Troubles caused by Judges of Israel

 Shabbos (139a) If you see a generation overwhelmed by many troubles, go forth and examine the judges of Israel, for all retribution that comes to the world comes only on account of the Judges of Israel, as it is said, Hear this, I pray you ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, etc. They are wicked, but they place their confidence in Him Who decreed, and the world came into existence. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring three punishments upon them answering to the three sins which they cultivate, as it is said, Therefore shall Zion for your sake be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. And the Holy One, blessed be He, will not cause His Divine presence to rest upon Israel until the wicked judges and officers cease out of Israel, for it is said, And I will turn my hand upon thee, and thoroughly purge away thy dross, and will take away all thy tin. And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning, etc.

שו"ת משנה הלכות חלק יד סימן קעא

וכבר כתבתי בדרך אפשר וחשבתי דרכי איזה חטא מעכב ביאת משיח צדקינו, אחר שעברנו כל הצרות הגדולות והחורבן הגדול באבדון ששת מיליון מאחב"י וראיתי שהחטא היותר גדול בישראל הוא ע"ז ח"ו וכל המודה בה כופר בכל התורה כולה ואפי' מקיים מצות בכל פרטיה ודקדוקיה ומודה בע"ז הרי כופר בעיקר ואינו בכלל ישראל והחטא המסתעף והדומה לו הוא הליכה בערכאות של גוים שהוא מאבזרייהו דע"ז וכמ"ש חז"ל (גיטין פ"ח) והובא ברש"י פ' משפטים שהמביא דיני ישראל לפני ארמיים (גויים) מחלל את השם ומיקר שם האלילים להשביחם שנאמר (דברים ל"ב) כי לא כצורנו צורם ואויבנו פלילים כשאויבנו פלילים זבו עדות לעלוי יראתם. ולפי שבאו אנשי כנה"ג ובטלו יצרא דע"ז (יומא ס"ט ע"ב) מ"מ נשאר יצרא דע"ז לגבי ערכאות של גויים ומשפטיהם בעונ"ה. 

ובגמ' (שבת קל"ט ע"א) תניא רבי יוסי בן אלישע אומר אם ראית דור שצרות רבות באות עליו צא ובדוק בדייני ישראל שכל פרעניות שבאה לעולם לא באה אלא בשביל דייני ישראל שנאמר שמעו נא זאת ראשי בית יעקב וקציני בית ישראל המתעבים משפט וגו' (מיכה ג') אמר רב פפא אי בטלי יהירי בטלי אמגושי אי בטלי דייני בטלי גזירפטי ופרש"י בטלי דייני רשעים מישראל שמטין דין, בטלי מעל ישראל גזירפטי, נוגשי שוטרי עובדי כוכבים ע"ש. ונראה פשוט דקאי אדייני ישראל אשר הם המתירין ומזרזין ללכת לערכאות של עכו"ם ולכן שוטרי עו"כ ונוגשיהם שולטין עליהם בעונ"ה כמו שראינו בדורינו בעונ"ה שכל בית ישראל חרדים לדבר ה' ושומרי התורה וכשיש להם מו"מ בין אדם לחבירו וצריכין לדון ביניהם או בין איש לאשתו הולכין מיד לערכאות ולבית משפטי העכו"ם וכיון שהם חרדים הולכין לאיזה ראביי הקורא עצמו דיין ומתירין להם הליכות בית המשפט ש"ג ועי"ז שוטרי העכו"ם ושופטיהם משתלטים על בית ישראל וצרות רבות באות עליהם. 

והנני כותב זה מפני שעיני ראו כמה זה הקילו במצוה זו וקלקלו דוקא הרבנים והדיינים שהם מחמירין ומקפידין על דבר קטן, ולהתיר ללכת לבית ע"ז ונאמר אלך ואעבוד ע"ז זה מדברים הקלים והקטנים אצלם, ובעונ"ה כבר באו דברים לידי מעשה אשר ראו עיני בשביל דברים אלו עברו על ע"ז וג"ע ושפ"ד מתחילה התירו לאשה ללכת לערכאות שהוא ע"ז ואח"כ התירו ג"ע שהשופט הכריח את הבעל ליתן גט לאשתו בע"כ הן ע"י החוק שחקקו להכריח והן ע"י עונשים שמטיל עליו ומטיל עליו תשלומין אשר אין בידו לעמוד נגדן ובע"כ נותן לה גט פטורין והוא מן הדין לא חייב לגרשה והו"ל עשוי ליתן גט ע"י עכו"ם שלא מן הדין הרי התירו עריות שהוא גילוי עריות, ואח"כ לא הי' לבעל לשלם את כל ההוצאות שהטילו עליו התירו לה ללכת לערכאות שנית בהסכמת הרבנים ולא עוד אלא שאחד מהם בא להעיד לפני השופט שיש לבעל כסף אלא שאינו רוצה לשלם והשופט צוה להכניסו לבית האסורים ולהסגירו בבית האסורים בתוא מכמר לששה חדשים שהוא בכלל רציחה ממש ושפכ"ד. והנני כותב זה ומעיד שכן כבר קרה בכמה מקרים, אוי נא לנו כי חטאנו ונתקיים בנו ויתערבו בגוים וילמדו מעשיהם בעונ"ה. 

Chazal's source of knowledge

  Megila (18a) Rosh HaShanna (26b) In a certain place which Levi happened to visit, a man came before him and said , So-and-so has kaba'ed me. He did not know what he meant, so he went and enquired in the Beth Hamidrash. They said to him: He wanted to say to you, has robbed me, as it is written, Will man rob God? Raba from Barnish said to R. Ashi: Had I been there, I should have said to him, How did he kaba you, in what did he kaba you, why did he kaba you, and so I should have found out from his answers. Levi, however, thought that he meant some kind of offence. The Rabbis did not know what was meant by serugin till one day they heard the maidservant of Rabbi's household, on seeing the Rabbis enter at intervals, say to them, How long are you going to come in by serugin?The Rabbis did not know what was meant by haluglugoth till one day they heard the handmaid of the household of Rabbi, on seeing a man peeling portulaks, say to him, How long will you be peeling your haluglugoth? The Rabbis did not know what was meant by salselehah and it shall exalt thee. One day they heard the handmaid of the household of Rabbi say to a man who was curling his hair, How long will you be mesalselwith your hair?The Rabbis did not know what was meant by we-tetethia bematate of destruction, till one day they heard the handmaid of the household of Rabbi say to her companion, Take the tatitha [broom] and tati [sweep] the house. The Rabbis did not know what was meant by Cast upon the Lord thy yehab and he shall sustain thee. Said Rabbah b. Bar Hanah: One day I was travelling with an Arab and was carrying a load, and he said to me, Lift up your yehab and put it on one of the camels.

Chazal learned from an Arab

 Gra (Kol Eliyahu Rosh HaShanna 26b): “Our sages did not know the meaning of the verse (Tehilim 58:23): Cast your yahava on G d… Raba Bar Bar Channa was carrying a burden and an Arab said : Place your yahava on my camels.” This seems astounding. How is it possible that our sages did not know the meaning of yahava and the Arab did? The explanation is that they had had a doubt concerning bitachon as to whether a person must first act with his intelligence and then have bitachon that G d would provide that which is good for him or whether it is totally unnecessary to rely at all on one’s own deeds and intelligence. They said that of course a person should make intelligent efforts first and also have bitachon. But this understanding seemed to contradict the verse in Tehilim (58:23) which should have said needs instead of yahava. However this was resolved when they saw that an Arab had asked Raba Bar Bar Channa to place his burden on his camel without charge. Normally Raba Bar Bar Channa should have had to pay the Arab to transport his burden. Therefore since the reverse occurred, they concluded that if it is decreed in Heaven then the service is not only free but the service is offered without being requested. Therefore the word yahava - which means something which normally is paid for - is appropriate. Thus one should rely on G d for everything and it will be provided without pay or effort.

Exclusive Torah Study is not for everyone - Mishna Berurah

 Biur Halacha (156:1): Torah study without work becomes lost & causes sin -  The seforim write that this rule is addressed to the masses since not everyone is able to have the merit to exist on the high level to be involved exclusively with Torah study. However, there are always individuals who are in fact able to devote themselves totally to Torah study. [This is what is mentioned in Berachos 35b, “Many did like R’ Shimon Bar Yochai and they were not successful in Torah. That means that the masses were not successful in exclusive Torah study – but there were individuals who were]. And G d will surely provide them with a livelihood as the Rambam (Hilchos Shemitta chapter 13) wrote, “And not just the tribe of Levi alone…”  And it is obvious that if there already exist men who wish to support them in order that they devote themselves to Torah study that this directive to combine work and Torah study is not relevant. The proof for this is provided by the Yissachor-Zevulun relationship.

Canada distances itself from South Africa's lawsuit against Israel

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/383539

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada believes in the importance of the ICJ but that does not mean it supports South Africa’s case against Israel.

'South Africa is Iran's useful idiot'

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syjdii2ua

Goldstein contends that South Africa is Iran's "useful idiot" and that everything that has happened since October 7 is not related to the Palestinians or a Palestinian state. Instead, it is tied to Iran's aspirations to destroy the State of Israel. 

According to him, "South Africa is a tool for Iran or a willing participant in these malicious plans. Allowing Hamas offices to operate freely in Cape Town is not just a betrayal of Israel and democracy but also an affront to Christians in Africa. What Iran is doing is spreading global jihad in Africa, causing more killings and suffering than anywhere else in the world."

"African Christians are being murdered simply for their religious beliefs, and this is not just a media story. Israel is at the forefront of defending the forces of good, and if we abandon it, it will usher in a dark period of barbarism and irrationality. This South African government that supports Iran is part of a pattern of behavior that turns its back on biblical values."

Biden Strikes the Houthis, at Last

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-british-houthi-strikes-yemen-biden-administration-pentagon-057ef420?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

One misguided criticism of Mr. Biden’s use of force is the claim from the Congressional backbenches that he’s violated the Constitution. “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict,” Rep. Ro Khanna tweeted, to take one example.

He’s wrong. Presidents have used force to combat threats to American commerce and citizens since Thomas Jefferson sent Marines to fight the Barbary pirates. The Houthis have endangered U.S. sailors and ships—as have other Iran proxies some 130 times across the Middle East.

The Constitution gives the Commander in Chief broad authority to respond to such attacks without having to get permission from Mr. Khanna. If Congress wants to contribute to restoring global order, it would pass a resolution supporting Mr. Biden’s strikes and increase the defense budget.

Trump ordered to pay $393,000 in legal fees for NYT, reporters

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/12/trump-ordered-to-pay-393-000-in-legal-fees-for-nyt-reporters-00135430

Donald Trump must pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three of its reporters, a judge ruled Friday.

The former president unsuccessfully sued the Times, along with reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner, over a 2018 Pulitzer-winning story on the Trump family’s wealth and tax filings.

Why no real magic today or demons?

Rav Kaminetsky (Emes L’Yaakov Shemos 7:22) And the Egyptian magicians did the same with their spellsConcerning the question why are there are no true magicians today or demons or spirits (dybuk) that our ancestors told us about? Similarly there are many types of knowledge that we don’t have or know about. The answer seems to me  that this is the result of a case of measure for measure that G-d arranged to ensure  that we have free-will and not err. That is why as explained by the Ramban  (Shemos 14:21)  G-d had a strong wind blowing during the Splitting of the Sea so the Egyptians could err and say it was happening because of the wind and therefore they could also cross the sea  as the Jews had. Consequently when there were prophets who performed miracles  to persuade them to do G-d’s will, if they didn’t also have real magicians who could do these miracles then they would have had no free-will like what happened to Pharaoh. Even though with the plague of lice the magicians acknowledged that it was the finger of G-d. Pharaoh said in his heart that was because the magicians were lying  in order to conceal that Moshe was a greater magician  than they. Therefore as long as there  was prophecy there needed to be real magic. Afterwards since they still had bas Kol there were also  invisible spiritual forces like demons. As long as there were people who could do amazing signs and wonders  there were demons which were manifestations of hidden dark spiritual powers. 

However later when no one was able to do miracles and everything was purely material and only intellect and desire   were involved that is why our Sages have stated that no one as great as Moshe will ever occur again. amongst the Jews  though it is possible  amongst the Babylonians, it is possible  to have someone like Bilaam. In order to allow free-will, That is why in the time of Moshe  it was necessary to have Bilaam.  This is a general rule This explains why Yosef responded to Pharoh when he said “I heard  that you interpret dreams.” By saying it is not his knowledge but rather G-d’s concern for Pharoh’s welfare Similarly with Daniel, Nevuchadnezer said to Daniel  “can you tell me what my dream means?” Daniel answered that the meaning is not obtained with esoteric knowledge since only G-d can reveal it, Daniel was thus denigrating this esoteric knowledge which had created a barricade between man and G-d’s providence. This is expressed by the statement that these esoteric arts were considered the epitome of knowledge and understanding in the eyes of non-Jews,

It would seem that this idea can also be used to justify the view of the Rambam that demons don’t exist and that they are not real. There are many who have criticized him and pointed out that demons are mentioned many times in the gemora so how does the Rambam explain these gemoras?...

However according to what I have written it is possible that the Rambam  believed that in the time of the gemora since there were Amoraim who had the power to resurrect the dead and perform other miracles therefore of necessity it was needed to have  the dark  spiritual powers such as demons – in order to have a balance for free-will.  So therefore only in modern times when true spiritual powers are hidden will will there be a corresponding concealment  of the dark forces such as demons

And I remember that when I was in Kelm, that Rav Ekchonon Wasserman  wrote in the name of the Chofetz Chaim “that the famous event of a dybuk that occurred in his lifetime was likely the last appearance of this type. That was because that to the degree the power of Torah and true spirituality is reduced the power of the dark forces of impurity are likewise reduced.”

However it is possible that even today that in the places where there are still Jews with  pure faith and act properly that they also have an extra measure of the dark spiritual forces – in order to maintain a proper balance. Think about this deeply!

Israel denies genocide accusations at top UN court, says war in Gaza is self-defense

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/12/middleeast/icj-israel-gaza-hamas-genocide-hearing-hague-day-two-intl/index.html

Israel concluded its hearing by asking the court to refuse South Africa’s request for provisional measures, since it said these would constrain Israel’s ability to defend itself while allowing Hamas to continue attacks.

If “resort to force in self-defense against an enemy hiding behind civilians can be portrayed as genocide and trigger provisional measures,” then “an inevitable tension will be created between the genocide convention and states defending themselves against the ever-increasing capacities of terrorist organizations,” argued Gilad Noam, an Israeli lawyer.

The Big Lie Is the South’s New Lost Cause

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-big-lie-is-the-souths-new-lost-cause?ref=home?ref=home

Speaking in the South Carolina church where a white supremacist gunman killed nine people, Biden likened the Confederates who embraced the “lost cause”—that the war was about state’s rights, and resisting federal power, as Nikki Haley recently suggested, and not about slavery. “Now, we’re living in an era of a second lost cause,” Biden said, citing the 2020 election and those “trying to turn loss into a lie.”

Bnei Torah Who Work – A New Hashkafic Emphasis

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/2253115/bnei-torah-who-work-a-new-hashkafic-point.html

 However, in the past twenty years, it has become clear that it is no longer possible for all avreichim to learn for their entire lives even in Eretz Yisroel, as Harav Aharon Kotler, zt”l mentioned regarding the general population of Klal yisroel. Obviously, there are those who need to be involved in other aspects to earn a living, etc.

Although initially there was no special focus on these individuals, and many fell between the cracks. However, today, this matter has expanded, and although Baruch Hashem the great majority of the Bnei Torah population remain within the category of “והייתם לי סגולה”, likewise, there are those who also work and are unable to engage solely in Torah study for their entire lives.

It is imperative, however, that our attitude toward them should not be that they are balei batimwho merely have a connection to the Torah, rather, our attitude must be the exact opposite:

Jews barred from shops amid Turkish antisemitism

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk00azhhp6?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=internal

When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was no different from Hitler, and that the Israeli strikes on Gaza were akin to Nazi persecution of Jews in the Holocaust, he was reflecting sentiments of his countrymen as antisemitism in Turkey is reaching new heights. 

Israeli flags have been laid on the ground in markets around the country for people to step on as they entered to shop. An effigy of Netanyahu was hung off a bridge in the city of Afyonkarahisar and in Istanbul, signs outside shops say Jews are not permitted to enter. In Ankara, a giant banner shows Netanyahu with a swastika and the face of a pig and the words "Israel murders babies," written on it.

Texas Independence Plan Suffers Major Blow

 https://www.newsweek.com/texas-independence-plan-suffers-major-blow-1859834

The Texas Supreme Court has refused to take up a case filed against the state Republican Party after it rejected a petition calling for a vote on Texas independence to be included on its March primary ballot.

The case was brought by the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), a group campaigning for the state to leave the United States and become a fully independent country. On Wednesday, the TNM's petition, with 139,456 signatures, was denied outright, sparking an angry response from secessionist campaigners.