that you should ban them; let them poison the air elsewhere.
Please please ban them
I used to troll online blogs when I was 15.
Then I grew up.
It’s extremely immature and you don’t need your blog ruined by a bunch of pathetic trolls.
The people who black out women's and female children's faces cause both short term and long term damage to our precious society. In their efforts for "spiritual purity" they demonize and sexualize females while generating layers of confusion-bordering-on-Avodah-Zarah. The term "Ain Somchin Al HaNess" is a key principle for Jewish life and navigating complex realities. Any individual or publication that relies upon or advocates for "magical thinking" or apocalyptic messianism represents a real threat to Israel and the Jewish People.
Great article.
Ban them.
Different alien life forms in different countries. Here in the US, the aliens are those who think that it is possible to reason with the leadership of Russia, Iran, and/or Hamas.
"I write posts about genuine life-and-death issues and how to come to terms with them, but these people completely ignore the topic, and instead obsess over such things as whether the girl murdered by terrorists had a neckline that was too low, or whether a moving song about living in a war features a few words here and there sung by women and are sexually provocative, or try to distract the discussion in other ways."
1) To put this plainly, if the only thing or even the main thing you wrote about was how to deal with trauma, I think you would get a lot less trolling. That's not a justification or a condemnation of the trolls' behavior. It's simply (what I believe is) the reality. Also, 2) no one forces you to have a freewheeling comment section. You can (and do) post things where only paid subscribers can comment. 3) In general, I believe Substack is becoming more and more social media like. That means that point 1 may become less true as time goes on.
"They use phrases like “sacrificing one’s life” to refer to their sitting safely in a comfortable room indulging in intellectual pursuits, while in my world the phrase refers to people who are ready to actually sacrifice their actual life and sometimes actually do."
When you live a life insulated from reality, your little things become big things, kind of like a child's world. In many ways, they exist in an infantile society, which is reflected in their childish cultural vocabulary.
Don't ban them, their comments only prove your point.
In Israel, it certainly feels on the ground like there is an alien population that lives here in an alternate reality. Gaza may as well be Mars, there's a war being fought by "other people", and the most pressing concern is how to spend Bein Hazmanim.
It's really unfathomable.
Don't ban them
The most effective way to prove that Haredi society is messed up is to read the comments that they make here on this blog.
It's even, forgive me, more effective than your well-reasoned posts.
Let the world see what these people really thunk.
Yes, please do not include irrelevant comments. Thank you for your insights.