Rav Sternbuch: Tradition is not to teach Tanach - why?

Rav Sternbuch (Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 2:457): Question: Should Tanach  be taught in talmud Torah (cheder) before learning gemora? Answer: The accepted practice is not to teach Tanach – even though the halacha is that one should teach Tanach since it is included in the category of holy writings (mikra). The reason for avoiding teaching Tanach is it tends to give a less spiritual understanding – G‑d forbid –  of G‑d’s relationship with us. In fact it is more difficult to learn Tanach then it is to learn a complex issue in the gemora. The Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe Parshas Shemos) stated that when the Torah was translated into Greek then Jews began be aware of the plain meaning of the verses. As a consequence heresy developed and people were not interested in hearing the explanations of our Sages. This in fact is still a concern today. That is the reason that we keep our children from “higayon” – which as Rashi (Berachos 28a) explains means not to present them with Biblical texts unaccompanied with explanation and interpretations. However one who has been educated in Talmud and halacha and has a solid foundation of the pure fear of G-d – he is definitely obligated to learn the entire Bible. Rashi himself notes in his commentary to Torah that a talmid chachom needs to be expert in all 24 books of the Bible. However for young students our ancestors in recent times have not taught them Bible and one should not change this tradition. In fact teaching the Biblical stories carries the real danger that they will view the activities of our forefathers as lowly and coarse behavior because they are missing context and principles for proper understanding of the text. You also asked which commentaries should you use for self-study of Bible? I would recommend intially the commentaries of the Metzudos Dovid, Redak, Abarbanel and the Malbim. However the fact is that for most of Tanach we still don’t have a proper commentary on the elementary level which arouses the heart to fear G‑d – which is the main concern in our days. The heretics that learn Bible their entire purpose is to show that the Biblical personalities also sinned in those days. In this manner they want to minimize the negative connonations of sin. The fact is that the true meaning of Bible is like that of the true meaning of Torah – without the commentaries of our Sages we have little ability to understand them properly. Because of these difficulties in  learning Bible one will receive greater reward for not studying Bible then he would in studying it. He should leave his son to learn in the accepted manner which means Torah, Mishna, Gemora and Rishonim and then afterwards he should study Bible by himself with the proper commentaries and that will be the best for him.\\\\\

Michigan GOP gubernatorial nominee invoked conspiracy claiming Democrats sought to ‘topple’ US in retaliation for losing Civil War

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/27/politics/kfile-tudor-dixon-conspiracy-democrats-topple-america/index.html

The Republican gubernatorial nominee in Michigan invoked a conspiracy that the Covid-19 pandemic and protests in the summer of 2020 after the killing of George Floyd were part of a decades-long plan by the Democratic Party to “topple” the United States as retaliation for losing the US Civil War, adding that the party wanted to enslave people “again.”

Tudor Dixon, a former TV news anchor, made the remarks on the far-right streaming news network Real America’s Voice, which hosts former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s show, in late June 2020.

Ted Cruz's Claim That 'Antifa' Burnt U.S. Cities For A Year

 https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-ted-cruzs-claim-that-antifa-burnt-us-cities-year-1754884

In short, Cruz appears to have grossly mischaracterized both the nature, scope and length of time these protests took. While Cruz may have been referring to protests in Portland which continued for almost a year, it is inaccurate to describe or imply that these happened across the country with each beset by arson.

Fake History from MTG

 https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greenes-confederacy-remark-trashed-civil-war-historians-1754011

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been savaged by Civil War historians after tweeting two photographs of herself at a monument to Union troops which she incorrectly claimed "honored the Confederate soldiers."

She wrote: "Tonight, I stopped at the Wilder Monument in Chickamauga, GA, which honors the Confederate soldiers of the Wilder Brigade. I will always defend our nation's history!"

Wife disagreed with Daas Torah

Shemos Rabbah (52:03) The story is told of R. Simeon b. Halafta, that he once came home just before the Sabbath and found that he had no food for that day, so he went outside the city and prayed to God, with the result that a precious stone dropped down for him from heaven. He sold this to a jeweller and bought with the money provisions for the Sabbath. When his wife asked him, ‘Where did you get all these [good things]?’ he replied: ‘God has provided them.’ Said she, ‘If thou dost not tell me whence these come, I will not touch a morsel.’ He then told her the whole story, concluding: ' Thus did I pray to God and [the precious stone] was sent down for me from heaven.’ But she replied: ' I will not taste aught till thou promise me to return the precious stone as soon as Sabbath terminates.’ When he asked her the reason, she replied: ‘Dost thou wish that in Paradise thy table shall lack all good things, while that of thy colleagues shall be laden with them?’ R. Simeon then went and told the story to Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi who said to him: ' Go back and tell thy wife that if aught be lacking from thy table, l will replenish it from mine.’ When he told this to his wife, she retorted: ‘Take me to him who has taught thee Torah.’ When she came to him, she said: ' O master, does then one righteous man see the other in the World to Come? Has not every righteous man a world for himself’ When R. Simeon b. Halafta heard this, he at once returned the precious stone to heaven. Our Sages said: This last miracle was more difficult to perform than was the first. As soon as he stretched out his hand to restore it to heaven an angel descended and took it from him.

Berachos (10a)There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die. Rabbi Meir’s wife, Berurya, said to him: What is your thinking? On what basis do you pray for the death of these hooligans? Do you base yourself on the verse, as it is written: “Let sins cease from the land” (Psalms 104:35), which you interpret to mean that the world would be better if the wicked were destroyed? But is it written, let sinners cease?” Let sins cease, is written. One should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the demise of the transgressors themselves. 3Moreover, go to the end of the verse, where it says: “And the wicked will be no more.” If, as you suggest, transgressions shall cease refers to the demise of the evildoers, how is it possible that the wicked will be no more, i.e., that they will no longer be evil? Rather, pray for God to have mercy on them, that they should repent, as if they repent, then the wicked will be no more, as they will have repented.

Lapid’s near-impossible task: Why victory may not be in the cards

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/lapids-near-impossible-task-why-victory-may-not-be-in-the-cards/

Prime Minister Yair Lapid is in a sense the tragic figure of this election. His task is an almost impossible one. At first glance, polls seem to consistently show the same basic deadlock of the past four elections with Benjamin Netanyahu no closer to victory. But scratch the surface and that apparent parity turns out to be a massive advantage for the right.

On the all-important question of turnout, as well as in the post-election coalition calculus, Lapid is at a desperate disadvantage.

It’s not that turnout is expected to be very high among supporters of Likud, even if Netanyahu has reason to hope that 18 months in the opposition has lit a fire under his base. Lapid’s problem lies mainly on his own side.

Rabbinic court approved publishing the name of American-Israeli get refuser

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-720598

An American Israeli couple that made aliyah from the US a few years ago has separated since the wife claimed that the husband disappeared constantly to the US. The husband has refused to divorce his wife in a Rabbinic court according to Jewish law for a few years. The court therefore dramatically allowed to publish his name, Eliyahu Pollak, in order to pressure him to officially divorce his wife.  

Until a few years ago, anyone would have thought that 30-year-old Rachel (name has been changed to preserve anonymity) had a perfect life: She and her husband were raising three healthy children. Yet according to an Israeli organization, "she was living a nightmare," and "endured physical, emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of her husband since their aliyah five years ago. 

Psichas HaIgros – Seforim in Review

 https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/509974/psichas-haigros-seforim-in-review.html

In the fourth appendix, Rabbi Rosman discusses Rav Feinstein’s approach and usage of Rishonim and Acharonim. Rav Feinstein generally did not delve significantly in Acharonim, with the exception of the Mishna Brurah and the Aruch haShulchan. He cites another source that Rav Feinstein’s view was that when the Aruch haShulchan argues with the Mishna Brurah the halacha was with the Aruch HaShulchan.

Aruch Hashulchan and Mishna Berura

 https://outorah.org/p/119770/

Finally, although the Mishna Berura was written by a great sage, he was not a practicing rabbi. The author of the Aruch Hashulchan, however, was both a great sage and a practicing rabbi. As such, Rav Epstein was much more involved with the community and had first-hand familiarity with the problems and challenges that people faced. Because of this, he had much more skill and experience in applying halacha to real-life situations and individual needs. Indeed, Rav Moshe Feinstein is reported to have said that the Aruch Hashulchan is to take precedence over the Mishna Berura for this reason alone.[4] There is a growing list of other contemporary halachic authorities who concur, as well.

Mishna Berura vs. Aruch Hashulchan

 https://www.torahmusings.com/2012/02/mishna-berura-vs-aruch-hashulchan/

Reb Moshe did prefer the AH over the MB. It is cited here:

“Two Sons, Two Views, One Vision – A Conversation with the Legendary Sons of Rav Moshe Feinstein…” Mishpacha Magazine – 4 Sivan 5769 5.27.09″

Ari Enkin

TWO SONS, TWO VIEWS, ONE VISION

 https://mishpacha.com/two-sons-two-views-one-vision/

“The Rosh Yeshivah once commented that the decisions of the Aruch HaShulchan — who was a full-time Rav — take precedence over many poskim who were not active rabbanim. A Rav takes into consideration more than just the abstract and black-and-white concepts of the halachah when rendering a halachic opinion.

Genetic test finds couple are not biological parents of mistakenly implanted embryo

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/genetic-test-finds-couple-are-not-biological-parents-of-mistakenly-implanted-embryo/

A genetic test has ruled out the parentage of a couple who had been presumed to be the biological parents of a fetus mistakenly implanted in another woman.

The error occurred during fertility treatments at Rishon Lezion’s Assuta Medical Center. After whittling down the list of potential parents, Assuta notified one couple that it was the most likely to be the fetus’s biological parents, pending a genetic test.

This led to a very public fight between the two couples, with the supposed biological parents saying they would seek custodianship of the child, while the pregnant woman and her husband vowed to fight to keep it.

Evil Eye endangers Windfalls

 Eruvin (64a) should he who took possession of the property of a proselyte do that he shall be worthy of retaining it? Let him purchase with it a scroll of the Law’. R. Shesheth said: Even a husband [should act in a similar manner] with his wife's estate. Raba said: Even a man who engaged in trade and made a large profit should act in a similar manner. R. Papa said: Even he who has found something [should act in the same manner]. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: Even if he had only arranged for the writing of one pair of1 tefillin.2 In connection with this R. Hanin [or, as some say: R. Hanina] stated: What is the Scriptural proof?3 It is written: And Israel vowed a vow etc.

Rashi (Eruvin 64a) Any large gain acquired without effort should be used for a mitzva to protect it from the Evil Eye

מזעזע: מיסיונרים נוצרים פועלים כאן במרץ ויש להם הצלחות לא מבוטלות יהודים הגיע הזמן להתעורר! - TOV