Sunday, August 18, 2024

Obligation to obtain Scientific knowledge

 Devarim (04:06) Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who, when they shall hear all these statutes, shall say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

What is this wisdom which is required to impress goyim?

Rashi in Chumash says it is Torah study

ושמרתם AND YE SHALL BE ON THE WATCH TO DO — This refers to the study of the laws (Sifrei Devarim 58), 

ועשיתם — this must be explained according to what it implies: AND YE SHALL DO. 

כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם וגו׳ FOR THIS IS YOUR WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING [IN THE EYES OF THE PEOPLES] — i.e. through this ye will be accounted wise and understanding men in the eyes of the peoples.

However in Shabbos (75a) Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of bar Kappara: Anyone who knows how to calculate astronomical seasons and the movement of constellations and does not do so, the verse says about him: “They do not take notice of the work of God, and they do not see His handiwork” (Isaiah 5:12). And Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that there is a mitzva incumbent upon a person to calculate astronomical seasons and the movement of constellations? As it was stated: “And you shall guard and perform, for it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations” (Deuteronomy 4:6). What wisdom and understanding is there in the Torah that is in the eyes of the nations, i.e., appreciated and recognized by all? You must say: This is the calculation of astronomical seasons and the movement of constellations, as the calculation of experts is witnessed by all. 

Rashi (Shabbos 75a) In the eyes of the nations – since this is wisdom that is self evident in that it shows them a sign according to his words in the movement of the sun and the constellations, which testifies as he says that this year is rainy or this year is sunny All the events are related only to the mechanical movement of the sun and the constellations

It indicates it is referring to scientific studies. There Rashi indicates it is to knowledge that shows that nature follows mechanical rules and this undermines the belief that there are volitional forces that run the world

Teens’ Energy-Drink Habit Is Amping Anxiety, Disrupting Class and Triggering Seizures

 https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/teens-energy-drink-habit-is-amping-anxiety-disrupting-class-and-triggering-seizures-9badd52b?mod=hp_lead_pos11

It can hinder learning, disrupt class and, in some cases, cause seizures. Students regularly visit the school nurse’s office, complaining of rapid heart rates and anxiety attacks after consuming several energy drinks, administrators say. Caffeine consumption is linked to heightened feelings of anxiety and depression, which are on the rise among adolescents.

NYT reporter responsible for doxxing of 600 Australian Jews, to face legal action

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-815137

A New York Times reporter based in Melbourne was responsible for the leak of personal information of over 600 Australian Jewish members of a WhatsApp Group earlier in 2024, according to a New York Times statement and Wall Street Journal investigation. The New York Times has announced that it will be taking legal action against the reporter, Natasha Frost, after she acknowledged the data breach.

The data was subsequently disseminated online, leading to mass doxxing, threats and harassment against the members of the group by pro-Palestine activists.

Friday, August 16, 2024

Trump’s fury over Harris’ switch with Biden is increasingly driving his campaign

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/trump-fury-harris-switch-campaign-analysis/index.html

“Donald Trump is not the Donald Trump of 2016, he seemed slowed down, he seems meandering, he seems low energy and he really is struggling to make a point,” said former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, who broke with the ex-president after he refused to accept his defeat in 2020. “He is somebody who is not performing at the caliber he once was and that might have worked when he was up against Joe Biden — the contrast did make him appear at times stronger and more vibrant. It’s not working against Kamala Harris who is the younger candidate and the one with more energy,” she said on CNN’s “AC360.”

Fox News Deletes Shocking Story Claiming U.S. Gave List of Mossad Agents to Iran

 https://vinnews.com/2024/08/15/fox-news-deletes-story-claiming-u-s-gave-iran-secret-intel-about-mossad/

The now debunked “bombshell” report came from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida, which claimed to have spoken with an unnamed source in Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Trump ‘committing political suicide’ as Harris seizes ‘intensity advantage’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4828533-luntz-trump-committing-political-suicide-harris-intensity-advantage/

Longtime GOP pollster Frank Luntz said in a Wednesday interview he is seeing a “broad shift” in the 2024 polls toward Vice President Harris as she rides her “intensity advantage” and as former President Trump increasingly commits “political suicide.”

Columbia President Steps Down After Blowback Over Campus Gaza Protests

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/columbia-president-minouche-shafik-steps-down-after-blowback-over-campus-gaza-protests?ref=home

Shafik, who has served as president since July 2023, drew widespread criticism on both sides of the political spectrum for the university’s handling of pro-Palestine student protests that began towards the end of the spring semester.

Walz Has 'No Personal Relationship' With Controversial Muslim Cleric, Campaign Says

 https://www.newsweek.com/tim-walz-imam-asad-zaman-controversy-hitler-1938773

This is not the first time Walz has been targeted for his stance on Israel and its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. After Harris selected him as her vice-presidential pick, Republicans were quick to suggest she chose Walz over Josh Shapiro, the popular Pennsylvania governor, due to Shapiro's Jewish faith and support of Israel.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump claimed again last week that he is the better candidate for Jewish voters, saying that any Jew who votes for the Democratic ticket needs to get "their head examined."

Walz has been consistent in expressing his support for Israel. Shortly after Oct. 7, he condemned Hamas while condemning those who demonized all Palestinians for the actions of the militant group. He has also advocated for increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

FBI probes whether Iran envoy Malley committed crimes in handling of classified info Lock Trump up?

 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/10/fbi-probes-iran-envoy-malley-classified-info-00157321

Investigators are trying to determine if any crimes were committed, according to the person briefed on the case and another person familiar with the matter. But it is not yet clear if the Department of Justice will bring any charges against Malley or what the scope of any charges might be. The people were granted anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive issue.

Political positions of Donald Trump

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Donald_Trump

In a 2004 interview, Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat", explaining: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats...But certainly we had some very good economies under Democrats, as well as Republicans. But we've had some pretty bad disaster under the Republicans."[5] In a July 2015 interview, Trump said that he has a broad range of political positions and that "I identify with some things as a Democrat."[4]


The views of both Trump and Vance are constantly changing. It is thus to be expected they will turn against Israel and providing costly support. To help their Arab and Russian friends. Or they will simply lie about it like Trump's claims that Covid would just go away with warm weather or that the election was stolen or Mexico was paying for the Wall or that they were pro-family or even stating they were concerned by Clinton's reckless handling of government information but saw nothing wrong with taking classified document and failing to keep them in a secure location

Listening to anti-Israel activists, then shushing them, Kamala Harris walks a tightrope

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/walking-tightrope-kamala-harris-listens-to-anti-israel-activists-then-shushes-them/

Direct and unequivocal support came soon enough. Harris “has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups,” Phil Gordon, Harris’s national security adviser, said in a tweet. “She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”

Intel is sued by fired Jewish employee over ex-supervisor's alleged antisemitism

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-814603

A Jewish former employee of Intel INTC.O sued the chipmaker on Tuesday, saying he was fired after complaining that the senior executive he reported to openly celebrated antisemitism, Hamas and terrorism against Israel.

The plaintiff, a former vice president of engineering using the pseudonym John Doe, said Intel fired him on April 2 in a purported cost-cutting move barely two months after assigning him to report to Alaa Badr, vice president of customer success.

Former aide: Trump ‘feels this election slipping away’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4825718-sarah-matthews-trump-aide-election/

Sarah Matthews, a onetime spokesperson to former President Trump, said Monday the GOP presidential nominee is embracing false theories about his political opponent because he’s getting “desperate” as Vice President Harris’s campaign benefits from a boost in voter enthusiasm.

“I think that he feels this election slipping away from him, and that’s where you’re beginning to see him spiral and cling to these conspiracy theories, as you noted with the AI-generated crowds, which obviously can be easily disproven,” Matthews said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

Joseph McCarthy - Trump's Source of Inspiration

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy

The most famous incident in the hearings was an exchange between McCarthy and the army's chief legal representative, Joseph Nye Welch. On June 9, 1954,[137] the 30th day of the hearings, Welch challenged Roy Cohn to provide U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. with McCarthy's list of 130 Communists or subversives in defense plants "before the sun goes down". McCarthy stepped in and said that if Welch was so concerned about persons aiding the Communist Party, he should check on a man in his Boston law office named Fred Fisher, who had once belonged to the National Lawyers Guild, a progressive lawyers' association.[138] In an impassioned defense of Fisher, Welch responded, "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness ..." When McCarthy resumed his attack, Welch interrupted him: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, Sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" When McCarthy once again persisted, Welch cut him off and demanded the chairman "call the next witness". At that point, the gallery erupted in applause and a recess was called