Can You Punch a Protester Blocking Your Commute?

 

by Yaakov Wolff

This post will deal with a halachic question and it’s hashkafic ramifications: 

If a person comes late to work due to traffic, and the traffic was a result of a road blocking protest, does the protester need to pay damages? 

A related, juicier, separate question: can the tardy employee get out of his car and punch the protester to get him out of the way? Is this legitimate self-defense?

I usually avoid clickbait and divisive political topics, but this case is directly tied to Shtark Tank. That’s because this sugya is a halachic expression of the Torah’s approach to work.

I want to clarify that this is not meant to be practical halacha, and not a post about the legitimacy of the protesters, police, or anyone else. I am not a dayan, and don’t feel the need to weigh in on political issues. But one of the relevant sources in the gemara will suffice to give us a glimpse into this sugya

A person who damages another person is liable to pay five different payments: nezek (loss of value as if he were a slave), ripui (medical costs), tzaar (pain), boshet (embarrassment), and shevet (loss of work). 

The gemara on Bava Kamma 85b says that each payment could be incurred independently. How could shevet be caused without any other damages? The gemara describes a case where one person locks another person in a room, causing them to miss work.

The Rosh says that this is only true if the damager brings the victim into the room and locks him up. But if the employee was already in the room, that is a grama, and the damager would not have to pay.

The Ramban and other rishonim might disagree with this. 

The Ramban (Kuntres Dina D’Garmi) writes that shevet is not even garmi, since there is no disagreement like in other cases of garmi (where Rebbi Meir disagrees with the chachamim). He explains that at the moment a person misses work, it is considered hezek nikar.

ואי קשיא לרבנן דלא דייני דינא דגרמי היכי מחייב והא גורם הוא לבטלו ממלאכתו וגורם הוא לו שלא ירויח, לא קשיא דכיון דהרזקיה מההיא שעתא הוא דאפסדיה עד דפתח ליה והא אמינא דהיזק ניכר נמי הוא ובין לר”מ ובין לרבנן חייב

The Shulchan Aruch (CM 420:11) paskens like the Rosh. But it’s important to understand the nekudat hamachloket here: what exactly are the rishonim arguing about?

It seems clear to me that the machloket between the Ramban and the Rosh is about the liability of the mazik, not about the existence of nezek.

 My Rebbe, Rav Moshe Stav, used to say that for there to be a chiyuv tashlumin, you need three things: mazik, nizak, and nezek.

Getting back to our sugya, the Rosh doesn’t say that a loss of work isn’t nezek. He just says that if the mazik isn’t active, it is considered grama, and the mazik isn’t directly responsible for the nezek. But it seems clear to me that they both agree with the Ramban’s definition: loss of work has the status of damaged property.

And that’s the fundamental idea: the loss of work is considered nezek. It’s like a smashed window. How could that be?

I would like to suggest that the five tashlumin that are paid when man damages man correlate to four parts of a person. There are different aspects to a person’s self, and each part can potentially be damaged. There is physical damage (nezek and ripui), psychological damage (tzaar), emotional self-esteem damage (boshet), and shevet. We see in the payment of shevet that a person’s ability to work is a core part of his identity, just like the others. 

Therefore, taking away a person’s ability to work is considered actual damage.

This makes perfect sense in light of the fact that man was created and immediately put to work.

ויקח ה’ א-להים את האדם וינחהו בגן עדן לעבדה ולשמרה

We see from here as well that a person’s work is a core part of his mission here on earth.

Based on all this, it would seem to give self-defense rights to the employee running late for work. If we assume that loss of work is nezek, and each moment of lost work is ongoing additional damage, then the damaged person should be allowed to remove this threat that is on him.

Lchora this would be completely independent of any chiyuv. Even if you assume that the protester doesn’t pay (because it’s like the grama of the Rosh, or because the protester isn’t directing his act at one particular person, or any other reason), that should be irrelevant here. 

The fact is that there is a nizak who is experiencing ongoing nezek, and therefore he should be allowed to defend himself.

SHIN BET REVERSAL: New Chief Seeks Fresh Review Of Kahanist Party Ban

 

A dramatic shift in the Shin Bet’s position has prompted the state to seek the cancellation of a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for Tuesday after Shin Bet Director David Zini and his deputy concluded that they no longer see a legal obstacle to registering the Kahanist party “Complete and Strong Jewish Israel,” according to a report by Channel 13 News.

The case centers on a petition filed by Yechezkel Yaakov Hasson against the Registrar of Political Parties. The state submitted an urgent request on Monday to cancel the scheduled hearing after Zini and his deputy sent a notice Sunday night expressing reservations about the factual basis that had previously been used to oppose the party’s registration.

Their position marks a significant departure from the stance taken by the Shin Bet under former director Ronen Bar, when the agency supported rejecting the party’s registration over concerns it could promote unlawful activity.

Last month, the Registrar of Political Parties rejected the party’s registration based on intelligence and legal assessments prepared by the Shin Bet during Bar’s tenure. With Zini now distancing himself from those assessments, the report says the Registrar’s position has been fundamentally undermined.

In the urgent filing to the Supreme Court, the Registrar argued that the legal proceedings cannot continue until the original decision is reexamined. According to officials familiar with the matter, the factual foundation on which the decision was based—the Shin Bet’s legal opinion—has now changed dramatically following the intervention of the agency’s current leadership.

As a result, the state is asking the Supreme Court to cancel Tuesday’s hearing while the Registrar conducts a fresh review of the decision to deny the party’s registration.

Saudi Arabia Signals Conditions for Abraham Accords Talks "No More Jews to Live In Judea & Samaria "

 Saudi officials reportedly conveyed to the U.S. that they are open to resuming discussions on joining the  Abraham Accords, but with conditions including a change in Israel’s leadership after elections and a halt to Finance Minister Smotrich’s moves in Judea and Samaria.

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill his shoes until the end of his term

 

EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE: Sister Chosen to Complete Graham’s Term*

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster picked the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill his shoes until the end of his term in January. Darline Graham Nordone, who had been raised by Graham after their parents’ death at a young age, delivered an emotional tribute to her brother in her acceptance speech. She will be sworn in this week and will be the first woman to represent the state in the Senate.

Marco Rubio’s campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court

 

By Gila Isaacson, JFeed

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that the Trump administration is launching a sweeping diplomatic campaign aimed at dismantling the International Criminal Court, framing the tribunal as a direct threat to American sovereignty and vowing to use every available tool to strip it of influence.

Rubio laid out the effort in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and an accompanying video message, declaring that the campaign carries a simple message, that sovereign states come before globalism, and that the United States will “dismantle the ICC, brick by brick, if necessary.”

In his video remarks, he went further, describing the tribunal as “a global tribunal staffed by unelected globalist bureaucrats who claim their power is almost unlimited.”

According to a State Department release published Monday, the campaign will involve a whole-of-government effort to disable the ICC’s ability to operate or target American servicemembers and officials.

A State Department official told Reuters the diplomatic toolkit includes travel bans, visa revocations, and expanded sanctions against the court and affiliated organizations, along with direct outreach from Rubio, his deputy, and U.S. ambassadors urging allied nations to withdraw from the court altogether.

The State Department also indicated that countries that rely on American security guarantees while declining to reject the ICC’s authority over U.S. personnel should expect increased scrutiny going forward.

The move escalates a fight that has simmered since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza, an action the Trump administration treated as a turning point in its posture toward the court.

The dispute intensified further last month when three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in New York challenging sanctions the administration had already imposed on them, arguing the measures were unlawful.

The ICC, established in 2002 under the Rome Statute to prosecute genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, has never been joined by the United States, and successive American administrations of both parties have long disputed its jurisdiction over U.S. citizens.

A 2002 law known as the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, passed with broad bipartisan support at the time, already grants the president authority to act on behalf of U.S. personnel detained or threatened with prosecution by the court.

For Israel, the announcement lands as a significant show of support from Washington at a moment when the Netanyahu government continues to face the ICC warrants stemming from the Gaza campaign and is likely to be read in Jerusalem as reinforcing the alliance’s shared posture toward the court’s authority over both nations’ officials and servicemembers.

6th Woman Files Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Boro Park and Lakewood Doctor, Robert Goodman*

 

Doctor Robert Goodman, an internist who for many years has had a practice in Boro Park and recently expanded to Lakewood, is no stranger to being sued for sexual assault at this point. He was already facing a 2023 Adult Survivors Act lawsuit filed by five women who accused him of groping their breasts, and making inappropriate sexual comments to them without consent during appointments. He is also in the middle of an investigation and trial by the Office of Professional Discipline in New York related to these allegations. 

A sixth woman has now filed suit against him alleging similar abuses. The new suit was filed in early May. 

According to the complaint, Plaintiff began seeing Dr. Goodman close to thirty years ago when she was newly married in her early 20s and had just moved to Boro Park. During appointments, according to the complaint, Goodman would close and lock the door. The complaint alleges that Goodman always treated Plaintiff in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, patting her face, and calling her sheffele.

The complaint further alleges that on at least five other occasions, while checking her vitals with a stethoscope, he used the exam as a pretext to grope her breasts.  

Plaintiff describes feeling unsure what to do because she believed him to be a professional, and because Goodman, who had (and still has) admitting privileges at Maimonides, was helping to advocate for Plaintiff's husband who was hospitalized there at the time. Plaintiff states that she had a conversation about what was happening with a neighbor who told Plaintiff that Goodman had groped her too. After that conversation, according to the complaint, Plaintiff found a new doctor. 

In December of 2025, according to the complaint, Plaintiff was having a conversation with a friend who worked in court who mentioned working on a case similar to the existing case against Dr. Goodman. According to the complaint, Plaintiff disclosed her own abuse to this friend who informed her of her rights under the GMVA. The complaint states that Plaintiff then looked up Dr. Goodman online, found the existing lawsuit against him, and found out that she was just one of several women who allegedly had similar experiences with Goodman.

Gay Cruise banned from docking in Turkey and Egypt by Muslim governments and they blame Trump

Gay man on LGBTQ+ cruise denied entry to Egypt & Turkey blames Trump for making countries feel “emboldened” to have “prejudice” against LGBT.

“You just cannot help but feel with this current administration people around the world feel more emboldened to do these kind of things.” pic.twitter.com/DYbvrj3FAU

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 12, 2026

A passenger on board a gay cruise that was banned from entering Turkey and Egypt by their respective Muslim governments has suggested Donald Trump is to blame. 

The unidentified man was seen complaining in a selfie video that went viral on social media from on board the Atlantis Events cruise, which is known for hosting all-LGBTQ+ holidays. 

The Virgin Voyages ship, named Scarlet Lady, was intended to sail through Greece, Croatia and Italy before stopping off in Turkey and Egypt, but authorities turned the ship away after discovering it was filled with men 'known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values'.

With the trip left in limbo, one passenger, who has since deleted his video off social media, said that the news the cruise was being rejected was 'really hard to hear.'

While acknowledging that 'this kind of prejudice is not new to these countries', he said that he believed the real reason the ship was turned away was because of President Trump.

'You just can't help but feel that with this current administration, people around the world feel more emboldened to do these kinds of things,' he said. 

'It's just really awful, and I would like to hope that the world is moving forward, but it just kind of feels like we're moving backwards.' 

The passenger concluded that despite the incident, he would 'still be having a fabulous time wherever we are.' 

The passenger's video was mocked as it circulated across social media, with many saying it was a prime example of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' - an online term for people who try to blame President Trump for seemingly unrelated issues. 

Former Iranian president Ahmadinejad 'is put under house arrest by regime over secret dealings with Israel in plan to install him as new leader'

 Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been put under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after intelligence authorities uncovered his secret dealings with Israel, The New York Times has claimed.

For years, Israel conducted a covert operation aimed at grooming Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset who, when the time came, could be installed as Iran's new leader, American and Iranian sources told the newspaper.

Israel even secretly transferred money to Ahmadinejad for housing and travel, while operatives met him abroad on several occasions.

The discovery of the secret relationship is shocking given that Ahmadinejad was known for accelerating Tehran's nuclear programme, calling regularly for the destruction of Israel and denying the Holocaust. 

The clandestine operation culminated in February this year, during the early days of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with an audacious attempt to relocate the former leader.

Why did Poland not have one terrorist attack ?

 

Rare Second Bais Hamikdash finds unearthed at Shiloh days before Tisha B'Av

 Just days before Tisha B'Av, the day which commemorates the destruction of the Second Temple, archaeologists uncovered significant Second Temple-period remains at the Ancient Shiloh National Heritage Site in Samaria.

Among the discoveries are an elaborate ritual bath (mikveh), a ceramic cooking pot and a rare murex shell, whose dye was historically used for tzitzit and parts of the High Priest's garments.

The artifacts were uncovered during ongoing excavations led by the Civil Administration's Archaeology Staff Officer Unit in cooperation with the Binyamin Regional Council. According to Benjamin Har-Even, the Civil Administration's Archaeology Staff Officer, the timing of the discovery during the Three Weeks carries special significance.

"We are in the period of the Three Weeks, when we commemorate the destruction of the Temple, and archaeological discoveries of this kind take on special meaning," Har-Even said. "Beyond their scientific importance, they illustrate the deep historical connection between the Jewish people and Ancient Shiloh."

Some of the finds were recovered during the sifting of excavation soil at the "Treasures of Samaria" facility, where surplus earth from archaeological excavations is examined by local youth as part of an initiative led by the Samaria Regional Council and Dr. Avi Salomon.

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz said the discoveries reaffirm the Jewish people's historical ties to the area.

"At a time when there are those who seek to challenge our connection to this land, these findings once again demonstrate the depth of the Jewish people's bond to Shiloh, Binyamin and the Land of Israel," he said. He also praised the young volunteers who participated in the excavation, noting that they chose to dedicate their work to the memory of Major Shiloh Har-Even, of blessed memory.