Woman freed after being ‘chained’ in her marriage for 22 years

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/woman-freed-after-being-chained-in-her-marriage-for-22-years/

Tamar is a pseudonym as the woman asked to maintain a degree of privacy while sharing her story. Though she provided an account of her ordeal through the organization, Tamar would not speak directly to The Times of Israel.

New report shows Jewish young adults crave Shabbat dinner experience

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/354933

Shabbat dinners can lead to more Jewish engagement. OneTable leads some participants to seek out new Jewish organizations and communities. About 1 in 4 participants say that they’ve adopted new Jewish rituals or practices since their first dinner, and nearly 1 in 3 have sought out new Jewish organizations or communities.

Herschel Walker Mocked Over False Claim He Was FBI Agent: 'Humiliating Lie'

 https://www.newsweek.com/herschel-walker-fbi-agent-police-false-claim-lie-1715498

The former football star reportedly told an audience in 2019: "I spent time at Quantico at the FBI training school. Y'all didn't know I was an agent?"

In the past, Walker has falsely claimed to have graduated from the University of Georgia as well as wrongly saying he was high school valedictorian and that he had founded a charity for veterans.

Russia Implores Ukraine to 'Stop Senseless Resistance' in Severodonetsk - In other words don't make us kill you"!

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-implores-ukraine-stop-senseless-resistance-severodonetsk-1716332

"Once again we urge the authorities in (Kyiv) to display prudence, to give the appropriate instructions to the militants to end senseless resistance and leave the territory of the Azot plant," Mizintsev said.

Herschel Walker, Critic of Absentee Dads, Admits to Yet ANOTHER Secret Son - Trump endorsed

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/herschel-walker-critic-of-absentee-dads-admits-to-yet-another-secret-son?ref=scroll

Walker was also reportedly involved with two other women around the same time—Julie Blanchard, the woman who would later become his second wife, and Myka Dean, who alleged a 20-year on-and-off affair, which ended in 2012 when Walker allegedly told her he would “blow your head off” in a dispute, according to previous reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The pattern belies a deep hypocrisy. As The Daily Beast reported, Walker has made a point over the years to criticize absentee fathers, beseeching parents in multiple addresses to “hug your child.”

Gazan aid worker convicted of embezzling millions for Hamas

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/gazan-aid-worker-convicted-of-embezzling-millions-for-hamas/

An Israeli court on Wednesday convicted Mohammad el-Halabi, a Gazan aid worker, of transferring millions in funds to the Hamas terror group, on all but one of the counts against him.

Israeli forces arrested Halabi, who worked at World Vision — a highly respected Christian humanitarian organization that operates around the world — in 2016 and charged him with transferring millions of the nonprofit’s funds to Hamas. Since then, he has been held under arrest.

They set out to produce an ‘accessible’ Mishnah. The price tag: $645

 They set out to produce an ‘accessible’ Mishnah. The price tag: $645

Nevertheless, the study of classical Jewish texts is not just for specialists, and is central to the practice of many observant Jews, both clergy and laypeople. And building a Jewish library is an investment: While the Oxford Mishnah doesn’t have a direct competitor, other editions of the Mishnah can cost nearly $300. A full set of the Babylonian Talmud, which includes both the Mishnah and the expansive commentary known as Gemara, can cost upwards of $2,000. The Jewish Publication Society’s five-volume commentary on the Five Books of Moses sells for $360, or $75 per volume.

Synagogue Sues Florida Over Abortion Ban for Violating Religious Freedoms

 https://www.newsweek.com/synagogue-sues-florida-over-abortion-ban-violating-religious-freedoms-1715835

 But Congregation L'Dor Va-Dor [Reform] in Boynton Beach, Florida, has claimed in a lawsuit that Florida's 15-week abortion ban violates the religious freedom rights of Jews.

Yeshiva University now obligated to host LGBTQ+ club on campus

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-709452

Judge Lynn Kotler ruled on Tuesday that YU, as a non-religious organization, is subject to the New York City Human Rights Law and directed it to “immediately grant plaintiff YU Pride Alliance the full equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges afforded to all other student groups at Yeshiva University.” In the decision, the judge determined that “Yeshiva University is not a ‘religious corporation,’” and therefore cannot ban a certain group because of the Jewish faith.

According to YU’s independent student newspaper The Commentator, YU will appeal the decision. “While we love and care for our students, who are all – each and every one – created in God’s image, we firmly disagree with today’s ruling and will immediately appeal the decision,” a YU spokesperson told The Commentator.

Trump said he could kill and win – Covid and cheating may prove it

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/11/donald-trump-fifth-avenue-shoot-covid-election

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” Donald Trump boasted in 2016. He thought his almost unlimited bravado, bombast and dominance of any situation allowed him to get away with figurative murder."

Since then, the president’s Fifth Avenue principle has been repeatedly tested – most notably by the Access Hollywood tape, Robert Mueller’s findings that Trump obstructed justice and his campaign aides cooperated with Russia, overt racism, quid pro quo to the president of Ukraine, and impeachment – yet some 40% of American voters have stuck by him notwithstanding.

They’ve stuck by him even as more than 210,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, one of the world’s highest death rates – due in part to Trump initially downplaying its dangers, then refusing responsibility for it, promoting quack remedies for it, muzzling government experts on it, pushing states to reopen despite it, and discouraging people from wearing masks.

The Parameters of Kol Isha by Rabbi Chaim Jachter

 https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/the-parameters-of-kol-isha-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter

Rav Yaakov Breisch (Teshuvot Chelkat Yaakov 1:163), on the other hand, forbids a man to listen to a female voice on the radio. He reasons that the aforementioned Gemara in Sanhedrin 45a does not apply when there is some form of connection with the woman. He argues that a man’s Yetzer Hara is interested even if he only hears a woman’s voice. He rules strictly even in case where the listener is not acquainted with the singer. Rav Shmuel Wosner (Teshuvot Shevet Halevi 3:E.H.181 and Rav Binyamin Silber (Az Nidberu 9:9) also rule strictly on this question.

Observance of the Kol Isha prohibition is quite challenging for us as this prohibition runs counter to the prevailing Western culture. In today’s promiscuous society where outrageous behavior is deemed acceptable, a woman’s singing voice appears innocuous. Moreover, the general culture views this prohibition offensive and demeaning to women. We are challenged to hold firm to our beliefs against the flow of the general cultural tide. This is one of the issues that we must part company with the rest of society, just as Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu parted with their two servants on the road to Akeidat Yitzchak. Rav Yehuda Amital told me that we should strictly observe the Kol Isha prohibition today precisely because of the deterioration of the moral standards of western society.

Listening to Women Sing

 https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Listening_to_Women_Sing

Some are lenient to allow listening to a woman's voice on a tape or radio (and not seeing her image) if one doesn't know what the singer looks like. But if one does know what the singer looks like it is prohibited listen to her voice. Some say that it is only considered knowing what she looks like if one saw her in person and not having seen her picture.[12] Of course, this is only when the song isn't a sexual or inappropriate song.[13]

So the general consensus is that a woman's singing voice is ervah, and during Shema, even a man's wife's voice is ervah. What do our gedolai hador have to say? As found in an article by Rabbi Chaim Jachter aptly named, "The Parameters of Kol Isha", it asks if רגילות takes away the prohibition, since female singing is everywhere nowadays. Rav Ovadia Yosef says that in no way does it lessen the problem- he says that if both the Gemara and the Shulchan Aruch talk about this halacha, then we have no right to say it doesn't apply. When asked about females singing on the radio, one of today's most common questions, he felt that as long as the listener has never even glimpsed a picture of the singer, alive or dead, then listening is permitted. (Rabbi Jachter cites Teshuvos Yabia Omer 1:6).

How the 'MAGA Squad' Is Building Power to Control the Next Congress

 https://time.com/6186037/matt-gaetz-marjorie-taylor-greene-maga-house-republicans/

The MAGA Squad has spent the past year building their power, and now they’re preparing to wield it. If McCarthy—or any other Republican—wants to be Speaker, he’s going to have to go through them. And he’s not getting their votes without meeting their demands, which could include things like prosecuting Fauci, ousting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, or even impeaching President Biden. The purpose, they say, isn’t amassing power for themselves. It’s shaping the agenda—and reshaping what the Republican Party stands for.

A chief rabbi in Ukraine denies sexual misconduct allegations

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/354917

The Haaretz report was based on correspondence between EJC interim president Ariel Muzicant and Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board. Those emails, obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, neither name Bleich directly as the accused nor specify the nature of the allegations.

Bleich told Haaretz that the misconduct allegations are part of a smear campaign against him by members of the Karlin-Stolin Hasidic dynasty, with which Bleich used to be affiliated. He has fallen out with the movement and has a real estate dispute with it, he told the Israeli newspaper.

Lawsuit on behalf of alleged victims of Shlomo Carlebach

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/354966

Rabbi Yosef Blau, head mashgiach ruchani (spiritual counselor) at Yeshiva University says: "We should stand with the alleged victims of sexual abuse and harassment from Shlomo Carlebach even though the alleged abuse happened 30 plus years ago and he has since died - the same as if the alleged abuse was perpetrated by Carlebach yesterday."

Detached From Reality’ Is Trump’s Best Defense at This Point

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/15/detached-from-reality-trump-jan-6-00039641

A criminal case against Trump would be much easier to establish if he privately admitted that he knew his election fraud claims were bogus. But in private, as Barr testified, Trump passionately pushed his fraud claims on anyone who would listen, and he is still pushing the claims now. Trump’s defense would be that he really believed that he won the 2020 election and that he believed his plan to overturn the election was legitimate.

New Mexico secretary of state sues county commission over refusal to certify primary results

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/14/politics/new-mexico-primary-results-otero-county-certification/index.html

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to order a three-member county commission to certify the results of the June 7 primary elections in Otero County -- after commission members refused to do so this week, citing concerns about Dominion vote-counting machines.

The Uvalde shooting conspiracies show how far-right misinformation is evolving

 https://www.npr.org/2022/05/26/1101479269/texas-uvalde-school-shooting-misinformation-conspiracy-far-right

On Gab and other fringe platforms where the far right gather, many asserted without evidence that it was a "false flag" operation staged by federal authorities to justify tighter control of guns, or to deflect from other news stories.

Social Media Posts Make Baseless Claims About Gender Identity of Uvalde Shooter

https://www.factcheck.org/2022/05/social-media-posts-make-baseless-claims-about-gender-identity-of-uvalde-shooter/ 

Police are still investigating the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, but as of May 26 they had shared no evidence about the shooter’s gender identity. Despite that lack of evidence, Rep. Paul Gosar and others claimed the gunman was transgender. Social media posts making the baseless claim have shared photos of a person unrelated to the attack.

Texas shooting: How false rumours spread that gunman was trans

 https://www.bbc.com/news/61607042

The rumour that he was trans appears to have started on the fringe message board 4chan, and in particular the /pol/ or "Politically Incorrect" board, which has for years been associated with the far-right and mass shootings. A controversial hub of internet subculture, 4chan has been the birthplace of many harassment and trolling campaigns.

A New Approach To Dealing With Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox

 https://en.idi.org.il/articles/2325

Such change from below is already taking place. Today, about half of all ultra-Orthodox men hold jobs; the number of ultra-Orthodox individuals enrolled in colleges and universities has grown several fold; and the percentage of “modern” ultra-Orthodox families who want their sons to receive a general, and not only Torah, education has expanded.

The Closest We Can Come to Knowing Hashem

 https://www.bircas.org/parshas-mishpatim-5781/

On the night of Simchas Torah, the Chazon Ish was walking outside when he saw a man sitting alone on a bench, crying. He asked him what was wrong.

“I am a convert, and I feel that the Jews don’t accept me as one of them,” the man replied.

“It’s Simchas Torah. Perhaps you could sing for me a nigun?” asked the Chazon Ish.

The man thought for a moment and then began singing an upbeat nigun. The Chazon Ish began clapping along, smiling in approval. Passersby stopped to listen, and soon a crowd formed and all were clapping and cheering along as this man sang and the Chazon Ish danced to his nigun.

“More! Another nigun!” the Chazon Ish called out to the man, who had become the center of attention.

When the festivities came to an end, the Chazon Ish and the convert shook hands, each thanking the other for having given so much chizuk.

A JOURNEY THAT NEVER ENDS

 https://mishpacha.com/a-journey-that-never-ends/

Here’s another incredible story about the Chazon Ish that depicts his deep empathy for others. After World War II, a large girls’ orphanage was opened in Bnei Brak to house the hundreds of young women who had survived the war but had no parents to care for them.

Once, a few neighbors of the orphanage came to the Chazon Ish to complain. “On Shabbos, the girls sing zemiros together, and you can hear their voices outside the building. It’s kol ishah and an outrage.”

The Chazon Ish’s face lit up and he responded, “You don’t know how happy you just made me. Yiddishe maidelach, torn away from their parents who were murdered in the camps, with hardly any memories of what the Shabbos table looked like back in Europe, feel so at home in the orphanage and are so happy that they sing on Shabbos? I cannot thank you enough for bringing me this wonderful besurah!”

The 22 wildest lines from Donald Trump's 12(!)-page statement on the January 6 committee

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/14/politics/donald-trump-statement-january-6-committee/index.html

In response to the second public hearing of the January 6 committee, former President Donald Trump released a 12-page statement -- yes, 12 full pages! -- seeking to rebut the charges leveled against him.

It's filled with the usual name-calling, exaggerations and conspiracy theories that have dominated Trump's post-2020 election life. But it's also a window into the former President's psyche as the January 6 committee weighs whether to recommend a criminal indictment of Trump to the Department of Justice.

I went through Trump's, um, statement. The lines from it you need to see are below.

Flag Day

Trump-world ‘aghast’ at Guilfoyle’s $60,000 speaking fee

Trump's "free speech" platform Truth Social bans users who post footage from Jan. 6 hearings

 https://www.salon.com/2022/06/13/free-speech-platform-truth-social-bans-users-post-footage-from-jan-6-hearings/

Users of Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, were reportedly suspended after mentioning the ongoing January 6 hearings, putting the site's "free speech" bona fides in a harsh light.

The platform, which professes to be "free from political discrimination," came under scrutiny after multiple users took to Twitter to announce that they had been removed from the site after posting content that may have appeared unfavorable to Trump.

Rudy Giuliani Claims Jan. 6 Riot Was 'Put Together by Left to Frame Trump'

 https://www.newsweek.com/rudy-giuliani-jan-6-riot-put-together-left-frame-trump-1714998

Rudy Giuliani has alleged that the Jan. 6 riots were an insurrection secretly planned by the left to frame then-President Donald Trump, the former New York mayor said in the latest episode of his podcast.

"This was something that was put together by the Left movement—doesn't necessarily mean only Antifa, means others that were trying to do anything they could to destroy any attempt that Trump had to rectify the massive voter theft," Giuliani said, refusing to abandon false allegations that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Trump releases 12-page response to Jan. 6 hearing

 https://thehill.com/news/administration/3522080-trump-releases-12-page-response-to-jan-6-hearing/

In the 12-page document, Trump repeats a handful of disproven claims to assert the 2020 election was stolen from him and rigged in favor of Democrats, including some that were brought up during testimony by former Trump campaign and administration officials.

The Fox shift: Why Fox News started airing January 6 hearings

Trump Slams Bill Barr After He Dismisses 2020 Election Fraud: 'No Guts'

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-slams-bill-barr-after-he-dismisses-2020-election-fraud-no-guts-1715469

Trump lashed out at Barr in a post to his Truth Social platform on Monday, hours after footage of Barr's testimony was played during a public committee hearing. Barr testified that claims of massive fraud being responsible for President Joe Biden's victory were "without merit" and "completely bogus" before laughing while assessing the pro-Trump movie 2000 Mules, which purports to show that the election was compromised by a ballot-stuffing conspiracy.

Barr's testimony also revealed that, shortly before he resigned from the Trump administration, he had become concerned that the former president continuing to claim that the election was "stolen" despite no credible supporting evidence indicated he had become "detached from reality."

Haskoma to sefer which disagrees with Chazon Ish

 

"It is in fact impossible for me to agree with his halachic conclusion because in many matters he disagrees with the rulings of the Chazon Ish. However all those who study the material in this sefer will find  great treasure"

Trump raised $250m to fight non-existent voter fraud but gave most of it to his own PAC

 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jan-6-committee-fundraising-b2100072.html

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign raised $250 million from supporters by telling them the money would be used to fight voter fraud, but the campaign knew those claims of fraud were bogus and instead diverted the money to his own political organisation, the House committee investigating the January 6 attacked claimed on Monday.

Mr Trump’s campaign sent millions of fundraising emails to supporters encouraging them to donate to help fight voter fraud between election day and January 6, the committee said. Many of those emails asked supporters to donate to an “election defense fund” for legal cases related to the election.

Barr says Trump claimed major fraud before there was "any potential of looking at evidence"

 https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/january-6-hearings-june-13/h_98cc7ae9b8352b1ee9bed985de53c52d

Former Attorney General Bill Barr told the House Jan. 6 committee that then-President Donald Trump claimed there was major fraud underway “right out of the box on election night … before there was actually any potential of looking at evidence,” according to a previously unseen video clip from his closed-door interview with the panel played during today’s hearing. 

Barr’s testimony adds to the committee’s argument that Trump was already laying the groundwork for his unfounded claim that the election was stolen before it was conceivable that anyone had a chance to examine whether any evidence of widespread voter fraud existed. 

Courts grant woman a Get after husband loses ability to speak

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-709330

The Rabbinical Courts of Ashkelon successfully arranged a Get, or a Halachic document of divorce, on Monday for a woman whose husband suffered a severe stroke and lost the ability to speak.

While getting him to agree to the divorce was difficult enough, as the man could not speak and his family had a special method of communicating with him, it would be even harder to convince the courts that he genuinely agreed. According to Halacha, the husband must grant a divorce or appoint a messenger and express complete consent in his voice if he has opposed divorce in the past.

Sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in Israel may be caused by BA.5 variant

 https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-709281

The Health Ministry issued a statement on Monday afternoon recommending that people once again begin wearing masks in enclosed spaces for the first time since the requirement was removed in April.

The Health Ministry also stressed the importance of following scientific evidence regarding the use of face masks in preventing the spread of infection. It said in a statement, “Although there are those who consistently try to sow doubts about the effectiveness of masks, the scientific information about their effectiveness in preventing infection and infecting others with the virus is well-founded and solid.”

Miracles A Dispute Between Rambam and Ramban

Trump’s plan to cling to power

 https://en.as.com/latest_news/what-was-trumps-seven-part-plan-to-turn-overturn-the-2020-election-n/

• President Trump engaged in a massive effort to spread false and fraudulent information to the American public claiming the 2020 election was stolen from him.
• President Trump corruptly planned to replace the Acting Attorney General, so that the Department of Justice would support his fake election claims.
• President Trump corruptly pressured Vice President Pence to refuse to count certified electoral votes in violation of the US Constitution and the law.
• President Trump corruptly pressured state election officials, and state legislators, to change election results.
• President Trump’s legal team and other Trump associates instructed Republicans in multiple states to create false electoral slates and transmit those slates to Congress and the National Archives.
• President Trump summoned and assembled a violent mob in Washington and directed them to march on the US Capitol.
• As the violence was underway, President Trump ignored multiple pleas for assistance and failed to take immediate action to stop the violence and instruct his supporters to leave the Capitol.

Jan. 6 Cmte. lays out Trump’s 7-step plan to overthrow the election

People in Republican counties more likely to die from COVID-19

 https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/people-in-republican-counties-more-likely-to-die-from-covid-19/137131/

Even after they controlled their analysis for other characteristics likely to influence COVID-19 transmission and mortality such as age, race/ethnicity, chronic disease and access to health care, results remained the same for Republican counties.

“COVID-19 vaccine uptake only explained 10% of the difference in mortality between red and blue counties. The vaccine-only approach to public health isn’t doing enough to combat the continued toll we are paying.”

Senior author Dylan Roby, associate professor of health, society and behaviour in the UC Irvine Program in Public Health, added: “Voting behaviours at the county level are likely to represent the compliance or lack of compliance with mask mandates, vaccine uptake and use of other protective policies to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.”

59-year-old rabbi indicted on 7 counts of rape

 https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-708652

Rabbi Moshe Yazdi, 59, was indicted on Monday for seven counts of rape and fraud of women in his community in Givat Ze'ev, the State Attorney's Office announced. Yazdi was first arrested on April 27.

Yazdi was the head of the "Amudei Hashalom" ("Pillars of Peace") community and nonprofit since the 1990s, which included a soup kitchen, food deliveries to people in need and daily Torah classes. His followers included ba'alei teshuva – returnees to Torah observance.

Kellyanne Conway - “Here’s the Deal” | The Daily Show

1/6 panel: Told repeatedly he lost, Trump refused to go

 https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-riot-hearing-67ec5f32b1dd050a24c3312570fa6c67

Donald Trump was told the same thing over and over, by his campaign team, the data crunchers, and a steady stream of lawyers, investigators and inner-circle allies: There was no voting fraud that could have tipped the 2020 presidential election.

But in the eight weeks after losing to Joe Biden, the defeated Trump publicly, privately and relentlessly pushed his false claims of a rigged 2020 election and intensified an extraordinary scheme to overturn Biden’s victory. When all else failed in his effort to stay in power, Trump beckoned thousands of his supporters to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, where extremists groups led the deadly Capitol siege.

Trump-World Legal Memo Lays Out Plan To Overturn 2020 Election

January 6 Vice Chair Cheney said Trump had a 'seven-part plan' to overturn the election. Here's what she meant

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/09/politics/jan-6-hearing-cheney-trump-overturn-election-plan/index.html

Former President Donald Trump had a "sophisticated seven-point plan" to overturn the 2020 presidential election over the course of several months, January 6 committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said, detailing how the panel plans to use its future hearings to tackle each part of the scheme.

"On the morning of January 6, President Donald Trump's intention was to remain president of the United States, despite the lawful outcome of the 2020 election and in violation of his Constitutional obligation to relinquish power," Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, said in her opening statement at Thursday's prime-time hearing.

Disagreeing with Agada

 Ramban (Bereishis 46:15) Jochebed was born in Egypt, but she was not conceived in Egypt. This is the principle of our Rabbis. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra replied, saying that “this is surprising. For if so, why did Scripture not mention the wonder that befell her, for she gave birth to Moses when she was one hundred and thirty years old? And why did it mention the case of Sarah who gave birth when she was ninety years old? This distress was not yet sufficient for us so that the poets came and composed liturgic poems for the day of Simchath Torah, wherein they state, ‘Jochebed, my mother, will be comforted after me,’ [implying that Jochebed survived her son], and thus she was two hundred and fifty years old at the death of Moses! Is the proof of the poets for this longevity of Jochebed because Ahijah the Shilonite lived a life of great duration?. If so, this is not a proof, for his longevity is but] an Agadic tradition or the opinion of a single authority.” These are the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. in contradicting the words of our Rabbis, I must answer him and say that in any case, there is in the matter of Jochebed a great wonder of the hidden miracles which constitute the foundation of the Torah. Jochebed was Levi’s actual daughter, and not merely his offspring, Thus Amram, Levi’s grandson, married Jochebed, Levi’s daughter. Now if we would say that Levi begot Jochebed in his younger years, just as he begot all his sons, this would place her birth soon after his descent into Egypt, and she would have been very old at the time of Moses’ birth, at or near the age stated by our Rabbis. And if we would say that he begot her after he resided in Egypt for many years — say, for a period of fifty-seven years — then Levi would have been one hundred years old at Jochebed’s birth, for when he went down to Egypt he was forty-three years. In that case, there were two great wonders! Levi, at the time he begot Jochebed, was as old as Abraham, concerning whom Scripture mentions, Shall a child be born to him who is a hundred years old? and it is further written, And my lord is old also,. while Jochebed would still have been an elderly woman of seventy-three when Moses was born! And should we further postpone Jochebed’s birth to the end of Levi’s days, the wonder of his begetting a child will be greater than that of Abraham! But I will tell you a true principle, clearly indicated in the Torah. Scripture mentions miracles performed through a prophet and which he previously prophesied, or performed by an angel who is revealed in the course of a Divine mission, but those effected naturally in order to help the righteous or destroy the wicked are not mentioned in the Torah or in the books of the prophets. May this be “hot gold poured into the mouth” of this wise man who refuted the words of our Rabbis in the matter of Phinehas and similar matters in many places. Why should Scripture mention hidden miracles when all the foundations of the Torah are hidden miracles. In the entire scope of the Torah there are only miracles, and no nature or custom. All assurances of the Torah are in the form of signs and wonders, as it is not natural that he who has connection with one of the forbidden degrees of marriage or he who eats forbidden fat suffers excision or death. Nor is it by nature that the heavens become as iron because we have sowed our fields in the Sabbatical year.

Senators strike bipartisan gun safety agreement

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/12/senators-strike-bipartisan-gun-safety-agreement-00039019

A group of 20 senators struck a bipartisan gun safety framework on Sunday, marking a significant breakthrough in Congress’ attempts to address recent back-to-back mass shootings.

In a Sunday morning statement, 10 senators in each party announced support for the deal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blessed it, vowing to “put this bill on the floor as soon as possible,” and President Joe Biden said it “would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.” The president urged both chambers of Congress to finish the package quickly.

Police officer who used Nazi symbol paid over $1.5m. to resign

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-709180

had the city decided to just fire Kammerzell, he would likely have been able to use arbitration to get his job back, with back pay, as a result of federal and state labor laws, the Seattle Times reported.

France arrests 16 employees of Beit Yosef yeshiva on suspicion of bullying boys

 https://observatorial.com/news/world/42425/france-arrests-16-employees-of-beit-yosef-yeshiva-on-suspicion-of-bullying-boys/

40 underage boys and about twenty young men from Israel and the USA studied at the yeshiva “Beit Yosef”. Prosecutors said the administration took advantage of the fact that the students did not speak French and therefore could not complain. Students were confiscated mobile phones and documents, they were deprived of the opportunity to tell their families about what was happening within the walls of the educational institution or to return home.

Oscar-nominated ‘When We Were Bullies’ looks back in shame on 1965 schoolyard attack

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/oscar-nominated-when-we-were-bullies-looks-back-in-shame-on-1965-schoolyard-attack/

In her on-camera conversation with Rosenblatt, she does comment on the fact that kids seem to be hardwired to pick up on vulnerability in other kids.

“Kids are tuned into that in the oddest way. They can pick up something that the adults can’t see. It’s a sixth sense or something,” Mrs. Bromberg remarks.