Sforno (Bereishis 08:22) Nature will not cease to function dependably as it had prior to the deluge. The sun will orbit predictably, its orbit will be subject to calculation in advance, so will be its position relative to other phenomena in the sky. All the time periods mentioned in this verse will somehow be related to the position of the sun at different times during the year. It would be different from before the deluge. Whereas prior to the deluge the sun had remained at a fixed distance relative to the earth all year round, its orbit being circular, resulting in eternal spring in the populated parts of the earth, now there would be all these changes, though at predetermined intervals, resulting in alternating seasons of relative warmth and cold due to the elliptical nature of the sun’s orbit until such time as G-d would correct this deterioration in living conditions on earth due to the effect of the deluge. This “correction” is what the prophet Isaiah 66,22 had in mind when he spoke of the “the new earth which I am going to make.” In that future foreseen by the prophet, the sun will once more orbit like a circle instead of like an ellipsis, a configuration responsible for the uneven temperatures on earth during different parts of the year. At that time, the whole vegetation on earth will undergo an upgrading, the curse earth experienced both after Adam’s sin and after Kayin’s murder of his brother Hevel being lifted. Conditions of length of human life will revert to what they had been before the deluge, as the prophet said that , a youth, if he dies at a hundred years old will be considered as having died in his adolescence and more verses there describing this future. This is also what David referred “You make the lands of sunrise and sunset shout for joy.”
Friday, February 27, 2026
As measles spreads, these 9 vaccine-preventable diseases could be next
There are more than 900 confirmed measles cases in the United States, as of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly count. It’s less than two months into the year, “and we already have over a quarter of [the measles cases] we had all of 2025, so things are not great,” said Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.
When it comes to infectious diseases, measles is “the canary in the coal mine,” according to Wallace.
“Measles is the most contagious disease that we have, period,” Wallace told writer Kathleen Felton. “So as soon as we start to see measles, we know that the [vaccination] rates in that county or state are starting to drop, and so other diseases will follow on to that, but they just take longer to rip through the communities.”
Trump Keeps Railing Against Non-Citizen Voting. Research Shows It’s Extremely Rare
https://time.com/7381495/trump-non-citizen-voter-fraud-claims-research-immigration/
President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that non-citizen voting is a widespread and pressing issue in U.S. elections, a claim he has returned to in his recent push for stricter voter ID requirements.
In the past, Trump has baselessly claimed that thousands, if not millions, of undocumented immigrants voted against him in his presidential bids. Following the 2016 election, Trump claimed that between 3 million and 5 million “illegal votes” caused him to lose the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. When he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden four years later, he alleged that Biden won in key states due to tens of thousands of non-citizen votes.
It’s already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal U.S. elections, however, and research and recent state investigations have shown that noncitizen registration and voting occurs only very rarely, accounting for just a sliver of registered voters and an even more miniscule fraction of ballots cast.
The preliminary results of recent investigations into potential non-citizen voting that have been conducted in multiple states have yielded numbers that are a fraction of a fraction of those Trump has claimed.
Pesach How long were they in Egypt? by A.B.
210, 400, Or 430?
One of the best known questions regarding Pesach regards the duration of the Egyptian galus. Multiple variables appear in Chumash – 210, 400, and 430. How can they be reconciled?
In the Bris Bein Habesarim, Hashem reveals to Avraham the future awaiting his descendants and states: “Know with certainty that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall enslave them and afflict them four hundred years"(Breishis 15:13)
By contrast, when the Torah describes the leaving from Egypt, it gives a different figure, saying:
"And the dwelling of the Bnei Yisroel who dwelt in Egypt was thirty years and four hundred years. And it came to pass at the end of thirty years and four hundred years, on that very day, all the hosts of Hashem went out from the land of Egypt" (Shemos 12:40–41)
A simple reading of the second possuk might suggest that Klal Yisroel remained in Egypt itself for four hundred and thirty years. Yet Chazal explicitly ruled that this was not the case, and that the actual stay in Egypt was far shorter. From this starting point emerged one of the best-known chronological calculations.
Chazal established that the count of 430 years does not begin with Yaakov’s descent to Egypt, nor even with the beginning of the enslavement, but already with the moment when the decree of exile was pronounced to Abraham in Bris Bain Habesarim. This is stated explicitly in the Mechilta:
“‘And the dwelling of Klal Yisroel Israel who dwelt in Egypt was thirty years and four hundred years.’ But did they dwell in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years? Surely they dwelt in Egypt only two hundred and ten years!
“Rather, from the time the decree was decreed at the Bris Bein Habesarim until Yisroel went out from Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And just as the decree was decreed upon Avraham at the Bris Bein Habesarim, so it was fulfilled through Yitzchok and Yaakov and their descendants" (Mechilta Shel Rabi Yishmael, Messechta Depischa, section 14).
The same appears in the Gemara (Megillah 9a) in the name of Rabi Yochanan.
The Seder Olam Rabbah (chapter 3) says likewise, but also including but also an answer to the contradiction between 400 and 430 years: "From Avraham Avinu until yetzias Mitzrayim were four hundred and thirty years. From the birth of Yitzchak until Yetzias Mitzrayim were four hundred years. From the time Yaakov descended to Egypt until Yisroel went out from Egypt were two hundred and ten years."
Thus, the 430 years are counted from the decree given to Avraham at the Bris Bein Habesarim, the 400 years from the birth of Yitzchok, the beginning of “your offspring shall be strangers,” and only 210 of those years were actually spent in Egypt.
This understanding becomes even clearer in the Aramaic translation of Onkelos, which translates the possuk in Shemos (12:40) that speaks of 430 years in a way that provides the answer given earlier: "And the dwelling of Bnei Yisroel who dwelt in Egypt and in the land of Canaan was four hundred and thirty years" (Targum Onkelos, Exodus 12:40).
Shemos Rabbas (section 1), Rashi, the Ibn Ezra (Shemos 12:40), Ramban (ibid), and Rabeinu Bechaye (ibid), the Abarbenel (ibid), and the Sforno discuss the contradictions mentioned above in similar vein.
The Kli Yakar (Bereishis 15:13) emphasizes that the entire period was not one of suffering. Commenting on the possuk, "For your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs four hundred years,” he notes, “It does not say 'and they shall afflict them four hundred years,' for the entire time was not one of affliction."
The Shloh Hakodesh (Masseches Pesachim, Peirush Hahagadah) says that the 30 extra years began not before the Bris Bein Habesarim, as explained earlier, but after the Bris Bein Habesarim. He reasons as follows:
“We must say that because the tribes sinned by selling Yosef, an extra 30 years was decreed upon them, because the 30 years of Yosef Hatzaddik’s suffering hat he endured from his birth until he stood before Pharaoh were not counted in the reckoning of the years of exile.
“In other words, if not for this, the years of exile would have begun from the Bris Bein Habesarim and they would have been in exile for only 400 years. But because they sinned by selling Yosef, the years of exile were only reckoned 30 years after the Bris Bein Habesarim, that is, from the birth of Yitzchok, and they had to be in exile for 430 years.”
I have an unresolved difficulty with the Sheloh Hakadosh’s explanation. Since the brothers only began afflicting Yosef years after his birth, why was Klal Yisroel punished for the full 30 years from his birth until he stood before Pharaoh?
So far, we have learned that the 30 extra years were at the beginning of the balus, either from the Bris Bein Habesarim, or from Yitzchok’s birth.
The Ramban (Shemos 12:42), however, offers an opposite approach, attaching the 30 years not before the 400 years but after they were already completed.
Noting that “no promise is secure against being nullified by sin except one that is given with an oath,” the Ramban notes that Klal Yisroel in Egypt were wicked to a great degree and even neglected bris milah as it says of Galus Mitzrayim in Sefer Yechezkel (20:8), “But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; no man cast away the detestable things of his eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out My wrath upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt.” Likewise, Yehoshua told the people (24:14), “Remove the gods which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve Hashem.”
“Therefore, their exile was lengthened by thirty years,” the Ramban writes, saying that “it would have been fitting for it to be lengthened even more, except that they cried out and multiplied their prayers,” as the possuk says (Shemos 2:23-24), “They groaned because of the labor and cried out, and their cry rose up, and Hashem heard their groaning.”
“For they were not worthy of redemption merely because the appointed time had come, but He accepted their cry and their groaning because of the great suffering they endured,” the Ramban writes, adding, “And why should it be difficult for the earlier commentators to explain that their exile was extended thirty years beyond the appointed time? For it was extended forty years because of the sin of the spies. All those forty years were a period of affliction for them, as it says, ‘And you shall remember all the way that Hashem your G-d led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to afflict you’ (Devorim 8:2).’”
“They also had a complete exile in a land not theirs, exposed to serpent, fiery serpent, and scorpion,” the Ramban writes. “Nor was fulfilled for them, ‘And the fourth generation shall return here,’ for within forty years that generation was certainly replaced, since another generation had already been born. But the sins caused everything.”
The Ramban concludes that this may be why the Bnei Efrayim left thirty years before the arrival of Moshe Rabeinu as Chazal say (Sanhedrin 92), “for they counted correctly and did not err, but ‘the wicked is caught by his own sins’” (Mishlei 5:22).
Taking all the sources are placed side by side, it becomes clear that the Torah’s various numbers represent varying degrees of suffering in our first galus, or extra periods of galus for Klal Yisroel’s wrongdoings.
Tucker Carlson pushes DNA tests for Jews: the ‘Khazar’ theory that antisemites can’t shake
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-888178
During Tucker Carlson’s interview last week with Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, both men made considerable waves with their takes on history and theology.
But Carlson’s own interpretation of Israeli sovereignty was also notable, as the far-right pundit insisted that Israelis should undergo genetic testing to determine if they have a rightful claim to the land.
“Why don’t we do genetic testing on everybody in the land and find out who Abram’s descendants are?” Carlson asked Huckabee at one point, using the name Abraham used before he made a covenant with God to become the first Jew. “It’s really simple. We’ve cracked the human genome. We can do that. Why don’t we do that?”
No matter how it happened, the theory goes, Jews who trace their genetics to Eastern Europe should not be considered rightful heirs of Israel, and should instead claim the Caucasus as their ancestral home.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
The Measles Surge Is Just the Beginning
https://time.com/7380102/rfk-jr-vaccine-schedule-measles-rsv/
This winter, the U.S. is experiencing a surge in measles cases. South Carolina is the epicenter of the outbreak, with over 960 confirmed cases, and the virus continues to spread, with 26 states reporting new cases this year. Last year, two children in the U.S. died from measles. Both were unvaccinated. We are seeing the consequences of declining vaccination rates, and, due to recent federal policy changes, parents need to brace for more disease risks for children.
Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/26/trump-elections-executive-order-activists/
Pro-Trump activists who say they are in coordination with the White House are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered in the 2020 election as a basis to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.
The idea of claiming emergency executive powers based on allegations of foreign interference attaches new significance to the administration’s actions to reinvestigate the 2020 election. Trump has never accepted defeat, while never finding evidence of widespread fraud. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is leading a review of election security that officials said focuses on foreign influence.
A 2021 intelligence review concluded that China considered efforts to influence the election but did not go through with them
Eruv in Switzerland draws antisemitic accusations from Senator
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423029
In one statement, Poggia criticized Israel and referred to a range of unrelated events, including the fatal avalanche incident at the Crans-Montana ski resort, the Octber 7th massacre, and the war in Gaza. In a separate statement focused on the eruv, he said he was “shocked" by the initiative, arguing that it could result in a visibly demarcated Jewish residential area, which he described as a form of “voluntary ghetto."
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis and Av Beit Din of Switzerland, said it was inappropriate to link unrelated tragedies to a local religious arrangement. He stated that portraying an eruv as coercive or exclusionary distorts both Jewish law and historical reality, and undermines efforts to foster respectful coexistence.
Polls show increasing concerns about Trump’s mental acuity
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/26/politics/donald-trump-mental-fitness-polls?cid=android_app
President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential race after his initial opponent, then-President Joe Biden, withdrew over worries about his age and mental sharpness.
But a year-plus into Trump’s four-year term, polls suggest the American people aren’t just increasingly unhappy with his job performance; they’re increasingly concerned about his mental capacity as well.
The Reuters-Ipsos poll showed 61% of Americans agreed that Trump has “become erratic with age.” Even 30% of Republicans agreed with that sentiment.
The Reuters-Ipsos poll also showed a decrease in the percentage of Americans who say Trump is “mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges.” That number has dropped from 54% in September 2023 to 45% today.
Other polls echo these findings, including one from CNN last month.
Rav Emden Abortion 1 43
ששאלת אם יש איסור לקלקל עובר בבטן אמו שזינתה. בין פנויה בין א"א.
תשובה בס' חות יאיר (אחר סי' ל"א) מצאתי שנשאל הרב בעל הס' על אשת איש הרה לזנונים: ואחר המעשה נתחרטה כו' אם רשאה לגמוע דבר מאבקת רוכל לשלשל זרע המקולל אשר בקרבה. וז"ל הרב בעל התשובה ואחשבה כי תכונת השאלה בא"א דבר בדוי הוא לא היה כו' כאשר בתשובתי על השאלה אין חילוק בין היות המעוברת נשואה וכשירה בנשים. או ממזר מא"א שהרי לא נפלאת היא דדין ממזר לכל דבר כישראל כשר וכו' עכ"ל:
ואני הצעיר אומר לענ"ד חילוק גדול יש בדבר. ויש לדון השואל ההוא לזכות שבדקדוק ובכיוון שאל שאלתו בא"א. אף אם אולי מעשה שהיה לא כך היה. נכון לומר עליו שאלת החכם חצי תשובה. דבפנויה וכ"ש בנשואה מעוברת מבעלה. לא קמיבעיא ליה. דוודאי ולד הוא. כי איך שיהיה אף שאין חייבין עליו. ודאי איסורא איכא מיהת. מכמה טעמים שקצת מהם באו בדברי הרב בתשובתו הנז'. ומגמרא דעירכין שהביא אין ראיה כלל כמו שדחה הוא ז"ל בעצמו. ואני אוסיף לקח בעז"ה בסמוך:
עובר הנוצר באיסור יש לומר שמותר להשחיתו בבטן אמו גם ולד כשר היכא דסייע בעברה שיש בה מיתה ושמא אע"פ שאין לו חלק בחטא דלא עדיף מהיא גופה דאינה בכלל מאבד' עצמה לדעת בענין זה
אמנם נדון השואל בא"א שזינתה שאלה הגונה היא. וקרוב בעיני להתירה אם הייתי כדאי. כי נ"ל שיש מקום להקל כיון שניאפה זאת ודם בידיה. מעתה בת קטלא היא מדין תורה. אף שאין דמה מסור בידינו להורגה. מכל מקום חייבת מיתה בדין שמים. מאחר שעשתה במזיד ביודעת שחטאה בזדון. ואע"ג דד"מ בטלו דין ד"מ לא בטלו. ומפורש גם בדברי קבלה אדם עשוק בדם נפש עד בור ינוס וגו'. וזה בנין אב לכל חייבי מיתות. דהוא הדין בדכותיה בעריות. ואפי' למ"ד חבר צריך התראה. נ"מ אם התרו בה. ואפי' בזמן הזה שאין דנין דיני נפשות. כיון דמדינא בת קטלא היא. אע"ג דממזר כשיצא לאויר העולם. דינו ככשר שחייבין על הריגתו. מיהת השתא דירך אמו הוא. ואילו היה דינה מסור בידינו. היינו ממיתים אותה ואת פרי בטנה. דדמי ממש להאי דערכין דאין ממתינין לה. ועדיף מינה. דהתם אפי' בוולד כשר מיירי. והכא הוולד נוצר באיסור. שעליו נגמר דינה למיתה. פשיטא דאין חוששין לו. ונהרג על ידי אמו:
על כן היה נ"ל פשוט שאין איסור גם כן בהשחתתו. אע"פ שאימא קיימת. כי נלע"ד ג"כ פשוט שאפי' היא בעצמה אף שלא נגמר דינה להריגה. מחמת שאין דבר זה בידינו עכשיו. אעפ"כ אינה בכלל ואת דמכם לנפשותיכם אדרוש. ואינה נענשת אם המיתה ואיבדה עצמה לדעת. שעל כיוצא בזה אמרו בספרי יכול כשאול. ואדרבא נראה שזכות הוא לה. וכמה מעשיות בש"ס ומדרשות יוכיחו (עיין במ"ר ע"פ וירח את ריח בגדיו) שספרו מבעלי תשובה שדנו דין הריגה בעצמן. וקילסום שזכו לחיי העוה"ב (וגדולה מזו מצינו באשכבתיה דר' בההוא כובס שאיבד עצמו לדעת מחמת צער שלא זכה להיות נטפל לעושי מצוה. ותחשב לו לצדקה וזו קשה ביותר וצ"ע) וכל שכן הולד שבקרבה שדמו מותר ואינו נדרש ממנה. אם קלקלתו בחדרי בטנה. שאע"פ שלא חטא. אפ"ה משמיא לא רחמו עליה. והרי אמרו ממזר לא חיי אפי' שקנה חיות שכבר יצא לאויר העולם. ק"ו לעובר כזה שלא חסה עליו תורה. ותו מאן יימר דולד גמור יהיה. שמא תעשה עוברה סנדל (אע"ג דבעלמא אזלינן בתר רובא דנשים דולד מעליא ילדן.) וכיוצא בו שאינו ולד. והאיכא ספיקי טובא. וא"כ לפ"ז פשיטא דבנ"ד מותר לכתחלה ואפשר מצוה קעבדה. וכנז'. (ולענין מעוברת עצמה ודכוותה כל חייבי מיתה בי"ש אם מותר להצילן מן המיתה. עמ"ש בס"ד במ"א על ענין רוצח שנתפס בדיני או"ה והוצרך להשבע לשקר. ועיין בתשו' הרב בחו"י סי' קמ"ו):
אך לקחת במוחלט הראיה הנ"ל מערכין. כדס"ד דהרב ז"ל דלא שני ליה. לא נהירא כלל מלבד שדחאה הוא ז"ל בעצמו. אין משם ראיה דהתם משום דעובר ירך אמו הוא. ויש לו חלק בחטא. כדאמרינן דכוותה בבהמה שנגחה היא וולדה נגחו. דמה"ט הולד פסול להקרבה. דדיינינן העובר כאלו גם בו נעשה מעשה העבירה. הוא הדין הכא כל זמן שהוא חשוב כאחד מאיבריה. גם הוא חטא. אע"פ שאין בו שייכות חטא. הרי הוא כירכה שחטא. ונלקה עמה כמו אחד מאיבריה. לכן אפשר הותר להמיתו אפי' לא הי' סופו למות ע"י אמו. אבל להוכיח משם היתר היכא דלא עזר העובר בחטא כנדון דידיה אין לנו. כיון שאמו אינה בת מיתה לדעת הרב. דלא ס"ל הכי (ואזיל לשטתיה ולטעמיה בספרו סקמ"ו.) דילמא כה"ג לא שרי להשחיתו אפי' בסופו למות. כגון שעתידה ליהרג בדיניהם. לכן צריכין אנו לטעם שלנו כנז'. ודו"ק כי קצרתי ונ"ל נכון מאד:
חידוש דין שאיסור הוצאת שז"ל הותר מכללו אצל צורך מצוה
ובמה שהתעסק הרב ז"ל בתשו' הנז' להראות פנים לאיסור. ללמדו מעון הוצאת ש"ז לבטלה. יש לדחות דאיכא למימר דלאו היינו טעמא. אלא משום דמערה לאשפה ומוסיף בכחות הטומאה ומכחיש בפמליא של מעלה. כידוע מטעם חכמי האמת בעלי הקבלה. שעל כרחנו אנו צריכין לדבריהם בענין עון זה. ותדע משלש נשים המשמשות במוך. ויתרה עליהם הזקנה. שבכולן אין איסור לנושאן. אע"פ שמוציא זרעו לבטלה. אלא ודאי לא מיקרי לבטלה כי אם כששחת ארצה ומטעם הנז'. אע"פ שאין הזרע ראוי להווצר ממנו ולד. וא"כ בעובר כיון דלאו ולד הוא. וספק אם יבוא לכלל ולד גמור כנז'. עדיין הספק במקומו עומד. וגם בעובר כשר היה צד להקל לצורך גדול. כל כמה דלא עקר. אפי' אינו משום פקוח נפש אמו. אלא להציל לה מרעתו. שגורם לה כאב גדול וצ"ע. אמנם דעת לנבון נקל שעכ"פ יש איסור לכתחלה בהשחתתו מפשטא דתלמודא אף שאינו חייב על העוברין. וכן להשחית זרע שנקלט במעי אשה אע"פ שעדיין לא נתעברה ממנו. ודאי אסור שלא לצורך. כדמוכח מדלא שרי לשמש במוך. אלא לג' נשים דווקא. ואיברא לצורך. אף להוציא זרע לבטלה להשחיתו על הארץ שרי. כדאשכחן לענין בדיקת הניקב בגובתא דש"ז דמותבינן ליה אבי פוקרי. ש"מ דאיסור חמור זה הותר מכללו אצל צורך מצוה. כמ"ש במ"א בס"ד ואין להאריך:
לבד ראה זה מצאתי ריש זוהר שמות דמוכח בהדיא שדבר זה אסור הוא לישראל אף לאחר מתן תורה יעוין שם. וא"כ לדברינו ודאי בעלמא (ר"ל בעובר כשר) איסורא איכא להשחית עובר. חוץ מנדון השאלה בא"א שקלקלה הגדתי היום דעתי הקלה שמותר. ואולי קרוב לשכר מצוה דלא כמ"ש הרב בעל תשו' הנ"ל. דלא נחית לפלוגי בין א"א לכשרה. ואע"ג דממזר כישראל כשר לכל הדברים שזכר הרב. מ"מ עובר ממזר אין לנו לדונו כעובר כשר. שהתורה התירתו לעובר העוברת. עם שלא סייע בעברה כנ"ד. שאין מענין דינה של זו להצילו. כיון דירך אמו הוא והרי הוא כמושחת ועומד. ולכן אין מקום לחלק עדיין בין זנתה עם ישראל או עם הגוי. שאע"פ שנכרי הבא על בת ישראל הולד כשר. מ"מ מאחר שהיא חייבת מית
Trump’s atypical surgeon general pick faces Senate scrutiny: Key takeaways
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5755656-casey-means-senate-confirmation-hearing-takeaways/
After months of delay, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. surgeon general, Casey Means, appeared before the Senate, facing intense questions over her qualifications, personal health care practices and career as a social media influencer.
Means would be an unprecedented pick, not having completed her medical residency or having an active medical license. She is the sister of White House senior adviser Calley Means, one of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top advisers, and a prominent “Make America Healthy Again” influencer in her own right.
As with many of Trump’s health nominees, senators on both sides of the aisle zeroed in on Means’s views on vaccinations. Means sought to characterize her previous rhetoric about vaccines to be more about informed consent rather than questioning vaccine efficacy.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the HELP Committee, asked whether Means would encourage mothers to get their children vaccinated against measles, given the ongoing measles outbreaks across the country and the U.S. poised to lose its measles elimination status.
When pressed by Cassidy, however, Means declined to say if she’d encourage other mothers to get their children vaccinated against measles.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Donald Trump’s SOTU Speech Fact-Checked
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-sotu-speech-fact-checked-11579247
In an appeal to the lawmakers present at his speech, Trump said that the SAVE America Act—enforcing stricter ID requirements on voters—was necessary to address “rampant” cheating in U.S. elections.
There is currently no evidence of widespread fraud in U.S. elections, as Trump asserts, with analysis from several think tanks—including the conservative Heritage Foundation—indicating that instances of ballot fraud represent only a tiny share of votes cast.
Around one hour into his address, Trump said that the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed in August while aboard a train in North Carolina, had been killed by someone who “came in through open borders.”
The suspect in the murder, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., is a U.S. citizen who was born in Charlotte, according to local media reports and his own social media profiles.
Suicide & Teshuva:Shevus Yaakov - rejected by Rav M. Feinstein & R O Yosef
Igros Moshe(C.M. 2:69.4): ... Also this view (Yaavetz 1:43) that someone who has deliberately transgressed a sin that is liable to the death penalty and he commits suicide that he is not only not punished but it is also a meritorious act – is clearly prohibited even if he had been halachically warned not to do the crime. It is a shameful thing that Rav Yaakov Emden stated and his view on this matter should be totally disregarded.
Rav Obadiya Yosef (Yabiyah Omer Y.D. 2:24.8)… In fact this issue is very confusing in my opinion. How is it possible that the mitzva of repentance can be done by means of the major sin of suicide? Our Sages have said that a person who deliberately commits suicide has no portion in the World to Come… This matter is an explicit verse (Yechezkeil 33:11): “Say to them, As I live, says the L‑rd G‑d, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked should turn from his way and live; turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die?” And there is nothing that repentance doesn’t help. So why would anyone think R’ Chiya's attempt to kill himself in response to what he thought was a sin with a prostitute - was according to the halacha (Kiddushin 81b)? But look at Sefer Chasidim (#674) …How could he tell his students to do teshuva in a manner that caused them to be killed? It would seem that the Sefer Chasidim is a major support for the Shevus Yaakov. This is a very difficult issue that requires study. Nevertheless in my opinion one can not learn halacha from stories such as these. Therefore it is prohibited to kill oneself – even for the sake of repentance. I also saw this point in Shevet Shimon (345) which expresses great astonishment at this Shevus Yaakov and he concludes that the halacha is in accord with the Yafas To’ar [and not the Shevus Yaakov]. This is also the conclusion of the Chida in Birchei Yosef (345:3), that even though normally the Shevus Yaakov is more authoritative but logic is in agreement with the Yafas To’ar. [There are many other sources that come to this conclusion and reject this Shevus Yaakov]…
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