Bamidbar Rabbah (16:01)And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two spies heresh (Josh. II, 1). Who were they? Our Rabbis taught: They were Phinehas and Caleb. They went and risked their lives and succeeded in their mission. And they went, and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab. and lay there (ib.). She rose and welcomed them. The king of Jericho became aware of their presence and heard that they had come to search out the land; as it says, And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, etc. (ib. 2). When they came to seek them, what did Rahab do? She took them away to hide them. Phinehas said to her: ‘I am a priest and priests are compared to angels’; as it says, For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the angel1 of the Lord hosts (Mal. II, 7), and an angel, if he wishes, can be visible, and if he wishes he can be invisible. How can we infer that prophets2 are compared to angels? From the fact that it says in reference to Moses, And sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt (Num. XX, 16). Was it not Moses who brought them out? Certainly; but you can infer from this that prophets are compared to angels. Similarly it says, And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said:... I made you go up out Egypt (Judg. II, 1). But was it not Phinehas who said this? Yes; but you can infer from it that the prophets are called angels. Phinehas, then, said to Rahab: ' I am a priest and do not need to be hidden. Hide Caleb, my companion. I will stand before them and they will not see me. ‘She did so; as may be inferred from the verse, And the woman took the two men, and she hid him (Josh. II, 4)3: not ‘she hid them’, but ’she hid him’ is written. This proves that she did not hide Phinehas but only Caleb. All this serves to teach you how much these two righteous men risked their lives in order to perform their mission.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Kanoi a path in Avodas HaShem
The word kanoi is usually said as an insult or derogatory description. But it seems that the Torah views it as a legitimate approach to life.
A clear case is that of the prophet Elijah. While it seems at first glance that his approach was disapproved by G-d as he was told after killing idolaters that he needed to appoint a replacement and then he died. It should be noted that he went to heaven while alive and in fact became an angel, In fact only two men achieved this Chanoch and Elijah. Clearly he achieved spiritual perfection.
Another example is Pinchas. At first glance he seems to be portrayed as a hot head, a genuine fanatic. Someone who has the presumption to kill a gadol or major leader of the Jewish people and was rewarded by G-d with the bris of Peace and became a cohen. The Zohar notes that he not only saved the Jewish people from a plague but he did ths without official authorization. Moshe had been given the task by G-d to kill the idolaters which had caused G-g's anger and the resulting deadly plague. But before he carried out the command Pinchas killed Zimri. The Zohar says his unauthorized killing not only stopped the plague but atoned for the sin of Aharon's sons which was also an unauthorized act
The medrash says the bris of peace he was given was not simply protection from the wrath of the defenders of the system but rather was a show of approval. It notes the word shalom is written with a small vov and thus the word is actually shalem (perfection). I once asked the Tenker Rav how Pinchas could kill without authorization. He replied with a story of the Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov had a student that he was constantly insulting and shaming. The other students asked how he could do this since it was equivalent to murder and causes the loss of Olam Habah. He replied that he knew this one student was soon to receive horrible suffering from Heaven for something he had done. By embarrassing him he was saving him from this punishment/
The Tanker Rav said we see his sole motivation was his love of his fellow Jews and had no concern for the consequences for himself
In addition one of my sons was a kanoi at an early age. I took him to see a well known Kanoi - the Shomer Emunim Rebbe. He told him being a kanoi was not done for entertainment or fun and pleasure.
In sum there are two paths in Avodas HaShem - 1)follow all the rules written and unwritten. 2) Do what is needed to please G-d and help your fellow man - without regard to the consequences
11 Times Tech Really Did Take Our Jobs
https://gizmodo.com/11-times-tech-really-did-take-our-jobs-1850575895
The reality is that jobs have been overtaken by new developments in technology for centuries, paving the way for mass production and creating outrage among those who relied on those jobs. From women who worked in the textile industry to switchboard operators in the 1970s, all the way through the 2000s when video streaming services took the place of physical video stores.
Vindman on cluster munitions: ‘From a practical standpoint, the president did the right thing’
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4087247-alexander-vindman-on-cluster-munitions-decision/
“Russia believes that, as long as this war is continuing on, it maintains a veto over Ukraine’s NATO membership,” he told CNN. “So that means that we’re setting up a recipe for Russia to continue to interfere, continue to wage war in Ukraine, in an effort to block accession.”
NJ Jews reel after kosher baker rejects synagogue’s order for rainbow Pride treats
NJ Jews reel after kosher baker rejects synagogue’s order for rainbow Pride treats
But the local Jewish community is still reeling. Multiple rabbis have accused the baker of bigotry, and some local Jews are boycotting his shop. The area’s Jewish federation privately said it would stop buying from Mittel before publicly walking back its position. And Eshel, an advocacy group for LGBTQ Orthodox Jews and their families, announced an “ally training” in West Orange this coming Sunday in response to the incident.
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Ex-Trump Official Defends Hunter Biden Over Cocaine Accusations
https://www.newsweek.com/kayleigh-mcenany-defends-hunter-biden-cocaine-white-house-1811333
"There is no way. It is inconceivable to think cocaine can sit [at the White House] for a 72-hour period. So I would rule him out at this point," McEnany said of Hunter Biden.
BBC apologises after presenter said 'Israeli forces are happy to kill children'
“Is that really what the military set out to do? To kill people between the ages of 16 and 18?”
Responding, Bennett said: “Quite to the contrary. Actually, all 11 people dead there are militants. The fact that there are young terrorists who decide to hold arms is their responsibility.”
Republicans Continue to Blame Hunter Biden for White House Cocaine Saga
Yet it was none other than former President Donald Trump who tried to make the most direct argument about the source of the illegal substance.
“Does anybody really believe that the COCAINE found in the West Wing of the White House, very close to the Oval Office, is for the use of anyone other than Hunter & Joe Biden?” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, lobbing the accusation not only at Hunter Biden but the president as well.
Merit based college admissions are required by supreme court - so why are legacy or donor preference admissions ok?
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/03/us/harvard-college-legacy-admissions-lawsuit/index.html
Iván Espinoza-Madrigal is the Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights and is one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
“As the Supreme Court recently noted, ‘eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.’ There should be no way to identify who your parents are in the college application process,” he said.
“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” Espinoza-Madrigal added. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.”
BBC apologizes for anchor saying 'Israeli forces are happy to kill children'
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-749042
The BBC issued an apology on Wednesday following a contentious interview in which a presenter made controversial remarks suggesting that "Israeli forces are happy to kill children," according to the Jewish Chronicle.
Anjana Gadgil, the news presenter, made these comments while discussing Israel's military operation in Jenin with former-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, during a Tuesday evening broadcast.
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Fox Host Blasts ‘Tasteless’ Comments Linking Hunter to White House Cocaine
At the same time, the Fox Business host took issue with fellow right-wing media stars trying to make the drug find about President Joe Biden’s troubled son, who has become a frequent target among conservative media.
“Of course, social media starts making fun—bringing up Hunter’s name, it’s not funny,” Casone exclaimed. “And I think that there’s a lot of cheap shots taken at Hunter Biden.” She concluded: “He is a recovering addict. Nobody wants to see him regress or slip back into addiction. And I think the comments were tasteless.”
Notably, several of the most prominent individuals who’ve rushed to connect the White House blow to Hunter Biden were Casone’s own Fox colleagues.
White House cocaine culprit unlikely to be found: Law enforcement official
The small amount of cocaine was found in a cubby area for storing electronics within the West Exec basement entryway into the West Wing, where many people have authorized access, including staff or visitors coming in for West Wing tours.
How long do you need to study to have a clear understanding of Jewish fundamentals?
Just talked with an individual who attended yeshiva for a number of years who told me "I have reviewed the Chovas Halevavos 50 times and I still don't know what bitachon is!"
When I asked Rav Noach Weinberg about publishing a sefer with diverse views on fundamentals. He said it was very important because of the widespread ignorance in yeshiva circles. But he cautioned. "You need to make a false pretense like I did when I spoke in Lakewood. They are confident they have the answers so I told them they need to know for the sake of kiruv."