Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Divine Providence is a Fundemental Belief
Maharal (Gevuras HaShem 47) You should know that there are three beliefs that form the foundation of Judaism so that if G-d forbid one of them fails the religious faith falls with it. 1) Divine Providence that G-d supervises the world 2)Everything is in G-d’s hands and there is nothing besides Him, and this is the belief in the reality of God... 3) The third belief is that God spoke to man and give him Torah. And so when Moses came to redeem them and God saw their affliction and did not forsake them, it is said, "And the people believed that God had visited the children of Israel," etc., and this is the belief in providence... If He watches over people and their deeds and does not forsake them, then He certainly pays them their reward as well, which is not reasonable to say that He, sees their deeds and watches over them and does not punish them for their sins... And so from providence, reward and punishment follow.
Hashgacha Protis - Knowledge or Awareness?
An important issue is whether Hasghacha Protis means G-d determines what happens to us or is merely aware of our actions and will eventually give reward or punishment
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.
Kli Yakar (Bereishis 41:01) And behold after two years Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile. The Philosophers claim that G-d is too elevated and great to pay attention to the lowly world below the sphere of the moon. To nullify this pernicious view the verse says Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.This means not to say that because G-d is so great that he has no awareness of our actions because He is all knowing and is fact knows all of mans deeds
Koheles Rabbah (10:14) Never does a serpent bite unless it has been incited from Above, nor does a lion rend its prey unless it has been incited from Above, nor does a government interfere with men unless it has been incited from Above.
Rabbeinu Bachye (Kad HaKemach Emuna):From Heaven G-d observes all men ande from His palace He supervises the whole earth. The Creator fashioned all their hearts and therefore fully understands all their deeds Dovid mentions in these three verses the subject of Divine Providence. Meaning that He influences all men in the lowly world either in general or a particular person. And He knows their thoughts and fully understands their actions
Ramban (Bereishis 18:19) The word yedativ literally means “knowing.” He is thus alluding that G-d’s knowledge, which is synonymous with His Providence in the lower world, is to guard the species, and even the children of men are subject despite it to the circumstantial evil occurrences until the time of their visitation comes. But in His piety, He directs His attention to know each one individually so that His watch constantly attaches to him, His knowledge and remembrance of him never departs, as it says: He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous. There are many verses on this theme, as it is written, Behold, the eye of the Eternal is toward them that fear Him, and other verses besides.
Shmuel (1 02:03-10) Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.4. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.5. Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread; and those who were hungry ceased to hunger; the barren has borne seven; and she who has many children has become wretched.6. The Lord kills, and returns to life; he brings down to Sheol, and brings up.7. The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and he lifts up.8. He raises up the poor from the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them.9. He will keep the feet of his pious ones, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; from heaven shall he thunder upon them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
Tehilim (33:13-15) 13. The Lord looks down from heaven; he beholds all the sons of men.14. From the place of His habitation He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth.15. He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their deeds.
GOP senators grow uncomfortable with Trump rhetoric, endgame for Iran
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5829511-senate-gop-trump-iran/
Senate Republicans facing worsening polls want President Trump to rein in his extreme rhetoric, which included an attack on Pope Leo XIV for being “WEAK on crime” and a threat to wipe out Iran’s civilization, and find a quick end to the conflict with Tehran.
GOP lawmakers returning to Washington from the two-week Easter recess aren’t comfortable with Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, which has put them again on the defensive, but they are more concerned about finding a quick way to end the conflict, which has caused fuel and fertilizer prices to soar.
Given growing concerns among GOP colleagues about how much longer the conflict may last, Senate Republican leaders have decided not to attempt to pass additional funding for the strikes against Iran in a budget reconciliation package they plan to bring to the floor as soon as next week.
Taking Too Much Vitamin D Can Backfire, Scientists Warn
https://www.sciencealert.com/taking-too-much-vitamin-d-can-backfire-scientists-warn
The "sunshine vitamin" may come with a dark side. Just as a lack of vitamin D can lead to health dangers, so too can an excess.
For years now, scientists have warned that not everyone needs to take vitamin D supplements, and that, in rare cases, high-dose versions can be toxic, especially for young kids and older adults.
Trump on AI Jesus image: ‘I thought it was me as a doctor’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5829046-trump-doctor-red-cross/
President Trump told reporters Monday that the AI image appearing to depict him as Jesus Christ was actually an image of Trump as a doctor healing people.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump told reporters outside of the Oval Office.
“Only the fake news could come up with that one,” he continued. “I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better and I do make people better.”
The image was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account earlier Monday following unusually fierce backlash from a number of the president’s supporters online, who appeared to interpret the image as Trump portraying Jesus.
Monday, April 13, 2026
Trump post appearing to depict him as Jesus removed amid backlash
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-religious-conservatives/
President Donald Trump’s posting of an image that appeared to depict him as Jesus drew rare criticism from the religious right, prompting allegations of blasphemy and calls for him to take down the post before it was deleted.
“I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” wrote Megan Basham, a prominent conservative Protestant Christian writer and commentator. “But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”
One administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to criticize the president’s post, predicted that conservative Christian outrage would dissipate in a matter of days as it often has. But the official said it was going too far for Trump to post such an image of himself, even though some of his most loyal MAGA supporters have cast him in quasi-messianic terms.
Trump takes down Truth Social post of AI image portraying him as Jesus
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5828915-trump-ai-jesus-image-removed/mlite/
The AI image posted by President Trump on his Truth Social platform depicting himself as Jesus Christ appears to have been removed from his account.
The link where the image previously was posted on Sunday, which was Orthodox Easter, now reads “This resource could not be found” on Monday afternoon.
The image, which showed Trump portrayed as Jesus Christ healing sick people, sparked backlash from some of his own conservative supporters.
In the hours before the post was taken down Monday morning, a number of some of Trump’s most vocal allies from the conservative Christian community called on him to remove the post.
Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles weighed in saying, “I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent.”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote on X that she was “praying against” the post.
“On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus,” she wrote. “This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!”
Most Jews do not have Hashgocha Protis
Sforno (Vayikra 13:47) Most Jews except for a few exalted people are without a doubt are ruled by Nature and are influenced by the heavenly bodies like other animals who do not receive personal Divine intervention but only as a species. They receive attention only as being part of the Jewish people.
Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 18:19) The personalized supervision of mankind, operates in the following manner. 1) There is supervision in the sense that G’d is aware of all of man’s actions and thoughts; this extends both to Jews and to Gentiles alike. We know this from Psalms 33,15, “He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their doings.” The supervision becomes manifest in G’d protecting people against mishaps. This type of benevolent supervision does not extend to Gentiles and not even to all Israelites except the righteous among them. G’d saves the righteous from experiencing the kinds of disasters which non-deserving people are prone to experience.
Trump posts image depicting himself as Jesus performing a miracle after bashing Pope Leo XIV
Trump Pope Leo: US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV. The Pope had spoken out against US actions in Iran. Trump responded via social media, questioning the Pope's stance. Following this, Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself in a divine role. The Pope had previously called for an end to conflict and warned against aggressive rhetoric.
After talks fail, IDF planning for return to war, Trump mulls strikes on Iran
All three major Hebrew TV networks reported that the IDF is gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran as the ceasefire talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic collapsed, in what appeared to be a coordinated leak by defense officials on Sunday.
The reported preparations come less than a week after a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan went into effect, and less than a day after negotiations in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to produce a deal to permanently end the war in the Middle East.
In a clear sign that diplomatic efforts were at a dead end, the American military said on Sunday it will begin to enforce a naval blockade on Iran starting on Monday, following orders by US President Donald Trump.