Thursday, November 5, 2026

Medicine and Magic

 When religion was strong and science weak,

men mistook magic for medicine.

Now, when science is strong and religion weak,

men mistake medicine for magic.

—THOMAS SZASZ 

Trump Blames Everyone But Himself for Huge Midterm Loss & the White House Lashes Out at Jimmy Kimmel

South Africa is first country to ban antisemitic conspiracy film saying Jews now aren't 'real Jews'

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-913736

South Africa has become the first country to issue a nationwide ban on screening and distribution of an antisemitic film that claims Black people are the "real Jews."

Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America is a 2018 film that puts forward the theory that Black Hebrew Israelites are the true descendants of biblical Israelites, and that today’s Jews are not the real Jews. The film also claims there is an international Jewish conspiracy that aims to defraud Black people.

It was screened in June 2023 at the Soweto Theatre in South Africa, and the film was reported to the ombudsman by the local Jewish community.

Trump says he’ll accept the results after weeks of priming voters to doubt them

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/04/2026-midterm-election-goes-smoothly-despite-fears-troops-ice-doj-monitors/

Despite concerns about what President Donald Trump would do, the midterms proceeded normally on Tuesday.

Amid palpable anxiety that the Trump administration would interfere with the midterms, Tuesday’s elections unfolded smoothly, with mostly minor, standard-issue hiccups.

The Justice Department sent more than 900 monitors to polling locations across the country, a historically large deployment. But fears that they would interfere with the day’s operations — or that troops or ICE agents would be deployed — proved unfounded.

With sweeping wins for Democrats in both the House and the Senate, President Donald Trump told the New York Times late Tuesday night that he would accept the results. And across the country, losing candidates conceded their races to their opponents rather than suggesting any form of malfeasance.

AFTER THE ROUT: Trump Shrugs Off Republican Election Disaster, Shows Reporters His White House Ballroom and Helipad

 https://matzav.com/after-the-rout-trump-shrugs-off-republican-election-disaster-shows-reporters-his-white-house-ballroom-and-helipad/

President Donald Trump made his first public appearance Wednesday following one of the Republican Party’s most devastating midterm election defeats in decades, but rather than dwell on the political catastrophe that handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, the president invited reporters to tour his massive White House ballroom construction project, enthusiastically discussing marble floors, towering columns, chandeliers and a newly constructed helicopter landing pad.

Yet the president appeared largely untroubled by the results as he walked through the unfinished ballroom, surrounded by construction workers wearing hard hats. He spoke at length about the building’s architectural features, the quality of its materials and his ambitious plans to transform the White House grounds.

Asked why he continued devoting so much attention to construction projects while facing serious political challenges, Trump defended his priorities, explaining that he enjoys overseeing improvements to the White House and other Washington landmarks.

“I like it,” he said. “For me, it’s relaxing.”

NY Rep. Mike Lawler loses re-election in blue wave — despite swell of support from large bloc of Orthodox Jewish voters

 https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/lawler-loses-re-election-in-blue-wave-despite-backing-from-jews-in-district/

Republican New York Rep. Michael Lawler lost to Democratic rival Cait Conley in Tuesday’s blue tsunami despite carrying the large bloc of Orthodox Jewish voters in the Hudson Valley’s 17th district, sources said.

The two-term congressman won 71% of election precincts in the Town of Ramapo, which has a large number of Orthodox and Hasidic voters.

Still, Lawler did not perform well enough in traditional Republican strongholds to counter the tide of Democratic and anti-Trump voters who supported Conley in heavily blue precincts in the Westchester portion of the district.

Trump blames Iran war for midterm loss while touting ballroom construction

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6188142-live-updates-trump-democrats-congress-control/

In his first public appearance since Republicans lost big in the midterms, President Trump showed off the construction of the White House ballroom.

“It’s for the country, and it’s free,” he said. 

Trump also told reporters that the Iran war was the “primary reason” for the GOP’s losses.

Hours earlier, Vice President Vance said in a lengthy post that that the conflict with Iran was the main reason why the GOP saw Democrats seize the House, the Senate and multiple governor’s mansions in Tuesday night’s midterms. 

Trump agreed with Vance’s assessment but argued if he had to launch the war against the Islamic Republic again, he would do it. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Wall Street Journal editorial board: Trump ‘main architect’ of GOP midterm ‘rout’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6197560-wall-street-journal-donald-trump-gop-2026-midterm-losses/

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board cast much of the blame on President Trump for GOP losses Tuesday, as Democrats are poised to take control of both the House and Senate.

“Republicans may console themselves that midterm defeats in second presidential terms are common. But this was more than a normal defeat,” the board wrote in a piece published early Wednesday.

“True to form, President Trump is already blaming everyone else, but he is the main architect of this rout,” the board added.

Vance says GOP lost midterms due to Iran war, and that voters want to ‘change our relationship to Israel’

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-4-2026/

US Vice President JD Vance, citing voters, says two lessons from Republicans’ heavy losses in yesterday’s midterm elections are that the Iran war must end and that the US must change its relationship with Israel.

Vance was widely reported to have opposed the war before the US and Israel launched it on February 28. Israel has largely not participated in strikes on Iran since April.

Vance’s post is retweeted by Trump’s son Donald Jr., who writes, “Every word of this is 100% 100% 100%.”

JD Vance blames Iran war and Israel for GOP midterm bloodbath

 https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/jd-vance-blames-iran-war-and-israel-for-gop-midterm-bloodbath/

Vice President JD Vance broke his silence late Wednesday morning on the blue tsunami that completely wiped out Republicans across the country on Election Day, blaming the drubbing squarely on the war in Iran.

“In the next few months, there’s going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty,” Vance posted on X.“But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you. The reason we lost is the war,” he added. “The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.”

 I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:

1) End the war

2) Focus on cost of living/inflation

3) Put America First

4) Change our relationship to Israel

5 Medical Checkups I’d NEVER Get After 70 (#1 Is the One Everyone Gets) — Doctor Explains

Nisayon: Rambam Moreh Nevuchim vs Ramban - Parshas Eikev Shiur by Rabbi Dovid Hojda

Dispute

 Yam Shel Shlomo (Introduction to Bava Kama): The Kabbalists wrote an explanation as to how two conflicting views could both be true. It is the consequence that all souls that would ever exist were at Sinai and accepted the Torah through 49 different conduits. The sounds that were both seen and heard (Shemos 20:15) refers to the information which was transmitted through these 49 conduits. Each person perceived the Torah through his own conduit and according to his ability to comprehend. Thus, he received the Torah according to the strength of his soul above and according to the degree of his spiritual elevation. Each one received information which differed from the others. Consequently, the Halacha would be for one that the object under discussion would be spiritually pure while a second person would inherently see the object as spiritually impure. A third person would see the object as not being in accord with either of the previous. Thus despite their disagreement, all of the views are true. This needs to be understood.

Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/11/04/media/trump-blames-fox-news-midterms-maga-media

President Donald Trump began election night by lashing out at Fox News. He implausibly tried to blame the conservative network for the GOP’s devastating midterm losses.

Fox “bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse,” Trump declared on Truth Social shortly before midnight Eastern time.

 Tonight is one such time for the Republican Party,” radio host Buck Sexton wrote on X.

He went on: “Way too many mistakes. Bad messaging. Poor candidates. High prices. Unnecessary war that did not go as promises. We get up tomorrow and carry on. But there are lessons here.”

Rambam - Aristotle

 Sefer HaBris (Section 1 2:6): The Givat HaMoreh wrote in the introduction to his sefer that the reason that it took such a long time for the full development of philosophy was because of the great wisdom of Aristotle and his unprecedented stature. Because of this his views were followed by all the scholars generation after generation in a slavish manner. It was viewed that anybody who disagreed with him was as if he were arguing on self-evident reality. In exactly the same way, the reason that there has been a long delay in the development of our theology is because many think that to disagree with something that the Rambam said is to disagree with something which is self evidently true. The two processes are almost identical because in fact the concepts of the Rambam are those of Aristotle - as is well known. However all men of integrity while they love the Rambam – love the truth more. This is as the philosopher said, “I love Aristotle and I love Socrates but the truth I love more.”

Trump allies blame Iran war for GOP’s devastating midterm losses: ‘Hope Schumer calls Netanyahu and thanks him’

 https://nypost.com/2026/11/03/us-news/trump-allies-blame-iran-war-for-gops-devastating-midterm-losses/

Many of President Trump’s longtime loyalists are blaming the Iran war for tanking Republicans in the midterm elections — saying the economic pain of the conflict caused the GOP to lose the House and Senate.

“I hope Chuck Schumer calls Bibi Netanyahu and thanks him for his victory. This war was a disaster. People need to be clear-eyed about it,” a Republican strategist involved in the midterm campaigns told The Post.

“It took some time, almost two years, but we finally have an answer to the question of what happens when you take military and political advice from a mouth breathing buffoon like Mark Levin,” fumed a source close to Trump. “Every piece of data we have says it was the war and gas prices.”

Donald Trump’s Republicans suffer landslide defeat – what this means for the world

 https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-republicans-suffer-landslide-defeat-what-this-means-for-the-world-295769

Donald Trump’s Republican Party has received a stunning rebuke in the US midterm elections. Republicans went into the evening hoping that the polls might be wrong and that they could at least cling on to control of the Senate. But by midnight in Washington, the GOP was staring down what looked like its worst defeat in 50 years.

Republican losses were not just confined to the type of swing districts that parties usually worry about on election night. The scale of the losses was staggering. They lost Senate seats in deep red states such as Texas and South Carolina. They lost districts they had gerrymandered and in which they were supposed to be unbeatable. They lost seats that even the sharpest analysts thought were safe.

Why? For months, surveys have shown that voters are fed up with high prices, with the war in Iran, and with what is increasingly being talked about as the Trump administration’s corruption. A president who was narrowly elected on the promise of a steady economic hand instead spent two years pursuing an extreme ideological agenda favoured only by a minority of Americans. He ignored what voters were saying, and now they have delivered a harsh verdict.

"This is troubling" | Hannity confronts Republican defeat, warns of lessons ahead

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/435636

Fox News host Sean Hannity responded to the Republicans' midterm election defeat by arguing that the results followed a familiar historical pattern in American politics, in which presidents with dominant political personalities suffer significant setbacks halfway through their terms but can recover in the next presidential election.

Speaking during Fox News Democracy 26 alongside Harris Faulkner and Larry Kudlow, Hannity acknowledged the disappointing night for Republicans while pointing to the experiences of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as evidence that major midterm defeats do not necessarily determine the outcome of the next presidential race.

"History matters. Midterms are very, very predictable. And the more dominant a personality that a president is, the more dramatic a loss will be in a midterm," Hannity said.He cited Ronald Reagan, who won the presidency in 1980, suffered major losses in the 1982 midterms and returned two years later to win 49 states.

Democrats Take Congress in Stunning Rebuke of Trump

 https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/midterm-election-results-2026-latest-updates?mod=hp_liveplusvertical_pos_1

Democrats have taken control of the Senate and House as a blue wave surged across the country and voters delivered a rebuke of President Trump. The party flipped Senate seats in Maine, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina and North Carolina and numerous seats in the House.

Blue tsunami delivers Dems both chambers of Congress in stunning defeat for GOP and Trump’s handpicked candidates

 https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/blue-tsunami-delivers-dems-both-chambers-of-congress-in-stunning-defeat-for-gop-and-trumps-handpicked-candidates/

 A blue tsunami delivered Democrats the House of Representatives and the Senate Tuesday night, sweeping away once-safe Republican seats and unleashing immediate finger-pointing and preparations for fights with Congress.

A historic series of defeats, including Democrats flipping Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas — with equally staggering results in House races — positioning New Yorkers Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries to lead the Senate and House.

“America is back,” Jeffries said. Schumer added that the Dems had won “against all odds” and that “relief was on the way.”

Voters punish Trump with dramatic swing to Democrats

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/03/voters-punish-trump-with-dramatic-swing-democrats/

Democrats win control of House and Senate in biggest Republican loss in half a century.

The American voter dealt President Donald Trump a historic rebuke on a scale not seen since 1974, propelling Democrats into control of both houses of Congress with commanding wins in places they hadn’t carried in decades.

Democrats won both the Senate and governor’s races in Texas by double digits — their first statewide victories there since 1994. They took a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina, and the Georgia governorship for the first time since 1998. Kansas sent a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1932.

Among their early House victories were a Kentucky district that voted for Trump by 15 points and two Florida seats that Republicans redrew to shift right. The head of the House GOP’s campaign arm trailed in his own race with 99 percent of the vote counted. As of 12:01 a.m.

Ben Shapiro Says Republicans Must Avoid Poor Candidates, Prioritize Stability After Midterm Losses

 https://vinnews.com/2026/11/04/ben-shapiro-says-republicans-must-avoid-poor-candidates-prioritize-stability-after-midterm-losses/

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said Tuesday that the first lesson for Republicans from the midterm election results is not to run terrible candidates.

Speaking during The Ben Shapiro Show’s election-night coverage on The Daily Wire, Shapiro argued that candidate quality remains a decisive factor in every cycle. He pointed to the Texas Senate race, where Republican Ken Paxton faced high unfavorable ratings, saying that incumbent Sen. John Cornyn would have presented a stronger matchup against Democrat James Talarico. Shapiro noted that some Republican candidates, including those in Ohio and Maine, remained competitive despite the broader environment.

Democrat El-Sayed wins Michigan's US Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, main pollsters say

 https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-913770

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win his closely watched race against Republican Mike Rogers, leading pollsters reported on Wednesday, with the anti-Israel candidate set to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.

In his speech, El-Sayed also referenced his past criticism of Israel, saying that "we don't want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war."

El-Sayed has stirred controversy throughout his campaign due to his stance on Israel, having accused the Jewish state of genocide over the war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel rejects the claim, while Rogers disputes it.

The now-victorious candidate reiterated his accusation during an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on Monday, further arguing that the United States continues to declare its support for a two-state solution while its actions help prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, specifically in the form of military assistance to parties working against its formation.

In massive rebuke to Trump, Democrats projected to control Congress

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/11/03/politics/live-news/midterm-election-congress

Momentous sweep: Democrats will flip control of both the House and Senate in a resounding and historic victory, CNN projects. They capitalized on President Donald Trump’s historic unpopularity to win a major victory and significant power to check his final two years in office.

President’s response: Trump told The New York Times he will accept tonight’s results, shutting down — for now — questions about whether he would challenge the outcome. And in an interview with Fox News, he said he didn’t see the GOP losses “as a hit on me.”

Notable Democratic wins: James Talarico is expected to win a Texas Senate seat, which has eluded Democrats for 38 years, Adam Hamilton will win in deep-red Kansas and Annie Andrews will replace Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina.

Special Post-Election Introspection 2026-11-04

 בס"ד

November 4, '26

See:
Gemara Brachos 5a;
Rambam, Hil. Taanis, beginning;
Nefesh HaChayim 3:29;
Ruach Chayim on Avos 4:11/13/14


Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,

Executive Director,

Help Rescue Our Children

Email:  torahjewsfordecency@gmail.com

845.642.1679

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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One attachment  •  Scanned by Gmail

‘Played people for chumps’: How Trump’s policy failures may come back to haunt him on election night

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Donald Trump Throws Last-Ditch Israel Hail Mary to MAGA Skeptics

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-israel-aid-maga-midterms-el-sayed-12656252

President Donald Trump's Election Day pledge to end nearly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel looks like a last-minute attempt to neutralize an issue that threatens to cost Republicans votes, including among MAGA conservatives increasingly skeptical of American spending overseas.

Trump made the political calculation explicit in remarks to Fox News' Fox & Friends on Tuesday, singling out Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who has campaigned against American military funding for Israel.

His remarks suggest that the announcement is driven at least partly by electoral concerns. Trump is openly acknowledging that continued funding for Israel gives Democrats a potent argument against Republicans, while his proposed cutoff could also appeal to America First conservatives who question why Washington spends billions overseas.

Trump suggests ending US aid will refute criticism that Israel gets more than any other country

https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1743140

 Explaining his support for ending military aid to Israel, US President Donald Trump suggests he doesn’t want to give ammunition to critics who knock Washington for giving more to the Jewish state than any other country.

“Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it,” Trump tells Fox News.

“It’s a bad talking point. Because then you’d say, ‘Why don’t we give everyone $4 billion? Israel is our number one. We give them more than anybody else,’” he continues.

Trump insists that Israel doesn’t need the money and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the one who raised the idea — even though the premier has said he proposed ending aid gradually, not ceasing it immediately.

Trump says Israel will stop receiving $4B in US aid by year's end, can still buy weapons

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-israel-stop-receiving-4b-us-aid-years-end-can-still-buy-weapons

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. aid to Israel would end at the close of the year, arguing that the country no longer needs the assistance and can purchase its own weapons.

"We were giving them $4 billion – we are – but it gets cut off at the end of the year," Trump told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday morning in an Election Day morning announcement.

Trump said the support included "things and money," and described it as military aid, cash or "barter." He said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed ending the assistance for years, adding that Netanyahu raised the idea.

Trump: US will stop funding to Israel after end of 2026, will 'help Israel if they need it'

 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-913711

On the morning of the US midterm elections, US President Donald Trump made a startling claim in an interview with Fox & Friends: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself initiated a plan to end nearly $4 billion in annual American assistance to Israel.

The hosts repeatedly pressed Trump to clarify whether he meant military aid, cash, or weapons deliveries. The president insisted that the arrangement would end by December, while Israel would remain free to purchase American weapons.

Trump also explained the political calculation behind the move: taking away one of the Democrats’ most effective arguments against Republicans, particularly in Michigan, where Israel has become a central issue in the fiercely contested Senate race. But his announcement raises a major question: What happens to the existing US-Israel military assistance agreement, which runs through 2028?

Trump: Netanyahu and I agreed to stop $4 billion US aid to Israel

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/11/03/trump-netanyahu-and-i-agreed-to-stop-4-billion-us-aid-to-israel/

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he had reached an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end American payments to Israel by the end of the year. According to Trump, the agreement was reached with Israel's consent.

Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi ‌Netanyahu ⁠and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a ​deal ​months ago ⁠that we're stopping," Trump said, referring to US aid to Israel, which amounts to approximately $4 billion annually.

Trump explained that Israel no longer needs American assistance to the extent it once did. "They've become a very successful country. They don't need it," he said, adding, "We're not going to pay Israel anymore." At the same time, Trump stressed that the US would continue to support Israel if necessary. "We'll help Israel if they need it," he added.

The president did not provide details of the agreement or clarify whether he was referring to a complete termination of military aid or a different arrangement between the two countries.

Trump says US will cut off $4B in aid to Israel, blames bad ‘talking point’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6191387-trump-netanyahu-end-us-aid/

President Trump said on Tuesday that he has reached a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that will end U.S. aid to Israel this year. 

Trump said in an interview with “Fox and Friends” that he and Netanyahu made a deal “months ago” for Washington to end its aid to Israel. 

“They’re fine with it,” the president said. “They’ve become a very successful country, They don’t need it, and we won’t be paying anymore.” 

Trump noted that the U.S. would “help” Israel if they need it, noting the Middle Eastern country has been “a great ally.” 

The development would mark a major shift in U.S. foreign policy. Israel is considered one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign aid, which is authorized by Congress.

Medical Knowledge

 Bechoros (45a): The students of R’ Yishmael once dissected the body of a prostitute who had been condemned to be burnt by the king. When they asked R’ Yishmael how many bones are in the human body he replied that there are 248. They told him that in fact they had examined a human body and found that there were 252 joints & limbs. He said the discrepancy is from the fact he was describing the number for a male and they were describing the number for a female who has four extra.



Cleveland Clinic

Adults have between 206 and 213 bones. You use all of them each day to sit, stand and move. Your bones protect your internal organs and give your body its shape. Bones can maintain themselves. But health conditions like osteoporosis can make you more likely to break bones or have other complications.

Kaftor v’Ferach (Chapter 44): We see in the Talmud that those scholars who were only expert in secular knowledge were not called rav or rebbe but were referred to by their name only… For example Todus the doctor  or Benyamin the healer or Bar Nosson the healer … However those whose primary wisdom was from the Torah and the other knowledge was secondary were given the title of rabbi such as Rabban Gamliel who knew astronomy  and Rabbi Eliezar HaGadol. We see that Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair and Rabbi Chanina were doctors as well as Rabbi Pinchas  and Rabbi Chanina … The truth is that all that we know of the seven wisdoms, can be found included in the wisdom of the Talmud and its Sages…

Chasam Sofer (Nidah 18a): What are the meanings of the anatomical terms mentioned in this Mishna? After I researched medical books and medical writers as well as scholars and surgical texts, I have concluded that we cannot deny the fact that reality is not as described by Rashi, Tosfos and the drawings of the Maharam of Lublin. We have only what the Rambam wrote in the Mishna Torah and his Commentary to the Mishna - even though the latter has statements which are unclear. However, you will find correct drawings in the book Maaseh Tuviah and Shevili Emuna…. Therefore, I did not bother at all with the commentaries of Rashi and Tosfos in this matter since it is impossible to match them with true reality. You should know this.

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 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.

Rav Yitzchok Herzog (Assia 5 page 196-197 translation by R’ Dov Frimer): I do not deny that I was almost embarrassed ... by what you wrote ... in such a deprecating manner towards blood tests, from a negative aspect. That is, with regard to the possibility that [a blood test can] clarify that X is not the son of Y. How can there be a question of the credibility of the doctors in a matter which has been clearly accepted by all the masters of medicine throughout the entire world! Our Sages nowhere say that it was a statement handed down to Moses on Sinai that creatures came into existence by spontaneous generation.... Moreover, this is impossible, since it is now as clear as the sun at high noon …. However, they held it to be a fact and built on this assumption, since Aristotle had so asserted and so had been accepted by all the scholars of his time. What vast differences there are between the science of medicine in their day and in ours, and between the contacts that exist between all parts of the world today, in contrast to the state of affairs in ancient times! I remember from my reading of medical literature that there is no doubt whatsoever concerning this matter. Yet in your letter you imply that there are differences of opinion among medical experts. With all due respect, you are completely mistaken. Here is a copy of a letter from the government’s medical-legal expert who is also an observant Jew. The husband has already come to me and asked that the judgment be executed. You do not accept this. We shall give him an extension, and I am arranging the matter here and will notify the parties through you as to when they must come. It is unfortunate that while science is progressively conquering worlds and discovering all sorts of secrets, although it too errs at times, we like ostriches bury our heads in sand. It is imperative that we encourage the ablest students of the yeshivot also to be educated as men of science in each discipline, so that we should not need to turn to others in matters of physiology, chemistry, electricity, etc. concerning things that relate to our sacred Torah. ...



A friend of mine took a gadol to a doctor and reported the following 

Doctor - You need to stop smoking it has been established that it is unhealthy and shortens life

Gadol - Your Data is based on goyim who smoke 7 days a week 24/7 I stop for Shabbos so it is not dangerous

Doctor - But your chest xray looks exactly like that a goy who smokes


The Gadol had high blood pressure and in fact died from a heart attack as the doctor had warned