Rambam (Introduction to Iyov) We believe in absolute Divine Providence—as expressed in the concept that "the eyes of the Lord range throughout the whole earth"—as well as in miraculous providence; that is to say, the phenomena described in the Torah involving miracles. For, upon reflection, there is no distinction between the statement that a certain righteous person will live out his days or that one who eats *terumah* will die, and the splitting of the Red Sea or the manna falling for forty years. Verses such as "I will remove sickness from your midst" and "I will send a plague among you" stand on the same footing as the Plague of the Firstborn, the plague, the drowning of the Egyptians in the sea, and all other miracles; for if we were to say... Consider the plague that struck your midst—akin to the Plague of the Firstborn—alongside the drowning of the Egyptians in the sea and all the other miracles. For if we attribute all sustenance to the natural order, neither man nor beast would die based on merit or transgression; yet, once we believe that God cut a life short before its natural time, we acknowledge that the hand of God performed a miracle and altered nature—just as He parted the sea before His congregation and drowned our enemies within it. The only difference between the two cases is that one is hidden while the other is manifest. Even if one stubbornly insists that the person who ate *Terumah*—in the instance you cited regarding a supernatural death—did not die through a suspension of natural law, but rather that God simply orchestrated events so he would consume foods that induce illness, or perish in battle in the usual course of events or altered his mazel, the fact remains: his destiny was altered due to his sin or improved because of merit and it wasn’t due to the natural course of Nature. If God alters the nature of a person's food—causing him to consume harmful items he would not have eaten had he not sinned—then it is certainly plausible for the nature of wholesome food to be transformed into something harmful to him. Phenomena such as "I will give you your rains in their season" and "The Lord will open for you His good treasury"—as well as the reverse, "the heavens over your head shall be bronze"—are all instances of miraculous changes to the natural order and the celestial influences governing the heavens and the earth.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Secular Studies Harmful
Rabbeinu Tam (Sefer Hayashor Shaar 6): Damage from learning non-Torah wisdom: Tenth Midah - Wisdom which is no good. There is wisdom which destroys faith for example external wisdom, heretical wisdom and philosophy. There is no need for one who serves G d to be involved in them rather he should distance himself from them with all his strength. Because before he receives any benefit from them he will have lost his faith. It is like one who loses his possessions in the attempt to acquire other possessions and ends up having nothing. There are many who think they are wise who think this is an exalted wisdom and they think they will acquire profound and esoteric secrets – but they don’t realize they are going away from their faith. It is like a healthy person who accustoms himself to eating unhealthy foods because they taste good but he ends up destroying his health and complexion without realizing the changes. He considers himself healthy when in fact he is close to death. When a person associates with a heretic, he destroys his faith little by little without being aware. Similarly a person who studies philosophy becomes alienated from his faith little by little without being aware. While the intent and concern of philosophy is to understand the unity of G d - but when you learn it you suffer a loss. Philosophy has words and axioms which from the very beginning weaken faith. No one can be certain that when he engages in its study that he won’t lose his faith – except if he has an expert and pious teacher that will guide him and protect from the places which weaken his faith. In such a case then he will be able to avoid the pitfalls of philosophy and accomplish the goals he desires. But if he reads books of philosophy on his own or has a teacher who is not completely pious – then there is no doubt that his faith will be destroyed and he will lose more than he gains. This is the general situation that stands before all those who fear G d and therefore he has to be very careful.
Rabbi Nachman (Sichos HaRan 103) It is better to be the fool who believes in everything’ (Mishlei 15:15). In other words, it is better to believe and have faith - even if you end up believing in stupidity and lies - if you at least also believe in the truth. This is far superior to the other extreme of being a cynical skeptic who successfully rejects stupidity and lies but at the same time also rejects the truth because of his reflexive skepticism and ridicule of all beliefs. This is what Chazal (Eduyos 5:6) say, ‘It is better that I be called a fool all my life and not be wicked for a moment before G d’.
Inside Trump, Netanyahu's dilemma: Strike Iran before elections or wait
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/13/netanyahu-trump-iran-war-elections
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump last week discussed the possibility of launching a major new operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections, according to two U.S. officials, one Israeli official and a fourth source with knowledge of the matter.
Netanyahu said during the call that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to reconstitute its nuclear program, according to the Israeli official.
Rabbi David Stav: 'We abandoned Judaism'
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/434560
Rabbi David Stav, chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, has criticized what he described as the Religious Zionist movement’s priorities over the years, arguing that its focus on settlement in Judea and Samaria came at the expense of influence over issues concerning Israel’s Jewish identity and religious institutions.
“Unfortunately, the cheapest thing for prime ministers on both the right and the left was to sell off the country’s Judaism and hand it over - or, more accurately, abandon it - to the haredi parties," he said.
“Unfortunately, we in the Religious Zionist community also abandoned these areas. In return, we successfully secured settlement in Judea and Samaria, which is an impressive and tremendous achievement," he said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
More young Haredim leaving the fold than previously thought, study finds
Young ultra-Orthodox people are leaving Haredi society at a faster rate than expected, according to data published by the research and strategy division of the nonprofit Yotzim L’shinui.
An estimated 15.3 percent of young Haredi men and 11.9% of young Haredi women leave ultra-Orthodox society by the age of 30, the figures, based on data from Israel’s latest population census, showed.
Studies, including those published by Yotzim L’Shinui, have found that leaving the ultra-Orthodox world is a complicated process, and that many former Haredim preserve some aspects of their former lives, including relationships with family members. About 66% of those leaving the community still identify as being on the spectrum of Haredi society, the organization said.
Trump donor says he’ll sue Guilfoyle, attorneys
The MAGA donor who accused U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle of pressuring him to wire her $100,000 to pay off her American Express bill said he will be taking legal action against her.
“I’m going to be suing those lawyers, that law firm, and Kimberly Guilfoyle,” Eric Deters said in an interview with CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” on Monday. “It’s going to be fun.”
Deters accused Guilfoyle’s legal team of making false claims about him following The Wall Street Journal’s explosive report exposing her pricey request. Guilfoyle allegedly offered to help him reach senior Trump administration officials in exchange.
“They first said that the text messages were fake — defamation,” he said. “Then they said I was a known blackmailer. I’ve never blackmailed anybody in my life.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle is a Greek Tragedy of MAGA Hubris
https://www.newsweek.com/kimberly-guilfoyle-greece-scandal-maga-hypocrisy-trump-12562265
President Donald Trump came to power promising to overthrow a decadent political establishment: a self-serving ruling class that had grown rich and arrogant, apparently insulated from the ordinary Americans it purported to represent but didn't actually understand.
Now, the controversy surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle, his ambassador to Greece, shines a negative light on that promise, raising a question: has MAGA simply replaced the old establishment with a new one that has acquired many of the same habits? In simpler words: are Republicans just like Democrats when it comes to their relationship with power?
Guilfoyle, the former Fox News personality and onetime fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., has been asked to resign following allegations of financial impropriety and questionable diplomatic conduct. Although she denies wrongdoing, the details emerging from her tenure in Athens paint a portrait of an elite enjoying the privileges of power, the same type of character that Trump has been warning against.
Florida Neurologist Recalls Examining the Rebbe
https://collive.com/florida-neurologist-recalls-examining-the-rebbe/
“When I was an intern at Cornell, I had the opportunity of looking after many people and I met many of the Hasidic community,” he said. Among them was Rabbi Shmaryahu Gurary (the Rashag) and his family.
“But the Rebbe was a special case,” he continued. “He was very ill at New York Hospital. I had the opportunity of examining him with his students.”
After conducting a CAT scan on the Rebbe, Dr. Suite said, “I concluded as a scientist, that it’s impossible for him to speak or communicate or understand.” But what happened next left a deep impression on him.
Monday, October 12, 2026
Differing from Chazal
Ohr HaChaim (Bereishis 1:1): You should know that we have permission to explain the implication of the verses after careful study - even though our conclusions differ from the explanation of our Sages. That is because there are 70 faces to Torah (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:16). There is no prohibition against differing from the words of our Sages except if it changes the Halacha. Similarly, we find that even though the Amoraim did not have the right to disagree with Tannaim in halachic matters - but we find that they offered alternative explanations to verses.
Ohr HaChaim (Bereishis 46:8): Don’t be bothered by the fact that our explanation is the opposite of what our Sages stated. We have already asserted that concerning the understanding of the non halachic verses of the Torah permission is given to the diligent student to innovate.
Ohr HaChaim (Devarim 32:1): Even though I am explaining this differently than our Sages but we know that there are 70 faces to Torah (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:16). Concerning Agada it is permitted to offer explanations even if they contradict those of our Sages as long as they don’t contradict the Halacha….
Ohr HaChaim (Vayikra 26:3): Vayikra Rabbah (22:1) states that Scripture, Mishna, Halacha, Talmud, Tosefta, Agada and even what a faithful student would say in the future - were all taught to Moshe on Sinai. It is clear from this medrash that permission has been granted for Torah scholars to explain and interpret in various ways and for the diligent students to provide new insights in expounding verses - to the degree that it can be justified with the verse.
Michtav M’Eliyahu (4:355): It is puzzling why many Rishonim strive to follow a different understanding than the true explanation given by our Sages? We find such tendencies in the commentary of the Rashbam, Ibn Ezra and other Rishonim. What is the purpose of offering explanations which differ from the definitive true ones? I think that they offer these alternative explanations for the sake of confused people. In other words, these Rishonim want to show that there are many different aspects even in the simple understanding of the verses and that it is permissible for a person to create new interpretations according to what makes sense to him. (Of course, any alternative explanations which contradict foundation principles of faith are prohibited.) This is consistent with our understanding of R’ Shmuel HaNagid. This advice is very critical in order to save the souls of the confused people. Such an approach is similar to that of the Rambam who wrote so much for the confused. We see this from the fact that many difficulties that exist in what he wrote could have been explained in a much clearer fashion. However, since he was addressing confused people he provided alternative explanations which they could accept - as long as it didn’t contradict the Halacha. Using this approach, I have been able to understand the difficult comments of the Radak who was a very holy person and one of the great members of the period of the Rishonim. In particular, it justifies his comments concerning the disparity of the text of the Torah and how it is to be read in a number of places ….
Science vs Chazal
Rav Dovid Karliner (Sde Chemed Kuntres Metziza 3:4): …It remains for us to explain how to decide in a matter that doctors based on their knowledge and experiments decide against the Tradition of Chazal. I have already explained in Sheilas Dovid when there is a tradition of Chazal which is undisputed and it is from Sinai in a halachic matter such a treifos. However regarding the condition of an animal which our tradition doesn’t deem a treifah, it can certainly be curable and it doesn’t concern us if the doctors decide based upon their studies that it is incurable. We rely on the Talmudic Sages and their Tradition and we don’t agree with the view of the doctors that nature has changed since this is a matter which is relevant to halacha concerning such things as treifos… we don’t say that nature has changed. Because if it were so then we would have been informed that a time would come that nature changed and these animals would be prohibited by means of this illness or this physical deficit. But from the fact that our Talmudic Sages did not agree in certain cases that indicates that they did not have a clear tradition or they are disagreeing what the majority case is but nevertheless they agree with each other that at least a minority exists. Therefore since there is not a clear tradition and there isn’t a direct halachic consequence but it only has consequences regarding certain fact than we can say that it is possible that nature has changed over time. In contrast where there is a clear tradition and the Sages are in agreement with each other than nature will never change and we don’t listen to the contrary view of the doctors. All this is only relevant regarding halachic issues. However regarding conditions that Chazal consider dangerous to health – the correctness of these statement can change over time…It is also possible that in their times there was no cure for a particular condition but now a cure has been found for something which Chazal don’t claim is a Tradition from Sinai but rather they knew from the medicine of their day. In fact it is possible that they learned many things from the doctors of their time such as scurvy (Yoma 84a) which R’ Yochanon learned how to cure from a non-Jewish woman. Nevertheless he poskened that it was allowed to profane Shabbos for the sake of this cure even though it apparently involved transgressing a Torah prohibition. There were also many cures that Chazal described as being learned from “a certain Arab” and other secular sources. Thus so while it is true that many cures were known to Chazal from Divine Inspiration (Sod HaShem) but it is not possible to say that all of their cures were such. Therefore when Chazal said about certain medical treatments that Shabbos can be violated for them in their times and places it was because they didn’t know any alternatives and they considered the medical conditions to be dangerous and thus it was permitted to profane Shabbos for them. But once it has been determined through medical science that these conditions are not dangerous we cannot profane Shabbos for them…. As long as all doctors are in total agreement then the condition is not considered dangerous anymore. However if there is not universal agreement then it is possible to say there is a possibility of error and the assumption of danger remains…. In my opinion concerning all the dangers and cures that require transgressing Shabbos mentioned in the Talmud, if there is not universal agreement of the doctors then we follow the view in the Talmud even to transgress Shabbos. But when there is universal agreement that in modern times there is no longer danger then we say that nature has changed in this matter…
Rav Sherira Gaon (Otzair HaGaonim - Gittin 68b page 152): Our Sages were not doctors and what they said is merely a reflection of what was known by the medical experts of their times and therefore there is no mitzva to accept their statements concerning medicine….
Rav S. R. Hirsch (Educational Value of Judaism Collected Writings #7): Judaism is not frightened even by the hundreds of thousands and millions of years which the geological theory of the earth's deve¬lopment bandies about so freely. Judaism would have nothing to fear from that theory even if it were based on something more than mere hypothesis, on the still unproven presumption that the forces we see at work in our world today are the same as those that were in existence, with the same degree of potency, when the world was first created. Our Rabbis, the Sages of Judaism, discuss (Midrash Rabbah 9; Chagiga 16a) the possibility that earlier worlds were brought into existence and subsequently destroyed by the Creator before He made our own earth in its present form and order. However, the Rabbis have never made the acceptance or rejection of this and similar pos¬sibilities an article of faith binding on all Jews. They were willing to live with any theory that did not reject the basic truth that "every beginning is from God." In fact, they were generally averse to specula¬tions about what was in the past and what will be in the future, because, in their view, such questions transgressed the limits of that which is knowable to man, or, at best, they did not enhance man's understanding of his moral function. In the view of our Rabbis, the Book of Books was intended to be mankind's guide for life on earth as it is at present, to teach man to recognize God, in the here and now, as the everlasting Creator and Master of the universe, and to worship Him by faithfully obeying the laws by which He governs mankind.
Moreh Nevuchim (03:14): Don’t expect from me to show that everything that our Sages said regarding astronomy in fact agrees with observation. That is because mathematics was not fully developed in those days and their knowledge was not based on information received from the Prophets. Rather it was based on their own personal knowledge as experts or it was taken from the astronomers of those times. However I am not going to say that what they say that in fact agrees with observation is incorrect or was accidentally true. Rather whenever it is possible to explain a person’s words as being in accord with observation, it is the duty of every educated and just man to so.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Shemiras HaGuf v’HaNefesh): Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was asked why the view of Rav Sherira Gaon and the Rambam’s son - that the medical and scientific knowledge of our Sages was that of their times - should be listed as a minority view? He replied: “At the present I don’t remember whether there was anyone who actually disagreed with their views or even whether anyone has the authority to disagree with them. However, rabbinic authorities typically explain disparities in medical and scientific understanding [between the views of our Sages and contemporary science] as the result of change in nature. They do not utilize at all the reason that medical knowledge has advanced from the time of our Sages. That is why I commented that this view should be classed as a minority view. Especially since concerning the laws of Shabbos, there are rabbinic authorities that permit violating the Shabbos in certain circumstances that our Sages say are medically dangerous despite the fact that contemporary doctors assert there is no danger at all.
The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis
"We live longer than we used to. During the twentieth century, the lifespan of Americans increased by thirty years. Much of the increase was caused by such advances as antibiotics, purified drinking water, sanitation, safer workplaces, better nutrition, safer foods, seatbelts, and a decline in smoking. But no single medical advance had a greater impact on human health than vaccines. Before vaccines, Americans could expect that every year measles would infect 4 million children and kill three thousand; diphtheria would kill fifteen thousand people, mostly teenagers; rubella (German measles) would cause twenty thousand babies to be born blind, deaf, or mentally retarded; pertussis (whooping cough) would kill eight thousand children, most of whom were less than one year old; and polio would permanently paralyze fifteen thousand children and kill one thousand. Because of vaccines most of these diseases have been completely or virtually eliminated from the United States. Smallpox—a disease estimated to have killed 500 million people—was eradicated by vaccines. Despite their success, vaccines are in trouble; only four companies now make them, and two of the four have severely reduced their vaccine research programs. The result has been an unrelenting series of vaccine shortages and a lack of hope that certain vaccines will ever be made. Recent examples show just how bad things have gotten: In 1998, the tetanus vaccine was in such short supply that its use was restricted to emergency rooms. Since 2000, a vaccine to prevent the most common cause of severe pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and meningitis in children (pneumococcus) has been available only intermittently. During these shortages, when the vaccine has been difficult or impossible to obtain, parents could only hope that their children weren’t among the thousands permanently harmed or killed by pneumococcus every year."
"Why are pharmaceutical companies abandoning vaccines? Part of the answer is rooted in one largely forgotten incident that occurred fifty years ago, when a small pharmaceutical company in northern California made a vaccine that caused an epidemic affecting thousands of people. It was one of the worst biological disasters in American history, exploded the myth of the invulnerability of science and destroyed faith in the vaccine enterprise. As a consequence, juries handed down verdicts to make sure that it never happened again. Ironically, those legal precedents caused pharmaceutical companies to abandon existing vaccines and to reduce their efforts to develop new ones."
Start reading this book for free: https://read.amazon.com/kp/
Trump rages over Nobel Peace Prize loss
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/10/trump-nobel-peace-prize-reaction
President Trump lashed out late Friday night after he once again did not win the Nobel Peace Prize he has openly coveted.
"I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else! In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel. I don't know what the woman has done," Trump said in a Truth Social post of nearly 600 words that went up just before midnight on Friday.
"I settled 8 Wars, with letters being sent from every President and Prime Minister from the countries that I helped to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and I'm about to settle, or win, two more, Iran and, Russia/Ukraine," Trump wrote.
"They're both happening at breakneck speed but, forget them, it's the 8 that I've already settled, any one of which, in particular, Pakistan and India, would be far more than necessary to win the Nobel Prize. In actuality, I should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1."
‘Trump is dragging the party down’: GOP scrambles to stop steep midterm losses
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/12/politics/midterms-republican-losses-trump
The Republican Party’s midterm campaign has turned into a triage operation just three weeks out from November, as officials race to avert losses in a string of once-safe seats that they increasingly fear could cost them total control of Congress.
The grim outlook gripping the GOP follows weeks of polling showing Republicans on track to lose the House amid intense voter anger over the Iran war and rising cost of living — and at grave risk of losing their once-solid majority in the Senate as well.
The Cook Political Report dealt the latest blow on Friday, moving 18 House races toward Democrats. Those contests include five toss-up seats across Iowa, Pennsylvania and Washington that the closely watched analysis projects the Democratic candidates are now more likely to win.
When Science Meets Kashrut: How one woman blazed a trail in OU Kosher
Dr. Leff’s specialty was educating kashrut professionals and the general public to have an understanding of the increasingly complex relationship between kashrut requirements and the challenges presented by emerging high-tech food production techniques.
“Kashrut questions arise at all stages of a biotechnology product,” she continued. “Our posekim face new challenges, and they are devoting increasing attention to resolving these issues.”
She expanded on this theme in a 1996 Jewish Action essay, “Do Natural + Wholesome = Kosher?”: “Natural ingredients carry a hefty financial premium, so there are strong incentives to cheat,” she wrote. “In this case, however, replacing a ‘natural’ ingredient with one derived from petrochemicals is good for kashrut. . . . Everything I ever learned in my life was used in my work in kashrut,” Dr. Leff says. “I pride myself on having brought the awareness of the kashrut aspects of the many thousands of ingredients used in food manufacturing, including those produced by means of biotechnology.”
Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government
To understand Pete Hegseth, go beyond superficial judgments about his carefully curated image. Beneath the tattooed and testosterone-obsessed public persona there lurks altruism. He aspires to be America’s tutor. Understand this: The secretary of war wants to improve us.
Hegseth says, earnestly if ungrammatically, that Hasan’s killing should be public “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” Who are the people whose understanding Hegseth deems unsatisfactory? Surely not terrorists of Hasan’s ilk, for whom “these types of things” (mass murder) are a religious vocation — a calling. Perhaps Hegseth thinks the other 340 million Americans need to be instructed not to commit massacres.
If Hasan’s live-streamed execution is supposed to be statecraft as soulcraft, perhaps the government should sell the television rights to this spectacle. It could be a Netflix special. Or a pay-per-view moneymaker for the government. Public instruction by death in prime time could also be a deficit-reduction measure, financed voluntarily by Americans snacking on bowls of popcorn while viewing.
Trump says Russia and Ukraine reached ‘energy ceasefire’; Zelensky: ‘News to me’
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to what he described as an “energy ceasefire,” prompting surprise from Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the announcement was “news” to him.
In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said Trump’s post was the first he had heard of the deal, though a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Ukraine was ready to agree to such a ceasefire, if Russia was.
Trump, whose war in Iran has been blamed for high diesel prices that are weighing on Republicans’ prospects at next month’s midterm elections, had previously announced an energy ceasefire in Ukraine in mid-September, though neither side ever confirmed such an agreement was reached.
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Russia will supply US and global markets with diesel, Trump says
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/6139544-trump-putin-us-diesel-supply-high-costs/
Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelensky rejected the U.S. move on Friday and said Ukrainian strikes are retaliation for Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, in particular electrical grids, depriving people of light, heat and water.
The Treasury Department said Friday that it would be lifting sanctions on Russian diesel to allow the fuel into the global marketplace. A few weeks ago, Trump signed a bill into law that authorized further sanctions on Russia.
“There must be support for Ukraine in protecting lives, and there must be pressure on Russia for its war. And today, there was a conversation between the leaders of America and Russia. A conversation that leads to something different,” he posted on X.
Commentary Op-ed Republicans are victims of a discredited economic ideology
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/republicans-are-victims-of-a-discredited-economic-ideology/
Sometimes people do inhumane things. The Senate health care bill is a case in point. It denies health care to a large group of poor, disabled, and elderly Americans to give a big tax cut to a small group of very wealthy people.
But are Senate Republicans evil people? Do they lack a moral compass? I don’t think so. I think they are simply victims of a once-successful but now discredited economic ideology. That ideology says tax cuts for the rich will create jobs for the middle class. It says cutting benefits, including health benefits, for the poor will cause them to work harder and behave more responsibly. Granted there is a grain of truth in these propositions but they have now become a cartoon of their once-legitimate, Chicago-school ancestors.
Republicans have become trapped in their own rhetoric, crafted during years of being in opposition. As Ross Douthat noted in a recent New York Times column, drawing on new analysis in a report by Lee Drutman, that rhetoric is now well to the right of the beliefs held by the broader Republican electorate. Republican leaders have failed to recognize the fact that the economic views of those who voted Republican in 2016 “lean only slightly to the right.” Republicans could have used the Trump election to effect a political realignment—one that would have combined a more moderate set of economic policies than the Republican elite currently supports with a more moderate set of cultural positions than those espoused by leading Democrats.
CMV:Republicans have never passed a law that benefited the middle and/or lower class that did not favor the elite wealthy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/dxk0oa/cmvrepublicans_have_never_passed_a_law_that/
So change my mind. Tell me any law or set of laws the Republicans ever passed into law that favored the middle class over the wealthy class. Because in my 58 years, it's never happened that I know of.
GOP lawmakers reject U.S.-Russia diesel deal, Trump’s Zelensky comments
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6140871-republicans-oppose-trump-russian-diesel-deal/
Several Republicans voiced objections to the Trump administration Russian diesel deal and President Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needed a new leader.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated he was “concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine—emboldening more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days.”
He added that Congress already passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act which “gave the president significant authorities and leverage against China and Russia to bring Putin’s war to an end with a negotiated settlement.”
Trump can’t stop talking about vomit and Texas barbecue
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/10/10/trump-cant-stop-talking-about-vomit-texas-barbecue/
Republicans need President Donald Trump to use his swagger to hype up embattled U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton. He keeps talking about barf.
This year’s midterm mudslinging has largely focused on substantive topics such as corruption and affordability. When it comes to the U.S. Senate race in Texas, however, President Donald Trump has an additional issue he’d like the electorate to consider: vomit.
Crowds at the campaign stops typically laugh intermittently when Trump talks about imagined vomit. But all of Trump’s retching rhetoric offended one Texas GOP operative’s Southern sensibilities.
LevinAt11: Chillul HaShem &Elections
תכנית ראדיו רב יהודה לעוין, שליט"א, ערב שבת פרשת בראשית, תשפ"ז~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Tefillah request, for refuah shelaima of:1. Rav Yehuda ben Masha HaLevi (Levin);2. Shimon ben Masha;3. Lea bas Freeda;4. Reuven ben Chava;5. Yechezkel ben Feiga Zlota;6. Neryah Dov ben Chana (Leiter).~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Topics Included:~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~1. Parsha-based insights into the severity of murder (4:25, כי הרגו קין; also: the Gemara Rosh HaShana 3a regarding possible meanings of כי). This relates to the NY elections being held in wake of the (preventable) passage of Physician-Facilitated Murder.
• The Torah's universal vision for all Mankind (vs. the self-serving tunnel-vision of some faux* Jewish leadership) is referred to at the beginning of the Haftarah of Beraishis (not read this year due to מחר חודש).
* See last week's program, calling out artificial Jewish leadership - not despite the need to respect authentic Torah authority -- but specifically because of it.
2. Elections and massive, public Chillul HaShem - see letter copied below;
• If any candidates ask for your support - ask them what they've done to address the foundational moral threats we face (see letter below).
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~• Important News: How inexpensive it is to save girls from the Female IDF Draft (Giyus Banos)~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~- From Chomosayich, an established volunteer women's organization in Israel, which has saved and assisted thousands of girls from the ongoing IDF escalationsagainst "easy-target" girls, over the years. Q) How far can your donation go in saving girls from falling into the Israeli Army?In other words, for how little can you save one neshomoh?A) FACT: For as little as TEN DOLLARS YOU CAN SAVE A TEENAGE GIRL FROM BEING DRAFTED INTO THE EXPLOITIVE ARMY!FACT: GIRLS LOCATED FURTHER AWAY FROM CHAREIDI CENTERS CAN BE SAVED FOR A MERE 15 DOLLARS.The cost of saving these neshomos is, in many cases, so low that it's scandalous that we're not seeing far more donations. Inexcusably, most of the tzibbur is simply being kept in the dark.
However, it's also because many of those "Shaineh Yidden" who do hear about this crisis, and the work being done to address it, fail to properly spread the word. Too many of us are focused on issues far less important, and/or too timid to be seen as "controversial."
••• See the half-page ad in the new Upstate Jewish Business Directory. •••Call Today.~~~~ ~~~~
https://www.chotam.org.il/
(* This very publication is a stinging indictment of the Israeli Army Draft Office, and the antireligious Establishment behind its escalating crusade to rob Torah-observant / traditional girls of their legal entitlement to a religious exemption from military service. The very need to publish such a guide speaks volumes of the danger posed to the next generation of Jewish mothers by "fellow Jews." The professional, psychological-warfare techniques that these 16- and 17-year-old girls need to be trained to defend against, all alone - without even legal counsel or a family member - are almost as outrageous as they are anti-Torah. The institutionalization of such techniques indicate how intent the Israeli military is on drafting increasing numbers of Torah-observant girls, and to what depths they're willing to stoop to do so.)
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A Good Shabbos to our supporters and partners, and wishes for a good, sweet, productive and uplifting year.
Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
Email: torahjewsfordecency@
gmail.com Direct: 771.215.8892
Israeli Helpline: 03.721.3337
Heard weekly on New Jersey's WSNR Radio 620AM, co-hosting the renowned Levin At Eleven program, every Thursday evening, 11pm to midnight (ET).
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ערב שבת, הושענא רבה, תשפ"ז
Previous week's program:ערב סוכות:Writeup and supplemental material:~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Broadcast of preceding week, Shabbos Shuva: פרשת האזינוWrite-up:~~~ ~~~Previous week's broadcast:ערב ר"ה...An initial write-up and brief overview, w/ supplemental info appears here:~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Preceding week's broadcast: נצבים-וילךLinked here is the LevinAt11 radio broadcast of Sept. 3, '26.*An initial write-up and brief analysis/ overview appears here:Sept. 17:~~~~~~~~~~~~~PS: A published version of last week's letter, Living the Legacy of the Chofetz Chaim, appears (edited) in the current MonseyMevaser.com p.14, 16.----------
Broadcast weekly over: Davidzon Radio: davidzonradio.com (718) 303-8000Sept. 24:~~~Circulated recently:יג תשרי, תהא שנת פדיון זוכותA simple עצה for those seeking גדרי צניעות in electronic communicationWhen communicating electronically with the opposite gender, when practical, one may prefer to not respond immediately, or to at least send the response on a timed-delay, as in the "schedule send" option for emails.This delay reduces the sense of a live-time interaction. The recipient then may feel a bit more like they're responding to the חפצא (object) of the email communication, rather than to the גברא (person) sending it.When not possible to delay in responding, even a momentary delay, when done as a geder, may help; that too can help maintain a sense of awareness. (Such brief delays are often beneficial in any case, to avoid errors and impulsive reactions.)Please feel free to share this.This is being disseminated for the zechus of all the Bnos Yisroel in Israel currently braving threats of arrest and legal pursuit, over their heroic refusal to submit to Army Draft Office orders to appear at the Draft Office - in the process of seeking a religious exemption (or otherwise). Likewise, circulated for the merit of those girls silently enduring the indignities of arrest, military tribunal, and incarceration at the hands of the Israeli military police, court and prison system.May their collective mesiras nefesh for Kedusha and Tzniyusserve to protect Klal Yisroel from all of our enemies - those threatening us from within and without - in ruchniyus and gashmiyus. To share in helping assist and rescue such girls, please partner with the established Chomosayich women's volunteer organization. They're silently bearing the burden incumbent on us all. To donate from the USA, CALL OR TEXT: (347) 661-0172. Please mention where you saw their number.###TTI~~~~Relevant to Doctor-"Assisted Suicide" legislation:~~~~~
October 1 Link:
Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
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