Trump is stuck in an Iran trap of his making — with only two options

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/11/iran-war-is-trap-trump-built-himself/

President Donald Trump is caught in an Iran war trap of his own making. He has for weeks been all-too-visibly eager for a deal allowing him to declare “victory” for … something. Conversely, he seems to deeply fear making a Barack Obama-like nuclear deal, and the inevitable (and justifiable) criticism. Good answers seem scarce, reinforcing his frustration. That was evident on Sunday when, posting online, he denounced as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Iran’s response to a U.S. framework to end the war. He must feel like George H.W. Bush, who once described himself as “one lonely little guy down here” at the White House.

Much of the trap’s construction depended on what Trump didn’t do. Before launching U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, he never explained to Americans why military force was justified to help achieve regime change, eliminate Tehran’s nuclear weapons and terrorist threats, or eviscerate its military capabilities. He apparently did not brief members of Congress. He seemingly did not consult U.S. allies, neither in NATO nor the Persian Gulf, nor America’s Indo-Pacific friends, who depend heavily on Middle Eastern oil. George H.W. Bush did all these things before launching Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

But Trump did stop, and he now seems lost, in effect hoping Iran’s Revolutionary Guard gives him a diplomatic exit, which it has so far declined to do. Instead, the regime’s remnants seek time to emerge from Iran’s rubble, reconsolidate their rule and rebuild their military capabilities, including their nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programs and their terrorist networks and proxies. They see correctly that Trump’s domestic political troubles vex him far more than the distant threat of a reconstituted Iranian militarized theocracy. Thus, even if Tehran appears to accept Trump’s proposed ceasefire as a basis for future negotiations, the regime will take its time doing anything substantial, including opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Most important, military action is necessary to restore deterrence. Tehran must learn with certainty it would suffer severe consequences for later trying to close the strait. Allowing merely a diplomatic end to this crisis, particularly under the “gradual” process apparently contemplated by Trump’s latest offer, would set a ruinous precedent. Emboldened as it now is, Iran’s regime would probably conclude it would face only diplomatic, not military, consequences for again closing the strait. Entirely predictably, Tehran could then open and close it like flipping a switch, raising or lowering the pressure as it saw fit.

Get a Gun

 https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/get-gun-liel-leibovitz-jews

We are, as the writer Louise Perry pointed out this week, increasingly in a world of anarcho-tyranny, wherein governments fail “to enforce or adjudicate protection to its citizens while simultaneously persecuting innocent conduct.”

“Even in a society that functions well, there are microbursts of that society failing,” Kareen Shaya, cofounder of Open Source Defense, said in an interview a few years ago. “If someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, that’s society failing for a few minutes. If someone stops and mugs you in the street, that’s society failing for a few minutes. If your spouse beats you, that’s society failing for a few minutes. Society, if it’s functioning well, is going to have your back most of the time. In those moments where it fails, I would ask: Do you have society’s back? Are you ready to fill that gap for those few minutes until society can recover and come to help you? That’s how I view gun ownership.”

The Jewish way of gun ownership is more about responsibility than power. It doesn’t flex its muscles or measure its worth in calibers. It’s precisely what the license says it ought to be: concealed, there when you need it and unobtrusive when you don’t. You can see it on display—or, rather, you can’t—when you visit Crown Heights: Every store, more or less, has a little notice in the window informing you that if you’ve got a piece and a permit, you’re very welcome to walk right in. Which tells you that the men and women you see going about their day, while far from your stereotypical image of gun-toting berserkers, are staying subtle and staying safe.

Lox & Loaded: Antisemitism spurs Jewish gun club, despite strict NY laws

 https://san.com/cc/lox-loaded-antisemitism-spurs-jewish-gun-club-despite-strict-ny-laws/

But a rise in antisemitism, along with the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, has spurred the growth of organizations like Lox & Loaded, which describes itself as a “Jewish Owned and Operated Shooting Club.” It has opened three chapters in New York and plans another later this year, responding to a growing demand in the Jewish community for using guns for self-defense. One poll found that 56% of Jewish people said they have altered their behavior out of fear of antisemitism and hate crimes.

Werner, one of the Westchester chapter’s first members, recalled an antisemitic experience that shaped him as a 12-year-old boy waiting for a school bus in Queens, New York. 

“There is a quiet shift,” she continued. “A lot of people from all ages, mostly the older generations, are saying now is the time. People are scared. People are scared to go to synagogues. People are scared to be in Jewish communities. … A lot of people right now need to think of themselves and their families, and they’re looking for a safe way to protect themselves.”

When they’re armed, she said, “they feel safe and they feel empowered.”

Hegseth’s latest attack on Kelly underlines alarm over US weapons stockpiles

 https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5873093-kelly-hegseth-feud-weapons-stockpiles-iran/

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest attack against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is underscoring the alarm over the state of the U.S. military’s weapons stockpiles more than two months into the war with Iran. 

Hegseth accused Kelly, a Navy veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), of divulging classified information regarding key U.S. munitions during his appearance on a Sunday news show, putting a spotlight not only on his ongoing feud with the Arizona Republican but also on the high-usage rate of premier munitions against Tehran and the time it will take to replenish them. 

Rachel E. VanLandingham, a national security law expert and former Air Force active duty judge advocate who has been critical of Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon, said Hegseth’s threat is part of an “ongoing campaign” against Kelly and the Pentagon’s potential case against the senator has “no legal leg to stand on.” 

Experts, former defense officials and lawmakers have warned that the war with Iran has depleted the U.S.’s global supply of munitions, with the Pentagon having to pull weapons from other regions to ensure there’s an ample stash in the Middle East. 

Rambam accused in Denying Resurrection

Rambam (Tshuva 08:02)In the world to come, there is no body or physical form, only the souls of the righteous alone, without a body, like the ministering angels. Since there is no physical form, there is neither eating, drinking, nor any of the other bodily functions of this world like sitting, standing, sleeping, death, sadness, laughter, and the like.

Raavad (Hilchos Teshuva 8:2) In Olam Habah there will be no physical body The Rambam’s view appears to me as not much different than those who deny physical resurrection of the body but only to the souls. I swear this is not the view of our Sages. It clearly states in Kesubos (111b) In the future the tzadikim will be resurrected in their clothing and this is deduced from wheat. In Shabbos (114a) Rav Yannai commanded his children not to bury him in white or black clothing. . In Sanhedrin (91b) it states that resurrection will occur with physical blemishes from which they will be cured. All these sources clearly show that resurrection of the physical body will occur. However it is possible that G-d will provide strong and healthy bodies like those of angels or Eliyahu. Furthermore they it is possible that they will literally have crowns and that is not a metaphor.

Kesubos (111b The just in the time to come will rise apparelled in their own clothes. This is deduced a minori ad majus from a grain of wheat. If a grain of wheat that is buried naked sprouts up with many coverings how much more so the just who are buried in their shrouds.

 Shabbos (114a) But R. Jannai said to his sons, My sons, bury me neither in white shrouds nor in black shrouds, White, lest I do not merit, and am like a bridegroom among mourners: black, in case I have merit, and am like a mourner among bridegrooms. But bury me in court garments that come from overseas. This proves that they are coloured. 

Sanhedrin (091b) It is written, I kill, and I make alive; whilst it is also written, I wound, and I heal! — G-d said, What I slay, I resurrect i.e.,in the same state, and then, what I wound, I heal after their revival.

Sanhedrin (091b) I kill, and I make alive. I might interpret, I kill one person and give life to another, as the world goes on: therefore the Writ states, I wound, and I heal. Just as the wounding and healing obviously refer to the same person, so putting to death and bringing to life refer to the same person. This refutes those who maintain that resurrection i not intimated in the Torah.

Resurrection of the Dead

 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/philosophy/issues-jewish-thought/issues-mussar-and-faith/resurrection-dead

The Rambam’s position on this issue, however, is very unclear. He believes that the greatest pleasures can be achieved only by disembodied souls. Having a body is a disability that prevents the soul from achieving full closeness to God. Why, then, would a righteous person ever want to be resurrected? If his soul goes directly to olam ha-ba when he dies, then it would have to leave the ultimate bliss of olam ha-ba in order to be resurrected. How could leaving ultimate bliss and regaining the disability of physical existence be considered a desirable reward? This conundrum has puzzled the interpreters of the Rambam from his lifetime until this very day.

There are two general approaches to understanding the position of the Rambam. The Raavad (glosses to Hilkhot Teshuva 8:2) accuses the Rambam of maintaining that there is no such thing as physical resurrection of the dead.[2] Other contemporary thinkers also interpreted the Rambam this way, but unlike the Raavad, they agreed with this position and preached publicly that there would be no physical resurrection, invoking the authority of the Rambam.[3] According to this interpretation, the Rambam never explained the details of techiyat ha-meitim because he did not actually believe in physical resurrection. Rather, whenever techiyat ha-meitim is mentioned in Tanakh or Chazal, it is a metaphor for the continued existence of the soul after one’s physical death. Resurrection means not that the dead will come back to life, but rather that their souls will continue to live eternally in olam ha-ba.

 In Iggeret Techiyat Ha-Meitim, the Rambam's essay about the resurrection of the dead, he expresses surprise at the accusation that he does not believe in physical resurrection. How could he not believe in resurrection if he counted it as one of the thirteen principles of faith?! Why, then, does he not explain it thoroughly or give it prominence in his works?

Resurrection of the Dead

 Ohr Hashem (03:04:01) Resurrection of the Dead There are 4 issues that need to be clarified 1) Whether there will be a total or partial resurrection. If it is partial than what part? 2) When is Resurrection of the Dead? 3 ) Will those resurrected use their natural senses and die a second time after they have been resurrected? 4)Will there be a Day of Judgment after resurrection as the Sages’s tradition says? Our only valid sources of information is either from Tradition or Biblical verses and careful analysis and deductions made from them. From what the Bible states explicitly, , "And many from the dust of the earth shall awaken, these to eternal life," etc., it will already be seen that it will not be a general resurrection comprehensive, and this is also what our Sages have also taught. The question is who will be resurrected? The clear answer of the Sages is that only the completely righteous will be resurrected. But that leaves unanswered whether Resurrection is for Eternity? In order to answer this is to first clarify the reason for this amazing miraculous resurrection. There seems to be differences of opinion amongst our Sages in Yoma regarding the time of the Resurrection and it seems from there that it will occur when the Temple exists in Messianic times. However from the words of Shmuel that there is no difference between this world and Messianic Times except servitude to the government, it seems clear that the Resurrection will not take place in Messianic times. Thus if there was also Resurrection there would obviously be a huge difference. However this statement of Shmuel is disputed by other Sages. So what we can conclude is that Resurrection will occur soon after the rebuilding of the Temple 3) Will a person use his natural senses and die again after resurrection? I seems from the Tambam’s essay on Resurrection that Olam Habah mentioned by ou Sages is Olam Habah for everyone and it happens immediately after death. In that world our Sages say there is no eating or drinking or other natural activities but that the tzadikim sit with crowns on their heads and enjoy the presence of G-d. In contrast after Resurrection there will be eating and drinking and pleasure and thwe tzadikim will obtain incredible pleasure that they never had before and then they will die while their souls will be in Olam Habah on a higher level than previously Tyhis is not just the view of the Rambam but of many Sefardi scholars. 

Abarbanel (Daniel 12:13) Those who are resurrected will recive their reward which is appropriate for their deeds. How many years after Moshiach comes will there be resurrection?Rabbi Eliezar says 400 years/ Ibn Ezra says 70 years. Rabbi Elizer says 40 years while Rebbe says 365 years. The bottom line is G-d has not revealed the exact time to anyone. 

Resurrection of the Dead is the foundation of the entire Torah and the root of the mitzvos

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad HaKemach Pesach 3) It is known that the Resurrection of the Dead is the foundation of the entire Torah and the root of the mitzvos. That time is the joy of the soul together with the body as it is known that the body is an instrument of the soul because it shows its activity and it enables it through doing mitzvos to merit Olam Habah Therefore they receive rewards together.. Because only together can mitzvos be done and therefore G-d gives reward to both together. 

Gilgul is another name for Resurrection

 Devarim (33:06)May Reuben live and not die, Though few be his numbers

Rabbeinu Bachya (Devarim 33:06) A kabbalistic approach: the word yechi  in the line refers to life in the hereafter. The words”won’t die”  refer to what would happen to Reuven as part of the system of the transmigration of souls, in order to spare him having to die a second time. This is the meaning of Onkelos’ translation of the words “won’t die. Onkelos revealed to us here that there is a transmigration of souls when the souls of people who committed certain sins reappear in another body to rehabilitate themselves by a second circuit of physical life on earth. This occurs after they had already once received their reward or punishment in the hereafter after having died, separated from the body which housed them originally This is a concept which is not hard to understand when one considers that the cycles of Shemittah years are something which repeat themselves time and again. A soul returns to a new habitat on earth after having received its initial judgment for how it performed on earth the first time around. According to many views expressed by our sages, this metamorphosis is what is known as “resurrection of the dead.” At any rate, considering both the comments of Onkelos in our verse and those of Targum Yonathan in Isaiah, it appears that the words of Moses about the tribe of Reuven are a prayer that they should live long enough so as not to need a second round of physical life on earth to rehabilitate themselves.

Guardian Angels of Nations

 Devarim Rabbah (01:22)  God does not exact punishment of any nation before he first exacts punishment of its guardian angel. How? Before God drowned Pharaoh and all the Egyptians in the sea he first drowned their guardian angel. How is this to be inferred from the Scripture? The Rabbis say: It is not written, ' horses and their riders,’ but The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea; this refers to their guardian angel. And when the Egyptians came out in pursuit of the Israelites the Israelites lifted up their eyes and saw the guardian angel of the Egyptians hovering in the air. Whence this? R. Isaac said: Because it is written, Behold, Egypt was marching after them; that is, their guardian angel. This is the force of the words, ’ To bind their kings with chains, etc.’ The same, too, happened when Sihon and Og sought to attack Israel; God said to Moses: ‘See, I have caused their guardian angel to fall,’ as it is said, BEHOLD, I HAVE BEGUN TO DELIVER UP SIHON, etc.

Fighting for attention, podcasters are stoking outrage against Israel and Jews

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/fighting-for-attention-podcasters-are-stoking-outrage-against-israel-and-jews/

Commanding large audiences, hosts like Tucker Carlson and Hasan Piker keep listeners hooked for hours by saying shocking things, often against the Jewish state. With nothing to rein them in, their sway may only be growing

In his own monologue, Carlson railed against “people who pushed us into regime change war with Iran.” He added, “Those same people are also the ones, literally the same people, who are pushing the United States to continue to allow the rest of the world to move here.” One of those people, he added, is Rep. Mike Lawler, “the sponsor of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, or something to that effect, a censorship bill.”

And now it is also traversing ideological boundaries — especially among people who disagree on almost every issue but agree on their opposition to Israel.

Haredi Leader: 'They are killed because their rabbis teach a distorted Torah'

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426860

In response to a student's question about feelings of guilt among Haredi yeshiva students, Rabbi Lando said that misguided spiritual leadership and the devaluation of Torah study are the causes of the casualties.

In response to a student's question about feelings of guilt among Haredi yeshiva students, Rabbi Lando said that misguided spiritual leadership and the devaluation of Torah study are the causes of the casualties.

In response the rabbi asked, "What are they doing?", and the student replied that they "study a lot of Torah and, on the other hand, go and are killed in defense of the people and the land." The rabbi replied that, "They are killed because we do not study enough."

Rabbi Lando further added that, "It is possible to save even more," and sharply criticized the spiritual leadership of the Religious Zionist community, "They are killed because their rabbis teach a distorted Torah."

Israel doubts US optimism in Iran talks as critical issues on nuclear concessions remain unsolved

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-895606

While US officials express optimism over a potential deal, Israel remains cautious, stressing that significant differences between the US and Iran still persist.

Senior Israeli officials state that significant gaps still exist between the US and Iran, with the key question for Israel not just being what the Iranians are willing to offer to reach a deal and end the conflict, but how much US President Donald Trump is prepared to concede in order to achieve a diplomatic success.

“While there is some movement, it isn't necessarily leading to a breakthrough,” Israeli sources noted in private discussions. “This progress is largely driven by pressure. Each passing day puts more strain on the Iranian economy, but it also impacts Trump. Gas prices in the US remain high, which the public is feeling in their wallets. Republicans are starting to grow concerned as they observe the polls, which are not looking promising for the upcoming midterm elections.”

Inside Ben Shapiro’s MAGA meltdown

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/09/ben-shapiro-daily-wire-maga-media/

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, the company co-founded by conservative pundit Ben Shapiro ranked as Facebook’s top English-language publisher for three straight months. Its sarcastic news items on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s salon visits gained millions more views than the websites of Fox News, CNN and the New York Times.

The Daily Wire’s fall from grace reflects the fragmentation of partisan media online, as centralized institutions such as Breitbart and Fox lose attention to a scattered network of podcasters, streamers and provocateurs.

The company’s brand of traditional conservatism, exemplified by Shapiro’s intense support of Israel, has clashed with right-wing creators promising a more radical brand of anti-incumbent, antiestablishment rage, she said.