Igros Moshe (YD IV #36.16) Question Those yeshiva students who desire to study medicine or other secular subjects in spare moments during the day in a superficial manner Answer I don’t see any problem with this as long as it doesn’t interfere with their Torah study schedule in yeshiva. This is not required but is merely permitted as long as it it a simple survey of the material without great effort or depth in spare time because it is viewed as pleasurable and perhaps useful.
Monday, March 31, 2025
Those who are not capable of growth in Torah learning but are interested in Secular Studies
Igros Moshe (YD IV #36.16) Question You ask about how to deal with those who are not capable of growing in Torah either because they lack the intelligence or because of laziness? Answer. Obviously it is not relevant to require them to learn as I wrote that the bnei Torah is required. It would be appropriate to teach them a skill that is most appropriate to their nature. Even if this largely interferes with their Torah learning to prepare them for this work. The Yavetz lists in his siddur those things that a person who can not learn a lot of Torah must be taught. If he is fit for learning engineering or medicine it is appropriate that he learn it as long as he can learn without being taught heresy and in classes without girls. It is best if the program is under rabbinical supervision.
US Dollar Down, Global Stocks Plunge Ahead of Trump's Looming Tariffs:
Stock markets around the world tumbled on Monday ahead of Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" on Wednesday, which will impose a slew of tariffs on "all countries."
The Dow fell 292 points, or 0.6%, in pre-market trading, while the S&P dropped 0.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 1.3%. Monday marks the end of an uncertain month for the market. The S&P 500 nearly hit correction territory in March as it dropped 9.2% below its all-time high, and is set to end the month down by more than 6%.
The US dollar has also had its biggest drop in years as it fell by 3.5%, a fall not seen since November 2023.
RFK Jr. Is Already Vindicating His Critics
Shrinking HHS makes sense, but giving power to antivaccine crusader David Geier doesn’t.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been secretary of Health and Human Services for all of six weeks, but he’s already vindicating his critics. First he downplayed a measles outbreak in Texas. Then he reportedly hired a trial-lawyer ally to work on a government study of the link between vaccines and autism. Now he has pushed out a top Food and Drug Administration official because he helped accelerate approval of the Covid vaccines.
Mr. Kennedy grabbed headlines on Thursday by proposing to consolidate sundry HHS agencies and cut 20,000 jobs. The bloated department could use some shrinking. Most of his plan, such as refocusing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its core mission of preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks, isn’t radical.
Mike Waltz Used Signal for More Sensitive National Security Chats:
U. S. national security adviser Mike Waltz used the Signal messaging app to host other sensitive discussions with Cabinet members, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing two unnamed officials.
Among those discussions were threads on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, and military operations, according to the Journal.
Bnei Torah – Those who left yeshiva Should be Viewed as Bnei Torah So they will not become worse?
Igros Moshe (YD IV #36. 15) Question: This that you objected to my statement that all those who leave yeshiva for secular studies in college even if they are still fully observant are not considered Bnei Torah. You objected because it means all those who are involved in earning a living by going to college will give up trying to grow in Torah learning if they are not considered Bnei Torah. Answer. I am surprised that you don’t view leaving yeshiva as being more deleterious than not being called a Ben Torah. People will say that if everyone is considered a Ben Torah and Talmid Chachom even those who have left yeshiva for secular studies than why should those remaining in yeshiva exert themselves in Torah and fear of G-d. This concern is found in the gemora (Menachos 99b) that even through the daily reciting of Shma in the morning and evening a person fulfills the obligation to spend his time in Torah study, nevertheless the gemora concludes that it is prohibited to teach this to the ignorant. Rashi says because they might think the minimum is sufficient and they won’t try harder. It is even worse if the talmidei chachomim think that. . In fact I am simply saying the facts a person who does not devote himself totally to Torah study is not a ben Torah. Those who go to medical school they want to be not only doctors but they want the honor of also being viewed as bnei Torah? If in fact he is a godol in Torah than of course he should be described as such even if there is concern that others will imitate him and leave yeshiva thinking they can also have both. This that you write that there are many businessmen who place the majority of their efforts into Torah study so why shouldn’t they be viewed as bnei Torah? I have already stated that they while are obviously good Jews they are not bnei Torah since all their efforts are not directed at Torah. It was only the Jews in the wilderness and that generation that entered Israel with Yehoshua as well as the generation of Chezkiyahu that all were bnei Torah. Even in the time of Dovid and Shlomo not all were bnei Torah. Even in the time of Chezkiyahu only two of the tribes were bnei Torah.
This reminds me of a chance encounter I had with a kiruv rabbi during a stop over in the Paris airport. He said "I can not forgive the rabbis and roshei yeshiva who tell everyone that they will become a gadol when in fact only a few have the ability.
The head of the Diaspora yeshiva Rav Goldstein related that he was once in America raising money for his yeshiva and he met Rav Moshe. Rav Moshe asked him “How are you doing?” He responded byrelating a list of his medical problems. Rav Moshe said I wasn’t asking about your health, I was asking whether you had some real concerns in understanding a Rashi or Tosfos.
PM: ‘Fact, not conspiracy’ Shin Bet chief knew Oct. 7 attack likely, didn’t wake me
After previously doing so anonymously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar knew several hours before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre that an invasion by the terror group was likely but did not alert him.
“This is a fact and not a conspiracy,” a statement from the premier’s office read, asserting that at 4:30 that morning, “it was already clear to the outgoing Shin Bet head that an invasion of the State of Israel was likely.”
The statement went on to ask: “Why at that moment did he not wake up the prime minister? Why didn’t he warn the community heads in the Gaza periphery? Why was the prime minister’s military secretary only updated minutes before the start of the attack?”
Israeli officials react to 'puzzling' appointment of outsider as Shin Bet head
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-848230
MK Avigdor Liberman, however, told KAN's Reshet Bet that the appointment of someone from outside the Shin Bet was "puzzling."
“Sharvit was an excellent commander, but he has no intelligence background or training," Liberman said. "The considerations that led to his appointment, after years outside the military framework, raise many questions.”
Clash of the Early Zionists”
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQZTqDfKXxMHkBXtNfJXtsFQPtC?projector=1
Join us, either in person or via zoom, on Sunday May 27th at 11am,
as Brandeis University scholar Gilad Cohen presents
“Clash of the Early Zionists”
If you are familiar with Zionism's popular history, but open to critically assessing your ideas and opinions in light of academic sources, you will find this an engaging event.
Tickets are free. Donations are welcome. For more information about the presentation and the speaker, or to reserve your ticket, visit https://zionists.
Suicide – Violate Shabbos to Save attempted Suicide
Igros Moshe (OC I #127) Question: You are uncertain about the question of a whether Shabbos can be profaned to save the life of a person who caused the danger by attempting suicide. You cite the Magen Avraham that it is prohibited to profane Shabbos to save his life. Answer In my humble opinion it is impossible to say that because such a distinction is not to be found anywhere in the halachic sources. And there is an established principle that nothing stands in the way of saving life including Shabbos even if the danger was brought about by the person’s own actions.
Igros Moshe (YD III #90) That which I wrote that one is obligated to even violate Shabbos to save life of one who attempted suicide – there is no question that that is correct and your questions from the Mishneh Berura and Rema are not relevant. The point is that one needs to do what he can to save the life of his fellow .
Are Trump’s policies a sign of the Messiah? Some religious leaders think so
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1esnx5okx
Some religious Jewish and Christian groups believe the Messiah's arrival—whether for the first or second time—could be imminent. In their view, God has set the stage by returning Donald Trump to the White House.
"Purim is where God orchestrates all these natural and political events in order to save Israel," explained Rabbi Tuly Weisz, founder and CEO of Israel365. "And God places Esther in the palace 'for such a time as this.'"
Speaking on the ILTV News Podcast, Weisz said, "A lot of people said that God placed Trump in the White House," but now they are starting to believe it.
He pointed to Maimonides' teachings, which outlined three key events that would signal the coming of the Messiah.
The first, he explained, is the destruction of Amalek, which many—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after October 7—equate with modern-day Hamas.
The second is a religious revival among the Jewish people. Some American Jews believe they see this happening in a growing "surge" of interest in religious involvement, while in Israel, it is reflected in the rise of the religious right.
According to Weisz, the final stage is the rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Israel could face measles outbreak as vaccination numbers drop
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/r1hamulpyl
Health officials warn that some areas, including Jerusalem, could be susceptible to the virus after declining MMRV vaccination rates and rising global spread of the disease
Vance’s posturing in Greenland was not just morally wrong. It was strategically disastrous
Thanks to Trump’s administration, the US could soon have to fight wars to get things that, just a few weeks ago, were there for the asking
At the base, in the far north of the island, the US visitors had pictures taken of themselves and ate lunch with servicemen and women. They treated the base as the backdrop to a press conference where they could say things they already thought; nothing was experienced, nothing was learned, nothing sensible was said. Vance, who never left the base, and has never before visited Greenland, was quite sure how Greenlanders should live. He made a political appeal to Greenlanders, none of whom was present, or anywhere near him. He claimed that Denmark was not protecting the security of Greenlanders in the Arctic, and that the US would. Greenland should therefore join the US.
Chilly welcome: Vance's Greenland gaffe goes viral
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/30/chilly-welcome-vances-greenland-gaffe-goes-viral/
US Vice President JD Vance touched down in Greenland on Friday, March 28, only to find himself the butt of online jokes after waving to what appeared to be a non-existent crowd. Accompanied by his wife, Usha, the 40-year-old stepped off Air Force Two at the US military's Pituffik Space Base, where he was set to attend a national security briefing. According to The Irish Star, the awkward moment unfolded as he saluted and waved, only for the camera to reveal a thin gathering – mostly security personnel and a handful of press, not the throngs he seemed to expect.
Originally, Usha's itinerary included a multi-day visit with stops in Nuuk and cultural events like a dogsled race, per The Irish Star. But backlash from Greenland and Danish officials – irked by the lack of consultation – forced a rethink, with the White House scaling it back to a single day at Pituffik.
Donald Trump Keeps Teasing a Third Term.
The 22nd Amendment has already had its say: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
Politico Magazine recently outlined four ways Trump could “snatch a third term—despite the 22nd Amendment,” which it summarized as: change the Constitution, sidestep the Constitution, ignore the Constitution, or defy the Constitution.
Trump Posts Crackpot Signalgate Conspiracy: ‘WHAT ARE THE ODDS’
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-posts-crackpot-signalgate-conspiracy-what-are-the-odds/
President Donald Trump boosted a vague conspiracy targeting the CEO of NPR, who also happens to sit on the board of Signal, as his administration continues to grapple with the fallout of a major intelligence leak on the messaging app.
Trump reposted Sunday an X user’s claim of a “Signal scandal”: “Katherine Maher, the leftist NPR CEO, is currently the Chair of the Board of Signal!” an account called Publius wrote. “WHAT ARE THE ODDS?”
Trump Admin Hit With New Legal Blow by Judge in Deportation Flights Case - King Trump?!
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-legal-blow-judge-boasberg-deportation-flights-case-2052348
In a new order on Friday, Boasberg extended the existing restraining order on the flights until April 12, "or until further order of the Court." The original restraining order was set to expire March 29.
The Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege this week following Boasberg's request for additional information on the deportation flights. The administration has also requested that the U.S. Supreme Court vacate Boasberg's orders.
A Department of Justice (DOJ) source told Newsweek on Friday: "The continued interference by an unelected activist judge in the foreign policy of the United States is a clear obstruction of President Trump's constitutional authority and threatens the safety and security of all Americans."
On Truth Social on Thursday, Trump called out Boasberg, saying, "How disgraceful is it that 'Judge' James Boasberg has just been given a fourth 'Trump Case,' something which is, statistically, IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way for a Republican, especially a TRUMP REPUBLICAN, to win before him."
More Republicans Want Pete Hegseth to Resign Than Want Him to Stay—Poll
https://www.newsweek.com/more-republicans-want-pete-hegseth-resign-stay-poll-2052704
New polling released by J.L. Partners in conjunction with The Daily Mail on Friday showed that a plurality of Republicans believe Hegseth should resign in the wake of the scandal. Thirty-eight percent of GOP respondents said he should resign while just 33 percent said he should stay.
Among independents, a majority said the Trump administration official should step aside, with 54 percent backing his resignation and just 20 percent saying he should remain. The independent results largely aligned with the overall results—with Republicans and Democrats included—which showed 54 percent backing Hegseth's resignation and 22 percent saying he should stay as the Pentagon chief.
The poll was carried out from March 25 to 27 among 1,001 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Thanksgiving
Igros Moshe (YD IV #11.4) Question Is celebrating Thanksgiving that is an American holiday prohibited because of the prohibition of bechukosayhem. For someone who wishes to participate in a special meal for the American secular day of thanks and gratitude – Thanksgiving which is treated as a type of holiday. Answer Since this is not listed amongst the religious holidays and there is no actual obligation to have a meal but it is merely a day of memorial for an event that happened long ago in America and signifies that he is happy to be in America – it would seem that it entails no prohibition either in the celebration with a meal nor with the specific custom of eating turkey. We find a similar thing in the gemora that King Yannai made a celebratory meal for his military victories and he ate certain vegetables to memorialize the event. Nevertheless it is prohibited to establish it as an obligation or mitzva. But it should be viewed as an optional celebration. As long as it is not viewed as an obligation or mitzva it may be celebrated annually with a special meal.
Trump Doesn't Rule Out Military Force to Take Greenland
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-military-force-greenland-denmark-jd-vance-2052718
U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to rule out the use of military force to assert control over Greenland, another overture toward the strategic North Atlantic that is island likely to spark further anxiety among the Washington's unsettled allies in Europe.
"I don't take anything off the table," Trump told NBC News on Saturday, when probed on whether he would authorize the use of military force to take control of Greenland.
There is a "good possibility that we could do it without military force," he said.
The remarks came a day after Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland in a scaled-back visit with his wife, Usha Vance, touring the U.S.'s Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island, hundreds of miles from Greenland's capital, Nuuk.
While Vance said he did not believe "military force is ever going to be necessary," the vice president said the White House thought it would "be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump-style, to ensure the security of this territory."
Saturday, March 29, 2025
WSJ: Israel provided intel for US strike on Houthi official mentioned in Signal chat
Information on US airstrikes leaked by senior US officials in a group chat that accidentally included a journalist was reportedly based on Israeli intelligence drawn from a human source in Yemen, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The report, citing two US officials, said that Israel provided intelligence from an individual in Yemen about a senior Houthi figure who was targeted in the March 15 US airstrike discussed in the group chat on the Signal messaging app.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department, which has traditionally handled investigations into the mishandling of classified or sensitive information by both Republican and Democratic administrations, showed that under Trump it would likely stay on the sidelines. When asked at an unrelated news conference what the Justice Department plans to do, Attorney General Pam Bondi deflected, saying the mission was ultimately a success.
Israeli officials furious that Signal group chat exposed intelligence, sources say
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israeli-officials-signal-texts-exposed-intelligence-sources-say/
Israeli officials are furious over the Signal chat leak involving senior Trump administration officials because it included sensitive intelligence Israel provided to the U.S. from a human intelligence source in Yemen, CBS News has learned.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday first reported about the Israelis complaining to U.S. officials about Mike Waltz, President Trump's national security adviser, who set up the group chat and apparently added Goldberg by mistake. The group spent several days earlier this month exchanging messages about possible plans to strike Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, who have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel and targeted shipping in the Red Sea.
But the sources who spoke to CBS News say Israeli intelligence is angry that the intelligence they provided to the U.S. was revealed. It's unclear what the fallout will be, if any, between the U.S. and Israel over the situation.
Israeli officials angered by Signal leak on Yemen intel involving Trump officials
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-848051
The leak of the Signal chat messages angered Israeli officials, as it compromised a human intelligence source they had shared with the US for targeting, despite the airstrike’s effectiveness remaining intact.
Anonymus sources have told CBS that Israeli intelligence officials are upset that the information they provided to the US was exposed.
Vance in Greenland: ‘We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5220436-us-greenland-sovereignty/?tbref=hp
Vice President Vance in a speech from a U.S. base in Greenland said Friday the U.S. is not likely to use military force in President Trump’s pursuit of taking over the territory.
Vance also said the U.S. respects Greenland’s sovereignty, despite Trump’s repeated comments that America would take ownership of the Arctic island away from Denmark.
“We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary,” Vance said in response to a reporter’s question on whether there are military plans to take over the island.
“What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose, through self determination, to become independent of Denmark, and then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.”
Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings With Foreign Military Officials
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is facing scrutiny over his handling of details of a military strike, brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed, according to multiple people who were present or had knowledge of the discussions.
One of the meetings, a high-level discussion at the Pentagon on March 6 between Hegseth and U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey, took place at a sensitive moment for the trans-Atlantic alliance, one day after the U.S. said it had cut off military intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The group that met at the Pentagon, which included Adm. Tony Radakin, the head of the U.K.’s armed forces, discussed the U.S. rationale behind that decision, as well as future military collaboration between the two allies, according to people familiar with the meeting.
Donald Trump's Greenland Takeover Idea Is Unpopular—What Polls Show
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-greenland-takeover-idea-unpopular-what-polls-show-2052581
President Donald Trump continues to double-down on his desire for the United States to take over control of Greenland, but polling shows the idea is deeply unpopular with Americans and Greenlanders.
CNN polling analyst Harry Enten in a Friday X, formerly Twitter, post: "Just 6% of Greenlanders want to join the United States. There are more people who think we faked the moon landing (~10%). 85% of Greenlanders are opposed. Meanwhile, less than 30% of Americans want Greenland to join the U.S. I've rarely seen anything so unpopular."
The Trump administration is expected to continue to push for control of Greenland, but with the current opposition from Denmark's and Greenland's leaders, it's unclear how such a plan would move forward.
Doctors Blast RFK Jr After Vaccine Chief Forced Out: 'Gutting of Expertise'
https://www.newsweek.com/doctors-blast-rfk-jr-after-vaccine-chief-forced-out-2052514
Prominent doctors have spoken out in defense of Peter Marks, one of the top vaccine specialists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), after he announced he was resigning on Friday with a letter highly critical of new Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
One health expert described the move as a "gutting of expertise inside the FDA," while another described Kennedy Jr.'s position on vaccines as a "misguided obsession."
Mesorah:Questioning that of Moshe?
The Rashi (Bereishis 38:22) cites a Yerushalmi in which Betzalel directly questions what Moshe Rabbeinu said about making the Mishkan after the vessels based entirely on common sense. This is also stated in the Bavli and Medrash Rabbah.
Rashi (Bereishis 38:22) AND BEZALEEL THE SON OF URI etc. MADE ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES — It is not stated here: Bezaleel made all that he had been commanded), but “Bezaleel made all that the Lord commanded Moses” — even regarding such things which his teacher Moses did not tell him, his own opinion was in agreement with what had been told to Moses on Sinai (Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1:1; Bereishis Rabbah 1:14). For Moses bade Bezaleel to make the vessels first and the Tabernacle afterwards but Bezaleel said to him: “Surely, it is the way of the world first to build a house and then to place the household utensils in it!” Moses replied to him: “So, indeed, did I hear from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He”. Moses further said to him: Bezaleel, you must have been sitting in the shadow of God, for certainly did thus God command me!” And consequently Bezaleel made the Tabernacle first and afterwards he made the vessels ..
Berachos (55a) Rabbi Yitzḥak said: One may only appoint a leader over a community if he consults with the community and they agree to the appointment, as it is stated: “And Moses said unto the children of Israel: See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah” (Exodus 35:30). The Lord said to Moses: Moses, is Bezalel a suitable appointment in your eyes? Moses said to Him: Master of the universe, if he is a suitable appointment in Your eyes, then all the more so in my eyes. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Nevertheless, go and tell Israel and ask their opinion. Moses went and said to Israel: Is Bezalel suitable in your eyes? They said to him: If he is suitable in the eyes of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and in your eyes, all the more so he is suitable in our eyes. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: Bezalel was called by that name on account of his wisdom. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Go say to Bezalel, “Make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels”, Moses went and reversed the order and told Bezalel: “Make an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle”. He said to Moses: Moses, our teacher, the standard practice throughout the world is that a person builds a house and only afterward places the vessels in the house, and you say to me: Make an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle. If I do so in the order you have commanded, the vessels that I make, where shall I put them? Perhaps God told you the following: “Make a tabernacle, ark, and vessels”. Moses said to Bezalel: Perhaps you were in God’s shadow, and you knew precisely what He said. You intuited God’s commands just as He stated them, as if you were there.
Bereishis Rabbah (1:14) Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rav Huna: “Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, did everything that the Moses commanded him” is not stated, but rather, “everything that the Lord commanded Moses”. Even matters that Betzalel did not hear from his teacher, his perception corresponded to what was stated to Moses at Sinai. Rabbi Ḥonya said in the name of Rabbi: “The Torah of truth was in his mouth” – these are matters that he heard directly from his teacher. The Rabbis say: “For the Lord will be your hope – even matters that you are a fool in their regard, “He will protect your foot from being ensnared”. Rabbi Dosai said: From promulgating mistaken teachings. Rabbi Abahu said: From transgressing. Rabbi Levi said: From malevolent spirits. Rabbi Avdimus said: If you gave charity from your purse, the Holy One blessed be He will protect you from being charged unjust security taxes, fines, head taxes, and property taxes.
Friday, March 28, 2025
U.S. Officials Learned What Greenlanders Think of Usha Vance Visit in Most Humiliating Way Possible
American officials went door to door in Greenland’s capital looking for residents who would welcome a visit from Usha Vance during her upcoming trip—and every single one of them said no, according to a Danish TV report.
With President Donald Trump increasingly calling for Greenland to come under U.S. control, officials couldn’t find anybody in Nuuk who was interested in Vance’s visit, despite a week of canvassing, according to Danish reporter Jesper Steinmetz.
Donald Trump’s ‘very fine people on both sides’ remarks (transcript)
https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/apr/26/context-trumps-very-fine-people-both-sides-remarks/
Trump: "Yes, I think there’s blame on both sides. If you look at both sides -- I think there’s blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it, and you don’t have any doubt about it either. And if you reported it accurately, you would say."
Reporter: "The neo-Nazis started this. They showed up in Charlottesville to protest --"
Trump: "Excuse me, excuse me. They didn’t put themselves -- and you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group. Excuse me, excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name."
Trump’s Giant New Car and Truck Tax
So much for the idea that President Trump views tariffs as a negotiating tool to reduce everyone else’s tariffs. That was always implausible, and the illusion went poof Wednesday with Mr. Trump’s executive order imposing 25% tariffs on all imported cars and trucks. He wants border taxes for their own sake, so get used to it.
Mr. Trump justifies his car tariffs as a “national security” threat under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act. As we wrote in 2019 when he tried this gambit, he apparently fears the attack of the killer Toyotas.
A New Administration’s Signal Failure
The national-security communications snafu shows a government in the hands of immature bros.
The Signal mess is a real mess, not something that will fade away quickly, because it’s one of those scandals that give the world a picture of a new administration.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Trump says US will 'go as far as we have to' to get control of Greenland Just like his hero Putin!
https://abcnews.go.com/International/trump-us-control-greenland/story?id=120208823
"We need Greenland for national security and international security," Trump said, taking reporters' questions in the Oval Office.
"So we'll, I think, we'll go as far as we have to go," he continued. "We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we'll see what happens. But if we don't have Greenland, we can't have great international security."
Trump added, "I view it from a security standpoint, we have to be there."
GOP lawmakers turn up the pressure on Hegseth
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5216365-hegseth-scrutiny-republican-lawmakers/
I think they should make sure it never happens again. I wish they’d tell us, ‘It will never happen again.’ It’s the first strike in the early stages of an administration,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Don’t let it ever happen again.”
“I don’t know how many strikes you get. In baseball, you get three. Maybe this is worth two,” he added. “If mistakes like this continue to happen, we’ll deal with them as it happens. My hope and my expectation is that it won’t.”
And they’re wondering about Hegseth’s response to reporters’ questions, specifically his adamant denial that “nobody’s texting war plans” after a National Security Council spokesperson had confirmed the chat group’s reported texts appeared to be “authentic.”
“The worst part of it is Hegseth saying himself, ‘This didn’t really happen.’ Why don’t you just admit it?” one Republican senator remarked
Trump officials attack journalist after Signal leak published in full
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedlqlj6186o
The White House reacted furiously on Wednesday after The Atlantic magazine published messages between national security officials in a Signal group chat in their entirety.
President Donald Trump called the reporting "all a witch hunt" and declared the publication a "failed magazine".
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Goldberg said the Trump administration had sought to place the blame on a reporter rather than "actually acknowledging that they have a massive national security breach, and that they should just go fix it".
But several military experts and veterans of the intelligence community said that the information was highly sensitive and should never have been shared in a commercial messaging app.
Timeline of how Trump’s pledge to end the war in Ukraine hit reality
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/europe/timeline-trumps-pledge-to-end-ukraine-war/index.html
Over the past two months, the United States has been talking with both Ukraine and Russia – separately – to try to fulfill one of President Donald Trump’s main campaign promises: ending the war in Ukraine. Trump repeatedly touted that he would end the war within 24 hours of taking office if elected president on the campaign trail, but nearly two months on there is no sign of a real breakthrough.
Trump has walked back from his pledge – first extending the self-imposed deadline to six months, then saying he was being “a little bit sarcastic” about the 24-hour timeframe.
More recently the president said in an interview with Newsmax that Moscow could be “dragging their feet” on a ceasefire deal.
Trump has made it clear that Ukraine will have to acquiesce with his hardline approach if it wants to continue to receive military support from the country.
And while Russia has said it agrees in principle to the US ceasefire proposals, it has consistently came up with “buts” and “only ifs” that undermine any deals.
Trump’s Strategy for War Chat Fallout: Attack, Attack, Attack
White House criticizes news media and plays down security risk of Signal group chat that included journalist from the Atlantic
The White House is going to war over war plans, dusting off a familiar playbook that President Trump has used for decades to blunt controversies: attack, attack, attack.
The president, senior advisers and top cabinet officials launched a campaign to dismiss one of the biggest crises of Trump’s second term, as Washington grappled with the news that top administration national security officials discussed sensitive military operations on a nongovernment message app that included a prominent magazine editor.
US Appeals Court Hands Trump Defeat in Deportation Case
https://www.newsweek.com/us-appeals-court-hands-trump-stinging-defeat-deportation-case-2051082
In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to lift an order blocking the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act earlier this month.
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the March 15 ruling from Boasberg that temporarily halted deportations under the Alien Enemies Act after ordering that the government's "emergency motions for stay be denied," according to court documents reviewed by Newsweek.
In a concurring statement filed Wednesday, Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson noted that presidential power under the Alien Enemies Act is not unlimited, and its invocation requires a certain threshold:
"The term 'invasion' was a legal term of art with a well-defined meaning at the Founding. It required far more than an unwanted entry; to constitute an invasion, there had to be hostilities," adding that "predatory incursion referred to a form of hostilities against the United States by another nation state, a form of attack short of war. Migration alone did not suffice."
Circuit Judge Patricia Millett, in her concurring opinion, noted that due process applies to everyone: "The true mark of this great Nation under law is that we adhere to legal requirements even when it is hard, even when important national interests are at stake, and even when the claimant may be unpopular." The judge notes that the removed migrants did not have "some semblance of due process."
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Respectfully disagreeing with earlier authorities
Rav Chaim Voloshner (Ruach Chaim 1:4): … It is prohibited for a student to accept the words of his teacher if he has questions about them. Furthermore sometimes the truth is with the student and not the teacher.” Avos (1:4) says, One should sit in the dust at the feet of one’s teachers and drink with unquenchable thirst what they say. “The word for sitting - avek - can also mean struggle or warfare. That is because this is an obligatory struggle. The holy rabbis who have composed the books we study have in fact given us permission to struggle and to fight over their words and to answer the difficulties they raise. Therefore, we have the right to question what they say and not to blindly accept their words - but one must love the truth…. Since ascertaining the truth is the prime concern - we must be very careful not to be conceited and egotistical in the discussions and to imagine that we are as great as the teacher or author with whom we are disagreeing. We should be aware in our hearts that we might simply be misunderstanding their words. Therefore we must always be very humble. We must have the attitude, ‘I am not worthy to argue but this is Torah and I must know the correct answer’. Furthermore, the Mishna states that the struggle is conditional on being ‘in the dust at their feet’ which means we must be humble and submissive and figuratively sit on the ground before them in these discussions.
Seridei Aish (1:113): I frequently comment on the apparent contradiction found in Avos (6:5) concerning those factors involved in acquiring Torah i.e. analysis of the students and faith in our Sages. Furthermore, what does faith in our Sages have to do with acquiring Torah? However, the explanation is that if one doesn’t believe in the truth of the words of the sages then one readily dismisses them for the slightest reason. With an attitude of condescension, one proclaims that they didn’t know what they were talking about. Consequently, one makes no effort to investigate and try to validate what they said. However, in the end we find that in fact we are the ones who have erred. … Therefore it is characteristic of the truly wise to presume that the sages have not erred, G d forbid! In fact we, with our limited perspective and limited understanding, have erred. On the other hand to blindly believe and not struggle to comprehend with our intellect the apparent difficulties, saying simply that they knew and we need merely to mindlessly rely on them, that is also not correct. We need to wrestle mightily with the apparent contradictions and doubts as if they are people like us. With this approach, we will come to a much profounder and sharper comprehension. Thus, we see that both factors - emunas chachomim (faith in our sages) and pilpul (intellectual evaluation) - work together to the purpose of the acquisition of Torah.
Michtav M'Eliyahu (4:269): Why
was Miriam punished with leprosy - indicating the sin of lashon harah -
when all she did was inquire about her brother’s conduct? G d Himself
answered this question by stating (Bamidbar 12:8): Why weren’t you
afraid to speak against My servant Moshe? It is permitted to question
the teacher’s conduct if he knows in his heart that his teacher is right
and he only wants a clarification. In other words, he wants to
understand but is not challenging or criticizing his teacher. In such
circumstances, it is not only permitted but is required as we see in
Berachos (62a). However when the student’s attitude is, “I also know
what to do and to judge the validity of my teacher and I am convinced he
is wrong” - then there is problem with his faith in scholars and such a
challenge is a manifestation of lashon harah…. An example of an
appropriate question is when Rabbi Akiva Eiger, one of the greatest
scholars in the last several hundred years, raised a difficult question
about the words of Tosfos. He concluded his words by stating:” I have
not merited to understand the holy words of Tosfos.” [G d forbid to
think he was just being polite. In fact, he, despite all his greatness,
understood that Tosfos was superior and he was nothing in relation to
them. A great person is upset that he doesn’t understand while a little
person in his arrogance readily accuses his superiors of error.]
Maharal (Introduction to Be’er HaGolah): The precondition for achieving perfection, through knowledge and comprehension of reality, is accurate self evaluation. However self knowledge is not easily achieved and in fact it is rare to find someone who has an objective understanding of whom he is. Paradoxically this should be the easiest thing to know - he needs to simply open his eyes. He is not far away and is not in Heaven - in fact, there is nothing closer! However, the majority of people perceive themselves inaccurately. In particular, they mistakenly think that they are the equal of the early sages and say, “I also have a brain and that the early days were not better than now.” They insist the intellect of man is identical in all ages. True sages, however, know their own value. They do not distort justice concerning their money and surely concerning themselves. An example of this accurate self-evaluation is found in Eiruvin (53a): “The hearts of the early generations were as open as the 20 amos wide door of the Ulam of the Temple, while that of recent generations is like that of the 10 amos wide door of the Heichal of the Temple while our heart is like that of the eye of a needle….” We see that they are not embarrassed to admit their inferiority relative to earlier generations and describe how they differ….
Maharal (Introduction to Be’er HaGolah): The precondition for achieving perfection, through knowledge and comprehension of reality, is accurate self evaluation. However self knowledge is not easily achieved and in fact it is rare to find someone who has an objective understanding of whom he is. Paradoxically this should be the easiest thing to know - he needs to simply open his eyes. He is not far away and is not in Heaven - in fact, there is nothing closer! However, the majority of people perceive themselves inaccurately. In particular, they mistakenly think that they are the equal of the early sages and say, “I also have a brain and that the early days were not better than now.” They insist the intellect of man is identical in all ages. True sages, however, know their own value. They do not distort justice concerning their money and surely concerning themselves. An example of this accurate self-evaluation is found in Eiruvin (53a): “The hearts of the early generations were as open as the 20 amos wide door of the Ulam of the Temple, while that of recent generations is like that of the 10 amos wide door of the Heichal of the Temple while our heart is like that of the eye of a needle….” We see that they are not embarrassed to admit their inferiority relative to earlier generations and describe how they differ….
Shower with Cold water on Shabbo
Igros Moshe (OC IV 75.1) Question Is it permitted to take a cold shower on Shabbos? Answer I replied previously that we don’t find in the halachic literature the mention that a cold shower is prohibited on Shabbos. Nevertheless it is clear and obvious that most religious Jews on their own initiative do not take cold showers on Shabbos even though they were not told it is prohibited. It is not known if the reason for this this is that this is viewed as abnormal behavior since typically the shower is with warm water. Since there is a prohibition on Shabbos to wash with warm water, even if heated before Shabbos, the whole body. Perhaps because of this prohibition people refrain from cooling off with a cold shower in the summer. Or perhaps it is viewed as a weekday practice. Taken together perhaps these reasons constitute a custom not to take cold showers. However it could also be the result of ignorance and is not a minhag and is thus merely a mistaken practice (minhag ta’os).
Instead of vaccines, RFK Jr. focuses on unconventional measles treatments, driving worries about misinformation
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/05/health/measles-rfk-vitamin-a-misinformation/index.html
As a measles outbreak in West Texas continues to grow, the response from US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has leaned heavily on treatment with vitamin A, as well as “good results” from the use of the steroid budesonide, the antibiotic clarithromycin and cod liver oil.
Doctors say that this messaging might take away from efforts to increase vaccination, and some misinformation about these therapies is already circulating online.
Many US doctors have never seen measles, given that the virus was declared eliminated in the country in 2000. There are no antiviral medications specifically to treat measles infection.
“Vitamin A is not a substitute for vaccination,” said Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health.
Remedy Supported by Kennedy Leaves Some Measles Patients More Ill
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/health/measles-kennedy-vitamin-a.html
After the health secretary promoted vitamin A as a cure, parents in West Texas began giving their children high doses, sometimes to prevent infection.
Disdain for Europe in US Signal chat horrifies EU
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c204vl27n2qo
"Horrific to see in black and white. But hardly surprising," is how a top European diplomat reacted to what comes across as deep, heartfelt disdain for European allies, revealed late on Monday, European time, in an online group chat between top US security officials.
In the chat, Vice-President JD Vance notes that only 3% of US trade runs through the canal, as opposed to 40% of European trade, after which he and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth complain of European "free-loading".
Vaccine skeptic hired to head federal study of immunizations and autism
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/25/vaccine-skeptic-hhs-rfk-immunization-autism/
A vaccine skeptic who has long promoted false claims about the connection between immunizations and autism has been tapped by the federal government to conduct a critical study of possible links between the two, according to current and former federal health officials.
The Department of Health and Human Services has hired David Geier to conduct the analysis, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Geier and his father, Mark Geier, have published papers claiming vaccines increase the risk of autism, a theory that has been studied for decades and scientifically debunked.
David Geier was disciplined by Maryland regulators more than a decade ago for practicing medicine without a license. He is listed as a data analyst in the HHS employee directory.
Team Trump will pay a price for whistling past the Signal group-chat fiasco
It looks like Team Trump has decided to try to whistle right past the “Operation Overshare” fiasco, and may well pull it off — but not cost-free.
President Donald Trump is standing up for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz after he (or maybe his staff) mistakenly added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a group chat on Signal into which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later dropped sensitive details of the anti-Houthi bombing campaign.
The stunning security breach had “no impact at all,” the prez announced Tuesday morning, and “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson.”
Uh . . . what lesson is that?
Yes, we get that stepping up to own failures is hard. But it just got that much harder for Americans to trust the administration on national-security issues going forward.
At the very least, we pray the prez is privately knocking hard on every head involved in this mess — and warning that heads will roll if there’s anything like a next time.
The American people need to know Trump is still fighting for them, not lying to them.
Signal Chat Blunder Shows Pitfalls of Trump’s Ad Hoc Approach to Foreign Policy
The administration has struggled to translate Trump’s promise of quick results into early wins
Texts by President Trump’s advisers about whether to attack Houthi militants in Yemen underscored the ad hoc nature of the administration’s national security deliberations, a mode that has sometimes left allies bewildered and his own aides at odds.
Other presidents have relied on the State Department, Pentagon and National Security Council staff to develop and filter options in an orderly manner. The Trump team has operated in a far less orthodox fashion, one that stems from the president’s impatience with debate and skepticism of bureaucracy. Many of his top advisers, few of whom have held senior positions before, share that perspective.
Lessons From the Signal Chat on the Houthis
The leak furor will fade but not JD Vance’s contempt for allies.
Democrats had fun pounding away at the Trump Administration Tuesday over a security leak to a journalist on the Signal messaging app, and we trust the White House has learned a lesson. It’s amusing to hear journalists who dine out on leaks deplore this leak. But the lasting import won’t be the security breach as much as what Trump officials really think about our European allies.
Donald Trump Defends Signal App Amid War Texts Backlash
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-defends-signal-app-amid-war-texts-backlash-2050394
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Signal, the app in which his top national security officials discussed war plans in a text group that included a journalist, was "the best technology for the moment."
"Sometimes you have to move very quickly," Trump said, "and there are other devices that are very good, but they are very, very cumbersome, and you're not able to use them...from a practical standpoint. So, all we can do is find out the best we can do with modern technology. They'll probably get better over the years."
Trump noted during the media availability that the Singal app was "the best technology for the moment.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Chewing Gum Releases Microplastics Into Your Mouth, Scientists Warn
https://www.newsweek.com/microplastics-chewing-gum-mouth-saliva-pollution-health-2049922
Chewing a single piece of gum can release hundreds to thousands of pieces of microplastic into the saliva in your mouth—likely to go on to be swallowed.
This is the warning of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who experimented to see how many microplastics the polymer-based treats might let out.
Microplastic (smaller than 5 millimeters in size) and nanoplastic (under 0.001 millimeters) particles have become ubiquitous in the environment and can get into the very food we eat.
These particles have been found in various bodily organs—including the brain, kidney, liver, placenta and testes—with scientists estimating that humans may consume as many as tens of thousands of microplastic pieces each year.
Scientists are concerned about the impact of microplastics on health; with studies on animals and human cells suggesting that microplastic particles could be causing us harm.
"Our goal is not to alarm anybody," said paper author and engineer Professor Sanjay Mohanty. "Scientists don't know if microplastics are unsafe to us or not.
"There are no human trials. But we know we are exposed to plastics in everyday life—and that's what we wanted to examine here."
Shlomo Carlbach
Igros Moshe (E H I #96) Question A person who had been viewed as a ben Torah for many years who is a musician who has composed songs based on holy verses for weddings and these songs are commonly sung by religious Jews at simchos of mitzva but now bad rumors are spreading saying that he sings before mixed audiences of unmarried men and women. Is it now permitted to continue to sing the songs that he composed when he was viewed as a good Jew? Answer In my humble opinion, I don’t see that there is anything prohibited in this since they were clearly composed when he was considered a good Jew. Proof supporting this is we find that the decrees made by the high priest Yochanan that are said in his name is said by some to be the one described as faithfully serving this position for 80 years and then becoming a heretic. Even after he became a wicked sinner, his decrees that he had made as a good Jew were not invalidated and were still ascribed to him. We find something similar with Elisha ben Abuya. It would seem that the only reason to prohibit is the Rambam’s ruling that a sefer Torah that was written by a heretic should be burned in order not to have a monument to the heretic. However that clearly refers to a Torah written by a heretic but if he wrote it as a good Jew it is not burned. Consequently those songs written when he was a good Jew there is no reason to prohibit them now even for bnei Torah and baalei nefesh there is no reason to be strict .Furthermore I am even uncertain about the songs that were composed after his reputation became bad, whether these are prohibited if there is nothing objectionable in their content. It would seem that only holy things such as a sefer Torah are prohibited. It is obviously permitted to use and call medical treatments or machines by the name of their inventor even if he is a heretic. So it seems it is only an issue for holy things to be associated with a heretic but not secular things. Songs are viewed as secular things since they are not inherently holy. Consequently even those songs he wrote after his reputation became bad, I am inclined to say they are also not forbidden to sing but nevertheless not by bnei Torah or baalei nefesh. In addition the bad rumors are not that he is a heretic but are issues of levity and relaxed standards of modesty in that he is singing to a mixed audience of young men and ladies For such there is no obligation to avoid leaving a monument to him in fact if he wrote a sefer Torah it would be valid and surely the songs he composed. In sum there is no need to be strict in this case even for bnei Torah and baalei nefesh. If in fact the rumors are also about heresy than the distinction as to when the songs were composed applies and the eaely songs there is no reason at all to be strict while the more recent compositions are not reasonably considered prohibited since they are not holy like a Torah however in the latter case bnei Torah and baalei nefesh it is best to be strict.
I had two encounters with him. The first was at a Chanukah party made by his devoted followers. One of them was a young lady that someone suggested as a shidduch for me . She had introduced me to him as a student of Rabbi Freifeld. At the end he went around the room giving a hug o everyone including the young ladies. When he attempted to hug my date I objected that he shouldn’t do it. He replied casually “but Rabbi Freifeld knows about this.” With the clear implication that he was defending himself by claiming that Rabbi Freifeld approved this behavior. Later I had a chance to meet with Rabbi Freifeld and I told him what happened. His sole response to me was that I had done the right thing.
The second occurred in Toronto airport when I went in a failed effort to raise money for my index to the Mishneh Berura that I was working on after I published Yad Moshe to the Igros Moshe. As I got off the plane I heard people shouting and I found that he had also been on that flight. We ended up standing together in line for customs. I mentioned to him that there was a tshuva in the Igros about him. He first became very agitated and replied that he knew about it. Then he added that he was on very good terms with Rav Moshe and that Rav Moshe liked him. He was clearly being defensive.
In sum, the above tshuva did not address his problematic behavior nor did Rav Moshe seem to be well informed. On the other hand my observation is that he himself realized that his behavior was problematic and crossed too many red lines.
.
Esrog for children - Obligation?
Igros Moshe (YD II #104) The common minhag is not to buy an esrog and lulav for a child.
Igros Moshe (OC III #95) Question Concerning the obligation of chinuch for the mitzva of lulav and esrog. The gemora (Sukkah 46b) says not to buy 4 species and give them as a present to a child for the first day of Sukkos even after he has used it on the first day of Sukkos since that makes it the possession of the child and he is required to be the owner of the lulav and esrog the next day to say the beracha because of the uncertainty of the status of the day. A child can acquire but not transfer ownership to others. Now, there is a dispute on this issue. Some say that one can give the lulav and etrog to the child without transferring ownership, and that this suffices to satisfy one’s obligation of chinuch. This is so even though the child performs no mitzvah and actually makes an unnecessary blessing; since for the sake of chinuch it does not matter whether the mitzvah has actually been fulfilled by the child. It is sufficient that the child thinks they are performing a mitzvah. Others such as the Magen Avraham says this is not sufficient and he must actually do the correct mitzva. The Mishna Berura says that according to the latter view the Shulchan Aruch says that a parent should hold the four specied together with his son to enable the parent to say a beracha the next day. However in such a cse the child has not done the mitzva since he didn’t own the lulav and esrog and the father did not do the mitzva of chinuch. Nevertheless many other Achronim hold this way. It appears that Shulchan Aruch agrees with this too. Since he says that the father is required to buy an esrog and lulav for his child. The reason that in Europe they were lenient was because of the poverty which prevented the purchase of an esrog anf lulav for every child. It was not possible even for most adults to have their own esrog and lulav, and instead they took turns using the community’s esrog and lulav and reciting the blessing over it, and were not able themselves to do the wavings of the lulav during hallel either . In fact it is best to be strict in this matter and especially since in America it it possible to acquire them cheaply everyone should buy a set for each child.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
I have never seen a breach quite like this. It is not uncommon for national-security officials to communicate on Signal. But the app is used primarily for meeting planning and other logistical matters—not for detailed and highly confidential discussions of a pending military action. And, of course, I’ve never heard of an instance in which a journalist has been invited to such a discussion.
5 takeaways from Trump officials war planning group chat breach - Team of Clowns!
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5211761-us-government-group-chat/
Democrats, who have often charged that Trump lacks basic competence, seized on the story.
Trump himself pleaded ignorance.
Asked about it by reporters on Monday afternoon, he responded, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not aIt’s difficult to imagine any high-ranking national security official in a more conventional administration still having a job if they did what Waltz did.
But the Trump White House is like no other, and the president swiftly released a statement of support.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.” big fan of The Atlantic. … You’re telling me about it for the first time.”++
Trump Joins Musk to Poke Fun at Massive War Plan Leak
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-joins-musk-to-poke-fun-at-massive-war-plan-leak/
The president and his “first buddy” appeared unbothered by the shocking leak of confidential military plans.
President Donald Trump seemed so tickled by Elon Musk’s dig at The Atlantic that he had to repost it on his Truth Social page.
The “first buddy” took a swipe at the magazine Monday afternoon after its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a bombshell report detailing how he was inadvertently added to a top-secret group chat of national security officials discussing plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen.
“Best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of The Atlantic magazine, because no one ever goes there,” Musk wrote on X.
The DOGE chief also reposted an article by the conservative satirical news website The Babylon Bee headlined “4D Chess: Genius Trump Leaks War Plans To ‘The Atlantic’ Where No One Will Ever See Them.”
Trump intentionally hired amateurs for top jobs. This is their most dramatic blunder
More specifically, the official doing the texting of the war plans to a journalist appears to be Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed by the Senate despite serious questions about his lack of official experience – Hegseth’s most recent job before taking charge of the US military was as a Fox News host.
The story features all of the bold-faced names in charge of national security for Trump.
Somehow, Goldberg appears to have been added by national security adviser Mike Waltz to a group chat on the private, encrypted messaging platform Signal.
The group included profiles that seemed to be associated with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House adviser Stephen Miller, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and others.
A spokesman for the National Security Council later confirmed that the message chain appeared to be real and said they were investigating how Goldberg’s number was added.
Top Trump Officials Debated War Plans on Unclassified Chat Shared With Journalist
Senior Trump administration national-security officials held detailed discussions of highly classified U.S. plans to launch airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi militants using a nongovernment messaging service and mistakenly included a journalist in the conversation, U.S. officials said Monday.
What the Trump War-Plan Chat Reveals
President Trump claims to run the most transparent Administration in history, but maybe not like this. His team somehow added a journalist to a high-level Yemen war-planning chat conducted over Signal, the commercial messaging app, with operational details about targets, weapons and attack sequencing.
A National Security Council spokesman confirmed the accuracy of the story in the Atlantic on Monday: “This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”
The news is that the characters played to their public type. National-security adviser Mike Waltz was a voice for U.S. leadership—and for carrying out the President’s policy. Vice President JD Vance was a voice for U.S. retreat even when Mr. Trump directed otherwise.
From far left to haredi right, these Jews are questioning ethics of voting for WZC
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-847461
Founded by Theodore Herzl 128 years ago, the congress has influence over Israeli policy on immigration, land use and religious affairs through its control of institutions such as the Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Fund. It also distributes about $1 billion a year to Jewish causes.
Haredi Orthodox Jews, meanwhile, are also divided over whether to turn out and vote for a slate promising to represent their interests.
For nearly all of Zionist history, there was no haredi slate. In Israel and in the United States, haredi rabbis have historically regarded Zionism as a secular movement that clashes with traditional notions of God’s role in restoring Jews to the Land of Israel. They’ve allowed participation in Israeli democracy for the protection of their religious rights and state services, but viewed support for the World Zionist Congress as a capitulation to secularism.
But a rebel faction emerged ahead of the 2020 election with the creation of a slate called Eretz Hakodesh, meaning “the holy land.” Championing “classical Jewish values of Torah,” the slate shocked the Zionist world by placing third out of 15 slates with about 20,000 votes. Many voters, it turned out, were willing to swallow the bitter pill of voting in their fight for haredi interests.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Trump Team Leaks War Plans in Jaw-Dropping Security Fiasco
Top U.S. officials mistakenly texted war plans to one of the president’s most-hated journalists, The Atlantic revealed Monday—a shocking oversight by those in Donald Trump’s administration.
The bombshell report showed screenshots of a lengthy thread on the messaging app Signal, which included should-be-clandestine texts from Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and others.
Those messages were about the logistics of—and apparent need for—a military strike on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 14. That strike, to “send a message” and to help clear Middle East shipping lanes, was ultimately carried out and killed 53 people.
The messages, which a White House National Security Council spokesperson said Monday appeared to be “authentic,” gave unprecedented insight into how the Trump Administration communicates behind closed doors.
Among the dozens of texts viewed by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, included Vance expressing reservations with the strike requested by Trump—a break from the VP’s unwavering public backing of seemingly all of the president’s decisions.
Atlantic journalist says Trump officials included him in war plans group chat
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5211030-us-houthi-attacks-yemen/
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was apparently included in a Trump administration group chat on Signal in which top officials debated and then discussed details of attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The initial invite to the group apparently came from national security adviser Mike Waltz. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly sent the group details including weapons used, targets, and timing — two hours ahead of the attacks, which began March 15.
Others in the group were Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
In the stunning report, Goldberg claimed Waltz connected with him on Signal on March 11 and, two days later, he was invited to join a chain called the “Houthi PC small group,” in which they discussed strikes against the Houthi militant group in Yemen — seemingly unaware of the journalist’s presence in the group.
'Nazis Got Better Treatment' by US Under Alien Enemy Act, Says Judge:
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-administration-elon-musk-live-updates-2049479
Nazis were treated better by the United States during the Second World War, than Venezuelan migrants are by the Trump administration, a judge told an appeals court on Monday.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is currently hearing whether President Donald Trump can use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals it suspects to be part of a Venezuelan gang without due process, after it sent more than 200 to El Salvador earlier this month.
"There were plane loads of people. There were no procedures in place to notify people," Judge Patricia Millett said.
"Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act."
Preface to Igros Moshe
Igros Moshe (OC I Introduction) This book (Igros Moshe) consists primarily of answers that I have written according to what I ruled is the actual practical halacha to those who wanted to know my views. Even though it might have been better to refrain from answering with prescriptions of what to do as we see that many great Torah scholars refused to answer practical halacha because of the warning of Rav (Sotah 22a) What means that which is written: ‘For she hath cast down many wounded’ — this refers to a disciple who has not attained the qualification to decide questions of law and yet decides them However the gemora concludes ‘yea, all her slain are a mighty host’ — this refers to a disciple who has attained the qualification to decide questions of law and does not decide. It was because of this that Rabbi Akiva Eiger is quoted by his sons in the Introduction to his volume of responsa, “I definitely needed to respond to all those who asked about the halacha so as not to violate the concern of being one who is capable of poskening but didn’t.” However those who refrain from poskening do so because even today the posek needs to posken correctly just as in the days of Rav. While it is true that the quality of poskim varies between generations as to what constitutes being qualified to pasken but it is only contemporary poskim who can render psak and the requirement is for them to pasken fot their generation. Anyway it is impossible to find contemporary poskim of the same quality of previous ones. Thus the meanining of “attaining the status to be a posek” can not mean that they are the same high level as in previous generations and nevertheless they are obligated to pasken like Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Nevertheless the poskim still need to be concerned that perhaps their psak is wrong. Consequently there are those who conclude that because of the possibility of error they won’t pasken and Rabbi Akiva Eiger is not typical because of his greater self knowledge. Therefore some minor figure such as me who lacks proper Torah and wisdom should obviously refrain entirely from paskening and surely not to publish them which is like pasening for the whole world. . In spite of this my justification not only for poskening but publishing them in a book is that the scholars of each generation not only can but must pasken even though they are not on the high level of “attaining the status to be a posek” of the time of the gemora and thus there is a genuine concern that they might be wrong. from the perspective of Heavenly Truth. In fact it has been stated that the truth of psak is not in Heaven but on Earth. That means that the validity of psak is sufficient if it appears to a tamid chachom after proper study to clarify the relevant gemoras and poskim according to his ability done with seriously with appropriate fear of Heaven. It is sufficient that if he is satisfied that the psak is correct he is obligated to pasken, even if in Heaven he is clearly wrong. In fact not only is this legitimate psak but it is also described as “the words of the living G-d” since it appears to be correct and nothing contradicts it. He will be rewarded for his psak even if it is wrong as is seen from the gemora (Shabbos 130a). Thus the true psak is that there is an obligation to pasken and that one is rewarded fot doing it is simply that which the talmid chachom understands after diligent study with his full ability – even if his conclusion is not true in the absolute objective sense. In fact this understanding applies to all the rabbinic disputes including that of the Rishonim and Achronim in which some conclude something is prohibited while others say it is permitted. As long as the halacha has not been conclusively decided like one position everyone is free to decide which view applies in their place and each is viewed as being true even though they contradict each other and only one view can be objectively true. Both sides are rewarded for their psak. Thus we see that there are many disputes between different communities even involving the most serious sins as some follow the Rambam and Beis Yosef while others follow the differing views of Tosfos and Remah. Both views are seen as the word of the living G-d even though the objective halacha in Heaven is only in agreement with one side. We see in Sanhedrin that a judge might be afraid to making a ruling because he might err in judgement and will be punished for his error. Therefore the Torah says that G-d will be with you in judgment. That means the dayan is only responsible for what he sees, soif he did his best he will not be punished for errors. The requirement to pasken and judging is even when it is not actually true. Consequently according to this definition of the true psak such is also found in the present generation and thus we also are required to posken and judge. The warning found in Bava Metzia that the accidental errors of a tamid chachom are considered intentional sins only means if he did not try hard to determine the truth but when he exerts himself fully he is obligated to pasken for which he will always be rewarded. This is what I relied on to pasken and respond to questions. I responded with what seems to me in my humble opinion after I clarified the matter with great effort to determine my answer. In addition I have written the reasons I came to that conclusion and therefore I am merely like a tutor to the person who is asking the question since he can retrace the process himself and thus decide for himself and I am not serving as a posek at all just as Rabbi Akiva Eiger said in his introduction. It seems from the gemora about Dovid serving as a posek that there is an obligation for a posek to answer all those who ask questions and it is forbidden to send them to another posek. That is why I answered all those who asked me . I have therefore decided to print my answers since I am merely serving as one who clarifies and explains the halacha and not as a posek. Other talmidei chachomim and poskim can readily understand my reasoning and decide for themselves whether to agree with my conclusions. It is easily seen that I did not blindly accept the views of others even that of the great poskim. In fact |I carefully examined with all my ability to try and understand whether they were correct as is commanded by Rabbi Akiva Eiger in his Introduction. Therefore I ask all those who study my sefer to carefully examine everything I said before deciding what the actual halacha is. This also very beneficial in knowing how to clarify the halacha. Thus my sefer will serve to teach the halachic process
"Pandemic of low self-esteem" in Yeshivos - Rav Reuven Feinstein
updated May 3 I am currently trying to understanding the recent transition from interpersonal relations governed by Torah concepts and the current replacement by secular psychological values and processes. Currently one of the most important psychological concepts is that of self-esteem. Despite the fact that there is no such concept in Torah we have here a call by Rav Reuven Feinstein to institute programs and methodology in yeshivos to fight against the "pandemic of low self-esteem" in our yeshivos. Furthermore he indicates that this secular attribute of self-esteem is critical for spirituality and serving G-d! This widespread and uncritical acceptance in our community of the importance of psychology - not only to be a healthy person but to develop sprituality - is in strong contrast with Rav Dessler (Vol 3 page 360). It is important to note that there is actually no scientific evidence to support the importance and centrality that self-esteem has in education, parenting and therapy. Why have rabbis accepted its importance? The following is a haskoma that Rav Feinstein wrote for a book - on building this psychological characteristic of self-esteem - written by a rabbi for the frum world. I have previously posted this Yeshiva Education and low self-esteem where I note that the problem of low self-esteem is uniquely a problem in yeshivos that follow the Lithuanian approach - but not in the Chassidic or Sefardic yeshivos. This is apparrently related to the emphasis of elitism described by Rav Dessler. See Rav Dessler - producing gedolim at expense of others. See Self-esteem is destructive
see video- Rabbi Twerski describe his struggles with low self-esteem
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See "Bringing out the Best"
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Rabbi Dr. Twerski's (Forward to Rabbi Roll’s Bringing out the Best on self-esteem 2008)to the same book: [...] We are fortunate that we have had great Torah scholars who were able to do so and extracted the gems of wisdom from it. Among them is the famous ethicist, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, better known as the Alter of Slobodka. A healthy self-esteem is essential for optimum function and for achieving one’s mission and goal in life. Unfortunately, there are many things that militate against the development of a healthy self-esteem, some of which I described in my book Angels Don’t Leave Footprints. In his sefer, Ohr HaTzafun, the Alter of Slobodka draws upon the Torah narrative to show us how the Torah emphasizes gadlus ha’adam, man’s potential for greatness. Just as the Alter derived these concepts from the Torah and made them available to us, Rabbi Yisroel Roll expands upon them and applies them to a person’s self-concept, with instructions on how to create a healthy self-image and implement these lesssons in our lives. Self-esteem is contagious. Children may get it from their parents, students from their teachers, and everyone from their friends. It is important that we become aware of the components of self-esteem and the factors that jeopardize our self-esteem. Rabbi Roll has utilized the teachings of the Alter and delivered them to us in a consumer-friendly fashion, with practical strategies to develop and enhance positive attitudes and encourage a family atmosphere of healthy self-esteem. The pursuit of happiness is universal, and if there is any one thing that is an obstacle to achieving happiness, it is the lack of self-esteem. By facilitating the development of self-esteem, Rabbi Roll has made an important contribution to enhancing family life and shalom bayis.
In contrast we find acknowledgments that Mussar concepts are not those of Psychology
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Dr. Meir Levin (Beyond Psychology in Jewish Action 2003): Psychology and Musar Are Not the Same - Because of the lack of appreciation of the uniqueness of musar, some have recently begun misrepresenting it as a kind of psychological teaching. The bastardization of musar takes various forms. A number of self-help volumes targeting the Orthodox community have recently been published. While some of the authors of these books explicitly aim at the legitimate synthesis of psychological and musar approaches or at restating musar principles in the language of psychology, others use musar to Judaize psychological teachings. One must not minimize the beneficial effects that the spread of psychological insights can have in our communities. And those who do this work are well intentioned. In fact, practitioners of musar would do well to pay at least some attention to advances in behavioral sciences. Yet, psychology is not musar and musar is not psychology. The conflating of the two detracts from each one.
See Rabbi Ephraim Becker - why equating gadlus haAdam and self-esteem is problematic
see video- Rabbi Twerski describe his struggles with low self-esteem
=========================================
See "Bringing out the Best"
============
Rav Reuven Feinstein (Haskoma to Rabbi Roll’s Bringing out the Best on self-esteem 2008): In a generation bereft of spiritual guidance, following a path dictated by societal values and goals, it is clear that beyond the simple impairment of Torah Ethics and values, is the destruction of Jewish self-esteem. In yeshivos today there is literally a pandemic of low self-esteem. An outcome of this most horrible condition, is that once a person has achieved a state where self-worth and self-value are diminished, that person is literally open to all foreign pressures both within and without. Once those pressures are given free reign, the outcome is without exception, negative. Building, nurturing, and maintaining a healthy, positive and balanced self-esteem is critical to the development of any child. Instilling Torah Values side by side with a healthy self-esteem is not only fundamental to a solid foundation of Torah and mitzvos, it is critical for one wishing to grow and develop in their relationship with Hashem. Rabbi Roll has undertaken a most worthy project in addressing the deficit of self-esteem so prevalent within our communities, yeshivos and schools. The Alter of Slabodka’s work Ohr HaTzafun explains the Torah’s definition and obligation of self-esteem in this world. Rabbi Roll has expounded upon these concepts and presented them for consideration. There is no greater achievement in this world that to inspire, teach, or motivate another....
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Dr. Meir Levin (Beyond Psychology in Jewish Action 2003): Psychology and Musar Are Not the Same - Because of the lack of appreciation of the uniqueness of musar, some have recently begun misrepresenting it as a kind of psychological teaching. The bastardization of musar takes various forms. A number of self-help volumes targeting the Orthodox community have recently been published. While some of the authors of these books explicitly aim at the legitimate synthesis of psychological and musar approaches or at restating musar principles in the language of psychology, others use musar to Judaize psychological teachings. One must not minimize the beneficial effects that the spread of psychological insights can have in our communities. And those who do this work are well intentioned. In fact, practitioners of musar would do well to pay at least some attention to advances in behavioral sciences. Yet, psychology is not musar and musar is not psychology. The conflating of the two detracts from each one.
See Rabbi Ephraim Becker - why equating gadlus haAdam and self-esteem is problematic
Update:We also find acknowledgment that self-esteem was not part of classic mussar. In fact self-esteem was discovered by Rabbi Twerski as the result of his own personal psychological-spiritual crisis as he describes fully on a video.
Andrew Heinze (Americanization of Mussar: Abraham Twerski’s 12 Steps, Judaism Fall 1999): Even though the emphasis on proper self-esteem seems more congruent with American optimism than with Jewish irony, Twerski speculates on the traditional sources of his orientation.
“My clinical emphasis on the importance of attaining a positive self-concept and avoiding self-flagellation may have had its origin in an anecdote about the Chafetz Chayim (Rabbi Israel Meir HaCohen) which Father repeated many times. One time the Chafetz Chayim was riding home to Radin and had the driver stop to pick up a man walking along the road. Along the way, the man mentioned he was journeying to visit the Chafetz Chayim, to which the Chafetz Chayim replied that. he didn't see why the man was going to such effort because the Chafetz Chayim wasn't so special The man then slapped the Chafetz Chayim in the face. Later in Radin the man met the Chafetz Chaimand and immediately bowed down, asking for forgiveness. The Chafetz Chaim said there is no need for this, as the man was defending him. "But I did learn something new trom this experience I have always pointed out how wrong it is to belittle others. Now, I know it is also wrong to belittle oneself.” [Twerski Generation to Generation pp 90-91]
The
lesson of the Chofetz Chaim notwithstanding, Twerski knows that his
emphasis on self-acceptance departs from the mainstream of mussar. In
trying to fathom why this should be so, he speculates that perhaps in
earlier generations the problem of low self-esteem was less urgent.
After Darwin and Freud, however, humanity faced a crisis in the form of
psychological determinism and the denial of special creation. These
theories, Twerski concludes, had an effect on the self-esteem "of even
the Torah-true Jew." [Twerski I am I page 40].
So,
in contrast to the darker and more stoic sensibility of mussar classics
like Mesillat Yesharim, Abraham Twerski's postwar American therapeutic
brand includes a softer touch and more empathetic disposition. Using the
confessional format as a way of establishing emotional rapport with his
readers, Twerski openly describes his own confrontation with unpleasant
inner impulses and his all-too-human deduction that he must be an
unworthy person to harbor such feelings. In grappling with this crisis
of self-esteem, Twerski ultimately found an answer in the Talmud (B.
Shabbat 89a) which explained that people have been given the mitzvot
precisely because they have been endowed with animal impulses. "The
discovery of animalistic traits within myself," he explains to his
readers, "was no reason for me to consider myself to be a 'bad' person."
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