The Kremlin has fiercely denied reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have already held a call on Ukraine in the days since Trump’s election victory. “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to Reuters.
Monday, November 11, 2024
The Coddling of the American Mind
In conclusion, The Coddling does an excellent job in starting an important and fascinating conversation about social dynamics, emotional health, and democracy. Anyone with an interest in social justice, politics, education, or general psychology would surely find much to appreciate throughout the book. While The Coddling may find a large general audience, it is perhaps crucial for university administrators (including Deans, Provosts, VPs, and Presidents) to read this book. Because at its heart, the book is about what’s happening on college campuses. So, to the people in charge of running those campuses: take heed. Consider signing on to the Chicago statement (a commitment to free expression). Draw large circles around your community members. Encourage productive debate and disagreement. There is a recipe for a wise university, with many helpful guidelines throughout this book.
Rub Some Dirt on It
https://www.commentary.org/articles/heather-wilhelm/bad-therapy-abigail-shrier/
“With unprecedented help from mental health experts, we have raised the loneliest, most anxious, depressed, pessimistic, helpless, and fearful generation on record,” Shrier writes. Moreover, “as treatments for anxiety and depression have become more sophisticated and more readily available, adolescent anxiety and depression have ballooned.”
The broader calamity, Bad Therapy argues, is that our supposedly kind, gentle, and obsessively empathic therapeutic culture boasts some disastrous unintended side effects—and at this point, they’re being “crop-dusted across the entire population.”
Dwelling on your problems, it turns out, can often magnify them. “Gentle parenting” often leads to lost and sullen teenagers—or, even worse, undisciplined monster preschoolers capable of terrorizing an entire airplane full of innocent passengers just trying to make it to spring break. Done poorly, excessive therapeutic techniques can induce negative feedback loops, fresh phobias, poor coping skills, self-absorption, unhealthy obsessions, and a laundry list of bonkers ideas.
Tikun Sofrim
רש"י בראשית פרק יח פסוק כב (פרשת וירא)
(כב) ויפנו משם - ממקום שאברהם ליוום שם:
ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני ה' - והלא לא הלך לעמוד לפניו אלא הקדוש ברוך הוא בא אצלו ואמר לו (פסוק כ) זעקת סדום ועמורה כי רבה, והיה לו לכתוב וה' עודנו עומד לפני אברהם, אלא תיקון סופריםד הוא זה (אשר הפכוהו ז"ל לכתוב כן):
Rashi (Bereishis 49:07)ABRAHAM STOOD YET BEFORE THE LORD — But surely it was not he (Abraham) who had gone to stand before Him, but it was the Holy One, blessed be He, Who had come to him and had said to him, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great” and it should therefore have written here, “And the Lord stood yet before Abraham”? But it is a variation such as writers make to avoid an apparently irreverent expression (Genesis Rabbah 49:7) (which our Rabbis, of blessed memory, altered, writing it thus).
Bereishis Rabbah (49:07) AND THE MEN TURNED (WAYYIFENU) FROOM THENCE (XVIII, 22). This proves that angels have no back.5 AND THEY WENT TOWARD SODOM; BUT ABRAHAM STOOD YET BEFORE THE LORD. R. Simon said: This is an emendation of the Soferim, for the Shechinah was actually waiting for Abraham.
Maharal(Bereishis 18:22)גור אריה בראשית פרק יח פסוק כב (פרשת וירא)
תיקון סופרים. אין הפירוש חס ושלום שהסופר כתב כך בתורה, חלילה לומר כך, אלא פירוש שהתורה כתבה דרך כבוד כלפי מעלה כמו שדרך הסופרים לכתוב דרך כבוד, וכמו שהתורה שהיא מדברת בלשון בני אדם (ברכות לא ע"ב) - כך כתבה לך גם כן כמו שדרך הסופרים לכתוב ולדבר, ולפיכך אמרו (ב"ר מט, ז) 'תיקון סופרים הוא', רוצה לומר ענין זה הוא תקון סופרים - כמו שדרך הסופרים לעשות - כתב בתורה:
Maharal (Bereishis 18:22) It is not to be understood that the scribe wrote in the Torah but the explanation is that the Torah wrote a way of honor as the way of the scribes to write a way of honor, and as the Torah that speaks in the language of men - so it also wrote to you as the way The scribes write and speak, and therefore they said 'Correcting scribes is', wanting to say that this matter is correcting scribes - as is the way of the scribes - He wrote in the Torah:
Tanchuma (Bereishis 04:06) R. Simon said: See what is written (in Gen. 18:22): AND THE MEN TURNED FROM THERE AND WENT TO SODOM, BUT ABRAHAM WAS STILL STANDING BEFORE THE LORD. Should it not rather have said, "And God was still standing"? < There is here >, however, a scribal emendation. Ergo {it says} (in Ps. 18:36 = II Sam. 22:36): AND YOUR HUMILITY HAS MAGNIFIED ME.
Tanchuma (Bereishis 16:02) Similarly it is written: For he who toucheth thee toucheth the apple of his eye (Zech. 2:12). “My eye” should be written here, for it refers, as it were, to the Heavenly One. However, the text was modified by the scribes of the Great Synagogue. The verse Ye say also: “Behold, what a weariness is it! And ye have snuffed at it” (Mal. 1:13) was likewise altered. The verse I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity, in that he knew that his sons did bring a curse on themselves, and he rebuked them not (I Sam. 3:13) was also modified. In the like manner, the verse Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee, so that I may burden to myself (Job 7:20) was changed. The verse Art not Thou from everlasting, O Lord, My God, my Holy One? We shall not die (Hab. 1:12) was modified also. Again the verse Hath a nation changed its gods which are yet no gods? But My people hath changed its glory for that which doth not profit (Jer. 2:11) was altered. Similarly, Thus they exchange their glory for the likeness of an ox that eateth grass (Ps. 106:2) was changed. The verse I will change their glory to shame (Hos. 4:7) was likewise modified. In the case of Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job (Job 32:3) they changed the text. Similarly, but Abraham stood yet before the Lord (Gen 18:22) is another illustration of this. Again, in the verse And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in Thy sight, and let me not look upon my wretchedness (Num. 11:15) they changed the text. Similarly in the passage Let her not, I pray, be as one head, of whom the flesh is half consumed when He cometh out of his mother’s womb (ibid. 12:12) they altered the verse. And likewise, the verse What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel; now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents (I Kings. 12:16) was altered, for in the Second Book of Chronicles (10:16) it is written concerning this episode to his tent rather than unto their tents.
הכתב והקבלה בראשית פרק יח פסוק כב (פרשת וירא)
(כב) ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני ה'. ה"ל לכתוב וה' עודנו עומד לפני אברהם אלא תקון סופרים הוא זה (רש"י מרבותינו בראשית פ' מ"ט), אין הכוונה לומר ששינה שום אדם דבר מה בתורתינו הקדושה חלילה כי אין אדם בעולם שיזייף ספר ויאמר אני זייפתי ותקנתי כך וכך ואיך יאמרו תקון סופרים הוא זה אבל כונתם בזה (כמ"ש בעל העקרים מ"ג פכ"ב) שלפי ענין משך הפרשה היה ראוי להיות כן, ומה ששינה הכתוב לא היה אלא כסופר המתקן דבריו דרך כבוד כלפי מעלה.
Donald Trump Admits He's Not a Conservative
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-admits-he-isnt-conservative-cnbc-squawk-box-1877949
Last month, Trump delivered a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and called himself a "proud political dissident."
Donald Trump is not a conservative
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/08/liz-cheney-donald-trump-conservative-00177879
“Donald Trump doesn’t stand for any of the things that Ronald Reagan did, and it’s another place that I would urge my Republican colleagues both in the Congress, but across the country to really look at Donald Trump’s policies, to really look at the danger that he presents, to look at, you know, what he was willing to do to stay in power,” Cheney said. “It’s a firm rejection not just of traditional Republican policies, but of the constitutional order on which this country depends.”
Putin Plays Tough in Opening Move With Trump
https://time.com/7173792/putin-plays-tough-in-his-opening-message-to-trump/
Vladimir Putin did not come running. He let his spokesman react on Wednesday to the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, proclaiming that the Kremlin has no plans to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory. If the U.S. wants the peace deal Trump promised during his campaign, the Russians signaled that he would need to earn it, and the price for Ukraine would be particularly high.
“The message is, if you want a deal, you’re going to crawl on your knees for it,” says Nina Khrushcheva, an authority on Russian politics and foreign affairs at the New School. “Putin feels he is starting out with Trump from a position of strength.”
Torah And Trumpism: Respect The Right To Vote Your Conscience
Over the past number of years, MAGA ideology has seeped into our oilam hatorah and impacted our hashkafas hachaim. Much of the frum media has become a mouthpiece for this ideology. The standard reading material available to the chareidi consumer presents a one-sided approach to the day’s issues. Instead of articles addressing issues with chochmah and nuance, it becomes brash and divisive. Sadly, this trickles down and affects middos and how people deal with others of legitimate divergent opinions.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Moral equivalence used to Rationalize voting for Trump
After Harris lost I have had a number of conversations with frum Trump supporters as to how they rationalize that Trump would be a good president
The most frequent explanation is that both Trump and Harris are bad people but since Trump is supporting Israel that makes him the lesser of two evils. Then I ask how is Harris equivalent to Trump
I get the same Moral Equivalence that is used to explain why Israel is the same as Arab terrorist and they are no different than Nazis. Just as America is a colonial power like Russia or the Spanish or Belgians
Clinton is the same as Trump since they both committed major security violations. Trump is also a sexual predator and adulterer but so is Clinton's husband
Trump was good friends with jeffery epsetin as well as a serial adulter and self confessed abuser but Harris is a prostitute and adulterer - even though there is no actual proof. the belief gives a sense of satisfaction to Trump supporters
Trump is often incoherent and lacks an actual program but Harris speaks in word salads
Trump lies constantly but Harris changed her message to fit the audience. That proves she is dumb while when Trump does it that shows he is intelligent
Biden had to drop out of the race because he is too old - but only biased people try to claim the same about Trump
Trump was corrupt and took bribes as well as his family, But Hunter Biden is corrupt.
Trump's family clearly benefitted from Nepotism - Hunter biden though never part of government received benefits
Trump stole classified documents and blocked access their return but so did Biden even though it was clearly unintentional and promptly returned them
Trump was impeached twice but Biden has been under constant investigation by Republicans
Arab terrorists kill innocent civilians while Israel kill innocent civilians
Nazis killed large numbers of Jews but Jews target Palestinians so if one is called genocide the other is also
Bottom line the rationalization is typically based on false equivalence which is viewed as fair but only if done by Republicans
Biden turned the legal system against Trump therefore Trump's promise to do the same is not only just but fair
Trump is partial to dictators - especially Russian but Harris is a communist and socialist according to Trump
It was alleged Biden called Trump supporters garbage - something he denied while Trump calls Democrats enemies garbage and more on a regular basis and this is understood as being perceptive
If Trump violates the law and is indicted it is only because of character assassination. If a Democrat commits a crime it is because they are all criminals
If Trump loses an election it can only be proof of fraud and he has no obligation to ever concede. While if Harris doesn't concede before the votes are fully counted that means she is a sore loser
If the news media says something favorable about Harris it is clearly biased and is fake news. While any positive descriptions of Trump are always proof of good journalism!
Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Changes With the Wind
https://www.newsweek.com/what-will-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-opinion-1982406
But one would be a fool to pontificate too much about Trump's plans. In many ways, it's wasted energy. Trump isn't Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, or Joe Biden—he doesn't have a set ideology or a fixed view of how the world should function. His beliefs are situational, flexible, and at times contradictory. He says things on the campaign trail but either disregards them when he's in office or changes his opinion depending on who happens to be in the room with him. Sure, he may have one core position—the U.S. is constantly getting ripped off by everybody—but everything else is really open to interpretation. The guy is an enigma, and he likes it that way.
Look no further than Trump's first term. Trump wasn't fond of NATO, badgered the Europeans to beef up their defense budgets, and essentially described the entire continent as a spoiled child content with hiding underneath the U.S. security umbrella. But his policies didn't match with his rhetoric. Trump kept the U.S. in the transatlantic alliance, allowed that alliance to expand to two new members—Montenegro and North Macedonia—and threatened European governments with unspecified penalties if it locked U.S. defense manufacturers out of any European rearmament scheme. U.S. troop levels in Europe remained constant throughout, and when Trump ordered the withdrawal of almost 10,000 U.S. troops from Germany in 2020, most of them were scheduled to re-deploy to other countries in Europe.
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Avraham caused Egyptian Exile
Ramban (Bereishis 12:10) Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that G-d would save him and his wife and all his belongings for G-d surely has the power to help and to save. His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine G-d would redeem him from death. It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children. In the place of justice, there is wickedness and sin.
What to know about Trump’s history of support for Israel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/09/trump-on-israel-hamas-war-gaza-netanyahu/
But Trump and his inner circle are also far more likely than previous presidents to cut military aid to Israel, which has numbered in the billions every year for decades, Waxman added. “Trump has long stated an aversion to U.S. foreign aid,” he said. “He might wonder whether the United States is getting the best end of the deal.”
PA chairman's office: Trump pledged to Abbas his commitment to stop the war
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/398861
Trump, for his part, assured Abbas of his commitment to “stop the war” and expressed eagerness to collaborate with Abbas and other key stakeholders to “advance peace in the Middle East”, according to the PA.
Qatar pulls out of mediating role between Israel and Hamas negotiations
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-828263
"After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its [Hamas's] leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas's rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Qatar made its demand to Hamas leaders about 10 days ago, according to the official.
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