Friday, September 29, 2023
Sukkot: Our protective fortress
by Harav Avraham Yitzchok Kook z"l
The sukkah booth that we live in during the Succoth holiday is by definition a temporary dwelling. The Sages ruled that a very tall structure, over ten meters high, is invalid as a sukkah because it is a permanent structure. An exposed hut consisting of only two walls and a handbreadth for the third, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable.
And yet, this rickety booth is our protective fortress. As King David said, “You protect them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues” (Psalms 31:21). Why should such a flimsy structure be a paradigm of protection and safety?
The Sukkot of the Great Assembly
To better understand the metaphor of the sukkah, we should examine a remarkable Talmudic passage. In Nehemiah 8:17 it states that, from the time of Joshua, the Jewish people had not dwelt in sukkot until the mitzvah was reinstated after their return from the Babylonian exile. How is it possible that this mitzvah was neglected for so many centuries?
The Talmud in Arachin 32b explains that the Jewish people always performed the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah. However, the sukkot erected by the Great Assembly in the time of Nehemiah were special sukkot, possessing a protective quality that had not existed since the days of Joshua bin Nun. According to the Talmud, these were not even physical sukkot, but rather a unique spiritual act of Ezra and the Great Assembly: “They prayed and abolished the passion for idolatry, and this merit protected them like a sukkah.”
The Ultimate Fortress
Clearly, the protective aspect of the sukkah is of a spiritual nature. The eternal truth is that the sukkah — purposely defined as a structure so flimsy that it cannot even be called a proper dwelling — is a fortress that protects us from all adversaries and foes. What is it that transforms the exposed sukkah into a shelter and stronghold? Certainly not any of its physical properties. Rather, its source of inner strength is none other than God’s word. The sukkah protects us by virtue of the Torah law that declares this structure to be our shelter during the holiday of Succoth.
This is an important message for all times, and especially in our generation. We need great courage to return to the land of our fathers and rebuild our national home. Where can we find the moral and spiritual resolve to withstand the challenges of those who oppose our return and deny our right to a homeland in EretzYisrael? Like the sukkah dwelling, our national home is based on the spiritual strength of God’s eternal word. The most advanced weapons may be able to penetrate the thickest walls, but they cannot prevail over the stronghold of God’s word.
This is our fortress, our ultimate shelter of security: God’s eternal promise that the Jewish people will return to their land and the House of Israel will be built once again.
The protective sukkah of the Great Assembly was the merit provided by their spiritual efforts to abolish the desire for idolatry. Our right to the land of Israel is similarly based, not on our military prowess, but on the moral strength of our eternal covenant with God and the merit of the Torah’s mitzvot.
However, we should not be satisfied with keeping only the minimum requirements of Torah law. Jerusalem was destroyed, the Sages taught, because the judges ruled according to the strict letter of the law. They failed to take into account the spirit of the law and seek a ruling that is both just and compassionate — lifnim mishurat ha-din (BabaMetzi'ah 30b).
The mitzvah of sukkah is based on Divine law, but there is an ancient custom to adorn the sukkah with decorated fabrics, fruits, and grains (Sukkah 10a). We should similarly seek to “adorn” the Torah law. We should go beyond the minimum requirements of the Law and aspire to the highest level of God’s word, in its purest ethical form. Then we will merit that “David’s fallen sukkah” (Amos 9:11), the prophet’s metaphor for Jewish sovereignty, will rise again, speedily in our days.
Adapted from Ma’amareiHaRe’iyah vol. I, pp. 149-150
Israeli "gabbaim" concerned: Shortage of herring possible on Simchat Torah
Three million herring are stuck on the way to Israel, creating concerns among the gabbaim of local synagogues over a possible shortage ahead of the holiday of Simchat Torah.
In many synagogues, it is customary to serve herring at the Kiddush on Simchat Torah and Shabbat Beresheet.
The haredi news website Behadrei Haredim reported that there is talk in Jewish food stores of a shortage of herring that will be felt already during the Sukkot holiday, and the shortage is already evident at the larger retailers.
The ship that transports the fish has not yet arrived at the port and it was stopped several days ago at the sea border crossings due to the fact that it brought with it too large a quantity of herring.
Zionists Will Distribute Candy Bags to Children in order to "bring the children of Israel closer and connect them to tradition"
The Ministry of Religion caused an uproar after it announced that it would distribute candy bags to children in synagogues on Simchat Torah in order to "bring the children of Israel closer and connect them to tradition."
Haaretz TV critic Rogel Alpher wrote that it was a bribe to children.
"The Israeli government has launched a new initiative in honor of Simchat Torah. It bribes children to come to the synagogue. The bribe is a bag of sweets. The Ministry of Religious Services will distribute candy bags to 250,000 children at celebrations in synagogues on Simchat Torah, which cost 650,000 shekels."
Akiva Novick criticized the initiative: "These are exactly the things that cause the common man to dislike the conduct of the haredi parties. Do you want to hand out candy? Go to the grocery store and buy candy. No one is preventing you from doing so. Treating the state treasury as a candy store looks very bad, certainly in a time like this, and the constant argument that it is for culture does not make it any less repugnant."
The Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians in Israel, Prof. Hagai Levine, wrote: "Distributing sweets harms children's health: teeth, metabolic system, heart, blood vessels, brain and more. There is no commandment to hand out sweets. Why give out candy? You can hand out flags, you can hand out apples. Maybe they will distribute cigarettes on Purim? Whoever wants to give their child sweets can do so, but not from the state."
Dr. Rina Anati, a Ha'aretz commentator, wrote: "When the Ministry of Religious Services distributes candy to children 'to bring them closer to tradition,' it becomes a pedophile who distributes candy to children and entices them to come to his house to harm them - this is criminality."
MK Tali Gottlieb supported the Ministry of Religion: "On Simchat Torah, all children of Israel, wherever they are, will receive a bag of sweets in the synagogue. All without exception! There is nothing like the joy of dancing with the Torah. And to all those who are outraged about the 650 thousand shekels that were invested so that all the children would be happy, my heart aches for their ignorance and lack of understanding of the glory of the holiday tradition. That's how it is when you're just looking to insult. The Bible commands us to rejoice on the holiday."
In an official announcement from the Ministry of Religion this week, it was stated that this is an initiative as part of the policy of the Minister of Religious Services, MK Michael Malchieli, who sees great importance in making religious services accessible.
Dianne Feinstein dead: Longtime California senator was 90
California Senator Dianne Feinstein has died, sources tell Fox News. She was 90.
The longtime senator had suffered from extensive health issues for more than a year, leading many to wonder about her fitness for office.
Feinstein was present in the Senate on Wednesday and cast a vote at 11:45 a.m. ET, according to the congressional record.
However, she missed two votes later in the afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
When it Rains on the First Day of Sukkos
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Well, it doesn’t seem to be such good news for those anticipating a dry Sukkos tonight. Why? Because the National Weather Service has not only stated that non-stop rain is expected to drench the five boroughs along with Long Island and parts of New Jersey, but they even issued a flood watch for the area from 2 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Shabbos morning.
GENERALLY EXEMPT WHEN IT RAINS
Generally speaking, we are exempt from eating in the Sukkah when it rains. However, the first night of Sukkos is different than other nights. Generally, we have a principle of mitzta’er patur min hasukkah – one who suffers is exempt from the Sukkah. This is because there is a drasha that we make on the words, “basukkos teishvu shivas yamim – in Sukkahs shall you dwell for seven days.” The drasha is “dwell” in the same manner as your “dwelling.” If you would not stay in that room in your home – then you should not do it in the Sukkah either. Thus, if you are very cold or very hot or if it is raining, or too buggy or stuffy, then this is considered mitzta’er.
THE OPINION THAT THE EXEMPTION DOES NOT APPLY THE FIRST NIGHT
Many, many Rishonim hold that the exemption does not apply on the first day because we have a hekesh – (kind of a Torah based hyperlink) connecting the 15th of Tishrei (Sukkos) to the 15th of Nissan (Pesach). And since there is no exemption of Mitzta’er on Pesach there is no exemption on Sukkos either. This also seems to be the indication of the Gemorah in Sukkah 27a. Who are these Rishonim? They are: The Rosh (Brachos 7:23), the HaGaos Ashri (end of second chapter of Sukkah), the Trumas HaDeshen (responsa #95) the Orchos Chaim, the Meiri, the Chochmei Luniel, the Ran, Tosfos Rabbeinu Peretz, the Maharil, the Ritva, Rabbeinu Manoach, and the Tur.
THE OPINION THAT THE EXEMPTION DOES APPLY ON THE FIRST NIGHT
The Rashba ( Responsa Vol. IV Siman 78) is of the opinion that the exemption also applies on the first night of Sukkos too. This also appears to be the view of the Raavad (Responsum #199). The Mechaber does not show a preference for either opinion, but the Ramah rules stringently. Sefardim have also adopted the position of the Ramah.
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING
Thursday, September 28, 2023
"Snag" Thanking Hashem for Chabad
BY
For decades, Chabad’s want-to-wrap-tefillin legions made us feel uncomfortable. More bluntly, we mocked them.
To be sure, that was only half of the picture.
We openly admired Chabad’s mesiras nefesh, and their very real love for all Jews. Parts of their modus operandi, including the tefillin thing however, just struck us as goofy. We couldn’t relate to hundreds of people spending all that time just trying to put tefillin on bemused non-religious Jews. Just how important could that single moment be? If anything, it seemed to violate our sense of the extreme kedushah of tefillin. We didn’t buy into the idea that acquiescing one time to humor a guy in a Fiddler On The Roof outfit would erase a lifetime of ignoring the mitzvah – something no one thought was his fault in the first place, having been disconnected from Torah for generations – and save him from the Talmud’s description of the fate of those who did not wear tefillin. Lots of wasted energy there. Better that the folks who manned the booths should be in the beis medrash.
Looking back at recent events in Israel, it appears that we were all wrong. So wrong, that perhaps we should be reevaluating how we do what is popularly called “kiruv.”
Hardly a day passes without some new anti-religious outrage going viral on social media. The context within which the shocking episodes is embedded is even more lamentable. People who have lived here for decades say that the hatred of charedim and Yiddishkeit itself has never been so palpable. The mayoral race in Tel Aviv pits a long-standing anti-religious mayor against a challenger who declares himself to be even more anti-religious. Both campaign openly not only against Chabad “missionaries,” but all forms of introducing religion to their proud, secular redoubt in Tel Aviv. Residents vow to keep out a wonderful dati-leumi yeshivah with a proven track record of care and respect for their neighbors. A different dati-leumi yeshivah – this one in Yerushalayim – sees a large demonstration outside its doors, claiming that all that is wrong with judicial reform owes to the fanaticism, racism, and messianism that is taught in their beis medrash.
It’s not a pretty picture, especially during the Three Weeks.
But wait. This is only where the story begins.
What strikes me as even more important is the extent of the backlash against these expressions of contempt for Judaism.
Secular broadcasters donning tefillin, live on camera. Leftist journalists speaking of the horror of watching Jews voice contempt for their legacy, and for other Jews. Chabad tefillin stands reporting overflow crowds, and secular Jews volunteering to help them with their work. The pushback against the extreme seculars is usually – if not always – accompanied by appreciation and adulation for Chabad. Parts of the non-Chabad charedi press – not usually given to praising Chabad – comment on the goings-on by depicting the Chabad foot-soldiers as allies in a common cause.
The rest of us were wrong all along. We neglected to see what Chabad was really accomplishing with their tefillin booths. It had little to do with tefillin, and everything to do with conveying a simple but powerful message: We love you as brothers and sisters. You are worth our investing our time, energies and lives. Whatever you think of your level of observance or non-observance, we think that your being part of our people is important. Yiddishkeit belongs as much to you as it does to us.
That is what people have absorbed for decades. In part, it worked because more and more people travelled to parts of the world where their needs were catered to by selfless Chabad shluchim, who demonstrated their love for the Jewish people by devoting their lives to it.
The rest of us ignored Chabad’s model and created a competing one, which created a teshuvah revolution that changed the face of contemporary Orthodoxy. It operated on very different principles, and reached a very different audience. It offered classes, lectures, explanations, inspiration, and answers. To be sure, we learned that we had to be genuine in our concern for others, and effusive in our warmth. But we were interested in verifiable results: how many became Shomrei Shabbos in a given year. One major figure in Bnei Brak was quite explicit. Any kiruv that didn’t result in assuming the yoke of mitzvos was worthless.
What we built was an unqualified success – at least to the people it reached. Its products, and their children and grandchildren, fill our shuls, our schools, and our batei medrash. May the work of kiruv organizations continue to touch the neshamos of more and more Jews!
But it is a changed world. The vast majority of non-Orthodox Jews outside of Israel have assimilated even quicker than our own prophets of doom predicted. They don’t even have fond memories of grandparents who were somewhat observant. The religion of a growing number (Jews always need something to believe it) is wokeism; they have no room for G-d or even for Israel, except to distance themselves from it. We proceed at our own peril if we ignore the success of Chabad with its program for making other Jews feel important as Jews. They are the only ones who had a strategy of how to reach Jews who had no connection to observance at all. Outside of the frum population centers, they are the only act in town. We gave up on the Jews who live there, because we know we can’t survive without a minimum amount of frum infrastructure. Chabad didn’t and doesn’t demand that, and they are saving innumerable Jews from throwing in the towel.
I write all of this with firm bona fides as a “snag,” (as Chabad calls misnagdim), in no danger of going over to the Chabad side ideologically.
The good news is that the events of last week demonstrated how different Jews in Israel are from their cousins abroad. The backlash against the demonization of Judaism – may it continue to grow – tells us that we must make some adjustments in relating to our brothers and sisters who are not frum. Our form of kiruv should continue; we should also continue to take pride in the enormous contributions of our chesed organizations – which have also been spotlighted as part of the pushback.
But we must find ways to interact more with Jews outside of our community, whether it is on the bus, waiting on line at stores, or shopping in the malls. Simply engaging in conversation with people whom we care about because they are our flesh and blood. Break down barriers. Erase stereotypes. It all starts with one-on-one interaction.
And thank Hashem for Chabad having opened our eyes to the opportunities in front of us.
Fetter'Tuchis Will have to wear a suit in the Senate as Senate unanimously moves to reverse ‘Fetterman Rule’ after massive blowback
The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution Wednesday to restore the formal dress code in the upper chamber following blowback over the loosening of the unofficial rule.
Under the resolution, which passed unanimously, senators will once again be required to wear business attire on the floor.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confirmed a rollback of the dress code last week and the move was quickly dubbed the “Fetterman Rule” over Sen. John Fetterman’s penchant for wearing hoodies and baggy shorts.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who publicly split with Fetterman (D-Penn.) over the latter’s lax wardrobe, sponsored the resolution, along with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
“As senators, we should demonstrate a high level of reverence for the institution in which we serve—and our attire is one of the most basic expressions of that respect,” Romney said in a statement.
“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to call for a return to a level of dress becoming of the Senate,” Romney continued.
Earlier Wednesday, before the resolution was passed, Fetterman assured his Democratic colleagues that he would wear a suit while speaking or presiding over the Senate floor, Punchbowl News reported.
Last week, Fetterman took advantage of the short-lived loosened dress code and presided over Senate proceedings with his classic baggy shirt and large shorts.
He’s also known for donning a hoodie in the Capitol complex area.
But under the resolution, men on the Senate floor must wear “a coat, tie, and slacks or other longer pants.”
Many senators voiced outrage over the lowering of standards.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.), for instance, joked about wearing a bikini.
Nearly every Republican senator signed a letter complaining about the change.
The No. 2 Senate Democrat, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Il.), even voiced his disagreement with the move.
Notably, the loosening of the dress code only applied to senators.
Visitors and staffers were still required to wear the classified coat and formal clothing.
Manchin claimed to have confided his misgivings about the change to Fetterman himself, before moving to reverse the change.
Before the rollback of the Senate dress code, senators would often yell out “aye” or “nay” votes from the cloakroom to avoid breaching the rules.
In his private remarks to Democrats on Wednesday, Fetterman said he’ll continue to vote from the cloakroom if he’s not wearing a suit, according to Punchbowl.
Fetterman had practically abandoned any semblance of adherence to the code since returning to the Senate from his multi-week hospital stint for clinical depression.
The 54-year-old senator was first elected to the upper chamber during the 2022 cycle and marked the only Senate flip of that year.
Iran infiltrates Pentagon
A shocking new revelation from Semafor has implicated a Pentagon official, Dr. Ariane Tabatabai, as part of a covert Iranian communications operation dubbed the “Iran Experts Initiative”. Despite the report, the Pentagon has insisted that Tabatabai was “properly vetted” prior to her security clearance.
The investigation by Semafor focused on emails from Iranian top brass, exposing the initiative’s links to Tehran’s hardline regime. These correspondences allegedly tie Dr. Tabatabai and various “overseas scholars” to Iran’s foreign ministry, suggesting a potential influence over American policies.
Tabatabai wasn’t the only name on the list; others included aides to Robert Malley, a Biden administration envoy to Iran who faced a previous suspension for purportedly mishandling classified information. It remains uncertain if Malley’s earlier issues were connected to the aforementioned influence network.
The State Department’s Matthew Miller deflected concerns by referencing the age of the info, alluding to its near decade-old origin. The Pentagon, on the other hand, hasn’t clarified if they were privy to this alleged connection before the public disclosure.
In a recent CNN appearance, White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, sidestepped inquiries about the validity of these claims, stating they’re “still processing the reports.”
The “Iran Experts Initiative” reportedly had a free pass to Western policymaking, especially evident during the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal negotiations. Semafor’s citation of a 2014 email revealed discussions between Iranian dignitaries regarding a select group of influential Iranian-descendants, including Dr. Tabatabai.
With previous allegations by Iranian dissident groups and Republican legislators against Tabatabai in 2021, the administration dismissed them as unfounded and racially biased. Yet, the current expose has reignited these concerns, with numerous Republican leaders demanding an immediate review of Dr. Tabatabai’s clearance.
Mass Protest in Williamsburg Against a "poor" Bucharian Lady Because She is selling Esrogim!
A whole day Yom Kippur , the tzaddikim of Williamsburg were fasting and shukling banging their hearts out at "al Chait"; but it didn't take them long to find out that an old poor Bucharian Lady trying to freed her family for Sukkos, was selling Esrogim in their neighborhood.
The tzaddikim are calling for a mass protest in front of her makeshift stall to stop her from making a living!
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Stupid Dumb insane Judge Arthur Engoron Evaluates Trump's Mar-a-Lago for 18 million!
I must say that it doesn't come from being "dumb" but comes from downright hate and cruelty!
A New York judge’s Tuesday ruling valuing Donald Trump’s sprawling, headline-making Florida estate at $18 million has left industry experts perplexed.
In his verdict, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron delivered a bombshell ruling that the former president committed fraud by inflating the value of his wealth, with details including the monetary value associated with Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
This decision, which came down without a jury, has sent shockwaves through political — and real estate — circles, especially that $18 million base value for the property.
One prominent Palm Beach real estate broker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Post, “It’s utterly delusional to think that property is only worth $18 million.”
Engoron’s verdict holds Trump, 77, along with his family and his business empire, the Trump Organization,
liable for fraud — a central allegation in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against the defendants.
In a 35-page judgment, Engoron sided with James, asserting that Trump had made unequivocally false statements in official documents to secure favorable terms with financial institutions.
Notably, Trump’s claims, such as his triplex penthouse in Trump Tower being 30,000 square feet when it was closer to 11,000, were also described by Engoron as “fraudulent” given their significant discrepancies.
The Singer "Pink" kicks out man condemning "Bris" at her concert: 'Get that s--- out'
Just give her a reason and musician Pink will kick you out of her concert.
While performing in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, the star had zero tolerance for a concertgoer protesting in the middle of her set.
"What does that say?" the 44-year-old asked an individual holding up his phone in a fan-recorded video. "Oh wow, you're making a whole point right now aren't ya? Do you feel good about yourself?"
The man, who stood mere feet away from Pink in premiere seating, pointed his finger aggressively at the "So What" singer while saying something inaudible.
"Are you gonna be alright? You spent all this money to come here and do that? Come on dude. I'm gonna have to buy a Birkin bag with that ticket money," Pink joked of the expensive and highly coveted Hermès bag. "Get that s--- out of here."
The man spun around and showed the audience the words on his phone. It read "CIRCUMCISION CRUEL & UNUSUAL."
"He wants all of you to read it. He came here tonight to talk about circumcision," the mother of two told the crowd.
Irritated fans yelled at the man to "shut up."
While continuing to gesticulate and rant about his message, Pink stated, "Get out. We need to get that out of here. Get it out. Get that cancer out, man."
Security swiftly removed the man as fans booed his exit.
"I feel bad. I feel bad that he wasted his time tonight," Pink said as the protester exited the venue.
Currently on her Summer Carnival tour, Pink has been subjected to even more peculiar fan behavior in recent months.
The recipient of a bizarre gift at her Hyde Park concert in London earlier this summer, Pink had a bag full of ashes tossed at her on stage. In a fan-recorded video, Pink is seen picking up a plastic bag, full of some substance, in the middle of her performance of "Just Like A Pill."
"Is this your mom?" the stunned singer asked, speaking directly to a member of the audience.
"I don't know how to feel about this," she continued in bemusement, placing the bag down by a speaker before continuing on with her song.
A representative for the singer did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on either situation.
Remember When CEO of Israeli Software Company that Withdrew All Company's Funds and then Lost it in American Banks ? Israelis are now Getting Revenge on her!
Remember Eynat Guez?
Back in January, Guez, the CEO and Co-Founder of Papaya Global, a billion-dollar Israeli software company, announced that she was withdrawing all her company’s funds from Israeli banks in response to the judicial reform, explaining: “This is a painful but necessary business step.”
Guez and many other Israeli hi-techs all took this painful but necessary business step, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy loop whereby they issued warnings about how the judicial reform would ruin the economy and they, then, went about trying the ruin the economy.
These days, Guez is trying to get the Saudi government interested in her company’s cloud-based system for employee management, and calculations of salaries, benefits, and payments for global companies and corporations.
Guez is scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the World Fintech Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in early December, the first Israeli woman entrepreneur ever to be so honored. invited to speak at a tech event in the Kingdom. Papaya Global expects to become the first Israeli company to attain a money transfer license in Saudi Arabia, sometime in 2024.
But Guez overlooked one factor: some folks in Israel hate her guts and are prepared to go a long way to hurt her business.
And so, in the spirit of revenge being a dish that is best served nine months after it starts cooking, Channel 14 political reporter Tamir Morag tagged the Saudi crown Prince, the Saudi Foreign Ministry, several other Saudi key players, and several other interested parties in this tweet:
“Hello my Saudi friends! Eynat Guez, who called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a murderer, is now asking for your money and plans to attend the World Fintech Show in Riyadh. Just wanted to let you know, so you can arrange a proper welcome for her.”
And he attached this blast from the past:
Anarchists Who Crashed Yom Kippur Prayers Drove Secular Israelis Back to their Yiddishkeit
Watch the video below.
The man on the left is yelling bitterly at the progressive prayer crasher on the right:
“One minute, come, explain to me, one second, it’s important to me because that’s the point I wanted to make. I am at Kaplan every Shabbat (referring to the weekly protests at the intersection of Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv – DI). Every Shabbat. I am a secular hi-tech professional living here, in Tel Aviv. So, what do you mean when you say, ‘You?’ When you say ‘You,” who is ‘You?’ Is it the color of my skin? The kippa? Who is ‘You?’ Who is ‘You?’ Come, explain to me, you, the enlightened leftist, who is ‘You?’ Because I’m at Kaplan, I’m at Kaplan every Shabbat, like everyone else, fighting for my democracy. And one day out of the year, when I decide to don a kippa, suddenly I become ‘You?’ Who is ‘You’ that you lay a stigma on like that?”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)