“This suggests that the recent actions by both sides have done little to shift US loyalties, even if overall opinions toward both sides are less positive,” Gallup wrote in a statement, referring to Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, sparked by Hamas’s murderous October 7 rampage through southern Israel, when thousands of terrorists killed nearly 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
An Only-Child Boom Is Beginning. It Gets Complicated When Mom and Dad Age.
The pool of family members available to take on caregiving roles is getting smaller. The ratio of potential family caregivers to those 80 and older is expected to drop to 4 to 1 in 2030, down from 7 to 1 in 2010, according to AARP.
For an only child, the responsibility can mean dropping everything when a parent becomes sick.
The Supreme Court Must Not Be the Final Word on Disqualifying Trump
https://www.newsweek.com/if-supreme-court-wont-congress-must-disqualify-trump-opinion-1875820
As a former member of Congress, I, along with five fellow Republican and unaffiliated plaintiffs, sued to bar Trump from Colorado's ballot, guided by the oath I took to protect and defend the Constitution. In its decision, the Supreme Court crucially did not absolve Trump of violating his oath of office and engaging in insurrection, even though the former president asked them to do so. The fact that he engaged in insurrection remainsinsurrection remains, as determined by every decision-making body that has substantively examined the facts. We now have clarity on how to enforce Section 3 disqualification, and it lies with Congress.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Righteousness is sometimes forced by G-d
Or HaChaim (Bereishis (15:06) Another way of looking at Abraham's act of faith is based on the tradition that the world will not lack a minimum of 30 (or 36) righteous men by whose merit it continues to exist. Since G-d wants these 30 tzadikim, it stands to reason that He does influence these men to be pious. If so, they can certainly not claim their righteousness as their own merit as would otherwise be the case. Abraham may have been rewarded then for not making an issue of this, although some or all of these men may have been unduly influenced to live the lives of tzadikim.
Torah study interrupted only for needs of Parnossa
Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Torah Study 3) Even one who supports themselves by the work of their hands, and therefore find that their learning is sporadic, is only permitted by the Torah to occupy themselves with making a living, as it says "And you shall gather your grain..." They may not become involved in completely empty pursuits, whether to speak of them or listen. This is because that in every moment in which one is not occupied with their sustenance they are obligated to learn Torah in every moment possible, even when walking along the way...furthermore it is not only forbidden to occupy oneself with empty matters, but also with worldly knowledge as it says "...and speak of them..." (Dev. 6:7) meaning that you should not mingle them with anything else.
Working is considered Totah Study
Ruach Chaim (2:04) He would say do His will according to your will, etc., according to what he said above, Torah study is good with work, there is room for error in his language that working is the main thing and the Torah is secondary G-d forbid. That's why he said here do His will as your will. He wants to say that you should at least divide the day into parts, so that you are free afterwards to study Torah. In this way manner you are making G-d’s will your will so that even the time you devote to working will be considered by G- as if you were studying Torah since you are only working to enable you to study Torah so that you won’t be a burden to the community
Nefesh HaChaim (1:8): Berachos (35b) describes a dispute between R’ Yishmael and R’ Shimon bar Yochai concerning working and Torah study. R’ Yishmael that a person needs to work while R’ Shimon says if one works than he won’t be able to learn properly … Despite the fact that R’ Yishmael says a person needs to work it is absolutely certain that R’ Yishmael does not think that a person is permitted to cease - even for a short time - from studying Torah in order to work. R’ Yishmael is stating that during the short time he spends working he needs to be thinking exclusively about Torah simultaneously. Therefore when Rava told his students not to come to Yeshiva during the months of Nisan and Tishrei so they could work their farms, it was not that they should work and neglect Torah study but that they should continue learning. The gemora concludes that many tried the approach of R’ Shimon to only learn Torah and not to work - and they weren’t success. That means that the majority of people cannot devote all their days exclusively to Torah without working at all. That is why Avos(2:2) states that all Torah which is not combined with work is doomed to failure. However there are individuals who are able to devote their entire lives exclusively to studying Torah and serving G d. For such an individual who is capable of exclusive Torah study it is obligatory for him not to cease even a short time in order to work. Thus R’ Shimon’s approach is for some individual’s while that of R’ Yishmael is for the majority.
Torah Study requires a mind free of worry about Parnossa
Netziv (Devarim 33:4): The Mechilta (BeShalach) states: The Torah was only given to those who eat the manna or secondarily to those who eat teruma. The reason for this is that successful study of Torah requires a clear peaceful state of mind and this is impossible except to those who are sustained by manna. That is because they have total security in the sustenance without concern that the distributor will give it to someone else. Those who eat teruma also have security but it is less than those who eat manna but more than those who eat ma’aser. That is because the owners of teruma are afraid to keep it in their house because if a member of their household should accidentally eat it there is punishment of death at the hands of Heaven (Devarim 26:13). However since the owner has the right to choose the recipient those who eat teruma are less secure than those who eat manna. Nevertheless since they have an assured source of sustenance they have the strength and fortitude to be immersed in Torah learning…. In contemporary times we find parallels. Some of those immersed in Torah learning live with their parents with dignity and respect - are comparable to those who eat manna. Others who are sustained by the gifts of others who want the merit of Torah study - are comparable to those who ate teruma.
Berchas Netziv (Mechilta BeShalach Vayisah 2): In depth study of Torah is impossible without a mind free and clear of worries of livelihood. This state of mind was found amongst those who lived on manna since they were guaranteed their food and were not dependent upon any person in any manner. Second best were those who ate teruma who were also secure that the people would give the cohanim more than the Levites got from ma’aser… But the cohanim had less security than those who ate manna since the donor had the right to give only to the cohen he wanted… In fact in each generation there are two circumstances for people to be able to study Torah properly. 1) The father who gladly supports his son and all his needs and that is similar to the eats of manna. 2) Support provided by benefactors who want the merit of Torah study and are similar to the donors of teruma…. This merit of the serious study of a talmid chachom is acquired by these masses only when they support him so that he is enabled to study properly. This occurs only when he is totally free of any worry about earning a living.
UN sexual violence envoy: Israelis were raped, sexually tortured on October 7
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-790204
A mission team led on a trip through Israel by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, found that there was substantial evidence to conclude that victims, as well as hostages and survivors of October 7, were sexually abused and raped by Hamas terrorists. This is the first instance where an international organization has confirmed what Israel has alleged since October 7.
Patten, therefore, called on Hamas to “immediately and unconditionally release all individuals held in captivity and to ensure their protection, including from sexual violence.”
The team, traveling and researching with Israel’s full cooperation, found “clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages.”
UN finds evidence of rape on Oct. 7 and after; Israel: They tried to downplay issue
The United Nation’s envoy on sex crimes during conflict presented a report Monday at the UN indicating that rape and gang rape likely occurred during the October 7 Hamas onslaught against southern Israel, that “clear and convincing” evidence shows that hostages were raped while being held in Gaza, and that those currently held captive are still facing such abuse.
The 24-page report, based on more than two weeks of meetings on the ground, states that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Hamas committed rape and sexual abuse during its murderous rampage on October 7, and that there is an even higher standard of evidence to indicate that hostages kidnapped by Hamas that day were subject to rape in captivity.
Israel in response accused the UN of playing down the report and dragging its feet on looking into the allegations, while trying to silence the accusations — something the UN secretary general swiftly denied.
UN team says Hamas likely carried out sexual violence in Israel on 7 October
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68474899
In the report, the UN said it had "found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages".
It also said it "has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity".
The UN team visited Israel between 29 January and 14 February.
Florida GOP senators defend DeSantis’ surgeon general amid measles outbreak
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/04/florida-measles-ladapo-desantis-00144561
Ladapo, who rejected federal guidelines for Covid-19 vaccinations, sent a recent letter to parents at an elementary school in Broward County where six kids were infected with measles. In his letter, he advised parents that they should decide for themselves whether to vaccinate their kids or remove unvaccinated students from schools.
He did not follow federal recommendations to urge parents to vaccinate their children against measles or quarantine those who may have come in contact with the virus. People who have been vaccinated against measles have a very high protection rate.
Monday, March 4, 2024
Russia spreads claims Yad Vashem hides Ukraine Nazi collaboration
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-790179
Levin, who according to her Facebook page lives in Modiin and runs a nail beautician school, posted on Tuesday the allegations against Yad Vashem on her small one thousand subscriber Youtube channel. The channel posts content in Russian with English subtitles, and mostly on the topic of the Russian-Ukraine War.
Yad Vashem called the blog "strange" and "fictitious" and denied that there had been any concealment, removal, or alteration of its exhibits that obfuscates the collaboration of Ukrainians in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
Supreme Court unanimously rules to keep Trump on Colorado ballot
https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/supreme-court-opinion-trump-ballot-03-04-24/index.html
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump should appear on the ballot in Colorado, a decision with nationwide implications that follows months of debate over whether the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination violated the 14th Amendment's “insurrectionist clause” because of his role in the January 6, 2021, riot.
New York Bail Reform Laws Reduced Recidivism, Contrary to Critics’ Claims
A study released on March 14, 2023, revealed that New York’s controversial new bail laws have not led to more rearrests of offenders, as some politicians claimed. In fact, according to the study’s authors at the John Jay College Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ), the opposite is true.
The study focused on the effect in New York City of 2020 bail reform laws, which eliminated a judge’s discretion to impose bail for low-level crimes. What researchers found was that these reforms reduced the likelihood of rearrest, with one exception: The re-arrest rate for those released following a recent violent felony arrest showed a slight increase.
According to DCJ Director Michael Rempel, “Fundamentally, we found that eliminating bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies reduced recidivism in New York City.”
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