As you all know, the Olympics are underway in Brazil, and like most other countries, Israel has sent a team of athletes to compete on behalf of our national glory.

Until now the Israeli athletes have been disappointing. Even the athletes that were expected to do well, did not. Yesterday Israel won its first medal (bronze) of the 2016 Olympics via the judoku Yarden Gerbi. mazel tov!

Miri Regev, the Minister of Sport and Culture, publicized that she had been davening for Gerbi to win and had moments before Gerbi's victory sent a sms message to a rabbi, Rabbi Netanel Shriki, in which she said how important it is to win the medal and hear the national anthem and that she is praying for a victory.


Regev doesn't explicitly ask him to add his own prayers, but that seems to be implied that she is looking for a blessing or his own prayers as well.

Sure enough, Gerbi won her match shortly after, and won her gold medal.
source: Kikar

I think Miri Regev should be fired. Regev was derelict in her duties. Why did she not care enough about all the other athletes under her responsibility and pray for them as well? Why did she not send messages to the rabbi on behalf of each one of them? Israel would have a few more medals, and maybe even a silver or gold, if she would just take her responsibility seriously!

just kidding.

.

there is nothing wrong with making separate swimming hours for the religious and Haredi residents, but discounts offered by the city should be offered equally across the board.

they are developing an app that will "accompany" you on Har Habayit, will have all the halachot and issues and help create some sort of positive atmosphere that will be more encouraging for going to Har Habayit, to counter the negative atmosphere that currently exists.

I don't normally comment on op-eds, as everyone is entitled to their opinion. One type of op-ed I really don't like is the kind of op-ed in which the author is being "judgey" and maybe even holier than thou.

Dov Eichler, a Haredi journalist, has written an op-ed in Behadrei.

Eichler writes a strongly worded piece about a deception that is not uncommon during the Nine Days. A deception in which people find all sorts of siyyumim to hear so that they can be allowed to eat meat during the Nine Days.

Eichler references a restaurant in Boro Park that pays a rotation of avreichim to come in every half an hour and make a siyyum so that they can continue to have customers during the Nine Days and sell and serve meals as regular.

Eichler calls it a deception. He calls it making a joke of halacha. He calls it acting as if you are smarter than Chazal. Eichler's final two paragraphs are particularly strong in which he says he is not lecturing to anyone, but expressing disdain at this "combina" - this shady deal or deceptive practice. "If you must eat meat during these Nine Days despite them being categorized as national days of mourning, go ahead and eat. I am not coming to educate you, just don't make a joke of a hetter, don't make halacha into a joke... I am not a posek halacha or a talmid chochom, but I am also not an idiot. Sometimes something makes me think that we doubt the wisdom of Chazal. If we would only lie to them and to ourselves, nu, ok. But to doubt their wisdom? woe to the shame!"

I personally agree with his approach. Not his approach in talking about those who use the siyyumim to eat meat, but his approach in not looking for ways out of the Nine Days. It is just nine days, one or two of which is Shabbos anyways, and I can handle not having meat and wine for these days. The purpose is to make us think about the destruction of the mikdash, and I don't think nine days is asking so much of us.

As the Aruch Hashulchan says, members of other religions take off far longer periods of abstaining from various pleasures for their religions; Lent and Ramadan come to mind. The Aruch Hashulchan exhorts us to give these few days to show our minimal sacrifice for remembering the destruction of the Temple and not looks for ways out of it, even ways mandated in halacha.

Where I don't agree with him is in his criticism and scorn of people who take a different approach. If he were a community leader of some sort looking to exhort his community to changing its approach, that would be acceptable, I think. In the meantime, the people who look for the siyyumim, whether they hear them on the radio or in a restaurant on some sort of regular schedule, are at least following halacha as the Rama writes it - at a siyyum and seudas mitzva one is allowed to eat meant, though during "the week of", which does not apply this year, a siyyum should only have a basic minyan of people and not extras.

So, Chazal allowed it. And Chazal being pretty smart knew that people could use it to find ways to eat meat and "get out of the mourning" yet they did not put in limits and qualifications. And, without doubting the wisdom of Chazal, maybe they did so because they wanted to offer people a way out, for people who feel they need it. Since halachically it is ok to eat meat and it was Chazal who added it as a custom to adhere to, perhaps they also chose to leave it open enough to allow people a way out.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has announced that he is pushing forward a plan, and has approved it, to recognize smicha from the Rabbanut, or a yeshiva ishur for 6 years of learning in kollel or yeshiva along with 3 of the Rabbanut tests having been sat in passed (that must include the tests on hilchos Shabbos and on hilchos "issur vhetter") as a BA for the purpose of qualifying in tenders for jobs in local municipalities.

Deri does not have the power to recognize this as a degree at the national level, but he does at the municipal level. This will potentially open up job possibilities for thousands of people in the Haredi community, for those who have decided to leave kollel and go to work.
source: Kikar

I heard Deri speaking about this on the radio. One of the additional points he made that i think is important to point out is that these recognitions will only be for positions that do not require specific professional skills. Meaning, someone with a "degree" from smicha will not be able to apply for jobs in the legal department that require legal training, or for jobs that require studies in finance or others.They will be able to apply for positions that require degrees but not specific professions.

I am in favor of this. I think it is a good idea. the Rabbanut tests for smicha require years of study and discipline and should be recognized and it will give people a good base to start from when they are ready.

MK Dudu Amsalem (Likud) has proposed a law that would put an end to investigations into a sitting prime minister for "light" crimes. Investigations into possible "serious" crimes will be allowed. As well, Statutes of Limitations for any such crimes will be frozen during the term of the prime minister so any investigation into these possible light crimes will be able to happen after the term of the PM will have been completed.

Amsalem explains the obvious - the job of PM is very important and the PM must remain focused on his job and not be distracted with all sorts of investigations. In the past 30 years there has not been a single Prime Minister that has not had investigations to deal with.

A light crime for this will be defined as any crime that bears a punishment of up to just 6 months in prison. Anything beyond that will be serious and will be allowed to be investigated during the term as well.
source: NRG

I think this is something that is necessary and I hope this law passes. I would add that I made a similar suggestion for such a proposed law both two months ago and 8 months ago, each time when new investigations into Netanyahu and his family were announced for minor issues.. Maybe Dudu Amsalem reads this blog...

If life were only as simple as the Olympics.

In the Olympics there have already been a couple of incidents in which an uncomfortable situation, or worse, between Israeli representatives and representatives of Israel's neighboring countries was averted.

The Lebanese team refused to allow the Israeli team to ride on the same bus to the opening ceremony.

A Syrian boxer refused to compete against an Israeli boxer at the World Boxing Championships and gave up his potential spot in the Olympics because of it, as these championship matches were qualifiers for the Olympics.

A judoka athlete from Saudi Arabia forfeit her match supposedly to avoid meeting the Israeli judoka Gili Cohen in the next round.

If we could only have avoided conflicts in real life so easily, so many thousands of lives would have been saved. Instead of having all those wars, the Arab countries and representatives could have taken this new approach already back then and just walked away from facing us all those times... Maybe Hamas can take lessons from the Olympics and help us all avoid an unnecessary summer war (whether this year or next or the summer after)...

this is a fascinating interview British TV held with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir back in 1970... interestingly, the positions held by Labor Party back then are nothing like those held by them today. Labor then was even more right wing then Likud today....

brand new series on Israeli tech..