Ruach Chaim (Avos 1:14) He used to say If I am not for myself who will be for me? You should know that the yetzer harah blinds the eyes of a person by saying constantly to him “How can you be involved in Torah study since it is required to earn a living for the sake of your wife and children especially at the present time when the burden of earning a living is extremely heavy, While that in truth is the blinding advice of the evil inclination. In reality our Sages tell us that before the baby is formed it has already been decreed whether he will be rich or poor and this is typically for his entire life. Furthermore on each individual year it is decreed from Rosh Hashanna what wealth he will receive. Therefore all his efforts will not get for him more than has been decreed and in fact he will get his portion with minimal effort. In contrast his accomplishment in Torah is proportional to his effort. Thus the Mishna is saying regarding Torah If I am not for myself who will be for me? That is because It all depends on me. In contrast the Mishna continues that regarding this world if I rely totally on myself than what am I
Monday, February 19, 2024
Donald Trump Places Last in New 'Presidential Greatness' Rankings
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-places-last-new-presidential-greatness-rankings-1871043
At the bottom of the rankings, Trump received the lowest rating with a 10.92 average, behind James Buchanan at No. 44 with 16.71, Andrew Johnson at No. 43 with 21.56, Franklin Pierce at No. 42 with 24.6, William Henry Harrison at No. 41 with 26.01 and Warren Harding at No. 40 with 27.76, according to the Presidential Greatness Project.
The survey also ranked Trump as the "most polarizing" U.S. President.
Why did Noach build Ark?
Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 6:15) You may be inclined to ask that seeing G-d was able to save all these people and animals by working a miracle, why did He bother to command Noach to spend 120 years of his life to build the Ark altogether? Surely, G-d had a number of other alternatives once He had decided to invoke miracles! For instance, He could have enabled the people and animals who were meant to survive to walk on water, or some other miracle not involving 120 years of Noach’s time. The answer to such questions is that the Torah always instructs man to do all in his power to achieve his objective by natural means. If, for reasons beyond his control, man cannot complete his task, G-d will supply the amount of miracle needed to bring man’s deserving endeavor to a successful conclusion. If you will examine other miracles reported in the Torah you will always find that though G-d intervened in the most miraculous manner, there were always elements in what happened which were based on the laws of nature being made full use of.
Presidential experts rank Biden 14th among presidents in survey, Trump comes in last
In a recent survey conducted by a panel of experts specializing in the American presidency, President Biden was ranked 14th-best president, while his likely 2024 presidential opponent former President Donald Trump found himself at the bottom of the list.
The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey which was conducted from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, included current and recent members of the Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, which is the foremost organization of social science experts in presidential politics.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
The GOP’s 2024 Campaign Message Is Falling Apart
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-gops-2024-campaign-message-is-falling-apart?ref=home?ref=home
Ever since Joe Biden took the White House, Republicans have seemed to know exactly how they were going to toss him out.
The plan was simple: Hammer Biden on two of his greatest weaknesses—the economy, and immigration.
By the time the 2024 general election rolls around, the GOP will have spent years showing voters how inflation was out of control, how the economy was better under Donald Trump, and how America was safer with Trump and the GOP’s more restrictive border policies. That was how Republicans would take back the White House, seize the Senate, and pad their light majority in the House.
Less than nine months out from Election Day, however, Republicans are now confronting the reality that none of those messages may work—because none of them may be true.
Nikki Haley Finally Hits Trump Right in the Putin
https://www.thedailybeast.com/nikki-haley-finally-hits-trump-right-in-the-putin
Responding to Navalny’s death, Haley tweeted: “Putin did this. The same Putin who Donald Trump praises and defends. The same Trump who said: ‘In all fairness to Putin, you’re saying he killed people. I haven’t seen that.’”
She followed that statement with another message: “Putin murdered his political opponent and Trump hasn’t said a word after he said he would encourage Putin to invade our allies”—a reference to Trump’s recent comments inviting Russia to attack NATO allies who haven’t paid up.
Trump launches sneaker line a day after judge’s order to pay nearly $355 million
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/17/politics/trump-sneakers-pay-millions-new-york-trial/index.html
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a sneaker line, a day after he and his companies were ordered by a judge to pay nearly $355 million in his New York civil fraud trial.
The former president unveiled “Trump Sneakers” at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia. He placed a pair of gold sneakers, which a new website has listed for $399 and named the “NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER,” on the podium as he spoke.
“This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years, and I think it’s going to be a big success,” said Trump, who is marching closer toward the 2024 Republican nomination and a potential rematch with President Joe Biden.
Imam recites Quran at Belgian parliament, calling for killing, kidnapping of Jews
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787452
An Imam at the Belgian parliament last week began reciting a verse from the Quran that explicitly calls on Muslims to kill and take Jews captive.
The Quran excerpt is verse 33:26 from the Al-Ahzab Surah (chapter). It translates to, “ And He brought down those from the People of the Book who supported the enemy alliance from their own strongholds, and cast horror into their hearts. You ‘believers’ killed some, and took others captive.”
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Child abuse scandal rattles Orban’s image as defender of ‘family values’
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has for years told his country its children are under attack from deviant sexualities and pedophilia. Now, his government is embroiled in a scandal after it emerged that its president had pardoned a man convicted of covering up sexual abuse at a children’s home.
President Katalin Novak, Orban’s loyal but largely impotent ally, resigned last Saturday amid public furor over her decision in April 2023 to pardon the deputy director of a children’s home who had helped to cover up the abuse of underaged boys. She said she made a “mistake” in “believing that the convict did not exploit the vulnerability of children whom he had overseen.”
Takeaways from the $355 million civil fraud ruling against Donald Trump
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/16/politics/takeaways-donald-trump-fraud-ruling/index.html
Judge Arthur Engoron hit Donald Trump with his biggest punishment to date on Friday, in a ruling that fined the former president $355 million for fraudulently inflating the values of his properties.
Combined with the $83 million judgment issued against Trump for defaming E. Jean Carroll, that means Trump has been fined roughly $438 million over the past four weeks.
Torah is not Inherited
Nedarim (81a) Be on guard against scabs; take good care to study in company and be heedful not to neglect the children of the poor, for from them Torah goeth forth, as it is written, The water shall flow out of his buckets meaning, from the poor amongst them goeth forth Torah. And why is it not usual for scholars to give birth to sons who are scholars? — Said R. Joseph, That it might not be maintained, The Torah is their legacy. R. Shisha, the son of R. Idi, said: That they should not be arrogant towards the community. Mar Zutra said: Because they act high-handedly against the community. R. Ashi said: Because they call people asses. Rabina said: Because they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah. For Rab Judah said in Rab's name: What is meant by, Who is the wise man, that he may understand this. . . for what is the land destroyed etc.? Now, this question was put to the Sages, Prophets, and Ministering Angels, but they could not answer it, until the Almighty Himself did so, as it is written, And the Lord said, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein: but is not ‘have not obeyed my voice’ identical with, ‘neither walked therein’? — Rab Judah said in Rab's name: It means that they did not first recite a benediction over the Torah.
Rule Exception or Precedent
Sanhedrin (74a) If one pursuer was pursuing another pursuer in order to save him, i.e., if he was trying to save the person being pursued by killing the pursuer, and while doing so he broke vessels belonging either to the pursuer or to the one being pursued, or to anyone else, he is exempt from paying for them. The Gemara comments: This is not by strict law, as if one who saves himself at another’s expense is liable to pay for the damage, certainly one who saves another at the expense of a third party should bear similar liability.
This is also mentioned in bava Kamma without mention of Takkana
Bava Kamma (117b) And with regard to a pursuer who was chasing after another pursuer in order to save the latter’s intended victim, and he broke vessels during the chase, whether they belonged to the pursued individual, i.e., the individual attempting murder, or to anyone else, he is exempt from payment. The Gemara notes: And this is not the halakha by Torah law, but if you do not say so, you will not have any person that saves another from a pursuer.
Shulchan Aruch (M 380) doesnt say there is a takkanah
ואחד שרדף אחר הרודף להציל את הנרדף ושבר כלים בין של רודף בין של כל אדם פטור כדי שלא יבואו מלימנע מלהציל את הנרדף:
While the gemora and Shulchan Aruch simply note that we ignore the halacha in this case the Rambam asserts there is a Rabbinic decree to ignore the Torah rule in this case. None of the comentaries mention this assertion of the Rambam
Rambam (Chovel Umazick 8:14) (When a person pursues a rodef to save the person he is pursuing, and in so doing breaks utensils - whether those belonging to the rodef or those belonging to another person - he is not liable. This does not follow the letter of the law, but is a Rabbinic ordinance, enacted so that a person will not refrain from trying to save his colleague, or will hesitate and proceed carefully while he chases after the rodef.
רודף אחר רודף להצילו ושיבר את הכלים בין של רודף בין של נרדף בין של כל אדם פטור ולא מן הדין שאם אי אתה אומר כן נמצא אין לך כל אדם שמציל את חבירו מיד הרודף:
Friday, February 16, 2024
Renowned Lizard Fossil Exposed as Forgery
https://www.newsweek.com/lizard-fossil-forgery-tridentinosaurus-antiquus-1870372
New analysis has found, however, that the fossil is actually black paint on a carved piece of stone surrounding a few fossilized bones, according to a paper in the journal Palaeontology.
"The peculiar preservation of Tridentinosaurus had puzzled experts for decades. Now, it all makes sense. What it was described as carbonized skin, is just paint," paper co-author Evelyn Kustatscher, a paleontologist at the Museum of Nature South Tyrol, said in a statement.
