Jun 19, 2007
a first rate rumor
There are very strong rumors about an incident that took place yesterday.
I do not know too many details, but I did just hear about something that is being kept out of the general media. It is not being kept out for security reasons. It is being kept out because the police are extremely embarrassed about the incident.
As you all know already, there is a Gay pride Parade scheduled for this week in Jerusalem. The parade has been protested against by the Eida Haredit, with more on the way.
The police have pretty much taken over Mea Shearim/Geula in an attempt to thwart any protests and keep them small.
So the rumor has it that the police have a lot of undercover agents in the area. Yesterday, it seems, one of those agents was spotted and caught. His captors beat him, supposedly breaking his leg, and tied him up. When they finished taking care of him, they dumped him into a large dumpster and sealed it shut with him trapped inside for three hours. After that they let him out and released him.
This information went up on an Israeli news forum yesterday and was almost immediately removed and the site crashed temporarily. I heard it second hand, but the source is very good. I do not know any more details than what I included above.
I do not know too many details, but I did just hear about something that is being kept out of the general media. It is not being kept out for security reasons. It is being kept out because the police are extremely embarrassed about the incident.
As you all know already, there is a Gay pride Parade scheduled for this week in Jerusalem. The parade has been protested against by the Eida Haredit, with more on the way.
The police have pretty much taken over Mea Shearim/Geula in an attempt to thwart any protests and keep them small.
So the rumor has it that the police have a lot of undercover agents in the area. Yesterday, it seems, one of those agents was spotted and caught. His captors beat him, supposedly breaking his leg, and tied him up. When they finished taking care of him, they dumped him into a large dumpster and sealed it shut with him trapped inside for three hours. After that they let him out and released him.
This information went up on an Israeli news forum yesterday and was almost immediately removed and the site crashed temporarily. I heard it second hand, but the source is very good. I do not know any more details than what I included above.
funny story of a chassid hitchhiking
A friend of mine told me the following story last night.
My friend is a very enthusiastic "hitchhiker picker upper" (while I am not). He pretty much picks up "trempers" (as we call them in Israel) whenever he can.
He was driving through RBS B (the chassidishe neighborhood of Bet Shemesh) yesterday and he picked up a chassidic hitchhiker.
The are driving on and my friend, the driver, hears the guy in the back seat munching on some chips. He turns and sees the guy had picked up some chips that his kid had left in the car, and was eating them.
He said to the guy, "Enjoy the chips, but next time you should really at least make the bracha out loud so I could hear and be zoche to say "amen to it."
The guy agreed and proceeded to make the bracha out loud.
Side note: The guy must have been in a pretty dire financial situation to have the gall to see some stale chips laying on the seat in someones car and pick them up and eat them.
My friend is a very enthusiastic "hitchhiker picker upper" (while I am not). He pretty much picks up "trempers" (as we call them in Israel) whenever he can.
He was driving through RBS B (the chassidishe neighborhood of Bet Shemesh) yesterday and he picked up a chassidic hitchhiker.
The are driving on and my friend, the driver, hears the guy in the back seat munching on some chips. He turns and sees the guy had picked up some chips that his kid had left in the car, and was eating them.
He said to the guy, "Enjoy the chips, but next time you should really at least make the bracha out loud so I could hear and be zoche to say "amen to it."
The guy agreed and proceeded to make the bracha out loud.
Side note: The guy must have been in a pretty dire financial situation to have the gall to see some stale chips laying on the seat in someones car and pick them up and eat them.
kosher food in prison
And in today's interesting Jewish news tidbit, an Orthodox Jewish inmate in a state prison in New Hampshire for sexually molesting a 13 year old girl has had his rights restored, for the third time.
Inmate Albert Kuperman was receiving three meals daily of kosher food, as per his request based on his religious belief. The prison officials revoked his right to kosher food after he was caught with non-kosher food.
It has happened before and each time he got his kosher food reinstated. he was recently caught again with non-kosher food and had his kosher food revoked. His lawyer appealed it saying he bought the non-kosher food for fellow inmates, and even if he did violate the kosher laws, he still has a right to kosher food. If a diabetic was caught buying a chocolate bar, would we take him off his diabetic diet?
The court reinstated his right, for the third time, to receive kosher food.
Inmate Albert Kuperman was receiving three meals daily of kosher food, as per his request based on his religious belief. The prison officials revoked his right to kosher food after he was caught with non-kosher food.
It has happened before and each time he got his kosher food reinstated. he was recently caught again with non-kosher food and had his kosher food revoked. His lawyer appealed it saying he bought the non-kosher food for fellow inmates, and even if he did violate the kosher laws, he still has a right to kosher food. If a diabetic was caught buying a chocolate bar, would we take him off his diabetic diet?
The court reinstated his right, for the third time, to receive kosher food.
Jun 18, 2007
The Rabbinic visit to Har Habayit (video)
We all heard about the group of Rabbis who ascended Har Habayit a month ago in honor of the 40th anniversary of the reunion of Jerusalem.
It turns out the event was recorded, but the police had insisted on an agreement that the video would not be released for one month. They were concerned about Arab sensitivities around the event.
A month has passed and the video has been released via Arutz7 (INN). Someone uploaded it to Youtube, and I offer it to you here. It is a powerful video. You must watch it.
It turns out the event was recorded, but the police had insisted on an agreement that the video would not be released for one month. They were concerned about Arab sensitivities around the event.
A month has passed and the video has been released via Arutz7 (INN). Someone uploaded it to Youtube, and I offer it to you here. It is a powerful video. You must watch it.
Computers Searches Cannot Fool Reb Chaim
Recently an interesting episode occurred with Reb Chaim Kanievsky that demonstrated that despite the amazing advances made by modern technology, nothing can be substituted for diligence in Torah study. A Torah scholar in Bnei Barak was discussing Torah topics with Reb Chaim and he queried Reb Chaim regarding the amount of instances that the name Moshe is listed in the Torah. Reb Chaim immediately responded that the name Moshe is listed 414 times in the Torah, to which the questioner responded that he believes that the name Moshe appears 416 times. Reb Chaim smiled and responded that apparently this person had done a computer search which resulted in the extra listings of the word Moshe, as in one instance the word is miseh, from the sheep, and in the second instance, the word is masheh, which means to lend, but certainly these words do not refer to Moshe.
Translated and edited by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
Looking for a professional translator and editor for your writings?
Sendemail to bentopoftheline@gmail.com
(Hattip: DafNotes Discussions)
best reasons ever for not giving up the Golan heights
This is a Letter to the Editor printed yesterday in the Hamodia newspaper.
How dare Olmert even consider giving back the Golan heights! Does he not realize these disastrous ramifications such a deal would have!
To the Editor,These are the best reasons I have ever heard for not giving up the Golan in a peace deal. My vacation to the Kinar hotel will be ruined. I will have to find a different resort to vacation at. And the esrog growers will have to find a different place to grow their esrogs!
I recently returned for a lovely ladies' vacation at Kinar to the headlines that Olmert is ready to give up the Golan Heights to Syria in a peace deal. There are a few points I would like to make. First of all, Kinar itself is actually on the east bank of the Kinneret, i.e. it's on the lower part of the Golan Heights. Olmert's peace deal would mean saying good-bye to Kinar.
Second, the bottom part of the Golan, where everyone likes to climb and where tiyulim converge, is also where all the nachalim are, creating an ideal natural climate for growing the most mehudar Chazon Ish esrogim, which are unlike chasalot produce that grew in Gush Katif and anywhere else in artificial climate-controlled green-houses. Olmert's peace deal would consign a large supply of mehudar esrogim to the curse of yesamhu alehah oiveichem.
How dare Olmert even consider giving back the Golan heights! Does he not realize these disastrous ramifications such a deal would have!
amazing story behind the scenes of the OSIRAK bombing
A couple of weeks ago in the Mishpacha magazine, there was an article about the Israeli operation to bomb OSIRAK - the Iraqi nuclear reactor, and some of the religious aspects of it.
In this weeks Mishpacha there was a "Letter to the Editor" in which the author relates a fascinating story related to the above article. I felt I had to share the story with you.
I am going to translate the letter (from Hebrew) as it was printed. I do not know if the details are accurate and how much of it the writer was actually privy to, but this is what he wrote:
In that year, 1981, on Lag B'Omer, as the Holy Rebbe Rav Moshe Mordechai of Lelov was leaving the grave site of the RASHB"I (Rav Shimon Bar Yohai), he turned to a group of his chassidim and said, "I have accepted upon myself something that is beyond my capabilities, but I had no choice."
The chassidim, obviously, had no idea what he was talking about. The rebbe continued, "If one fights with the power of evil, one is capable of overcoming it, but one must take into account that there will be casualties."
A few days later, at midnight, the Rebbe (who lived in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem), took a taxi to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital. He went up to the Neurological ward and went from room to room checking everything out. Without saying anything and no explanation, he completed examining the ward. When he finished, he got a taxi and went back to his home in Geula.
A couple of weeks later, on the eve of the Shavuos holiday (this was June 7, 1981 - the day of the attack), the Rebbe told his gabbai to call Prime Minister Menachem Begin and to bless him with good fortune and success for the operation.
The gabbai did as instructed. When Begin received the message, his face fell in distress. He was concerned that the greatest State secret had somehow been leaked.
As the holiday of Shavuos began, the chassidim in the shul of the Rebbe noticed that something unusual was happening. The Rebbe asked a number of times if anybody had heard any news. The Rebbe turned often to the Aron Kodesh. He opened and closed it a number of times. His prayers were more intense than usual.
At the end of the holiday, the Rebbe was informed of the success of the operation to blow up the nuclear reactor. Immediately after he heard the news, he became completely paralyzed.
He was immediately taken to the hospital - Hadassah Ein Kerem. He was placed in care in the Neurological ward and remained there, in complete paralysis, for 6 years, until his death.
Only then did his chassidim understand his cryptic messages from Lag B'Omer, and his behavior over the holiday. One cannot imagine how much affliction the holy tzadikkim take upon themselves in order to save and protect other Jews.
In this weeks Mishpacha there was a "Letter to the Editor" in which the author relates a fascinating story related to the above article. I felt I had to share the story with you.
I am going to translate the letter (from Hebrew) as it was printed. I do not know if the details are accurate and how much of it the writer was actually privy to, but this is what he wrote:
In that year, 1981, on Lag B'Omer, as the Holy Rebbe Rav Moshe Mordechai of Lelov was leaving the grave site of the RASHB"I (Rav Shimon Bar Yohai), he turned to a group of his chassidim and said, "I have accepted upon myself something that is beyond my capabilities, but I had no choice."
The chassidim, obviously, had no idea what he was talking about. The rebbe continued, "If one fights with the power of evil, one is capable of overcoming it, but one must take into account that there will be casualties."
A few days later, at midnight, the Rebbe (who lived in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem), took a taxi to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital. He went up to the Neurological ward and went from room to room checking everything out. Without saying anything and no explanation, he completed examining the ward. When he finished, he got a taxi and went back to his home in Geula.
A couple of weeks later, on the eve of the Shavuos holiday (this was June 7, 1981 - the day of the attack), the Rebbe told his gabbai to call Prime Minister Menachem Begin and to bless him with good fortune and success for the operation.
The gabbai did as instructed. When Begin received the message, his face fell in distress. He was concerned that the greatest State secret had somehow been leaked.
As the holiday of Shavuos began, the chassidim in the shul of the Rebbe noticed that something unusual was happening. The Rebbe asked a number of times if anybody had heard any news. The Rebbe turned often to the Aron Kodesh. He opened and closed it a number of times. His prayers were more intense than usual.
At the end of the holiday, the Rebbe was informed of the success of the operation to blow up the nuclear reactor. Immediately after he heard the news, he became completely paralyzed.
He was immediately taken to the hospital - Hadassah Ein Kerem. He was placed in care in the Neurological ward and remained there, in complete paralysis, for 6 years, until his death.
Only then did his chassidim understand his cryptic messages from Lag B'Omer, and his behavior over the holiday. One cannot imagine how much affliction the holy tzadikkim take upon themselves in order to save and protect other Jews.
Jun 17, 2007
Just another day at Wrigley (video)
And the Cubs are involved in yet another brawl in the Friendly Confines....
things that make me go hmmmm...
Here is something I don't get... Israel is providing an Arab "country" with gas? Of all the countries in the Middle East to do provide such a commodity, is Israel really the best suited for this, even in the best of times?
Would not countries like Iraq (big friends of the Palestinians supposedly), Saudi Arabia and Iran (among others) be better suited for providing their Arab friends and poor, needy Palestinians with gas that is a natural supply in their countries?
Would not countries like Iraq (big friends of the Palestinians supposedly), Saudi Arabia and Iran (among others) be better suited for providing their Arab friends and poor, needy Palestinians with gas that is a natural supply in their countries?
Headline of the day (hotd)
Peretz vows to aid Barak as new defense minister (ynetnews.com)
yeah, right..
(hattip: yr)
yeah, right..
(hattip: yr)
Quote of the Day (qotd)
Lev Leviev, the religious businessman who controls the holding company Africa-Israel, and who is the wealthiest Israeli, said in an interview to Maariv newspaper, "A Jew who makes money and merited blessings, needs to do good deeds with the money he earned. I do not understand businessmen who make a lot of profit and continue to work hard, but do not contribute."
Go Hamas! and potd
In a sense, I kind of hope that Hamas will win the bloody civil war taking place in Gaza right now.
I hope that they will fight for a long time with each other and kill each other. But when it is all over and done with, I hope Hamas comes out in control.
Sounds pretty stupid of me, right? Why would I want the radical terrorists of Hamas to take control of the PA and Gaza rather than the moderate Fatah faction?
Let me explain my position.
Fatah has been in control of the Palestinian Authority since the day it was founded. Yasser Arafat was part of the "moderate" Fatah faction of Palestinians.
In my mind, both Fatah and Hamas are bad people. They are both made up of terrorists with no interest in living peacefully with Israel (this does not include all the civilians living in the PA - there might be some of them who do really want to live peacefully with us as neighbors, but the political factions do not).
The only difference between them is PR - Fatah has been good at PR. The world believes that Fatah is really a bunch of moderates who are capable of making a lasting peace. At the same time, much of the Western world (parts of Europe not included), think of Hamas as a bunch of unruly terrorists hell-bent on destroying Israel. In essence, fatah believes the same thing, but has better PR and has devised more manipulative ways of getting rid of Israel.
As Jameel put it, Zeh Neveila, Vzeh treifa.
I hope that they will fight for a long time with each other and kill each other. But when it is all over and done with, I hope Hamas comes out in control.
Sounds pretty stupid of me, right? Why would I want the radical terrorists of Hamas to take control of the PA and Gaza rather than the moderate Fatah faction?
Let me explain my position.
Fatah has been in control of the Palestinian Authority since the day it was founded. Yasser Arafat was part of the "moderate" Fatah faction of Palestinians.
In my mind, both Fatah and Hamas are bad people. They are both made up of terrorists with no interest in living peacefully with Israel (this does not include all the civilians living in the PA - there might be some of them who do really want to live peacefully with us as neighbors, but the political factions do not).
The only difference between them is PR - Fatah has been good at PR. The world believes that Fatah is really a bunch of moderates who are capable of making a lasting peace. At the same time, much of the Western world (parts of Europe not included), think of Hamas as a bunch of unruly terrorists hell-bent on destroying Israel. In essence, fatah believes the same thing, but has better PR and has devised more manipulative ways of getting rid of Israel.
As Jameel put it, Zeh Neveila, Vzeh treifa.
So, why do I want Hamas to take control?
As long as Fatah has been in charge, the world feels comfortable pressuring Israel to offer concessions. It never mattered if Israel got anything in return. It never mattered if the PA had kept nay of their promises or any of their agreements. Israel always had to make offers. And even when things were not going well in negotiations, Israel would be pressured to make goodwill gestures, sometimes in the form of land, sometimes in the form of releasing terrorists from jail, sometimes releasing money, sometimes easing up travel restrictions through Israel, etc. All this was in order to prop up Fatah and make them look better in the eyes of their people.
The world pressured Israel to play to Fatah because the world considered Fatah moderates. the world considered Fatah to be a bunch of people we could make peace with. Everything had to be done to preserve that.
If Hamas wins, that ridiculous pressure placed on Israel might be lessened. Nobody in the Western world likes Hamas. Everybody accepts that they are a bunch of thugs and terrorists (though some in Europe still choose to ignore that). Nobody will pressure Israel to make goodwill gestures to Hamas.
At least for a while. Eventually they will. But for a while, the PA will look really bad to the world.
So I offer my cheer, "GO HAMAS!!!"
And now for the Picture of the Day.... (drumroll please):
(picture taken from ynetnews.com of a Hamas terrorist at a border crossing. This is called upgraded security)
And now for the Picture of the Day.... (drumroll please):
(picture taken from ynetnews.com of a Hamas terrorist at a border crossing. This is called upgraded security)Haveil Havalim #121 - live
Head on over to Jack's Shack for the Father's Day edition of Haveil Havalim #121
it's over. this is goodbye.
This is it. It is time to say "goodbye".
Everything good must eventually come to an end.
We were together in good times and bad.
You were an outlet for me.
Other people enjoyed your presence, and maybe some did not.
We raised you from a little nothing until you were fully grown.
It is now time to say goodbye.
Goodbye Goose.
We will no longer be known as "that crazy family with the goose" (we might be "that crazy family" but not "with the goose")
(yes, that is Flat Stanley)
Everything good must eventually come to an end.
We were together in good times and bad.
You were an outlet for me.
Other people enjoyed your presence, and maybe some did not.
We raised you from a little nothing until you were fully grown.
It is now time to say goodbye.
Goodbye Goose.
We will no longer be known as "that crazy family with the goose" (we might be "that crazy family" but not "with the goose")
(yes, that is Flat Stanley)
And you were delicious too. My mother called me a "barbarian". My father threatened to sick PETA on me. It was the only way I could get my army brother to come to me for a shabbos weekend (now I have to look for a new plan to get him to come again!). We devoured you as would a caveman (mostly my brother, but I enjoyed some of you too), picking at the bones.
Goose. RIP. 29 sivan 5767.
Jun 15, 2007
"capital punishment" in Gaza (video)
This is a video from NRG TV of "capital punishment" in Gaza yesterday.
Viewer Discretion is Advised.
Viewer Discretion is Advised.
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