I once asked the Bostoner Rebbe zt"l about how to understand that Bilam's spiritual gifts were from the Sitra Acher. He replied with a chasidic story. This is my best recollection of something I heard many years ago if anyone has a better version - please let us know!There was once a very poor man who was crushed by his financial obligations which he had no known rational path to settling. One day he was wandering in a dark forest where he met a man with a long white beard who immediately commented on his depression and sadness. When he explained about his overwhelming debt - the man said he would give him a beracha that would take care of the problem, When he returned home - all of a sudden he became wealthy. He was very excited about his change of fortune - so he ran right away to tell his rebbe the good news. After he told his rebbe the whole story, his rebbe said "I want you to go back to that man and not only tell him you don't want his blessing but also that the reason is because it all came from the Sitra Acher." Of course he obeyed his rebbe. He found the man in the dark forest and delivered the message. The man replied,"I'll take it back on one condition - You need to take my comment back to your rebbe and repeat it exactly as I said it." He of course agreed to the condition. He returned to his rebbe with the following words, "All your power also comes from the Sitra Acher. The Rebe screamed a horrible cry when he heard those words and he ran away and was never seen again, The rebbe said it is often difficult differentiating where the beracha is coming from.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Monday, May 12, 2025
Trump repeatedly bypasses Netanyahu, stoking dismay among Israelis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/12/trump-netanyahu-middle-east-trip/
Benjamin Netanyahu has long trumpeted his ties to Trump. But the president is sidelining him on urgent issues like the Iran nuclear talks and the conflict with Houthi rebels
Last week, Israelis believed they saw more cracks emerge between the “America First” president and Israel, after Trump said he had struck a truce with Yemen’s Houthi rebels that curbed the group’s attacks on U.S. ships — but did not cover Israel. Days later, reports emerged that Trump was considering offering Saudi Arabia access to civil nuclear technology without demanding that the kingdom normalize relations with Israel, a precondition that had been set by former president Joe Biden.
Pam Bondi's Qatar Links Under Scrutiny Over Trump's Luxury Plane Gift
https://www.newsweek.com/pam-bondi-qatar-links-under-scrutiny-over-trump-luxury-plane-gift-2070774
Attorney General Pam Bondi's links to Qatar are under scrutiny again following reports that President Donald Trump will be gifted a luxury plane from the Qatari government.
Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022.
In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C., based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including Amazon.
Gerim relationship with Biological parents
Igros Moshe (Y.D. II #130): Concerning a giyores whose non-Jewish mother is sick. Should she go to her mother with her children as her mother requests? Concerning the matter of a giyores who has been following the appropriate Jewish practices and has kept a distance from her father and mother from the time that she has converted 20 years ago even though they live in the same city. But now her mother has fallen ill and requests that she come with her children to see her because she has a great longing to see her grandchildren. Even though the giyores knows that according to the Torah there is relationship anymore with her parents, nevertheless she wants to know if it is appropriate because she has a very strong natural love to her parents and she wants to fulfill her mother's request at this time of sickness. Her rabbi wants to permit it because of the concern that she might revert to her old ways as we see that there is such a concern regarding inheritance that a decree was made that a convert inherits his non-Jewish father because of this fear (Kiddushin 17).Answer: I agree that the halacha is as her rabbi wrote that it can be permitted but because of logic. Because it is not clear that this fear for other things can be compared to loss of money because the desire for them is not so strong. However the more appropriate reason is that they might say that the laws of Torah are not correct if she is told not to go and this is a very significant point by itself even without the concern that she might revert. We see this from the fact that the halacha is that we visit sick non-Jews for the sake of peace as well as sustain the poor non-Jews and bury their dead for the sake of peace (Gittin 61).... So it is obvious that she and her children would be going against the ways of peace of they don't visit her mother. So besides that factor the Rambam (Mamrim 5;11) states that it is prohibited for a ger to curse his non-Jewish father or hit him and not to shame him so that people won't say that the ger went from a higher religion to a lower one so he should at least not shame his father (Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 241)... So if she doesn't go to visit her sick mother with her children it will cause the mother suffering and maybe it will drive her crazy. Thus we see it is an insult to the mother if she doesn't go and it is such pain that it is like hitting and cursing her. So therefore going to her mother is not only permitted but is obligatory to comply with the wishes of her mother to come and bring her children....
Trump Mideast visit: Israel shifts from central player to distant observer
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-853657
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Among the meetings, one stands out: an expanded session in Riyadh that will include Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (also known as al-Julani). For Israel, this development is troubling on several fronts.
Mahmoud Abbas is not attending because he insisted; he was invited by the crown prince. He will be part of a group of Arab leaders meeting the US president during his visit to Saudi Arabia. The invitation is a deliberate move, intended to place critical regional issues directly before Trump.
Regardless of Trump’s intentions, the regional message is unmistakable: the US is stepping back, leaving Israel to manage its own threats. The US is no longer Israel’s “Iron Dome.” That is the current reality, whatever anyone may claim.
Trump, acting according to a pragmatic and transactional approach, may not recognize the reputational and strategic damage this is causing Israel. If normalization is no longer a condition for US-Saudi ties, Israel’s role is diminishing. Riyadh can obtain trade and possibly nuclear deals without needing to talk about Israel.
Israel’s diplomatic relevance is slipping. Its standing is at a historic low. Netanyahu has no compelling offer for a US president focused on outcomes. Trump is pressing ahead with his priorities — and that is what matters.
The Trump Family Crypto Business
President Trump likes flying close to the sun regarding his family business, and the flight is closer than ever in his second term. Is no one advising Mr. Trump that his family’s crypto plans are inviting trouble?
Mr. Trump said last month that he’ll host a dinner with the top 220 holders of his $TRUMP meme coin at his Washington, D.C.-area golf club on May 22. Step right up and invest in the Trump crypto enterprise for a chance to rub elbows with the leader of the free world. The President says all of this is above board. But it nonetheless raises the appearance of a conflict of interest in selling access to the President.
The Trump Organization and affiliates hold 80% of $TRUMP coin tokens, which are subject to a three-year unlocking period. Any price appreciation caused by frenzied buying boosts the Trump family fortune, at least on paper. The Trump family businesses and their partners have benefited from more than $300 million in revenue generated by trading in the coin, according to the blockchain firm Chainalysis. A percentage of each trade is routed to crypto wallets linked to the coin’s creators, similar to a transaction fee.
Jewish Names Praise of Jews in Egypt didn’t change
Igros Moshe(EH III #35) Question What is significance that most American Jews even the religious ones and rabbis are called by their English non Jewish names? This seems to be against the praise of Chazal of our ancestors in Egypt in many medrashim that they didn’t change their Jewish names and that was the reason they were redeemed from Egypt.Answer An important question is how does a non Jewish name become a Jewish name – there are hundreds of such names? There are names both Ashkenaz and Sefardim that are now considered Jewish names. We even find some Rishonim who have non Jewish names such as Rabbeinu Vidal. The Rivah mentions many major rabbis of Sefard that had non Jewish names as well as Arab names. An additional problem is that at least in America the English name is usually given before the Hebrew one The English name is given in the hospital and later for boys at the mila the Hebrew one is given while girls receive the Hebrew name the first Shabbos after birth. The fact that people change to non Jewish names is very disgraceful since we see that Chazal praised having a Hebrew name and said it was one of the reasons for redemption. However it is not prohibited to use a non Jewish name. It is similar to the fact that they didn’t change their language. So even though it is a mitzva to speak Hebrew but it is not a sin to speak in other languages as in fact Jews have done since they went into Exile. It is well known that many great Torah scholars and pious people did not speak Hebrew. It is not required but desirable and similarly with names
Shemos Rabbah (1:28) Israel was redeemed from Egypt on account of four things, one being because they did not change their names. Whence do we know that they were not suspect of adultery?
Vayikra Rabbah (Emor 32:5) Israel were redeemed from Egypt on account of four things, viz. because they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they did not go tale-bearing, and none of them was found to have been immoral.
Trump Loses His Cool Over Pushback to Qatar Jet Deal
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-loses-his-mind-over-pushback-to-his-qatar-jet-deal/
“This isn’t a good idea even if the plane was being donated to the U.S. government. But Trump GETS TO KEEP THE PLANE???” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) wrote on X. “It’s simply a cash payment to Trump in exchange for favors. Just wildly illegal.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) similarly slammed the gift on X, writing: “Trump must seek Congress’ consent to take this $300 million gift from Qatar. The Constitution is perfectly clear: no present ‘of any kind whatever’ from a foreign state without Congressional permission. A gift you use for four years and then deposit in your library is still a gift (and a grift).”
Laura Loomer, an influential Trump adviser, led the MAGA pushback to the jet deal.
“I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade,” she said. “This is really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true… I’m so disappointed.”
The Obamas' net worth: How Michelle and Barack Obama make their money - Contrary to Garnel it didn't come from corruption
https://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-michelle-obama-net-worth-2018-7
The Obamas entered the White House with a $1.3 million net worth in 2008
From 2005 (when Barack Obama joined the US Senate) to 2016, the Obamas earned a total of $20.5 million from his government salary, book royalties, investment income, and Michelle Obama's income from her job at University of Chicago Hospitals before she became the first lady.
The lion's share of the Obamas' fortune comes from books
Here Are the 10 Richest US Presidents of All Time
Contrary to Garnel it didn't come from corruption
Bill Clinton made his money after leaving office, earning millions from his 2005 autobiography, My Life. His wife’s wealth also helps boost the ex-president’s bottom line. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is thought to have gotten a $14 million advance for her 2014 memoir Hard Choices. Both Clintons have made millions giving paid speeches.
South Florida Homes for Sale Quadruple As Residents Leave En Masse
https://www.newsweek.com/south-florida-homes-sale-quadruple-residents-leave-en-masse-2070177
South Florida's housing market is undergoing a sharp reversal as the number of homes for sale climbs to its highest level in nearly a decade—quadrupling since 2022, figures show. Real estate analysts say the surge is driven by a drop in demand and a wave of homeowners deciding to sell amid rising costs and stagnant affordability.
How Trump’s Justice Department has gutted the government’s ability to chase public corruption
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/14/politics/corruption-justice-department-trump-new-york
Since Inauguration Day, the Justice Department has paused all investigations into corporate foreign bribery, curtailed enforcement of a foreign agent registration law and deemphasized the criminal prosecutions of Russian oligarchs. And senior administration officials have considered eliminating the Department’s Public Integrity Section, which investigates and prosecutes alleged misconduct by federal, state and local public officials.
At the same time, President Donald Trump has fired inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies.
US senators attempt to ban Trump's 'profoundly corrupt' crypto schemes
A new report estimates the president's crypto holdings now represent nearly 40% of his net worth, or approximately $2.9bn (£2.1bn).
"Currently, people who wish to cultivate influence with the president can enrich him personally by buying cryptocurrency he owns or controls," said Senator Merkley.
"This is a profoundly corrupt scheme. It endangers our national security and erodes public trust in government. Let's end this corruption immediately."
Kleptocracy, Inc.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/trump-kleptocracy-autocracy-inc/682281/
As the stock markets crashed on Friday, April 4, Donald Trump left Washington, D.C. He did not go to New York to consult with Wall Street. He did not go to Dover, Delaware, to receive the bodies of four American servicemen, killed in an accident while serving in Lithuania. Instead, he went to Florida, where he visited his Doral golf resort, which was hosting the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament, and stayed at his Mar-a-Lago club, where many tournament fans and sponsors were staying too. His private businesses took precedence over the business of the nation.
Earlier this year, I published a book, Autocracy, Inc., which argues that many modern dictatorships are best analyzed not through the prism of ideology but through the political and financial interests of the people who run them. The presence in the American government of so many people, most notably the president, whose financial interests can be directly and immediately affected by their political decisions means that we now need a different way of analyzing American policy too.
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