Netziv (Introduction to Bereishis): Bereishis was called Sefer HaYoshor (the Book of the Upright) by the prophets. This is because it is about the Avos—Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov who were called Upright by Bilaam. We need to understand why he singled them out by the title Upright instead of other descriptions such as tzadik or chasid? Furthermore, why is Bereishis singled out with this description of Upright? Another question is why Bilaam asked that his end should be like those who have such a description? The praise of Uprightness is to reinforce G-d’s judgment in destroying the Second Temple which as a generation of tzadikim and chassidim and those devoted to learning Torah—however they were not Upright in the mundane world. Therefore, because of the baseless hatred in their hearts to each other they suspected that whomever they saw who did not conduct himself according to their opinion in Yiras Shamayim—that he must be a heretic. Consequently, this led to much killing and all the evils in the world until the Temple was destroyed. Thus, there was an acknowledgement of the Uprightness of G-d’s judgment in that He would not tolerate tzadikim like these. Rather he wanted tzadikim who were upright in the world. Because even if the non-upright tzadikim were motivated by religious consideration—such conduct destroys the world. Therefore, this was the praise of the Avos that besides being tzadikim and chassidim and lovers of G-d to the ultimate degree they were also upright. That means that they conducted themselves in relation to the peoples of the world—even the debased idol worshippers with love and were concerned about their welfare in regards to the preservation of Creation. This we see in the pleading of Avraham for the people of Sedom—even though he had total hatred for them because of their wickedness—nevertheless he wanted them to live
Netziv (Devarim 32:5): It is known that the destruction of the First Temple was because of idolatry, sexual immorality and murder which angered G‑d. The destruction of the Second Temple was because of sinas chinom. We have explained in Bamidbar (35:34) that they were involved in the study of Torah and serving G‑d nevertheless most of the killing was done for the sake of G‑d. In other words they would label as a Sadducee (heretic) anyone who transgressed any of the commandments. They would then have them punished as a heretic and thus their conduct was very destructive – even though they thought they were motivated by concern for the honor of heaven. … Thus the problem of the Second Temple was that ostensibly good deeds were now mixed with bad motivation. Thus it was hard to separate the good from the bad since the bad was done for the sake of heaven.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Sinas Chinom II - Netziv
It’s not too late to save the U.S. economy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/05/trump-tariff-trade-china-economy/
President Donald Trump probably said it best last week as the stock market swooned when the government reported a surprising economic contraction in the first quarter: “This is Biden’s Stock Market.” By Friday, it had jumped back, recovering the ground it had lost after Trump pummeled the world with tariffs on “Liberation Day,” April 2. The S&P 500 is now down only 5.2 percent since Trump’s inauguration and 1.7 percent since Election Day last November.
This is largely because the economy is still pretty much President Joe Biden’s, driven by the same dynamics underlying the growth that came during the second half of his administration, as the Federal Reserve steered the economy toward a soft landing from a bout of high inflation in 2022. In April, Trump’s economic actions sent stocks, Treasurys and the dollar into a tailspin, but because he then suspended most of his tariffs for 90 days, the trouble died down. As a result, Trump’s effect on the economy has not actually shown up yet.
Republicans grow antsy after Trump comments on tariffs, recession
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5284295-trump-tariffs-recession-republicans/
Senate Republicans on Monday grew increasingly nervous after President Trump’s comments over the weekend that some of his tariffs could be permanent and that things would be “OK” even if the U.S. experienced a short-term recession.
Republicans have been on edge for weeks as the Trump administration’s hemming and hawing on tariffs have created instability in the market and questions about the White House’s handling of the economy.
Pete Hegseth Had at Least 12 Signal Chats for Pentagon Business
https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-had-least-12-signal-chats-pentagon-business-report-2068301
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth discussed Pentagon business on at least 12 separate Signal app chats, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with his management practices.
Monday, May 5, 2025
Israel, US joint counterstriking Houthis in Yemen following Ben-Gurion Airport hit
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-852751
The air force undertook a joint counterstrike of the Houthis in Yemen along with the US on Monday night following the ballistic missile strike near Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday.
During the strike, about 20 fighter jets were part of the attack, during which 50 munitions were dropped on Houthi targets in total.
This is the sixth Israeli airstrike on the Houthis since July 2024, following over 400 attacks by the Iranian proxy on Israel over the course of the war.
Triage One patient can only live short time is he ignored for one who might be cured
Igros Moshe (Choshen Mishpat II #73.2) Question: There are two patients but only one can be treated One can only be helped to extend his life for a short time or only remove the pain and rquires emergency services for that. The second can be cured but it is not clear that he needs emergency services in the hospital There is only a single bed in the emergency room. Which one gets treated? What happens if one gets to the hospital first but treatment hasn’t started?
Aging, Slurring Trump ‘Lives in Fear’ of Dad’s Dementia
https://www.thedailybeast.com/msnbc-aging-slurring-trump-lives-in-fear-of-dads-dementia/
However, the 78-year-old’s vitality has visibly waned and he is acutely aware of his mortality, the panelist added. “As I was watching that clip, you know, one of the things that really struck me is, Donald Trump has aged,” he said.
“He lives in fear of going down the path his father went down, which was dementia, followed by Alzheimer’s, into his 90s. And I think he’s carried that burden forever,” the journalist added.
Fred Trump, a real estate developer, died of both pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease at age 93 in 1999. This was eight years after his first formal diagnosis of dementia.
Trump junior reportedly avoids talking about the touchy subject, partly because he bashed his predecessor Joe Biden for allegedly being cognitively impaired, but also because he fears this could be his fate too, O’Brien said.
Trump wants the credit, but not the blame, for US economy
“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” Trump told host Kristen Welker in an interview that was to air Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “He did a terrible job on everything, from his autopen — which I’m sure he knew nothing about, some of the things he was supposedly signing.”
“But I’ve only just been here for a little more than three months. But the stock market, look at what’s happened in the last short period of time. Didn’t it have nine or 10 days in a row, or 11 days, where it’s gone up? And the tariffs have just started kicking in. And we’re doing really well. Psychologically, I mean, the fake news was giving me such press on the tariffs. The tariffs are going to make us rich. We’re going to be a very rich country.”
But despite the president’s insistence that his policies will work in the long run, Americans aren’t exactly giving him high marks. He boasts just a 39 percent approval rating for handling the economy, according to a CNN poll released early last week.
Does Donald Trump Run the World? Experts Weigh In
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-run-world-foreign-policy-2067446
"Nobody 'runs the world' and anyone who thinks he does is a dangerous idiot," Professor Andrew Bacevich, who co-founded the Quincy Institute, a Washington-based think tank which advocates for less interventionist U.S. foreign policy, said.
"The notion that the U.S. 'runs the world' may find favor in Washington but it's nonsense," he told Newsweek. "Worse, it's nonsense that causes all sorts of mischief. For evidence, we need look no further than the Vietnam War."
Praying that a patient die.
Igros Moshe (Choshen Mishpat II #74.4) Question Praying that someone die. Answer The Ran based on the gemora about Rav Chanina Ben Dosa says one can pray that someone die or at least withold prayer. He is referring to people on a very high level whose prayers are readily accepted. However this is only about prayer. No action is permitted which shortens life even if done for the good of the patient and in fact is murder which is punished by death just as a murder done from hatred or anger
Leave yeshiva if lack the abilty to understand Torah
Igros Moshe (YD IV #36.13) Question:What should a yeshiva student do if he isn’t successful because he isn’t smart but he is successful studying other things. Answer The fact is that concerning Torah study it is possible that all who study to grow in Torah. Even those who lack the ability for depth they still remember things and that is sufficient to know the entire Talmud as well as the commentaries and halacha at least superficially and that is a major accomplishment. It is possible that if he learns a lot he will also develop the ability to go in depth and get greater understanding both by natural processes and heavenly assistance and eventually become great in Torah knowledge. In contrast if he misses proper understanding of medicine it could result in someone being harmed . This is a common problem with doctors and other professions. While studying Torah he can rely on his faith and trust in G-d to be successful which isn’t so for other endeavors. In fact if he leaves yeshiva his faith and bitachon generally diminishes.
Trump Throws a Tantrum After Getting Roasted by Karl Rove
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-throws-a-tantrum-after-getting-roasted-by-karl-rove/
President Donald Trump ripped into Republican strategist Karl Rove after the former White House aide offered some hard truths about the Trump administration’s unforced errors.
In an unvarnished interview on Fox News, Rove attacked the president as “Mr. Scrooge,” whose economic approval was plummeting while he mishandled the rollout of tariffs and misled the public about their real impact on prices.
White House shares AI image of Trump as Jedi, but Star Wars fans spot lightsaber "blunder"
On X (formerly Twitter), the White House shared a meme of Trump dressed like a Jedi, the heroes from the Star Wars films. But instead of using a Jedi’s blue or green lightsaber, Trump was shown holding a red one. In Star Wars, red lightsabers are used by the villains, the Sith Lords, who are part of the dark side.
Is it prohibited to leave Yeshiva to study Medicine?
Igros Moshe (YD IV #36.13) Question: Is it prohibited to leave Yeshiva to study Medicine? Answer There is no actual prohibition even for someone who has learned for many years in yeshiva and is capable of growing in Torah. He is leaving his primary study to go to medical or engineering school since he wants a lot of money. According to the natural course of things he sees only these professions as appropriate.or he thinks he can get a better shidduch . Even though it is not relevant if he does this to grow in Torah and in fact the opposite is true.If he can find a place which is not co-ed. Going to a co-ed school is prohibited even if they don’t teach heresy. The bottom line he will not be fulfilling the mitzva of Torah study and understanding. While it is true that the Torah permits this for someone who wishes to make money or even to become wealthy. He still needs to fix time in the day and night to the degree possible fot Torah study as well as to delve into the depths .He needs to acknowledge that greatness in Torah does not result from this unless in a miraculous fashion. It is unlikely that one who is neglectful of Torah study for wealth will have miracles done.
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