Submitted: Perhaps TLS should post this given how excessive the house-building craze has gotten in Lakewood, Jackson, and Toms River.
Read the holy words of the Shelah Hakodosh.
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Should We Be Building Mansions in the Lakewood Area?
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Bit late for that….
Absolutely agree. Ir hatorah? More like Ir hagashmiyus!!! What have we gone to?! Gone are the times of the wood paneled station wagons and small houses that we managed to fit 6 kids into, and in come these mansions and teslas!!! Get back to basics!!
How Is Boro Park different?
It isn’t. The Shelo HaKodesh didn’t just write it for lakewood!
While it’s not different, Boro Park unlike Lakewood doesn’t claim to be the only Makom Torah outside of Eretzs Yisroel.
There are few massive houses in BP. In Lakewood they sprawl.
you are right עיר התורא
stop erasing my comments
עיר התורא? City of the cow? Not understanding. I know we get a lot of scam calls from India but I wouldn’t necessarily call Lakewood city of the cow. (Or ox. However you translate תורא)
lol
It gives a lot of people parnasah
And also gives a lot of bored people what to talk about
It’s sad to see how Lakewood ihr Hatorah has been destroyed over the last 25 years. I’m living in Lakewood over 40 years with my father a talmidcof Rav Kotler ZT”L 65 years ago.
Rav Aharon ZT”L started Lakewood for people to move to who are ready to devote themselves to a life of Ruchnius and Torah and Rav Aharon ZT”L would travel in from Brooklyn everyday to Lakewood before he moved to Lakewood. But that sadly that was all destroyed. Yes Lakewood BMG might have even thousands more Talmidim then 25 or 40 years ago but the kedushah of Lakewood has been destroyed by turning over into a town of Gashmius. From expensive restaurants to fancy clothing stores and unnecessary expensive Simchas AND THAT’S SAD.
Today if YOU want to devote your life to Torah then move to Detroit or Denver or Boston. A town of simplicity when they still have beautiful frum schools and even a restaurant and a pizza shop but Lakewood is not the place anymore for someone who wants to devote his life to Torah. AND THAT’S SAD
Lakewood was started more than a century before that
Teslas while not paying tuition is an unfortunate common issue- speak to some administrators and you’ll hear their frustration.
Here for the comments.
No NO BUILDING IN LAKEWOOD !!!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!
Or Jackson or Toms River or Manchester or New Egypt and the list goes on! Our resources are being depleted, our roads are clogged and dangerous and what was beautiful rural communities ruined.
100% agreed. However it makes more sense than spending a hundred thousand+ on a simcha which only lasts a few hours. At least this you get years out of. But the point is correct.
A person can spend that money ey building a mansion INSIDE the house. Not the extravagant outsides.
Thr amount of hachnoses orchim coming out of the large homes makes it all a Mitzvah. Guest really appreciate the comfortable accommodations. Thank you to all of the hosts and hostesses. May Hashem bless you with tremendous Bracha.
Still doesn’t justifying building a Mansion Avraham Avinu had a huge tent for guest but not a mansion
There’s a Hachnosas Orchim house in Lakewood that many people are not aware of. It’s called Aishel Avraham avinu Hachnosas Orchim house and anyone can stay there with free boarding and food and drink all free of charge they can be reached toll-free at (866) AISHEL-1
someone who stayed there and was welcomed with warmth
I’m sure the owner spent over half a billion building the house. Marble toilets as well.
Wow, so you are officially arguing with the של״ה הקדוש
Many mansion owners don’t do hachnosos orchim; they are too worried about maintaining their perfect house.
We can build huge beautiful homes with plenty of comfortable rooms for hachnosas orchid. WithOUT, ostentatious OUTSIDE. We attract the goyims attention and we are in Galus!!!
Exactly.
Maybe it’s just none of our business what other people do with the money they’ve earned.
Facts.
Let’s not forget, money is from Hashem, and I don’t think that what he wants us to do with our money
Not if it causes the Goyim to hate us even more
And, WHY does it have to be on the OUTSIDE of the house. You can spend your money any way you want INSIDE your house.without attracting attention to the “rich Jews”. It perpetuates the myth that ALL Jews are rich and it just increases the antisemitism. We have enough tzoros in Galus without attracting more attention to us.
Eh. we dont hold of the shelah… Except when its tifilas hashlah for parnasah. Then of course we are obsessed with him! Lol
As long as we give tzedoka according to our income there is nothing wrong!
Not according to The Shelah Hakadosh!
What do you know to say an opinion that reflects the truth?
Do you know one Mesechta in Shas well? Do you know one Sefer in it’s entirety well?
if not, you opinion is just that- your arbitrary opinion.
When i built my house i wanted to make a smaller humbler house but then i realized that i was decreasing the market value of the property and didn’t feel financially secure enough to do that.
If you build a small house on a property then your forgoing as much as 40% of the value of the house.
I don’t know if one is mechuyav to give away so much money to be mekayim this concept of the Shela.
my dream is to one day sell the house, marry off the kids, and buy myself a small apartment in Yerushalayim! Hopefully Moshiach will come before that!
It’s not about Size it’s about Mansions Big difference
People may build whatever they want…
However they sould make sure all vendors are paid… if you can’t afford to build it…
Unfortunately there are multiple builders out hundreds of thousands of dollars for houses customers built beyond their means!!
“Should we be looking at the houses that other people are building and give them our 2 cents?”
There. Fixed the title for you.
The Shelah felt so
So when you reach the level of the Shela then maybe you can tell others what to do. Until then, I can pretty safely assume that this is tainted with jealousy and the writer would also build a nice house if he had the money for it.
I don’t think it’s about telling people what to do with their own money. At this point it is more about not being able to sustain the current level of building in Lakewood. The infrastructure just isn’t there.
If someone is proud of his success and wants a taste of his success: Let him build himself a mansion and pay $40,000 a year in property taxes.
Enough Takanah’s! It’s going too far! This is not even a takanah, it’s Pure קנאה Jealousy.
Anyway I don’t look at others, I’m שמח בחלקו Satisfied in my 70 year old 1 story ranch.
Agreed. When I pass by huge mansions that belong to yidden I always bentch them and daven to Hashem that they should always have happiness and peace in their home and that the Shechina should dwell there, and I always thank Hashem for giving so much bracha and shefa to his children and that it should just continue!!! I’m so happy for them!!! What a bracha it is to see Am Yisrael being able to live in so much comfort and half a century ago this was something no one could imagine!
i built my 7 bedroom house with an extra bedroom/shower specifically for guests which is used almost every shabbos by people making simchoes
(theirs no mitzva to live cramped with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with a large family ka’h )
b is my home large yes, is it fancy and ostentatious, not at all
and yes i hope it will iyh go to eretz yisreol when moshiach comes
but there is a mitzva of chinuch, what are you showing your children? that gashmius is important?
you want your home to come with you to eretz yisroel?!?!? thats how important it is?
Why don’t you first set the example by login with 10 kinds in a 3 bedroom basement apartment, and when your kids are crying and kvetching because there’s no room to move around tell them that you’re being mechanech them of how important it is not to live with gashmiyus.
lets see how well that works out for you.
I live in Brooklyn. My Apartment is smaller then the newer developement basements in LAkewood. I teach my children to be happy. Not to look at others. My family is much happier and satisfied then our siblings and relatives in Lakewood. Would we all like more space? Definitely. Is it worth it? Absolutely not. Why? Because today it’s a larger bedroom, tommorrow it’s an olympic sized pool. Pool size is exaggerated. The point however isn’t.
Hilarious
Perhaps we it would be worth learning the final lines of the kli yakar on devorim perek bais pasuk gimmel.
So i very much agree as i am a contractor here in lakewood thats been building these houses for people. Unfortunately ive built to many of them that my clients couldnt afford and i am actually owed over $600,000 from some people who couldnt afford their luxuries. I recently confronted one of my clients in glatt bite who owes me a large sum as i see him about 4 times a week eating alot food and sandwiches in local eateries. He told me soon soon, seemingly they afford what they want to afford. Im not going to discuss his other problems such as his weight but i am thinking i should tell him to buy ozempic before he pays altz his health. But i am not sure if i should have such rachmonis. What i believe is a big issue with many of these people building such houses is that they do everything more than they can handle. Its really in all areas. He couldn’t handle eating 2 shnitzle sandwiches that i saw him eat in one sitting at kipshuto but he still did and thats their main issue. They must be taught a lesson to take it all down a notch. Ive found most of these peple are 350lbs+. I would like to hear everyones opinions
Dont insult heavy people. I saw a guy doing the same 2 sandwich stunt in a different eatery and i can say forsure he owes people money for building a beautiful home. You cant just stereotype those heavy men that they also build large homes they cant afford. They may look like large homes but they dont always build them yet alone also not afford them. However, i can say that one guy like that owes me money because when he was on his 2nd sandwich in this eatery he was barely able to catch his breath he was stuffing it down his throat, his shirt popped open and his button flew into my food. He shud by me a new portion mamis a chazer. Lets discuss these chazerim in eateries whos shirts are busting open mid event
The fact that you got scammed and are owed money is very unfortunate and my heart goes out for you, you probably should have done your due diligence before taking the job because being owed so much money from one client sounds a little off (that’s if you are saying the truth). I don’t see how your clients weight or anyone’s weight and what and how much they eat comes in to this conversation or is your business. There are plenty of people who live in simple houses that owe people money.
I feel that you overstepped and an apology is due.
Go back to sleep
Your point is the reality of Lakewood today. Because some people can, everyone else must. Those that owe you, would owe others. Majority can’t affod the work they do, but do it anyway. It’s all about looks, not reality. I recently discussed this very subject with a financial advisor for my family. I mentioned my concern for not taking on the debt. He told me, he mentions my concern to almost every single couple that comes to him. Why take out a 30 year mortgage that already now will put you in debt till 75. A debt of over a million dollars which you can’t afford. Then refinance 5 times over the next 20 years, making you in debt until 95 years old. They answer others are making investments and buying I can’t be left out. It’s total insanity.
Ok here’s a great idea. How about if commenters think twice before bringing kitrug on the klal r”l? We need zechusim right now, not more kitrug.
I’m here for Laibels opinion #FreeLaibel
(Not giving an opinion)
Here to give anyone wanting the translation, like I did:
“And since I have come to this matter, I will declare that my heart was always burning when I saw that the children of Israel were building houses like the fortresses of the princes, making a permanent dwelling in this world and in the land of impurity.
And even though the wise men said that there would be houses of the righteous who would return to the Land of Israel, in any case their intention was to have an inheritance for them to bequeath to their sons as if it were their inheritance and that of their descendants and their descendants forever. And this seems, G-d forbid, to distract the mind from the redemption.
Therefore, my sons, if the Lord gives you great wealth, build houses according to the necessity of your needs and no more. And do not build towers and walls in pride and grandeur, only to have a place according to your honor, and rooms in which to be secluded for Torah and repentance.
Go and see what Yonadav ben Rechav commanded his sons: You shall not build a house, etc., but you shall dwell in tents, etc. And this does not pertain to living in tents, only to placing in the more luxurious buildings than necessary the necessity of the dwelling and rooms in honor of solitude for the sake of the name of G-d.”
See the meshech chochma on this topic “oid yavo yomam”
I think the materialism in Lakewood is ridiculous and became really outrageous after COVID (2022 and forward). I’m so happy we moved to Israel. We live the same basic life we did in Lakewood. We are grateful for being able to have an apartment, food on the table, good books and to be in such a holy place.
And of course, TLS to read and comment on 😉
Please explain the difference between a big house and a mansion.
If this letter was written by a known person with wealth that does not live in a mansion such as someone like Dr Roberts I can see the credibility.
But chances are the writer is a bit jealous and has an easier time looking outward than where he should be looking at; inward.
For someone without the Nisayon of wealth to judge someone that was blessed to have it is similar to someone who lives in one of these houses coming on TLS and writing how you need to extend yourself more when it comes to paying tuition and giving Tzedaka. While I agree with your point, it is not for us to Judge another especially in an open forum. Perhaps you should teach and engrain in your children this Shelah so when they will be blessed with such wealth they will know what to do with it and what not to.
If I were a rich man I’d build a mansion with one staircase for going up, another for going down & a third one just for show.
I think the third staircase should be for senior citizens only.
The big houses aren’t the real problem (although it is a bit showoffy)
its the big sheitels that are a problem!
long, immodest, natural looking etc…
this causes a loss of protection from above and it should concern us more than what type of houses are being built….
I agree! It brings such tumah to our community and the shchina doesnt rest here of this is whats happening. Besides it being an issue for the entire klal, each yuchid struggles from it. It very has much to do with the houses because its the same people. As a problem for each yuchid, i personally have dealt with cases of husbands not wanting to come home to their wives since they saw such wigs on the street and they dont like their wives wig since its very short and curly. Another story is a guy pashut snapped because of it and started touching the women he saw and lost his marbles. There are many stories because of those ladies with the not nice wigs and thy pose a threat to every person. Another guy also snapped because of it and mamish has chaloimos all day of everyones wigs. I dont know what to say but people are losing their marbles from this issue
I wonder if the “guys” that you heard stories about are actually verifiable and can be traced to a specific person, or if they’re like all the stories that circulate about Tzaddikim that Rav Moshe himself zt”l said many of them were made up and weren’t true.
also please don’t blame the noshim tzidkaniyos of our generation. Yes, there’s what to work on and what to improve. No, you are not doing the right thing by pointing fingers at specific groups of people
and saying they’re the problem.
you want to do something about the long shaitels? Start paying for more ads like inch by inch to run in all the Lakewood papers and pay more shaitel machers and even salons to offer their services for free to those who are ready to give their shaitels a trim.
that would be a productive use of your time. If you’re going to say that you don’t have the money or ability to do that, then you should also be saying to yourself that you don’t have the right or authority to go around talking about women in Lakewood and trying to pin the blame on people whom you know nothing of their challenges and struggles and how much they’re actually trying even if it’s not tangibly noticeable in your eyes.
What happened tzaddik? Ur jealous?
Thank you for posting this. If you want big zechusim, build a smaller home and give the saved money to the myriad of tzedaka causes that we constantly hear about. You you will be building for yourself and your family a beautiful “mansion” in Gan Eden.
omg!
people are searching for problems!!
if you dont have what to do with your life? do it some where else everything is great if you have a problem with it move to texas! im not sure why everything is a problem!!!
it probably comes from lace tops or speaking in shul!
seriously?!
LOL every house in Texas is basically a mansion, I think moving there would probably be a lot worst for this person 😄
א גרויסע שטאל פאר די נפש הבהמיות
What type of question is- “Should WE be building mansions”? 90% of the population is simply unable to do so even if they would like. That fact alone is an enormous reason. See Michtav Meliyahu parshas Toldos on Birchas Yitzchok. Excessive wealth is bestowed for one of two reasons:
1) To enable a person to reach his / her perfection which is through their financial abundance. Applicable only when it is being used excite that purpose.
2) It is a form of cheap reward in this world- Rasha Vitov Lo.
Building a mansion is unfortunately a strong indication of one’s spiritual destitution…….and them enjoying a terrible return.
Your last paragraph is a blanket statement to everyone. You are making a mistake.
יש מצות עשה לדון את חבירך לכף זכות
It is a Mitzva like the
ארבע מינים
לולב אתרוג ערבות הדסים