The Mitzvah of Military Service versus Torah Study

 https://en.yhb.org.il/revivim1043/

In military service, two great mitzvot are fulfilled that are equivalent to the entire Torah – saving Israel from its enemies, and settlement of the Land * Torah study is crucial for the existence of the nation of Israel, and must be assigned regular and serious frameworks, but it does not override the mitzvah of military service * Nevertheless, in a situation where there is no security necessity to mobilize all yeshiva students, a handful of elites should be allowed to continue studying, so they can grow to become rabbis and public leaders

Torah learning supersedes Army Service

 Rambam (Hilchos Shemitta 13:12–13): Why didn’t the tribe of Levi merit an inheritance in the land of Israel as well as the spoils of war like the other tribes? It is because they were given the responsibility to serve G d and to teach His righteous ways to the masses… Therefore they were separated from the ways of world and were not involved in war like the rest of Israel and they neither inherited nor obtained things by means of physical endeavors. They were G d’s army and G d provided for them. However, this way of life is not exclusively for the tribe of Levi but in fact any person in the world whose spirit moves him. He understands by himself to separate and stand before G d to serve Him in order to know G d. If he goes in the upright path, as G d desired then the yoke of constant worry characteristic of mankind will be taken from him. He will be sanctified, as holy of holies and G d will be his portion and inheritance forever. He will consequently obtain in this world that which he needs in the same way as the Cohanim and Leviim…

Rambam (Torah Study 03:10) Anyone who comes to the conclusion that he should involve himself in Torah study without doing work and derive his livelihood from charity, desecrates G-d's name, dishonors the Torah, extinguishes the light of faith, brings evil upon himself, and forfeits the life of the world to come, for it is forbidden to derive benefit from the words of Torah in this world.

Rambam (Torah Study 03:10) "Whoever benefits from the words of Torah forfeits his life in the world." Also, they commanded and declared: "Do not make them a crown to magnify oneself, nor an axe to chop with." Also, they commanded and declared: "Love work and despise Rabbinic positions." All Torah that is not accompanied by work will eventually be negated and lead to sin. Ultimately, such a person will steal from others.

Rambam (Torah Study 03:11) It is a tremendous advantage for a person to derive his livelihood from his own efforts. This attribute was possessed by the pious of the early generations. In this manner, one will merit all [types of] honor and benefit in this world and in the world to come, as [Psalms 128:2] states: "If you eat the toil of your hands, you will be happy and it will be good for you." "You will be happy" - in this world. "It will be good for you" - in the world to come, which is entirely good.

Haredi draft ideology debunked by looking at Torah laws - opinion

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-808098

What remains possible, and necessary in this moment, is to defiantly distinguish haredi ideology regarding military service from authentic Torah ideology. To rigorously reject haredi dogma on this matter and debunk haredi distortion of religious sources. To me, doing so is no less an obligation for the sake of the “honor of Torah” than it is an emotional and social imperative.

THERE ARE four pseudo-foundational concepts that haredi ideologues cite in defense of their refusal to participate in “carrying the burden” of military service.

Ultra-Orthodox party in Israel urges young Haredi men to resist draft

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/17/middleeast/ultra-orthodox-jews-boycott-israel-military-intl-latam/index.html

Shas described summons for military service as outrageous, and added: “The Great Rabbis have instructed, categorically, that as of now, as a new law defining the status of Yeshiva students has not been passed, there shall be no response to any summons or even summons for a first order, and therefore, not to show up to the recruitment stations.”

“It’s our duty now to stand strong, like a wall that can’t be breached, and make clear for the world to know, that there’s no force in the world that will, God forbid, succeed in detaching the students of the Torah from their studies.”

Five arrested as ultra-Orthodox protesters rally against draft in Jerusalem

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-protesters-dispersed-by-force-at-jerusalem-idf-recruitment-center/ 

So far, however, only a small minority of the community members who have received a call-up have actually reported to recruitment offices, amid staunch opposition to military enlistment by most ultra-Orthodox leaders, who fear the army service will secularize recruits.

The IDF is suffering manpower shortages caused by the hostilities on the northern border and the ongoing war in Gaza, which began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities, slaughtering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

On Tuesday, the defense establishment started recalling to duty some 15,000 previously exempted reservists, many of whom have already served in Gaza combat.

Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Clash With Police Outside Israeli Army's Conscription Office in Jerusalem

 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-08-21/ty-article/.premium/ultra-orthodox-protesters-clash-with-police-outside-israeli-armys-base-in-jerusalem/00000191-73fa-db7d-a7d7-7ffabf380000

Police sprayed demonstrators with so-called skunk water and arrested several protesters. The Israeli army recently began sending draft notices to yeshiva students, in response to a Supreme Court ruling

The Media Did Not Make Up Trump’s Russia Scandal

 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/media-liberal-bias-npr-free-press-trump-russia-mueller-collusion.html

Nonetheless, Mueller found extensive evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. The evidence was summarized in a report by Just Security. It uncovered multiple secret meetings and communications between the two, including, but not limited to. Trump campaign officials met with Russian agents in Trump Tower and were receptive to the offer of campaign assistance; Russian agents shared with Trump their plan to leak embarrassing emails; Trump’s campaign manager shared polling data with a figure linked to Russian intelligence; Trump appeared to have advance knowledge of the timing of the release of stolen Russian emails; and the campaign and Russia coordinated a response to Obama administration sanctions punishing Russia for its efforts on Trump’s behalf.

But because collusion is not a crime, Mueller refrained from stating an opinion as to whether this extensive pattern of furtive meetings in pursuit of a shared objective constituted “collusion.”

There was an investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia. That investigation was conducted by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee. And that report found even more evidence of collusion, including multiple links between Russian intelligence and the Russian figures interfacing with Trump’s campaign. The Senate identified Konstantin Kilimnik, the business partner of Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, as a Russian intelligence agent. And it found two pieces of evidence that “raise the possibility of Manafort’s potential connection to the hack-and-leak operations” — the most direct kind of collusion — that it redacted for national-security reasons.

Is Collusion a Crime?

 https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/is-collusion-a-crime.html

In March 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued his final report to then-Attorney General William Barr. He stated that Russia had interfered in the election in support of Trump. But, he concluded that there was insufficient evidence to show conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. The report highlighted several instances where Trump's actions raised issues of obstruction of justice. Federal crimes involving obstruction of justice can be found in 18 U.S. Code Section 1505.

Prior Department of Justice guidance says the government should not bring criminal charges against a sitting president. In light of this, Mueller said it would be up to Congress to decide whether there was cause to pursue charges or other sanctions. Many saw this as an allusion to Congress' ability to use the impeachment process.

Torah and Derech Eretz

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Avos 3:17)  If there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah, that is, if a person does not have ethics and morality, his Torah is not complete, and this morality comes to evoke that if a person has Torah, which is the main thing, he will nevertheless not neglect morality, and it will not be enough for him to have only Torah and not have morals, according to that the moral is the completeness of his Torah, that if he had a Torah and would often gluttonously eat meat and drink wine... then his Torah is despicable and despicable in the eyes of mankind, and there is no need to say that it has no completeness

Trump asked Russians to get Clinton emails. They immediately started trying.

 https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/13/politics/trump-asked-russians-to-get-clinton-emails-they-immediately-started-trying-/index.html

President Donald Trump has repeated like a mantra there was “no collusion!” between his campaign and Russians trying to meddle in the 2016 US election.

But in the shocking new 29-page indictment filed by the US Department of Justice against 12 Russian intelligence operatives for meddling in the 2016 election, there is one passage that brings to mind a moment when Trump publicly asked the Russians to do something – and privately, they turned around and did exactly what he’d requested.

There’s actually lots of evidence of Trump-Russia collusion

 https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17438386/trump-russia-collusion

Republicans from Donald Trump on down have made “no collusion” a mantra. The term itself is ill-defined in this context; you won’t find it in the US code. But roughly speaking, the question is whether the campaign got involved with Russian agents who committed computer crimes to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election.

The verdict on this is unclear. But there is certainly plenty of evidence pointing toward collusion; what you would call “probable cause” in a legal context, or what a journalist might simply consider reason to continue investigating the story. And the investigating thus far, both by special counsel Mueller and by journalists working on the story, has been fruitful. The efforts have continued to turn up contacts between Trumpworld and Putinland, cover-ups, and dishonesty.

Senate Russia report proves Trump collusion was very real. But do voters care?

 https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/senate-russia-report-proves-trump-was-wrong-mueller-was-right-ncna1237743

Far from a hoax, as the president so often claimed, the report reveals how the Trump campaign willingly engaged with Russian operatives implementing the influence effort. For instance, the report exposes interactions and information exchanged between Russian intelligence officer Konstantin Kilimnik and then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. According to the report, campaign figures “presented attractive targets for foreign influence, creating notable counterintelligence vulnerabilities.” (Manafort was later convicted of tax and bank fraud.)

GOP’s Biden impeachment effort fizzles with report’s release

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4835450-biden-impeachment-effort-report-fizzles/

The signature investigation of the Republican-led House fizzled to a close Monday as the GOP capped a yearlong probe into President Biden with a series of allegations but no recommendation to move forward with impeachment.

It’s an unusual end for a process that took up much of the oxygen in Washington for months at a time.

The investigation started with a pledge to showcase that President Biden abused his power and was at the center of a corrupt plot to enrich his family — a high bar that raised doubts from some in the GOP.

But the report failed to uncover a smoking gun, instead relying on largely debunked threads, disputed testimony, and circumstantial evidence that failed to directly tie any official action from President Biden to his family’s business dealings.

Nord Stream Revelations Ignite Dispute Between U.S. Allies

 https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/nord-stream-revelations-ignite-dispute-between-u-s-allies-cd3e0470?mod=hp_lead_pos9

The disclosures that a team of Ukrainians blew up the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines while using Poland as a logistical base have sparked a dispute between Berlin and Warsaw, two U.S. allies backing Ukraine in the war.