Talent is from G-d

 Derashos HaRan (#10): The Jews were first commanded concerning two things. 1) Not to view their success as resulting from their own strength and abilities. 2) Not to view their conquest of Israel as being the result of their merit... While it is true that people vary in their talents and abilities, e.g., some are more intelligent than others while others are more skilled at making money than others. Therefore the rich man might say that he succeeded because of his inherent abilities. In order to forestall this conclusion, G d therefore said that it is important to remember that He is the source of this ability... One cannot deny that talent is critical to achieve success but one must never forget that talent is G d given.

Abarbanel (Devarim 8:1): Moshe did not want to reject the necessity of competence for success but provide the context for understanding its importance. Therefore he said: Remember He is the one who gave you strength to succeed. After all how can one deny the role of strength in farming and caring for cattle and property. These means to success cannot be denied since they are so self-evident. However the truth is that a person is the cause of his success but is the intermediary cause not the initial cause. It is critical that a person realize that while his efforts and talents are needed for success but G d is the provider of the conditions for success. 

Ramban (Devarim 8:18): But you should remember G d for it is He who gives you the power to succeed… It is well known that the Jews are powerful heroic soldiers in battle as we see they are compared to lions and wolves. Nevertheless they were defeated in battle by the kings of Canaan. Therefore the Torah tells us that if you think that your strength and own efforts are the sole basis for success - you should remember the redemption from Egypt. At that time you had no strength or capabilities at all. Furthermore you should remember in the desolate desert where there is no chance of natural survival - G d provided all your needs. Consequently you should understand from these facts - that even when you when you have strength - it is in fact G d who is provided this strength. If you forget this then G d will remove your strength and you will be defeated as other have. That is because whoever deserts G d is obliterated…

Dovid did not rely on Divine Promises

 Akeidas Yitzchok (#26): Who was greater than Dovid the anointed king and beloved of G d. Despite the fact that he had promised security by the prophet, he struggled with all his natural ability to save himself from his enemies and from Shaul. He did not rely on the Divine promises because he knew that G d’s rescue and promises does not apply as long as it is possible to be saved by natural means. This is true even if the natural means are debasing such as his feigning insanity and let saliva drip on his beard to escape his enemies. Failure to use all natural means is indicative of laziness. It is only after totally exhausting every possible natural option - and the situation appeared hopeless - do we find that he prayed that G d rescue him

War conducted in natural way - except for tzadikim

 Ramban (Job 36:7): He doesn’t withdraw His eyes from the righteous. … Because most of the world is intermediary between the totally righteous and the totally wicked, the Torah commanded that soldiers be utilized for defense and that a priest be anointed for war. This priest is to reject soldiers who are afraid and would therefore undermine the courage of the others. We also find in the Torah and Prophets that battles were conducted on the basis of careful battle tactics. For example Dovid asked G d about the battle and he was told: Do not go up. Rather you should circle around behind them … And draw them to Mt Tabor and take ten thousand men with you. If they really had been meritorious they could have gone out to battle with a few people and been victorious without any weapons. If they had deserved defeat than no amount of soldiers would have helped. In this case they had to fight the battle in a totally natural way. This matter is explained well by the Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 3:18 and 3:50).

Ramban (Bamidbar 13:2): When the Jewish people requested that spies be sent out to know the roads to the cities in the normal manner of military conquest and that they obtain information as to which city to attack first and which side to start the attack - all this was totally appropriate to do. In fact we see that Moshe himself sent out spies later (Bamidbar 21:32) and Yehoshua did also (Yehoshua 2:1). Thus this request was received favorably by Moshe since one is not to rely on miracles but when engaged in warfare it is necessary to carefully plan strategies and tactics. We see this also in the conquest of the city of Ai in which G d Himself commanded that the conquest be done by ambush. We see this in many places. Therefore Moshe consulted with G d concerning the spies and was given permission to send them to obtain information on how to proceed with the conquest. 

Israel Plans for Next Phase of Gaza War, Defense Minister Says

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israels-yoav-gallant-we-are-fighting-an-axis-not-a-single-enemy-2408ef96

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said the scale and severity of the Oct. 7 assault on Israel by Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas deeply shook Israelis’ sense of security and profoundly altered the way they view the world around them.

“October 7 was the bloodiest day for Jewish people since 1945,” Gallant, a general-turned-politician, told The Wall Street Journal. “The world needs to understand. This is different.”

White House: US is not currently in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/383344

National Security Spokesperson John Kirby clarifies Biden's comments, says US does not support a ceasefire at this time because it would only benefit Hamas.

Talmid Chochom's Children

 Nedarim (81a) And why is it not usual for scholars to give birth to sons who are scholars? — Said R. Joseph, That it might not be maintained, The Torah is their legacy. R. Shisha, the son of R. Idi, said: That they should not be arrogant towards the community. Mar Zutra said: Because they act high-handedly against the community. R. Ashi said: Because they call people asses. Rabina said: Because they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah. 

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Trump Claims Near Limitless Power in D.C. Immunity Hearing

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-claims-near-limitless-power-in-dc-immunity-hearing?ref=home?ref=home

Donald Trump’s lawyers argued before the D.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday that a president’s powers are so unlimited and unchecked by the law that he could literally order SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival and never face criminal prosecution so long as he wasn’t impeached by Congress.

Cops clash with dozens of Orthodox men in synagogue as riot breaks out over secret underground tunnel

 https://nypost.com/2024/01/09/news/riot-breaks-out-after-secret-tunnel-is-found-under-brooklyn-chabad/

A riot broke out in a historic Brooklyn synagogue when a group of rebellious Orthodox men tried to stop police and construction crews from filling in a secret tunnel they illegally dug to reach a closed-down women’s bath.

The enraged men, thought to be mostly in their teens and early 20s, were filmed tearing down wood panels and wooden support beams Monday at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights.

Secret Tunnel Under New York Synagogue Sparks Chaotic Scenes

 https://www.newsweek.com/secret-tunnel-new-york-synagogue-students-fill-chaotic-protest-unsafe-1858925

Officers with the New York Police Department were called to the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on Monday afternoon after "a group of individuals unlawfully entered" the building by damaging a wall, an NYPD spokesperson told Newsweek.

Jerusalem teen terrorist wanted to be a Hamas 'martyr,' left note

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-781448

Israel Police successfully located and arrested a 14-year-old girl who intended to carry out a terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, police said.

According to police, a 14-year-old resident of east Jerusalem left a "farewell" letter near a house in the Old City, where she expressed a desire to be recognized as a martyr and indicated her support for the Hamas terrorist organization.

ChatGPT avoids Muslim jokes, but antisemitic ones are fine

 https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/byyqyxf006

Popular AI chatbot consistently refuses to tell jokes about Muslims but easily cooperates when asked for jokes about Jews, even incorporating antisemitic stereotypes

Bitachon today - Rav Lichtenstein

The phenomenon is clear: the equilibrium between the two aspects of trust has been lost by the Religious Zionist community in Israel. This fact was and is reflected in our educational system. We inculcated the ideas of faithful trust, redemption, hope and expectation very well, but neglected to teach the values of loving trust, of cleaving to God without hesitation under all circumstances. We did not fortify our children or ourselves concerning the possibility of crises, conveying that the song to God must be sung even on the rivers of Babylon. We did not allow ourselves to wrestle with the possibility of national setbacks.

We taught our students about the “human comedy” but never about the “human tragedy,” on either the individual or the collective plane. We did succeed in nurturing the younger generation to be ready and willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of the nation and the land. All of this was accomplished, however, while riding a wave of optimism, that all would work out because the process of redemption was unfolding. The engine of this process was faithful trust, and it found expression on the individual as well as on the national level.

I fear, however, that today we are beginning to pay the price for this skewing of values, and now is the time to rectify the error. Our obligation is to redirect our focus to embrace loving trust, to acknowledge that we are ready to hold tight to God because He is our steadfast Rock, and let the chips fall where they may. We must deal with the tragic dimension of trust, to renew the spirit of “Though He may slay me, still I will trust in Him.” This expresses the essence of Jewish trust in the face of tragic situations.

Critics say US colleges’ double standards let rabid antisemitism thrive on campus

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/critics-say-us-colleges-double-standards-let-rabid-antisemitism-thrive-on-campus/

“The school would not, and should not, tolerate menacing conduct aimed at Blacks or Latinos or the LGBTQ community. We want one standard applied equally to all,” said Schwab, the founder and managing partner of Kronor Capital.