Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Arizona Certifies Election Results, Confirming Biden Win | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Talmid Chachom should have beautiful wife

Ohr HaChaim (Bereishis 29:18) And Yakov loved Rachel Not because of her beauty but because they were a predestined couple or alternatively as our Sages (Shabbos 25b) say that a talmid chachom should have a beautiful wife to protect against lust. So even though Yakov was a very spiritual man who defeated his lust nevertheless the Torah  teaches a person to have common sense.

Talmid chachom doesnt look at women and needs the help of an am haaretz

 Bava Basra (168a) Abaye said: A Torah scholar who goes to betroth a woman should take an ignoramus with him to establish a positive identity of the woman, lest people exchange another woman for her when given to him for marriage, taking advantage of his innocence.

המאבק נגד גיוס נשים: רבנים משכנעים עולות חדשות שלא לשרת בצה"ל

 https://www.ynet.co.il/judaism/article/B1XSZkVcw

ארגון חותם השיק קמפיין הסברה בכמה שפות, המציע לעולות חדשות העומדות לקראת גיוס, להצהיר כי אינן יכולות לשרת מטעמי דת ולפנות לשירות לאומי-אזרחי: "הצבא מנצל את תחושת השליחות שלהן ואת תמימותן כדי לגייסן בניגוד לרצונן". דובר צה"ל: "יותר בנות דתיות משלבות בין אמונתן לשירות משמעותי בצבא"

 The struggle against the recruitment of women: Rabbis persuade new immigrants not to serve in the IDF


The Chotam organization has launched an information campaign in several languages, offering new immigrants about to enlist, declaring that they cannot serve for religious reasons and turning to national-civilian service: "The military exploits their sense of mission and innocence to recruit against their will." IDF Spokesman: "More religious girls combine their faith with meaningful service in the army"

Kobi Nachshoni Posted 14:34, 19/11/2020

The struggle for the place of women in the army is expanding and extending overseas: Chotam organization that opposes the recruitment of girls has launched an information campaign that appeals to Jewish girls from abroad seeking to come to Israel to donate to the state, and encourages them to apply for religious exemptions and volunteer for national-civil service only.

Chotam, headed by senior rabbis from the Conservative wing of Religious Zionism (including Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira and Rabbi Elyakim Lebanon), has been claiming for years that the IDF has made it difficult for observant girls to declare their lifestyles, and is conducting forbidden investigations against them, their credibility and bring about their recruitment.

They now accuse the army of recently investing a lot of effort among new immigrants and teenage girls from the Diaspora who want to volunteer in Israel, in order to attract them to the right path for him - according to the rabbis, "against their will." Following this, the religious organization goes out to fight for the ... of those girls, and tries to convince them that even within the national service there is a possibility of a "significant contribution."

"Language and Mental Gaps"

According to Chotam, many foreign candidates, keeping tradition, are unaware of their rights and the "methods used by the military" to recruit them, so the organization produced a notebook in various languages with essential information for them and instructions on how to deal with complex situations.

The head of public policy at Chotam, Avner Porat, estimated that there are hundreds of candidates for service each year from this population, which has large concentrations in the country, in addition to those who come there especially from abroad, noting that they suffer from triple difficulty compared to older Israelis: language gaps, lack of order. In educational institutions - and various religious norms.

Porat explained that in many Jewish families in the Diaspora it is customary for girls not to necessarily adhere to the dress codes and modesty customary among observant people in Israel, and some even attend "public" schools that are not religious (or not Jewish at all). For them, this does not contradict their strong religious consciousness and their way of life on issues such as Shabbat and kosher, but in the eyes of the military it automatically raises suspicion that their religious statement is false.

"Because they come with a sense of mission and contribution to the country, the military's motivation is growing," Porat argued. "They are comfortable for .... to operate the information systems on ... in an attempt to persuade them to enlist and thus 'improve' for him the data on the serving religiosity." He said, "It is no secret that the IDF has definite goals for this and it wants to reach a significant amount."

"Invasive Investigation Mask"

The director of the Chotam organization, Amital Barali, added: "Recruitment authorities are taking advantage of the innocence of some of the new immigrants and putting pressure on them to enlist and not do national service even though it goes against their lifestyle. "These girls, who come from religious backgrounds, are interested in making a significant contribution to society and the state within the national service, and they are invited to interrogation regarding religion in a stressful and hostile atmosphere, during which they have difficult conversations and are pressured to give up volunteering in the national service."

"We hope that the military system will put an end to the abusive conduct of the recruitment bureaus, who exploit the innocence of the new immigrants, who are unfamiliar with the options before them," Barley said. "A girl who wants to contribute her share to the state within the framework of national service, as the law allows her, does not have to go through a mask of invasive investigations."

The IDF spokesman responded: "Every new immigrant who is required by law to enlist is summoned to the recruitment bureau in order to begin the recruitment process. If you want to declare and ask for a religious exemption, you can do so. Over the years, more religious girls enlist in the IDF and find a place there that allows them to combine their....

Trump presidency's final days: 'In his mind, he will not have lost'

 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55134022

 

To prevent failure, Trump denies reality, say those who know him. He filed multiple bankruptcies as a businessman, yet acted as though it was part of a plan. "He would say: 'I did it intentionally,'" recalls Jack O'Donnell, who worked for him, adding: "It's nonsense."

"In his mind, he will not have lost," says O'Donnell, describing the election. "He will never concede. It will always be: 'It was taken from me.'"

Trump is now fighting for Republican control of the Senate and plans to go to Georgia on Saturday to support candidates in run-off elections.

Meanwhile, outside Morgenstern's office, one of the empty desks is decorated with a coaster: "Failure is not an option."

The motto sums up Trump's philosophy and his approach to the presidency - at least until he leaves.

Arizona, Wisconsin certify election results for Biden

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/live-updates-election-12-1-2020

President Trump suffered another setback in his push to overturn his defeat in the presidential election, as Arizona on Monday certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state.

The results of the election were certified by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who's a Democrat, with GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, Republican state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel in attendance.

Hours after the certifying of the vote in Arizona, Wisconsin finalized their results, becoming the last of the remaining contested battleground states to do so.

Dr. Scott Atlas resigns from Trump administration

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/30/politics/scott-atlas-resigns-trump-administration-coronavirus-task-force/index.html

A source close to the task force told CNN on Monday that Atlas' departure comes as welcome news, as his discredited theories will no longer have a seat at the table. A separate official said the task force remains intact following Atlas' departure.
Atlas' months-long stint in the White House was marked by controversy as he became a close adviser to Trump on the pandemic, adopting public stances on the virus much closer to the President's -- including decrying the idea that schools cannot reopen this fall as "hysteria" and pushing for the resumption of college sports.

Rav Kaminetsky says

 In this synopsis of the AIA convention, R. Shmuel Kamenetzky is reported to have stated that every Jew is obligated to sanctify the Name of Heaven in public. Presumably, this would mean that Ms. Tamar Epstein must leave the home of an alien gentleman such as Mr. Adam Fleischer, as per the relevant laws of Kiddush Ha-Shem presented by Rambam, Hilkhot Yesodei ha-Torah, ch. 5. Furthermore, even if my presumption of R. Shmuel Kamenetzky's intention is not correct, this need not deter me from reaching the same practical conclusion, as per the Gemara, Eiruvin 63a that one may not defer to his superior rabbi in a situation of obvious transgression.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Arizona certifies Biden as election winner, with Wisconsin expected to follow

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-wisconsin-election-certification-biden-trump

President Trump suffered another setback in his push to overturn his defeat in the presidential election, as Arizona on Monday certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state.

The formalizing of the vote in Arizona leaves Wisconsin as the last remaining contested battleground state yet to certify its vote. Certification in Wisconsin is expected to take place later on Monday.

Eating - chasidic stories see #4

 


Torah not given on Sinai - Mizrachi

Mizrachi (Bamidbar 11:10) They cried amongst the families concerning the sexual relations that had been forbidden at Sinai In Sifri it states that when Moshe told them to separate from prohibited relations the Jews were distressed since some were married to a sister or the father’s sister or the sister of the mother. I don’t know why they were upset now after departing Sinai that they would cry about the separation ordered by Moshe several months before. In fact even though Moshe was told the prohibitions on Sinai possibly the Jewish people were not informed of these prohibitions until Sivan when the Mishkan was erected.

Ezer kenegdo - Netziv

Netziv (Bereishis 02:18.1)Ezer Kenegdo – We discussed the plain meaning. There is a well known medrash that Rashi cites which interprets this phrase to mean if he is deserving she will help him but if not she will be opposed to him. However even according to this medrash the wife as not created  to distress him so how is it possible to understand this phrase as being either a helper or opponent? It means the she should provide helpful opposition. For example if a person is prone to show anger and upset. If his wife supports and encourages him in this, even though at the time of anger he enjoys her agreement and support but later when he calms down he will be upset that his wife added fire and wood to his anger and upset and thus she actually was detrimental(kenegdo). In contrast if she would have opposed him initially and attempted to calm and placate him, even though it appears at that moment as opposition but she is in fact providing him with true help. The same can be said with all his other traits.Thus the meaning of ezer kenegdo is she should provide him with helpful opposition

Fired election security official calls fraud claims 'nonsense'; Trump slams system as 'international joke'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fired-elections-official-says-fraud-claims-nonsense-in-interview-trump-slams-system-as-international-joke

Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs on Sunday emphatically defended the security of the 2020 election in the wake of his firing by President Trump, as the president slammed the report on Twitter and claimed that U.S. election security is an "international joke."

The firing drew immediate backlash from many in Congress, including Republicans, and from Krebs himself, who has repeatedly reiterated in online comments that there is "still no evidence that election systems and votes were manipulated." He doubled down on those claims on Sunday. 

"There is no foreign power that is flipping votes. There's no domestic actor flipping votes. I did it right. We did it right. This was a secure election," Krebs said.

Two Beit Shemesh teens accused of sexually abusing children for years

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJtKpEMsv

Police say some of the abuses took place inside a local synagogue, while one of the teens, aged 16, is suspected of persuading the children, aged 4 and 7, to commit similar offenses on one another

Two teenagers from the Haredi city of Beit Shemesh have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing two small children over a period of two years, the police said Monday.