Zohar (Bereishis 180b) Is not a man often punished by God undeservedly? The answer is, as has been affirmed, that when suffering befalls a righteous man, it is on account of the love which God bears to him. He crushes his body in order to give more power to his soul, so that He may draw him nearer in love. For it is needful that the body should be weak and the soul strong, that so a man may be beloved of God, as the Companions have affirmed, that the Holy One inflicts suffering on the righteous in this world in order that they may merit the world to come. But he who is weak of soul and strong of body is hated of God. It is because God has no pleasure in him that He inflicts no pain upon him in this world, but permits his life to flow smoothly along with ease and comfort, in that for any virtuous act he may perform he receives his reward in this world, so that no portion should be left him in the next world. This is in accordance with Onkelos's paraphrase of the text: “And he repayeth them that hate him to their face which reads: “And he repayeth them that hate him in this world.” The righteous man, then, who is continually broken in body is the beloved of G-d.
Monday, February 16, 2026
Disenchantment with Zionism? Leon Roth and Yeshayahu Leibowitz on the Qibyā Raid
G-d and Tzadik called Living One
Zohar (Bereishis 164a) The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation. This verse, he said, has a recondite meaning We know that God is called the living one. But this verse indicates that the perfectly righteous man also is called living one, so that there is a righteous living one on high, and correspondingly a righteous living one here on earth. On high it is God who is called living one, and here below it is the righteous man who is called living one, as it is written: And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a living man. He was so called because he was a righteous man, and the righteous man is called living one.
Rabbis Lando and Hirsch condemn riots in Bnei Brak
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422462
Two prominent haredi leaders condemned the riots today, writing that they were forbidden both as a danger and a sacrilege.
He urged the broader public not to judge the entire haredi community based on the actions of what he described as a small group. “This behavior disgraces those who observe Torah and commandments," he said. “We ask for forgiveness for having reached such a situation and pray for unity and brotherhood among our people."
“Beyond the physical danger, this constitutes a grave desecration of God’s name," he wrote, warning against any participation in such incidents. According to the statement, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch also joined the call.
Despite Qatar’s moderate image, its textbooks are filled with antisemitism, study finds
School textbooks in Qatar teach antisemitic content, portray Christians and other non-Muslims as infidels and idolators, and legitimize the call for violent jihad, according to a report released last week by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).
Despite Qatar’s efforts to present itself as a modern state working for peace in the Middle East, problematic content remained unchanged for the fourth straight year, showing that reforms have effectively “plateaued,” IMPACT-se said. This is despite public condemnation of the curriculum by the US State Department in 2024, it added.
Textbooks portray Jews as “materialistic, arrogant, deceitful, and hostile to Islam.” Jews are associated with traits such as lying, scheming, and breaching agreements.
Female soldiers attacked in Bnei Brak, rescued by police
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422446
The incident involved two commanders from the Education Corps serving at the Havat HaShomer base who had arrived for a home visit to one of their soldiers. The crowd believed they were Military Police servicemembers who had come to distribute draft orders.
During the incident, a group of haredi bystanders gathered, shouting “Nazis," and tried to approach the soldiers. According to reports, there were attempts to physically attack them. In addition, a police motorbike was set on fire, and the mob overturned a police vehicle.
Police forces were called to the scene and safely extracted the servicewomen. At least three officers were injured in the riots. So far, 23 arrests have been made.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
WH fires member who hijacked antisemitism hearing to condemn Israel
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/02/12/white-house-fires-commissioner-antisemitic-outburst-hearing/
A hearing at the White House Religious Freedom Commission, held Monday and focused on antisemitism in the United States, devolved into an extraordinary confrontation after committee member Carrie Prejean Boller chose to redirect the discussion toward Israel and Gaza while incorporating antisemitic statements, leading to her removal from the commission. One of the central witnesses in the discussion was Shabbos Kestenbaum, a American-Jewish activist, who said he was surprised not only by the questions asked but by the disregard for the actual topic.
Noem boasts of Trump administration ensuring ‘we have the right people voting’ ahead of midterms
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5739328-noem-voting-midterm-elections/
“I would say that many people believe that it may be one of the most important things that we need to make sure we trust, is reliable, and that when it gets to Election Day, that we’ve been proactive to make sure that we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country through the days that we have, knowing that people can trust it,” she said.
“This is Trump’s idea of democracy: leaders get to select their voters instead of the other way around,” Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on the social platform X.
Trump has so far defended Noem and resisted bipartisan pressure for her resignation or firing. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod suggested in a post on X that Noem’s comments on election security could help explain why.
“THIS is why @KristiNoem will remain in place, despite her flagrant, corrupt mismanagement of the @DHS, at least through the midterm elections,” he wrote. “@POTUS wants a loyal apparatchik in place who will do whatever is necessary to ensure ‘the right leaders’ win.”
U.K. ‘Grooming Gang’ Leader Sentenced to 35 Years for Rape
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/world/europe/uk-grooming-gang-sentencing.html
Seven men in all were sentenced on Wednesday over their roles in a decades-old national scandal in Britain involving child sexual abuse.
Britain’s Rape Scandal Returns to the Front Pages
https://www.commentary.org/articles/stephen-pollard/britains-rape-scandal-persists/
Jess Phillips, a member of the Labour Party’s huge majority in the British House of Commons, was first elected to
Parliament in 2015 and has made a name for herself as a champion of female victims of male violence. Every year since her arrival, she has read out a running list of the names of women killed by a man. After Labour’s election victory last year, Phillips was, appropriately enough, appointed as—to provide her full title, including parentheses—parliamentary under-secretary of state (minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls).
Given the extent of the national scandal, which Phillips herself campaigned on while in opposition, one might have expected the answer to Oldham Council’s request to be an obvious yes—and for the inquiry to be nationwide in scope rather than limited to Oldham. But Phillips said no. This had, she said, nothing to do with her or the government. It was a local matter for the council to deal with. And so the “grooming gang” scandal is back in the news, where it should al-ways have been.
To understand that, you need to add the key element to the story I have so far omitted. The victims of the rape gangs were almost all young white girls and the rapists almost all adult Pakistani men. The main reason the gangs were allowed to operate with impunity was the widespread view among the police and the authorities responsible for the welfare of the girls that it would damage “community relations” if the crimes were investigated, let alone prosecuted—and that on no account should the ethnic background of anyone involved ever be discussed.
White House religion committee declares Jews killed Jesus
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/02/10/white-house-commissioner-antisemitic-remarks-hearing/
The first hearing of the White House Religious Freedom Commission, which focused on antisemitism in the United States, turned into an extraordinary confrontation over Israel on Monday following sharp statements by one of the committee members, Carrie Prejean Boller.
As first reported by Jewish Insider, Boller, who serves as a committee member appointed by President Donald Trump and is tasked with formulating policy recommendations on religious freedom issues, declared during the debate that she believes "Jews killed Jesus" and that due to her Catholic faith, "she does not support Zionists." During the hearing, she also asked panel participants, "Does my opposition to the State of Israel make me antisemitic, yes or no?" and received boos from some of those present in the room.
Two men jailed for life over plot to attack Greater Manchester’s Jewish community
Two men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK’s deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester’s Jewish community.
On Friday, the pair were sentenced at Preston crown court after being found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024.
The prime mover in the plot, Tunisian-born Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, was ordered to serve a minimum of 37 years.
Hussein, of no fixed address, was ordered to serve at least 26 years.
Saadaoui’s younger brother, Bilel Saadaoui, 37, of Hindley, Wigan, was sentenced to six years in prison for failing to disclose information about the plan.
Two jailed over plot to attack Jewish community
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8gv2327y7o
Two men who planned to target the Jewish community in Manchester in what police said could have been "the UK's most deadly terror attack" have been jailed for life.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, arranged for guns to be smuggled into the UK as part of an "Isis-inspired plot", Preston Crown Court heard.
They were caught by an undercover operative who played a "crucial role" in foiling their plans, Greater Manchester Police said.
Saadaoui and Hussein were given minimum prison terms of 37 and 26 years respectively.