Rav Moshe used to return home everyday for a hot lunch meal. This was his main meal of the day prepared carefully by his wife. One day just as he arrived for the meal, the phone rang and he was distracted from the meal for a long time. His wife kept telling him to hang-up and eat his lunch but he continued speaking and thus missed his meal. After a long time, when he had finished the call he returned to the yeshiva. The students who accompanied him asked why he had skipped his lunch. He replied simply that it was an important call involving shalom bayis (domestic harmony). The students then asked, ”Why was the caller’s shalom bayis more important than his own?” He replied simply, ”In the case of the caller there was two people fighting but in his case there was only one.”
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Shaking hands with Women
Igros Moshe (E.H. 04:032.9):Shaking hands with women as greeting. It is obviously prohibited as I have written previously (O.C. 113) because of concerns for sexual arousal and pleasure. However I wrote (E.H. 56) that if you see religious Jews who are lenient to judge them favorably and assume that they are relying on the absence of sexual arousal and pleasure but I also wrote there that it is difficult to rely on this. I don’t see any inconsistency between prohibiting shaking hands but permitting riding on buses (E.H. 2:14) since there is no affection involved there for almost everyone.
If Talmudic authority is result of acceptance - where is evidence?
Masa Son is promising a massive investment in Trump’s America. Don’t hold your breath
On Monday, Japanese investor Masayoshi Son joined Trump to announce a $100 billion investment in US projects over the next four years, with a goal of creating 100,000 new jobs in emerging technologies, including the development of artificial intelligence. (Because what investment in 2024 isn’t tied to AI?) The planned investment will come from Son’s SoftBank Group, which, despite its name, is not a bank — more of a sprawling global tech investing company.
This is hardly the first time a president has sought to gin up economic goodwill through agreements with companies on the promise of reviving American industry. But, as Trump knows well from his first term, these sorts of arrangements are often heavy on fanfare but light on actual value.
But you get the idea. Good intentions are great, and then they often encounter economic realities.
They’re all after roughly the same thing: a spot on Trump’s “nice” list, or at least a shot at remaining off the “naughty” list for as long as possible.
Kol Isha - Parents coming to hear Children Singing?
Igros Moshe (O.C. 01:026):Listening to a young girl singing. This that you write that it is impossible to protest that parents should not come to listen to their children singing without causing great controversy, therefore you want to know my view regarding what the halacha regarding listening to children singing? Beis Shmuel( E.H. 21.4) explicitly states that the voice of an unmarried woman is permitted except during prayer and the Magen Avraham (E.H. 75.6) states that only the singing of a married woman is always prohibited. This that an unmarried female is permitted is only if she is not a nida. This is stated by the Pri Magadim and it seems that nida is viewed as erva. The Be’er Heitiv (E.H. 21.4) cites the Be’er Sheva saying that unmarried females or a widow is prohibited and only the voice of a man’s wife is permitted except during prayer. That seems to mean that even an unmarried female who is not a nida and thus disagrees with the Beis Shmuel. Thus the halacha is in accord with the greater number of those that permit and furthermore the Be’er Heitiv does not note that the Be’er Sheva disagrees which indicates he has no concern that that view is halacha.In addition the Mishna Bereura (75.17) also permits an unmarried female who is not a nida when it is not during Shema. What needs to be a point of concern is that which the Mishna Berura writes that the singing of an unmarried girl is permitted as long as there is no intent for pleasure so that it doesn’t lead to lustful thoughts. So possibly there are some who come with the intent to listen and have lustful thoughts which is prohibited. But it seems that the Misha Berura means someone who listens for lustful rasons.and we can assume here also that people are not coming to listen for lustful reasons and we don’t need to be concerned that lustful thoughts will be produced by listening to girls singing. Thus the prohibition only applies to females that are prohibited to him inherently to get any pleasure from them which excludes unmarried girls who are not nida. So even if there is concern that listening will result in lustful thoughts, this is relevant only for older girls who might become nida and not young girls. In addition there is normally no lust for sex with children and consequently looking or listening to children does not produce lustful thoughts even when done for the sake of pleasure. This is true even for girls older than 9 years. In conclusion you asked for the actual halacha and that is that it is permissible for girls singing as long as they are not more than 11 ears old. More than 11, even if it is known that they are not nida and according to the straight halacha it is possible to be lenient as I have explained, nevertheless you should be strict since it is possible for some to be nida, If there is no pressing need you should always prohibit because in these matters all who take the strict view are called holy.
What’s Behind Masayoshi Son’s $100 Billion Pledge to Donald Trump
https://www.wsj.com/finance/softbank-ceo-trump-deal-ca0d3ab3?mod=hp_lead_pos10
Tech investing heavyweight Masayoshi Son offered a gift to President-elect Donald Trump: a pledge to spend $100 billion on artificial intelligence and related technology in the U.S.
“President Trump is a double-down president,” he said Monday, standing next to Trump at a Mar-a-Lago press conference—a reference to how his commitment was twice the $50 billion he pledged at a similar event eight years ago.
Left unmentioned: Son, the chief executive of tech conglomerate SoftBank Group 9984 4.42%increase; green up pointing triangle, doesn’t have $100 billion. Following through will require Son to embark on some combination of a massive fundraising effort, a huge amount of new debt or selling chunks of the company’s holdings to raise cash.
Sheer stockings are modest?
Igros Moshe (EH IV #100) Question There are people who make sure that their wives and daughters do not walk without stockings on their feet, but no one makes sure that the stockings are in such a way that it does not show the flesh. Why should seeing the flesh through stockings be permitted? We hold that all the flesh of the leg below the knee is considered nakedness. Why should it make a difference seeing it directly or through transparent stockings? We hold that nakedness in a transparent container is prohibited. Obviously if you hold like the Mishna Berura (75:02) that this area is not consider nakedness then there is no need to wear stockings at all? Answer In fact the concern in wearing stockings is for extra care because of modesty as the halacha is that the leg until the knee is not considered nakedness and the reason wearing transparent stockings is considered modesty is because in reality the threads of the stockings, even sheer ones, do not actually allow one to see the actual flesh of the leg. The proof is that when the stockings are colored white or black, one does not see the flesh of the leg. Thus it is only because the stocking are flesh colored it appears like you are seeing the flesh.Thus when wearing sheer stockings the leg is in fact covered and despite what seems to the on looker to be the leg is not the actual leg at all. So even in a situation of halachic nakedness it still would be considered covered . However then it would be prohibited because of arousing licentious thoughts. Thus with children for which there is no hirhur, even for areas considered nakedness in adults it would be sufficient.
Elon Musk’s X Corrects MTG’s ‘Vaccines Cause Autism’ Claim
https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musks-x-corrects-mtgs-vaccines-cause-autism-claim/
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) took to X on Monday to falsely state that vaccines caused autism—but not without backlash.
This time, she declared unequivocally that vaccines cause autism—a claim that has been studied extensively, with no evidence to suggest that the two are connected.
“I fully believe vaccines cause Autism,“ she wrote. ”It’s another example of crimes against humanity. And innocent babies, children, and their families are the victims."
Faced with mounting public anger, a weakened Hamas starts to compromise
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/16/hamas-gaza-israel-war-ceasefire-negotiations/
With its military power depleted and its political influence on the wane, Hamas is under growing public pressure to help bring the war in Gaza to an end.
Palestinians in the besieged enclave are desperate for a ceasefire after 14 months of conflict, and many residents said they are increasingly fed up with the militant group as they struggle to survive hunger, displacement and Israeli attacks. Last week, Hamas publicly softened its negotiating position with Israel.
Past FBI Informant Pleads Guilty To Lying About the Bidens
Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov has pleaded guilty to lying about a false bribery conspiracy that was once a main point of contention against Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Smirnov’s allegation sparked widespread controversy against the two Bidens, starting the House impeachment inquiry into the president by Republicans. Smirnov, 44, pleaded guilty to four federal charges relating to the fake allegations, as well as tax evasion charges that alleged he hid millions of dollars in income, according to The Hill. He told the FBI that the head of Burisma, a energy company in Ukraine, had paid the president and his son both $5 million. The allegations were false. No proof has been released that Joe Biden accepted bribes or engaged in corruption during his time as president nor vice president and he has denied all allegations. Court documents also revealed that Smirnov said he gave “false derogatory information,” according to The Hill. Smirnov had been an informant for more than a decade, his identity was not revealed until he was indicted. Smirnov, who will be sentenced next month, agreed to a sentence of between 48 and 72 months. An attorney for Smirnov declined to comment after the hearing in Los Angeles federal court
Judge rules Trump does not have presidential immunity protections in hush money conviction
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/16/politics/trump-immunity-hush-money-conviction-merchan/index.html
Donald Trump’s felony conviction in the New York hush money case should not be tossed out because of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday.
Merchan’s decision rejected one of several avenues that Trump’s lawyers have taken to try to dismiss Trump’s May guilty verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The judge did not, however, rule on a motion from Trump’s attorneys to dismiss the conviction because Trump has now been elected president.
Instead, his 41-page decision focused on the question of presidential immunity.
Merchan wrote the Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump should receive broad immunity for official acts during his time in office did not mean the conviction should be dismissed, ruling that the evidence presented by the Manhattan district attorney’s office was not related to Trump’s official conduct as president
Monday, December 16, 2024
Throwing Bread
Although there are Poskim who justify the custom of throwing bread from one end of the table to another, one should nevertheless abstain from throwing bread completely. This applies especially to the bread eaten during the Shabbat meals upon which the head of the household recites a blessing in order to fulfill the Mitzvah. In such an instance, the Peri Megadim (Chapter 167, Eshel Avraham, Subsection 38) writes that even according to the Rashba, it will be forbidden to throw the bread, for this constitutes “degradation of a Mitzvah.” Several other Acharonim rule likewise.
Justice Department backs UN claim relief workers accused of aiding Hamas are immune
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York filed a brief in July supporting that argument, saying, "In light of the United Nations’ immunity, the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the United Nations."
The brief notes that "the United States acknowledges and deplores the profound losses suffered on October 7," and that "the United States takes no position on the factual allegations in the complaint."
"The United Nations is absolutely immune from suit and legal process absent an express waiver of immunity," Williams said, citing the Charter of the United Nations, to which the United States acceded in 1945, that says the U.N. "shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the fulfilment [sic] of its purposes."
March 18, 2024 Justice Ministry official: Lawsuits cannot be filed against UNRWA for October 7 events, UN institutions have immunity; Labor and Welfare Committee Chair MK Eichler: That's absurd
https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/news/pressreleases/pages/press18324r.aspx
The Labor and Welfare Committee, chaired by MK Israel Eichler (United Torah Judaism), convened on Monday to begin preparation for second and third readings of a bill intended to allow victims of hostile acts to file lawsuits and receive compensatory damages from those who bear responsibility for acts of terrorism in conjunction with receiving benefits from the state. At present, according to the Benefits for Casualties of Hostile Acts Law, 1970, it is not possible to receive damages benefits under this law and also compensatory damages under another law. As a result, people harmed by hostile acts are compelled to refund to the National Insurance Institute (NII) the full amount of compensation received from the NII in order to file a suit for compensatory damages from a party that has been found to bear responsibility for the terrorist attack, such as the Palestinian Authority. Bills sponsored by MKs Sharren Haskel (New Hope—The United Right), Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beitenu), Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) and additional MKs, which were merged [into a single bill], propose to allow compensation to be received from the party that caused the harm in the amount of 25% of the damages awarded to the casualties, along with receiving compensation from the state.