Elul Part 4 To be a minimum Jew
My return to Judaism perhaps should have concluded
with the fact that I never ever tried to be one to be a maximum Jew. On some
things, I was stricter when I was younger and I still have special Pareve Pots
and cutlery because things like mustard, radish, onion, garlic, pepper etc. are
pungent but I often eat them with both milk and meat meals. Humus and Tahini
contain often onions, pepper and maybe garlic for flavor which makes them
subject to knife and plate that they are used with. Once a meat knife goes into
the Humus, it cannot be eaten with a milk meal. On the other hand, a piece of
fruit like a pear or an apple does not ‘eat into the absorbed milk or meat’ and
therefore can be cut with any knife.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef always looked for the strength of
a Heter aka Koach Ha Heter for Halacha for the average person. However, he
might have been stricter on himself. Any boor and Am HaAretz can forbid an
action. It takes a Rabbi to Permit. A case was once brought before HaRav Ovadia
regarding a belt that used a house key as a buckle for use on Shabbos. Rav Amar
brought it before Rav Ovadia and said the item looks permissible as the key
holds the belt together. At first HaRav Ovadia wanted to say no because of the
Shulchan Aruch where Rabbi Yosef Caro says that it forbidden. However, he might
not have been talking about a key as a buckle that holds the pants together.
For years the people of Paris had been using this but lately at that time the
Chumra of the month club had decided that it was no good. After two days and 50
sources later, Rav Ovadia agreed with Rav Amar on it.
So when I am talking about being a better Jew, I am
not asking somebody to go out of their way to spend $150, $250 dollars on an
Esrog for Sukkos but to buy a kosher one for the lowest price or a bit higher
grade. The Torah was not given to Angels or for people to knock themselves out
in order to buy an Esrog. In fact, in the old days may Jews used the one Esrog
and Lulav that the Congregation had.
What is a good Jew – visiting or at least calling the
sick. Attending a funeral, making happy a bride and groom. Helping somebody
find employment, giving away clothing for the poor all sorts of things to help
others. As a child, I used to help a blind lady cross the street and carry her
bundles about 100 feet to her house and up the stairs for her. It was not much
for me but it helped her. Of course cities can be run by Amalek laws that
arrest people for giving out 100 meals to the homeless: http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-90-arrested-week-feeding-homeless-article-1.2002790
Do the right things. Learn Torah and Halacha, help
raise children to be G-D fearing Jews. Keep Shabbos, Kosher, Family Purity and
help one’s spouse or parents. These are minimum things but there is no limit to
these things. Note kosher is kosher and if you are not Glatt Kosher there is
nothing wrong with it. I recently saw something that almost made my eyes pop. I
was reading that the OU asked for an OU on all Coca Cola products. Unless they
have changed their secret formula which Rabbi Moshe Feinstein approved for
Pessach, they should be kosher anywhere in the world. Is there something
different with their bottling plant somewhere in the world? Is the Cola placed
before an idol for a sacrifice and then we get the left-overs? I don’t know
their reasoning.
We are about to start saying Selichos Prayers asking
for forgiveness. I bought the Art Scroll Selichos for I could not figure out
what these great Alphabetic 100 Songs of forgiveness were. Even 46 years in
Israel and practical Hebrew, the poetic Hebrew is above me. But what there is
some element of Kabbala inside too. The Sephardic Selichos which are said for
almost all of the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur are simple
understandable Hebrew and even if not repeated every morning until one can
learn them. As I wrote in my thoughts about pray over the last few weeks. Maybe
we are saying Selichos for the sake of heaven but if said so fast that I can’t
pray in Hebrew and skim the English it is just mumbling sounds not even words.
We beat our breasts and say the 13 Midos and then return to the mumbling many
times. Finally, Hallelujah, we start saying Remember aka Zachor to the end and
it means something similar to the preamble of the prayers. It is hard to break
a Minchag but in my humble opinion the Sephardim got it right and the
Ashkenazim got it wrong. (Based on the second ascent of Moshe from Rosh Chodesh
Elul until Yom Kippur.) Ok Rabbi Pauli is a renegade and a trouble maker but
observes the custom nevertheless.
Master of the world we are a people trying our best
to serve you. Some with more love, some with more awe, some out of fear, some
out of habit, but please forgive us and judge us for life.
A little epilogue to my 9-part story which is half
story and half Elul and half Repentance: When I
was becoming Frum, I had a bit of regression here and there in my path. Life is
not simple neither black nor white but gray. 20 to 25 days I improve my
Davening and charity and 5 days I revert. That is how human and fallible we
are. It is not a matter of being one way or the other. We all make mistakes.
Learning a new religion, customs and way of life was hard enough for me as a
Jew where I did not have the Bnei Noach option but I had all 613 Mitzvos in
front of me. But Ger has a choice so if he converts he should be praised.
Concepts like a Bastard are different from a Maumzer for a child born to a
married man and a bachelorette out of wedlock is kosher but a child born to a
forbidden or incestuous relationship is a Maumzer. Moving 100 chairs in a room
on Shabbos is not Melacha (mistranslated work) but carrying a handkerchief from
a private domain to a public domain is a Melacha. These are just some new
concepts combined with not turning on electric switches or activating the
internet or phone on Shabbos is hard at first [Ok 50 years ago there was no
internet] but not travelling to the beach by foot and swimming was hard for me
or not sailing or rowing. Each of us has a Yetzer.
This week, my Drasha is strong but
sometimes strong medicine will remove the evil decree upon us and the wicked
will dissipate as smoke blown away by a strong wind.
Ki
Savo
Last week, I debated whether to write Ki Seitzei or Ki
Teitzei. I looked at my spell checker and it was the later. However, Art Scroll
which I only got hold of on Shabbos uses the former. Since I speak in Israel
the Tav and not the Sav, I decided to play it safe. In fact, when I started
this Drasha turned into blogspot, I only used the Sephardic Hebrew of Eretz
Yisrael and wrote Xtians instead of Christians for that was the standard
writing in a small group. However, as I expanded my outreach I went to the
standard for outside of Israel instead of the Israeli version.
This week we start our Parsha with the Mitzvah of
Bikurim and the confession for it. We have the taking of the stones from the
Yarden and plastering them over in order to write on them the whole Torah.
We continue with the blessing on Har Gerizim and the
curse on Har Eval. But then comes the worse reproof of the Nation for
misbehavior that has not yet started.
This week we start our Parsha with the Mitzvah of
Bikurim and the confession for it. We have the taking of the stones from the Yarden
and plastering them over in order to write on them the whole Torah.
We continue with the blessing on Har Gerizim and the
curse on Har Eval. But then comes the worse reproof of the Nation for
misbehavior that has not yet started.
As pessimistic as the curses told by Moshe were and as accusing my
Drasha is today the Parsha ends on an optimistic note that the people are going
into Eretz Yisrael soon and they must remember the miracles and the warnings so
as not to lose it.
I end the Drasha with the belief that we are on the very edge of
the Moshiach coming but until then be prepared and cautious.
26:1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and dost possess it, and dwell
therein; 2 that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground,
which thou shalt bring in from thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee; and
thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy
God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.
The Bikurim have no set Shuir. If you have one tree it
could be one fruit and only from the 7 Minim (species) mentioned in the Torah.
One can bring the whole tree or a few fruits and perhaps add from the same
species. I now bring down the confession that a man does. It has to come from
his inheritance of the land and not nourished by the neighbor’s ground this
about a meter or more away from the neighbor.
3 And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days,
and say unto him: 'I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come
unto the land which the LORD swore unto our fathers to give us.' 4 And the
priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar
of the LORD thy God. 5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God: 'A
wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there,
few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And
the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard
bondage. 7 And we cried unto the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD
heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. 8
And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an
outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with
wonders. 9 And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land,
a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the
first of the fruit of the land, which Thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And thou
shalt set it down before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God. … 13
then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God: 'I have put away the hallowed
things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the
stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Thy commandment
which Thou hast commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments,
neither have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning,
neither have I put away thereof, being unclean, nor given thereof for the dead;
I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, I have done according to all
that Thou hast commanded me. 15 Look forth from Thy holy habitation, from
heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which Thou hast given us, as
Thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'
The people are to set up in stone the whole Torah by
plastering great stones upon entrance into the land.
27:1
And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: 'Keep all the
commandment which I command you this day. 2 And it shall be on the day when ye
shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,
that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster. 3 And
thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed
over; that thou may go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a
land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath
promised thee. 4 And it shall be when ye are passed over the Jordan, that ye
shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Eval, and
thou shalt plaster them with plaster. 5 And there shalt thou build an altar
unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones; thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon
them. 6 Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of unhewn stones;
and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God. 7 And thou
shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice
before the LORD thy God. 8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words
of this law very plainly.'
When my wife and I visited the area two years ago on Chol HaMoed
Sukkos, we saw the excavations of the Altar that Yehoshua Bin Nun built. The
stones are long gone and buried or transported elsewhere by the Romans. In the times
of the Talmud the of the 12 Stones set up in the Yarden River, there were still
available for viewing.
… 12
'These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed
over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and
Benjamin; 13 and these shall stand upon mount Eval for the curse: Reuben, Gad,
and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
The tribes were set by the Torah and not arbitrary. For I would
think after the incident with Zimri and the 24,000 sinners that Shimon would be
on the curse side. Or at least Shimon and Levi separated as Yacov blessed on
his death-bed.
14
And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud
voice:
The Cohanim were in the valley between the two mountains.
15
Cursed be the man that makes a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the
LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all
the people shall answer and say: Amen. 16 Cursed be he that dishonors his
father or his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen.
This is why around 20 a person becomes cuperable for the Mitzvos.
For teenagers often rebel and dishonor their parents.
17
Cursed be he that removes his neighbor’s landmark. And all the people shall
say: Amen. 18 Cursed be he that makes the blind to go astray in the way. And
all the people shall say: Amen. 19 Cursed be he that perverts the justice due
to the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say: Amen. 20
Cursed be he that lies with his father's wife; because he hath uncovered his
father's skirt. And all the people shall say: Amen.
Among the nations, this was the practice of older sons to show
that they were now the head of the household (this is not his mother but his
father’s wife).
21
Cursed be he that lies with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say:
Amen.
Ever since I heard about astronomers in Chile on a mountain top
(back in 5728) using sheep I concluded that if intelligent people among the
nations do this and are not laughed at then it is common among the nations.
22
Cursed be he that lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the
daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. 23 Cursed be he
that lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say: Amen.
All these were practiced among the nations.
24
Cursed be he that smites his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say:
Amen.
I would not advise doing this in public but the curse goes on the
person who attacks when no witnesses are around.
25
Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people
shall say: Amen.
Through false testimony.
26
Cursed be he that confirms not the words of this law to do them. And all the
people shall say: Amen.'
The laws of the Torah are supreme and above the secular
law. Exception is the rule Din of the Kingdom is Din. But it should not go
against the Torah but with the Torah.
28:1
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of
the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee
this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of
the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee,
if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shall thou
be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the
fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle, the
increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket
and thy kneading-trough. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou come in, and blessed
shalt thou be when thou go out. … 13 And the LORD will make thee
the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be
beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which
I command thee this day, to observe and to do them; 14 and shalt not turn aside
from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to
the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
These are the blessings which HASHEM will give you and
conquering your enemies. So why are we having trouble all the time? Unnecessary
Shabbos work. Attacks from the non-religious on G-D and our way of life that
have kept us a nation since Avraham found the true G-D sometime over 3800 years
ago. In Beresheis it says: 24:1 And Abraham was old, well
stricken in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. The blessings come from observance and the curses come from
non-observance. What we have now is a combination of both. So we see certain
blessings and from time to time certain curses. In Sivan 5727, we were given a
golden opportunity to rid the land of usurpers that came in after the Aliyah
and the Jews supplied them with jobs and a scapegoat Dhimmi. All we had to do
was to let them lea(sdeve on their own. Some would resettle and others would
remain in a “refugee camp” with free food and 15 story high shanties with a
marble entrance and tiles on the sides of the shanties if they were
propagandists while others in standard Arab Country buildings. In case I did
not make my point on why the blessings are not coming through with more
observance of the Nation here is an example from Inyanay Diyoma: Why
are Israeli Settlements being demolished by the GOI and courts and not illegal
Arab building??? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858227,00.html
(see below).
15
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD
thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command
thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
But no, our non-observing Jews let them become thorns in our side
and as we violate Mitzvos, the attacks increase. It might not be my fault or
your fault.
Bearing false witness against our neighbors is not just in the
court of law. READ THIS WELL AND TO YOUR CHILDREN. There are some “religious”
people going around acting as if they were 10, 20 or 30 times holier than you
or I. They can even wear Charedi Clothing that make me look non-religious in my
usual white or light blue dress shirt and black pants. Then at night they go
elsewhere to a night club or worse. It is not a big Kiddush HASHEM. Many times
I have stated that the Torah was not given to the angels and every forbidden
mentioned in the Torah unfortunately has been violated. Some in food. Super-duper
in Israel they go outside of Israel all of a sudden Kashrus is gone and maybe
more. On the other hand, if you ever see some Frum Jew going into a Big Mac, it
might be to use the toilet or buy a take-away coffee so don’t judge him
harshly. I was once picked up in the airport by my non-Jewish friend. He told
me that he was hungry from the 3-hour drive from Farmington to St. Louis and he
went with his wife to eat a hamburger while I drank a coke there. It was long
before the internet was invented and I was not known as a Rabbi so I was in my
Baseball Hat as a bearded American not as a Jew.
Perhaps that is a problem of a Kosher Jew in a non-Jewish
environment. The other is complete assimilation. But in Israel there should be
no excuse and yet we see people going out and sin even right after Yom Kippur.
… 69 These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded
Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the
covenant which He made with them in Horev.
Moshe is about to depart this world so he has given the Am a
choice for whether they want to observe the Torah and be blessed or not observe
and face the music. The problem is a merciful G-D that delays punishment based
on past merit or gives the reward in this world that let the wicked prosper.
29:1
And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Ye have seen all that the
LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his
servants, and unto all his land; 2 the great trials which thine eyes saw, the
signs and those great wonders; 3 but the LORD hath not given you a heart to
know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 4 And I have led you
forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy
shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 5 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye
drunk wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am the LORD your God. … 8
Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may make all
that ye do to prosper.
Remember all the miracles which some have seen and are continuing
before your very eyes. From leaving of Egypt to your clothing and shoes. You
have been sustained on Mann all these years and that has been your nourishment
for you and your children to grow.
As pessimistic as the curses told by Moshe were and as accusing my
Drasha is today the Parsha ends on an optimistic note that the people are going
into Eretz Yisrael soon and they must remember the miracles and the warnings so
as not to lose it.
I end the Drasha with the belief that we are on the very edge of
the Moshiach coming but until then be prepared and cautious.
The Big Grin by
Rabbi Rachamim Pauli
This story had to
have occurred sometime between 43 to 40 years ago because after that time,
Yacov Glicksman moved away from Ashdod.
It must have been
around July or August and we either did not work on Friday or worked until
13:00. We lived in Ashdod in Kiriat Ponovez which is also known as Shikkun
Pittsburgh after the Rebbe from Pittsburgh who lives there. By bicycle it was
about 10 to 15 minutes to the beach in those days as there were not many cars
on the road in Israel and I think no traffic lights then.
So we went to the
separate religious men’s beach. We used the ocean as a Mikvah and once over
waist deep pulled on our bathing suits for no imposition of water and body and
then dipped.
As we left the ocean
we saw where the work was being done for the new section of Ashdod, Yud-Aleph. There
appeared to be a torn piece of Eruv here and there. There was no time to
contact the Chief Rabbi and the repair crew. It was up to us to improvise. I
stretched out some broken wires and in one case made an extra pole from a board
we found and pushed it under the wires to hold them up.
We completed our
work, pedaled to the house of the Chief Rabbi of the city to report the area
and what we did. He said that it was the Eruv and thanked us. Our doing that
bit of repair had saved the Orthodox and Traditional Jews of Ashdod from
carrying from a private domain to a public domain on Shabbos.
When we started our
repair we had well over an hour to get home but as we worked and went to the
Rabbi we drove into the religious area at candle lighting and I smiled a big
grin at the ladies who had just lite candles and were pushing their baby
carriages relying on the Eruv. They looked at Yacov and I in shock and scorn that
we had been so careless as to come home from the beach so late. Little did they
know. That is why it says in Perkei Avos always judge a person on merit.
Another Eruv Story
which I heard from Rabbi Simcha HaCohain Kuk was that Erev Shabbos in Rehovot
construction and a storm had knocked out a small section of the Eruv. He
managed to get hold of a ladder and some wire and tie the wire from one pole to
the next fixing the Eruv. Did you ever hear people say “It is not my job”, “Not
your job” or “Why get involved?” I always say, “If you are too big to do a
small job; then you are too small to do a big job.”
After avoiding a mine field Nazi Capsule from 1934 opened: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4856493,00.html
Private Ambulances gathered the dead on Shabbos for year for outrageous
prices. That is now coming to an end. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=36561
Inyanay
Diyoma
Pentagon is sort of fighting
Russia and perhaps Obama on Syria: http://debka.com/article/25670/Rockets-on-Golan-Pentagon-flouts-Obama-no-truce
Pipe bomb in NJ where charity run was to take place: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/17/us/nj-explosive-trash-can/index.html
One explosive device in pressure-cooker with wires attached to a
cellphone neutralized while another device blocks away explodes injuring 29
–blubber brained nightmare De Blasio “it is not terror” maybe he needs some N.
Korea re-education. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/18/explosion-in-new-york-city-believed-to-be-intentional-mayor-says-29-injured.html
MN home of Somali refugees – a stabbing spree in the mall: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/18/attacker-killed-after-injuring-8-in-stabbing-spree-at-minnesota-mall.html
Another stabbing or attempted stabbing in Chevron as IDF boosts
forces: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217935
What is with Clinton’s health deep vein thrombosis and on Coumadin:
http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/ed-klein-hillary-frequently-faints-huma-brings-her-cold-compresses/
With the help of HASHEM, Drs. In Hadassah reverse
paralysis in 6 year old Down’s-Syndrome girl: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217955
An
Editorial from Dr. Harry.
What
is going to happen when America finally doesn’t have any manufacturing jobs
left at all? On Wednesday, we learned that Ford Motor Company is shifting all
small car production to Mexico. Of course the primary goal for this move is to
save a little bit of money. This hits me personally, because my grandfather
once worked for Ford. He was loyal to Ford all his life, and he always criticized
other members of the family when they bought a vehicle that was not
American-made. He used to play bridge with Henry Ford every Weds. night at the
plant, and my cousin manufacture car batteries. My family started making
polishing cloths for cars in Detroit. My first job was working at Fruhoff
Trucking, When I was young I didn’t fully understand why making vehicles in
America is so important, but I sure do now. By shipping jobs overseas, we are
destroying jobs, we are destroying small businesses and we are destroying our
tax base. If we want to be a wealthy nation, we have got to make things here,
and hopefully we can get the American people to start to understand this.
In 1914, Henry Ford decided to start paying his workers $5.00 a day, which was more than double the average wage for auto workers at the time.
One of the reasons why he did this was because he felt that his workers should be able to afford to buy the vehicles that they were making. This is what he wrote in 1926…
“The owner, the employees, and the buying public are all one and the same, and unless an industry can so manage itself as to keep wages high and prices low it destroys itself, for otherwise it limits the number of its customers. One’s own employees ought to be one’s own best customers.”
These days Ford is going in the complete opposite direction. Pretty soon, Ford won’t be making any more small vehicles in the United States at all…
Ford is shifting all North American small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico, CEO Mark Fields told investors today in Dearborn, even though its plans to invest in Mexico have become a lightning rod for controversy in this year’s presidential election.
“Over the next two to three years, we will have migrated all of our small-car production to Mexico and out of the United States,” Fields said.
Could Ford keep jobs in America?
Of course they could. During the second quarter of 2016, Ford reported a net income of 2,000,000,000 dollars.
But if they move production to Mexico they can boost that profit just a little bit higher.
Shame on them.
Needless to say, Donald Trump is quite upset about this move by Ford. This was his response…
“We shouldn’t allow it to happen. They’ll make their cars, they’ll employ thousands of people, not from this country and they’ll sell their car across the border,” Trump said. “When we send our jobs out of Michigan, we’re also sending our tax base.”
And he is exactly right about all of this. We can’t afford to lose more good paying jobs, we can’t afford for the middle class to shrink any more than it already has, and we certainly can’t afford our tax base to continue to deteriorate.
We may think that we can live on borrowed money indefinitely, but that is going to catch up with us in a major way at some point.
Sadly, Ford is not the only auto company doing this. Just like Ross Perot once predicted, there is a giant sucking sound as good paying auto jobs leave the United States and head to Mexico…
Ford isn’t alone. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said earlier this year it will end production of all cars in the U.S. by the end of this year as it discontinues production of the Dodge Dart in Belvidere, Ill. and the Chrysler 200 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
In recent years, automakers that include General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen have all announced plans to either expand existing plants or build new ones in Mexico.
The bad news for American workers won’t end once all of our manufacturing jobs are gone.
Today there are millions of Americans that make their living by driving, but the revolution in self-driving vehicles threatens to make large numbers of those jobs obsolete.
Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Google, Apple and a whole host of other big corporations have been feverishly working on this technology, and many of the tests have gone very well so far.
Once this technology starts being rolled out on a widespread basis, the job losses could be absolutely staggering. Just consider the following numbers which come from Wolf Richter…
1.8 million heavy-truck and tractor-trailer long-haul drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $40,260 in 2015. At this growth rate, there will be 1.94 million long-haul drivers by the end of this year.
1.33 million delivery truck drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $27,800 in 2015. They’re picking up and/or delivering packages and small shipments within the city or region, driving a vehicle of 26,000 pounds or less, usually between a distribution center and businesses or households. At this growth rate, there will be 1.44 million drivers by the end of this year.
233,700 taxi drivers and chauffeurs in 2014, growing at 13% annually (BLS). They earned a median pay of $23,510 in 2015. One in five worked part time. This doesn’t – or doesn’t fully – reflect the “rideshare” drivers working for Uber, Lyft, and the like.
“Over 500,000” rideshare drivers are estimated to ply the trade in the US. It’s a high-growth sector: the number of Uber drivers in the US doubled in 2015 from the prior year to 327,000. Half of them worked 15 hours or less per week.
In order to have a thriving middle class, we have got to have middle class jobs.
Unfortunately, big corporations have become absolutely obsessed with finding ways to eliminate expensive American workers by sending jobs overseas or by replacing them with technology altogether.
The elite will always need people to cut their hair and wait on them at restaurants, but those aren’t the kinds of jobs that can support middle class families.
As I noted yesterday, for the first time ever the middle class in America has become a minority and poverty is on the rise all over the nation. The long-term trends that are eviscerating the middle class are accelerating, and there doesn’t appear to be any quick fix which will turn things around dramatically any time soon.
So the middle class is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller, and that has dramatic implications for the future of this country.
In 1914, Henry Ford decided to start paying his workers $5.00 a day, which was more than double the average wage for auto workers at the time.
One of the reasons why he did this was because he felt that his workers should be able to afford to buy the vehicles that they were making. This is what he wrote in 1926…
“The owner, the employees, and the buying public are all one and the same, and unless an industry can so manage itself as to keep wages high and prices low it destroys itself, for otherwise it limits the number of its customers. One’s own employees ought to be one’s own best customers.”
These days Ford is going in the complete opposite direction. Pretty soon, Ford won’t be making any more small vehicles in the United States at all…
Ford is shifting all North American small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico, CEO Mark Fields told investors today in Dearborn, even though its plans to invest in Mexico have become a lightning rod for controversy in this year’s presidential election.
“Over the next two to three years, we will have migrated all of our small-car production to Mexico and out of the United States,” Fields said.
Could Ford keep jobs in America?
Of course they could. During the second quarter of 2016, Ford reported a net income of 2,000,000,000 dollars.
But if they move production to Mexico they can boost that profit just a little bit higher.
Shame on them.
Needless to say, Donald Trump is quite upset about this move by Ford. This was his response…
“We shouldn’t allow it to happen. They’ll make their cars, they’ll employ thousands of people, not from this country and they’ll sell their car across the border,” Trump said. “When we send our jobs out of Michigan, we’re also sending our tax base.”
And he is exactly right about all of this. We can’t afford to lose more good paying jobs, we can’t afford for the middle class to shrink any more than it already has, and we certainly can’t afford our tax base to continue to deteriorate.
We may think that we can live on borrowed money indefinitely, but that is going to catch up with us in a major way at some point.
Sadly, Ford is not the only auto company doing this. Just like Ross Perot once predicted, there is a giant sucking sound as good paying auto jobs leave the United States and head to Mexico…
Ford isn’t alone. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said earlier this year it will end production of all cars in the U.S. by the end of this year as it discontinues production of the Dodge Dart in Belvidere, Ill. and the Chrysler 200 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
In recent years, automakers that include General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen have all announced plans to either expand existing plants or build new ones in Mexico.
The bad news for American workers won’t end once all of our manufacturing jobs are gone.
Today there are millions of Americans that make their living by driving, but the revolution in self-driving vehicles threatens to make large numbers of those jobs obsolete.
Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Google, Apple and a whole host of other big corporations have been feverishly working on this technology, and many of the tests have gone very well so far.
Once this technology starts being rolled out on a widespread basis, the job losses could be absolutely staggering. Just consider the following numbers which come from Wolf Richter…
1.8 million heavy-truck and tractor-trailer long-haul drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $40,260 in 2015. At this growth rate, there will be 1.94 million long-haul drivers by the end of this year.
1.33 million delivery truck drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $27,800 in 2015. They’re picking up and/or delivering packages and small shipments within the city or region, driving a vehicle of 26,000 pounds or less, usually between a distribution center and businesses or households. At this growth rate, there will be 1.44 million drivers by the end of this year.
233,700 taxi drivers and chauffeurs in 2014, growing at 13% annually (BLS). They earned a median pay of $23,510 in 2015. One in five worked part time. This doesn’t – or doesn’t fully – reflect the “rideshare” drivers working for Uber, Lyft, and the like.
“Over 500,000” rideshare drivers are estimated to ply the trade in the US. It’s a high-growth sector: the number of Uber drivers in the US doubled in 2015 from the prior year to 327,000. Half of them worked 15 hours or less per week.
In order to have a thriving middle class, we have got to have middle class jobs.
Unfortunately, big corporations have become absolutely obsessed with finding ways to eliminate expensive American workers by sending jobs overseas or by replacing them with technology altogether.
The elite will always need people to cut their hair and wait on them at restaurants, but those aren’t the kinds of jobs that can support middle class families.
As I noted yesterday, for the first time ever the middle class in America has become a minority and poverty is on the rise all over the nation. The long-term trends that are eviscerating the middle class are accelerating, and there doesn’t appear to be any quick fix which will turn things around dramatically any time soon.
So the middle class is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller, and that has dramatic implications for the future of this country.
Attack on Police in Yerushalayim one in serious to critical
condition: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4856622,00.html
Israeli Intelligence is not Politically Correct for NYC Mayor while
‘Eid El Feta to you: http://debka.com/article/25672/First-ISIS-Al-Qaeda-cooperation-for-US-bombings
The Turks are against the Kurds and endangering Israel’s interest: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217997
Social Media inspiring ‘Eid Al Feta attacks: http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/18/social-media-incitement-upcoming-jewish-holidays-spurring-upswing-in-palestinian-terrorism-against-israelis-says-defense-establishment/
Arkansas does not want Clinton they had enough. Now the Blacks say,
“What do I have to lose?” http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/09/18/panic-mode-la-times-poll-shows-donald-trump-skyrocketing-as-hillary-clinton-falters-in-black-community/
This is based on previous wars and holes in the iron dome system
AND NO MIRACLES. http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/16/idf-up-to-400-israeli-civilians-could-be-killed-in-future-all-out-missile-and-rocket-assault-on-home-front/
Attempted terror attack in Chevron on Tuesday: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218058
70% of European Jewry afraid to go to the Synagogue: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218058
UN aid convoy blasted by Syrian or Russian air power: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857206,00.html
Where does John Kerry keep his brains: The U.S. Consulate General reminds U.S. citizens to avoid
areas where there is a heavy police presence, as this is often an indicator of
an ongoing investigation, demonstration, or that an attack or an attempted
attack may have just occurred. U.S. citizens are also reminded to
exercise a heightened sense of situational awareness at all times and to
monitor local news sources. I usually
feel more secure with police patrolling. One German lady was being followed by
a Pakistani immigrant with a Taser and she went next to the policeman.
Now I know why they gave my wife trouble that she gave up her green
card! http://linkis.com/josephbotts.com/2015/EwLXi?next=2
Mail going over Santa’s head to a higher authority: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857580,00.html
Debka provides intelligence on Al Qaeda: http://debka.com/article/25674/Rahimi’s-Al-Qaeda-handler-is-based-in-Quetta-
13-year-old wanted to meet a Shachid she is shot in the leg: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857690,00.html
Israeli Embassy in Turkey attacked assailant dead? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218124
FBI seeks two men in question to NY Bombing (Note they look young
and middle-eastern). http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/09/21/fbi-asks-help-finding-2-nyc-bombing-witnesses/90782984/
ISIS has used some Saddam’s not found Chemical Weapons on US base. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/21/isis-may-have-attacked-us-base-in-iraq-with-chemical-agent.html
Syria negotiations: Somebody must have punched John Kerry below the
belt and he woke up out of his stupor: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858071,00.html
Iran testing longer and longer range missiles they already
by-passed Israel. Next the atomic bomb that will destroy Paris: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218148
Black David Duke = Louis Farrakhan comes out for Trump so what. http://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/09/21/farrakhan-to-obama-let-trump-do-want-he-wants-you-failed-inner-city-blacks/
It started off bad but Ofek 11 is now fully functional: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858497,00.html
Text and remarks of Netanyahu’s UN speech: http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahus-full-remarks-at-un-general-assembly/
Why are Israeli Settlements being demolished by the GOI and courts
and not illegal Arab building??? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858227,00.html
Will the Syrian Conflict spill over into a skirmish between Israel
and Syria? http://debka.com/article/25676/Syrian-buildup-with-Druze-OC-for-major-Golan-op
Ed-Op Obama’s last UN speech was almost right by Dr. Martin
Sherman: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19527
Good Shabbos all and next week will contain by Rosh
Hashanah blessings starting with good health and afterwards all the other
blessings. The week before Yom Kippur I discuss what is Pekuach Nefesh and
eating. All the best for a healthy rest,
Rachamim Pauli
