Ask Orthonomics: Reader Asks For Insight and Essentially An Intro To This Blog



This week's question comes from a reader that writes the following:

Hi SL -

I'd like to ask your insight on 3 related items:

1 - do you have a Top 10 list of your articles from your Orthonomics blog on how to save & thrive within the Orthonomics model?

Sadly my blog is not yet well organized (perhaps if we get snowed in, I can rectify that). But I have shared many of my own rules of the road as well as tips. Here are some of posts that might be of interest:

1. Camping, Playgroups, Babysitting: My friend "A Mother In Israel" wrote a Guest Post for me on organizing a co-op camp for children. The same ideas can be extended to work low cost pre-school cooperatives. And formal and informal round robins can be used to help cut down on babysitting expenses for times when you need a babysitting (weddings, dentist and doctor appointments, etc). The key is to find friends willing to give these alternatives a try.
2. New to You Shopping, i.e. buying used at garage sales, consignment stores, and thrift stores, has not only cut our expenses, but has also put my kids in "better" clothing than what we would normally purchase. I love inverse relationships!
3. Pesach for many means overspending, but that doesn't have to be the case. Pesach is a holiday of freedom, so becoming a slave to Mastercard certainly makes no sense. Here are tips from year past: 2006, 2007, and 2009.
4. Weddings and any other smachot don't Need to break the bank by design either. One Guest Poster writes about her super-frugal wedding. Here is what we did to keep our wedding under control. I personally think the overspending on weddings is a HUGE issue and if just this one issue could be tackled it would go a long way towards improving "The State of the Union"; shidduchim, shalom bayit, financial issues.. . you name it and the hub practically revolves around the issue of killing ourselves over a one night, 5 hour affair. Ludicrous!
5. Organizing Cost Effective Grocery Shopping is how we save thousands of dollars a year. Some people love Costco, but I'm apprehensive. I think that good menu planning and shopping the circulars is key. Some don't care to talk about the small numbers, but I am thoroughly convinced that a decade of smart grocery shopping has contributed tremendously to our bottom line.
6. But, if you like to focus on the big, try Too Much Too Soon which looks at the hidden costs of too much stuff, too much car, too much house, and too many services (yes, I do dare to suggest the cost cutting measure of trying to get away with less services including, but not limited to, cleaning help). In another post I pointed out that a Yated letter writer's budget was not being crushed by tuition, but by the biggies including a huge mortgage and the utilities that go along with it, camp and going to a bungalow colony, and cleaning help amongst other ridiculously large expenses.
7. Of course, cutting down on peer pressure while choosing to live within your means isn't easy when "everyone" else is spending like there is no tomorrow. I think mitigating peer pressure is important.
8. Budgeting is key. There are lots of great budgeting software out there. I personally track everything on good 'ol Microsoft Excel which is not particularly the most efficient, but it works for me. Now that I have a bunch of clients on Quickbooks, I will likely stick my own stuff in there since I have so darn much of it and it continues to get more complicated by the day. Budgeting Tool #1 (Monthly Budget Tracking and Summary), Budgeting Tool #2 (Cash Flow Analysis), Budgeting Tool #3 (Asset and Liability Tracker, i.e. a balance sheet. . .but without considering the value of my home because I'm not selling anytime soon, nor borrowing against it), and Budgeting Tool #4 (Year-by-year budget comparison).
9. Living below your means and saving for the future is important, but you need to insure against the terrible possibility of a death in the family. I wrote about Life Insurance early on, and a reader was kind enough to put together a basic primer on Life Insurance Basics. I have yet to write about disability or long-term care insurance. They too are important. It is naive to think the community will (or even can) pick up the pieces for you as this family in Money Magazine believes (ouch)!
10. And to round out the Top 10 posts/subject matters, I will just mention that I believe financial issues are best tackled early, with honesty, and with a belief that the problems can be solved through hard work.

Well, that list should provide at least a few things to hang your hat on!

2 - have you or any of your readers considered or seen the following:
creating virtual learning for frum schools as is currently being done for secular colleges and other professional online training.
community limits on simcha spending
a paid service plan like insurance that pays for chasonnas
communities working together to cook for simchas.

Virtual Learning
As far as I know there are entrepreneurs looking to develop virtual learning. I was even fortunate enough to have a guest poster write about Virtual Schooling. Room 613 (sorry I can't remember the web address) is one that I have heard of geared towards frum students. While I try to use my little 'soap box' to look at education alternatives from homeschooling, to hybrid schooling, or alternative schedules (the four day schedule continues to grow on me) as well as news out of public schools, I don't see myself jumping on the virtual learning bandwagon quite yet, but I do believe there is a lot of potential. But this comes from someone who doesn't believe calculators should be used until algebra, and then only a basic 4-function. I'm not a technophobe, but a personal connection to the educator still is a basic for me.

Spending Limits on Smachot
Regarding community spending limit on smachot, I think the plans have helped somewhat, but they aren't very effective. The Agudah put foward some standards in the early part of this decade, but it is hard to take the standards seriously when a disclaimer was offered that the standards would not apply in "exceptional circumstances." The vort, which was supposed to be eliminated, continues to grow in popularity. And, I haven't been to any "normal" weddings where the sisters of the chatan and kallah were not wearing ballroom gowns.

Different Chassidish communities have been experimenting with takanot and, quite frankly, what is laid out in stone is still ridiculously expensive even though the kehilla, unlike those the Agudah targets, are bound to listen. Helping shave costs is important, but when incomes don't cover the expenses, I'm afraid it is time to switch to the "Cake and Punch" option.

And the emphasis on gift-giving (despite the laundry list of mandatory "gifts" being trimmed) is still ridiculously expensive. Furthermore, while I realize that the dating cycle of the modern Orthodox young lady and her Chassidish counterpart are worlds apart, I question the emphasis on gift giving the the yeshivish and Chassidish worlds. I believe that the amount of money spend on gifts is not only terribly expensive and unjust to those without the means, but that it disconnects a the young couple from the reality that is about to hit them when they get married.

The Belz community has decided that interest free loans to the tune of $25,000 for each mechutan is the way to go. I counter that a plan that starts with debt isn't much of a plan at all, even if the massive amount of debt is easier to dig out of because it is interest free. Plus, the gemach fund should be just about all but broke now.

If I were writing a wedding takana it would simply be no loans, not against the house, not against the 401k, and certainly not against the credit card. Once you are dealing with cash, it is an entirely different beast. Bring on the lox and bagels!

Communities working together to cook for simchas

In the first question I pointed to a post on camp co-operatives. There is no reason that families can't come together to provide sides dishes for a brit milah, bar mitzvah, or even a wedding (although it would be problematic in a shul or facility where there needs to be a food license). Sheva berachot very often involve such efforts. There is no reason no to try and promote this solution, perhaps amongst a small group of friends. There are library books about forming co-operatives that are fair to those involved. That would be a good resource to look at if you want to try something in a small community, or amongst demographic, e.g. young couples having their 1st or 2nd child.

3. Has anyone outlined the timeline of frum milestones & financial planning [as is being talked about on http://serandez.blogspot.com/search/label/Jewish%20Economics%20Survey ]

I'm not sure I understand the question, so I hope the writer will elaborate.

General financial goals might include: building an emergency fund, saving for a down payment on a home (I'm a traditionalist and still believe in down payments), funding retirement accounts, putting away money for your children's education. Those looking to start their own business or take on a big investment might include milestones to fund and build the business, as well as meet certain milestones in certification, education, and what have you.

Frum milestones would include paying tuition (ouch!), brit milah (the minimum: paying the mohel and serving a seudah to a minyan), bar mitzvah (the minimum: tefillin, tallit where applicable, and either a kiddush or sedah to mark the occassion). Chuppah (the minimum: a ring + a photocopied ketubah+ minyan to be present at and share in the seudah), Levaya-may you live to 120- (minimum: kosher pinebox + kittel + burial plot).

I see no reason to mark any occasion with the bare minimum by design, but I also see no need to make conformity my be all and end all when what the Goldberg's are doing doesn't particularly suit our way of going about things. As, the radio talk show host would say:"Don't even consider keeping up with the[Goldberg's]. THEY'RE BROKE."

with appreciation,

A Reader

Alienating You Supporters

If this letter is true (from the 8/21 Yated), I can only shake my head. For years I have read letters in various publications of "cruel" administrators who have told a struggling parent to pay up or take their children out of school. My compassion has always been ignited, but I know that a school needs a certain amount of money to function and that those funds can't all fall on the shoulders of a few. I also know that when word gets out, as it inevitably does, that a "customer" is being heavily subsidized that a great deal of animosity can grow towards a school and issues can arise. I don't know what the proper answer is regarding a student here and there that is not/cannot make payment.

But what about a parent that has fallen into arrears, but was a pillar of support to the school both with donations and loans. Is the heavy handed treatment warranted? If a story like this leaked out, would it alienate you as a potential donor? I personally find it very distasteful.

Comment away. And more to come the big Bais Yaakov of Boro Park story.


THE TUITION CRISIS
Dear Editor,
After reading the Chinuch Roundtable about tuition and the letters in response to the column [if anyone has this, please feel free to scan and email me], I felt that another side should be discussed. The following story was heard from a close friend. It shook me to my core, and it should do the same to you.

This baal tzedakah was a classic case. He had a large house, he had fancy cars, and his name was on all the committees. Yeshivos would come; few left dissatisfied. Schools and individuals would come to borrow money all the time.

As tighter times began, tenants began falling behind in rent, and money became scarce. Borrowers defaulted on loans. Deals didn’t quite work out as expected. Those trappings of “success” became an additional burden. Gone were those “sneaky” Sukkos trips to Eretz Yisroel en famille. In short, there was no cash. Expenses weren’t covered and he was behind on tuition payments. Most of the school directors were quite understanding and patient, except for one.

For years, full tuition had been paid promptly, with a smile and without an argument. School functions and dinners were generously supported. Now, a half year’s tuition was owed and was being paid slowly. The sum total owed, is a significant amount of money. During the second phone call this person received from that school’s director, the latter asked, “Should I raise money for you? A letter that followed stated that since tuition was seriously in arrears, the student would not be allowed back to school until the balance was paid in full.

The total amount this person donated to that particular school over the past years, including what he gave before his child was a student in that institution, exceed the present balance owed in tuition. However, this does not stand to the father’s credit and the school administration does not prevent letters such as the above-mentioned one from being sent.

If the school vaad were to peruse the income statements, they would learn a lot, but the facts on the ground read differently.Hopefully, the future will bring economic improvement. But how will people respond to this executive director’s requests for donations if stories such as this one leak out? There is no question that schools have challenges, but donations of the past should be, at the very least, a reason for forbearance.

In respect to the yeshivos not showing their books, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l is quoted as having commented that a yeshiva that doesn’t have open financial books is choshud on gezeilah. I also highly doubt that anyone would have the nerve to suggest that our rabbeim should earn less.

Signed, Frustrated and Sad

Bad Financial Advice: No Logical Solution?

Hat Tip: One reader who expects many more to email me with the same story. Thanks! I would *not* have caught this one myself.

I hope I don't alienate any readers by questioning the spiritual/financial advice given by the very popular Rabbi Lazar Brody, but the "Emunah option" is based on flawed logic, is guaranteed to make the problem worse, and is likely to cause default on debts which I don't believe is a proper approach from a Torah perspective even if default isn't assur.

With all due apologies, this advice is this week's installment of "Bad Financial Advice."

Rabbi Brody gives advice on the following situation:

We all have seemingly insurmountable problems. Many of them have no
logical solution. Here's a typical example:
John earns $65,000 annually. His minimal living expenses total $70,000. He already owes $40,000, and he foresees his debt increasing by $5000 per year, even before considering the interest he'll have to pay. According to logic, John has no hope; if he views his own situation from "logical" eyes, then he's a candidate for despair, depression, and even worse. He may come to the point where he won't even be able to earn his $65,000 any more, and then his situation will become much worse.

The solution Rabbi Brody offers is:

• Don't succumb to negative thoughts.
• Believe that the Almighty runs the universe and can send a myriad of solutions at any moment.
• Strengthen yourself in emunah and believe Hashem will help because for Hashem miracles are natural.
• Use the emunah solution to turn defeat into victory as no-win situations are the history of our people.

Number 1: Financial problems are not "insurmountable," nor are they without a "logical solution." A family with more expenses than income has options, perhaps unpleasant options (many of them temporary), but options nonetheless. Telling a person that the $5,000 gap between income and expenses plus the previous debt is a "no-win" situation is, quite frankly, is disingenuous.

Number 2: By reinforcing the "logic" that the problem is "insurmountable" you reinforce the feeling of powerlessness that leads to despair and depression which you advise him to overcome through some sort of "emunah option." Chazal didn't compare debt to the bite of a snake for nought. Mounting debt is a terrible predicament, but it can be resolved!

Number 3: This understanding of Torah is completely foreign to me, yet those who promote this form of Torah are immensely popular and increasingly so if you judge by the tzedakah marketing based on promises of segulot and yeshuot. Emunah without hishtadlut? We learn that the Yam Suf was parted when Nachshon ben Aminadav jumped in demonstrating that emunah. Financial problem can be overcome, but certainly not by ignoring the laws of the universe that too were established by Hashem. The mathematics behind compounding interest is also the making of Hashem. Want to beat the compounding interest and take a step towards freedom? Make some drastic changes: find additional sources of income, start selling stuff, cut expenses, pay down debt, and use the "found money" you no longer using to pay so much interest to continue. The Rambam gives us eight different levels of tzedakah. The highest level is to help a person become financially independent. Every day that debt mounts is a loss of independence. The advice did not contain a single suggestion about turning around the situation, instead the Rabbi offers the advice to essentially wait for a miracle. Didn't chazal say something about not relying on miracles?

One of the things I hope to accomplish through my blog is to help promote a feeling of control over our lives and our finances. I believe it was Rav Moshe Feinstein who said that statement "it is hard to be a Jew" ruined an entire generation. I think that throwing up our hands and reinforcing that "it is expensive to be a Jew" is basically proclaiming "it is hard to be a Jew."

If "John" is a real person who wrote to Rabbi Brody, but there are a log of "Johns" in the frum community and I do hope someone else offers John some practical advice that will ultimately give him some real emunah. John, take control and gain menuchat hanefesh as you get the burden of debt off your shoulders and re-gain your freedom. Hatzlacha!

It is a Betrayal

I am quite frankly shocked that the mothers at Imamother seem to think that the $50,000 in student debt one of the posters has hidden from her husband is no biggie. The poster is (rightfully) scared what the fallout when the inevitable comes. And, the husband had planned to support his wife as a SAHM.

The other posters are trying to reassure her that school costs money:
-school costs money, so of course you have debt and that is normal
-it will *only* cost a couple hundred dollars a month to pay it back
-it is normal to spend the first few years after school working to pay back the loan

Some posters think the wife should drop her husband hints about the debt(!).

Whether or not the financial burden is manageable (unless the husband does really well, it will likely be very difficult to manage because the extra payment will have to be absorbed into the excess she earns, the greater taxes she will pay on a second income, and the childcare for the kids that they have), isn't the crux issue. The issue is one of betrayal!

Can you imagine these same posters thinking that an undisclosed extramarital affair is not biggie? What about a woman who doesn't disclose that she can't have children?

Label me unromantic and a total dud, but marriage is largely an economic arrangement. The ketubah makes that no secret and the ketubah isn't kept a secret as it is read under the chuppah (not particularly romantic if you think about it). Or in the words of Aretha Franklin (?) Tina Turner, "what's love got to do, got to do with it?" (Yes, of course I believe marriage has a emotional component to, but running up $50k in debt----or 5 tuition payments, 2 new minivans, 4-5 quality used cars, an emergency fund that spins off its own small income, a down payment on a starter home, 10 years of ROTH IRA contributions, public college tuition for one child, etc, etc, etc).

The husband has ever right to be very upset and feel betrayed. I hope that they could work through the betrayal, but the poster who thinks that some husbands might just give kisses and reassure the wife that he will be there for her seems pretty naive to me.

I put out the jury to only one husband, but you should have seen the eye's bulge out of my husband's head. Even if the husband takes the news standing up, chances are there are a lot of life unexpected life changes. Before kids, such a situation would have been much more manageable. After kids, an additional debt load like that could mean public school, moving into a smaller apartment (hope they did not buy a home during the real estate boom), or liquidating savings. And, what if the wife is unable to find a job in the current economy?

Let's take a lesson out of this: family finances should always be an open book!

"Shopping Around" for the Lowest Priced School

The following is a letter from this week's Yated proposing cooperation amongst schools and a uniform standard of tuition and scholarship standards. The veteran principal of 35 years doesn't think highly about a trend he has noted of parents "shopping around" for the lowest priced schools. He also believe that when parents "shop around" it forces a minimum tuition and upon parents "who truly do qualify for significant tuition breaks," shutting out families, particularly immigrant families, out of a Yeshiva education. Additionally, he begins the article decrying the lack of payment in certain schools and asks why the silence? I think the answer is pretty simple: drastic change is necessary and it is extremely difficult to make drastic changes because, as those who have sat on boards know, your hands are tied from all directions.

This letter is all over the place. I'm not going to add any comments except to say that perhaps those parents who are "shopping around" also need a tuition break and they should not feel guilty about taking their own needs to the free market (no, I do not believe that more costly school=better). And, while parents shopping out schools based on price is something I know upsets some people (boy did I get an earful when I mentioned that our school--which we do think is the best fit--had a lower tuition as the person who gave me the earful thought it inappropriate to consider price when picking a school), but it could be worse (!). Full and near-full tuition paying parents could just leave the "system" and take their funds along with them too.

I will let my readers provide any additional commentary. The thing the author is right about is that the solution will likely fall in the hands of Eliyahu HaNavi!

THE SIDE OF THE TUITION CRISIS NOT SPOKEN ABOUT
Dear Editor,

For the past few years, our communities, especially in the New York area, have been grappling with the tuition crisis. This crisis is existent more now than ever with the especially difficult economic situation causing unemployment, a freeze on salaries, and a higher cost of living.

It is inescapable that families with two or more children have a hard time meeting the tuition costs which can range from $15,000 to $60,000. However, there is one side of this crisis which has rarely been mentioned. More schools are now solving their lack of funds on the backs of their faculty members. More yeshivos failing to meet monthly payroll are now two to four months behind in salary payments.

The question is, why the silence? Why the silence regarding the direct Torah violation of “not withholding wages overnight”? Why the silence of board members, the lay leaders of successful businesses? How can we expect our chinuch professionals to possess high self esteem when they must face their wives and children after working and receiving no money to cover their expenses?

Yes, we have graduated. In the past decade, the teaching profession has been elevated to a higher level of professionalism and receives even better pay. However, my deepest fear is that this tuition crisis has set the world of chinuch back.

We have created an atmosphere in which parents “shop around” for schools, looking for the least expensive one as opposed to one that has academic qualities and is best for their child. We have created competition amongst schools, not based on academics but based on lowest tuition costs.

Parents who truly do qualify for significant tuition breaks are now rejected because they can’t even meet the minimum tuition, and our immigrant and less religious families are choosing public schools, not even contemplating to apply to yeshivos. All these issues have been borne through the atmosphere created by the tuition crisis.

The only way to solve this crisis is by having yeshivos in different communities, such as Brooklyn and Queens (those most affected by the crisis), communicate with each other. A good beginning would be to form a unified standard of tuition as well as scholarship standards. This would mean more cooperation amongst different yeshivos and a concern for the general community rather than for the individual school and community. An atmosphere of achdus in brainstorming for solutions would result.

The question is, are we genuinely concerned for the totality of our “education community”? This means parents receiving a tuition solution, children getting the necessary services and being placed in the yeshiva most suited for them, teachers - at the very least - being paid on time, etc.

I patiently wait for the solution to this dilemma. Perhaps it will be left up to Eliyahu Hanovi with the coming of Moshaich.
A Veteran Principal of 35 Years

Some Feedback and Random Thoughts

Count on this post to be all over the place!

I take the feedback I get, both from commentors and my few friends who give me feedback, seriously. One piece of feedback I received on the post on Hybrid schools (est. cost $2500 for a 2-day a week day of core curriculum) would simply not be affordable for many people. My friend pointed out that many people are already paying similar amounts for a full week of school and that a hybrid model would strip much of the potential income for the secondary income earner.

Another piece of feedback is that once a parent becomes responsible for a great deal of education that they might as well just homeschool. Certainly, homeschooling is one of the options we think about. Perhaps I will be ready to give it a try in the not so far off future (there is a limit to how much more tuition we can bite off sanely), but presently I am still intimidated by taking full responsibility for my children's education. I know families that have taken advantage of tutoring, either one-on-one or in small groups, and this arrangement can easily cost multi-thousands as the cost is not shared over a large enough group.

Back to the comment about families already paying so little for school. .. I do realize there are a number of families who are contributing little to nothing for their childrens' education, perhaps even less than the cost associated with established hybrid schools. Perhaps my friends and I simply don't have enough pull, but we have been told that the tuition rates are mostly non-negotiable, and that for the first child they are basically non-negotiable. My friend tells me that I'd be naive to think that the tuitions set in stone, but I don't think that I have the will to find out. Once I no longer can write that check, I don't see myself signing a contract I don't have the money to comfortably back on the basis of yearly cash flow.

Additionally, I was struck by the conversation over at HaEmtza regarding tuition and assistance. Harry claims that in Chicago families are not expected to liquidate savings, but another commentor mentioned that this is precisely the expectation in her community. I'm not quite sure what the expectation is in my own community, but I was told by a friend who is on some sort of assistance (grandparents still contribute $24K to tuition beyond whatever they pay from household income), that only limited and "reasonable" deposits are allowed into a 401(k) and that other forms of savings are basically not allowed. Where my husband grew up, those receiving assistance were basically told that first (some) home equity needs to be used.

And speaking of tuition assistance applications. . . . . .why, in 2009, are tuition assistance applications taken with all identifying information on them??? I imagine that I have a bit of anxiety because I've dealt with a number of identity theft scares and because I've dealt with internal controls professionally, but I just don't care for the idea of putting sensitive information out there. I am certain that each committee takes privacy very seriously, but unless if I were applying for assistance and did NOT receive any, I'd rather my private information just stay private. It seems to me that will all the technology out there, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to design a system to transmit information on assets, income, and liabilities anonymously with some identifier and only if tuition assistance was a real possibility would the committee have the ability to verify information and seek additional information. But if the answer is no, I'd rather my financial information stay locked in my own mind and in my own file cabinet period.

And, there is no good reason to put temptation in front of even the most yashar people. Opportunity is one of the components of crime. I already worry enough about all of the information people might know about me. I'm sure my anxiety is speaking after having worked in a place where the HR database was hacked, after finding unauthorized charges on my credit card, and after being called to say that my loan application was approved (I never applied!), I have become very conscious about what sensitive information might be out there about me.

Thoughts on any of the above subjects. Sorry it is so convoluted.

Alternative Schooling Models: The Hybrid Model

While researching homeschool co-ops in their various forms, an idea one of my own commentors wrote about in the JPost Bloggers contest, I discovered something known as a "hybrid school." There are a handful of them out there, but one that caught my eye is a 2-day a week, religious Christian school that offers formal schooling in the classics combined with a homeschooling element. Students from mid-elementary through high school meet two days a week for intensive education in the classics and the sciences with both tutors and teachers. In addition to core curriculum, the school also offers an extended day where students can choose academic and extracurricular classes. Tuition is very reasonable. The core curriculum is priced below $2500 for all grades, the highest grades being priced significantly lower. The other academic, extracurricular classes, and study hall are offered on an a-la-carte basis and are open to students who are not enrolled in the core curriculum.

I think a model like this could be potentially very attractive in the frum community. The resource sharing, downsizing, and cost containing elements are all there. I could see separate gender classes being offered on opposite days. I could see a 3 day a week program if more days are what parents want. I could see parents who have the ability to engage in some sort of home education, but do not feel 'homeschooling' is a viable choice finding more attraction to this method. Those who feel homeschooling is too insular and doesn't offer enough social opportunities might find a "real school" with limited hours appealing. Parents who believe the school day/week is ridiculous in terms of hours, schedules, and/or days might also find this school to offer a better middle-ground. Parents who are already homeschooling might enjoy registering their children for some of the a la carte academic or extra-curricular classes. Parents who have placed their children in public school but want their children to still attend school and be in a frum environment to a greater extend could also enroll their children in a la carte classes. Parents, and students for that matter, often realize that they end up having to re-teach or teach themselves the material, so having more hours to get down to business might carry a certain amount of appeal also (I know I felt like getting back home to actually have the chance to concentrate on the material and work at the pace I needed to).

Of course, those who believe that cradle through grave, 6 day a week schooling with extended hours, night seders/extracurriculars, and the expectation of an 8 week summer sleepaway camp is necessary for their child's development or their own needs won't be interested. But, for each parent like this, there is another complaining that they have no family time left schooling begins.

There are tremendous opportunities out there. I think it is time to explore them with an open mind (now you may bombard the comments section with all of the reason why this will NEVER work on cue!). This type of school was something I had never heard of and seems to provide a lot of interesting, quality alternatives.

Also see: The Four Day School Week (an idea that continues to grow on me, although a 2-3 day school could easily get my vote).

Generosity and Potential Danger

Hat Tip: rosie and at least one other commentor if not more.

The Jewish Star ran a story this past week regarding the very difficult choices some parents are facing regarding schooling, and in some cases the mortgage is taking priority and students are being placed into public school for the first time (also see VIN).

I just want to look at one part of the article, the part that left my mouth open wide "Rabbi Wolowik described approaching a man on behalf of a family in tuition crisis, who already pays his own hefty tuition bill. The man took out a home equity loan in order to help."

I am both floored by the generosity of a man who would undertake such an incredible commitment (I'm under the assumption that the family's own cash flow and savings would not allow one additional tuition payment per year) and floored by the decision because financially it could potentially erode his own household and threaten his own ability to make tuition for his own children. (Yes, debt will never appeal to me!)

Am Yisrael is an amazing people. But, the burden has become tremendous and what happens next year?

The article does mention some new after school programs. Certainly that is an alternative. I really don't see mass yeshiva education as having long term viability without major changes. In future posts, I hope to look at some less conventional schooling models that I have found that could be of interest. I have one scheduled as I type on a "hybrid" school.

Public Service Annoucement: School Choice Legislation Meeting

Received notice and it might interest some of my readers. Guest posts are always appreciate re: the evening's proceedings. Annoucement follows:

The topic of yeshiva tuition burdens us all and we now have an opportunity - and the obligation - to make our collective, communal voice heard and show our elected leaders that school choice legislation (like tax credits) is an issue of vital importance to our community.Join us Tuesday night, September 1st at 8:00 at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun to meet representatives from the OU and Agudath Israel of NJ to learn what we can do to help make school choice legislation a reality in New Jersey, as it now is in Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia and several other states.This is an informational briefing on school choice programs, how they can ease the tuition burden on our families and schools and how we can - and must - make our voices heard in Trenton.E-mail Avi Goldenberg ( agoldenberg@whitecase.com ) or Yali Elkin ( yali.elkin@gmail.com ) with any questions.

Social Ills and Dependency

I have some posts in my lineup on tuition, but I'd prefer a diversion of sorts. (Sorry, it isn't a big diversion).

Rabbi Wein has published a most fantastic article titled No Free Lunch. The economics of human behavior is inescapable and for a long time I've been saying that you can't create a dependency class without experiencing the ill social consequences that come along with dependency. This is why, even if we had unlimited resources, I wouldn't fund my children's every desire, whether that desire be some gedolim card collection or the avoidance of making a living because I simply don't believe it is good for their development. Certainly our sages recognized the dangers of dependency, idleness, over consumption, entitlement, and reversing gender roles.

If I was an Orthodox economist living 30 + years ago when the community embarked upon some of the current practices that permeate the scenery today, I hope that I would have tried to sound the alarm because regardless of the economic climate, many of the practices that are commonplace, certainly aren't commonsense.

Rabbi Wein brings his own touch to the message that you can't have "a free lunch is always present and eatable without later consequences." He touches upon dependency, governmental arm twisting, fraud, dependency, kollel, (lack of) employment, begging, and dysfunction. . . basically all of the Orthonomic subjects we talk about here.

And this story is just so illustrative. Here is what happens when the only "trade" you teach your children is begging:

I am aware of a case where a man who traveled often to collect money solely on his own behalf, when he passed away, the asset that his sons fought about and actually contested in a rabbinic court was his list of donors. A generation brought up to believe that there is no
necessity for it to work in order to make a living for one’s family is doomed to a spiritual and social disaster - and eventual self-destruction. There is no free lunch for anyone in this world.

Classic!

Heed these words and try to spread the wisdom. You can't escape the ills of dependency anymore than you can escape the laws of physics. Of course, there are those in the klal who think frum Jews can escape all of the above.

And, while I'm at it, I can't help but point out another article that relates directly to the subject at hand. The JPost has an article titled "Most haredim want secular higher education, survey finds." The study quoted basically shows that haredim are interested in higher education under certain conditions. Fine and well.

But the interesting part of the article to me is the disparity in desire between men and women: "63% of female respondents said they would, while only 41% of males were interested. "
Hassidim were more open to secular learning, with 59% answering in the affirmative, while only 42% of the Lithuanian respondents said yes.

Note the 22 point difference between men and women answering in the affirmative. I imagine I can't make any scientific declarations as the study did not concentrate on the disparity, but I can't help but think that the men have become far too comfortable with the gender role reversal and dependency. I believe it is a very natural, masculine quality to want to work and support a family. But it seems that normal inclinations have been broken and many men have been emasculated. I can't help but think about the commentary on what the slavery in Mitzrayim entailed. One commentary, as I recall, states that the slavery consisted on having the men do women's work and having the women do men's work.

Also note the difference between Hassidim (male and female inclusive) and so called Lithuanian respondents, a 17 point difference. Here too I believe we are seeing the effects of dependency.

Comment away.

Oy Vey: Beis Yaakov of Boro Park Slated to Close

Hat Tip: a reader (thanks)

I have to solve some financial issues today, as well as replace an appliance I've been thinking about replacing for 2 years now (yeah for furnish your dorms sales!), but it looks like there is a lot of blogging on deck as readers are sending articles like mad to my email box (thanks all!).

Today, a reader send me a link to this story. My reaction is practically adolescent because the abbreviation OMG flashed through my head, and I have never once sent a text, nor do I even recognize most of the text language out there beyond lol, and I'm certainly not lol'ing.

Boro Park Beis Yakov send out a letter to parents informing them that the school, the largest girls' school in Boro Park (perhaps the largest in Brooklyn, readers?) will not open in September. Of course they are seeking donations from the community in hopes of reopening. I don't know if this is one of the schools I've seen mentioned as being behind on paying teachers. I can only imagine that the board/administration decision was made out of desperation because plenty of schools have floated payments for months, and even years, on end.

I can't even imagine what parents, just 2 weeks away from the opening of school are thinking? What in the world happens when a school of this size announces they are closing? I can't imagine the clientele marching to the public school district office and enrolling their children. I hope parents will jump into gear, rather than just holding off for a miracle instead of concentrating on their children's education which must be a priority. If my own children's school announced it were closing today, I believe I'm not sure if we would try to get into another school or register with the school district to home school. Likely the majority of parents don't have the leverage and money to get their children into other school (after all, lack of tuition paying parents IS the root cause of closures). So, they have few options: fundraising, public school, or homeschooling. Fundraising isn't new in the frum world and obviously a wall has been hit. Public school is unlikely, even temporarily for this demographic. And, homeschooling would be beyond intimidating for the same demographic given the lack of familiarity and the unpreparedness, to say nothing of lack of know how and support. Oy vey!

The Jewish Observer, may it rest in peace, once wrote "Yeshivos have become very creative and entrepreneurial in finding ways to close their budget gaps" and "To an honest and realistic person, our school administrator knows his business very well. He has been successful in steering the ship through very choppy waters. This same executive director or administrator has become so talented at balancing the budget, his skills match those of any corporate CFO. The fact that he stays at the yeshiva is in itself real mesiras nefesh." I imagine "creative" accounting was used for many years. But, Virginia, "cash is king" and when you don't have it, it eventually catches up to you.

The letter sent out by the Beis Yakov blames the (potential) closing on the financial crisis. But, I personally cannot and will not place the blame on a downturn in the economy. I'm afraid the money management skills haven't matched the a corporate CFO. Many have been talking about the day when the frum community would hit a wall for years now! Many have decried the duplication of services, the growth of a near impossible infrastructure to support, etc. What do you think you get when you combine a growing infrastructure of non-profits + young marriage followed by kollel followed by late entrance into the marketplace + lack of eduction/vocation + a growing fertility rate + a ridiculously expensive 'lifestyle' from clothing to camp+ reliance on debt, parents, in-laws, relatives, and grandparents + underemployment combined with planned government dependency + a recession that has finally proved that credit does have a limit?

I don't quite know what to say about the potential closing beyond OMG. It is really scary, or as the reader who sent me the article said, it will be a tsunami if it closes. I do NOT want to see the infrastructure of day schools/yeshivas/beis yaakovs threatened, changed yes!, collapse no! If I didn't care, I would never have started this blog and dedicated so much time to trying to promote healthy money management from a grass roots level. I realize Boro Park isn't exactly my audience. But, I do have a good spectrum of readers, and I harbor no illusions that similar issues might be lurking in centrist and modern Orthodox schools too. So, I think we all need to be watching what happens there and begging our own schools to employ sound business practices (even if that means that not every single child can be provided with a comprehensive day school education. . . .the majority must goal. "No matter what your financial circumstances" simply is unsustainable).

More tuition blogging to come (unfortunately). Your thoughts.

P.S. The article notes that BY Boro Park receives some state funding. The Yated recently had an article on the tuition crisises that, after a lot of talking, concluded government funding was the only answer. There already is plenty of government money in the frum community and I pipe dreams won't take care of today's problems. Throwing up your hands and declaring there is only one answer, as the Yated did, isn't going to open up a school slated for closing.

Preventing Torah Scroll Theft

Hat Tip: LOZ

Speaking of Sta"M:

Internal controls was an interest of mine when I worked full time in audits. I still love hearing about new developments and a development to protect religious assets is of great interest. Machon Ot has developed methods of both identifying and registering Torah scrolls and if they can register critical mass it is believed that those who steal and sell Torahs on the black market will realize it is at their own risk. It is a shame that this development has to take place, but from an academic standpoint it is an interesting internal controls development. And anything that can help reduce the temptation of theft gets a thumbs up in my book also. Hatzlacha to Machot Ot!

Have You No Shame?:
A Tiferet Sta"M Advertises his Level of Observance Bein Adam L'Chavero

In addition to "Ask Orthonomics" and "Bad Financial Advice" titles, I'm adding another one and amending the title of a previous post so that topics of a similar nature fall under the category "Have You No Shame?"

Jonathan Rosenblum has a column up on Cross-Currents that was printed in Mishpacha in response the Deal ordeal, which sadly can no longer be labeled the newest fraud investigation/case, regarding yashrut which has some nice lines from Rav Shimon Schwab and the other sources.

One commentor recalls a recent situation and asks for advice:

"I recently purchased talis and tzitzis at a Sta”M store in a large and well-known frum community in the US. The sofer was busy at work when I got there, and stopped to help me select the right size and fit (who knew there were different talis fits these days). When it came time to pay he quoted me a round number. When I pulled out my credit card he said “well in that case we’ll have to pay Uncle Sam” and proceeded to calculate the tax. I usually do not carry much cash, but had just been to the ATM machine and had enough to cover this relatively small purchase. Without thinking much, I handed over the cash and was nichshal be’aveirah.
As I was leaving, I saw that same scenario play itself out with another customer in the store who was picking up mezuzos, (and paid cash).
Before I start moralizing, its obvious that I participated in cheating the government every bit as much as the sofer. And to that end, I’m asking for eitzoz for what might be a proper takanna. (I cant just send the state of __ a check for the money owed.
But I also cannot stop wondering as to the kashrus of the Stam and other articles sold in this store. Was everything done and checked kadas ukedin? Probably. Does it matter? Not sure how to think about it. Chaveirim, please advise."

This was my advice:

I can only hope that the sofer who we have bought tefillin and mezuzot from are honest businessman. I can’t imagine how an item that is acquired through such means is truly kosher.

But, no matter what the price and no matter what the method of payment is, as per tax law, he is the one responsible to make an accounting and pay up, although I too would feel like a participant in tax evasion for handing over the cash rather than a check or plastic for the purchase after he basically advertise the intent to defraud.

It would take a bit of a backbone, but perhaps you could march into the store and return the items for cash back and let the store owner know exactly why and that you want to be kosher with all of your dealings and later buy the same item from a sofer who, at the very least, has the good sense not to state his intents to defraud (can you imagine someone stating his intent to cheat on his wife or break Shabbat to a stranger that walks into his store?).

Beyond that, perhaps you can call the owner and inform him that cash is also taxable, speak to a Rav regarding the sofer’s practices since such advertising could potentially be an issue for the kehillah, or just try to go forward by paying through check/debit/credit and rest easy knowing that he, not you, is responsible for the taxes no matter what the method of payment.

After I posted my comment I did have the thought that he could claim sales tax on his own state tax form by claiming a purchase was made in a state without sales tax for that amount. This would take care of one aspect, but certainly wouldn't take care of the social security, medicare, federal, and state income taxes owed.

I'm not sure what I would do if I was the one to hand over cash after such a statement. I rarely think twice when I had over cash for a good or service because corportations and business are responsible to take care of their taxes, not the consumer. If I spend time feeling responsible, I simply wouldn't be able to step out into the marketplace! On a similar vein, those who engage in banking, tax services, or accounting/bookkeeeping know that you can't police every transaction, although sometimes it is prudent to drop a client because you simply can't trust them.

Please add your own advice in the comments section, especially if you have been in a similar situation.

Bad Financial Advice Is Everywhere

Don't worry readers, the Parade Magazine that comes with the Sunday newspaper isn't my normal reading material, but sometimes a story catches my eye. After reading what I was interested in, I turned the page to a story "How to Bounce Back from Bankruptcy" which is choke full of terrible advice.

The first piece of advice was to re-establish a credit history with just one credit card, perhaps a low fee card with a low spending limit. I'm sure the author would think a doctor giving advice to a recovering alcoholic to start drinking again with a low alcohol beer was off his rocker. Well, those who have a bad history with credit shouldn't be touching credit, certainly not from the get go because for some, credit (and spending) is a drug and an addiction. Debtors anonymous is the place to be, not filling out a Mastercard application.

I watched an interesting documentary on credit and the credit industry and it is a fact that one of the number of targets of credit card companies are those who have bankrupted. Yes, a good credit history is helpful. But someone who has found credit has been their downfall should steer clear and rest easy because, a credit history is not going to be of immediate need, and the need is overblown anyways. Yes, you can qualify for even a home mortgage without an extensive credit history. I did so many years ago showing a history of utility bills paid and rent.

Piece of advice number 5 is "View a car loan as the next big step."

While car dealers typically want to see at least a year of good payment history before financing a post-bankruptcy buyer, some dealers aren't picky these days. Initial rates can be as high as 22%, but reliable payers can refinance at better terms later on. Opting for a used car can keep costs down.

Amazing that even finance writers continue to propagate the myth that a car loan is a must. And a car loan at 22%? Is the writer out of his mind? The interest you will pay alone on such a loan can easily pay for my last car purchase. And, regarding that refinance: don't count on it after you take out the credit card that the author reminds you to monitor and keep low limits on!

I know I'm going back to advice I've given over and over again: save, put money in an interest bearing account, save some more, and pay cash for a quality used car. There are plenty of them out there. We plan to buy another used car within the next year.

The last piece of advice (7) is to plan for a mortgage. My advice: save, save, save and stop thinking about taking on more debt until you have plenty of cash in hand. I heard an interesting report from an economist that much of the present crisis could have been avoided if people had put the traditional down payments on their homes. I know it old fashioned, but "grandma's finance" was full of wisdom.

Advice like: get a credit card, take out a car loan (at up to 22%), and buy a home is a great way to . . . . . . . . . . .bounce back from bankruptcy or end up back in bankruptcy?

Along with "Ask Orthonomics" I foresee plenty of installments of "Bad Financial Advice."

Have You No Shame?:
Don't Try This At Home

Ariella posts an ad that appeared on a public forum which reads as follows:

"Perfect as part time or telecommute: We need you to search the internet and databases (will be provided) for potential customers. Will pay $12 an hour in cash weekly (this is the equivalent of $24 an hour on a 1099). Must have some experience in business, research, sales, insurance etc to be able to define a "Qualified Potential Customer" Please contact us____"

Whoever takes this cash job should be prepared to cough up 14.1% for employment taxes (92.35% * 15.3% * profit) plus their federal marginal rate + their state marginal rate.

Just because your employer doesn't intend to issue a 1099 to a (presumably legitimate) contractor, doesn't mean the IRS won't want their cut when they come a knocking. I know someone who took a cash job and was ultimately stuck with the bill + interest + penalties because he didn't want to be a 'moser' and defend himself against the employer who could not claim he was a contractor in the least.

Anyone who takes a $12 an hour contracting job and ends up getting audited is going to feel really stupid when the bill arrives. You certainly run the chance of stealing not only from the government, but from yourself!

And to the businessman: don't let the newest scandal get in the way of announcing your intentions to evade taxes on a public listserve. Have you no shame?

A Friend Helps You Bury The Body?!?!

I've sat through many a tirade about "pick and choose Judaism." As a matter of fact, I've had a few tirades myself on the subject. But, I choose to no longer have such tirades because quite frankly there is enough of a mess in my own backyard.


This article is perhaps even more despicable than Rabbi Shafran's (later retracted) column extolling Madoff and denigrating the achievements of Captain Sully. When that, now famous, article was published, I wondered how it made it out the front (or back?) door of the Agudah. And, now we reach a new low. To defend his kehillah, a Syrian Rabbi of Long Beach, NY has declared that the Rabbis involved with money laundering have fulfilled the mitzvah of loving a friend b'hidur and brings a mashul that seems to emanate from the handbook of the Crips or Bloods rather than from Torat Emet. He writes the story in the name of Rav Noach Weinberg zt"l, but I will not accept the source of the story without hearing it directly:

A gregarious son partying each night brags to his father that he can count 100 true friends. The father congratulates his son, noting that in all his life, he has only achieved half a friend. The father suggests a test. “Take a goat, slaughter it, put it into a sack, get some blood on you and in the middle of the night go to your friends,” the father says. “Tell them you got into a fight with a guy at the bar, one thing led to another and you killed him. Beg them to help.”
As so the son goes to each of those friends and all slam the door in his face. Dejected, he returns to his father and asks what the father’s half friend would do. His father tells him to go and see.
In the middle of the night, still holding the sack and covered in blood, the son knocks at his father’s friend’s home. He tells the same story. And the half-friend hesitates,
saying, “Although I shouldn’t do this, you’re Chaim’s son, and I’ll help you.”
They take the sack and bury it together.
The boy returns to his father in shock.
The story continues and the father explains that a true friend would never even hesitate.
The Torah states, you should love your friend as yourself, I am G-d. If you truly fulfill this, G-d promises then He is the third partner in your friendship.

The author then asks if we have true friends? I would respond that true friends are those whose actions are routed in sechel and yashrut. A wise friend sees beyond his friend's immediate "needs" and sees a larger picture. If we have issues in life, they certainly don't participate. If they really care, they hold us accountable and help us help ourselves. "Justice, justice shall you pursue" would not allow them to be a "friend" to the detriment of another person/family.

If you have a friend who is a lush, you don't give them your car to drive their children home. If you have a friend who is a gambler, you do him/her no favors by lending additional money. If you have a friend with issues in yashrut, you don't wash their money for them. If you have a friend who is a philanderer, you don't help them hide the affair from their spouse. And if you have a friend who is a murderer. . . . . .you sure as heck don't help your friend bury the body!!!

The real question is where are our true friends? Loving one person to the exclusion of others hardly seems like a mitzvah to me. In criminal fraud cases, that "other" is those who now have to prove their integrity in job interviews because a bad light in continually cast upon Orthodox Jews as a whole.

Another Fraud Case Is Likely and More Notes on the "Legal Symposium"

The Muqata is reporting that the Feds have arrived in Israel to investigate possible fraudulent US/IRS tax rebates and citizenship/naturalization claims. I have a terrible feeling about what the end results will yield.

Years ago, I was on the receiving end of an email going around telling people to inform their family and children who made aliyah that they might miss certain tax credits. The email went on to detail how to get those credits. I emailed the sender of the email stating that I didn't think these credits were available to those the email was targeting (wish I still had the email and could recall the exact details). I received some sort of convoluted answer as to why they were "technically" eligible for these credits, but the explanation didn't quite pass muster with me and I stated as such to the sender. But, what do I know? He has a far fancier resume than me.

I forgot about this conversation until someone with a family member living in a different foreign country told me that said family member had claimed certain credits (based on some mesorah in her community) and had received a large somewhat massive tax refund after filing current and back years returns. Once again, the circumstances surrounding the claiming of such credits didn't quite make sense with my own understanding of how the tax system works, although I certainly don't have expertise on each possible loophole out there.

Note that I used the work "mesorah" to describe a lot of what goes on. What particularly bothers me most about the Spinka Rebbe's speech which I recently mentioned in a post is that it white washes the magnitude of the current situation the Jewish community finds itself in today (I do admit I that only could understand the English portion). The seemingly endless audits and investigations are, in my determination, the result of years of "red flags" in numerous systems.

The Spinka Rebbe made it sound as if his institutions and others just simply didn't know that what they were doing was illegal, deceptive, and fraudulent. The Rebbe stated: "I’d like to tell you that we’ve learned it’s possible to lead Torah and chessed organizations in accordance with the law. Yes, it is possible. People think it cannot be done, but we’ve learned this the hard way. There are now charedi lawyers and accountants who are experts in this area to ensure everything is run according to the law. When in doubt whether or not something is legal, we cannot make that determination on our own, chas v’sholom. We have to ask a lawyer how to conduct ourselves properly in that situation.” "

This current investigation, investigations regarding money laundering, investigations regarding welfare fraud or lunch money fraud are not investigations about people and organizations who forgot to cross some t's and dot some i's. These investigations are about organized crime and a "mesorah" of how to game the system. And, I think we might have lawyers and accountants to thank for passing on the mesorah.

There were always "chareidi lawyers and accountants" with enough expertise to tell the head of a yeshiva, kollel, or discretionary fund that it is illegal to take money from a "donor," route the money from account to account and country to country, and eventually return 80-95% of the money to the "donor." You don't need to pass the Bar or the CPA to know that this is illegal. I do think there is a need for more legal advice regarding employment and establishing benefits packages and the like. But that is more a matter of doting i's and crossing t's. Organized crime is ORGANIZED, i.e. deliberate.

"Arranging" your income, misrepresenting residences and citizenship, hiding your savings are examples of intent to game the system and are not mistakes. Depreciating an item over 3 years instead of 5 years, forgetting to subtract out a service from your property tax bill when you itemize, or forgetting to report interest income because a 1099 never arrived in the mail are normal mistakes and are likely not of particular concern to the IRS. Claiming certain credits while living abroad is of concern and I (sadly) can already see the headlines.

I'm trying to be somewhat positive about the "Legal Symposium" and I hope it is the step in the right direction, but for years now an entire "mesorah" has been being passed around about how to work the system. You'd have to live in a cave to be unaware of such things because quite a bit of it is out in the open. Now that "mesorah" is catching up with us and playing dumb is yet another misrepresentation in my opinion.

I think it is important for those of us who want to see a mesorah that is based on Torat Emet, yashrut, and general simplicity to make sure that our voices are heard when we get wind of various scheme because the bad apples are spoiling the bunch. I know that I don't want to be associated with fraud and deception the next time I apply for a job.

Put the Lady in a Pair of Pants for Crying Out Loud

As if we need more fraudsters parading around in Orthodox clothing!

In yet another fraud expose, Money Magazine delves into the sorid story of alleged criminal misrepresentation and fraud of a "frum" Orthodox woman. But let's not let fraud get in the way of appearances:

Wein Reis enlisted her rabbi in her bid to convince a judge that she should not be required to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet. Orthodox practice, the rabbi said, forbids women from wearing slacks or pantsuits. Summer was coming, Wein Reis's lawyer noted, and
any skirt or dress shorter than ankle length would reveal the bracelet, which would complicate her efforts to get a new job. The judge agreed.

I'm no posek, but I think a pair of pants would be just fine and dandy. It would serve the needs of the public and serve the needs of a kehillah that, quit frankly, doesn't need more visibility.

I hope the Rabbi who helped convince the judge that she should not have to wear a ankle braclet for the sake of tzniut, reads this article and sees some of the email exchanges between Wein Reis and clients. The tzniut argument is just a perversion!

Blah! We look so foolish. Read it and weep.

Legal Symposium: Men Only



In light of the most recent major scandal involving Orthodox Jews and assorted crimes from money laundering to kidney brokering, the Agudah decided that perhaps it was time to dedicate an asifa to yashrut, which they named the "Legal Symposium." Given that major frum publications have managed to ignore decades and decades of organized financial crime, it certainly is a step in the right direction to even acknowledge that a criminal case took place. The Yated didn't once mention the Spinka case, nor did its online counterpart YWN. I did not read the Yated at the time of the Los Angeles to Brooklyn money laundering arrests which hit the airwaves in a very similar way (1994 I believe), but I doubt those were mentioned either.

But, as I tell my kids, the longer you wait to clean up a mess, the harder it gets to clean it up. This pronouncement is normally made as I shoo them out of the kitchen when something sugary. Once the stickiness hits the soles of the feet, I'm stuck cleaning not just a section of a floor, but numerous floors, surfaces, and soles of shoes. I'm choosing to take the mere mention that not every single black hatted member of the klal is anything but meticulously observant of basic financial decency as a positive sign. The case of the bochurim in Japan has resulted in pronouncements that the women should take on extra stringencies in tzniut, so I think we can at least be appreciative that the asifa has a more direct connection between the crime and the solution. Of course, a large gathering isn't going to solve any issues. The entire house is a sticky mess and the cleanup project is going to be massive.

The asifa to promote a basic message that all 10 of the aserot hadibrot actually still apply in this day and age (and no, mesira is actually not one of the aserot hadibrot, although VIN and YWN commentors seem to have a different set of 10), featured a rather strange lineup of speakers indeed including the zealous Rabbi Avraham Schorr and the Spinka Rebbe who just pleaded guilty to a major criminal tax fraud and money laundering. I'm not quite sure what to make of inviting the Spinka Rebbe to sit in an honored position and declare that there is no longer a need to do things illegally. The entire speech struck me as bizarre. I don't want to get caught up in the speeches quiet yet. It seems to me that greater effectiveness could be achieved by inviting someone who has actually sat in prison (and hasn't re involved themselves in more criminal activity), or, perhaps even better yet, inviting that person's wife to address the crowd (from behind a mechitza if necessary) about what the fallout criminal activity is. Of course, if there is no real fallout, the situation is far worse that most are willing to face.

Naturally, the asifa was only open to the men folk. While there have been a fair number of "frum" women who have been hauled in by authorities for various types of criminal theft and fraud, including one women and her husband who were hauled in shortly after the recent major scandal in New Jersey, I have made the point before that (naive) women are the ones who get to pick up the pieces. When a male criminal meets his fate, he gets 3 square meals a day, while the wife is stuck with the weight of the home squarely on her shoulders.

I will continue to try and make the case that finances are the women's business too (presumably she is signing on the Federal 1040 and should know what she is signing) and hope that those who read my blog will help get that message out at the grassroots level because I believe it is a very important one. While criminal activity, especially organized crime, is largely a men's club, it is necessary to given the ladies a seat at the table in their own home, if not the community at large, to help provide some "checks and balances." If the community is actually serious about starting to fight this evil, they can't exclude half the population.

As it stands, the women are asked to work and provide support to a growing family during the initial stages of the marriage, but don't seem to have much of a role beyond that. In terms of the individual household, it is very important for women to have a voice in the family's finances. Women tend to bring a different set of needs and wants to the table. Women tend to focus on security and balance out husbands that might tend towards great risk. Introducing a more risk-adverse voice to sit at the table certainly is unlikely to cause great harm.

Ultimately, the mess that the kehillah at large faces isn't just a men' issue. Perhaps the Agudah just couldn't find an arrangement to accommodate both genders. But I hope that if the subject of yashrut is to become an ongoing subject, that the womenfolk will be invited to that table too.

Back to the speeches in the next post. I need to cut this post off before it becomes a small book.