Rosh hagivah by yadmoshe on Scribd
https://hebrewbooks.org/21346Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Donald Trump's other, tragic big lie
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/22/opinions/trump-covid-big-lie-reiner/index.html
The January 6 attack on the United States Capitol was a vivid demonstration of the havoc that can result when a really big lie is repeatedly injected into the body politic.
But there was another big lie in 2020, also propagated by former President Donald Trump, involving the coronavirus pandemic. It was a lie that systematically downplayed the severity of Covid-19 and the utility of face masks. It very likely resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Response to Michael Che's SNL joke is unreasonable
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/response-to-michael-ches-snl-joke-is-unreasonable-659839
On the most recent episode of NBC’s popular American television
show Saturday Night Live, comedian Michael Che dropped a stupid joke
about Israel and the coronavirus
vaccine: “Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their
population,” Che said. “I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.”
It
was a bad joke, an insensitive joke, a joke that not only distorted
reality but played into all the ugly antisemitic stereotypes about
selfish Jews caring only about themselves. It’s a joke that would have
been better off left unspoken. It was also completely wrong. All
Israelis over 16 are eligible to receive the vaccine, and that includes
seven million Jewish citizens and two million Arab citizens.
But still, a little proportion is in order.
Did the American Jewish Committee really have to issue a statement, organize a petition, and demand an apology?
Supreme Court allows release of Trump tax returns to NY prosecutor
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/22/politics/supreme-court-trump-taxes-vance/index.html
The Supreme Court cleared the way for a New York prosecutor to obtain former President Donald Trump's tax returns, dealing a massive loss to Trump who has fiercely fought to shield his financial papers from prosecutors.
The documents will be subject to grand jury secrecy rules that restrict their public release.
The
ruling is a bitter loss for Trump, even if the tax records are shielded
from public disclosure, after he consistently argued that the subpoena
issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was overbroad and
issued in bad faith.
Trump to tell CPAC he is Republican 'presumptive 2024 nominee' – report
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/22/trump-cpac-republican-presumptive-2024-nominee
Donald Trump will reportedly tell the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida this week he is Republicans’ “presumptive 2024 nominee” for president.
Trump will address CPAC on Sunday, his subject the future of the party he took over in the 2016 primary then led from the White House through four tumultuous years. On Monday, citing anonymous sources, the news site Axios reported his plan to assume the mantle of challenger to Joe Biden – or another Democrat, should the 78-year-old president decide not to run for a second term.
Saturday Night Live under fire for anti-Israel joke
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/297243
The popular comedy show “Saturday Night Live” is under fire for a joke that suggested Israel is vaccinating only its Jewish citizens against COVID-19.
“Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their population, and I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half,” said Michael Che on this past Saturday night’s show.
The joke sparked outrage by Jewish groups which have demanded that the show apologize.
Former New York State assemblyman and head of Americans Against Antisemitism tweeted, “Unsurprising coming from SNL as they have a long record of antisemitism.”
Monday, February 22, 2021
Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency
Last month, Axios published "Off the rails," a series taking you inside the end of Donald Trump's presidency, from his election loss to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that triggered his second impeachment — and a Senate trial set to begin next week.
In this bonus edition, we take you back into those final weeks — to one long, unhinged night a week before Christmas, when an epic, profanity-soaked standoff played out with profound implications for the nation.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Why are Israelis held in Gaza ignored amid Syria prisoner exchange?
The lengths to which the government went to release a woman held in
Syria is in contrast to the way it has appeared to ignore the pleading
from the families of Shaul, Goldin, Mengistu and Al-Sayed. This has led
to questions of whether racism or other factors underpin the less
rigorous attempts to get back two living Israelis held in Gaza. Many on
social media have expressed concern that the Gaza cases have been
ignored.
Family of deceased pregnant woman: We opposed vaccine
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/297200
Family members of Osnat Ben Shitrit, the pregnant woman who died last night at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, opposed receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Ben Shitrit, 32, who was in her 30th week of pregnancy, died in the intensive care unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, and the efforts to revive the fetus also failed.
Ben Shitrit's brother-in-law told Kan News: "I founded one of the most successful groups on Facebook against the vaccines, after this case I disabled it. When it comes to you, you understand that you have to think differently."
We call on everyone to go get vaccinated now."
NHS saves children’s lives with world-first ‘dead’ heart transplants
Using a pioneering machine, NHS medics have been able to reanimate hearts from donors whose hearts had stopped. The technique has saved the lives of six British children aged from 12 to 16, and the transplants have all taken place during the pandemic.
Rabbi Karlinsky: “Can Chumros Be Bad For Your Neshamah?”
https://darchenoam.org/rabbi-karlinskys-article-can-chumros-be-bad-for-your-neshamah/
Rav Wolbe continues: Proper service of G-d has to be built on “da’at” – an accurate, deep intelligent understanding of what G-d wants from us, acquired through clear thinking and a deep analysis of Torah. The Talmud (T.B. Sotah 21b; Talmud Yerushalmi Sotah 3:4) illustrates the concept of “chasid shoteh” (a pious fool) with two examples. (It is truly ironic that one of them is an extreme example of what seems to be taking place in front of our eyes, no pun intended.) A woman is drowning, and a man with the ability to save her says to himself that it is not proper to look at women, and does not save her. A child is drowning and a person delays saving him until he removes his tefillin (since jumping into the water while wearing tefillin is disrespectful for them). By the time he has removed the tefillin, the baby has drowned. The common denominator of these examples, explains Rav Wolbe, is following a spiritual instinct without da’at, that clear and intelligent analysis and understanding of what is required of a person in every specific situation. The result of actions rooted in instinct rather than da’at can be the source of distancing one from G-d, rather than bringing one closer to Him. Becoming closer to G-d must be based on a deep understanding of the process of connection to Him, rather than imaginary notions of spiritual accomplishments. This requires clarity about what G-d demands of a person in every situation, having our feet planted firmly on the ground, operating in reality rather than in some self-generated fantasy world. A true relationship with G-d is rooted in proper actions in the real, physical world. The drive and excessive focus on “getting closer to G-d” (especially in our quick-fix, microwave society) emanates from “frumkeit,” that instinctual desire to reach spiritual heights, with the yetzer hara seducing us to find ways to get there without the requisite time and effort necessary.
Dealing with abused husbands and wives in the Orthodox communoty
https://mishpacha.com/were-only-addressing-half-the-problem/
The first assumption about abuse in the Jewish community was that the abuse ran in only one direction, and female perpetrators and male victims of domestic abuse were virtually nonexistent. Prominent Jewish writers, echoed by many others in the field, asserted that 95 percent of victims of physical abuse in a marriage are women and only 5 percent are men — a 16:1 ratio.
However, this belief turned out not to be substantiated, as study after study has shown that women are perpetrators of domestic abuse at rates comparable to men. Furthermore, the belief that patriarchal views explained most instances of domestic abuse turned out to be false. Many of the most rigorous studies suggest that other factors, such as individual personality characteristics, impulse control, and life stressors have much more to do with domestic violence than do patriarchal beliefs of men in society.
For too long the Jewish community has denied the painful reality of male domestic abuse victims and the catastrophic outcomes — for the men as well as their children — that the abuse inflicts. Unfortunately, some men turn to alcohol or substance abuse. Some struggle with suicidality. These maladaptive responses to their anguish tend to feed negative stigmas that our society has toward men, who instead deserve compassion as victims of domestic abuse.
The Jewish community can do better. It must do better. The effects of domestic abuse, whether the victim is a woman or a man, can be catastrophic, and ignoring this reality costs families and communities dearly. Over the past 30 years, the Jewish community has done an incredible job of addressing half of this problem. The time has come to stop ignoring the other half.
In exchange for captive, Israel said to buy $1m of Russian COVID doses for Syria
Israel is said to have agreed to purchase an unknown number of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine doses for use in Syria as part of the deal for the return of an Israeli woman who was held by the Syrian regime after crossing the border two weeks ago. The woman arrived in Israel on Friday via Moscow and was being debriefed this weekend by the Shin Bet security agency.
According to a report (Arabic) in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, Israel is funding the purchase of Sputnik V doses for Damascus as part of the prisoner exchange deal with the Assad regime. The Ynet news site reported Saturday that Israel’s purchase of the vaccine doses was to the tune of over a million dollars.
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Covid why frum people ignore halacha to daven and have weddings and funerals and keep schools open
Rav Shlomo Wolbe(Alei Shur 2:4): On the narrow path to Truth in serving G‑d there is a major impediment which is called “frumkeit” (religiosity) – a term which has no clear and exact translation. “Frumkeit” is the natural urge and instinct to become attached to the Creator. This instinct is also found amongst animals. King Dovid said, “The lion cubs roar for their prey and ask G‑d for their food” (Tehilim 104:21). “He gives to the beast his food and to the young crows who call to Him” (Tehilim 247:9). There is no necessity that these verses should be viewed as mere metaphors. Animals have an instinctive feeling that there is someone who is concerned that they have food and this is the same instinct that works in man – but obviously at a higher level. This natural frumkeit helps us in serving G‑d. Without this natural assistance, serving G‑d would be extremely difficult. However this frumkeit, as in all instinctive urges that occur in man, is inherently self-centered. Therefore frumkeit pushes man to do only that which is good for himself. Activities between people and altruistic actions are not produced by frumkeit. One who bases his service of G‑d entirely on frumkeit remains self‑centered.[...] With this we come here to the essence of the issue of frumkeit. The opposite of frumkeit is self-abnegation and humility. Frumkeit is an egoistic drive like all other instinctive drives. Therefore there is not the slightest aspect of humility and subservience and consequently there is also not true closeness to G‑d. That is because it is obvious that the Divine Presence does not rest with the self-centered ego. In fact the opposite is true. Only by self-abnegation does a person get progressively farther from egoism and in that manner he becomes a pure vessel for G‑d to cause His Divine Presence to be with him….
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