Tuesday, April 29, 2008


What do Goyim live for? We know that this world is not what we call "pashut" when goyim are looking for flying pigs and offering 10,000 smackroos for finding it! One word "Nebuch"
If anyone has any ideas for behar or would like to me write anything let me know. Below i placed a link for what goyim live for - Enjoy

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

pashut

After sorting through thousands of video entries, we at The Not Pashut Times are proud to announce that דניאל יהושע רוחני from Chaifa, Israel is the winner of the 5768 "Most Not Pashut Song of the Year Award," with his new hit single "Ze lo Pashut." Check out the Israeli pop charts where his song is quickly rising to the top!

Congrats.

And we would also like to thank Brian Koegel who's "Not Pashut Pump Up Song" came in a very close second. There is always next year Brian.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sorry But your Flight Has Been Delayed - Due to a Chillul Hashem

Man Davening Shemona Esray On Airplane Removed From Aircraft

CBS2 reports that a passenger who left his seat to Daven in the back of a plane before it took off, ignoring flight attendants’ orders to return, was removed by an airport security guard.

The report states: “The Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat, stood near the lavatories and began saying his prayers while the United Airlines jet was being boarded minutes before takeoff at JFK Airport on Wednesday night, fellow passenger Ori Brafman said.

When flight attendants urged the man, who was carrying a religious book, to take his seat, he ignored them, Brafman said. Two friends, who were seated, tried to tell the attendants that the man couldn’t stop until his prayers were over in about 2 minutes, he said.

“He doesn’t respond to them, but his friends explain that once you start praying you can’t stop,” said Brafman, who was seated three rows away.

When the man finally stopped praying, he explained that he couldn’t interrupt his religious ritual and wasn’t trying to be rude. But the attendants summoned a guard to remove him, said Brafman, a writer who had been visiting New York to talk to publishers.

The plane, Flight 9 to San Francisco, took off without the man.

A spokeswoman for United Airlines confirmed the man was taken off the plane and put on another flight Thursday morning.

Urbanksi said flights cannot depart if all passengers are not in their seats, which risks a delay, and it is important that passengers listen to the instructions of the flight crew.

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When I saw this article I was greatly disturbed. With everything else going on in the world, is this really what the Jews need? For a story like this getting out to news circuits all over the country? Why wouldn't any average American not automatically equate this story with all the other story's we hear about a crazy person getting kicked off a plane or even a terrorist threat on a plane c''v. I don't understand why this yid had to get up and go to the back of the plane to daven RIGHT BEFORE TAKEOFF!? Was he too good to daven in his seat like most all rabanim hold is totally permissible? If he was so pious, he would have found an earlier minyan to daven with or scheduled his flight for a more convenient time. I know we have to be dam lechav zchut-- maybe his flight got delayed and the sun was setting, or maybe he was supposed to daven with a minyan at home, but his house was too crazy for him to leave. But in these N.P.T, why make this chillul hashem? Of course the article will point out that you are an "Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat." If he wore a goatee, a baseball cap, and a north face would they have mentioned that too? Everyone has to be aware that these are not pashut times! - when us Jews are in public, we are constantly being watched!



Monday, April 14, 2008

Parshat Tazria & Parshat Metzora

Parshas Tazria begins, "If a woman conceives(Tazria) and gives birth..." After the first eight passukim of Parshat Tazria discuss laws dealing with childbirth, the rest of the parsha and subsequent parsha deal with all the different types of laws regarding tzara'as. This begs the question; what is the connection between the name of the parsha, Parshat Tazria, and the affliction of tzara'as?

The Rebbi answers this question in his Likutei Sichos, quoting a fundamental principle in Jewish Philosophy. This is that the punishments administered by the Torah are not intented to harm a person, but rather, the punishment is for that persons own benefit. Suffering through punishment cleanses the soul, allowing it to come close to God once again. In the case of the Metzora, it is clear that the punishment is actually for his own benefit. For by being declared ritually impure, requiring total isolation, he will have time to think about his sins, reflect on his past behavior, and amend his behavior, because there is simply no one to speak with him. He will surely think twice the next time he thinks of speaking lashon hara.

It is now clear that in the case of the tzara'as sufferer, the Torah's "punishment" was really for his own good, aimed at helping the sufferer correct his ill ways and begin a new life, lashon hara free. Without this exact punishment, the transgressor would never learn from his mistakes. It is now clear why the name of this parsha is Tazria. To teach us that even though one sinned, one can always repent and fix his ways. There is always the opportunity for Teshuva, and that in the end, a punishment can be for the better.

I think you can find a similar idea in Shabbos. In Friday night davening before shemoneh esrei, we say "And the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath... it is a sign forever that in six days, Hashem made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed(Vayinafash)." This translation of "Vayinafash" - refreshed, is of the opinion of Rashi. However, the Ramban takes the root of the word "nefesh" - soul, and says that the heaven and earth were given a soul on Shabbos and that the creation of the seventh day gave a new spiritual dimension to the universe. So to, Shabbos also gives our body's a new spiritual awakening that we were lacking during the week. During the week, we are filled with the constant clutter of everything not holy; school, work, the internet... but on Shabbos, we clear that clutter away, and we get to immerse ourselves in pure spirituality.

This idea can be compared to the idea I mentioned earlier with tzara'as. All week long, we are impure, its almost as if we have tzara'as. But on Shabbos, we are isolated. We have no school. No work. No internet to log on to or T.V to watch. We are only involved in the spiritual, and Shabbos is the time to reflect back on your past week. You have time to think about yourself, your midot, and your Avodas Hashem, without any other distractions. On Shabbos, we are reborn, and our souls are refreshed to give a new spiritual dimension to ourselves.

The problem we face is taking the spiritual high we get from Shabbos and bringing it with us to the following week. It is hard enough to get that high, let alone carry it with us through the week and the not pashut times we live in. But if we really use Shabbos what it is meant for; for spiritual growth, Torah and rest from the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the the week, then we can truly be "reborn" and go into every week with a fresh spiritual awakening that can last us from Shabbos to Shabbos and until Moshiach comes.

Not Pashut Times!

In this day in age, we are living in "not pashut times." These times of ours are largely not pashut, and especially not pashut where we call home - America(Galus). The goal of this blog is to try to illustrate and verify how these times are not pashut, while at the same time, try to incorporate ideas on how to prevail over these "N.P.T" through Dvar Torah, unique insights, and hopefully some laughs.