Author Topic: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles  (Read 37184 times)

Online beeweegee

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #20 on: January 27, 2017, 10:43:29 AM »
Absolutely pathetic. The voice is just trying to stir up an interesting discussion so that they can sell more of the gashmius. If it was up to me i would not allow the Voice into my house....
It's not up to you??

/Preach  :P

Offline yuneeq

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #21 on: January 27, 2017, 10:46:14 AM »
Huh?
Strongly disagree. When I used this website to churn/earn, it was definitely not for any american dream...

To each their own.. but ive never flow in J in my life!

Not saying what you use it for, but what the site is mostly about.
Take a look around- deals on all sorts of things, including luxuries, flying in J, luxurious vacations in exotic places, fancy restaurants, crazy TR's, etc.
Visibly Jewish

Offline churnbabychurn

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #22 on: January 27, 2017, 10:48:27 AM »
It's not up to you??

/Preach  :P

Fist of all I need it to know what to preach about ..  8)


Reminds me of a time I was at a sermon by a Modox Rabbi, he was talking about something degenerate that happened on TV that week. One of the congregants asked him why he watched this stuff as a rabbi? He said he needs to have his finger on the pulse of pop cutler so that he can better guide the community... LOL

Online beeweegee

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2017, 10:53:41 AM »
Fist of all I need it to know what to preach about ..  8)


Reminds me of a time I was at a sermon by a Modox Rabbi, he was talking about something degenerate that happened on TV that week. One of the congregants asked him why he watched this stuff as a rabbi? He said he needs to have his finger on the pulse of pop cutler so that he can better guide the community... LOL
Freudian typo?? LOL!!

Offline aygart

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #24 on: January 27, 2017, 10:56:32 AM »
Not to get all preachy, but:

Its not all about Lakewood. This phenomena of chasing the american dream of living a luxurious lifestyle is the biggest threat to Yiddishkeit in this generation. similar to Haskala back in the day, or worse.

How are we to bring up children to have any interest and enthusiasm in spiritual pursuits, about learning/davening etc if this is the focus we teach and live by?
Its either this world or the next. Yiddishkeit is becoming an empty shell.
Its a terrible situation, but noone speaks out.... This is not the focus of Agudah conventions or anything else. Roshei Mosdos and some Rabbonim dont criticize the redifas hamamon because they suffer from the same ailment themselves!

We are left with the glossy VOL discussing this as though its just another quality of life issue..... How ridiculous.

/end preach
After the Shevach Meat scandal in Monsey R' Mattisyahu spent many shmoozin on this topic and spoke about it in many venues other than BMG as well. Chazara is the ikar.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline yzj

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #25 on: January 27, 2017, 10:59:24 AM »
Frankly, it's really embarrassing to hear yungerleit in the coffee room talking about layouts trims, and home furnishing styles and it's embarrassing to go to a kiddush with tons of $6 miniatures and $100 cakes and party planners when the Baal Simcha is not paying full tuition, but what is the Baal Simcha supposed to do when the over the top kiddish is the norm but paying full tuition is not "in". If only that were a status symbol to brag about! I could just see people racking up cc debt to boast that they paid top dollar to their kids school. :)

Offline aygart

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #26 on: January 27, 2017, 11:01:40 AM »
Not saying what you use it for, but what the site is mostly about.
Take a look around- deals on all sorts of things, including luxuries, flying in J, luxurious vacations in exotic places, fancy restaurants, crazy TR's, etc.
Everyone has their own thing they get from this site. Also, there is a concept that getting pampered for a short vacation helps for the rest of the year and is not a contradiction to a less luxurious lifestyle. The key is moderation and not getting consumed by it.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline yzj

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #27 on: January 27, 2017, 11:05:26 AM »
After the Shevach Meat scandal in Monsey R' Mattisyahu spent many shmoozin on this topic and spoke about it in many venues other than BMG as well. Chazara is the ikar.
That was quite a while ago. From what I see now I would say if you are first preaching to a guy after he is 23 it is already too late.

Offline aygart

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #28 on: January 27, 2017, 11:06:33 AM »
That was quite a while ago. From what I see now I would say if you are first preaching to a guy after he is 23 it is already too late.
Nah. I've seen plenty get into these stuff later in life.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline Iz

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #29 on: January 27, 2017, 11:23:55 AM »
It's not up to you??

/Preach  :P
+1000! You can call all the publications and be removed from the lists. If that fails, it can go straight into the garbage, all wrapped in plastic.

Offline yzj

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #30 on: January 27, 2017, 11:46:47 AM »
Not to get all preachy, but:

Its not all about Lakewood. This phenomena of chasing the american dream of living a luxurious lifestyle is the biggest threat to Yiddishkeit in this generation. similar to Haskala back in the day, or worse.

How are we to bring up children to have any interest and enthusiasm in spiritual pursuits, about learning/davening etc if this is the focus we teach and live by?
Its either this world or the next. Yiddishkeit is becoming an empty shell.
Its a terrible situation, but noone speaks out.... This is not the focus of Agudah conventions or anything else. Roshei Mosdos and some Rabbonim dont criticize the redifas hamamon because they suffer from the same ailment themselves!

We are left with the glossy VOL discussing this as though its just another quality of life issue..... How ridiculous.

/end preach
This is a real danger. If one feels empty then his yiddishkeit becomes just a cultural thing, and who says that your culture is better than my culture? This has happened to a large extent in parts of the chassidish community, and Motel Frank and his chevra are trying to deal with the fallout.....

Online efflpetzel

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #31 on: January 27, 2017, 01:52:38 PM »
Not to get all preachy, but:

Its not all about Lakewood. This phenomena of chasing the american dream of living a luxurious lifestyle is the biggest threat to Yiddishkeit in this generation. similar to Haskala back in the day, or worse.

How are we to bring up children to have any interest and enthusiasm in spiritual pursuits, about learning/davening etc if this is the focus we teach and live by?
Its either this world or the next. Yiddishkeit is becoming an empty shell.
Its a terrible situation, but noone speaks out.... This is not the focus of Agudah conventions or anything else. Roshei Mosdos and some Rabbonim dont criticize the redifas hamamon because they suffer from the same ailment themselves!

We are left with the glossy VOL discussing this as though its just another quality of life issue..... How ridiculous.

/end preach
Very Well said.

It's the first time I agree with something you've written

Although I think this is a problem throughout Jewish communities in the USA

Offline churnbabychurn

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #32 on: January 27, 2017, 02:08:28 PM »


Very Well said.

It's the first time I agree with something you've written


I've heard that before..  paging Timt


Offline Sport

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2017, 07:39:59 PM »


Not to get all preachy, but:

Its not all about Lakewood. This phenomena of chasing the american dream of living a luxurious lifestyle is the biggest threat to Yiddishkeit in this generation. similar to Haskala back in the day, or worse.

How are we to bring up children to have any interest and enthusiasm in spiritual pursuits, about learning/davening etc if this is the focus we teach and live by?
Its either this world or the next. Yiddishkeit is becoming an empty shell.
Its a terrible situation, but noone speaks out.... This is not the focus of Agudah conventions or anything else. Roshei Mosdos and some Rabbonim dont criticize the redifas hamamon because they suffer from the same ailment themselves!

We are left with the glossy VOL discussing this as though its just another quality of life issue..... How ridiculous.

/end preach

+1 on this being the biggest threat to yiddishkiet, and its certainly more threatening than the haskalah as it seems so innocent.
I don't think the answer is ptting this world against the next though. It's either this world or nothing. We have a much better chance of getting a message out that resonates when it's about now.

Offline Shkop

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #34 on: January 28, 2017, 09:19:27 PM »
Not to get all preachy, but:

Its not all about Lakewood. This phenomena of chasing the american dream of living a luxurious lifestyle is the biggest threat to Yiddishkeit in this generation. similar to Haskala back in the day, or worse.

How are we to bring up children to have any interest and enthusiasm in spiritual pursuits, about learning/davening etc if this is the focus we teach and live by?
Its either this world or the next. Yiddishkeit is becoming an empty shell.
Its a terrible situation, but noone speaks out.... This is not the focus of Agudah conventions or anything else. Roshei Mosdos and some Rabbonim dont criticize the redifas hamamon because they suffer from the same ailment themselves!

We are left with the glossy VOL discussing this as though its just another quality of life issue..... How ridiculous.

/end preach

Not to get all preachy, but:

Have you ever heard about kshot atzmicha vacher kach kshot acherim or naim hadvarim hayotzim mipe osehem? I'm not saying that you aren't on to something, but before attacking a city, Agudah, Roshei Mosdos, Rabbonim and everything else that moves, make sure that you aren't suffering from the same illness. No, not even a little.

On the topic of worldly pursuits, spending your life chasing points, to the extent that you "churn baby churn" ....well that doesn't seem like the same guy who screams "Its either this world or the next". 

Before you holler back at me take a good honest look in the mirror...and maybe just take it down a notch.
A democracy is a form of government, not an intrinsic truth

Offline TimT

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #35 on: January 28, 2017, 09:33:51 PM »

Offline aygart

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #36 on: January 28, 2017, 10:39:28 PM »
Not to get all preachy, but:

Have you ever heard about kshot atzmicha vacher kach kshot acherim or naim hadvarim hayotzim mipe osehem? I'm not saying that you aren't on to something, but before attacking a city, Agudah, Roshei Mosdos, Rabbonim and everything else that moves, make sure that you aren't suffering from the same illness. No, not even a little.

On the topic of worldly pursuits, spending your life chasing points, to the extent that you "churn baby churn" ....well that doesn't seem like the same guy who screams "Its either this world or the next". 

Before you holler back at me take a good honest look in the mirror...and maybe just take it down a notch.
By your standards there can never be criticism of anything.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline sky121

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #37 on: January 28, 2017, 11:53:53 PM »
I think the ' keeping up with Jones' problem is slowly creeping its way into smaller and smaller Jewish communities.
 But when you see it in the very Yeshivish areas it's really concerning.
"Not all who wander are lost"

Offline yzj

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #38 on: January 28, 2017, 11:56:40 PM »
Another note that is important to mention is that there can be vastly different influences your kids will be exposed to depending on the school you choose to send them to, whether it is elementary or high school. Some parent bodies and therefore students will put more of an emphasis on style and luxuries than others. Even in a like minded simple environment there are plenty of kids who were brought up more frugally but picked up on the subtle message that they were missing something and deprived, and ended up seeking out a luxury lifestyle when they came of age.I think that even more important than living simply is to be carefull not to convey the feeling that the grass is greener on the other side which will lead the kids to resent the lifestyle you have chosen...

Offline aro123

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Re: Lakewood Luxury Lifestyles
« Reply #39 on: January 29, 2017, 12:39:43 AM »
I think a big part of the problem comes from the fact that Lakewood is (was) a kollel town and when every body is in kollel and still has 3200sq ft homes and new/leased siennas and camrys than when someone goes to work the only way they can show that they are successful(and show that they actually gained by going to work) is my outdoing the kollel lifestyles. Also there is still a stigma of leaving kollel and people feel that they are looked down upon for working, however once you make money than you are looked up at (ie try getting into a popular school ,you must be in kollel or have money) so people try to pretend.    Obviously the question really starts is why are the poor living such a high lifestyle