Red Heifer

 Kli Yakar (Bamidbar 19:21) Why the red heifer, which purifies the impure, would make the pure impure. We find that no food is susceptible to impurity until water falls upon it. How is it possible that water, whose source is purity, would cause impurity? The explanation of the matter is as follows: It is natural that everything is only affected by its opposite, not by what is of its own kind. This is similar to how the evil inclination provokes Israel more than the nations, and Torah scholars more than anyone else, because they are all opposite to it, therefore it wants to overcome them. This is the reason why darkness intensifies just before dawn, because everything is affected specifically by its opposite. Therefore, no food or seed is affected by impurity to make an impression until water, which is all purity, comes upon it. Then the impurity wants to defeat the purity, overcomes it, and makes an impression on it. Similarly, the water of sprinkling contains water which is all purity, and the ashes of the red heifer which is all impurity, and they are mixed together. Therefore, if the water of sprinkling is thrown on an impure person, the person is not affected by the ash because it is of his kind both being impure, but he is affected by the water which is opposite to him, because he is impure and the water is pure. Therefore, the water acts upon him and overcomes the impurity. But a pure person who carries the water of sprinkling is not affected by the water because it is of his kind, as both are pure, but he is affected by the ash which is opposite to him, because he is pure and the ash is impure. Therefore, the ash acts upon him and makes an impression to make him impure.

Trump leans into trolling critics as GOP midterm anxiety grows

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6077459-new-mexico-name-controversy/

President Trump is leaning into online trolling, off-color attacks and picking fights over geographical names as his approval rating sinks just weeks out from November’s midterm elections. 

“Do I think it shows he’s not focused on what matters? Yes. Do I think he’s doing it to motivate his base? I don’t know. But in either direction, I don’t think it matters,” the strategist added. “It’s going to come down to how people feel overall [about] how the economy is doing, and is he and the admin truly focused on it.” 

Polls show a majority of Americans are unhappy with the administration’s handling of the economy. According to a poll released by the Financial Times and Focaldata on Tuesday, Trump’s approval sat at 33 percent among registered voters. The same poll also showed that 66 percent said they believed the economy was going in the wrong direction. 

STOP Trump’s 250-foot-tall Arch

Trump Reveals Who’s Really Going to Pay for His Obscenely Large Arch

 https://newrepublic.com/post/208744/trump-arch-dc-taxpayer-dollars

The president had promised that donors would foot the bill. A new report suggests otherwise.

Donald Trump is asking for millions of taxpayer dollars for his proposed 250-foot-tall arch in Washington, D.C.

The White House is seeking $15 million from the National Endowment for the Arts to build the massive archway across from the Lincoln Memorial, NOTUS reports, citing a spending plan shared in the Office of Management and Budget database Tuesday. The plan contradicts Trump’s earlier promises that the arch, which is intended to commemorate the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, was going to be completely privately funded with leftover donations from his ballroom project.

A federal judge ruled last month that construction on Trump’s ballroom “has to stop,” as the president acted beyond his authority to raze the East Wing. A group of veterans has also filed a lawsuit against construction of the arch, arguing that it not only requires congressional approval and an environmental review but would increase traffic and obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery. But if Trump gets his way, by the time 2028 is here, he will have left permanent tributes to himself across Washington.

Cohen and Medical School

Garnel Ironheart September 8, 2026 at 3:20 PM

Interesting application to medical halakha.

If a Kohen wants to go to medical school, can he attend one where there are absolutely no Jewish in town so that the bodies in the anatomy lab are Gentile and he can observe without touching?

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AI answers

No, attending a town with no Jewish residents does not completely resolve the halakhic prohibitions for a Kohen. While choosing a school where the cadavers are reliably non-Jewish solves the severe issue of Tumat Met (corpse impurity) spreading under the same roof (Tumaht Ohel), significant halakhic hurdles and minority opinions remain.

1. The Debate Over Gentile Corpses

Under Jewish law, the impurity of a Jewish corpse spreads to everything under the same roof (Ohel). If a Kohen enters a room with a Jewish body, he becomes impure even without touching it. [1, 2]

• The Lenient View: Many halakhic authorities rule that a non-Jewish corpse does not transmit impurity through an Ohel (the same roof). In your scenario, observing without touching a non-Jewish body would be permitted according to this view. [1]
• The Strict View: A powerful minority opinion, held by authorities like Maimonides (Rambam), dictates that non-Jewish corpses do defile via Ohel just like Jewish ones. For scholars who follow this line of reasoning, a Kohen cannot even enter the anatomy lab, regardless of the body's origin. [1, 2]

2. The Legal Majority (Rov)

Even if a medical school is located in a town with a minimal Jewish population, the bodies in the anatomy lab often come from regional or national body-donation networks. Halakha relies on the concept of Rov (the majority). Because the vast majority of the population in the US or Europe is non-Jewish, halakha generally assumes any given cadaver is a Gentile. Therefore, moving to a town with zero Jews is statistically unnecessary to establish this status, though it still does not bypass the strict minority ruling mentioned above. [1, 2]

3. The Consensus of Modern Authorities

Mainstream Orthodox poskim (halakhic authorities)—including HaRav Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rav Moshe Feinstein—have strictly forbidden Kohanim from attending traditional medical schools. Their objections include: [1, 2]

• Inevitable Physical Contact: Medical training ultimately requires physical interaction with patients and bodies, making "observing without touching" practically impossible during exams or surgical rotations. [1]
• Hospital Rotations: Clinical rotations require spending months in hospitals where Jewish patients pass away frequently. A Kohen cannot control or always predict when a Jewish body will be under the same hospital roof. [1]

A Viable Modern Alternative

Rather than searching for a specific demographic location, Kohanim today frequently target medical schools that have entirely eliminated human cadavers from their curricula. [1]

A growing number of institutions, such as the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and NYU Long Island School of Medicine, utilize advanced digital anatomy, virtual reality, and synthetic models instead of human dissection. Attending a text-book or digital-only anatomy program significantly reduces the initial halakhic conflict regarding the anatomy lab. [1]

If you are planning for medical school, would you like to explore which specific medical programs utilize digital-only anatomy or look into halakhic solutions used by Kohanim practicing medicine in Israel?

Tumah is Free Kedusha and Mitzvos are not

 Or HaChaim (Shemos 21:04) All tumah comes for free While in contrast Mitzvos and Kedusha requires great effort and expense

America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries

 "Trump’s reelection in 2024 signaled that a large swath of white America was unwilling to struggle any longer over race matters. Instead, he reasserted the fantasy of a white Republic. With stunning efficiency and clarity, his administration set out to destroy the basic governmental infrastructure of civil rights. He attacked DEI in the public and private sectors; instructed federal agencies to stop enforcing key civil rights protections; engaged in an all-out assault on American education, using diversity initiatives as examples of reverse discrimination; gutted the civil rights division of the Justice Department; ended consent decrees with police departments around the country; attempted to upend over a hundred years of jurisprudence with his effort to end birthright citizenship; and implemented cruel immigration policies. It feels as if Trump and his supporters pine not only for a time before Ferguson and Minneapolis, but for the days before the civil rights movement—the days of segregation. They also seem to yearn for an understanding of the nation’s past that made segregation necessary and a fact of life. Black people and white people knew their place then. White people were at the center of everything, innocently inhabiting a nation of unblemished virtue and seamless progress. Black people were on the margins, quietly playing bit parts in the great nation’s history. This, they believe, is the true American story—storybook democracy."

Start reading this book for free: https://read.amazon.com/kp/kshare?asin=B0FQHF3C89&ref_=kar_wh_ca

Death and Impurity

 Kli Yakar (Vayikra 21:03) The reason for the prohibition of impurity is because of the spirit of impurity that remains attached to the human body. Therefore it is said he shall not become impure for a soul and it does not say “by a soul” because the soul itself is pure and has no aspect of impurity. However, the soul is the cause of impurity because all other living creatures that do not have a rational soul but only a life force — their death is merely the separation of the four elements, and the Angel of Death is not involved with them at all. Therefore, they do not have severe impurity. But the human soul does not depart except through the Angel of Death, who removes it from there against its will, as our Sages said, “Against your will you die.” The Angel of Death comes from the side of impurity and brings impurity upon the body. This excludes the righteous and unique individuals of the generation whose death is by a divine kiss, not through the Angel of Death, and they have no aspect of impurity at all. Therefore, our Sages said that on the day Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi died, the priesthood was suspended because the priests did not become impure from him at all. 

 Recanti (Chukas 19:14) This is the law of one who dies in the tent. You already know that a gentile, while alive, is impure and transmits impurity due to the impurity dwelling within his body; yet when he dies, that spirit departs from him, and therefore he does not transmit impurity via a tent—for the established principle among us is that the graves of gentiles do not transmit impurity via a tent, based on the verse "When a *man* dies," implying that the nations of the world are not designated as "*man*." However, the case of a Jew is the opposite: during his lifetime, a holy spirit dwells within him, yet upon death, he is impure and transmits impurity. There is a profound mystery here: when the spirit of impurity perceives a vessel of purity—now devoid of the holy spirit—it comes and settles within it, rendering everything inside it impure and capable of transmitting impurity. For this reason, it is customary to guard the bodies of the dead to prevent an evil spirit from entering them, for they yearn to complete their formation—understand this well.

Death and Tumah

 Recanti (Chukas 19:14) This is the law of one who dies in the tent. You already know that a gentile, while alive, is impure and transmits impurity due to the impurity dwelling within his body; yet when he dies, that spirit departs from him, and therefore he does not transmit impurity via a tent—for the established principle among us is that the graves of gentiles do not transmit impurity via a tent, based on the verse "When a *man* dies," implying that the nations of the world are not designated as "*man*." However, the case of a Jew is the opposite: during his lifetime, a holy spirit dwells within him, yet upon death, he is impure and transmits impurity. There is a profound mystery here: when the spirit of impurity perceives a vessel of purity—now devoid of the holy spirit—it comes and settles within it, rendering everything inside it impure and capable of transmitting impurity. For this reason, it is customary to guard the bodies of the dead to prevent an evil spirit from entering them, for they yearn to complete their formation—understand this well.

‘We intended to be away for 2 years, it’s been 4’: why Israeli doctors are staying abroad

 https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/hkxobxhofg?tbref=hp

Nearly 1,400 physicians left Israel between 2023 and 2025; doctors abroad cite war, politics, education and career prospects, while senior specialists warn the loss of experienced physicians could weaken Israeli medicine for years

In August 2023, just two months before the outbreak of the war, Dr. Roi Sar-El, 43, and Dr. Muriel Sar-El, 41, left Israel with their three children and moved to Boston. Roi, a psychiatrist who worked at Ichilov Hospital, and Muriel, a dermatologist, moved to the United States as part of a planned step — both wanted to specialize in fields that are less developed in Israel, and today they work at hospitals affiliated with Harvard University. Unlike many who have left Israel in recent years, their decision was not driven by the war or the political climate. But life has a rhythm of its own. Their stay, which was supposed to last two years, has so far stretched to four — and the situation in Israel, they say, played a part.

“We left without any connection to the national situation, but as part of long-term career planning,” Roi told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. “But here we are, already in our fourth year. The period was extended, and of course the complex situation in Israel played a role in that. There was a sense that we were giving the children more time to grow up in a quiet and protected environment, knowing that afterward we would return to a full life in Israel, and that this was an opportunity that might not come again.”

Adidas apologizes for ‘offense’ over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier who lost leg in 2021

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/adidas-apologizes-for-offense-over-promotion-featuring-ex-idf-soldier-who-lost-leg-in-2021/

Adidas apologized on Monday for any “offense” it caused by featuring a wounded Israel Defense Forces veteran in its promotional campaign for a service enabling amputee athletes to buy just one running shoe.

The posters featuring Biton were only used in Israel and not as part of a global campaign. The Hebrew-language video that sparked the controversy made no mention of his army service or how he lost his leg.

Pro-Palestinian activists, however, panned the company for working with Biton, citing the high number of amputees in the Strip, and in particular children, as a result of the recent war there.

Much of the criticism falsely claimed that Biton was involved in the recent fighting in Gaza and accused him of having participated in “genocide,” or that he had lost his leg while serving in Gaza in 2021.

The 10 biggest reasons why Trump is so unpopular

Is Complaining to Trump Mesira?

 Garnel Ironheart September 6, 2026 at 4:22 AM

Here's the question of the week

How is multiple Chasidic rebbes going to Trump and demanding that he prevent Israel from drafting chareidim not mesirah?

AI answers

In classical Jewish law, complaining about the Israeli government to Donald Trump—or any foreign leader—generally does not constitute mesira (the forbidden act of informing on a fellow Jew to hostile non-Jewish authorities).

Why It Is Not Mesira

1. Democratic and Diplomatic Context: The prohibition of mesira was historically codified to prevent individuals from handing over a fellow Jew or Jewish property to lawless, predatory, or antisemitic rulers who would act extrajudicially. Reporting or complaining to a democratically elected leader of a friendly, allied nation—especially the United States—does not fall under this category.

2. Public Officials and Sovereign Entities: Halachic authorities overwhelmingly rule that the prohibition of mesira applies to private individuals and their personal property. It does not apply to open political criticism, diplomatic lobbying, or disagreements regarding public officials and state governance.

3. Transparency of Public Records: Mesira inherently involves exposing hidden or private actions to an authority. Because the actions, policies, and budgets of the Israeli government are entirely public information, discussing or complaining about them to foreign officials does not expose "secret" information to cause arbitrary harm.

Halachic Perspectives

Modern halachic consensus maintains that citizens, politicians, and organizations have the right to lobby or voice dissatisfaction regarding government policies to foreign allies. While some far-right or extremist groups occasionally weaponize the term "moser" (informer) against political opponents or NGOs that brief foreign governments, mainstream authorities reject this application, viewing it as standard political discourse rather than a violation of Jewish law.

Jews saved from Impure Place by G-d

 Shemos Rabbah (15:05) Great was the love God showed to Israel in that He revealed Himself in a place of idol-worship, immorality, and uncleanness in order to redeem them. He was like a priest whose terumah had fallen into a cemetery, and who said to himself: ‘What shall I do? To make myself unclean is impossible, and to leave the terumah there is also impossible. Better for me to make myself unclean once and then purify myself again, so that I do not lose my terumah altogether.’ Our forefathers were God's terumah, as it says:Israel is the Lord's hallowed portion, His first-fruits of the increase. They were among graves, for it says: For there was not a house where there was not one dead, and also While the Egyptians were burying them. God said: ' How can I redeem them? To leave them there is impossible, better that I should go down and deliver them, as it says: And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. As soon as He brought them out, He called Aaron and He purified him, as it says: And he shall make atonement for the most holy place