FBI Informant in Hunter Biden Case Left Trail of Broken Promises

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/informant-charged-with-lying-about-bidens-flaunted-fbi-ties-for-financial-gain-fcf86af2?mod=hp_lead_pos8

Born in Soviet Ukraine, Smirnov spent years in Israel before moving to the U.S. in 2006, where he drew on his international contacts and bounced between business ventures as he fed information to the FBI, according to the Journal’s review. Prosecutors said that on several occasions, Smirnov was authorized by the FBI to engage in criminal activity as part of a continuing investigation.

A dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, Smirnov spent 16 years in Los Angeles before moving in recent years to Las Vegas, where his girlfriend in 2022 bought a high-rise apartment for $1.4 million—after he had wired her nearly twice that, prosecutors said.

Smirnov carved out a role for himself raising money for fledgling companies, connecting investors to founders in exchange for equity, former associates said. He was an officer of at least four businesses, the Journal’s review found. All of them have since closed.

Michigan Democratic Protest Votes Aren’t as Big a Threat to Biden as They Look

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/michigan-democratic-protest-votes-arent-as-big-a-threat-to-biden-as-they-look?ref=home

Finally, there’s Trump, who instituted a ban on travelers from several majority-Muslim countries as one of his first significant acts as president in 2017. If the “uncommitted” vote manages to sufficiently harm Biden in November to return Trump to the White House, he is all but certain to pursue policies harmful to both Arab Americans in the United States and Palestinians fighting for statehood and survival. He has, for example, already promised to deport immigrants who voice support for Hamas at pro-Palestinian protests.

“Unless you actually want Trump back in the White House, your inability to support the only viable alternative to him doesn’t make any rational sense,” the progressive activist Joanne Carducci, who is better known as @JoJoFromJerz on X, where she has nearly a million followers, wrote for The Daily Beast.

In other words, we hear you, Dearborn. We see the suffering in Gaza. But electing Trump again is not the answer to your pain.

Dems Bet a Vote Against Biden in Michigan Now Will Move Him on Israel and Save Him Later

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/dems-bet-a-vote-against-biden-in-michigan-now-will-move-him-on-israel-and-save-him-later?ref=home

If the activists are wrong—which veteran Michigan pollster Bernie Porn fears they may be—“the Listen to Michigan effort could well help to give the election to Trump.”

“It is possible that Biden may have already lost the election,” Porn said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

If Listen to Michigan organizers aren’t careful, he said, “they could be playing a very dangerous game that could hand the election over to Trump, mostly because of Biden’s age, which will make life for civilians in Gaza even more difficult, which is hard to believe but indeed possible.”

In short, it’s a risky electoral gambit. (The February EPIC-MRA poll found that 53 percent of Michigan voters support a ceasefire.)

Whose Blood Is Redder

 https://etzion.org.il/en/talmud/studies-gemara/talmudic-methodology/mai-chazit-whose-blood-redder

These different approaches in explaining mai chazit yield an interesting nafka mina: Would yeihareig ve-al ya'avor apply to a sin performed passively?  One of the Ba'alei Tosafot (Rivam) adopts an opinion (cited in several Tosafot in shas - Ketubot 3b and Sanhedrin 74b) that if a woman remains completely passive, she has no obligation to surrender her life to avoid giluy arayot.  As the very source of yeihareig ve-al ya'avor stems from the logic of mai chazit in the case of retzicha, passive involvement is not included in this principle.  I cannot ACTIVELY murder since his blood might be redder.  But by similar logic, if I am completely passive (for example, I allow myself to be thrown onto another person whereby he will be crushed), I cannot refuse, since my blood might indeed be redder than his.  The paralysis which results from the inability to evaluate forces me to withdraw from any active decision.  If the murder will be executed without my active contribution, the logic of mai chazit disappears and yeihareig ve-al ya'avor no longer applies.

‘Uncommitted’ Voters Must Accept Trump Is Much, Much Worse Than Biden

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/uncommitted-voters-must-accept-trump-is-much-much-worse-than-biden?ref=home?ref=home

I have a question for the roughly 100,000 “uncommitted” voters in Michigan—do you want Donald Trump back in the White House?

Kiddush Hashem

 https://etzion.org.il/en/talmud/seder-nezikin/massekhet-sanhedrin/kiddush-hashem

The Rishonim's discussion of this halakha gives rise to two possible approaches to the halakha's conceptual basis.  One approach claims that the particular severity of the three cardinal sins does not allow for their cancellation, even by the specter of death. Whereas, generally, the Torah's laws give way to the overriding concern of pikuach nefesh, these three sins are so principal that they obtain even under these extenuating circumstances and cannot be overridden by pikuach nefesh. Alternatively, we might view these aveirot as fundamentally similar to ordinary aveirot, in that extenuating conditions of pikuach nefesh override the aveira proper. However, a separate injunction to sanctify Hashem's name requires the surrender of life even at the cost of death. A person yields his life not because he must avoid the particular aveira - that issur has already been cancelled by the extenuating conditions – but rather to perform the mitzva of glorifying Hashem's name by publicizing our love for Him and our willingness to prioritize that love over our own lives.

Kiddush Hashem: The obligation to sanctify God’s Name

 https://outorah.org/p/6474/

The reasons those three mitzvos are the ones for which we must die are as follows: (1) Murder – logically, why is my life more important than another person’s? (That goes both ways. If lost in the desert with a canteen, I can’t sacrifice myself by giving it away to another person because who says his life is more important than mine?) (2) Adultery/incest – the Torah compares the rape of a betrothed maiden to murder (Deut. 22:26), from which we derive that illicit relations are equally prohibited, even under coercion. (3) Idolatry – if we’re talking about the choice of desecrating vs. sanctifying God’s Name, what could be more of an issue than whether or not to bow down to a hunk of stone?

The reason for this mitzvah is that we are only here because of God. He should be the end-all and be-all of our lives. We should work hard to reflect well upon him and be willing to turn in those lives when necessary, such as if under compulsion to violate one of the cardinal sins.

On Being a Kiddush Hashem

 https://aish.com/on-being-a-kiddush-hashem/

The Rambam, based on the Talmud, says the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem is fulfilled when a person is placed in a situation where they have to give up their life for the sake of God. We know there is the sacrosanct Torah principle of pikuach nefesh, which means in order to save a life virtually all of the commandments are set aside. But there are exceptions. If one of the three “cardinal” sins – idolatry, murder and sexual immorality – is involved, then a person must give up their life rather than transgress them. And, actually, during a period in which the Jewish people and the Jewish way of life is under systemised attack, it is a great mitzvah to give one’s life for the cause, even under other circumstances. In fact, this is the ultimate expression of kiddush Hashem; a brave declaration of total dedication, love and trust, a visceral demonstration that there is nothing more important than living in accordance with God’s values and with our ultimate purpose in life.

Why is ribis prohibited

 Alschech (Devarim 23:20) Don’t charge interest  - The reason for the prohibition of the ribis, the Sages said that a trangressor of this prohibition is a disbeliever in the G-d of Israel and the redemption from Egypt because ribis shows a disbelief in Divine providence, and indicates he thinks that success and profit  are natural, or according to mazel.

Biden Wins Michigan Democratic Primary, With ‘Uncommitted’ in Second Place

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/in-michigan-primary-uncommitted-is-a-protest-vote-22915829?mod=hp_lead_pos2

Democratic voters in heavily Arab-American suburbs of Detroit and elsewhere chose “uncommitted” on the ballot in protest of Biden’s foreign policy. With 50% of the ballots in, Biden has 375,280 votes, 80.8%, compared with 62,238 for uncommitted, 13.4%, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for Biden as the polls closed. In 2016, Trump won Michigan’s electoral votes by just shy of 11,000 votes more than Hillary Clinton. Biden won the state in 2020 by some 154,000 votes.

Michigan is home to the largest percentage of Arab-Americans in the U.S., many concentrated in Dearborn, represented in Congress by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the lone Palestinian-American member of Congress. She and the city’s Arab-American mayor have backed the “uncommitted” protest.

Bitachon is far past events

 Igros Moshe (YD 4:37:19) Even though a person has an obligation to have bitachon in G d and not worry about what will be tomorrow, that applies to his attitude concerning what has already happened. In such a case he shouldn’t lose his trust in G d since everything is from Him and He provides for everyone - He will surely send appropriate sustenance to the person and his family. In fact, however, a person must obtain a livelihood, food and all his needs as well as those of his wife and family not just for a single day but also for a long time by agriculture or business…

Chazon Ish (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.

‘Yissachar – Zevulan’ Arrangements

https://torah.org/learning/business-halacha-5757-vol3no15/

A “Yissachar – Zevulun” relationship is an actual partnership between a person who studies Torah and someone who financially supports him in this endeavor. In other words, the “Zevulun”, who spends his day involved in business, gives “Yissachar”, who studies Torah, half of the profits that he receives from all business activities that he is involved in from the time that they made this agreement, even if this will amount to a large sum of money. In return, “Zevulun” receives half of the reward that “Yissachar” deserves for his Torah study. In heaven it is considered just as if “Zevulun” himself had studied this Torah. 

How is this related to Bitachon?

Is Astology prohibited?

 Maharal (Shabbos 156a): Pesachim (113b) says it is prohibited to consult with an astrologer because of the verse be tamim with your G d. 

Maharal (Shabbos 156a): The prohibition of consulting with an astrologer is going to ask one but there is nothing wrong with studying astrology. Someone who knows astrology should utilize this knowledge to protect himself since G d made them to have influence. Thus the only prohibition is asking them not utilizing this information. 

Pesachim (113b) How do we know that you must not consult astrologers? Because it is said: Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the lord thy God.

Shulchan Aruch (YY 179) We do not make inquiries to astrological seers, nor to the fates. [Comment of Rema: Because it is said, "You must be wholehearted with the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 18:13) (B"Y citing Tosafot (???) and citing Sifrei) And certainly it is prohibited to make inquiries to magicians, diviners, and sorcerers. (Piskei Mahara"i 96)]

Netziv (Devarim 18:14): According to our explanation of Temimos as feeling completely secure and not worrying, why does the Torah recommend that one should be temimos and not go to astrologers but yet should consult instead the prophets about the future? The answer is that in general a person’s conduct in this world should be with simple trust in G-d  and not to investigate the future - …. Nevertheless at a time of war when it is not clear what to do and it is a life threatening situations one must search to know what to do. … However it is obvious that at a time when there is no prophet it is necessary to use divination techniques….However not everything that an individual wants to know can he receive answers from a prophet. We see even for Moshe Rabbeinu (Moed Koton 16) that he only learned of the negative comments of Dasan and Aviram because of the messenger but not from his powers of prophecy. So surely this limitation on knowledge is true of other prophets. … .In contrast there is no such limitation for magic and divination which is the result of hidden natural processes and when someone uses them to know that which he needs he is merely using these natural processes which were produced by G-d .

Or HaChaim (Devarim 18:14): Jews were given prophets so that they would not be in an inferior to non Jews in terms of knowing the future. Perhaps that was Shaul’s understanding when he made inquiries of a diviner (Shmuel I 28:7) because G-d  did not prohibit using diviners except when there are prophets. However when there are no prophets and there is a need to know diviners can be consulted.

GOP Senator Slams Republicans For Conspiring To Trash Border Deal

 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-lankford-border-deal_n_65b7a71ce4b077c17ab5e608?d_id=7236948&ncid_tag=tweetlnkushpmg00000016&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=us_politics

Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” asked Lankford why he would want to let Biden take a victory lap in an election year, and she repeated GOP claims that the proposed measures would still let in many immigrants.

Lankford, the GOP’s lead negotiator, said the bill is focused on preventing all illegal crossings with no amnesty, Mediaite reported.

He chastised his fellow Republicans in Congress for potentially sabotaging action on a central concern for the GOP and its voters, and hinted at the hypocrisy of it.

“It’s definitely not going to let a bunch of people in,” Lankford said. “It’s focused on actually turning people around on it. It is interesting ― Republicans four months ago would not give funding for Ukraine, for Israel and for our southern border because we demanded changes in policy. So we actually locked arms together and said, ‘We’re not going to give you money for this. We want a change in law.’ And now it’s interesting, a few months later, when we’re finally getting to the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, just kidding. I actually don’t want a change in law because it’s a presidential election year.’”