“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l

Thursday, August 29, 2024

What the Frum Silent Majority Thinks of Going Up to the Har habayis

 

I have taken a sample of comments from different blogs!

Intellectual conversation or bust
 1 day ago

Dear amoratzim: stop screaming, wipe the foam from your mouth, go learn some mishnayos before getting involved in adults’ conversation. No, it’s completely irrelevant from the halachik point of view what someone allegedly said, unless he put out a well articulated tshuva where his reasoning can be examined. The undisputed halacha is that there are different areas on Har Habais, some of which are MUTAR to enter. If you want to dispute the above, bring up the halachik sources and well articulated tshuvos, not the cult-of-personality apikorsus.


Pravda
 1 day ago

Yated is the AP of chareidis. What are they afraid of ? Why not publish opposing halachik views ?


Learn mishnayos before screaming!
 1 day ago
 Reply to  shmendrick

Rav Elyashiv did NOT issue a Har Habais psak halacha that can be applied to entire Am Yisroel. If your rabbi tells YOU not to enter, his reasoning could be because he knows that YOU are an am hooretz and YOU can’t be trusted not to step out of the permitted area; as such, your rabbi’s statement is NOT a psak halacha for everyone else, but exclusively for you.
The HALACHA is undisputed: there are different areas of Har Habais, some of which are mutar to enter; obviously one has to know the relevant halachos to enter! Not a single posek argues on this.

Wipe foam off your mouth!
 1 day ago
 Reply to  shmendrick

Learn the inyan: there exist areas of Har Habais that are mutar bli sofeik. Not a single posek argues on this. If a rav prohibits YOU something that’s normally mutar, that’s a chesoron on you, not a psak halacha for the entire Am Yisroel.

No politics in halacha
 12 hours ago
 Reply to  shmendrick

No buddy, it’s you who doesn’t understand the concept. You and people like you have been screaming “absolutely issur koreis” blanket statements. Now finally you concede that the basic halacha states that there are different areas. Good. Welcome aboard. As far as lemaisa, what the exact gedorim are, that is to be treated just like any other halacha: no politics, researching the inyan and doing our best to figure out the emes. So, maybe you learn the inyan one way and the other posek learns it differently; you have no right to call the other guy a sheigetz!


aakov S
 1 day ago
 Reply to  He is not well

Oh, HE’S the provocateur, not the murderous Muslim drek. They could have it all but not us Jews. Sure, let them stomp all over us and our once holiest site, by building an edifice seen for miles and in practically every photo of the kosel. How nauseating. It should make every Jew sick.

Rabbis are NOT idols!
 1 day ago
 Reply to  shmendrick

Bring real halachik sources to prove that the entire Har Habais is osur or sofeik osur. The acceptable sources are: gemoras, rishonim, acharonim, well articulated tshuvos from contemporary poskim. Screaming names is NOT a proof! You are the one deviating from the acceptable halacha, hence the burden of proof is on you.




The Holy Pope Doesn't believe His Own Bible! Chief Rabbi of South Africa Calls Him Out!


 The head of the Catholic Church and the leader of the Church of England are effectively rejecting the Bible by supporting policies that negate the connection of the Jewish people to the Holy Land, the chief rabbi of South Africa said on Sunday.

The blunt theological critique comes after the archbishop of Canterbury endorsed a ruling by the International Court of Justice last month that Israel’s presence in the “occupied Palestinian territories” is unlawful, and as the pontiff has sought to thread the needle and maintain strict neutrality during Israel’s war against Islamist terrorists in Gaza.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

NYT turns on Kamala ....brutally slams Harris as 'weak, ignorant phony'.


 There are few cheerleaders more reliable than Kamala Harris's friends in the liberal media.

Ever since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election race last month, their print presses and TV networks have put in a hard shift trying to paper over Harris's past record as the most unpopular Vice President in American history.

To read and listen to their florid praise is to believe that Harris is already a shoo-in for president – and not an 11th hour replacement as Democratic nominee.

That was until her lackluster Thursday night speech at last week's Democratic National Convention – which appears to have halted the torrent of feel-good fangirling.

The reliably liberal New York Times was among the first to suddenly change tack on Friday, taking aim at what many perceive to be Harris's fatal lack of clear policy with a brutal headline that read: 'Joy Is Not a Strategy'.

In a sour commentary, NYT Deputy Opinion Editor Patrick Healy said he'd 'cringed' when former president Bill Clinton took the convention stage on Tuesday to claim that Harris would be 'the president of joy'.

How's that going to help the millions of Americans whose livelihoods are now at stake, Healey asked? And why has Harris failed to conduct a single interview or serious press conference since Biden stepped aside last month?

'Ultimately, she needs more voters in the swing states to trust her to handle the economy better than her opponent… Harris can't coast on "joy",' he concluded witheringly.

But worse was to come from the Times.

Rambam ascends to Har Habayis




 

Israeli Finds 30 People in Berlin Whose name is Adolf Hitler ...Gets to Speak to one!



Delaware River Claims Another Victim..... R’ Mordechai Boehm

 

The Woodmere community is in mourning and shock upon learning of the tragic petirah of 49-year-old Mordechai Boehm, who was niftar in a water-related accident in the Poconos on Tuesday.

 R’ Mordechai z”l, a member of the Island Avenue Shul (Rabbi Ralbag), was vacationing in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, when he was involved in a tragic accident on the Delaware River that claimed his life.

Numerous organization sprang into action in the wake of the tragedy to ensure kavod hameis. Achiezer, under the leadership of Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, alongside Rabbi Shloime Feldman of Chesed Shel Emes worked with the various agencies involved in the incident and its aftermath.

Other individuals and organizations also involved include Motti Hershkop, a local Askan in Kingston, PA, US Parks Police Chaplain Matis Melnick, Chesed Shel Emes, Misaskim, and Agudath Israel of America.

The office of Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an ardent friend of Jews in the US and around the world, was involved in preventing an autopsy from taking place.

This tragedy comes just a day after another on on the Delaware River, when Rav Boruch Ber Ziemba, a rosh chaburah in BMG, was niftar from drowning after saving his child.

Ancient Tombs With Vibrant Wall Paintings Open to Public in Ashkelon



A view of the entrance of the archeological tomb site in Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. The tomb with wall paintings depicting Greek mythological figures is at least 1,700 years old said the Israeli Antiquities Authority, whose workers are restoring the site


 Two nearly 2,000-year-old tombs with magnificent wall paintings will be open to the public for the first time in southern Israel after a painstaking conservation process, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday.

British archaeologists first discovered the sand-filled tombs in the 1930s, awed by the colorful paintings on the wall depicting vibrant grape vines twining their way around birds, animals, and mythological characters.

But for nearly a century, the site was dormant and closed to the public to protect the paintings. As new apartment buildings sprouted around the area, the city decided to turn the site into an educational park and renovate the tombs to allow public visits.

“This tomb has wonderful paintings that were preserved remarkably well, and that’s surprising considering that the time that has passed and the location next to the sea, the humidity, the sand, the winds, everything affects the plaster and the paintings,” said Anat Rasiuk, an archaeologist with the Antiquities Authority.

The tombs, located a few hundred meters from the beach, were likely the burial place for aristocratic Romans some 1,700 years ago, when Ashkelon was a Roman city, according to archaeologists.

The vibrant paintings, which stretch across the vaulted ceiling and include intricate designs across the walls, show nymphs with lotus plant wreaths, birds, deer, children picking bunches of grapes, a figure playing Pan’s flute, and figures from Greek mythology such as Demeter, the goddess of the earth and grain, and the head of Medusa, with her hair made of snakes, that were also adopted by Roman mythology.

During the conservation process, experts removed some of the plaster paintings from the wall for off-site restoration. Others were cleaned or enhanced with pigments that mimic the ancient paint.

Another similar 2nd-century tomb, also featuring colorful wall paintings, was relocated to the new park from another location in Ashkelon to preserve it. The second tomb was discovered in the 1990s. Both will be open to the public inside the new park during the upcoming Sukkot holiday in October.

The park includes several archaeological discoveries from across the city, including ancient sarcophaguses, wine presses and olive presses, surrounded by soaring new apartment buildings.

Ashkelon, which is located around 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the Gaza Strip, has a rich history of archaeology. In addition to the Romans, the city was also home to Philistines during the early Iron Age, around 3,000 years ago. Ancient cemeteries uncovered in Ashkelon have provided important DNA clues that showed Philistines may have migrated to the region from Europe more than 4,000 years ago, a historical conundrum that has vexed archaeologists for decades.

The Israeli city experienced heavy rockets in the early days of the war in Gaza. In May, some of the vessels involved in building the U.S.-built pier in Gaza, which ultimately failed, beached on the Ashkelon coast during bad weather.

US State Dept Warns Citizens Not to Travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah


 The U.S. State Dept is asking all American citizens not to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, due to safety and visa concerns. The statement released says that “Uman has been the site of multiple Russian missile attacks”, including on houses of worship.


It also said that for dual citizens, “there is an extremely high risk U.S. citizens will not be allowed to depart, even with a U.S. passport.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT POSTED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE US EMBASSY IN UKRAINE:

The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens do not travel to Uman, Ukraine, for the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rebbe Nachman during Rosh Hashanah. This recommendation is consistent with our current Travel Advisory recommending against all travel to Ukraine.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Uman has been the site of multiple Russian missile attacks. Russian airstrikes have hit civilian buildings and critical infrastructure, including houses of worship, often with little or no warning. Local authorities have advised that Uman does not have enough air raid shelters to accommodate all anticipated travelers to the pilgrimage. Ukraine remains under martial law, with curfew and movement restrictions that would also affect pilgrims to Uman.

As a reminder to U.S.-Ukrainian dual nationals, or those who may have a claim to Ukrainian citizenship, Ukraine has eliminated a “residence abroad” exception that previously allowed certain Ukrainian males aged 18 to 60 to depart the country. After this change, U.S.-Ukrainian dual citizens, including those who live in the United States, may no longer be able to depart the country. We strongly recommend against all travel to Ukraine by U.S. citizens, including males aged 18 to 60 who also have Ukrainian citizenship or a claim to Ukrainian citizenship and who do not wish to stay in Ukraine indefinitely. There is an extremely high risk U.S. citizens will not be allowed to depart, even with a U.S. passport. Travelers who are unsure whether they have a claim to Ukrainian citizenship should consult Ukrainian authorities for further guidance. For more information on traveling with dual nationality, please visit our Travelers with Dual Nationality page.

We remind all U.S. citizens of the State Department’s Level 4: Do Not Travel warning for Ukraine. For further information, see State Department websites for what you should know as a dual citizen traveler, and what we can and cannot do during a crisis.