Even the two Trump advisers winced at how a Holocaust denier like Fuentes was able to wind up with Trump at dinner — even if it was by mistake — along with the rapper, who had just had his Twitter account restored but lost major endorsement deals for making antisemitic remarks.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Nick Fuentes Turns on Donald Trump, Calls for New 2024 Candidate
But 24-year-old Fuentes, a vocal supporter of the MAGA movement, has now turned on his former hero. He said: "Conservative media speculates that Ye and I are being used to hurt Trump. It is the other way around.
"Trump and MTG (Marjorie Taylor Green) are being used as bait to lure the base back into supporting people like Kevin McCarthy, Ronna McDaniel, and Rick Grenell. I didn't leave the MAGA movement. The MAGA movement left me."
Israelis shunned at Qatar World Cup: 'You are not welcome'
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-723449
Multiple Israelis have reported an atmosphere of hostility and hatred at the World Cup in Qatar, with fans refusing to speak to Israeli journalists, waving Palestinian flags in the background of their videos and yelling at them.
Moav Vardy, KAN's foreign affairs reporter, was yelled at by a Saudi fan, who told him that "You are not welcome here, this is Qatar, this is our country, there is only Palestine, no Israel."
"We didn't want to write these words, we are not the story here. but after ten days in Doha, we cannot hide what we are going through. We are feeling hated, surrounded by hostility, not welcomed."
Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder: ‘There are quite a few areas where physics blurs into religion’
You write that a lot of research in physics, such as hypotheses for the early universe, is “religion masquerading as science under the guise of mathematics”. Could you elaborate on that?
There are quite a few areas where the foundations of physics blur into religion, but physicists don’t notice because they’re not paying attention. It’s a lack of education in the philosophy of science in general. For example, the most commonly accepted story about the beginning of the universe is the big bang, and to some extent this is really just the simplest way you can extrapolate the equations into the past – and then you can add inflation, which is an exponential phase of expansion; or, like Roger Penrose, you can make it a cyclic universe. But maybe it was a big bounce, or it started with the collision of membranes. These ideas are all possible – they’re all compatible with the observations that we have. But I would call them ascientific – the kind of idea that evidence says nothing for nor against.
Also, it worries me that we always talk about how science supposedly self-corrects, but it doesn’t seem to be happening. They’re just trying the same thing over and over again.
Tributes paid after Dayan Ehrentreu dies aged 89
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has led tributes to one of the most influential Orthodox rabbis in Britain in the past 50 years, Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu.
The former head of the London Beth Din, who was born in Frankfurt in 1932, died on Thursday morning aged 89.
Trump puts his ego before everything - NY Post editorial
https://nypost.com/2022/11/26/trump-puts-his-ego-before-everything/
Having driven away every capable aide through paranoia or his bitter fixation on losing the 2020 election, this is now the company Trump keeps. The Groypers, the Proud Boys — Trump won’t denounce any of them. They like him, so how bad can they be? And so — again — Trump puts his own ego before common sense, before tolerance, before judgment, before country.
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Could Herschel Walker be Disqualified From Georgia Runoff Over 'Tax Fraud?'
https://www.newsweek.com/could-herschel-walker-disqualified-georgia-runoff-over-tax-fraud-1762365
Herschel Walker has been accused of claiming a "principal residence" tax exemption for a property in Texas, despite registering to vote in Georgia which he hopes to represent in the Senate.
The Trump-backed Republican faces a runoff against Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock on December 6, after neither candidate secured an absolute majority in the November 8 midterm vote.
Based on an analysis of tax records, CNN reports Walker received a homestead tax exemption this year for a house in Dallas, saving him around $1,500.
To do this, the former NFL star declared the property to be his "primary residence," despite registering to vote in Georgia last year.
Pennsylvania House impeaches Philly DA Larry Krasner over policies
Philadelphia’s elected Democratic prosecutor faces a state Senate trial and possible removal from office after the Republican-led state House voted Wednesday to impeach him over progressive policies he has enacted amid rising crime in the city.
Lawmakers voted 107-85 to impeach District Attorney Larry Krasner, setting the stage for what would be the first Pennsylvania Senate impeachment trial in nearly three decades. Republicans currently have a 29-21 majority in the state Senate, going to 28-22 early next year, and a two-thirds vote would be required to remove Krasner.
Krasner, who was overwhelmingly reelected by Philadelphia voters last year, is not accused of breaking the law. Instead, Republicans argued that he should be removed from office for various reasons, including his failure to prosecute some minor crimes and his bail request policies, his staff oversight and reports that his office didn’t adequately notify crime victims about certain matters. They also alleged that Krasner obstructed the House’s investigation of his office.
“They have impeached me without presenting a single shred of evidence connecting our policies to any uptick in crime,” he said.
Progressive Prosecutors Are Not Tied to the Rise in Violent Crime
In cities across the country, rising violent crime rates have spurred polarized political discourse around what truly keeps Americans safe in their communities. Overall violent crime and homicide rates rose significantly in 2020—increasing by 5 percent and nearly 30 percent, respectively. Despite crime data limitations for 2021, multiple sources report a slowing of these troubling trends. Critics of efforts to reform the broken criminal legal system have capitalized on public fears around rising crime to advance the unfounded claims that progressive prosecutors are to blame. But the evidence simply does not back up these accusations.
A new study led by researchers at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto—in collaboration with researchers from Rutgers University, Temple University, Loyola University of Chicago, and University of Missouri, St. Louis—rebuts claims by media outlets and elected officials that progressive prosecutors have caused crime in cities to rise. This comprehensive analysis finds no evidence linking progressive prosecutors to rising homicide rates in major cities during the coronavirus pandemic or prior to it. As researchers, policymakers, and the general public continue to investigate the causes of rising violent crime in recent years, this study contributes to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that progressive prosecution is not among them.
Violent crime is having real and devastating impacts on communities across the country, particularly communities of color, where resources and opportunities have been disinvested for decades. Rather than looking for real solutions that would make everyone safer, some politicians have taken aim at progressive prosecutors, casting blame where it does not belong. The causes of crime are complex, but one thing is clear: This study finds no evidence linking progressive prosecutors to recent rising crime rates in the major cities studied. Research on progressive prosecution should further investigate the effect their policies may have on the administration of justice, reducing poverty, and increasing the trust in the institution of government.
Lying is permitted for Talmid Chichom but not an ignoramus
אמת ליעקב בראשית פרק כז פסוק יב
הנה חז"ל [עבודה זרה דף כ"ה ע"א] כינו את האבות בשם ישרים, ומהאי טעמא כינו את ספר בראשית בשם "ספר הישר". וביאור הדבר הוא, כי מכיון שהם חיו קודם מתן תורה, א"כ מהיכן ידעו האיך עליהם להתנהג, אלא שהוא משום "אשר עשה האלקים את האדם ישר" [קהלת ז' פכ"ט], והם קיימו את כל התורה אפילו קודם נתינתה משום שהיא הדרך הישרה בהתנהגות האדם. ומהאי טעמא אמרינן [ויקרא רבה פרשה ט' אות ג'] שדרך ארץ קדמה לתורה, דבתורה ישנם חוקים שאינם מובנים בשכל האדם, אבל דרך ארץ בא לאדם משום ישרות שכלו, ולכן האבות שקיימו את התורה מפני שהבינו כי היא הדרך הישרה של האדם נקראו ישרים40. ולפ"ז תגדל התמיהה על יעקב אבינו, שכנראה מה שעשה לקבל את הברכות היה רחוק מן הישרות: הכי קרא שמו יעקב ויעקבני זה פעמים, ומה גם יעקב אבינו שעליו נאמר תתן אמת ליעקב, וחז"ל [מכות דף כ"ד ע"א] דרשו עליו הפסוק לא רגל על לשונו, וא"כ מדוע נקט יעקב כאן בדרך הנראית כעקומה לכאורה?
אבל באמת למדנו מכאן יסוד גדול במהות ה"אמת", דהנה להלן [פל"ה] על הפסוק בא אחיך במרמה וגו' תרגם אונקלוס: "בחכמתא". וביאור הדבר הוא, שגם האמת צריכה שֶתֵּאָמֵר לפי חשבון, שהרי למשל אם ראובן הנרדף מתחבא אצל שמעון, וכשהרודף מחפשו אומר שמעון לרודף שראובן מתחבא אצלו ומשום שאינו רוצה לשקר, הכי זה "אמת" יקרא? אלא ודאי שלפעמים מותר לאדם להשתמש בדרך הערמה כדי להשיג את מבוקשו, והיינו לפי הכלל של "ועם עקש תתפתל" [תהלים י"ח פכ"ז], דכשהוא בא לידי התמודדות עם רמאי מסוכן מסוגו של עשו, לפעמים אין מנוס מהשימוש בדרך הערמה והשתמטות. רמאות מעין זו, כפי הצורך והשעה, מצינו כמה וכמה פעמים אצל יעקב אבינו ואין זה כלל סתירה למושג של "תתן אמת ליעקב". לדוגמא: כל ענין פיצול המקלות שעשה יעקב כדי להציל את צאנו מידיו הרמאיות של לבן; מה שאמר יעקב לעשו: עד אשר אבוא אל אדני שעירה, כלומר שהרחיק את עצמו ממנו בדרך ערמה, ואנו41 למדים מזה הלכה לדורות שמותר לאדם להרחיק את עצמו מן הנכרי כשחושש ממנו; מעשה יעקב ושכם, שבמרמה סובבו בני יעקב42 שאנשי שכם יחלישו את עצמם ויוכלו להרוג אותם. כל זה נכנס בגדר העסק עם רמאי ורשע, ואינו גורע כלום ממעמדו של יעקב כסמל האמת43.
והנה מצינו שאע"פ שמותר לשקר מפני השלום מכל מקום על האדם ליזהר שלא ירגיל את עצמו לומר שקר אפילו באופן שיש צורך לכך ומשום שזה מלמדו לשקר, והיינו דאף שאין איסור בעצם השקר אבל מכל מקום זה מלמד את האדם לשקר ובסופו של דבר נהפך זה להיות טבעו הרגיל, כי האדם נמשך בדעותיו אחר פעולותיו. נמצא לפי זה שיותר הותר לתלמידי חכמים והשלימים בדיבורם לשנות מהאמת משהותר זה לעמי הארץ, כי יותר יש לחשוש להרגלת שקר למי שאינו מחוסן כראוי מפני השפעת היצר, ולכן יעקב אבינו, שאחז במדרגת האמת בכל מאדו ובכל נפשו, לא חשש לשנות מדיבורו באופן המותר ובאופן שהיה מוכרח לזה, ודו"ק.
Homosexual Marriage Bill: Existential Threat
BS"D
HR8404: NATIONALIZING THE HOMOSEXUALIST INDOCTRINATIONAL "EDUCATION" THREAT ADVANCING IN N.Y. STATE
An Urgent Plea:
November 25, '22/ 1 Kiskev 5783 (v.1D)
Re: HR8404 and Talmud Chullin 92b (i.e., the existential threat posed by recognition of homosexual "marriage")
Leaders,
1) HR8404 is the homosexual "marriage" bill advancing through Congress. It is scheduled for a Senate vote on this coming MONDAY, November 28th 5:30pm, G-d forbid. In addition to our irreconcilable opposition in principle, we must also publicly articulate how this type of legislation threatens to "nationalize" the threat of LGBT indoctrination in Education, somewhat mimicking the threat to education - religious and otherwise - posed by the Educational Equivalency Regulations crusade currently advancing in N.Y. State. Legislation for same-sex marriage, being supported by 25% of the Republican Party - 12 senators - (as of last Wednesday, Nov. 16th) would mainstream homosexual "marriage" enough to escalate pushing indoctrination (albeit subtle) into Orthodox Jewish education (and certainly everywhere else).
Unfortunately, we need to clean up our own act. For prominent and timely example, we'd be amiss if we would gloss over the fact that this homosexualist infiltration has already started, in some manner, in Illinois, thanks in part to IL legislator Mark Kalish, former board member of Aguda. On March 13, '19, Yechiel Mark Kalish voted for the LGBT indoctrination bill HB246, promoting the homosexualist agenda in public schools, and also requiring the LGBT litmus test for school textbooks funded by the state, as reported in the Jewish Press (cf.
https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/representative-kalish-must-resign/2019/01/30/).*
{* That abomination unfortunately didn't prevent Kalish from being graced with the position of moderator at a prime-time Motzi Shabbos forum of the annual Convention, several years ago. Nor did it shame Kalish away from promoting homosexualist propaganda at that forum (introducing naive listeners to abject incoherence about how promoting LGBT propaganda could ostensibly alleviate LGBT youth suicide, dogma definitively debunked on the spot, by Rav Feldman Shlit"a). This shocking, unprecedented spectacle of pre-Abrahamic lunacy was witnessed by tens of thousands of Orthodox and Chareidi youth and adults. To boot, around that time, Kalish was ensconced in the leadership of Hatzalah, of all organizations. No doubt, his foray into the lifesaving industry was to atone for his promoting the agenda of the BGTLQ movement, which is responsible for tens of millions of deaths (mostly of "their own") via diseases like AIDS [as Chazal exhort us, "BaDavar she'chotin - Bo mis'ratzin"...]. Gam Zeh Ya'avor.}
2) We must render the evil of same-sex marriage as controversial as possible in Republican quarters - to minimize the number of republicans voting for it in either house - especially by raising an alarm in genuinely Orthodox Jewish quarters. One way we can do this is, as suggested, by focusing on this legislation escalating the threat of the Educational threat (AKA "Gezairas HaChinuch") on a national level. Many "Republicants" pander to those concerns. Let's call their bluff, and swing anyone who genuinely cares. This legislation will undeniably lead to the "nationalization" of the Educational/ Gezairas-HaChinuch crisis in the worst way. That may not result in the teaching of evolution mythology or carnivorous Aztec theology. However, undeniably - it WILL, G-d forbid, metastasize into an educational requirement to inculcate in students "respect" for those who opt to embody and celebrate rebellion against G-d in the BGTLQ (to'aiva) manner, as N.Y. State required in January 2010, when it passed the infamous Dignity for All Students Act. That DASA law perverted the Civics teaching requirements in N.Y. Education Law section 801a, by requiring indoctrination children into "respecting" even flagrant identification with - and public embodiments of - homosexual and transgender behavior and propaganda.
After the educational madness that struck N.Y. (which too many people still persist in failing to understand), we have no excuse to remain passive. We know what the bipartisan BGTLQ agenda is. And we know it's to force-feed our children LGBT propaganda. HR8404 would advance that very agenda - both nationally and on a state level, in states other than N.Y. This all holds true regardless of how good its temporary "religious exemptions" are.
Perhaps the method outlined here could benefit from some modification. Nevertheless, accentuating how Dor HaMabul (homosexual) marriage legislation will invariably, G-d forbid, advance the threat to the education of ALL children is a potentially powerful strategy.*
{* The educational threat in N.Y. was well exploited to promote "lesser evil," radical pro-BGTLQ political candidates in N.Y. (who - arguably - weren't truly going to help us anyway: http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2022/11/zeldin-lawler-saviors-or-actors.html). There's no reason that strategy should not work where it incontrovertibly applies. NOT doing so could send a terrible message, namely, that we can be exploited to advance the "lesser evil" BGTLQ agenda - but we fail when it comes to truly advancing our own Torah agenda.}
3) Even if, G-d forbid, HR 8404 passes - if we render it controversial enough, as we did BE"H when it passed the NJ legislature recently - that will certainly reduce the Heavenly kitrug, and provide us some practical benefit in pushing back against educational tyranny by the bipartisan LGBTQ barbarian mob.
4) We also need to debunk the distortions and ziyuf haTorah (distortion of Torah) promoted in the statement sent to senators last week, helping give senators more leeway to vote for this rebellion against G-d, by including shallow religious exemptions (about which even Abba Cohen complained), for specific types of financial interests, identified as "religious" institutions. NO ONE else can fully debunk the toxic emissions of that OU letter, if not Orthodox Jewry.
Foremost among the points we ought to clarify in regard to religious exemptions is that EVEN IF they would include genuine and comprehensive religious exemptions (and these current exemptions are no where close to that), the religious exemptions would remain emphatically meaningless, because they would simply be removed sometime after passage. That's precisely what happened to the N.Y. City Gay Rights bill passed via Mayor Koch. About 30 years later, Bill DeBlasio removed the religious exemptions that Koch inserted to ensure passage. THIS point cannot be emphasized enough.
Some additional, crucial talking points are addressed here: (CJV Letter Opposing Respect for Marriage Act) https://coalitionforjewishvalues.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/221115-Opposing-Respect-for-Marriage-Act.pdf
As we raise this alarm approaching Chanukah, let's daven that we'll merit to emulate the paradigm of the Chashmonayim in the manner that most comports with the Will of HaShem.
Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
USA: 845-642-1679* «»
* for calls and texts, but not WhatsApp
Israeli Helpline: 03-721-3337
~~~~~~~~~~~
Same-sex marriage bill in U.S.Senate: "Vote Scheduled: At 5:30pm, on Monday, November 28th, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Baldwin-Collins substitute amendment #6487 to Cal. #449, H.R.8404, Respect for Marriage Act." / Twitter
https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom/status/1593457624695062528
Motion to Proceed on H.R. 8404: Respect for Marriage Act -- GovTrack.us
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/117-2022/s357
~~~~
Here's what we issued on Nov. 20th [sensitive details omitted intentionally]:
BS"D
Legislative Recognition of Same-Sex "Marriage" (H.R. 8404) Endangers Us All
26 MarCheshvan, 5783 / November 20, '22 (v.5)
Leaders and All,
Please urge calls to ... ... to vote NO on the bill recognizing same-sex "Marriage," H.R. 8404. We need to emphasize our principled opposition to ANY such measure - despite what parades as "religious exemptions." True to Orwellian form, this legislation, which would eliminate the federal Defence Of Marriage Act, is mislabeled as the "Respect for Marriage Act." Although five deviant judges on the U.S. Supreme Court legistated a right to same-sex "marriage" out of hot air in 2015 (in the Obergefell case), the unhinged policy was never formally promulgated by the American People. That's why this upcoming vote is so catastrophic. Congress technically represents "The People." For the American People to embrace such an open rebellion against G-d is simply suicidal, as we explain further, based on the Talmud (Chullin 92b) and Midrash Rabbah (VaYikra 23:9), which convey that lesson for all Mankind.
This terrible bill may pass the U.S. Congress next week, in the wake of 12 homosexualist Republican senators voting for a procedural "Cloture" measure (closing the Senate debate) last Wednesday, Nov. 16, 62 to 37. Those "Republicans-Who-Shall-Remain-In-Infamy" provided the Democrats the numbers needed to push same-sex marriage through to a final Senate vote on the actual bill itself, which is expected next week.
{* We're informed about a Senate vote on a very shallow religious accommodation amendment expected next Monday afternoon, November 28, G-d forbid:
Senate Cloakroom on Twitter: "Vote Scheduled: At 5:30pm, on Monday, November 28th, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Baldwin-Collins substitute amendment #6487 to Cal. #449, H.R.8404, Respect for Marriage Act." / Twitter (https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom/status/1593457624695062528)
Motion to Proceed on H.R. 8404: Respect for Marriage Act:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/117-2022/s357}
H.R. 8404 needs to return to be voted on by the House of Representatives again [after the expected Senate vote, we understand] because the bill previously passed by the House - with 47 reprobate homosexualist Republicans (including Lee Zeldin of NY) - was modified with that religious exemption amendment.
The Road to Hell is Paved with Religious Exemptions:
Homosexual "marriage" proponents added deceptive "religious exemptions" - for certain religious institutions - in order to expedite passage, and to minimize opposition votes, as they cleverly did in N.Y. State in 2011. Then too, homosexual marriage proponents deceptively sidelined opposition to the Marriage "Equality" bill by providing sellouts of religious persuasion a shallow pretext of "religious freedom protections" for organizations (and, similarly, threw individuals - both those they defined as "religious," along with everyone else - under the bus). That additional language allowed key swing Republican state senators, including Sen. Saland, to make-believe that the bill did not jeopardize religious liberty. Consequently, the bill passed by a margin of two, with four republicans voting yes. [Thank G-d, shortly thereafter, all four republican senators who voted against G-d were out of office.] Predictably, the marriage-baiting movement is employing that tactic on a national level. (If the modus operandi isn't broken, why fix it.) We must unequivocally protest passage, regardless of religious protections, real or imagined.
Religious Liberty Vs. Religious Principle:
If few others understand, then at least we ourselves should realize the following. Even if, hypothetically, the religious protections in question would be meaningful, efforts to ensure our religious liberties must never be exploited to undermine our religion itself. That's precisely what's happening. From reading the letter of one organization speaking on behalf of some religious communities, one gathers that the writers were more interested in procuring government funding than accurately representing the Torah position, or identifying the actual needs of individuals - both "religious" and otherwise - to be protected from governmental tyranny, including terroristic threats of religious persecution by the federal government.
Furthermore, we must never even imply that we're making peace with those who war against G-d Himself by legitimizing and celebrating homosexual or transgender sins - or the ideology of the BGTLQ movement, which is heresy. Even when it's not counterproductive (by virtue of enabling the very legislation we're obliged to unrelentingly abominate) to seek religious exemptions, ANY such efforts must unequivocally clarify our genuinely irreconcilable opposition to any policy recognizing same-sex marriage, homosexualist ideology, or homosexual acts. Any implication of Jewish compromise with the LGBTQ agenda - the latter constituting the antithesis of Judaism - renders efforts on behalf of protection of Judaism both fraudulent and counterproductive.
Therefore, we must clarify: this, and any slightly similar legislation, will eternally remain anethema to adherents of authentic Judaism, even if it would sport substantial religious exemptions, which it does not. In fact, if all of the legislators truly grasped the depth of our Torah-based opposition, I venture to suggest that some may consider shifting their positions in the correct direction. Unfortunately, many of those unelected, unaccountable "leaders" ostensibly speaking on our behalf fail to do so faithfully and accurately. They represent not the Torah, being the Will of G-d, nor the Jewish People. They represent their own financial/social interests, and noticeably so.
Orthodox Jewish communities may not be able to stop this legislation in time, but we certainly can evoke enough opposition to render it's passage quite controversial. And that may help us in several ways, in America and in Israel. It took the pro-life resistance movement about five decades, but we've finally seen some noteworthy progress in partially curbing the state-sanctioned mass-murder (in the name of healthcare) of innocent preborn infants. At the very least, our sincere efforts to preserve the definition of Marriage, which should encourage the efforts of many others, could help alleviate the unprecedented downpouring of Divine Justice, for which America - and the other gender-warped western powers - are apparently quite overdue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Universal Message:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All people, Jewish and otherwise, need to understand something truly crucial here. We've been exhorted by our Sages that recognition of same-sex marriage poses, very literally, an existential threat. The recognition of same-sex "marriage" is precisely what triggered the annihilation of civilization in the days of Noach, via the Great Flood (Midrash Rabbah (YaYikra) 23:9, on Lev. 18:3).
In this vein, we relay here an insight aired last Thursday night on the "Levin At Eleven" radio program, hosted by senior Culture-War veteran Rabbi Yehuda Levin (heard weekly 11pm to midnight at 620 AM in NJ): About two decades ago, as legalization of same-sex marriage was being discussed in the U.S., Rav Shmuel Avigdor Faivelson, OB"M (an internationally renowned Rosh Yeshiva, in Monsey N.Y.) observed, based on a statement of our Sages in Babylonian Talmud tractate Chullin (folio 92b), that recognition of same-sex marriage threatens the very existence of the Nations of the World. There, Our Sages identify three Divine commandments, to which the Nations of the World have historically adhered. One is their refusal to sanction same-sex marriage with marriage contracts. Rav Faivelson inferred that if the Nations would fail to adhere to that one commandment, they would thereby undermine their very right to exist. That would literally place the world in an "end-of-the-world" type of scenario. [What he stated appears clearly implicit in the aforementioned Midrash Rabbah as well.]
This is precisely what Congress seeks to perpetrate right now, with the help of the Republican Party. Accordingly, this warning of our Holy Sages is something to which both the Jewish AND the non-Jewish world must be alerted right now. The Torah teaches that G-d is All Merciful. He does NOT punish without ample warning and opportunity for repentance. We therefore need to ask ourselves: how do we expect for people to be aware of the monumental dangers we face, and act accordingly, if so few take the initiative to discharge our duty as Jews and unapologetically, unequivocally raise the alarm? Granted, opposition to the abomination of Sodomy (Lev.18:22, 20:13) does not rank high on the popularity scale in many parts of the western world. However, Monotheism itself was far more unpopular when Avraham Avinu fought the entire world to establish it as the dominant paradigm, until today.
We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. How much more so when we ourselves and our children are being directly threatened by these very same homosexualist advocates. And, unfortunately, these adversaries including many who are ostensibly of Jewish extraction. Also bear in mind here what our Sages teach us in Sanhedrin 98b, in the name of Rebbe Yochonon and Rav Papa, regarding the fate of the idolatrous nations.
Additionally, we must never lose sight of the fact that the prime mover behind the weaponizing of the long-standing 1895 N.Y. State Education Equivalency law against Jewish schools is the BGTLQ movement, which has hijacked N.Y. State government -- with support from some of our own "leaders," who consistently dupe elements of our communities into voting for the self-interest of said "leaders" over Torah principles.
Being Attentive:
Last week we experienced a (staged?) scare over the report of an alleged Russian "missile attack" against Poland, which initially appeared to foreshadow a broadening of the intense fighting in Ukraine. This occurred just around the time of the procedural but pivotal Senate cloture vote on same-sex marriage (against which, by the way, Russia zealously guards itself, thank G-d). That should give us pause. It illustrates in high relief how potentially close we may be to global, and even nuclear war. G-d promised us that He won't destroy the world with another global flood (Gen. 9:15). Nevertheless, G-d has countless additional means of laying down The Law. For example, see the Tosefta Ta'anis 2:11 regarding a global plague, citing Zechariah 11:10 [which is the same chapter cited by the aforementioned passage of the Talmud in Chullin (92a, bottom), regarding the 30 commandments, of which the Nations of the World keep only three].
This takes on heightened meaning in the midst of the escalating war, waged against G-d Himself, by homosexualist and transgenderist western governments doing their best to emulate Gog's end-times crusade against G-d and His Chosen People (see the commentary "Aitz Yosef" on VaYikra Rabbah on Emor 27:11 and on Ester Rabbah 7:23). When we hear of threats of "nuclear Armageddon" - from even the President of the United States - we need to realize that it's G-d Who is sending us wake-up calls, to set us back on the right path - so that - via sincere repentance - we won't need Russian President Putin (or anybody else) to save us from ourselves. But the choice is ours. And we're careening in precisely the wrong direction. [It's quoted from the world-renowned Gaon of Vilna that the (culmination of?) the war of Gog and Magog will take a matter of minutes.] Homosexualist politicians, and their superficially religious enablers, ignore Divine warnings at our collective grave peril. No technology in the world will save us if G-d decrees that Divine Justice will supersede Divide Compassion.
Action Item: Congressional Switchboard:
202.224.3121
[Ask for the number of the specific Congressman (or Senator) needed.]
Specifically, we urge all residents of ...
The public is also asked to call .... Let him know that if Congress passes same-sex marriage, it WILL be the fault of the Republican Party, especially those who allowed a dozen deviant Senate republicans to vote for Cloture last Wednesday....
Our Sages exhort us: "He extends His Wrath, but (ultimately) He collects His dues."
Thank you all in advance,
Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
USA: 845-642-1679* «»
* for calls and texts, but not WhatsApp
Israeli Helpline: 03-721-3337
CONSERVATIVE, WITH RESERVATIONS
https://mishpacha.com/conservative-with-reservations/
I’m referring to an embarrassing byproduct of the Orthodox world’s increasing identification with the Republican Party: the phenomenon of Torah Jews spouting conservative talking points seemingly heedless of the fact that our own mekoros might have something different to say on the matter.
Friday, November 25, 2022
Education is critical for faith
Chovas HaLevavos (1:2): The second way to know something is to rely upon a tradition because he believes the one who taught him the tradition. However, he doesn’t know whether it is in fact true through reason and understanding. Relying solely on tradition is comparable to a blind person who is being led by a sighted person. It is possible that he is in fact being led by another blind person who in turn is led by a whole line of blind people. Each one of the blind people placing his hand on the blind person in front of him while the leader of these blind people is a sighted person. If the sighted leader is negligent and fails to guard them or if one of the blind people stumbles or accident - then all of them would suffer the consequences. They would deviate from the path or fall into a hole or be blocked by some obstacle. Similarly, the person who understands G d’s unity solely through the rote learning of tradition cannot be sure that he won’t come to believe in polytheism when he hears the arguments of the heretics. He might come to alter his understanding and err without being aware of it. That is why our Sages said (Avos 2:14): Study Torah diligently and know how to answer the heretic.
Ibn Ezra (Shemos 20:1): Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi [author or Kuzari] once asked me why G d said I am the L rd your G d who brought you out of the land of Egypt rather than “I am the L rd your G d who made heaven and earth and created you? In reply, I told him that different people are on different levels of emuna in G d. At the lowest level are the masses who simply believe everything they have been told about G d from their ancestors. The next level up are those that believe because of what they read in the Torah which G d gave to Moshe. However, if these people were challenged by a heretic who claimed that G d did not exist they would be speechless because they wouldn’t know how to refute the claim. In contrast, the person who has studied the sciences, valuable aids to the perfection of his soul, will readily perceive the handiwork of G d in metals, plants and living creatures and in the human body itself. He will know the intricacies of the function of each organ and how they work together. Afterwards he will study the heavenly bodies which are the work of G d. He will learn about the eclipses of the sun and moon. Through his knowledge of the amazing intricacies of nature, he will come to recognize that these are unquestionably the handiwork of G d. In addition not only are the wonders of nature only fully appreciated by the scholar but also the complex subtleties of theology. In contrast, the signs that G d performed in the redemption from Egypt were fully convincing to everyone - both the learned and unlearned the adults and the children.
Ksav V’HaKabbala (Bereishis 12:2): The existence of G d, His unity, His intervention in human affairs and His powers are known to us either by means of intellectual analysis or by faith. Having both means of knowledge is the ideal because intellectual analysis is not sufficient for every situation. That is in part due to the variability in the quality of thought depending upon circumstances. When times are bad, a person simply doesn’t think clearly and then it is easy to fall into the snares of doubt concerning the truth of these things. On the other hand, faith by itself is not a respectable position. When exposed to questions from skeptics it is possible that that his faith will weaken. Thus we see that faith is an aid to knowledge and knowledge supports faith and that they need each other. One should not stop studying the truth of his faith. However, if he fails to understand some aspect of it he should assume that the problem is with his intellect and he should continue to rely upon his faith. (Because of the importance of having both knowledge and faith, the men of the Great Assembly decreed the beracha of emes (truth) and emuna (faith) which follows the saying of Shema. Emes refers to that which is known clearly through the intellect while emuna is that which is accepted because of the traditions from our forefathers.
Shaloh (Shaar Osiyos 21): Reishis Chochma states: A person should not do mitzvos in a mechanical fashion. It seems then that a person needs to investigate and to truly know to Whom he serves and from Whom he fears. Similarly, Dovid [Divrei HaYomim 1 28:9] told his son Shlomo: You should know the G d of your father and serve Him. If mitzvos are done mechanically - then they are done erratically and faith is not fixed in his heart. Consequently, if someone comes and challenges his beliefs with proofs and questions it is possible that he will be defeated. However someone who serves G d from knowledge in his heart will never be defeated.” What the Reishis Chochma says is very true and is in agreement to all that I have previous stated….
Rabbeinu Bachye (Devarim 13:7): It is possible that the Torah is alluding in this verse to two approaches to faith. The first is based on tradition and the second is based on knowledge and wisdom. A person who believes because of the tradition that he received from his forefathers has a good faith since he has a true tradition. However it is not a perfect faith since it does not involve wisdom and understanding - just acceptance. This is analogous to a blind person who is traveling in a column of blind people. Each one is rests his hand on the blind person who is in front of him. As long as the column is led by a sighted person, they will definitely travel on a good and direct path. This is comparable to those who rely totally on the tradition passed down by the ages from Moshe. We definitely will succeed in following his path which was heard at Sinai by all the people and transmitted by our ancestors. However, this type of faith is not perfect. Because if a person has faith entirely because of tradition, if he hears attacks on the tradition from mistaken and heretical people he has no certainly that he won’t be influenced. Since his faith is mechanical without understanding, it is definitely possible that he will be influenced - either by accepting their arguments or having doubts about his beliefs. This is just like a blind person who is not secure that he won’t stumble while a sighted person who relies on himself doesn’t have to be concerned about this. Thus, a person who understands his tradition is secure that he won’t be turned from his faith because his understanding can refute challenges to his beliefs. Therefore, a person should not rely totally on tradition but should learn and become knowledgeable until his faith is complete and thus have faith both from tradition and understanding. That is what is meant in Avos (2:19): Diligently study Torah so that you can know how to refute the heretic. That is why the Torah indicates here that there are two aspects off faith - understanding and tradition…
Rabbeinu Bachye (Pirkei Avos 2:19): One should learn diligently in order to be able to answer the heretic. Even though you have the true faith which you have received from your father and your father received it from his father in a line going back to Moshe on Sinai - nevertheless this should not be viewed as sufficient. You also need faith based upon wisdom and knowledge. That is because if you only have faith based on received tradition, it is likely that you will hear the words of heretics that will twist your heart after their views. Therefore, it is necessary to also have faith based on knowledge and wisdom. If you have such faith then when you hear their words you will be able refute their views with intellectual proofs and obviously you will not be influenced by them. However, the heretic that you should argue with is only the non Jewish one but not a Jewish one - since it will just deepen his rejection of religion (Sanhedrin 38b).
Rav S. R. Hirsch (Nineteen Letters #18): [The leaders of Orthodoxy] became at first enemies of this philosophical spirit, and later of all specifically intellectual and philosophical pursuits in general. Certain misunderstood utterances [e.g., Bereishis Rabbah 44:1] were taken as weapons with which to repel all higher interpretations of the Talmud . . . The inevitable consequence was, therefore, that since oppression and persecution had robbed Israel of every broad and natural view of world and of life, and Talmud had yielded about all the practical results for life of which it was capable, every mind that felt the desire of independent activity was obliged to forsake the paths of study and research in general open to the human intellect, and to take its recourse to dialectic subtleties and hairsplitting. Only a very few [e.g., R’ Yehuda HaLevi’s Kuzari and Ramban] during this entire period stood with their intellectual efforts entirely within Judaism, and built it up out of its own inner concept [Drachman translation]…. we are left with two generations confronting each other. One of them has inherited an uncomprehended Judaism, as practiced by men from habit, a revered but lifeless mummy which it is afraid to bring back to life. The other, though in part burning with noble enthusiasm for the welfare of the Jews, regards Judaism as bereft of any life and spirit, a relic of an era long past and buried, and tries to uncover its spirit, but, not finding it, threatens through its well meant efforts to sever the last life nerve of Judaism - out of sheer ignorance [Paritzky translation].
Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 1:50): You should know that knowledge concerning religious beliefs is not simply utterings of the mouth. Rather they are what is manifest in the soul when it has been ascertained that it is true as understood. However, if you are of the type for whom it is sufficient merely to repeat correct views or at least those that you assume are correct views without understanding or thought about them - that is a very easy yet superficial path. You will find many fools who hold views that they don’t understand at all. However if you are one of those who have aspirations to elevate your heart to the highest level - that is the level of understanding…There are in fact no meaningful beliefs without thoughtful understanding what these beliefs actually are. In particular, to verify as best you can that what you imagine to be true is objectively that way. If you have established that there can be no rational basis for rejecting the belief or doubts regarding the belief - then you have certainty that your understanding is correct…. Rather than being a person who can only utter things without having internalized them, a person should be one who knows the truth even if they don’t publicize their knowledge. This is as the pious people have been commanded (Tehilim 4:5), “Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still’.
Ramchal (Mesilas Yeshorim - Introduction): If you look carefully at the world today you will find that the majority of brilliant minds devote most of their energy to esoteric analysis and profound wisdom - each one according to their interests and nature. Some are totally devoted to studying the natural sciences such as physics and biology. Others study the practical issues of engineering and architecture. Some are totally committed to business while others are interested in understanding holy things such as Torah. Of those devoted to Torah, some concentrate on understanding theoretical halachic issues while others focus on medrash and still others work to master practical Halacha. However only a tiny minority of this Torah group make a serious effort to study and understand issues relevant to perfecting their service of G d e.g., loving, fearing and coming close to Him and other issues of piety. This neglect is not because piety is viewed as unimportance. In fact, everyone would say that piety is extremely necessary and that no one can be considered wise unless he has mastered all these matters. However, they justify their failure to study these important issues by saying that the concepts associated with piety are so obvious and well known that there is no need to devote significant time to understanding them. Consequently, study of these matters is left to the less than brilliant minds - to those close to being retarded. In fact since only simple folk devote themselves totally to piety, it is typically assumed that anyone who engages in these studies most be dim witted. However, the consequences of this attitude are extremely damaging both to the intelligent and the not so intelligent. The intelligent end up lacking true piety because they don’t study it and therefore very few individuals are actually pious. The unintelligent lack true piety because they are unable to comprehend it. Consequently, the majority of mankind mistakenly thinks being pious means to say incredible amounts of Psalms, to make very long confessions of sin and to subject oneself to debilitating physical activities such as fasting, and immersing in ice and snow. In other words the “pious” person is one who engages in activities that are universally viewed as repellent and debasing. In fact, true piety is desirable, pleasant, and very far from this common stereotype. It is quite obvious that something that people are not really concerned with doesn’t impact their daily lives. Therefore, even though the basic ideas of piety are familiar to everyone - if you don’t seriously think about them they have no impact on your life. Piety is not something innate, natural and intuitive like sleeping or eating… It requires a conscious program to acquire and develop… Therefore, even though the ideas are easily comprehended and it is obvious how piety manifests itself in life, but piety is not implanted in some one’s heart unless he consciously pursues it. Consequently, since every intelligent person acknowledges the need for piety…what will he answer G d concerning his neglect of developing his piety? Does it make sense to be totally devoted to abstract and arcane theoretical analyses of Torah and Halacha while totally neglecting that which G d unequivocally demands from us?… Shlomo said (Mishlei 2:4–5):If you will seek it like wealth and search for it like hidden treasures then you will come to understand fear of G d [and find knowledge of G d]. He didn’t say then you will understand philosophy, science, medicine, laws or Halacha - but then you will understand fear of G d. Shlomo is clearly stating that fear of G d is acquired only with the same type of effort one devotes to becoming rich or finding treasure… Why doesn’t a person at least set aside some time to look into the matter even if he is already committed to other activities?
Alter of Kelm (Chochma v’Musar 2:62): Why does it say [in the Amida prayer said three times a day] ‘Our G d and the G d of our forefathers’? The answer is that there are two types of people who believe in G d. The first believes in G d entirely because he is following in the footsteps of his ancestors but nevertheless his faith is strong. The second is one who comes to religious faith because of intellectual investigation. Their religious faith, however, is not identical. The first one has the advantage that it is impossible to persuade him to give up his beliefs even by presenting many facts that seem to contradict - Heaven forbid - his faith. That is because the strength of his faith comes entirely from traditions received from his ancestors which he has never questioned or even thought about. However, there is a problem with this approach in that his faith is simply reflexive habit without any inherent personal meaning to him. This is in contrast to the independent thinker who came to believe in G d through his intensive investigations. He not only has strong faith but one which is all encompassing on a personal level since it engages both the intellect and the emotions. However, this approach also has a critical weakness in that his beliefs are open to refutation - Heaven forbid - if someone should show him strong proofs against his conclusions. Therefore, one who has the advantages of both approaches is superior to someone have one approach alone. That means that while a person should learn from tradition what is true, he should also investigate to understand what these truths are. This is the proper approach to faith. That is why we say ‘Our G d and the G d of our forefathers’ [He is the G d of tradition but is also the G d we have come to understand more deeply and meaningfully through study and thought]. This can be used to explain the verse (Tehilim 34:9), ‘Taste and see that G d is good’. The ‘taste’ refers to our personal investigations and ‘see’ refers to seeing that which our ancestors did.
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Herschel Walker Sparks Fury Over Warnock Camp Abuse Claims
https://www.newsweek.com/herschel-walker-sparks-fury-over-warnock-camp-abuse-claims-1761276
The Republican appears to have been referring to allegations made by a former camper at a summer camp run by Warnock, reported by The Washington Free Beacon in December 2020.
Anthony Washington alleged in an interview that when he attended the camp aged 12 in 2002, counselors tossed urine on him and locked him outside a cabin overnight.
Warnock was taken away in handcuffs after reportedly interrupting a police interview with a camp counselor in 2002 and though Warnock was charged at the time, the charges against him were dropped and law enforcement later called what happened a "miscommunication."
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