Hasmonean kings were sinful

Ramban (Bereishis 49:10) In my opinion, the kings from other tribes, who ruled over Israel after David, went against the wish of their father Jacob by diverting the inheritance of Judah to another tribe. Now they relied on the word of Achiyah the Shilonite, the prophet who anointed Jeroboam, who said, And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever. But when [the ten tribes of] Israel continued to crown kings one after another of the rest of the tribes, and they did not revert to the kingdom of Judah, they transgressed the testament of the ancestor, and they were accordingly punished, just as Hosea said, They have set up kings, but not from Me.

This was also the reason for the punishment of the Hasmoneans, who reigned during the Second Temple. They were saints of the Most High, without whom the learning of Torah and the observance of Commandments would have been forgotten in Israel, and despite this, they suffered such great punishment. The four sons of the old Hasmonean Matithyahu, saintly men who ruled one after another, in spite of all their prowess and success, fell by the sword of their enemies. And ultimately the punishment reached the stage where our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: “He who says, ‘I come from the house of the Hasmoneans,’ is a slave,” as they were all destroyed on account of this sin. Now although among the children of Shimon, there was cause for punishment on account of the Sadducees, all the children of the righteous Matithyahu the Hasmonean were deposed for this only: they ruled even though they were not of the seed of Judah and of the house of David, and thus they completely removed “the sceptre” and “the lawgiver” from Judah. And their punishment was measure for measure, as the Holy One, blessed be He, caused their slaves to rule over them, and it is they who destroyed them.

It is also possible that, [in addition to the Hasmoneans having sinned for assuming royalty when they were not of the tribe of Judah], they sinned in ruling on account of their being priests, who have been commanded: Guard your priesthood in everything that pertaineth to the altar, and to within the veil; and ye shall serve; I give you the priesthood as a service of gift. Thus it was not for them to rule, but only to perform the Service of G-d.

In Tractate Horayoth of the Jerusalem Talmud I have seen the following text: “We do not anoint priests as kings. Rabbi Yehudah Anturya said that this is on account of the verse, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah. Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba said [that Scripture states concerning the king], To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel. Now what is written afterwards? The priests the Levites … shall have no portion.” Thus the Sages have taught here that kings are not to be anointed from among the priests, the sons of Aaron. Now at first the above text explains that this is out of respect for the tribe of Judah since sovereignty is not to depart from that tribe. Therefore, even if Israel, out of temporary necessity, raises a king over itself from the other tribes, he is not to be anointed so that the glory of royalty should not be upon him. Instead, such kings are to be merely as judges or officers. The reason for mentioning “priests” [when the same stricture applies to all tribes other than Judah] is that even though the priests as such are suited for anointment, we are not to anoint them as kings, and the moreso the rest of the tribes. It is as the Rabbis said in the Gemara: we are to anoint only the kings of the house of David. And Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba, [who in the above text from the Jerusalem Talmud based the law upon a verse in the book of Deuteronomy], explained that anointing priests as kings is forbidden by a law of the Torah, which says that the priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance in royalty. This comment is a matter which is fitting and proper.

The Hasmoneans as a Paradigm for Modern Jewish Sovereignty

 https://thelehrhaus.com/timely-thoughts/the-hasmoneans-as-a-paradigm-for-modern-jewish-sovereignty/

In his commentary to Genesis 49:10, Ramban is particularly critical of the Hasmoneans. He indicts them for usurping the throne from the House of David as well as desecrating their priesthood, and sees their downfall as divine punishment.

VP Harris' husband botches Hanukkah story on social media during celebration of major Jewish holiday

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vp-harris-husband-botches-hanukkah-story-social-media-celebration-jewish-holiday

"The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding," he wrote. "No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning."

"During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions," Emhoff, who is Jewish and is working with the White House on combating antisemitism, continued in the now deleted post. "That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism."

How Rich Alumni Ousted Penn’s President Liz Magil

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/university-pennsylvania-liz-magill-resignation-alumni-pressurens-president-liz-magill-40654f7c?mod=hp_lead_pos8

By Thanksgiving, University of Pennsylvania trustees thought they had weathered the worst of an aggressive campaign mounted by rich alumni to fire President Liz Magill over concerns about antisemitism on campus. That hope died when Magill appeared before Congress last week. 

Magill said context was needed to determine whether calling for the genocide of Jews would be considered bullying or harassment at Penn. The clip went viral. Pennsylvania’s governor called the comments “shameful.” The Penn president rushed out a video backtracking her remarks. But by the weekend, Magill and board chairman Scott Bok resigned. 

At Penn, the university’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel was the final straw for a largely Jewish group of prominent alumni who felt the school wasn’t adequately protecting Jewish students. They campaigned both behind the scenes and publicly for the president and chairman to step down, threatening to withhold millions of dollars if the leadership stayed in place. They borrowed a playbook from the business world, approaching the typically genteel world of higher education like activist investors. 

It worked. 

Maharal was opposed to Shulchan Aruch?

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch#cite_note-15

It was recently claimed incorrectly that the Maharal was opposed to the Shulchan Aruch. He was opposed only to poskening without knowing the source of the ruling and the background in the Talmud. A similar claim was made against Rambam. This was and is  widespread belief. The Shulchan Aruch is not to be used in a mechanical fashion but requires a talmid chachom. Just as one does not rely mechanically on Soncino or Artscroll for a definitive understanding

Criticism by Karo's contemporaries[edit]

Following its initial appearance, many rabbis criticised the appearance of this latest code of Jewish law, echoing similar criticisms of previous codes of law.

Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel[edit]

Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel (known as "Maharal", 1520–1609) wrote:

To decide halakhic questions from the codes without knowing the source of the ruling was not the intent of these authors. Had they known that their works would lead to the abandonment of Talmud, they would not have written them. It is better for one to decide on the basis of the Talmud even though he might err, for a scholar must depend solely on his understanding. As such, he is beloved of God, and preferable to the one who rules from a code but does not know the reason for the ruling; such a one walks like a blind person.^[15]

Zara pulls advert from website front page after Gaza boycott calls

 https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/zara-pulls-advert-website-front-page-after-gaza-boycott-calls-2023-12-11/

Zara pulled an advertising campaign featuring mannequins with missing limbs and statues wrapped in white from the front page of its website and app on Monday after it prompted calls by some pro-Palestine activists for a boycott of the fashion retailer.

Inditex (ITX.MC), which owns Zara, said the change was part of its normal procedure of refreshing content. It did not comment on the boycott calls, but said the "Atelier" collection was conceived in July and the photos were taken in September. The war between Israel and Hamas began after Oct. 7

One in five young Americans believes the Holocaust is a myth, poll finds

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/one-in-five-young-americans-believes-the-holocaust-is-a-myth-poll-finds/

One-fifth of US citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the Holocaust is a myth, according to a new poll from the Economist/YouGov.

The poll was conducted between December 2 and December 5, and among other issues, examined the beliefs held by US citizens on Israel, Jewish people and the Holocaust.

In response to the statement “The Holocaust is a myth,” 20 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 29 said that they agreed with it, and an additional 30% said that they did not agree or disagree

The Hamas Leader Who Studied Israel’s Psyche—and Is Betting His Life on What He Learned

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-yahya-sinwar-israel-palestinian-hostages-6407dc41?mod=hp_trending_now_article_pos3

When Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was imprisoned in Israel more than a decade ago, he explained to an Israeli official a theory now central to the war in Gaza. 

Sinwar said that what Israel considers its strength—that most Israelis serve in the army and soldiers hold a special status in society—is a weakness that can be exploited, said Yuval Bitton, who spent time with Sinwar as the former head of the Israel Prison Service’s intelligence division

SEGULOS FOR PARNASSAH

 https://betterthanasegulah.org/free-services/segulos/segulos-for-parnassah/#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20segulah%20for%20parnassah%20to%20establish%20for%20oneself,then%20afterward%20daven%20for%20parnassah.

A chassid once came to the Ruzhiner Rebbe and complained, “For years I have been having special kavannah during Kedushah of the Yamim Noraim, as this is said to be a segulah for wealth, but I am still as poor as ever.”

The Ruzhiner Rebbe answered the man, “This segulah is for one who has this kavannah only during Kedushah, while during the rest of the tefillah he doesn’t think about money. But you – the only thing you think about during the entire davening is money, money, money!”

Were the Hashmonoim chareidi - or Why do we celebrate Chanukah?

 Rav Tzadok says the main miracle was the war against the Greeks not the menorah

Why did the Chashmonoim not have bitachon that the Greeks would lose without war? Why did they assimilate and illegally become kings?(Ramban)

Israel Gaza war: UPenn loses $100m donation after House testimony

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67655910

The founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, Mr Stevens told the university that its "permissive approach" to those calling for violence against Jewish people "would violate any policies or rules that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on religion, including those of Stone Ridge"

Senate Republicans block Ukraine and Israel aid bill

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67637679

Senators - including every single Republican - voted 51 to 49 against advancing the bill, with 60 votes needed. The vote throws uncertainty into the future of aid for Ukraine and sends lawmakers back to the negotiating table with just days to go until Congress has scheduled winter break.

What kind of monster finds it ‘unacceptable’ to demand babies be freed?

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/381529

On Monday, Albanese responded to a tweet by former State Department official Dennis Ross, who wrote: "The suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is real. Why not call on Hamas to release all hostages and agree to have its leaders leave Gaza. They could save Palestinians from paying a further price. Real support for Palestinians should produce such a call. Isn’t it time for that?"

The Special Rapporteur wrote in response: "Regrettably, this sounds like: - putting the onus to end the carnage in Gaza on the Palestinians, including those being slaughtered in Gaza; - justifying and deflecting the attention from the atrocities committed by the Israeli army in Gaza. Unacceptable."

After Artscroll, agunah advocates eye NY yeshiva

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-artscroll-agunah-advocates-eye-ny-yeshiva/

 Now, Dodelson’s supporters are calling the Staten Island Yeshiva to ask for Weiss’s removal — a difficult request for a yeshiva run by his mother’s family. As an additional step, supporters are being encouraged via Facebook to work to disinvite the yeshiva’s head from guest appearances at local synagogues. Supporters have already contacted a Highland Park, New Jersey, synagogue that is expected to host Feinstein this Saturday night, asking it to withdraw its invitation to Feinstein.