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  -- MK Aryeh Deri

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According to a report on Behadrei, the Rebbe related a story from his youth having been "tested" by his uncle Rav Yoel Teitelbaum on the very same parsha, Ki Tisa, about the story of the Golden Calf. He relates that his uncle, Rav Yoel, asked him how could it be possible for the nation to have worshipped the Golden Calf? He went on to explain that the Calf was not just a golden statue of a calf, but according to the medrash it had some sort of life force to it and the golden calf danced and did miracles and acted a live, which caused people to believe in it as some sort of deity and worship it. According to Rav Yoel there were three types of people worshipping the golden calf:

1. those who saw the miracles and actually worshipped it as a deity like real avoda zara. 
2. those who did not actually worship it but hugged and kissed it and admired it
3. this third category was most of the people, they were happy internally seeing the calf do amazing and wondrous things 

Everyone needs a kapara for that sin because everyone was involved in some way at some level.

Rav Aharon then took the lesson to today saying that we are standing on the side watching this war with Iran and we are watching the golden calf of today doing amazing and wondrous things - dancing, jumping...some are watching and worshiping the Zionist calf and others are not worrshiping it but are happy or even kissing the Zionist calf. Most of the people, like then, are happy internally about the successes of the Zionist calf and about the great wondrous successes it is having. Even just being happy internally is prohibited. Even those happy about the wonders and successes are following all day and checking the news to see this all and be happy about it. For this they all need a kapara. 

Hashem should give us the wisdom, Rav Aharon prayed, to understand that avoda zara is prohibited even when it does wondrous things. It might dance and make us wonder, but it is still idol worship and is prohibited to kiss it, to worship it and be happy about it. 

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I always was, and still am, amazed at how, as religious people, and they might be considered super religious people, they can refuse to see God's hand in the formation and continued success of the State of Israel. I truly do not even understand it. EVen if God is behind it that does not mean you have to celebrate and say hallel and wave the blue and white flag and all that. You can still see it as needing improvement. To continue to see it as the work of Satan and not the hand of God behind it though is bewildering.  

source: TOI

It does not really matter to me who the new head honcho will be - I am sure the Israeli and American forces already have him in their targets, so he (I think we can safely presume it is a he) probably wont be holding the job for as long as his predessor did.....

If not for the Assembly of Experts we would have had to rely on the columns of smoke but we still would have known the successor had been chosen...

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Personally I would not have thought there is even any quesion here. You observe the obligations of Purim according to where you are on the 14th and 15th of adar. Being stuck somewhere does not make a difference.

Rav Bransdorfer thinks otherwise. The rabbi quoted the Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Berura who say that because oen is stuck in another place against his will, he should read megilla and fulfill the other obligations according to the appropriate day of his real place where he intended to be, not where he happens to be stuck. 

So, according to that, someone from Yerushalayim stuck abroad, say in New York, because of the war but had intended to be back home for Purim, should celebrate Purim in New York on the 15th of Adar even though he is in New York and everyone else is celebrating on the 14th. Good luck finding a minyan that will read the megilla on the 15th...

And, someone from New York who got "stuck" in Jerusalem because of the war but had originally intended to be back home by Purim should celebrate in Jerusalem on the 14th even though everyone else there is celebrating on the 15th. In this scenario there is an easy solution to go to a different city for Purim, like Bet Shemesh or Bnei Braq or Efrat or wherever and celebrate on the 14th with everyone else. And then maybe go to Jerusalem to celebrate again on the 15th like the way a lot of yeshiva boys do. 

Rav Bransdorfer says the rule for this is that it depends where you intended to be when you traveled form your house to somewhere else - if you intended to be back home, celebrate as if you are home, and if you intended to be away, celebrate as if you are away. 

Rav Bransdrfer does suggest because of it being a machloket, even though he paskens as above, that one could celebrate on both days to fulfill all opinions and obligations

source: Haredim Yerushalayim

The site of the hit is 4-5 kilometers away from where I live by road, and I would estimate 2.5-3km as the crow flies. It sounded and felt so close and loud, everything shook, though in reality it was a few kilometers, and 2-3 neighborhoods, away.

Be safe out there. 

I dont know about all that. The apology definitely does not bother me. That is diplomacy. Netanyahu is beholden to President Trump, Israel's last supporter, he has to do what Trump wants, and that is what Trump needs to have any chance of getting this deal underway. The apology does not bother me. This is a small price to pay to have any chance at all to get the deal underway.

Netanyahu tried to convince the Israeli people the operation in Qatar was not a failure saying Hamas now knows they can't hide and are not safe anywhere. And he said explicitly that he would strike again if and when the opportunity presents itself. I think today's apology and commitment to not attack again contravenes that.

I am good with Netanyahu making this deal. Israel is strong and can handle and deal with any and all of the points that will be finalized and agreed upon. I have thought this all along with other deals on the table at other times and think it now. Those attacking it from the Left are somewhat hypocritical, those attacking it from the Right are not hypocritical but those on the Right making and supporting the deal that is similar in many aspects to the deals they refused to consider all along for ending the war are hypocritical too. For many on the Left, whatever Bibi says is bad even if they supported it all along and it matches their own agenda. For many on the Right whatever Bibi says is great even if just yesterday they criticized the very thought of it and it was supposedly the polar opposite of their agenda. 

For those saying it will allow Hamas to perpetrate another October 7, that means they are planning to abandon Israel's borders again and leave them defenseless. Israel is strong enough to protect its borders if it wants to (of course with God's help). We are only at risk of another October 7 if we go back to the old policies of letting Hamas do whatever it wants in exchange for some sense of quiet. Make the deal that is reasonable, end this too-long-war and get back the remaining hostages,, and rehab the country.

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The family of fallen soldier Moshe Noll walks from their house in RBS through what has become the traditional flag escort flanked by Rabbis, community leaders and community members, on their way to the funeral of Moshe

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As the State of Israel ordered everything to be shut down, pretty similar to the days of Corona, schools and gans also were shut down for about two weeks or so. Schools and gans run by the State followed specific rules and they have procedures in place. The parents of children who sent their kids to private gans, nurseries and kindergartens, ran into a question - should they pay for the two weeks despite not being allowed to send their kids to school or should they not have to pay. 

A rav in RBS D, Rav Yehuda Halevi Rubinstein, came out issuing a psak for these situations.

Rabbi Rubinstein says that payment for the period of forced closure due to the war to private gans and daycare sites should follow the following guidelines..

1. Any days the child was sent to gan must be paid for in full

2. Any days the children were not sent, either because of the ganenet or because of the parents, payment to the tune of 50% should be paid (based on the compromise of the Chasam Sofer)

3. Parents that paid in advance should get a refund according to the above calculation

4. Any ganenet that was paid by the State as restitution for losses caused by the war should refund parents money accordingly (depending on percentages of restitution, etc)