Invalidating a conversion that was not sincere – A contradiction to the view of Rav Moshe Feinstein?

The following incident was raised as a contradiction to Rav Moshe Feinstein’s view that when it is obvious (anan sahadi) that the convert did not sincerely accept doing mitzvos that the conversion is null and void. It is not necessarily a contradiction. (The details were taken from Dr. Menachem Finkelstein’s Conversion Halacha and Practice page 621-626)

In Cairo 1908,  a 22 year old Muslim desperately wanted to marry a certain beautiful Jewish woman . She refused unless he converted first. He gave a request in writing to the beis din. There was hatafas dam bris, and mikve as well as acceptance of doing mitzvos.

However immediately after the conversion he lived as a complete Muslim. Shortly after the conversion the couple married - with people upset since no one was aware of the conversion. The man then published an article in the paper stating.

since there are those who suspect that he converted and became a Jew and as such married a Jewess... but this is unthinkable and he would never do such a thing. He is a Muslim from birth and that each retained their religion when they married.

Immediately afterwards the following was established:

1) He had used a false name in his application to beis din

2) .His supporting document that he submitted to the beis din was forged and his references were not aware of what was stated in the document

3) He had revealed to two Jews that he was going through the conversion “to satisfy his desires with this beautiful women who had driven him mad” These two Jews had remained silent because they had been bribed.

4) After the wedding he continued to live amongst the Moslems as one of them. The couple had a son who he refused to allow to be circumcised and he was given the name of Muhammed. At this point the couple separated and the woman fled from her husband.

Two Egyptians rabbis who were consulted thought it possible to permit the woman to remarry without a get on the grounds that the conversion was worthless and thus there was no marriage. Rabbi Mas’ud Ben Shimon said, “If he had come in good faith at the time of the acceptance of the conversion without any deception, stratagems, and falsity then if he had reverted back to his previous religion he would still be considered a true convert. But since this was not the case since all was falsehood and deceit. Rabbi Aaron Cohen agreed with his reasoning that there was no conversion and thus no marriage and thus no need for a divorce.

While these two were waiting for approval by higher level rabbis, the husband was ordered by the kadi to divorce his wife in accordance with Islamic law and the government ordered him to pay his wife her kesubah.

The husband approached Rabbi Ben Shimon for help in avoiding paying the money. The rabbi told him to authorize him to give his wife a Get which Rabbi Ben Shimon and Rabbi Cohen promptly did.

The next question was the woman wanted to remarry and asked for a divorce certificate. The two rabbis were in a quandary because of the many doubts regarding this Get “ the likes of which might never have been” Therefore they decided to ask Rav Kook what to do. They sent him their rulings stating that the woman could remarry without a Get as well as a description of the Get they had given.

Rav Kook agreed to the appropriateness of asking for a Get. However he disagreed that the conversion was null due to fraud. He said that the acceptance of mitzvos was done properly. It didn’t matter what the man was thinking. Furthermore he saw no evidence that the man had intended to deceive or that he did not sincerely want to be a Jew. Rav Kook said the only problematic issue in the case was solely that he had converted for the sake of marriage - however bedieved the conversion was valid. Thus Rav Kook ruled that the conversion was good and the man had subsequently become a backsliding convert and that the Get was good.

The woman remarried on the basis of the Get and the conversion was not declared null and void – contrary to the written views of the first two rabbis. It seems that the first two wrote their views when they determined that the man would not give his wife a Get. In contrast Rav Kook wrote his views after the Get had been given.

It seems that there are three views in the literature. 1) Poskim who say that anyone who goes through the ceremony and declares before beis din that he will do the mitzvos, and has mila and tevila – even if subsequently he doesn’t keep anything is still a Jew. 2) There are others who say if it is obvious from the actions and statements that he never intended to be a religious Jew and was clearly insincere the conversion was never valid. 3) Finally there is a view that conversion is conditional on subsequently observing the mitzvos. If this condition is not met then the conversion is invalid.

Obama criticized by US miltary and veterans regarding terrorism, women in combat and veteran's hospitals

Washington Post

Military personnel and veterans challenged President Obama, often aggressively, on his refusal to use the phrase “Islamic terrorism,” his decision to open combat jobs up to women and the performance of the Department of Veterans Affairs at a town hall meeting here Wednesday.

Obama was at this Army base near Richmond to take part in a military-focused special that aired Wednesday night on CNN. The cable network selected questioners who were respectful but who reflected a military population that is more conservative than the population as a whole and generally skeptical of the president’s performance as commander in chief over the past eight years.[...]

A mother whose 19-year-old son was killed in Baghdad in 2007 pressed Obama more directly on the subject, asking him, “Why do you still refuse to use the term ‘Islamic terrorism’?” Obama countered that he did not want to conflate murderous terrorists with “the billion Muslims . . . who are peaceful, who are responsible, who in this country are our fellow troops.”

An active-duty Marine officer challenged the president’s decision to open combat jobs to women, saying that studies conducted by the Marine Corps showed that such units performed “notably worse” and that women “suffered staggeringly higher rates of injury.”

“Why were these tangible, negative consequences disregarded?” she asked.

Obama said that he had not acted out of political correctness and noted that women have been fighting at great risk in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than a decade. “I want to make sure our starting assumption is that if you can do the job, you should be able to get the job,” he said.[...]

Among the toughest questions he fielded was one from a woman who said her husband had waited a year for an appointment from VA. When he finally saw a doctor, his cancer was misdiagnosed and not treated.

“First of all, my heart goes out to you,” Obama said. He then said that he had increased the VA budget by 85 percent over the course of his presidency but that there was more work to do

Torah Scroll Honors Memories of Slain Dallas Police Officers

Chabad

A Torah is on its way for use in Austin, Texas, dedicated to five police officers who were killed in the line of duty this summer. Here, representatives of the New York City Police Department participate in a ceremony in memory of the fallen officers. Third from left is Bentzion Chanowitz, who runs the daily operations of the Beis Yisroel Torah Gemach. (Photo: Alex Bodnar)

A Torah is on its way for use in Austin, Texas, dedicated to five police officers who were killed in the line of duty this summer. Here, representatives of the New York City Police Department participate in a ceremony in memory of the fallen officers. Third from left is Bentzion Chanowitz, who runs the daily operations of the Beis Yisroel Torah Gemach. (Photo: Alex Bodnar)

When Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sunday, Oct. 2, members of Chabad of South Austin/Young Jewish Professionals will hold their first minyan since last Yom Kippur. Together, they will celebrate not only the start of the Jewish New Year, but the welcoming of a new Sefer Torah.

“We just heard we would be getting a new Torah,” said Rabbi Mendy Levertov, co-director of the Chabad center with his wife, Mussy. “It’s so exciting for our congregation. This is difference between having weekly service and not having one because without the Torah, we can’t read the weekly portion together. This Torah will help us be able to grow and build a weekly minyan.”

Adding to the significance is that the Torah is dedicated to five slain Dallas police officers who lost their lives this summer in the line of duty.

“I work closely with the Austin Police Department and have a good relationship with them. For us, it is very important to recognize the protection that the police give us and the service they provide to the community,” explains Levertov. “We are proud to have a Torah that ties together Jew and non-Jew, law enforcement and our community, and enforces that strong connection during the High Holidays.”[...]

Bentzion Chanowitz, who runs the daily operations of the Torah Gemach, noted that other refurbished scrolls have been dedicated in memory of security forces—in this case, for the officers shot down on July 8; and in the past, in memory of fallen soldiers and or terror victims in Israel.

“We just read the weekly Torah portion about the need for shoftim with shoftrim—appoint judges and police officers—and I felt for the Jewish community, this would be a nice kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of G‑d’s name.”

Rabbi Yochanan Marsow of Bais Menachem Mendel in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, who serves as a rabbinic adviser to the Torah Gemach, thought “it was a great idea,” says Chanowitz. “He said in many times throughout history, the Jewish community honored the government.”[...]

Six Individuals Charged With Participating In Large-Scale Government Benefits Fraud of Section 8, food stamps, Medicaid

Justice Department

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Mark G. Peters, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today the filing of criminal charges against six defendants for participating in long-running schemes to hide substantial assets and income obtained from significant business and real estate interests in order to attain government benefits designed for low-income individuals. In total, the defendants allegedly obtained more than $1.3 million of government benefits. SHLOMO KUBITSHUK, RACHEL KUBITSHUK, NAFTALI ENGLANDER, and HINDA ENGLANDER were charged in one complaint, and LEIB TEITELBAUM and DEVORAH TEITELBAUM were charged in a separate complaint. The defendants were arrested in Brooklyn this morning and are scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court later today.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “For over a decade, this ring of six defendants allegedly lied to city and federal officials about their financial status in order to obtain benefits that were meant for the needy. The alleged schemes that netted them over a million dollars has been put to an end and the defendants now face federal fraud charges.”

Commissioner Mark G. Peters said: “These defendants were millionaires stealing from the poor, as charged. The defendants fraudulently concealed their wealth to obtain benefits, including Section 8 vouchers intended to help low income New Yorkers find housing, according to the allegations. At a time when affordable housing is scarce, and there is a waiting list for Section 8 vouchers, it is reprehensible that some New Yorkers went without so that these defendants could have still more.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaints[1]:

From 2001 to 2016, SHLOMO KUBITSHUK, RACHEL KUBITSHUK, NAFTALI ENGLANDER, and HINDA ENGLANDER conspired and engaged in a scheme to obtain government benefits designed for low-income residents, including Section 8 housing subsidies, Medicaid health insurance, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) food stamps, totaling more than $980,000. In connection with applications for these benefits, they failed to disclose substantial income and financial assets, including a portfolio of multimillion-dollar residential real estate properties. The defendants also perpetrated the fraud by providing false income affidavits for each other.

From 2007 to 2016, LEIB TEITELBAUM and DEVORAH TEITELBAUM also conspired and engaged in a scheme to obtain government benefits designed for low-income residents, including Section 8 housing subsidies, Medicaid health insurance, and SNAP food stamps, totaling more than $330,000. In connection with applications for these benefits, they failed to disclose substantial income and financial assets, including a jewelry business and an apartment they owned.

* * *

SHLOMO KUBITSHUK, 38, RACHEL KUBITSHUK, 39, both from Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and two counts of theft of government funds, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. NAFTALI ENGLANDER, 40, HINDA ENGLANDER, 41, LEIB TEITELBAUM, 39, and DEVORAH TEITELBAUM, 36, all from Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and three counts of theft of government funds, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in these cases are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

U.S. Attorney Bharara praised the work of DOI and the Criminal Investigators of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli J. Mark and Thane Rehn are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Rabbinate rejects conversions by Rav Gedaliel Schwartz - a major Modern Orthodox posek

Arutz 7

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel recently rejected four conversions approved by a leading rabbinic authority in the United States, drawing heavy criticism from an umbrella organization representing Orthodox religious courts across the US.

The Chief Rabbinate issued no explanations as to why the conversions of Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz were rejected, sparking vehement protests by the Rabbinical Council of America last Friday.

Rabbi Schwartz, who heads the RCA’s national rabbinic court, is a prominent figure in the Modern Orthodox community.[...]

While the Rabbinate declined to explain the basis for the rejections, it should be noted that in one case, the convert’s mother, who also converted at the same rabbinic court on the same day, was accepted by the Chief Rabbinate.

On Friday the RCA issued a statement criticizing the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s decision.

“The Rabbinical Council of America strongly objects to the latest decisions of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s office rejecting the endorsement of leading rabbinic figures in North America of the status of at least two converts. While we have worked assiduously with the Rabbinate in the past to assure the integrity of converts, recent missteps by its office have led to these latest decisions; we are working to reverse them.”

The RCA added that in the cases in question, the rejection of the converts also constituted a “challenge” to the decisions of one of the organization’s most respected rabbis.

“This decision by the Chief Rabbinate is especially egregious because it challenges the rulings of one of the preeminent [halakhic] authorities, Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz and because it disregards the great efforts that we have made over the years, for the benefit of converts, to work with the Chief Rabbinate.” [...]

Corruption and Conflicts: a lecture presented by the Greater Washington Community Kollel or a description of the Kamenetsky-Greenblatt outrage?

Update: Added a poster for the Agudah's lecture claiming that they also are concerned with honesty. Hypocrisy is not a rare commodity these days

Guest Post

The primary driving force behind the entire Kamenetsky-Greenblatt outrage have been Rabbis Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rabbi Sholom Kamenetesky.  Rabbi Greenblatt has explained that he ruled the marriage annulled because he had no choice but to accept the “facts” as presented to him by Rabbi Kamenetsky because of Rabbi Kamenetsky’s status as a “gadol.”  Rabbi Greenblatt refused to take into account that Rabbi Kamenetsky’s actions might be motivated by his longstanding and extremely close ties to the Epstein family. Rabbi Greenblatt stands by his annulment despite the ruling to the contrary by Rabbi Feinstein’s Beis Din and Rabbi Sholom Kamenetsky’s letter that his father accepts the ruling of that Beis Din, because Rabbi Greenblatt insists that he must continue to rely on the “facts” given to him by Rabbi Kamenetsky, which Rabbi Kamenetsky still apparently stands behind.

This complete disregarding of the Kamenetsky ties to the Epstein family has occurred for many years, and is probably a large part of what caused the Kametskys to believe that they could get away with annulling the marriage without any basis. Rabbi Kamenetsky’s earlier letters attacking Aharon Friedman should have always been seen as biased and driven by his ties to the Epstein family, but were instead accepted by some, led by Rabbi Hershel Schachter, as those of an objective “gadol” whose opinion must prevail [because “sod hashem le’rauv”], even though he directly contradicted the Baltimore Beis Din to which the two parties brought the case and held several hearings with the participation of both parties. [http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2015/10/tamar-epstein-is-rabbi-hersehl.html]

Unfortunately, the Washington Vaad’s actions in the case after the death of Rabbi Gedalia Anamer also appear to be driven by conflicts, if not outright corruption. In 2009, at Tamar’s request the Washington Beis Din sent Aharon a simple and straightforward hazmana to a “din torah” regarding a get.  Aharon responded that Tamar was not entitled to involve another beis din because the parties had submitted the matter to the Baltimore Beis Din and Tamar had violated their orders.  At the time, the Washington Beis Din accepted Aharon’s answer and did not send another hazmana. The Av Beis Din of the Washington Vaad’s Beis Din at the time was the Vaad’s long-time leader, Rabbi Gedlaia Anamer, a rav in the DC area for over fifty years.  So long as Rabbi Anamer was the alive, the Vaad and that shul refused to take any actions against Aharon.  Aharon, along with the child when with him, fully participated in the shul, such as sometimes laining or serving as shaliach tzibbur.

But within months of Rabbi Anamer’s tragic and sudden passing in April 2010, that all changed.  A friend of the Epstein family took over Rabbi Anamer’s shul and he quickly started ostracizing Aharon despite the lack of any beis din ruling against Aharon. 

Following Rabbi Anamer’s death, the DC Vaad’s Beis Din sent Aharon an extremely nasty hazmana (in contrast to the earlier hazmana) essentially concluding that Aharon was guilty even before trying the case and demanding that Aharon appear before them for some unspecified type of proceeding that they did not even bother to claim would be a din torah. Nonetheless, after Aharon again responded that the matter was brought to another beis din whose orders Tamar had violated, the DC Vaad’s Beis Din acknowledged that it had no right to intervene against Aharon.  Nonetheless, the Epstein family friend who took over from Rabbi Anamer prohibited Aharon from setting foot in shul.

Tamar also asked the Beis Din of America to intercede against Aharon, but they refused to do so after calling the Baltimore Beis Din.  Despite the tremendous pressure from the Kamenetskys and the Epstein family, Tamar could not find an actual beis din to intercede against Aharon.  According to the testimony of Tamar’s toein, medical malpractice lawyer Frederic Goldfein, in Federal district court [Goldfein was forced to testify when the government granted him immunity because the government stated that Goldfein would otherwise have refused to testify by citing his right against self-discrimination under the Fifth Amendment), the Epstein family turned to the criminal Rabbi Martin Mordechai Wolmark to organize a “beis din” to intercede against Aharon.  Wolmark had the criminal enterprise he helped run issue a “seruv” against Aharon. Wolmark pled guilty to criminal charges in connection to his role in the criminal enterprise, and is currently in prison.  Two of the other signatories to the “seruv” narrowly avoided criminal charges n the case,: an FBI court affidavit stated that the FBI had probable cause to believe that they violated five different Federal criminal statutes, with regard to their participation in the case.  The criminal enterprise didn’t even attempt to pretend that its “seruv” had any validity, not even sending a hazmana before the seruv.  To highlight that the “seruv” had no basis in halacha, but was an exercise of raw political power, the criminal enterprise had Rabbi Kamenetsky sign the “seruv” despite his well-known and extremely longstanding personal and financial ties to the Epstein family and his previously having publicly reached a conclusion on the matter and publicly attacked Aharon

Following Rabbi Anamar’s death, active leadership of the Vaad devolved onto its director, the brother-in-law of Simon (Shimmy) Glick, whose daughter is married into the Epstein family, and Rabbi Dr. Freundel.  Glick is one the largest philanthropists in the yeshiva world, and his influence in Orthodox is very deep and very wide.  It is not clear exactly how large a role he has played in this tragic case, but as Rabbi Eidensohn has noted before, his influence is clearly strongly felt --  http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2015/12/tamar-epsteins-heter-money-can-metaher.html --- and particularly so in Silver Spring.

Despite the fact that even the Washington Vaad’s own Beis Din ruled that it could not intervene against Aharon, the Washigton Vaad seized upon the criminal enterprise’s “seruv” to publicly attack Aharon, issuing a letter that effectively incited violence against Aharon and the parties’ child.  Even after the Tisha Ba’av assault when Aharon brought the child to the Epstein house, the Washington Vaad refused to retract its letter or clarify that it did not mean to call for violence.  

Even after the Baltimore Beis Din issued a letter that Aharon was not guilty of wrongdoing, [http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2016/01/baltimore-beis-din-apologizes-for-many.html] the Washington Vaad has refused to retract its letter attacking Aharon. 

It should be noted that the rav giving this shiur is new to Silver Spring, and is not on the Vaad.  But lest anyone get their hopes up that this shiur might address the corruption and conflicts driving the Kamenetsky-Greenblatt, it should also be noted that the rav is a member of a kollel headed by Shimmy Glick’s nephew.

Contemporary Gadolim on Obligations and Exemptions in Positive Time Bound Commandment by Rabbi Yisrael Kashkin

Guest post by Rabbi Yisrael Kashkin

  Contemporary Gedolim On The Exemption of women

Man was created to learn Torah and Woman was created to assist the Intellect which is Man

Rabbeinu Bachye (Bereishis 3:21): And G-d took the Man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and guard it. The Garden of Eden alludes to the Torah. Just as the Garden is drawn from Eden, so does Torah draw from the higher wisdom which is Eden. The reason that man was created was so that he would learn Torah – to work it and guard it. And G-d commanded the man It is known that the basis of the Torah is the mitzvos i.e., the positive commandments and the negative commandments. And if so the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge which are established within the Garden of Eden allude to the positive commandments and the negative commandments which were established within Torah. And “the Man” alludes to intellect. And it is not good for the intellect to be alone because it needs an instrument through which its actions could be seen and this instruments should also be the assistant for man in keeping the Torah and mitzvos. This assistant needed to be material rather than intellect. In addition since man had been created with a physical body and a soul it was necessary to have assistance in preserving the species just as the body assists the soul concerning intellectual matters. This assistant is the woman. The name “woman” contains an allusion to the body. Thus we find that Shlomo compared matter to woman when he said (Mishlei 2:16) To save you from the woman who is a stranger. This means that even though woman is not part of the intellect but she is the instrument for receiving the actions of the intellect. Similarly Matter accepts the Form and thus relects its image. The “Serpent” alludes to the evil inclination which is from the term “menachesh” – sorcerer. That is because he is constantly challenging man and trying to seduce him. And the serpent started by speaking with the woman i.e., with Matter. And he used the strategy of “af” which means “even though” but also to anger which draws from a person’s strength. The explanation of the serpent’s words: “Af (even though) G-d said not to eat from the trees of the Garden, but if G-d prevents you from eating from that which the body desires – that means G-d is preventing you from enjoying all the pleasures and good things in the world. How could it be that G-d would do such a thing?” This is the seduction of the evil inclination. And this that we find that the serpent (evil inclination) spoke with the woman and not with the man, that is because all the efforts of the evil inclination is only with Matter and not with the power of Intellect.

Chaim Weissman charged with sex abuse of 9 year old boy in Boro Park

NY Daily News

Police have arrested a 38-year-old man, who they say lured a 9-year-old Hasidic boy into his car, then pleasured himself in front of the child, officials said.

Chaim Weissman, of Brooklyn, was charged with sex abuse, sexual contact with an individual less than 11 years old, and other child abuse charges for the Sept. 14 incident on 18th Ave. in Borough Park — just five blocks away from where 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky was abducted and murdered in 2011, officials said.

Weissman gave the boy $100 after he masturbated, cops said.

Ki Savo; The Three Parts To Every Brachah by Rabbi Shlomo Pollak

Gust post by Rabbi Shlomo Pollak

Rashi in Ki Savo (26;13) brings a Medrash on the words ולא שכחתי. The Medrash, which is mentioned in the Mishnah in Maasar Sheini (5;11), explains the Pasuk the be referring to reciting a Brachah before performing the Mitzvah of separating T'rumos & Maasros.

The Gemarah in Brachos (40b) in discussing which parts of a Brachah are essential, brings this Medrash...

However, it seems to be a Machlokes Reshonim,-The ROSH & Tosfes- if the Gemara is actually quoting the Mishnah, or a Ber'reisah? Furthermore, they seem to be arguing what the answer is according to Reb Yochanan.....

For questions & comments please email us at salmahshleima@gmail.com

https://youtu.be/VGK6Kh8jUFc

Beis Din says "To do anything which will save the Aguna" - Even murder?

This letter was found on the ORA website. . Not sure what this has to do with halacha. It seems to be a heter to do anything to the husband until he gives a Get - which would seem to include physical violence or murder.

  Yosef Masri - beis din documents

'Give me money, then you can talk to your daughter' Divorced women extorting money

Arutz 7

A video showing an apparent extortion attempt by a divorced mother of her ex-husband was publicized on Tuesday by men’s rights activists looking to highlight what they call an overlooked phenomenon.

In the video, which shows a portion of a Skype chat between a divorced father and his young daughter, the man’s ex-wife cuts into the conversation, threatening to reduce contact between the man and his daughter unless he pays some unspecified amount of money.

“[If] you pay money, you will start to talk to her every [day] of the week. If you don’t, we won’t do more than twice a week.”

When the father told her to stop interrupting the conversation with his daughter, the mother responds “I’ll interrupt you as much as I like… you will speak nicely to me, I run things here in this house.” [...]

Ki Tavo 76 The Downside of an Attitude of Gratitude by Allan Katz

Guest post by Allan Katz

Our parasha talks about 2 commandments that required people to go to Jerusalem. A landowner was obligated to bring his first ripened fruits –' Bikkurim' to the temple and present them to God's representative, the Kohen-priest. This ritual included a moving declaration and expression of gratitude to God, for being a protector ……and having brought us to the land of Israel and having given us the land of Israel, a land flowing with milk and honey…….As the farmers made their way to Jerusalem, they were met by delegations from the various towns and cities who greeted them with praises and psalms to God. The procession was accompanied by music and plenty of happiness and joy. There is the obligation to separate tithes from food and give to the Levite and poor and also separate food –' ma'aser sheni ' for personal use – to be eaten in Jerusalem or be redeemed and the money spent on food in Jerusalem. The purpose of the mitzvah was to encourage people to visit Jerusalem and the temple and benefit from the learning, prayer and the spirituality of the city.

The Midrash commentary notes that the Torah begins with the word Be'reishit - in the beginning which can be also read – for the sake of the first. The world was created for the sake of the' firsts' – for the sake of the nation of Israel or the Torah that are called Reishit – first. Likewise the word was created for the sake of the mitzvah of the first crops – bikkurim. Gratitude is a trait that is fundamental to the sustainability of the world, central and vital to interpersonal relationships, our relationship with God (not that God needs our thanks) and our relationship with the physical world. Our lives and achievements are made possible by the contributions and help of so many people and primarily because of God's assistance and direction. In order to express gratitude we need to have humility. People showed gratitude and solidarity with the farmers by going out to greet them on their journey. In Jerusalem, people would include the Levite, the convert and poor in their celebration of gratitude. They would rejoice and make others happy. The Torah is making a connection between gratitude and happiness. An attitude of gratitude brings happiness, but true gratitude to God is not just the thank you and expression of gratitude but using the God given gifts to benefit others and inviting the less privileged to join in your celebration. True joy and happiness is a result from giving to the needy and making others happy. True gratitude demands both expression of thanks and action.

ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך יהוה אלהיך ולביתך אתה והלוי והגר אשר בקרבך: עשיתי ככל אשר צויתני", שמחתי ושימחתי בו.

Gratitude is very much on the self-improvement, personal development scene because of the research done by Dr Emmons who studies the science of gratitude. Gratitude helps people counter negative thoughts and complaining. It puts an end to self-pity, jealousy, bitterness and regret. It leads to good health, a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, as well as more joy and pleasure. People who kept a gratitude journal for just 3 weeks measured 25% higher on life satisfaction. They exercised more, they drank less alcohol and their families and friends noticed that they are nicer to be around and the effect lasts several months beyond the initial 3 week trial period. The act of writing things down that you are grateful for will instantly change your mood. While expressing gratitude by writing a letter or communicating and interacting with people is a good thing to do in a moral sense, the new gratitude gurus are stressing the benefits for us and that gratitude makes us feel good. A lot of the advice and gratitude exercises suggested can be undertaken without human contact – thank someone mentally , keep gratitude journal, count your blessings, mediate and for those so inclined, pray. Consider this advice from a yoga instructor. “Cultivate your sense of gratitude by incorporating giving thanks into a personal morning ritual such as writing in a gratitude journal, repeating an affirmation or practicing a meditation. It could even be as simple as writing what you give thanks for on a sticky note and posting it on your mirror or computer. To help you establish a daily routine, create a ‘thankfulness’ reminder on your phone or computer to pop up every morning and prompt you.”

The author Barbara Ehrenreich sees this as the downside or selfishness of gratitude. Who is interacting here? ' You' and 'you'.' So it’s possible to achieve the recommended levels of gratitude without spending a penny or uttering a word. All you have to do is to generate, within yourself, the good feelings associated with gratitude, and then bask in its warm, comforting glow. If there is any loving involved in this, it is self-love, and the current hoopla around gratitude is a celebration of onanism.' She notes that the conservative leaning John Templeton Foundation , a foundation that promotes free-market capitalism, has been funding gratitude research of more than 8 million dollars, yet the foundation does not fund projects directly to improve the lives of poor individuals, but it has spent a great deal , through efforts like these , to improve their attitudes. '

Another problem with gratitude, particularly between people with different power and status – boss and employee, teacher, parent or child, is that gratitude - especially when 'praise' is also expressed - can be experienced as judgmental and controlling. Judgment even if positive is judgment. The person with power is grateful that his subordinate has jumped through his hoops. A Boss once expressed gratitude and praise to an employee for her work. She replied – please remember your words when you write me my pay- cheque at the end of the month. Instead better to focus on the deed and action and not on the person. Offer neutral feedback and ask questions so the employee speaks and reflects on what she did.

Barbara Ehrenreich suggests that we have a more vigorous and inclusive sort of gratitude, that for e.g. includes all the people that make our meals possible and taking action and expressing ' solidarity' with their demands for better pay and working conditions.

We see clearly from the mitzvoth of Bikkurim- first fruits and eating the Ma'aser Sheni – 2nd tithes in Jerusalem, that gratitude needs to be accompanied by pro-social actions and interactions between people. When gratitude is just an ' attitude' the focus is on the self and an expression of selfishness. It is based on the most primitive form of morality, do good because it feels good, and offer thanks and express gratitude because if you don't reciprocate people won't give you anything or help you. If we are grateful to God and thank Him, but don't act in the world as a partner and be of service to others, our praises and thanks take the form of sacrifices and offerings that God despises. True gratitude is emulating God's ways – והלכת ברכיו מה הוא חנון אף אתה תנון מה הוא רחום אתה רחום ..... - Just as God's is gracious, be gracious, just as God is compassionate, be compassionate, kind and generous etc., etc.

Satmar rabbi, woman plotted to kidnap and kill husband who wouldn’t grant her a divorce

Update: Added Defense lawyer's letter - names informant


update THIRD MAN ARRESTED   News 12

NY Daily News    Time Magazine    Justice Department announcement

Daily Beast - major summary

A prominent rabbi in the Satmar Jewish community of Kiryas Joel in Orange County plotted to kidnap and murder a man who was resisting a religious divorce from his wife, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Rabbi Aharon Goldberg of Israel, and Shimen Liebowitz, of Monroe, were arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. In early July, Liebowitz and Goldberg contacted an individual to kidnap the husband and force him to give a get — a religious divorce — to his wife, the feds said.

The individual, who is cooperating with the feds, later learned that they didn’t just want to kidnap the husband — they planned to kill him as well, the feds said.[...]

“Over a period of months,” he said, they “met repeatedly to plan the kidnapping and to pay more than $55,000 to an individual they believed would carry it out.”[...]

  Liebowitz Goldberg Complaint Signed 

 Defense lawyer's letter 

Rav Chaim Kanievsky says to report molesters to police: We have come a long way!

Kikar haShabbat

מרן הגר"ח קנייבסקי הורה לעסקן: "תסגיר תוקף למשטרה"

אם עד לפני שנים תוקפי ילדים היו מטופלים "בתוך הקהילה" - הרי שהציבור החרדי עובר שינוי: "מרן שר התורה הורה לי להסגיר תוקף למשטרה", מספר עסקן חרדי מניו יורק ו"מרוצה מהשינוי" (חרדים)

כך נלחמים בארצות הברית בפגיעות בילדים: בחודשים האחרונים, לאחר שורת מקרים קשים שפורסמו ב"כיכר השבת", נושא הטיפול בפגיעות חמורות בילדים עלה לדיון במגזר החרדי - הן בטיפול בנפגעים, והן בטיפול בפוגעים. אלא שבעוד בישראל תשומת הלב הציבורית בנושא החלה לתפוס תאוצה בעיקר בשנה האחרונה, בארצות הברית ארגונים חרדים מובהקים שונים כבר פועלים בגלוי במשך שנים לטיפול בנושא.

כבר לפני מספר חודשים, ארגון יהודי חרדי-מובהק בשם "Jewish Community Watch" עורר סערה לאחר שהאשים בפומבי באתר האינטרנט של הארגון את אחד ממפיקי העל במוזיקה החסידית בארצות הברית בפגיעה חמורה בנערים צעירים. מאז, ממשיך הארגון במאמצים לחשיפת אנשים נוספים בקהילות המקומיות שסרחו ופוגעים בילדים.

אבל "Jewish Community Watch" לא לבד. בשנים האחרונות הוקם בארצות הברית ארגון נוסף בשם "עמודים". הארגון שנוסד במקור על מנת לסייע לצעירים וצעירות חרדים שנקלעו לבעיות נפשיות או התמכרו לסמים קשים, הבין מהר מאוד כי מרבית הבעיות הנפשיות והממדים המבהילים של ההתמכרויות לסמים קשים בקרב בני משפחות חרדיות בארצות הברית - מקורם על פי רוב בפגיעות חמורות שעברו הצעירים והצעירות ומעולם לא טופלו.

הארגון החל לקיים מספר הרצאות, בהן משתתפים רבנים חשובים בארצות הברית לצד אנשי מקצוע חרדים, ובהן מעלים לסדר היום את נושא הפגיעות החמורות ודרכי הטיפול. השבוע, נערכה הרצאה שכזאת בלבה של העיירה לייקווד, המכונה "בני ברק של ארצות הבר

מדובר במהפכה שקטה שכובשת את ארצות הברית. אם עד לפני שנים ספורות נהגו בקהילות היהודיות לטאטא את הבעיות החמורות מתחת לשטיח, כיום, מתוך המגזר החרדי ובכפוף להוראות של גדולי ישראל בארצות הברית, פועלים הגורמים כנגד התוקפים. גם רבנים מישראל מסייעים לארגונים בייעוץ ובהתייחסות לנושאים ההלכתיים הסבוכים הנוגעים לבעיות אלו.

צבי גלוק, מנהל 'עמודים', מספר על תמיכה גורפת של רבנים בניו יורק והתייעצות אינטנסיבית שהוא מקיים מול הרבנים בארצות הברית. למרות זאת, גלוק אומר בשיחה עם 'כיכר השבת' כי "במידה ואנחנו מגלים מקרה של תקיפה חמורה אנחנו פונים לרשויות, כך מורים לנו הרבנים, אין לנו צל של ספק, אנחנו מקשיבים לרבנים ומסגירים את התוקפים למשטר

Abuse in the Jewish Community - Amudim in Lakewood - Septermber 11, 2016

Tzvi Gluck - director of Amudim wrote:

I have to admit that when we first started Amudim three years ago, I found myself wondering just what kind of response we would get from the Jewish community. The issues we were tackling were extremely sensitive in nature and typically weren't talked about, but we all knew deep down inside that we had no choice but to bring these topics up in public to safeguard our most precious resource, our children 

To have been invited to Lakewood by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Malkiel Kotler Shlit"a, was indeed a humbling experience. Over 1,000 people came to hear the words of our daas Torah, Rav Elya Brudny, speak about the importance of addressing abuse head on, and to listen to Dr. Akiva Perlman and Rabbi Dr. Zev Brown discuss the dangers facing our children and how to formulate strategies to protect them. 

Since the event, which was seen live by 15,000 remote viewers, our office has been inundated with calls, more than 400 in all. Some have contacted us just to say thank you, while others have requested audio downloads, video links or materials to help them discuss these matters with their kids. 50 of those calls were about sexual abuse, resulting in 20 new cases opened this week alone

The need is still great, and while it is rewarding to see that people are ready and willing to listen to the message that we have been tasked with sharing, I look forward to the day when our community will be so well attuned to the dangers of abuse that actual cases will be few and far between.

Sanhedria Murchevet Satanic Ring hysteria: A ‘Memory Hacker’ Explains How to Plant False Memories in People’s Minds

Motherboard    We tend to think of memories as perfect little time capsules—important records of past events that matter to us and made us who we are, as unchangeable as a dragonfly stuck in amber. Well, they’re anything but. I recently met with Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist who specializes in the science of memory. “I am a memory hacker,” Shaw told me. “I use the science of memory to make you think you did things that never happened.”

Implanting a false memory, it turns out, is alarmingly easy to do.

Shaw, a Canadian now living in London, was in Toronto to promote her new book, The Memory Illusion. In it, she describes how false memories can be deliberately placed in people’s brains—leading to false police confessions that could send the wrong person to jail, or detailed accounts of alien abductions that (almost certainly) never happened.

“A memory is a network of brain cells,” Shaw explained to me. That network, which stretches across different regions of the brain, is constantly being updated. It’s an important function that allows us humans to learn new things and to problem-solve, among other skills. But as a result, it “can be manipulated,” she continued. “Each time you tell a story, you change the memory,” maybe dropping in new details, weaving in tidbits you really heard from somebody else, or forging new, and possibly inaccurate or misleading, connections.

For example: If you think you remember anything before you were about two-and-a-half years old, Shaw said, that’s a false memory. (Before then, our brains aren’t developed enough to store memories, a phenomenon called childhood or infantile amnesia.) A memory from earlier that “was either given to you through photos, you saw a picture, or maybe your parents told you a story,” she explained. “You can internalize them quite readily.”

The fact that memories are so changeable has important implications for, among other things, the criminal justice system, Shaw pointed out—and that’s the focus of much of her work. “In the lab, I convince people through memory hacking that they committed crimes that never happened,” said Shaw, senior lecturer and researcher in the Department of Law and Social Sciences at London South Bank University. “I do it to show that the interrogation process can really distort memories, in consistent ways.”

To implant a false memory, “you try to get someone to confuse their imagination with their memory,” she said. “That’s it: Get them to repeatedly picture it happening.”

She’ll start off by letting them know they committed a crime, and then claim to have insider information. For example: “Your parents told me that, when you were 14, you stole something, and the police were involved,” she said, adding that she’ll say she called the parents, and give details of their talk, “and then you believe me. You know I contacted your parents, and you trust them,” she continued. That gives her credibility.

She’ll keep going and layer in detail—the person’s age, hometown, the name of their childhood best friend, and get them to repeatedly imagine the crime happening, over and over again, even if they never did it. Over the course of a couple of weeks, maybe even a shorter timespan than that, “it gets harder to decipher imagination, versus a memory coming back,” Shaw said. “By the end, it’s easy to think, this actually happened.” [...]

New developments concerning the murder of Daniel Markel - defense attorney for Martin Wolmark of the Mendel Epstein Get Gang

Update: Above the Law: ABC program about the case


Tallahassee Democrat

In newly released documents, the Tallahassee Police Department laid out its case for why two of Dan Markel’s in-laws should be considered prime suspects in his slaying.

But State Attorney Willie Meggs has dismissed the probable cause affidavits as “speculation” and refused to issue a warrant for their arrest.

The documents maintain the family of Markel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson tried to convince her to offer him $1 million to allow their children to move to South Florida after their acrimonious divorce. Documents also say investigators focused on her brother Charlie Adelson, who police say looked into hiring a hit man the summer before Markel was killed.

The probable cause affidavits became public Thursday after a records request by the Tallahassee Democrat. They included affidavits drafted by TPD and sent to Meggs’ office for everyone police believe was a suspect in the killing of Markel, including Charlie Adelson and his his ex-wife’s mother, Donna Adelson.

The family has denied any involvement in Markel’s slaying, calling investigators’ theories “fanciful fiction.” No members of the Adelson family have been arrested.

Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera are scheduled to stand trial this fall on charges they shot the Florida State law professor in the head in his Betton Hills garage on July 18, 2014.[...]

Tallahassee Democrat  describes tension between the police and prosecuters in the case

  Un-served probable cause for Charlie Adelson by KarlEtters on Scribd

Historic milestone: Beginning of reconcilliation of Litvaks and Gerrer Chassidim after 8 years

BHOL

המנצחים והמפסידים: מאחורי הקלעים של פסגת השלום ההיסטורית

לאחר כשמונה שנים של נתק בין מנהיג הציבור הליטאי למנהיג חסידות גור, הגיע הערב הגראי"ל שטיינמן לחתונת גור והביא לפיוס היסטורי. "בחדרי חרדים" משרטט את המהלכים מאחורי הקלעים שהביאו למפגש הפסגה, איך זה ישפיע על הזירה הפוליטית ומי המפסידים הגדולים מהמהלך

דרמה היסטורית והתרגשות הערב בירושלים. לאחר כמעט שמונה שנים של נתק בין מנהיגי היהדות החרדית, ראש הישיבה הגראי"ל שטיינמן הפתיע והגיע הערב (שלישי) לחתונת נכד כ"ק האדמו"ר מגור ובכך שם סוף לנתק הממושך שהיה בין גדולי הדור.

דבר הגעתו של ראש הישיבה לחתונת נכד האדמו"ר מגור נשמר בחשאיות רבה, ומלבד אי אלו שמועות שצפו בתקופה האחרונה - רק הערב, מעט לאחר השעה 19:20 – הידיעה על בואו של הגראי"ל החלה להתפשט כאש בשדה קוצים.

ואכן, סמוך לשעה 20:00 בערב, נכנס ראש הישיבה לאולם השמחה של חסידות גור, לקול שירת האלפים שהרעידו את האולם. מיד עם בואו - האדמו"ר מגור קם על רגליו כשהוא מכבד את ראש הישיבה לשבת בסמוך אליו. תוך כדי שירת האלפים האדירה, לחץ ראש הישיבה את ידו של שר הבריאות יעקב ליצמן.

ל"בחדרי חרדים" נודע כי המהלך החל כבר אתמול כאשר בנו של הרבי מגור הגיע למעונו של הרב שטיינמן ברחוב חזון איש 5 בבני ברק והזמינו לחתונה. כאמור, דבר הגעתו של הרב שטיינמן לשמחה נשמר בחשאיות, ורק סמוך לכניסתו לאולם הדבר פורסם.

בגור נערכו להגעת הגראי"ל שטיינמן, מחסומים נפרסו ודרך מיוחדת נפתחה לרכב עד לתוך בית המדרש ממש, מרחק צעדים מהבמה. האדמו"ר מגור יצא לקראתו למדרגות של הבמה וסידר מקום לצידו.

ראש הישיבה שהה בשמחה כ-20 דקות, במהלכן אף נעמד, על 103 שנות חייו, ורקד יחד עם האדמו"ר, יד ביד. ל"בחדרי חרדים" נודע כי לאחר מכן הגיע ראש הישיבה אל בית חתנו הגאון רבי דב שפירא בעזרת תורה בירושלים, שם התפלל תפילת ערבית.[...]

He sexually abused her as a child. She became a police officer and hunted him down.

Washington Post   Erlis Joseph Chaisson is a serial child molester. He first spent time in prison for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old in Louisiana but was released in 1994, according to KXXV. The 47-year-old might have remained free if one 27-year-old north central Texas police officer hadn’t gone far above the call of duty. The two weren’t strangers. In fact, they’re relatives.[...]

It began when she was 8 years old.

She became a cop. And in 2014, more than 15 years after the abuse, she arranged a meeting with him and secretly recorded their conversation.[...]

On that two-hour tape, he described to her, in detail, what he did to her. He blames her for it. He tells her she wouldn’t understand because she doesn’t possess male genitalia. He praises himself by saying that at least, “I kept you a virgin, didn’t I?”

Most importantly, he confessed. Over and over and over again.

Because of that, he’ll spend life in prison, a jury recently decided.[...]

A few years ago, the officer decided to begin attending therapy. She learned that her issues likely stemmed from the abuse Chaisson heaped upon her from the ages of 8 to 12 — more than 15 years ago. At first, he would rub and scratch her back, cuddling with the child. Then he made a habit of climbing into her bed at night, as she tried to sleep.[...]

Through therapy, Doe realized she needed to confront this painful past. And she had a pretty good idea of how she could do it — after all, she had just been trained as a police officer.

“I’ve always, always wanted to be a detective,” she told the Daily Beast. “I was fresh out of the academy. It was kind of, ‘If he’s going to talk, he’s going to talk’ — how do I prove it?”

Added Doe, “I thought to myself: I’m the difference between him and prison.”

Doe decided it was her responsibility to put this predator away for good while facing her own past — two birds with one stone.

“My job is in law enforcement,” she told the Waco Tribune-Herald. “I’m held to a higher standard. I just want to protect people, and how can I do that if I can’t even protect myself?” [...]

As for the detective, she told the Daily Beast it feels like “a weight lifting over my shoulders.”

“I no longer have to hide the secret or bear the responsibility of it.”