Friday, February 2, 2024
Former Trump Advisor Praises Joe Biden's Economy: 'I Was Wrong'
https://www.newsweek.com/former-trump-advisor-praises-joe-biden-economy-i-was-wrong-1866232
"Today we learned that the U.S. economy grew 3.1 percent over the past year while adding another 2.7 million jobs, and with core inflation moving back down towards the pre-pandemic benchmark," Biden said in a statement last week. "As a result, wages, wealth, and employment are higher now than they were before the pandemic. That's good news for American families and American workers. That is three years in a row of growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up on my watch."
Commenting on the new GDP data on January 25, Kudlow said: "If I were he, I would be bragging about it too."
Trump campaign donors footed the bill for more than $50M in legal fees last year
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/01/trump-legal-fees-campaign-donations-2023
Former President Trump's political fundraising apparatus spent more than $50 million on legal costs last year as he faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions.
Why it matters: The stunning new campaign finance reports reveal the financial damage the GOP presidential frontrunner has sustained while facing a colliding campaign and courtroom calendar.
The Importance of a Friendly Greeting
https://www.shemayisrael.com/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/The_Importance_of_a_Friendly_Greeting.html
Rabbi Irving Bunim, a noted Torah educator of the 20th century, discusses the importance of initiating a greeting, and he writes:
"There is many a person whose petty conceit will not permit him to recognize anyone unless he is recognized first. The other person must make the first move. This is his way of establishing and maintaining his 'dignity,' he believes. Others will hesitate from a sense of insecurity to be the first to extend a warm greeting to those they meet. They are afraid to give a token of friendship and receive only an icy stare in return. They will therefore insist on waiting until the person they meet takes the 'emotional risk,' while they 'play it safe.' Whatever the reason, such behavior is wrong. Take the initiative, says our Sage. Do not seek a sense of conceit or importance, or an illusion of security, at the expense of another's feelings. Give him a friendly greeting with a warm smile, and inquire, if you will, after his welfare." (Ethics from Sinai - a Commentary on Pirkei Avos by Irving Bunim)
Social Invisibilty
This is an idea proposed in the book the Invisible Man. People who are different are treated as being invisible. socially.
This is experienced by Jews in a population of non-Jews, the elderly in a young population, widows and unmarried in a population of married couples even children of divorced parents become sopcially invisible.. It also applies to people with cancer or other debilitating conditions/ It strongly exacerbates the difficulties the person has by being excluded from personal interactions - even as simply as being not greeted with a simple "good morning" because they are invisible to the typical members of the group. This is described by our Sages as a form of theft - you rob the person of their dignity by not acknowledging their existence.
Simple solution you need to at least acknowledge the existence of everyone you encounter during the day. Including the elderly, the widow, the janitor and sanitation workers. A simple good morning greeting eliminates social invisibility
Berachos (6b)And Rabbi Ḥelbo said that Rav Huna said: One who is aware that another person is accustomed to greet him is not only obligated to return his greeting, but he must greet him first, as it is stated: “Seek peace and pursue it” (Psalms 34:15). If the other person extended his greeting to him and he did not respond, he is called a robber, as it is stated: “It is you who have eaten up the vineyard, the spoils of the poor is in your houses” (Isaiah 3:14). The only way to steal from a pauper who owns nothing is to rob him of his dignity by refusing to return his greeting.
A U.N. Agency Is Accused of Links to Hamas. The Clues Were There All Along.
Besides providing schooling and healthcare, Unrwa maintains streets, sewage and water systems in the sprawling neighborhoods of refugees that it oversees. Israeli officials say that by taking care of such municipal tasks, the U.N. agency freed up Hamas, Gaza’s de facto authority, to expand its terrorist capacities over the years, including construction of an estimated 300 miles of underground tunnels.
Donald Trump's Fundraising Plummets
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-fundraising-election-fec-1865987
Trump's official presidential 2024 campaign reported that it received $19 million between October and December, and ended the year with more than $33 million in available cash, FEC filings show.
This haul is down from the $24.5 million that the Trump campaign reported receiving in the third quarter, which includes July, August and September.
The latest fundraising figure from the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential candidate is also lower that that of President Joe Biden's campaign, which reported receiving $33 million in the fourth quarter and has around $46 million in cash heading into the election year.
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Donald Trump Falsely Suggests He ‘Won’ New York Court Battle
Trump’s response was especially detached from reality.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, that’s been proven as far as I’m concerned. And actually, we won in the Court of Appeals. You probably saw that. That case has been largely won in the Court of Appeals,” he insisted, though nothing like that has happened in either case.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Teaching children about sin
The gemora Shabbos (149b) states that it is allowed to lend money to one's children with interest in order to give them the experience of usury
Shabbos (149b) One may lend to his sons and household on interest, in order to give them experience thereof.
Rashi explains that it is not actually usury since the father owns the money lent and that used to payback
Rashi (Shabbos (149b) to give the experience of usury – so they will know how difficult it is. However since everything belongs to the father it is not actually a sin
GOP Blames Biden for Border Crisis That GOP Refuses to Solve
Republicans are clearly taking their marching orders from Trump at this point, and are counting on voters to punish Democrats for border issues—and just trust that Republicans, if given the opportunity with Trump, would do something about the issue, even if they previously placed politics before policy.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
UNRWA school students in East Jerusalem say 'stabbing Jews brings respect for Palestinians'
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sya3gcxct
In a video from 2022, uncovered amid the current storm over UNRWA due to participation of its employees in the October 7 massacre, watch students at a UN agency's school repeat horrific things they are taught: 'I am ready to carry out a suicide attack'; Education Ministry launches investigation
Here’s Why Donald Trump Doesn’t Have to Register as a Sex Offender
In New York, where the verdict was reached, only those who are incarcerated or on probation or parole may be placed on the sex offender registry. And if you’re hoping that a federal registration requirement kick in, no dice there as well—the offender must have been “convicted” of an offense.
Competition - teachers only use the best teacher!
Bava Batra (21a) If we have a teacher who gets on with the children and there is another who can get on better, we do not replace the first by the second, for fear that the second when appointed will become indolent. R. Dimi from Nehardea, however, held that he would exert himself still more if appointed: the jealousy of scribes increaseth wisdom.
Shulchan Aruch (YD 245:18) If there is a second teacher who is better than the first We replace the first teacher with the second.
Competion in Business- hassagas Gevul
Why are there many halachas against economic competition when at the same time we have the widespread belief that is expressed in the gemora that a person only gets what G-d has decreed?
Yoma (38b): By your name you will be called, to your place you will be restored and from what belongs to you will you be given. No man can touch what is prepared for his fellow and One kingdom does not interfere with the other even to the extent of one hair's breadth.
Bava Basra (21b) If a resident of an alley sets up a handmill and another resident of the alley wants to set up one next to him, the first has the right to stop him, because he can say to him, ‘You are interfering with my livelihood.’ May we say that this view is supported by the following: ‘Fishing nets must be kept away from the hiding-place of a fish which has been spotted by another fisherman the full length of the fish's swim.’ And how much is this? Rabbah son of R. Huna says: A parasang?’ — Fishes are different, because they look about for food.
Chavos Ya'ir (Teshuva 42) King David praises one who does not enter his fellow's trade.(Sanhedrin 81a) David considers this trait a sign of piety precisely because it is technically permitted (as long as one is a local resident). David commends one who refrains from competing with his friend for going beyond the letter of the law.
Divrei Hayyim (CM 56) The custom of prohibiting the purchase of books from any printer who encroached on the rights of another printer "was based on the words of the geonim who preceded us," and was conditional upon a significant rabbinical figure having agreed to the publication by the first printer. He added that this prohibition had acquired the status of a custom, and was therefore valid even if it was contrary to the laws of the Torah.
Igros Moshe (Choshen Mishpat 1:38) A number of congregants of a particular shul formed a ‘breakaway shul,’ whose popularity soon exceeded that of the original shul. Most of the members of the original shul joined the new shul, denying the Rabbi of the original shul the income he had been making from membership fees. The Rabbi in question had bought the shul property some three years prior, and the breakaway shul had caused him serious financial harm.In spite of the congregants’ claim that the liturgy of the original shul confused them, and that it was hard for them to cope with the Rabbi’s angry outbursts, Rav Moshe rules that the congregants were not allowed to break away from the shul. Citing from the Chasam Sofer and the Aviasaf, he explains that the severity of the prohibition of cutting off somebody’s income cannot be offset by the congregant’s claims. It is important to note that a number of congregants did remain in the original shul, and therefore the income of the Rabbi was not entirely ruined. Nonetheless, Rav Moshe writes that “because the congregation has become so small, so that the income is insufficient for his needs… this is certainly a prohibited case of ruining another’s income.”
Nida (52b) Job blasphemed with the mention of tempest and he was answered with a tempest. He blasphemed with the mention of tempest, saying to Him, Sovereign of the world, perhaps a tempest has passed before Thee, and caused Thee to confuse "Job" with "enemy"? He was answered with a tempest: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said to him, Most foolish man, I have created many hairs in a man's head and for every hair I have created a separate follicle, so that two should not suck from the same follicle, for if two were to suck from the same follicle they would impair the sight of man.
Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos Ve-Hanhagos 1:800) It is permitted for somebody to open a rival restaurant next to an already existing restaurant . However, if prices are much lower than those of the rival restaurant, so that the existing restaurant will be unable to compete, it would be forbidden to lower prices, and drive the existing restaurant out of business. The prohibition will not apply when only a number of items are sold at the lower price.
Sanhedrin (81a) What is meant by, neither hath defiled his neighbor's wife, indicating that he did not competitively enter his neighbour's profession;
Shelah (Shavuos 183:2).: "It is a great principle to report sayings in the name of those who said them, and not to steal sayings from those who said them, for such theft is worse than stealing money… How great, in my eyes, is the sin of a person who cites an interpretation that has been published in a book, or which he has heard, and fails to mention the name of the original maker or writer of the interpretation"
Sifrei (Devarim 188) "You shall not move back (into his own land, thus broadening your own, the boundary marker of your neighbor." Is it not already written "You shall not rob"? What, then, is the intent of the above? We are hereby taught that one who removes his neighbor's boundary marker transgresses two negative commandments. I might think (that the same holds true) also outside of Eretz Yisrael; it is, therefore, written "in your inheritance that you shall inherit in the land." In Eretz Yisrael one transgresses two negative commandments. Outside of it he transgresses only one.
Tosefta (Nidda 2:7) Marrying a pregnant woman or one nursing another person’s child is prohibited because of hassagat gevul
Yerushalmi (Sotah 4:3) A man should not marry a woman pregnant by another man or nursing another man’s child, but if he did marry her, the verse says about him: “Do not remove the eternal boundaries and do not enter the orphans’ field.” He who marries a woman pregnant by another man or nursing another man’s child has to divorce her and should never retake her, the words of Rebbi Meĩr, but the Sages say, he may separate from her and take her back later