Parshat Ekev ...

by Rabbi Shmuel Knopfler

In analyzing the Book of Devarim, it is the generally accepted
practice to divide the book into three sections, one for each of Moses’ major speeches. In his first speech, which ends at the beginning of Parshat Va’etchanan, Moses recounts the history of the Israelites’ wanderings in the desert.

In the second speech – which is included in this week’s Parasha, Ekev – Moses discusses the commandments, which he continuously exhorts us to uphold.

He does not suffice with a passing mention of the commandments, but instead emphasizes why it is so important for the nation to preserve this system. He talks about how the nation was given manna to eat during the years they spent in the desert, and describes how difficult
it was for the nation, which had no guarantee that food would be provided.

Satmar leadership enraged after girls visit IDF museum

Leaders of the anti-Zionist Satmar Chassidic sect were enraged after an Israeli Satmar girls summer camp were spotted visiting an IDF museum, Behadrei Haredim reports.

The Armored Corps Museum in Latrun, near Modiin, is built on the site of a famous battle during the War for Independence in 1948 and memorializes Israel's tank corps. 

Early this week, photos surfaced of hundreds of Chassidic girls enjoying a field trip at the site, which caused widespread condemnation throughout the anti-Israel community.

Satmar, known as one of the most dogmatically anti-Zionist Chassidic sects, refuses to recognize the State of Israel and calls on members living in Israel not to vote in national elections, even for Charedi parties and not to accept any funding from the state, including National Insurance payments (Even though each of their children get monthly stipends from the "accursed"  Zionists that deposit monthly NIS into each child's personal bank account, and they themselves enjoy benefits  that amount to thousands of NIS per year.)

Following an outcry from followers in both Israel and the United States, the Satmar leadership in Israel released a statement apologizing for the visit and came up with some lame explanation that the girls had entered the tank museum because it was the only way to get to the nearby Latrun Park.

"When the students with the buses arrived there, they were not allowed to enter through there, but were brought down through the entrance of the impure army museum near the park," read the response.

"As soon as the teachers noticed that the place was not suitable for the students of our institutions, the teachers tried to take the students out of the park's entrance through the entrance of the park, which would not pass through the museum of the impure army."

The letter stressed that "the next day, camp administrators published a special announcement to all the students who were at the army museum telling them it was a mistake and done unknowingly"

The Pope Changes His "torah"

Pope Francis on Thursday changed the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching to declare that the death penalty can never be sanctioned because it “attacks” the inherent dignity of all humans.

The Vatican said the pontiff changed the Catechism of the Catholic Church — the compilation of official Catholic teaching.

Previously, the catechism said the church didn’t exclude the use of capital punishment “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.”

The new teaching says that policy is outdated and that there are other ways to protect society — “consequently the church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person, and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.”

The new provision is expected to face stiff opposition from Catholics in countries such as the US, where many support the death penalty.

The 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church allowed capital punishment in extreme cases for centuries, but the position began to change under Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005

DIN: The Vatican also had no problem with having Jews killed throughout the centuries!

Eat This Naftali Moster "Companies Hiring People Without Degrees or Education or even Skills!

So this "Moster" guy is on a crusade to sue Yeshivois because they are failing to teach their students the English curriculum mandated by New York State.... 

I am all for education, especially the basics, English Language and grammar, Math and History, but Naftali Moster is an uneducated ignorant fool himself, and will never get anywhere because his goal is not "lishmah" but has his own agenda...

According to the article below printed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Chassidim educated in Yeshivois will have no problem finding lucrative positions in the corporate world even without any degree or skills. 
By the way, The new York Public Schools graduates are less educated than Yeshivah graduates...

Americans looking to land a first job or break into a dream career face their best odds of success in years.

Employers say they are abandoning preferences for college degrees and specific skill sets to speed up hiring and broaden the pool of job candidates. Many companies added requirements to job postings after the recession, when millions were out of work and human-resources departments were stacked with résumés.

Yael Basis Mother of Four Killed In Car Accident In France

An Israeli woman, Yael Basis, was killed on Wednesday in a car accident in Val Thorens, France.

Yael suffered critical injuries in the accident and later died of her injuries. Seven other Israeli civilians, including two of her children, were lightly injured. The injured were evacuated for medical treatment at the hospital near the site of the incident.

The Israeli Consul in Paris, Uri David, and the Department for Israelis Abroad in Ministry of Foreign Affairs assisted in transferring the deceased to Israel for burial and monitor the conditions of the wounded. The ZAKA International Unit is working in conjunction with the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s situation room in order to obtain a waiver for an autopsy and bring the body for burial in Israel as soon as possible.

Yehuda Shapira, a ZAKA volunteer who was at the scene of the accident, said, “This is a very dangerous road. I was travelling on the road and I saw the accident while driving. I immediately stopped to provide first aid. One passenger was unconscious and other passengers were evacuated to the hospital in various conditions.”

Mrs. Basis is survived by four children.

Mike Huckabee Says He May Buy Home in Israeli Settlement

Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has symbolically taken part in the building of an Israeli settlement in Yehudah.

The former governor of Arkansas, an evangelical Christian, laid bricks and spread cement Wednesday in a new neighborhood in Efrat. He says he may one day “purchase a holiday home” there.

Huckabee, whose daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the White House press secretary, says he’s sure President Donald Trump would have been pleased to join him, “because he is a builder and he loves to see construction sites.”

Belzer Rebbitzen Dances Mitzvah Tantz

The "Mitzvah Tantz" is usually the last dance at Chassidic Weddings, and the minhag is that close family like the father of the bride, her brothers, grandfather, and the Holy Rebbe 

dance with the Kallah with a gartel

This dance has never ever allowed other

 women to dance the Mitzvah Dance since its in front of other men and is not in the realm of tzneeis

See the above video where the Badchan calls her to dance the Mitzvah Tantz in front of the entire world

Just  a note .... I think that the Belzer Rebbettzin is a role model and an "isha tzeidkis"

Zionist Bus Company Returns Lost NIS 43,000 to Beit Shemesh Resident

A resident of Beit Shemesh lost an envelope containing NIS 43,000 on his bus ride, which he intended to deposit in his parents’ bank account. With the assistance of the Egged company, the envelope was located and passed back to him.

Meir traveled from home to Jerusalem on the Egged 418 line with the envelope with the money he planned to lend to his parents to help them renovate their home. But on the way to the bank branch he discovered that the envelope was gone.

Update From Yosef Shidler About Lakewood Yeshivas Not Accepting Children

DIN: This article was submitted by the author on Tuesday afternoon, and since that time, a Lakewood school has reached out to him to offer to accept his child into their school.

Having been overwhelmed by the public show of support that my wife and I received after sharing the story of our failed attempts to get our daughter into school, I feel compelled to express our gratitude to the many people who contacted us to let us know that they are there for us as we face this challenge, with far too many sharing that they were in the same boat. I wish I could tell you that our daughter has been accepted by a Lakewood school in the past week, but sadly that isn’t the case. One school offered to accept my child, if I was willing to retract my letter and apologize.

14-Year-Old Chareidi Boy R”L Killed After Jumping Off Bridge Into Jordan River

A 14-year-old Charedi boy, who was vacationing with his family near the kibbutz of Degania Aleph, some 10 kilometers south of Tevaria, jumped off of a bridge and into the Jordan river and hit his head. The boy suffered severe head trauma and lost consciousness immediately.

Bystanders who were in the area, together with the boy’s family members, pulled the boy from the water and onto the beach and alerted emergency response teams. United Hatzalah volunteers and Magen David Adom personnel arrived and began performing CPR on the boy in an attempt to stabilize him. He was originally in critical condition as the EMS responders treated him. Following an elongated CPR attempt at the beach, it was decided to transport the boy to Ziv Medical Center while still undergoing CPR. An MDA medical helicopter was called and airlifted the boy to the Medical Center where doctors in the trauma center were able to revive the boy to the point where his pulse returned. Treatment continued while he was still classified as being in critical condition.

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yair Nachum was one of the first responders at the scene and said following the incident: “When I arrived at the scene I saw bystanders performing CPR on the boy while they were receiving instructions over the phone from United Hatzalah’s dispatcher. With the assistance of a paramedic from United Hatzalah and other first responders, we performed CPR on the boy for a lengthy period of time, following which he was transported to the hospital in critical condition.”

Later on in the evening, a Spokesperson for the Ziv Medical Center announced that all efforts had failed and that the boy passed away in spite of every effort by the medical staff to save his life. The boy’s parents and siblings were with him when he died and the social worker of the hospital was assisting them.