Education interferes with faith

 Likutei Moharan (123) 1. The essence and foundation on which everything depends is one’s binding oneself to the tzaddik of the generation:accepting his word in whatever he says, “This is how it is,” in matters small and great; not deviating, G-d forbid, from his word “to the right or the left” as our Sages teach: even if he tells you that right is left…;casting off from oneself all pseudo-wisdoms;and dismissing one’s knowledge as if one had no intelligence other than what one receives from the tzaddik and rav of the generation, because as long as one retains some of one’s own intellect, one lacks completion and is not bound to the tzaddik. 2. When the Jewish people received the Torah, they possessed great pseudo-wisdoms. For then, the mistakes of those who served idolatry at that time stemmed from great pseudo-wisdoms and philosophies, as is known. Had Israel not cast off from themselves the pseudo-wisdoms, they would not have received the Torah. They might have denied everything, G-d forbid. All that Moshe Rabbeinu did with them would have been of no help to them. Even all the signs and awesome wonders which he performed before their very eyes would not have helped them. Today, as well, there are heretics who deny G-d based on the foolishness and error of their pseudo-wisdoms. 3. But Israel is a holy people. They saw the truth and cast off the pseudo-wisdoms, and “believed in G-d and in His servant Moshe”. Through this, they received the Torah. Thus, Onkelos renders “a nation naval (foolish) and unwise” (Deuteronomy 32:6) as “a nation that received the Torah and did not act wisely.” They received the Torah primarily because they “did not act wisely”—i.e., because they cast off from themselves all the pseudo-wisdoms, as above. 4. This is NaVaL: an acrostic for LeV Netivot (thirty-two paths). These encompass the entire Torah—the true wisdom, vis-à-vis which all pseudo-wisdoms are nullified. Thus, NaVaL is an aspect of Torah, which is called “NoVLot (an incomplete version) of the Upper Wisdom”. For it is really surprising, and everyone wonders about this: What reason is there for naval to be translated as “receiving the Torah”? But now, how sweet are these words of the Aramaic translation. 5. Now, the essential devotion is to be ‘simple and upright, G-d-fearing and diverted from evil’ without any pseudo-wisdoms. 

Trump threatens to burn down the GOP, it’s time to move on

 https://nypost.com/2022/11/21/trump-threatens-to-burn-down-the-gop-its-time-to-move-on/

Trump’s willingness to destroy the party if he does not get his way is not based on principle, but on his own supreme narcissism. His egoism makes him unable to think of a political party as anything but an extension of himself — a cult of personality.

Trump is due credit for stopping progressives’ momentum and achieving important policy successes during his administration. But he does not have the qualities required to win the kind of broad, durable victory I see as necessary to restore America. It is time for the 45th president to step aside.

William P. Barr was attorney general under President Donald Trump. Reprinted with permission from Bari Weiss’ Common Sense.

Tucker Carlson Warned of a ‘Diesel Disaster’ That Never Happened

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-warned-of-a-diesel-disaster-that-never-happened

Last month, Fox News star Tucker Carlson sounded the alarm over the dwindling diesel fuel reserves in the United States, warning his millions of viewers that “by the Monday of Thanksgiving week” there would be “no more diesel” and “everything will stop.”

Well, it’s been 25 days and not only has the United States not run out of diesel fuel, but it has slightly expanded its reserves while the price of diesel has dropped.

Importance of having a Rebbe

     Sotah (22a) It has been reported, If one has learnt Scripture and Mishnah but did not attend upon Rabbinical scholars, R. Eleazar says he is an ‘Am ha-arez’ R. Samuel b. Nahmani says he is a boor; R. Jannai says he is a Samaritan; R. Aha b. Jacob says he is a magician. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: The definition of R. Aba b. Jacob appears the most probable; because there is a popular saying: The magician mumbles and knows not what he says; the tanna recites and knows not what he says.

The ‘basement strategy’ is working for Democrats

 https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3743212-the-basement-strategy-is-working-for-democrats/

“If the corporate media were still respected and trusted by the public, there would be demands by the public that politicians undergo scrutiny from the press,” Krakauer, a former CNN producer, told me. “But because trust and relevance has eroded so spectacularly, particularly in recent years, the public no longer sees an incentive to have a politician sit for a challenging interview.” 

Russian Politician Says Strikes on Ukraine Are Fueled by 'Holy Hatred'

 https://www.newsweek.com/russian-politician-strikes-ukraine-fueled-holy-hatred-1760897

Russian strikes against Ukraine are an expression of "holy hatred," a Russian politician has said on state television.

For experts, the evidence in two probes compels charging Trump

 https://thehill.com/regulation/national-security/3742386-for-experts-the-evidence-in-two-probes-compels-charging-trump/

wo reports analyzing two different criminal investigations into Donald Trump have reached a singular conclusion: there is enough evidence to bring charges against the former president. 

Veteran prosecutors and top legal minds this week banded together to offer an assessment of two ongoing probes — one in Georgia examining Trump’s actions in the state leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, the other led by the Justice Department as it explores the mishandling of sensitive government documents at Mar-a-Lago.

GOP' prime focus is not crime or economy but attacking President Biden

 https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-donald-trump-business-9af868065b776b21f81fa73e7bafb97d

“The top priority is to deal with inflation and the cost of living. ... What I don’t want to see is what we saw in the Trump administration, where Democrats went after the president and the administration incessantly,” Rep.-elect Mike Lawler of New York said on CNN.

Herschel Walker says in rambling speech he wants to be ‘werewolf, not vampire’

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/17/herschel-walker-republican-georgia-werewolf-vampire

n a campaign speech on Wednesday, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Georgia, Herschel Walker, told supporters: “I don’t want to be a vampire any more. I want to be a werewolf.”

The remark was the latest controversial or outright bizarre intervention from the former football star who like other candidates endorsed by Donald Trump struggled to overcome his Democratic opponent in the midterm elections.

Christie rebukes Trump: ‘It is time to stop whispering… It is time to stop being afraid of any one person’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/3743291-christie-rebukes-trump-it-is-time-to-stop-whispering-it-is-time-to-stop-being-afraid-of-any-one-person/

“We keep losing and losing and losing,” Christie said on Saturday. “And the fact of the matter is the reason we’re losing is because Donald Trump has put himself before everyone else.”

Avraham was not inferior to Sarah in prophesy

 Netziv (Bereishis 23”1)  ואחר כ״ז יש להתבונן במה שאמרו שאברהם היה טפל לשרה בנביאות. ואין זה אלא תימא. האדם הגדול אשר דבר עמו ה׳ כ״פ. יהיה טפל לשרה שלא דבר עמה ה׳ כ״א דבור א׳ לא כי צחקת. ומפרשים ברבה שהוא דבר ה׳. אלא הכונה הוא שהיה טפל ברוה״ק. שהרי שני דברים הם רוה״ק הוא מה שאדם מתבודד ומשרה עליו רוה״ק ויודע מה שרואה. אמנם לא דבר עמו ה׳. ונבואה הוא בחינה גדולה ורבה מזה כמו שביארנו. ודוד המלך ע״ה זכה לשניהם ואמר רוח ה׳ דבר בי ומלתו על לשוני. היינו רוח ה׳ הוא רוה״ק המופיע על דבר עצמו. וגם מלתו על לשוני שהוא נבואה ממש. ואברהם היה גדול בנבואה משרה. אבל ברוה״ק היתה שרה מצוינת יותר מא״א. והסיבה לזה הוא משני טעמים. א׳ שאברהם בצדקו היה מנהיג העולם ומדריכם לעבודת ה׳ וכמו שכ׳ לפנינו נשיא אלהים ויבואר לפנינו. ומי שעסקו עם המון רבה אינו יכול להתבודד כ״כ. משא״כ שרה היתה יושבת באהלה בקדושה וטהרה (וע׳ מש״כ הגאון חתם סופר בהקדמתו בזה דברים ראויים אליו ז״ל). שנית דאין רוה״ק חל אלא מתוך שמחה ש״מ. ושרה זה צדקתה להפלא שהיתה באמונתה בבטחון חזק מאד נעלה כמו שמבואר ברבה שאמרה שרה לא״א את בהבטחה ואני באמונה ומי שבא מכח הבטחה ידוע מאמרם ז״ל אין הבטחה לצדיקים בעוה״ז. שמא יגרום החטא. וע׳ מש״כ לעיל י״ד י׳. משא״כ שרה שהיתה חזקה באמונתה בלי שום הבטחה ע״כ לא נתעצבה בכל ימי חייה והיתה שקועה ברוה״ק. וזהו דבר הכתוב שני חיי שרה. דשנים שלה כולם היו בחיי שמחה ונפש המעלה ונשגב בחיי רוחני. וכענין לשון גמ׳ מספר ימיו כפלים. כך אמר הכתוב דשני חייה היו שני פעמים משום שהיו חייה עליזים וסמוכים בה׳ מבטחה. ונראה עוד לפרש ע״פ הפשט משמעות שני מספר שני. ובאשר שרה נעשית ילדה אחרי זקנתה וחזרה לספר חליפות השנים וא״כ היה לה שני פעמים חליפות השנים. בראשונה חיתה תשעים שנה. ובשניה ל״ז שנים. וסך הכל שני חיי שרה היו מאה ועשרים ושבע שנים וע׳ בעל הטורים:

Trump responds to special counsel news with debunked claim about Obama and the Bushes

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/18/politics/fact-check-trump-special-counsel-response/index.html

Facts First: Trump’s claims are, again, false – and they have been debunked by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) itself. As NARA explained in an August statement, Barack Obama did not take the presidential documents Trump claimed Obama had taken. Rather, NARA itself moved documents from the Obama administration to a NARA-managed facility in the Chicago area, near where Obama’s presidential library is being built. NARA similarly explained in a statement in October, after Trump added other past presidents to the baseless narrative, that neither of the Bushes took the documents Trump claimed they had taken. Again, it was NARA that took the Bushes’ presidential documents to facilities that NARA managed near the future locations of their presidential libraries.

Chaim Halpern: Declared unfit by senior London rabbis

Times of Israel   Five senior London rabbis issued a public statement Thursday night declaring that one of their colleagues “is not fit and proper to act in any rabbinic capacity”.

Although the rabbi is not named, it is a reference to Rabbi Chaim Halpern, a leading haredi rabbi who has been accused of sexual misdemeanors with around 30 women who come to him for counseling and rabbinic guidance. Rabbi Halpern resigned as a religious judge and as a rabbinic adviser to several London institutions last month, but has remained in charge of his own synagogue.

Some 30 rabbis originally said they would sign a statement against Halpern after hearing the evidence against Halpern two weeks ago. However, rabbis belonging to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, with which Halpern was affiliated, were forbidden to sign it, delaying its publication and prompting widespread criticism from members of London’s haredi community who bemoaned the lack of rabbinic leadership.

The five rabbis who put their name to the letter Thursday night were the former head of the London Beth Din, Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu; London Beth Din dayanim Menachem Gelley and Yonatan Abraham; and two rabbis from Halpern’s neighborhood of Golders Green, Shimon Weingarten and Berel Knopfler. The latter two are widely regarded as having spearheaded the efforts to call Rabbi Halpern to account.

According to the letter, the rabbis conducted “painstaking and extensive investigations, including interviews with alleged victims,” which left them “in no doubt as to the veracity of our own conclusion that the grave allegations warrant the immediate withdrawal of the [rabbi] from all rabbinic and counseling functions.” They warned the public “about the risks involved in allowing the alleged perpetrator to resume his activities.” [...]

Ephraim Mirvis slams ‘depraved’ Rabbi Chaim Halpern facing fresh sex allegations

 im-mirvis-slams-depraved-rabbi-chaim-halpern-facing-fresh-sex-allegations-4iHSsfcCWto4kVAkHtZ9eO

The Chief Rabbi has accused a Jewish minister facing fresh allegations of sex abuse of manipulating his role to serve his “depraved criminality”. The furious statement by Rabbi Mirvis also accuses Golders Green Rabbi Chaim Halpern of “transgressing halacha”.

What was Adam's sin? to live as man or angel

Madreigas haadam ch 1):The issue of the nature of the Tree of Knowledge according to how we picture it is very difficult to understand. How is possible that Adam the greatest of G-d’s creation  who contained all the souls of mankind    - should transgress a direct command from G-d on the very same day that he received the command? This is especially difficult since he knew that the punishment for disobedience would be death – this is something that none of us – with our poor intellects would even think of doing. Even according to the view of the Rambam that the basis of the sin was a mistake – this requires clarification – How could he come to making such an error since before the Sin his mind was purely rational without any material influence – so how could he make an intellectual error? If you accept that this created nature made it impossiblr to err regarding good and evil but only regarding truth and lies, what was he supposed to do if in fact the error was about truth? Furthermore how did the sepent mislead Eve what was her error? It is inconceivable that she believed the sepent’s assertion that she would not die more than G-d Who said she would die? What was her response to the serpent saying that they might die when in fact He said they would certainly die?

Knowledge of evil is of two types. The first type does not arouse lust and desire while the second type does. For example I might know that taking  a certain drug is extremely pleasurable such as smoking opium. Scientists say that immediately after  placing opium in one’s mouth  there is a feeling of detachment from the physical and the appearance of many diverse and wonderful images each new one more pleasant than the previous pass before his eyes. Within the context of these dreams and vision’s, this kiss of death he passes entirely from the world. Nevertheless even though  we know how pleasant the experience is it doesn’t arouse in us a lust or desire because we know also how harmful the experience is. This knowledge suppresses our natural desire for all pleasant experiences The awareness of the dangers makes it disgusting so it is not a real chice for us at all And there is another type of knowledge such as the awareness that lust jealousy and desire for honor and adulation is very  self destructive, nevertheless that awareness  does not influence our desires  but simply remains just an intellectual fact

Adam before the Sin was entirely rational intellect without any influence from desire or emotions. Thus his physical, material side had no influence whether for good or bad. He was fully aware of the bad and yet he only did what was good. His mind was like that of an angel, while his physical being was like an external garment. This expessed by the verse in Job 10:11): You clothed me with skin and flesh. Just as we are not ashamed of our clothing to the point that we would change them for others that is how his body was perceived by Adam.. That is why it says they were naked but not embarrassed. There was only a single difference between his and our clothing. His clothing was eternal and never needed changing. There was only aspect distinguishing him from an actual angel. An angel has absolutely no free will. He canot do evil even if he wanted because his essence is doing good. The first man Adam was not that way. Even though his mind functioned without the slightest influence from his physical nature, nevertheless he had the option of not being like an angel i.e. he could live a life of free choice and not the existence of an angel. He had that choice.

Thus his free will was not like ours - choosing between good and evil or truth vs lies. .  Rather he could choose between living as an angel or like us. And this choice depended on whether he ate from the Tree of Knowledge. If he wanted to be like an angel without any threat to his spirituality, he just needed to refrain from eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Then his conscious awareness would be so strong that there would be no normal natural urge or desire that could influence him in the slightest. However if he wanted to live a normal human life of free-will, if he wanted to arouse lust and desires within himself so that he could do battle with them and defeat them - all he needed to do was eat from the Tree of Knowledge. That would immediately arouse desires lusts and inclinations to produce a strong battle with his intellect. And if his intellect was successful in defeating his lusts and desires - then he would be elevated to greater heights than he was before. That is because of the principle – that the reward is according to the effort. Then he would continue living forever as before eating from the Tree of Knowledge. However if he was not successful in defeating his natural lusts, and the natural physical powers ruled over him – then he would be mortal and obviously die. That is because he would be a natural being -and not a spiritual one -which does not live forever.

This is what G-d said to him, “From all the trees in the Garden you May eat except for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which you should not eat from        because the day you eat from it you will surely die.”Apparently these words were not made as a command and warning but rather they were simply advice. In other words, “I am offering you advice that you shouldn’t eat from the Tree of Knowledge in order that you not arouse natural lusts within you because I know that if they are aroused within you you will not be able to overcome them and as a consequence you will die.That is not a punishment for eating the fruit since the eating is not a sin – but rather because you will be controlled by your physical nature and not your spiritual one and a natural being inherently cannot be eternal.”

That is why Eve replied to the Snake’s question of What did G-d say?” From the Tree in the Garden don’t eat because you might die”. The inference from “might die” is that in reality it was possible to eat from it and not die.. Because even after eating from the Tree of Knowledge it was still possible to defeat the natural lusts and then not only would the eating not be wrong but it would be beneficial because they would be elevated to a higher spiritual level than they were before.

That is why the serpent answered her by saying’”You will not certainly die but rather you will become like G-d knowing Good and Evil”. In other words “You shouldn’t have any doubts about being able to survive the challenge’ because you definitely will and then you will become like G-d. And just as G-d’s knowledge about Evil has not the slightest  influence as we see from the Thirteen Attributes of G-d (Shemos 34:6-7)  “a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness,  faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”  Why is this considered praise? The explanation is that even though the sinner is not absolutely forgiven for his sins, nevertheless G-d’s knowledge of the sin and His need to punish the sinner does not influence the attributes of being slow to anger and having abundant kindness which existed prior to punishing the sinner. That is because for G-d, the necessity to punish is not a type of anger or concern but is rather just an intellectual awareness and something required by justice. Therefore the attributes of Justice and Mercy can exist together for G-d .which is not true for humans. Because if a man is angry or irritated about someone, he is not able to contain his anger till a later time like it was prior to the transgression so that it has no influence at all. This is what the Serpent replied to Eve that even after eating from the Tree of Knowledge and consequently experiencing the natural lusts and desires that would result from that she would experience it merely as a type of awareness. Therefore it would be worth it for her to eat of the fruit in order to acquire greater levels of spirituality And this is how the Serpent convinced Eve. It misinformed her by promising her that she would definitely not fall to a lower level but instead would achieve a higher level of total control of herself, while in reality this would only happen if she defeated her natural desires. At the end it became clear that it was a mistake to think she could easily win the battle with her natural desires. That realization they finally had made them ashamed.  From this we see clearly that it was not a good idea to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Because if nothing had changed what was there to be embarrassed about? If in fact they could easily vanquish their desires as if they didn’t exist just as before they transgressed – what was the blemish “Who told you that you were naked?” But the truth was originally – before the arousal of lust and desires – their intellect was primary and they had no reason to be embarrassed. Because their body was merely a type of garment. However after eating from the fruit when lust was aroused in them which they couldn’t control – it was only then they felt a need for clothing to cover themselves to help subdue their lust to some degree and since they are stronger when naked. This why G-d said “Who told you that you are naked?”Did you eat from the Tree which I told you not to eat from? Didn’t I tell you don’t test yourself. And you say it is not a problem. Consequently your defeat in your battle with nature and that now you are ruled by your natural lusts and desires, cursed is the ground… because you are dirt and you will return to dirt” and thus death was decreed for them

 https://hebrewbooks.org/41717

 the ocr has mistakes

 הנה עניז עין הדעת, כנוי שסצריר בשכלנו, הוא דבר שקשה םאר להבין, איך הוא נאםת שאדם הראשון, נחיר הנבראים, יציר כפיר של הקב"ה, אשר נו נכללר כל חנשםוח, יעברו על םה שצרח השם בפירוש עוד נאותר חירם שצרחו, נשעה שידע אח עונש המיתה שישיבתו אחרי כן, רבו שאפילו אנחנו לפי קם שכלנו לא היינו עושים כזאת. היעלה על הדעת דבר כזה ~ א l : לפי דעת חדםב"ם ז"ל, שעיקר חהםא חיה דון פוערת, צריכים אנו להבין הדבר, איך בא לידי טעות, םאחד שקודם ח n םא חיה שכל פשוםז בלי שום החפ;ילרת םבעית, אין היה הסערת בשכלו י ואם נניח כמר שאםו שכזציארת בריאותו היה באופן שלא היה יכול לםעדת נעביד חםרב והרע, אולם נעני j חאסח והשקד חיה בו נzקום לפוערת, וחיה שם הטעות כעניז האמת וחשקו, m חיה לד לעשרת סאחד שסעה י כסח חסית הנחש ת חוח רכסה הסעה ארתה 'l רני יעלה על הדעת שחדה האמינה לדברי הנחש כי לא תםות, יותר םלדברי השם ? םה זה השיבה כששאלה הנחש ~ ,,אף כי אםר אלקים ונד' וספרי העץ וג i ' פן תםדתרן", והלא הברוא אסר להם שדואי יםדתד י

ידיעת הרע סתחלקת לשני חלקים : הא'( היא ידיעה שאינה םערררח וצדן ותשוקה. רחב'( ידיעה שסעודות רצון ותשוקה. דרך משל : אבר יודעים, כי שתיית סם פלוני הדא דנו סתרק בזאר, ויש סםים כאלו כסר עשיך חארםיוס, שחרא נחשב לדבר היותר נעים שבעולם. חכמי הבזבע אוסרים, כי םעשני חארפיד c סיד שלוקחים הםקסות לתוך פיהם חם סרנישים חתפשסרת הגשסיות, חסונות שדנות וםשו u ת כל אחת יותר בעיסה כחברתה, עוכרות כנד עיניחס. וכתוך חלומות ררז'ות כאלו, בםיתת נשיקה כזר הם נפפורים סן העולם לכסדי. ובכל זאת, אף שיודעים אנו את פחיקות חסם הזח, אין הידיעה הזאת סעודות אצלנו שום רצון וחשוקה, יע i ני חכרת תשכל בנזקו

Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63671947

The doctrine of head of state immunity is well established in customary international law," Justice Department lawyers said.

But the Biden administration was keen to emphasise that the ruling was not a determination of innocence.

"This is a legal determination made by the State Department under longstanding and well-established principles of customary international law," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a written statement.

"It has nothing to do with the merits of the case."

Kari Lake declines to concede, says she’s assembling legal team

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3739934-kari-lake-declines-to-concede-says-shes-assembling-legal-team/

Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) declined to concede governor race to Democrat Katie Hobbs Thursday, raising concerns about the election process.

The Associated Press and other outlets projected that Hobbs won the race on Monday. But Lake indicated she is assembling a legal team that is “collecting evidence and data” pertaining to the electoral process.

Lauren Boebert Declares Herself Winner of Colorado Race That’s Too Close to Call

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/lauren-boebert-declares-herself-the-winner-of-congressional-race-thats-too-close-to-call?ref=home

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO) declared herself the winner of her congressional race Thursday evening, despite the race heading to an automatic recount. While media outlets, including The Associated Press, have deemed the race far too close to be called, the MAGA-loving firebrand conveyed to her over 1.7 million Twitter followers that she’s the victor, while only being ahead of Democrat opponent Adam Frisch by around 550 votes. 

Jared Kushner's $2B Saudi Deal Resurfaces as GOP Targets Hunter Biden

 https://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-saudi-arabia-deal-resurfaces-gop-republicans-hunter-biden-investigation-1760458

A$2 billion Saudi deal involving Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and former adviser, resurfaced on Thursday after the GOP announced a plan to investigate a possible connection between President Joe Biden and the alleged finances of his son, Hunter Biden.

Fox News Co-Host Rips House GOP for Targeting Bidens Instead of Inflation - the real Red Wave?

 https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-co-host-rips-house-gop-targeting-bidens-instead-inflation-1760479

Fox News co-host Geraldo Rivera criticized House Republicans on Thursday for opening an investigation into the Biden family, rather than focusing on inflation and other issues the nation is facing.

"Republicans get control of the House & the first they do is...No not explore how to tame inflation or crime etc. They launch an investigation of President & Hunter Biden," Rivera wrote in a tweet. "Boring. Divisive. Retro. Unwanted. Zero positive impact on the lives of Americans. Is this the real Red Wave?"

House Republicans vow to investigate Biden and his family’s business dealings

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/17/politics/house-republicans-white-house-hunter-biden/index.html

“Instead of working with President Biden to address issues important to the American people, like lower costs, congressional Republicans’ top priority is to go after President Biden with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories” spokesmen for the White House Counsel’s office, Ian Sams, said in a statement to CNN.

House GOP seeks revenge against Democrats

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/17/house-gop-formally-launches-hunt-for-smoking-gun-on-bidens-00069183

Now that they’ve taken the majority at last, House Republicans made it explicit on Thursday: Their long-simmering investigation into Hunter Biden investigation is really about his father.

“I want to be clear: This is an investigation of Joe Biden, and that’s where the committee will focus in the next Congress,” said incoming Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), who’s seen as the party’s leading player in Hunter Biden oversight.

Kari Lake’s Loss in Arizona Destroys ‘Stop the Steal’

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/kari-lakes-loss-destroys-stop-the-steal-arizona-gop-donald-trump-election-blake-masters-kimberly-yee-11668538320?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

If anyone needs more evidence that “Stop the Steal” was a loser for the GOP this year, the party’s Arizona wipeout is definitive. On Monday Kari Lake joined the list of Republicans in the Grand Canyon State who ran on the stolen 2020 election and lost.

The Time Is Now

 BS"D

"The Time Is Now" to Free ALL Israeli Women from the Military Draft  °°  Degel, Aguda & Lot's Vittur On His Own Daughters °° Same-Sex Marriage in U.S. Senate

22 MarCheshvan, 5783 / November 16, '22

By Binyomin Feinberg, former contributor to The Jewish Press

° QUESTION:  Why is it that, when it comes to emulating Lot's apparent vittur (compromise) on the purity of his own daughters (according to some commentaries), we find so many ostensibly anti-zionist politicians, activists - and even some Rabbis - venerating and genuflecting to the Israeli government party-line - by relegating "non-religious" girls [as  antireligious/ secularist headhunters at the Israeli Draft Office opt to qualify them] to forced military service, and, so often, military incarceration, with all of the indignities that go along with that leftist, male-dominated milieu - especially for Ba'alos Teshuva, sefardi, Ethiopian, immigrants, and sundry "periphery" girls? At least Lot was sincerely trying to save his guests from woken "Equality" treatment by the indigenous Rainbow barbarians, rather than seeking to advance his real-estate development career via government largesse.

° The following is a link to a  Guidebook ("pocketbook") provided by the pro-Israel advocacy organization "Chotam." It's an English guide for religious girls to avoid enlistment in the IDF:

https://www.chotam.org.il/media/61762/pinkaskis-orange-english.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1hBP9tHJxSIfF07n8ywx27I_kWn0jfd9EOBy7fYfRe1xNChBPBU4qLLo0

 Right now, there's a rare opportunity 

(see https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-lgbt-party-to-demand-law-banning-gender-studies-in-elementary-schools/) 

to push for foundational policy changes in Israel, via an unprecedented level of religious clout that could be leveraged to stand against Israeli government promotion of immoral, anti-Torah policies. This window of time obliges us even more to push to eradicate the entire female draft, without delay -- for ALL girls, not only those the Draft Office recognizes as "religious enough" to be saved from indignities endemic to the Army milieu.

Given the recent gains by followers of the martyred Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY"D, who's broad platform unequivocally opposed drafting women into the Israeli Army, we would hope that the golden opportunity to finally eliminate the female military draft altogether isn't squandered. The fact that MK Avi Maoz of the pro-morality No'am Party is publicly advocating for prioritizing  restoration of basic morality accentuates the obligation on other members of Knesset who campaigned as representing religious parties to finally grow a spine on those issues of foundational morality, including the escalation female military draft disaster.

The experience of the past few years, in which the Army Draft Office is encroaching on more and more traditional and religious girls, with increasing impunity, demonstrates that no approach other than fighting for a truly universal female military service exemption will suffice. And that's one policy that actually may endure subsequent leftist governments, because, once free from conscription, even many "nonreligious" women won't agree to be again forced into military service.

° Despite hopes to the contrary, Maital bas Tamar, a 20-year-old sefardi female refusenik, has still not been granted a military service exemption by the Israeli Army, despite demonstrating her depth of conviction by enduring two stints of military incarceration over her refusal to enlist. See http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2022/10/true-strength.html (Sun., Oct. 16, 2022)), the most recent post on her plight. There we report some of the inexcusable human rights abuses to which she was allegedly subjected, by Israeli military police. 

° Readers may wonder why we sometimes publicize allegations (by Israeli girls being pursued by the Army Draft Office) before being proven. Reporting a PLAUSIBLE allegation - AS an allegation - remains a judgement call we're called to make on a regular basis. Some of the relevant factors we must often way include:

(1) the preponderance of evidence, consisting of similar allegations of misconduct by the Army, Military Police, etc., in previous cases;

(2) the inability to prove or disprove the allegations, especially within the requisite time-frame;

(3) the High Stakes: in case they are true, not publicizing credible allegations risks enabling more mistreatment of innocent girls standing up for their religious values and/or personal modesty and dignity;

(4) the existence of a presumption of responsibility (a "chazaka," if you will) on the part of the headhunters at the Army Draft Office, who, to begin with, have no moral right to draft, threaten, intimidate, dupe, arrest, or persecute ANY girl altogether - of ANY religious, racial,  national, or cultural background. Thus, the burden of proof of overall innocence lays squarely on the Army Draft Office, rather than on the refusenik girl, even if her specific allegations are not yet proven.

° Another point requiring clarification is that when we critique the Israeli Army for individual abuses (which truly do abound), we do so cognizant of the fact that not everyone in the system is actively perpetrating said abuses. Nevertheless, the very tolerance of such abuses, even if they are clearly only aberrations, is wrong. How much more so when such abuses are commonly, credibly reported or alleged. Thus, our description of the Israeli Army as "exploitive," for example, is not an exaggeration, but rather a critique of those in leadership positions who indeed are responsible for all of the exploitation that occurs on their watch.

May we merit to see the day when   the righteous efforts of all good people yield their fruit.

~~~

° SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ALERT:

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a national same-sex "marriage" bill, today, Wednesday. No matter what changes Congressional leaders are making to the bill - to render it palatable for sellouts of religious persuasion - the legislators need realize that our opposition is based on principle, and therefore remains irreconcilable.  Additionally, practically speaking, it's been observed that "the Road to H--- is paved with Religious Exemptions." Once the depraved "Rainbow" policies are accepted by "the People," as represented by Congress - it's just a matter of time before we lose those religious protections. Once society accepts these abominations, in principle, as civil rights -- those faux Civil Rights will ultimately trump our religious liberties.

The United States faces grave threats, spiritual and physical. Another vote for this rebellion against G-d (e.g., see Chullin 92b, Maharal) brings America ever closer to the looming fate shared by precursors of the contemporary Rainbow Mob: the generation of the Mabul (Great Deluge; see VaYikra Rabbah 23:9) and Sodom. A sign of an idiot is repetition of  identical actions expecting different results. Also realize how passage of such legislation will impact Israeli society and law.

Call your senator today, as soon as possible, to actively oppose the "Respect (sic) For Marriage Act."

Congressional Switchboard: 202.224.3121 (ask for the number of the specific Senator or Congressman needed)

~~~

"... And if someone, like Pinchos, is one among a multitude, and every man is against him when he dares to speak out for truth and to fight for the Law -- the more lonely his stand, the greater the number of his adversaries, the more powerful is his word, the mightier his deed."

--  Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch OB"M (1808-1888), (in "Judaism Eternal," vol. 2, p. 293)

###

Golden calf was an assistant G-d?!

 Devarim Rabbah (01:02) R. Isaac said: When Israel made the Golden Calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to destroy them, whereupon Moses said to Him: ‘Master of the Universe! This Calf will be of great help to Thee.’ God then asked him, ‘How can it help Me?’ Thereupon Moses replied: ‘Thou causest rain to fall, the Calf will produce dew; Thou bringest out the winds, the Calf will bring out lightnings.’ Said God to Moses: ' So you also are going astray after the Calf! ' Whereupon Moses exclaimed before God: ' Then," Why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people" seeing that the Calf is nought?’ To Israel, however, he said: ' Ye have sinned a great sin.’ 

Bamidbar Rabbah (02:15) Moses’ plea: Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, etc. . Moses suggested: ‘This calf which Israel have made can now be of assistance to Thee.’ He can send down rain while Thou wilt produce the dew! ‘‘But,’ replied the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘is there any such hope from him?’ ‘Then,’ came Moses’ retort, ‘if there is no substance in him, why art Thou wroth? ' ‘Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people... wherefore should the Egyptians speak... For evil did He bring them forth... Remember Abraham,’ etc. (ib.11 ff.). What follows in the text? And the Lord repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people (ib. 14). ‘His people.’ Thus has been explained the text, ‘And it shall come to pass that, instead of that which was said to them,’ etc.

Shemos Rabbah (43:06) WHY, O LORD, DOTH THY WRATH WAX HOT AGAINST THY PEOPLE? R. Nehemiah said: When Israel committed that act, Moses arose to appease God and said: ‘Lord of the Universe! They have given Thee an assistant yet Thou art annoyed with them? Why, this Calf which they have made will be Thy assistant; Thou wilt cause the sun to rise while it will cause the moon to rise. Thou wilt look after the stars and it will see to the constellations; Thou wilt cause the dew to descend and it will cause the winds to blow; Thou wilt make the rains to come down, while it will be responsible for the growth of plants.’ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ' Moses, thou dost err as they do, for surely there is nothing real in it.’

Yalkut Shimoni (795)ד"א מהו אחרי, כביכול משה שהוכיח אותי אחר ישראל והוכיח לישראל אחרי. לישראל אמר אתם חטאתם חטאה גדולה. להקב"ה מר למה ה' יחרה אפך, מהו למה, אמר לפניו העגל הזה טוב הוא לך לסייע לך, אמר הקב"ה מה מסייע לי, א"ל משה אם אתה מוריד גשמים הו מוריד טללים, אתה מוצא את הרוחות והוא מוציא את הברקים, אמר לו משה הקב"ה אף אתה טועה בעגל, אמר משה רבש"ע א"כ למה ה' יחרה אפך בעמך, ולישראל אומר אתם חטאתם חטאה גדולה, משל למה הדבר דומה למלך שכעס על אשתו וטרדה והוציאה מביתו, כששמעו השושבינין הלכו אצל המלך ואמרו לו יאמרו כך אדם עושה לאשתו מה עשתה לך, והלכו אצלה ואמרו לה עד מתי את מכעסת אותו, קדמותך הוא תנינותך הוא. ד"א אלה הדברים ראויות היו התוכחות לומר על פי בלעם והברכות ע"פ משה, [אלא] אלו הוכיחן בלעם היו ישראל אומרים שונא מוכיחנו, ואלו ברכן משה היו אומות העולם אומרים אוהבם ברכם, אלא אמר הקב"ה יוכיחן משה שאוהבם ויברכם בלעם ששונאם כדי שיתבררו התוכחות והברכות ביד ישראל.

Tanchuma (Ki Tisa 22:2) Thereupon Moses stood before the Holy One, blessed be He, and asked: “Wherein am I guilty?” He replied: “Your people have dealt corruptly.” “My people,” Moses responded; “they are Your people and Your inheritance which You did redeem with Your own power. But what is their sin?” The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: “They exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox that eateth.” Whereupon Moses said: “Master of the Universe, are You indeed jealous of an ox? Is he Your helper? Do You bring the winds while he causes the rain to fall? Do You make the sun shine, and he the moon to glow? Do You cause the trees to grow, and he the blossoms to sprout? After all, the ox is powerless; it merely eats grass and then is slaughtered. Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax against thy people? (Exod. 32:11).” He replied: “Is it honoring Me when they prostrate themselves before it and offer sacrifices to it? I have watched this people, and it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot (ibid., vv. 9–10).” From this verse you may infer that the Holy One, blessed be He, is suggesting to Moses that he should plead for mercy in their behalf, since it is said: And I will make of thee a great nation (ibid., v. 10).

Ramban (Shemos 32:11) ETERNAL, WHY DOTH THY WRATH WAX HOT AGAINST THY PEOPLE? Now when Moses prayed about this great sin, it would have been fitting that he do so by way of confession and supplication, similar to what he said later on, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and just as Ezra prayed and confessed because of the faithlessness of them of the captivity, and there is no reason why he should say, why doth the Eternal etc.? Our Rabbis, prompted by this difficulty have in various homiletic ways tried to mention several reasons for Moses’ minimizing the sin before Him.

Berachos (32a) Moses spoke insolently towards heaven The school of R. Jannai learnt it from here: And Di-Zahab. What is ‘ And Di-Zahab’? They said in the school of R. Jannai: Thus spoke Moses before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of the Universe, the silver and gold which Thou didst shower on Israel until they said, Enough, that it was which led to their making the Calf. 

Chazal have disputes only on correct viewpoint - all they say is true

From Daas Torah - translation copyrighted

Shomer Emunim Hakadmon (Second Introduction First Principle):… Included in our faith (emuna) is to believe in all the words of the Talmudic Sages – even if some of their words appear unlikely and against the laws of nature. We are to ascribe the problem to our understanding and not them. That is because all their words were said with ruach hakodesh that was within them. Therefore all those who ridicule any aspect of their words is severely punished as we see in Eiruvin (21b), Gittin (57a), “All those who ridicule the words of the Sages are punished in Hell in boiling excrement.” Bava Basra (75a) relates that a certain student ridiculed words of the Sages [and was turned into a heap of bones]. And this prohibition also applies in the case of midrashim where there is a dispute between the Sages. That is because there is nothing in the words of the Sages that is insignificant or meaningless. All that they say is true (eilu v’eilu) and therefore both sides are saying something of value… For example Rav and Shmuel have a dispute in Berachos (61a). One says that Eve was a attached to Adam (like Siamese twins) while the other said she was simply an insignificant appendage like a tail. In fact both views are true from different perspectives as we know from the teachings of the Arizal. This is the way it is for all other matters which two Sages disagree – both sides are true and correct depending on the place and time or world and perspective. You should know that even those matters mentioned in the Talmud which appear to be unnecessary or imprecise – that is simply not true. In fact these matters have esoteric meaning or important allusions…

Powers of gemstones

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Shemos ) It is perfectly in order to accept what Aristotle says as there is no gemstone which does not contain some power given to it by celestial sources. Just as we have been taught in Bereshit Rabbah that there is no herb on earth which does not have its counterpart in the celestial regions providing it with its individual mazzal, so the same is true of the precious stones.

Antisemitic books from Kyrie Irving scandal removed from Barnes & Noble

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-722342

The antisemitic book series popularized when the film adaptation was shared by basketballer Kyrie Irving has been removed from Barnes & Noble's online store, The Jerusalem Post found on Monday morning. 

Entries in the Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America series were available for purchase on the bookseller's website as recently as November 4. The first book in the series was also found to be number 69 on Barnes & Noble's top 100 bestselling books. However, by at least Monday morning all copies had been removed from the list and store.

Yakov was called G-d

 Bereishis (33:20) And he erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Megila (18a): How do we know that G-d, called Jacob G-d Because it says, And the G-d of Israel called Jacob G-d. For should you suppose that what the text means is that Jacob called the altar G-d, then it should be written, ‘And Jacob called it’. But as it is not written so, we must translate, ‘He called Jacob G-d’. And who called him so? The G-d of Israel.

Bereishis Rabbah (79:8) AND HE ERECTED THERE AN ALTAR, AND CALLED IT EL-ELOHE-ISRAEL Jacob declared to Him: ‘Thou art G-d in the celestial spheres and I am a G-d in the terrestrial sphere.’ R. Huna commented in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: G-d reproved him: ' Even the synagogue superintendent cannot assume authority of himself, yet thou didst take authority to thyself. To-morrow thy daughter will go out and be dishonoured!’ 

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 33:20)  A kabbalistic approach: the G’d of Israel called Yaakov “EL.” This is also what our sages have said in Bereshit Rabbah 79,8. The wording there is that G’d said to Israel: “I am G’d in heaven whereas you are “EL” on earth.” This would reflect what we have quoted repeatedly that Yaakov’s likeness is engraved on the throne of G’d. The meaning of these strange words in the Midrash is that the שכינה resides in the land of Israel. This would account for Bileam having said in Numbers 23,8 “how can I curse when “EL” has not cursed?” He referred to Yaakov when he said “EL.” 

Rashi ((Bereishis 33:20) G-d called Jacob by the name El. The verse therefore should be translated “and the God of Israel called Jacob El”. And in reference to all these different explanations it may be said that the words of the Torah — just as a hammer splits the rock into many different pieces may be given many different explanations. I however make it my aim to give the plain sense of Scripture. 

Ramban (Bereishis 33:20) And by way of the Truth as being in accord with the Midrash which the Rabbis have expounded in Tractate Megillah: There is in this matter a great secret, which the Sages have additionally mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah  in another way: “Jacob said to G-d, ‘Thou art the G-d of those on high, and I am the master of those down below.’” The Sages thereby alluded to that which they constantly say: the likeness of Jacob is engraved in the Heavenly Throne. The intent of Jacob’s statement quoted in the Midrash — “I am the master of those down below” — is that the Divine Glory rests in the Land of Israel. The student learned in the mystic lore of the Cabala will understand.

Chovas HaLevavos (6:1) You made him but slightly less than the angels. This [phrase] refers to Yaakov, Our Sagessaid “The God of Israel called him [i.e., Yaakov] God.”

Netziv (Bereishis 33:20) The medrash explains that Yakov called himself G-d. The doesn’t mean that he called himself G-d, Heaven forfend!, but that he called himself Israel and consequently G-d was called the G-d of Israel. In other words that Yakov prayed before the altar “ The G-d of Avraham and the G-d of Yitzchok and the G-d of Israel. Yakov was punished for this with the incident of his daughter Dinah being raped as is stated in Bereishis Rabbah (79:8). In other words even though an angel had told him that his name had been changed to Israel, nevertheless G-d had not called that as we see in the gemora. . 

Warning: Popular Vitamin Supplement Causes Cancer Risk and Brain Metastasis

 https://scitechdaily.com/warning-popular-vitamin-supplement-causes-cancer-risk-and-brain-metastasis/

Commercial dietary supplements like nicotinamide riboside (NR), a form of vitamin B3, were linked to benefits related to cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological health in previous studies. However, new research from the University of Missouri (MU) has found NR could actually increase the risk of serious disease, including developing cancer.

Why Ron DeSantis’s post-midterms glow up may fade

 https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/13/23454213/desantis-trump-2024-president-republican

“I think that DeSantis can win many Trump Republicans over, but there are some who are just implacable,” Hynes said.

Trump is still Republican voters’ odds-on favorite. Hynes cautions the party establishment against trying to change voters’ minds because many party leaders, like McConnell, remain distrusted by the grassroots and it could backfire.

And for all the talk of a GOP presidential candidate DeSantis, Trump may simply not be defeatable. To win a primary, DeSantis would need to convert some of Trump’s voters. Amandi said that it’s not even possible to change voters’ minds.

“The MAGA wing of the Republican Party is a political cult. You can only have one cult leader at a time and anybody who threatens the leader of the cult must pay the ultimate price,” he said. “Right now, if DeSantis directly challenges Trump, he’s risking political oblivion.”

Redistricting battle further positions DeSantis for 2024 presidential bid

 https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3540717-redistricting-battle-further-positions-desantis-for-2024-presidential-bid/

Republican gerrymanders are nothing new in Florida politics. A decade ago, flouting the voter-approved state constitutional amendments that prohibited politicians from drawing the lines in a way that benefited any political party or incumbent, Rick Scott and the GOP majority forced through a plan that cemented the party’s control over the state’s senate and congressional districts. Their gerrymander set in motion a protracted legal battle that culminated in the state courts declaring the maps unconstitutional. 

Florida Supreme Court locks in DeSantis-backed redistricting map

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/02/florida-redistricting-map-court-decision-00036740

 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to redraw the state’s congressional map and give a substantial advantage to Republicans will likely remain in place for this year’s elections.

The state Supreme Court — in a 4-1 divided ruling in which two justices recused themselves — declined to wade into an ongoing legal dispute over the map. Voting and civil rights groups opposed to the GOP-approved redistricting map asked the state high court to block it in late May. They argue the redistricting maps violate Florida’s Fair Districts provisions, or anti-gerrymandering amendments in the state constitution.