Balancing Bitachon and Hishstadlus is Not Easy

 Michtav M’Eliyahu (01 page 187) And those who think that everything they strive for almost all their days is truly for heaven's sake, they should examine themselves, to see if a spiritual thought comes to them in the middle of their troubles in their business, or rather it is the thought of their business which comes to them in the middle of prayer? ... From two sides the evil inclination attacks. If he increases his efforts entirely according to the demands of his business then he is a heretic since he is lacking in bitachon but if he absolutely minimizes the amount of effort for parnossa he is rebelling against the words of our Sages. Finding the proper balance of effort and bitachon is not easy or clear since it depends on his free-will. It is impossible to find the true balance without properly utilizing pure Fear of Heaven free of biases. The correct point was not even revealed to Moshe

Trump's former doctor says Biden is "juiced" on a drug

Fox Host Skeptical of Joe Biden Drug Use Claim: 'We're Not Doctors'

 https://www.newsweek.com/maria-bartiromo-skeptical-joe-biden-drug-use-claim-donald-trump-1902305

Bartiromo responded: "These are obviously very serious charges that he is jacked up, we don't know. We're not doctors. We have no idea."

Trump Mocks Biden for Gaffes While Making a Big One of His Own

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-mocks-biden-for-gaffes-while-making-a-big-one-of-his-own?ref=home

He then went on to repeat his now infamous story about how he “got every question right” for the crowd at a conservative conference in Detroit, bragging about how the former White House doctor administering the test had “never seen” such an impressive result before. But with that same doctor sitting in the audience, Trump proceeded to butcher his name—twice. “Doc Ronny! Doc Ronny Johnson! Does everyone know Ronny Johnson? Congressman from Texas,” he excitedly declared. He was referring, of course, to Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), the former physician and Republican ally who has repeatedly talked up Trump’s “incredible genes.”

Shavuos became the time of the giving of Torah - When?

 There is no description in the Torah or Talmud that states Shavuous is celebrated as the time of the giving of the Torah. Nor could I find such a description in the Rambam

However Shulchan Aruch (OC 494)The fiftieth day of the count of the Omer is the holiday of Shavuot. The prayer service is like the holiday of Passover, rather we say "the Holiday of Shavuot, the time of the giving of our Torah". We say full Hallel. We take out two Torah scrolls and read in the first one of five [sections] from "The third month" until the end of the order. The Maftir is read in the second scroll, "On the day of the first fruits". As Haftorah we read the chariot of Ezekiel, and end with the verse "and the wind took me up."

The Magen Avraham asks that since everyone agrees that the Torah was given on the 51st day of the Omer - why do we celebrate Shavuous on the 5oth day?

Correction 

Pesachim (68b) Rabbi Elazar said: All agree with regard to Atzeret, the holiday of Shavuot, that we require that it be also “for you,” meaning that it is a mitzva to eat, drink, and rejoice on that day. What is the reason? It is the day on which the Torah was given, and one must celebrate the fact that the Torah was given to the Jewish people. 

However this contradicts two other gemoras as well as the Magen Avraham.

Senile

Trump Couldn’t Stop Gibbering in Front of Nation’s Biggest CEOs

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-couldnt-stop-gibbering-in-front-of-nations-biggest-ceos?ref=home

Trump’s proclivity for gibberish has come under increased scrutiny recently, particularly after he went on a completely nonsensical rant about sharks and electrocution at a recent campaign rally.

Jewish Students Told 'Go Back to Poland' at Campus Rallies

 https://www.newsweek.com/jewish-students-told-go-back-poland-campus-rallies-1913257

Jewish students studying at prominent American universities have told Newsweek they and their classmates have faced antisemitic abuse and harassment on campus. There was also open support for acts of violence against Israel, following the October 7, 2023 attacks on the country and subsequent invasion of Gaza.

Lies Damned lies and false claims about what Rav Moshe said

 In the latest edition of Binah an ad claimed that Rav Moshe said that a wig that women don't recognize as being a wig is prohibited

This is contrary to what he says in Igros Moshe EH2 12

Power to Resurrect the Dead

 Ramchal (Mesilas Yesharim 26)  When one separates himself from others, remaining in solitude, and preparing himself for the receiving of His holiness, in the way he wishes to go, he will be led, and with the divine help G-d will give him, his soul will strengthen within him and defeat the corporeal, cling to His holiness and be rendered whole through Him. From there, he may ascend to a higher level, namely, Holy Spirit, then his thinking will ascend beyond the bounds of human limits. His clinging may reach such high levels that the key to revival of the dead will be given to him, as it was given to Eliyahu and Elisha. This will reveal how intensely is his clinging to G-d. For in His being the source of life, who bestows life to all living things, as our sages of blessed memory, said: "three keys the Holy One, blessed be He, has retained in His own hands and not entrusted into the hand of any emissary: the Key of the Revival of the Dead...". Behold, one who clings to the blessed G-d completely will be able to draw down even the flow of life itself from Him, which is, what is attributed to G-d more than anything else as I wrote. This is what the Beraitha concludes: "Holiness brings to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit brings to the Revival of the Dead".

In the search for hostages, U.S. is Israel’s key intelligence partner

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/06/14/us-israel-intelligence-cia-hostages/

The daring and deadly hostage rescue that Israeli military forces mounted in Gaza last Saturday relied on a massive intelligence-gathering operation in which the United States has been Israel’s most important partner.

Tzadik without Sin is like G-d?

 Sanhedrin (65b) Raba said: If the righteous desired it, they could [by living a life of absolute purity] be creators, for it is written, But your iniquities have distinguished between etc. Rabbah created a man, and sent him to R. Zera. R. Zera spoke to him, but received no answer. Thereupon he said unto him: ‘Thou art a creature of the magicians. Return to thy dust.’R. Hanina and R. Oshaia spent every Sabbath eve in studying the ‘Book of Creation’, by means of which they created a third-grown calf and ate it.

Yad Ramah (65b) Raba said, If the righteous desired it they could create a world. These are the Tsadikim who if they wanted to be freed from all iniquity they could create a world by their merit Because G-d fulfills their decrees. It is said that Your sins distinguish between you and your God, So if they didn’t sin There would be no difference between the servant and his Master, but the Master  fulfills his decrees as He does His own.

Half a million in damages | Man who broke into shop and ruined 'immodest' wigs indicted

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391509

Chief Superintendent Lior Ben-Shalom, the investigations and intelligence officer at the Lev Habira station, said of the case: "This suspect acted through ideological motives that he believes in which prohibit the use of wigs by haredi women, and carried out criminal acts by breaking into a business and causing substantial damage. Our investigation efforts, which began immediately after receiving the report about the incident, bore fruit after we carried out various investigatory actions to locate and arrest him. The detectives from the Lev Habira station arrested the suspect and the station investigators managed to gather an evidential basis which led to the indictment against him."

The Jewish problem with Trump supporters saying his guilty verdict was ‘rigged’

 https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-problem-with-trump-supporters-saying-his-guilty-verdict-was-rigged/

Namely, that delegitimizing American courts out of personal or partisan sentiment is pulling not just the rug but the very floor out from under the republic. Just as the results of elections — whoever wins — must be respected by the citizenry, the decisions of courts, especially when there is the option of appealing to higher courts for proper redress, are, or should be, sacrosanct.

It might be too much to ask of any of us to not feel upset at losing a court case. The Talmud asking a losing litigant to sing happily is describing only an ideal, after all. But disappointment in any particular verdict is mere bathwater. It’s essential to hold the baby tight.