“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

Friday, May 1, 2026

Is Dancing Around a Fire, worshipping Avoda Zara??


by EMAILIM BATORAH

THE DARKEI EMORI FIRE DANCE

Dancing in front of a fire would be an איסור דאורייתא of ובחקתיהם לא תלכו.

Some might claim that dancing in front of a fire in Miron is an accepted מנהג בישראל, and they will argue that it can’t be wrong when you have thousands of Yidden & Rebbes dancing around the fire.

The same argument was probably also used when there were thousands of Yidden worshipping the עגל הזהב.

The תוספתא (Shabbos 7:1) enumerates practices that are אסור to do because they are considered דרכי אמורי.
One of them is clapping or dancing in front of a fire.

Perhaps, those planning to dance in front of the fire should consult their מורה הוראה if this איסור דאורייתא is no longer applicable today, and why not?

See שו”ת שבט הלוי ח”ז קל”ו


Lag Baomer compendium


1) According to ר' מנחם החברוני (13th century)
רשב"י is buried in Kfar Chananya (15 km. south of Meron)

2) According to the חיד"א, there is no מקור anywhere
that רשב"י was niftar on Lag Baomer

3) The first mention of רשב"י Yahrzeit on ל:ג בעומר is the
controversial ספר חמדת הימים

4) According to the יעב"ץ, (The Chasam Sofer seems
to agree)  R. Moishe d'Leon (not רשב"י), wrote
the זהר

5) According to many Poskim, the תלמידי ר' עקיבא still died on
ל"ג בעומר but stopped on the 34th day of the עומר.

6)  The מדרש says it was only 300 Talmidim who died.
The גמרא (Yevamos 62) says 12,000 pairs of Talmidim died.

7) The גמרא says they all died of a disease called אסכרה.
 According to Harav Hagaon Y. Henkin zt"l and others, the
גמרא uses אסכרה as a code for getting killed fighting
the Romans.

8) The שואל ומשיב  5 - 39  writes, "If you distribute the  money
to עניי ארץ ישראל instead of spending it to go to his
 קבר etc., he guarantees רשב"י will have  much more
נחת רוח.

9) According to the Chasam Sofer,ל"ג בעומר celebration
has nothing to do with רשב"י 

10) According to the Chasam Sofer, the only ל"ג בעומר
celebration is קצת שמחה of not saying תחנון

11According to the   מנחת אלעזר ח"ד:ס.the ל"ג בעומר
celebration is strictly a מנהג ארץ ישראל Celebrating
in חוץ לארץ is onsidered strange & arrogant. כזרות יחשב וכיוהרא 

12) When the מנחת אלעזר was in Eretz Yisrael during ל"ג בעומר
he spent the night in צפת, not willing to celebrate in Meron
together with the Zionists.            

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

14) In the ספרים of the previous generations, they only
mention of מרבים בנרות (festive) and not the מדורה

15)  Years ago, they had women dancing in Meron
on Lag Baomer לכבוד התנא רשב"י

16) Originally, the pilgrimage to Meron for the first
350 years was done on פסח שני and not on ל"ג בעומר 

17) Originally, the celebration was held at the cave of
בית שמאי בית הלל at a later date it was changed to רשב"י 

18) Originally, it was only Muslim women who burned
their clothes לכבוד רשב"י.
The Yidden later adopted this controversial Minhag.

19) It's not the lighting of the fire that's done לכבוד רשב"י
It's the burning of the expensive clothes that is done
לכבוד רשב"י 

20)  The Chasam Sofer in the פתיחה to סדר נזיקין writes,
the Yeshiva started learning מס' בבא קמא on Lag Baomer.
גל עיני ואביטה נפלאות מתורתך stands for the 3 בבות & their 30 פרקים 


21) Rav Elyashiv Zt"l said that דעת תורה is not to travel
to Meron  ל"ג בעומר

 -------------------------------


 

Dovid Naftali Hertz a rebbe of children in Beitar Illit Exposes Himself in Shul in front of Children

 


Touched himself in a synagogue in front of children ‎

‎David Naftali Hertz Roth, a rebbe from Beitar Illit, was arrested on suspicion of committing indecent acts in public in front of minors.

According to the police report, Hertz Roth exposed his genitals and touched himself in shul last Shabbos - while minors were there.

t also emerges that after the incident, while passing by little girls on the street, he repeated his actions in front of their eyes. ‎

‎The police are concerned that there are other victims who were exposed to the suspect's actions over the weekend, and are urging anyone with information to contact the 100 hotline‎

החשד: נגע בעצמו בבית כנסת לעיני ילדים

דוד נפתלי הרץ רוט, מחנך מביתר עילית, נעצר בחשד לכך שביצע מעשים מגונים בפומבי בפני קטינים. לפי החשד, הרץ רוט חשף את איבר מינו ונגע בעצמו בבית כנסת ביום שבת האחרון - בזמן שקטינים שהו במקום. עוד עולה כי אחרי המקרה, בזמן שחלף על פני ילדות קטנות ברחוב, הוא חזר על מעשיו לעיניהן.

במשטרה חוששים שיש קורבנות נוספים שנחשפו למעשיו של החשוד בסוף השבוע, וקוראים למי שיש בידיו מידע ליצור קשר עם מוקד 100

Widow of IDF Soldiers Opens Box of his personal Items

 

Thursday, April 30, 2026

People wondering why Iran had to force Jewish community leaders to express loyalty to the new Supreme Leader...when they could get Neturei Karta

 


Ben Gvir Opposes Meron Plan "We’re Racing Toward the Next Disaster"... DIN Message "Let them do what the H they want"

 

What Ben-Gvir doesn't understand is that Charedim by-in-large are reckless and don't care what he thinks and could care less about safety! 

They didn't allow the Israeli Government to regulate and provide safety measures in Miron for decades! 

It wasn't too long ago when 45 Chardeie men got killed by other Charedim in a stampede in this very place, and what did their "gedoilim" say? 

They said that these victims were martyrs that died "Al Kiddush Hashem" .....  These same "gedoilim" don't think IDF soldiers getting killed, die "Al Kiddush Hashem"

Utter insanity!

All those who smothered the 45 people in Meron, stepping on their living bodies, pushing helpless people to the floor, each and every one of them, is called according to the Torah a "רוצח " and would have to go to the Arei Miklat, and wait there until the Kohein Gadol died! 

In Bnei-Brak they refused to go to shelters? Why you naively ask? 

Because as the Israeli Yated wrote, "since it was the Zionist Government that made those regulations, it was prohibited to listen to them" They instead listened to a Chazon Ish that said that Bnei-Brak would never be bombed! 

Charedim (grown men) climb up on 30 story Crains in Yerushalayim during protests, putting their very lives at risk! They put their bodies in front of buses and cars, and pull out sefarim so it shouldn't be "Bittul Torah" ..Two of those who stopped traffic over the last year have been killed and 3 seriously injured.

What are the results? 

Tragedy!!!! 

Tragedy in Meron, Tragedy in Bnei-Brak, and Tragedy in Yerushlayim!!

My message to Ben-Gvir is: Let them do what the hell they want, they won't listen to you even when they see tragedies! 


National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir held a security assessment at Meron on Wednesday and toured the site with senior police commanders and other officials as plans take shape for Lag B’Omer.

However, Ben-Gvir harshly criticized the plan approved by the Home Front Command for managing the Lag B’Omer event at Meron.

According to Ben Gvir, the proposed framework does not reflect realities on the ground. While it formally limits gatherings to about 1,500 participants per area, multiple designated zones could result in thousands of people being present on Har Meron at the same time—posing a serious safety risk.

The discussion took place against the backdrop of ongoing security tensions in southern Lebanon. The minister emphasized that the ceasefire with Hezbollah has been repeatedly violated in recent days, turning any large gathering into a potential target.

During the meeting, Ben Gvir stressed that he would not approve the event without explicit security authorization and a revised, realistic plan from the Home Front Command that ensures participant safety.

“I just held a special situational assessment in Meron, where I heard from all relevant parties—both security officials and Chareidi community leaders,” he said. “My conclusion is clear: I’m raising a red flag—we are racing, with our eyes wide open, toward the next disaster.”

“Unfortunately, the Home Front Command is presenting a sophisticated-sounding but unrealistic position. Without explicit approval and a genuine plan that guarantees safety, I cannot authorize the event.”

“I demand that the Home Front Command come to its senses and approve a workable framework. We will not abandon the lives of our Chareidi, secular, and Dati Leumi brothers who come to Meron.”

R’ Mendel Epstein the Hero that Freed many Agunot Niftar

 

R’ Mendel was best known for fighting for agunos and figuring out ways to get gitten finalized…

In 2015, R’ Epstein was sentenced to ten years in jail for his tactics. He lived out the rest of his life in the enclave community of Lakewood.

Hopefully, up there, he will accomplish much more and make sure that Gett Refusers join him soon! 
#Rafee Stein, #Meir Kin ym"s

Journalist Warns U.S. in 2026 More Dangerous for Jews Than 1930s Germany


-Award-winning journalist Kevin Deutsch says antisemitism from both the far left and far right has created a more perilous environment for American Jews in 2026 than in 1930s Germany, as political movements on both sides target Israel and the Jewish community.

In a recent interview with Alan Skorski, Deutsch, author of the watchdog Jewish news Substack “After October 7,” described a coordinated campaign that has isolated Jews and Israel across the political spectrum.

Skorski pointed to examples in deep blue and solid red states. In New York City, voters elected Mamdani as mayor, while in Florida, antisemite James Fishback is running as a Republican candidate for governor and Dan Bilzerian is challenging Jewish Republican Rep. Randy Fine for his congressional seat.

Deutsch said the far left’s assault on Israel began as part of a “social justice” agenda, reviving blood libels by accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. On the far right, figures like Fishback have exploited leftist antisemitism to promote their own hatred, he said. Fishback, who promotes an “America Only” platform, has received substantial donations from Democratic Muslims who back his antisemitic views, according to Deutsch.

“The Democrats are done with Israel,” Deutsch said, citing a vote by 40 Democratic senators in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bill to halt all U.S. military aid to Israel.

He urged the Republican Party to erect a firewall against candidates like Fishback, warning that failure to do so would leave Israel without American support and Jews increasingly isolated.

Skorski drew parallels to 1930s Germany, noting that while Adolf Hitler created the Nazi movement, today various movements have aligned to turn government policy against Israel. Deutsch pointed to a professional propaganda campaign funded by Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, amplified by left-wing NGOs that have overwhelmed Israel’s ability to counter the information war.

“The DSA, like the Nazis, are employing a purity test,” Deutsch said, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America. “Opposing Israel, regardless of any other issue, is mandatory.” He said the DSA is running candidates at every level — from school boards to local civil rights commissions — in a bottom-up strategy that turns Jews into proxies for Israel.

Deutsch also criticized an “AIPAC-tracker” run by a Marxist and a Groyper that singles out pro-Israel funding in an effort to strip Jews of their civil rights to support the Jewish state.

The journalist highlighted the phenomenon of “tokenization,” in which Jewish figures such as those associated with J Street, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro have publicly criticized Israel, creating what he called a “social permission structure” for broader attacks on the Jewish state and, by extension, Jews.

Deutsch’s warnings come amid heightened concerns in Jewish communities following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent surge in antisemitic incidents across the United States.

Police Release New Rendering in 1989 Cold Case of 96% Ashkenazi Jewish Woman

 



Arizona officials are hoping new renderings will help identify the victim in a 1989 cold case.

On Nov. 24, 1989, human remains were found off Interstate 40 near the Hualapai Mountains. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office determined the remains were a partially decomposed white woman.

On Dec. 2 of that same year, a detective also found what is believed to be a fragment of a handmade white blouse with a blue and purple floral pattern near a tree.

The victim was described as 5-foot-5, about 115 pounds, and between 25 and 30 years old.

In 2016, her DNA profile was entered into CODIS, the FBI-run database that stores DNA profiles to help law enforcement solve crimes. In 2021, investigators learned it had been entered and contacted a forensic lab in Texas to develop a profile for public genealogy databases GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, which are used with law enforcement.

Officials said the victim was 96% Ashkenazi Jewish, which made tracing her ancestry and locating relatives especially difficult.

This year, investigators partnered with a New Jersey public college that houses the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in hopes the IGG team can identify her. A forensic artist also created a rendering of what she may have looked like based on skeletal remains, the blouse fragment, and earrings she was wearing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Special Investigation Unit at 928-753-073, extension 4044, and reference DR#89-4531.

Young Lady Composes Niggin for Skulener Rebbe z"l

 This is AI generated but its calm, tzneesdik, anda  beautiful song! We need more of this! 

New Footage Emerges from London Terror Attack

 

Moments before stabbing two Jews, the attacker — knife in hand — is seen chasing an ultra-Orthodox man down the street as  the victim screams for police in a harrowing scene.



Initial reports claim the attacker in the London stabbing incident was able to move freely  for several minutes before being stopped.



This is the moment the terrorist is taken down after stabbing two Jewish people in Golders Green.