Personally I do not look for siyyumim during the Nine Days in order to be able to eat meat. If I happen to be finishing something, I'll make a siyyum, but I won't schedule something to be specifically during the Nine Days. Others do differently, and that's fine by me.

FYI - here is a schedule, put out by Chabad, of siyyums that will be broadcast over the radio to increase the happiness of Torah during this sad time of mourning, as per the instructions fo the Lubavitcher Rebbe (zt"l). These siyyums will be broadcast on Radios Kol Hai and Kol Berama at different times of the day, as per the schedule below...

Strange story.

A sick avreich, I assume with cancer but the illness has not been disclosed, sold his sickness to an Arab for 600nis. He did not really sell the sickness, as he paid the Arab 600NIS to take it from him.

Maybe that means he bought the health of the Arab? I am not sure what the right way to say this is. He gave his sickness to the Arab and paid him 600nis to take it.
source: Kooker


I am not sure why the Arab would want it. He must not believe in the ability to transfer a sickness like that and figured he is getting a free 600nis out of this deal.


I have heard of people selling their souls. I don't remember hearing of someone selling their sickness.

I wonder if there is a clause in the sale of no refunds, no exchanges. Does this transaction fall under the Israeli law requiring a seller to take back a sale within two weeks (for store credit) for whatever reason the buyer wants out?

What I would really like is to see a follow-up article in a few months that will let us know how each of these two are doing - did the Arab get sick and the avreich get healthy? did it not make the switch? This is interesting, but I'd really like to know what happens down the line...

I didn't remember anything about most of these either...

beautiful reception! though the family probably just wanted to rest a bit after an exhausting trip...

I am impressed by the power of the people.

Example 1:
A few months back an agreement was reached between the government and the Women of the Wall and Reform representatives by which the egalitarian plaza would be enlarged and a new council formed for administering it. The deal was approved and the Haredi MKs in the government allowed it to go through even with their lip service of protest. After the deal was a fait accompli and publicized, the Haredi street and media got upset that the government made a deal with the Reform about this and gave them a foothold. Shortly after that the Haredi MKs suddenly started protesting the agreement (that they were a part of) and they fought against it, throwing the agreement back into limbo. It was clear that they were pressured by the "Haredi street" to not just let it slide through.

Example 2:
The new broadcasting authority has been the subject of much argument between different branches of the government. Finally they have all, seemingly, come to an agreement on its formation and it seems to be a done deal, as of a week ago. Suddenly some residents of Har Nof discover that the broadcasting authority purchased a building just outside of Har Nof in which to house the new complex.

The new Broadcasting authority is going to regularly desecrate the Shabbos at the edge of Har Nof. They do not like that and say it is going to threaten the character of the neighborhood and they went to the Haredi MKs to push them to fight it.

The Haredi MKs response was basically that they did not know, they will look into it, if it is true they will fight it and they will not allow this to happen.

Once again, the Haredi MKs were going to let it go through as part of whatever agreement they had agreed to in exchange for whatever votes they wanted supported by the government, but the Haredi street rose up and said no, and now the Haredi MKs have to pick up the gauntlet and fight it.

And no, I do not believe they did not know. The current broadcasting authority is mechalel shabbos, so without extracting a promise that the new authority won't be, they new it would be. The Ministers and MKs, especially Gafni and Deri, are surely aware of every detail of this hotly contested issue, and in no way do I beleieve that they did not know there would be chilul shabbos or that it would be located outside of Har Nof.

So,, my conclusion is that the people are far more powerful than previously thought. they are not just led, but they also set the tone when they want to.

Behadrei is reporting on a case of a baby from Modiin Ilit that is in the hospital in critical condition (refuah Shleima!), and over the course of this past Shabbos the police were brought into the story due to a suspicion of abuse. They went to the hospital and arrested/detained the parents and took them to the station for questioning. They were later released to house arrest with some additional restrictions.

Behadrei reports this with shock, calling it an outrage that they were arrested and taken away on Shabbos.

If they are innocent and there was no real serious reason to suspect them and the police were making a mountain out of a molehill,  then being taken in for questioning on Shabbos is inappropriate, though the parents seemingly were not forced to desecrate Shabbos - they did not drive or have to write or whatnot. The police might have done something inappropriate to the parents by ruining their Shabbos and maybe the police were mechalel shabbos where they could have waited, but I would not be outraged unless the parents were forced to be mechalel shabbos, and going to the station and answering questions does not likely require chilul shabbos by the parents..

If, however, the police had strong reason to suspect abusive behavior that put the baby into critical condition in the hospital then it is not an outrage that they arrested/detained the parents on Shabbos. I would say the opposite - it is better that they did not wait. If there was strong reason to suspect then they were doing the responsible, and necessary, thing by taking in the parents right away.

What do you think - does such a situation deserve to be considered outrageous? Can we know only after the investigation is completed?

According to Kikar, many in the religious community are upset at Minister of Education Naftali Bennet over a tweet he sent while it was Shabbos in Israel, despite the fact that he is abroad and it was not Shabbos in his location, and he noted that in his tweet.

Bennet's tweet was a response to a report on Channel 2 News about his actions during Operation Defensive Shield. The report had aired on Shabbos in Israel, and Bennet's response was sent on Shabbos as well, though Bennet was abroad and it was not Shabbos in his location when he sent it.

So, Naftali Bennet is somewhere in the world where it was not Shabbos and he is being attacked for chilul shabbos that did not happen.

There are some things about Bennet (and Habayit Hayehudi) that I like, and there are some things about Bennet (and Habayit Hayehudi) that I do not like. I do not know who these people are that are reportedly upset about this, but it seems to me to be a non-issue, or a manufactured issue by people who oppose him.

Are Israeli ministers now not allowed to do [online] melacha in chutz laaretz when it is  Shabbos in Israel? I never heard of such a chumra. Maybe all Jews abroad cannot do any [online] melacha once Shabbos comes in in Israel, because people might not realize they are not in Israel.

There is plenty to complain about and oppose Bennet for without coming up with such nonsensical issues.

lol but great catch

wonderful opportunity for the boys