Sunday, June 16, 2019

Pennsylvania man with crazed grudge against Brooklyn rabbi charged with attempted murder and arson in fire that torched holy man’s home

A Pennsylvania man with an crazed grudge against a Brooklyn rabbi has been arrested over accusations he set a massive fire that torched the religious leader’s home and sent 13 people — including a 6-week-old infant — to the hospital, police said Sunday.
Menachem “Matthew” Karelefsky, of McKeesport, Pa., was charged with two counts of attempted murder and arson for the four-alarm fire that erupted early Thursday on E. 17th St. near Avenue N in Midwood.


  1. Wow, a crazy person burns downs the house of a Rabbi. This crazy person had post in our DT web site! This crazy person will get his punishment.
    Torah thought on בהעלתך
    Possibly, Moses wants to die! “If You would deal thus with me, kill me rather, I beg You, and let me see no more of my wretchedness!” (Numbers 11:15) .
    “Moses heard the people weeping, every clan apart, each person at the entrance of his tent. The Lord was very angry, and Moses was distressed.” (Numbers 11:10).
    “The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, If only we had meat to eat!” (Numbers 11:4).
    במדבר פרק יא פסוק י
    וַיִּשְׁמַע מֹשֶׁה אֶת הָעָם בֹּכֶה לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָיו אִישׁ לְפֶתַח אָהֳלוֹ וַיִּחַר אַף יְקֹוָק מְאֹד וּבְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה רָע
    ספרי זוטא פרק יא פסוק י
    וישמע משה את העם בוכה למשפחותיו, ר' נהוראי אומר מלמד שהיו בוכין בשעה שאמר להן לפרוש מן העריות היה כל אחד מהן נושא לאחותו לאחות אביו לאחות אמו לאחות אשתו וכיון שאמר להם לפרוש מן העריות התחילו מתרעמין. בוכה למשפחותיו כיון שגבה לבם בחטא נזדווגו משפחות ואמרו את הדברים ברבים: איש לפתח אהלו, כיון שהיו משמרים את משה יוצא מן המדרש היו יושבין ומתרעמין: ויחר אף י"י מאד ובעיני משה רע, כאן המקום מגביה ומשה ממיך ובמקום אחר משה מגביה והמקום ממיך:
    Shabbath 130a
    “It was taught, R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: Every precept which they accepted with joy, e.g., circumcision, as it is written “Princes have persecuted me without reason; my heart thrills at Your word. I rejoice over Your promise as one who obtains great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood; I love Your teaching.” (Psalms 119:161-163). I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil, they still observe with joy. While every precept which they accepted with displeasure, e.g., the forbidden degrees of consanguinity, as it is written, “Moses heard the people weeping, every clan apart, each person at the entrance of his tent. The Lord was very angry, and Moses was distressed.” (Numbers 11:10). And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, [i.e.,] on account of the affairs of their families [viz., because they were now interdicted in marriage], they still perform them with strife, for there is no marriage settlement which does not contain a quarrel [Lit., in which they (the parties concerned) throw no discord].”
    Beautiful. Interesting that Jacob married 2 sisters. Seems, the rule is that a woman that converts becomes like a new born with no family connections, no sisters. Rachel and Leah convert and their prior history of being born from the wicked gentile Laban, is cancelled. Like the K-G heter, cancels Tamar’s marriage to Aaron. In Moses’ time many married sisters and aunts. These sisters and aunts converted and accepted Judaism and became, under the then law, were free to marry anyone. Like with K-G heter Tamar is free to marry her lover. The women had only to convert which would prove they are Jews. In the Schulcan Aruch the law is that the women have to be checked if they are really Jews. The men are given a free pass. Why check only women? Simple, because we’re sure who’s the mother but we have big doubts on who’s the father. Follow KA and IR, a while ago?

  2. Allow me to comment on KA and IR (and Berel etc) many conversations here. KA and IR crowd out my Torah thoughts. Torah thought on בשלח
    I just read closely Answer to Job
    Answer to Job is a 1952 book by Carl Gustav Jung that addresses the moral, mythological and psychological implications of the Book of Job.
    Amazing that Job complains to God to know what God is charging him with. We today what to know what God is charging the generation of the spies with.
    “I am disgusted with life נקטה נפשי בחיי ; I will give rein to my complaint, Speak in the bitterness of my soul. I say to God, Do not condemn me; Let me know what You charge me with. Does it benefit You to defraud, To despise the toil of Your hands, While smiling on the counsel of the wicked? ועל עצת רשעים הפעת (Job 10:1-3).
    Carl Gustav Jung is angry at God for making wagers with Satan and for never criticizing Satan.
    My theory is that the generation of the spies did not keep Sabbaths. They honestly believed they would die in Israel. Better stay in the desert. Even better yet, return to Egypt who would surely welcome them back.
    “Why is the Lord taking us to that land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be carried off! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt! And they said to one another, Let us head back for [lit. set the head and return to; cf. Neh. 9.17. Others Let us make a captain and return to] Egypt.” (Numbers 14:3-4).
    “You made known to them Your holy sabbath, and You ordained for them laws, commandments and Teaching, through Moses Your servant. You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry, and produced water from a rock when they were thirsty. You told them to go and possess the land that You swore to give them. But they—our fathers—acted presumptuously; they stiffened their necks and did not obey Your commandments. Refusing to obey, unmindful of Your wonders that You did for them, they stiffened their necks, and in their defiance resolved to return to their slavery. But You, being a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, long-suffering and abounding in faithfulness, did not abandon them.” (Nehemia 9:14-17).
    The wicked generation of the spies did not keep Sabbaths. They loved their gentile/Egyptian wives. The evil inclination for the gentile/Egyptian women was so intense. Didn’t even Joseph nearly succumb to the wife of Potifar?
    Torah thought on Joseph:
    “So Joseph gained possession of all the farm land of Egypt for Pharaoh, every Egyptian having sold his field because the famine was too much for them; thus the land passed over to Pharaoh.: (Genesis 47:20).
    Joseph wisely insisted that “every Egyptian having sold his field” because, otherwise, they could try to nullify the sales for various reasons, but not if every owner personally sells his field. In the K-G heter Tamar personally agreed to marry Aaron, so she cannot cancel the marriage agreement.

  3. Kalonymus AnonymusJune 17, 2019 at 2:54 PM

    That is very interesting, But KA/IR are not really responding to your Torah thoughts. I enjoy your posts, they are usually very interesting.
    KA/IR are discussions, . I am not as learned as IR, who has obviously spent some serious time in yeshiva. So I find things that I once learned, and then try to get the right understanding. IR points out certain flaws in my theories, and that is welcome.
    BTw - Rambam makes a very important point in his intro to Helek. He says that there are many rabbinic sayings which are not correctly understood - even by the majority of scholars in his time. He points to his own interpretations as being like a singular Star.. Only Rambam could reconcile these different aggadot without a) being logically absurd, and b) rejecting the sayings of the sages.

    If this was the situation 1000 years ago, there could hardly be a canonical interpretation of aggadah nowadays.


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