Top Hamas Leader Killed in Suspected Israeli Strike in Beirut

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-fights-on-three-fronts-as-it-debates-how-to-end-gaza-war-1c74c512?mod=trending_now_news_2

A suspected Israeli attack targeted a Hamas gathering in Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least seven members of the Palestinian militant group, including one of its most influential founding members, according to Lebanese and Palestinian security officials, sending shock waves through the Middle East and bringing weekslong hostage negotiations to a halt.

Powerful blasts rocked a Beirut neighborhood early Tuesday evening, killing Saleh al-Arouri, a founder of the Hamas military wing, deputy head of its political bureau and, according to the group, an architect of the group’s Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians. The explosions sent shattered glass and car parts flying through the streets near one of the city’s famed sweet shops.

Harvard President Resigns After Plagiarism Allegations, Campus Antisemitism Backlash

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/harvard-president-claudine-gay-resigns-e52adc44?mod=hp_trending_now_article_pos1

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned from her leadership role Tuesday, capping a dramatic fall from power fueled by both her response to antisemitism on campus and mounting allegations of plagiarism.

The resignation comes after weeks of criticism over her initial response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and early December comments at a House committee hearing that equivocated on whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people violated the campus code of conduct.

Though she had maintained the support of Harvard’s governing body, she also faced escalating external calls to resign over allegations that she failed to properly credit other researchers in her published work.

Claudine Gay, first Black woman president at Harvard, to resign

 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/02/harvard-claudine-gay-resign-00133459

Harvard’s embattled president Claudine Gay announced that she is resigning from her post Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, Gay said “it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”

Divine Providence and the Natural Order (2)

 https://etzion.org.il/en/philosophy/issues-jewish-thought/issues-mussar-and-faith/divine-providence-and-natural-order-2

In the previous shiur, we discussed the theory of the Ramban and the Rambam, who maintain that Divine Providence is not universal. Only the righteous enjoy consistent Divine Providence. Regular people who are not particularly righteous have less Divine Providence, and therefore must fend for themselves within the natural order. The Torah expects us to work for a living, to conscript armies and fight wars, and in general to work in the natural order, because not everyone is on the level at which they enjoy consistent Divine Providence.

Wealth depends on Profession

 Pesachim (113a) R. Papa said: If I were not a beer manufacturer I would not have become wealthy. Others say, R. Hisda said: If I were not a beer manufacturer, I would not have become wealthy. 

Skills and crafts - where did they come from?

 Radak (Bereishis 4:22) This story teaches us that all crafts and technical skills are not part of the human nature of the early humans that they would automatically realize them by intellectual effort and reasoning. The fact is that each of these humans was born with a different nature and each one was born with a predisposition to a particular skill and craft. They each had a desire to practice that skill and wisdom when they grew up. They naturally and easily acquired that skill much faster than others.

Israel's War on Hamas: How Many Palestinian Deaths Is Too Many?

 https://www.newsweek.com/israels-war-hamas-how-many-palestinian-deaths-too-many-1851121

To try to answer the question of whether so many civilian deaths and injuries are indeed too many—according to legal definitions of proportionality—Newsweek spoke to over a dozen active and retired Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and U.S. military and intelligence officers, all of whom were able to speak more candidly because they were granted anonymity, often in criticizing the conduct of the war. Newsweek also spoke to a number of prominent human rights experts and has reviewed Israeli and American classified data relating to the conflict.

Nazi rockets over Britain and Hamas rockets over Israel: Similarities and Differences

Guest post by RaP    Rocket warfare is frightening and unique, especially when used against civilian populations. As all Israelis have come to know first-hand facing the rocket barrages from Hamas in the south (and from Hezbollah in the north). This type of warfare first came into its own during World War Two (1939-1945) when armies began to deploy the new technology of launching missiles and rockets hurling them with devastating effect at enemies.

Rocket warfare was used by the Russians against the Nazis, the most famous of which was the "katyusha" rockets (also known as "Stalin's organ"). TheUnited States launched mass rocket attacks from US Navy ships against theJapanese. The Nazis used the world's first most precise rockets, the V-1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_rocket and V-2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_rocket , mostly against the British. When their planes could no longer fly far out the Nazis invented the world's first true ballistic sub-sonic and supersonic missiles with sophisticated guidance systems to reach their intended targets with deadly effect. The Iraqis used it against the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq Wars.

Obviously with the Hand of Hashem helping all the way and had Israel not had its "iron dome" ("kipat habarzel') anti-missile systems, something that the British lacked to the misfortune of their own civilians, and had the Hamas people not been so technically incompetent unlike the Nazis who had mastered murder by missiles down to a sick "science", Israeli casualties could very easily have equaled in four weeks what the British suffered in a year, not even talking proportionately just missile for missile Hamas rockets=Nazis rockets!

If the "iron dome" system would not be in existence, and the obvious Hand of God protecting Israel from major harm, then those rockets fired by Hamas would have caused proportionately as much and even greater bomb damage than the Nazi rocket attacks against the British. Like the Nazis, Hamas fires directly on civilian centers in order to terrorize the people. As the Israelis say, while Hamas uses civilians as "shields" to protect their rockets, Israel uses its rockets to protect their own civilians.

If one compares what happened to the British under Nazi rocket attacks to what Israel has had to endure under Hamas rocket attacks the comparisons are frightening as to what could have been but was miraculously averted.

Consider the following, according to Wikipedia: "The first V-1 was launched at London on 13 June 1944...At its peak, more than one hundred V-1s a day were fired at south-east England, 9,521 in total" and casualties were "22,892"!

Then: "Beginning in September 1944, over 3,000 V-2s were launched by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets during the war, mostly London...According to a BBC documentary in 2011, the attacks resulted in the deaths of an estimated 9,000 civilians and military personnel, while 12,000 forced laborers and concentration camp prisoners were killed producing the weapons."

Thus in total over about 13,000 missiles were fired by the Nazis at Britain from 1944 to 1945 and the number of victims was about 32,000, not to mention damage to property.

According to current news reports, prior to the current outbreak of war, Hamas was in possession of a stockpile of at least 10,000 or more sophisticated rockets and missiles of various types and sizes many stored in underground silos ("tunnels") just as the Nazis hid many of their deadly accurate V1s and V2s underground, or on highly mobile launchers, and Hamas

fired most of their stockpile within four weeks.

Had Israel not had its "iron dome" anti-missile systems (something that the British lacked to the misfortune of their own civilians!) and had the Hamas people not been so technically incompetent (unlike the Nazis who had mastered murder by missiles down to a sick "science"), Israeli casualties could very easily have equaled in four weeks what the allies suffered in a year, not even talking proportionately just rocket for rocket and missile for missile!

Israel has a lot to be thankful to Hashem for and many should rightfully be bentching gomel!

Effort is very necessary for all good things

 Pele Yoetz (hishstadlus). Effort is very necessary for all good things whether mundane worldly matters or spiritual matters - even though everything is from G-d. In fact G-d has decreed that according to effort exerted will be the success. This is especially true regarding the great effort needed to be done in order to save the lives of those condemned to death. Many times we have seen or heard about cases where someone could have been saved easily but because of inaction and unwillingness to spend money and the price was raised considerably to possibly save the person from a horrible and painful death and sometimes the opportunity was lost. Therefore, everyone is obligated, especially the rich and famous, to quickly rescue all those that they can at the earliest possibility. It is widely known that the saving of life is a great mitzvah for which the observing of the Torah is displaced and a sefer Torah can be sold and clearly a person is obligated even to spend all his wealth. Our Sages say Saving a single Jew is equivalent to saving the entire world.

Torah study makes you wealthy

 Rav Yaakov Emden)Migdal Oz): You won’t find a person who is engaged in studying Torah for the sake of Heaven who does not become great and wealthy. If you try refuting this with the verse in Koheles (9:11) that “the wise don’t have bread” – that is only referring to secular scholars. It is not referring to those who are accomplished Torah scholars. And this that we find that there are some of our holy scholars who are poor such as Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa…one should not make the mistake and say that they were unable to find a respectful livelihood – rather the reason that they were poor is because they didn’t want to benefit from their status as Torah scholars … This is quite obvious and certain. There is no question that if Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa and his colleagues wanted they could have been wealthy. They also did not want to interrupt their Torah study even for a moment in order to be involved in work or a trade because of their great love and desire for Torah. Therefore it was with their desire and free choice they bore poverty and lovingly accepted their suffering. However if they wanted to benefit then the option of enjoying wealth was always available and if they wanted to they could have avoided suffering. This of course is true only as long as they studied Torah purely for the sake of Heaven which gives merit to many things which are detailed in the 6th chapter of Avos.

Relying totally on bitachon and avoiding the world is not G-d's desire

 Rav Saadiya Gaon (Emuna V’De’os 10:15): Many people say that it is best to totally devote oneself to serving G-d. They view the ideal as to fast during the day and get up at night to praise and give thanks to G-d. In other words they believe that one should withdraw from the world and assume that G-d will provide sustenance, medicine and all other mundane needs. Despite the fact that serving G-d brings great pleasure…, nevertheless an objection must be raised against this approach. The problem is that they advocate exclusive devotion to this activity and not to be engaged in any other. In fact if a person doesn’t concern himself about food his body will not survive. If he weren’t concerned about having children, then that would end all service of G-d. That is because if everyone agreed to this approach, eventually there would be no people left to worship G-d. In fact serving G-d involves parents and their children and grandchildren (Devarim 6:2). Furthermore let me explain the critical issue which has eluded these people. We are obligated to serve G d with all the commandments - both the rational one and the religious statutes (Devarim 10:12–13). How can a hermit fulfill the commandments concerning honest weights and measures (Vayikra 19:36)? How can he fulfill the commandments concerning unbiased judging of civil disputes (Devarim 16:19)? What opportunity does he have to fulfill the commandments concerning what is permitted and forbidden concerning eating meat and the like?…What opportunity does he have to keep the laws of impurity and purity…? Similarly, one can ask about agricultural laws, ma’aser, oaths, charity and other such laws. Perhaps you might argue that it is sufficient that these righteous hermits learn Torah to instruct others how to keep the commandments? However, that would not solve the problem since it would the students who would fulfill the commandments and not the teachers. Furthermore, regarding their assertion that one should have bitachon (trust) that G-d will take of their mundane needs - that is definitely true. However, they are ignoring a critical factor in bitachon. G-d has established the manner in which one attains his needs. If these righteous hermits applied their concept of bitachon to everything - than they logically should have bitachon that G-d will provide for their spiritual needs and should attain the reward in the World to Come without doing the Divine service! Since it is agreed that it is impossible to acquire the spiritual perfection without the Divine worship it is also impossible without being involved in the world and working, getting married and other activities which can perfect man. While it is true that sometimes G-d does take of these things in a miraculous manner without man’s efforts - it is not the normal practice that He changes the order of nature.

Torah learning provides parnossa - sometimes

 Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz (Sichos Mussar 5731 - Bitachon): The Alschich’s students complained that he had told them that one does not need to work but instead should learn full time and have bitachon that G-d would provide all their needs - but it didn’t work. The only one who succeeded by having bitachon was the simple wagon driver. G-d had provided him with a trunk full of gold coins. In contrast the Alschich’s students failed to have their livelihood provided by their attempts at bitachon. The Alschich explained to his students that the approach of relying entirely on bitachon works only for those who have total faith without any doubts at all. Only the simple wagon driver had the pure simple faith needed for the bitachon to work. 

Israel’s Highest Court Strikes Down Controversial Law to Curb Its Power

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israels-highest-court-strikes-down-controversial-law-to-curb-its-power-89430e6e?mod=hp_lead_pos1

In a decision that could have wide repercussions, the court also ruled 12-3 that it has the right to strike down a basic law in “unusual and extreme cases” when it goes against the core principles of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

“This is really an unprecedented decision because it is the first time in the history of the state where the court strikes down a basic law” that is equivalent to a constitutional amendment, said Yaniv Roznai, a law professor at Reichman University in central Israel.

The court had never before struck down one of the basic laws, but had opined in various decisions that it had the authority to do so if the laws would alter the basic democratic character of the country.

G-d doesn't answer the prayers of someone who makes no effort to help himself

 Bava Metzia (75b) There are three who cry out and are not answered, as they are responsible for their own troubles. And they are: One who has money and lends it not in the presence of witnesses, and one who acquires a master for himself, and one whose wife rules over him.  One who acquires a master for himself, what is it? There are those who say that it is referring to one who attributes his property to a gentile. He falsely claims that his possessions belong to a gentile in order to evade his obligations, thereby inviting the gentile to take advantage of this declaration. And there are those who say that it is referring to one who writes a document bequeathing his property as a gift to his children in his lifetime, as he becomes financially dependent on them. And there are those who say that it is referring to one who has bad fortune in this town but does not go to a different town. He is consequently responsible for his own misfortunes.