Sunday, April 26, 2015
Hillary on the brink of collapse?
A passage from Ernest Hemingway fits the moment. In “The Sun Also Rises,” one character asks, “How did you go bankrupt?” and another responds: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.”
The exchange captures Hillary Clinton’s red alert. She’s been going politically bankrupt for a long time, and now faces the prospect of sudden collapse.
If she’s got a winning defense, she better be quick about it. The ghosts of scandals past are gaining on her and time is not on her side.
The compelling claims that she and Bill Clinton sold favors while she was secretary of state for tens of millions of dollars for themselves and their foundation don’t need to meet the legal standard for bribery. She’s on political trial in a country where Clinton Fatigue alone could be a fatal verdict.
After 25 years of corner-cutting and dishonest behavior, accumulation is her enemy. Each day threatens to deliver the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It may already have happened and we’re just waiting for public opinion to catch up to the facts.
Meanwhile, her Houdini skills are being tested big time.
Hillary’s one big advantage is obvious — she’s the only serious contender for the Democratic nomination, and she beats most GOP opponents in head-to-head matchups. But everything else weighs against her, including momentum.
Start with the fact that the sizzling reports of corrupt deals are coming from major news organizations that reliably tilt left. With supposed friends making the case against her, the tired Clinton defense that the attacks are partisan hit jobs has been demolished.
And after digging up so much dirt, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Reuters, Bloomberg News and others are not likely to be content with stonewalling and half-truths, especially given her recent lies about missing e-mails. No wonder the Times editorial page called on her to provide “straightforward answers” to the accusations.
I don’t see how she can meet that test. The outlines of cozy relationships and key transactions are not in dispute. The only issue is whether the millions the Clintons got amount to a quid pro quo.
On the face of it, that’s certainly what they look like. There are several deals we know of, and more could emerge, that put money in the Clintons’ pockets while helping businesses, including some loathsome international figures, make a killing. It is preposterous to argue that it’s all a coincidence.
Her position was further undercut when the family foundation announced it would refile five years of tax returns. In one three-year period, it omitted tens of millions in foreign contributions, reporting “zero” to the IRS. In another two-year period, it admitted to overreporting government grants by more than $100 million.
A foundation aide described the errors as “typographical,” which is bizarre — and par for the Clinton course. To concede the errors during the firestorm must mean keeping them quiet was an even greater liability.
Sooner rather than later, Hillary will have to meet the press — but what can she possibly say to alter the story lines?
If history is a guide, she’ll insist she did nothing wrong, offer ambiguous answers to specific questions, take offense at persistent reporters and end by playing the victim. She’ll follow up with a fund-raising pitch for money to keep “fighting for everyday Americans.”
To imagine that scenario is to realize it won’t fly, but I’m not sure what other options she has. She can’t tell the truth. It will sink her.
Nor can she credibly demand to be trusted, given her past. A recent Quinnipiac poll finds 54 percent of Americans already say Clinton is not honest or trustworthy.
Swing-state surveys show similar lopsided findings and each new sordid revelation will deepen the trust deficit. At this point in her life, it would take a near-miracle to change people’s basic view of her.
Her best hope is that a missing ingredient remains missing — a Democrat who could take the nomination from her, the way Barack Obama did in 2008. None of those already in the race or committed to it — Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, even Joe Biden — comes close to measuring up.
The only possible rival who does is Elizabeth Warren, the fire-breathing senator from Massachusetts. Gender aside, she is everything Hillary isn’t — an anti-Wall Street conviction populist with a record to match her rhetoric.
A movement to draft her started before Hillary hit the fan, so Warren would begin with a built-in constituency. So far, though, she insists she’s not running.
Then again, that also could change suddenly.
by Michael Goodwin
"There was not a single tzaddik in Sodom”: Says Mother of IDF officer attacked in Meah Shearim
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| Meah Searim Mamzeirim smash auto of IDF Tzaddik |
A 24-year-old Givati Brigade officer serving in Nachal Chareidi arrived in Meah Shearim to visit with two of his chareidi soldiers. After leaving the home children began to taunt him and then it escalated to throwing eggs and stones. The officer tried taking cover in his vehicle and to drive out of the area but the attackers blocked the road while continuing to pelt the vehicle with stones.
The front and side windows, which are fortified against rock attacks, did not break but the rear window was smashed. It took a few minutes for the soldier to extricate himself from the mob and flee the area.
The officer’s mother told Ynet “He traveled in his own vehicle that has protective glass because we live in Kiryat Arba. He tried running from the area but the children prevented him from doing so and a window on the car was mashed. They had to extricate him from their by the skin of this teeth. You could see the murder in their eyes like terrorists from Khan Yunis in the last war. No one from that entire mob made an effort to assist him. There was not a single tzaddik in Sodom”.
She added “My vehicle is a mess and while the parents of the children who attacked it slept during the war, I did not dare to shut my eyes while my son was in Shajaia. I am unwilling to remain silent”.
Deri is responsible for supporting Oslo which caused a thousand dead Jews. What yidden in meah shearim did is in protest of shmad. A frum young yeshiva boy in an army that supports immorality is spiritual death. I understand why chareidim attack the IDF bums.
chen chen #2. Fully agree with you.This soldier is not a fanatic that doesn't hear radio, nor read papers, and probably has a TV, so why on earth did he come to Meah Shearim to visit his friends in his IDF garb??? He was asking for this!!!
Frum Pogrom against IDF soldiers in Meah Shearim!
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| Car vandalized by Chareidim in Meah Shearim |
Where are the"Gedoilim"????
There is no difference between the Crown Heights pogrom in 1991 perpetrated by the shvartzes against Jews, and this one!
This barbaric act is a direct result of all the vicious "mussar" shmoozim that the "gedoilim" give in the yeshivos against the IDF and Zionism, they have managed to succeed in having the Chareidie community breed self-hating Jews!
The "gedoilim" always complain that the Zionists hate Frum Jews.
So, what are they doing?...They are instilling hate in their young naive sheep!
The Chareidim are the ones who are supposed to be passing the torch of our Mesorah to future generations, instead they spew hate against their fellow Jews!
Is this Torah? I don't think so!
Here is a comment that some fool wrote on VIN that reported this story!He is a product of Satmar/Brisk/Yeshivish craziness!
Yesterday at 05:28 PM
I don't condone violence, especially against a well-intended fellow who came to help his subordinates.
That said, this story can't be looked at in isolation if you want to understand what and why just happened. Chareidim were there centuries earlier than tzionim, at least from the time when Vilna Gaon's ztz"l talmidim settled in Yirushalayim in the mid-1700s, and there already were some there whom today we will call chareidim, and they maintained their presence there for centuries in spite very difficult rulers and terrible economic privations.
Then, more than two centuries later, came the tzionim with their fighting forces and their socialist/communist ideologies, and rapidly remade the city and the country in the secular image. Is it unreasonable to see them as the hostile occupation regime?
But at least soldiers were not assaulted, just resented. And then, in the last 3-4 years, things got to be worse than ever since the late 1940s. The tzionim openly threaten to take our precious young away from Torah and force them into the immoral confines of their military, under the threat of imprisonment.
That we will not obey.
Gut shabbos.
That said, this story can't be looked at in isolation if you want to understand what and why just happened. Chareidim were there centuries earlier than tzionim, at least from the time when Vilna Gaon's ztz"l talmidim settled in Yirushalayim in the mid-1700s, and there already were some there whom today we will call chareidim, and they maintained their presence there for centuries in spite very difficult rulers and terrible economic privations.
Then, more than two centuries later, came the tzionim with their fighting forces and their socialist/communist ideologies, and rapidly remade the city and the country in the secular image. Is it unreasonable to see them as the hostile occupation regime?
But at least soldiers were not assaulted, just resented. And then, in the last 3-4 years, things got to be worse than ever since the late 1940s. The tzionim openly threaten to take our precious young away from Torah and force them into the immoral confines of their military, under the threat of imprisonment.
That we will not obey.
Gut shabbos.
Unidentified assailants assaulted an IDF officer who came to visit soldiers in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim on Friday.
The officer, who serves in the Givati infantry brigade and even took part in last summer’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, drove in to Mea Shearim to visit two of his charges who are beset by economic woes.
After local residents noticed the officer in his army uniform, he was accosted by a group of would-be assailants, though he managed to evade harm by fleeing the area.
Some vandals then proceeded to smash the windshields and windows of the car belonging to the officer.
The incident was reported by Channel 2. Shortly afterward, the officer filed a complaint with police.
The officer’s mother, a woman identified as “Yael,” told Channel 2 that her son “was hit a few times.”
“He told me that it’s not his body that hurts, but his heart,” she said. “He came away traumatized a bit. He said they tried to lynch him. They threw stones, eggs, used diapers. Some of them even tried to overturn his car. Nobody intervened to try and stop it.”
“He paid a visit to two soldiers who live in Mea Shearim,” she said. “These soldiers are of limited financial means. He went there to see how he could help them with more benefits.”
“At the entrance to the apartment building where they live, two women stood there,” she said. “They were unhappy that he was entering the building while wearing a uniform and the purple beret of Givati.”
“When he came out of the building, he was met by a raging mob,” she said. “He stepped toward his car, closed the door, and locked it. They tried to get at him and pull him outside. They had the look of terrorists in their eyes. They wanted to lynch him.”
Israel’s political and military establishment expressed shock and dismay on Friday hours after the incident.
“In recent years, the IDF has enlisted into its ranks thousands of ultra-Orthodox, assigning them significant tasks and roles throughout the army and its various units,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
“The IDF views this incident with gravity,” the statement read. “The army denounces and condemns any attempt to harm its officers and soldiers who work day and night to protect the country and its citizens.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich about the incident. The premier released a statement to the press saying that he was closely monitoring the police efforts to locate the assailants.
“This is an outrageous incident,” Netanyahu said. “These lawbreakers who raised a hand against an IDF officer must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
“IDF service is a source of pride,” the prime minister said. The IDF is a people’s army that protects us all. The soldiers serving in it represent a number of communities that make up Israeli society. That is how it has always been, and that is how it will be.”
“A line has been crossed,” tweeted Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox Shas movement. “The assault of an IDF officer at the hands of Jewish extremists is an act of terrorism.”
“A grave act was committed, and I demand that the police do all in its power to bring those criminals to trial as soon as possible,” Deri tweeted.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Der Yid: Drink Goyishe Wine rather than the Israeli Carmel wine!
I am telling you guys that Satmar is going the way of Reform and Conservative Jewry!
In this weeks issue of Der Goy, they carry a story about the Shinyaver Rebbe, the son of the Sanzer Rebbe.
These Romanian haters of the land that the RBS"O gave us, claim that when the Shinyaver Rebbe's grandchild, got very sick, the doctor suggested that the child drink a specific wine that can either be a gentile wine (Yayin Nesech) or Carmel wine which had then just been introduced. The Shinyaver Rebbe said that they should give the child Yayin Nesech rather than the Zionist wine Carmel!
Here is a loose translation: I will start with the second paragraph...
Headline: About Using the Zionist Carmel Wine
When his [the Shinyaver Rebbe] grandchild Harav Hagoen Mee'koloshiz was a young child, he got very sick, and an expert advised the family to offer the child a certain wine that was only available either by a gentile company or by the Zionist factory "Carmel."
The Zionists in those days established the Carmel Company in many countries, using the income for settling Eretz Yisroel.
When the "great" grandfather, The Holy One from Shinyev Z'L, heard about it, he prohibited them using Carmel Wine. He suggested they use regular Goyishe wine.....
saying: "Carmel is Yayin Nesech, and if the child is so sick that he is allowed to drink gentile yayin nesech, then it is far better that he drink the Goyishe yayin nesech than Carmel yayin nesech. Because if he drank Carmel that would be "maras ayin" ... people seeing this, .... would say that by the Shinyaver Rebbe, ....when there is no choice, they drink Zionist wine...
and that's what they in fact did!
DIN: This is how far those Roumanian gypsies would go.... putting in this weird and bizarre work of fiction to bolster their fanatical hate against their brothers and sisters!
By the way, when the Chofetz Chayim z"l once received a bottle of Carmel wine, he stood up ...and said he stands up for any wine that was produced in Eretz Yisroel!
I don't believe the Shinyaver Wine Story; it's all fantasy , It's a fabric of someone's demented imagination.
I am sure they made it all up ... and put it in Der Goy to perpetuate their Sinas Chinom!
In this weeks issue of Der Goy, they carry a story about the Shinyaver Rebbe, the son of the Sanzer Rebbe.
These Romanian haters of the land that the RBS"O gave us, claim that when the Shinyaver Rebbe's grandchild, got very sick, the doctor suggested that the child drink a specific wine that can either be a gentile wine (Yayin Nesech) or Carmel wine which had then just been introduced. The Shinyaver Rebbe said that they should give the child Yayin Nesech rather than the Zionist wine Carmel!
Here is a loose translation: I will start with the second paragraph...
Headline: About Using the Zionist Carmel Wine
When his [the Shinyaver Rebbe] grandchild Harav Hagoen Mee'koloshiz was a young child, he got very sick, and an expert advised the family to offer the child a certain wine that was only available either by a gentile company or by the Zionist factory "Carmel."
The Zionists in those days established the Carmel Company in many countries, using the income for settling Eretz Yisroel.
When the "great" grandfather, The Holy One from Shinyev Z'L, heard about it, he prohibited them using Carmel Wine. He suggested they use regular Goyishe wine.....
saying: "Carmel is Yayin Nesech, and if the child is so sick that he is allowed to drink gentile yayin nesech, then it is far better that he drink the Goyishe yayin nesech than Carmel yayin nesech. Because if he drank Carmel that would be "maras ayin" ... people seeing this, .... would say that by the Shinyaver Rebbe, ....when there is no choice, they drink Zionist wine...
and that's what they in fact did!
DIN: This is how far those Roumanian gypsies would go.... putting in this weird and bizarre work of fiction to bolster their fanatical hate against their brothers and sisters!
By the way, when the Chofetz Chayim z"l once received a bottle of Carmel wine, he stood up ...and said he stands up for any wine that was produced in Eretz Yisroel!
I don't believe the Shinyaver Wine Story; it's all fantasy , It's a fabric of someone's demented imagination.
I am sure they made it all up ... and put it in Der Goy to perpetuate their Sinas Chinom!
Friday, April 24, 2015
"Ben Gurion in Gan Eden": Meshi-Zehav
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| Maran Yehuda Meshi-Zahav |
Zaka founder and CEO Yehuda Meshi-Zahav spoke to the press at Mount Herzl, where he was attending the Wednesday evening official Independence Day Ceremony.
He explained that since he was among the torch-lighters in 2003 he has attends annually, adding it is very emotional for him.
Meshi-Zahav spoke of the “kibbutz galiyos’, the ingathering of the exiles of Jews from around the world. Avos Avoseinu could only dream of this, an independent Jewish state”.
Meshi-Zahav added that not only is the nation advancing in the physical realm, “but not since Chizkiyahu HaMelech has so much Torah been studied by Am Yisrael. Ben-Gurion is in Gan Eden in the merit of the limud Torah in the State of Israel. Am Yisrael has not known such good days since the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash”.
Press
What brings a chareidi to this ceremony?
Meshi-Zahav
I represent Zaka, one of the largest chessed organizations in Israel. I identify with everything taking place here.
Meshi-Zahav added that something needs to be done, explaining on the one hand the chareidim are criticized for not taking party in the ceremony but on the other hand, chareidim are not included. He promises to do something about it by next year’s ceremony.
Rabbi Belsky says someone using the new "Kosher Switch" on Shabbos deserves the Death Penalty
Without going in the Halachic aspects of the "Kosher Switch" because I haven't actually examined the pertinent facts of the device, and am not an expert in the sugyeh of gramma
... I can say for sure, though, that the statement of Rav Belsky is misleading.
He writes in the attached letter:
"this concept has no place in Halacha. If the Sanhedrin were empowered, that act would be punishable by meesas Bais Din!"
Well, any child over 7 years old that learned Parshas Ve'Yakheil, knows that, that statement is false.
Rashi questions why the Torah singled out the prohibition of lighting a fire on Shabbos in this Parsha .. there are 39 melachos, why single out this particular melacha.
So Rashi answers:
The Torah writes "Lo Sevaaru Eish (you shouldn't start a fire on Shabbos)" because, as Rashi puts it ...
"Yesh Merabuseinu Omrim ... Havaarah le'lav Yoitzeis" ...Rashi quotes the Gemarrah in Shabbos, that quotes Reb Yoisi that the prohibition of starting a fire receives NO death penalty and that's why the Torah singled out the prohibition of lighting fire on Shabbos as opposed to the other 39 Melachos!
So to say that one who would operate the Kosher Switch on Shabbos gets the death penalty, is false!
But, I have another question to the "Great" Rav Belsky...
"Why are you bent out of shape about this gadget that according to a Tanna in Mesachtas Shabbos is a Lav that is prohibited but doesn't have a death penalty for violating it..
Yet when your buddy, Yehuda Kolko, molested and destroyed the lives of hundreds of children, you the "great" Belsky supported him?
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Israeli Flag Flies Above Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak on Israeli Independence Day
Some still have Hakoras Hatoiv! There is hope!
Warren Weinstein killed by botched rescue attempt approved by Obama
An American and an Italian held hostage by al-Qaida, as well as two Americans working with the terror group, were inadvertently killed in U.S. counterterrorism operations earlier this year, the White House said Thursday.
The White House said that Warren Weinstein, an American held by al-Qaida since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian held since 2012, were killed in a January operation in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The operation targeted an al-Qaida-associated compound and there was no reason to believe either hostage was present, the White House said.
In addition, the U.S. believes that Ahmed Farouq, an American who the White House says was an al-Qaida leader, was killed in the same operation. U.S. officials have also concluded that Adam Gadahn, an American who had served as a spokesman for the terror network, was killed in a separate operation in January.
The White House said Farouq and Gadhan were not specifically targeted in the operations, nor did the U.S. have information indicating their presence at the sites.
President Barack Obama was to appear in the White House briefing room at midmorning to make a statement on the incidents.
The White House said Obama takes “full responsibility for these operations and believes it is important to provide the American people with as much information as possible about our counterterrorism operations, particularly when they take the lives of fellow citizens. ”
The White House said that while it believes the operations were lawful, the U.S. is conducting an independent review to understand what happened.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) for the Fallen Soldiers of the IDF! What's the Halacha?
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Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
The writer is Head of Yeshivat Har Bracha and a prolific author on Jewish Law, whose works include the series on Jewish law "Pininei Halacha" and a popular weekly column "Revivim" in the Besheva newspaper. His books "The Laws of Prayer" "The Laws of Passover" and "Nation, Land, Army" are presently being translated into English.
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From a halakhic standpoint, there is no need to institute a general memorial day for the holy soldiers who were killed in battle. Instead, one should do what the Jewish people do for anyone who has passed away: on the anniversary of death (yahrtzeit), a memorial prayer is said, and the deceased’s sons or relatives say Kaddish, study Torah, and give charity to elevate their loved one’s soul.
Those who are more meticulous hold a memorial service and organize Torah lectures to elevate the deceased’s soul.
We have fought many wars throughout our long history, often losing more soldiers in one war than Tzahal (IDF) has lost in all of its battles put together. Nevertheless, we do not find that our Sages ever instituted a memorial day for those killed in battle. When we won, we celebrated, and when we lost, we mourned individually.
The only battle for which the Sages instituted public mourning, in the form of selichot prayers and fast days, is over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) , which was a spiritual and national catastrophe for the Jews. Indeed, the destruction, churban, is the source of all the troubles, evil decrees, and bloodshed that our nation has suffered throughout the exile.
Even the Fast of Gedalyah was instituted in commemoration of the churban, not because Gedalyah was such a great tzaddik that all of Israel needs to mourn his death. Rather, his assassination extinguished the last ember of hope for the Jews who remained in the Land after the destruction of the First Temple.
Moreover, just a few years before the State of Israel was born, six million Jews were murdered in a dreadfully cruel manner. They are our brothers no less than the Israeli soldiers who fell in battle, and they are more than three hundred times the number of soldiers who have died in all of Israel’s wars.
How, then, can we establish a day of mourning for the soldiers, on the same scale as for the six million?
If there is any allowance for a memorial day, it is on condition that we dedicate the day to educating the public about the essence and purpose of the Jewish nation, and about the value of self-sacrifice for our people, Klal Yisrael. Many people mistakenly believe that the more we bow our heads in grief and portray our pain over the fallen soldiers in somber hues, the more we honor their memories.
The opposite, however, is true.
We should view the slain as holy souls, whose entire lives were refined and sanctified through their self-sacrifice for the people and Land of Israel. About such heroes our Sages, Chazal, say, “No one can dwell in the section of Gan Eden where those who were killed by the kingdom dwell” (Pesachim 50a).
A nonbeliever thinks that they are dead in comparison with the living, but a believing Jew knows that they are more alive than all the rest. They died young in this world, but they are very alive in the everlasting world, the World to Come. They are much more alive than we are. They are holy, and our Sages say, “What is holy exists forever” (Sanhedrin 92a).
By giving their lives in sanctification of God’s Name, they rose above the personal existence of an individual Jew to the comprehensive level of the holiness of Klal Yisrael. By sacrificing their lives for Klal Yisrael, they were elevated to the stature of Klal Yisrael, and they are more connected to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, Hashem, the source of life. Therefore, they added great light and blessing in both the World of Truth and this world when they died. Moreover, we live here today in their merit, and all of our accomplishments belong to them.
Sadly, people with little faith, who do not understand Klal Yisrael’s past and ongoing mission, have seized control of the State of Israel’s media and cultural life. In the beginning, the secularists still had an inkling of what Judaism was all about, based on what they heard in their parents’ home, but over time, their alienation from Torah values took its toll, and they turned Yom Hazikaron into a day of weakness and defeatism.
Instead of honoring the holy memories of the fallen, trying to understand the essence of Am Yisrael, and investing meaning into the soldiers’ self-sacrifice, they emphasize the pain, despair, and destruction, sometimes even portraying the deaths of these soldiers as meaningless. They appear to be honoring the fallen, but in reality, there is no greater affront to the honor of these holy souls than the inappropriate character that these people have attached to Yom Hazikaron– the fundamental flaw being a disregard for the sacred Jewish national destiny of Klal Yisrael for whose sake the soldiers sacrificed their lives.
If we nonetheless observe Yom Hazikaron, we must underscore the soldiers’ self-sacrifice in sanctifying God’s Name. We must emphasize how they demonstrated to us that the prophecy of the ingathering of the exiles and the rebirth of the Jewish nation in its [ancient] Homeland is so great that it is worthwhile to give up one’s life in this world for its sake. This will strengthen us and inspire us to follow their lead.
The children we bear and raise exist in their merit; the settlements we establish flourish because of them; the Torah we learn is theirs; the ethical Jewish society we want to build here, as the prophets foretold, is theirs also. If we remember this, and exert a great deal of effort, we will be able to continue in their path, the path of self-sacrifice for Klal Yisrael. Then we will truly honor them, as holy and pure souls, illuminating and shining like the glow of the heavens.
This is also what we must say to the bereaved families in whose midst these holy warriors sprouted: Do not surrender to death; continue to live by their strength. Do not bow your heads; rather, stand up straight and tall in their honor. Lift your eyes beyond the ordinary horizon and look towards the vision of the redemption and the End of Days. And even if there are tears in your eyes, let them be tears of grandeur.
This essay appears in Rabbi Melamed’s “Peninei Halakha: Z’manim”, and can be read in full at: http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/category/zemanim/
Yom Ha'Zikoron! Holy Words from Maran Ovadia Yossef z"l
היום הוא יום זכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל, והנה אנו מפרסמים דברים אלו (בתוספת נופך), שנאמרו מפי מרן רבינו הקדוש רבי עובדיה יוסף זצ"ל, בכינוס יום הזכרון לפני קרוב לארבעים שנה, ויפים הדברים להאמר גם עתה.
אמרו בגמרא (בבא בתרא י:), הרוגי "לוד", אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתם. ופירוש הרוגי לוד, הם האחים פפוס ולוליינוס, במעשה שהיה, שבתו (הבת של) של המלך נמצאה הרוגה, וחשדו הגויים שמישהו מישראל הרג אותה, וגזרו גזירה על כל העם, להשמיד להרוג ולאבד, ועמדו פפוס ולוליינוס, ופדו בנפשם את ישראל, שאמרו, אנחנו הרגנוה, והמלך הרג אותם לבדם, ונשארו כל ישראל לפליטה. ועליהם אמרו רבותיו, כי אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתם, לרוב גודל השכר שיש להם לעולם הבא.
אין ספק שדברים אלה כוחם יפה גם לגבי חללי צה"ל הקבורים בארץ ישראל, אשר חרפו נפשם במערכות ישראל על גאולתינו ועל פדות נפשינו, מנשרים קלו מאריות גברו, תהי נשמתם צרורה בצרור החיים.
עמנו למוד סבל ורווי דמעות, על נהרי נחלי דמי אחינו שנשפך כמים, לא שלותי ולא שקטתי ולא נחתי ויבא רוגז, ומאז חורבן בית קדשינו ותפארתינו, וגלות ישראל מעל אדמתו, נשפך דם ישראל כמים, אמרו לכו ונכחידם מגוי ולא יזכר שם ישראל עוד. ובת קול ממררת בבכי שלוש פעמים ביום ואומרת, "אוי לי שהחרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגלתי את בני לבין אומות העולם". תמיד היינו מטרה לשנאת הגויים, שנאת עולם לעם עולם, שבכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו, כמה מאות קהלות נרצחו באכזריות במסעי הצלב והאינקויזיציה, והאחרון הכביד, בשואה האחרונה אשר נהרגו כששה מליון יהודים ובתוכם גדולי ישראל צדיקים יסודי עולם, ועד עתה, בפרעות שעושים כנגדינו שכינינו הערבים הפלשטינאים, הפוגעים לא אחת בחיילינו. וכבר אמרו במסכת ראש השנה (כג.), אוי להם לאומות העולם שאין להם תקנה.
ואמרו חז"ל (ילקוט שמעוני פרשת מטות), שכל אותם שנרצחו ביד אומות העולם הרשעים, הקדוש ברוך הוא טובל דמם על בגד שלובש עד שנעשה צבעו רווי דם, וכשיגיע יום הדין, אל קנא ונוקם מתעטף באותו הבגד, ורואה את כל גופות הנרצחים ביד בני עוולה, והיה צדק אזור מתניו, לעשות נקמה בגויים תוכחות בלאומים, לאסור מלכיהם בזיקים ונכבדיהם בכבלי ברזל, וכמו שנאמר "ידין בגויים מלא גויות".
יום הזכרון צריך לשמש לנו לא רק כיום אבל על אבדן חללינו, שקשה סילוקם של בחורים כחורבן בית המקדש, אלא גם יום חשבון נפש, עלינו להתאמץ לחזור למסורת אבותינו, לשוב לתורה ולמעשים טובים, ולחנך את בנינו לתורה, וכמאמר הכתוב, שובו אלי ואשובה אליכם. והרי כמה וכמה מהאובדים על קדושת ה' לא נהרגו ולא נרצחו אלא בכדי שימשיך עמינו להתקיים בתורתו, וכמה וכמה נהרגו ממש על קדושת ה', שלא רצו להמיר דתם, ואם כן בודאי שבמותם ציוו לנו החיים, חיי התורה, וכמאמרו של רבינו סעדיה גאון, כי אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורתה.
זכותם של חללי צה"ל מגיני ארץ קדשינו יחד עם כל קדושי עם ישראל תעמוד לעד להגן אלף המגן על משפחותיהם, ויעמדו בתפילה לפני כסא כבודו על כל עם ישראל לבל נוסיף לדאבה עוד, וכמו שנאמר, לא יבא עוד שמשך וירחך לא יאסף כי ה' יהיה לך לאור עולם ושלמו ימי אבלך, ויקויים בנו מקרא שכתוב, ושמתי מקום לעמי לישראל, ונטעתיו ושכן תחתיו, ולא יוסיפו בני עולה לענותו כאשר בראשונה. וקראת ישועה חומותינו ושערנו תהלה, ותחזינה עינינו בבנין בית מקדשינו אהל בל יצען, בל יסע יתדותיו לנצח, וכל חבליו בל ינתקו, וכבר נאמר, כי יום נקם בלבי ושנת גאולי באה, מי יתן מציון ישועת ישראל בשוב ה' שבות עמו יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל. ואת רוח הטומאה יעביר מן הארץ ובא לציון גואל במהרה בימינו. אמן.
אמרו בגמרא (בבא בתרא י:), הרוגי "לוד", אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתם. ופירוש הרוגי לוד, הם האחים פפוס ולוליינוס, במעשה שהיה, שבתו (הבת של) של המלך נמצאה הרוגה, וחשדו הגויים שמישהו מישראל הרג אותה, וגזרו גזירה על כל העם, להשמיד להרוג ולאבד, ועמדו פפוס ולוליינוס, ופדו בנפשם את ישראל, שאמרו, אנחנו הרגנוה, והמלך הרג אותם לבדם, ונשארו כל ישראל לפליטה. ועליהם אמרו רבותיו, כי אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתם, לרוב גודל השכר שיש להם לעולם הבא.
אין ספק שדברים אלה כוחם יפה גם לגבי חללי צה"ל הקבורים בארץ ישראל, אשר חרפו נפשם במערכות ישראל על גאולתינו ועל פדות נפשינו, מנשרים קלו מאריות גברו, תהי נשמתם צרורה בצרור החיים.
עמנו למוד סבל ורווי דמעות, על נהרי נחלי דמי אחינו שנשפך כמים, לא שלותי ולא שקטתי ולא נחתי ויבא רוגז, ומאז חורבן בית קדשינו ותפארתינו, וגלות ישראל מעל אדמתו, נשפך דם ישראל כמים, אמרו לכו ונכחידם מגוי ולא יזכר שם ישראל עוד. ובת קול ממררת בבכי שלוש פעמים ביום ואומרת, "אוי לי שהחרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגלתי את בני לבין אומות העולם". תמיד היינו מטרה לשנאת הגויים, שנאת עולם לעם עולם, שבכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו, כמה מאות קהלות נרצחו באכזריות במסעי הצלב והאינקויזיציה, והאחרון הכביד, בשואה האחרונה אשר נהרגו כששה מליון יהודים ובתוכם גדולי ישראל צדיקים יסודי עולם, ועד עתה, בפרעות שעושים כנגדינו שכינינו הערבים הפלשטינאים, הפוגעים לא אחת בחיילינו. וכבר אמרו במסכת ראש השנה (כג.), אוי להם לאומות העולם שאין להם תקנה.
ואמרו חז"ל (ילקוט שמעוני פרשת מטות), שכל אותם שנרצחו ביד אומות העולם הרשעים, הקדוש ברוך הוא טובל דמם על בגד שלובש עד שנעשה צבעו רווי דם, וכשיגיע יום הדין, אל קנא ונוקם מתעטף באותו הבגד, ורואה את כל גופות הנרצחים ביד בני עוולה, והיה צדק אזור מתניו, לעשות נקמה בגויים תוכחות בלאומים, לאסור מלכיהם בזיקים ונכבדיהם בכבלי ברזל, וכמו שנאמר "ידין בגויים מלא גויות".
יום הזכרון צריך לשמש לנו לא רק כיום אבל על אבדן חללינו, שקשה סילוקם של בחורים כחורבן בית המקדש, אלא גם יום חשבון נפש, עלינו להתאמץ לחזור למסורת אבותינו, לשוב לתורה ולמעשים טובים, ולחנך את בנינו לתורה, וכמאמר הכתוב, שובו אלי ואשובה אליכם. והרי כמה וכמה מהאובדים על קדושת ה' לא נהרגו ולא נרצחו אלא בכדי שימשיך עמינו להתקיים בתורתו, וכמה וכמה נהרגו ממש על קדושת ה', שלא רצו להמיר דתם, ואם כן בודאי שבמותם ציוו לנו החיים, חיי התורה, וכמאמרו של רבינו סעדיה גאון, כי אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורתה.
זכותם של חללי צה"ל מגיני ארץ קדשינו יחד עם כל קדושי עם ישראל תעמוד לעד להגן אלף המגן על משפחותיהם, ויעמדו בתפילה לפני כסא כבודו על כל עם ישראל לבל נוסיף לדאבה עוד, וכמו שנאמר, לא יבא עוד שמשך וירחך לא יאסף כי ה' יהיה לך לאור עולם ושלמו ימי אבלך, ויקויים בנו מקרא שכתוב, ושמתי מקום לעמי לישראל, ונטעתיו ושכן תחתיו, ולא יוסיפו בני עולה לענותו כאשר בראשונה. וקראת ישועה חומותינו ושערנו תהלה, ותחזינה עינינו בבנין בית מקדשינו אהל בל יצען, בל יסע יתדותיו לנצח, וכל חבליו בל ינתקו, וכבר נאמר, כי יום נקם בלבי ושנת גאולי באה, מי יתן מציון ישועת ישראל בשוב ה' שבות עמו יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל. ואת רוח הטומאה יעביר מן הארץ ובא לציון גואל במהרה בימינו. אמן.
Rabbi Mendel Epstein found guilty!
Three Orthodox Jewish rabbis were convicted in New Jersey on Tuesday of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in a scheme to force men to grant divorces to their unhappy wives under Jewish law.
Two of the rabbis were convicted as well of attempted kidnapping in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, according to the office of one of the defense attorneys.
The case before U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson hinged in part on the testimony of an undercover FBI agent who posed as an Orthodox Jewish wife seeking a divorce.
Orthodox Jewish women cannot get a divorce unless their husbands consent through a document known as a “get.”
Prosecutors said the rabbis operated a ring that kidnapped or tried to kidnap men and tortured them with beatings and stun guns until they agreed to divorce.
Rabbis Mendel Epstein, 68, Jay Goldstein, 60, and Binyamin Stimler, 38, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to the office of lawyer Aidan O’Connor, who represented Goldstein.
Goldstein and Stimler also were convicted of attempted kidnapping.
Epstein’s son, David, 39, was charged but found not guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The jury began deliberating on April 15.
The ring operated from 2009 to 2013, prosecutors said.
Although a wife can skip seeking a get and settle for a civil divorce, the separation without the husband’s consent can result in her being cast out of family and social circles.
Experts say such kidnapping schemes are responses to so-called get abuse, in which husbands demand an unreasonably large share of the couple’s communal property before granting the divorce.
The convictions come about three months after 56-year-old Rabbi Martin Wolmark pleaded guilty in the same case to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to commit extortion.
Sentencing is set for July 15. Epstein, Goldstein and Stimler face up to life in prison.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
The Miracle of The State of Israel & FDR
by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
This week we commemorate the 67th anniversary of the birth of the modern day state of Israel. This momentous event almost didn’t take place without very special divine intervention.
At the time almost no one knew the story. It was not until much later that the secret correspondence between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Saudi King surfaced. But now we know what transpired behind the scene that would surely have derailed recognition of Israel as a member state of the United Nations – and we can once again stand in awe of the mysterious ways in which G-d plays a role in directing the turning points of history.
I have just now become privileged to see copies of the original letters between Abdul Aziz bin Abdur Rahman al Faisal al Saud and the then president of the United States. It was in March 1945 that the Saudi King, aware of the imminent end of the Second World War, wrote to FDR of his fear that the Jewish remnant of the Holocaust might push for a return to their ancient homeland of Palestine. Saud was particularly concerned that there might be some American support for this on humanitarian grounds, especially in light of the revelations about the extent of Jewish suffering.
The Saudi King was undiplomatically direct in his opposition to this possibility:
“This right [of the Arabs] men now seek to destroy by injustice unparalleled and unequaled in history. Such is the right of the Arabs in Palestine which the spokesmen of Jewish Zionism wish to scorn and abolish by the use of various forms of lying propaganda, invented, concealed and employed by them throughout the world.… They are preparing to create a form of Nazi fascism within sight and hearing of the democracies and in the midst of the Arab countries as well as in their very heart and in the heart of the East which has proved itself loyal to the Allied cause in these critical times….. We state frankly and plainly that to help Zionism in Palestine not only means to endanger Palestine but all neighboring countries.”
Leaving aside the incredible reference to the Arab world having proven itself “loyal to the Allied cause” in spite of its powerful links to Hitler and the Nazis, the Saudi King seemed quite confident he would secure a positive response from FDR which would make the creation of a Jewish state impossible.
In fact he was not disappointed.
On April 5, FDR responded with an extremely warm note. In it he offered the king a firm commitment.
“Your Majesty will doubtless recall that on previous occasions I communicated to you that I would take no action in my capacity as chief of the executive branch of this government which might prove hostile to the Arab people.”
As long as he continued to serve as President, he made clear that the dream of the Jewish people of return to their homeland would not be fulfilled. Those were his words.
It was on April 12, a mere seven days after the date of FDR’s commitment to the Saudi King, that FDR passed away.
America mourned mightily at the death of their leader who had guided them through the previous years of horror. Jews, as grateful citizens of a land that had offered them so many blessings, were in the forefront of those overwhelmed by grief. We can now see divine fingerprints in the replacement of FDR with Harry S Truman, a man who previously enjoyed a friendly business relationship with a Jew and found himself in the unique position of being able to make possible the creation of the state of Israel which his predecessor pledged never to allow.
It seems miracles have always played a major role in the unparalleled story of a people returning to their homeland after a hiatus of close to 2000 years. But it was not only the miracles which allowed Israel to survive the attacks of its many enemies, far superior in number, in armaments, in wealth and in friends amongst the nations of the world. No rational historian, no realistic military analyst, no cogent political commentator could possibly have predicted that after 67 years of attempts at its annihilation, Israel still stands proud and tall, secure in its achievements and confident of its continued survival.
Israel’s development through its teenage years, its growth to maturity and its present day place in the world as a technological wonder all bear the signs of divine and miraculous assistance. However this year, now that we know the full story, let us add our recognition of the miracle which made possible Israel’s birth as well.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Mike Huckabee Calls Two-State Solution ‘the Nuttiest Thing I’ve Ever Heard’
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| Mike at the Kotel |
Likely US presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said this past weekend that the widely accepted two-state solution for Israeli-Palestinian peace is a crazy idea and that the disputed West Bank territories already belong to Israel, Newsmax reported.
It’s “the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard” the former Arkansas governor said, while addressing several hundred people at the Republican Leadership Summit in New Hampshire.
“One of those parties believes the other one should not exist,” added Huckabee. “Let’s quit pretending there is such a thing in that particular country. In the land of Judea and Samaria, there should not be a question as to whether or not that is going to belong to Israel - because it does belong to Israel.”
Speaking at the two-day event, Huckabee also said that he witnessed an Islamic State terrorist camp in Syria just two miles from where he stood during a recent visit to the Israeli Golan Heights. He added that he heard at least 10 rocket and shell explosions going off in Syria, Newsmax reported.
“We were safe where we were, and the reason we were was because Israel understands what it is to defend its borders and recognizes that it does have a right to defend itself and its people,” he explained, also noting that his first visit to Israel was 42 years ago.
Huckabee said President Obama’s failing policies in the Middle East have resulted in Israel allying itself with other nations in the region amid fears of a nuclear armed Iran. He told the crowd at the Summit, “Now, the Israelis are in a greater alliance with the Saudis, Jordanians, and Egyptians than they are with the United States - because those countries at least have the good sense to know you don’t trust the Iranians.”
“I pray our next president will have the good sense to know we don’t trust the Iranians, but we can trust our friends, the Israelis - and we can trust the leadership of other countries in the Middle East, who recognize that you cannot create peace when you chant ‘Death to America’ in the streets of your cities,” he added.
Petira Of HaGaon HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein ZT"L - Leading Dati Leumi Posek, Son In Law Of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
HaGaon HaRav Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein ZT”L was niftar at the age of 81. The levaya will be held on Tuesday, 2 Iyar to permit family members to arrive in Eretz Yisrael.
The rav was a leading authority in the dati leumi community around the world. While he was born in France, he was raised in the United States. He was a talmid of both HaRav Yitzchak Hutner Z”TL and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik ZT”L, eventually becoming his son-in-law.
In 1970, Rabbi Yehuda Amital invited him to serve with him as head of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Alon Shvut, Rabbi Liechtenstein acceded to the request, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1971, and has served as the Rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Amital along with until the death of the latter. He would not serve unless Rav Amital was co-rosh yeshiva alongside, another symbol of his absolute modesty.
Rabbi Dr. Liechtenstein received the Israel Prize for Torah literature and in English literature. He earned a BA and semicha at Yeshiva University and a PhD in English Literature at Harvard University, where he studied under Douglas Bush.
In 2006 he moved from Gush Etzion to Yerushalayim. At the end of the winter zman in 5771 he announced his retirement as rosh yeshiva, dedicating his time to his Torah study and writings.
In his words upon hearing of the petira, Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef stated,
הרב ליכטנשטיין שייך לשרידי דור דעה, של רבנים שידעו שאין להתפשר על קוצו של יו”ד בהלכה היהודית ובד בבד בתוך עמם הם ישבו.
He belonged to a generation of rabbonim who would not compromise one iota in halacha.
The levaya will begin at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion on Tuesday morning 2 Iyar at 10:00 and continue to Har Menuchos.
Shock and Emptiness – Students Eulogize Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
New York Times Accidentally Tells the Truth About the Palestinians
To read the New York Times, one would think that the situation in the Judea-Samaria (West Bank) region in 2015 is the same as it was in 1985 or 1975.
Israel is “occupying the West Bank,” Palestinians are denied the right to vote, and Palestinian violence is inevitable because Israeli control makes them feel hopeless. That was more or less the theme of the Times‘ March 31 feature story on the situation in the territories today.
But every once in a while, a Times reporter accidentally lets the cat out of the bag, and a discerning reader discovers that the truth is almost the exact opposite of what the Times is trying to convey.
Correspondent Diaa Hadid began her lengthy March 31 article on what was (for her) a hopeful note, pointing out that “the United States and Europe seem ever more ready to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank.”
Then, in the 12th paragraph, Hadid mentioned a fact that must have been confusing toTimes readers. The Palestinian Authority held “a presidential election in 2005,” she noted in passing.
Wait a minute. We thought that the Palestinians have all been disenfranchised by the Israeli “occupation.” We were told –by the Times and most of the international news media– that Israel is preventing the Palestinians from exercising their democratic right to vote. Now it turns out that the Palestinian Authority did have an election in 2005 –and the only reason they haven’t held another once since then is because, as Hadid wrote, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas “has systematically snuffed out any challenges to his rule.”
In other words, it is the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, that is preventing Palestinian democracy. Interesting!
Then, another fascinating fact, this one in the 13th paragraph. A Palestinian critic of Abbas told the reporter, Ms. Hadid, that he “would only give the nickname Abu Mohammed, because he feared harassment by security forces.” She was referring, of course, to the Palestinian security forces. Remarkable!
So it’s not the Israelis who are suppressing Palestinian dissidents and protesters–it’s the Palestinian Authority’s own security forces.
And if a reader managed to make it all the way down to paragraph 23, he would find Ms. Hadid mentioning that “Mr. Abbas was once praised for establishing security, cracking down on gunmen who terrorize Palestinian communities…”
So it is Palestinian, not Israeli, “gunmen” who have been “terrorizing” the Palestinians. Who knew?
But the real kicker was in the 14th paragraph. “The Palestinian Authority,” Ms. Hadid reported –again, in passing– “governs Palestinian communities in the West Bank.”
How can that be? She had referred at the beginning of the article to “Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.”
Now she is reporting the exact opposite–namely, that it is the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, which governs “Palestinian communities” there.
And she was right. Because although the Times and other supporters of the Palestinian cause are loathe to acknowledge it, Israel (under Yitzhak Rabin) in 1995 withdrew from the areas in Judea-Samaria where more than 95 percent of the Palestinians reside.
The “occupation” ended twenty years ago. You can’t blame Israel for the way the PA mismanages the areas that it occupies.
By the 31st paragraph, however, Ms. Hadid managed to come full circle and find a way to blame Israel. Even though it is the Palestinian Authority that governs the Palestinians; even though the Palestinians do indeed vote, when the PA consents to hold elections; and even though it is the PA’s security forces that “terrorize” the Palestinians–nevertheless, it’s all Israel’s fault: “While many Palestinians acknowledge their system is broken” –a generous way of describing the situation– “they worry that it is being used as an excuse by Israel and other countries to allow their statehood hopes to wither.”
The truth is that the Palestinian Authority’s self-rule regime is already a state in every major respect but two: it does not have full control of its borders, and it does not have a full-fledged army. Not surprisingly, Israel is not anxious to have terrorists pouring across a PA-controlled border, or PA tanks and jet bombers a few miles from Tel Aviv.
So if Diaa Hadid and the New York Times want to make the case for supplying tanks to the PA, let them be open about it and say so–but please, stop pretending that the problem is some mythical Israeli “occupation.” It’s not 1985 any more.
Moshe Phillips is president and Benyamin Korn is chairman of the Religious Zionists of Philadelphia, and both are current candidates on the Religious Zionist slate (www.VoteTorah.org) in the World Zionist Congress elections.
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