Sunday, August 24, 2025
Trump Squeezes Iran As Nuclear Deadline Nears
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-sanctions-iran-nuclear-deadline-europe-2117621
In parallel, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was set to hold a phone call with his French, German and British counterparts on Friday, joined by the EU's foreign policy chief, in an effort to avoid the "snapback" mechanism that would reimpose U.N. sanctions on Tehran for its failure to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which terminates in October.
The three European powers had warned in a letter earlier this month that unless Iran found a "satisfactory solution" to address nuclear compliance, they would move forward with the process.
Shiur #21: Charity in Israel and the Diaspora
https://etzion.org.il/en/holidays/yom-haatzmaut/shiur-21-charity-israel-and-diaspora
The difference between the two explanations is clear, but both stand in opposition to the explanation proposed by the Ramban. According to the Ramban, "be-artzekha" does not refer on the strictly literal level to Israel, whereas according to both understandings of Rabbeinu Bachya, the "land" in question is indeed Israel, but the law stated nevertheless extends also to the Diaspora.
Trump’s Vendetta Campaign Targets John Bolton
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/john-bolton-fbi-kash-patel-donald-trump-f44e7756?mod=hp_opin_pos_1
This FBI raid makes clearer that second-term success for the President includes retribution.
His revenge campaign took an ominous turn Friday as FBI agents raided the home and office of Mr. Trump’s first-term national security adviser John Bolton. They brought two broad warrants to search the “premises.” Agents showed up unannounced at his Bethesda, Md., home at 7 a.m. They confiscated his wife Gretchen’s phone because it was visible and not on her person. Mr. Bolton had already left for his office, which is where FBI agents greeted him.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
The Intel deal is a mistake
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/08/22/intel-trump-deal-china-chips/
Congratulations, America: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that you are about to own a 10 percent share of Intel. Sure, our former world-beating national champion is now an aging also-ran in critical markets. Sure, taxpayers will be disgorging almost $9 billion to seal the deal. But in exchange you’ll get … shares in a company that has spent recent years stumbling on execution and missing one strategic opportunity after another.
The Trump administration agreed to disburse more previously awarded Chips Act money to Intel, along with a $3.2 billion grant through the Secure Enclave program; in exchange, the administration demanded, and got, roughly 10 percent of Intel’s equity. That will undoubtedly make a fine press release for the administration.
But like the agreement to allow Nvidia and AMD to export certain chips to China in exchange for 15 percent of sales, this kind of presidential dealmaking is a bad precedent: We should do things because they’re good policy, not because the government gets a cut. This particular policy also risks distorting the free-market system that has delivered better results for America, and the world, than any state-managed competitor has ever achieved. And it is unlikely to fix the deep problems with Intel, which have been decades in the making.
Kudlow on Trump Intel agreement: ‘I am very, very uncomfortable ‘
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5466937-kudlow-moore-criticize-trump-intel/?tbref=hp
Fox Business’s Larry Kudlow expressed concern on Friday over the Trump administration’s move to take a 10 percent stake in mega chipmaker Intel.
“I am very, very uncomfortable with that idea. I’m very uncomfortable with that one, but that’s a conversation for another meal on another day,” Kudlow told economist Stephen Moore, in an interview highlighted by Mediate.
Moore, earlier in the appearance, also criticized the administration’s decision, calling it “terrible.”
“I hate corporate welfare. That’s privatization in reverse. We want the government to divest of assets, not buy assets. So terrible, one of the bad ideas that’s come out of this White House,” Moore told Kudlow, who served under President Trump as the director of the National Economic Council during his first term.
Wall Street Journal hammers DOJ over Bolton raid: Trump ‘the real offender here’
The Wall Street Journal slammed the raid of President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton’s home on Friday, labeling it a part of the president’s “vendetta campaign.”
Law enforcement said the investigation into Bolton was over classified records stored at his residence in Bethesa, Md. But, the Journal argued the probe reeks of political “retribution.”
“It’s hard to see the raid as anything other than vindictive. Mr. Bolton fell out of Mr. Trump’s favor in the first term and then wrote a book about his experience in the White House while Mr. Trump was still President. Mr. Trump tried and failed to block publication,” a Friday op-ed from the outlet reads, referencing Bolton’s 2020 book.
Western Wall Souvenir chips
Devarim (12:3-4) 3. And you shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and you shall cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy their names out of that place. 4. You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.
Rashi (Devarim 12:4) It is a prohibition addressed to one who would blot out the Name of G-d from any writing, or would pull out a stone from the altar or from the forecourt.
Igros Moshe (YD IV #63.13) Question Is it permissible to take chips from the Kosel as souvenirs?Answer There is a clearly stated prohibition that contrary to the need to destroy idolatry. There is a reqirement not to destroy anything associated with G-d. This clearly prohibits chipping stones from the Temple or associated structures as the Rambam rules
Hegseth fires general over Iran strike assessment - Kill the messenger of dissenting facts
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413720
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a US general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of damage to Iranian nuclear sites from US strikes angered President Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported on Friday, citing two sources and a White House official.
The firing of Kruse follows other recent shifts in U.S. military leadership, including the early retirement of Air Force Gen. David Allvin, and budget cuts to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Pikauch nefesh - reading tshuvos accurately
I just came across a discusion of a teshuva in the Igros Moshe by Rav Zilberstein - and he seems to cite it inaccurately First I'll quote his discussion of the issue - and then the relevant excerpt from the Igros Moshe. This is a caution that even such a great talmid chachom occacionly makes errors. It doesn't necessary invalidate the halachic conclusion but it does show that his conclusion can not be learned from the statement of Rav Moshe that he cites. He says that it deals with a married couple that would need to divorce. Rav Moshe in fact is dealing with two people who want to marry and he says that it is significant whether they are married or only contemplating marriage. Secondly the issue involves whether there is a heter for birth control - when there are lenient and stringent view among the rabbis for this situation. Because of danger to the woman Rav Moshe allows the use of the lenient in their case. Thus it would seem that even if it were a condition of pikuach nefesh - if there weren't lenient views - Rav Moshe would not permit birth control. But in his conclusion he prohibits the use of birth control because with total bed rest pregnancy is not dangerous for her condition. The fact that total bedrest for nine months is a very stressful thing does not enter into the evaluation. Thus Rav Zilberstein's statement that pikuach nefesh overrules the entire Torah - is not the view expressed in the Igros Moshe where he doesn't even use the word pikuach nefesh and he gives leniencies only on a very circumscribed basis.
Rav Zilberstein( Assia Nissan 5747): In the Igros Moshe (1:67) concerning a young couple who are so much in love that if their marriage would be ended the woman would be in danger because of her severe upset which is equivalent to a condition of pikuach nefesh. It is also know that a woman who doesn’t have children for 10 years that according to the law of the Torah it is permitted for the husband to divorce her so that he can marry another woman and fulfill the obligation to have children. Nevetheless if there is a real concern that because of being divorced the woman will go into severe depression and danger – then this is pikuach nefesh which overrules the entire Torah.
Igros Moshe(E.H. 1:67):This concerns a 40 year old man who has never had children and he wants to marry a young woman whom he finds attractive and she is Torah observant. This is something which is difficult for him to find. However unfortunately she has kidney disease and therefore according to the doctors it would be dangerous for her to become pregnant at the present time. However at a later time when her condition has improved it would not be dangerous to become pregnant. The question is whether they can get married and have permission to use birth control methods to prevent pregnancy?… However nevertheless if you see that they are so much in love until it would possibly be a danger to one of them if they didn’t get married. In particular the concern is for the sick and weak young lady - who besides that she would not be able to marry him but also there is concern because of her condition that she would be prohibited to marry everyone and thus be in an very unfortunate situation – there is a basis to permit them to marry with birth control. But this is only on the condition that they are modest and reliable with many warnings not to publicize that they received permission [to follow the lenient opinions]. But on the other hand I have heard that if there is total bedrest during the entire pregnancy – there is no danger to a woman who is sick with kidney disease. Therefore in fact there is no permission to use birth control. Rather they should be advised that if she becomes pregnant that she should have total bedrest.