The Value of a Woman

[onionsoupmix]

Here's a topic I am completely ignorant about : Valuations. Arachin.

There is apparently a whole section of halacha that deals with donation vows made based on a person's worth. I guess it would be like this:  "In honor of our anniversary, I hereby promise to donate my wife's value to the Temple." Or something like that.  One type of valuation vow

Comments

[beaniekins]

I don't have an answer to your post. I just wanted to say that I was in Crown Heights for Shabbos and I thought of you a lot as I cringed my way through several discussions around the table.

[onionsoupmix]

I gather it hasn't changed much then?

[beaniekins]

When I got home I updated my facebook status to say, "Oh, Crown Heights, I think you are the very definition of, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." (The more things change, the more they stay the same.)

It's so weird because the friends I have there are so nice and normal. But then, they have people at their Shabbos tables who, when I meet them, also seem nice and normal and things are going so well and I'm sitting there thinking, "What a great community! People really care about each other and are compassionate and generous and intellectually curious..." And I have barely finished the thought when someone says something about the "myth of global warming" or "Arabs killing Arabs is fine by me" or the one about how shidduchim, "aren't based on looks, like they are in the goyishe veldt."

looks aren't part of shidduchim?

[glowing_flower]

Okay, you must be an amazingly calm person because I would have been laughing so hard at that kugel would have come out my nose...

Re: looks aren't part of shidduchim?

[beaniekins]

LOL I know, right?? That particular comment got a pretty vehement, WHAT?!?!?! from me. There was no way I wasn't going to call shenanigans on that BS.

[hamaskil]

Regarding the myth of global warming, an interesting read can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climatic_Research_Unit_email_controversy

[onionsoupmix]

I would also not have been able to refrain from commenting. That's part of the reason I don't live there anymore.

[beaniekins]

I didn't refrain from commenting, I was pretty outspoken when confronted with racist/sexist/ignorant remarks. But when the global warming comment was made I did get up and excuse myself to go visit another friend.

[onionsoupmix]

I understand the broader frustrations here as well. I find myself still enchanted by some chabad people and families b/c they are so nice and their children are well behaved and so on and then... they say something about schvartzehs and I remember oh yeah, that's why I'm not part of this system anymore.

[fetteredwolf]

This exactly. Or the whole conversation about how "we are better than goyim", and I remember my Chabad friend who got pregnant from her dad and I'm like, OOOOKKKKKAY.

[onionsoupmix]

I hope he got arrested.

[fetteredwolf]

He left the country. Obviously.

[hamaskil]

It must have been a holy, mystical pregnancy, which would cause the ultimate redemption and coming of Moshiach tzidkeinu speedy and in our time, amen. He must have been mekaven zayn to unite the ein sof and atika kadisha, if you know what I mean :(