U. S. national security adviser Mike Waltz used the Signal messaging app to host other sensitive discussions with Cabinet members, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing two unnamed officials.
Among those discussions were threads on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, and military operations, according to the Journal.
Igros Moshe (YD IV #36. 15) Question: This that you objected to my statement that all those who leave yeshiva for secular studies in college even if they are still fully observant are not considered Bnei Torah. You objected because it means all those who are involved in earning a living by going to college will give up trying to grow in Torah learning if they are not considered Bnei Torah. Answer. I am surprised that you don’t view leaving yeshiva as being more deleterious than not being called a Ben Torah. People will say that if everyone is considered a Ben Torah and Talmid Chachom even those who have left yeshiva for secular studies than why should those remaining in yeshiva exert themselves in Torah and fear of G-d. This concern is found in the gemora (Menachos 99b) that even through the daily reciting of Shma in the morning and evening a person fulfills the obligation to spend his time in Torah study, nevertheless the gemora concludes that it is prohibited to teach this to the ignorant. Rashi says because they might think the minimum is sufficient and they won’t try harder. It is even worse if the talmidei chachomim think that. . In fact I am simply saying the facts a person who does not devote himself totally to Torah study is not a ben Torah. Those who go to medical school they want to be not only doctors but they want the honor of also being viewed as bnei Torah? If in fact he is a godol in Torah than of course he should be described as such even if there is concern that others will imitate him and leave yeshiva thinking they can also have both. This that you write that there are many businessmen who place the majority of their efforts into Torah study so why shouldn’t they be viewed as bnei Torah? I have already stated that they while are obviously good Jews they are not bnei Torah since all their efforts are not directed at Torah. It was only the Jews in the wilderness and that generation that entered Israel with Yehoshua as well as the generation of Chezkiyahu that all were bnei Torah. Even in the time of Dovid and Shlomo not all were bnei Torah. Even in the time of Chezkiyahu only two of the tribes were bnei Torah.
This reminds me of a chance encounter I had with a kiruv rabbi during a stop over in the Paris airport. He said "I can not forgive the rabbis and roshei yeshiva who tell everyone that they will become a gadol when in fact only a few have the ability.
The head of the Diaspora yeshiva Rav Goldstein related that he was once in America raising money for his yeshiva and he met Rav Moshe. Rav Moshe asked him “How are you doing?” He responded byrelating a list of his medical problems. Rav Moshe said I wasn’t asking about your health, I was asking whether you had some real concerns in understanding a Rashi or Tosfos.
After previously doing so anonymously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar knew several hours before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre that an invasion by the terror group was likely but did not alert him.
“This is a fact and not a conspiracy,” a statement from the premier’s office read, asserting that at 4:30 that morning, “it was already clear to the outgoing Shin Bet head that an invasion of the State of Israel was likely.”
The statement went on to ask: “Why at that moment did he not wake up the prime minister? Why didn’t he warn the community heads in the Gaza periphery? Why was the prime minister’s military secretary only updated minutes before the start of the attack?”
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-848230
MK Avigdor Liberman, however, told KAN's Reshet Bet that the appointment of someone from outside the Shin Bet was "puzzling."
“Sharvit was an excellent commander, but he has no intelligence background or training," Liberman said. "The considerations that led to his appointment, after years outside the military framework, raise many questions.”
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQZTqDfKXxMHkBXtNfJXtsFQPtC?projector=1
Join us, either in person or via zoom, on Sunday May 27th at 11am,
as Brandeis University scholar Gilad Cohen presents
“Clash of the Early Zionists”
If you are familiar with Zionism's popular history, but open to critically assessing your ideas and opinions in light of academic sources, you will find this an engaging event.
Tickets are free. Donations are welcome. For more information about the presentation and the speaker, or to reserve your ticket, visit https://zionists.
Igros Moshe (OC I #127) Question: You are uncertain about the question of a whether Shabbos can be profaned to save the life of a person who caused the danger by attempting suicide. You cite the Magen Avraham that it is prohibited to profane Shabbos to save his life. Answer In my humble opinion it is impossible to say that because such a distinction is not to be found anywhere in the halachic sources. And there is an established principle that nothing stands in the way of saving life including Shabbos even if the danger was brought about by the person’s own actions.
Igros Moshe (YD III #90) That which I wrote that one is obligated to even violate Shabbos to save life of one who attempted suicide – there is no question that that is correct and your questions from the Mishneh Berura and Rema are not relevant. The point is that one needs to do what he can to save the life of his fellow .
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1esnx5okx
Some religious Jewish and Christian groups believe the Messiah's arrival—whether for the first or second time—could be imminent. In their view, God has set the stage by returning Donald Trump to the White House.
He pointed to Maimonides' teachings, which outlined three key events that would signal the coming of the Messiah.
The first, he explained, is the destruction of Amalek, which many—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after October 7—equate with modern-day Hamas.
The second is a religious revival among the Jewish people. Some American Jews believe they see this happening in a growing "surge" of interest in religious involvement, while in Israel, it is reflected in the rise of the religious right.
According to Weisz, the final stage is the rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/r1hamulpyl
Health officials warn that some areas, including Jerusalem, could be susceptible to the virus after declining MMRV vaccination rates and rising global spread of the disease
Thanks to Trump’s administration, the US could soon have to fight wars to get things that, just a few weeks ago, were there for the asking
At the base, in the far north of the island, the US visitors had pictures taken of themselves and ate lunch with servicemen and women. They treated the base as the backdrop to a press conference where they could say things they already thought; nothing was experienced, nothing was learned, nothing sensible was said. Vance, who never left the base, and has never before visited Greenland, was quite sure how Greenlanders should live. He made a political appeal to Greenlanders, none of whom was present, or anywhere near him. He claimed that Denmark was not protecting the security of Greenlanders in the Arctic, and that the US would. Greenland should therefore join the US.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/30/chilly-welcome-vances-greenland-gaffe-goes-viral/
US Vice President JD Vance touched down in Greenland on Friday, March 28, only to find himself the butt of online jokes after waving to what appeared to be a non-existent crowd. Accompanied by his wife, Usha, the 40-year-old stepped off Air Force Two at the US military's Pituffik Space Base, where he was set to attend a national security briefing. According to The Irish Star, the awkward moment unfolded as he saluted and waved, only for the camera to reveal a thin gathering – mostly security personnel and a handful of press, not the throngs he seemed to expect.
Originally, Usha's itinerary included a multi-day visit with stops in Nuuk and cultural events like a dogsled race, per The Irish Star. But backlash from Greenland and Danish officials – irked by the lack of consultation – forced a rethink, with the White House scaling it back to a single day at Pituffik.
The 22nd Amendment has already had its say: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
Politico Magazine recently outlined four ways Trump could “snatch a third term—despite the 22nd Amendment,” which it summarized as: change the Constitution, sidestep the Constitution, ignore the Constitution, or defy the Constitution.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-posts-crackpot-signalgate-conspiracy-what-are-the-odds/
President Donald Trump boosted a vague conspiracy targeting the CEO of NPR, who also happens to sit on the board of Signal, as his administration continues to grapple with the fallout of a major intelligence leak on the messaging app.
Trump reposted Sunday an X user’s claim of a “Signal scandal”: “Katherine Maher, the leftist NPR CEO, is currently the Chair of the Board of Signal!” an account called Publius wrote. “WHAT ARE THE ODDS?”
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-legal-blow-judge-boasberg-deportation-flights-case-2052348
In a new order on Friday, Boasberg extended the existing restraining order on the flights until April 12, "or until further order of the Court." The original restraining order was set to expire March 29.
The Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege this week following Boasberg's request for additional information on the deportation flights. The administration has also requested that the U.S. Supreme Court vacate Boasberg's orders.
A Department of Justice (DOJ) source told Newsweek on Friday: "The continued interference by an unelected activist judge in the foreign policy of the United States is a clear obstruction of President Trump's constitutional authority and threatens the safety and security of all Americans."
On Truth Social on Thursday, Trump called out Boasberg, saying, "How disgraceful is it that 'Judge' James Boasberg has just been given a fourth 'Trump Case,' something which is, statistically, IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way for a Republican, especially a TRUMP REPUBLICAN, to win before him."
