'Furious': Veterans slam Trump team's altercation at Arlington National Cemetery

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/28/trump-arlington-cemetery-veterans/74980080007/

Wellman said Trump's desire to honor the fallen still had to conform with the law. "There's an actual federal law on the books saying it cannot be used political purposes," he told USA TODAY. "The families put out a statement saying, 'Oh no, we authorized it.' They don't get that right. The families don't get the right to make decisions for the other people buried there."

Hostage Qaid Farhan Al Qadi rescued from Gaza

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395248

It was cleared for publication that today, (Tuesday), the IDF and ISA rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Al Qadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terror organization into the Gaza Strip on October 7th, in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel

 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3942331/jewish/The-Story-of-Elijah-and-the-Prophets-of-Baal-on-Mount-Carmel.htm

Knowing exactly what was going through their minds, Elijah continued. He asserted the fact that he alone had publicly remained faithful as a prophet to G‑d, while standing right there were hundreds of prophets of Baal. But he was ready to go to the test. Elijah proposed that two sacrifices should be brought, and the god who would answer the call by sending a fire to consume it, He would be deemed the true god. The people eagerly agreed.

Diabetes took over her life, until a stem cell therapy freed her

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/08/26/diabetes-stem-cell-therapy-insulin-success-story/

Despite the promise, the therapy developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals remains in early stages, and many experts consider it a major step forward, not the finish line.

Torah Study provides Parnossa

 Sefer Chasidim (309) All those who are constantly learning Torah, G-d sends  His angels to him to bring him all his needs and that is why Torah is described as bread

Rav Yaakov Emden(Migdal Oz): You won’t find a person who is engaged in studying Torah for the sake of Heaven who does not become great and wealthy. If you try refuting this with the verse in Koheles (9:11) that “the wise don’t have bread” – that is only referring to secular scholars. It is not referring to those who are accomplished Torah scholars. And this that we find that there are some of our holy scholars who are poor such as Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa…one should not make the mistake and say that they were unable to find a respectful livelihood – rather the reason that they were poor is because they didn’t want to benefit from their status as Torah scholars … This is quite obvious and certain. There is no question that if Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa and his colleagues wanted they could have been wealthy. They also did not want to interrupt their Torah study even for a moment in order to be involved in work or a trade because of their great love and desire for Torah. Therefore it was with their desire and free choice they bore poverty and lovingly accepted their suffering. However if they wanted to benefit then the option of enjoying wealth was always available and if they wanted to they could have avoided suffering. This of course is true only as long as they studied Torah purely for the sake of Heaven which gives merit to many things which are detailed in the 6th chapter of Avos.

Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel 11:1-2) A person will not acquire success through wisdom, but only through adherence to G-d.  And therefore the question is why man will not gain eternal success by knowing the wisdom that stands on natural means, or the knowledge of the celestial spheres, or the angels that are called  'the separate forms'. Rather success is obtained by learning the Torah laws of damages and the halachic differences between a stove and an oven and other Torah laws. In fact success does not come from worldly knowledge but only by clinging to G-d

Nefesh HaChaim (01:08) ‘You shall gather in your grain...’. What does it come to teach us in light of what is written in Yehoshua 1: ‘This book of the Torah shall not cease from your mouth...’? Could the words be taken literally, to teach: ‘“you shall gather in your grain”—‘behave in them per the ways of the world’—these being Rabbi Yishmael’s words? Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said: ‘Is it possible that a person should plow when it’s the season for plowing... what will then become of Torah?’ Rather, when Israel does G-d’s will, their labors are performed by others for them...; and when Israel doesn’t do G-d’s will, they perform their own labor, as it is said “And you shall gather in your grain...”’.” 

Netziv (Shemos 16:23) And all the manna that is left put aside for future use This was to show future generations that G-d helps those who give their lives to give priority to Torah study over earning a living

Rabbeinu Yonah (Avos 03:05): Anyone who accepts the yoke of Torah upon himself, they lift from him the yoke of government: G-d guards from every bad thing the one who makes his Torah study primary and his work flexible, so that he not have to refrain from Torah study. That is because the work of the tzadik receives blessing and he rejoices with whatever he gets. He is therefore not required to do much work for the needs of his livelihood.

Prophet commanding to transgress halacha

 Mishneh Torah, (Foundations of the Torah 9:3) When a prophet - who has already proven himself to be a prophet - instructs us to violate one of the mitzvot of the Torah or many mitzvot, whether they be of a severe or light nature, for a limited amount of time, it is a mitzvah to listen to him. The Sages of the early generation taught as part of the oral tradition: If a prophet tells you to violate the precepts of the Torah as Elijah did on Mount Carmel, listen to him with regard to all things except the worship of false gods. This applies when his command is temporary in nature. For example, on Mount Carmel, Elijah offered a sacrifice outside [the Temple's premises], even though Jerusalem was chosen for such [service], and one who offers a sacrifice outside [the Temple's premises] is liable for karet. Since he was [already established as] a prophet, it was a mitzvah to listen to him. The commandment, "Listen to him," applies in these circumstances as well. If they would have asked Elijah: How can we violate the Torah's command [Deuteronomy 12:13]: "[Be careful...] lest you offer your burnt offerings everywhere"?, he would have told them: We should not say anything, but anyone who offers a sacrifice outside [the Temple premises] is liable for karet, as Moses said. [The present instance,] however, [is an exception]. I am offering a sacrifice today outside [the Temple] at God's command in order to disprove the prophets of Ba'al.

Similarly, if any [other] prophet commands us to transgress for a limited time, it is a mitzvah to listen to him. If, however, he says that the mitzvah has been nullified forever, he is liable for execution by strangulation, for the Torah has told us: "[It is] for us and our children forever.

PMO hits back at 'misleading' fact-checking by TIME

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/benjamin-netanyahu/article-816321

On August 4, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed by TIME reporter Eric Cortellessa. Five days later, he published an article fact-checking Netanyahu, in which he made claims that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said were "incorrect."

Cortellessa asserted in his fact-checking that some responses “lacked context, were not supported by facts, or were not true.”

The PMO directly disputes this and says, "Everything Prime Minister Netanyahu said was true, and Eric Cortellessa misled TIME readers."

Torah Study makes you Rich

 Rav Yaakov Emden(Migdal Oz): You won’t find a person who is engaged in studying Torah for the sake of Heaven who does not become great and wealthy. If you try refuting this with the verse in Koheles (9:11) that “the wise don’t have bread” – that is only referring to secular scholars. It is not referring to those who are accomplished Torah scholars. And this that we find that there are some of our holy scholars who are poor such as Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa…one should not make the mistake and say that they were unable to find a respectful livelihood – rather the reason that they were poor is because they didn’t want to benefit from their status as Torah scholars … This is quite obvious and certain. There is no question that if Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa and his colleagues wanted they could have been wealthy. They also did not want to interrupt their Torah study even for a moment in order to be involved in work or a trade because of their great love and desire for Torah. Therefore it was with their desire and free choice they bore poverty and lovingly accepted their suffering. However if they wanted to benefit then the option of enjoying wealth was always available and if they wanted to they could have avoided suffering. This of course is true only as long as they studied Torah purely for the sake of Heaven which gives merit to many things which are detailed in the 6th chapter of Avos.

A Court-Ordered Therapy That Separates Kids from a Parent They Love Stirs a Backlash

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/reunification-therapy-custody-family-court-5b4e9279?mod=hp_lead_pos7

The treatment the Nielsens underwent is part of an industry of intensive “reunification therapy” that has sprung up during the past decade and is ordered by family courts to settle custody fights. Services like Building Family Bridges, where the Nielsens were forced to go, use videos and exercises to try to break a child’s pattern of rejecting a parent. The child is then ordered to live with that parent for an extended period and barred from having contact with the other parent. A battle has erupted over the approach in courtrooms and statehouses across the country. 

IDF launches preventative attack against Hezbollah, sirens in northern Israel

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395117

Israeli Air Force fighter jets are currently striking targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization that posed an imminent and extensive threat to the citizens of the State of Israel, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said early Sunday morning.

Hezbollah was reportedly preparing to fire about 6,000 rockets and missiles at Israel when the IDF launched its pre-emptive strike.

Harris remarks, DNC snub leave pro-Palestinian activists fuming

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4845063-gaza-war-protesters-harris-dnc/?tbref=hp

During her speech, Harris vowed to always defend Israel against terrorist attacks, calling out Hamas for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks that killed some 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages in southern Israel, while also expressing her concern about the toll in Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have died.

Navi contradicts gemorah anf Halacha?

 Sanhedrin (90a)R. Abbahu said in R. Johanan's name; In every matter, if a prophet tells you to transgress the commands of the Torah, obey him,18 with the exception of idolatry; should he even cause the sun to stand still in the middle of the heavens for you [as proof of Divine inspiration], do not hearken to him.

Ramban (Bereishis 15:14): … When a person kills because of an order from a prophet then he is only doing what is required of him. Therefore if he obeys because he wants to fulfill the will of G d then there is no sin in the killing and in fact it is considered a meritorious act. However if he heard the command of the prophet to kill but he killed out of hatred then he is punished because he intended to do a sin and his compliance with the prophet is considered a sin… Thus we know that Nevuchadnezzar heard that all the prophets had said that he should go and destroy Yerushalayim. He and his entire people were commanded to do this by the prophet… Nevertheless they were eventually punished. There were two reasons for this punishment. 1) His intent was not to fulfill the command of the prophet but it was to destroy the land of Israel and thus increase the size of his empire…2) Because he caused the Jews to suffer much more than he had been commanded.

Radvaz (2:652): Question: We have an established principle that if an established prophet should command us to transgress one of the mitzvos of the Torah except for idolatry we are to listen to him. For example Eliyahu on Mt. Carmel transgressed on the command not to offer sacrifices outside of the Temple. He didn’t do this to nullify the mitzva but rather as an emergency measure to refute the prophets of Baal. Your question is whether such a prophet said to kill someone or destroy a particular city or to pillage a particular city as an emergency measure to protect the Torah – how can we obey such a command since no court would do such a thing even as an emergency measure? And even if it were commanded by G d – but we have the principle of “it is not in Heaven”? Since a person is not killed except with witnesses and with proper warning – how is it possible to listen to the prophet to transgress that which is stated in the Torah? Even if he gives an explanation for the need to do this – that would not be sufficient – but he says it is a mitzva to listen to him according to the Torah. Answer: Also in my eyes this is was puzzling until it occurred to me to say that this principle only applies to mitzvos between man and G d. But concerning mitzvos between men, there is no command to listen to him. However I saw in Sanhedrin (90a): Concerning all sins if a prophet tells you to transgress the words of Torah you are to listen to him except for idolatry, because it is possible that he has the ability to stop the sun in the middle of the sky so don’t listen to him…. Thus this gemora clearly states that the only sin not to commit at the command of a prophet is idolatry. … So since it is explicitly stated that it is a mitzva to transgress when commanded by a prophet…. therefore even to kill a person would be required or to destroy a particular city. This is similar to the statement that “I heard that one flogs and punishes not according to the law of the Torah but for the emergency needs of the times and to save the Torah and its mitzvos.

Mishneh Torah, (Foundations of the Torah 9:3) When a prophet - who has already proven himself to be a prophet - instructs us to violate one of the mitzvot of the Torah or many mitzvot, whether they be of a severe or light nature, for a limited amount of time, it is a mitzvah to listen to him. The Sages of the early generation taught as part of the oral tradition: If a prophet tells you to violate the precepts of the Torah as Elijah did on Mount Carmel, listen to him with regard to all things except the worship of false gods. This applies when his command is temporary in nature. For example, on Mount Carmel, Elijah offered a sacrifice outside [the Temple's premises], even though Jerusalem was chosen for such [service], and one who offers a sacrifice outside [the Temple's premises] is liable for karet. Since he was [already established as] a prophet, it was a mitzvah to listen to him. The commandment, "Listen to him," applies in these circumstances as well. If they would have asked Elijah: How can we violate the Torah's command [Deuteronomy 12:13]: "[Be careful...] lest you offer your burnt offerings everywhere"?, he would have told them: We should not say anything, but anyone who offers a sacrifice outside [the Temple premises] is liable for karet, as Moses said. [The present instance,] however, [is an exception]. I am offering a sacrifice today outside [the Temple] at God's command in order to disprove the prophets of Ba'al.

Similarly, if any [other] prophet commands us to transgress for a limited time, it is a mitzvah to listen to him. If, however, he says that the mitzvah has been nullified forever, he is liable for execution by strangulation, for the Torah has told us: "[It is] for us and our children forever."

 The above is apparently contradicted by the following

Yermiyahu (35) The word that came to Jeremiah from GOD in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: 

Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them to the House of GOD, to one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. 

So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, all his sons, and all the men in the household of the Rechabites;  

and I brought them to the House of GOD, to the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the agent of God, which is next to the chamber of the officials and above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the guardian of the threshold.  

I set bowls full of wine and cups before the Rechabites, and said to them, “Have some wine.” 

They replied, “We will not drink wine, for our ancestor, Jonadab son of Rechab, commanded us: ‘You shall never drink wine, either you or your children.  

Nor shall you build houses or sow fields or plant vineyards, nor shall you own such things; but you shall live in tents all your days, so that you may live long upon the land where you sojourn.’  

And we have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab in all that he commanded us: we never drink wine, neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters.  

Nor do we build houses to live in, and we do not own vineyards or fields for sowing;  

but we live in tents. We have obeyed and done all that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. 

But when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon invaded the country, we said, ‘Come, let us go into Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of Aram.’ And so we are living in Jerusalem.” 

Then the word of GOD came to Jeremiah: 

Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Go say to the citizenry of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “You can learn a lesson [here] about obeying My commands—declares GOD.  

The commands of Jonadab son of Rechab have been fulfilled: he charged his children not to drink wine, and to this day they have not drunk, in obedience to the charge of their ancestor. But I spoke to you persistently, and you did not listen to Me.  

I persistently sent you all My servants, the prophets, to say: ‘Turn back, every one of you, from your wicked ways and mend your deeds; do not follow other gods or serve them. Then you may remain on the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.’ But you did not give ear or listen to Me.  

The family of Jonadab son of Rechab have indeed fulfilled the charge that their ancestor gave them; but this people has not listened to Me. 

Assuredly, thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster with which I have threatened them; for I spoke to them, but they would not listen; I called to them, but they would not respond.” 

And to the family of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: “Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the charge of your ancestor Jonadab and kept all his commandments, and done all that he enjoined upon you,  

assuredly, thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: There shall never cease to be someone from the line of Jonadab son of Rechab standing before Me.”

Trump’s businesses are raking in millions of dollars from Republican political campaigns – including his own

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/23/politics/trump-businesses-campaign-spending-invs/index.html

Some of the candidates who’ve spent the most money on Trump businesses in recent years have been new politicians who won the former president’s endorsement despite a lack of past electoral experience or success, including Moreno, former Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker and Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake.

Shmuley Boteach and daughter file complaint to FBI against Candace Owens

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-815531

In a video on Sunday, Owens claims that a “Zionist media empire” is shielding criminals and protecting what she describes as a criminal syndicate.

Owens’ rant included several inflammatory statements, such as: “We are existing right now in a Zionist media empire which is working to protect criminals.” She went on to link this so-called syndicate to blackmail and coercion, referencing Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger, which recounts alleged Hollywood scandals from the 1900s to the 1950s.

Owens then zeroed in on Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, questioning whether anyone truly believes he is a victim. “Is anyone buying that Rabbi Shmuley is a victim and not a thug that goes around threatening people’s lives?” she asked.