Today is the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420116

On Asarah B’Tevet in the year 3336, Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylonia, laid siege to Yerushalayim, marking the beginning of the events that led to the destruction of the First Temple, the exile of the People of Israel from their land and soon after, the last vestiges of self rule for those who remained. The story is recounted at the end of the Book of Kings, Chap. 25:

To commemorate the tragic day when the siege began, the Nevi’im (Prophets)[1] instituted the ta’anit tzibbur (communal fast day) of Asarah B’Tevet.

The Israeli Chief Rabbinate ruled that the Tenth of Tevet be considered Holocaust Martyr's Day, the general memorial day, Yom Hakadish Hakllali, for those who perished in the Holocaust but whose yahrzeit is unknown. Relatives may recite the kaddish prayer for them on this day and it is customary for the synagogue service to include the "El Malei Rachamim" prayer, said at funerals, on yahrzeits and on the days when Yizkor is said, in memory of all the victims.

Religious Medical Research

 I'm reading "Religion and Medicine: A History of the Encounter Between Humanity's Two Greatest Institutions" by Jeff Levin, Stephen G. Post and wanted to share this quote with you.

."In 1988 an unusual study appeared in the Southern Medical Journal. San Francisco cardiologist Randolph C. Byrd published results of a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of distant intercessory prayer for hospitalized patients in the coronary care unit at San Francisco General Hospital.1 Between 1982 and 1983, 393 cardiac patients were randomly assigned by computer-generated list to either a treatment or control group, the former receiving prayer from Christian groups outside the hospital. Each patient received prayer from three to seven intercessors. Blinding meant that neither doctors and nurses nor patients, nor even Byrd, knew what group each patient was assigned to, and intercessors received only the first name of a respective patient and his or her diagnosis. Pray-ers included born-again Christians and religious Roman Catholics active in a church or fellowship. What was the result? According to Byrd’s analyses, prayer worked. At follow-up, analyses showed that prayed-for patients had significantly less congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and cardiopulmonary arrest; required fewer antibiotics and diuretics and less intubation/ventilator assistance; and received a lower severity score based on a measure of the course of their postentry hospital stay.2 In the acknowledgments at the end of his paper, Byrd humbly added the following: “In addition, I thank God for responding to the many prayers made on behalf of the patients.”3 Publication of Byrd’s study created a firestorm of comment and critique.4 Fallout included denunciations from secular skeptics5 and devout Christians6 alike. But there was also an emerging apologetics from secular physicians and proponents of a more welcoming role for spirituality in healthcare.7 Notably, the response from readers of the SMJ was mostly positive, with one exception—a letter to the editor accusing the journal of an “attempt to return medicine to the Dark Ages” by publishing a study that sought “to undermine reason.”8"

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"Tefillin and cardiovascular function. A controlled study of twenty Jewish men, conducted at the University of Cincinnati, found that use of tefillin (nonocclusive leather straps attached to the arm during morning prayer, also known as phylacteries) appeared to have an ischemic preconditioning effect.173 Long-term daily use among Orthodox Jews was associated with an anti-inflammatory response (decreased levels of circulating cytokines and attenuated monocyte chemotaxis and adhesion), while acute use in both religious and nonreligious Jews was associated with improved vascular function (greater brachial artery diameter and flow volume) after thirty minutes of use. I must admit that I am not sure what to make of these results, but as a practicing Jew I find the possible implications fascinating and encouraging."

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Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter: Rav Tzadok "defends" their perversions of the Torah

update: I just modified the title of the post because some people were mistakenly taking it literally.
=========================
As noted many times, the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter is a blatant perversion of halacha. In addition it is based on lies. I have also asked many times for someone to defend not only the creation of this phony heter but also the refusal to tell the couple to separate from an adulterous relationship.

However much to my astonishment this Shabbos I was shown a clear justification for their action. Rav Tzadok is talking about a tzadik or gadol and clearly had the Kaminetsky's and Rav Greenblatt in mind when he wrote the following words. [As a side point - this Rav Tzadok was used to justify R Berland's purported sexual perversions by his son-in-law. Rav Tzadok seems to think that a real tzadik can violate any halacha and it is not considered a sin]..

Rav Tzakok HaCohen (Tzedkas HaTzadik #198 page 76): ... David violated the halacha without any justification - but just because he wanted to. And he relied simply on the fact that because he wanted to violate the halacha that this was truly G-d's Will and thus no sin was done in the violation. And this was even though there was absolutely no reason to justify it because Will is not dependent on reasons... 

שהוא עשה שלא כהלכה בלא שום טעם רק מפני שרצה בכך וסמך על מה שהוא רוצה כך הוא אמיתות רצון השם יתברך ואין בו עבירה. ואף על פי שאין בו שום טעם כי אין טעם לרצון

I am not aware of any non-Chassidic writings that state such a thing - so it might be a problem for Litvaks such as the Kaminetsky's and R Greenblatt to rely on this heter. But maybe one of their defenders can send me a non-Chassidic source that gedolim can violate the Torah anytime they want - because it is G-d's Will.

FURIOUS Navy Commander SPEAKS OUT on Trump BATTLESHIP SCHEME

5 takeaways as MTG unloads to NYT Magazine, dishing scathing criticism of Trump

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/takeaways-mtg-unloads-nyt-magazine-dishing-scathing-criticism-trump

Outgoing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene indicated to the New York Times Magazine that President Donald Trump, lacks "faith" and does not reciprocate loyalty. 

She also said that she disapproves of "MAGA Mar-a-Lago sexualization," and indicated that she expects the U.S. to engage in "more war" as the president seeks to maintain his grip on power.

Greene, a once ardent Trump supporter who had a dramatic falling out with the GOP juggernaut this year, is dishing out scathing criticism of the president she once lauded.

Wall Street Journal: Latest stolen election conspiracy theory ‘nonsense’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5665452-wall-street-journal-trump-2020-election-fraud-georgia/?tbref=hp

“Elections are supposed to run by the book, and Fulton County’s blunder is bad for public confidence,” the Journal wrote. “Yet so are Mr. Trump’s constantly shifting claims that the 2020 election was stolen, with every irregularity claimed as supposedly proving history’s biggest fraud.”

Trump, the Journal wrote, will likely “never admit his 2020 claims were partisan nonsense.”

Who is calling the shots for a napping President Trump?

Trump Loses STUNNING Money Judgment in E. Jean Carroll Case

Pascal's Wager

  I'm reading "The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans" by Bill Hammack Ph.D. and wanted to share this quote with you.

"Pascal gathered his scratch paper notes to create his great work Pensées (“Thoughts”), in which he proposed his famous “wager.”8 He wrote, “Either God is or he is not. But to which view shall we incline?” He assigned probabilities to God’s existence or onexistence: “a coin toss is being spun which will come down heads or tails.” It is, he implied, a fifty-fifty shot, although he later admitted that the probability of God’s existence might be smaller. He assigned utility and value to the outcome of believing or not believing—a yet more sophisticated version of the plus-and-minus system of the āšipu. Following the prevailing Christian beliefs of seventeenth-century France, to believe in an existing God granted an eternity in paradise after death, while disbelief damned one to hell. Belief in a nonexistent God, however, only compelled one to live according to religious standards based on a misconception with no eternal reward. Disbelief in a nonexistent God gave one more freedom in life while being left to the same fate after death as the believer. Following the āšipu’s model, belief in an existing God provided essentially ultimate, infinite benefit, and disbelief in God provided infinite loss. If God didn’t exist, belief provided finite loss, while disbelief provided finite benefit. Given the stats, the best one can get from belief is eternal bliss, whereas the best disbelief offers is a marginally better life on earth. The worst one suffers from belief, on the other hand, is a life inconvenienced by religion, while with disbelief comes the possibility of eternal damnation. So Pascal concluded that a risk analysis compels belief in God. Although the theology, even logic, of Pascal’s wager has been debated for centuries, he shows us a turning point in probability theory: the idea that the mathematics of games of chance can be applied to a wide swath of life, that probabilities can be developed into an art of conjecture, a way to think about future events with some enumerated degree of confidence that we can use to make informed decisions to mitigate risks and solve problems."

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Recognized by the rabbinate, Orthodox converts trapped in legal limbo over Israeli citizenship

 https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-881417

Orthodox converts in Israel – fully recognized by the Chief Rabbinate – are living in legal and social limbo, denied citizenship, as they face systemic bureaucracy and discrimination at the Interior Ministry, despite a lifetime of religious observance.

In response to why the Interior Ministry rejects the aliyah applications of recognized converts, a spokesperson for the ministry's Population and Immigration Authority told the Post:

"There is a difference between the act of registering a marriage based on halachic considerations and the definition of a Jew for the purposes of the Law of Return, because these are two different laws with different criteria. A marriage certificate is a 'public document' that indicates a marriage and on the basis of which one is registered in the Population Registry as married. The certificate is valid for this registration only. However, the certificate does not constitute proof for the purpose of religion and nationality details and, therefore, is not evidence for checking eligibility for return."

Petah Tikva declared 'red city' for measles outbreak, six-month-old children to be vaccinated

 https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-881644

Petah Tikva has been designated a red city due to a rise in measles cases in recent weeks, the Health Ministry announced on Monday.

As part of the declaration, residents are asked to bring their children for an additional vaccine dose starting at six months of age, which will not count toward the routine vaccination schedule. When the children reach one year of age, they will receive another dose of the vaccine, in accordance with updated guidelines.

Trump SCAM REPORT Quickly FALLS APART as Reality HITS HARD

MAGA panic over 2026: 'Trump SLUMP,' Epstein nightmare lives, Kimmel DUNKS on Trump

Joe Rogan Rails Against Trump’s ‘Crazy’ White House Plaques

 https://www.newsweek.com/joe-rogan-donald-trump-presidential-walk-of-fame-white-house-plaques-11274772

Rogan repeatedly described the plaques as "crazy" and said that historians should be writing these kinds of plaques, rather than the current president.

He said that somebody "needs to tell him like, ‘Hey, this is not good. You can’t do that, because other people could do that too, and then the White House stops being the White House,’ and it becomes whoever is in its house, where he could just go crazy and say everybody else is a crook."

Trump's $300M Ballroom Just Got SUED And It's Even TACKIER Than You Think | Jimmy Kimmel

U.S. clean coal program fails to deliver on promised smog cuts

 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-coal-pollution/

U.S. taxpayers have spent billions of dollars subsidizing chemically treated refined coal, but a Reuters analysis of EPA data shows that the power plants burning it often pump out more smog, not less.

Champions of coal say the superabundant fossil fuel can be made environmentally friendlier by refining it with chemicals – a “clean coal” technology backed by a billion dollars in U.S. government tax subsidies annually.

But refined coal has a dirty secret. It regularly fails to deliver on its environmental promises, as electric giant Duke Energy Corp found.

Trump’s Inner Circle Sees Russia as an El Dorado for Business, but Pitfalls Abound

 https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/trumps-inner-circle-sees-russia-as-an-el-dorado-for-business-but-pitfalls-abound-84ae2d16?mod=hp_lead_pos3

For Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s billionaire envoys working on a deal to end the Ukraine war, Russia is a land of vast natural resources and rich business opportunities.

Welcoming it back into the world economy will make money for American investors and stabilize Moscow’s relationships with Ukraine and Europe, according to their public comments and people familiar with their thinking.

Trump says violence in Nigeria targets Christians. The reality is more nuanced

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/25/africa/trump-nigeria-attacks-on-christians-explainer-intl-hnk

After months of warning that the US could take military action to stop violence against Christians in Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced on Christmas Day that he had done just that – delivering a strike on Islamic State terrorists in the country’s northwest.

US Africa Command said it conducted the strikes in Sokoto state, which borders Niger to the north, “in coordination with Nigerian authorities.” AFRICOM’s initial assessment is that “multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps,” according to a news release.

The US strike could “disrupt ISIS operations in the short term, but the long-term issues that surround violence in Nigeria are extremely complex,” said CNN military analyst and retired US Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton, pointing to the economic factors at play.

Alarming survey among British Jews finds 96% feel threatened

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/12/21/alarming-survey-among-british-jews-finds-96-feel-threatened/

A new survey conducted by Campaign Against Antisemitism, a British non-governmental organisation, paints a bleak picture of the future facing Britain's Jewish community. The results echo a question that has become widespread among Jews across Europe since October 7: whether they, and their children, have a future on a continent undergoing profound change.

The survey finds that more than half of British Jews, 51%, say they do not see a long-term future for themselves in the UK, while fewer than a quarter, 23%, believe they do. Nearly half, 45%, say they do not feel welcome in Britain, compared with fewer than one-third, 32%, who say they do. A clear majority, 61%, report that they have considered leaving the UK over the past two years. Most cite the surge in antisemitism since October 7, 2023, as the main reason, while nearly half also point to broader anti-Jewish prejudice in society and antisemitism within political parties.

Hamas Is Loving Its Revival

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/hamas-ceasefire-trump-administration-jared-kushner-steve-witkoff-israel-gaza-414c00e5?mod=hp_opin_pos_2

The Trump team has come to treat the Gaza terrorists with deference.

Is U.S. policy legitimizing Hamas? That’s the question to ask nearly three months after the October cease-fire, as the terrorists show no sign of disarming. Instead Hamas negotiates with White House envoys and regional powers as it settles in for the long haul.

Hamas has made a mockery of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, but the Administration dignifies Hamas as a continuing negotiating partner. Egypt works with Hamas on the list of Palestinian technocrats Cairo will propose to govern Gaza. Whoever ultimately agrees to send peacekeepers will first be sure to reach an understanding with Hamas to avoid conflict—by respecting the terrorist group’s boundaries.

Qatar is not a mediator, but an enemy of Israel

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/419935

A new research by Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCSFA) revealed the extent of Qatar's deep and ongoing involvement in advancing a jihadist mindset among the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

The research stressed that, "Qatar is not a neutral mediator but rather a state that provided Hamas with political sanctuary, financial lifelines, ideological reinforcement, and global reach. Through hosting Hamas leadership, sustaining aid flows that bolstered Hamas governance, and supporting clerical networks that sanctified violence and genocide, Qatar enabled Hamas’s transformation into a heavily armed, ideologically driven organization capable of carrying out the October 7 attack and seeking to expand its terror campaign beyond the region."

Trump Says US Struck ISIS in Nigeria in ‘Powerful’ Attack on Christmas

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-says-us-struck-isis-nigeria-christmas-attack-11270712

President Donald Trump said the United States launched airstrikes against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas, describing the operation as a decisive blow against extremists he accused of targeting Christian communities.

A Department of Defense official told Newsweek on Thursday: "The Department of War worked with the government of Nigeria to carry out these strikes. These strikes were approved by the government of Nigeria.”

Do frum self-help books contain ancient Torah wisdom - or pop psychology?

The following is an excerpt from Strictly Kosher Reading  page 50- 51 by Dr. Yoel Finkelman. It is truly required reading by any chareidi Jew who wants to understand the relationship between Torah and general culture as manifest in popular English language chareidi literature. This is related to the previous post of whether there is a Torah Psychotherapy?    [A longer selection of the book was posted on Seforim Blog]
Conclusion - Update 8/16/13 It is apparent from the comments to this post is that there is no such thing as Torah Psychology or Torah Therapy that was given at Sinai. There are psychological insights which are found in our Tradition which can be used in therapy - but they don't constitue a program of therapy. A psychology or therapy based primarily or exclusive on Torah sources might be desirable - but it doesn't exist at present and it clearly is not part of our Tradition from Sinai.

Lawrence Kelemen's parenting guide, To Kindle a Soul, for example,  claims in the subtitle to contain "ancient wisdom." "At the foot of a  mountain in the Sinai desert, the Creator of the universe directly re­vealed His profound wisdom to approximately three million people ....  Those present received ... a comprehensive guide for raising great human  beings." The book attempts to describe "this ancient, Torah approach to  education" which is "more comprehensive and effective ... than any of the  schools of child psychology I studied at university." Kelemen describes  the "significant" differences between these supposedly "ancient traditions" and the practices of contemporary parents."

"Yet Kelemen's parenting approach fits neatly within late twentieth­  century American parenting discourse, and it differs significantly from  that of pre-modern Jewish sources. Kelemen combines an American  religious-right critique of supposedly decadent American family life  with a child-centered parenting approach advocated by endless Ameri­can mass-market parenting guides in the 1990s. Criticism of American  materialism and permissiveness; advocacy of limiting the mother's time at work; polemics against spanking; emphasis on good nutrition, proper  sleep time, and bedtime routine; concerns about the adverse impact of  television viewing; claims to provide a "system" for raising moral children; and advocacy of "quality-time" for empathy and close communica­tion between parents and children, all characterized American experts'  suggestions to worried middle-class parents at the end of the twentieth  century. Even Kelemen's claim that his approach derives from the Bible follows the pattern of American religious parenting guides. Indeed, the  book's unstated assumptions - that parenting is a full-time endeavor,  and that parents should actively monitor their children's moment­  by-moment lives - typify experts' advice and popular assumptions in  America during the so-called "century of the child."

Not only does Kelemen's approach match that of contemporary  parenting experts, but it differs from traditional Jewish sources on the  topic. While a complete history of Jewish approaches to children and  family has yet to be written, it is enough in this context to note that  traditional Jewish literature speaks of childhood and parenting in spotty  and unsystematic ways, scattered in works focused on other topics. This  reflects a historical past in which families were considerably less child centered than they are today, and parents learned how to parent more by imitation, instinct, face-to-face conversation, and osmosis than from  the written word of experts. Pre-modern Jews did not write parenting  manuals since they assumed that knowing how to parent was an intui­tive or natural thing.

Take the example of Kelemen's approach to corporal punishment and  spanking. This is a particularly important example because traditional  sources do say quite a bit on the topic, and what they do say clashes rather  dramatically with the approach of contemporary Haredi parenting literature. Kelemen polemicizes against corporal punishment of children, and  even harsh verbal reprimands. Instead - reflecting both contemporary  notions of individual autonomy and the voluntary nature of modern  religious commitments, which make it difficult to coerce people into reli­gious conformity - he insists that parents should calmly explain to their  children what is proper and improper. Parents should then serve as living  role models of the proper, hoping thereby to help children come to their  own appreciation of and identification with the parents' values.[...]

Trump Tells Kid Coal Is Beautiful, Touts Election Wins in Christmas Calls

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-kid-coal-beautiful-election-wins-christmas-calls-11269533

Responding to a child calling from North Carolina who asked Trump if Santa would be angry if he did not find any cookies when he got to their home, Trump said: "I think he won’t get mad, but he’ll be very disappointed. Santa tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side, do you know what cherubic means? He’s a little on the heavy side."

He encouraged the child to leave some cookies, adding: "I think Santa has a serious appetite."

The same call has gone viral on social media after Trump told the eight-year-old girl that she sounded "so beautiful and cute." He also added that the child sounded "so smart."

Marjorie Taylor Greene Just DESTROYED Trump Over Epstein Files - Jimmy Kimmel

Trump issues CREEPY Christmas message to young girl

Noem burns through taxpayer funds at SHOCKING rate on dubious deals

DOJ says it has found more than a million additional Epstein documents

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/24/doj-epstein-documents-new-files-00706387

The Justice Department on Wednesday said it had uncovered more than a million documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case and will need more time to fulfill the release of files ordered by Congress.

In a post to X, the Justice Department said it received the documents from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI — but it may take “a few more weeks” before they can be processed and released to the public in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), co-sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, appeared unimpressed with the Justice Department’s announcement Wednesday.

“Today the DOJ claims the Epstein-Maxwell file exceeds 1.7 million documents. And they still expect you to believe this involves only two guilty people,” Massie posted on X.

Khanna pointed out that six months before the bipartisan legislation passed, the Justice Department was saying the case was closed.

Candace Owens urges audience read antisemitic book, asserts Jews controlled slave trade

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-881052

Political commentator Candace Owens urged her audience to read a 19th-century antisemitic book and accused Jews of orchestrating the transatlantic slave trade and racial conflict between Caucasian and African Americans during her YouTube show over the weekend.

The episode focused on Owens’ grievances with conservative pundit and Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, who had criticized her in his Thursday speech at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) AmericaFest conference.

Owens railed against Shapiro for the circumstances of her 2024 dismissal from the Daily Wire under allegations of antisemitism and tensions with the editor emeritus.

UN spends approximately $100 million in funding to target Israel yearly, new report shows

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-881170

The United Nations spends roughly $100 million per year on reports, debates, special mechanisms, and communication activities dedicated almost exclusively to singling out Israel, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN said.

Israeli officials said that what has been exposed regarding the UN’s allocation of budgetary funds is not a call to defund humanitarian aid or silence legitimate criticism. Instead, this is meant to put an end to a system that has normalized discrimination, rewarded bias, and wasted vast sums of the public’s money.

Gaetz claims Israeli operation behind prostitution, underage sex allegations

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-881114

“Anti-semitism used to mean somebody who didn’t like Jews. Now it just means somebody Jews don’t like," Gaetz said in the episode.

Former congressman Matt Gaetz asserted Tuesday that allegations of prostitution and sexual relations with an underage girl were part of an Israeli operation to extort him because of his isolationist foreign policy.

During an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show, Gaetz denied that he had committed statutory rape, engaged in commercial sex, and used illicit drugs as alleged in a 2024 House Ethics Committee report, and that the supposed foreign influence operation was evidently fake due to not being given an opportunity to question witnesses and review records in a proper forum.

"It was an op to silence me, and Israel was involved, and I hate to say that," Gaetz told Carlson.

Supreme Court won’t allow National Guard deployment to Chicago in major loss for Trump

 https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5661555-supreme-court-blocks-trump-guard/

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled President Trump may not deploy the National Guard to the Chicago area for now amid his push for military troops to patrol the streets of Democratic-led cities, a major loss for the president at the high court.   

Solicitor General D. John Sauer had argued that the statute Trump invoked to call up the troops was lawful and consistent with a “long historical tradition” tracing back to President George Washington’s response to the Whiskey Rebellion.   

“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the unsigned order reads. 

The court explained that to justify calling up the National Guard, a president must be unable to execute laws with the regular forces of the U.S. military. 

That would require “exceptional” circumstances because of the Posse Comitatus Act, a centuries-old law that generally bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement.

Trump was flying with Epstein around the time FBI got its first tip about Epstein