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I dont know where Loganberry Lane is but is this supposed to be a Jewish version of The Real Housewives of... ?

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  -- Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, after threatening again that the Draft Law must be passed before the budget or else.

It actually looked for a moment as if they were coming down from the tree once again as yesterday anonymous UTJ people commented that the law doesnt need to be passed before the budget but they need to see it advanced and see that it is being taken seriously. Goldknopf seems to have shot that down today.

On the one hand, this might be the first time he is saying to draft those who do not learn. I think many would have agreed to a compromise a long time ago had that been the policy in the Haredi leadership - let the ones who do not learn go to the army and the ones who do would be exempt. Unfortunately they always protected the ones who do not learn as well. 

Goldknopf can always be counted on to come up with gems that will upset many

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The Attorney General has some problems with the decision saying due process was not followed, but I dont care about that. They can redo it following due process, or however that works. This seems to be a big fight right now but this doesn't interest me.

What I do find interesting is that just a few days ago Finance Minister Smotritch stated that they will not spend another agora on defensive measures, on "miguniyot", which is why he wont approve the defensive measures requested for the Sderot train. Smotritch said defensive measures make the IDF not try to win, and the IDF needs to be int he mindset to win. 

And just a few days later they are approving spending more than one agora on defensive measures in Judea and Samaria by the communities largely in the constituency of Betzalel Smotritch.

So, not for the train or anywhere else, and not in the Galil that is actually under fire right now, but yes in the towns of Smotritch's people. 

Hmmmmm...

I have no problem with his sense of morals. We can discuss whether Israel discriminates against Arabs or not. Arab Israeli citizens have full rights. Palestinians are not citizens of Israel so dont have the same rights, pretty much like in any country. 

If he feels that a country based on ethnicity is bad, I can potentially be ok with that. Discrimination is usually bad. 

But when you only call out Israel for ethnic discrimination and not any of the tens of other countries that do it, that's antisemitism, not morals. Do the Palestinians not discriminate based on ethnicity in their territories? Do the Iranians? Syrians? Iraqi? Sudanese? And many more countries can be added to the list. Where are they mentioned in this book?

And no, I am not going to read the book. The excerpts form the interview were more than enough to know there is no need.

a soldier spotted and identified Douglass Murray int he field and stopped to salute him for his honesty and bravery supporting Israel in the media

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Yom Kippur eve in shul. In this shul they sell the rights to open the aron for Kol Nidre rather than just giving the honor to the synagogue elders or wise men, as is common in some shuls. 

The gabbai is auctioning off the honors, including the honor of opening the aron kodesh for Kol Nidre and the bidders are doing what they do and things are getting exciting as they often do. Suddenly a voice calls out from the women's section of the shul with a high bid of 17000nis.

The bid was offered by Yelena Trufanova. Yelena had been a hostage held by Hamas who was released in one of the early rounds of hostage deals. Her son Sasha Trufanova is still being held hostage in Gaza. 

People started saying, let her win, leave her alone, her son is a hostage, she's the mother of a hostage, let her be, let her have it. people were stunned. Besides for the unusual site of a woman bidding for one of the honors (at least in many shuls it is unusual), now it is also a situation connected to the hostages. People were stunned momentarily into silence. After a moment the crowd recovered and got back to the bidding. 

The show must go on, and the top bid is now 17k, but with money going to the shul for covering a years worth of operating expenses, it was not just going to stop there. People continued to bid until someone won the auction for opening the aron kodesh to the tune of 21000nis.

As they prepared to start the services, the chazan was going to say a  blessing announcing the buyer, but instead of taking it for himself he dedicated it to the mother of the hostage who had bid against him - Yelena. Presumably he was still opening the Ark but on behalf of Yelena. The chazan then turned to Yelena to bless her, and she dedicated it to her son Sasha.

The shul and congregants then dedicated the entire set of Yom Kippur services to Sasha Alexander ben Leah Yelena to come home safe and healthy, in body and mentally. Amen

As part of a trip of the families of hostages to Bnei Braq before the holiday of Sukkot, we came to Rabbanit Koldetsky to get a blessing. By the way she mentioned that her husband, Rav Yitzchak Koldetsky has not slept on his bed since Simchat Torah (Oct 7 2023). The son in law of Rav Chaim Kanievsky z"l, a talmid chacham and rav in his own right, over 70 years old, decided to sleep on a board he placed on top of the mattress. Already for over a year....He remembers what happened. Daily.

You can go into the room to for yourselves. "How can one sleep comfortably when we have no idea how and where the hostages are sleeping?" Rebbetzin Koldetsky said...

This was always intriguing but it never seemed to be more than a theory and it always seemed somewhat like a bit of a crackpot theory. Over the years though my curiosity was always piqued when hearing Columbus news or reading things that referenced Columbus and in the back of my mind I always tried to fit things in with the theory that he was Jewish.

This Reuters article is the jackpot, even though I know it is still premature and disputed.

According to the article, a group of researchers led by a forensics expert tested tiny DNA samples taken from his grave in the Seville Cathedral and announced their findings that Christopher Columbus and his son Hernando both have DNA traits of Jewish origin. 

ok! Exciting news! and yes, still under dispute, but we'll take historical heroes as Jews in the meantime. And in today's world this wont go down so well - a Jewish European colonizer and everything that followed with the Native Americans and all that.. but still, for me, this is exciting..

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Everyone should do their best to build a sukka near their house as they do every year, despite the difficulty and stress one might feel from the war.

Being fearful and concerned that sirens might blare is not a valid excuse to be considered "mitztaer" and pattur from the mitzva of sukka. the same concern applies when eating in one's house or otherwise out of the sukka, so that fear is not allayed by being exempt from the sukka, so there is no such exemption. 

That being said, regarding sleeping in the sukka there is more reason to be exempt. people who lives in areas where the warning time for incoming rockets is very short and by sleeping in the sukka they may not have enough time to get to the safe room or bomb shelter are exempt from sleeping in the sukka. Not always will one hear the siren and then will be in increased danger, and when sleeping it can take some time to wake up and realize and understand what is happening and then get to the safe room. The same is true inside the house, but in the house one is more protected than in the sukka, even before getting to the safe room.

People should try to eat in the sukka as always. In the areas right next to the Gaza border and in the communities near the border up north (beyond the communities that have been evacuated, obviously), where there is barely any warning time and often none at all, they should make sukkas and try to eat quickly and should eat at least a kzayis in the sukka on the first night.

If someone's wife is very frightened and will not get calm as long as he is sleeping in the sukka, he is exempt from the sukka as a person who is caring for someone ill.

(source: Hamechadesh)

Call me a freier, but not every provocation needs to become a war.

There was a video going around of someone (I think he is a Professor at Weizmann Institute)  walking around the women's section of the Yom Kippur services at Gan Meir (where the courts said the separate outdoor services could be held in Tel Aviv - but didnt they say they were going to forgo the services and only daven in shul and not outdoors to avoid provocations?) in Tel Aviv munching on a popsicle. Participants in the service reacted with a range of saying things like "Labriut" (enjoy, to good health) to calling out angry things to him.

Not every stupid provocation needs to be responded to, and that was a stupid provocation.

Personally, my feelings dont get insulted when I see people eating on Yom Kippur, not that I see it often. My kids used to eat when they were younger, and I saw it and it did not make me hungry or angry. I had someone in my house who had to eat for medical reasons this year, and in some years past, and it did not upset me or anger me or insult my sensitivities. I even give out candy in shul to the kids on Yom Kippur and I have seen plenty of them pop the candy right into their mouths in shul. 

If one must to assuage their sentivities, one can even think to himself or herself that the fellow with the popsicle was not well and had to eat for his health. Perhaps he was having heat stroke and needed the popsicle to cool down his core temperature. 

Yes, what he did was not cool. Yes, what he did was provocative. Yes, what he did was childish. Even as bad as what he did, the popsicle probably had a hechsher, and from the amount of daylight I saw in the clip it might have been bein hashmashos - during the twilight hours when it is only a question of being day or night, so even far as provocations go, I can think of much worse things he could have done to create a more significant provocation. 

Let it go. not every provocation needs to be responded to.

I am happy the Yom Kippur services in Gan Meir were almost uneventful. I honestly did not even know they ended up having services there until I saw the video clip - the court said they could then the organizers said they wouldnt. I hadnt heard anything of it until this. Each provocation is bad and is an attempt to increase the anger and hatred and fighting. Responding to the provocations are just as bad and just as much increase the anger and hatred and fighting. Had someone gotten hurt, had their been physical fighting or verbal abuse, maybe then it would be a different story, but someone eating a popsicle - no need to go into a tizzy.

On the eve of the 25th, this year will be October 26 at night, a Motzei Shabbos, the Day of Mourning will begin at 7:45pm. Flags will be flown at half mast. On the 25th of Tishrei, October 27, educational institutions will be instructed to spend some time having memorial ceremonies, as will army units. All places of entertainment will be closed - theaters, cafes, restaurants, etc. 

There will be a State ceremony on the Day of Mourning, in cooperation with all four symbols of the State - the Prime Minister, the President, the Speaker of the Knesset, and the President (in this case the interim President) of the Supreme Court.

No siren will be sounded.

The Day of Mourning will conclude at sundown.

I understand some people are good with this and some want different aspects of it changed...

Personally, I have no problem with the form of memorialization and I think a Day of Mourning is a natural outcome for the event that is being memorialized (nor do I have a problem with Miri Regev running the show, as some people do). However, like the Oct 7 State (not private), "official" ceremonies, I think this should wait until after the war. I dont understand the idea of commemorating an event we are still in. We are commemorating the soldiers who fell in a war we are still in the middle of? On the 26th or 27th of Tishrei or the 5th of Cheshvan, or whenever, more soldier will, god forbid and bite my tongue, fall in battle in a war that was already commemorated? Just last week they announced one of the hostages was actually killed on October 7th - in a month maybe they will say that about another, and we already commemorated the murdered on the 25th of Tishrei? 

It does not make sense to me. Finish the war and the following year on the 25th of Tishrei commemorate it. 

That is Paul McCartney visiting a synagogue in Santiago, Chile on Yom Kippur with his wife.

From what I understand, his wife is Jewish, as was his first wife, and thereby his children are also Jewish.

I guess his minhag is not to wear a kittel

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  -- Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, when asked about Iran's nuclear program and Israel's possible coming attack..

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I think if it gets that far, Israel should grant Sinwar temporary immunity for the duration of serious negotiations. If Israel feels he is leading them on for his own purposes and is not making serious offers and efforts, he loses his immunity. If immunity is needed to get him to the table, give it to him, but not open ended. If we think he is playing us, immuity is canceled. if a deal doesn't work out, immunity is canceled. 

Minister Smotritch posted today that he is opposed to the security measures, but that is not what is holding up the train. Smotritch himself wants the train to go back to full operation today, just without the new defensive security protective enhancements.

To explain, Smotritch believes that Israel should no longer invest a single agora in defensive measures. He says an army that is looking for ways to protect itself defensively is an army that does not believe in victory. The residents of the south should not be looking for all sorts of defensive measures. Gaza will no longer be a security threat to the residents of Israel. It is the Gazans who should be looking for ways to protect themselves!

Smotritch says that reinforcing the trains and putting in protective measures will freeze the line for two years while they implement those defensive enhancements. The train line should open today, as is, with no security enhancements at all. Smotritch says he raised the issue in a recent Cabinet meeting and believes they will soon be able to open the train line and put it into operation.

He has a point. Logically it makes some sense.

I saw a video a while back, earlier in the year - it was an interview with family members of someone killed on October 7. the family was int he middle of sitting shiva and the reporter is interviewing the father. During the interview sirens are going off and many of the people present ran off to take cover, find shelter, go to safe rooms, etc. The father being interviewed did not get up and when asked he said, no more sirens, no more safe rooms. All they do is give us a false sense of security. We need to do away with the threats rather than defensively protect ourselves from them.

It makes sense to a certain extent. I am not sure armies are not supposed to invest in defensive systems. They can invest in offense and work toward victory while also investing in defense.

When Smotritch says we will not invest a single agora in defensive measures does he mean to say we will no longer build bomb shelters and safe rooms? What about those concrete structures in front of many bus stops and public buildings?

Does Smotritch mean the IDF will do away for the Iron Dome system, along with the Arrow and David's Slingshot? Those are all defensive systems that have saved many lives over the years and have given us a sense of security that perhaps diminished the urgency of dealing with Gaza.

Does Smotritch mean to say that the settlements in Judea and Samaria no longer need electronic fences with tracking systems? What about security checkpoints and security walls? bulletproof buses, windshields protected against rocks?

I am pretty sure we need at least some defensive systems, even while not discounting the need to actually deal on the offensive with the threats and not just rely on the defensive measures.

Ben Shapiro accompanied President Donald Trump on his visit to the Ohel, the burial place of Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson - the last Rebbe of Chabad...

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Why now? what has changed? The Dati Leumi leadership have been very opposed to a deal until now, and calling support for a "responsible" deal doesnt really change anything as all along they have said they would support a deal but only a responsible one (question is always what qualifies as responsible). Now? There are not even any talks or discussions of a deal on the table. Sinwar has been incommunicado for a long time and only yesterday did they say he finally has been in touch with Qatar and is really alive. Why now? What is this letter meant to accomplish?

One option is that it is just meant as an attempt to improve their own public image. The DL community has been painted as being against any deal, maybe they dont care about the hostages, and the like. A letter in support of a deal, especially when it costs nothing as no deal is on the table, can go a long way in repainting the image of the community. See - we are in favor of a deal, we do care about the hostages.

The other option, in my mind, is that there is, perhaps, something going on behind the scenes that the public has not been made aware of. Perhaps talks, or the start of talks, and a possible deal approaching. This letter, according to my theory, is meant to start paving the way and preparing the public for a deal that might be presented soon. I would not be surprised if Netanyahu is ready to make a deal for the hostages and this letter is at his bequest (in his usual roundabout ways) to start preparing the ground. Saar recently joined the government so even if Ben Gvir would remain opposed it could still pass a vote without him. 

Just a theory, dont get your hopes up just yet, but let's see where this goes, and hopefully we will see the hostages home soon!

The pilgrims, already stuck for a few days in transit, have started contacting various MKs and Ministers pleading for assistance, asking for Israeli intervention at the borders with the Romanian authorities... Some have said they are trying to help (though in practice, maybe they are, maybe they arent), while others have been less than helpful saying you were told in advance not to go, there is a war, flights have been canceled by almost all the airlines, there is no way for me to help.

I don't really feel bad for them. This is what they felt they need to do with their dedication to the Uman cause, isnt it? It is all a test to see if they are really dedicated to going to Uman? They need to overcome all challenges and tests and do it anyway - so this is that. There are literally almost no flights to Israel nowadays, besides for all the other travel difficulties, yet they went anyway knowing that.

That being said, if people are in a position of power and are in a position to help, they definitely should. The Breslavers dont need to be punished for their stupidity and left to rot in Romania just because they didnt listen to the travel advisories and pay attention to the war situation. If government officials can work things out with the Romanian authorities and help get them out, they should. It might even require an emergency airlift. I kind of feel saving them is not fair to many other people. People have been stranded all over the world due to canceled flights and Israel did not do anything to help them, leaving them to scramble on their own and pay lots of money to find ways home, but these people who went against all warnings and knowing the current situation should be rescued?

Despite all that, if Israeli officials are in a position to help work things out, they should.

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What our armed forces did was to inflict the minimum punishment on that usurping Zionist regime in response to its appalling crimes. It’s a bloodthirsty regime, a wolf-like regime, and the US’s rabid dog in the region.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 6, 2024

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Today's PotD is one from the archives...

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  -- Defense Minister Yoav Galant in a discussion with the forum of the General Staff (matckal - Mateh Haklali) headed by the Chief of the General Staff (RamatKal) Herzi Halevi

In his post Rav Kahana wrote: The goal was within reach, but not everyone stuck to the decision of the rabbinic committee.

To note, Rav Kahana accumulated 30 votes, with the winners going to the second round getting 40 votes each. 30 votes on his own, with his major backers and opponents backing out of their commitments in the final stretch. He got pretty close against all odds, and had Smotritch not backed out of his commitment, and had Rav Halevi not backed out of his commitment, Rav Kahana could definitely have won or been a finalist. 

Sorry to say, but that's what you get when you try to play fair and square in politics. And yes, the Chief Rabbinate is purely politics.

I fully support Israel’s choice to do what’s necessary to neutralize Hezbollah. 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/RBmGTz4xPD

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) October 1, 2024

Truth is, I dont know much about Fetterman on domestic or other foreign policies, but in the past several years I have become a one issue voter as far as the USA is concerned, and for me that one issue is Israel, so I would vote for Fetterman just for the unwavering support he has given to Israel.

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You would think it is a joke, but it isn’t

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an interview with @cnnturk said that Iran’s secret services had created a special unit to combat Mossad operating in Iran. However, turns out the head of this unit was himself a Mossad… pic.twitter.com/35fKhqEeTt

— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) September 30, 2024

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I must say, he is supper scary and intimidating, especially while making these threats while hiding in a closet in his bunker that is so hot he has difficulty breathing and has to wipe away the sweat from his brow...

Unfortunately, and this is from both directions, they all feel the need to burn bridges. 

The people he has sat with against Netanyahu for the past 3 or so years have been attacking him for joining with Netanyahu now as if he is the devil, though until now he is fine and was even praised for opposing Bibi. And same from the other direction - Saar is throwing nasty shots at the people he just sat with for 3 years against Bibi while until now they were fine enough to work with now he is throwing pot shots.

This is the kind of behavior that needs to end. Even if it wont necessarily prevent anyone from working together int he future - Saar just joined with Netanyahu despite both having said nasty things about each other over the past few years, so in Israeli politics a burned bridge can still often be rebuilt, we still need better public discourse.

byachad nenatzeach - together we will win - is not just together with the people you [currently] agree with and like but it is, or should be, together with everyone, even the ones you disagree with.

Some Shia cleric from Iran, Mostafa Karami, was asked about how Israel got the information it had on Nasrallah's whereabouts to eb able to put on such an operation to take him out.

Karami said, "The information was leaked by invisible infidel demons (sheidim) who were employed and activated by Jewish Priests..the Jews were made aware of the demons being drafted tot he cause and the astrological issues back in the days of King Solomon. Considering the Zionists' history of subjugating genies, they carry out many of their missions through this means, and demons are their secret arm"...

Ok. Go argue with that. Is it so bad that they think we have these unnatural powers and the ability to control demons? I am not sure if this is greater or lesser than our ability to control the weather and space lasers...

As if important rabbis breaking deals and commitments while playing politics for a job isnt bad enough.

Yesterday, as the counting of the ballots concluded, a tie was officially declared between the candidates Rav Kalman Ber and Rav Micha Halevi, each with 40 votes tallied. Due to the tie, it was officially announced that the vote would go to a second round of voting. 

Shortly after the official declaration, an additional vote was discovered in the wrong ballot box - a vote for open of the ashkenazi rabbi candidates was found in the Sefardi rabbi ballot box (it had not been noticed there during the counting of the votes for the Sefardic Chief Rabbi). The candidate whose name is on that ballot declared victory saying it should be counted as that is the will of the voter even if a mistake was made, while the other candidate claimed the vote is invalid and cannot be counted.

They will decide whatever they decide as each side in the matter will make his case, and it will probably end up in the Supreme Court. Rabbis vying for the position of Chief Rabbi should really be above such suspicions and shenanigans. the only way to fix this and retain any level of respect for the office that might still be left would probably be to void the entire election and have a do-over. It might even make sense to invalidate the current candidates who for now have left a bad stain on an office that is meant to be one of morality and faith and not one of politics and underhandedness.  This wont happen though so somehow a decision will be made, likely by the Supreme Court, and someone will be declared Chief Rabbi, and the people will continue to have less and less respect for the Chief Rabbinate than what they already had based on the embarrassments of previous years. 

It is amazing how the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the connected politicians with all their "rosh katans" could do such a poor job running such a small election (just 140 votes maximum, of which 138 votes were submitted) and bring such shame to the office. It is almost as of they are trying to destroy the reputation of the Chief Rabbinate and get the last few people who still respect the office and listen to its decision to abandon it like everyone else. 

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