Igros (OC IV #85) Question Regarding the use of hearing aides on Shabbos is the use of a microphone prohibited? Answer The practice in America is to be lenient even though we prohibit using a microphone in a pa system and there are four reasons Two of the reasons are based on the fact that the prohibited work involved is not clear and two involve the fact that the prohibitions that are clearly transgressed are Rabbinic not Torah prohibitions. One of the reasons to prohibit using a microphone is that it makes a noise and this is like grinding wheat on Shabbos and is considered disrespectful to Shabbos and this only applies where the noise is heard by everyone. In contrast the hearing aid which is not heard by everyone is not included in this prohibition. Another prohibition is the prohibition of adjusting a musical instrument. This also does not apply to a hearing aide since it is only for the hard of hearing and since this is not common no decree was made for it. Additionally a hearing aide is a very great need to those who use them and can even be viewed as Pikuach nefesh (life saving) when they go out of their homes and need to hear whether there is traffic and thus we can assume there is no decree of prohibition in such cases as there is with a regular microphone. . Another issue involved is the nature of the sound that comes from a pa system. Furthermore it is not the actual sound of the person speaking into the microphone that the system produces. This is also true with a hearing aide. It is unclear what the issur of making a reproduction of a voice. Consequently we can not prohibit this to a handicapped person who has a great need for it. Also because the main benefit of a hearing aide is not necessarily amplifying the sound but rather directing the sound directly into the ear though it might also help that the sound is amplified. However since this is not clear even to the experts this adds another uncertainty. The other concern is the use of electricity which might be a type of fire. This is also an unclear prohibition or even a clear doubt. Because of this uncertainty we don’t prohibit that which is greatly needed. It is important to note that the hearing aide is resting in the ear of the user who is actually doing nothing and thus the real question is whether it is permissible to speak to a person with a hearing aide. If a person is not talking only to a person with a hearing aide but to a group of people and the hearing aide user hears what is said to others thus since there is no intent to utilize the hearing aide it is permitted. This is not even a psik reisha since often the deaf person knows what is being said to him even without a hearing aide. It would be a possible psik reisha for the speaker if he intends only for the person with a hearing aide to hear what he says. Consequently when it is possible the speaker should avoid speaking only with someone who has a hearing aide. The hearing aide can thus be of benefit for most things that he needs to hear such as the sound of traffic or what is going on in shul. It is best that when people answer his questions they avoid answering with words but they should respond nonverbally, however if that is not realistic if for example he is a child of six who must be answered and at times only words can be used than there is no prohibition in speaking to him
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Future of Israel-Russia relations after Trump abandons Ukraine
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/future-of-israel-russia-relations-after-trump-abandons-ukraine/
In the current geopolitical context, faced with the weakness of European security, and in the face of Putin's hegemonic intentions, we cannot blindly follow Donald Trump's logic on the solution of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
‘Trump has no affection for Ukraine’: Soldiers remove US patches in anger at president
Black said: “We thought of Americans as comrades even though the US did not have boots on the ground here. Everyone in the military is assessing how Ukraine would fare even if there was a total cessation of American weapons.”
Some attribute Trump’s hostility to Ukraine as revenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky refusing to fall in with Trump’s demands during his first presidency to concoct political dirt against Joe Biden. That led to Trump’s first impeachment, a humiliation he has never forgotten.
He said: “We know Trump has no affection for Ukraine. Trump loves himself. His actions are not for America’s benefit, everything he does is for himself.”
UN passes resolutions condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine despite US opposition
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/united-nations-ukraine-resolutions-00205744
A U.S. effort to sink a draft U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine failed Monday after European countries and Kyiv marshaled support for strong language against Moscow.
The United Nations General Assembly passed the resolution with 93 countries voting in favor. The U.S. and Russia both voted against it.
Once kids start dying, we’ll see how people really feel about immunization mandates
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5157915-anti-vaxxer-movement-health-risk/?tbref=hp
“Anti-vaxxers” used to occupy a “crunchy,” hardcore lefty space filled with moms who wouldn’t let their kids eat birthday cake at parties because of the toxins. Today, this has changed. The anti-vaxx space has been firmly taken over by a political movement that believes in “health freedom” and that immunization mandates are un-American.
When we choose not to vaccinate, we aren’t just making that choice for our own children. We are putting at risk every child they come into contact with. And I’m going to guess that, as soon as a child who one of these legislators knows dies from measles, they will change their tune very quickly.
Republican Divisions Are Growing Under Trump
https://www.newsweek.com/republican-divisions-trump-2035698
The resolution calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, which has concerned lawmakers worried about the nation's growing debt. It also calls for $2 trillion in cuts to spending, which has alarmed some swing-district Republicans who worry about the impact of substantial cuts to Medicaid and other services on their constituents. It comes as the Trump campaign's pollster has sounded the alarm about the vulnerabilities congressional Republicans face ahead of next year's midterm elections.
Some conservative lawmakers oppose the level of spending cuts in the resolution.
Representatives Victoria Spartz of Indiana said on X on Sunday that she is "a NO on the current version" of the resolution and Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters on Monday that he was also opposed.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky indicated he was against the resolution, writing on X that if it passes, the deficit "gets worse, not better."
Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans—including some who represent swing districts—remain concerned about the potential cuts to Medicaid.
Many Ukrainians Believed in Trump. Now They Feel Betrayed.
https://www.thefp.com/p/ukrainians-feel-betrayed-by-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
‘We used to wear American flag patches on our body armor as a symbol of the land of freedom. Now, we’ve taken them off.’
Why Team Trump should beware its job-slashing triumphalism
Yes, the government has grown too vast and byzantine, so some of these normie workers necessarily will face the chop.
But most of the federal workers clock on for the same reasons everyone else does: just to keep a roof over the family’s heads and food on the table — not to ram progressive ideology down our throats.
Letting someone go — apart from the most obnoxious of ideologues — is no cause for celebration.
If and when Musk and his DOGE crew lay waste to the federal workforce and shut down government-funded operations around the country, remember that these people have family and friends who will suffer the financial hit.
‘Embarrassing,’ ‘cruel,’ ‘absurd,’ ‘extortion’: GOP moderates find voices on Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/24/gop-moderates-speak-against-trump/
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s like: Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis said. “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both.”
Mysterious Bruise Appears on Trump’s Hand After Aggressive Shake With Macron
The meeting was rife with awkward moments. In another instance, Macron fact-checked Trump to his face after the American president claimed that Europe was “loaning” money to Ukraine.
A Sad Day for the U.S. at the U.N.
The United Nations is no great moral arbiter of anything, but at least the United States has tried over the years to have that group of nations recognize the truth about bad actors. That wasn’t the case Monday, as the U.S. voted with Russia against a General Assembly resolution calling out Russia for its invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
What a regrettable moment. The resolution, sponsored by Ukraine and European nations, wasn’t even all that strong. It merely noted “with concern that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” has had “devastating and long-lasting consequences” and called for “an early cessation of hostilities.”
The resolution has no practical importance, though it does underscore Mr. Trump’s turn toward Russia in the conflict. Perhaps he thinks that telling the truth about Russia will cause Mr. Putin to walk away from the Ukraine negotiations. Ronald Reagan, who also sought peace and achieved it, never shrank from telling the truth about the Soviet Union. The truth was an essential weapon in defeating what Reagan called an “evil empire.”
Monday, February 24, 2025
Two sinks
Igros Moshe (YD I #42) Question Washing dishes in the sink. Is a single sink permitted? Answer: Even if you want to claim that a Bal Nefesh should be strict and not wash dishes in a single sink this is not the normative halacha to a person who only wants to do the minimum because most sinks can not actually be prohibited and thus it is not prohibited even to a Bal Nefesh. Also most times the dishes are not actually touching the sink but rest on a racks which are separate for meat and milk. Even if occasionally that the sink water rises to touch the dishes. This is only a concern lechatchilah but bedieved it is not a problem even for a Bal Nefesh. Thus even though the custom is to have separate sinks it is not prohibited to have a single sin
Halacha And Kabbalah (Part 4): When Kabbalah Supersedes The Traditional Halacha
In conclusion, the main Ashkenazi approach is not to allow kabbalah to supersede the halacha. Indeed, R. Moshe Feinstein writes (OC 4:3) that the Arizal is to be viewed as just one of the many revered poskim, not the supreme one. This is also the opinion of even the Sephardic posek R. Ovadia Yosef in Yabia Omer (OC 9:105) and other places.
Halacha and Arizal
