Monday, October 24, 2022

Evil Eye - concern?

Beis Yosef (OC 141:5) כתוב בא"ח שאין לקרות בתורה ב' אחים או אב ובן זה אחר זה מפני שהם פסולים לעדות זה לזה וכתיב עדות ה' נאמנה עכ"ל והכלבו בסי' כ' והמרדכי בהלכות קטנות כתבו בשם הר"מ שיכולים לקרות ב' אחים זה אחר זה והבן אחר האב ואין מניחין לעשות כן בשביל עין הרע :

Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 141:6) Two brothers may be called up for an aliyah, one after the other, and so too a son after a father. But the accepted custom is to refrain from doing so only because of Evil Eye. And even if one was called up for the seventh aliyah and the other was called up for maftir we do not call the second by his name because we are concerned for the Evil Eye.

Aruch HaShulchan (OC 141.8)Two brothers may be called up for an aliyah, one after the other, and so too a son after a father. But the accepted custom is to refrain from doing so only because of Evil Eye. And even if one was called up for the seventh aliyah and the other was called up for maftir we are concerned for the Evil Eye. But this is only for Shabbos but not Yom Tov or Shabbos Rosh Chodesh and Chanuka and the 4 Pashas because maftir is read from a different Torah scroll we are not concerned with Evil Eye and not for hagba If a person isn’t concerned about the Evil Eye he can do what he wants

Mishna Berura (141:19)Even those who say they are not concerned about the Evil eye are not allowed

Igros Moshe (Even Ha’ezer 3, 26) With regards to an Ayin Hara, one should certainly take it into account, but one shouldn’t be overly concerned, because about these kinds of things the rule is: “One who is not troubled by it, will not be troubled by it” (Pesachim 110b).

Russian TV presenter says sorry for call to drown Ukrainian children

 Russian TV presenter says sorry for call to drown Ukrainian children

A Russian TV presenter apologized on Monday for calling for Ukrainian children to be drowned, as Russia's state Investigative Committee said it was probing his remarks.

In a show last week on state-controlled broadcaster RT, presenter Anton Krasovsky said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been "thrown straight into a river with a strong current" and drowned.

Ukraine said on Sunday that RT was an inciter of genocide and should be banned worldwide. Margarita Simonyan, the channel's editor-in-chief, said she had suspended Krasovsky because of his "disgusting" comments, adding that no one at RT shared his views.

מרגש: המיסיונרית הנוצרית המצליחה שחזרה בתשובה ונלחמת במיסיון - רק בערוץ TOV

At 3:20 - mentions the fake "Michael Cohen".


ABOUT - Beyneynu - Confronting Missionary Influence
Shannon Nuszen
Founder and Director

A former Evangelical Christian missionary, Shannon Nuszen grew up steeped in the study and analysis of Christian scriptural polemics. The daughter of a former Assemblies of God minister, she was immersed in the Evangelical Christian movement from an early age, even traveling with her father as an evangelist in his ministry. Her involvement in this movement acquainted her with the inner workings and behind-the-scenes tactics and manipulation used to convert Jews to Christianity.
 
As a young adult Shannon became engrossed in the Christian messianic movement and affiliated with some of the most deceptive missionary organizations ever to penetrate the Jewish world. Today she is Jewish, and although she wholeheartedly regrets these associations, she knows they provided her with an intimate knowledge of the Christian missionary agenda, a knowledge that enables her to educate the Jewish communities in Israel and the Diaspora about the dangers this agenda poses to them.

 After her conversion to Judaism some fifteen years ago, Shannon began working in various roles within the counter-missionary field. However, it is only recently that she began speaking publicly about her personal Jewish journey. Since then, her story has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, has been featured by Aish HaTorah and the Orthodox Union (OU), and has been carried by a host of other print and online publications.  

 After moving to Israel, Shannon founded Beyneynu, an organization that monitors missionary activity in Israel and abroad and works to bring awareness of the missionary agenda to Jewish leadership and the worldwide Jewish community. Beyneynu has successfully dealt with some of the most high-profile cases that have rocked the Jewish world in the recent past and is frequently quoted in the news as the go-to source on missionaries.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Mishpacha magazine - Trump is a major asset for Democrats

 https://mishpacha.com/snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory-2/

BUT ALL the damage wrought by Trump’s role in handing the Senate to the Democrats in 2020 and to Republican chances of retaking the Senate this year pales in comparison to the impact of his running again in 2024. He is, at least at present, the only Republican who would likely lose to Joe Biden or whomever Democrats substitute in his place. Even with polls showing voters disapproving of Biden’s handling of the issues of greatest concern by margins of 20 percent or greater, he still narrowly defeats Trump in polls of those same voters.

Friday, October 21, 2022

Ben Shapiro Says Republicans Are ‘Cruising for a Bruising’ in Midterm Elections Thanks to Trump

 https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ben-shapiro-says-republicans-cruising-161752419.html

Conservative staple Ben Shapiro thinks Republicans need to start detaching from Donald Trump if they want to have a shot in the 2022 midterm elections. According to Shapiro, the party is “cruising for a bruising” by continuing to make the twice-impeached former president the “centerpiece” of conversations.

Conservatives Crushed by Durham Probe Failure: 'Unbelievably Disappointing'

 https://www.newsweek.com/conservatives-crushed-durham-probe-failure-unbelievably-disappointing-1753406

The Durham probe, which former President Donald Trump once said would uncover "the crime of the century"—a massive conspiracy to defame him and impede his victory in the 2016 election—ended up being a flop this week, much to the disappointment of MAGA Republicans.

The three-and-a-half-year investigation led by special counsel John Durham into the origins of the 2016 FBI Trump-Russia report ended with a second trial loss on Tuesday, as Russian analyst Igor Danchenko was acquitted of all remaining charges against him, after a federal judge dismissed the first count against him on October 14.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Donald Trump supports Kanye West after another antisemitic rant

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-720024

It didn’t matter that West’s rant took aim at Trump’s own son-in-law, Jared Kushner. West, who now goes by the name Ye, asserted that Kushner, a former White House adviser to Trump, only brokered the Abraham Accord peace deal between Israel and some Arab states because he hoped to benefit financially.

Ye insisted, “We’re not going to be owned by the Jewish media anymore” and warned “these people” could end the career of anyone who isn’t aligned with ”the agenda.”


Rabbis can damage with evil eye

 Bava Metzia (85a) When R. Zera emigrated to Palestine, he fasted a hundred fasts to forget the Babylonian Gemara, that it should not trouble him. He also fasted a hundred times that R. Eleazar might not die in his lifetime, so that the communal cares should not fall upon him. And yet another hundred, that the fire of Gehenna might be powerless against him. Every thirty days he used to examine himself to see if he were fireproof. He would heat the oven, ascend, and sit therein, but the fire had no power against him. One day, however, the Rabbis cast an envious eye upon him, and his legs were singed, whereafter he was called, ‘Short and leg-singed.’


Bava Basra (75a) R. Johanan explained when he once sat and gave an exposition: The Holy One, blessed be He, will in time to come bring precious stones and pearls which are thirty cubits by thirty and will cut out from them openings ten cubits by twenty, and will set them up in the gates of Jerusalem. A certain student sneered at him: Jewels of the size of a dove's egg are not to be found; are jewels of such a size to be found? After a time, his ship sailed out to sea where he saw ministering angels engaged in cutting precious stones and pearls which were thirty cubits by thirty and on which were engravings of ten cubits by twenty. He said unto them: ‘For whom are these?’ They replied that the Holy One, blessed be He, would in time to come set them up in the gates of Jerusalem. When he came again before R. Johanan he said unto him: ‘Expound, O my master; it is becoming for you to expound; as you said, so have I seen.’ He replied unto him: ‘Raca, had you not seen, would not you have believed? You are then sneering at the words of the Sages!’ He set his eyes on him and the student turned into a heap of bones.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Dangerous vision

 Rekanti (Vayikra 19:4)  You should know that there is a power within the sense of vision to cause both good and bad. That is why the evil eye causes damage. And thus if a tzadik curses and looks with an evil eye the damage can only be repaired if another tzadik does the opposite. From this reality it is possible to understand that there is a power in the senses to cause good and bad. This is why G-d  prohibited the Jews not to even look at idols as this provides power to the yetzer harah and surely they are not to enter temples of idolatry since the spirit of impurity resides there. A proof to this assertion is from Eliezer the servant of Avraham who did not want to enter into the house of Lavan until he removed all his idols.

Mazikim Erev Shabbos

 Sefer Chasidim (1170) Why do the spirits attack on Erev Shabbos? Because at that time there are no spirits in Gehinnom i.e. no spirits of the wicked which have died and become mazikim as all the descendants of Cain who upon death their souls became mazikim and have been given permission to cause harm to those that profane Shabbos or those who are depressed on Shabbos or even those who don’t feel pleasure on Shabbos…

Monday, October 17, 2022

Trump’s company charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ hotel rates to protect the first family, House committee report says

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/17/politics/trump-secret-service-hotel-rates/index.html

The committee said the Trump Organization charged the Secret Service more than the government rate at least 40 times from January 2017 to September 2021.

One of those times was in March 2017 when the Trump Organization charged a nightly rate of $1,160 to stay at the Trump hotel in Washington, DC, to protect Eric Trump, who was promoting a golf tournament at the Trump National Golf Club. According to the General Services Administration’s website, the per diem rate was $242 in March 2017 in Washington, DC.

True Strength

 BS"D 

Demonstrating Authentic Strength: a Hoshana Rabbah update on IDF Refusnik Maital bas Tamar

By Binyomin Feinberg, former contributor to The Jewish Press

21 Tishrei, 5783/ 16 Oct. ,'22 (Zos HaBracha) v.1a

We recently reported on a 20-year-old Israeli girl being twice imprisoned by the Israeli Army for her refusal to serve in the IDF (http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2022/10/religious-israeli-political-parties-put.html). Thank G-d, she was able to obtain her temporary release until after Yom Kippur, which was then extended until Oct. 18.  On the morning after Yom Kippur, Oct. 6, she travelled to the "Bakum" for an appearance before an Army officer, and was released home. B"H, she is now free, at least until Isru Chag Sukkos, Oct 18th (Simchas Torah outside of Israel), when she's currently scheduled to have another appearance at the "Bakum" Military Court in Tel HaShomer, at 10AM. She was told that they've not received a decision as to whether to just free her, or to incarcerate her yet again, for a third time. She'll ostensibly know that after Sukkos.

The Oct. 6th meeting/ hearing was scheduled to start at 9AM, but she wound up waiting over four hours. According to the refusenik girl, the presiding officer asked her why she refuses to enlist. She mentioned the low spiritual level of the Army environment. He reportedly told her that there are laws, and she's obligated to enlist. She replied that G-d, (le'Havdil) also has His Laws (which obviously supercede human laws).

The officer told her he was able to put her back in prison for another 20 days (as punishment for being absent from the Army), but allowed her to go home, ordering her to return Oct. 18. It's plausible that the Army is being more accommodating at this point in order to avoid demonstrations on her behalf, after those of two weeks ago held at the main military prison (#10). Demonstrating for such girls often has multiple benefits, both for the girl in question, and for an untold number of others.

Maital reported that, in the course of both of her detainments, she was subjected to denial of basic human needs, including water and food, and was prevented from relieving herself, all while handcuffed by military police. 

She reported that in the process of her arrest two weeks ago she was put in foot-cuffs (in addition to the standard handcuff treatment). The reason? Her refusal to don the Army uniform. After the regular Police handed her over to Military Police on the Sunday morning of her arrest, the military police ordered her to replace her modest clothing with  military garb. On grounds of personal modesty she refused. As if out of vengeance, they put her in handcuffs, chained her to a female escort - and also put her in footcuffs. She asked them what she did to warrant being mistreated as a violent terrorist.

Reports of such human rights shortcomings by Israeli military police are not uncommon, in the slightest. They are done in a very demeaning manner, and quite apparently intending to break the fighting spirit of these innocent young women. Accordingly, there appears to be a systemic toleration of such human rights violations, if not an active encouragement thereof. Those who are pained to hear this would be advised to actually try to speak to multiple girls who experienced it personally. There are enough of them around. As imperative as it is to shun exaggeration, we also need to shun silence and apathy in the face of systemic outrages.

Public pressure, and even simply making people aware, is needed. People should be encouraged to call the Israeli government, e.g. the Consulate in NYC: 212.499.5000.

The message ought include the following:

1) Free Maital bas Tamar immediately.

2) Why is the Israeli Army drafting ANY girls? Forcing any girl into the Army is a violation of Torah Law, and, le'havdil, basic human decency. If they insist on flaunting such basic Torah values, then let them stop calling themselves a "Jewish State."

3) We demand that the Israeli Army immediately stop all discriminatory misconduct against traditional and religious girls who come from "periphery" backgrounds, or are encumbered by other circumstances that make them easy targets for persecution by the Army Draft Office.

4) The dehumanizing human rights violations have to stop immediately.

Please have Maital bas Tamar in mind in davening, and spread the word, at least through Tuesday.

Extending to our esteemed readers a piska tavah,

###

The following is a link to a  Guidebook ("pocketbook") provided by the pro-Israel organization "Chotam." It's an English guide for religious girls to avoid enlistment in the IDF:

https://www.chotam.org.il/media/61762/pinkaskis-orange-english.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1hBP9tHJxSIfF07n8ywx27I_kWn0jfd9EOBy7fYfRe1xNChBPBU4qLLo0 

This very publication is a stinging indictment of the Israeli Army Draft Office, and the antireligious Establishment behind its escalating crusade to rob religious (/ traditional) girls of their legal entitlement to a religious exemption from military service. The very need to publish such a guide speaks volumes of the danger posed to the next generation of Jewish mothers by "fellow Jews." The professional, psychological warfare techniques that these 16- and 17-year-old girls need to be trained to defend against, all alone - without even legal counsel or a family member - are almost as outrageous as they are anti-Torah. These techniques indicate how intent the Israeli military is on drafting increasing numbers of religious girls, and to what depths they're willing to stoop to do so. Thus, unrelenting vigilance is required in identifying developing trends in the encroachment of the female draft on religious communities. Moreover, we need to undo the entire female draft ASAP, for ALL girls, not only those the Draft Office deigns to sanction as religious enough to be exempt from the "Mizron Tzahali" treatment. No other path will solve the problem.

"... And if someone, like Pinchos, is one among a multitude, and every man is against him when he dares to speak out for truth and to fight for the Law -- the more lonely his stand, the greater the number of his adversaries, the more powerful is his word, the mightier his deed."

--  Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch OB"M (1808-1888), (in "Judaism Eternal," vol. 2, p. 293)

Bataireacht: The ancient Irish martial art making a comeback

 https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221016-bataireacht-the-ancient-irish-martial-art-making-a-comeback

Once associated with deadly brawls, bataireacht has found a new identity. Yet at the core of its revival is the pride and spirit of Irish people, a resilience that helped them survive more than seven centuries of occupation and subjugation by the British. "This is the martial art of our ancestors," said Leddy, "They all would have done this in some shape or form, and we as Irish people should embrace it and carry the tradition onwards."

Abbas is cosying up to Putin, why is anyone surprised?

 https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/all/abbas-is-cosying-up-to-putin-why-is-anyone-surprised-1M6Il5ZY8mKhKwI5cqBxeG

But even by the depraved standards of the Palestinian Authority regime over which Mr Abbas presides, his toadying visit to Vladimir Putin this week was egregious. Days after the Russian president launched multiple missile attacks on civilian targets across Ukraine in a vain attempt to rally his domestic audience in the wake of serious military setbacks, and while he continued to threaten the world with the first use of nuclear weapons since 1945, there was Abbas, embracing the corrupt dictator.