Rivash (#271) First we must clarify what is the semichah which is practiced in France and Germany which the rabbis issue and those in turn give semicha to others. . It is clearly agreed that the semicha that existed in the time of our Sages of the Talmud was in order to judge cases involving capital punishment and fines which required experts. In other words people with semicha which was given by those others who had semicha and they gave semicha to others. The chain of semicha ultimately went back to Moshe. Those that had semicha were fit to serve on the Sanhedrin. That original semicha no longer exists as there are no longer anyone today that has semicha that goes back to Moshe. In addition the original Semicha can not exist outside of Israel. Both the giver and recipient of the original semicha needed to be located in Israel. You can’t say that this original semicha wa simply getting permission to judge others against their will and if they erred to be exempt. The gemorah Sanhedrin says one who got permission to judge from the Reish Galusa was exempt if he erred and this was true even outside of Israel since the Reish Galusa was the leader in Babylonia. .However this permission was not semicha and furthermore the permission did not give him the ability to judge fines which is permitted only with the original semicha. Actually this is something totally different. The Reish Galusa is a substitute for a king. Thus he has the power to control the people. Therefore anyone who judges without his permission and errs must pay out of his own pocket unless the litigants had voluntarily agreed to accept whatever he decides. If he gets permission it is as if they agreed to what ever he decides and thus he is exempt if he errs. The same applies if the judge got permission the political leader in Israel. Thus perhaps the semicha that is done in France and Germany is simply getting permission to judge by force and to be exempt if he errs. That can’t be because then he should be getting permission from the Reish Galusa or from the leader of Israel – both of those position no longer exist. Today the only way the judge can be exempt if he errs is to have the litigants or the community to agree to accept whatever he decides . The semicha today seems to simply mean that a student today needs to get permission from his teacher to make halachic rulings This is true even if he is clearly an expert. The gemorah explains that even an expert might not know how to communicate with the litigants properly and a Rabbinic decree was made that a student must always get permission from his teacher before making halachic rulings for others. In addition it seems to be a law involving showing proper respect to one’s teacher. Thus this permission is needed only as long as the teacher is alive.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Semichah in the Talmud and Today
The Rivash (cited by Rama Y.D. 242:14) writes that the new “semichah” is a form of permission to issue rulings in the vicinity of his rebbi. As we know one is not allowed to issue halachic rulings in the vicinity of one’s rebbi unless the rebbi grants him permission to do so. This semichah is formally granting the student permission to issue halachic rulings. Therefore, notes the Rama, if the rebbi has passed on it is unnecessary for the student to receive semichah.
Remah (Y.D. 242:14) Every scholar who is capable of deciding halachic questions but doesn’t is whithholding Torah and causing problems for the public And it is said about him (Mishlei 7:26), And numerous are her victims Remah The nature of semicha that we have today is that all those who are competent to decide issues of halacha will decide them and that it will be known that what they teach is with the permission of their teachers who gave them semcha. Therefore, if their teacher had already died, no semicha is required to decide halacha. Similarly if he is viewed as a talmid chaver he doesn’t need semicha to decide halachic issues. In any situation which doesn’t require permission from his teacher he doesn’t need semicha (this is according to Rivash #271, and not like the view of the Nachlas Avos) Some say that one who lacks semicha but issues Gittin and Chalitzos – his action are viewed as invalid. One should be concerned for this view unless it is clearly known that they are clearly highly competent but they are they are self effacing because of humility. Others disagree and are lenient. In situation that might produce an Aguna one should be lenient if the Get and Chalitza has already been given but not otherwise since the customs of Jews viewed as Torah. It also seems to me that to give the title of Moreinu to one issuing Gittin even though this is not the way semicha was done originally because today today it simply has the significance of the person being authorized to do this
Semicha: Then and Now by Rabbi Hershel Schachter
https://download.yutorah.org/2014/1053/817656/semikhah-then-and-now.pdf
The institution of semicha was introduced to the Jewish people when Hashem commanded Moshe to designate Yehoshua as his successor by placing his hands on his disciple’s head (Bamidbar 27:23). The Gemara (Sanhedrin 13b) comments that from that time on, semicha is no longer given in this manner, but rather through a declaration, by a teacher calling his student “rebbe” and giving him permission to impose fines ordained by the Torah. That same passage also informs us that we no longer have the concept of genuine semicha in our days. The transmission of semicha must be done by someone who himself received semicha through a continuous chain dating back to Moshe Rabbeinu. At some point in history, this chain was interrupted. Though we no longer have this genuine semicha, both its original characteristics and its absence have ramifications for us today.
Authorities are few in order that people listen to them
Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel #69): It is not proper that the words of the Torah, which are words of wisdom, should be in the hands of fools so that each person can think they are just as competent as anyone else to say what is in the Torah. I discussed this in my sefer Be’er HaGolah. I explained that our sages have deliberately concealed their words in many places in order that fools should not have ready access to them. Therefore if the Torah had been written clearly and explicitly – it would be difficult to distinguish who is truly wise from one who is lacking in wisdom. As a consequence it would produce great disputes. This is the opposite of the intent of the Torah that everything in it should make connection, order and unity in creation. It is in order to prevent dispute and schisms that the Torah says that a rebellious elder is deserving of capital punishment (Sanhedrin 88a). Therefore it is proper that the Torah be in the hands of the few in order that they be listened to. This would prevent the many disputes that we have our day in which everyone imagines that they are a scholar and outstanding religious authority. They believe this because they say, “I can also read seforim.” This causes a number of bad thing which I don’t want to write about. Therefore the Torah is written in a manner that only the elite will comprehend it and so it will be inaccessible to the masses. This universal access to Torah was the cause that the Sanhedrin was not utilized and everyone built a private sanctuary for himself and there was no connection or unity. Thus Devarim (17:11) commands us that when there is a difficult matter it should be dealt with by the Sanhedrin. Thus we see that not writing down the Oral Torah and that it be given to the Sages (rather than the masses) is something inherently necessary for our well being.
Shulchan Aruch is the default view only when Achronim are deadlocked
Chazon Ish (C.M. 1:1 Likutim): Concerning the matter of the dispute over semicha in post-Talmudic times, the deciding factor in halachic matters is always according to which side has proofs which are stronger and more reasonable. Even though we normally follow the Shulchan Aruch – nevertheless were are accustomed to deviate from the Shulchan Aruch because the Achronim deviate from its rulings with correct proofs according to the understanding of the gedolim in each generation. So therefore for each halacha we are forced to study the analysis of the Achronim because intellectual reasoning is the decisive factor. However when the matter is deadlocked because the sides are equal – then we follow the disputant who is greater and that is why we accept the rulings of the Beis Yosef and Rema. So therefore in the dispute concerning semicha – according to our understanding those who rejected the new semicha are more cogent and understandable. Those who supported it are not understandable.
‘Playing the Man’: Global Diplomacy in the Trump Era Is All About Flattery
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/world/europe/trump-diplomacy-flattery-world-leaders.html
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel handed a letter to President Trump nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. But it’s not clear whether stroking the president’s ego has long-lasting effects.
The flattery was as obvious as it was effective. Seated at a dinner table in the Blue Room of the White House on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel handed President Trump a piece of paper.
“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,” Mr. Netanyahu said, with the news cameras rolling to capture the moment. “It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize. It’s well deserved, and you should get it.”
Mr. Trump declared the gesture from the prime minister “very meaningful,” though he has long said he believes the Nobel committee would never give him the prize.
The effort to curry favor was the latest evidence that many of the world’s leaders have figured Mr. Trump out. Heaping praise on the American president is the best way to manage him — even if it’s not entirely clear that the schmoozing leads to concrete benefits for their countries.
France: US overstated Iran strike impact, nuclear program only set back by months
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjyzhlohee
French intelligence chief says Iran’s nuclear program delayed by only a few months, not destroyed as claimed by Trump and Netanyahu; only a small portion of enriched uranium eliminated, Paris has indications about their whereabouts
The statement aligns only partially with the U.S. assessment. Last week, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Israeli and American strikes likely set Iran’s nuclear program back by one to two years. He reaffirmed that key facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan had been destroyed.
Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized pause on weapon shipments to Ukraine
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/08/politics/hegseth-did-not-inform-white-house-ukraine-weapons-pause
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, according to five sources familiar with the matter, setting off a scramble inside the administration to understand why the halt was implemented and explain it to Congress and the Ukrainian government.
President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he was not responsible for the move. Asked on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting whether he approved of the pause in shipments, Trump demurred, saying only that the US would continue to send defensive weapons to Ukraine. Pressed again on who authorized the pause, Trump replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Donald Trump Drops Below Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton in Popularity Ranking
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-popularity-ranking-joe-biden-hillary-clinton-2095914
Deadly Texas floods leave officials pointing fingers after warnings missed
Local, state and federal officials are all pointing fingers in the wake of the deadly Texas flooding, but one thing is certain: The warnings weren’t heard by the people who needed them.
After the catastrophic Independence Day floods that killed at least 90 across central Texas, state and county officials told reporters that the storm had come without warning. But a wide array of meteorologists — and the Trump administration itself — has argued that those officials, as well as local residents, received a long train of advisories that a dangerous flood was gathering.
Some — like Sokich — argued that one possibility is that after rounds of staff reductions, NWS offices that may have had enough staff to issue accurate predictions didn’t have the personnel for potentially life-saving outreach. “If you don’t have the full staff, then you can’t do that,” he said. “People are just focusing on issuing the watches and warnings.”
University of California, Los Angeles meteorologist Daniel Swain wrote on X that such outreach is “one of the first things to go away when offices are critically understaffed.”
Musk Leads MAGA Meltdown Over Trump Administration’s Epstein Review
Elon Musk led a MAGA freak-out after the Justice Department and FBI shot down claims about a so-called “client list” belonging to late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Conspiracy theories about Epstein have run wild for years, with many Trump supporters hoping explosive details, such as a list of high-profile names Epstein might have had incriminating dirt on, would surface now that Donald Trump is back in office. Two Trump loyalists at the FBI—Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino—have previously pushed the unsubstantiated claim that Epstein didn’t kill himself in his Manhattan cell.
Musk, who previously claimed—and then apologized—for suggesting the reason the DOJ hadn’t released the Epstein files was because Trump featured in them, has lashed out at the agencies’ findings.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck added: “Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago. Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable.
“Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.”
JD Vance’s old tweets show why the ‘Epstein client list’ is becoming such a problem for Trump
President Donald Trump’s team spent a good deal of energy on Monday in unfamiliar territory: on the wrong side of a losing battle against America’s extreme online conspiracy theorists.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was the face of the effort at her daily news briefing. But if Leavitt is looking for who is fueling the speculation around the dead New York financier and sex criminal who appeared on camera yucking it up with her boss, she needs to remember: the call is coming from inside the (White) house.
Musk tweaks Trump with Jeffrey Epstein post
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5387380-elon-musk-trump-jeffrey-epstein/
Trump’s feud with Musk came to a head last month, when the Tesla chief executive said it was time to drop “the really big bomb.”
“[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote on X at the time.
“Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,” he followed up minutes later.
Trump to Resume Sending Weapons to Ukraine - Trustworthy Friend
The U.S. will send additional defensive arms because Moscow is hitting Kyiv ‘very hard,’ the president says