The world, too quick to blame Israel, should look at the facts

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-804432

Certainly, Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip has not been without its mistakes – far from it. But one thing is clear from even the shortest of closer looks into what happened on Sunday: Israel did not intentionally kill dozens of Palestinian civilians.

The compound where the Hamas leaders were located and ultimately targeted was a couple of hundred meters away from an unsanctioned civilian camp outside of the humanitarian zone. Shortly after Israel launched its attack, a loud boom was heard and then a fire broke out in said camp.

Trump Found Guilty in New York Trial. It's Not Enough |

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-guilty-justice-system-tarred-tawdry-brush-opinion-1906588

Trump's conviction is something to be proud of because it affirms a fundamental American value—no one in this country is above the law. Trump seems to have lived his life thinking that the rules constraining ordinary mortals don't apply to him. His life has been soaked with scandals from which he, until recently, has walked away.

He has repeatedly been accused of cheating contractors, students at his unaccredited Trump University, donors to his charity, the Internal Revenue Service, and campaign donors. The public has watched as he made his way through serial failed enterprises to find genuine success on reality TV and to win the presidency. He was then accused of abusing that office in numerous ways ranging from subsidizing his hotels with government and foreign funds to advertising his wife's jewelry line on the White House website.

Founding Fathers would be ‘weeping and stunned’ over Trump guilty verdict

 https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4695420-ty-cobb-founding-fathers-would-be-weeping-and-stunned-donald-trump-guilty-verdict/

“It’s a tragedy that we now have a former president who’s a convicted felon and the leading candidate to be the next president, who’s a convicted felon,” Cobb said during his Thursday appearance on CNN’s show “Erin Burnett OutFront.” 

“I’m sure the founders, were they here today, we would all be weeping and stunned,” he said. “And I’m frankly saddened by this because it means it means a lot to America, and it tarnishes America.” 

TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL 34 FELONY CHARGES

 https://edition.cnn.com

A Manhattan jury found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records Thursday, an unprecedented and historic verdict that makes Trump the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony.

Not only is Trump the first former president to be found guilty of a felony, he’s also the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime in the midst of a campaign for the White House. And if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, he will be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.

The verdict in the hush money trial was announced after jurors deliberated for nearly 12 hours over two days.

After strict instructions, Trump jury begins deliberations

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c033m2qdm0no

During the morning court session, Justice Merchan delivered a variety of guidelines, advising jurors not to base their decisions on biases or the criminal convictions of other witnesses in the case.

Most crucially, he spelled out in detail prosecutors’ complicated felony case against Mr Trump. They claim he falsified a reimbursement to his fixer for the hush-money payment with the intent to conceal other crimes: violations of state and federal election laws and tax laws.

He told the jury that prosecutors do not need to prove these secondary crimes, nor do jurors need to be in agreement on which specific one Mr Trump committed. They must reach a unanimous verdict on each of the 34 counts, however.

From the start, the defence has denied any wrongdoing and sought to cast doubt on testimony from the prosecution's key witness - Mr Trump’s former fixer and convicted felon Michael Cohen - in an attempt to disprove the larger case.

Israel Land Authority tells UNRWA to evacuate Jerusalem premises for breaching lease

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-land-authority-tells-unrwa-to-evacuate-jerusalem-premises-for-breaching-lease/

According to the Ynet news site, which reported on the letter, the ILA had turned a blind eye to UNRWA’s violation of the terms under which the land was leased to it, but decided to enforce the terms of the lease in light of tensions over the war in Gaza and the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas in southern Israel.

US to boycott UN tribute to Iran leader killed in helicopter crash

 https://www.reuters.com/world/us-boycott-un-tribute-iran-leader-killed-helicopter-crash-2024-05-29/

The United States will boycott a United Nations tribute on Thursday to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed earlier this month in a helicopter crash, a U.S. official said.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly traditionally meets to pay tribute to any world leader who was a sitting head of state at the time of their death. The tribute will feature speeches about Raisi.

"We won't attend this event in any capacity," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. The U.S. boycott has not previously been reported.

Working is a Curse

 Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 187) The whole need to strive in material matters according to the course of nature, comes from the Adam's sin, which was said in his curse By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread., It was because in his sin he descended to such a physical level. Before the sin when he was in a higher spiritual level, all the needs of his refined body came to him automatically. Our Sages said angels roasted meat and poured wine for him.

Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 187)  The whole burden of working is nothing but a punishment and a curse, and the Torah did not give a measure for it.It is not good for a person to reduce the curse as much as possible. What is the minimum effort that man is required to do? Rabbi Zundel of Selchem said, we need to engage in work only because we are not worthy of open miracles, Therefore the obligation is to act in such a way that the beneficial influence that comes down to us from Heaven can be attributed to some natural cause and that is the minimum required. Even buying a lottery ticket can be acceptable effort(hishstadlus)

Working is good only for some People

Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 197) It has already been explained that all man's efforts in earning a living is so that he may learn about Divine providence and withstanding tests. Also to know , that there is no such thing as Nature at all, but everything is from G-d alone. That is why the need to engage in a job varies according to the degree the man is aware of G-d’s providence.

Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 197) There are five different levels concerning the awareness of G-d’s providence. The highest level is the man who has already stood the test, and recognized that the miracle and nature are both truly visible miracles, and knows that there is no real nature. , For such a person there is no longer a need for the test of "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread". And it is proper for him to rely all the time on his attachment to G-d and His Torah, since there is no reason to conceal  the miraculous from him. This is the method of R. Shimon bar Yochai, that as long as Israel does the Will of G-d.  their work is done by others...

 Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 197)  The second level concerning the awareness of G-d’s providence: There are no miracles from heaven except for those who have reached the perfection of bitachon. They view miraculous and the natural in their hearts as being totally identical. Thus they perceive that nature does not exis and that is simply a test. But for those who have not yet reached such perfection, they should behave as if Nature exists and is real. He needs to overcome natural challenges. He still is required to obey the curse of with the sweat of your breath you shall eat bread, this is the level that Rabbi Ishmael  prescribes in the dispute with Rabbi Shimon. If such a person refuses to work and insists on relying on miracles, he will not be successful.

Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 197) The third degree concerning the awareness of G-d’s providence, is the one who sees nature merely as a tool in G-d’s hand. and he does not see that nature is not real. Also there exists varying degrees of these levels. Someone who has reached the degree of R. Ishmael should have a job, because in every act he continues to find out for himself the nonreality  of his deeds. Thus for such a person working actually increases his spiritual level. But he who is at a lower level than this, there is the fear that his actions will not add clarity to his knowledge, but will actually cause him to descend and to think that Nature is real.  For such a person nature activities are dangerous and he should minimize them as much as possible.

Is There Life on Other Planets?

 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3012/jewish/Is-There-Life-on-Other-Planets.htm

Dr. Velvl Greene was a microbiologist who was enlisted by NASA in their project to determine if there is life on Mars. He asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe privately if this was something he should be doing.

The Rebbe replied, “Dr. Greene, look for life on Mars! And if you don’t find it there, look somewhere else in the universe for it. Because for you to sit here and say there is no life outside of planet Earth is to put limitations on the Creator, and that is not something any of His creatures can do!”

Parnossa - Pele Yo'etz

 Pele Yoetz (Parnossa) It is known that the key to parnossa is in the hands of G-d. He is feeds and provides sustenance for all from the horns of rams to the eggs of lice. Hower there are distinctions and differences  betweeen them. Man is sustained according to his deeds and mazel and according to G-d’s understanding. 

Pele Yoetz (Parnossa) There is a well known disagreement in the Talmud that the Rashbi believed that a person should engage only in the Torah constantly and as a result his work is done by others while Rabbi Yishmael believed that one should follow a natural course and have a job. the commentators say that what both of them say is true.  The meaning of the matter is that the work of the pious  is blessed in miraculous fashion. Therefore the little work they do is is blessed by G-d and is adequate for their needs. However for the majority, G-d provides parnossa in a natural manner. 

Pele Yoetz (02 page 58) . 1. A craft, is a laborious act that requires concentration and effort, and therefore has the ability to keep the thoughts of lust away from a person. But on the other hand, its content is usually material, and therefore In any case, it also distances from spiritualityand from the Torah. 2, Torah and Derech Eretz, various explanations have been given to this concept, but the most striking is that of Rabbi Chaim of Volozyhner, who interpreted when is the Torah beautiful with Derech Eretz? When Darech Eretz is also Torah. And this is his language there, "Raba said (Brachos 35) to his students on the days of Nisan and on the days of Tishrei, do not appear before me in order not to struggle with your livelihood the rest of the year.” G-d forbid to say that they turned their hearts completely to working all day long and they were  completely negligent from Torah study. But in fact while they were involved in their business their thinking was involved with Halacha.

Pele Yoetz (02 page 58) Mixing in oil means the Torah that should be mixed with good deeds, As they say “It is beautiful that Torah studying be comboned with derech eretz. Since the exertion in both obliterates sin.”When a who has good deeds is engaged in Torah study he keeps himself from sin. In other words, by this he keeps himself from sin, and in this man comes closer to the level of pure motivation for the sake of G-d.

Parnossa Kad HaKemach

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach  Parnossa) And He even sustains every nation of the seventy nations that exist in the world even those who are not worthy of it because there are some nations among them who have no Torah and nothing to do with a mitzvah but are worshipers of idolatry. Also the wild animals including those that are dangerous and harm us as it is written He gives bread to the animal, etc., and all are nourished and provided for by His ever-great kindness that does not cease. and David also said He gives bread to all flesh because His kindness is eternal.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach  Parnossa) G-d sustains the whole world from the horns of rams to the eggs of lice, that is, from the largest to the smallest of the animal species that does not speak, and it is not necessary to say of the human species

Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach  Parnossa) In the name of sustenance, G-d was called a shepherd Come and see how great the power of sustenance is because the parts of the world that need sustenance are four. And these are inanimate and vegetative and living and speaking. . And each and every one's livelihood is prepared for him according to his value and that which is appropriate for it.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach  Parnossa) Children. Lifespan and parnossa, are not dependent on virtue but on mazel. This  it is not to be understood that the matter depends on luck and according to the stars and that prayer is irrelevant. Because we know from other sources that prayer does help in these matters. In fact this statement informs us how great is the power of prayer. Because everything decreed by the stars can be canceled by G-d. In fact everything that is decreed by the stars, it is possible for a person to cancel it by his merit even  without prayer and without shouting at all. Nevertheless in these three things which are dependent on the stars, he is needs to pray

Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach  Parnossa) And because in the giving of the parnossa a miracle is done in them by canceling the power of the stars. Therefore our sages compared the giving of parnossa to the splitting of the Red Sea, because the splitting of the sea was an open miracle and while parnossa is a hidden miracle, therefore they said it was like the splitting and not the splitting.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad haKemach Parnossa) It is well-known that the matter of livelihood is a testimony to the wonders of G-d and to his great kindness of His graces from the fact that He gives bread to all flesh and distributes sustenance to all His creatures.Our Sages said It is called the Great Hallel because God sits in His midst of the world and distributes sustenance to all His creatures, because He gives each and every one his need for sustenance and enough for his lack that he lacks.

Deadly Rafah strike doesn’t cross Biden’s ‘red line’

 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/28/rafah-strike-biden-red-line-00160258

The Biden administration has decided Israel’s weekend strike in Rafah that reportedly killed nearly 50 displaced Palestinians did not cross the “red line” President Joe Biden set two months ago, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

The administration made clear in public and in private on Tuesday that the incident, while devastating, would not trigger any serious reprimand from Washington. It’s the strongest indicator yet that Israel is conducting a military operation that the administration can accept, even if U.S. officials don’t like every aspect of it.

IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-hidden-store-of-terror-munitions-may-have-caused-deadly-rafah-blaze/

The military suspects that the munitions or some other combustible substance it was unaware of caused a secondary explosion and a fire to spread in a complex housing displaced Gazans in Rafah, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, following an airstrike targeting two top Hamas terrorists in the area.