1. A way to let go

2. Mashiv, Morid - Moisture, Monsoon - makes me think of the story of Choni HaMe'agel..

3. Kiruv, and its affects on Har Nof

4. Ask the Knesset member, in English

5. The theology of Sandy

6. A Long Island rabbi's response to Sandy



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There is troubling news from Har HaBayit today. Jews who were on Har HaBayit witnessed some very upsetting activity.

In the area of Shaar HaRachamim, Merccy Gate, there have been wooden beams laying there for a long time. they have been moved around a bit from place to place, but they have spent a lot of time recently "stored" in the area of Shaar HaRachamim.

These beams have been examined and tested with carbon dating. They have been determined to be over 3000 years old, dating back to the First Temple period, and examination has discovered flakes of gold on the wood. These beams are very likely, from an archaeological standpoint, to be beams from the Mishkan and/or the First Temple.

Even without ascribing any specific holiness to them, even just from a historical and archaeological perspective these beams should be cared for like national treasures. Yet people on Har HaBayit this morning saw the Arabs (who are connected to the Waqf) working to destroy the beams.

They have done so in the past, allowing the beams to remain exposed and warp under harsh weather conditions, they have disposed of some and they have burnt some up, until protests and appeals led to an agreement that the beams would be cared for and preserved by the Antiquities Authority. Yet today, again, people witnessed, the Arabs breaking pieces off and destroying them in fire. (source: Ladaat, and prior to that a Har HaBayit email list I am a member of)

The government should be protecting our heritage and our historical artifacts. This should not be allowed to continue.

In other Har HaBayit news, it is always nice to get some words of support, especially by people generally considered mainstream, rather than extreme, by the general public.

Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat said  last week, in a visit to the Netiv Meir school, that he supports Jewish prayer on Har HaBayit. Barkat said the issue is not under his control in any way, but is upon the government, but his personal opinion is that anybody who wants to should be able to pray on Har HaBayit. (source: INN)

Hopefully the numbers of people, especially influential politicians, and especially mainstream ones, supporting Jewish prayer on Har Habayit will continue to increase.

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In what has been reported in all the frum press and media, Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Amar has issued a psak that is surprising in nature.

Bug-free veggies has become something of a staple for kashrut in Israel. Many hechshers require it of restaurants, and don't allow "regular" lettuce, cabbage or other greens to be used, not relying on the process of washing and cleaning to rid the veggies of possible bugs. The stores present in the frum neighborhoods, and especially the haredi neighborhoods, carry the bug-free greens almost exclusively, despite the fact that the bug-free vegetables are far more expensive than the "regular" veggies.

So, to suddenly have a psak issued that bug-free vegetables should be avoided is a bit of a surprise. But that is precisely what Rav Amar just paskened. Rav Amar said people should go back to using regular vegetables that were not grown under any special care and then clean them, as we used to.

The problem with the bug-free vegetables, according to Rav Amar, is the way they are treated with pesticides. the amount and type of pesticides used put those who consume these veggies in grave danger.

Rav Amar mentions a few reasons that pushed him to issue the psak:

1. people have come to think that regular vegetables are impossible to clean, and only by growing them in a special way to be bug-free are they kosher, but that causes a health concern (from the pesticides)
2. It is not possible that specifically those who want to be concerned about kashrut problems have to pay so much more for their vegetables, and then those veggies are dangerous to eat!
3. Those who have less income are paying more for their vegetables  and due to the expense might not buy these foods for their children, due to the expense... 

According to Rav Amar, the vegetable growers use pesticides that are especially strong, some of which they are not allowed to use, and some use them in concentrations that are greater than those allowed. Somehow these growers, that are supposedly under supervision, are using 8 to 10 times the amounts allowed by the Ministry of Health, according to laboratory testing that has been done. And, he points to studies in increasing numbers showing that many chronic diseases around the world are caused by pesticides. With danger being something to be even more concerned about than issur, these vegetables should not be eaten.

If the above claims are true, and laboratories have tested and found them to be using illegal pesticides and pesticides in amounts greater than those permitted, I would expect Rav Amar to send his findings to the Ministry of Health. They should be investigating how these products have been allowed to be sold on the shelves of the supermarket, considering the types and amounts of pesticides being used. If the claims are true, they should be shut down or forced to change their milkshake of pesticides. And, if the claims were to be investigated and found to be not true, I would expect Rav Amar to retract his psak.

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The following "Letter to the Editor" (translated by me) was published in the local Bet Shemesh haredi paper "Chadash", and made me laugh. So, here goes...

Last week  a letter was written from the parents of a certain school about a major failure regarding their needs, and amongst what was said it was also said there a very jarring sentence: "We will not elect you again...".
It seems to me that without intention the words were emitted from their pen, since every intelligent person knows and it is clear to him that we don't vote for a specific party or for a specific representative, but only according to the decisions and instructions of the rabbonim shlit"a and the expectations we have of our representatives is not connected and will not be connected to any system of elections (I am not getting into the issue and of the serious distress of the parents, but I think that even in the most frustrating situations there is no place for these types of sentences).
I think that even the Chadash needs to do some introspection on this issue, as from so much describing of the parents distress and the problems of the various neighborhoods every week causes a feeling that the elections are connected to some sort of independent decisions by haredi residents, we get dragged unknowingly into a spirit of representation, factionalism, interests, etc.
The community should be reminded that we are led by the rabbonim shlit"a, and fortunate we are that we have merited so.
M.M. 

That was my entertainment for this past Friday afternoon.


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As long as I am in this position, there will not be another armed intifada. Never. We do not want to use terror or weapons... I want to see Safed, I want to visit, and I have already visited there once. It is my right to see it, but not to live in it. As far as I am concerned, Palestine is within the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem is it's capital. That is now, and forever. This is Palestine, for me. I believe the West Bank and Gaza are Palestine, and the other areas are Israel.

  -- PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen. Abbas's words have sparked some conflict, with President Shimon Peres, who some say is considering a political comeback with a run for the position of Prime Minister, pointing to them as proof that we still have a peace partner, while Netanyahu (or those close to him) is sayign that Abbas is two-faced and has refused to meet and negotiate and is not interested in peace.

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I don't know if this scene was hosted by a Jew or not, but it is a touching picture, showing how people can find all sorts of ways to help others, and they come together in times of need...
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With the U.S. Presidential election just days away, everyone is discussing why their candidate is 'better for the Jews', 'better for Israel', and, of course, 'best for America'.

In an effort to stimulate engaging and meaningful conversation at the Shabbat Table this weekend, Yeshiva University put together a unique Shabbat Table Conversation source sheet that focuses on the themes of democracy and elections.

You can download the source sheet here: http://download.yutorah.org/2012/1053/783111.pdf


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1. The shimmer and awe of Israel

2. Response to Rav Hershkowitz

3. Because it's a duty

4. The final push of Ethiopian aliyah

5. A bird in the hand

6. The making of a presidents, the making of a gadol

7. Something's wrong with this picture of Jaffa Gate

8. Gates Of Jerusalem Old City

9. More Jews are ascending Har HaBayit and more are noticing

10. That's Jewish Food!

11. Jerusalem Eateries challenging the Rabbanut - while it is true that claiming kosher status without a teuda is illegal, I find it a bit humorous that the main focus is on the illegality of the issue, which is something they should just call the police for (or whatever authority deals with that), rather than respond to, and deal with, the actual concerns of the restaurant owners that is behind this "revolt".. and I find the comments on this piece particularly interesting. Fairly unusual for the JKN site..

12. Shocking IDF Uniforms that trump any Haloween costume

13. Are walls to protect ignorance?

14. Religious Puzzle



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Noah film delayed due to flooding

  -- Yahoo Movies

no comment necessary... the irony is rich..

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Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman gets the benefits of a full-fledged minister, despite being only a Deputy Minister. It was part of the original arrangement of his accepting the coalition offer from Netanyahu. Because UTJ has the policy of not taking ministerial positions in the government, Litzman was given the tile of deputy, but has full authority and benefits as if he were a minister.

Globes is reporting that Yaakov Litzman has requested a new car, the BMW 528. Litzman is the first minister to request this model of car. Litzman's request has been approved.

The BMW 5 series has a starting price of 355,000 NIS, and in the US, the 528 sedan starts at $45,000. This is a pretty expensive car.

Litzman needed a new car, even though elections are imminent, because his government authorized car was recently involved in an accident and needed to be replaced.

There is a lot of criticism of Litzman being publicized for this request. They say he does not need such an expensive car. I think the criticism is misplaced.

As long as the government offers a selection of cars to its ministers, any given minister can choose any given car that he prefers from that list. He did not make a special request for a car that was not in the list - he chose one that he was offered by the government. It might not look good, with elections on the way, but he has no primaries in which he needs to appear a certain way - Litzman is chosen for his position in the party.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz had mentioned that he would like to remove this car from the list, but he did not do so. If people, and the media, think that this car is a waste of government money, they should not be criticizing those in the government who use it - they should be petitioning the government to only offer more modest cars and not such expensive luxury cars.


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drying out Torah scrolls in New York... more victims of Sandy...


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Best line of the interview? Definitely when Litzman says there is no need to be a two-income family.. it is enough that just the wife should work...






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