Yeshivos Say That They Are Carrying The Burden Just Like the Soldfiers So How Come They Take off Bein Hazmanim?

Rabbi Yitzchok Berkovitz in Aish 

by SCOTT KAHN

 The following does not represent some original thought or halachic innovation. Others have said things like this before, and more will say them after. I’m simply joining an existing chorus, and demanding that hypocrisy be called out and, potentially, avoided.

In the most recent issue of Mishpacha Magazine (April 3, 2024), in the wake of the Attorney General’s ruling that the Israeli army must initiate the process of drafting previously-exempt yeshiva students, Gedalia Guttentag interviewed Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, the rosh yeshiva of Aish HaTorah, about the Chareidi position regarding exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service.

 In response to the interviewer’s question about the IDF manpower shortage, Rabbi Berkovits acknowledged the problem and said,

 “We need miracles. The most important asset that Klal Yisrael has is the olam hayeshivos, now more than ever. And the fact that we’re protecting Klal Yisrael means that we need to take ourselves seriously. If we recognize that at a time like this, when Klal Yisrael is in danger, the yishuv in Eretz Yisrael is in danger, then we need to take what we’re doing seriously… I know it’s very difficult to maintain a state of chizuk long term, but in the first days after Simchas Torah, when the yeshivos reopened early, people were learning like crazy. There were all-night sedorim. You know, it was very difficult to maintain that. And I think people have gone back to normal life. We really do have to strengthen our passion, our hasmadah and our tefillah.” (Emphasis mine)

I have written numerous articles explaining why I don’t agree with this perspective. Nonetheless, let’s assume that Rabbi Berkovits is correct: that the people learning Torah, rather than those who are fighting for Israel, are, in fact, the authentic source of Israel’s protection. 

Let’s work with this oft-cited reason for military exemptions for those who are learning in yeshivot. (In my less generous moments, I summarize this as, “You’re fighting in Gaza, and we’re learning in yeshiva. You’re welcome.”)

This family was murdered by Hamas Oct 7

 

6 months ago today, on October 7, 

Johnny, Tamar, Shahar and Arbel (6) and  Omer (4) Siman Tov were burned alive and murdered by Hamas terrorists.  

This video was posted on their TikTok accounjt only 3 weeks before the massacre.  

🕯️ May their memory be for a blessing

Upside Down world ...Toronto Police arrest Iranian activist for calling Hamas terrorists.

 

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Raw Footage of October 7 Released ... Warning!

 

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MK Danon: We made a mistake when we listened to the US regarding the war

 MK Danny Danon (Likud), a member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, on Friday morning said that Israel made a mistake when it acquiesced to US requests in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

"Our mistake was made a few months ago, when we listened to the US," Danon told Kan Reshet Bet. "We changed the modus operandi in Gaza and took our foot off the gas pedal. That brought pressure on us. Today the international community is saying that it's taking too much time."

Danon also responded to the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet's decision to take immediate steps to increase the amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"Unfortunately, the tragic incident in which aid workers were killed had consequences in the international arena," he said. "There was an effect in the world and we saw that we needed to do something about it. On the other hand, if the world cares so much about Gaza, there is a port in Arish (Egypt -ed.), there are solutions to bring in humanitarian aid. We are not responsible for the Gaza Strip."

When asked for his opinion on Minister Benny Gantz's call to hold elections in September, Danon said, "The last thing we need right now is to set a date for elections. The people have already chosen the current leadership to lead even in a time of crisis."

"The last thing I want is to see changes in the leadership - not in the Shin Bet chief, not the IDF's Chief of Staff, not the commander of the [IDF's] Southern Command, not the Defense Minister and not the Prime Minister - none should move from their positions. Changing any of them will not serve the goal of victory."

After Immense Pressure from Biden ym"s Israel Withdraws Troops from Gaza, And the Missiles Return

 

HAPPENING NOW  

6 Months of War

Red alert sirens are sounding across parts of southern Israel as Hamas fires a rocket barrage at Israeli towns east of Khan Younis.

This comes as the IDF withdraws nearly all troops from the  Gaza Strip.

Hamas guy gets surprised by a snake while building the tunnel

 

Satmar Rebbe z"l once said that "Not All tzaddikim will rise by Techiyas Hameisim"

 I will translate the above sign with no comment from DIN! It speaks for itself!

"It once happened, that the Satmar Rebbe, (R' Yoel Teitelbaum) went to visit "mekomos hakedoshim" (a cemetery where great rabbis are buried)  with a group of his followers, suddenly one of the Chassidim told the rebbe, that "he is getting tremendous feelings of spirituality here," and is wondering that if and when Moshiach comes, and there will be "techiyas hameisim," the rising of the dead, if he will still feel this spirituality.

The rebbe answered "You have nothing to worry about, there will be enough so called tzadiikim that will never arise at Techyas Hameisim" 

Is this Kerestier Yurzeit a Scam to pilfer the rich?

I thought that the whole point of Karastir was to feed the poor, and even to those who are not so poor but want to visit the grave by R' Shayele, how does this square with the ass'kanim running the show in Karastier charging premium prices for the Shabbos Menu?

People writing to us are asking if the purpose of this price list is to discourage those who are struggling for parnassah,the innocents, who want to make the trip to beg R' Shayele to intercede on their behalf, but who  cannot afford the meals! 

The ass'kanim want to become rich from those meals and don't need the schnorrers who will just eat and not contribute! 

The organizers don't really care about R' Shayele ben Moshe z"l it's "how much money we can make. "

 

Organizers in Meron became very wealthy getting funds for the famous "Chai Rotel" business and pocketed millions off those who thought they were doing a mitzvah! But at least in Meron, food was distributed gratis, for free. 

Judge tosses Louis Farrakhan’s $4.8B lawsuit against ADL

 

A federal judge tossed Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s $4.8 billion lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League accusing the civil rights group of falsely smearing him as an antisemite. 

Farrakhan — who over the years has said Hitler was a “great” man, repeatedly claimed “Satanic” Jews control the government and Hollywood and compared Jews to termites — sued the ADL and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Manhattan Federal Court in October, insisting the groups had harmed him and the Nation of Islam by pushing the “false narrative” that he is an antisemite.

In dismissing the suit Friday, Manhattan federal court Judge Denise Cote wrote Farrakhan had failed to provide any evidence demonstrably linking the groups’ actions and writings to injuries sustained by him or his religious organization.

Regarding Farrakhan’s claim that Morgan State University barred him from speaking at the school in 2023 due to pressure from the ADL, Cote wrote he did not prove there was “an injury fairly traceable to the ADL.”  

Cote also noted in her decision the ADL’s writings on Farrakhan and his comments about the Jewish people were not defamatory because they “constitute non-actionable opinions” and that Farrakhan “has not pled actual malice.”    

The Anti-Defamation League cheered the judge’s decision on X and linked to a blog post listing a selection of Farrakhan’s “hateful and conspiratorial statements.” 

“Truth is a defense and no, we will not stop calling out antisemitism wherever and whenever we see it,” the ADL wrote.  

Biden keeps on delivering a dangerous two-faced approach with Israel

 

By 

Social Links forMichael Goodwin

During most of the six months of Israel’s war with Hamas, President Biden has given support to our ally with one hand and undercut it with the other.

The approach features both Biden’s quiet supply of munitions to Israel and a near-daily dose of harsh public criticism of its military conduct. 

It’s all part of a convoluted plan to formally back the beleaguered Jewish state while also appeasing angry members of the Democrats’ far-left wing, many of whom are antisemites who believe Israel has no right to exist. 

The plan is so obviously a political calculation that a popular joke holds that Biden’s talk of a two-state solution isn’t really about Israel and a Palestinian state — it’s about appealing to Muslim-American voters in Michigan and Minnesota! 

Jokes aside, that remains the basic policy, but nothing in war or politics is stagnant.

And with each passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that, as Biden’s re-election campaign falters, his administration’s criticism of Israel grows more desperate and strident. 

Amid polls showing Donald Trump beating the president in most battleground states, including Michigan, the White House tone has shifted sharply against our ally. 

Pelosi Turns on Israel joins Tlaib, AOC in call for Biden to halt transfer of US weapons to Israel

 

Several dozen Democratic members of Congress, including former speaker Nancy Pelosi, have sent a letter to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for a halt on arms transfers to Israel following an IDF strike in Gaza that killed seven staffers of the World Central Kitchen, including a dual US citizen.

“In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed,” the House representatives wrote.

“We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate — or arbitrarily denies or restricts the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” they said.

Noting that Israel has said it did not intentionally target the aid workers, the Congress members said that “if this is true, it is a shockingly unacceptable mistake.” They also called for the administration “to conduct a thorough investigation into this airstrike,” which the White House reiterated Friday it will not do.

Most of the signatories were from the Democrat’s left flank but the backing by Pelosi indicated support for stopping weapons deliveries to Israel is increasingly becoming mainstream among Democrats.

Biden-appointed judge torches DOJ for defying subpoenas after prosecuting Trump advisor

 

'There’s a person in jail right now because you all brought a criminal lawsuit against him because he did not appear for a House subpoena,' Reyes said

A President Biden-appointed judge slammed the Justice Department’s apparent hypocrisy on Friday for allowing attorneys involved in the Biden family investigation to defy subpoenas — even though former Trump advisor Peter Navarro is sitting in prison for doing the same thing.

District Judge Ana Reyes ripped the DOJ at a status conference for not letting DOJ lawyers Mark Daly and Jack Morgan provide testimony as part of the House Judiciary Committee's investigation into the Biden family and the impeachment inquiry into the president. 

"There’s a person in jail right now because you all brought a criminal lawsuit against him because he did not appear for a House subpoena," Reyes said during a hearing on the Judiciary Committee’s lawsuit, according to Politico, seemingly referring to Navarro. 

Former defense secretary predicts Iran will strike at Israel

 

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday said Iran is likely to retaliate against Israel for a recent missile strike that hit Tehran's consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike, which killed senior Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Reuters cited a Lebanese security source as the first to identify Israel as the responsible party, to which an Israeli military spokesperson responded, "We do not comment on reports in the foreign media."

In an interview on CNN, Esper predicted Iran will take action against Israel, but on a limited scale to avoid wide-scale war in the Middle East.

"They are going to act," Esper said Friday. "They're going to feel the need, to uphold their dignity, to maintain credibility with their proxies, throughout the region, and to really meet the demands of hardliners, within the theocracy that wants to see something done."

"But on the other hand, they're not going to want to make this a wider war," he continued. "They don't want to escalate. They know that a major conflict with Israel, let alone Israel and the United States would be disastrous for Iran. So, I suspect that they will limit the attack to Israel, Israeli targets."3

Unbelievable Food Items in the Shuk

 

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When the US Killed 7 Children in a "tragic mistake"

 

On August 29, 2021, a US drone fired a missile at a truck in Kabul, killing an aid worker and 9 other civilians including seven children.

It took the Pentagon weeks to admit it was a "tragic mistake."

It is only one of many mistaken attacks on civilians that the US has done in…

— Elder of Ziyon 🇮🇱 (@elderofziyon) April 3, 2024

Just in Time for Pesach ... Delicious Frogs

 

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WATCH as Students of Slobodka Yeshiva Use ‘Decoy’ Rosh Yeshiva to Fool Protesters

 

קטע גדול שמלמד על הבורות של המפגינים: כדי שמפגיני השמאל ילכו, בגבעת סלבודקה עשו תרגיל - טבח הישיבה התחפש להגר"ד לנדו וכולם שרו ורקדו סביבו, המפגינים חשבו שזה ראש הישיבה הגר"ד לנדו, ומיד אחרי התרגיל הם עזבו את המקום pic.twitter.com/MOoLq2Atc1

— אבי רבינא Avi Ravina (@AviRabina) April 5, 2024

 On Friday morning, a group of leftist protesters accosted the Slobodka Yeshiva, demonstrating against the Charedi community. They were specifically seeking to harass the Rosh Yeshiva.

The protesters made noise with horns and chanted against Charedim. The demonstrators declared that they were waiting for Rabbi Dov Landau shlit’a, to exit the building so they could confront him in person.

The Rosh Yeshiva was scheduled to leave the building for an important conference of Roshei Yeshiva, but the protesters blocked the road, so that he would not be able to exit.

In order to help Rabbi Landau escape without being blocked, the bochurim came up with a clever strategy to resolve the situation. With the assistance of law enforcement, they orchestrated a plan, asking R’ Yossi Rosenfeld, the yeshiva‘s cook, he agreed to wear a hat and a long coat, dressing as the Rosh Yeshiva.

The students accompanied him with singing and the respect customary for a Rosh Yeshiva.

The protesters, believing it was Rav Landau, dispersed after the chef got into a car. Several minutes later, Rabbi Landau exited the building

Zera Shimshon Parshas Shemini