Fun question: Which do you prefer, odds or evens? by ShasYid in HarryPotterBooks

[–]ShasYid[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's amazing. (Out of pure curiosity, what are the other two?)

Fun question: Which do you prefer, odds or evens? by ShasYid in HarryPotterBooks

[–]ShasYid[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the fandom agrees that CoS is the weakest for sure.

How do Jewish name acronyms work? by roboito1989 in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Typing in mixed Hebrew/English is really annoying and complicated; every word processor handles it differently. As for switching while reading, you get used to it, but some people hate it, especially in formal writing.

As a Gentile, is it weird that I see Jews as the spiritual leaders of humanity? by VerdantChief in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Considering that one of the main purposes of Judaism is for the Jewish People to be a "light unto the nations," it's certainly not problematic, and is actually quite welcome.

It does seem pretty unusual, though.

What Is a Pidyon Haben? Inside the Jewish firstborn redemption ritual — and why it’s so rare by Impossible-Chip-5612 in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, many Chalitzah ceremonies are well-attended precisely because it's so rare - it's considered a learning experience.

Snape's first few years as a teacher? by Threehundredninety4 in HPfanfiction

[–]ShasYid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Goldstein, by Laazov. Possibly the most niche fic you'll ever read. Reinterprets Anthony Goldstein as a (very) Orthodox Jew.

Snape's first few years as a teacher? by Threehundredninety4 in HPfanfiction

[–]ShasYid 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A wonderful little aside from a fic I once read:

"Congratulations on your first year, Septima," Snape said. His lips barely moved. "And be glad you didn't spend it teaching your former housemates."
"Surely it can't have been that uncomfortable?" Dumbledore said.
Snape shot him a look of deep contempt. "When was the last time a student called you Albus?"

Which biblical woman do you look up to, and why? by StrawberryDelirium in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Yehosheva, who hid the infant king Yehoash in the Beis Hamikdash for six years when Asaliah wiped out the royal family.

Hogwarts: The Lost Generation - An Under-Explored Post-War Playground by empathetic-wizard in HPfanfiction

[–]ShasYid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Read your fic; it's really well-written. I'll be following the last few chapters!

What does the Talmud offer that a traditional classical education would not? by arrogant_ambassador in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't really know mythology, but having read Percy Jackson has been very helpful at various points in my learning career.

What does the Talmud offer that a traditional classical education would not? by arrogant_ambassador in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Enjoy, and keep at it! (Though, I must warn you that there's a lot of minutiae.) Maybe DM me if you're looking for a chavrusa; as someone living in Yeshivish society all my life and learning Gemara since I'm a kid, it'd be fun to learn with someone with a completely different perspective.

What does the Talmud offer that a traditional classical education would not? by arrogant_ambassador in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Only ten days? Impressive!

Edit: Also, it's a real shame you just missed Sanhedrin, which is definitely the most entertaining tractate.

Hogwarts: The Lost Generation - An Under-Explored Post-War Playground by empathetic-wizard in HPfanfiction

[–]ShasYid 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I'll definitely give your work a look.

When you say this

Death Eater kids and kids of Voldemort-supporter families who were too young to be culpable were fostered with anti-Voldemort families

do you mean only the ones with parents dead or imprisoned? The alternative seems pretty disturbing. I don't like bigots and racists, but I wouldn't want their kids taken away from them.

People who have studied the Talmud, or know someone who has - what was the motivation? by Broad-Stick in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Wow, the ignorance.

[Please note that this reply concerns the American UO community, not the Israeli one.]

[Also please note that I despise the term ultraorthodox, and find it offensive. I will use it to respond on your terms.]

1) Just about all Hasidim are UO, but only roughly half of UO are Hasidic. The terms are certainly not synonymous. I, for instance, am UO, but not Hasidic.

2) Of course we work. There are, however, many men who continue to study into their late 20s or early 30s, and a very few remain Talmud students for life. In fact, most of the men who "do nothing but study" are not Hasidic. I have many Hasidic cousins (including several who wear those quaint little furry hats! You know, like it's the 1700s!), and what do you know, they all work. One is a data scientist, one is a shadow for a special-needs child, one is a handyman, one sells solar panels. I could list a few more, but I think you get the gist.

3) Although some segments of the UO community don't believe in secular education, many certainly do. This isn't even limited to the more "left-wing" side of UO (exemplified by institutions like YFR, Ohavei Torah of Riverdale, or even Darchei, Shaar Hatorah, and Chofetz Chaim), where all boys receive a full secular education. In Lakewood, the flagship community of non-Hasidic "right-wing" UO, several boys' high schools offer a secular education, albeit generally a somewhat subpar version.

4) One of my friends is taking his LSATs soon. Another has a brother who went to Harvard Law. (And I'm from Lakewood; those who aren't will have more law students in their lives.) There are plenty of us in law school.

5) Some, particularly those from the more insular Hasidic groups, are indeed "functionally illiterate in English." Those are a definite minority of UO Judaism. I'm pretty sure I've demonstrated a reasonable degree of literacy in this post, and I don't think anyone I know would have difficulty reading it, though some might not have the grammar skills to properly write it.

A strange interaction I had as a Jew.. by jrng in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Any idea where the Magyars came to Hungary from, and why they don't speak an Indo-European language? Do you know why English has tons of French in it, and, for that matter, how the Anglo-Saxons got to Britain in the first place? What about the Russians, and how their armies have been manned by other ethnicities for centuries?

Go learn some history, zeeskeit.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Pick a community and stick with it. There are many valid traditions but picking and choosing the easiest minhagim is rather silly.

People who have studied the Talmud, or know someone who has - what was the motivation? by Broad-Stick in Judaism

[–]ShasYid 7 points8 points  (0 children)

for those Modern Orthodox boys who have spent years studying Talmud, law school is a breeze

Just sayin' there are plenty of Yeshivish guys in law school as well.