Is Dancing Around a Bon-Fire Worshipping Idols?

First I would like to address all those defying regulations and running and making minyanim during this virus ....

Keep in mind that the great Tanna, Reb Shimon ben Yochai davened 12 years without a minyan ...
he didn't daven in a minyan for 624 Shabbasim ....and missed a minyan 12,672 times....
he davened beyechidus 12 Rosh Hashanas, 12 Yom Kippurs , 12 Pesachs, 12 Succos .... 
....and yet ..... and yet ... he remained a tzaddik and continued being a Tannah ...

he was hiding in a cave, because the Romans were hunting him down to kill him.

The virus is hunting us down ..... STAY THE HELL HOME!!

Now for those insisting to burn down the country with your stupid bonfires...and choking us all with that putrid smoke ....
let me let you all into a secret .....this may very well be "darkai Amoirie" customs of  pagan worshippers ...

This from EMAILIM BATORAH


The תוספתא (Shabbos 7:1) says clapping hands or dancing in front of a fire is אסור because of דרכי אמורי.

Harav Hagaon R.S.Wosner zt"l (Shevet Halevi 7: 136) was asked if dancing in camp around a bonfire is permissible or there is an איסור of דרכי אמורי.

One of the reasons to consider why it might be מותר is because perhaps the תוספתא is referring only when the dancing is done for the honor of the fire.
(eg: A holy fire lit by a Rebbe who said לשם יחוד  & seven times ויהי נועם etc.) Then it has traces & elements of עבודה זרה.

Whereas in camp it's just done for warmth, light,& fun. Perhaps there it is not considered מנהג עבודה זרה.

Rav Wosner answered that even in a camp bonfire there is reason to be מחמיר and refrain from dancing around all fires so as not imitate עבודה זרה festivals.

Those who have such a מסורה from their Zaidas and Elter Zaidas to dance in front of a fire is אסור להרהר אחריהם. We must assume they found a היתר why there is
no דרכי אמורי - מנהג עבודה זרה and it doesn't even look like a חינגא של עכו"ם. (Festival)

However, those Yidden whose family originate from Chutz Laaretz especially from Europe since they have no מסורה of  dancing in front of a fire, for them it might
be commendable  to ask from their Rav if one may do so and if yes, then what's the היתר.

 Now a post from the Times of Israel!

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Jerry Stiller, actor and comedian, dead at 92

Actor and comic Jerry Stiller passed away Monday morning at the age of 92.

Stiller, the father of actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller, died of natural causes, his son said.

He is survived by his son Ben, his daughter Amy, and his two grandchildren. Stiller was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Anne Meara.

“I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Ben Stiller tweeted Monday.

“He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you dad.”

Stiller was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York in 1927, and served in the US Army during World War II.

He appeared in forty movies and dozens of television shows during an acting career which spanned over six decades.

Stiller is perhaps best known for his role on the 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld”, in which he played Frank Costanza, as well as his role in the show “The King of Queens”, in which he played Arthur Spooner.

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Palestinian Authority paves over Hasmonean fortress, destroying remains of ancient wall

The Palestinian Authority, taking advantage of the absence of Civil Administration inspectors during the coronavirus shutdown, is consolidating its takeover of "Tel Aroma," a Hasmonean fortress in Samaria. 

The PA’s most recent project has caused unspeakable damage to the antiquities at this unique site: Yesterday (Sunday) a fleet of heavy engineering tools from the Palestinian Authority and the Beta Village Council arrived at Tel Aroma, and paved a road leading toward the remains of the fortress.

Nearly three months ago, Regavim’s “Preserving the Eternal” Project documented and reported on an access path that had been steamrolled at the site, and the massive flagpole and Palestinian Authority flag, visible for miles, that had been erected on top of the ancient ruins of Tel Aromah, near the Jewish community of Itamar.

The Tel Aroma Fortress is the northernmost of eight fortresses established by the Hasmonean Kingdom to protect Israel’s eastern border. It is situated on a commanding ridge that controls the passage between the Jordan Valley and the heart of Samaria.

In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has been making concerted efforts and investing considerable resources to take over the site, installing generators and perimeter lighting, erecting tents alongside the huge flagpost platform, and manning them 24/7. 

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Rare coin from Bar-Kokhba revolt unearthed near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

In honor of Lag B’Omer, the Israel Antiquities Authority on Monday revealed a rare bronze coin from the period of the Bar Kokhba revolt (circa 132 CE), which was discovered in archaeological excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority in the William Davidson Archaeological Park

The excavations are conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Ir David Foundation (Elad), which operates the site.

The obverse of the coin is decorated with a cluster of grapes and the inscription “Year Two of the Freedom of Israel” and the reverse side features a palm tree and the inscription “Jerusalem.”

Coins from the period of the Bar Kokhba revolt, which declared the rebels’ purpose - to liberate Jerusalem from Roman occupation after the destruction of the city - are well-known in archeology. Discovering such coins helps researchers map out the revolt, which took place approximately 1,900 years ago.

It is interesting to note that the rebels minted these revolt coins on Roman regime coins with stripped or damaged faces, possibly out of defiance of the Roman occupation.

The revolt coins featured the Temple facade, trumpets, a harp/violin, as well as the inscriptions: “Redemption of Israel” and “Freedom of Israel.”

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The obligation to immigrate to Israel

Q: Is every Jew in the world obligated to immigrate to Israel?

A: The mitzvah of Yishuv Ha’Aretz (settling the Land of Israel) is a general mitzvah that obligates the entire nation of Israel to inherit the Land, namely, to apply sovereignty over it, and settle it best in all respects. As it is written (Numbers 33: 53-54): ” You shall dispossess the inhabitants of the Land and dwell in it, for I have given the Land to you to possess it…to inherit the Land…” or as Ramban defined the mitzvah: “We were commanded to take possession of the Land which the Almighty, Blessed Be He, gave to our forefathers, to Avraham, to Yitzhak, and to Yaacov; and to not abandon it to other nations, or to leave it desolate” (Addendum to Sefer Hamitzvot of the Rambam, Positive Commandment 4).

The Mitzvah of the Klal Depends on the Individual

From the mitzvah of Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people as a whole) to settle the Land, stems the mitzvah obligating every individual Jew to live in the country, since it is impossible for Klal Yisrael to fulfill the mitzvah of settling the Land, Yishuv Ha’Aretz, without each individual being fully compliant with the obligation of the mitzvah - that is, unless practically all Jews actually reside in the country.

Also, we learned that from the Torah, the obligation to fulfill the category of mitzvot -dependent-on-the-Land which concern the public, such as challah, tithes - terumot and ma’asrot - depends on the majority of Jews residing in the Land, as it is written (Numbers 15:18): “When you come to the land to which I am bringing you.” Our Sages taught (Ketubot 25a): “‘When you come’ – I have spoken of the coming of all, and not of the coming of a portion of you,” and thus when Israel went up to Eretz Yisrael in the days of Ezra – their obligation in mitzvot was not from the Torah, but only rabbinic, Divrei Chachamim, since only a few came to Eretz Yisrael (Rambam, Hilchot Terumot 1:1-3; 26; Bikurim 5:5; Peninei Halakha: Kashrut 12: 10-11).

In the mitzvot of Shevi’it and Yovel (letting land lie fallow n the seventh year and the jubilee year), it is not enough for the majority of Jews to reside in the Land, but they also need to reside in their inheritances according to their tribes, as it is written (Leviticus 25:10): “Declare emancipation of slaves for the land and all who live on it” – ‘and all who live on it’ – only at the time when its inhabitants are there as where they should be, but not when they are intermingled” (Arachin 32b). The same is said of yovel, and the law of Shevi’it (also called shmitta) depends on the Yovel (Gittin 36a; Peninei Halakha: Shevi’it 5:3; 11:5).

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French Jews Worst Hit By COVID-19 With At Least 1,300 - 2,000 Fatalities

According to the Chevra Kadisha in France, at least 1,300 Jews have passed away from the coronavirus, with some sources saying the figure is as high as 2,000, Makor Rishon reported on Friday.

The number reflects only the Jews who received a Jewish burial since there are no statistics available on the religion of COVID-19 patients who passed away but did not receive a Jewish burial.

Hundreds of Jews who passed away from the coronavirus were flown to Israel for burial, the report said.

French Jewry, with about 500,000 Jews, has been the worst hit in Europe from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the tally of 1,300 Jewish fatalities, Jews comprise about 5% of Frances’s 25,897 fatalities from the coronavirus, which reflects a death toll six times that of the general population.

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Women from Around the Globe Sing Together but Apart

קול אשה 

מתוך געגועים לחברות שלי נולד הפרויקט הזה שהתחיל בעמק חפר והפך לכפר גלובאלי.
24 מוסיקאיות ישראליות מהארץ ומהעולם - איטליה, ניו יורק, הודו, פריז, אוסטרליה, אנגליה, ניו זילנד... הקליטו את עצמן כל אחת בבית שלה, ודרך עננים וירטואליים, התחברנו ליצירה משותפת.
אני מתרגשת לשלוח אליכם את ״באת לי פתאום״ המחודש שלנו (או כמו שרוני אלטר קראה לזה ״באת לי קורונה״) עם חיבוק גדול מכל קצוות תבל.
זה שאנחנו לא יכולות להיפגש,
לא אומר שאנחנו לא ביחד.

https://youtu.be/rKyLspnPvts

משתתפות:

קרן פלס (ישראל) - פסנתר, שירה
רוני אלטר (פריז) - קסילופון, שירה
הדס קליינמן (ניו יורק) - צ'לו, שירה
קטלין רייטר (אל איי) - שירה
שירה מיוני (מינכן) - ויולה
אלנה מיוני (איטליה) - כינור
נעמה אור (הודו) - יוקלילי, שירה
דנה רוט (בוסטון) - בס
תום וויט (ניו יורק) - חשמלית, שירה
לי קורן (ישראל) - נבל
עדי גרינמן (שוויץ) - פסנתר, שירה
אמה ברנט (ניו ג'רזי) - כינור
אליה נרקיס (אוסטרליה) - גיטרה, שירה
ענבר פז (ניו יורק) - קונטרה בס
נועה גבע (לונדון) - תופים
קרן בוטרו (אל איי) - שירה
קרן טפרברג (ישראל) - תופים, שירה
מיה אלפרן (אנגליה) - פסנתר, שירה
רחלי ברבי ורותם תשובה (ניו זילנד) - שירה
יעל שפירא (ישראל) - צ׳לו, שירה
נופר מנטין (אל איי) - גיטרה, שירה
ענת קריגר (אל איי) - שירה
אליה אמויאל (ישראל) - גיטרה
מעין הרצמן (צה״ל, מוצב 422) – שירה

בימוי וניהול מוזיקלי: קרן פלס
ניהול פרויקט: תום אבימור
מיקס: עדי רותם
תזמור כלי קשת: יעל שפירא
עריכה: נדב אלוביק

Adam Schiff the Pathological Liar

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Friday that the Russia collusion hoax and even reports of Russia hacking into Democratic National Committee (DNC) computers were “all lies, literally all of it.’

Carlson also noted that every time House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff talked about having “evidence” for then-candidate Donald Trump colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, “he was lying.”

Referring to the House Intelligence Committee transcripts released this week that prompted the Department of Justice’s recent decision to drop charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Carlson told viewers of  “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that the Democrats behind stories of Trump colluding with the Russians fabricated it all.

Citing former deputy assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Evelyn Farkas’ claim that “we have very good intelligence on Russia,” Carlson said it was not true. “We knew what we knew, but she didn’t know anything. Farkas was lying, as purely as a liar can lie. Once under oath, behind closed doors, Farkas admitted that, quote: ‘I didn’t know anything,’ she said. It was all lies, literally all of it.”

Referring to the House Intelligence Committee transcripts released this week that prompted the Department of Justice’s recent decision to drop charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Carlson told viewers of  “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that the Democrats behind stories of Trump colluding with the Russians fabricated it all.

Citing former deputy assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Evelyn Farkas’ claim that “we have very good intelligence on Russia,” Carlson said it was not true.“We knew what we knew, but she didn’t know anything. Farkas was lying, as purely as a liar can lie. Once under oath, behind closed doors, Farkas admitted that, quote: ‘I didn’t know anything,’ she said. It was all lies, literally all of it.”

After playing clips of Schiff insisting he had “evidence” of Trump colluding with Russia, Carlson noted, “In case you weren’t counting during that montage, Adam Schiff said ‘evidence’ nine times: and every single time, he was lying.”

Schiff has continued to spin the Russian collusion hoax in interviews, recently claiming that the Mueller report backed up his accusations, when in fact it did the opposite.

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New York Times.... "Israel turns to saving lives after killing people"

Israel's US envoy says newspaper 'best known for pioneering ways to libel and demonize the Jewish State'

The New York Times caused an uproar on social media Friday after tweeting an article on Israel's research efforts in tackling COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic with a caption condemned by critics as nothing short of libel.

According to the tweet, the research and development department with Israel's Defense Ministry is

 "best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways to kill people and blow things up."

Now, however, it is turning to "saving lives," the tweet went on to add.

The wording prompted a wave of criticism online, including from the Conference of Presidents of Jewish Organizations, which said "anti-Israel bias expressed in this rhetoric misrepresents the Jewish State’s research & development for the good of all nations."

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Goyty Returns Diamond Bracelet After Many Years With An Apology

A woman in Lakewood, New Jersey, was shocked this week when she found an apology letter in her mailbox – along with diamond bracelet worth thousands of dollars!

According to the letter, a woman working at her home spotted the bracelet laying abandoned in the house and sneaked it out of the home to keep for herself. After five years, pangs of guilt haunted the thief until she felt compelled to return the piece of jewelry.

What prompted these feelings of guilt? According to the letter, a old man with a white beard appeared to the woman in her dreams three nights in a row, exhorting her to return the item.

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