Jews had to be forced to accept G-d

 Netziv (Shemos 13:9): Don’t be surprised that G d requires us to do so many mitzvos and techniques to acquire bitachon and emuna  in G d’s Providence. The fact is that it is known that the Jews do not readily accept authority until they are forced as we see by the plagues. That is why G d took us out of Egypt with a strong hand because it was not easy for us to accept His dominance. This is seen in the medrash which discusses, “The Jews did not listen to Moshe because of their irritability and stress of their enslavement.”  The medrash explains that they didn’t want to listen because they were immersed in idol worship.  In other words, the medrash means that in fact they did not want to be redeemed.

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-israelis-are-so-happy-middle-east-lifestyle-e5be0e6a?mod=trending_now_opn_2

Israelis pursue happiness through family and community, by feeling rooted and having a sense of purpose. My son Yoni got married in Jerusalem midwar, while serving in the military reserves. He notes that “Israelis grow up with many outside influences, many adult role models, not just their parents. It starts with our large weddings, when you’re blessed to ‘build a faithful home in Israel.’ ”

That dance between the individual and the collective begins long before birth. It spawns Israelis’ high levels of “trust, benevolence, and social connections,” which, as the 2023 happiness report emphasized, nurture “well-being,” even “in times of crisis.” Alexis de Tocqueville called families the backbone of healthy democracies. Family inculcates loyalty, commitment and self-sacrifice. Belonging to communities—extended families—teaches citizens to care about and cooperate with others.

Some Sages are like G-d -Zohar

 Zohar (1:9b - 10a):  R’ Shimon replied: Your deduction that some Jewish sages are comparable to G‑d is in fact true. Only G‑d can resurrect the dead - yet we find that Eliyahu and Elisha resurrected the dead. Only G‑d can make it rain - yet Eliyahu controlled the rain through his prayer. G‑d made heaven and earth - yet they were firmly established for the sake of Avraham. G‑d determines the course of the sun - yet Yehoshua made it stand still. G‑d makes decrees but so did Moshe and they were fulfilled. Furthermore G‑d makes decrees which are nullified by the tzadikim as we learn from Shmuel 2 23:3). In addition G‑d commanded them to literally follow in His ways and to be like Him in every way.

Trump’s $175 Million Bond Is Even Shadier Than It Looks

 Trump’s $175 Million Bond Is Even Shadier Than It Looks

The little-known insurance company that rescued Donald Trump by providing a last-minute $175 million bank fraud bond isn’t just unlicensed in New York; it hasn’t even been vetted by a voluntary state entity that would verify it meets minimum “eligibility standards” to prove financial stability.

Perhaps even more troubling, the legal document from Knight Specialty Insurance Company doesn’t actually promise it will pay the money if the former president loses his $464 million bank fraud case on appeal. Instead, it says Trump will pay, negating the whole point of an insurance company guarantee, according to three legal and bond experts who reviewed the contract for The Daily Beast.

“This is not common… the only reason this would be done is to limit the liability to the surety,” said N. Alex Hanley, an expert in how companies appeal enormous judgments.

Koheles can be Misunderstood

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad HaKemach Avel):  Among the verses in Koheles which seem to be contrary to the faith is this one (Koheles 9:11) which says that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the might … but rather it is determined by the stars. … Nevertheless in fact this statement is the very essence of faith. It is to be understood as saying that one’s talents alone do not bring about success but rather it is a result of merit which is earned. It is only because of their merit that they are provided with the opportunity and other factors which lead to success. Thus every successful endeavor for peace and prosperity in this world is determined by the person’s merit. Similarly failure is the result of deserved punishment. The proper Torah attitude is to ascribe the peace and prosperity that comes to others as being the result of their merit or that of their ancestors. The peace and prosperity of the person himself is to be viewed as the result of G d’s mercy. He is not to view ascribe his success either to the stars or his own merit because one should consider himself to be wicked or a sinner even if he is in fact righteous. It is correct to ascribe all bad happenings - whether to himself or to others - as being the result of sin and not accident.

Amazon faces backlash for selling Sinwar's jihadist bildungsroman

 https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bkcu44ygc

International booksellers including Amazon incurred outrage on Friday when it emerged that their catalogues include a novel by one Yahya Al-Sinwar, the Hamas leader regarded as the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre. 

CRISIS ON ALL FRONTS

 https://mishpacha.com/crisis-on-all-fronts/

Looking forward, with the Rafah operation yet to begin and the northern front heating up, Israel finds itself in a difficult situation. With fragile American support and sweeping international condemnation, it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel — both in Gaza and in Washington. Can we say that this week, Israel lost the support of the United States, at least at the UN?

“Absolutely not. This is a friendly administration headed by a pro-Israel president with a résumé of 40 years of support for Israel, in every political role he’s played, and we’ve seen this in almost every way since October 7. There are a set of considerations here that led to a wrong and damaging decision. But I hope it will stop there, because our relationship with the United States is Israel’s most important diplomatic asset, certainly in the UN, and it’s important to maintain that.”

Details Emerge of Trump’s ‘Secret’ Plan to End Ukraine War

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/details-emerge-of-trumps-secret-plan-to-end-ukraine-war?ref=home

Donald Trump’s mystery plan that he has boasted would end the war in Ukraine in one day is to pressure that country to give up its territory to Russia, people familiar with the plan told the Washington Post. That move would be catastrophic, foreign policy experts warned, because it would effectively reward Russia for violating international law by invading Ukraine and forcefully seizing its land. “Trump’s comments encouraging Russia to do whatever it wants with our European allies are among the most unsettling and dangerous statements made by a major party candidate for president,” Tom Donilon, an Obama-era national security adviser, told the Post. “His position represents a clear and present danger to U.S. and European security.” Trump, a notorious Putin admirer, has gone out of his way not to criticize the Russian leader for the death of political opponent Alexei Navalny or the detention on bogus charges of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and has also pushed alarming pro-Russian propaganda like the claim that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election.

Top Republican warns pro-Russia messages are echoed ‘on the House floor’

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/07/russian-propaganda-republicans-congress/

Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Sunday that it was “absolutely true” that some Republican members of Congress were repeating Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine instigated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turner did not specify which members he was referring to, but he said he agreed with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), who said in an interview with Puck News last week that Russian propaganda had “infected a good chunk of my party’s base” and suggested that conservative media was to blame.

In Six Months, Everything Has Changed for Israel

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-six-months-everything-has-changed-for-israel-5c5130e9?mod=hp_lead_pos1

In six months, the world has turned upside down for this small nation. On Oct. 7—or Black Sabbath, as Israelis now call it—the Jewish state experienced a fundamental shock that upended its sense of security and belief in the strength of its military. It responded with a heavy-handed invasion of Gaza that in much of the world’s eyes left it the aggressor and its attackers the victims. The resulting isolation could be more of a threat to its future than the attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7. 

“Israel’s longevity is in question for the first time since its birth,” said Benny Morris, an Israeli historian. The only time Israel faced a similar existential threat, he said, was in its war for independence in 1948, when it battled five Arab countries and local Palestinian militias. 

Trump Defends His “Very Fine People on Both Sides” Remark: I Was Talking About Robert E. Lee Fans

 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/04/trump-very-fine-people-charlottesville-defense.html

Technically, Trump had mentioned Lee—later on, after he had already weathered a backlash for his initial comments. The press conference in which he first drew moral equivalence between anti-racist protesters and avowed white supremacists came on Aug. 12. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides,” he said, placing an emphasis on the last three words. He repeated: “On many sides.”

This argument did not reflect the reality of the situation—there were white supremacists shouting “white lives matter” and “Jews will not replace us.” Instead, he attempted to reduce this violent hatred to an issue of statue preservation.

Anti-Semitism is the result of chareidi behavior.

 https://mishpacha.com/keep-the-future-in-focus/

The anti-Semitism all around us is a wake-up call from Hashem. He caused the entire world to point an accusing finger at the Jewish People. Anti-Semites hate us not for what we do, but for who we are. They can’t tolerate the Jewish character that makes us Jews.

It stands to reason, then, that Hashem wants more from us than fine-tuning our halachic performance. We have many mitzvos that need improvement, and character traits to refine. But this surge of anti-Semitism calls for an avodah that’s more fundamental than our actions or even our middos. The Jewish character is under attack; and Hashem is showing us we need to mend the cracks in our Jewish character.

Rambam is inconsistent?

 Rambam (De'os 1:5) A person who carefully [examines] his [behavior],1 and therefore deviates slightly from the mean2 to either side is called pious.What is implied?4 One who shuns pride5 and turns to the other extreme6 and carries himself lowly is called pious. This is the quality of piety.7 However, if he separates himself [from pride] only to the extent that he reaches the mean and displays humility, he is called wise. This is the quality of wisdom.8 The same applies with regard to other character traits.

Rambam (De'os 2:3) There are temperaments with regard to which a man is forbidden to follow the middle path. He should move away from one extreme and adopt the other. Among these is arrogance. If a man is only humble, he is not following a good path. Rather, he must hold himself lowly and his spirit very unassuming. That is why Numbers 12:3 describes our teacher Moses as "very humble" and not simply "humble". Therefore, our Sages directed: "Hold oneself very, very lowly." Also, they declared: "Whoever is arrogant is as if he denied God's presence, as implied by Deuteronomy 8:14: 'And your heart will be haughty and you will forget God, your Lord.' Furthermore, they said: "Whoever is arrogant should be placed under a ban of ostracism. This applies even if he is only somewhat arrogant."

This contradiction was noted by the Lechem Mishna

Avodas HaMelech (01:05) ואם נתרחק עד האמצע בלבד ויהיה עניו נקרא חכם וזו היא מדת חכמה. ועי' לח"מ שתמה ע"ז טובא דהא בפרק שאח"ז כתב רבינו שאסור לנהוג במדת הענוה במדה בינונית ועוד תמיהות, ועי' מ"ש ישוב הדברים לקמן בפ"ב ה"ג. 

Talmid Chachom needs Some Arrogance

Maharsha (Sota 5a)

 ת"ח צריך שיהא בו אחד משמנה בשמינית. יראה לפרש שלא ישפיל הת"ח עצמו יותר מדאי משום כבוד התורה באחד ממעלותיה שהם שמנה שנאמרו בשמינית שהוא תמניא אפי כמ"ש המפרשים שע"ש מעלות התורה שהם שמנה נאמר זה המזמור כן בתמניא אפי. ואהא קאמר ומעטרא ליה כסאסאה לשובלתא לפי שהמתגאה שלא לש"ש אמרו שם דכראש שבלת ימלו דהיינו כסאסאה דשובלתא אבל המתגאה בקצת לש"ש בכבוד התורה אדרבא מעטרא ליה כבוד התורה תהיה לו לעטרה בראשו כסאסאה לשובלתא ובדרך צחות שמעתי שמנה בשמינית שהוא חלק ס"ד שאז לא יגיע לו (אלא) חלק אחד מג"ס שהוא גס הרוח וק"ל: