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Showing posts with label Anthony Weiner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony Weiner. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Anthony Weiner Can Be a Free Man...If He Really Wants To

The man did the crime and served his time:
Former Rep. Anthony Weiner left a New York City halfway house on Tuesday after completing his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl.

"It's good to be out," the disgraced former congressman said, according to the New York Post . "I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I'm glad this chapter of my life is behind me."

He may be out of jail but is he really free? Our sages have an interesting take on what freedom is:
Said Rabbi Joshua the son of Levi: Every day, an echo resounds from Mount Horeb (Sinai) proclaiming and saying: "Woe is to the creatures who insult the Torah." For one who does not occupy himself in Torah is considered an outcast, as is stated (Proverbs 11:22), "A golden nose-ring in the snout of a swine, a beautiful woman bereft of reason." And it says (Exodus 32:16): "And the tablets are the work of G‑d, and the writing is G‑d's writing, engraved on the tablets"; read not "engraved" (charut) but "liberty" (chairut)---for there is no free individual, except for he who occupies himself with the study of Torah. And whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah is elevated, as is stated (Number 21:19), "And from the gift to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to The Heights."
Yes, Torah is the path to freedom! I have written in the past that Anthony Weiner can leverage what has befallen him for his benefit:
However, in spite of everything, Anothony Weiner can leverage this situation. What seems to be an unfortunate turn of events is a blessing in disguise! It is a wake up call for Anthony Weiner. Anthony Weiner, ayeka? Where are you? Perhaps it is time to reconsider the way you lead your life? Come home, Anthony Weiner! Leave your false concepts of success, and leave your gentile wife! Take some time off to learn in a yeshivah, to find out who you really are! Weinergate may be the best thing that ever happened to you! It all depends on what you do with it.
Is it a coincidence that he was freed now, during the days when the Jewish People are counting the Omer? These days are known for their potential for spiritual growth! Who knows, we may see some nachas from Anthony Weiner yet!

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Weiner, Prison and Teshuvah

It's final. Anthony Weiner a.k.a. Carlos Danger is going to prison:
He lost his seat in Congress, his audacious bid to resurrect his career as mayor of New York City, and his high-profile marriage. And he undermined Hillary Clinton’s shot at the presidency in the closing days of the tumultuous 2016 campaign.

On Monday, Anthony D. Weiner, sobbing as the judge spoke, learned the final, personal cost of his seemingly uncontrollable habit of exchanging lewd texts and pictures with women and girls: 21 months in prison.

Upon hearing this, especially now during the "Ten Days of Repentance", I could not help of thinking about the famous Midrash in Kohelet Rabba 7:32, brought down by Rabbeinu Yonah in his book "Shaarei Teshuvah":
Our sages tell of a band of robbers who were thrown in prison by the king where they languished for a while till they dug an escape hatch and fled. One of them, though, decided not to escape. And when the jail keeper arrived and turned one way and caught sight of the escape hatch, then the other way and noticed the remaining prisoner, he said to him, “Fool! There’s an escape hatch right before your eyes and you’re not using it?”
Way back in 2011 I suggested that Mr. Weiner leverage this scandal to return to who he really is. It is such a shame that he did not take my advice!

However, all is not lost. The gates of repentance are still open. Imagine if Anthony Weiner spends his 21 months in prison immersed in Torah study! Imagine what progress he can make in becoming the Jew he was meant to be!

Let us all learn from Anthony Weiner's tragic fall from grace to clean up our own acts. We all have something that needs fixing. The tunnel leading out of prison is wide open. Will we be wise enough to use it?

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner Separate After Weiner's Latest Texting Scandal

It looks like the beginning of the end of the Weiner/Abedin partnership:
Huma Abedin, one of Democraatic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's top aides, said on Monday that she was separating from her husband, Anthony Weiner, after a sex scandal similar to an earlier incident that led him to resign from the US Congress.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Huma Abedin said in a statement.

Can you hear me clapping? Huma added the following:
Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.
Good luck with that one, Huma.

I've been following this scandal for quite some time. There was much to be learned from this debacle:

Weinergate, Shavuot and the Zohar

How Rep. Anthony Weiner Can Leverage Weinergate

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress

Should Rep. Anthony Weiner Change His Name?

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress: For Real!

Will Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin Get Divorced?

The Weiner Incident in the Kosher Bakery

Anthony Weiner's Day of Judgment

Anthony Weiner vs. Saul Kessler: Hakoras HaTov

Huma Abedin's Next Step

With the month of Elul just around the corner, we all must remember that the gates of Teshuvah are open to all of us, even someone like Anthony Weiner. Will we take advantage of the opportunity?

Monday, September 16, 2013

Huma Abedin's Next Step

Now that Anthony Weiner's political comeback bid has failed miserably, many are wondering what Huma Abedin's next step will be: will she continue to stand by her man. or will she throw him out like a rotten tomato?

The question is not new. I raised it two years ago when Weiner resigned from Congress on the heels of "Weinergate":

The truth is, according to Jewish law, Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin are not married. A Jew cannot marry a non-Jew. Period. According to the Torah, their current lifestyle is a simple case of promiscuity, to put things mildly as possible.

My guess is that Huma and Tony are going to be parting ways in the near future. Huma thought that she married an up and coming Congressman who was on the way to becoming the Mayor of New York City. Now her "husband" has become a walking joke! Such an embarrassing situation is no doubt unbearable. Huma has little use for such a disgraced has-been. He's not President Bill Clinton. She will show him the door quicker than most people think.

Chances are that they would have broken up in a few years time anyway. As is well known, intermarriages are recipes for domestic strife and confused children. The Weiner-Abedin union is no exception. I wonder what baby Weiner will think when he/she hears the imam say that his/her father is "a descendant of apes and pigs"?

Well, two years have passed and my prediciton that Anthony and Huma would be "parting ways in the near future" was wrong.

At the beginning of the above snippet I mentioned that according to Jewish law Weiner and Abedin are not married. From the Torah point of view the two are involved in an illicit relationship, a relationship which is much worse that Carlos Danger's online escapades.

I wonder how Huma Abedin's family looks upon the couple. I remember back in the days when I still did reserve duty, I was on a border patrol together with a Bedouin scout. To my great dismay I had heard of Muslims marrying Jewish girls here in Israel. I had never heard of a case where a Muslim girl marries a Jew. I asked him out of curiousity if there is any chance that a Bedouin girl would marry a Jew. My Bedouin comrade-in-arms gave me a "perish the thought" kind of look and said that such a thing was absolutely forbidden.

A little bit of research confirms what he said. It turns out that according to Islam, a Muslim man can take a Jewish or Christian wife, as long as the children are brought up as Muslims:

Muslim men are permitted by Islamic Law to marry up to four non-Muslim women who belong to other two Abrahamic religions i.e. Christians and Jews, provided that all of the children are ensured to be brought up as Muslims. The conversion of the wives to Islam is encouraged, but not obligatory, as their children will legally be Muslim regardless.
However, for Muslim women, things are different:
Islamic scholars generally forbid Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men.
So by Islamic standards, the Weiner marriage is not valid. It seems that this union falls under the Islamic category of Zina, adultery or fornication, which is punishable by lashes. If Huma were to travel to Saudi Arabia without a diplomatic passport, she would probably come back with more stripes than a zebra.

So Huma Abedin, who professes to be a practicing Muslim, is living in a state of cognitive dissonance. Or is she?

Some people think that Anthony Weiner may have secretly converted to Islam:

Certainly the most likely scenario is that Weiner did convert to Islam, as Abedin’s mother, a professor in Saudi Arabia, would almost certainly have insisted that he do so. Weiner has made no public statement of this conversion, but since it would almost certainly have cost him politically if he had announced it, this silence is not any indication that he didn’t actually convert.
Others think that Huma Abedin was given special dispensation from Islamic clerics to marry the kafir Weiner in order to infiltrate the highest levels of the United States government:
Few Westerners are familiar with the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood revival of the doctrine of muruna, which literally means “stealth” or “flexibility.” It is far worse than taqiyya, since it sanctions all prohibitions that block Muslim interests, even blasphemous ones. . . . Consider the example of Huma Abedin, a practicing Muslim who married Jewish former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Qaradawi has used muruna to sanction such marriages.

What was once forbidden by Shariah — from major crimes like Muslims killing Muslims, to issues of interest banking that include alliances with infidels — was made “temporarily” kosher by muruna.

While I cannot prove that these theories are false, I would like to present another option. Huma Abedin merely does what she wants. It is that simple. She has subjugated her Saudi submission to her Philadelphia freedom. She is willing to fast during Ramadan but not to wear a hijab. She preferred marrying an American Jew to a Muslim from anywhere else on the planet. It's not a conspiracy nor a secret, just an issue of personal preference. As far as she is concerned, if the Qadi doen't like it, he can go drink water from the Indian Ocean, or should I say the Great Salt Lake. Whatever.

In any case the question remains: What will be Huma Abedin's next step? According to my theory, she will do whatever she perceives as being good for her. Is she better off being a single mother or sticking it out with a man who has brought her so much embarrassment, and who just happens to be the father of her son? Is Anthony Weiner an asset or a liability to her own political and/or career ambitions? Does she think that at 37 years old plus a child she can find somebody better? Who knows? Huma knows.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Anthony Weiner vs. Saul Kessler: Hakoras HaTov

It's hard to believe, but this is my third post about the famous "argument in the kosher bakery". But then again, I mentioned that there is a lot to learn from the clip. This time I want to write about what happens towards the end of their dispute. Here it is again for you viewing pleasure:

Now here is something that you should know: When two Jews have an argument in a kosher bakery, there are a lot of subtleties that may go unnoticed by the general public. At about 2:00 into the clip, Anthony Weiner says the following:

"By the way I fought very hard for this community and delivered more than you will ever in your entire life."
Kessler responds:
"You never delivered anything...you deliver for yourself."
It could be that Kessler was hinting to the what the Talmud says in Avodah Zarah 2B with regard to certain nations of the world. Subtle! In any case, at this point Weiner says something that I think probably went under the radar of most of the people who viewed the clip:
"You don't understand Hakoras HaTov."
Hakoras HaTov (or Hakarat HaTov according to the Sephardi pronunciation) is a very important concept in Jewish thought. Once upon a time, I wrote an entire post about it:
Jews like to ask questions. Some say that Jews like to answer a question with another question. This is a strange thing to do.

Every Sabbath we end the morning prayers with a question, which is a verse from Tehillim, Psalms 106:

"Who can express the mighty acts of the L-RD, or make all His praise to be heard?"

This is also a strange thing to do, to finish the prayers with a question! Of course, this is a rhetorical question that is not meant to be answered. Nobody can express the mighty acts of the L-RD! It just cannot be done!

The verse itself seems to be redundant. The second part of the verse seems to repeat the first part of the verse. "Making all His praise to be heard" seems to be the same as "expressing the mighty acts of the L-RD."

The Maharal from Prague wrote a book about the Exodus, "Gevurot Hashem". In chapter 1 of Gevurot Hashem the Maharal explains that the verse is telling us two different ideas. The first part of the verse deals with quality, while the second part is talking about quality. "Who can express the mighty acts of the L-RD" in terms of the quality of his acts,” or make ALL His praise to be heard" in terms of quantity. Whether in terms of quality or in terms of quantity G-d's praises cannot be expressed!

Since this is so, the Maharal questions why we bother making a seder Passover night. While eating chicken soup with kneidlach is certainly a worthy pastime, the real purpose of the seder is to speak of the great miracles that G-d did for us as we left Egypt. But this is an impossible task! Who can express the mighty acts of the LORD, or make all His praise to be heard?

The Maharal answers that while we cannot possibly say all of G-d’s praises, we dare not be silent. This is called "Hakarat Hatov", recognizing and appreciating the good that someone has done for you. Gratitude. This is considered an important character trait that one should foster, and G-d forbid not to be a "Kefui Tovah", an ingrate. We say G-d's praises in order to show our appreciation and gratitude, even thought we know that our words cannot encompass all of the things that G-d is to be praised for.

I am impressed that Anthony Weiner was familiar with the concept. May we all merit to recognize the good,

G'mar Chatimah Tovah!

Update: Perhaps Weiner learned the term from his meeting with these rabbis.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Anthony Weiner's Day of Judgment

I mentioned in my previous post that there was much to learn from "The Weiner Incident in the Kosher Bakery". I showed how the incident was an example of how not to reprove somebody. But there is so much more.

That video clip depicted a sad spectacle. Yes, it was a sad spectacle indeed to see the man who has separated himself from God and His Torah walking into a kosher bakery just before the Jewish New Year, desparately trying to drum up votes among the very people who he has abandoned. Being Jewish is a lot more than shoving some honey cake into your mouth and saying, "Have a sweet year". Nobody at the bakery mentioned this. Who would dare? It's not polite. It's not politically correct. Then came Kessler.

Saul Kessler's confrontation with Anthony Weiner was a "clash of civilizations" within the Jewish community. In the United States of America there are two different kinds of Jews: those whose progeny will be Jews and those whose progeny will not. Kessler, as far as I can tell without knowing him personally, belongs to the first. Weiner, to our great dismay, at least at this point of time, belongs to the second.

Weiner, by "marrying" a non-Jew, has knowingly cut off his seed from the covenant of Sinai and the ways of Abraham:

"For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.'"
Weiner's uncontrolled passions caused him to leave the path of Abraham and follow the path of "Carlos Danger".

Yesterday was Weiner's Day of Judgment: 19 out of 20 Democrats who took part in the primaries voted for someone else. Anthony Weiner objected to Saul Kessler judging him. Now the public has judged him, and he has no choice but to accept the verdict.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

The Weiner Incident in the Kosher Bakery

This incident is at once tragic and yet fascinating. There is so much to learn from it:
Beleaguered New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner got into a war of words Wednesday with a man who lashed out at him for being “married to an Arab,” in addition to chastising the former congressman about his well-documented sexting scandal.

The incident began inside a bakery in Brooklyn’s Borough Park neighborhood, where the man yelled out to Weiner, who had just bought cookies and an iced coffee, “You’re a real (expletive deleted).”

Weiner offered a quick retort, then said to no one in particular, “Very nice, that’s a charming guy right there.” It’s then that the man, later identified as Saul Kessler, responded: “Married to an Arab.”

The comment is an apparent reference to Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, who works for Hillary Clinton. Abedin’s late father was an Islamic scholar from India and her mother, a sociologist, is from Pakistan. Weiner is Jewish, as were most of those inside the Brooklyn bakery.

The Democratic candidate responded with, “Very nice, in front of children… That is charming.” Kessler didn’t stop talking, even as Weiner was leaving the bakery, saying, “You are disgusting, disgusting.”

“It takes one to know one, (expletive deleted),” Weiner replied.

The two then went face-to-face, with Kessler accusing Weiner — who resigned in disgrace after 12 years in Congress representing part of New York City after admitting to sending sexually suggestive images and carrying on inappropriate relationships with women over the Internet — of doing “disgusting things, and you have the nerve to even walk around in public.”

A visibly agitated Weiner responded,”And you’re a perfect person? You’re my judge? What rabbi taught you that?”

At one point, Kessler implored Weiner to “think about your wife, how could you take the person you’re most closest to … and betray her?”

The mayoral hopeful then accused Kessler of acting like he is superior, even though he doesn’t “have the moral authority to judge me.”

The back-and-forth went on for about a minute longer before Weiner left the bakery. He seemed to quickly brush off the confrontation, saying, “He has every right to (challenge me). It’s America.”

Personally, I am disappointed in Anthony Weiner. I thought that he had the potential to be the next Teshuvah poster boy. So far, that has not happened. Instead, he has fulfilled the verse, "As a dog that returneth to his vomit, so is a fool that repeateth his folly."

The incident in the bakery brings to mind what Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah said, "I wonder if there is anyone in this generation who knows how to reprove(Arachin 16B)." Many mistakes were made here by Mr, Kessler, as one can see by learning what the Rambam writes:

It is a mitzvah for a person who sees that his fellow Jew has sinned or is following an improper path [to attempt] to correct his behavior and to inform him that he is causing himself a loss by his evil deeds as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "You shall surely admonish your colleague."

A person who rebukes a colleague - whether because of a [wrong committed] against him or because of a matter between his colleague and God - should rebuke him privately. He should speak to him patiently and gently, informing him that he is only making these statements for his colleague's own welfare, to allow him to merit the life of the world to come.

If he accepts [the rebuke], it is good; if not, he should rebuke him a second and third time. Indeed, one is obligated to rebuke a colleague who does wrong until the latter strikes him and tells him: "I will not listen."

Whoever has the possibility of rebuking [sinners] and fails to do so is considered responsible for that sin, for he had the opportunity to rebuke the [sinners].

At first, a person who admonishes a colleague should not speak to him harshly until he becomes embarrassed as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "[You should]... not bear a sin because of him." This is what our Sages said: Should you rebuke him to the point that his face changes [color]? The Torah states: "[You should]... not bear a sin because of him."

From this, [we learn that] it is forbidden for a person to embarrass a [fellow] Jew. How much more so [is it forbidden to embarrass him] in public. Even though a person who embarrasses a colleague is not [liable for] lashes on account of him, it is a great sin. Our Sages said: "A person who embarrasses a colleague in public does not have a share in the world to come."

Therefore, a person should be careful not to embarrass a colleague - whether of great or lesser stature - in public, and not to call him a name which embarrasses him or to relate a matter that brings him shame in his presence.

When does the above apply? In regard to matters between one man and another. However, in regard to spiritual matters, if [a transgressor] does not repent [after being admonished] in private, he may be put to shame in public and his sin may be publicized. He may be subjected to abuse, scorn, and curses until he repents, as was the practice of all the prophets of Israel.

Obviously, in order to properly reprove somebody according to what our rabbis taught us, you don't start by calling him a, uh, you know, what he said.

However, it must be noted that even if Kessler was not particularly adept at reproof, his heart is in the right place. He obviously detests intermarriage, and he is not afraid to say it. Mr. Kessler has not been spoiled by the prevailing political correctness spouted by "liberal" Jews with regards to this subject. What's more, Weiner's personal behavior does matter. If the man is a habitual liar who cheats on his live-in-partner (I refuse to call Huma Abedin his wife since Jewish law does not recognize such a union), he is unfit to serve the public.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Devarim: Words of Rebuke

This week's Parasha starts out:
These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on that side of the Jordan in the desert, in the plain opposite the Red Sea, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Hazeroth and Di Zahav.
Rashi explains:
Since these are words of rebuke and he [Moses] enumerates here all the places where they angered the Omnipresent, therefore it makes no explicit mention of the incidents [in which they transgressed], but rather merely alludes to them, [by mentioning the names of the places] out of respect for Israel (cf. Sifrei).
Rebuke is not an easy matter. Not everybody knows how to rebuke his fellowman in a way that what he says will make a positive impression. Rabbi Akiva said, "I am in doubt if there is anyone in this generation who knows how to give reproof." (Arachin 16B). Rebuking someone by hanging a sign from your balcony seems to me to be a good method. The person is not being attacked personally and he may take the words to heart. Here are some words of rebuke that I have seen recently (click on the pics to enlarge):

The sign on the left says, "No entrance to owners of iPhones (or similar devices) or unfiltered internet." The second sign says," O merciful nation of Israel! Pray that my father will get rid of the iPhone and the internet and not break up our family." I agree with the signs that iPhones, internet etc. can be dangerous. If you don't believe me, ask Anthony Weiner.

More of the same:

This sign warns in the name of Rabbi Kanievsky that those who have iPhones bring trouble into their homes:

This really does not fit in but I'm including it anyway. The red sign in the middle says, "To the Nations of the world: (from their ambassadors in the land who are closely following the struggle against Judaism in Israel) Jewish Education under Foreign Rule is preferable to Foreign Education under Jewish Rule".

Baruch Dayan HaEmet. I just noticed that one of the signs announces that Zahava Golda Levin, the wife of Rabbi Simchah Shlomo Levin shlita, has passed away. (Rabbi Simchah Shlomo Levin is the son of the famed Tzaddik of Jerusalem Rabbi Aryeh Levin zt"l).

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Who is the Real Obama?

Herb Keinon wrote an excellent article about Obama's latest speech. He makes a number of points that I really identify with. Here are some highlights from the article:
It took some 34 months, but on Wednesday at the UN Israel finally heard the speech it wanted to hear from US President Barack Obama.

Gone were so many elements of previous Obama speeches on the Middle East that rankled so many Israelis, and left a taste in many people's mouths that here was a president who simply did not get us; who did not understand our history, our daily reality, or our fears.

Gone was any reference to the settlements. Not in this speech were his words from Cairo in June 2009 that did so much to knock the diplomatic process off kilter: “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.

This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.”

Gone were veiled comparisons between the Palestinian struggle and the US civil rights movement, as was done in his Cairo speech when, during his discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Obama said, “For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America’s founding.”

Gone too were infuriating hints that the Jewish people’s link to Israel was the result of its tragic history, not because Israel is the cradle of the Jewish people.

Gone too was the striving after perfect balance, talking about the Holocaust in one breath, and then saying in the very next, “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.” No, this was a speech of an entirely different tone and tenor.
There is a lot more over there at jpost. So what caused this radical change from Obama's infamous Cairo speech? Towards the end Keinon writes:
Cynics will argue that Obama doesn’t mean it, that he is just mouthing the words – pandering to the Jews, worried about reelection, recalibrating his message after a Democrat was roundly defeated by a Republican in a heavily Jewish congressional district that the Republicans have not represented in nearly 90 years.

No one can read into his heart, but the words – at this time, at that forum, in the matter in which they were expressed – do matter.
For sure. Only Obama and perhaps the people close to him know if his change of tone is a result of political expediency or inner conviction. I do not see myself as a cynic, however, my gut feeling is that the real Obama is the one we saw and heard at the Cairo speech. The spectre of seeing a Democrat get a damn good whacking in New York’s ninth congressional district probably played a role in the change in rhetoric. Of course, there are those that feel differently:
But yesterday, Koch seemed overjoyed to be back in the Democratic fold, thanks to Obama’s unflinchingly strong UN speech in support of Israel.

“I told the president the speech was magnificent,” said Koch, who met Obama at a White House-sponsored UN reception at the New York Public Library Wednesday night.

Koch, who had even threatened to campaign against the president, was invited to the reception by the White House.

“The president is on the right track! It was wonderful,” Koch said. Last month, I would not approve. This week, I’m ecstatic!”

In his UN speech, Obama said, “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day.”

As for his very public recent spat with Obama, Koch said, “I’m not looking back. I’m looking forward.

“I have no regrets in saying, ‘Thank you, Mr. President, for standing up magnificently for Israel.’ ”

Koch now says it’s “very possible that I will be campaigning for President Obama’s re-election.” He stumped for Obama in Florida in 2008.
If the election results in New York’s ninth congressional district are what caused Obama's rhetorical about-face, "Come, behold the works of the LORD, who hath made desolations in the earth"(Psalms 46:9)! This all started with good old Anthony Weiner! Who thought that in the end, the Weiner scandal would bring the Obama administration closer to Israel?

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Will Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin Get Divorced?

Now that Anthony Weiner has lost his job in Congress, is he going to lose his wife as well? Is the humiliated Huma going to give Weiner the boot? That is the question that many who have followed this bizarre case are asking themselves.

The truth is, according to Jewish law, Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin are not married. A Jew cannot marry a non-Jew. Period. According to the Torah, their current lifestyle is a simple case of promiscuity, to put things mildly as possible.

My guess is that Huma and Tony are going to be parting ways in the near future. Huma thought that she married an up and coming Congressman who was on the way to becoming the Mayor of New York City. Now her "husband" has become a walking joke! Such an embarrassing situation is no doubt unbearable. Huma has little use for such a disgraced has-been. He's not President Bill Clinton. She will show him the door quicker than most people think.

Chances are that they would have broken up in a few years time anyway. As is well known, intermarriages are recipes for domestic strife and confused children. The Weiner-Abedin union is no exception. I wonder what baby Weiner will think when he/she hears the imam say that his/her father is "a descendant of apes and pigs"?

If I am correct this will also be for Anthony Weiner's good. As long as he is "married" to Huma he cannot make amends with his Maker. Once she is gone, the gates of teshuva will be wide open for him. Will he enter?

Friday, June 17, 2011

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress: For Real!

About a week ago I published a fictional post, "Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress". Well, the post has been fulfilled, that is to say, the resignation part.:



BTW, I found the heckling extremely distasteful.

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The Weiner chronicle is not over. I am interested to see if any other aspects of my fictional post will come true. Time will tell.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Should Rep. Anthony Weiner Change His Name?

I have already mentioned that Rep. Anthony Weiner can leverage Weinergate to his advantage. He has a golden opportunity to reexamine the way he has led his life until now. Now that he is officially taking a leave of absence in order to address his problems, let's hope that he will find a rabbi who will give him the spiritual guidance that he really needs. He must realize that the only cure is to lead a Torah-true life. If he is able to make the change, he could be one of the great Jewish heroes of our generation.

Ever since the Weinergate scandal broke the Internet is just full with "Weiner" jokes. One gets the impression from him that he has had to bear such jokes for many years:
"It seems like what happened someone somehow got access to my Twitter account and tweeted a joke, I guess, when your name is Wiener you get some of those sometimes."
The truth is that there is nothing wrong with the name Weiner. It means "wine merchant" in Yiddish.

That being said I'll address the question in the title of this post: Should Anthony Weiner change his name? Before we answer let's take a look at what Maimonides has to say (Laws of Return 2:4):

מדרכי התשובה להיות השב צועק תמיד לפני ה', בבכי ובתחנונים, ועושה צדקה כפי כוחו, ומתרחק הרבה מן הדבר שחטא בו. ומשנה שמו, כלומר שאני אחר ואיני אותו האיש שעשה אותן המעשים; ומשנה מעשיו כולן לטובה, ולדרך ישרה. וגולה ממקומו--שגלות מכפרת עוון, מפני שגורמת לו להיכנע ולהיות עניו ושפל רוח.
A rough translation:
Among the ways of repentance is for the penitent to always raise up his voice before God, in crying and supplication, and to give charity according to his ability, and distance himself a lot from the matter that he sinned in. He changes his name, as if to say I am another and not the man that did those deeds. And he changes all of his deeds for the good, to the straight path. He exiles himself -- for exile atones for sins, because it causes him to be submissive and to be modest and humble.

As long as this guy calls himself Weiner people are going to associate him with this scandal. According to the Maimonides it would be a good idea for Weiner to change his name, along with the other aspects of Teshuva. What name would I suggest? Well, instead of Weiner he call himself Yeinan, the Hebrew word for wine-maker. Instead of Anthony he could choose the name Yosef. Remember, Yosef is the one who was able to overcome the temptation of Potiphar's wife.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Anthony Weiner Resigns From Congress


Anthony Weiner is taking a leave of absence from politics in order to learn Judaism at an Israeli rabbinic academy. Rep. Weiner, looking sporting a turquoise yarmulke and the beginnings of a scraggly beard, looked relaxed as he explained his latest move.

"One of my lady Tweeter followers sent me a link from some blogger in Jerusalem. I can say with certainty that what the guy wrote really made an impression on me. After consulting with my wife Huma, we decided that we are on our way to Jerusalem."

When asked why he does not stay in New York to learn at a local rabbinic academy, Weiner replied,"For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

What does Huma think about this? According to Weiner she said, "For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."

Disclaimer: this post is entirely fictional, at least at this point in time.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

How Rep. Anthony Weiner Can Leverage Weinergate

One might think that the disgraceful Weinergate scandal and the pathetic attempted cover-up spell the end for Anthony Weiner. I beg to disagree. This entire debacle can be a positive turning point for the man!

I know what you are thinking: This guy must be kidding! After all the Weinergate narrative is as follows: Anthony Weiner is a young and rising star in Congress, the pride of his family, "My son the congressman". The man is married to an aide to Secretary of State Clinton, giving him even more traction in the Democratic Party. Things are looking good for him until his deplorable "virtual relationships", complete with foul-mouthed chats and immodest photos, are revealed to the public. His political future and the future of his marriage seem to be in doubt. What can be positive about that? A true "from riches to rags" story!

I would like to offer an alternative Weinergate narrative: An American-Jew grows up, like so many of his generation, knowing almost nothing about Judaism. He engulfs himself in the pursuit of power, money and physical pleasures. Weiner leads an immoral life for decades, culminated by marrying a gentile. From a Torah point of view, this man is not a success, and that is an understatement. Then he gets caught indulging in virtual debauchery. This is a true "from rags to filthy rags" story.

However, in spite of everything, Anothony Weiner can leverage this situation. What seems to be an unfortunate turn of events is a blessing in disguise! It is a wake up call for Anthony Weiner. Anthony Weiner, ayeka? Where are you? Perhaps it is time to reconsider the way you lead your life? Come home, Anthony Weiner! Leave your false concepts of success, and leave your gentile wife! Take some time off to learn in a yeshivah, to find out who you really are! Weinergate may be the best thing that ever happened to you! It all depends on what you do with it.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Weinergate, Shavuot and the Zohar

As I was waiting for the chazan to start chazarat hashatz this morning I took a look at Sefer HaZohar. I opened up it up to this week's Torah portion and this is what I found:

וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר. דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלוֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת וְגוֹ', רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (תהלים יט) וְהוּא כְּחָתָן יוֹצֵא מֵחוּפָּתוֹ וְגוֹ'. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְעֵי בְּהוֹן, וְיָהַב לְהוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא דִּקְשׁוֹט, אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, דְּבֵיהּ אָחִיד בַּר נָשׁ (ס''א ירית) חַיִּין לְהַאי עָלְמָא, וְחַיִּין לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְאָחִיד בָּהּ, אִית לֵיהּ חַיִּין (ס''א אחיד בחיין). וְכָל מַאן דְּשָׁבִיק מִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּאִלּוּ מִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵחַיִּין, בְּגִין דְּהִיא חַיִּין, וְכָל מִלּוֹי חַיִּין, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי ד) כִּי חַיִּים הֵם וְגוֹ'. וּכְתִיב (משלי ג) רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶךָ וְגוֹ.


A very rough translation:
Meritorious is Israel's portion, for the Holy One blessed be He desired them, and gave them the Torah of truth, the tree of life, that in it a man grasps life in this world, and life the the world to come. And every person that exerts himself in Torah learning and grasps it, he has life. And every person that abandons the words of Torah, and separates himself from the Torah, it is as if he has separated himself from life, for she (the Torah) is life, and its words are life, as it is written,"For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh" and it is written, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."
What an appropriate passage to come across the day before Shavuot!

But what does this have to do with Weinergate? There seems to be a difference of opinion if Congressman Anthony Weiner is really a Jew. In any case, his father certainly is.

When one is attached to Torah he is attached to life, to the source of life. When one distances himself from the Torah, he separates himself from the source of life. He (or his offspring) will eventually descend to the depths of depravity, as seen from Congressman Weiner's tweets and attempted cover-up.

I admire Congressman Weiner for coming clean and admitting his wrongdoing. If Congressman Weiner is really a Jew, he should go the full path of Teshuvah, which would include separating himself from his gentile wife.