‘Beyond Crazy’: The Liberal Jew Mugged by a Post-Oct. 7 World

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/04/delphine-horvilleur-antisemitism-france-00133462

Of the calls she has gotten from her congregants since Oct. 7, many are from mixed couples in distress. Jewish spouses say their non-Jewish partners don’t get the trauma they’re going through and sometimes dismiss it as “a kind of Jewish hysteria.” From the non-Jewish spouse, she hears some version of, “When we got married, he or she wasn’t that Jewish.” That identity, “that Jewish marker has become so central,” Horvilleur adds. “They had no idea that Jewish history was so present in their beloved’s life. There is a deep consciousness of fragility.”

The Comeback of “SimpleFaith”: The Ultra-OrthodoxConcept of Faith andIts Development in theNineteenth Century

 https://www.academia.edu/36068205/The_Comeback_of_Simple_Faith_The_Ultra_Orthodox_Concept_of_Faith_and_Its_Development_in_the_Nineteenth_Century_English_

At the end of the eighteenth century, and especially in the nineteenthcentury, a swift and astounding process took place, wherein a shift occurred inthe belief values of Central and Eastern European Jewry. In rapid succession,Kabbalah lost its centuries-old hegemony over the Jewish spiritual world, andits vacated place was occupied by simple faith. Note that from this stage onward,simple faith became a religious ideal of Judaism and no longer a compromise—

Bitachon that everything that happens is good

 The Chazon Ish, i(Ha-emuna Ve-ha-bittachon, beginning of chapter 2). . . an old error has become rooted in the hearts of many concerning the concept of trust. Trust . . . has come to mean that a person is obligated to believe that whenever he is presented with two possible outcomes, one good and one not, then certainly it will turn out for the good. And if he has doubts and fears the worst, that constitutes a lack of trust. 

This view of trust is incorrect, for as long as the future outcome has not been clarified through prophecy, that outcome has not been decided, for who can truly know God’s judgments and providence? Rather, trust means realizing that there are no coincidences in the world, and that whatever happens under the sun is a function of God’s decree.

Bitachon: Rav Lichtenstein

 https://etzion.org.il/en/philosophy/great-thinkers/harav-aharon-lichtenstein/bittachon-trust-god

The Ramban’s conclusion is forceful and unmistakable:

When God is pleased with a person’s conduct, he has no need of physicians.

            The Ramban’s approach so disturbed Rav Chayim Soloveitchik that he was inclined to believe that the offending words were not the work of the Ramban at all, but rather an interpolation by a later copyist! 

Harvard taps Jewish provost who lamented school’s failure to denounce Hamas as interim president

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/harvard-taps-jewish-provost-who-lamented-schools-failure-to-denounce-hamas-as-interim-president/

Harvard has named its provost and professor Alan Garber as its interim president following the resignation of Claudine Gay.

Gay stepped aside yesterday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over her testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.

Gerber, who is Jewish, teaches courses on healthcare policy, economics, public policy, health policy and management at various Harvard schools and departments.

Mother and uncle of a US serviceman are rescued from Gaza in secret operation

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/mother-and-uncle-of-a-us-serviceman-are-rescued-from-gaza-in-secret-operation/#:~:text=Ragi%20A.%20Sckak%2C%2024%2C,on%20the%20ground%20in%20Gaza.

The mother and American uncle of a US service member are safe outside of Gaza after being rescued from the fighting in a secret operation coordinated by the US, Israel, Egypt and others, a US official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

It is the only known operation of its kind to extract American citizens and their close family members during the months of devastating ground fighting and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The vast majority of people who have made it out of northern and central Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt fled south in the initial weeks of the war. An escape from the heart of the Palestinian enclave through intense combat has become far more perilous and difficult since.

Going to new country can improve one's fortune

 Or HaChaim (Bereishis (12:01) Although man's success in this world does not depend on the amount of effort he invests in his material progress as we know from Psalms 75,7: "for what lifts a man comes not from the east or the west or the wilderness of hills;" our sages say that every time the word mountains appears in the Bible it means mountains except in this instance. In Psalms 75,7 the word describes a spiritual uplift. This comment of our sages notwithstanding, the fact that a change of one's physical environment brings in its wake an improvement in one's fortune is not to be ignored. This was why G'd commanded Abraham specifically to leave his country. 

Cheating in business shows lack of faith

 Netziv (Devarim 25:17): However a person who uses false weights doesn’t do it from lust. He does it because of a lack of faith in G d who feeds and sustains through Providence according to one’s deeds. Thus the sin of false weights is an aspect of idol worship. Therefore the sages said that the sin of false weights - even though it is just an aspect of idol worship and is far from being outright heresy. Nevertheless it is more severe than lust which produces sexual immorality. This is because a lack of faith is difficult to repent and because it is relevant to G d’s honor. Now how does all this relate to Amalek and the astounding fact that doubts arose in their hearts despite having witnessed so many miracles? We have explained that they had doubts that G d was with them in nature after the miracles ended. Because they had a lack of faith in G d  - Amalek came. The sin of false weights is used as an example of lack of faith.

Torah Study - getting paid?

 Igros Moshe (Y.D. 2:116): Concerning the matter of Torah scholars who want to engage in Torah study and advance in their knowledge of Torah – both quantitatively and qualitatively – and they therefore receive payment from kollel for their livelihood. This also applies to rabbis and teachers who take pay as well as roshei yeshivos. Question: Is their taking money correct or not. Is it an act of piety not to take the money and they should rather support themselves with other jobs? Answer: There is no question that they are acting correctly. This is the ruling of the Rema (Y.D. 246:21) that even a healthy person is allowed. It is permitted for a scholar and his students to receive payments from that which is given in order to strengthen the learning of Torah – because this enables them to study Torah properly. Furthermore the Shach (Y.D. 246:20) also cites the Kesef Mishna who rules similarly - even if you wish to say that this is not the view of the Rambam – because all the scholars prior to the Rambam and afterwards take payment from the community. 

Nearly 17,000 people may have died from hydroxychloroquine

 https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4389800-hydroxychloroquine-deaths-study/

Nearly 17,000 people across six countries may have died because they took hydroxychloroquine (HQC) during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020, according to a new analysis published by French researchers. 

Parnossa - relying on miracles is prohibited

 Igros Moshe (OH 2:111): We see clearly from the gemora that it is prohibited to depend on a miracle to provide livelihood without us doing any action or having an occupation. Even though it is necessary to know that all the profit which comes from working or business is only from G d according to what was fixed on Rosh HaShanna - but this is only when we have some occupation or business dealings. This necessity for effort is stated in the Torah “by the sweat of your brow you will eat bread” and is discussed at the end of Kiddushin. Even according R’ Nehorai who only taught his son Torah and not a trade - indicating that there is no need to teach a trade to one’s son - agrees that one cannot rely on a miracle. His view is that the majority of people cannot learn Torah and a trade at the same time while young. Thus his position is that when a person is an adult, G d will provide him some way of earning a living and supporting his family - even if he didn’t learn a trade while a child. However as an adult even R’ Nehorai would agree that it is prohibited to do nothing and rely on a miracle. This understanding is seen in the Rambam who rules like R’ Nehorai that there is no need to teach a trade and rules in Hilchos Talmud Torah (3:10) that it is necessary to have an occupation….

US 'not seeing' acts of Israeli genocide in Gaza

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-780673

The United States doesn’t believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, US officials said on Wednesday as they slammed South Africa’s appeal to the International Court of Justice for a ruling on the matter.

“We find this submission meritless, counterproductive, and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

Gideon Levy: Palestinian prisoners get much worse conditions than hostages in Gaza

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/383101+

“They hold hundreds of Palestinians, handcuffed for weeks and months with their eyes and even this is accepted by Israeli society because they are all Hamas and they all participated in the raping and the killing on the seventh and therefore we have the right to do whatever we want,” claimed Levy.

Message?

 Levi Feller <levifeller1@gmail.com>

7:07 AM (2 hours ago)

to me

Hakoreh Lachaveiro mamzer sofeg es ha'arboyim.