Idolatry

 Avoda Zara (54b) Philosophers asked the elders in Rome, If your God has no desire for idolatry, why does He not abolish it? They replied, If it was something of which the world has no need that was worshipped, He would abolish it; but people worship the sun, moon, stars and planets; should He destroy the Universe on account of fools! The world pursues its natural course, and as for the fools who act wrongly, they will have to render an account. Another illustration: Suppose a man stole a measure of wheat and went and sowed it in the ground; it is right that it should not grow, but the world pursues its natural course and as for the fools who act wrongly, they will have to render an account. Another illustration: Suppose a man has intercourse with his neighbour's wife; it is right that she should not conceive, but the world pursues its natural course and as for the fools who act wrongly, they will have to render an account. This is similar to what R. Simeon b. Lakish said: The Holy One, blessed be He, declared, Not enough that the wicked put My coinage to vulgar use, but they trouble Me and compel Me to set My seal thereon!

Avoda Zara (55a) An Israelite named Zunin said to R. Akiba: We both know in our heart that there is no reality in an idol; nevertheless we see men enter the shrine crippled and come out cured. What is the reason?’ He replied, I will give you a parable: To what is the matter like? To a trustworthy man in a city, and all his townsmen used to deposit their money in his charge without witnesses. One man, however, came and deposited his money in his charge with witnesses; but on one occasion he forgot and made his deposit without witnesses. The wife of the trustworthy man said to her husband, "Come, let us deny it." He answered her, "Because this fool acted in an unworthy manner, shall I destroy my reputation for trustworthiness!" It is similar with afflictions. At the time they are sent upon a man the oath is imposed upon them, "You shall not come upon him except on such and such a day, nor depart from him except on such and such a day, and at such an hour, and through the medium of so and so, and through such and such a remedy." When the time arrives for them to depart, the man chanced to go to an idolatrous shrine. The afflictions plead, "It is right that we should not leave him and depart; but because this fool acts in an unworthy way shall we break our oath!" This is similar to what R. Johanan said: What means that which is written, And sore and faithful sicknesses?  Sore in their mission and faithful to their oath.

Divine Providence

 Chullin (07b) No man bruises his finger here on earth unless it was so decreed against him in heaven, for it is written: It is of the Lord that a man's goings are established. How then can man look to his way?

Kesubos (30a) Everything is ‘by the hand of heaven’ except cold and heat, for it is said: ‘Cold and heat are in the way of the froward; he that keepeth his soul holdeth himself far from them? Further, are lions and thieves ‘by the hand of man? Did not R. Joseph say. and R. Hiyya teach: Since the day of the destruction of the Temple, although the Sanhedrin ceased, the four forms of capital punishment have not ceased? ‘They have not ceased,’ you say? Surely they have ceased! But sayLions and thieves are ‘by the hand of heaven’, and cold and heat are ‘by the hand of man’.

Bereishis Rabbah (10:06) There is not a single herb but has a constellation in heaven which strikes it and says, ‘Grow as it is written, Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof  in the earth? Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the bands on Orion 

Chofetz Chaim (Shem Olam 1:3): Devarim (4:39) is concerned with Providence: You should therefore know this day and consider it in your heart the L rd is G d in Heaven above and on the earth below…. If any Jew is asked whether he truly believes that G d supervises the world, he will of course immediately reply that he believes it with perfect faith… However, when we look carefully into the matter, we will find that typically this is only parroting something he knows intellectually but it has not penetrated his heart and the way he conducts his life. If people really believed it then there would never be any stealing nor would there be any wrongdoing - even with speech. How could a person who believed G d supervises the world do the slightest sin since he realizes that G d will surely punish him even in the world?… The fact is that because of our many sins we have not brought the fact of G d’s supervision of the world into our hearts. This is what Moshe meant when he said “And you should therefore know this day”- that it shouldn’t be merely intellectual knowledge but should also be in your heart. This knowledge has to be implanted in your heart so that your actions are in accordance with this knowledge. … Similarly, even though G d has appointed a mazel over everything - as our sages say that each blade of grass has a mazel with causes it to grow - don’t think that G d has removed His supervision and simply left control to the mazel. In fact the mazel is not a power independent of G d which can do what it wants, G d controls all which is in Heaven and on the earth…

Avos (02:01) Apply your mind to three things and you will not come to sin: Know what there is sbove you: An eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds written in a book.

Avos (03:15) Everything is foreseen but the right of choice is granted, and the world is judged with goodness, and everything is in accordance with the preponderance of man's deeds.

Avos (03:16) Everything is given against a pledge, and a net is spread out over all the living; the store .Is open and the storekeeper allows credit, but the ledger is open and the hand writes, and whoever wishes to borrow may come and borrow; but the collectors go round regularly every day and exact dues from man, either with his consent or without his consent, and they have that on which they can rely in their claims, seeing that the judgment is a righteous judgment, and everything is prepared for the banquet.

Trump Allies, U.S. Officials Fear Iran Victory Lap Is Premature

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-allies-u-s-officials-fear-iran-victory-lap-is-premature-96f8e810?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1

President Trump’s declaration of “total victory” in Iran left some close allies and several senior aides worried Wednesday that he is overstating what is a fragile cease-fire with Tehran, which remains capable of blocking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking U.S. forces in the region.

The president has been advised on the risks that could cause the cease-fire to crater and warned that Iran still retains dangerous military capabilities, according to multiple officials.

Ceasefire?!

Trump loses Power

Israel failed to achieve its goals, and the price is likely to be heavy

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/08/israel-failed-to-achieve-its-goals-and-the-price-is-likely-to-be-heavy/

The ceasefire left Israel without diplomatic gains and without a response to its main threats. The gap between military success and the actual outcome heightens the risk of further escalation. At the same time, criticism is mounting over the government's conduct and its impact on Israel's standing on the international stage.

The ceasefire in the fighting with Iran, for now for two weeks, leaves Israel in a problematic strategic position: It failed to achieve any of the war goals it had set for itself; it remains entangled in the war in Lebanon; and its international standing is at an unprecedented low point amid accusations that it dragged the US into a war with Iran. To that must be added the continuing damage to the Israeli economy, especially to the home front, and the severe crisis of trust between the government and the Israeli public, particularly in the north.

The IDF did achieve in the operation most of the operational objectives it had set for itself, but Netanyahu failed to translate those into a broader strategic result. Just as happened in the war in Gaza and in the previous war in Lebanon, Israel has found itself in an endless campaign, with the goals it set appearing either too ambitious or impossible to achieve. The regime in Iran did not collapse, as had been claimed it would; control over 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium was not achieved; the missile array was only partially neutralized; and support for the proxies continued and even turned into an active regional campaign involving the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the Houthis and Shiite militia groups in Iraq.

Trump's threat to destroy 'a whole civilization' leaves a permanent stain on our history

US and Israel set out ambitious, vital war goals; as of the ceasefire, none have been achieved

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-and-israel-set-out-ambitious-vital-goals-as-of-the-ceasefire-none-have-been-achieved/

Fighting halts with the US president hailing what is only a tactical victory, and impossibly expecting a deal in two weeks to impose terms on the weakened but emboldened Iranian regime

Launching what was initially described as “a pre-emptive” campaign against Iran on February 28, the United States and Israel set out a series of highly ambitious and ultimately vital goals. When US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire and declared victory 39 days later, amid significant tactical success but inadequate strategic planning, none of them had been definitively achieved.

But, for now, the single most important war aim — ensuring that this regime can never get that weapon — remains unfulfilled. Iran’s nuclear “industrial base” has been further degraded, the regime retains its buried stockpile of highly enriched uranium. It may, if anything, be more inclined to attempt a breakout to the bomb, with a heightened determination to destroy Israel and to achieve broader invulnerability to future attack.

Similarly, while its ballistic missile capabilities, including all the necessary manufacturing elements, have been greatly degraded — Netanyahu and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both said Iran is not capable of building more missiles at present — the regime proved able to keep firing throughout the war, at Israel and Gulf neighbors, including at longer ranges and with diversely deadly warheads.

Trump’s semantic games about old and new regimes symbolize the biggest danger of this current, fateful moment. The fighting is at a fragile halt, with the Islamic Republic still oppressing its people and still seeking to destroy Israel, emboldened to have survived an assault led by the world’s mightiest military power, and with no binding agreements in place to ensure that it cannot reconstitute what it has lost.

And yet the US president is telling the world, and himself, that he is dealing with “reasonable” people — indeed that he has received “a 10-point proposal” from them, believes it to be “a workable basis on which to negotiate,” and expects that a two-week ceasefire period “will allow the agreement to be finalized and consummated.”

Netanyahu left with vague promises, no clear victories after another war ends without a decisive win

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-left-with-vague-promises-no-clear-victories-after-another-war-ends-without-a-decisive-win/

Trump moves toward talks with Tehran that could send billions to regime and fuel its rearmament, as the PM appears unable to land a knockout blow against Israel’s foes in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran

And this, it seems, is how it may end.

Not with the dramatic death of Iran’s “whole civilization,” in the words of US President Donald Trump’s threat, but a two-week ceasefire with Iran that looks to leave the Islamic Republic in a position to survive and rebuild after nearly 40 days of war.

The Trump administration, of course, is saying that it won.

“Nothing is over yet,” said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. “I don’t see how it is possible to bridge the positions of the US and Iran.”

Government leaders have obvious reasons to sell the abrupt end to the fighting as a temporary measure, though the prospect of Trump bringing the US back into an unpopular war without a clear path to achieving his goals appears unlikely.

A pause, not an end: What the two-week ceasefire with Iran really means - opinion

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-892375

 From Washington’s perspective, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz constitutes a major strategic achievement. For Iran, the ceasefire offers temporary breathing room.

Many Israelis woke up this morning feeling frustrated. In the hours leading up to the expiration of the American ultimatum to Iran, expectations were high that the night might bring another decisive phase of the campaign – possibly including strikes against Iran’s critical energy infrastructure.

Tehran agreed to the key American demand: reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. In doing so, it effectively ended, at least for now, the global energy crisis that had begun to loom over international markets.

In return, Iran received a two-week ceasefire. Importantly, this arrangement includes no guarantees that the broader conflict is over. There is no withdrawal of forces, and the agreement does not include a halt to Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hezbollah.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is therefore not merely a tactical development. It represents a test of whether Iran will abandon its use of global energy routes as instruments of coercion or whether the current pause is simply an intermission before the next phase of the conflict.

Trump Declares Premature Victory in Iran

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-iran-cease-fire-strait-of-hormuz-4dd95294?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

Tehran is still a threat to the Strait and may retain enriched uranium.

Did the war with Iran that began with a roar end with a whimper? That’s the way it looks in the cold light of Wednesday after President Trump’s announcement late Tuesday of a two-week cease-fire. Mr. Trump achieved some of his war aims, but the Iranian regime remains a threat in the Strait of Hormuz and the job is far from finished, despite what he promised last week.

Did the war with Iran that began with a roar end with a whimper? That’s the way it looks in the cold light of Wednesday after President Trump’s announcement late Tuesday of a two-week cease-fire. Mr. Trump achieved some of his war aims, but the Iranian regime remains a threat in the Strait of Hormuz and the job is far from finished, despite what he promised last week.

From Khamenei’s death to the 'Islamabad Accords': Ceasefire leaves unanswered questions - editorial

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-892393

Former supreme leader Ali Khamenei is dead. Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure has been set back to a degree Israeli defense planners would have called fantasy in 2024. But the regime survived.

The instinct right now is to focus on what went wrong. That instinct should be resisted long enough to reckon with what this campaign accomplished – but not so long that we mistake a successful military operation for a resolved strategic problem.

The balance sheet tilts in Israel’s favor. That is true. Iran’s ability to threaten this country has diminished over the years. But Netanyahu’s own words Wednesday night suggest the government understands this is unfinished: “There are more objectives to complete, and we will achieve them, either by agreement or by resuming fighting. Our finger is on the trigger.”

The war gave Israel an opening it has not had in a generation. Whether it amounts to anything lasting depends entirely on what comes next.

Iran outmaneuvers Trump; cuts deal that leaves U.S. worse off than pre-war

Trump claims Iran won’t enrich uranium, will give up uranium, while US lifts sanctions

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-iran-wont-enrich-uranium-will-give-up-uranium-stockpile-us-lifting-sanctions/

No indication Tehran accepted such terms, as US president threatens tariffs, touts progress; Pentagon claims Iranian military decimated, despite ongoing missile, drone attacks

He notably appeared to make Washington’s 15-point plan for ending the war the basis of negotiations with Iran, even though his post announcing the ceasefire said Iran’s 10-point response would be the basis for talks.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials and state media published on Thursday what they said were the contents of the 10-point response on which the US had agreed to negotiate.

That 10-point plan notably included continued Iranian control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, an end to international sanctions on the country, and “acceptance” of uranium enrichment.These items would run contrary to Washington’s public statements about what it wants Iran to do.