“The problem of curcumin’s absorption has been enthusiastically addressed by a number of supplement companies and researchers,” says Wyatt Brown, a researcher at examine.com. “They typically do this by packaging it in highly absorbable lipids of various types so that more of it gets into the body.”
Monday, May 23, 2022
'No one's paying any attention': The week that Republicans ignored Trump's election lies
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/22/republicans-ignored-trumps-election-lies-00034242
Ever since the 2020 election, the Republican Party has been transfixed by Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was “rigged,” a falsehood large majorities of Republicans still believe. It’s an obsession that has animated primary campaigns across the country. And it will almost certainly resurface in the general election, when Republicans are running against Democrats, not one another.
Yet in Pennsylvania, Trump’s earliest effort to graft his 2020 complaints onto ballot counting in a midterm primary is falling flat. MAGA hard-liners who’ve lost primaries in other states in recent weeks have not contested the results. And when the primary calendar turns to Georgia on Tuesday, Trump’s election conspiracy crusade is likely to take another hit.
Secrets of the Cave of the Patriarchs
https://aish.com/secrets-of-the-cave-of-the-patriarchs/
A 600-page doctoral thesis composed over the past eight years by Dr. Noam Arnon, reveals and explores the details of these visits, and much more. Arnon's research covers a period of 2,500 years in the history of the site, and, like his previous works on the Cave of the Patriarchs, deals with a broad complex of geographical, geological, archaeological, and Jewish and historical sources, that were not all available to those researching the cave in the past.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
The rise and rise of the Strictly Orthodox
https://www.thejc.com/judaism/all/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-strictly-orthodox-6H0fjFJI1wWsbutnRVUOFV
And more internationally, expect Charedi advocates to flex their religious muscles on issues like the egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall. Israel’s fragile coalition has yet again stalled on the long-delayed implementation of an extension of the egalitarian area, which would give it acess from the main Kotel plaza, for fear of provoking an Orthodox backlash.
For many Progressive Jews, this remains a touchstone issue that symbolises a commitment to religious diversity in Judaism. But pluralism remains anathema to the Charedim and they will not accept it quietly.
Trump shares CPAC Hungary platform with notorious racist and antisemite
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/21/trump-shares-cpac-hungary-platform-racist-antisemite
When he was awarded the Hungarian order of merit in 2016 by the country’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, the star speaker on the first day of CPAC Hungary on Thursday, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum protested, saying it “reflects the longstanding refusal of the leadership of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party to distance itself from Bayer, in spite of Bayer’s repeated pattern of racist, xenophobic, antisemitic, and anti-Roma incitement”.
Hungarian journalist who called Jews ‘stinking excrement’ addresses CPAC conference
The two-day conference featured speeches from former US president Donald Trump; Fox News host Tucker Carlson; Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows; and Republican lawmakers from Florida and Maryland.
Gur Hassidic factions fight for second night in a row, clash with police
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-707329
Clashes broke out between members of the Gur Hassidic sect in Jerusalem for the second night in a row on Saturday evening.
Israel Police arrived and attempted to use crowd dispersal methods to break up the crowd.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Female Jewish leaders sue Haredi news site for blurring their faces
https://www.timesofisrael.com/female-jewish-leaders-sue-haredi-news-site-for-blurring-their-faces/
A branch of the Reform Movement in Israel is suing a popular ultra-Orthodox news website in Jerusalem over its policy of blurring the faces of women.
The Israel Religious Action Center said Wednesday it was seeking NIS 345,000 ($100,000) in damages from the Behadrei Haredim website for a picture it ran last year of female leaders of Jewish movements meeting with President Isaac Herzog, in which the faces of the women were digitally smudged.
The photo in question was published on Behadrei Haredim in December 2021. Initially, IRAC demanded that Behadrei Haredim publish the original photo and pay NIS 50,000 in compensation for each woman appearing in the photo. When the website refused, the group began preparing the lawsuit.
Hospitals strike after relatives of deceased patients attack staff
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-707077
A day-long hospital strike was announced on Thursday in response to a series of violent attacks against hospital staff, including one at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya on Wednesday and another at Hadassah University Medical Center at Mount Scopus on Monday.
Modern Orthodox ,moderate in passion
Yeshiva University President Rabbi Norman Lamm has often said that modern Orthodoxy”s central problem today is that its adherents tend to be moderate about their passions, rather than passionate about their moderation.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Blemished Gedolim IV
Ramban (Bereishis 12:10) Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that G-d would save him and his wife and all his belongings for G-d surely has the power to help and to save. His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine G-d would redeem him from death. It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children.
Failure of rabbinical leadership to see the consequences of their actions
Mesilas Yeshorim(Chapter 20): It is important to understand that one should not view an act of piety according to its initial consequences but he should examine and think about also the long-term consequences. That is because an action might initially look good but according to its consequences it is bad – so therefore he should avoid it. If he does it anyway, he is a sinner not a pious person. For example consider the incident with Gedalial ben Achichem. It is clear to us that because of his great piety he did not judge Yishmael for the bad and did not accept lashon harah…. The consequences were that he was killed and the Jewish people were dispersed in exile and the flicker of hope that remained – was extinguished. In fact the people that were killed as a result of his actions have been described as if he personally killed them. … We also find that the Second Temple was destroyed because of this type of unthinking piety. This was the incident of Bar Kamtza. It says in Gittin (56a) that the Rabbis thought that they should offer the blemished animal as a sacrifice. But R’ Zechariya ben Avkulas told them that they could not - because people would say that it is permissible to sacrifice a blemished animal. They said so we should kill this animal so it can’t be sacrificed. He replied that people will mistakenly think whenever a blemish is found in a sanctified animal it should be killed. Thus the animal was not sacrificed and the informer went to the Roman government and told them that the had Jews refused to offer the sacrifice. The Emperor came and destroyed Jerusalem. Thus the gemora concludes, “Because of the humility of R’ Zechariya, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed and the Jews were sent in to Exile.” Thus we should not judge an act of piety solely by itself. We need to examine it carefully from all the perspectives that a person can think of until he judges it truly as to whether doing the deed is preferable to not doing it. This is found more commonly with the mitzva of chastisement (Vayikra 19:17). Many times a person will chastise another at a place or time when his words won’t be listened to and this will cause the person to strength his wicked behavior. In such a case the chastisement is not an act of piety but rather he should remain silent. That is why our Sages say (Yevamos 65b): Just as it is a mitzva to say chastisement when it will be heard it is also a mitzva not to say it when it won’t be heard. Thus while it is obvious that all Jews should be enthusiastic and run to do mitzva and to try to be involved in them – but there are times when this can lead to fights which actually debase the mitzva and causes a desecration of heaven. In such cases it is clear that the pious person should not try to do the mitzva and even avoid it – rather than causes a profanation of G‑d name.
[1] מסילת ישרים (פרק כ): והנה מה שצריך להבין הוא כי אין לדון דברי החסידות על מראיהן הראשון, אלא צריך לעיין ולהתבונן עד היכן תולדות המעשה מגיעות, כי לפעמים המעשה בעצמו יראה טוב, ולפי שהתולדות רעות יתחייב להניחו, ולו יעשה אותו יהיה חוטא ולא חסיד. הנה מעשה גדליה בן אחיקם גלוי לעינינו שמפני רוב חסידותו שלא לדון את ישמעאל לכף חובה או שלא לקבל לשון הרע, אמר ליוחנן בן קרח שקר אתה דובר על ישמעאל (ירמיה מ'), ומה גרם? גרם שמת הוא ונפזרו ישראל וכבה גחלתם הנשארה, וכבר ייחס הכתוב הריגת אנשים אשר נהרגו אליו כאילו הרגם הוא, .... והבית השני גם הוא חרב ע"י חסידות כזה אשר לא נשקל במשקל צדק - במעשה דבר קמצא, אמרו (גיטין נו.): סבור רבנן לקרוביה, א"ל רבי זכריה בן אבקולס יאמרו בעלי מומין קריבין לגבי מזבח, סבור למקטליה א"ל רזב"א יאמרו מטיל מום בקדשים יהרג, בין כך ובין כך הלך אותו הרשע והלשין את ישראל, בא הקיסר והחריב ירושלים, והוא מה שאמר ר"י על זה: ענותנותו של ר' זכריה החריבה את ביתנו ושרפה את היכלנו והגליתנו. הרי לך שאין לדון בחסידות המעשה באשר הוא שם לבד, אך צריך לפנות כה וכה לכל הצדדין שיוכל שכל האדם לראות, עד שידון באמת איזה יכשר יותר העשיה או הפרישה. הנה התורה צותה (ויקרא יט:יז): "הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך", וכמה פעמים יכנס אדם להוכיח חטאים במקום או בזמן שאין דבריו נשמעים וגורם להם להתפרץ יותר ברשעם ולחלל ה' להוסיף על חטאתם פשע, הנה בכיוצא בזה אינו מן החסידות אלא לשתוק. וכך אמרו ז"ל (יבמות סה:): כשם שמצוה לומר דבר הנשמע, כך מצוה שלא לומר את שאינו נשמע. ראה פשוט הוא שראוי לכל אדם להיות מקדים ורץ לדבר מצוה ולהשתדל להיות מן העוסקים בה, אך הנה לפעמים יכול להולד מזה מריבה שיותר תתבזה המצוה, ויתחלל בה שם שמים ממה שיתכבד, בכיוצא בזה ודאי שחייב החסיד להניח את המצוה ולא לרדוף אחריה.
Blemished Gedolim III
Rambam (Shemonah Perakim #7): You should know that every prophet only experienced prophecy after he has acquired all the appropriate personality traits… Chazal indicated this by saying that “Prophecy only manifests itself in one who is wise, strong and rich.” … Strength here is referring to moral strength not physical strength as we find in Avos (4:1), “Who is strong? He who controls his passions.” However prophecy is not conditional on these personality traits being perfect. We see that even though Shlomo HaMelech was a prophet nevertheless he possessed imperfections as we see by his desires i.e., his many wives… We also see that David HaMelech was a prophet in spite of acting cruelly. Even though this cruelty was only manifested against idol worship and heretics and he was merciful with Jews, nevertheless G‑d said that because of this imperfection he was not allowed to build the Temple. We find that Eliyahu had a problem with anger - even though it was directed entirely to heretics - our Sages tells us that he was consequently not fit to be a leader nor was his zealotry appropriate for others to emulate. We find Shmuel also manifested failings in his fear of Shaul and Yaakov in his fear of Esav. These type of improper attributes are a barrier against a prophet getting close to G‑d. The more imperfection the greater distance is created. Consequently the imperfection can diminish the quality of prophecy or eliminate it altogether…
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