Sunday, May 18, 2025
‘Very disturbing’: Trump receipt of overseas gifts unprecedented, experts warn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/17/trump-foreign-gifts-plane-gulf-states
The openness to foreign largesse was on full display this week as the US president was feted in the Gulf states during his first major diplomatic trip abroad this term, inking deals he claimed were worth trillions of dollars and pumping local leaders for investments as he says he remakes US foreign policy to prioritise “America first” – putting aside concerns of human rights or international law for the bottom line of American businesses and taxpayers.
But quite often, the bottom line also has benefited Trump himself. His family’s wealth has ballooned by more than $3bn, according to press estimates, and the reported benefits from cryptocurrencies and other investment deals such as plans for new Trump-branded family properties may be far larger. Deals for billions more have been inked by business associates close to Trump, meaning that their political support for the White House can translate into lucrative contracts abroad.
Past administrations would have run from the perceived conflicts of interest being welcomed by Trump. The former White House ethics advisers described crises such as when a Gulf state tried to present a Rolex to a national security adviser, or when the Boston Red Sox tried to gift the White House chief of staff a baseball bat signed by all the players (the addressee was forced to pay its estimated market value, said Painter). Eisen said that he forbade Obama from even refinancing the mortgage on his house in Chicago because of his capacities to influence the market.
Israel's concerns grow over US-Saudi arms deal
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/05/15/israels-concerns-grow-over-us-saudi-arms-deal/
The American president attempts to pull Saudi Arabia away from Chinese influence by selling advanced weapons and potentially F-35 aircraft, as the kingdom pledges to invest nearly a trillion dollars in the US economy.
Transactional diplomacy: Israel must defends its interests, not rely on Trump's whims
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-854337
Israel must recognize that there may be moments when it will need to act to protect its core interests, even in the face of American objections.
Afghan Refugees Await Their Fate as Afrikaners Jump the Line: 'Betrayal'
On Monday, dozens of white South African refugees arrived in the United States on a plane chartered by the Trump administration, fast-tracked through the normal refugee resettlement process that typically takes months or longer.
That same day, Ali — an Afghan man who asked Newsweek not to use his full name over fears of being targeted if he's sent home — found out the legal status protecting him and his family from deportation will be terminated by the same administration. The 39-year-old fled his home country with his wife and their six children during the unrest that followed the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
"They supported Trump and this administration, and they said: 'This is the one who loves veterans and he'll watch people who supported our veterans or our military overseas', and now after this news that came out a few days ago I mean, there's no word instead of just to call it a textbook betrayal," Safi said, accusing the U.S. of abandoning those who supported it for more than 20 years.
The looming loss of legal status for Afghans is leaving many families in the U.S. with an uncertain future. For Ali, he feels he has to try to reassure his children who still have vivid memories of the dire situation they left behind and now fear for their safety in the U.S.
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Conservative Justices Line Up Against MAGA on Deportations
https://www.thedailybeast.com/conservative-justices-line-up-against-maga-on-deportations/
Supreme Court Justices joined forces Friday to form a bulwark against President Donald Trump and his mass deportation campaign.
The court issued a temporary ruling to halt Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas. The court expressed concern that the Trump administration’s expedited process for removing individuals does not “pass muster.”
The Supreme Court’s decision is a major loss for Trump, who already hit back at a number of federal judges who aimed to stop him first.
Truth: Beis Hillel vs Beis Shammai
Emes LYakov (Vayikra 21:2 Emor) In the gemora (Kesubos 17a) in describing dancing before a bride there is a dispute between beis Hillel and Beis Shammai. Beis Hillel says to always praise her while Beis Shammai says that one should not say anything which isn't true and even if someone made a bad purchase it is prohibited to praise it while Beis Hillel says that people need to be nice to each other and not hurt someone's feelings even if that means to lie. This also explains what is stated in Kabbalah seforim that in the Future the halacha will not be as Beis Hillel but like Beis Shammai because only then will the absolute truth be dominant while in our world we are concerned with what seems true to the majority of people.
Trump berates Walmart over price hikes: ‘Eat the tariffs’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5305499-donald-trump-walmart-tariffs-price-hike/
President Trump on Saturday lambasted Walmart over its decision to raise prices this week due to the high costs associated with the Trump administration’s trade war.
“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected.”
The Trump Doctrine of the Deal
President Trump stormed through the Middle East on the first foreign trip of his second term this week, and he didn’t shrink from bold moves or confident assertions. His big speech, in Saudi Arabia, even laid out what might be called a Trump Doctrine, if that phrase can be used about a President who is so transactional.
Mr. Trump is offering a form of foreign-policy realism rooted in good commercial relations and a focus on negotiating peace and stability. He doesn’t much care what kind of government countries run as long as they want good relations with the U.S. He’s looking for deals, even with enemies. He thinks mutual interest in prosperity can overcome even strong ideological differences—and he has no interest in promoting American values, including liberty or democracy.
His Middle Eastern policy is taking this doctrine on a test drive. He took the advice of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to repeal sanctions on Syria’s new Islamist government. He even met the former jihadist now running Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom he called “attractive, tough.” In Trump world, those are the highest compliments.
Friday, May 16, 2025
Suspected abuse at Jerusalem kindergarten: Teacher arrested after documented harming helpless children
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/dxslkah46
Police arrested a WIZO kindergarten teacher in Jerusalem's Ramat Eshkol neighborhood on suspicion of abusing toddlers after she was documented harming them. Police estimate there were hundreds of incidents of problematic behavior by the teacher. During the detention hearing, a police representative stated that "these are helpless children who have endured severe abuse for six months." The teacher's detention was extended until Monday.
Trump’s Trip Lays Bare a Stark Advantage Some Arab States Have Over Israel
As word spread that the Arab country of Qatar may give President Donald Trump a luxury airplane, Israeli citizens passed around a suggestion in chat groups on how to match that offer: giving Trump his own parking spot in the traffic nightmare that is Tel Aviv.
It was a joke, of course. But it underscored a reality that’s dawning on Israelis like never before as Trump tours the Middle East this week. Compared with many of its neighbors, Israel doesn’t have much in the way of tangible financial benefits to offer a U.S. president whose preferred form of statecraft is economic.
Trump’s firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5302942-senate-republicans-criticize-fema-firing/
The swift retaliation against an administration official over testimony before a congressional panel is jarring to Republican lawmakers, who worry that it could chill the willingness of officials to answer questions candidly at future hearings.
And the move signals that the president is serious about eliminating FEMA, something that many Republican senators strongly oppose.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), whose home state was hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September, said it was a mistake to fire Hamilton over his testimony.
Laura Rozen on What Trump's 'made-for-TV Diplomacy' Means for Israel and the Middle East
Many of the changes in Trump's Middle East policies – particularly regarding Iran – since his first term, Rozen noted, can be attributed to a power shift in the Republican Party.
As a result, "strangely, you see MAGA people who are almost with the more traditional progressive Democrats when it comes to looking for a diplomatic solution on Iran, which is not something we saw in Trump's first term. It feels a little bit disorienting, even here in Washington."
Who really led the Bar Kochba revolt? New research sheds light on rebellion’s enigmas
Jewish veterans from the Roman army — and not Shimon Bar Kochba — may have initially led the 2nd-century Jewish rebellion against the Romans commonly known as the “Bar Kochba Revolt.”
The revolt — launched by outraged Jews protesting Emperor Hadrian’s decision to construct a city dedicated to Jupiter on the ruins of Jerusalem — is one of the events connected to the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer, observed on May 15-16 this year.
In Middle East, Trump marginalizes Israel without helping Gaza
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/16/trump-middle-east-israel-gaza/
As President Donald Trump’s Middle East sojourn drew to a close, a much-vaunted “grand bargain” bringing peace to a restive region was nowhere in sight.
In a trip that seemed more about business than geopolitics, Trump still paid lip service to his hopes for peace. He extended a hand to Iran, gesturing to potential future talks over its nuclear program. He announced a truce with Yemen’s Houthi rebels after authorizing a $1 billion bombing campaign that hasn’t dented the Houthis’ capacity to target Israel or Red Sea shipping. To the surprise of even some U.S. officials, he announced the cessation of sanctions on Syria, a critical move to boost the country’s fledgling, transitional regime. And he decried a legacy of U.S. interventionism in the region.
The signals he sent caused consternation in Israel. Ahead of Trump’s trip, Israeli media and officials were already pointing to the way Trump has bypassed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a right-wing leader closely allied to the U.S. president who received numerous political gifts from the White House in Trump’s first term.
A Gene-Editing Breakthrough Saves Infant With Rare Disease
An infant in Philadelphia has been successfully treated with a customized Crispr gene-editing therapy for a rare and deadly disease, doctors reported Thursday—a breakthrough in the futuristic technology.
Two days after K.J. Muldoon was born prematurely, a neonatologist noticed he was sleepy and feeding poorly. The physician quickly ordered tests, which ultimately returned a grave diagnosis: a metabolic disease called severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency, caused by a genetic mutation.
US doctors rewrite DNA of infant with severe genetic disorder in medical first
Doctors in the US have become the first to treat a baby with a customised gene-editing therapy after diagnosing the child with a severe genetic disorder that kills about half of those affected in early infancy.
International researchers have hailed the feat as a medical milestone, saying it demonstrates the potential for treating an array of devastating genetic diseases by rewriting faulty DNA soon after affected children are born.
What Is the Jewish Belief About Moshiach (Messiah)?
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/108400/jewish/The-End-of-Days.htm
The Scriptures are replete with messianic quotes. In Deuteronomy 30:1 Moses prophesies that, after the Jews have been scattered to the four corners of the earth, there will come a time when they will repent and return to Israel, where they will fulfill all the commandments of the Torah. The gentile prophet Balaam prophesies that this return will be led by Moshiach (see Numbers 24:17–20). Jacob refers to Moshiach by the name Shiloh (Genesis 49:10).
The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Joel and Hosea all refer to the messianic era. (For full references, the reader is referred to the book Moshiach by Rabbi Dr. J.I. Schochet.) It is interesting to note that the wall outside the United Nations Building in New York is inscribed with the quote from Isaiah (2:4), “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.” Furthermore, it is clear from the prophets, when studied in their original Hebrew, that Moshiach is a Jewish concept, and his coming will entail a return to Torah law, firmly ruling out any “other” messianic belief.
Russia Could Be Ready to Strike NATO in Two Years
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-strike-nato-two-years-us-europe-ceasefire-agreement-2069537
Eussia could be ready to attack a NATO country within two years if the United States brokers a ceasefire deal in the next few months, according to a new assessment from a leading think tank.
Moscow could pose "a significant military challenge to NATO allies, particularly the Baltic states, as early as 2027," the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report released on Wednesday evening ET (Thursday U.K. time.)
The think tank said Russia's ability to challenge the alliance would hinge on the Trump administration soon succeeding in its goal to bring the more than three years of bitter war in Ukraine to an end, and for the U.S. to start a withdrawal from NATO.
Trump, whose initial pledge to end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours has clashed with reality, is said to be becoming increasingly irritated with the pace of progress toward a ceasefire, criticizing Russia's reluctance as he pursues a rapprochement with the Kremlin.
But as the diplomacy ramps up, leaders worry about whether Putin has his eye beyond Ukraine. Estonia's defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, told Newsweek in November that even if the fighting stops and Russian soldiers now in eastern Ukraine are no longer needed there, "hundreds of thousands of troops" will be available for Putin to move closer to the Baltic States.
Moscow would likely be "more willing to use military force in a regional war against one or more European NATO countries if it perceives NATO as militarily weakened or politically divided," Denmark's defense intelligence service said.
Superiority of Israel
Derashos HaRan (04): The prayers of those who live outside of Israel are not so readily heard compared to those who live in Israel. It also follows from this that it is easier to sin with idol worship outside of Israel. Just as it is best to be attached to G d in Israel than outside of Israel - it is easier to rebel against G d outside of Israel and thus be subject to annihilation. … This is not like those “pious” people who mistakenly insist that the religious experience is identical in all places both for the good and bad. …
Living outside of Israel is considered idolatry
Drashos Haran (04) That sin which is cause for apprehension on the Blessed One's part as potentially resulting in the destruction of the Jews is idol worship, to which the sin of the golden calf was similar in character. For the other transgressions do not arouse the Blessed One's wrath to such a great extent; idol worship is to be much more feared in this regard. And there is more reason for apprehension of this sin in the desert than in the land of Israel. For the Jews knew that the other lands were under the ordinance of stars and constellations, as our sages state (Kethuboth 110b): "All who live in the land of Israel, it is as if they have a G-d; all who live outside the land of Israel, it is as if they do not have a G-d." This is because the other, gentile lands are under the ordinance of heavenly plenipotentiaries, an ordinance which cannot be changed except through miraculous, Heavenly intervention (this being the intent of "for he will not forgive your sins"). Therefore, if one lives outside the land of Israel, because he is under the ordinance of a star or of a constellation, his prayer is not so readily accepted as it would be if he lived in the land of Israel, which is not under the dominion of a chief, an officer, or a ruler, but of the Blessed One Himself,
Kesubos (110b) One should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a town most of whose inhabitants are idolaters, but let no one live outside the Land, even in a town most of whose inhabitants are Israelites; for whoever lives in the Land of Israel may be considered to have a God, but whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who has no Godץ Has he, then, who does not live in the Land, no God?56 But [this is what the text intended] to tell you, that whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who worships idols.
Rambam (Melachim 5:12) At all times, a person should dwell in Eretz Yisrael even in a city whose population is primarily gentile, rather than dwell in the Diaspora, even in a city whose population is primarily Jewish. This applies because whoever leaves Eretz Yisrael for the Diaspora is considered as if he worships idols as I Samuel 26:19 states 'They have driven me out today from dwelling in the heritage of God, saying 'Go, serve other gods.
Ramban (Bereishis 24:03) THE G-D OF THE HEAVEN, AND THE G-D OF THE LAND. The Holy One, blessed be He, is called the G-d of the Land of Israel, as it is written, They know not the manner of the G-d of the land. and it is further written, And they spoke of the G-d of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the people of the earth. So also the Rabbis have said:. “He who lives outside the land of Israel is as if he had no G-d, as it said, For they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the inheritance of the Eternal, saying, Go, serve other gods
Don't suppress the truth of Torah - even regarding your own rebbe or gedolim
Israel Spiritual life outside
Rav Tzadok (Vayechi 47:28) Yakov lived in Egypt for 17 years, It says in the Zohar that these 17 years were the main ones of his life.He did not suffer and was not bothered by the yetzer harah.and it was like Olam HaBah.
Doctors Fail to Address Patients’ Spiritual Needs
I still regret my silence with that patient, but have tried to learn from it. Doctors themselves do not have to be spiritual or religious, but they should recognize that for many patients, these issues are important, especially at life’s end. If doctors don’t want to engage in these conversations, they shouldn’t. Instead, a physician can simply say: “Some patients would like to have a discussion with someone here about spiritual issues; some patients wouldn’t. If you would like to, we can arrange for someone to talk with you.”
Unfortunately, countless patients feel uncomfortable broaching these topics with their doctors. And most physicians still never raise it.
Everyone has a book that only he/she can write
Shalom Bayis:Where is source for counseling?
Why do you need a source for shalom bayis being therapy?
I think it is obvious. The way you respond to strife in marriage reflects what you think marriage is. What you perceive as malfunction in the relationship tells you what marriage is and what this particular marriage is not accomplishing. The apparent Torah description indicates it is simply a type of alliance for the mutual benefit of both parties and society. However modern understanding is that it is the necessary relationship for emotional and psychological needs and therefore a marriage where both sides fulfill their halachic obligations but isn't fulfilling and emotionally satisfying as well as lacking in love - needs to be fixed or ended. Therefore if all the sources dealing with strife in marriage focus on ending conflict - police actions - then there is no concern for love, affection or psychological issues. Consequently one could conclude these issues are not required by the Torah.
Of course one can say that even though they are not the Torah understand are still relevant. That is because the current conceptualization is ais l'asos - that since we are strongly influenced by the non-Jewish culture we need to have love (Hollywood style), fulfillment etc etc - then it would seem to be fine to now be concerned with them. It is simply a pragmatic reality for our times. It doesn't matter on a practical level what happened in the past. We are simply existing in a transient blip in history and we do what we do for the current needs for the members of our society - not what our ancestors 500 years ago did.
However the corollary of viewing this as a transient emergency measure is that we need to be aware of the ideal - when conditions change. Therefore when we get more control and isolate ourselves from the surrounding cultural atmosphere we should be returning to the Torah understanding - the relationship devoid of emotion and psychological fulfillment. Thus the information is for the future - for knowing the ideal so we can return to it.
But there is another approach as to why this question is important. This is the view which is expressed by Rav Tzadok. He holds that the Torah view evolves or progresses for the better. He says we do in fact learn and incorporate ideas from the goyim. Rav Tzadok notes our job is to sanctify these innovations. Therefore the ideal is looking forward and disgarding the past references which are no longer appropriate or allowed. According to this view if a husband insists on following the view of Chazal and Rishonim in this area - he is seriously derelict in his duty. Similarly a wife can't view herself as a baby machine whose job description is described entirely by behavioral requirements and she doesn't need to show love and affection. In other words you can't go back and you fail miserably in Avoda HaShem by trying.
In short this question is a major probe into the essence of what marriage is and what it needs to accomplish.
RFK Jr. Took His Grandkids for a Dip in a Sewage-Contaminated Creek For Mother’s Day
On Sunday, the Department of Health and Human Services secretary posted shirtless photos of himself swimming in Washington D.C.’s Rock Creek with his grandkids for Mother’s Day. It’s a cute enough scene, except, of course for the fact that swimming is banned in Rock Creek because, according to the National Park Service, “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.”
Of course, if there were absolutely anyone who seemed like they might take the risk of knowingly swimming in sewer water, it’d be hard to come up with a more likely candidate than Kennedy. This is a man who swears by raw milk, who has questioned whether germs cause disease, and who (deep breath for this one) has speculated that he may have been exposed to the parasitic worm that ate part of his brain when he stuck his hand in the bloody mouth of a dead bear before driving with the carcass to Manhattan and abandoning it in Central Park (exhale).
Torah Protects
Roshei Yeshiva did not believe WWI would break out because it would disrupt Slobodka yeshiva
Making of a Godol (page 365)
Israel is at risk of being outbid in Trump’s Middle East marketplace
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-854180
But this “America First” approach – where what’s good for America is defined almost exclusively in terms of dollars and deals – puts him on a collision course with Israel over key issues: Iran, the Houthis, Syria, massive Saudi arms deals, and even the possibility of US support for a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Trump’s Middle East tour has more substance than the White House let on
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/15/politics/trump-syria-sanctions-israel-middle-east-tour
Wherever he goes, Trump’s brings disruption that can forge possibilities. And he takes risks – for instance, his decision on this trip to lift sanctions on Syria to give a war-ravaged nation a second chance.
But the move revives a perennial question about Trump’s entire foreign and trade policy. Can he apply himself sufficiently to reach genuine breakthroughs from openings he creates?
The White House’s obsession with lionizing Trump means his most significant initiatives are often swamped by hype.
So a deal for Qatar to buy Boeing jets worth tens of billions of dollars got more attention back home Wednesday than his encounter in Riyadh with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The historic first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years, could be the signature initiative of Trump’s tour.
His journey has also highlighted growing daylight with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who was seen as an ideological soulmate of the 47th president but who is increasingly an object of Trump’s frustration.
Donald Trump – friend or foe to Israel?
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-853206?dicbo=v2-QULRW5D
As far as events in the Middle East are concerned, Donald Trump is peaking loudly while so far carrying a limp stick.
Hailing Syria, arming Saudis, dealing with Iran and Houthis, Trump relegates Israeli concerns
Over objections from Jerusalem, he’s lifted all sanctions on a Syrian leadership that Israel understandably regards as a terrorist regime unless or until proven otherwise, and asked President Ahmed al-Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords.
As I write, he’s just arrived in Qatar, the Hamas-funding, Hamas-hosting mediator that’s allegedly been paying some of Netanyahu’s aides to lobby on its behalf, and that Trump has insisted is “absolutely trying to help” resolve the hostage-war crisis.
Every one of these moves has vast implications for Israeli security, economy and the daily well-being of its people. Any Israeli government would have tried to influence and amend Trump’s rapid deal-making steps toward the Houthis, the Syrians, the Saudis and the Iranians. But Israel has been largely marginalized as Trump has advanced them.
It was being speculated in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening that Trump is angry with Netanyahu for having sought to push him toward a military strike on Iran, when he has been advocating diplomacy. It was also being suggested that Trump has concluded that Israel is simply no longer as central to American interests in the region.
Implicit in Trump’s admiration for progress in the Gulf is a demotion of Israel as the go-to regional cutting-edge powerhouse, the prime innovator, the tech pioneer, the smart destination for investment. Right now, you can barely even fly here.
He said on the plane to Qatar that the US having good ties with the Gulf states “is very good for Israel.” Potentially, that is true, but only if the Israeli leadership proves capable of utilizing those ties. The longer Israel is not seated at the main table alongside the US president, metaphorically and literally, the narrower Israel’s room for maneuver
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Tefilin Chol Hamoed
Igros Moshe (OC V #24.6) Question What is halacha about teffilin on Chol HaMoed? Those who do not wear tefillin on Chol HaMoed what should they do if they are praying at a synagogue that wears Tefillin on Chol HaMoed? Answer The Mishna Berura says that Achronim say that in a single synagogue it is not correct that some should wear Tefillin and some don’t because of the prohibition of Lo Tisgodado (not to make disputes.) It is important to note that he says it is not correct which implies that possible in terms of the halacha it is not actually prohibited because there are actually two conflicting courts and in such cases there is no halachic problem of following the rulings of only one of them in one city and perhaps this would be true of one synagogue. The implication is that he is inclined to permit it in a single synagogue. Since he didn’t say it was prohibited. Perhaps because if a person is not wearing Teffillin it doesn’ necessarily mean that it is because he thinks it is not required but perhaps he simply forgot to bring his Teffillin to synagogue and he left them at home even though this is not common it possible to happen. Nevertheless it is unlikely that those who see he is not wearing Teffillin will assume that is the reason. They will typically assume that it is because he doesn’t think there is an obligation to wear tefillin on Chol HaMoed. Consequently the permission comes from it being well known that there are two valid conflicting views on this matter and therefore there is no prohibition in a single minyan. Therefore insisting that everyone do the same thing is clearly only optional not obligatory. In conclusion where there is a well known dispute in halacha there is no prohibition from lo tisgodadu to have some people wearing and some not wear Tefillin on Chol HaMoed. This is consistent with the language of the Mishna Berura that it is not correct to have different practice but he doesn’t say it is prohibited. Nonetheless if a person finds himself in a city where everyone wears tefillin on Chiol HaMoed, it is reasonable to say that is prohibited not to wear tefillin. Because perhaps not everyone knows that there are two opposing views on the issue. But it is not prohibited to follow a different ruling. Especially in large cities such as New York where it is common to go to a synagogue near your house and there are many diverse customs found in a neighborhood as well as many synagogues, there would not be the slightest reason not to keep with one own customs even if it is different from the synagogue since every one knows that there are a wide range of legitimately different customs. Hoewver it is obvious that the shliach tzibor should wear teffilin in a synagogue that wears tefillin. If anyone is permitted to be shliach tzibor than it is permitted to have one that does not wear tefillin. . A person whose family custom is not to wear tefillin on Chol HaMoed who asks what is best if he must pray in a synague that does wear tefillin. He should be told that it is best to wear tefillin. That is because the majority view through the ages was to wear tefillin though without a beracha. Even the Sefardim wore tefillin until it became known that the Zohar was opposed. The Ashkenazim always wore tefillin as did the majority of European countries.
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-853936
About half of American Jews describe President Donald Trump as antisemitic, while only a minority think his campus crackdown is reducing antisemitism, according to a new survey.
American Jews are also broadly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and fewer of them say they feel an attachment to Israel than before the current Israel-Hamas war, according to the survey.
The survey of Jewish registered voters, conducted by the polling firm GBAO Strategies, found that 52% of respondents say the word “antisemitic” describes the president very or somewhat well.
In addition, 74% of respondents disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, while 26% approve. Close to 70% said the words “fascist” and “racist” describe him very or somewhat well.
Trump’s crypto conflicts keep piling up. He’s not even trying to hide them
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/14/business/trump-family-crypto-nightcap
The Trump family’s crypto empire is expanding rapidly, and it’s making earlier ethics debates over his hotel and casino business interests look downright quaint.
There are only so many rooms a foreign diplomat can book to curry favor with the president, and that might total into thousands of dollars, at most. And even President Donald Trump might have a limit on how many luxury Qatari jets he’d accept as gifts.
But in the opaque world of cryptocurrencies, where transactions are often anonymous and unbound by national borders, there is virtually no cap on the amount of money a person or government could funnel to the president, his family and the growing list of entities they control.
Don Jr. Just Can’t Take Being Compared to Hunter Biden Anymore
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-jr-seriously-wants-the-hunter-biden-comparisons-to-stop/
Donald Trump Jr. would like everyone to stop comparing him to Hunter Biden, despite both men allegedly cashing in on their fathers’ proximity to the White House.
Earlier this week, a Business Insider report described how 1789 Capital, the tiny venture capital firm that Don Jr. joined a week after President Donald Trump’s re-election in November, has suddenly been granted investment access to major defense contractors.
The piece was headlined “Don Jr. Is the New Hunter Biden” and reported that the president’s oldest son is doing the same thing Republicans have long accused Hunter Biden of doing: profiting off his father’s presidency.
Cruz: Gift of Qatari jet to Trump ‘poses significant espionage’ concerns
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5297715-cruz-trump-qatar-air-force-one/?tbref=hp
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is warning that Qatar’s gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 to the Trump administration to serve as the new Air Force One poses “significant espionage and surveillance problems,” a concern voiced by other lawmakers.
“I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah. And that’s a real problem,” Cruz said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday.
Donald Trump Compares Qatar Gift to Statue of Liberty
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-compares-qatar-plane-gift-statue-liberty-2071915
Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, said, per Punchbowl News: "I don't think it looks good or smells good."
How Qatar Bought America
It’s not just the 747. A Free Press investigation reveals that the Gulf state has spent almost $100 billion across Congress, colleges, think tanks, and corporations. What does it want in return?
Truth Ktzos:Relative Truth
Truth and Lying
Emes L’Yakov (Bereishis 27:12) My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. Our Sages called our forefathers yeshorim (straight and honest). And that is why Sefer Bereishis is referred by our Sages as Sefer HaYashor. The explanation is that they lived before the Giving of the Torah so how did they know how to behave? It is because as it states in Koheles (7:29) that G-d made Man inherently Yashar (honest). Thus they were able to fulfill the requirement of the Torah even before it was given. This is also expressed by saying Derech Eretz preceded the Torah. So while the Torah has laws that don’t make sense to the human mind, man’s intellect is inherently ethical. Thus our forefathers fulfilled the Torah because they inherently understood the ethical and moral way to act. This reality makes what Yakov did in order to receive the Berachos all the more difficult to understand since it was far from being ethical behavior. It is even more difficult as Yakov was especially concerned with Truth. We learn from this a major principle regarding the nature of truth. We note that Yakov’s behavior in this matter is described by Onkelos as wisdom . The explanation is that the truth is dependent on deliberate calculation and isn’t simple right or wrong. For example if Reuven is being pursued to be killed and Shimon hides him to save his life. If the pursuer asks Shimon if he knows where Reuven is and Shimon states that he is hiding him because he doesn’t want to lie. Is this confess called the Truth? Obviously there are times when it is permissible for a person to act with cunning in order to accomplish the greater good. Therefore if one is dealing with a dangerously dishonest person such as Esav it is sometimes necessary to act with him in a sly and deceitful manner. This occurred many times to Yakov and thus his behavior in those circumstances is not a contradiction to being a truthful person. This was clearly the basis of Yakov causing his flock through the use of rods to save his flock from Lavan. Or his statement to avoid Esav. In fact we lean from Yakov’s behavior that it is permitted to make false statements to avoid being killed by a potential murderer Similarly in the case of Yakov and Shechem of the weakening of the enemy by demanding circumcision in order that they could be killed. Thus to deviate from the truth in these cases did not diminish or contradict his standing as a paragon of truth. However even though it is sometimes permitted to lie nevertheless a person should avoid making lies habitual even if they are permitted because of the danger that this might be his normal response. This is less of a problem for a talmid chachom
Gur Aryeh (Bereishis 47:29) Whatever is appropriate to be done is called True.
Michtav M’Eliyahu (I page 94): What is emes (truth) and what is sheker (lie)? At the beginning of our education our understanding is that emes (truth) is describing events as they are while sheker (lie) is deviating from this. That is correct only on the most elementary level. There are many circumstances where this definition is incorrect. There are times when it is prohibited to describe things as they are such as describing shortcomings to another when there is no benefit or need. Sometimes in fact one actually needs to alter the description from the facts when the truth is not only not beneficial but is harmful. In such a case that which appears to be true is in fact a lie because it produces bad consequences and that which appears to be a lie brings the goal of emes. We see in fact that emes is that which brings to the good and fulfills that which G d wants. …Yaakov's deception of Esav therefore was revealed to be G d's desire and thus we see from the Torah sheker (lie) done for the sake of emes (truth) is in fact emes (truth).
Luxury skyscrapers, golf courses and cryptocurrency: The Trump family’s rapidly expanding Middle East business
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/13/politics/trump-middle-east-business-invs
The Trump family’s business ties to the Middle East have more than tripled since the president’s first term in office, a CNN tally of the deals has found, including a slew of new projects announced since he reclaimed the White House.
Amid the ongoing plans for luxury skyscrapers, golf courses and cryptocurrency deals in the region, Donald Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week not only as US president, but also as the patriarch of a family whose business empire continues to expand in that part of the world.
His financial ties to the Middle East have prompted concerns among government ethicists who say it’s difficult to determine whether he’s acting in the best interest of the United States or his pocketbook.
Mr. President, don't forget your greatest ally: Israel!
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/408328
As someone who has long admired President Donald Trump for his unmatched support of Israel, I find myself at a rare and uncomfortable crossroads.
President Trump is, without question, the most pro-Israel American president in modern history. He moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, withdrew from the flawed Iran nuclear deal, and brokered the Abraham Accords—historic agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. For these actions, he earned both gratitude and admiration from millions of Jews and Christians around the world, myself included.
But this week, I was puzzled. And frankly, so were many others here in Isra
While President Trump toured Qatar and Saudi Arabia—receiving a jaw-dropping gift of a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet from the Qatari royal family—he did not make a stop in Israel. No diplomatic handshake in Jerusalem. No address to the Knesset. No symbolic nod to the Jewish state that has stood by him when few others did.
As a Newsmax contributor currently reporting from Israel, I’ve spoken with numerous Israelis—citizens, analysts, rabbis—who feel confused and even disappointed. These aren’t critics or fence-sitters. These are the very people who praised Trump as a modern-day Cyrus, a man raised up to defend the people of God and the land of Israel. Today, they’re asking: “Where is he now?”
To be clear: I don’t believe Donald Trump has abandoned Israel. I don’t believe he has turned his back on the Jewish people. But I do believe this moment demands clarity, and perhaps a little course correction.
President Trump, of all people, knows the power of perception. He built an entire political movement by cutting through the fog of double-speak and presenting reality plainly. That’s why this apparent snubbing of Israel stings.
Alternatives to knee replacement surgery
Although safe for healthy individuals and the gold standard for patients with knees as damaged as Herber’s, the procedure can be an arduous undertaking that requires up to a year for full recovery. Herber also knew that 20 percent of knee replacement patients are unhappy with their outcome. Even more ominous: A close friend died two weeks after the procedure of complications from an infection he developed because of the surgery.
Music prohibited
Music Lessons during Sefirah?
Trump’s Middle East gamble: Why sidelining Israel empowers Iran and Hamas
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkkesdxzgx
Qatar is the primary funder of the hate campaign on Ivy League campuses. If Qatar had invested in the Palestinians, the vast amounts of money it has given universities for their advocacy, all of the Palestinians would be living in big houses and owning farms or factories.
But the Palestinian flag is not in the service of the Palestinian people. It is in the service of progressives and Islamists. Qatar, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, is the source of the destructive ideology.
'If this were Biden, we'd be furious': Republicans slam Trump for Qatar 'bribe'
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro echoed these concerns. "Taking sacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, all the rest, that's not America First," Shapiro said. "I think if we switch the names to Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, we'd all be freaking out on the right. If you want President Trump to succeed, this kind of skeezy stuff needs to stop."
Even staunch Trump supporter Laura Loomer expressed reservations about the arrangement. "I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits," Loomer stated.
Trump’s Disgraceful ‘Palace in the Sky’
https://www.thefp.com/p/trumps-disgraceful-palace-in-the
And here, there is much more than the plane to report.
The number of conflicts of interest and fresh foreign business entanglements for the Trump family—especially Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric—since their father won the White House is quite something. Here is a partial list, limited to just the past few weeks.
The Qatari plane is not an exception but the rule for the second Trump administration so far. Both foreign friends and foes are now treating this as a pay-to-play presidency. Why else would Iran dangle a potential trillion-dollar economic opening in the early stages of nuclear talks?
This is precisely the kind of self-dealing in the executive branch that Congress is supposed to check and balance, according to our Constitution. But the Republican Party, so outraged over Hunter Biden’s corruption, has been mute. And the Democrats, for the most part, have been too busy screaming about every other Trump tweet and policy action to focus on the scandal in plain sight.
Trump’s free plane is not so free
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-qatar-air-force-one-taxpayer-costs-00342299
The aircraft would need to be torn down and rebuilt from the inside out — including overhauling electrical wiring, avionics and power systems — to install secure presidential communications, self-defense tech and electromagnetic shielding.
“The cost of a retrofit like this would likely be on the order of a heavy maintenance cycle for a VC-25A, which is in the tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars,” said former Air Force acquisitions chief Andrew Hunter.
Add to that the significant cost of sweeping the aircraft for software modifications or embedded foreign tech. “That’s not a trivial thing to do,” Hunter said. “That alone would cost tens of millions of dollars.”
Hamas Welcomes US-Israel Rift After Offering 'Goodwill Gesture' to Trump
https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-welcomes-us-israel-rift-after-offering-goodwill-gesture-trump-2071698
A senior Hamas official tells Newsweek that the Palestinian militant group saw "positive" potential in signs of a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after offering the U.S. leader a political win in the form of an American hostage release ahead of his Middle East trip.
"Given the unlimited support of the American administration for the entity, any disagreement between them would certainly be a positive development that would weaken Netanyahu's stubborn position and open the door to the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the war," Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Basem Naim told Newsweek.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Ben Shapiro, Laura Loomer lead rare MAGA backlash to Trump's Qatari jet
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/13/trump-qatar-plane-ben-shapiro-loomer
Top MAGA influencers Ben Shapiro, Laura Loomer and Mark Levin broke sharply with President Trump Monday over his decision to accept a $400 million private jet from the Qatari government.
The revolt marks one of the few times since Trump's return to power that key voices in his base have publicly questioned his judgment — revealing cracks in a MAGA coalition built on unwavering loyalty.
Haley on Trump’s Qatari jet: ‘If this were Biden, we would be furious’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5297853-nikki-haley-donald-trump-qatar-airplane/
Former GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley dinged President Trump on Tuesday over his decision to accept a palatial $400 million jet from Qatar to temporarily replace Air Force One.
“Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought,” Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s first term, wrote in a post on the social media platform X. “If this were [former President] Biden, we would be furious.”
Trump ceased attacks on Houthis due to op. costs, risks to US assets
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-853743
The ceasefire between the US and the Houthis announced by US President Donald Trump last week came due to the operation's costs and dangers to servicemen and equipment, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing US officials.
Operation Rough Rider, which began on March 15, during which the US said it struck over 1,000 targets, cost $1 billion in its first month, the NYT noted.
According to the report, CENTCOM defined the success of the operation by the amount of bombs dropped, while Intelligence officials noted the Houthis could re-establish themselves despite "some degradation."
Trump halted Houthi operation over lack of results
Trump wanted out of Houthi campaign as costs mounted with few results
The Trump administration has portrayed the ceasefire, which included no guarantees regarding continued attacks against Israel or other non-US assets, as a victory, claiming the Houthis sued for peace after being degraded by two months of intense strikes.
But according to the report, Trump had sought an off-ramp from the campaign after the Houthis continued to successfully resist US forces, who lost a number of Reaper drones and two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, giving the Pentagon 30 days to show results rather than pressing ahead with the original proposed plan for an eight- to 10-month engagement aimed at disabling the group. The paper, relying on unnamed former and current officials, reports that the campaign cost the US over $1 billion in its first month alone, and sparked fears that the US would be short munitions it could need to defend Taiwan against China, leading Trump to seek a way out.
Suicide: Attempted Is there an Obligation to save his Life?
Igros Moshe (YD 2:174.3) Question: Saving the life of an attempted suicide?Answer It is clear and obvious that you are obligated to save his life even if this involves profaning Shabbos!
The Great Trump Tariff Rollback
The President started a trade war with Adam Smith. He lost.
US, Hamas secured Edan Alexander's release through secret backchannel
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-853777
The secret backchannel that led to the release of Edan Alexander began when a senior Hamas official abroad contacted Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman and political activist, according to two senior Israeli officials, a senior Palestinian official, and a senior American official.
This was the first step in a covert diplomatic effort involving multiple governments and intermediaries, according to the officials.
The senior Hamas figure reached out to Bahbah in April to initiate a channel to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Though slow to build traction, the effort accelerated last week, a senior Israeli official said.
Trump puts an American First, and Israel rejoices
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-puts-an-american-first-and-israel-rejoices/
The freeing of Edan Alexander was a wonderful instance of US and Israeli interests overlapping. But Netanyahu was sidelined, and there is daylight between the two leaderships on a widening number of key issues, just as JD Vance had warned there would be
Education requires chastizing
Shemos Raba (2:1) NOW THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL, WHO CAME INTO EGYPT WITH JACOB; EVERY MAN CAME WITH HIS HOUSEHOLD (Shemos . I:1): Thus we read: He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (Mishlei 13:24). Ordinarily, if a man's friend says to him: ' So-and-so, smite your son, he is ready even to deprive him of his livelihood. Then why He that spareth his rod hateth his son? To teach you that anyone who refrains from chastising his son causes him to fall into evil ways and thus comes to hate him. This is what we find in the case of Ishmael who behaved wickedly before Abraham his father, but he did not chastise him, with the result that he fell into evil ways, so that he despised him and cast him forth empty-handed from his house. What did Ishmael do? When he was fifteen years old, he commenced to bring idols from the street, toyed with them and worshipped them as he had seen others do. So when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport she immediately said unto Abraham: Cast out this bondwoman and her son lest my son learn of his ways. Hence And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son, because he had become depraved. And God said unto Abraham: Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad a proof that Abraham was subsidiary to Sarah in the matter of prophecy. Presently we read: And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water... and sent her away, to teach you that he hated Ishmael because of his evil ways and sent him together with his mother Hagar away emptyhanded and expelled him from his house on this account. For otherwise, do you really think that Abraham, of whom it is written: And Abram was very rich in cattle, could send away his wife and son from his house empty-handed without clothes or means of livelihood? But this is to teach you that when Ishmael became depraved he ceased to think about him. What became of him in the end? After he had driven him out, he sat at the cross-roads, and robbed and molested passers-by, as it is said: And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man. Another example: Now Isaac loved Esau; hence because he did not chastise him, he became depraved. As we have learnt: On that day, Esau the wicked committed five transgressions. He seduced a betrothed maiden, killed a man, denied resurrection, rejected the fundamental principles of religion, and despised his birthright. Moreover, he longed for the death of his father and sought to slay his brother, as it is said: Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. He caused Jacob to flee from his father's home and he also went to Ishmael to learn of him evil ways and to get more wives, as it is said: So Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives that he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife. Similarly, because David did not rebuke or chastise his son Absalom, he fell into evil ways, seeking to slay his father, sleeping with his concubines, and becoming the cause of his wandering bare-footed and weeping, and of the slaughter of many thousands and tens of thousands of Israelites, as well as of other sorrows without end. For it is written: A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son and is followed by:Lord, how many are mine adversaries become!. Depravity in a man's family is more grievous even than the war of Gog and Magog!; for whereas in reference to the war of Gog and Magog it is written: Why are the nations in an uproar , in the case of Absalom it says: How many are mine adversaries. David treated Adonijah in a similar fashion, neither rebuking nor punishing him, and therefore he became depraved, as it is written: And his father had not grieved him all his life in saying: Why hast thou done so. And he was born after Absalom. Was not Absalom the son of Maachah, and Adonijah the son of Haggith? Then why And he was born after Absalom’? Only to show us that because Absalom had become corrupt on account of his father's failure to chastise him, while in the case of Adonijah we are told: ’And his father had not grieved him all his life,’ therefore he also became corrupt. On this account does it say: ’And he was born after Absalom. But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. This refers to G-d; because of His love for Israel, as it is written: I have loved you, saith the Lord, doth He heap upon them chastisements. You will find that the three precious gifts which God gave unto Israel were all given after much suffering: The Torah, Eretz Israel, and the Life to Come. The Torah, for it is written: Happy is the man whom Thou chastisest, O Lord, and teachest out of Thy Law. Eretz Israel,-for it is written: And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee, and see what is written after this: For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land. ' The Life to Come, -for it is written: For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction arethe way of life. But a father who chastises his son causes the son to have additional love for him and he honours him, as it is said: Correct thy son and he will give thee rest; yea, he will give delight unto thy soul, and it also says: Chasten thy son, for there is hope. He will increase the son's love for him, for it is said ’But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes; because he chasteneth him betimes, therefore doth he love him. You will find that Abraham chastened Isaac his son, and taught him Torah and to walk in his ways, for in reference to Abraham, it says:Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and it is written: And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begot Isaac, to teach you that he was like his father in all things: in beauty, wisdom, riches, and good deeds. You must know that Isaac was thirty-seven years old when his father was about to sacrifice him, yet though it says: And Abraham was old and advanced in years he bound him like a lamb and he did not restrain him; therefore And Avraham gave an that he had unto Isaac -a proof that He loveth him who chasteneth him betimes . Similarly, Isaac used to chasten Jacob betimes, for Isaac taught him Torah and rebuked him in the schoolhouse, as it is said: And Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. He learnt all that his father taught him and then separated from his father, and secluded himself in the house of Eber to study Torah; therefore did he merit the blessing, and inherited the land, as it is said: And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.Also Jacob, our ancestor, chastised his children and taught them of his ways, so that no dross should be in them; for thus it is written: NOW THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL, WHO CAME INTO EGYPT WITH JACOB. comparing them all to Jacob, because all of them were as righteous as he-a proof that ’He that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.