tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71867340972454606702024-03-27T08:37:06.517+02:00Achas L'Maala V'Sheva L'MattaOfficial Blog for <a href="http://oneabovesevenbelow.googlepages.com/"> <b><i>One Above and Seven Below</i></b></a> <p>Everything you always wanted to <b><i>ASK</i></b> about the Chareidim (but were afraid to <b><i>KNOW</i></b>)</p><p> <b>The Chareidi Response by Yechezkel Hirshman</b></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.comBlogger430125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-28156343936547612912024-03-18T16:41:00.011+02:002024-03-19T09:41:22.209+02:00The Enigma of the Sigma (Purim 5784)<p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b>Note
</b>– I recommend this related post: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2010/11/divergence-from-womb.html" target="_blank">Divergence from the Womb</a></b></span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;">וְכׇל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּרְעִ֤ים
וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן... </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">וּמׇ֨רְדֳּכַ֔י
</span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;">לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽה</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;">׃</span></span></b><span dir="LTR" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
am proud to call myself a DIY (Do-it-Yourself) psychologist. I even gave myself
a doctorate from University of Google at Home (UGH). My <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2010/11/divergence-from-womb.html" target="_blank">thesis</a></b> was on MBTI,
Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator. If you are not familiar with MBTI, I urge you
to look it up <b><a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator-2795583" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
became a fan of MBTI ever since I learned about it in an honest-to-goodness
psychology class that I really attended many years back. MBTI goes a long way
in explaining what makes people tick and why “these” kinds of people simply
cannot behave like “those” kinds of people and why we cannot expect folks who
act “this way” or “that way” to ever change. It is often used by
relationship counselors and therapists as a tool to help determine where
couples share common ground and where and why they cannot connect on other
issues and how to deal with these unchangeable conflicts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
went so far as to write a term paper on MBTI for that class I attended in 2005.
This is what I was calling my “thesis” in the opening paragraph of this post. You
can see that paper and how I applied MBTI to our Avos HaKedoshim <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2010/11/divergence-from-womb.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
was very easy for me to identify myself as an “INTJ”
(Introverted-Intuitive-Thinking-Judging) which makes a lot of sense because
INTJs are the ones that go for this kind of thing. INTJs are the ones that need
things to make sense. Their decisions are based on rational calculations and
not on emotions. Because of this, we INTJs tend to come across as cold,
unfeeling, non-compassionate types. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
long as we are not sociopaths, this is the furthest from the truth. We are
conservatives and not liberals. We are not prone to indiscriminate or misplaced
compassion like liberals or like those who have the F (Feeling) attribute are. We
use our compassion sparingly. Since we are low on the F scale, we do not allow
ourselves to be governed by our emotions. But we have them as much as anyone
else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence,
I have been wearing MBTI and my personal INTJ status on my sleeve as a sort of
identity card. Yep, I am a member of the “exclusive” INTJ club - for what it’s
worth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Note</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> - There are
a total of <b><a href="https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/the-16-mbti-personality-types/">16 MBTI combinations</a></b> and each one can be considered its own “club”.
INTJ is known to be among the rarer types. It is presented as the third rarest
type overall (2.1%), but it is only the fifth rarest in males (4%). All this is
in the worldwide population, but I believe the percentages are much different
in the Torah world with a higher percentage of INTJs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
consider this to be one of a sizable group of privileges. I believe it is a
privilege to be Jewish and a privilege to be a male. I make a <i>bracha</i> on
these two privileges every morning. It is certainly a privilege to live in
Eretz Yisrael and especially in Yerushalayim. There should be a <i>bracha</i>
for these as well. It is a privilege to be <i>shomer </i>Torah and <i>mitzvos </i>and a chareidi
Jew by <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/07/guiding-principles-of-1a7b_27.html" target="_blank">my definition</a></b>. It is a privilege to be a husband, a father and a
grandfather. It is a privilege to have good family roots (<i>yichus</i>) and an
extended family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These
are the universal ones that almost anyone can agree with. But I have some
strange ones. I also believe it is a privilege to be an INTJ and, as weird as
this may sound, to be left-handed. I happen to prefer exclusivity (it’s an INTJ
trait).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
thought this sums up the exclusive clubs of rare personality types, until I was
introduced to…<b><i>the <a href="https://wolffacts.org/wolf-pack-hierarchy.html">wolf pack</a></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
recent years I sometimes saw the term “alpha male” associated with people like
Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein and Bill Clinton and even Bibi Netanyahu.
Initially, I just assumed it meant something like a stereotypical masculine
type. Well, men will be men. But something caught my eye when I saw a clip
about up to <b><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Male-Personality-Types" target="_blank">7 male types</a></b>, starting with Alpha and Beta and going to Zeta. I was
curious to see where I fit into this spectrum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before
I go on, let me explain where this comes from. Apparently, in the animal
kingdoms, the males of the species (and their mates) can be categorized into
classes. This is primarily seen in social animals like wolves and primates that
live in dens or colonies. These packs of creatures always have the leaders that
take charge and bully everyone else around. These are known as Alpha. They are
like the Rebbas. After that are those who protect and cater to the leaders.
These are the Betas or the Gaboyim (or the distinguished Chassidim). After that
are the tough enforcers that protect the whole group. These are the Deltas or
the Vilde Bucharim. Lastly, we have the wimps that let everyone else kick them
around. The ones that eat the <i>shirayim</i> from the Rebbas. These are called Omegas – the regular
Chassidim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is known as the wolf pack <b><i><a href="https://wolffacts.org/wolf-pack-hierarchy.html" target="_blank">hierarchy</a></i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">At
some point some folks figured out that we can identify the same classes in
<b><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Male-Personality-Types" target="_blank">human society</a></b>. And so, people were soon being categorized as Alpha, Beta,
Delta, and Omega. But, as humans are much more intelligent and complex, it was
noticed that there are those who don’t seem to fit into any of these classes.
If we look closely, we note that each of the four classes described has its
position or function as part of the pack. They are all team players.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
human society there must be some independents who don’t fit any of these types;
those who are “in business for themselves” and don’t take a position on the
team. The lone wolves. And so, some additional classes were “invented”. (None
of this is truly scientific, but it is certainly indicative). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Alphas and maybe the Deltas are the super-aggressive ones and the Betas and
Omegas are the passive ones. I don’t fit any of those. But as I perused through
the descriptions of the classes, the class that defined me the best was the
Sigmas. Apparently, we don’t really have these in wolves, but we do in people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sigmas
are introverted Alphas. They live in their own world, but in that world, they
are the leaders. The Sigmas are high achievers but are not looking for
limelight. They don’t need validation from other people, no prizes, trophies,
fame or fortune. They get what they want without taking it away from others.
They avoid open competition or confrontation. They do not let anybody else
control them or dictate to them. They are not interested in being a Rebba and
do not need or want any chassidim. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
a word, they are passive-aggressive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
I first read about these attributes and identified with them, my thoughts were
that these are the basic attributes of a standard INTJ. So, I tried an
experiment. I just Googled up the combination of words “Sigma male” and “INTJ”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.sosyncd.com/sigma-male-definition-traits/" target="_blank">Bingo</a></b>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About
141,000 hits including more 10 minute You Tube clips than one could ever watch.
At the top of the Google page was a “random” excerpt that read as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></i></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Sigma
males, also often described as “lone wolves”, tend to be independent,
successful and self-reliant. They march to a different drum. Because many INTJs
can be described this way, there is likely a strong overlap between the two
groups.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
wrote earlier that INTJ Sigmas are introverted Alphas. I would also say that
Sigmas are Alphas with a conscience. How so?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well,
let’s get a better picture of Alpha males. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An
Alpha male is an achiever driven to success. The problem is that his definition
of success is success in the eyes of everybody else. Not necessarily in his own
eyes. The Alpha male craves power and recognition and to dominate others because
this is what gives him self-worth. He seeks fame and fortune…and women. Lots of
them. All at once. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
needs these things, and he will use any means at his disposal to attain them.
He is interested in winning and not in playing fair. The fact that he is strong
enough to obtain them makes it fair. Might makes right. Thus, if he can and
thinks he will get away with it, he will cheat on his studies and on his
business clients and on his relationships to get what he wants. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It’s
a Nietzsche philosophy of survival of the fittest. Unless they have external
ethical constraints, such as being afraid of getting caught and humiliated or
of heavenly retribution if they are religious or of local law enforcement, or any
other situation where they stand to lose more than they’ll gain, they will
persist in their goals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">People
of authority, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and politicians are predominately
Alpha. Professional athletes, mercenaries and, of course, violent criminals are
almost exclusively Alphas. We won’t say that most Alphas are wicked or
narcissistic, but most narcissists and wicked people are Alphas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sigmas
have a whole different definition of success. To a Sigma, success means being
successful in his own eyes. He doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. He is not
interested in power, recognition, or fame. He only wants to feel good about
himself. He doesn’t use women or fancy cars to show himself off, so he doesn’t need
a personal harem of women or a sports car. He doesn’t mind fame and fortune (or
women) as long as he knows that he earned it by legitimate efforts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An
INTJ Sigma will not cheat on his tests or his clients or on his relationships.
It doesn’t matter if nobody finds out. He will know it and it will make him
very, very uncomfortable. Getting things through deceit goes against his
standards of achievement. Unlike the Alpha, he will feel like he didn’t really
achieve it and it will give him no pleasure because this does not give him his
kind of self worth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Believe
it or not, I am not talking about righteousness. Just like I wrote that not all
Alphas are wicked, likewise, not all Sigmas are righteous. We play it straight
because that is what makes us feel good and worthy, not because it’s the right
thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You
can imagine that most heads of state and US presidents will be Alphas. Most of
them won’t care if the elections were fair or even if there were no elections
at all. They want position and power, and they got it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In
my opinion, the only US presidents in the last 100 years who may be Sigmas are
Harry S Truman and Calvin Coolidge and maybe Dwight Eisenhower. Nobody after
them (I think Gerald Ford was a Beta). Interestingly, Coolidge, Truman and Ford
were not even elected as presidents. They were all selected by their
predecessors as Vice Presidents and initially reached the office without
elections. Eisenhower, like Trump, was elected president without ever having
served in any capacity of politics. I also think that Thomas Jefferson and
Abraham Lincoln were Sigmas.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">According
to the Google sources, Sigma males are a rare breed of men. One source claimed
that Alphas comprise about 24% of the general male population, Betas comprise
about 26%, the other non-Sigmas collectively take about 47% leaving the Sigmas
at about 3%. This makes a lot of sense being that INTJs are also about 3%. But I
repeat, this ratio applies to the <b><i>general</i></b> population, but I think
the numbers are different with us Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One
place where we won’t find a lot of Sigma males are in jury boxes. Sigmas are independent
critical thinkers. They cannot be brainwashed. This is never good for the prosecution
but is even too unpredictable for the defense. The moment a trial lawyer –
invariably an Alpha – senses a Sigma, he’ll find a way to disqualify him (or her).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
general, Alphas are not very fond of Sigmas. There is an unspoken rivalry
between them. This is because an Alpha needs to be dominant and the Alpha can dominate
everyone but the Sigmas. Remember what I wrote that Sigmas cannot be controlled
through intimida</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">tion or by
communal brainwashing. They are the critical thinkers and will challenge any
idea that is not logical to them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">וכִרְאוֹת֩ הָמָ֨ן אֶֽת־מׇרְדֳּכַ֜י
בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְלֹא־קָם֙ וְלֹא־זָ֣ע מִמֶּ֔נּוּ </span><span style="color: #990000;">וַיִּמָּלֵ֥א הָמָ֛ן
עַֽל־מׇרְדֳּכַ֖י חֵמָֽה</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">׃</span></span></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
fact, the Alphas actually feel threatened from Sigmas. It’s not because they
fear the Sigma wants to take his imperial crown, the Sigma doesn’t want his
crown. It’s because the Sigma will tell the world that the emperor isn’t
wearing any clothes.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">וְיְסַפֵּ֨ר לָהֶ֥ם הָמָ֛ן אֶת־כְּב֥וֹד עׇשְׁר֖וֹ
וְרֹ֣ב בָּנָ֑יו וְאֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר גִּדְּל֤וֹ הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ וְאֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר
נִשְּׂא֔וֹ עַל־הַשָּׂרִ֖ים וְעַבְדֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ... </span><span style="color: #990000;">וְכׇל־זֶ֕ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ
שֹׁוֶ֖ה לִ֑י</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> בְּכׇל־עֵ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנִ֤י רֹאֶה֙ אֶת־מׇרְדֳּכַ֣י הַיְּהוּדִ֔י
יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּשַׁ֥עַר הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃</span></span></span></b><b style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To
be up front, I get a strong feeling that Sigmas make most classes of people nervous
and uneasy just by being who we are. They feel that we have something they don’t
but can’t figure out what it is. I think the answer is that Sigmas, by definition,
have a certain type of self-esteem that the other classes don’t. It is what
defines us. </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">ּ֣כ</span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">י מׇרְדֳּכַ֣י
הַיְּהוּדִ֗י מִשְׁנֶה֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ וְגָדוֹל֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים
וְרָצ֖וּי</span><span style="color: #990000;"> לְרֹ֣ב אֶחָ֑יו</span></span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
call this the stigma of the Sigmas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, if there is one place you will find an abundance of Sigmas, it is in
Hollywood. Hollywood is very two-dimensional that it portrays clear good guys
(heros) and clear bad guys (villains). The good guys are very often the quiet
unassuming underdog who eventually out maneuvers the hapless villain. As such, most
of the villains personify Alphas and most of the heroes are Sigmas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now
I can only relate to movies and television from my earlier years, a generation
ago. I don’t know who today’s Hollywood heroes are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
think the archetypical Sigma of all INTJ Sigmas is Mr. Spock from Star Trek –
played by our Jewish Leonard Nimoy. The comic book and movie Batman checks all
the Sigma boxes. I think virtually all the Hollywood roles played by Humphrey
Bogart, John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford,
and Anthony Hopkins are Sigma roles. Thus, it stands to reason that most of
these guys are Sigmas in real life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Fictitious
detectives such as Lt. Columbo – also played by our Jewish Peter Falk, Sherlock
Holmes, Charlie Chan and Hercule Poirot are also Sigma personalities. And let’s
not forget Kwai Chang Caine - Mr. Kung Fu (David Carradine). Sigma extraordinaire.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
along with all the other “privileges” I noted above, I think it is a privilege to
be an INTJ Sigma. But I don’t want to be selfish. I want to share it. All the
above relates to the world at large. But let’s get closer to home. How about us
Jews?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
noted already, my personal observation is that we Orthodox Jews spawn a higher
concentration of INTJs and Sigmas. Why is this?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because
we are different. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly,
let’s refer to my earlier <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2010/11/divergence-from-womb.html" target="_blank">term paper</a></b> about MBTI. The essence of that
paper was to display that most of our esteemed ancestors would fall into the INTJ
personality type. This would certainly include Yitzchak Avinu, Yaakov Avinu,
Yosef HaTzadik and Moshe Rabbenu. Even though Avraham Avinu and Aharon HaKohen
were more of the extroverted type, I still would call them Sigmas. One doesn’t
need to be INTJ to be Sigma, just it comes more naturally to INTJs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
personally believe that there is a hereditary aspect to all of this. We are
their descendants. But not this alone. It is nature combined with nurture. We
are taught in cheder and Yeshivos to be individualistic and to think for ourselves.
This was actually the compliment that Moshe Rabbenu said about us <b><i>as a
nation</i></b> when he pleaded on our behalf and called us a stiff-necked
people. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">HKBH
wanted us to be a <i>segulah</i> from all the nations (Shmos 19:5), I think He
wanted us to be a Sigma from all the nations. </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">והייתם לי סגלה מכל העמים – אל תקרי </span><span style="color: #990000;">סגלה</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">
אלא </span><span style="color: #38761d;">סיגמה</span> (תורת יחזקאל)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chazal
call us one sheep between 70 wolves. I would characterize it a little
differently - one Sigma wolf among 70 Alphas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
are the white wolf of the family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
there can be no doubt that all of our adversaries were Alphas – <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2009/03/zachor-ess-asher-assah-amalek-root-of.html" target="_blank">Nimrod</a></b>,
Yishmael, Eisav and Amalek, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2009/03/zachor-ess-asher-assah-amalek-root-of.html" target="_blank">Lavan</a></b> and Bilaam, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnetzer,
Titus – all of them alphas. All of them thought they can dominate us, but it
just doesn’t work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nothing
is clearer than the standoff between <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2009/03/zachor-ess-asher-assah-amalek-root-of.html" target="_blank">Haman</a></b> and Mordechai. The ultra-Alpha
versus the ultra-Sigma. Haman had the yedei Eisav which seems to work against
everyone else. But Mordechai had the kol Yaakov. This is something that only we
have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is the struggle that we are fighting to this very day. Especially in this time
of war. The whole Alpha-driven world is trying to dictate to us what to do. How
many pundits have I heard claim that “Israel is in trouble because they are losing
the sympathy of the world”? They will not admit the truth: Israel never had the
sympathy of the world. We didn’t have it any more on Oct. 8 than we have now.
It was all just lip service then. We haven’t lost anything. It was never there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>All
the western nations are afraid of the Islamists making violent protests. So,
the Western nations are telling us to “stop the genocide”. But it’s not
genocide, it’s just a vicious war. It's just that since we are winning this war,</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> b’Chasdei HaBorei, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">it
suddenly becomes a “genocide”. And they are trying to force us to stop this
false “genocide” using all kinds of vacuous threats and even international
courts of "justice".</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
the United States doesn’t want to let us go straight into Rafah and, B’Ezras
Hashem, win this war, to make the world a better place for everyone. Yet, they cannot
threaten us with holding back military aid. They are afraid to do so because
they know that if they cut us off, we will produce our own weapons (or buy them
somewhere else) and go it alone. Then they won’t have any more leverage on us
whatsoever. They will lose total control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">They
are wearing no clothes.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
much as I am not a big <i>chassid </i>of Bibi, and I think he bowed down to Haman far
too many times in the past, I think he has finally learned his lesson. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">אין לנו על מי לסמוך אלא על אבינו שבשמים.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
only way to defeat Haman or Hamas is </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">לא יכרע ולא ישתחוה</span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
we stick with this, we can be <i>zocheh </i>to:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">וּבִשְׁנֵים֩ עָשָׂ֨ר חֹ֜דֶשׁ הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֗ר
בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ בּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגִּ֧יעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְדָת֖וֹ
לְהֵעָשׂ֑וֹת בַּיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר שִׂבְּר֜וּ אֹיְבֵ֤י הַיְּהוּדִים֙ </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">לִשְׁל֣וֹט
בָּהֶ֔ם</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> וְנַהֲפ֣וֹךְ ה֔וּא </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁלְט֧וּ הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים הֵ֖מָּה
בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶֽם</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">׃</span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b style="font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span dir="LTR" face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">And
so, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—when
the king’s command and decree were to be executed, the very day on which the
enemies of the Jews had expected to </span><span style="color: #990000;">dominate them</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">, the opposite
happened, and </span><span style="color: #990000;">the Jews were dominant over their enemies.</span></span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">נִקְהֲל֨וּ הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים בְּעָרֵיהֶ֗ם
בְּכׇל־מְדִינוֹת֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ לִשְׁלֹ֣חַ יָ֔ד בִּמְבַקְשֵׁ֖י
רָֽעָתָ֑ם וְאִישׁ֙ לֹא־עָמַ֣ד לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־</span><span style="color: #990000;">נָפַ֥ל פַּחְדָּ֖ם
עַל־כׇּל־הָעַמִּֽים</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">׃</span></span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR" lang="HE"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Throughout
the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the Jews mustered in their cities to attack
those who sought their hurt; and no one could withstand them, for </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">the fear of
them had fallen upon all the peoples</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">. </span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">וְכׇל־שָׂרֵ֨י הַמְּדִינ֜וֹת
וְהָאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִ֣ים וְהַפַּח֗וֹת וְעֹשֵׂ֤י הַמְּלָאכָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ
</span><span style="color: #990000;">מְנַשְּׂאִ֖ים אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֑ים כִּֽי־נָפַ֥ל פַּֽחַד־מׇרְדֳּכַ֖י עֲלֵיהֶֽם</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">׃</span></span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR" lang="HE"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span dir="LTR"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">Indeed,
all the officials of the provinces—the satraps, the governors, and the king’s
stewards—</span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">showed deference to the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen
upon them</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;">. </span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">וּמׇרְדֳּכַ֞י יָצָ֣א ׀ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ
בִּלְב֤וּשׁ מַלְכוּת֙</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;"> תְּכֵ֣לֶת וָח֔וּר</span><span style="font-size: large;"> וַעֲטֶ֤רֶת זָהָב֙ גְּדוֹלָ֔ה
וְתַכְרִ֥יךְ בּ֖וּץ וְאַרְגָּמָ֑ן וְהָעִ֣יר שׁוּשָׁ֔ן צָהֲלָ֖ה וְשָׂמֵֽחָה׃</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b style="font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mordecai
left the king’s presence in royal robes of </span><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">blue and white</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">, with a magnificent
crown of gold and a mantle of fine linen and purple wool. And the city of
Shushan rang with joyous cries.</span></span></i></blockquote><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dovid
Hamelech told us:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">וענוים יירשו ארץ
והתענגו על רב שלום</span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The
<b>Sigmas</b> will inherit the earth and delight on the abundance of peace.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה
וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר׃<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-78897260742126717012024-03-06T21:57:00.003+02:002024-03-07T09:54:28.845+02:00Service with a Smile? - The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ever
since the horrific events of Shemini Atzeres there has been a noticeable surge in
consciousness concerning our challenging role as the Nation of G-d. Baruch
Hashem, more and more people have been swelling up with Jewish pride and a team
spirit. There has certainly been a surge in what we call “national unity” and
support for our soldiers and even our politicians. We have seen scores of
previously secular soldiers and citizens taking on mitzvos of <i>tzitzis</i>,
<i>tefillin</i>, <i>krias shema,</i> and observing Shabbos. Numerous generous individuals and
grass roots organizations have sprung up to provide goods and services to
soldiers, their families, displaced persons, and those who have been traumatized or otherwise
affected by the war. And this is with no distinction as to the level of
observance or the ethnic circles of the recipients.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">מי כעמך ישראל<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All
this is heartwarming and inspiring and it gives us false optimism about our
achievements. We may convince ourselves that all this unity and <i>chessed </i>is pleasing HKBH and
we are surely on the threshold of the final <i>geulah</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
have sad news. I don’t think we are even close to making HKBH happy. Certainly He
is pleased with all of our unity, <i>tehillim </i>and <i>chessed </i>and it scores valuable
points, but it isn’t what He wants from us. He wants soul-searching.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
wants all of us to do our personal soul-searching and righting our wrongs –
like the citizens of Nineveh. In some cases, we know what we’ve done wrong and
in others we may not know unless we are told. But once we are told by somebody
else, then we know. Some things may be easy to fix and others may not be so
easy, but at least we need to deal with the easy things.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
don’t see it happening.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Despite
this war and the sense of unity it has invoked, when it comes to the friction
of day-to-day events between people, it doesn’t look to me like anything has
changed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
latest personal examples:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 1</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Just
this past Friday, about 20 minutes before candle-lighting, I had exited the
mikveh and got into my car. A gentleman who I am not acquainted with also exited the mikveh and
got into his car which was on the opposite side of the street. He needed to go
my direction so he attempted a single motion U-turn. He was just a touch shy of
having clearance and, as such, he clipped my front fender. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
glanced into my car and certainly must have seen that I was in it and ready to
step out to survey the possible damage. Then he just drove off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
wasn’t able to get his tag number, though I don’t know what I would have done
even if I did. Turns out, it looks like he didn’t do anything more than a paint
scrape, but he could have done worse like knock out my headlight. He had a
responsibility to hang around and find out and to deal with any significant
damage. He ran.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 2 </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
hired a nice Jewish fella with a large kipa to fix a leak in my roof. I met him
as he was doing some work in the neighborhood. We set a price and he asked for
about a third up front. This is standard. I put together NIS 1200 in cash. He
came and picked up the cash and signed me a receipt.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is the last I saw of him or my cash. At first, he answered his phone and
assured me he is coming right after he finishes something he is working on.
Then, he claimed, another urgent job came up, but he’ll be right there. Then,
there was some rain, so we need to wait. Finally, he stopped answering calls
altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
actually first met him on Parshat Noach and he made a quip of working with tar
just like on the <i>teivah</i>. This was two weeks after the horrible Shemini Atzeres when we were all in a sense of ultra-unity and camaraderie. No matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 3</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is person who comes to my Beis Midrash who is known to be a very learned
fellow. Yet, he feels entitled to pull a chair and <i>shtender </i>and park himself
smack in the middle of a narrow side aisle near the wall, essentially
obstructing the aisle and all that it accesses (shelves with important
<i>sefarim</i>). This forces anyone who needs to use this aisle to detour around it or
to squeeze by him and ask “permission” to get by. This is during the night
sedarim when the Beis Midrash is very sparsely populated. As such, he probably
rationalizes that he is not inconveniencing very many people. On the same note,
because the Beis Midrash is not so full, there are plenty of vacant normal
places to sit. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
any case, I am one of those who get inconvenienced by his obstruction and I
don’t see any reason why he is entitled to inconvenience a single soul. Plus,
there are Halachos about these things (not in his favor). So I let him know
that he is oyut of bounds and has no right to block an aisle and
is creating a chillul Hashem.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
is my fate, I get ignored. This has gone on for quite a few months and well
after the Shemini Atzeres tragedy. I see it as a public display of hubris and
arrogance. One would think that once any person files a complaint, this Talmid
Chacham would have the decency to back away. I guess it’s just because he has
no respect for me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 4</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is still some fallout regarding the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-segulah-of-rabi-matya-ben-charash.html" target="_blank">defamation</a></b> (Internet shaming) episode I
endured several years ago. The main article on the JCW website was removed last
year, but there is still a defamatory news article that they helped to compose.
Shana Aaronson has linked it on the “news” section of her <b><a href="https://magen-israel.org/en/" target="_blank">Magen website</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
late October I wrote to Shana Aaronson and informed her why this is a
defamatory article and her obligation to remove it. She ignored my letter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Generally,
speaking, the <b><a href="https://magen-israel.org/en/in-the-news/" target="_blank">News section</a></b> of Shana’s website is the biggest cesspool of <i>lashon
hara</i> or <i>motzi shem rah</i> – depending on whether she is reporting facts or just
allegations – that I have ever seen. It is basically a new reincarnation of JCW’s
<b><a href="https://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/wall-of-shame-gallery" target="_blank">Wall of Shame</a></b> and commits the same heap of transgressions that I reported in
earlier posts (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/07/by-your-hand-sin-of-nov.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2019/03/kosher-by-association-intro-again-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>). These include that there is no allowance for comments or
responses or for anyone to challenge the accuracy of the material, or to make
any appeal to take down harmful content. I know this firsthand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While
we are discussing it, the JCW organization has been mostly idle for close to
five years and even now, they persist to display their very outdated Wall of Shame
with no shame. This is without any updates and subject to all of the problems
mentioned years back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 5</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
the course of the defamation episode I discovered that a relative of mine
supplied damaging information about me to Meyer Seewald and JCW. Once I found
out, I attempted to contact her to let her know that she has damages to deal with. She resorted to ghosting and gaslighting but no
conciliation. I let it go at first but it’s still an open wound. So in the
period <i><b>after </b></i>Shemini Atzeres, I made another attempt hoping that the pervading somber mood sobered her up. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Just
more ghosting and gaslighting. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 6</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On
January 31, Dassi Erlich released her <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-brutal-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">poisonous book</a></b> about the Malka Leifer
episode. I explained why it is so poisonous in my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/12/in-bad-faith-bookcover-review.html" target="_blank">previous post.</a></b> I am almost
finished reading it and all the complaints of dishonesty in my previous post
stand firm. I hope to give a more elaborate review in the near future, IYH.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 7</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On
a subject that I haven’t really addressed in these pages, but I intend to, I
have seen numerous instances over the years, of pious dayanim and Batei Din
who, let’s just say, were making mistakes. I am talking about mistakes that
didn’t need to happen and that have caused damages to people that also didn’t
need to happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
am talking about easily avoidable damages and, in some cases, easily fixable
damages. Yet, the dayanim involved are not too eager to acknowledge the
mistakes, nor to fix or minimize the damage. One shocking instance happened
just recently, in this apocalyptic period.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
reason this is significant is because chazal tell us in Pirkei Avos (5:11): <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">חרב באה לעולם על
עוות הדין ועל עינוי הדין ועל המורים בתורה שלא כהלכה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Sword
(i.e., violent death) comes to the world due to corrupting judgement, delaying
judgement and issuing rulings that don’t conform with Halacha.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ever
since Shemini Atzeres, we are currently in a situation of <i><b>cherev </b></i>– sword – which
means war and violent death. According to Chazal, there must be some
responsibility from the Batei Din. What’s more shocking is that on November 30,
2024, at the height of the war, there was a tragic <b><a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hylzfssh6" target="_blank">terrorist attack</a></b> at the
entrance of Yerushalayim which claimed four precious Jews. One was a very prominent <b><i><a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-775816" target="_blank">dayan</a></i></b>, a
second was the niece of a dayan and one of the wounded was likewise a dayan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
“cherev” does not only come to the tzibur, but it comes to the dayanim
themselves.<span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Case 8</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One
would expect that during this upheaval, there would be a marked increase in
those seeking to make Aliyah and of immigration numbers. I am connected with
someone who is connected with Nefesh B’Nefesh. He told me that there is
certainly an uptick in interest and Aliyah information being downloaded from
their web site. But there does not seem to be any expedited Aliyah nor a
significant surge of people looking for an expedited Aliyah. The normal process
is a slow one and those who may be interested are taking their time the same as
always. The numbers are not close to what we would expect under the
circumstances. This is despite all the “writing on the wall” and very
distinguished <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/06/tova-haaretz-meod-meod-2-update-for-2020.html" target="_blank">influencers</a></b> letting us know that this is what HKBH is urging us
to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All
of the above are reports from the past five months, but they are the things
that have been part of everyday life for time immemorial. I presented this list
because I can attest to each one in person. But I am sure, each person has
their own list. And what does it all teach us?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That
nothing has really changed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Despite
all the hype about how unified we became, how much <i>chessed </i>we are doing and
that many religious underachievers are becoming more observant, I don’t think
we have really come very far. There is nothing remarkable about this newfound
unity. We are all facing the same 70 wolves that want to tear all of us apart so it is natural to band together.
We have always been doing remarkable acts of <i>chessed</i>. There is still way too
much chillul Shabbos and <i>maachalos asuros</i> and worse. Even the extra Tehillim is
slacking off.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
are not close. Certainly not close enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">At
least this show of unity and “tolerance” stood for something. Chazal tell us
that the reason the <i>dor haflaga</i> was not wiped out was because they got along
with each other – though maybe a bit too well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But,
of late, even this show of unity is crashing down. The Satan cannot leave us
alone. The specter of forced <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/386306" target="_blank">chareidi draft</a></b> has risen from its crypt and reared
its ugly head.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
this war broke out, there was a major call-up of reservists and more showed up
to play than they even expected. Meanwhile, the regular army was put to work
and the scheduled upcoming draftees are standing on deck. Aside from this,
there was a noticeable surge of voluntary enlistments which, I believe,
included about 2000 members of the chareidi community who came on their own. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Baruch
Hashem, at this point in time, there is no lack of manpower in the IDF and
those that are in are highly motivated. Most everybody on the outside were and
remain very supportive of our soldiers, help provide for them (and their
families) and we daven and learn with them in mind. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Despite
our painful losses, HKBH blessed us with miraculous achievements and the
situation looks positive and stable. It’s not a situation we want to mess with.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
here comes the erev rav, the anti-Torah lefties are back to their old mischief.
It starts at the wretched <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385854" target="_blank">Bagatz</a></b> who cannot live with the status quo and needs
to have a very untimely and impossible draft law. Then come the secular
politicians – <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/376269" target="_blank">Lapid</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/386184">Liberman</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/386011">Matan Kahana</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385971" target="_blank">Gallant</a></b>, all the usual suspects, who are
haunted by this unity and can’t leave well enough alone. These folks live for
one thing - getting their names and mugs into some news headlines. And this is
the easiest way to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now,
aside from reigniting the dormant divisiveness that has plagued us for 75
years, there is an additional side effect. Remember my short list of social
ills I described earlier in this post? The last on the list was that there does
not seem to be a substantial increase in Aliyah. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Aliyah
is a good thing and very important for Klal Yisrael. Firstly, it is to our
great advantage to populate this country with committed Jews as much as
possible. Also to bring in professionals, craftsmen and techies to provide
their services and to help us thrive. Lastly, it is the best thing for the
diaspora Jews to get out of the hostile self-destructing world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
short, we need Aliyah. The more observant the Jews, the better. We need the
galus chareidi Jews to come as much as anybody else.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alas,
over the past decades, one of the chief impediments to Aliyah among the
“Torah-diga” Jews was the requirement to deal with the army. This was mitigated
by the initial status-quo agreement and some of the provisional laws from the
recent years. But every time this subject comes back to the front burner, it throws
a heavy monkey wrench onto the negative side of the pro/con decision scale.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
aside from destroying our recent unity, it is keeping Jews away from the land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
have come one step forward and gone two steps back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So
far in my blog, which opened in 2008, I have not devoted many posts to the
chareidi draft issue. When I started my One Above and Seven Below project, I
assumed it would be one of the hot, front-running topics. But it did not turn
out that way. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because
for the past 15 years we have hardly used the army. The brief military
campaigns that we had, only required a very limited mobilization. It almost
never came up as a real-time issue. In addition, the advent of the Nahal
Chareidi Brigage – of which I have two sons who joined – alleviated a lot of
the controversy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On
the question of Torah obligations, that the religious Zionist and MO pro-army
camp tries to preach, there have been a long list of considerations that they
are not prepared to answer honestly:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.<b>
Can today's government be considered a Jewish national government?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
They may think so, but the chareidi world thinks otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.<b>
What are the qualifications for a King?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
Either he must be a clear Davidic descendant or the majority of observant Jews
need to appoint him. A plurality does not work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>What is a war?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
A war is a time of active hostilities between Israel and its enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>So a standing army doing “soldiering” when there are no hostilities is not
called a war, correct?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
Correct<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>Is there any Torah obligation whatsoever to be conscripted to a standing army
when there are no hostilities going on?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
None whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>Who has to show up for a war and who not?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
In general, any male that is needed except for those in avodas kodesh (Bnei
Levi), unless the circumstances are dire.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.<b>
And what happens when the hostilities end?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
they are free to go home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>What is the difference between a <i>milchemes mitzvah</i> and a <i>milchemes rishus</i>?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
In a <i>milchemes rishus</i>, anyone who really doesn’t want to fight, doesn’t have to
but they may need to be jobniks. In a <i>milchemes mitzvah</i>, anybody who is needed
needs to show up. But they need to be needed. When the Mishna in Sotah says
that even a chassan and kallah must show up, this is obviously subject to
common sense. It certainly does not mean that the first thing we do is collect
all the chassanim and kallos and send them to the front lines. First, we call
up the regular <i>milchemes rishus</i> type of soldiers. If we still need more, we can
begin to call up those who may otherwise be exempt.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>What is the Halachic age for army service? </b>(This is a tough one that will
surprise many).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
There is no Halachic age mentioned anywhere in Talmud Bavli, Yerushalmi,
Midrash, Rambam or anywhere. Rashi notwithstanding, the 20-year mark mentioned
in the Torah is inconclusive and may only be applicable to kibush Haaretz since
only men 20 years on up would be getting a portion. Still, it’s not worse than
an “asmachta”. As such, nobody less than 20 should be called up unless they are
specifically needed or they volunteer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>What are the responsibilities of the "avodas hakodesh" class in this
regard?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
Those who are designated for Temple service and for teaching Torah are not
supposed to engage in war. This automatically applies to the Bnei Levi (Rambam
Shmitta and Yovel 13:12).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Q.
<b>Can one be part of the "avodas hakodesh" class even if he is not from
Shevet Levy?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
Any human who so designates himself has this privilege (Rambam Ibid 13:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Q.
<b>What are the Halachic standards that a Jewish army must live up to?</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A.
No girls, no gays, no promiscuity, no <i>kol isha</i> events, best kashrus obtainable,
complete observance of mitzvos and shabbos when hostilities are not in effect and set times
for Torah study.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
emerges from all this is that, as long as there is no essential war going on,
there is no Halachic basis to support any forced conscription. If the army does
not maintain the standards of modesty and observance, it is actually forbidden
to join it and certainly to force an observant Jewish person to enlist. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
times of war, an observant person may be drafted if:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>The army maintains the rules of
modesty (no girls, gays, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>He is needed<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>He is released when the active
hostilities are no longer if effect<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
does not apply to Yeshiva students unless all other available candidates have
already been drafted and more manpower is still needed. This is a very
unlikely, and frightening, scenario.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
this is the basis of a draft law and is not violated, we will be able to
maintain our national teamwork and even thrive.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">וכל העם הזה על מקומו יבא בשלום</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Such
a law would not be too difficult to write up. The way to do it is to loosen
draft requirements across the board, including the secular, so that it can
apply to everyone. This means to invoke a more generous list of situations
which are subject to deferrals possibly including those who want to study in
university under certain conditions. With today’s demographics, I believe
enough people will opt in that there won’t be recruitment shortages.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
one thing is for sure. If the Charedi draft issue reverts to the same
left-right anti-Yeshiva political power play like it has been since the days of
Ben Gurion, we will stay where we’ve been for the past 75 years. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Albert
Einstein was offered the position of President of Israel after Chaim Weitzman passed
away in 1952. He turned it down and it’s a shame. Perhaps, if he would have
become Israel’s president, he could have taught this country, as well as people
such as Lapid, Liberman, Gallant and Kahana, a valuable lesson:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;">Anyone
who keeps repeating the same actions over and over again and expects different
results meets the definition of <b>insanity</b>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-47557002790341593452024-02-11T22:19:00.001+02:002024-02-11T23:13:52.838+02:00From the River to the Sea – Which River? Which Sea? – Comforting Words from our Worst Enemy<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I
don’t need to tell anyone that we are living in very precarious times.
Thousands upon thousands of clueless goyim in the “Western” world are marching
through the cities and universities chanting their ditty:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>From the river to the sea, </b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>Palestine will be free!</b></span></p></blockquote></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These
people are so brainwashed and clueless that if they are asked – as many have
been: “Which river and which sea?”, they cannot give a straight answer. Some have
no idea, others can make educated guesses, and a few of them may actually know.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
they don’t know is that they did not originate this term. As is true about
numerous social constructs as well as about our sovereignty over the lands in “dispute”,
<i><b>we were there first</b></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A
quick look at the Word of G-d in last week’s parsha – Parshat Mishpatim (Shmos
23:31) tells us how this is all going to end:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="HE">וְשַׁתִּי אֶת
גְּבֻלְךָ מִיַּם סוּף וְעַד יָם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּמִמִּדְבָּר עַד הַנָּהָר כִּי
אֶתֵּן בְּיֶדְכֶם אֵת יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ וְגֵרַשְׁתָּמוֹ מִפָּנֶיךָ</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><b>And
I will set your border from the Reed Sea until the Philistine Sea (i.e., Gaza
strip) and from the desert (in the South) to the river (in the North) as I will
deliver into your hands the inhabitants of the land, and you will expel them
from your presence.</b></span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yep,
Greater Israel. We get more than just one sea. And the river being discussed,
according to Rashi and others, is none other than the Euphrates river currently
in Iraq. That’s quite a chunk of real estate for our tiny nation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That’s
the plan. It isn’t our plan, it is G-d’s plan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And He is talking to <i><b>us</b></i>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
you can be sure that it’s going to happen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Who
tells us so?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Our
very worst enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That’s
right. A man named Bilaam ben Beor, a scion of the notorious Lavan HaArami. One
of the biggest and smartest sons of a hot she-ass (Cham-ass) that ever limped
the earth. Nobody hated us and wished us doom more than him (though plenty
others came close). In Bamidbar 23:19 he tells us:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="HE">לֹא אִישׁ אֵל
וִיכַזֵּב וּבֶן אָדָם וְיִתְנֶחָם הַהוּא אָמַר וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה וְדִבֶּר וְלֹא
יְקִימֶנָּה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>G-d
(the Jew-Allah) is not a man that would be untrue nor a human who would change
his mind. Is there something He would utter and not execute? Something He would
speak and not fulfill?</b><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
here we have what really will happen from the River[s] to the Sea[s]. And it
will happen soon, IYH. The only thing is that we need to be worthy to see it
all happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
it’s a good idea for all of us (myself included) to clean up our act and get as
close to the Great Jew-Allah as possible. For those of you who still live in
the decadent Western world, try to get over here as soon as you can. Don’t miss
the last <s>plane</s> <s>boat</s> paraglider.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Don’t
worry about where you are going to live – there will be plenty of real estate -
<i><b>From the river to the sea</b></i>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-83803189200612562432023-12-02T23:54:00.006+02:002023-12-12T22:17:45.327+02:00In Bad Faith – A Book[cover] Review<p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Author’s
Note and Preface </b>-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">Over
the past eight weeks, the horrible events of Simchas Torah and the ensuing war
has dominated our consciousness and does not leave room for outdated topics
such as my persistent coverage of the </span><b style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/05/irreversible-damage.html" target="_blank">Leifer-Erlich</a></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> debacle. Yet, aside from
dominating our consciousness, the war has also been dominating our consciences.
We understand that we have entered a period of </span><i style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">midas hadin</i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">cheshbon
hanefesh.</i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> We understand that we must be unified and supportive of one
another and relent on </span><i style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">sinas chinam</i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> and petty grievances.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Satan is now standing in front of HKBH and detailing our failings. We need all
the <i>zechusim</i> that we can muster and anything that will bring a <i>kitrug</i>
(accusation) against any part of Klal Yisrael, and certainly upon meticulously religious
Jews can, R”L, lead to disaster. As such, at a time like this, the last thing
that Klal Yisrael needs is to see a disgruntled Jewish person publish a book
whose primary goal is <i>motzi shem rah</i>, to malign and vilify a devout Jewish
community – especially on false pretenses. And this, at a time of escalating antisemitism
when Jew-haters worldwide jump on any pretext to demonize our nation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For
this reason, I think it is imperative to write this pre-review with the hopes
of dissuading the relevant parties of releasing the book. At the very least, it
is an official </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">מחאה</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
began working on this post before the <i>chagim </i>and it is meant to immediately follow my post
on <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/authors-note-this-post-is-preface-to.html" target="_blank">The [Dis]Honest Truth</a></b> that was published on October 1, 2023 – only six
days before the horrible event. It is important to see that post as a preamble
to this one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For
those who are new to my blog and are unfamiliar with this episode, I recommend
them to see this post (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/09/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-3-malka.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>) which includes a timeline of events and
links to many other relevant posts on the topic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Yes,
indeed, this post is very long. Therefore, you may want to skip straight to <b>My
Conclusions</b> at the end (and read the rest later).</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>in
bad faith – A Book[cover] Review</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX4X2vmfoHMGNKHpYru2H-j_MWxrVZTdbJuDDpl1vex5uKpvYkyElVVzK3WIpBMiU3sc13Fp82AFS0PmCzIaMQiMcsGfTc8FsNe56THi5ITVOTwnqLf-mHgyLF0s5JUpIbdDgbKTVfejLnMb8gJC-sRvyW-_4xElQSHBvsU71PYpJHA7S0MnICXPUQijFb" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX4X2vmfoHMGNKHpYru2H-j_MWxrVZTdbJuDDpl1vex5uKpvYkyElVVzK3WIpBMiU3sc13Fp82AFS0PmCzIaMQiMcsGfTc8FsNe56THi5ITVOTwnqLf-mHgyLF0s5JUpIbdDgbKTVfejLnMb8gJC-sRvyW-_4xElQSHBvsU71PYpJHA7S0MnICXPUQijFb=w419-h640" width="419" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><br /></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is a well-known saying: <i>Don’t judge a book by its cover</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
truth about this saying is that it is a metaphor for people. Many of us are not
the people we appear to be at first glance. When you encounter people whom you
do not really know, don’t be swayed solely by outward appearances. But, of
course, it certainly does apply to books and to the packaging of all types of
products. The cover, or the wrapper, is specifically designed to portray what
is inside, or at least, what the producer wants you to think is inside, so that
you will be interested in it, even though it may not be honest and “truthful”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
concept is so ancient that our Chazal also tipped us off using a similar
metaphor (Avos 4:27):<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Do
not look at the container but rather at what is inside. There are new
containers that contain old [mellowed] wine. And there are old containers that
do not even contain new harsh wine. </i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
figures that there wasn’t a big selection of books in those days, and none of
them had covers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
don’t always have the opportunity to sample the wine before we purchase. Nor do
we always get the opportunity to read the book. Especially if the book has not
yet been published. If this is the case, then there is nothing to judge <i>except</i>
the preliminary cover. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dassi
Erlich has announced the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid0LoHHvrTU8AqWgiGcTV3P7Yo5uBcwkdpmw7Jmfb9a9GHUMdychY7QSk6CBa622oD6l" target="_blank">future publication</a></b> of what she calls an autobiography
which is scheduled for release on January 31, 2024. Hence, the book will not be
released for almost another two months. I would love to get a review copy – even at my
expense – to give the book a thorough review. I even contacted the publisher to
see if I can get all or some of it for review. To my utter surprise and
astonishment, my magnanimous offer was turned down. What a pity!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I guess I will just have to wait it out. Maybe I'll preorder. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-20T15:13"><br /></ins></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
there seems to be a proposed cover with a proposed title. I say “proposed”
because sometimes there are changes before the final release. This may not turn
out to be the actual cover.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
this case, however, we have a bit more than just a cover. The publisher has an
official promotional page on the web with a brief synopsis of the book. You can
see it <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. The synopsis looks to be relatively straight forward and
probably quite accurately describes what the book is about. Yet, as in the
cover, I see in it several “allegations” which I believe are false and
misleading. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
review will discuss the synopsis as well, but I am primarily concerned about
the cover because the cover is meant to sell the book from the stands, not the
synopsis on the promo page. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
know a lot about designing book covers. I did one myself. No part of it is an
accident. A book cover is an advertisement for what is inside. And, like typical
professional advertisements, they are designed to broadcast subliminal messages.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
so, even if I cannot [yet] judge the book, I can judge the cover. So, let's have a look at the book cover which is displayed above.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A typical book cover has four basic elements (in order of importance):</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
proposed title</span><br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
proposed subtitle<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A
pictorial image<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
name of the author[s]</span></li></ul><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To make for a smoother flow in my analysis, I will modify the order:</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The authors<br /><br /></span></o:p></li><li><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The title<br /><br /></span></o:p></li><li><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The image<br /><br /></span></o:p></li><li><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The subtitle</span></o:p></li></ol><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Element
1 - The Authors<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
will begin with a brief comment about the authors. The main author is Dassi
Erlich. She needs no introduction. What I find interesting is the co-author.
Her name is Ellen Whinnett. I know nothing about her except what I can find on
Google. Apparently, she is an award-winning journalist and author based in
Melbourne. Yet, I will go out on a limb and assume that she is not Jewish and,
consequently, does not know a lot about Judaism except what Dassi Erlich told
her. She can correct me if I am wrong on either point. We will see the
significance of this as we progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Element
2 – The Title<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
title is:</span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">in bad faith</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
does the title say to us?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Faith</b> </span>= Religion<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Bad</b> </span>= Not good;
negative<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Bad
Faith</span> </b>=
Negative things about religion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
title is meant to tell us what this book is about. This book is about a bad
religion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
this is astounding. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because
we thought this book is about sexual abuse and Dassi’s brave struggle for
justice. Now, this subject may be covered in the book, but evidently, this must
not be the <b><i>main</i></b> theme of the book. There is no suggestion of it
in the title – or in the subtitle as we shall soon see. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
the book is an indictment on some religion. And who wrote it? A non-Jew and a
secularized Jew. Thus, we have two liberal, secular women writing a book about
a religion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before
one can discuss faith and whether it is good or bad, one must define it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html">the faith</a></b>? What is it <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/05/taryag-mitzvos-part-1-heart-beatsthe.html" target="_blank">based on</a></b>? What makes our faith different than
others at the rudimentary level? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
are the rights, privileges, and obligations of the faithful?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is the purpose of Creation and our role in life? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
the “faith” is so insular and restrictive and burdensome, as it is portrayed by
those who do not participate, why are so many people happy to be part of it?
What is the upside? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
faith of all Orthodox Jews is based on <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/03/parshat-zachor-no-boundaries-amalek.html" target="_blank">13 principles</a></b>. I wonder how many
of them, if any, is Dassi going to discuss in her book? It’s a lot more than
“no television, books, movies, Internet or sex education”. None of these are
tenets of the faith. They are merely safeguards to protect our young from
hedonistic outside influences that conflict with the tenets of the faith. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
the question is, is there really an honest discussion about faith in this book?
And, if not, is the title an honest title?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is a lot more to comment on this, but it will wait until the final section when
we discuss the subtitle on the cover and the synopsis on the promo page. That
is the main body of this post. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is only one more thing to comment on regarding the title. The text of the title
is written totally in lower case letters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
obvious answer is that it is done for visual effect. The visual effect is
dominated by the image on the cover, so we will discuss this in conjunction
with the cover image which is in the next section.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">After
I further analyze the title and its lettering in the coming sections,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the inevitable conclusion is that it is false
and misleading. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Element
3 – The Pictorial Image<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A
picture is worth 1000 words. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A
picture should be truthful. Not manipulated and not a piece of propaganda –
unless, of course, the entire book is a piece of propaganda. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The book’s cover sports a picture of a very young girl who I estimate to be
between the ages of five to seven years old. Presumably this is an actual photo
of Dassi Erlich at that age. Why that age?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
is meant to give the reader a first-glance impression that her alleged ordeals
of sexual abuse at the hands of the evil Mrs. Leifer took place at the tender
age of six or seven. This is amplified by the trick of lettering the title
totally in lowercase text. Lowercase text suggests “young”, “babyish”, not
grown-up, an unripe innocent child.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
idea it is trying to broadcast is pedophilia. Meaning, what pedophilia really
is, which is abusing young, <b><i>small</i></b> children who haven’t reached
puberty. The underage picture and the lower-case title are there to present this
episode as a case of pedophilia. The false message of the cover is that this
Jewish “faith” (i.e., sect or cult) is rife with pedophilia. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
wonder if the exaggerated term “pedophile” appears in the book. One thing is
certain, Dassi explicitly called Mrs. Leifer a pedophile on her Facebook page
on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid02srNQkutYouq9i5F6EGkmskaXaRFBzM2YaKGgxmfafLg5RVc7d93ykLncENTM3u9Pl" target="_blank">July 21, 2023</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
big lie is that the events that involved Malka Leifer did not occur when Dassi was
a small child. They began when she was a fully bloomed teenager post puberty. One
who lusts over a fully bloomed female may be a pervert and a sexual offender,
but they are not a pedophile.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
the alleged events began, Dassi Erlich was 15 years old and her older sister,
Nicole, was 17. They were not as naïve as they present themselves. This is an
age when, in the outside world, most females have already engaged in sexual
activity. I was told that, at the time, these sisters were being pursued by
some hormone driven uncouth neighborhood boys. They were quite aware of sexual
chemistry and the challenges of chastity. They were not wallflowers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is only half the illusion of the cover image. The other half is the way Dassi
is dressed in the image. She is shown dressed in what appears to be a Puritan
costume. She is wearing a black holiday (<i>shabbosdig</i>e) dress which is
supplemented by a headscarf or cowling and a swatch of cloth coming down from
her waist that appears to be an apron. I cannot discern if this is an actual
photograph or a photoshop manipulation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3J98CLVKAhtwJjGIawFn_BYK9Y9OBHrIsxmU8hqG3hR6OPsf3UTjZ-NXfgy7vfrCctwP7lA_99iscMVGaCN_CpFdlTlX5VGLNgskETB7ZJQOKkc91e2pdWdYsQa4yrCmS764hJONoIGJAGM2qPcT98Zy3i2_ojSW9rgOkpqoHd32vZJm2gU9REogC6Tz/s728/Puritan%20clothinng.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="728" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3J98CLVKAhtwJjGIawFn_BYK9Y9OBHrIsxmU8hqG3hR6OPsf3UTjZ-NXfgy7vfrCctwP7lA_99iscMVGaCN_CpFdlTlX5VGLNgskETB7ZJQOKkc91e2pdWdYsQa4yrCmS764hJONoIGJAGM2qPcT98Zy3i2_ojSW9rgOkpqoHd32vZJm2gU9REogC6Tz/w400-h300/Puritan%20clothinng.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If
it is an actual photograph, then it is certainly either a Purim costume where
she is dressed as a grownup or a school program when a girl is chosen to
play-act a Jewish mother in the role of Shabbos mother (</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">ima shel shabbat</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">).
Whichever, it is clearly a masquerade. It is not her daily attire. But, of
course, the purpose of this picture is to give the potential buyer/reader the false
impression that this is how six-year-old children in the ultra-Orthodox “sect”
must be dressed. If it is photoshopped, then the photo is totally false, and
the lie is even more egregious.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
see how Dassi and the women of the Adass community, including Mrs. Leifer
herself, really dressed and kept their hair, refer to <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/sisters-fight-for-justice-against-alleged-abuser-malka-leifer/9672550" target="_blank">this article</a></b> from ABC
Australia News. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
impression is the masquerade intended to convey? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
is trying to portray an oppressive misogynistic society straight out of
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale" target="_blank">Handmaid’s Tale</a></b>. Or the concept of the Islamic Hijab and child bride. Yes, of
course, Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox women must cover their hair after marriage,
but in this society even a natural wig with or without a pillbox cap will do.
It is also meant to convey Puritanical childhood innocence. Again, I must
repeat that the alleged incidents did not occur at this young innocent age.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My
conclusion: The photograph of Dassi is intentionally false and misleading.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Element
4 - The Subtitle<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The subtitle is the most descriptive part of the cover. The subtitle tells us clearly what the book is about. It is a mini synopsis. The other two elements (title and image) are only suggestive. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
noted above that there is also a real <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">synopsis</a></b> on the publisher’s promo
page. This synopsis is about nine paragraphs long, topped by a banner headline.
The headline is almost identical to the subtitle of the book that we are about
to discuss. Like many misleading headlines, it does not precisely reflect the text
that follows. Superfluous to say, the exact text of the subtitle/headline is
essential. When you condense a nine-paragraph synopsis into a one-line headline or
subtitle, it follows that the message of those brief words is the primary
message that you want to convey. The remainder is expendable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
current subtitle reads as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Inside an Ultra-Orthodox sect and the truth of Malka
Leifer’s brutal betrayal that it tried to hide<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-20T16:03"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></ins></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Notice something?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is absolutely no mention in the subtitle of Dassi Erlich as in: “Dassi Erlich’s Journey…” or “Dassi’s Struggle for Justice…” or even “A Young Woman’s Ordeal…”. This is indeed mentioned in the text of the synopsis, but the synopsis does not show up on the book cover. As such, we learn that Dassi’s struggle for justice is not of <i><b>primary </b></i>importance. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The most important thing that Dassi wants us (i.e., all potential readers) to know, is what the Adass community is really about. She needs to tell the world about what happens inside an “Ultra-Orthodox sect”. This means that this book is about an Ultra-Orthodox sect. It is, thus, not primarily an autobiography of Dassi Erlich. It is not her life story. It is an exposé of what goes on inside an Ultra-Orthodox sect, only it is written in first person by one who was there. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The rest of the subtitle, which I will shortly analyze in detail, indicates that this book will reveal some “truth” that the “sect” is trying “to hide”. This indicates that what is in this book are things the “sect” would not want us to know. Probably because it is detrimental or damaging to the “sect”. The terms “brutal betrayal” and “try to hide” give this away. When you combine this with the title which reads “<i><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">in bad faith</span></b></i>”, it suggests that this book does not have many nice things to say about the “sect”.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As such, we can already see just from the cover, that this work is a work of <i>lashon hara</i> or <i>motzi shem rah</i>, depending on whether her information is true or not. This, in turn, opens the question of whether any observant Jew is allowed to read the book for recreational purposes or to be “in the know”. It would seem to be Halachically forbidden. (I plan to read it for more meaningful purposes.) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">With this in mind, we can scrutinize the wording of the subtitle (also the headline of the synopsis). Here we go:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Inside</b> </span>= Behind the scenes</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Ultra-Orthodox</b> </span>= Jewish Fundamentalist</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Sect</span> </b>= Cult</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The term “sect” doesn’t always mean a cult. I checked a few online dictionaries and the most common definition I got was along the lines of:</span></p><div><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href=" https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/sect" target="_blank"><b>Cambridge</b></a>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a
religious group that has <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">separated </span></i>from a larger religion and is considered to
have <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">extreme </span></i>or unusual beliefs or customs</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a
religiou<i>s group with beliefs that make it <span style="color: #cc0000;">different</span> from a <span style="color: #cc0000;">larger</span> or <span style="color: #cc0000;">more
established</span> religion it has <span style="color: #cc0000;">separated from</span></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href=" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sect" target="_blank"><b>Merriam-Webster</b></a>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">a
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">dissenting </span></i>or schismatic religious body<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-20T19:07">,</ins></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">especially one regarded as <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">extreme </span></i>or <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">heretical</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><a href=" https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sect" target="_blank">Dictionary.com</a></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">a
body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious
denomination.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">a
group regarded as <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>heretical</i> </span>or as <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">deviating </span></i>from a generally accepted religious
tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Although
some definitions are more subtle, the common denominator is that a <span face=""Arial",sans-serif !msorm" style="font-style: normal !msorm; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt !msorm;"><i><span style="mso-prop-change: "Yaakov Starck" 20230920T1922;">sect</span></i></span> is
heretical, extreme, and deviant. And that it deviated from a larger group as if
to form a new entity. In general, it implies an illegitimate breakaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-20T19:08"><o:p></o:p></ins></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ironically, this connotation of “sect” is the exact opposite of “fundamentalist”. <i><b>Fundamentalist</b></i> is the father organization that established the rules and adheres to them. A <i><b>sect </b></i>implies a deviant breakaway and heretical group that does not follow the rules of the established religion. Hence, even though we may often see the term “a fundamentalist sect”, by definition, it is really an oxymoron. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I think most of us would agree that we can call Adass a funda</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">mentalist community.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Nobody argues that it is not strict and insular as is the norm of any Chareidi community worldwide. And it is certainly not deviant or heretical. It probably fits the description of Judaism in the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch closer than any other Jewish group in Melbourne. On the contrary, most more lenient and liberal streams of Judaism actually deviated from the Talmudic model that Adass embodies. Those would be the illegitimate outliers, the “sects” of Judaism.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Perhaps I should be happy that she is not using the term “cult”. This implies a more sinister, controlling and evil deviant group. But it is certain that the term “Ultra-Orthodox sect” is going to conjure up this connotation. </span></p><div><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Besides, Dassi Erlich indeed considers the Adass community to be a cult. She said so explicitly in her June 19 interview on a Christian podcast called <b><a href="https://mindshiftpodcast.co.uk/?p=2564" target="_blank">Mindshift Podcast</a></b>. The title of the episode is: <i><span style="color: #990000;">My Fight for Justice: Surviving a <b>Cult </b>& Sexual Abuse (with Dassi Erlich</span></i>). She cannot be sure that Adass is “fundamentalist” because she has her own secret definition of the term, but she is convinced that it can be called a “cult”.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence,
Dassi’s depiction of the Adass community as a breakaway, deviant cult is false
and defamatory. But it gets worse. Let’s look at the <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">synopsis</a></b> in the
publisher’s promo page. Let’s look at the headline. Here is what it says:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
Bad Faith: <i>Inside a <u>Secret</u> Ultra-Orthodox Sect and the Betrayal it
Tried to Hide</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
headline of the promo is almost identical to the subtitle. Almost. There are a
few major differences. The most obvious and glaring is the insertion of the
term “Secret”. We are not just going inside an Ultra-Orthodox sect, it is a <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><i>Secret</i></b>
</span>Ultra-Orthodox sect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Is
this true?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before
we answer this, we must notice that for some strange reason, this word is not
repeated in the following synopsis. In the sensational headline it is “<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Secret</span></i>” but
in the synopsis it is merely “<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Closed</span></i>”. Why is it only closed and no
longer secret?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hard
to say because both attributes are false. <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-22T15:23"><o:p></o:p></ins></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Adass community is not secret. It is like every Chareidi community in the world. It is fundamental Judaism. The chareidim are mainstream Jews who live by the laws of the Talmud. They have always done so ever since the Talmud was canonized. Our laws and ways have been “on the books” for centuries. We add new material to be up to date, but we never abandon the old. It is visible to all. Anybody in the world can read our texts and come and watch us bake matzos. Anyone is welcome to come to our circumcisions and see how <i>metzitza</i> is done. We have no secrets and nothing to hide.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nor
is it closed. Chazal tell us (Kiddushin 66a): </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">הרי כרוכה ומונחת בקרן זוית כל הרוצה ללמוד יבוא וילמוד</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The
Torah is bundled and laying in an intersection. All who want to come and study
it may come and study it.</i></span></blockquote><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No,
it is not secret and it is not closed. So, what is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is <i><b>alien</b></i>. To an outsider it is alien. To those who are not Jewish, such as Ms. Whinnett, or to those Jews who have alienated themselves from their heritage, it is alien. It is a foreign culture. It is based on a very different thought process than the Western world. So, it is alien and strange. But it is not secret. It is not Skull and Bones or Opus Dei. There are no secret rituals or hazing or membership rites or swearing to secrecy. We have no secrets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
synopsis notes: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>the strict confines of the Adass community's <b>countless
religious rules</b>. This strict interpretation of the Torah would see Dassi and
her siblings <b>isolated from secular and immodest Australian society</b>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
<i><b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/05/taryag-mitzvos-part-1-heart-beatsthe.html" target="_blank">countless religious rules</a></b></i> are the rules of our Shulchan Aruch. They are adhered
to by Adass but they are not Adass’s rules. And what about being “isolated from
secular and immodest Australian society”?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly,
the text of the synopsis is admitting that Australian society is secular and
immodest. It did not say “pristine and virtuous Australian society” but
“secular and immodest”. So, there is no argument there. Why should devoutly
religious people not shelter their young from “secular and immodest” society? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
what license do the authors, who are members of the secular and immodest society, have to castigate those who want to shelter themselves and their children from
it?<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-22T15:31"><o:p></o:p></ins></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">True, we have always been insular. See Numbers 23:9. Just check out the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw" target="_blank">opening scenes</a></b> of Fiddler on the Roof. But we are not forcibly insular. The Talmud tells us that this world is shaped like the Hebrew letter “<i>heh</i>” - </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>ה</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">. It has no bottom. Why does it have no bottom? So that anyone who wants to leave, may leave.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
there is a small opening at the top left. Why is that there?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is for those who wish to come in. As such, there are throngs of converts who
voluntarily knock on our doors because they have studied the “countless
religious rules” and see the wisdom and divinity in them. We don’t invite them
and we don't recruit them. In fact, we even try to discourage them, but they come anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Neither
does the community implement any invasive or punitive measures to enforce the
rules. The prevailing attitude is: If you do something we don’t like, we don’t
want to know about it. In case we find out about it, we will denounce it. But
we won’t flog anybody, no prison stocks, and no scarlet letters. It basically
works on an honor system. This is because most adherents to “the faith” <b><i>want</i></b>
to stick to the rules.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let
us continue with the text of the subtitle:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">and the truth of Malka Leifer’s brutal betrayal</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once
I don’t see much truth in the title or the image, I think it may be
questionable here, as well. In my earlier post, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/authors-note-this-post-is-preface-to.html" target="_blank">The DisHonest Truth</a></b>, I
noted how often truth is only in the basic fact, but not in the tone or the “spin”
or the exaggeration. Or, as we say, the way it is colored. So, let us reserve
judgement on this truth and examine “Malka Leifer’s <i><b>brutal </b></i>betrayal”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
will not deny the element of “betrayal”. Certainly, Mrs. Leifer is supposed to
be a role model and protector and a trustworthy guardian. If the allegations
against her are true at all, she definitely betrayed that trust. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">However,
one does not stand trial and go to prison for betraying trust. None of the 74
or 29 counts against Mrs. Leifer was for betrayal of trust. They were for abusive
acts – molestation and r^pe. We don’t usually say that an abuser <i>betrayed</i>
their victim. We say that the abuser abused their victim or the molester
molested their victim. They took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability. They <b><i>exploited</i></b>
their victim.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Betrayal
usually means that there are three parties involved. One is the double-crosser
who befriends and takes responsibility for the welfare of the “victim” but, in
truth, works for the benefit of the aggressor to the detriment of the victim. Predators
exploit and traitors betray. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Even
if there is an element of betrayal, since Mrs. Leifer was an authority figure,
this is certainly the collateral issue (<i>tafel</i>) and not the primary one (<i>ikar</i>).
So why focus on the betrayal? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I’ll
get back to this shortly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
disturbs me more is the adjective “<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">brutal</span>”</i></b> betrayal. Like all <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/authors-note-this-post-is-preface-to.html" target="_blank">subjective adjectives</a></b> – “<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">noisily</span></i></b> praying” when nobody outside can really
hear it and it plays no role in the narrative, or “hitting me <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">murderously</span></i></b>”
when nobody got hurt - it is there to color the story for maximum shock effect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is what we call a spin. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes,
it is a splendid alliteration and “brutal” melds smoothly with “betrayal”. It rolls right off the tongue and has a nice ring to it, but
is it honest?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
does <i><b>brutal </b></i>mean?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Brutal</b> </span>= Malicious
and by force in the face of resistance; extremely violent, bloody; cruel,
heartless, ruthless; as in, “I begged her to stop and she wouldn’t” or “I tried
everything I could to get away but couldn’t”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
sends a message of <i><b>unequivocal victimhood</b></i>. The victim had no contribution to the ordeal – not before,
not during, and not after. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/11/brutal-betrayal.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b>, I went out of my way to describe what a brutal
betrayal really is. In my opinion, this episode doesn’t come close.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
noted above that these sisters were not as pure and naïve as they were making themselves
out. They came from an <b><a href="https://www.countycourt.vic.gov.au/files/documents/2023-08/sentencing-remarks-dpp-v-leifer.pdf" target="_blank">abusive home</a></b> where they were beaten, humiliated, starved,
and abandoned. I have no idea whether social services intervened or not, but
they were a textbook case for intervention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">According
to them, Mrs. Leifer took advantage of this situation and gave them a feeling
of love and warmth. They claim that she started doing invasive things, <i>but
they did not complain to anyone</i>. <i>They let it continue and came back for
more</i> for four long years, according to Dassi, and even <b><a href="https://www.insideedition.com/australian-jury-finds-ex-principal-of-jewish-school-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-following-extradition" target="_blank">6.5 years</a></b> according
to Nicole the Elder. I have written in several posts that Elly Sapper got
involved <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/sisters-fight-for-justice-against-alleged-abuser-malka-leifer/9672550" target="_blank">on her own volition</a></b> even after her own sisters warned her and she knew
the dangers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now,
one can claim that they were <i>exploited</i> for many years, but it is hard to
say they were <i>betrayed</i> for many years. In general, one is only betrayed
once. And, even if it was treacherous, cunning, or deceitful (more truthful adjectives),
it didn’t have to happen more than once.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Brutal</i> means there
was nothing they could do to stop it at any point. It implies a total
self-exoneration and, with it, a total lack of personal accountability. This
episode doesn’t look brutal to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let’s
go on to the end of the subtitle:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">that it tried to hide<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is the most disturbing and misleading part of the subtitle. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That
it tried to hide – that who tried to hide? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Ultra-Orthodox Sect, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
implies that while Mrs. Leifer was engaging in her four to six plus year-long <i>brutal
</i>betrayal, the Ultra-Orthodox sect knew all about it and tried to hide it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is a total lie. The “sect” knew nothing about it. For all the four to six plus years.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
do I know?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dassi
Erlich said it straight out in her <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/92317-after-the-shofar-the-silent-cry-in-our-community/" target="_blank">Headlines interview</a></b> on Sept. 23, 2017
(31:50). Her exact words were, “<i><span style="color: #741b47;">Like no one had ever dealt with anything like
this before, they had no idea</span></i>.” And why did they have no idea?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because
Dassi and both her sisters and anybody else who may have been harmed by Mrs. Leifer
did not tell anybody. Up until 2008, the community had no idea that anything was
going on. One cannot be hiding something they are not aware of. One cannot be
hiding something that is being hidden from them!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">[As a side note, the statement that "<i><b>no one had ever dealt with anything like this before</b></i>" is a testament by Dassi Erlich, that events such as these are not normal or common events in this "secret, closed" Ultra-Orthodox "sect".]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
is hard for me to accept that the accusers allowed this alleged business to go
on for four years and they didn’t tell anybody. They tried to imply that there
was nobody to tell. But somehow, they ultimately managed to find somebody they
didn’t tell to be sued. And, what about their parents and older siblings?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Apparently,
the school was initially told of the allegations in March of 2008, and at that
time, and virtually up to the present, they remained exactly that –
allegations. Bear in mind that the Sapper sisters were at-risk kids. The school
reached out to them and helped them in all kinds of ways during all kinds of
crises. They were never known to be the most trustworthy girls in the
neighborhood. As such, when the allegations broke out, the community members
had no reason to take them seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mrs.
Leifer was confronted and vehemently denied the allegations. The perspective of
the school was one person’s word against the other and clearly, to them, Mrs.
Leifer was the more reliable person. So, from the perspective of the “sect”
there were nothing but allegations. Period. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Still,
since the allegations could be true, the “sect” took immediate decisive action
and deported Mrs. Leifer back to Israel. True or not, she became a liability
that needed to be defused. But it still stood as mere allegations. At that
time, there were no criminal charges against her, nor was there any real
evidence, as we know to be the case to this day. It is hard for me to envision
what possible legal complaint there can be against the school board.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once
the allegations were no longer relevant to the community and there was no need
or purpose to make any public fuss about it, they kept the matter quiet. This is
natural. Mrs. Leifer was gone and she had claimed innocence. At that point, it no
longer made any difference, except to be more watchful in the future. The
alleged activities were not perpetrated by the “sect” and there was nothing for
them to hide. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, the “sect” didn’t really hide anything. But who really did hide what was
going on (if it was going on)?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dassi
Erlich and Elly Sapper and Nicole Meyer. They hid all of it from the school
until after it was done – for the three of them, at least. Whereupon, they
turned right around and filed lawsuits against the board of the school for the
unproven allegations of events that they knowingly hid from them!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now,
I noted above that, barring the alleged antics of Mrs. Leifer, which the school
in no way aided, or abetted, or supported, the community reached out to these
sisters and did their utmost to help them. They gave them food when they were
denied food at home, and put them up places to sleep when they were thrown out.
And I was told that they took them into the school and waived the tuition
charges from the non-paying parents.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mrs.
Leifer and other community members continued to assist them in their adult
lives. The school let all three sisters stay on as student teachers after they graduated.
Nicole Meyer even stayed on to become a permanent teacher. I was told that the
first time Elly Sapper got engaged, Elly was in Israel, and Mrs. Leifer, all
the way from Australia, arranged for a social hall in a shul in Har Nof to host
her engagement at absolutely no cost to her of her family. So, while they
claimed to be exploited, and perhaps they were, they didn’t turn down the perks
that came with it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Throughout
all of this, they hid their allegations from the entire community. And when
they finally erupted, they sued the school board. They also demanded a formal
apology, but when they couldn’t get one to their liking, they stormed out of
the meeting and then <b><a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/erlich-walks-away-from-adass-board/" target="_blank">disclosed the details of the meeting</a></b> to the public.
Not only that, but from 2008 until this very day, Dassi Erlich is pursuing the
school board to be <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid0qwJpq8ypeNe2Q4G5ZTj4FL5TrJRdPrB5CEcRe1iTYkVp5R4vSTD5ay5FYpyLYNTXl" target="_blank">prosecuted</a></b> for allowing Mrs. Leifer to get away as a
breach of mandated reporting. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
something doesn’t fit here. Nicole stayed on at the school as a teacher even
while her “abuser”, Mrs. Leifer, was working there as well. Nicole became a
teacher at the school in 2005. She was working shoulder to shoulder with the
brutally abusive Mrs. Leifer for three years, the beginning of which were years
that allegedly Dassi and Elly were being abused! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
Nicole knew it and let it happen!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">From
the entire school faculty, she alone she knew it. She had become an authority
figure and was certainly a mandated reporter, and she knew what nobody else at
the school knew. Doesn’t that make <b><i>her</i></b> an accessory to a crime?
Why was she not arrested and charged? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
as I see it, this is certainly a tale of bad faith and brutal betrayal, but who
betrayed who?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
conclude this part, I don’t think the <b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">truth</span></i></b> about the <b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">brutal
betrayal</span></i></b> is really all that true.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before
I close, I want to return to the <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">synopsis</a></b> in the promotion page. I noted above
that the banner headline is almost identical to the subtitle on the book but
there are some not-so-subtle differences. Here, again, is what the headline
says:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">In
Bad Faith: Inside a Secret Ultra-Orthodox Sect and the Betrayal it Tried to
Hide</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
already discussed the first and most obvious difference, that it throws in the
word “Secret” as a modifier to the term “Ultra-Orthodox sect” and in the
opening paragraph it calls it “closed”. I stated above that both terms are
false. The “sect” is not secret or closed, but <b><i>alien</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
other differences are the missing words. Firstly, the banner headline makes
absolutely no mention of Malka Leifer. (There is also no mention of truth.) Secondly,
it does not refer to the “betrayal” as “brutal”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why
are these important?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
the subtitle on the book cover, it is clear that the “traitor” is Malka Leifer.
It was Malka Leifer’s <i>brutal betrayal</i>. And, presumably, the “sect” is
trying to hide it. Not so the promo page headline. Since there is no mention of
Malka Leifer, it talks <b><i>only</i></b> about the Ultra-Orthodox sect. It indicates
that the book is about an Ultra-Orthodox sect’s betrayal – brutal or not, not
Malka Leifer’s. The Ultra-Orthodox sect betrayed the author – not yet named –
and they are trying to hide their own betrayal!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
a lie.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
it tells me something very important which is the main point of this whole review.
And it is something that I have known all along from as far back as 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
entire episode, and hence the book, is not about Malka Leifer. It’s about
Adass. It’s about the Ultra-orthodox sect. Yes indeed, Malka Leifer is the key
player here and, per the subtitle, the real instigator of the brutal betrayal,
but she is not the target of this defamatory book. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
is the Adass community. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
see this from one final false allegation toward the end of the synopsis. In the
main, the synopsis itself is straightforward and nicely written. To a large
extent, it clarifies the misconceptions that are implied in the headline –
except for one line in paragraph 7. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
paragraph seven it reads: <span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>When the community <b>supported Leifer</b> and
helped her avoid justice by putting her on a plane to Israel</i>…</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is patently false. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
went to great lengths previously to point out that the community never
supported Leifer. Nor can it be said that they had any intentions of helping
her to avoid justice by putting her on a plane to Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly,
there is no support or sanction for these kinds of activities in Jewish law or
tradition. Secondly, the community had no clue that anything was amiss all
through her employment. This is because her alleged victims, including the
author, never told anybody. Thirdly, Mrs. Leifer denied the allegations. Fourthly,
the credibility quotient of the Sapper sisters was not at optimal level. The community had
no reason to accept the allegations as factual. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Despite
this, they did not take any chances and they immediately terminated her and sent
her away. There were not yet any criminal charges filed against her. She was
not a fugitive of the law. With this plus the doubt of whether the allegations
are even true – what we call “presumption of innocence” - it cannot be claimed that
they were helping her avoid justice. She wasn’t wanted. Not by the police and
not by them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
can be claimed that they did it to protect themselves and to protect the
community. These are virtuous motives. I salute them for that, and I think
everybody should. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once
she was gone, there was no reason to try to bring her back. This would not serve
anybody’s interest except Dassi’s. As such, they were rightfully opposed to
bringing her back and stirring up more trouble. There was no reason to support
Mrs. Leifer and there was no reason to support Dassi and her sisters, either. Mrs.
Leifer may have crossed some lines, but from the perspective of the school, who
was totally kept in the dark by Dassi and her sisters, it was a mishap that
they were not aware of. There was no hiding, no supporting, and no sanctioning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
Dassi lives in an <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2019/04/consumerism-and-art-of-denial-part-1.html" target="_blank">egocentric</a></b> world. In her mind, if someone does not dutifully believe
everything she says just because she says it, and is not supporting her cause
and helping her on her self-imposed quest for “justice”, then they are ipso
facto actively supporting her opponents. This was made clear from her meeting
with <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/798534853844431?__xts__[0]=68.ARB8sDKIA1Inn1ijFKhFMVxYO43gs1YSPYxX2IRxvoMUGY15pVuGAf6beYfaN8HEdudPcUJx5xC1NuR2xThwgnZYtTG4cXWZU-GtvXWN5LoesKFyNARPk6_aWdibfgM7xXGtsOMm1J7k_46DHVh_6uK_YiZrzfnPwGI6tZhdqIEaPGjAABZ6tQHstqkrrvkFpOS9DS1Z1oQno6pZOVgBQvUZ-RHtsFvbqpogmP1DFTAk3v2-bCcGpKfBvn6jva9ZC00KYT2uMv28uAE5hWuni5Y7m6vbEYNT5EMv_Zg9VVOLDXcx7JLUaxXA_bIMm17ltJKWEGvM0L5qkAmBb_4" target="_blank">Rabbi Mendel Shafran</a></b> and her <b><a href="https://www.australianjewishnews.com/erlich-walks-away-from-adass-board/" target="_blank">refusal</a></b> to accept the school’s apologies as offered.
As such, to Dassi Erlich, the Adass community who helped her so much, and who
immediately cast out Malka Leifer from their midst despite no proof of guilt, are
her mortal enemies and need to be demonized in her book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since
the Adass community is truly no different than any other Chareidi community in
the world, and we can start with Meah Shearim and Beis Yisrael, Bnei Brak,
Kiryat Sefer, numerous other Israeli communities, Williamsburg, Boro Park, Lakewood,
Stamford Hill, parts of Monsey, Antwerp, Montreal, etc., her indictment is an
indictment on the entire Chareidi world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
recognized this from the start, and this is why I have invested so much energy
into this episode. My primary goal was not to “defend” Mrs. Leifer, although all
of my defenses are valid, but to defend this assault on the entire Chareidi
world. This is my mandate in One Above and Seven Below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My
Conclusions</span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dassi
Erlich and Ms. Whinnett plan on publishing a tale of bad faith and betrayal. The
question is: who’s betrayal?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nobody
doubts that Dassi Erlich has suffered a difficult life. And it looks like she
has no shortage of folks to blame for it. The purpose of her book is to do the
blaming.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
are three primary villains in her life - her parents, the Adass community and
school, and Mrs. Leifer. Of the three, the Adass school is by far the least
culpable. But this is the one she is persecuting with her book. The subtitle
says so. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
subtitle and the headline in the synopsis confirm what I have known all along.
This whole episode is not about Malka Leifer. It is about the Adass community. Moreover,
it is about “ultra-Orthodox” Judaism in general. Malka Leifer is just a vehicle
to allow her to demonize the entire establishment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Perhaps
the inside of the book says differently, but the cover proclaims that Dassi is
applying all her allegations to the entire sect. No, I cannot see them as
betraying Dassi Erlich. I see her as the one who is betraying them. Brutally. Dassi
is brutally betraying the Adass community with her lawsuits, with her persecution
of them for “letting the evil woman get away”, and with her defamatory book.
None of which has any justification.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
synopsis calls it “an <b><i>honest</i></b>, harrowing but ultimately inspiring
story”. Perhaps the story in the book will be more honest than the cover. But I
see no reason to expect it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
Dassi Erlich wants to write an honest book about Mrs. Leifer and her struggle
for justice, let her write that inside and outside and put an <b><i>honest</i></b>
picture of her current self on the cover. If she wants to write a book about
her abusive upbringing at home, let her write that inside and outside and put
an <b><i>honest</i></b> picture of how her parents dressed her at home on the
cover. If she wants to write a <b><i>positive</i></b> book about the school
that reached out to her, let her write that inside and outside and put an <b><i>honest</i></b>
picture of her in school clothes on the cover.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
all cases, the title must go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
am curious about one more thing: Is this book classified as non-fiction or
fiction?<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Yaakov%20Starck" datetime="2023-09-22T15:19"><o:p></o:p></ins></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
I see it:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
title is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
implied message of the lower-case text is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Puritanical garb in the image is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
overall implication that Dassi was abused by Mrs. Leifer as a little girl is
fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Sect”
is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Brutality
is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hiding
is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Secret”
is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Closed”
is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
classification of Mrs. Leifer as a pedophile is fiction (I don’t know if it’s
in the book, but Dassi wrote it on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid02sorvS8eYAwi9CXp1qAe2p2ZDMWhAbFyUeTxUQjFehhto8kSSK1qaQghz8tyzs1U7l" target="_blank">Facebook</a></b>)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
claim that the Adass community supported Mrs. Leifer (synopsis) is fiction<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Honest”
is definitely fiction </span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">With
all this fiction, I must conclude that the claim of the synopsis that this is a
“true story” is also fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
like a good work of fiction. I can’t wait for the book to come out – if it
does. I may actually read it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
the book has as much <i>motzi shem rah</i> as the cover and the synopsis do, it
will make for a thrilling and harrowing and hazardous read. But not an honest
one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>In
Bad Faith</b>
</span>is a book about religion written by the irreligious. It was written by the
faithless about the faithful. It is definitely not objective. I don’t believe
it was written in good faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-39744838256653833212023-11-16T01:44:00.000+02:002023-11-16T01:44:31.489+02:00Owning our Mistakes (Toldos)<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
patriarch Yitzchok was not much of a conversationalist. His exploits in the
Torah barely cover three Parshios. In one of these, Parshas Chaye Sara, he
doesn’t even have a speaking role. In Parshas Veyeira, his sole speaking role is
all of six words. The main point is three words: “</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>ואיה השה לעולה</b></span>?</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>” – <i>Where’s the sheep</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yitzchak
Avinu is very concise and says several profound things in very few words. And
every word is measured. I just presented one example above from Parshas
Vayeira. Here in our Parsha (Toldos), we hear a bit more from him, but still in
very few words. Some examples are </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">פן אמות עליה</span></b></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> and </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>הנה נא זקנתי</b></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. He doesn’t waste time on big talk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now
I need to get to the point (I am not so concise) and discuss one of Yitzchak
Avinu’s brief statements that tell us a very important message. Once again, he
says it in just three words. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
is after Yaakov snuck in and received the brachos and then Eisav entered and asked
his father to eat and bless him. Yitzchak asked Eisav who he is, and he
identified himself as Eisav. The Torah says that Yitzchok shuddered and
exclaimed, “<span style="color: #2b00fe;">If so, who was that that hunted game and brought it to me to eat
before I blessed him?</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Okay,
that statement was not too short. But he follows it up with a very curt remark: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><b>גם ברוך יהיה</b></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. “<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">And he will remain blessed</span></i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>And he
will remain blessed</i>. What is Yitzchok telling us?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rashi
explains: <i><b>And he will remain blessed </b>– So that one should not say that if
Yaakov had not deceived his father, he would not have taken the brachos,
therefore he consented and blessed him willingly.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From
Rashi we see that Yitzchok is giving us a lesson for life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
are all human and we all make mistakes. Most of the time it is because we are
led to believe that the conditions or circumstances of a given situation are
one way, and we learn later that they are different. The initial assumption
called for a specific course of action and the updated condition calls for
another. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
some cases, the conditions are not in error, but the mistake was an assumption
or judgement that a specific course of action will yield the best outcome and
we learn later that this is not the case. Perhaps there were other options
which would have a better outcome. We call this an <i>error in judgment</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To
some extent, we can be excused for making a mistake for just as long as we were
not set straight. But not for a minute longer. The minute we discover what we
didn’t know until now, from here on in it is no longer a mistake. We need to
take a stand on the updated conditions. We need to respond.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
need to “respond” makes us “responsible”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
means that if there is still a way to remedy the mistake, it is incumbent on us
to do so. We cannot say, “Oh, oops, I made a mistake” and walk away. To the
extent that they can be corrected, we are responsible. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
many situations, nothing can be done. It is what we call “water under the
bridge”. But, of course, we still need to assess the mistake. If it is a
mistake that was better not made, then the one “responsible” at least needs to
show some remorse. If it damaged another person and cannot be fixed, at least to apologize
or perhaps to compensate. If it does not involve another person, it is an
opportunity to learn and grow and take care not to repeat it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or,
we can assess that even though it was not what we meant to do and if we would
have known all the facts we would have acted differently, the mistaken path was
actually the best course of action. We can give our stamp of approval on the
mistake and stand behind it. Indeed, any mistake that we don’t remedy – when possible
– or don’t actively distance ourselves from, like to apologize, should and is
taken as a declaration that this is no longer a mistake. As of now, it has your full
approval.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So,
it may seem that this is the lesson that Yitzchok Avinu is telling us with his
brief remark - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>We
own our mistakes</b></i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If
we don’t approve of them, we must correct them or denounce them. If we do not correct
them or denounce them, it automatically says that we approve of them and can be
held accountable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But
it’s not just this. It doesn’t stop here. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
think anyone with any <i>midos </i>and <i>yiras shamayim</i> can figure all this out
without Yitzchok Avinu’s help. A mature and responsible person takes responsibility for
his or her mistakes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yitzchok
is telling us a little bit more than that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
our story, there were actually two mistakes. The first was Yitzchok’s mistaken
impression that it was appropriate to give Eisav the <i>brachos </i>to begin with. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There
are numerous opinions that explain his mistake. I recommend a very insightful <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1pXIbDuks" target="_blank">newly released shiur</a></b> from HRHG Yitzchok Breitowitz, Shlita, that I saw today. He points
out that Yitzchok was no fool and knew very well that Eisav was no future Rosh
Yeshiva. That was Yaakov’s job. But he was planning to give these blessings of
wealth to Eisav to help make him a successful administrator and fundraiser to partner
up with Yaakov. Rivka understood that Eisav would not use these blessings of
wealth to help Yaakov, only to oppose him. As such, even the material bracha
had to go to Yaakov.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
second mistake is that he thought he was giving the brachos to Eisav when he
was really giving them to Yaakov. Why did he make this mistake?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Because
Yaakov deceived him into thinking so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
first mistake we can say was Yitzchok’s mistake. It was poor judgement, but it
was his judgement. He’ll take responsibility for that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But
the second mistake wasn’t really his. He was deceived by somebody else. It’s
not his fault. “Don’t blame me. I’m not responsible.” He could have told
Yaakov, “You broke it, you fix it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But
Yitzchok did not shy away. It doesn’t matter why this mistake was made and who
triggered it. Now that I know that something didn’t go like I thought it
should, I need to take responsibility. I need to make the decision which way
this needs to go from this point onward. If I do not, and there are undesirable
repercussions, I will have to answer for them even though I did not cause them.
It’s my call.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>Gam
baruch yihiyeh</b></i>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
can be said that this is not the first time the Torah conveys this lesson. All
the way back in Parshas Breishis, Adam and Chava ate from the fruit of the Eitz
Hadaas and this resulted in the biggest disaster to confront mankind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Adam’s
excuse was: “<i><span style="color: #990000;">The woman that You gave me, gave me from the tree and I ate.</span></i>” It’s
not my fault. She got me into it. (<b>Note </b>– See Baal Turim.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chava’s
excuse was: “<i><span style="color: #990000;">The snake enticed me, and I ate</span></i>.” It’s not my fault. This creature
talked me into it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Excuses,
excuses. And we know that it did not get them off the hook. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps
Yitzchok also learned it from them. We own our mistakes even if it’s
technically not our fault. Once we know the facts, if we can do anything about
it, it is up to us. It’s our call. Our burden to bear. And if we don’t make any
changes, it is a full declaration that we approve of the current status as if
this was our position from the start.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>Gam
Baruch yihiyeh.</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
is obvious that we are living in times of total turmoil. It is a time of birrur
– distinguishing. Which side are we on? Where are we headed? Is this where we
should be headed? If so, what can I do to get us there faster? If not, where
and how to change course? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are swiftly approaching what the evangelists call the “Day of Reckoning”.
Reckoning means<b> </b></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>דין וחשבון</b></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. The GR”A famously says that <b><i>din</i></b>
is an accounting of what we did or did not do. <b><i>Cheshbon</i></b> is an
accounting of what we could have done and should have done. This means what we
could have done before our mistakes were made and what we should have done
after our mistakes were made, regardless of what caused us to make them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
is not only Parshas Toldos but it is also the first week of Kislev. The struggle of
the <i>Chashmonaim </i>against the pagan Greeks was the easy fight. Their struggle
against the Hellenist Jews was the bigger fight. To be honest, even up to now, we
haven’t really won that one. It’s still raging. As I wrote in my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/11/brutal-betrayal.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b>,
we don’t know who our friends are and who our enemies are. Our closest
relatives may be our worst enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">והסר שטן מלפנינו
ומאחרינו</span></b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But
Yitzchok Avinu is telling us something way more important. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many
individuals don’t even know who they themselves are. Deep inside they know it
is the day of reckoning. But they don’t know what to do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Each
of us needs to take a stand and own our mistakes. Either make the necessary changes or take
responsibility for not changing them. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There
is no neutral and there is no “Let bygones be bygones”.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Moshe
Rabeinu said it at the <i>eigel</i> and Mattisyahu said it to the Hellenists. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">מי לה' אלי</span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;">–
Who stands with HKBH come to me!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial;">ויתן לך את ברכת אברהם לך ולזרעך אתך לרשתך
את ארץ מגריך אשר נתן א-לקים לאברהם.</span></span></b></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">גם ברוך יהיה!</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-15474932587069242052023-11-12T00:45:00.003+02:002023-11-12T09:54:02.785+02:00Brutal Betrayal<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>והסר
שטן מלפנינו ומאחרינו<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What do the events
of:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Abraham Lincoln<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Titanic<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pearl Harbor<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">John F. Kennedy<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Apollo 1<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sept. 11</span></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Covid 19<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maui Wildfires<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Oct. 7 Hamas
Incursion</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Have in common?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let us stay away
from the term “conspiracy theory” which is conveniently used as a straw man to
coverup the same type of false flag that applies to all the above incidents. A
conspiracy theory is just that, a <b><i>theory</i></b> – an assumption or guess
– about what really happened, which is expressed by those of us who see all the
gaping holes in the “official narrative”. Those of us who aren’t blind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But nobody makes up
the “cracks” or gaping holes. They form themselves. The questions are
self-evident, begging to be asked. The questions are based on the undisputed facts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, I am not coming
to discuss any theories about what happened. I am coming to discuss the questions that
are self-evident. And, I repeat, what do all of the events listed above have in
common?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course, each
event was a tragedy involving loss of life. Some of them involve only one or several
individuals, and others involve hundreds and thousands. But they all have
something additional in common. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And that is: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They
were all left suspiciously unprotected – or, unsafeguarded. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In each case, there
was a clear level of negligence which enabled the event to happen. And the
question in each case is: was it careless negligence or was it intentional negligence?
And, if it was intentional negligence, what was the intent?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let us briefly examine
each case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Abraham Lincoln – There
was only one person who was <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lincolns-missing-bodyguard-12932069/" target="_blank">guarding</a></b> President Lincoln’s private box at Ford’s
theater that night. He was not one of the regular guards but a fill-in who long
had a reputation for incompetence. He just so happened to abandon his post
during intermission to <b><a href="https://coffeeordie.com/lincoln-bodyguard" target="_blank">water down</a></b> at a next-door saloon and seemingly never
returned to his post.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is also worth noting that the alleged assailant, John Wilkes Booth, was hunted
down and shot to death instead of being arrested and interrogated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The Titanic – The
Titanic was only carrying 20 <b><a href="https://www.nonfictionminute.org/the-nonfiction-minute/titanic-not-enough-lifeboats" target="_blank">lifeboats</a></b> which could at most carry half of the
2209 passengers aboard. Note that the Titanic itself had room to carry about
another 1000 passengers, so, ideally, it would require even more lifeboats.
Apparently, the maritime requirements at the time did not require more than
that amount so it cannot be said they were out of compliance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Pearl Harbor – Not much
to say here. There were plenty of warnings or, at least, strategic assumptions,
that Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to a Japanese attack. There was nothing to
protect the ships except the gunnery that each ship had. The official narrative
is that the US Navy thought that the 4000 miles of distance was all the
protection they needed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>John Kennedy – There is
no end of anomalies and questions about this event. Aside from the fact that
JFK was totally unprotected from a potential assassin, the limousine certainly
<b><a href="https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1284&context=fac_pm" target="_blank">slowed down</a></b> as it reached Dealey Plaza and slowed even more when the shooting
started. Some witnesses claimed it even momentarily stopped. The driver was
supposed to accelerate and swerve. Also, the Secret service guys are supposed
to jump over to conceal the President and that certainly didn’t happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Also, like the Lincoln assassination, the alleged shooter was
conveniently killed before he could be interrogated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Apollo 1 – The <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v3nhw9n-apollo-1-deaths-what-really-happened-bart-sibrel.html" target="_blank">Apollo 1 disaster</a></b> occurred on Jan. 27, 1967. Three NASA astronauts were carrying out a
launch rehearsal for a planned launch on Feb. 21 when a fire broke out in the
locked and pressurized cabin. It took five long minutes to get the hatch open
from the outside and, by then, all three astronauts suffocated to death. There was
no emergency release to the hatch from the inside and standard opening procedure
took not less than 90 seconds. There was no fire extinguishing equipment on
board and much of the interior structure consisted of highly flammable
materials.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Sep. 11 – Many folks don’t
know that the US has an air defense system called North American Aerospace Defense
Command (<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._military_response_during_the_September_11_attacks#:~:text=Northeast%20Air%20Defense%20Sector%20(NEADS,of%20the%20World%20Trade%20Center." target="_blank">NORAD</a></b>). Its job is to track aircraft that are not where they’re
supposed to be and make sure they do no harm. For some reason, on 9-11, after
reports of four hijackings, the NORAD planes did not show up to work. It is
reported that some of them were even out in Virginia holding a drill to deal
with a situation exactly like the one that was going on in New York at the same
time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Covid 19 – Immediately when
this “pandemic” was declared I heard some off-stream sincere doctors say that
we should take Vitamin C, D and Zinc which are all traditional virus fighters
and natural immunity boosters and had been for decades. But from the mainstream
media and big shot doctors we heard absolutely nothing. I’m talking about
before any vaccinations were developed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Shortly afterward, came Dr. Zelenko, ZTL and others who promoted hydroxychloroquine
and ivermectin along with the vitamins. Amazingly, around that time, a plant in
Taiwan which was known as the second biggest producer of HCLQ in the world, “spontaneously”
went up in flames. Even Rabbanim and askanim who were so quick to publicly push
the vaccines when they eventually came out, never breathed a word about V<sup>C</sup>,
V<sup>D</sup>, or Zinc before, during, or after, and certainly nothing about HCLQ
and IVM. Basic preventive treatments for viruses that were effective for years were
denied, suppressed and ridiculed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Maui Wildfires - It’s
kind of strange that the <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v39yla4-mass-murder-and-the-west-maui-land-grab.html" target="_blank">Maui wildfires</a></b> didn’t burn the trees. Nor did they burn
the commercial buildings or the multi-million-dollar homes of celebrities. They
only burnt the homes of simple residents, their cars and their boats in the
water. The elaborate siren system was silenced, and the water system was turned
off. There is no telling how many people died and how many children were
kidnapped. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Oct. 7, 2023 – In this horrific
event, there are just too many <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v3sky04-could-all-these-things-just-be-a-coincidence-hebrew.html" target="_blank">questions</a></b> to deal with. Where was the IDF? Where
were the Apache attack helicopters? Where were the cameras and motion
detectors?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 17.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, most of the IDF was redeployed to the West Bank without leaving a
significant replacement force. The Apache helicopters were <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v3svwei-jonathan-pollard-helicopter-pilots-were-given-stand-down-order.html" target="_blank">sitting on their pads</a></b> with their pilots at the ready for hours, listening to the nearby explosions
and gunfire, waiting for the orders to deploy. Those orders didn’t come. Cameras
and sensors were manually removed from the fence in the days preceding the
attack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In addition to this, we hear from <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v3rk1kd-testimony-from-jewish-fighters-about-the-betrayal-hebrew.html" target="_blank">village patrol personnel</a></b> (<i>kitot
koninut</i>) that their defensive assault rifles were inexplicably confiscated
days before the event. Their inquiries and complaints fell on deaf ears. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Do you maybe see a
pattern?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As I mentioned, the
prominent common denominator for all these events is that the target of the
attack was left exceedingly defenseless and vulnerable. But the two most recent
events, the Maui fires and Oct. 7, stand out from the first seven. In the first
seven cases, there were basic safeguards that could have and should have been implemented
and just were not. There are no fingerprints to prove that it was anything more
than careless human error.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the Lincoln
assassination, it may really have been a lone wolf conspiracy and John Wilkes
Booth just got lucky that the bodyguard got swooned. Apollo 1 and Titanic may
also have been fluke accidents. And maybe Pearl Harbor was really a surprise
attack. Since we do not see blatant human tampering, we can never know for
sure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the cases of JFK
and 9-11 as well, there is no overt evidence of tampering with safeguards. They
just weren’t there at all. It is only due to many additional anomalies that make
it evident that these were planned deep state operations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But Maui and Oct. 7
are different. In both cases, there was an elaborate system of warning devices
and remedial infrastructure. Like, in Maui, there <b><i>was</i></b> running
water and fire hydrants in Maui up until the day of the fires. Inexplicably
(maybe), on the day of the disaster, these devices were <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v39yla4-mass-murder-and-the-west-maui-land-grab.html" target="_blank">manually disabled and neutralized</a></b>. In the case of Maui, simple escape by auto was blocked by the law
enforcement authorities. On Oct. 7, the army, attack helicopters, and even the
news services were held back for many hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This was all done by
people. Even though all events are ordained by Heaven, this was no “act of G-d”.
It was done deliberately by <b><i>people</i></b> (I can’t call them human
beings and I am not even talking about Hamas) who knew exactly what they were
doing. It was all planned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Many people are not
aware of the facts of the Supernova Peace festival. They assume that this is some
yearly event that we hold in Israel every year. Just, this time, it went haywire.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is not the
case. It was a one-time first-time event imported from Brazil. It was billed as
the "first time" the Brazilian psy-trance festival, Universo
Paralello was held in Israel. So the event was “brought” to Israel from Brazil.
This was no coincidence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I hunted down some
of the advertisements for this event going back to <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TRIBEofNOVA/posts/pfbid0n9g5pzJEBbwMepi1emWUBPTBDSN65ePW8DeK1kiySXGgPRR337NBLx4H1PnPHBv1l" target="_blank">August 2023</a></b>. I was
looking for the ad to tell us two things: (1) Where this event will be located?
and (2) what is the price for entry? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the ads, there was
absolutely no mention of either one, although they wrote where to <b><a href="https://www.eventer.co.il/event/novaparalello/sCqCL?fbclid=IwAR08shoJofxxFvvFXnatnLHvFQSJrjaM6elosQF_oVAiBZ0TchwwSzI4Q3Q" target="_blank">buy tickets</a></b>
(and where not to). I thought this was very peculiar. I heard that the event
was initially scheduled to take place in some park or convention center in Tel Aviv.
Then, shortly before the event, the participants were told it would be held in Moshav
Lachish. Moshav Lachish is a bit southeast of Kiryat Gat and is a good 16.5
miles away from the nearest point in Gaza. This is a relatively safe distance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About two days
before the event, it was mysteriously relocated to Kibbutz Reyim. This is a
mere 3.6 miles (about 5 KM) from the Gaza fence. I heard that the participants
were not even notified about this change until the opening day of the event. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, at the “last
minute” this one-time event was suddenly relocated to an open tree-less field a
mere 3.6 miles from the nearest Gaza fence. This, at a time when we were aware
of rising tensions in Gaza. This place had absolutely no rocket or bomb shelters
save for some concrete kiosks (sheds) spread around for a rocket emergency
which can hold maybe four people. Nothing more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And everybody
obediently showed up to party without any concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, let’s forget
about some intricate concerted attack with paragliders and motorbikes and just
talk about the standard everyday rocket attacks that Hamas has been throwing at
us for almost two decades. There was absolutely no protection from them
whatsoever. And isn’t this standard everyday tomfoolery? Wouldn’t positioning
so large a gathering so exposed and so populated so close to the fence be an
open invitation to a standard rocket barrage just for kicks?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yet, there it was
placed, and all the peace-loving <i>shepselach</i> naively poured in to ground
zero. Incidentally, the reason I noted earlier that I am interested in the
price for admission (I still don’t know it), is that I am assuming the price
was particularly low and affordable. The “organizers’ wanted to make sure there
was a big turnout.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, we have an event
that was imported to Israel all the way from Brazil and strategically placed within
5 KM of the Gaza fence with no trees or shelters <b><i>and Hamas was just
waiting for them with their entire attack totally planned out</i></b>. For an
event that officially wasn’t supposed to be there two days earlier!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Does anyone really
think that this was all an unfortunate coincidence? That this wasn’t planned? Does
anybody really think that all these people were not deliberately brought there
to be slaughtered, raped and kidnapped?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sure, HKBH brought
them there. But, mind you, He had plenty of eager little elves helping Him out. They will all need to answer for it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While I am in Reyim,
I want to mention another thing. ZAKA announced that they had recovered 260
bodies. So we think that, from the partygoers, just about 260 of them wound up
killed and that’s about it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Not exactly. Aside
from several more who were killed in ambushes beyond the grounds while they
were trying to escape, we are now hearing that, just outside of Netivot, they
designated a field to where they towed hundreds of totally <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dXnt54YPvww" target="_blank">burnt-out vehicles</a></b>
from the festival. When I say burnt-out, I mean really burnt-out. Maui style.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And what was found
in these burnt-out cars? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You guessed it.
Burnt-out people. People so burnt-out that they needed to call some teams of <b><i><a href="https://www.jns.org/archaeologists-help-identify-human-remains-from-oct-7-massacre/" target="_blank">archaeologists</a></i></b>
from the digs in Yerushalyim to identify, not bodies, but charred human
remains. Once the remains were found, they went to the task of identifying
these ashes. So far (Nov. 9), at least ten bodies have been identified and they
are still hard at work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All told, like 9-11
and probably Pearl Harbor, this was no surprise attack. Hamas did not tactfully
overcome our security systems. They did not “get lucky”. Our security systems
were deliberately disabled. And they knew it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By whom?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By those responsible
for maintaining our security. It can be nobody else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And who might these
be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are four primary
candidates – Shabak, the Mossad, the IDF, and our government – and all of them
win the Oscar. All of them. Of course, Shabak and Mossad are the prime
suspects. They are the ones who killed Yitzchak Rabin and tortured <a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/jonathan-pollard-of-yesterday-talks.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Amiram Ben-Uliel</a><b> </b>and saw to it that Jonathan Pollard spent 30 years in prison.
But it is quite obvious that countless members of the IDF were in on it. And it
can’t get past Bibi and the government. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It's not just that
there were <i>some </i>turncoat collaborators. There must have been <i>hundreds </i>of them -
all on our side of the fence – who aided and abetted this massacre. It could
not have been pulled off otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In a very <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfZjpHtP6Q" target="_blank">recent lecture</a> </b>(about 37:15), Rabbi Alon Anava displayed that there are a few very new members who
joined the World Economic Forum, i.e., the New World Order elite. He displayed profiles that include the prime
minister of Lebanon, the president of Iran, and then Bibi Netanyahu, Naftali
Bennet, Yair Lapid and Ehud Barak. He claims that all these people are “new
members” of the WEF organization. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I checked it out and
I am not certain. The profiles exist but not under a heading of “Members”. It’s
more under a heading of “People”, and all of these folks have been, or are, the
heads of state of their respective countries for at least some amount of time. It
may be just a list of profiles of world leaders and heads of state, but not necessarily officially
affiliated with the WEF. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That said, there is
no question that Bibi has appeared and spoken numerous times at Davos and has rubbed shoulders (and <b><a href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=benjamin+netanyahu+world+economic+forum&form=HDRSC3&first=1" target="_blank">shaken hands</a>)</b> with Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates, John Kerry, <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItpErus4pSM" target="_blank">Albert Bourla</a></b> and many other
of, you know, the usual suspects. Oh, and did I mention that on Bibi’s trip to
the US right before Sukkos, he had a meeting with <b><a href="https://www.jns.org/israel-news/henry-kissinger/23/9/23/321411/" target="_blank">Henry Kissinger,</a></b>
another Davos and WEF bigwig? This is the same Henry Kissinger that got Golda
Meir to betray her people exactly 50 years ago at the Yom Kippur War. Bibi is also responsible for the 1998 <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye_River_Memorandum" target="_blank">Wye River Memorandum</a></b> which resulted in a withdrawal from 80% of Chevron with all the requisite bloodshed. (Note - Dedi Graucher's popular song of Chevron Ir Havot was based on this event.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is no question
that we are dealing with a brutal betrayal from our own leaders. This much is
evident from the gaping holes – both in the "story" and in the fence. Yet, to point fingers
at exactly who and exactly why, brings us to the realm of theory – ye olde
conspiracy theory. Still, it is hard to imagine that the Global New World Order
elite – the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers a few royal families and Soros and Gates and the Vatican, et al - who
always benefit from war and chaos and who have all world leaders in their
pockets, are not pulling the strings here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Certainly, as Rabbi Alon
Anava repeatedly tells us, it is ultimately all Yad Hashem. HKBH does what He
wants whether we like it or not. But those who carry it out His "unpleasant" work are doing
it on their own free will. They want it as much as He does (even more).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We say each night at
<i>maariv</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">והסר
שטן מלפנינו ומאחרנו</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Hashem should remove
the Satan that is both in front of us and in back of us.</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What is the meaning
of “in front of us” and what is the meaning of “in back of us”?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Long ago, I heard an
explanation that sometimes the yetzer hara tests us with actions that are
clearly forbidden. The test is right “in front of us”. We know it’s wrong, but
we are tempted. Will we succumb or not?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But sometimes he confuses
us and makes things harder. He disguises the infraction to make us think we are
actually doing the right thing. He disguises the infraction as a mitzvah. This
is “in back of us” or where we cannot see it for what it is. So we ask Hashem to
protect us from sins we can recognize (in front) and from sins that we cannot (in back).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That is an old,
long-standing explanation. But now I just conceived a new <i>pirush</i>. “In front of
us” means our sworn enemies. “In back of us” refers to our friends and leaders who
supposedly “have our backs”. Our “protectors”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We daven to Hashem
to protect us both from our obvious enemies and from these traitorous “friends”.
<span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We have met the enemy,
and he is us!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>ואין
לנו להשען אלא על אבינו שבשמים</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-25925687024783969732023-11-03T02:05:00.004+02:002023-11-04T18:50:07.496+02:00New World Order - Part 2: When Did it All Start? And What is the End Game? (Noach, Lech Lecha, Vayeira)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
have written in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/10/creational-thinking.html" target="_blank">the past</a></b> that, amazingly, the Jewish day school I attended did
not teach Chumash until third grade. And even then, they only began at Parshas
Lech Lecha. As such, I had learned about Darwinian evolution through secular
media, like television and magazines, even before I knew about the six days of Creation.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On
top of that, in my childhood, I had also learned some of Rudyard Kipling’s <b><a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/79/just-so-stories/" target="_blank">Just So Stories</a></b>. For those who weren’t born last century, Kipling’s Just So Stories
are fanciful post-Darwin mythological tales that seem to complement “Origin of
Species”. They have titles such as “How the Leopard Got its Spots”, “How the
Camel Got Its Hump”, “How the Rhinoceros Got its Skin”, “How the First
Letter was Written”, </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">and even</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> "</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">How the Alphabet was Made"</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It's
a child’s guide on how things got started. Only, a child has a hard time
distinguishing between fact and fiction. Just ask any kid who read <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Things_Are" target="_blank">Where the Wild Things Are</a></b></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eventually,
I did learn Breishis and Noach, but the damage was done. A story is a story
whether it comes from Rudyard Kipling or Moshe Rabeinu. So, to people like me,
when we study Parshas Noach and learn about the Dor Haflaga, aka, the Tower of
Bavel, it comes across as just another Just So story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
the Camel Got its Hump.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
the Whale Got its Throat<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
the Leopard Got its Spots<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How the Alphabet was Made</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>How
the World Got 70 Languages<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Just
So!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sadly,
even for many Jews who were taught nothing but Creation and always believed it
and who are not children anymore, they still don’t get the story of the Dor
Haflaga. They still think that its main purpose is to tell us a true account of
why the people of the world speak many different languages. They think that it
was a one-time historical event that occurred over 4000 years ago and is
totally a thing of the past. Ancient history. Nimrod lived and died and nothing
remains of his reign and his tower. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They
are making a huge mistake. Nimrod is still here. He is alive and well. And the
purpose of the story of the tower is to tell us about the “birth” of the
Freemasons, the Globalists, the Deep State, the Knights of the New World Order.
It is here to tell us that they exist, and despite all their sweet talk, they
are up to no good, and that we must not comply with them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yep,
the <b><i>New</i></b> World Order is not all that new. It’s actually more than
3500 years old!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of
course, many of us are either ignorant or skeptical about all of this. But let
me say this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Every single Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur, we say these words in every Shemona Esrei:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #38761d;">וכל הרשעה כעשן תכלה, כי תעביר </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">ממשלת
זדון</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> מן הארץ</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">May all the evil be obliterated like
smoke, as </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the malicious government</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> is expelled from the Earth.</span></i></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We say these words 13 times every
single year, year after year. If you have been davening for ten years, you have
said it 130 times. If you have davened for forty years, you have said it over
500 times. Have you ever stopped to think: Who exactly is this malicious
government? What kind of government existed when our liturgy was first devised
(at least 1500 years ago), and is still here today, and will remain until HKBH
establishes His Kingdom over the world?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It can't be the Roman Empire, the
Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition, Czarist Russia or Nazi Germany.
They're all gone. It cannot be the US, the EU or the UK. They weren't in power
earlier on.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well then, who is this "malicious
government"? What makes them so exceedingly malicious?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The obvious answer is that it is the
government of Nimrod. It is Nimrod’s one world government. They didn’t
disappear. They were only scattered to 70 nations. Yet, there are those in all
the 70 nations that still aspire to Nimrod’s plans. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And what makes them so malicious?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, for one thing, you and me don’t
count. Remember what Chazal tell us that if a brick would fall off the
structure and break, they would weep bitter tears. But if a workman fell off of
the structure and died, they did not care. Everyone lives and dies for the
state – the “Deep State”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But the more important factor is that
they don’t have the interests of the Creator in mind. The Midrash tells us that
the Dor Haflaga was not fully united. There were three objectives that
motivated the members to build the tower. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First there were the non-believer scientists. These
folks either believed that HKBH left the world to work on its own (clockmaker theory)
or they were plain atheists. They thought the sky collapses every so often and
causes a great flood. The purpose of the tower was either to buttress the sky
so it won’t collapse or, if it does, they can climb up into the tower and stay
above water.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second group were idolaters who simply
wanted to keep their deities in high places. The third group were the ones that
believed in G-d but wanted to banish Him from the earth. They wanted to wage
war against G-d. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These are the Satanists. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Whichever way, there was no place for
HKBH in their city and tower.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Midrash says that Avraham Avinu
understood what was going on and stood against the “project”. Unity for the
wicked is not a good thing. Aside from Avraham, three other people opposed the
project from the start – Noach, the father of all humanity, Shem his son, and
Eiver who was Shem’s grandson. All of these were ancestors of Avraham Avinu.
They tried to convince the people of the world not to follow Nimrod, but Nimrod’s
influence and might was too overwhelming.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All of the descendants of Cham and
Yefes sided with Nimrod. Even most of the sons of Shem, including Eilam and
Kedarlaomer, followed Nimrod. Only one person listened and walked away – Ashur. He moved North
and built four cities of his own, presumably without towers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Anyway, HKBH gathered a Beis Din of 70
<i>malachim </i>with HKBH as the Av Beis Din. this made a total of 71 <i>dayanim</i>. It was a
precarious moment because this was high treason and, once again, the proper
penalty was to destroy the world. But, since despite their treason, they were
able to coexist as a society, the Beis Din <i>paskened </i>that, for now, we will
merely disrupt the communications of the parties and let them be. Each of the 70 <i>malachim </i>came down and taught a bunch of workers a different language.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nimrod’s power was severely weakened,
and the one world government and <b><a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/cbdc-faqs.htm" target="_blank">Central Bank Digital Currency</a></b> initiative was
put on the shelf for the time being. But Nimrod still ruled over the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I noted in my previous post (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/new-world-order-part-1-baal-maaseh-lech.html" target="_blank">NWO - Part 1</a></b>) that Nimrod
was subservient to Kedarlaomer. I would venture to suggest that this fact was
kept between Nimrod and Kedarlaomer. As far as the rest of the world was
concerned, Nimrod was thought to be invincible. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Noach took the special clothes that
HKBH made for Adam HaRishon with him on the ark. When he wasn’t looking, Cham
snatched them away. Cham gave them to his firstborn Kush who gave them to his
son Nimrod. These clothes had drawings of animals on them and this caused all
wild animals to cower from them. Whoever wore the clothes could catch and tame
any type of animal. That is why Nimrod was thought to be the greatest of
hunters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In any case, nobody messed with
Nimrod. This is how Nimrod got the entire world to join his tower project and
to get involved in Molech and devil worship. With or without the tower, he
wanted to banish HKBH from this world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Noach soon died and Shem and Eiver relocated
to Eretz Yisrael to learn Torah and stay close to HKBH. Nimrod didn’t see them
as a threat since they kept to themselves and didn’t try to spread the Word of
G-d to the masses. At least not in his territory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But there was one person who did
remain in Bavel and started preaching to the masses that there is an omnipotent
Creator who calls the shots and is the only being that should be worshipped, and
that Nimrod is as mortal as everyone else. This was <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2009/03/zachor-ess-asher-assah-amalek-root-of.html" target="_blank">Avraham the Ivri</a></b>
(Opponent). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nimrod had his medical license
revoked, had him censored and deplatformed, shut all his social media including
his X-Twitter account, sued him for spreading misinformation and even gave him
beachfront property in Maui and zapped him with a <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed-energy_weapon" target="_blank">DEW</a></b> (Direct Energy Weapon). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nothing worked but, eventually, HKBH
told Avraham Avinu to relocate to Maarava (Go West, young man. Go west.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But Nimrod wasn’t deterred. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Remember the war of the Four Kings
against the Five? Four kings from Iraq (Bavel) – Nimrod and his friend Aryoch –
and from Iran (Eilam) – Kedarlaomer and his friend Thidal – came all the way to
Eretz Kanaan to fight against the Sodomites. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why did they come? What were they
after?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, the Torah gives us the official
narrative. They used to pay taxes to Kedarlaomer and they abruptly stopped.
Kedarlaomer was coming to collect his money.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But, as usual, we can never fully rely
on the official narrative. Ther is always more to the story. In my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/new-world-order-part-1-baal-maaseh-lech.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b>, I noted that the tax revolt may have been the main motive for
Kedarlaomer. But it doesn’t really explain why Nimrod came under an assumed
name. I suggested that, initially, he was sent to do it by Kedarlaomer because
the Kanaanim were from Nimrod’s ethnic crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Without discounting that theory, I came
to another suggestion. Something that the Torah didn’t want to tell us straight
out but can be read between the lines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nimrod was after Avraham Avinu – plain
and simple. He couldn’t care less about the Sodom money. That was Kedarlaomer’s
fight as we said <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/10/new-world-order-part-1-baal-maaseh-lech.html" target="_blank">last post</a></b>. But joining up with Kedarlaomer on the Sodom campaign
was his golden opportunity to get Avraham Avinu. Avrohom Avinu was his primary
objective all along.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am thinking that Kedarlaomer wasn’t
interested in capturing Lot and starting up with his cousin Abe. He was a
Semite and had mixed alliances. He also knew that Avraham Avinu was no pushover
and thus far, never lost a fight. It was only Nimrod who had the audacity to
capture Lot so as to draw in Avraham. It was his plan all along.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We are told that when these kings whipped
the Refaim, that Og escaped. He was a war refugee. How did Og (and apparently his
brother Sichon) manage to escape when all these other Neanderthals got whacked?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I don’t think Og <i>escaped</i>. I think he
was <i>spared</i>. I think he was purposely spared by Nimrod so he can capture Lot and
then get Avraham to enter the war. Nimrod needed to crush Avraham in order to
re-establish his New World Order. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He hadn’t given up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Torah tells us that Nimrod lost
the war and got smitten but it doesn’t really tell us the he was killed. It
only says that Avraham chased the remainder out to Syria. Either Nimrod was not
finished off or, if he was, he had a son, also named Nimrod, who succeeded him. This Nimrod (whichever) actually came back and tried
again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eisav got him that time and really
killed him. But instead of taking out the Globalists, he just grabbed the fancy
Adam HaRishon clothes and reestablished the New World Order in Rome. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Where do I get this hidden message?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;">In this week’s Parsha (Vayeira –
Breishis 18:27), Avraham is pleading with Hashem to same some of the Sodom
complex. He says to Hashem: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><b>ואנכי עפר ואפר</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I am <i>afar</i> (dust) and <i>aifer</i>
(ashes). </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rashi on the spot explains – <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">And I
should have already been relegated to dust (afar) on account of the four
kings and to ashes (aifer) on account of Nimrod, if not for Your mercy
that sustained me. </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Okay, there’s the four kings </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">and then there is also Nimrod</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">. And who is at the head of the four kings (at the start)?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amraphel = <i><b>Nimrod</b></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Avraham is saying I would have been
ashes due to Nimrod and I would have been dust due to Nimrod. It’s all the same
Nimrod from dust to ashes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, here is something very scary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Avraham Avinu first spoke about being dust
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;">עפר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">and then mentioned ashes </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>אפר</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. But wasn’t the furnace before the war? Wasn’t the ashes before
the dust?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Avraham Avinu is the father of Klal Yisrael.
But he is also the Av Hamon Goyim. The father of the nations of the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">What is </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;">עפר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">(dust)? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>ע-פר</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.
70 bulls. The seventy bulls that we bring on Succos for all of the nations.
That comes earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">What is </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;">אפר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">(ashes)? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>א-פר</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.
One bull. The solitary bull that we bring on Shemini Atzeres for the Jewish people.
That comes later.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Avraham Avinu is the father of the
nations of the earth, so he has the attribute of </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>ע-פר</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">– 70 bulls of Succos. But
he is also the father of Klal Yisrael so he has the attribute of </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>א-פר</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">– the single bull of Shemini
Atzeres.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Parshas Chukas, the ashes of the
Parah Adumah are referred by both terms afar and aifer. But, notice something.
In Bamidbar 19:9 it states:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">ואסף איש </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">טהור</span><span style="color: #134f5c;"> את אפר הפרה</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">And a </span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">pure </span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;">person should gather the
aifer of the cow.</span></span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i>Aifer</i> </span><span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black; font-family: arial;">אפר</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">is associated with a pure person, with purity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Later in Bamidbar 19:17 it states:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">ולקחו </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">לטמא </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">מעפר שריפת החטאת</span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>And they will take for the <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">impure </span></b>one
from the afar of the sin offering…</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i>Afar </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: black;">עפר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: black;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">is associated with an impure person, with impurity. Moreover, it is no longer called
a <i>parah</i> (cow) but a <i>chatas</i> – object of sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">First the seventy nations have their “<i>chag</i>”.
We remain in the Sukkah. On the eighth day we come out of the Sukkah and celebrate
our closeness to HKBH. But this is only if we distinguish ourselves from the
seventy nations and stay separate. If we do not, there is no longer a Sukkah
and no barrier between them and us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Many people don’t know anything about
this Globalist Elite and New World Order cabal. When people like me try to tell
them it exists, the skeptics ask a very common question: If there is such a
cabal, why are they doing all this? What is their ultimate goal? What’s the “end-game”?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Al I can answer is that this cabal is
the reincarnation of the Dor Haflaga. Whatever their primary goal was then is
exactly what it is today. They are the same people, so they have the same
agenda. There is nothing new under the sun. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The reason the Torah told us about it
isn’t a Just So Story about why we speak different languages. It is telling us
who the </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>ממשלת זדון</b></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
that we beg Hashem to destroy every single year really are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Like Nimrod, they want total control
over the world. They want to depopulate the world with war, urban violence, hunger, and poisons –
in the form of processed foods, fluorides, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines - abortions, sterilization, and promoting homosexuality and transgenderism. They want
to impoverish us with inflation, all kinds of taxes and high interest credit and low
interest savings. They want to kidnap and traffic human beings for fun and
profit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It's all them and it’s all by design.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Only Avraham Avinu stood on the other
side. Avraham Avinu was able to distinguish between the <i>afar</i> and the <i>aifer</i>.
We need to be the progeny of Avraham Avinu and stand against Nimrod and the world.
We need to be separate from the nations and their anti-G-d New World Order. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-73984045104034929942023-10-24T23:04:00.001+03:002023-10-25T10:24:07.397+03:00New World Order - Part 1: The Baal Maaseh (Lech Lecha)<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sefer Breishis holds some amazing secrets about who we are, where we are going, and what is happening in the world today. All the events of the world are foretold in the stories of Chava and the nachash, Kayin and Hevel, Dor HaMabul and Dor Haflaga, the four kings against the five, Yitzchok and Yishmael, Yaakov and Eisav, and Avraham's ten tests. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some are very easy to see but others are very well hidden. People who think there is no such thing as a Global Elite with an <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v1swtm0-john-f.-kennedy-new-world-order-speech.html" target="_blank">agenda</a></b> for a <b><a href="https://rumble.com/v3pfv6k-new-world-order-quotes-obama-biden-bush-henry-kissinger.html" target="_blank">New World Order</a></b> and a One World Government are both ignorant of recurring world events and of the messages forecast in Sefer Breishis. They also do not understand the davening of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (I intend to explain this in the next post.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The following is a post that I wrote for Parshas Lech Lecha in 5779 (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/11/who-did-land-first-belong-to-after.html" target="_blank">November 2008</a></b>). It does not directly address the main topic of the New World Order but it is a very significant piece of the puzzle. In honor of Parshas Lech Lecha, I am reprinting it here as a prelude for what is to come.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The original title was:</span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #800040; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 19.474px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.25em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px;">Who Did the Land of Israel First Belong to After the Flood?</h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div align="center"><strong style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">והכנעני אז בארץ</span></strong></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Rashi (Breishis 12:6) explains this pasuk to mean that:<br /><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Kanaanim were progressively conquering Eretz Israel from the descendents of Shem, for the land fell within the portion of Shem when Noach apportioned the land…thereupon "And He said to Avram, 'To your offspring I will give this land…' ", i.e., I am destined to restore it to your offspring as they are the descendants of Shem.<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I consider this Rashi as one of the most troublesome in all of Chumash, and I am not alone. For one thing, as Ramban points out, the Chumash clearly demarcates the borders of Kanaan in Parshat Noach (Breishis 10:19) which intimates that these are legitimate borders of <em>the sons of Kanaan </em>approved by Noach.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Secondly, Rashi seems to contradict himself profusely as follows:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Rashi in the first pasuk in Breishis (1:1) writes that the purpose of detailing the Creation as a preamble to the Torah was so that…<br /><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">…if the nations of the world will say to Israel, "You are thieves, for you conquered the lands of the seven nations!", we will respond that "The entire earth belongs to HKBH. He created it and gave it to whom he saw fit. By his will, He gave it to them and by his will He took it from them and gave it to us."<br /></span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This passage seems to imply that Rashi recognizes that the land was originally in the possession of the Kanaanim no less legitimately than it was later in our possession.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Further, in Bamidbar (13:22) Rashi confirms this sentiment by quoting the gemara in Sota (34b also Kesubos 112b) which says that it does not make sense to say that Chevron was built before Tzoahn of Egypt because "</span><span style="color: #006600; font-family: verdana;">Does a man (Cham ben Noach) build a town for his younger son (Kanaan) before he builds one for his older son (Mitzraim)?</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">" This clearly implies that Cham was the original master over the land of Kanaan and it was his right to build there.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Numerous commentators make note of this contradiction and at the forefront is Rabbenu Eliyahu Mizrachi (RE"M) who makes a note of it in all three spots (Breishis 1:1 and 12:6 and Bamidbar 13:22). And he repeats the same mantra throughout: </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">These are <strong>contradictory aggadoth </strong>and Rashi acknowledges both.</em><span style="font-family: verdana;"> In Breishis 1:1 he points out that Rashi is prone to doing this in multiple instances in Chumash.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two things bother me. First, the minor one and that is that to say "</span><em style="font-family: verdana;">aggados chalukos</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">" is always a last resort solution (kind of like </span><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה</span></strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"> ) that we prefer to avoid. But, secondly, and more acute, I can accept the idea of contradictory aggadoth if there actually are two contradictory aggadoth – similar to the Talmud Bavli vs. Midrash Tanchuma issue I discussed </span><a href="http://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/09/it-is-time-to-solve-puzzle-about-ruths.html" style="font-family: verdana;">previously about Ruth</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. However, in this case we know that Rashi's commentary on Bamidbar 13:22 is a gemara stated in 2 places. But what he says in Bresihis 12:6 (our pasuk) that Noach granted the land to Shem – where does he get that from?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's not a Bavli, Yerushalmi, Midrash Rabba, Tanchuma, Yalkut or anything. How can we say </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">aggados chalukos </em><span style="font-family: verdana;">if it's not an aggada?? (Note - there are places that Rishonim quote Midrashim that are not found in the classic sources – see the famous Tosafot in Bava Basra 119b about the wood-gatherer that likewise has no known source.)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The best we have is a Toras Kohanim in Vayikra (Parsha 10:17) referenced in Ohr HaChaim (Breishis 12:6) that merely says:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">והיא אינה אלא חלקו של שם <span style="color: black;">ואתה בניו של שם</span>. </span></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That the land is the portion of Shem. It does not clearly state that Shem received the land when Noach apportioned it. Perhaps Toras Kohanim only means that it was destined for Shem but that Noach actually awarded it to Cham? And even if it was awarded to Shem from Noach, there is no mention about how or why it came to the hands of Kanaan. If this is Rashi's only source, it is only telling half the story. How does Rashi know the other half?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">To summarize, the Talmud Bavli, Rashi in Breishis 1:1, and the Chumash in Breishis 10:9 all seem to indicate that Cham was the </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">original legitimate sovereign </span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">of Eretz Israel. Yet, Rashi here (12:6) insists that Shem initially inhabited it and Cham stole it from him!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who was here first?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let us look at another troublesome pasuk.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Chumash (Breishis 14:1) tells us, “And it was in the days of </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Amaraphel</strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"> the king of Shinar, Aryoch king of Elasar, </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Kedarlaomer</strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"> king of Eilam…”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rashi tells us that Amaraphel was in actuality Nimrod. And we sure know who he was! He was the biggest, meanest king on the face of the Earth. Nobody messed around with Nimrod. He was Numero Uno. This is presumably why he is here at the head of the pack.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But wait! This is the last time Nimrod gets first billing. And he is only mentioned in this story one more time – batting third! What happened to him?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Only 3 pasukim later (Breishis 14:4) the pasuk says: “For 12 years they served </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Kedarlaomer</span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">…”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><em style="font-family: verdana;">Kedarlaomer</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">? Where did he come from? Oh yeah - Eilam! Where’s that?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why were they serving Kedarlaomer? Wasn’t everybody subservient to the great and despotic Nimrod?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And in the next pasuk (Breishis 14:5), here he is again. He seems to be at the head of the pack.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why him?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rashi tells us: Because he was the “</span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>baal maaseh</strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">” (instigator) he entered into the thick of the frey.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Excuse me, but why was he the “baal maaseh”? Wasn’t he batting third at the beginning of this story?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the help of Sefer HaYashar (a book of Midrashim of dubious authenticity) and the Oznayim L’Torah (Breishis 14:2 s.v. Asu Milchama) we can put a new spin on this story and perhaps an answer to the contradiction in Rashi.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">You see, Nimrod was a tough mean guy. Probably the toughest and meanest there was. And he was a fierce king. He did not need to answer to anybody – except for one person: </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Kedarlaomer</strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yep, as great as Nimrod was, Kedarlaomer was greater. This is because Shem was the elite of Noach’s sons. He got first pick (even though Yefes was the </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">bechor</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">, Shem was born circumcised – Rashi, Breishis 5:32). And Eilam was Shem’s first born. He got first pick at everything. And Kedarlaomer was the favorite son of Eilam, the king. And a great king he was. Even Nimrod shuddered from him. This is because Noach made the sons of Cham servants to Shem (see Sanhedrin 91a)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Noach apportioned the new world to his sons, he awarded the prime real estate – Eretz Israel – to his prized son, Shem. Shem in turn granted it to his first born, Eilam. However, Eilam did not want to take possession of Eretz Israel for himself. I can only venture a guess as to why – but I will suggest that the </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">klal</em><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of </span><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">ארץ ישראל נקנה ביסורים</span></strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"> applied even from day one. So he chose to set up his kingdom in southern Iran instead (Shushan HaBira was in Eilam). But, so as to maintain sovereignty on this precious land, he had a great plan: He will “allow” his underlings, the slave nation of Kanaan, to settle the land; BUT – they must pay him an annual tribute. Among other reasons, this is so nobody should forget that the land is really his.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, he didn’t want the dirty work of collecting taxes from these deadbeats – so he gave the job to his Numero Duo – his chief “enforcer” the invincible king of the sons of Cham – </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">Nimrod</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">. It was Nimrod’s responsibility to see to it that the Kanaanites pay their taxes to Kedarlaomer. Nimrod dealt directly with the populace, took his cut, and funneled the rest up to the boss.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">For 12 years this arrangement worked just dandy. The people paid their taxes; to who? – to Kedarlaomer. Just they did it via Nimrod. Finally, for the next 13 years they staged a tax rebellion. Nimrod wasn’t happy but Kedarlaomer seemed not to notice so things dragged along. Finally, after 13 years, Kedarlaomer told Nimrod that enough is enough and that Nimrod had better talk some sense into these savages. Thus, initially </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Nimrod</strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"> led the crusade into the Holy Land and Kedarlaomer just came along for the ride. As such Nimrod and his deputy Aryoch went first and Kedarlaomer and his pal Thidal came after. But in reality, it wasn’t Nimrod’s battle. It was </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">Kedarlaomer’s</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">. He was the real feudal lord of Eretz Israel, it was his land, not Nimrod’s. That is why he was the “</span><em style="font-family: verdana;">baal maaseh</em><span style="font-family: verdana;">”.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the battle heated up (imagine the temperature in Sodom), Nimrod wasn’t getting the job done. I would surmise that Nimrod had mixed alliances as he was truly a Chammite and Kedarlaomer was a Semite. Nimrod didn’t want to wipe out fellow Chammites and in truth he was an anti-Semite. So, Kedarlaomer, who knew it was his fight, had to take charge. That is why in pasuk 14:9 his position is moved up ahead of Nimrod’s (as Rashi says) and again he is the only king named in pasuk 14:17.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, if we take all this as the real story (up to you) we can resolve the apparent contradictions in Rashi. Firstly, we will have to presume the following:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Noach did not apportion the new world the day after they stepped out of the Ark. He first waited for his sons to produce a few generations of people to do some populating. When he finally did it, people such as Eilam and Kush and Nimrod and Kedarlaomer were already up and around.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Immediately upon the apportionment of the new world, Shem received Eretz Israel, and he immediately granted it to Eilam who was ruled by Kedarlaomer, and he immediately sold Nimrod and the Kanaanim building rights in Eretz Israel. This was at the same time as Egypt was awarded to Mitzrayim son of Cham. As such, Cham had the initial building rights to both Kanaan (Eretz Israel) and Mitzrayim even though technically Eretz Israel never belonged to him. It was only his on loan.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">With this approach, we can say that our Rashi (Breishis 12:6) understands that Noach actually awarded Eretz Israel to Shem but Shem immediately “sold” to Cham (Kanaan) the rights to “conquer” it. When Rashi says they “were progressively conquering it from the sons of Shem”, he didn’t mean they occupied it <em>by force</em>, but rather with permission granted to them from the sons of Shem (Oznayim L’Torah 14:2).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Now, it is no longer difficult that the Torah (10:19) acknowledges to Kanaan defined borders. These were the borders that were allocated to them in their contract with the sons of Shem.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Likewise, we can answer the Rashi in Breishis 1:1 that even though the land was the true inheritance of Shem, since the Kanaanim were the first to settle it, and it was done without force, it <em><strong>appears</strong></em> as if it was originally their land. We could truly answer the nations that the land always belonged to us (also, we can answer in the manner of the Talmud in Sanhedrin 91a) but since it will not satisfy those who only know what they see, we need an alternative response that the whole world belongs to its Creator.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />And finally, the gemara in Sota and Kesubos (Rashi in Bamidbar 13:22) is justified in asking why Cham built Chevron for Kanaan before Tzoahn for Mitzrayim and it did not give the obvious answer that Chevron was built by Shem. This is because even though the land belonged to Shem, Cham was “sold” the license to build there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Thus, in spite of what seems to be a major concession in Breishis 1:1, Breishis 10:19, and Bamidbar 13:22 – if we stick with the Rashi that we see here in Breishis 12:6 we can proudly assert that the land always was, is and will remain the property of the sons of Shem.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Now, wasn’t Yishmael’s mother Egyptian?<br /></span><br /><br /></p></div>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-67205092049177120112023-10-23T17:09:00.006+03:002023-10-24T23:20:57.018+03:00And the Sirens’ Loud Blare and the Rockets’ Red Glare –Absolute Proof that Moshiach is Near<p> </p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Here is an excerpt of the famous passage from Yalkut Shimoni
about the coming of Moshiach:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: 16pt;">ילקוט שמעוני ישעיה ס' רמז תצט<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;">א"ר יצחק שנה שמלך המשיח נגלה בו כל מלכי אומות העולם מתגרים
זה בזה, </span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;">מלך פרס</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;"> מתגרה במלך ערבי והולך מלך ערבי לארם ליטול
עצה מהם וחוזר </span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: red; font-size: 16pt;">מלך פרס ומחריב את כל העולם </span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;">וכל אומות
העולם מתרעשים ומתבהלים ונופלים על פניהם ויאחוז אותם צירים כצירי יולדה, וישראל
מתרעשים ומתבהלים ואומר להיכן נבוא ונלך להיכן נבוא ונלך להיכן נבוא ונלך, ואומר
להם: </span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 16pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;">בני אל תיראו כל מה שעשיתי לא עשיתי אלא
בשבילכם</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;"> מפני מה אתם מתייראים? אל תיראו הגיע זמן גאולתכם, ולא כגאולה
ראשונה גאולה אחרונה כי גאולה ראשונה היה לכם צער ושעבוד מלכויות אחריה אבל גאולה
אחרונה אין לכם צער ושעבוד מלכויות אחריה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span dir="LTR" face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: 16pt;">שנו רבותינו <b>בשעה שמלך המשיח בא עומד על גג בית המקדש והוא
משמיע להם לישראל ואומר ענווים הגיע זמן גאולתכם, ואם אין אתם מאמינים ראו
באורי שזרח עליכם</b> שנאמר, קומי אורי כי בא אורך וכבוד ה' עליך זרח ועליכם בלבד זרח
ולא על עובדי אלילים שנאמר, כי הנה החשך יכסה ארץ. באותה שעה מבהיק הקב"ה אורו
של מלך המשיח ושל ישראל והולכים כלם לאורן של מלך המשיח </span><span dir="LTR" face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">English
Translation:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Says
Rabi Yitzchak – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
year in which the anointed King will be revealed will be when all the kings of
the nations of the world are taunting each other. The king of Persia (<b><span style="color: red;">Iran</span></b>) is taunting the Arab king (could be Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, or Qatar) and the Arab king goes to Aram (Syria or <b><span style="color: red;">Turkey</span></b>. Lavan Ha<i>Arami </i>was from Charan which
is currently in Turkey) to take advice from them. <b><i>The king of Persia
returns and destroys the whole world</i></b> and all the nations of the world
tremble and panic and fall on their faces and they are gripped by pangs as of a
woman in labor. And Israel trembles and panics and says, "To where can we
come or go? To where can we come or go? To where can we come or go?” And I (the
prophet is speaking on behalf of HKBH) say to them: “<b><i><span style="color: #4472c4; mso-themecolor: accent1;">My children, do not fear. Everything
that I have done, I have only done for you. Why are you afraid? Do not fear,
for the time of your redemption has come!”</span></i></b> And not like the
first redemption will be the final redemption. Your first redemption was followed
by distress and subservience to the nations, but with this final redemption,
you will have no distress or subservience to nations afterward.</span></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
Rabbis taught us – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At
the hour when the anointed King comes, he will be standing on the roof of the Beis
HaMikdash and he will announce to Israel and say: <i>Oh you humble ones, the
time of your redemption has arrived, and if you do not believe it, look at the
light that has risen upon you. </i>As the verse says: “Arise my light, for your
light has come, and the glory of Hashem has risen upon you.” And it will shine upon
you alone, and not upon the worshipers of idols, as it is written: “Behold darkness
will cover the earth.” At that time, the Almighty will shine the light of the anointed
King and of Israel and they will all go toward the light of the anointed King.</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">I
first heard this Yalkut at the time of the Iranian revolution back in 1979. We thought
it was “showtime” then and had such high hopes. That was a good 44 years ago,
and it didn’t happen.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
world has only gotten darker since then. Very dark. The king of Persia has returned to destroy the world. And all the rulers of the
world are rattling their sabers and taunting each </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">other. I don’t know if it can get any darker than this.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18.6667px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But,
oh say! Can we now see the dawn’s early light? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqcVUeOQtvLGN_H5JH9G63uYVT00eOabP9M3dSORJ8Dx0G1vRpxqEq0Ey3TCjEZ0_Qup-kD4xPGDniObnQc2IG7s9ancKajmSuwjzjlqvtl7fR7SKh6X56FcL-ioxmm3OloS69XvCSM-PhpFD_cIocSKZyzPYBTluHRee9zUUmVBfsgk4rWsG_3JJehR4/s1600/Sunset.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqcVUeOQtvLGN_H5JH9G63uYVT00eOabP9M3dSORJ8Dx0G1vRpxqEq0Ey3TCjEZ0_Qup-kD4xPGDniObnQc2IG7s9ancKajmSuwjzjlqvtl7fR7SKh6X56FcL-ioxmm3OloS69XvCSM-PhpFD_cIocSKZyzPYBTluHRee9zUUmVBfsgk4rWsG_3JJehR4/w640-h360/Sunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air – and the sirens’ loud blare - give proof, through the night, that Hashem is still here…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">…and that the <i>geulah </i>is near!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14pt;">There is nothing to fear!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><p></p>
Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-5882926850913778352023-10-04T22:03:00.002+03:002023-10-04T22:05:04.907+03:00Jonathan Pollard of Yesterday Talks about the Jonathan Pollard of Today<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Last May I
wrote a post about the great Malka Leifer chillul Hashem called <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/05/irreversible-damage.html" target="_blank">Irreversible Damage</a></b>. I began by discussing four people who are on my Pidyon Shvuyim tefilla
list.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since that
time, I scrapped two names on the assumption that their cases were happily resolved. I
have no concrete knowledge, but since I haven’t seen updates on those cases, I
assume they’re done. So, of those four, two names remain (I added two more).
Those are Malka Leifer and Amiram Ben-Uliel (Amiram ben Nurit).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Both cases illustrate
the total disdain our “Jewish” government holds for its religious citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the Malka
Leifer case, there was a bit of confusion whether she is solely an Israeli
citizen or a dual Israeli-Australian citizen. I assumed she was only an Israeli
citizen, yet some readers sent me <b><a href="https://amp.theage.com.au/national/accused-child-rapist-malka-leifer-must-face-charges-20180228-p4z27d.html" target="_blank">news items</a></b> that explicitly claimed she is a
dual citizen. As I wrote in my post about extradition law (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/03/extradition-or-jurisdiction-hard-look.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>), this makes a whale
of a difference on how hard or soft the Israeli government should be on a
foreign extradition request. If the requesting country is asking to extradite their
own citizen, it makes sense to comply. But if she is solely an Israeli citizen,
the State has a responsibility to find and adhere to any legal excuse to refuse
extradition. This is something they did not do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I recently
discovered from the sentencing hearing that she does not hold Australian
citizenship at all. This contradicts numerous news items that claimed otherwise.
In any case, this proves that the “Jewish” State of Israel was delinquent in
their responsibilities toward their own natural-born citizen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The case of
<b><a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-716040" target="_blank">Amiram Ben-Uliel</a></b> is much more precarious. In this case the “Jewish” State of
Israel framed one of its own loyal citizens for crimes he did not commit at any
level. Here is the short description I presented in my earlier post:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">West Bank
resident was convicted for murder and arson in Duma incident and sentenced to 3
life terms. There is absolutely no proof to his guilt except a confession that
was obtained from torture. See the story <b><a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-716040" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and how to help <b><a href="https://www.honenu.org/justice-for-amiram">HERE</a></b>.</span></i></blockquote><p> </p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Note that even the Jerusalem Post has no problem referring to this fellow as a "Jewish Terrorist". This is
beyond a travesty of justice. It is downright demonic evil. And it should be a
major concern to all of us as Jonathan Pollard states.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jonathan
Pollard tells us in the embedded video how grave and dangerous this is. I urge
everybody to see this 14-minute video. In case the video is not embedded in the
email version of this post, please link to it at:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://rumble.com/v3jk14q-jonathan-pollard-on-torture-and-amiram-ben-uliel.html">https://rumble.com/v3jk14q-jonathan-pollard-on-torture-and-amiram-ben-uliel.html</a> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here is the
video (Credit: Chananya Weissman):<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<script>!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u4"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");</script>
<div id="rumble_v3gyn0i"></div>
<script>
Rumble("play", {"video":"v3gyn0i","div":"rumble_v3gyn0i"});</script>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Please daven
and do whatever you can to help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chag Sameach!<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-71685692009238298172023-10-01T19:51:00.003+03:002023-10-01T21:17:31.460+03:00The [Dis]Honest Truth – The Subjective Adjective Revisited<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b>Author's Note</b> - This post is a preface to an upcoming post about Dassi Erlich's soon-to-be-released <b><a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/dassi-erlich/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide" target="_blank">autobiography</a></b>. As a background to this post, please see my August 2008 post: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/08/lo-tosifu-vlo-tigrau-1a7b-perspective.html" target="_blank">Lo Tosifu V'Lo Tigrau - The Objective of the Subjective Adjective</a></b>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Have you ever
heard anyone say that “<i style="color: #2b00fe;">This is the honest truth”</i>?<i style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Doesn’t that
come across as a little bit verbose? If it’s the truth, how can it be
dishonest? Can the truth be dishonest?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, it can.
When the “truth” is stretched or shortened or bent out of shape (distorted), it
may be a truthful report of facts, but is not telling a truthful story. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is why
witnesses are cautioned to tell, “<b><i>The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth</i>.</b>” Firstly, the witness should not tell us anything that is not
factual – it must be <b><i>the truth</i></b>. But this isn’t enough. The witness may
be telling us a true account of only <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/11/your-friendly-jewish-community-kangaroo.html" target="_blank">half the story</a></b>, but the full story –
<i><b>the whole truth</b></i> – says something else. So, we need him to also be sure
to tell us <b><i>the whole truth</i></b> and not only some of it. Conversely, the
witness may also “pad” the truth with some extra fluff which isn’t really true.
But we want nothing extra. We want <b><i>nothing but the truth</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So we see
that there may be different types of “truth”. The <b><i>honest</i></b> truth
and the <b><i>dishonest</i></b> truth. It goes without saying that the
dishonest truth isn’t really true at all. It’s just that nobody can dispute the
facts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We get this from
the Chofetz Chaim. In Hilchos Lashon Hara (10:2)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chofetz Chaim writes seven
conditions for allowing one to say or write information that may be detrimental
to another. Of course, it has to be absolutely true and first-hand knowledge and
intended for a constructive purpose. Among the conditions, he writes (condition
4):</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">One may not inflate
the infraction to appear to be any bigger than what it really is.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This means
that whatever is stated cannot be overstated, overblown, exaggerated, or
sensationalized for emphasis or “shock effect”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In Be’er
Mayim Chaim (clause 9) he expounds: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">It is elementary that this relegates it to a
false report, and this constitutes <b>motzi shem rah</b>.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If it’s not
the honest truth, it’s not the truth at all. But it makes for great propaganda.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is the lesson
I was trying to teach back in 2008 when I wrote the post:<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/08/lo-tosifu-vlo-tigrau-1a7b-perspective.html" target="_blank"> Lo Tosifu V’Lo Tigrau – The Objective of the Subjective Adjective</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Many times,
the primary facts being reported are the real facts, but by adding some “subjective”
detail or by omitting some “inconvenient” detail, it tells us a different story
than the true story. It may technically be the truth but it’s not the <b><i>honest</i></b>
truth. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/08/lo-tosifu-vlo-tigrau-1a7b-perspective.html" target="_blank">2008 post</a></b>, I presented several examples of how adding a single unnecessary word or omitting
a necessary one can make all the difference. For our purposes, I want to review
three of the examples.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The first
example is one of a transgression of “nothing but the truth”.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Example 1 - Added subjective adverb</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
This comes straight out of my book and it's on page 126. Here I am commenting
on a story related by Noah Efron in his book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Jews-Ultra-Orthodox-Struggle-Identity/dp/0465018548/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product">Real Jews</a></i>:</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 15.6pt;"><span><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">Soon after the war, I flew El Al to
the United States. I was squeezing back from the bathroom through a crowd of
ultra-Orthodox Jews </span><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">noisily </span></i><span style="color: #3333ff;">praying in front of the emergency exit, when a
flight attendant caught my eye and, smiling slyly, whispered in Hebrew,
"You open the door, I'll push." I smiled back and found my seat.</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">Although it was not the focus of
quoting the passage, I did comment in a footnote about one extra word. The
word </span><b><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">noisily</span></span></i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">. Here is what I wrote:</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 15.6pt;"><span><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This adjective (</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #990000; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Note - it is really an adverb; both I
and my editors were sleeping on the job</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">) is very telling. As it lends nothing to the story, it
only serves to cast aspersions on the activity and, thus, to compromise Efron's
claim to objectivity. I have both observed and participated in these
"crowds" and I can attest to the fact that the participants typically
make every effort not to raise their voices, that they can be barely heard
above the din of the jet engines even at ground zero and that virtually no
uninvolved passengers are even aware that the prayers are going on – unless
they need the bathroom.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;">In this example, the adverb did not
effect the story much, but, aside from its truthfulness being at issue, it
betrays the sympathies of the teller and compromises his claims to objectivity.</span></span><span style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What bothered
me so much about his use of this adverb? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is a term
that can have a double meaning. At its pristine level, “noisily” means that it
produces strong sound waves. But it is also used to characterize the event such as
being <i>wild</i>, <i>rowdy</i>, and <i>inconsiderate</i>. In my eyes, the only reason to add this
unnecessary adverb was to convey the added derogatory meaning which isn't really true. Hence, this is what Prof.
Efron was trying to say to us. If so, I do not believe that this is the truth
at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If you check
out the original <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/08/lo-tosifu-vlo-tigrau-1a7b-perspective.html" target="_blank">2008 post</a></b>, you may notice a commenter who calls himself “G”. G
wanted to challenge my analysis and he asks, “Okay, why is your <b><i>opinion</i></b>
of any more value than his?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I don’t think
G realized it, but he was really proving my point. Apparently, I have an <i>opinion
</i>on whether the adverb “noisily” is appropriate, and Prof. Efron has an <i>opinion </i>on
whether it is appropriate. It boils down to a matter of <i>opinion</i>. It seems that
G concedes that this is an opinionated term. If one wants to tell the honest
truth, there is no place for unneeded opinionated adverbs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I think this
is clearly what Chofetz Chaim meant in condition 4 about exaggerating the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The second
example was a transgression of not telling “the whole truth”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Example 2 - Omitted adjective</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
Here is an example of the Lo Tigrau side of the coin. This comes out of Noah
Efron's book as well but, as of yet, has not made it into mine. On page 60 of
his book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Jews-Ultra-Orthodox-Struggle-Identity/dp/0465018548/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product">Real Jews</a></i>, he writes:</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 15.6pt;"><span></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But the Jerusalem that produced
Ginsburg is gone. To celebrate his wife's seventieth birthday, Ginsburg took
her and several friends on a walking tour of the Jerusalem of her youth. When
they went to visit her old school, a haredi vandal doused them with a bucket of
water from the rooftop, because one of the women wore a sleeveless shirt. A
couple in their seventies. They cannot even walk around what used to be their
city. It is ruined.</span></blockquote><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hmmm. Something doesn't seem right
here. Where is there any indication that they cannot walk around what used to
be their city? It seems there was a problem because somebody was </span><b><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">sleeveless</span></span></i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">. If nobody was </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">sleeveless</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">, they can walk as much as they want.
So, who says they can't walk in their city? They just can't walk </span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">sleeveless</span></i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">in their city. Efron seems to
have forgotten to mention this one little detail. The fact that they are in
their seventies he does not hesitate to remind us again. (BTW, Efron is a great
great great nephew of the Bais HaLevi - the first RYBS- and is no total <i>am
haaretz</i>. Why should he think there should be a cutoff date for <i>tznius</i>?)
But in the course of that 5-word sentence, he forgets all about the sleeveless.
And why is the Jerusalem that produced Ginsburg gone? Who says that she was
able to walk around </span><b><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">sleeveless</span></span></i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">60 years ago? I tend to doubt
it. Efron is wrong. Jerusalem is still here. It's Ginsburg that changed.</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">So let us rewrite his passage and
insert this one little missing word:</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 15.6pt;"><span><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">They cannot even walk around </span><b><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #990000; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">sleeveless in</span></i></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> what used to be their city. It
is ruined.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Loses a bit its pizzaz, don't you
think?</span></span><span style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In this case,
we can assume that all the facts of the story are absolutely true. No bending
of the facts. We will assume that they really did walk around their old neighborhood,
and they really did get doused by a chareidi vandal because one was sleeveless.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The problem
isn’t in the main story, the problem is in the way Prof. Efron interprets the
story for his readers in his follow-up comment. As I wrote in my post, leaving out one crucial detail
makes his entire interpretation, and hence his point, totally false. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We don’t even
need Chofetz Chaim for this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The third
example is the one that is most relevant to the upcoming post. Once again it is
a transgression of “nothing but the truth”. Here it is, slightly abridged:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Example 3 - Added subjective adverb</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
This example touches upon the issue of the Mehadrin bus lines and the commotion
that has been stirred up over them. Believe it or not, I have not committed
myself to declaring a firm position on the issue though my inclinations are
quite obvious. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
That said, I wish to comment on one of the news items that described one of the
"celebrated" bus-brawl incidents. This is the Oct. 20, 2007 incident
on the 497 Beit Shemesh bus as reported in the Jerusalem Post </span>(link no longer available)<span style="color: #38761d;">. The news
item reads as follows (I italicized the keywords):</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">A </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>haredi</i> </b></span></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">woman was attacked on
a Beit Shemesh bus by five haredi youths Sunday for refusing to move to the
back of the bus, police said.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The woman, who was seated at the
front, asked an IAF soldier to sit next to her for protection. The attackers
then turned on the soldier.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">"They started beating me </span><b><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #990000; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">murderously</span></i></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">," the soldier said in an
interview.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The midday attack on the Egged 497 bus
culminated in a clash between several dozen haredi men and police. During the
melee, the suspects fled and the rioters were dispersed by police.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There were </span><b><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #990000; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">no injuries reported</span></i></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> in the incident, but the tires
of a police vehicle were punctured.</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">This article generated over 100
Talkbacks. As to be expected, most of them were comments suggesting all kinds
of places the chareidim should "go back to". But two of them caught
my attention, and, I must say that I am a bit ashamed that I did not notice
this myself. These 2 Talkbacks relate to the quote from the IAF soldier about
being beaten "</span><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #990000;">murderously</span></span></i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt;">":</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">99. Hareidi Bashing Hzev
- Israel 10/22/2007 10:52</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I do Condemn the actions of these
hooligans - but still stand astounded by the outpouring of hatred against
chareidi world ! Reading the article it says : "There were no injuries
reported in the incident" so how does that fit with the previous line
"They started beating me murderously". This just serves as another
example how some rare events - with no real injury - about chareidim can bring
out all this hatred whereas the daily violence in the secular world can fill
this website every day again</span></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
<br /><span style="color: #38761d;">
Here is another similar one:</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">81. No injuries were
reported, Why Was a Haredi Woman Sitting With Men? Even weirder than the last
hoax Efox - United States 10/21/2007 20:43</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-top: 9pt;"><span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Yes the last one was a hoax with
everyone else on the bus not noticing and the American Woman not being able to
ID the men, but this one is different. This woman is supposedly Haredi but
didn't act like one, yet there was clearly chaos when the police arrived, but
no one was hurt? Just what kind of an attack leaves no one hurt?</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-top: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /><br />
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I didn't write these Talkbacks, folks, and I am not claiming that any incident
is a hoax. But they are valid points which do indeed indicate that these
incidents do not always fit the print.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In both the
first example of Prof. Efron and this third example of the Jerusalem Post, the
subjective adverb was inserted to enhance the narrative. What makes the second
one more egregious is that it is actually contradicted by another part of the narrative.
Even my buddy G had no rebuttal to this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These types
of distortions of the truth are commonplace. This is the way journalists slant
the news. Especially the yellow ones. They constitute what we call propaganda. Theoretically,
they also count as libel and defamation, although in practice, it may be hard
to prove in court that a “true” statement is contextually false (or, perhaps,
contextually false doesn’t count). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And, let’s
not forget that, according to Chofetz Chaim, this changes the whole narrative to
<i>motzi shem rah</i>. <i>Dos is nisht <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>emess</b> </span>un dos is nisht <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">erlich</span></b></i>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">News items
come and go, but books are meant to be kept. When a book is written for the purpose of propaganda, the dishonest "truths" remain
for posterity. If one really wants to write the honest truth, it is vitally important
not to spice it up with unneeded subjective adjectives (or adverbs). Such a
thing is a <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">brutal </span>betrayal</b></i> of the truth.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-91033013951894662382023-09-13T02:52:00.005+03:002023-09-13T03:59:58.053+03:00Simanim and the Segulah of Rabi Matya ben Charash - An Update<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As Rosh Hashanah and the <i>Yamim Noraim</i> approach, we run to
the stores to buy apples and honey, dates, raisins, pomegranates, squash, carrots,
leek, black-eyed peas, fish heads and beet leaves. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maybe not all of us, but many of us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, these are the traditional “<i>simanim</i>”, or <i><b>signs</b></i>, through
which we hope to inspire a sweet and successful upcoming year. These go into
the realm of what we call “<i>segulos</i>” (omens). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The strange thing is that we are not supposed to acknowledge
omens. The Torah tells us </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">תמים תהיה עם ה' אלקיך</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.
One should be unassuming in regard to HKBH. So why is there such a big
hullabaloo about these <i>simanim</i>? Do they really work?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the answer is No, the <i>simanim </i>by themselves don’t work
at all. But…before we stuff the apple with honey or the date or pomegranate
into our mouths (or after, doesn’t matter) we say a little prayer that says
<i>Yehi Ratzon</i> – <i>may it be Your will</i> – that the events of the coming year should
be sweet and productive, etc. Rosh Hashanah is a big <i>eiss ratzon</i>, time of
favor. So, even small tefillos like this can make a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, if it’s the prayer that helps and not the apple with
honey, what do we need them for? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We really don’t. But they inspire us to say these brief
prayers. Also, we have a bit of fun with them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is really the story with everything that we consider a
<i>segulah </i>anytime of the year. They are meant to be carried out along with some
<i>tefillos </i>and <i>tzedaka</i>. And it is meant to bring us closer to HKBH, which is
teshuva. So, if there is <i>tefillah </i>and <i>teshuva </i>and <i>tzedaka</i>, this is indeed an
effective <i>segulah </i>for all good things. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In addition to this, we do have a belief that the merits of
tzaddikim give us a boost. It is not in place of the <i>tefilla </i>and <i>teshuva </i>and
<i>tzedakah </i>but in conjunction with them. Whenever we daven, we try to invoke the
<i>zechus </i>of our fathers Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. Specifically on Rosh Hashanah, we clasp
onto the <i>zechus </i>of Avraham and Yitzchok for their <i>mesiras nefesh</i> at the <i>akaida</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">From here we learn that any <i>tzaddik </i>(or even simple Jew) who
endured an episode of <i>mesiras nefesh</i> or <i>Kiddush Hashem</i> can add his <i>zechus </i>to
our <i>tefillos</i>. This is why we go to the <i>kevarim </i>of <i>tzadikim</i>, so that their
merits can help our <i>tefillos</i>. Or we go to a live <i>tzaddik </i>or <i>mekubal </i>or <i>Admor
</i>and give him a <i>pidyon </i>to daven for us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, on the one hand there certainly is value to the
<i>simanim </i>of Rosh Hashanah, to go to <i>kivrei tzadikim</i> and to living ones. But, on
the other hand, there are no guarantees whatsoever and, at the end of the day,
or the end of the year, or the end of Yom Tov, it all boils down to what HKBH
thinks is best for us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As such, it is hard to ever know if a segulah or even an
actual tefillah was effective. It’s a lot like adding bleach to your white load
to get it snowy white. If it comes out as white as you want, you can’t really
know if it wouldn’t be just as white without the bleach. If it isn’t so white,
you can’t tell if without the bleach it would have been worse.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another thing is that rarely do we get as much as we hoped
for. For sure, whenever we daven and implement <i>segulos </i>for things like health,
<i>parnassa</i> or another form of <i>yeshuah</i>, we always prefer to merit a <i>geulah
sheleima</i>. This means a resolution that eradicates our problem once and for all.
Rarely do we a get a “response” that is so resolute. Very often we get only a
partial <i>yeshuah</i>. Things are better than they were but not as rosy as we want
them to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What would life be without its challenges?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For me personally, <i>parnassah </i>is always a challenge. This is
while being blessed with a very large family and very limited earning opportunities
once I came to Eretz Yisroel and had to abandon the diamond business. Two years
ago, I was thrilled to marry off two daughters within five months of each other
and this past year I married off two sons in even less time. It’s very taxing
but, praised be HKBH, I got past it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But I had some unexpected (or should I say, unwanted)
challenges as well. Specifically, it is the defamation case that I wrote about six
months ago. This was my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-segulah-of-rabi-matya-ben-charash.html" target="_blank">original post</a></b> about the <i>segulah </i>of Rabi Matya ben
Charash. I wrote there that the efforts of a very biased judge and a very
unscrupulous lawyer resulted in a malicious judgement which amounted to close
to $100,000 US dollars. I wrote that I successfully launched an appeal and
that, at the time, the appeal was pending. I would update my readers after it
was fully resolved.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-malka-leifer-verdict-guiltyor-not.html" target="_blank">later wrote</a></b> that I implemented the segulah of Rabi Matya
ben Charash a second time on behalf of Malka Leifer as the jury was
deliberating the verdict in her case.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As is a “condition” of the <i>segulah</i>, it is my duty to discuss
the positive results.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In both cases, I did not enjoy the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">geulah sheleima</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that I
was hoping for. I suppose that it is fair to say that a </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">geulah sheleima</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is too
much <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">למעלה מן הטבע</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
to be considered practical. Yet, in both cases there was a substantial <i>yeshuah
</i>for each of us, respectively, that indicates that our <i>tefillos</i> were not
ignored. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly, in my defamation case. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The judges scheduled a hearing for oral arguments about
mid-April. The lead judge claimed that they read all the material and then asked us if we have
anything to add to our petition. My lawyer said a few points and the other
lawyer said a few points and I said a few points. Then, the lead judge said
that he doesn’t think I should be released from liability, and he sort of
reiterated some of the bias of the initial judge. Yet, he said, that the
judgement was exorbitant and exaggerated. So how about cutting it in half (just
about) as a court suggested settlement?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We adjourned for a recess to allow me to mull over the
“suggestion”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I thought there are no grounds for liability and that even
half is exorbitant and exaggerated. However, my lawyer said to me that the extreme
exaggerated nature of the judgement makes it very difficult for an appeals
judge to go to the other extreme. It’s not worth forcing the judges into
deliberation to try to get a better outcome.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, I took my lawyer’s advice and agreed to the settlement.
I believe this means that the case is now deemed to be a settlement of the
sides and it totally nullifies the original ruling. As such, the few thousand
additional shekels that the original judge awarded to Meyer Seewald were wiped out. JCW
came away with almost nothing (there was some expense money that was not
nullified.) One more thing, as part of the settlement, their lawyer made me
agree to remove the content of the posts that they singled out in their suit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Sapper sisters who are being portrayed as the poor
victims got collectively NIS 150,000 to be paid out over time. I assume that
most of this money is going to their lawyer. Either way, I equate their
demeanor to that of Roye Ron in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/08/perfidy-2023-part-2-he-made-his-own.html" target="_blank">Ron vs. Versano</a></b>. They did it for money and
censorship. And they had to misrepresent my words, invent and distort “facts”,
and pull other shtick to do it.<b><span style="color: #38761d;">*</span></b> Just like the Ron vs. Versano case, the money
they are taking is not kosher money.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am not taking all this sitting down. Now that I can claim
a concrete monetary loss, it is much more feasible than it was earlier to bring
some of the offending parties to a Din Torah. I am currently pursuing that
route to reclaim some or all of these losses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is not where I really wanted to be, but it is a lot
better than where I was when the malicious judgement first came out last
October. It is definitely a <i>yeshuah</i>. Can I credit the <i>segulah </i>of Rabi Matya ben
Charash? Like the bleach in the white wash, I will never know. But it certainly
did not do me any harm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So much for me. What about Mrs. Leifer?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I undertook the <i>segulah</i> for her<i> </i>shortly before the verdict was
announced. Of course, I was hoping for a full acquittal, and this did not come
to be. Still, out of 90 potential counts, she was only tried for 29 and only
convicted for 18. Of these, she was totally acquitted for all counts involving
the oldest sister, Nicole. I wrote all about my impressions of the verdict
right <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-malka-leifer-verdict-guiltyor-not.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But the verdict is only half the story. The main point is
what kind of a sentence did she get?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One thing is certain. The Sapper sisters were not content
merely to obtain a guilty verdict to show the world how much Mrs. Leifer is
really the evil person they made her out to be. Nor were they content with the
monetary compensation they got from illegitimate lawsuits against the school
and Mrs. Leifer. They wanted as long a sentence as they could possibly get. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is evidenced by the <b><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-sentencing-hearing-sisters-say-malka-leifers-sex-abuse-scarred-them-forever/" target="_blank">pre-sentencing plea hearing</a></b> that
was held on June 28, 2023 in which the accusers were permitted to expound how
much Mrs. Leifer ruined their lives. Thus, what they were after was punishment
for allegedly ruining their lives, not any kind of compensation as our Torah
dictates. This constitutes <i>nekama </i>plain and simple. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The good thing is that Nicole Meyer wasn’t allowed to
present at that hearing since all of the charges that pertained to her were
dropped. Of course, Elly Sapper was, even though she is the one who voluntarily
<b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/sisters-fight-for-justice-against-alleged-abuser-malka-leifer/9672550" target="_blank">made herself available</a></b> to Mrs. Leifer. She <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-28/court-malka-leifer-plea-hearing-victim-loses-baby/102535814" target="_blank">clearly intimated</a></b> that her anguish
about this case – which did not have to take place – is responsible for her
miscarrying her child. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Perhaps. But one thing we know is that ever since the
rollout of the Covid vaccinations, there has been a startling increase in the
percentages of miscarriages in Australia and throughout the world. (See <b><a href="https://gerardrennick.com.au/stillbirths-miscarriages/" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://naturalnews.com/2023-01-19-birth-rates-slump-after-covid-vaccine-rollout.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.) Virtually all Australians are vaccinated.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On that note, and with all things considered, I expected to
hear a very harsh sentence being pronounced. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The sentence was delivered on August 24, 2023, as the winds
of Elul were blowing. Much to my [pleasant] surprise, the sentence was much
milder than I anticipated. For all of the 18 counts, Mrs. Leifer was sentenced
to <b><a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/judgment-day-for-malka-leifer-as-sentence-handed-down-over-student-sex-abuse-20230823-p5dyq7.html" target="_blank">15 years</a></b> in prison. She is to be eligible for parole after 11.5 of those. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The <b><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifer-sentenced-to-15-years-for-sexual-abuse-of-two-students/" target="_blank">reports</a></b> say the Judge Gamble “took into account” 5.6
years that she has been held in pre-trial detention and house arrest in Israel
and in Australia. I am not sure if this means that this time is deducted from
the 15 years or not, but I think it is. The reports are saying that this means
she is eligible for parole in less than six years, so it implies that her total
net sentence is only 8.4 years. Also, if I understood the Israeli extradition law
properly, the Medinah can only extradite a citizen on condition that jail time
be served here in Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, unless I am making some mistake, the result of this
entire fiasco as of now is 8.4 years of incarceration here in Israel with
eligibility for parole in less than six years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is definitely a tremendous <i>yeshuah </i>even though it falls
short of the <i>geulah sheleima </i>that we hope for. Did the <i>segulah </i>of Rabi Matya
ben Charash play any role?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We’ll never know. But I would say that the <i>simanim </i>that we
eat on Rosh Hashanah and the brief <i>tefillos </i>that go along with them are nothing
to be scorned. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As for the Sapper sisters, it doesn’t look to me like they
got any <i>geulah sheleima</i> either. Yet, they all went <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/videos/319761583761096" target="_blank">on camera</a></b> looking ecstatic
and jubilant because they managed to get a Jewish woman sentenced to jail time
even though there is nothing in our Halacha that condones such a thing under any
conditions. I believe it constitutes <i><b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">gonev nefesh m’Yisrael</a></b></i>. But, I suppose, a
small <i>nekama </i>is better than no nekama.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All three sisters talk about “healing”. Dassi Erlich says, “This
marks the end of this chapter in our lives and opens the chapter on our
healing.” Nicole says, “We will start healing.” But Elie Sapper says it best, “The
more time and distance we create we move further away from this trauma, the
more ability we have to start healing.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I hope they are right. I sincerely wish them all a <i>refuah sheleima</i>. But if they really wanted to heal,
they should have created time and distance since 2008. Instead, they actively pursued
this episode for over 15 years and, in my opinion, they inflicted a lot of
damage along the way. I mentioned some of it in my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/05/irreversible-damage.html" target="_blank">previous posts</a></b>. It includes
Halachically illegitimate money they have squeezed out of the Adass school and out of me
and who knows who else. It includes all the iniquities of <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/flirting-with-danger.html" target="_blank"><i>mesira</i> and <i>gonev
nefesh</i> and, worst of all, the great Chillul Hashem</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dassi Erlich is still pursuing “justice” against the Adass
school officials for allowing Mrs. Leifer to leave Australia back in 2008.
Currently, she submitted a manuscript of her autobiography to a publisher. The main
goal of this autobiography is to demonize the Adass community. It says so right
on the subtitle of the proposed cover. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Whether everything she writes is true or not, I cannot see
the <i>toelles</i> of such a book (aside from more money). From my experiences in my
defamation case, it is hard to say that they really care about the truth.<b><span style="color: #38761d;">*</span></b> I am
not convinced this book is being written <b><i><span style="color: #990000;">in good faith</span></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b style="font-size: large;">*</b>[One of the most amazing things about their <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/videos/319761583761096/" target="_blank">televised statement</a></b> was when Nicole Meyer openly stated (2:48), "Female perpetrators are under-reported and <i><b>we had nothing to base it on</b></i>." I wrote exactly this in some of my posts and the Sapper sisters actually accused me in their lawsuit of "lying" when I wrote that they had nothing to base it on. And here is Nicole Meyer admitting it openly in front of millions of viewers!]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All said, none of the above is a recipe for healing. There is
a lot of <i>teshuva </i>that must be done and until it is, it is not possible to heal.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The apples and honey, dates, pomegranates, squash, fish
heads and everything else are meant to awaken us that we want a happy and
successful year. But we know that we really need to earn it through <i>tefillah</i>, <i>tzedakah
</i>and <i>teshuva</i>. Without these things the <i>zechus </i>of our fathers and <i>tzadikim </i>such
as Rabi Matya ben Charash will not help us, either. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We don’t want partial <i>geulos</i>. We yearn for the <i>geula
sheleima</i>. May it come speedily in our time. And also for a <i>refuah sheleima</i> - a complete healing. But we all have our work cut out for us.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="HE" style="font-size: 18pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">תכיל שנה וקללותיה</span> – <span style="color: #38761d;">תחל שנה וברכותיה</span>.</span></b><b><span lang="HE" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">שנה טובה ומבורכת וכתיבה וחתימה טובה לכולם!</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-70435810635899009012023-09-06T22:56:00.003+03:002023-09-08T14:20:00.573+03:00Judging the Judges - Part 5: Disorder in the Court ( Repost from December 2008)<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Yom HaDin is speedily approaching when we will all pass before the True Judge who judges with justice and mercy. I am sure it is difficult for many of us to fathom the justice and mercy of His judgement because we certainly don't see much of it happening down here in our world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The following is a repost of the main body of a post on the Israeli "judicial" system that I wrote way back in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/12/off-center-is-harry-exercising-proper.html" target="_blank">December of 2008</a></b> in response to the <b><a href="https://cross-currents.com/2008/11/20/media-bias-and-a-manslaughter-conviction/" target="_blank">Valis incident</a></b>. I initially thought to merely link to it as reference material for the subject matter which I plan to write concerning my current experiences in court. However, after reading it through, I realized that it is way too relevant and descriptive to be used as a mere reference. It needs to be reinstated as it's own installment in this series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In a nutshell, Yisrael Valis was a chareidi <i>avreich </i>who brought his baby son into Hadassah Hospital with severe injuries in the middle of the night. The hospital took the baby and claimed to treat him, but by morning the baby was pronounced dead. Hospital personnel claimed the baby had been abused. Mr. Valis claimed the baby fell when he was holding him and he fell asleep. The strange thing was that the hospital could not fully account for what transpired over eight hours of "treatment". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eventually, Mr. Valis was charged with murder despite no real proof of what really took place. At the opening of the trial, the judge astutely said that there is no way he can be charged with murder under the circumstances. But, if they want to adjourn and reintroduce it as manslaughter, they can do so. The case was adjourned for six months and then resumed with a manslaughter charge. The trial was presided by a single female judge. No jury or panel. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Very much like the Leifer case, it was impossible to prove even if a crime was committed. More than the Leifer case, even if there was a crime, it could not be proven who is the criminal since the hospital also had what to answer for. Regardless, the judge ruled for manslaughter and sentenced Valis to six years in prison. This ruling was not based on any proven facts, since no incriminating facts were proven, but rather on the feelings and impressions of the sole female judge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A rival blogger, Harry Maryles of <b><a href="http://haemtza.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emes V'Emunah</a></b>, wrote why he thought the verdict was fair. I disagreed contending the issue is not whether the verdict was fair but whether the trial and judicial process was fair. Once it is clear that they definitely were not, there is no way to defend the verdict even if, in truth, Mr. Valis was a heartless killer.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The original post was published on Dec. 8, 2008 and can be seen <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/12/off-center-is-harry-exercising-proper.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. I shaved off some irrelevant opening and closing paragraphs. Aside from that, I am reposting it in full. Here it is:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I refer to Harry's post entitled </span><a href="http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2008/11/valis-verdict.html" style="font-family: verdana;">The Valis Verdict </a><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Nov 25, 2008). In this post, Harry muses as to whether the "verdict" (I think he means "sentence") in the Yisrael Valis case can be considered "fair". And, based on what Harry reads in the papers, here are his conclusions:</span></span><br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I’m not convinced that there was any bias at all.</span></p><p><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let us remember that the leniency that is being called for on the part of the Charedi community is for a man who was convicted of killing his son. How lenient should the courts be for that? Six years in prison. </span></p><p><span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I think that the verdict was probably just.<br /></span></span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Harry seems disturbed at what the chareidim think of the Israeli judicial system:</span><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is how far the secular authorities are not trusted. They are compared to anti Semitic Czarist Russia at its worst!<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Harry thinks that the chareidim are making a case out of nothing more than pathos and self-righteousness:<br /></span><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This young fellow, an Avreich, had until then enjoyed an impeccable reputation among his peers and his mentors. He had a bright future ahead of him. He was supposedly a gentle soul who would not hurt a fly. The verdict - it is therefore thought - was biased. It was an opportunity to bash Charedim by a biased Chiloni court.<br /></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />It is as though they sincerely believe that there can never be a fair verdict. If a religious Jew is arrested for any reason he is always seen as a victim of secular bias.<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;">And then Harry weighs in:</span><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But that simply cannot always be the case.<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">I beg to differ. I believe that it </span><em style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>always is</strong></em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> the case (see what I quoted below from the </span><a href="http://lawinisrael.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/arrested-in-israel/" style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Law in Israel </a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">blog). It is not a </span><em style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>biased</strong></em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> chiloni court as much as it's an </span><em style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>immoral</strong></em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> chiloni court. What I mean is that it is lacking in moral jurisprudence.</span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Harry is misrepresenting the situation. The problem is that even though we are not </span><em style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">zocheh</em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> to a Halachically based criminal system, the Halacha does tell us what moral legal standards are. If the acting court system merely deviates from these morals in some nuance, such as accepting eyewitness testimony from one witness, or a woman, or a non-believer, there are grounds to say that we can't meet every standard. Undoubtedly, it is wishful thinking to expect any Westernized judicial system to adapt the rigid standards of our Halachic system. Nevertheless, there are yet certain legal rudiments which most westernized societies recognize and live up to, but seem to be overlooked by the democratic State of Israel.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Both Halacha and normal Western judicial systems provide legal safeguards to ensure a fair trial. This is what makes a system moral. It follows that a system that is lacking in these or similar safeguards is illegitimate and immoral in its structure without an issue of bias. In other words, it is a faulty system </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;"><strong><em>for everybody</em></strong></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> which allows for unjust manipulation.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">There are at least three primary safeguards:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Safeguard 1) </span><strong style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Trial by consensus</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Pirkei Avos 4:8) </span></span><strong><span style="color: #009900;"><span style="font-family: arial;">אל תהי דן יחידי, שאין דן יחידי אלא אחד</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span><br /></span></strong><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you know any Western society that decides a homicide case by a single judge?</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It doesn't happen in the US, Canada, or Britain. In those places, any felony trial is decided by a jury. Not just a jury, but "a jury of your peers" who are selected jointly by the prosecution and defense. Other countries require a tribunal for homicide or other serious offenses.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, the Halacha is even stricter. By right, nothing is decided by a single judge. It's all right there in the first Mishna of Sanhedrin (1:1).</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Monetary cases are judged by a panel of 3 [judges]; thievery and personal injury cases by 3; property damage and punitive damage cases by 3; … judicial flogging by 3, in the name of Rabbi Yishmael it is said with 23; …capital cases with 23; bestiality with 23…<br /></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;">The point is that it seems to be a world-wide standard that serious offenses are not adjudicated by a single person.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />There can be numerous logical reasons for this. For one thing, human beings are inherently biased. Every individual hears things his way and sees things his way. Also, they are selective listeners. A point that makes a deep impression on one, may not be the point that makes a deep impression on another. They are also, well, human and can start thinking about what's for dinner in the middle of litigation. When a group of people hear the same thing and deliberate about it, each one points out to the other things he may have missed. Moreover, we never know when somebody may have a secret personal agenda.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />Now, here is how it works in Israel (Source: </span><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Politics/judiciary.html">http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Politics/judiciary.html</a>) :<br /><br /><br /></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Generally, a panel is composed of<strong><em> <span style="color: #cc0000;">a single</span></em></strong> District Court <strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">judge</span></em></strong>. A panel of three judges is established when the court hears an appeal of a Magistrates' Court's judgement, <strong><em>when the accused is charged with an offense punishable by imprisonment of ten or more years</em></strong>, or when the President or Deputy President of the District Court so directs. There are five District Courts in Israel - in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheva, and Nazareth.<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;">This means that only if the sentence can be <em>10 years or longer</em> does a person have a right to a tribunal. It may be that the 6 + 2 in our case is, in effect, all that a single judge can impose. This also means that as long as we are not putting away the defendant for 10 or more years, a single judge can do it.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />No jury, no tribunal, no consensus. Just one judge.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />And who appoints these "judges"? Not the people being judged. Not even in an indirect fashion by their parliamentary representatives. And not even in a retroactive indirect fashion such as that the parliamentary representatives must approve the appointments. Just an internal cronyist system.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />Immoral.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />Safeguard 2) <strong>Self-incrimination</strong></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b><br />In Halacha, there is no such thing a self-incrimination. It is forbidden by the Torah (Sanhedrin 9b, Bava Kama 64b). This means that a confession is not admissible in court under any circumstances. This basically precludes the possibility and advantages of forcing a confession out of anybody and saves us the trouble of having to determine whether a confession is genuine. We can't use it anyway.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />In some western countries (not all) there are constitutional rights for the accused. In America, we have the Miranda rights and there is an obligation to inform each person of his rights before even detaining him. The rights are based on the 5th amendment and include that any accused person has the right to remain silent, which means that he does not have to answer his interrogators. He also has the right to legal counsel <em><strong>present at the interrogation</strong></em>. In America, a confession can be used against the accused but he must be told of this up front.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />Here in Israel, there is no 5th amendment, nor the right to remain silent. I do not believe that there is a right to have a legal counsel present at the time of interrogation. And since there are no rights to inform the accused, he is not informed of any. Thus, he never knows what rights he may have.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />Now, if this standard is a precept for moral jurisprudence in Halacha and, to a lesser degree, in America, then we can safely conclude that the State of israel is not in keeping with these standards of morality.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br /><br />Safeguard 3) <strong>Presumption of innocence</strong></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b><br />I do not need to elaborate on this one as <a href="http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2008/11/19/media-in-the-tank/">Rabbi Yaakov Menken </a>so articulately critiqued it in his articles. I quote:</span><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000099;">Judge Hannah Ben-Ami decided to convict him of manslaughter (not murder) because it was “reasonable to believe that there was awareness of the possible fatal outcome” of his actions — which stunned legal observers familiar with the meaning of “innocent until proven guilty.”<br /></span><br /></span></blockquote><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Do you want to read an amazing fact?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br />This I found in a blog called <b><a href="https://www.lawinisrael.net/" target="_blank">Law in Israel</a></b> blog in an August 8 post entitled: <strong>Help! I've Been Arrested</strong> under the heading <strong><a href="https://www.lawinisrael.net/post/why-is-the-conviction-rate-in-criminal-courts-in-israel-so-very-high" target="_blank">The conviction rate in Israel</a></strong> :</span><br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="color: #000099; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Finally, I have to tell you the bad news: <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">99.9%</span></strong> of all criminal cases brought before Israeli courts end in convictions (ie a “guilty” verdict). <em><strong>That figure is a real statistical calculation (from 2005) and is not a rough estimate or an exaggeration</strong></em>. It means that cases get decided in the police stations and at the district attorneys’ offices. <strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">If the police think you are guilty then so will the courts.</span></em></strong> If you have persuaded the police you are innocent, then might not prosecute. So, what happens during your interrogation is crucial.<br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Did you hear that, Harry? 99%!! No, this is not "Czarist Russia at its worst." It is worse than Czarist Russia. Mendel Beillis got a fairer trial than Yisrael Valis. (Beillis was acquitted.)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are a number of other judicial safeguards to consider such as the public involvement toward judicial appointments that I snuck in in the consensus section. And, another one: we know that by Halachic law no evidence short of eye witness testimony is admissible. Today's advancements in forensic technology (fingerprints, DNA, etc.) can give us some facts that can support or discredit the theories of the prosecution, but no forensics can tell us precisely "what happened"</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">*</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and if the whole case hinges on it, then we have a hinge without a door.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">That is 5 safeguards and not one of them exists here in the Western democratic State of Israel.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">All told, we are dealing with a legal system that does not support regulated judicial appointments, trial by consensus, presumption of innocence, or the proscription of self-incrimination. When you combine this with the total lack of any eyewitness testimony whatsoever (forget about the Torah's standards for witnesses), all that remains is the bias of a single [female] judge. And we just learned that if the police think you're guilty, then so does the judge. Leave the chareidim out of this. There are no rudiments for a fair trial </span><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><em>for anybody</em></strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in such a system. It is an immoral system.</span><br /></span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We deserve better.</span></div>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-40193708835497631872023-08-27T20:53:00.003+03:002023-09-06T22:57:58.124+03:00Judging the Judges – Part 4: Your Honor the Lawyer<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Author’s
note</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">
– This is a renewal of a series of posts from 2017. You can see Part 1 <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/judging-judges-part-1-court-of-public.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>,
Part 2 <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/judging-judges-part-2-kangaroo-courts.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>, and Part 3 <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/09/judging-judges-part-3-one-big-happy.html">HERE</a></b>.</span></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="rtl" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 16pt;">יהודה בן טבאי אומר, אל תעש עצמך כעורכי הדיינין</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></b></span><b><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Rabi
Yehuda ben Tabai says: One [who judges] should not make himself as an advocate.</span></i></blockquote><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another
few months will mark the “Bar Mitzvah” of the great <b><a href="https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/78284/the-sheitel-the-court-tv-fiasco-a-different-look.html" target="_blank">People’s Court fiasco</a></b> that
occurred in December of 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
save myself a lot of effort, I will reprint the story and some associated
commentary as it was related by Rabbi Yaakov Menkin in Cross Currents right <b><a href="https://cross-currents.com/2010/12/24/judge-everyone-favorably-2/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A
couple named Heidi and Mendi inadvertently placed a custom, human-hair sheitl
(wig) in a dry cleaning bag. The dry cleaner, rather than setting it aside, dry
cleaned it — which completely destroyed it. [They proceeded to sue the dry cleaners
for damages. – YH]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
couple foolishly decided or agreed to let their case appear on The People’s
Court, a popular television show in which a retired judge hears the case,
conducting a binding arbitration session in front of the cameras. The couple
says that their intentions were good — that even if the dry cleaner lost the
case, she would end up being paid more for the TV appearance then she lost in
the decision. Nonetheless, it was obviously foolish for an Orthodox couple to
go on the show. First of all, for a young woman to claim she has “nothing to
wear” unless she has a $3000 custom wig says something about a segment of our
community that I think we ought to be very hesitant to display in front of the
world. To blame a dry cleaner for not knowing that a wig in a dry cleaning bag
isn’t supposed to actually be dry cleaned is questionable, and to expect a dry
cleaner to know the outrageous value of a custom, human-hair wig is itself
completely outrageous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
that wasn’t why the judge got angry at the couple.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
her closing remarks, the judge <b><i>claimed to have called up the Georgie wig
company<u> to check the facts</u> </i></b>[emphasis mine – YH], and was told
that there had been no such purchase. As described in <b><a href="https://forward.com/schmooze/133846/orthodox-couple-flip-their-wig-on-peoples-court/" target="_blank">the Forward:</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
couple presented a Georgie invoice for $3,000. But the suspicious judge phoned
the wigmaker during a recess — and found out they don’t even stock the wig at
the center of the case. And the real $3,000 perruque? “You are passing this
excellent wig on your head, that costs $3,000, as the receipt for the wig that
you want to be recompensed for here,” said Judge Milian, pulling out the
invoice with a flourish.</span></i></blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
followed was a tremendous hue and cry from the Orthodox community — against the
couple. I am not talking about the purportedly-Orthodox gossip blogs, from
which we would expect no better. I am talking about Orthodox rabbis who were
strident in their immediate condemnation of the couple for the tremendous
Chilul HaShem, desecration of G-d’s name, caused by their dishonesty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
aforementioned dishonesty, as it so happens, may not even exist — and we only
know it due to <b><a href="https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/78284/the-sheitel-the-court-tv-fiasco-a-different-look.html" target="_blank">Rav Yair Hoffman</a></b>’s personal effort to hear the other side of the
story. There are two companies called “Georgie,” resulting from a very
unpleasant breakup between Georgie herself and her ex-partner (and ex-husband)
many years back. Georgie herself was in France during the trial. The judge
never spoke to her. Georgie says that she knows the couple well, recognizes the
destroyed wig as her work, and personally put together (in under 24 hours) the
wig that Heidi now wears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The judge decided to do her own detective work</span></i></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, called
Georgie International instead of Georgie herself, and <b><i>leaped to
conclusions</i></b>. And much of the Jewish world went right with her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">We
have an obligation to judge our community and its citizens favorably.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
main line in Rabbi Menkin’s narrative which turns the whole case around are the
bolded words: The judge decided to do her own detective work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
is rightly criticizing the judge because judges are not supposed to do that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For
a more detailed explanation of the problem, I cannot say it any better than Rav
Yair Hoffman did in the Yeshiva World News article that Rabbi Menkin is
referencing. You can see it in its entirety <b><a href="https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/78284/the-sheitel-the-court-tv-fiasco-a-different-look.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here
are the relevant excerpts from his essay (slightly edited, emphasis is mine):<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">France
and the United States are very different countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The judicial system in the United States is
an adversarial system – the role of the judge is that of <b><i>an impartial
referee</i></b> between the two sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a civil case, <b><i>the judge referees between the two litigants</i></b>;
in a criminal case, the judge <b><i>referees</i></b> between the prosecution
and the defense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But our judges<b><i> do
not engage in investigation</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
France, on the other hand, the court system is an inquisitorial system. There,
the court is actively involved in investigating facts of the case. What the
judge did in the now infamous sheitel case was engage in the investigation of
the facts, in the short twenty-five minute interval that she took while the
filming was taking place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
the judge’s “investigation,” she spoke to witnesses and arrived at a conclusion
without a] identifying who these witnesses were and b] giving the opportunity
for cross-examination. The fact that representatives from both Georgie
companies are stating that the judge had contacted the wrong company for
identifying the origin of the wig is irrelevant to our discussion here – what
is now being discussed is the underlying procedural issue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
both halacha and, <i>lehavdil</i>, secular legal systems, the right to ask,
question, and cross-examine witnesses is one of the safeguards that ensures
integrity, accuracy and justice. Cross-examination is the best and most
indispensable way known to the law for discovery of truth [see Davis v. Arkansas
Best Freight System, Inc., 239 Ark. 632, 634-635 (Ark. 1965).]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is a right also found in the confrontation clause of the sixth amendment to the
United States Constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
judge, in this case, <b><i>also made an accusation and did not even allow
“Heidi and Mendi” to respond – much less cross-examine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The judge’s actions here undermine the very
concept of justice enshrined in thousands of years of secular legal codes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b>In secular law, it first appeared in
the Roman legal system, travelled to and codified in Justinian law of the
Byzantine Empire, made it into English Common Law then British law. Ultimately,
it became the law of the United States of America.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lehavdil</span></i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, the
Shulchan Aruch had codified this halacha that dates back in Jewish law to thousands
of years before the Romans developed it. Choshen Mishpat (28:15) states as
follows: “We do not accept testimony from witnesses outside of the presence of
the litigant.” The SM”A cites the Talmud (Bava Kamma 112a and 112b) that traces
the origins of this concept back to the Bible itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The verse in Exodus (21:29) states, “But if
the ox had gored previously and the day before and there was a warning before
the owner...” is expounded to mean that the owner of the ox must be present at
testimony to this point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is the reason for the rule that the testimony must be before the litigant?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ramah (CM 110:9) clearly indicates that
there is a concern for error. Interestingly enough, the same type of error that
it is alleged by both Georgie companies has occurred here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">…
according to Rashi (Dvarim 1:16), the Torah warns judges, “Havei masunim badin
– be very careful and deliberate in your judgment.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One hour just doesn’t seem to cut it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People’s Court may be a court of arbitration
– but it is far from justice.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
all know that the expression that Rashi quotes in Devarim 1:16 appears in the
first Mishna of Pirkei Avos. Although Pirkei Avos are rules for all of us, it
was specially aimed at the Talmidei Chachamim and dayanim. This is evident from
the very first Mishna. Pirkei Avos states numerous concepts that apply
exclusively to Rabbanim and dayanim. One of them is</span><span> <b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">אל תעש את עצמך כעורכי הדיינים</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.
Do not make yourself as advocates. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Judges
are not supposed to be advocates. They are not supposed to be lawyers. They are
supposed to be referees, exactly as stated by Rabbi Hoffman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
purpose of this post is not to celebrate the Bar Mitzva of this sordid episode.
It is to mourn the fact that such occurrences – judges acting as lawyers - are
all too common.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here
in Israel, the court system is rife with double standards. There is no
constitution and there is no Bill of Rights. I believe it is the only “Western”
country that does not have trial by jury for criminal cases. I already lamented
this fact in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/10/upheaval-in-land-down-under.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Laws
and rules do exist, but many judges view these rules as mere “suggestions”, not
as anything they are bound to. Unfortunately, this has even spilled over to our
Batei Din which is an upcoming subject that I intent to discuss at length. The
overwhelming philosophy is </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;">רק אין יראת
אלוקים במקום הזה</span></span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. This applies both in the secular courts
and in Beis Din, but now I am focusing on the secular courts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is one concept in Israeli litigation law that I am not aware of an equivalent in
the US. This is called </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>הרחבת חזית</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.
Literally translated it means “broadening the front”. The “front” that is being
referred to is the battle “front” between the two sides or, in other words, the
point of contention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
it means is if a plaintiff files a claim of damages against a defendant, the
claim must clearly spell out all the reasons he holds the defendant to be
liable. The plaintiff may not surreptitiously add more points of liability at a
later phase of the litigation unless he formally requests permission from the
court to amend his claim. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
logic of this is obvious. The defendant’s task is to address the plaintiff’s
claims and show why they are not valid. The defendant cannot defend himself
against claims or points that were not presented to him. If the plaintiff suddenly
springs new allegations at the evidentiary hearing or in summation and the defendant
is not prepared or does not have the opportunity to respond to the added
allegations, it impairs his defense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
actually can work both ways. The defendant must initially respond to the claims
with a <i>ktav haganah</i> – writ of defense. The plaintiff then has the
opportunity to contest the defendant’s defenses. Here again, if the defendant
is going to suddenly spring new defense points at a later point when the
plaintiff cannot respond, it may unfairly impair the strength of his claim.
That said, if the defense is deemed to be valid, it is very rarely rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
short, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">הרחבת חזית</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">basically
says that, at summation, the plaintiff’s counsel cannot introduce new allegations,
charges, arguments of case law (Smith vs. Jones or State of Virginia vs. Acme Co.)
or pieces of evidence that were not introduced in the initial claim and
discovery. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lawyers
try doing this all the time. Sometimes the opposition objects and sometimes
they do not. When they do, it is the judge’s job to decide if this constitutes </span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span><b><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">הרחבת חזית</span></b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> and to invalidate it if it does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
what happens when the judge herself, in her ruling, brings up sub-allegations, points
of evidence, or case law, that were not presented to the defendant by the
plaintiff during the litigation, and uses it to justify their ruling?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is exactly what Judge Marilyn Milian of the People’s Court did when she contacted
the wig-maker privately, obtained what she thought was accurate information,
and ruled against the plaintiffs without presenting her findings to them for a
response.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Is
this legal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
truth is that judges all over have very broad powers and they are not bound by the
same rules that apply to the litigants. Of course, if a litigant feels that the
judge overstepped her boundaries and based their ruling on flawed material
there are grounds for appeal. But we know that appeals are prohibitively
expensive and are always trying to undo what is already done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
all this may be legal. But is it moral or ethical?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Certainly
not. This is the message of the famous expression in Pirkei Avos: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">אל תעש עצמך כעורכי הדיינים</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. But, more than this, it invariably means
that the judge is biased. The judge is taking sides and is looking for ways to
help one side against the other.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A
judge is not meant to be a lawyer. The problem is that almost all judges were
lawyers before they became judges. It’s very hard for most of them to get it
out of their systems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sadly,
I have seen this apply in Beis Din as well. This is why it needs to be spelled
out in Pirkei Avos. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
a judge takes sides and acts like a lawyer, the judges themselves need to be
judged. It’s a shame they happen to be immune.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">More
on this in upcoming posts.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>אוי לדור ששפטו את
שופטיהם ואוי לדור ששופטיו צריכין להשפט</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-42542962285509341232023-08-02T20:50:00.005+03:002023-08-03T09:52:42.589+03:00Perfidy 2023 – Part 2: He Made his Own Lunch<p> <span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Author’s
note</span></span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;">
– This post is the second and final part about the Ron vs. Versano defamation
case. Please see Part 1 (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-part-1-sticks-and-stones.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>) and the Interlude (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-interlude-eldest-oyster.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>). All information about
the case is factual and based on court records. All the associated commentary
is my personal opinion. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
I was visiting with <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-eldest-oyster.html" target="_blank">the Eldest Oyster</a></b> and discussing vaccines and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-part-1-sticks-and-stones.html" target="_blank">name-calling</a></b>,
he proceeded to tell me the story of <i><b>Ron vs. Versano</b></i>. You can see it all <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Document/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%93-%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA-%E2%80%93-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On
February 12, 2021, an attorney by the name of Roye Ron posted on his personal
<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/roye.ron.9" target="_blank">Facebook page</a></b> his support for forced vaccinations. But it wasn’t only that he
stated his opinion. He wanted to actively submit a petition to the Israeli
Supreme court to mandate his agenda for forced vaccinations. Thus, he was
calling on his followers (his Facebook “Friends”?) to join him in this venture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Evidently,
this fellow was not merely speaking his mind. He was calling for action. He is
an activist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since
he is an attorney, we can assume that he wasn’t kidding. Indeed, according to
his <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/roye.ron.9/posts/2125899060929418" target="_blank">June 14, 2023 post</a></b>, he certainly wasn’t kidding. We will see that he
was very proud of his position then and remains so today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
set the context of time, we need to time-travel back to Feb. 2021. What was
going on then?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
official vaccine rollout in Eretz Israel was around Dec. 20, 2020. At that
stage, there can be no denying that it was totally experimental. The FDA was
still in the process of slowly granting EUAs to the various jabs. Johnson &
Johnson still hadn’t gotten theirs yet. Also, still no approval for pregnant
women. There was no full authorization for anything as of yet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">See
my post from <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-eldest-oyster.html" target="_blank">Jan. 17, 2021</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Still,
Atty. Roye Ron is already worshipping the god of Covid vaccines. So much so
that he is pushing to petition the Israel high court to make it the national
religion.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />When was this? This is on Feb. 12, 2021, or about a mere 8 weeks after this
rollout. Hence, it is undeniable that he is advocating for forced experimental
medication on healthy people. And he isn’t even a doctor!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
far as I know, this is exactly what Dr. Mengele and his cohorts did (although
some claim that Mengele really was a doctor), and what was ultimately outlawed
by the Nuremberg codes. But this fellow is a lawyer, and he is pushing for it! To
be forced on Jews! On fellow Israeli Jews!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
kind of response did he get to his Feb. 2021 post?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
says <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Document/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%93-%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA-%E2%80%93-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> that he received hundreds of views, comments, likes and
shares. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All
good. Except that not every single one of them was a compliment. At least 13
respondents did not agree with his position or with his activism. They felt
that forcing healthy people to take experimental biological agents
(medications/pharmaceuticals) without their consent is a breach of
international law, the Nuremberg codes, and just plain medical ethics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
they told him so, straight to his face<s>book</s>. Exactly where?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
the comments section of the exact same post on his Facebook page where he
posted his despotic ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These
comments were not all subtle. To make their points, several commenters opined
that his policies are akin to Stalin and the Nazis and specifically Dr. Mengele
and were fascist. Also, that the writer is a danger to society. You can see all
of them <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Court/%D7%AA-%D7%90-31817-05-21-%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0-%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%95-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%97_4" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One
of them pointed out that our Atty. Roye Ron, being an attorney, is not a
medical practitioner. He has no credentials to preach medical procedures even
if these were within the limits of medical ethics, which they are clearly not.
Incidentally, Mr. Ron seems to be a very strong proponent of medical cannabis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
what did tough lawyer Roye Ron do about this? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Did
he debate them and prove why he is not a fascist, not akin to Mengele, and not
a danger to society?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Did
he just ignore them?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Did
he delete their comments from his own Facebook page?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
did what any self-<s>serving</s>respecting lawyer would do. He tracked them
down and sued them for civil Lashon Hara.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Oh,
and by the way, did this lawyer first warn the commenters on his Facebook page
that, in his opinion, their remarks constitute civil Lashon Hara and they
should retract or they will be sued?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is no indication of it, and Mr. Ron, who is an attorney after all, wants their
money, so why should he? (We will see later why he should.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So
he sued them in the Petach Tikva magistrate court and the case came in front of
<b><a href="https://www.verdicts.co.il/judge/%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%98-%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%90%D7%9C-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%A0%D7%A8/" target="_blank">Judge Ariel Bregner.</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Plaintiff
Roye Ron claimed that he was terribly maligned. There is a raging <s>plandemic</s>
pandemic going on, and these vaccines are the only solution. Anyone who opposes
him is not only antagonizing him, but is even endangering the world!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
impress how misguided the detractors are, Atty. Roye Ron claimed to be the son
of a “Holocaust survivor” and he flaunted this claim to the hilt. How can the
son of a holocaust survivor be compared to a Nazi?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
defendants claimed that Mr. Ron made himself into a public figure and he was
indeed preaching Nazi and fascist policies. It is his position that poses a
danger to society. There is no question about what he wrote in his post. As
such, their comments addressed true circumstances. Moreover, he consciously
entered very controversial waters. He should have expected a strong backlash
from the skeptics. As such, their comments do not constitute slander or
defamation. The defenses of “I told the truth” and several of the good faith
clauses (Clause 15) applies to this case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“So,”
the Eldest Oyster asked me, “what do you think should be the result in this
case?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
told him that I think this case should be thrown out on its head. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Why?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Look,
I’m a chareidi. The Israeli government, the judiciary, and law enforcement have
been acting oppressively for as long as they have been in business, and we have
always been on the receiving end. With forced autopsies, forced Shabbos desecration,
forced mingling, dragging Yeshiva guys to the army, beating us up during legal
demonstrations. Not to mention, they also pulled off the “disengagement” and they
continue bulldozing Jewish settlements and torturing “confessions” out of
hilltoppers. They have acted like Nazis, and we have frequently said so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“In
2012, a law was proposed in Israel to outlaw calling oppressive people Nazis
even when they are maliciously oppressing (see <b><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/01/10/144972824/israeli-bill-would-prohibit-use-of-nazi-comparisons" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>). Actually, this bill was aimed at the chareidim and was just another form
of the oppression. At least then, some civil rights group came to the rescue.
One group is called the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). They put
out a statement as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">‘Freedom
of expression means the right to say difficult things that might be even
hurtful. It means the right to give bold and extreme expression to positions,
feelings, and thoughts, and also includes the right to make rhetorical use of
provocative and harsh images.” They added, “Because of the importance and
centrality of the Holocaust, the attempt to dictate when and in what context it
can be referenced is very problematic.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Apparently,
the law was not passed, so it is perfectly legal to call an oppressor who publicly
emulates Nazi and fascist policies 'Nazis' and 'Fascists', as long as it’s true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Oh,
and about his flaunting his “son-of-holocaust-survivor” credential, I think it
is deplorable.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Why
so?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Firstly,
I am not impressed with the credentials. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“He
claims that his father, who is now 83, is a holocaust survivor. This means his
father was born about 1940. <span style="color: #b45f06;">[<b>Note </b>- The court record says this is “along with
his mother, also 83”. I am assuming that this is a mistake and it really means
that the father survived the war with <b><i>his</i></b> mother – i.e., the
father’s mother who would be Roye’s grandmother – who lost most of her family,
and I gather her husband (Roye’s grandfather), in the Shoah. That woman would
be way more than 83.]</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“The
Holocaust ended in May of 1945. As such, any person who was born before May of
1945, specifically, in lands that were dominated by the Nazis, and who was
still alive after May of 1945 can call themselves a Holocaust survivor.
Technically, this is even if their family escaped to Switzerland or even to the
free West in 1938 and they didn’t actually endure the Holocaust. Likewise, I
suppose, many Russian Jews who spent the war on the Russian side of the fence
also can call themselves Holocaust survivors. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“This
fellow’s father was born in 1940 and survived the war with his mother (Roye’s
grandmother). I must assume that in 1940 they were somewhere out of harm’s way
because, if not, it would be almost impossible for a mother with a newborn to
survive. As such, the term Holocaust survivor rings hollow to me even if it’s
technically true. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">"Roye’s
father is definitely not a concentration camp survivor and wasn’t anywhere near
Auschwitz. My father, LOY”T, was born in 1929 and did go through Auschwitz. He is not
just a Holocaust survivor but a <i><b>death and labor camp survivor</b></i>. Incidentally, he says that he
has no idea if Mengele was involved in the selections he went through, but he
went through them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“But,
secondly, what bothers me a lot more about his flaunting his 'son-of-Holocaust-survivor' credential is that, if he really is, he should know
better. And so should the judge. Does he really mean to tell us that because
his father is a holocaust survivor that he has a license to defy the Nuremberg
laws and incite forced experimental medications on healthy people??? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Incidentally,
did his proposed petition to the Begatz include mandating informed consent? No mention
of it in his <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/roye.ron.9/posts/2125899060929418" target="_blank">June 14 post</a></b>. This is besides the fact that any kind of mandate violates
consent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“On
top of all this, his position about vaccinations is exceedingly tenuous. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Aside
from the fact that at that time it was purely experimental, we also knew then
that there is absolutely <b><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/16/covid-vaccine-side-effects-compensation-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">no product liability</a></b> to the manufacturers, or to
anybody, for adverse effects, injury, or death. And adverse effects were
showing up from the start.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“It
was soon discovered that this vaccine causes heart problems including
myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiac arrest, blood clotting, turbo-cancers,
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-eldest-oyster-and-new-shidduch.html" target="_blank">women’s health issues</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-28/court-malka-leifer-plea-hearing-victim-loses-baby/102535814" target="_blank">miscarriages</a></b>, strokes, aneurisms, and neurological
disorders. In other words, it ain’t safe. (See <b><a href="https://www.vaxtestimonies.org/en/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> for testimonies. If you like to see people drop dead in front of your eyes, see <b><a href="https://rumble.com/user/CovidBC" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and <b><a href="https://rumble.com/c/dreddymd" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </b>Viewer discretion strongly advised.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“We
know a lot more now. We know this ‘vaccine’ was never really effective. Not
only does it require constant ‘boosters’ which means it loses any efficacy it
might have had inside of six months, but we all know <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qy7BYylOdwM" target="_blank">people</a></b> who are ‘fully’
vaccinated who still got Covid. Also, Pfizer <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnxlxzxoZx0" target="_blank">admitted</a></b> that they never tested
their ‘vaccine’ for stopping transmission.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“We
know that the sinister Prime Minister “Haman” Netanyahu, </span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>צורר היהודים</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, sold
the Jewish nation to Achashverosh Bourla for 10,000 shekels to be Pfizer’s
Guinea pigs without anyone’s consent</span><span> <b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">להזריק להשמיד להרוג ולתעד את כל הישראלים מנער ועד זקן, טף ונשים, בבת אחד</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. He says so in public right <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItpErus4pSM" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ItpErus4pSM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“We also now know that the Israel Ministry of Health knew all about the adverse effects the Pfizer
vaccine, including some that were not on Pfizer's list, and they covered it all up. (See <b><a href="https://kirschsubstack.com/p/exclusive-proof-that-the-top-israeli?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fisrael%2520moh&utm_medium=reader2" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jwGWc6qOeWI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“So,
this 'vaccne' was never safe, never effective, and owing to preexisting remedies such as
Vitamin C and D, zinc, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, it was never
necessary.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“This
trial lasted until May of 2023 and those of us who are still around are much
wiser now, so it’s obvious that the case should be tossed out. Was it??”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>The
eldest Oyster looked at me,<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But never a word he said:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>The
eldest Oyster winked his eye,<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And shook his heavy head —<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>Meaning
to say, the judge ignored <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand;"><b> The defenses that were pled.</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sure
enough, Judge Ariel Bregner was exceedingly sympathetic to Atty. Roye Ron’s noble
cause. So much so that he was able to convict 9 out of 13 detractors and force
them to pay compensation. Not only compensation but he also threw in a
collective NIS 16,000 punitive award to the “Medinah”.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Judge
Bregner <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Court/%D7%AA-%D7%90-31817-05-21-%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0-%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%95-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%97_4" target="_blank">wrote</a></b> “I think that comparing any person in Israel to the Nazi Mengele
is the epitome of Lashon Hara”. And he made similar comments on the other
“put-downs”. So, he handed out judgements of between 7,000-18,000 shekels to
the nine folks that he convicted for a total of NIS 106,000. To this he added a
collective NIS 20,000 for lawyers’ costs and the NIS 16,000 was because the
eight defendants who shared a defense lawyer submitted eight separate defense
scripts instead of one combined one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“So,”
my friend asked me, “what do you think of this judgement?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
said that I think it is horrendous. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Why
so?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“I
believe that Atty. Ron’s position does not merely constitute his personal
opinion. He is advocating for <i><b>actively forcing</b></i> people to do as he believes.
Aside from a breach of international law, this is pure incitement by Israeli
law. People have a right to protest against oppression and incitement. It is
supposed to be one of the most protected rights here in Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Nazi
and Stalin comparisons are always made when one preaches oppression. The Nazis
and Fascists are standard models of oppression. When one claims oppression,
there is no alternative for comparison except for the standard models. The
left-wingers tried to <b><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/01/10/144972824/israeli-bill-would-prohibit-use-of-nazi-comparisons" target="_blank">outlaw</a></b> it, but that ship didn’t sail. The civil rights
groups defeated it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“So,
the judge is taking sides in this debate and is actually supporting the
oppression and incitement and punishing those protesting against it. This is
pure bias and oppression in its own right. I should expect both an attorney
like Roye Ron and an Israeli judge to be strong on civil rights. In this case,
they are trampling on it. And it’s not like these claims weren’t brought up in
the defense scripts. The judge simply ignored them.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Eldest Oyster said, “I think something else is bothering you. Something else
that the defense claimed and the judge ignored.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“What
makes you think so?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“It
was something you wrote earlier in this post when you were summarizing this
case.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“You
mean when I mentioned that these comments were written directly to Atty. Roye
Ron’s own Facebook page, that he didn’t delete them, and he allegedly didn’t
warn the writers before filing suit?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Precisely.
What were you implying?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“The
defense claimed that Atty. Roye Ron has 100% shared liability. The judge just
ignored that. But it’s a fact.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Explain
it to your readers.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well,
there is an <b><a href="https://www.fridmanwork.com/LAWx-lawyer122718.html" target="_blank">unwritten law</a></b> in Israeli litigation that a damaged party is
responsible to do everything reasonable to minimize the damage. It is not
stated explicitly in the Tort Ordinance (Pekudat HaNizakim), but it is implied
in clause 76. It is specified in Contract Law and is universally applied to
Tort law as a “Halacha Pesuka”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
does this relate to Atty. Roye Ron?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly,
all the comments were made to his <b><i>comments</i></b> section. This is what
a comments section in social media is for! A grown-up confrontational person
like Atty. Roye Ron should not expect all the comments that he invites to his
page to be compliments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Every
person with a Facebook account is responsible for the comments on his own page.
This is to the extent that the same Petach Tikva Magistrate Court (with a
different judge) issued a landmark <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Court/%D7%AA-%D7%90-44048-04-18-%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%A0-%D7%98%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C-%D7%91%D7%A2-%D7%9E-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%97" target="_blank">ruling</a></b> in February 2020 (a year before Roye
Ron’s post), that if<b><i> a commenter writes defamatory remarks against an
outside party</i></b>, and the host of the social networking site maintained it
(i.e., did not delete it), then the <b><i>host account holder can be held
liable for damages</i></b> against the outside party. (See <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/02/arrur-makka-reeyhu-bgalui-gift-of.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why
is this? Obviously, because the host is the master of his account. He holds the
keys to what can appear there and what cannot. If it can damage another person,
he is responsible to delete it. If the “other person” is him, he is no less
responsible for deleting it. After all, there is a Halacha pesuka to minimize
damage to one’s self!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Add
to this the rule we quoted from US defamation law in the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-part-1-sticks-and-stones.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b> that
when the defamation is in second person voice – i.e., <b><i>you</i></b> are a
Fascist Nazi – this is not defamation. We call it </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;">הוכח תוכיח את עמית</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ך</span></span></span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus,
as the defense claimed, Roye Ron is 100% co-responsible for all damages to him.
He could have simply deleted all the comments immediately. He facilitated the
damage himself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
<b><i><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-interlude-eldest-oyster.html" target="_blank">made his own lunch</a></i></b>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
why didn’t he just delete the comments? And why didn’t he warn them to retract
before filing suit?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
must be because he wanted to cry about defamation, he <i><b>wanted to sue</b></i>. He wanted to
“cancel” his opponents and to pick their pockets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Clearly,
the purpose of the lawsuit was not to get them to delete or retract their
comments. This is evident because they were posted on <b><i>his own Facebook
page</i></b> and he had every opportunity to take them down himself. Note, he
eventually did so, because the entire post is now gone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, the money he received cannot be for damages. As I wrote, Mr. Roye Ron
cannot claim to be damaged for at least three reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All
the remarks were <b><i><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-part-1-sticks-and-stones.html" target="_blank">relational</a></i></b> slurs relating to his stated position
which he stated publicly. His position is undeniable. Those who support him
will continue to do so. Those who do not will oppose him because of his
viewpoint, not because of the slurs. The slurs do not cause defamation.</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Secondly,
it was all in second person said directly to him. It was meant to chasten him
not to defame him to others. </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thirdly,
it was on his own Facebook page, for heaven’s sake! He can delete them as soon
as they land. If it wasn’t deleted and there was no warning, then it is not
being done to protect Roye but to silence the opposition and to obtain money. He
obviously chose not to do so only so he can kvetch to a judge and demand
sympathy and money. </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
summarize, Atty. Roye Ron believes that he is allowed to bully people into
taking poisonous vaccines and to incite division and hatred toward those who
don’t want to. Yet, when these folks let him know that he is acting like Mengele,
he gets very offended and, instead of deleting the comments, he sues them for
their money. And, based on his <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/roye.ron.9/posts/2125899060929418" target="_blank">June 14 post</a></b>, he is so proud of it. Here is what
he wrote (translation by Google Translate):<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>"Mengele
was proud of you", "fascist", "terrorist supporter" -
that's what vaccine opponents called me personally on Facebook.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I
"earned" these defamatory comments following a post I wrote at the
height of the Corona period<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>And
in it I called on my friends to join me in submitting a petition to the Supreme
Court that would require vaccinations, in order to keep us all healthy, with an
emphasis on the adults.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>In
the defamation lawsuit I filed against them, the court ruled that they must pay
me compensation in the amount of 126,000 NIS, and in addition they must pay the
state 16,000 NIS, for the awkwardness they took in the legal process.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Reducing
derogatory discourse on social networks and in general, starts first of all
with education and values. However, it is important that we, the victims, do
not remain silent in the face of harsh and insulting statements that damage our
good name and our livelihood, we will exhaust our right not to make statements
and conduct of this type a part of the agenda, and we will send a clear message
that there are red lines for freedom of expression as well.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I
personally do not think Atty. Roye Ron is educated about vaccines or has
values. and I am not the only one who thinks so (see comment by </span><b><span style="font-family: arial;">א. בלב</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">). He did not attempt to educate or engage with anybody to set them
straight; only to censor them and sue without warning. Still, he will call himself
a “victim” even though there is no reason the “insulting statements” that he
chose not to delete should damage his “good name and livelihood”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
the son of a true Auschwitz Holcaust survivor, my personal feeling is that he
should be ashamed of himself. Both for his misguided oppressive activism and
for running to a judge to get back at people who justifiably and legally opposed him. I personally
think that if Roye Ron was any kind of a mensch he would apologize to all the
people he upset with his post and give the money back to those he collected
from. In my opinion, it’s <i>treife gelt</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
don’t think Judge Ariel Bregner has anything to be proud of either. His job is
to curb the aggressors, not to empower them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>It
seems a shame,' the Walrus said,<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To play them such a trick,<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>After
we've brought them out so far,<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And made them trot so quick!'<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand; font-size: medium;"><b>The
Carpenter said nothing but<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Quicksand;"> The butter's spread too thick!'</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
I took leave of my friend, I told him that I think this case sets a very ugly precedent. Actually,
this whole story reminds me about a poem I once read about a <b><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9" target="_blank">Walrus and a Carpenter</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Eldest Oyster winked his eye and shook his heavy head. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“This
is scarcely odd”, is all he finally said.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-38180070798042101702023-07-30T23:51:00.006+03:002023-07-31T09:46:45.801+03:00Perfidy 2023 Interlude – The Eldest Oyster Cracks a Joke<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
continued talking to the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/07/perfidy-2023-part-1-sticks-and-stones.html" target="_blank">Eldest Oyster</a></b> and he proceeded to tell me all about
<b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Document/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%93-%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA-%E2%80%93-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94" target="_blank">Ron vs. Versano</a>.</b> It wasn't long before I realized that he was leading me down a
deep rabbit hole. This Hare-raising experience was a lot more than I bargained for,
so it has been taking me some time to formulate it into a post. I'm almost there, so I hope to post Part 2 very shortly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the meanwhile,
he could detect that this conversation about the Israeli legal system was making
me depressed. He thought to cheer me up with a joke. And so, he told me the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9" target="_blank">A Walrus, a Carpenter</a></b>, and a Mad Hatter all took a job at a construction company and were
working on top of a tall building. Every day at lunchtime, they would sit
together on a bare steel girder way above the ground and eat lunch.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One sunny day
(and this was odd because it was the middle of the night), they sat down to
lunch and each one opened their home-packed lunchboxes.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">First the
Walrus opened his lunchbox and pulled out a jar and opened it. He says, “<i>Oyster
stew? Again? Every day oyster stew! If I get oyster stew for lunch one more
time, by golly, I’m going to jump</i>.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Carpenter
opened his lunchbox and pulled out a slice of bread with a very thick layer of
butter. He cries out, “<i>Again a slice of bread where the butter is spread too
thick? I get this every day! If one more time I get for lunch sliced bread
where the butter’s spread too thick, by golly, I’m going to jump</i>.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mad
Hatter opened his lunchbox and pulled out the contents. He mutters, “<i>Mushroom flavored tea
biscuits…again? I get this every day! If one more time I get for
lunch mushroom flavored tea biscuits, by golly, I’m going to jump.</i>”</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The next day
they all sit down to lunch as usual. The Walrus opens his lunchbox and pulls
out a jar. Sure enough, it’s oyster stew. The distraught Walrus jumps and
that’s the end of him. The Carpenter opens up his lunch box and finds a slice
of bread with the butter spread too thick. He also jumps and that’s the end of
him. Just then the Mad Hatter opens his lunchbox and finds… mushroom flavored tea biscuits. Sure enough, he also jumps and that’s the end of him.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The next day,
at the Walrus’ funeral, his wife, beset with grief, is holding her
pocket-handkerchief before her streaming eyes. With sobs and tears she blurted
out, “<i>Can anyone sympathize?</i> <i>I don’t understand this. It makes no sense. Why didn’t he just tell me that
he didn’t want any more oyster st</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">ew? I certainly would have made him clam chowder
instead.</span></i><span style="font-size: medium;">”</span></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, at
the Carpenter’s funeral, his wife was inconsolable. She wept like anything to
see such quantities of dirt by his grave. She exclaimed, “<i>I don’t understand
this. It makes no sense. Why did he not just tell me that ‘the butter’s spread
too thick’? I would gladly have spread it thinner.</i>”, and she shed a bitter
tear.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>Meanwhile, at
the Mad Hatter’s funeral, his wife couldn’t control herself. “<i>I don’t
understand this. It makes no sense. </i></span><b><i>He made his own lunch!</i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">”</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He asked me
if I liked the joke. I told him, I think I might have heard it before. But I soon came to
realize it is more than just a joke. It is a prelude to <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Document/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%93-%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA-%E2%80%93-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94" target="_blank">Ron vs. Versano</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We will
examine it Through the Looking Glass very soon (bli neder)…</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-35742654195785447462023-07-19T23:43:00.006+03:002023-07-20T10:01:51.389+03:00Perfidy 2023 – Part 1: Sticks and Stones<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Author’s
note</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">
– Like many other posts, this one was meant to be a short post about what I
believe is a miscarriage of justice, but it overflowed its banks. As such, I
need to divide it into two parts. Here is Part 1.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The
discussion of Lashon Hara in this post is exclusively secular legal Lashon Hara
by Israeli civil law (Libel). It is not discussing the Halachic Shmiras
Halashon of the Chofetz Chaim.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
went to visit my friend the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-eldest-oyster.html" target="_blank">Eldest Oyster</a></b> not long ago. Yep, he’s still around.
He told me that people have been calling him all kinds of slurs. “Anti-vaxxer”,
“conspiracy-theorist”, “menace to society”, “hazardous waste”, that kind of
thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
told him that when I was a kid, we used to have a little jingle that would
neutralize all the name calling. The jingle went, “<i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Sticks and stones may break
my bones, but names can never hurt me.</span></b></i>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He
said that would never work in his community. I asked why, and he said, “Oysters
don’t have bones. But we have hard shells. And the older we get, the harder the
shells.” “Of course,” he continued, “folks still try very hard to irritate us. They
put sand under our <s>skin</s> shells. But all we do is make pearls out of
them. The more irritating, the bigger the pearl.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
guess his message is that we need to take insults with a grain of sand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
told him that we writers get this a lot. This is especially true when one has
the temerity to write about highly charged, religious, political, or emotional
subjects. It is common that readers may <i>choose</i> to feel threatened or
antagonized. When this happens things can become unpredictable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
calm, mature readers won’t react at all. Or they may respond with a rebuttal or
legitimate criticism or debate. Sadly, many of those who react are not the
calm, mature kind. They may react with hostile remarks, insults, personal
attacks, defamation, libel, character assassination and name-calling.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
more extreme situations, a respondent may take steps to silence or censor the
writer or initiate legal action to “punish” him or her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
original writer needs to know the occupational hazards. He (or she) must not be
thin-<s>shelled</s>skinned and hypersensitive. For sure, any op-ed writer needs
to be prepared for debate and to handle the rebuttals and legitimate criticism.
In fact, they also need to be able to handle some of the nasty stuff like those
hostile remarks and even insults and name-calling. But we certainly need to
draw the line at personal attacks, defamation, libel, and character
assassination. In these cases, the respondent is not trying to debate what you
wrote, set the record straight, rebuke, or educate you. They are trying to harm
you and falsely discredit (i.e., defame) you. More so if they initiate
frivolous legal action to censor you and to pick your pocket.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
such cases, it is justified for the <i>initial</i> writer to be the one to
initiate legal action to defend his reputation and right of expression.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What
comes out from all this is that legal action for the sake of censorship, “cancelling”,
silencing and bullying would be considered unjustified. Likewise, legal action
because a writer or public figure was insulted by harsh remarks or even slangy
name-calling is cowardly and petty, especially if the response was triggered by
their own public actions or writing, even more so if the writer tends to use this
type of terminology as well. This is like school kids who don’t get along snitching
to the teacher or inmates snitching to the prison guard when they get “dissed”.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On
the other hand, legal action to protect one’s reputation when it is unjustly
tarnished with lies and false information and to protect one’s right to express
his/her opinion on a controversial matter would be justified. This is what we
need the civil laws of slander, libel, and defamation to do. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
short, the civil laws of Lashon Hara are intended to prevent false defamation
and character assassination. As we say: Lashon Hara <i>kills</i> three people. The
laws are there to prevent one from presenting a false or distorted picture of
another in order to damage him. Facts should not be bent or fabricated to be used
as a weapon.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On
the flip side, the civil laws of Lashon Hara are not meant to protect people
who act out publicly or who present unorthodox or offensive views from being
called out or criticized. It is not meant to censor or stifle those who do the
calling out or criticizing. It is not meant to become a political weapon
wherein anyone with an agenda can push his agenda and get shielded from
opposition by the biased courts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Calling
out or criticizing a fanatical player is merely presenting an opposing opinion.
Officially, this is protected speech. It needn’t be insulting or abrasive. People
should always speak nicely. But, even if it is, this does not constitute civil Lashon
Hara or an excuse to claim compensation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
for cases of defamation or slander, money should only come as a result of
damage, be it tangible or potential, or as an impetus to force compliance when
the slander continues and the offender doesn’t want to delete it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Does
all this make sense? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
should and it used to. In the old days, all of this was elementary. And judges
judged by the rules. And the basic rules were this:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
it’s true, it is not [actionable] defamation. Period.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
legal definition (at least in the Western world) of defamation, which includes
slander and libel, is as follows (see source <b><a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/differences-between-defamation-slander-and-libel" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>): <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Defamation
is a <b>false</b> statement presented as a fact that causes injury or
damage to the character of the person it is about.</span></i></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">From
this same <b><a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/differences-between-defamation-slander-and-libel" target="_blank">source</a></b>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>If
you are accused of defamation, slander, or libel, truth is an </i><b><i>absolute </i></b><i>defense
to the allegation. If what you said is true, there is no case. </i></span></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This means that
it doesn’t matter that the statement(s) are critical, hurtful, or even
damaging. If it’s true, then it’s the truth that is doing the damage.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
in a case of explicit defamation (i.e., not merely slurs), the first and most
important factor is whether or not the allegation is entirely true. One cannot
argue with the truth or litigate against it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the event that it is not entirely true or even entirely false, then it is technically
defamation. But now comes a second consideration: <i>is it damaging</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After
all, the plaintiff is suing for damages. He needs to claim some monetary value
for compensation or there is no reason to litigate. As such, from a perspective
of liability, some other factors may come into play:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.85pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Did the offender know it was false?
Did he have reason to believe it was true? <br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Did the plaintiff complain to the
offender and notify him that his statement is defamatory <b><i>before</i></b>
taking action? Did he give him an opportunity to retract and edit <b><i>before</i></b>
taking action?<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Was the defamation presented in the
presence of the subject or behind their back?<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Was it said or written to a wide
audience or to a closed circle?<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Was it said directly to the plaintiff
as a second person dialog (i.e., <b><i>you</i></b> are a pervert), or was it in
third person (i.e., <b><i>he</i></b> is a pervert)? If it was primarily second
person dialog, there are grounds to say it isn’t defamation even if it is
false (see my previous <b><a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/differences-between-defamation-slander-and-libel" target="_blank">source</a></b>).<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What kind of damage could it cause?
How extensive? For how long?</span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All
of the above factors are weighed to limit or impose liability in the case of
defamation. But none of it should be necessary if the allegations are true. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Truth
is supreme.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I stated earlier, it is not supposed to matter how insulting or hurtful or even
damaging the true allegations are. Defamation is not meant to be defined as <b><i>offending</i></b>
someone. It is defined as <b><i>falsely</i></b> maligning somebody. The courts
are not here to protect crybabies from getting their feelings hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All the above is US law. But, this is how it was even here in Israel a generation ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How
do I know?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
many people in my generation, we learned about how libel cases work from
reading a very controversial and monumental work: <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Perfidy-Ben-Hecht/dp/0964688638" target="_blank">Perfidy</a></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Perfidy
was written by Irgun sympathizer Ben Hecht in 1961 and it was banned in Israel
by the left-wing government. (We also learned about left-wing censorship from
Perfidy.) It started reappearing in the US in a blank jacketed version in the
1970s. That’s when I read it in yeshiva, about 45 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Perfidy
tells the story of the high-profile libel trial that took place in 1954-55. You
can get the complete synopsis <b><a href="https://www.commentary.org/articles/lucy-dawidowicz/perfidy-by-ben-hecht/">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Briefly,
in 1954, a religious Jewish Hungarian holocaust survivor, Malkiel Grunwald, put
out a leaflet in which he accused a fellow named Rudolf Kastner of
collaboration with the Nazis. This Kastner fellow was, at the time, a
high-ranking employee of the Jewish agency and a political socialite. The government
cronies of Mr. Kastner wanted to teach this Grunwald fellow a lesson and so
they sued him for libel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big
mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
secular as the irreligious left-wing government and judiciary were, the judge
in the case, Chaim Halevi, happened to be Orthodox. Regardless, Judge Halevi
was concerned about one thing and one thing only – <i>were the allegations in
the leaflet true</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
course, the allegations were offensive to Mr. Kastner. Yes, they were hurtful.
Yes, they were critical. And, yes, they were damaging. But were they true or
false?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
turned out that for all the details except one, they were true. Totally true.
It was true that Mr. Kastner collaborated with Adolf Eichmann, ym”sh. One can
argue whether this collaboration was virtuous or monstrous, but there is no
arguing that it truly did take place. It was also true that Mr. Kastner
testified on behalf of Kurt Becher at the Nuremburg trials. The only thing that
Grunwald could not prove was his allegation that Kastner shared some of the material
payoff that the Nazis got for the famous “Kastner Transport” that was released.
Consequently, Grunwald was mostly acquitted (if my memory serves, he got a
small fine for the payoff part).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
again, the primary issue is whether the defamatory statements are true. This should
apply to any defamation that is a <i>narrative</i>. The basic gray area is what
we can call slurs, insults or <i>name-calling</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is because Israeli law is a little different than other Western countries.
Other countries <b><a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/differences-between-defamation-slander-and-libel" target="_blank">define</a></b> defamation as a “false statement.” <b><a href="https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law00/74372.htm" target="_blank">Israeli law</a></b> is
different. It defines “Lashon Hara” as a statement that is meant to put down or
disgrace another person and/or to make him/her a target for disdain. The implication
is that this may hold even if the derogatory language is true.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Only
later (Clause 14), does the law state that “I am saying the truth” is a
legitimate defense. Though, this somehow falls short of calling it an absolute
defense. This gives a lot of subjectivity to the judges to deny the defense.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
back to name-calling. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
you refer to somebody as a “nutcase” (<i>meshuganeh</i>), “idiot”, “sicko”,
retard”. Is this defamation? What about calling someone a “pig’ or equating one
to a vulgar part of the anatomy or a mother dog (or just plain dog) or the
offspring of one? What about calling somebody a “<i>goniff</i>”, “pervert”, “<i>mushchas</i>”,
or “<i>mamzer</i>” (in any language)? What about a Nazi?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
courts have debated this issue for decades, and it is still not fully resolved.
As such, this depends on no small measure of subjectivity, but also, it depends
on the context. What is the context of the name-calling?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Usually,
the name-calling is just a put-down, such as calling somebody an “idiot” or “nutcase”
or “SOB” or a vulgar part of anatomy. As such, it is clearly not meant to be
taken at face value. We can call this “subjective slang”. It’s a way of the
offender expressing that he does not think highly of the plaintiff. And it’s
his opinion. But he’s really not doing a literal characterization. As Supreme
court <b><a href="https://www.ron-law.co.il/%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%98%D7%94/" target="_blank">Judge Dorit Beinish wrote</a></b>: “<i>It’s not a clinical diagnosis.</i>” Nor is it an
analysis on his parentage or zoological status.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">These
expressions are not indicative of anything, nor do they do any substantial
damage. They are just hurtful and insulting. The civil laws of Lashon Hara are
not meant to protect people from getting their feelings hurt. So, it really
shouldn’t be actionable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">However,
sometimes the name calling is <b><i>relational</i></b> – i.e., calling somebody
a <i>goniff</i> in relation to financial misdeeds, or a “pervert” in relation
to sexual misdeeds, or a literal <i>mamzer</i>, or a Nazi. If this is the case,
the judgement should go back to whether the basis for the relational epithet is
true or not. Is the person really a financial miscreant or a sexual one or
emulating the policies of the Nazis? If so, it should not be construed as
defamation because it is true. If it is not, then, of course it should.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To
summarize, if you call a woman a <i>shoteh</i>, it’s one thing. But if you call
her a <i>soteh</i>, it’s quite another.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Although
it must be difficult to distinguish what kind of name-calling is <i>subjective
slang</i> and what kind is <i>relational</i>, an honest judge will
use his head. A biased judge will use her feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
upshot of all this is that the civil laws of defamation – the <b><a href="https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law00/74372.htm" target="_blank">Chok Lashon Hara</a></b>
– are meant to protect people from damage. They are not meant to be political
tools to allow a court to take sides as to which opinions are valid – in their
eyes - and which are not, and to silence people who speak out on controversial
matters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
I find it very disturbing to see just that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All
this came to play in the defamation case that I was involved with, but I am not
going to discuss it here. Hopefully, I will do so in a future post. I was
assuming and hoping that it was only me that had the misfortune to fall into
the clutches of a judge with a personal agenda. But once I see it happening in
other cases where religious ideology doesn’t play a part, it tells me we are
living in a different generation than Malkiel Grunwald.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What
I really want to discuss in the case of <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Document/%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%9A-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%93-%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A7%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%AA-%E2%80%93-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94" target="_blank">Ron vs. Versano</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
seems like our kindergarten jingle of “<i><span style="color: #990000;">Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but names can never hurt me</span></i>” never graduates from elementary school. And by the
time one reaches Law School, it is totally forgotten. Kids don’t get insulted,
but grownups do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
a pity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Stay
tuned for <b><a href="https://www.psakdin.co.il/Court/%D7%AA-%D7%90-31817-05-21-%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%A0-%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%95-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%97_4" target="_blank">Ron vs. Versano</a></b> in Part 2.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-3770030474351323852023-06-27T23:46:00.004+03:002023-06-28T09:44:08.763+03:00The Worst of All Molesters<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
was recently at a shiva house and the avel told over a story. There was a
minyan that was one man short. To fill the minyan, someone suggested to call an
elderly Jew from the adjacent complex who was not known to be religious. The
elderly fellow consented to join the minyan. Afterward, he remarked that he had
not set foot into a shul for almost fifty years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
he was asked why not, he told over that he had a lifelong grudge. He was a very
poor immigrant who lived only with his father since his mother had died. Once, when he was about eight or ten or so (let’s say ten), it was his mother’s
yahrtzeit, so he went to shul to say kaddish. As a penniless orphaned immigrant,
all he could do was to scrounge up a few kichels for shul but nothing
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For whatever reason, his father
was not with him at shul and so, he was at the shul by himself. He remained
through the davening and said kaddish and afterwards put out the small plate of
kichels. One of the regulars teased him and said, “This is what you call a
tikkun?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
you might guess, he was very offended and humiliated, and made up never to go
back to that shul. Apparently, it was not only to that shul, to any shul. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Really,
this is not an exceptional story. Probably all of us have heard stories just
like this about people who had traumatic or humiliating experiences in their
developing years which turned them away from Yiddishkeit and religion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
course, the purpose of telling this story at the shiva was to drive home a
point about sensitivity and how a single sarcastic or cynical comment can drive
a vulnerable person to shun religion. The trite lesson of </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">חיים ומוות ביד הלשון</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. And the Torah warns us: </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span><b>כל יתום ואלמנה לא תענון</b></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
lesson is intended to teach us how we should view the “perpetrator”. How much
damage he did and that we certainly should not “be like him”. We probably think
of him as one of the most heartless people on earth and will have a lot to answer
for in the Heavenly Court. We might say that the Yetzer Hara had this guy in
his clutches.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
is my style, I like to look at the other side of the coin. I want to look at
the 10-year-old, and now probably about 60-year-old, kid. We see him as the
poor orphaned victim and most of us can sympathize with him and understand why
he has not walked into a shul for fifty years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
am not as sympathetic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No
question, a 10-year-old yasom is a very vulnerable person. He had a void in his
life and his “greenhorn” immigrant father wasn’t able to compensate and, from how
it was told, even the child was an immigrant. One cannot be more socially disconnected than that. Moreover, if he shunned religion at such an age, we assume that he
did not go to Jewish day school and probably was not bar-mitzvah. Likely, he never
put on tefillin, never went to yeshiva and learned. And probably did not keep
other mitzvos. A lost soul.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
get all that.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Still,
as I heard the avel tell the story, I asked myself (and maybe even asked the
avel), “<i>50 years</i>?” He certainly had some religious upbringing and knew how to
daven in shul and say <i>kaddish</i>. Someone ticks him off and he goes on strike for
50 years? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">50 years? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That’s
a long time to bear a grudge. And it’s a long time not to move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes,
he was young and vulnerable. And the Yetzer Hara saw a soft, unprotected
target. A prime candidate for his “molestation”. And, like every molester does,
he groomed him to become his “friend”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let’s
look again at the “heartless” perpetrator. I don’t see him as “heartless” as
much as just plain thoughtless. I’m sure this person didn’t realize how
vulnerable the child was and how humiliating it was to criticize him. Jews tend
to be cynical and especially because many of us, and certainly the old timers,
had to go through this kind of thing themselves. In the old days, nobody was
spared.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
see no reason not to dan l’kaf zchus and assume that if he would have known the
impact of his remarks, he would have apologized and mollified the boy. But he
never got the chance. The Yetzer Hara didn’t want him to. The YH wanted to make
sure this kid does not go to shul. After all, who knows what other mitzvas he
might ch”v start doing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Evidently,
the YH was working on both sides of the street.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
50 years is a long time. And after a while a <i>yasom </i>is not a <i>yasom </i>anymore, and a victim is not a victim anymore. Initially,
this event was a reason not to go to shul. Later it became an excuse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is a valid reason why he left then. But that isn’t a reason not to come back
when he is older. He has no reason, just an excuse. Perhaps, when he was approached
50 years later, he finally realized that he has no reason nor any excuse not to
comply. Perhaps he had been married and had some grown children. There comes a
point where he can’t be a <i>yasom </i>anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
there is no way to get back what he could have had over the past 50 years. And I
am sure he is ready to blame this thoughtless Jew for everything. He as much as
said so. But it wasn’t him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Many
people suffer traumatic experiences in early life. Experiences that cause them
to move away from HKBH. That’s exactly what the YH wants. It’s what he has been
<i>grooming </i>them to do. And every time the person might want to take a new step
forward, comes his old pal the YH, who has always been there for him, and
reminds him or her about how hurt they were at that time. He never lets them
forget it. He never lets them get past it. He always brings them back. He makes
sure they relive it again and again. 10, 20,30, 50 years or more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">About
six weeks ago was Parshas <i>Bechukosai</i>. This Parsha tells us what we need to do
to have a successful life – doing Hashem’s mitzvos with some degree of <i>ameilus
b’Torah</i>. But right afterwards it tells us how to lose it all. First, we “neglect”
to study Torah. Then we abandon mitzvos. Then we loathe others who perform
them. Then we despise the Gedolim. Then we prevent others from observing. Then
we deny the mitzvos were ever commanded. Then we deny the existence of HKBH.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is the point of no-return. And how did one get here? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
gradually went down the slippery slope. One level drags one down to the next.
(Rashi Vayikra 26:15). And where did it all begin?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yep, by grooming. It began when
the YH told him that there is no reason to understand what HKBH wants from us. No
reason to study the Torah. It’s enough just to be observant and do <i>mitzvos</i>. You
don’t have to understand them. You don’t need to be an expert. Just be an
uneducated consumer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
is how the grand molester, the Yetzer Hara, grooms us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Last
Shabbos we read Parshas Chukas in Eretz Israel. This coming Shabbos the
slowpokes in chu”l will read Parshas Chukas. Parshas Chukas tells us the story
of the copper snake. A very strange story. What’s it all about?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let’s
go back to Parshas <i>Acharei Mos</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">כמעשה ארץ מצרים
אשר ישבתם בה לא תעשו</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
deeds of the land of Egypt where you dwelled you are not to do,</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Okay,
they can relate to that. They were there in Egypt and saw it all. They know
what this means. But there's more:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">וכמעשה ארץ כנען
אשר אני מביא אתכם שמה לא תעשו</span></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The
deeds of the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you, you are not to do,<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Stop
the presses! We already mentioned Egypt and we know what it’s all about. We were
there so we have an accurate feel for what the Torah is about to tell us. Why do we need to add on
Canaan? They aren’t any different and we haven’t actually been there, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">HKBH
knew something we did not yet know. The nation standing at Mount Sinai who are
hearing these words, the nation who were redeemed from Egypt, isn’t going to
arrive in Eretz Canaan. They will die in the desert and a new generation is
going to enter the land of Canaan. And this generation that enters Canaan will
not be those who left Egypt and will not be those who saw and internalized the depravity of
Egypt. They will be a nation of Jews who were raised and nurtured in the
sheltered “Lakewood” of the desert and have no first-hand knowledge of the
depravity of the pagans. This kind of behavior will be totally alien to them.
Hence, they must be forewarned that they will enter a land of depravity which they
have never witnessed and will need to be ready to handle it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Parshas
Chukas is a pivotal parsha. This is the parsha where we “skip” 38 years of dark
ages and arrive at year 2487, one year prior to entering the land (2488). And we have
a new and complete congregation. A new generation of Jews. A generation who “does not
know Joseph” and does not know Pharaoh, either.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">After
being encamped in the desert wilderness and sheltered by the Clouds of Glory
for 38 years, this naïve nation is finally standing at the outskirts of “civilized”
nations. They begin seeing things they have never yet seen. Fields with wheat
and barley, olive groves, vineyards, orchards. Wells and springs.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They
have been living in booths made of clouds, drinking “tap” water and eating this
strange frosty “bread”. For the younger ones this has been for all their lives. It is all they have ever known. This bread
is not miraculous. It’s the norm. We get it every day. And nothing else. And,
truth be told, we’re sick of it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
want real water, real food, not this ruinous bread! Oh, and while we’re at it,
I don’t think we need these clouds anymore, either. We don’t know what Egypt
was like because we weren’t there, but if it’s anything like the splendor we’re seeing in
these lands (Edom, Sichon and Og), we would rather that you never brought us out of
there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Torah says that HKBH sent the venomous snakes which bit many people of the
nation and put many people to death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once
we recognize that we are dealing with a new and young and naïve nation, it is
hard to understand what was so terrible about their complaints.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To
understand this, let’s see what happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">HKBH
tells Moshe to make for himself a serpent (not a snake) and to raise it up on a
pole. Whoever is bitten and looks at the serpent will live. Note that it doesn’t
say that if he does not, he will die. Moshe then fashions a serpent in the form
of a copper snake. The “bitten” people look at this snake and live. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is happening here?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
this week’s edition of <b><a href="www.torasavigdor.org " target="_blank">Toras Avigdor</a></b>, Rav Miller ZTL explains that the “nachash”
is an old friend that we know from Brias Olam (Creation). This is the snake that persuaded
Adam and Chava to eat from the Eitz Hadaas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
snake was always meant to be our Yetzer Hara, but it was initially meant to be
a more visible and defined entity. It stood up straight. We could easily
recognize it and identify it. This was because we did not yet know of both good
and evil. Good and evil means good and evil intertwined in every entity
(for this we can use a full discussion of the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2008/09/parah-aduma-syndrome-pop-music-and.html" target="_blank">Parah Adumah</a></b> from this parshah
but we’re not going to go there now). But now, after the sin and the new "knowledge", the Yetzer Hara has to
take on a new form. One that one doesn't recognize. One that crawls on its belly at ground level and is the
same color as the sand and soil. Brown and copper. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
Yetzer Hara is now a clandestine secret agent in all kinds of disguises. Like
the old-time radio crime-fighter “<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow" target="_blank">The Shadow</a></b>”, he is all but invisible, knows “the
evil that lurks in the hearts of men”, and has the ability to “cloud men’s
minds”. Just he’s not interested in fighting crime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rav
Miller explains that the snake, a.k.a. Yetzer Hara, does not want publicity or
exposure. He wants to stay camouflaged where one doesn’t see him. The
instruction to Moshe from HKBH was to do the opposite. To take the 'snake’ in its
camouflage fatigues (dull copper) and hold him up for all to recognize. When one can
now identify this rascal, he can know who the enemy is, and then, he can even
learn how to recognize it in his habitat and learn how to avoid it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, aside from the “<i>pashut pshat</i>”, we can understand the allegorical lesson
of this event. The inexperienced nation was beginning to stray after their eyes
and see distant fields where the grass appeared to be greener. They yearned for
a piece of the action. HKBH sent upon them the "nachash", the Yetzer Hara, which “bit” them and
caused them to burn with all kinds of passions. This, in turn, led them to
disconnect with their spiritual side and the source of life and they began to
die. It was a spiritual death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Moshe
created a brown/beige snake (not fiery polished copper) to show them that they
are being attacked by a Yetzer Hara who is always camouflaged and crawls on its
belly, and one cannot see him coming. As the Mishna says in Rosh Hashanah (3:8),
those who would be inspired to fight the Yetzer Hara and rededicate their
hearts to HKBH were healed. If not, they deteriorated. This, says the Mishna,
is the same thing that happened in their earlier war against <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2019/03/rerun-from-last-year-mishenichnas-adar.html" target="_blank">Amalek</a></b> when our hands weakened from Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
new generation were young and inexperienced. They were very vulnerable. And all
this time, the great molester, the Yetzer Hara, was grooming them to do his
bidding. He disguised himself as nothing more than lush, green looking
pastures. Moshe needed to teach them that what looks like greener pastures is
the Yetzer Hara’s way of dressing up dry brown (copper) soil.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
lesson of the Copper Snake is not enough. Molesters, like the YH, are hell-bent
on getting what they want. The crafty ones do it by grooming the victims to
become their friends and convincing the victims that they are doing things they
will like and appreciate. They want them to think they are doing them a favor
and submit to them willingly. They want the fun to be consensual.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
this doesn’t work, they have another method. This is to incapacitate the victim
and do what they want without his/her consent. They try to put them to sleep so
they do not know they are being molested. To do this, they may resort to what
are known as “date-rape” drugs. These are substances that are added to drinks
and put the user asleep and debilitates them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Renowned
Belzer Rosh Yeshiva HRHG Pinchas Fridman, Shlita, releases a drasha every week
titled <i><b><a href="https://shvilei.com/" target="_blank">Shevilei Pinchas</a>.</b></i> In his drasha last <b><i><a href="https://shvilei.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/%D7%97%D7%92-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A4%D7%92.pdf" target="_blank">Shevuos</a></i></b>, he discussed our legend
that the Jewish nation overslept on the morning of Mattan Torah. HKBH sounded
heavenly Shofarot to wake us up. He writes that the Shofarot were meant to rouse
us to do teshuva just like we do in Chodesh ellul. He quotes the Rambam in
Hilchos Teshuva 3:4:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even
though sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is a Torah decree (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>גזירת הכתוב</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>), there is an implication in it, saying ‘wake
up sleepers from your slumber and rouse up from your stupor, and examine your
deeds and do teshuva and remember your Creator’.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Clearly,
the Yetzer Hara doesn’t want us to think about our Creator, so he lulls us to
sleep. Rav Friedman goes on and tells a story of a scholar who fell asleep in
the Beis Midrash of the Tiferes Shlomo. The Tiferes Shlomo approached him, woke
him up and asked him if he could answer “the captain’s question”?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
scholar was puzzled, so the Rav explained, I am referring to the captain of
Yonah’s ship. The one who asked him, “Why are you sleeping? Rise up and call
out to your G-d.” He then quotes a sefer Arvei Nachal which says that the
gemara, tells us that the Jewish nation is compared to a Yonah (Brachos 53b).
Thus, Yonah is the entire Jewish nation traveling through galus and chooses to “sleep
it out”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Our
sages compared us in this long bitter exile to a ship that is foundering at sea
that is expected to sink at any moment, and there is no hope save for the hope
that HKBH will save it, for there is no other plan. Likewise, are we in this
exile as a sheep among 70 wolves…with no way out. And for this the scripture
calls out, “And Yonah descended to the bowels of the ship, and he laid down and
slumbered.” The Jewish nation is compared to a dove and the Ruach Hakodesh (the
Captain) screams at us, “Why are you sleeping? There is no time to sleep. Just
rise up and call out to your G-d. Perhaps G-d will think of you and we will not
be lost.”</span></i></span></span></blockquote><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
we pray maariv we say, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: arial;"><b>הסר שטן
מלפנינו ומאחרינו</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. <i><span style="color: #990000;">Remove the Satan from in front of us and
from behind us.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is ‘<span style="color: #990000;">from in front of us</span>’?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
we can see him and recognize him, even if he is laying low and camouflaged.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is ‘<span style="color: #990000;">from behind us</span>’?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When
he puts drugs in our drinks and lulls us to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He
is the grand molester, and he comes from all sides.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
is the remedy?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
learned the lesson from Parshas Bechukosai that we must supplement our mitzva
observance with ameilus b’Torah. If not, he will groom us and drag us down step
by step to rock bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
if we are drugged, we can’t even do that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
can only arise and call out to HKBH. </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">קום, </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><u>קרא </u></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">אל א-לקיך.</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">קרוב ה' לכל </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>קוראיו</u></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">לכל אשר יקראוהו </span><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>באמת</u></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">יונה בן </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u>אמיתי</u></span></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One thing is certain...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">...we cannot be "victims" all our lives.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-1381896798518706112023-05-16T22:29:00.005+03:002023-06-27T20:55:07.846+03:00Irreversible Damage <p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #38761d;">Author’s
note</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #38761d;">
– This is definitely one of the longest single posts that I have ever posted. I
was not an easy post to write and is not an easy post to read. To make it smoother, I cut it into bite-sized sections. I appreciate
those who take the time to read it and hope they will think it was worthwhile.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Many
of us have our Tehillim or Shema Koleinu lists. These are names of people that
we want to daven for Heavenly salvation for various personal problems. The most
common categories are <i>parnassah</i>, <i>shidduchim</i>, and <i>refuah sh’leima</i>.
In addition to these, I have one other category: people being detained or held
by non-Jewish or secular authorities. <i>Pidyon Shevuyim</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently,
my list comprises four names:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Nechama
Dina Krinsky – </span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">נחמה דינה
בת חיה באשא</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She
is a Chabad shlucha and mother of 11 that is being prosecuted in Lithuania for alleged
tax fraud and withholding information when she was forced to declare bankruptcy
on the Chabad school she led. As of last March, she was in house arrest but
could face jail time. You can see her story <b><a href="https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2162022/a-criminal-case-against-a-shlucha.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. I do not know the current
status but believe that there was supposed to be a trial on March 9, 2023. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">According
to her husband, the reason they did not have the needed funds is because money
allocated for the Vilna Jewish community from the Ukrainian government, to
which their school is entitled, was not released to them by the Good Will Fund
which is run by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Aside from that, one needs
to wonder why the Chabad organizations that sent the Krinskys as shluchim did
not provide adequate funding.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yehoshua
(last name unknown) – </span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">יהושע מנחם
רפאל בן גילה מרים</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">17-year-old
Israeli bochur who was lured into being a mule to smuggle illegal substances to
France - presumably by a “frum” Jewish person. See the story <b><a href="https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2037090/israeli-yeshiva-bochur-arrested-in-france-with-illegal-substance-in-bag.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. Current
status unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Amiram
Ben-Uliel – </span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">עמירם בן נורית</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">West
Bank resident was convicted for murder and arson in Duma incident and sentenced
to 3 life terms. There is absolutely no proof to his guilt except a confession
that was obtained from torture. See the story <b><a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-716040" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>and how to help <b><a href="https://www.honenu.org/justice-for-amiram" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Malka
Leifer – </span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">ריבה מלכה פרומית
בת מרים שרה</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Israeli
school principal convicted in Australian court for allegedly molesting some
students. The students reported her to Australian authorities three years after
she left Australia. See last post <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-malka-leifer-verdict-guiltyor-not.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is a strange common denominator to all these cases. In all of them, it is the behavior
(or misbehavior) of Jews at the source of their ordeals. Jews. Delinquent,
non-G-d-fearing Jews. Some of these Jews know about G-d and Torah but choose to rebel. <i>Reshaim</i>.
Some are misguided. <i>Tamim</i>. <b><i>Consumers</i></b>. And some may be
clueless. <i>Einam yodim l’shaal</i>. But they are all Jews.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="color: #202122; font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>מהרסיך ומחרביך ממך יצאו</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #202122; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
thought of all this does not help my digestive system.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am not here to reform the <i>reshaim</i> or to initiate the clueless. My
mission is to help the <b><i>consumers</i></b>. These are people who think of
themselves as G-d fearing but are misguided about what G-d really wants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In my book and blog, I discussed the
difference between consumers and providers. I lamented about how disconnected
the consumers are from the advantages of understanding the products and the
hazards they succumb to as a result. As I wrote in my treatise about <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Thinking Like a Jew</a></b>, the primary hazard that affects a consumer is Hazard #3:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #2b00fe; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hazard #3</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> - Vulnerability for allowing concepts
(read: propaganda) from non-religious sources to influence one’s position on
religious issues.</span></span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
went on to explain that: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“consumerist Jews who live in Western societies tend
to develop their philosophies based on non-Jewish Western secular values. To be
more blunt, this is saying that many American mitzvah observant Jews think more
like a secular American than they think like a Jew.”</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
one of today’s neo-conservative analysts put it (paraphrase), “<span style="color: #38761d;">Everyone is
obsessed with staying in line with ‘<i>the current thing’</i></span>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
accusers in the Malka Leifer episode made it their business to turn this into a
<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/" target="_blank">public spectacle</a></b>. They used social media to amass a chorus of cheerleaders to
tell them what they want to hear. To create an echo chamber. I wrote about it
in this post (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2019/04/consumerism-and-art-of-denial-part-1.html" target="_blank">Consumerism and the Art of Denial</a></b>).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">These
cheerleaders, most of whom are Jewish and many of whom are even Orthodox, are
all consumers paying homage to “<i>the current thing</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Somebody
recently lent me a book for my moments of solitude that explains the current
craze of sudden transgenderism that is plaguing adolescent girls. The book is
titled <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Irreversible-Damage-Transgender-Seducing-Daughters/dp/1684510317" target="_blank">Irreversible Damage</a></b> written by Abigail Shrier (a nice Jewish girl from
the East coast). The title couldn’t be more appropriate. See my recent post
about <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/08/interlude-to-four-horsemen-permanent.html" target="_blank">permanent solutions to temporary problems</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
aspect of this craze, which would be totally shocking if not that I am
conditioned to it, is the role of social media. On page 12 (about as far as I
have read) she mentions a girl named Julie and quotes one of her mothers (she
has two):<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">“I
saw the picture of her, right after her mastectomy, lying in the hospital bed,
talking about how this is the best day of her life, tears of joy, this kind of
thing, and four hundred of her cheerleaders saying, ‘Yay,’ ‘Awesome job,’
‘We’re so proud of you,’ ‘You can do this,’ You know – the usual”. </span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
sure, this is all I have seen from the hundreds of jubilant cheerleaders for
the Leifer accusers, <span style="color: #990000;">‘Mazal tov!,’ ‘Baruch Hashem,’ ‘Yay,’ ‘You girls are
awesome,’ ‘We’re so proud of you,’ ‘You did it,’ </span>You know – the usual.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All
this for perpetrating irreversible damage.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I wrote in my very first <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xii-justice-is-blindand-deaf.html" target="_blank">preamble post</a></b> on this episode, it is not only a band
of cheerleaders. It is a band of consumerist vigilantes who follow their
emotions and not their heads. The mindless masses. As Rachel Risby-Raz wrote in
her <b><a href="https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-malka-leifer-court-gang/" target="_blank">TOI blog</a></b>, “The gang didn’t really have a leader.” No leader, no head, just
a <i>boich </i>(gut). Some psychologists call this <b><i><a href="https://www.swfinstitute.org/news/90470/what-is-mass-formation-psychosis" target="_blank">mass formation psychosis</a></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Just
like the transgender craze, the irreversible damage is also to themselves, to
each other, and to society at large. It is very scary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
harmonious comments of the cheerleaders overwhelmingly reflect every type of trait
that they would solemnly swear not to teach their children:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
presumption of guilt<br /><br /></span></b></li><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
thirst for punishment and retribution (eye for eye)<br /><br /></span></b></li><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
animosity and demonization<br /><br /></span></b></li><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
disdain for Halacha and Jewish values<br /><br /></span></b></li><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
rationalization and self-righteous vindication<br /><br /></span></b></li><li><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Overwhelming
shortsightedness on ramifications</span></b></li></ol><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think each of these traits call for some introspection. Here we go:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 - Overwhelming
presumption of guilt</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
discussed this topic at length in these posts: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xii-justice-is-blindand-deaf.html" target="_blank">Midas HaDin</a></b>, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/02/mesira-ixv-adulterating-truth.html" target="_blank">Adulterating the Truth</a></b>, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/updates-on-malka-leifer-and-jcw.html" target="_blank">Updates on Malka Leifer and JCW</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dassi
Erlich announced the guilty verdict on her Facebook page on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid02HS1WX47hrChjd7putdZsMFqeGkiuH4tWDQe79KEHR7REj356hry6zhiZdXqZqwGDl" target="_blank">April 3</a></b>. This post
attracted 613 comments before it petered out. I quickly scrolled through them
to check them out. All of the comments are supportive, congratulatory, and
jubilant. Lots of “Finally,” “At long last,” “Baruch Hashem,” “Mazal Tov”, “You
are so brave and amazing”, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
a single one was surprised at the verdict. Nor against it. Why should they be?
She is so obviously guilty. Let’s hear from some of the cheerleaders. We will
start with the next to last comment written by Sam Leary referring to Dassi’s
ex-husband: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">I
hope your ex-husband has trouble looking himself in the mirror now the truth he
tried so hard to cover up, has been so publicly confirmed. His selfish motives
trying to destroy the mother of his child shows his true self.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
funny thing is that Dassi’s ex-husband’s testimony was that this case is being
blown out of proportion. The verdict does not prove him wrong and, if anything,
does more to prove him right. Sam Leary can only see in him “<span style="color: #b45f06;">selfish motives</span>”
in that he is “<span style="color: #b45f06;">trying to destroy the mother of his child</span>”. Leary cannot fathom
that perhaps he is trying to protect Mrs. Leifer from unjust prosecution.
Incidentally, there is no reason why Mrs. Leifer getting off would destroy the
mother of his child (Dassi Erlich). Personally, I think it would be much better
for her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">His
comment about “<span style="color: #b45f06;">the truth he tried…to cover up</span>” displays his presumption of
guilt but this was basically run-of-the-mill. After all, to him it's been 'confirmed'. What impressed me more was the
immediate reply from a fellow named Shimshon Shoshkowitz:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Sam
Leary</span> Whilst the whole Jewish community </i><b><i>knew </i></b><i>Leifer was guilty, he still
decided to testify for the defence…</i></span></blockquote><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes,
indeed. The whole Jewish community (except me) knew Leifer was guilty. How did
they know? Did she tell them? Were there objective witnesses? Not that I am
aware of. Only these amazing sisters said she is guilty and therefore she is.
Also people like <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/?s=the%20shofar%27s%20cry" target="_blank">Dovid Lichtenstein</a></b>, <a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/08/mesira-xvi-putting-peh-before-ayin.html" target="_blank"><b>Yerachmiel Lopin</b> <b>and Yaakov Horowitz</b></a>,
ad infinitum. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
don’t think he really meant the whole Jewish community <i><b>knew</b></i>. He meant the whole
Jewish community <b><i>presumed</i></b> to know. Of course, this makes Dassi’s
ex-husband who probably knows a lot better irredeemably wicked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Other
cheerleaders were “thankful” or “grateful” that she was found guilty. Writes Helen
Mazner, “<span style="color: #bf9000;">We are so thankful the verdict was GUILTY.</span>” Comments Lynda Green,
“<span style="color: #bf9000;">Thank goodness the truth was told and the verdict of guilty was pronounced</span>.”
And former prosecutor Shlomit Metz-Poolat, “<span style="color: #bf9000;">As a former prosecutor I was
following your case every step of the way and was grateful to see her jailed,
extradited, tried, and finally convicted!</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am not sure who they are being grateful to, but people are only grateful for
one thing: when they get something they want. They all <b><i>wanted</i></b>
Mrs. Leifer to be guilty. Nobody wanted her to be innocent. One can’t justify
hating innocent people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">From all these, the most striking comment was from Helene Gordon, “<span style="color: #b45f06;">Malka's guilt is
a relief</span>!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A
relief?? She is relieved that a Jewish person was found guilty in a non-Jewish
court for a crime that was never established to have occurred at all?? Wouldn’t
it be a greater relief if she was found innocent? If the court ruled that whole
thing was a crazy nightmare, a figment of some people’s imaginations? Blown way
out of proportion? No one was really molested. What a relief!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
just can’t be. She had to be guilty because… because… because… everybody knows
she is. And why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Because
nobody <b><i>wants</i></b> her to be innocent. That would be so anti-climactic.
If she would have been found totally innocent, there would have been a cry of
outrage and miscarriage of justice from the grandstands. “She must really be
guilty, they just couldn’t prove it.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
look at a commenter from <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringleiferback/posts/pfbid0weDDF1rNghxWmj3ccV3Hhpoxsj89hbJYdP45ZGWuEuU2RAzdwehnJZ5BYZmFCa9zl" target="_blank">March of 2018</a></b> named Nicole Iglicki Gold. She wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #351c75;">...“A
fair trial in Australia”-who are you kidding? She doesn’t deserve anything
fair. I don’t know these girls but I am human and am sensitive to their pain.
...Ask yourself, what if it were your children who were subjected to this evil
evil lady? ... She is a criminal and deserves to be in jail and to have the key
thrown away.”</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is a typical commenter who admits that she doesn’t "<span style="color: #351c75;">know these girls</span>” (the
accusers) which indicates that she certainly doesn’t know Mrs. Leifer, as well.
She doesn’t know anything at all, yet she <i><b>knows </b></i>that Mrs. Leifer is
an “<span style="color: #351c75;">evil evil lady</span>” and a “<span style="color: #351c75;">criminal</span>” and “<span style="color: #351c75;">deserves to be in jail and the key
thrown away…</span>” Just because Dassi Erlich said so!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
what does Nichole Sapper Meyer say about the one who says “she does not deserve
anything fair”?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Nichole
Meyer: <i><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Nicole Iglicki Gold</span> thank you ... your words mean a lot to us.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><br /></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes,
she is so automatically guilty that she doesn’t deserve anything fair. Nicole
confirms this. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is Midas Sodom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">2 - Overwhelming
thirst for punishment and retribution (eye for eye)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">See
this post: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xii-justice-is-blindand-deaf.html" target="_blank">Justice is Blind…and Deaf- Midas HaDin</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Great.
Terrific. She’s guilty! Yes, she’s guilty!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Um,
what is she guilty of?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
we know, the secular courts say she is guilty of some heinous crimes including
“rape”. This is, by use of their definition of “rape”. For the very few people
who may have read my preamble post, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Thinking Like a Jew</a></b>, we learn what rape
really means (as well as what it used to mean in a secular court many rains ago). Real
rape is performed by real men and by force. This is a heinous crime. This
newfangled artificial female “rape” is just invasive pattycake. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is what I wrote in my 2017 post Flirting with Danger:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Even
if she is guilty of what she is being accused of, the activities are not
felonious by Torah standards and don’t call for any extreme penalties. Not even
judicial flogging. Claims of emotional and psychological injury to the victims
are only personal injury claims and are monetary and not criminal. </span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Did
I just mention personal injury? Ah yes. Both in the Thinking Like a Jew post
and in my very last post we discussed the penalty for personal injury:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chazal
teach us (Bava Kama 83b) that “an eye for an eye” doesn’t mean a literal eye.
It means cash. In other words, when one injures or inflicts physical pain on
another person, the punishment is monetary compensation to the victim. This is
the Torah way. Torah justice is done with monetary compensation, not with
cutting eyes or limbs or putting people in jail. Our Torah is much more
compassionate than any secular justice system.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the cheerleaders are having none of it. They have no compassion. They want
blood. Listen to our frum ex-prosecutor Shlomit Metz-Poolat, “<span style="color: #b45f06;">She will rot in a
small cell for many years to come.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
a prosecutor, always a prosecutor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
ex-prosecutor is not alone. How many times have I seen the banal line, “Let’s
make Leifer a lifer?” Countless.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
don’t forget Ms. Nicole Iglicki Gold from last section who doesn’t know anyone
or anything but wrote that she, “<i><span style="color: #351c75;">deserves to be in jail and the key thrown
away…</span></i>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
consumerist Jews don’t know the Gemara in Bava Kamma that says that “an eye for
an eye” means money. Or that </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">צדק צדק
תרדוף</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> means in a Jewish court at the hands of a
G-d fearing Beis Din. They think an eye for an eye means a real eye for an eye.
Vengeance. And </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">צדק צדק תרדוף</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span lang="HE" style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">means
secular courts and secular laws.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wish it were only the cheerleaders. The cheerleaders are influenced by the
professional “athletes”. Let’s go back to my contested post Judging the Judges
2 from July 2017 (currently <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/judging-judges-part-2-kangaroo-courts.html" target="_blank">offline</a></b>). In that post, I clearly wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>I
don’t want to see Malka Leifer destroyed and I don’t want to see Dassi Erlich
destroyed. There is no need for it. As far as I know, they are both victims. I
think it's a better idea to try to fix wounded people than to try to break
them.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
sincerely meant it then and do so to this day. I want what is best for
everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Comes
fix-the-world athlete <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-malka-leifer-mesira-gang.html" target="_blank">Shana Aaronson</a></b> onto social media and, in regard to this
very post, she writes to me:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">[I] Still
think your an immature cruel human being incapable of understanding compassion and
nuance.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Get
this? I want what is best for all sides. Let’s play nice and everybody go home
and cool down. Shana Aaronson totally wants to destroy Mrs. Leifer and doesn’t
care if Dassi Erlich gets herself destroyed in the process. She wants blood and
vengeance. (More on this later.) And I am the one who is immature and incapable
of compassion???<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Clearly,
Mrs. Aaronson and I have very different definitions of “compassion”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
of us have heard the sharp words of Mahatma Gandhi, “An eye for an eye makes
the whole world blind.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe
that’s what they mean when they say that Justice is blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 - Overwhelming
animosity and demonization</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Related posts: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xii-justice-is-blindand-deaf.html" target="_blank">Midas HaDin</a></b>, <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/08/mesira-xvi-putting-peh-before-ayin.html" target="_blank">Building a Case</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
cheerleaders never tire of using the most appalling epithets to demonize our
villain: <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Monster, wicked, witch, b—ch, rapist, pedophile, scum, evil, etc</span></i>. Everything
to the most extreme.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why
is this necessary?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">People
need to justify their being cruel and vindictive, and they do it by announcing
that the villain is the worst type of miscreant imaginable. They are forced to
label the villain as irredeemably wicked because, if they aren’t, there is no
excuse not to redeem them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After
all, all these people like Nicole Iglicki Gold and Shimshon Shoshkovitz know
exactly everything that happed. They said so. And even devout pious role-models
like Dovid Lichtenstein can <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/92317-after-the-shofar-the-silent-cry-in-our-community/" target="_blank">publicly state</a></b> regarding a Torah observant Jew, “</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;">ושם רשעים ירקב</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>”. (Perhaps he means to elevate her to the
status of the skilled Kohanim of the Beis HaMikdash – Yoma 38a).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
must be therapeutic. People need to demonize others to make themselves feel
better about their own shortcomings. This is so they can tell themselves, “<i>Yes,
I know that I do this or used to do that, but at least I’m not as bad as that evil
monster.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
order to be able to love themselves, so many people need to find “others” to
hate. They only need to justify why they are not bad people for hating them.
Ah, the villain is so irredeemably wicked, they cannot be considered human and
certainly not Jewish. They are not entitled to the rights that normal humans
are entitled to, like, for instance, a fair trial. They must be akin to Amalek.
It is <b><i>a mitzvah</i></b> to hate them and to wish and do to them the
utmost harm. Thus, hating other people becomes a part of their essence. It’s a
mitzva now, after all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is something that never stays inside its cage. One “mitzvah” drags in another
“mitzvah”. It is now a <b><i>mitzvah</i></b> to demonize anybody who is understanding
and compassionate of the accused. “Let’s get them, too.” And so, the animosity
and demonization spills over to Mr. Fried, Rabbi Shafran, Rabbi Grossman, Rabbi
Litzman, to me and, most recently, to Dassi Erlich’s ex-husband.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ironically,
and perhaps hypocritically, bounty-hunter Mrs. Shana Aaronson, boldly <b><a href="https://magen-israel.org/en/" target="_blank">proclaims</a></b>
as a fact that 1 in 3 women are abused in their lifetimes. When one couples
this with another known fact that most abusers were themselves abused, it has
to bring up the odds that our villain may be a victim of abuse to way beyond
50%. Such a situation, if verified, would go a long way in making our villain a
bit more human and redeemable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the haters and demonizers will have none of it. They can’t even face up to such
a possibility. Because, if it is so, they are now murdering a victim.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
such, when I suggested in my blog that Mrs. Leifer is most likely a victim, Shana
Aaronson needed to fight me on public social media (same thread as before). She
wrote to me, “<i><span style="color: #990000;">some [molesters] were [abused]. But not as many as your
assuming</span></i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
as many as I am <b><i>assuming</i></b>? Doesn’t she herself write that 33% of
all women are abused, even those that don’t graduate to be abusers? <b>33%!</b>
That’s her number. And the odds for a molester can only be higher (can’t be
lower.) Has anybody heard her <b><a href="https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/podcast/episode-39-supporting-survivors-of-sexual-abuse/?mc_cid=3e6d8a65b3&mc_eid=164187aa1f" target="_blank">podcast</a></b> on her own website where she
mentions how at one time, almost all the friends she was hanging out with were
sharing their personal stories of abuse?!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She
then went on to state, “<i><span style="color: #990000;">NO ONE gets a pass at molesting a kid. And sure as h*ll not on 74 counts…</span></i>”. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Firstly, here again is your universal presumption of guilt.
How is she certain that our villain is guilty of 74 counts? Or even one? Further,
she obviously means “<span style="color: #990000;">a pass</span>” from punishment, not from prevention. Shana is a
firm believer in blood and vengeance. Every “molester” <b><i>needs</i></b> to
be punished even if they are retired and even if they were molested themselves.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Well
Shana seems to be among the 33%.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am aware of an online chat forum strictly for frum women. I became aware of it
many years ago when one member critiqued my book. (That part of the forum was
accessible to anyone). I promptly directed my wife to become a legitimate
member. Ever since, if I needed to, I could find out what the “ladies” have to
say on a topic that I might be dealing with. You can bet that I “peeked” into
the threads about Malka Leifer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Regarding
Malka Leifer, there was a protracted thread about the involvement of Rabbi
Litzman, after that there was a more recent one celebrating the extradition and
now one celebrating the conviction. As expected, the prevalent attitude is approving,
celebratory and even vindictive although there are always some lone
level-headed posters who may challenge some points and say this is not
something to celebrate. Those few usually get gang tackled. The titles of the
two last threads are indicative of the mood: “<b>Finally! Extradited</b>” “<b>Finally!
Guilty</b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
tragic thing about all the threads is that far too many posters tell us that
they were abused themselves. Thus, it makes sense for them to identify with the
accusers and cheer for them. In light of this, as I checked out those threads
there was something I was looking for. And I didn’t find it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">With
all those posters, many of whom were “survivors” themselves, not one, <b><i>not
a single one</i></b>, could even suggest that perhaps Mrs. Leifer is also a
victim (or “survivor”.) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why
not?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Because,
if she is, they would also have to let her into their “victims” club. They
cannot allow themselves to do that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">4 - Overwhelming
disdain for Halacha and Jewish values</span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A
consumer, by definition, is one who does not know all that much about the
product. That’s bad enough. But consumers of Jewish Halacha are even more
recalcitrant since, in most cases, they <b><i>don’t want</i></b> to know all
that much about the product. As long as the definition of secularism is to do
whatever one sees fit and not to be bound by restrictions, all that Halacha
gives us are the restrictions we would otherwise not want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ben
Shapiro has often remarked, “<i>Facts don’t have feelings,</i>” and this is no less
true about the “facts” of our Halacha. They don’t have feelings, or at least,
the type of feelings most of us would like them to have. For most consumers,
and especially for the entire Malka Leifer prosecution cheerleading squad, the
simplest route is to just ignore the Halachic ‘facts’ and act as if they don’t
exist. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
exist they do, and we can’t just wish them away. And since they are pointing a
different direction, I find myself responsible to point them out. It’s a part
of the Halacha. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
such, before I took on this task, I made it my business to write the preamble
post <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Thinking Like a Jew</a></b>. This sets the moral compass for this entire
episode. Indeed, when one consumerist sheep bleated to me, “Where is your moral
compass?” I was very easily able to link to this post and then say, “Here’s
mine. Where’s yours?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
universal disdain for Halacha is not confined to the mindless masses of the cheerleaders.
This conduct came from “higher places” as well. The dialog with Shana Aaronson
that I referenced in the previous sections took place while she and Meyer Seewald
were busy composing their <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-segulah-of-rabi-matya-ben-charash.html" target="_blank">defamatory article</a></b> against me. In that same thread, she
wrote me that I “<i><span style="color: #990000;">don’t have a clue how sexual abuse works</span></i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Aside
from not providing a clue on how she “knows” this, as well as totally not
acknowledging what I wrote on the subject before she ever heard of me (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2015/09/child-abuse-and-fire.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>), I let it slide and
just countered that, “<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I don’t think you have a clue on how Halacha works…</span></i>”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
know that she has no clue because she is clearly violating it. Nor does she
even claim to be observing it. Nevertheless, her response was, (her words - abridged
for brevity):</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">“If it means I get to keep advocating for the people whose lives
have been ripped apart by evil, and for protecting all of our children
(including yours), I’ll take it. Sure. Not <b>your</b> Halacha, that’s
for damn sure.” </span><span>(Note the emotion in her words).</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My</span></i></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Halacha?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What
she is saying is that she will decide for herself what Halachos to follow and
what to discard. She will do what she wants. Not what the Halacha that I source
tells her to. That is <i><b>my </b></i>Halacha and is <b><i>not applicable to her</i></b>. She will not be subject to boundaries and restrictions that are
meant to protect people (including her).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
responded that “<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">My Halacha is your Halacha – sorry to say</span></i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Incidentally,
there is nothing in any Halacha that says she cannot advocate for victims. It
only says she can not decide what is permissible to do to alleged perpetrators.
Like most of these confused souls, she is conflating two issues in order to
rationalize her bloodletting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She
wasn’t done railing in that thread but she never responded to the Halacha
claim. She then went on to publish her defamatory article where she referred to
my position as “pseudo-Halachic” without a single word to explain what is
pseudo-Halachic about it. Later in the same article she actually demonized me
for “<i><span style="color: #990000;">vehemently defending his [my] position under the <b>guise</b> of
Torah, Shulchan Aruch and Halacha</span></i>“.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
clearly <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">listed the sources</a></b>, and she in no way denied that my stated Halachic
premises actually appear in the Torah, Shulchan Aruch and Halacha. Yet, to her,
it is just a “guise”. She knows the real Halacha, wherever it may be. She has
yet to reveal it. It must be Toras HaNistar.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
woman actually claims to teach “Halacha” to kallahs who have suffered traumas.
Hashem Yishmor!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Actually,
this thread appears in a post in Meyer Seewald’s Facebook page in 2017 whence
Meyer bashed me for “using Halacha”. Yes, it’s a crime for me to use Halacha.
Meyer is indicating that he or JCW would never do such a thing!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
consumer named Shmuel Kopel jumped in to save him in the comments secton. He wrote: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeyerSeewald1?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXwqzQzFwm2Ux_CmGx6fi039yVhpTFOeqDh0KqaUZSGcH5VSeT9BZ7VGeiyNeb-opFYcTY5qLNvKMIeqs0TfWTNnpFcBW3cCcf4psF6xUo-CQ&__tn__=R%5d-R"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></i></a></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeyerSeewald1?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXwqzQzFwm2Ux_CmGx6fi039yVhpTFOeqDh0KqaUZSGcH5VSeT9BZ7VGeiyNeb-opFYcTY5qLNvKMIeqs0TfWTNnpFcBW3cCcf4psF6xUo-CQ&__tn__=R%5d-R" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Meyer
Seewald</a> please reword you statement to "claims to be using Halacha"
otherwise u are agreeing with him that he is following halacha. I proudly try
my best to follow halacha and would like to know the source for his behavior in
halacha if that is what u r saying.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
consumer did not read my blog nor see my sources. Anyhow, based on his
suggestion, Meyer changed the text of his post to “claims to use Halacha”. He
did not bother to explain what, if anything, is faulty about those “claims”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another
commenter on that thread wrote: "<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i>I’m really curious to see how this twisted
individual uses Halacha to justify the exact opposite of basic HALACHA</i>.</span>"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
promptly replied with a link to <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Thinking Like a Jew</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
doesn’t end there. We have the master of Halacha Headlines himself, Dovid
Lichtenstein, who is a <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/92317-after-the-shofar-the-silent-cry-in-our-community/" target="_blank">proud supporter</a></b> of the accusers and an even prouder
demonizer of the accused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, due
to his public position as a purveyor of Halacha, his </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><span lang="HE">כגון אנא דמסיגנא ד' אמות בלא
תורה ובלא תפילין</span></b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> is a chillul Hashem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">5 - Overwhelming
rationalization and self-righteous vindication<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Related
post: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/08/mesira-xvi-putting-peh-before-ayin.html" target="_blank">Putting the Peh before the Ayin - Building a Case</a><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Needless
to say, this trait is a spinoff of all of the previously listed traits -
presumption of guilt, lust for blood and punishment, animosity and demonization.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
terminology of the celebrators point to a collective sigh of relief that Mrs. Leifer
was found guilty. So many, “Finally” and “What a relief” and “Baruch Hashem.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To
paraphrase, they are saying, ‘We were right all along.’ ‘She is definitely
guilty because these non-Jews with Western secular standards said she is.’ ‘She
really is the evil satanic demon we’ve been calling her all these years.’ ‘We
were right. And she really does deserve all of the years in prison and court
and people following her around with cameras.’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Clearly,
there would definitely not be any “Finally” and “What a relief” and “Baruch
Hashem” if Mrs. Leifer was found innocent. That would be a catastrophe. ‘You
mean all our redifus, name-calling, destruction and persecution was in vain?’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
disdain for Halacha part won’t bother most of the cheerleaders since they
anyway learned to live with themselves while not observing Jewish Halacha. Yet,
there are a few who hold themselves as observers of Halacha. How do they
rationalize their position?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
method is the demonization; to paint the accused as the most diabolical fiend
imaginable. Once the villain is labeled with every diabolical epithet, one can
say they are no longer human, no longer Jewish. Open season. Kill the beastie.
The <i>sinas chinam</i> become <i>sinas kinaim</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A
second method is to distort the Halacha to find </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">kulos</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> for hurting
accused people.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
want to claim that the Torah says rape is like murder (Devarim 22:26). From
this, we see the danger of playing word games. If anything, this pasuk refers to <b><i>real</i></b>
rape, not to feminine finger poking. Also, the comparison is that a <i>rodef </i>in
progress for real rape can be stopped with lethal means like a <i>rodef </i>in progress for murder.
This is if the crime is in active progress. Once it is carried out and completed, it is subject
to due process in a Jewish court (only). Both in cases of murder and of real
rape.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Leifer case has no <i>rodef </i>and no rape. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
usual, I received no online comments on my last post. However, I was contacted
by a few readers off-line. One reader, a prominent blogger who is a big
proponent of religious ideals and a big Har Habayit and <i>techeiles</i> enthusiast,
complained that I only want to follow the letter of the law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
responded that for anything <i>bein adam l’chavero</i>, we are <b><i>obligated</i></b>
to follow the letter of the law because being lenient to one side automatically
means being strict to the other. He proceeded to show me (A) some halachic
sources which tell us that a Beis Din has the authority to enact extra-judicial
punishments when the looseness of the generation call for it. He then (B) extended
this to claim that since BD today is powerless, there is no problem to turn our
miscreants over to goyim for extra-judicial punishments since BD could do it if
they want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
for A, I responded that you don’t need a list of sources. This is clearly in
Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 2, so would this be applicable, then it is a
part of the “letter of the law”. That said, for B, I pointed out that this is
an exclusive right and function of a Beis Din. Even today, a Beis Din (and only
a BD) has the authority to rule if it is appropriate to be moser somebody to
non-Jews in another country. As far as I know, there was never a Beis Din
involved in this case at any level whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Furthermore,
this authority for extra-judicial punishments can only hold when it has been established
beyond a doubt by the Beis Din that the alleged crime was committed, and the suspect
is guilty of it. That is certainly not the case here, but our messianic reader
is suffering from the same presumption of guilt that is driving this entire debacle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lastly,
there is no real source for a Beis Din to allow non-Jews to carry out extra-judicial
punishments - with the possible exception of enforcing a get decree (although a
get decree is not an extra-judicial punishment and the decree itself is made in
Beis Din). There is no such allowance in all of Hilchos Mesira (Choshen Mishpat
388). But if it helps people like my blogger friend and Shana Aaronson to live with themselves
after spilling Jewish blood <i>shelo k’din</i>, I guess it may be worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">6- Overwhelming
shortsightedness on ramifications<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Related
posts: <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/flirting-with-danger.html" target="_blank">Flirting with Danger</a></b> and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/03/extradition-or-jurisdiction-hard-look.html" target="_blank">Extradition or Jurisdiction</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
refrain that I’ve heard from numerous people is the concept of <b><i>the
greater good</i></b>. Even if extradition is not justified and/or prison is not
justified and the villain doesn’t deserve such harsh treatment, there are still
very significant social gains that benefit the community as a whole. Hence, it
is justified to “sacrifice” the miscreant for these social gains. (Another
rationalization.) The rationalizations sound like this:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Firstly,
indeed there is a strong “</span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">raglayim l’davar</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">” that there were inappropriate
activities that took place and that innocent young people were hurt. To get the
alleged – with </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">raglayim l’davar</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> – miscreant off the streets ensures that
these activities don’t continue even if this step is not really necessary.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Secondly,
seeing the [alleged] perpetrator punished gives a sense of closure to the
[alleged] victims and helps their healing process.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Thirdly,
all this acts as a deterrent by which to convince other potential predators to desist.
Thus, society gains in the long run. The miscreant might be getting the short
stick, but society can only gain. What does the general society have to lose? It’s
good for society!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This attitude is an expression of short sightedness. Not only are these celebrations misguided
for all the reasons discussed in the previous sections, but they are also
poisonous to society including to those who are celebrating. Some poisons take effect
immediately and others don’t take effect until long afterward, but all poisons
are hazardous to one’s health.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is one reason I wrote the post <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/06/flirting-with-danger.html" target="_blank">Flirting with Danger</a></b>. In that post I noted that,
in my opinion, the vocal cheerleaders who are celebrating are an </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>עם נבל ולא חכם</b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. This is because, as Rashi says, they do
not see the <i>nolad</i>, they do not see what this may be leading to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
opened there with the dangers from the religious perspective. This is all a
tremendous chillul Hashem and a chillul Hashem can never be good for society at
large. Secondly, whenever a miscreant is discovered in the chareidi One Above camp
(</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>אם בחוקותי תלכו</b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>), the religious liberals and irreligious
scoffers - the members of the Seven Below camp (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>ואם בחוקותי תמאסו</b></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) - capitalize on it to denigrate the One
Above camp, and discourages Jews from improving their lives. They are creating
a deterrence to Torah living which far outweighs the deterrence to stop
molesters from molesting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wrote there that:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>“It
seems to me that most of these Jews, the victims and their supporters, are not
really <b>yarei shamayim</b>. So they will not acknowledge this danger.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>But
they should take heed that there are a number of dangers of a more earthly
nature that it would be wise to think about. If one can be a chacham. If one
can be ro’eh ess hanolad</i>.”</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
made a number of predictions in that post. The most dramatic of them did not
come to pass. Mrs. Leifer wasn’t acquitted, but she might have been. Still, the
things that took place set some very dangerous precedents that may come back to
bite those that advocated for them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first thing is the extradition that everybody was cheering for. The manner in
which the State of Israel so readily extradited a natural born citizen to a
foreign country on such flimsy pretenses means that it can happen to anybody.
One never knows how and why he or she can find themselves on the next flight
out. Needless to say there is no shortage of Israelis on the international
wanted list.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hence
in my post about <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/03/extradition-or-jurisdiction-hard-look.html" target="_blank">Extradition or Jurisdiction</a></b> I wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>We
live in a very hostile world that is not sympathetic to the struggles of the
State of Israel for survival and security. There are ubiquitous open ended
“arrest warrants” in many countries for Israeli officials, politicians, and
military personnel for bogus “war crimes” or “crimes against humanity”. Many of
our leaders and military heroes are not free to travel anywhere in the world
without diplomatic cover for fear of wanton prosecution in countries that have
no moral jurisdiction (only self-imposed) to whatever events they would
prosecute for.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>It
is unthinkable that the State of Israel should acquiesce to an extradition
request for any natural born Israeli citizen under these circumstances;
especially when the treaties themselves provide for the exemptions.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Doing
so would set a horrible precedent and could open a Pandora’s box that will
haunt Israeli officials forever. It would be political suicide.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
the precedent has been set.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
also think this whole attitude of ‘building a case’ to get a conviction without
due process is a ticket to trouble. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Just
this past Pesach, Mishpacha Magazine put out their gala Pesach edition chock
full of advertisements and sporting their collection of fiction short stories
in their Calligraphy booklet. This year’s Calligraphy had a very interesting story
of historical fiction about a Jewish family living in Massachusetts in the
general vicinity of Salem in the 1690s when the witch trials took place. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
story is narrated by a young girl whose older brother was engaged to a 22-year-old
lady from what was probably the only other Jewish family in the region. As the
story progresses, the 22-year-old kallah is accused of witchcraft at the height
of the hysteria since a few days after she was at someone’s home, their dog
dropped dead. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She
was arrested and indicted and imprisoned and certainly would have gone the
distance to the fruit tree if not that she managed to break out of jail (can’t
figure out how) and hide out by her chosson’s family until her whole family
could secretly relocate to Rhode Island.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Although
the story is full of holes, it does accurately reflect the tempo of the
era. Mainly, that anybody who is accused of being a witch is confirmed to be so
on the “strength” of the accusation itself and the accused bear the burden of
proof to prove themselves otherwise. This is virtually impossible. Secondly,
anybody Jewish, of any stripe, is going to be a prime target of this hysteria
and will certainly get a shorter measure of fair play than any non-Jew.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
of us think that that was a dark bygone era when people were superstitious and primitive
and vulnerable to all kinds of irrational fears and beliefs. Today we are
educated and scientifically advanced. We are rational and have civil rights and
the protection of a fair law system and a Bill of Rights. Things like this
couldn’t happen anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
so. Every generation has new witches and new witch hunts. The Salem witch
trials were in the 1690s but all the Wild West gunslinging and lynching of suspected
horse thieves and cattle rustlers was only in the more recent 1800s. Then came the
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism" target="_blank">McCarthy Red Scare</a></b> “witch hunts” in the 1940s and 50s which certainly
influenced the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg" target="_blank">Rosenberg</a></b> case. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Subsequently,
in the 1980s and 90s rose up the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day-care_sex-abuse_hysteria#:~:text=Day%2Dcare%20sex%2Dabuse%20hysteria%20was%20a%20moral%20panic%20that,part%20of%20the%20Satanic%20Panic." target="_blank">Day-Care Sex-Abuse Hysteria</a></b>. Today’s child
abuse is the witchcraft of yesterday complete with the presumption of guilt and
all the other trappings. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
such, it scared the life out of me to read this article: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/florida-enables-death-penalty-for-child-sexual-abuse/" target="_blank">Florida Enables Death
Penalty For Child Sexual Abuse<o:p></o:p></a></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On the face of it, it
sounds like a great idea. Hey, I am all for the death penalty in general and
for confirmed professional incorrigible grown-up pedophiles. It all sounds
great and long overdue. We’re all going to love this “Let’s kill all pedophiles”
law until… until…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">...until
one of the first customers is ch”v going to be one of us. When some 16 year old
who started up with their cousin or sibling or neighbor is going to be fingered
and R”L sent to the chair. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Remember
how many times I wrote that most offenders are young adults who will most
likely grow out of their hang-ups - if they are not hung up first? See <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/11/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-4-mother-in.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Trust
me, Jews (and maybe other minorities whose lives don’t matter) will be the
primary targets of this law. Incidentally, it says in the article that this is
not going to require a unanimous jury verdict. An 8-4 decision will be
sufficient. And with today’s burden-of-proof-upon-the-accused mentality, this
will be a disaster.</span> <span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">All the <i>askanim</i> who try to intervene in some case will
be told, “Hey, you guys wanted this law.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To
those who are not <i>roeh ess hanolad</i>, a law such as this is appropriate and
long overdue. Let’s celebrate. But this is just a modern version of 1692. Today’s
child abuse is the witchcraft of yesterday. And I am worried that, R”L, some people
may die to regret it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lastly,
I get daily emails of Rav Avigdor Miller’s ZTL Q and A sessions. In a recent
email that I received on April 20 (before Yom HaShoah) Rav Miller was asked as
follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Why
didn’t the tremendous zchus of the tzaddikim in the time of the
Holocaust save six million Jews? The kehillos in Europe and the Torah learning
was its peak.</span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rav
Miller’s response was:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Judaism
in Europe was not at its peak! It was approaching the peak of the bottom! I’ll
give you an example. In Lithuania, there were daily Jewish newspapers; one for
the Left Zionists called the Tze-Es; Zionist Socialists, a daily
newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a daily newspaper
for the general Zionists, a daily newspaper for the Revisionists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily newspapers for Jews to read. These were
newspapers for Jews, not for the gentiles.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>But
for Orthodox Jews, there was no daily and no weekly and almost no monthly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; mso-spacerun: yes;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Now
the question is who was doing all this reading? Human beings were reading
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And not Lithuanians, not gentiles.
Jews! Jews were doing all this reading! Now, what was in those newspapers, the
daily newspapers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hostility to
Judaism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attacks on rabbonim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ridicule of Torah and mitzvos. It was filled
with hostility and ridicule. And that means that the Jewish nation in Europe
before the Holocaust was reading newspapers every day with poison against
Torah, against da’as Torah. They were being poisoned.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>So
it means that the ear of the public belonged to the reshaim, which means
that the masses of the Jewish people were going lost.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>What
are you saying that Judaism in Europe was as its peak?! A yeshiva man, if he
walks out, let’s say, in Staten Island in some very assimilated Jewish
neighborhood, will Jews call him names?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jews might not take to him, they might consider him alien, a stranger,
but that’s all. But in Lithuania, a yeshiva bochur in many places was called
names by the Jews!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They looked down on
him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They called him patron! They called
him a parasite. You don’t realize how far the Jews in Europe had moved away
from Judaism. There was a lot of chillul Shabbos!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of atheism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The youth had no longer any connection with
Judaism.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">According to Rav Miller, ZTL, this
is what Judaism was like at the cusp of the Holocaust. It is almost 85 years
later and we are seeing more of the same. Antisemitism is at an all time high. And
plenty of Jews are those who are feeding it. It always has been Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
really hope there will be no need to relearn the lessons of the holocaust. But
there are no guarantees. If the damage isn’t already irreversible, we must make
sure it doesn’t get there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" face=""David",sans-serif" lang="HE">הוי כי גדול היום ההוא מאין כמהו
ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-19546645615644629392023-04-19T15:37:00.007+03:002023-04-20T19:28:22.391+03:00The Malka Leifer Verdict - Guilty!...or not?<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
jury in the Malka Leifer case has reached its verdict. She was “found” guilty
on 18 counts of sexual offenses.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The <i>mesira</i> and<i> gonev nefesh</i> are now complete and, as I see it, irreversible. Of course, the chillul Hashem is unending.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before I discuss this, two personal notes related to my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-segulah-of-rabi-matya-ben-charash.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The first is a note of caution. When I discussed the <i>segulah</i> of Rabi Matya ben Charash, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I neglected to add one proviso – aside from keeping this apparatus out of reach of children, be certain to place this </span><b><i>on a heat resistant surface</i></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">. I learned this "the hard way"!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In
my </span><b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-segulah-of-rabi-matya-ben-charash.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">, I advocated for the </span><i>segulah</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> of Rabi Matya ben Charash,
which I implemented for my own “salvation”. As the Leifer case went to deliberations,
I figured that what can it hurt if I undertake another session and daven for
Mrs. Leifer for a favorable verdict? What would it cost me, 20 minutes and 18
candles?</span><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">And
so, I took the candles and an aluminum pan and carried out another session. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Whoops. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
explained that a simple method is to take 18 tea candles and place them inside
one of those thin disposable aluminum baking pans. Then, to light them one
after the next. As you can imagine (but I didn’t), all of those paraffin
candles which are encased in aluminum shells and are then burning in an
aluminum baking pan are bound to make the pan very, very hot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
put the pan on the buffet table where I keep my Shabbos candles, but the
candles are in a <i>leichter</i> and these were put straight on top of the 8 mm
sheet glass that protects the buffet. Thank G-d nothing happened to the buffet
(or to anybody) but the sheet glass shattered. That wound up costing me an
extra 200 shekels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
second note, or disclaimer, is that, despite my boastful rhetoric that this is guaranteed
to work (or your money back…), it goes without saying that there are really no
guarantees. HKBH does what He wants. Even though this is known to be a very
powerful <i>segulah</i> – since perek 86 is a very powerful perek, when there
are strong opposing forces, whether they come from the good side or the “other
side” <i>(sitra achra</i>), it will not always prevail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Back
to our topic. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Initially, there were 74 counts against Mrs. Leifer. When she arrived in Australia, four counts were dropped and 20 were added. Yet, when she went to trial, she was only tried on 29 of the 90 counts. Two were dismissed mid-trial which left 27 counts – out of 90. Of these, she was acquitted of 9 counts and convicted of 18.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It appears that all the drama is over. Yet, I once heard a saying about marriage:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></i></p><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana;">Marriage is like a violin. Even after the beautiful music ends, the strings are still attached.</span></span></i></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So now, the beautiful violin music may have stopped, the drama may be over,
and the accusers may have achieved their goals, but the strings will always be
attached. I wrote in a </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/09/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-3-malka.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, this entire ordeal creates this permanent
bond between all of the players.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
accusers will go on with their lives, which were never really “ruined”, and will freely go places and meet and socialize with the people they choose to. Nicole
Meyer, who is allegedly the observant one, will be able to keep Shabbos and Yom
Tov and attend simchas of her own children and of other people, while at the
same time I presume that Mrs. Leifer will be barred from all of it. I wonder whether or not this is going to nag at Nicole. If it is, it is going to last forever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Even
if all of the “proven” charges are true, this is still a travesty of justice. Chazal
teach us (Bava Kama 83b) that “an eye for an eye” doesn’t mean a literal eye. It means cash. In
other words, when one injures or inflicts physical pain on another person, the
punishment is monetary compensation to the victim. This is the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Torah way</a>.</b>
Torah justice is done with monetary compensation, not with cutting eyes or
limbs or putting people in jail. Our Torah is much more compassionate than any
secular justice system. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, those who strive to inflict physical pain or corporal punishment or
incarceration on such a person <b><i>instead of</i></b> the Torah’s monetary
compensation cannot be considered compassionate by any stretch. How much more
so does this apply to those who strive to inflict physical pain or corporal
punishment or incarceration <b><i>after and on top of</i></b> receiving
monetary compensation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alright.
So, have we now firmly established that Mrs. Leifer is guilty beyond any
reasonable doubt? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Seems
like most people think this way. I’m sure it doesn’t come as any surprise that
I think differently. I have reasonable doubts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let’s
review. After the inflated number of charges was trimmed down, Mrs. Leifer was
convicted on 18 of 27 counts. This means that for nine counts she was found
unanimously innocent and for 18 she was found unanimously guilty. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And
I wonder, what was the difference? What did these eighteen counts have that the
other nine counts did not?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
don’t think I’ll ever know, or almost anybody, for that matter. One very interesting
thing is that, according to this <b><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/israeli-school-prinicpal-malka-leifer-found-guilty-of-18-charges-in-sex-abuse-trial-acquitted-of-11/news-story/dd307c39f617cb1603b82a224521d491" target="_blank">news report</a></b>, all of the charges that
relate to Nicole Meyer were found <i>not guilty</i>. All of the charges that
relate to Elly Sapper were found <i>guilty</i>. I am amazed by this because,
according to <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/sisters-fight-for-justice-against-alleged-abuser-malka-leifer/9672550" target="_blank">this article</a></b>, Elly Sapper got involved with Mrs. Leifer
after being warned by her sisters and disregarding them. I expected that to put
the brakes on at least some of them. The charges that relate to Dassi Erlich
were found part guilty and part not guilty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
seems to be some kind of pattern here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let’s
return to the whole picture. The jury has spoken. So, are we now convinced?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
had mentioned in several previous posts that, in my view, there is absolutely
nothing of substance to corroborate the accusations of the accusers. “Nothing of
substance” is meant to mean that there was no confession, no forensic evidence
and no objective eyewitnesses to the precise crimes that she is being tried
for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
may have been background witnesses like the Spanish speaking janitor who saw
her lock her office door but there doesn’t seem to be anything to corroborate that
any of the crimes actually happened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
wrote about this in my post about <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/03/extradition-or-jurisdiction-hard-look.html" target="_blank">Extradition</a></b> Law back in March of 2018:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>A
homicide is established by the discovery of a dead body (with signs of
homicide). <b>This determines that a crime was committed.</b> The only
question is: whodunnit? A homicide can be established years after its
occurrence because the body will stay dead forever (though the signs of
homicide may deteriorate). Likewise, if
the Mona Lisa is missing from the Louvre, this <b>attests that a robbery
took place.</b> A burnt building attests that there was arson. In these
cases, <b>it is not difficult to establish that there was a crime</b>.</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Assaults
are different. Especially sexual assaults. Unless there are broken bones,
stitches, pregnancies, or permanent physical injuries, after a week, or at most
a month or two, there is no longer any physical evidence of an assault. If an
assault is reported within that time, the police report and the injuries will
establish that an assault took place. But if the assault is not reported within
that time, </span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">there is no evidence of a crime whatsoever</span><span style="color: #990000;">.</span></b><span style="color: #990000;"> There is
nothing but the belated complaint of the “victim”.</span></i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">According
to the <a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/malka-leifer-seven-word-defence-for-principal-accused-of-sexual-abuse-c-10108723" target="_blank">news reports</a>, this is all we have here. The judge, Judge Mark Gamble,
said so himself:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">On
Tuesday, Judge Gamble told the jury Ms Leifer’s defence had submitted the “real
and only” issue they must decide is </span><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">if the alleged acts occurred</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">.</span></i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“The
defense submits you cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt these </span><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">alleged acts
took place</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">,” Judge Mark Gamble told jurors on Wednesday.</span></i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“The
defense submits the evidence of each complainant is simply not credible or
reliable and ought not be relied on by you.”</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“The
critical or central issue relates to whether the </span><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">prosecution can prove any of
the sexual acts alleged in the charges did in fact occur</span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">,” he said. </span></i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Likewise,
it states the remarks of the Defense Counsel:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“This
whole case depends on accepting what the complainants say happened,” he said.</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“It’s
on those fallible memories that you’re being asked to convict a person on
serious criminal offences.”</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>He
told the court the defense had been disadvantaged by the delay to reach trial,
with some of the alleged events occurring more than two decades ago.</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“This
has resulted in an impact on her ability to defend herself … it makes it
difficult for the accused to raise any defense other than a simple denial,” he
said.</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“You're
asked now to accept flashbacks, dreams, nightmares and the like … are not only
truthful but reliable to convict.</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“We
deny they are telling the truth.”</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lastly, this was all summarized by the writer of the article:</span></p><p><span style="color: #252525; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The case against Ms Leifer rests on the testimony of her three alleged victims, who for two weeks gave evidence and were cross-examined in a closed court.</i></span></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What
all this says is that all hands concede that there was no hard evidence that
any crime even occurred at all. No dead bodies, no missing Mona Lisas, no pregnancies
or stitches. Nothing but the complaints of the accusers. And they were
emotional complaints at that, as the judge instructed the jury (see <b><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/malka-leifer-jurors-warned-not-to-rely-on-one-thing-in-school-principal-sexual-abuse-case/news-story/6ecb6551ef269a49b9a6d2d3f0ca0c14" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>):<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The
jury was told there was no “normal response” to sexual offences, and they
should not use the emotional nature of Ms Leifer’s accusers’ testimony as
evidence of guilt.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“Both
truthful and untruthful accounts can be given with or without distress,” Judge
Gamble said.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“There
are too many factors for emotion to be a safe tool to judge evidence.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></o:p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why
did the judge need to tell them that? Why not tell them to rely on all the
forensic evidence and objective eyewitnesses?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Obviously,
there wasn’t any. Only emotional testimony.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Also,
the remarks of the defense about the passage of time making “<span style="color: #38761d;">it difficult for
the accused to raise any defense other than a simple denial</span>,“ is something we
should find very disturbing. It tells us that even if a narrative is presented
occurring at a faraway time with sparse unconfirmed details and there is not
much opportunity to disprove them for logistical reasons, the defense is disadvantaged.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why?
Isn’t burden of proof on the prosecution?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
all know the bitter truth. In the Western world (actually, in the whole world –
but <b><i>even</i></b> in the Western world), an accusation itself is looked at
as proof positive. It suddenly becomes the burden of <i><b>the accused</b></i> to prove that
the crime <i><b>didn’t </b></i>happen. A simple denial is not enough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, one thing we know is that there was and is no concrete proof of any
crime. And this is what the jury took into the deliberation room. No proof. Just
their impressions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well,
it took them nine days of deliberations and hard deadlocks until some of the
jurors caved into the others. Guilty on 18 counts. Not guilty on 9 counts. It doesn’t
look to me that it was beyond reasonable doubt on any counts. And we are
supposed to be convinced that Mrs. Leifer was proven guilty?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now,
I’m certain that these accusers and all of their supporters are saying, “Hooray!
Her guilt is proven! The impartial jury gave unanimous guilty verdicts on 18
counts. We are exonerated. We were right all along.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But,
if we are to trust the jury, we must declare that she is absolutely innocent of
the other nine counts. After all, it was just as unanimous. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now
all of the charges relating to Nicole Meyer were unanimously dismissed. All of
them. What happened?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maybe
she didn’t cry hard enough. Maybe it was just good old anti-semitism since she
is the only one who dresses like an observant Jew. (Of course, so does Mrs.
Leifer.) I expect that many people will just whine “Not guilty doesn’t mean she
didn’t do it. It just means there wasn’t enough evidence to prove it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But
there seems to have been enough evidence by the same jurists to convict the charges
they had for the other sisters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One
thing it tells us for sure, whether or not any of this stuff happened, Nicole
never really had a case. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It
is hard for me to believe that Nicole Meyer is now ready to tell the world, “</span><i>The
truth is now out. Mrs. Leifer never molested me at all. The jury has spoken!</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">” </span><span>Nor can I believe that </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Dassi Erlich is ready to say, “Well, I was right some of the time, but not all of the time.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Actually,
according to <b><a href="https://www.insideedition.com/australian-jury-finds-ex-principal-of-jewish-school-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-following-extradition" target="_blank">this report</a></b>, Nicole is busy saying the opposite:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">“</span><span style="color: #351c75;"><i>No
matter the outcome and the non guilty verdicts I know my truth. Malka Leifer
abused me for 6.5 years. I said my truth as did my sisters and she can no
longer deny her guilt. She has been found guilty and justice has been served,”
said Nicole Meyer in a <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nicole.meyer.7359447/posts/1448553432580563">Facebook</a> </b>post.</i></span></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I beg to differ. The way this circus was carried out, she can absolutely still deny her guilt.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By
the way, this is the first time I am hearing 6.5 years. Until now the most I saw
in the reports was four years. This <b><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/malka-leifer-jurors-warned-not-to-rely-on-one-thing-in-school-principal-sexual-abuse-case/news-story/6ecb6551ef269a49b9a6d2d3f0ca0c14" target="_blank">report</a></b> claims the "abuse" went from 2003-2006. I saw that in many others. Where do we get 6.5 years?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/sisters-fight-for-justice-against-alleged-abuser-malka-leifer/9672550" target="_blank">report</a></b> says that the "abuse" to Nicole began when she was 17. Where did that information come from if not from Nicole? 6.5 years from when she was 17?? Up to 23.5? And she never told anybody? And this is supposed to be called "<i>Child </i>abuse"? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Okay, let’s not get into this again. But if this conflicting information is what the jury heard, is there any surprise that all charges related to Nicole were dropped?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One
more point. Suppose the jury would have found her not guilty on all counts. What
would the accusers and their supporters say? I can only imagine a collective
cry of outrage, “Miscarriage of justice. Jury was blind. Jury was bribed. She
must really be guilty, they just didn’t have enough to prove it.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
don’t really need to imagine it. let’s look at the comment of renowned
sex-fiend tracker, Yerachmiel Lopin on Nicole’s <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/timesofisrael/posts/5725569860883010" target="_blank">Facebook page</a></b>: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">You
didn't let us down. You did your part to the hilt. <b>The court system
failed</b>, though thankfully, only in part. As far as the world is
concerned, Leifer has be properly branded as an abuser. No more need to qualify
with "alleged.</span></i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">"</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ah
yes, the court system failed when they found Nicole’s claims not guilty even
though they found most others guilty. Golly, Sarge, we can’t really rely on them
jurists, can we?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hey,
if you can’t trust the court system when they say she’s not guilty, how can you
trust them when they say she is? Don’t forget, in today’s world of sex offense
allegations, the burden of proof on the defendant. So, why can’t we say the
same thing for all of the counts where she was “found” to be guilty? “She
really wasn’t guilty. Just, she couldn’t prove that she didn’t do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sorry, Yerachmiel. The court system didn't fail. If those acquittals were really in error, then it is Nicole who failed.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well,
here we are. What does all this mean? Is it good for the Jews or bad for the
Jews?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You
probably don’t want to know my answer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Stay
tuned… and for the mindless masses...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Let
the Celebrations Begin!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Related post</span>:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/08/mesira-xvi-putting-peh-before-ayin.html" target="_blank">Mesira XVI: Putting the Peh before the Ayin – Building a Case</a></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-89924257252244282492023-03-14T01:11:00.003+02:002023-04-19T15:49:27.523+03:00The Segulah of Rabi Matya ben Charash - A Testimonial<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am here to
offer a free business opportunity - <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You know how
these days everything Jewish is sold in pre-packaged kits – arba minim sets, bedikas chametz
kits, 44-piece Chanukah oil kits, tefillin accessories kits, etc. Well, I have
a great idea for another pre-packaged Jewish product gimmick that will sell
like felafel here in Eretz Yisrael and in frum communities world-wide. Personally,
I am beyond the stage of entrepreneurship, so I don’t plan on doing it myself. Instead,
I am offering it to the world. Anyone who wants…here’s your chance! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All you need are
medium size aluminum baking pans, lots of tea candles, books of matches, and an
instruction guide. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What do I
want to sell?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I want to
sell pre-packaged <b><a href="https://kavhalacha.co.il/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A7%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%94/%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99-%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%A9-%D7%A1%D7%92%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%AA-18-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA" target="_blank">Matya ben Charash Segulah</a></b> kits. Guaranteed to work, or your
money back!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I’ll give a
testimonial – it worked for me. Actually, I <b><i>am obligated</i></b> to give the
testimonial. It’s part of the <i>segulah</i>. And this is why I am writing this
post. Since I happen to have a public forum, I have no excuse not to use it to
publicize the “<i>yeshuah</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Okay, I am a
little ahead of myself, so let’s discuss who was Matya ben Charash and what the
<i>segulah</i> is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">For most of
us, all we know about Matya ben Charash is his profound advice in Pirkei Avos</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94:%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99_%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%90_%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%A9" title="קטגוריה:רבי מתיא בן חרש"><span lang="HE" style="text-decoration: none;">רבי מתיא בן
חרש</span></a></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><b><span lang="HE">אומר, הוי מקדים בשלום כל
אדם</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> <span lang="HE">והוי זנב לאריות, ואל תהי ראש לשועלים</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Rabi Matya
ben Charash says – One should initiate in greeting any man; and it is better
for one to be the follower of lions than to be the leader of foxes.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He also has
an appearance in Yoma 4b and later, in Yoma 83a (Mishna 8:6), he gives us some
medical advice, but that’s about all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Okay. He can
give good advice, but who was he really?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The <b><a href="http://www.zissil.com/topics/Rabbi-Matya-ben-Charash">sources</a></b>
say that he was a post-churban Tanna and a contemporary of Rabi Shimon ben
Yochai and the Bnei Beseira. He tried to run away from Eretz Yisrael but
initially turned back. Subsequently, he emigrated to Rome and established a
renowned yeshiva there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I found one
<b><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99_%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%90_%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%A9" target="_blank">source</a></b> that says that it was due to his absence from Eretz Yisrael that we
don’t have any Halachic statements in the Mishna in his name. Nevertheless, it
is claimed that he is buried in the town of Eilabun in the Galil. I find this
to be a bit paradoxical.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, for
those of us connected with Jewish legend (agadata) and mussar, there is a
well-known powerful story about Rabi Matya ben Charash (Yalkut Shimoni Torah 161). </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">The story
goes as follows:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote><i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">RMBC was in the Beis Midrash studying with fervor and his face shone
because he had never gazed at a woman. The Satan just happened in (to the Beis
Midrash??) and was envious of his purity. The Satan requested permission to
test him which was granted. Hence. he made himself look like a beautiful woman
and passed in front of him (very slowly). Rabi Matya ben Charash turned away
but “she” kept making new passes in every direction. Finally, he ordered his student
to bring him a nail and he poked out his eyes. HKBH immediately ordered the
Angel Refael to come and heal his eyes. RMBC initially refused but finally
relented when he was told that he would not be put to the test ever again.</span></i></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Book of
Gilgulim claims that he was a gilgul of Palti ben Layish who, upon the orders
of Shaul HaMelech, lived with Shaul’s daughter Michal even though she was
Halachically betrothed to Dovid. Even though Palti made it his business not to
touch her, he still could not abstain from looking at her and so this needed to
be rectified in the person of RMBC. It continues that both of them were
gilgulim of Yosef HaTzadik. In fact, the story of the nail is stated in Yalkut
Shimoni in reference to Yosef.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because of
this, it is known to be a big <i>segulah</i> that anyone who suffers from
vision problems should visit his (alleged) kever in Eilabun and daven there and
should have a <i>yeshuah</i> in his/her eyesight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is what
we know about the Tanna Rabi Matya ben Charash – but that <i>segulah</i> is not
the one that I’m discussing here. The widely known, and practiced, <i>segulah</i>
that I want to discuss is the one of <b><a href="https://kavhalacha.co.il/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A7%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%94/%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99-%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%A9-%D7%A1%D7%92%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%AA-18-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA" target="_blank">eighteen candles</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before I
describe the <i>segulah</i>, it is important to remind everyone that only HKBH
can help us with anything. All our <i>tefillos</i> go straight to Him. When we
daven at one’s <i>kever </i>or in their <i>zechus</i>, all we want to do is to invoke their
merit to help us with our <i>tefillos</i>. One must never lose sight of this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The <i>segulah</i>
of Rabi Matya ben Charash works likes like this. One gathers eighteen candles
to one spot. He, or she, lights one candle and announces that it is<i> l’iluy
nishmas</i> the Tanna Matya ben Charash. Thereupon, he/she recites chapter 86
in Tehillim. The person then lights the next candle for the merit of RMBC and,
once again, recites chapter 86. This is repeated for a total of eighteen times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then the
petitioner goes to chapter 119 of Tehillim and recites the alphabetic sections
that correspond to the letters </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;">קרע שטן</span></span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> (<i>kuf-resh-ayin-shin-tes-nun</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">After this,
the petitioner davens to HKBH for His help and salvation on <b><i>a specific
issue</i></b> that needs to be addressed in the <i>zechus</i> of the <i>kedusha </i>of this
great Tanna. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That’s about
it, but there is just one more thing. The petitioner should accept on himself
that when he has a <i>yeshuah</i>, he/she will publicize it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Incidentally,
it is always a good idea to embellish such a <i>segulah</i> with a few coins to
the tzedakah box. Some people put in a coin or two beforehand, and some after,
and there are those who put in something like a shekel as part of each recital,
eighteen times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This <i>segulah</i>
has been gaining awareness and popularity over recent years and people like me
are saying that it really helps. As such, I thought it may be a great business
enterprise to package it all up in one kit and sell it on the open market. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Go right
ahead. I won’t even ask for royalties.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As I wrote
above, the true purpose of this post is not to give people business advice.
Based on my business record, I am the last person to give financial advice. (Of
course, when we look at paradoxes such as that most marriage counselors are
products of failed marriages, I may be the best person to give business
advice.) The purpose of this post is to use my forum to publicize the great <i>yeshuah</i>
that I <i>so far </i>obtained after I undertook the <i>segulah</i> of Rabi
Matya ben Charash.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I say “so
far” because the episode is far from over and there is no telling where it will
stand when the music stops. Nevertheless, the mere fact that it stands where it
does, at this point in time, is itself a great <i>yeshuah</i>. I continue to
daven for a happy ending when all the dust settles, but there is still a whole
lot of dust flying around.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is acutely
appropriate to discuss this in my blog because this <i>yeshuah</i> relates to
the things I have written in this blog. As you might guess, it has to do with
the never-ending <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/09/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-3-malka.html" target="_blank">Malka Leifer</a></b> episode and the long-standing <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/07/by-your-hand-sin-of-nov.html" target="_blank">feud</a></b> that I have
been having with the now-defunct organization known as <b><a href="https://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/" target="_blank">Jewish Community Watch</a></b>
(JCW), its astute and pious leaders, Meyer Seewald and Shana Aaronson, and
subsequently with the accusers of Malka Leifer (the amazing <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/12/dassis-lament-pitfalls-of-vengeance.html" target="_blank">Sapper sisters</a></b>) and
a biased Israeli judge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Note that I
provided an update regarding the Malka Leifer episode and JCW in my </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0000ee;"><b><u>previous post</u></b></span><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2023/03/updates-on-malka-leifer-and-jcw.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">.</a><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I am a bit ambivalent
where to go from here. If I tell over the story with all the relevant details,
this post will grow into another very long <i>megillah</i>. If I only give the basics,
it may come across vague. The best thing is to keep it as brief as I can and,
if need be, to elaborate in some future posts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Those who
follow my blog know that on the one hand, I am bucking the tide. On the other
hand, the chareidi and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Halachic position</a></b> is typically not the most popular one.
I stand for such values as presumption of innocence, burden of proof, looking
at the whole picture, sticking with the guidelines of Chazal, and Kedushas Eretz
Yisrael. I can attest that from all of my detractors and even some very learned
Jews, these values are in short supply. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is no
glory in promoting very unpopular positions just because it happens to be the
perspective of our Halacha and mesora – which alone is intrinsically unpopular.
As others have said, “It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Throughout
this episode, numerous people have respectfully told me that they disagree with
my position, but not a single person has been able to tell me what is wrong
with my position and in what way their opposing position concurs with the
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xiii-thinking-like-jew.html" target="_blank">Halachic sources</a></b> that I (and all of us) rely on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">אין
חכמה ואין תבונה ואין עצה לנגד ה</span></span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alas, we find
in our midst some patronizing people who believe they are above the rules of
Halacha and that age-old statutes do not apply to them or to their mighty task
of doing in bad guys. As such, they have no boundaries. I described these types
of people at length in my 2017 post <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xv-victim-turned-predator.html" target="_blank">Victim Turned Predator</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These people
cannot face up to the restrictions that the Torah places on their activities
and need to find any means to justify what they do. As part of this impulse,
they believe that it is a G-d given mitzvah to defame, discredit and deplatform
anybody who inhibits their glory and agenda by preaching what the Torah
really says.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If the truth would
be on their side, they could use it to legitimately refute opposing viewpoints.
But, since it is not, and they have no legitimate disputation, they resort to
demonization and character assassination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is
precisely the level that Meyer Seewald and Shana Aaronson of JCW and Magen L’Kehillot
HaYehudiyot, respectively, stooped down to as I was writing my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/search/label/Malka%20Leifer" target="_blank">series of posts</a></b>
about Malka Leifer. They were unable to legitimately refute my position and
they were too intimidated by it to just ignore it, so they felt compelled to
compose a defamatory and demonizing article about me and post it on their
website. I alluded to this in some previous posts (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/08/you-have-obligation-to-remain-silent.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/09/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-3-malka.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
defamation was so malicious and JCW was so obstinate about not removing it that
I eventually decided that this needs to go to Beis Din. Due to numerous
technical difficulties, Beis Din was not feasible, and I obtained permission to
take it to court. After JCW ignored the requisite cease and desist warnings, I
had no choice but to proceed with the suit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Instead of
retracting or settling, JCW chose to distract the court with a countersuit.
There was nothing written about JCW or the Sapper sisters that was not true and
legitimate – which does not meet the threshold of defamation - but,
nevertheless, they cherry-picked some true criticisms and a few cynical remarks
from about 5 or 6 of my posts and pulled them out of context and recruited the
Sapper sisters to file a countersuit as maligned “victims”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They engaged
some high-end lawyer from one of Israel’s largest and costliest law firms. I am
assuming that JCW footed the costs and paid for all this with money from their
donors. They can correct me if I am wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is a
well-known witticism: <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the
judge.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I don’t think
the lawyer had any special connection to the judge, nor do I think he is such a
great lawyer. He didn’t need to be. She (the judge) was a better lawyer than he
was. And she certainly “knows” the judge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In my very
humble opinion, the judge in this case was overtly biased, untruthful,
irrational, unethical and hypocritical. This is a verbose way of saying that
she was (and is) agenda driven. I believe that she was overstepping her
authority and overstepping the law and she was certainly overstepping the
halacha which, in her ruling, she claimed to uphold.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The judge
invested 48 pages in a very flawed ruling replete with falsehoods,
inaccuracies, and double standards. Her ruling was basically one long and
irrational criticism against me for trying to <i>dan l’kaf zechus</i> an accused
sexual offender because she strongly believes that accused sexual offenders
should not be defended. She as much as said so. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course,
she believes this. She’s only been a judge for about five years. Prior to that,
she was a <b><i>prosecutor</i></b> for fifteen years! A prosecutor does not
believe in presumption of innocence. A prosecutor is paid to incriminate people
they don’t know regardless of whether they are truly guilty or not. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence, due to
her personal bias and inherent presumption of guilt, she rationalized JCW's defamation
against me and, simultaneously, callously dismissed all the legal defenses
which were (to an unbiased person) clearly in my favor. In order to dispel the
fact that I presented the Halachic perspective, the judge pretended that she
understands and respects the Halacha and drummed up some irrelevant sources in
a feeble attempt to show that the Halacha is “debatable”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">At the end of
it all, she used her twisted logic to incriminate me for presenting the
Halachic perspective and to whitewash their defamation against me. To chastise
me, she awarded a very inflated judgement to Dassi Erlich and a few thousand shekels
to Meyer Seewald and slapped me with legal fees for both cases. All of this
worked out to the shekel equivalent of almost $100,000.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She also
ordered me to remove entire op-ed posts based on the marginal frivolous
complaints that could be and were edited. This is blatant censorship and beyond
the authority of the court. She had no problem with the JCW article against me
because, even though she conceded that it is defamatory, in her rationale it
was “justified” defamation. Her words were, "It wasn't <i><b>more </b></i>harmful than was called for". I am at a loss to figure out why intentionally harmful banter is ever called for. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is where
I was at the end of October, 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now this sum happens
to be a lot of money. It’s more than I have in my bank account (which is in
heavy overdraft), so I am not very interested in paying it. Especially as I see
it as being unjust and unjustified, I don’t think it should be paid. Not only
that, as I wrote earlier, the ruling was flawed in many ways. (I wrote above
that it is just too overwhelming to elaborate in this post. If there is a need
and interest, I may follow up with more details in future posts.) There are
clearly solid grounds for an appeal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are two
things one requires to file an appeal:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A seasoned
lawyer who is geared for handling an appeal<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Money to pay
such lawyer and other legal costs</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An appeal in
a civil case must be filed within 60 days of the ruling. The lawyers who
represented me in the double case were quite busy and did not want to take on
the appeal. So, as of late October, I had neither a lawyer nor money. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No sweat. I
have HKBH. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The truth is,
one thing there is no shortage of in Eretz Israel is lawyers. I shopped around
and got some leads but, surprise of surprise, they all wanted to get paid. (There
is a very big shortage of pro bono lawyers.) I had some ideas of how to get a
hold of some money, which primarily consisted of begging, borrowing and crowdfunding.
None of which guaranteed success. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Regardless -</span> </span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">אין
לנו לסמוך אלא על אבינו שבשמים</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">So,</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"> I turned
to Him. But, to give it an added boost, I endeavored to enlist the help of Rabi
Matya ben Charash. So, one day in November, my wife and I undertook the <i>segulah</i>
of Rabi Matya ben Charash – the eighteen candles and reciting perek 86 and all
the trimmings. I needed to get an appeal filed within [less than] 60 days and I
needed HKBH to help me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It all
happened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly, I
was introduced to a young energetic and religious lawyer who understands the
case, understands this judge, understands the system, and knows how to handle
it. He gave me a reasonable price offer but needed to know that the money will
be there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Very shortly
thereafter, one generous benefactor, who has helped me in the past, offered to
cover about two thirds of the expenses. That was all I needed to get started
and to meet the preliminary court expenses and mandated security bond.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We got the
appeal filed on time and we immediately applied for a “stay of execution” (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>עיכוב ביצוע הליכים</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>). The stay of execution is a request that the initial judgement
is not enforceable until after the appeal is decided. This is necessary
because it is not automatic that when one files an appeal, the initial judgement
is frozen and does not need to be carried out. If a stay of execution is not
granted by the court, the victorious party can enforce the judgement even while
the appeal is in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In our case,
we did not get an <i>official </i>response from the court on the stay of execution, but
the court did order the other parties to respond to the appeal and set a date
for oral arguments. This means that the appeal is taken seriously and has
preliminary merit. As far as the stay of execution goes, since the court did
not address it, then the sides maintain the status quo and the initial judgement
is frozen ipso facto.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The beauty of
all this is that not only is my [alleged] money staying put for the time being but, also, I am not forced to comply with the first judge’s censorship order for the time
being. Currently, all my posts are still up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The last </span><i>yeshuah</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">
on the list is that the initial defamatory article against me finally came down. Since 2017, it was parked in the
News section of JCW’s original website. JCW refused to voluntarily take it down, even after the case went to litigation. But ironically, as they rejuvenated their website and transferred virtually
all the existing content and news articles into their new-look habitat, they
very wisely refrained from transferring the defamatory article. So, for now at
least, it is finally off the Internet. I expect it to remain that way. If it does
not, I will continue to hold Shana Aaronson (the author), Rabbi Blau, JCW, and
the new Jewish Australian webhost accountable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To sum up,
since the time I carried out the <i>segulah</i> of Rabi Matya ben Charash, I received
funding for the appeal, found a capable lawyer, filed the appeal, obtained a
temporary stay of execution of payment, retained all my writings, and have seen
the defamatory post removed from the Internet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Not a bad day
at the office.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yet,
the game is not over. On one hand, I am still dealing with the Israeli court
system. On the other hand, instead of a clearly biased, female, ex-prosecutor
judge who ruled and manipulated the case single-handedly, I currently am facing an all-male, three-judge panel who, to date, are not showing any clear biases. Two of the
three were never prosecutors. One of them was a prosecutor for only two years
and this was more than twenty years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">None of this
really matters because the ultimate Judge is the </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;">שופט כל הארץ</span></span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. I don’t know where this case is going to go, but with the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">siyatta
d’shemaya</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I’ve been having, there is nothing to worry about. This will have a happy ending and, bli neder, I'll be writing about it again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">השיבה
שופטנו כבראשונה ויועצנו כבתחילה והסר ממנו יגון ואנחה</span></b><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>Appeal for my Appeal<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My One Above
and Seven Below project has always been not for profit. Over the years, I have
gotten some meager revenues from selling my books, but they only served to
offset the printing costs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For all the
years of my blog, I have never even thought of asking readers for any support
or donations. I am not writing my blog for profit or glory, and I haven’t
gotten any of either. I am doing it for all the reasons I wrote in the
beginning of my book – to help people understand the Torah world and the
Halachic perspective on current issues and to assist those who want to become
part of it. It is all </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>לשם שמים</b></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The generous
benefactor who offered me two thirds of the expenses came through with his
donation and with Hashem’s help, I have covered a lot of the remainder. I will
manage to cover it all, IY”H, but I’m not there yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If any
readers feel that they have gained from my blog and want to help me cover my
legal expenses, it would be greatly appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Currently, I
do not use PayPal due to their globalist censorship policies. I am only using
Zelle. The Zelle address is:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="mailto:1a7b.author@gmail.com">1a7b.author@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This address
is also suitable to email me with inquiries and for further details.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Donations are
not tax deductible. I do believe they are deductible from <i>maaser</i> but one
needs to consult their own Rabbi.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;">Yechezkel</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-87238828665204099992023-03-12T14:40:00.002+02:002023-03-13T16:34:48.851+02:00Updates on Malka Leifer and JCW<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I
have an upcoming post in the works that is going to relate to the ongoing saga
of Mrs. Malka Leifer and the role of the organization <b><a href="https://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/" target="_blank">Jewish Community Watch</a></b>
(JCW). Hence, I thought it's a good idea to update my readers on the latest
status of the Malka Leifer trial and the status of JCW. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">In
my initial draft of the upcoming post, I included the updates as a part of it.
This made the post too “bulky” and interfered with the flow. I decided to cut out the updates and to present them here as a stand-alone preliminary
post.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here
are the updates:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>Update
on Malka Leifer Episode</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My
last post on this saga was posted on <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/09/four-horsemen-of-kol-koreh-3-malka.html" target="_blank">Sept. 19, 2022</a></b>. It is probably one of the
most comprehensive posts on the topic that I have written. If you are not
acquainted with the case, it is well worth reading.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">At
the time, the only current update that I was able to present was that the trial
had been rescheduled to begin on Feb. 7, 2023. Sure enough, the trial indeed
commenced around that date which was about five weeks ago from this writing.
At that time, several news outlets revived the episode and reported on the
“opening volleys” of the trial. Click <b><a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/breaking-news/malka-leifer-trial-of-former-school-principal-charged-with-sex-abuse-to-begin/news-story/7bf39bc281a4baf304133e2a41d388ba" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> for one example. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Since
then, the trial was held in closed court for three weeks. There are some new
articles over the past week which tell us the trial is back in open court. The
court is hearing from the supporting cast (other teachers, Dassi’s ex-husband,
etc.). These characters are officially giving the same testimonies that they
gave in the committal hearing in Sept of 2021. I reported on it in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/10/upheaval-in-land-down-under.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>
from Oct. 13, 2021.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
amazing thing is that the extradition was based on an indictment of 74 charges.
When Mrs. Leifer arrived back in Australia, 4 counts were dropped and 20 new
ones were added to inflate the rap sheet to 90 charges. Yet, almost all of the
current articles are claiming that she is standing trial for only 29 charges.
How and why did 61 charges suddenly evaporate?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
a very recent development on <b><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/malka-leifer-mum-of-principals-alleged-victims-did-not-want-to-assist-investigation-court-told/news-story/5c6ec3acc12e0d2596188fed426839fb" target="_blank">March 6</a></b>, the judge announced that two of the remaining
29 counts must be deemed not guilty for technical reasons. Apparently, these
two charges relied on a law that was first implemented in the year 2006. For
the charges to stick, it would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that
the offences occurred after 2006 implementation. Apparently, there is no such
proof, so these two charges were officially dismissed. Now only 27 remain. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">While I am happy to see two of the charges dismissed, this update tells us something very disturbing about the </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">remaining 27 charges and about the secular court system in general on two accounts. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For one thing, these two charges were dropped because it could not be established that the alleged offenses occurred after the implementation. If that could be established, it would suffice. There would then be no additional requirement to establish an exact date and time.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> tells us that </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><b>all </b></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">of the 27 charges can be considered valid even if not a single one of them can be attributed to a specific date or time. In Jewish law, such a charge in a criminal case is automatically invalid because, for lack of a date, the accused has no opportunity to disprove the claim with an alibi. We call this </span><b><span style="font-family: arial;">עדות שאי אתה יכול להזימה</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> - testimony that cannot be refuted. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alas, our Western democratic world doesn't need to establish dates for criminal offenses. This infringes on any accused person's ability to defend themselves. This is one of many things to think about before praising the system.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second disturbing point about this is that, in today's world, what defines a criminal is not what one does, but when they do it. These charges were dropped because, due to the fact that they were based on a <i><b>new law</b></i> that only took effect in 2006, this alleged event only became a crime in 2006. Before then, this same event wasn't [yet] a crime! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">There are new laws and mandates being created all the time. Tax mandates, insurance mandates, mandated reporting, mask mandates and vax mandates. Yesterday, it was a mitzva to go out and smile at everyone. All of a sudden it is a crime to go outside without covering your mouth. One can get fined for it. Before Prohibition, buying or drinking a beer was a-okay. During Prohibition it suddenly becomes a crime. After Prohibition, it's a-okay again. For all my years, buying, selling, or smoking marijuana was a </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">crime. Now, it's all perfectly legal.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">We live in a world where the rules of dating, mating and</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> child-rearing have changed wherein anything that can be remotely considered aggressive or uninvited has turned into a felony. This is even though, "This is the way it was always done where I come from."</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It's a lot like when my father (LOY"T) grew up in Munkatch. When he was born, he was living in a little house in Czechoslovakia. All of a sudden, in 1938, he's living in the same little house but it's in Hungary. Today, the same little house is in the Ukraine. The house didn't move. The borders did.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Back to the story. The
prosecution officially closed its case on March 9 and it seems the defense may
have done so a day later. I suppose that this means the case will be given to
the jury over the coming week. From the news <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-09/malka-leifer-sex-abuse-trial-closing-statement-defence/102072616" target="_blank">reports</a></b>, the defense claims that
they caught Elly Sapper in blatant lies and that, collectively, the accusers
used the term, “I don’t recall” or “I have no recollection” over 400 times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
must be noted that Mrs. Leifer continues to maintain full innocence. This means
that all legal and Halachic principles of presumption of innocence are in
effect. I want to remind readers who are skeptical and/or dismissive of claims
of innocence that presumption of innocence works on two levels:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Total
innocence</b></i>, i.e., nothing at all happened and all the accusations are
fabricated.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Innocence
of degree</b></i>, i.e., the accused may not be <i>totally </i>innocent, but may very well be
not nearly as guilty as the accusers are making it out. </span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
have mentioned in the past that I personally perceive a <i>reglayim l’davar</i>
that some degree of inappropriate activity took place. However, there is
absolutely no <i>reglayim l’davar</i> that the activities were as extreme as
they are being made out. As such, even if Level One (Total Innocence) seems far-fetched, Level Two is exceedingly probable. This is for the following reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
a rule, just telling the story exactly as it transpired does not have enough
“mustard” to bring the desired results. This itself is an incentive to
embellish the details. Especially when there is nobody who can refute them
(save the accused). I wrote about this <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/06/mesira-xii-justice-is-blindand-deaf.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
the claims and affidavits of the defamation suit which I will discuss in the
upcoming post, the Sapper sisters – and particularly Dassi Erlich - took the
liberty to twist my words and to distort numerous facts. Once they actually did
it in their suit against me, there is no reason they are not doing it in their
accusations against Mrs. Leifer.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We
also now have <b><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-27/malka-leifer-trial-sexual-abuse-psychologist-elly-sapper/102027882" target="_blank">official testimony</a></b> from Dassi Erlich’s ex-husband that it is his
impression that the ordeal was taken out of proportion.</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In any case, the trial is all but finished and there will likely be a verdict in a week or two. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Update
on Jewish Community Watch<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
I am not mistaken, the very first time I wrote about JCW as an organization was
in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/07/by-your-hand-sin-of-nov.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b> in July of 2018. At that time, I wrote, “<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jewish Community Watch is
a boiler room operation with a very impressive website.</span></i>” At that time, there
was much to criticize them about, as is elaborated in that post. Indeed, everything
I mentioned was factual without any exaggerations. The facts were easily
verified and irrefutable. And in case anyone wanted to refute me head-on, my
comments section and personal email were open and available.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No
such refutation ever happened. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My
criticisms in that post were exclusively about how they do not conduct
themselves in accordance with Shulchan Aruch despite claiming to have Rabbinic
guidance. That post made no mention of legal violations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In
two subsequent posts (<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/11/your-friendly-jewish-community-kangaroo.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> and <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2019/03/kosher-by-association-intro-again-and.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>) I noted that, in addition to their
Halachic misbehavior, they are not exactly legal. They are flouting Israeli law since most of their
activities were being carried out in Israel by proxy and they were not
registered to legally operate in Israel. These facts were likewise never
refuted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Finally,
in a more <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-malka-leifer-mesira-gang.html" target="_blank">recent post</a></b>, dated Feb 26, 2022 (just one year ago), I noted that
their iniquities brought about their dissolution. Here is what I wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Around
April 2021</span> [<b>Note</b>- After reviewing my records, I now believe this occurred on
April 1, <b>2020</b>]<span style="color: #2b00fe;">, Shana and the entire Israeli staff of the JCW/Magen alliance
broke away to make Magen independent. As a result, JCW ceased all operations.
Ironically, now Magen is active and JCW is defunct.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes,
since what I now believe to be April 2020, JCW ceased all operations. They
removed the Staff page from their website and went into hibernation. For almost
three years, their website just sat there doing absolutely nothing. No new
faces added to their Wall of Shame, no events, no updates. They did white out
three WOS entries because, presumably, these three folks had died. I believe several
others have also since died, but no other entry was removed. Their link to a
donation portal yielded a domain name for sale.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They
were totally inactive and presumed dead. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As
such, I was totally shocked to discover on the last week of February 2023 (just
about two weeks ago), that JCW took on a new webhost and rejuvenated their
<b><a href="https://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/" target="_blank">website</a></b>. The new website is published by <b><a href="https://www.ososs.net/" target="_blank">OS Solutions</a></b> which appears to be a part
Brooklyn and part India based outsourcing company. From LinkedIn it appears
that the president is an observant Jew who, ironically, is a native of Melbourne, Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The
new website is solely cosmetic. It is exactly the same as the old website with
a fresh new look. It solicits donations by snail mail or by telephone, but
without any online portal. The three whited-out entries on their Wall of Shame
are now totally gone but there are no other additions or deletions. Moreover,
they still have no Staff page. Aside from that, virtually all the content is
the same, even the typos from the old version. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There
is one more thing missing. We will discuss this in the next post.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All
told, JCW seems to have invested some money to give it a new look, yet it still
looks to be as dead and inactive as always. There is nothing new on this
website.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
begs the question: Is JCW open for business or not? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
they are, do they have a staff or not? Where do they operate? What do they do?
How much capital do they have?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If
they are not active, why the sudden new-look website with a new provider?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It
looks to me that they are setting themselves up for a resurrection. I am just
very puzzled that, what with all the baggage they’ve carried that put them out
in the first place, and their lack of staff and resources, how is such a thing
possible?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I
suppose time will tell. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-86485288049967072652023-01-27T03:01:00.002+02:002023-01-27T13:51:56.268+02:00Parshas [VaEirah and] Bo - Hail to the Chief<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In parshas Bo
we notice a subtle change in Pharoah’s behavior. When Moshe warns him about the
upcoming plague of locusts, Pharaoh takes a step toward negotiation. “Go and serve
your G-d, just tell me who is going?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When Moshe
responds that he intends to take the entire nation out to the desert, Pharaoh
retracts. But he gives a counteroffer, “Go and only take the men.” The negotiations
end there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But it is
wondrous. Pharaoh is willing to negotiate at all. This is a first!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hold on a
minute. This is a first? Really?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Didn’t Pharaoh
offer the Beni Israel to do their offerings within the land by the <i>makka </i>of <i>arov</i>?
Didn’t he also say he will let them go while the hail was falling?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Those two don’t
count. Aside from the fact that his offer for local worship during the <i>makka </i>of
<i>arov</i> was saying that he will not release a single person from under his
surveillance, there is another issue with these two earlier offers. Both of
these “offers” were presented under duress when the relevant plague was <i><b>in
progress</b></i>. A person in distress will make many empty promises for immediate relief.
As soon as the plague was over, all bets were off the table.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Arbeh</span></i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> was different. This is the first time
that Pharoah offered anything close to Moshe’s terms at <i>just the warning stage</i>.
The first time Pharaoh waivered when there was no plague currently ravaging his
nation. Not only that, but this is just a day or two after he officially
hardened his heart after the plague of hail subsided as written in the closing
pasuk of last week’s Parsha. The plague of hail didn’t faze him and there hasn’t
been another plague just yet, but still Pharaoh suddenly changes his tune.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Locusts? Come
on, we get locusts every seventeen years! The other plagues were unusual but
locusts are nothing new. Pharaoh is not the type to be worried about food shortages
at Kroeger’s. And they didn’t even come yet. What gives?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, the Torah
does inform us that Pharaoh’s servants were getting nervous. And they
confronted him. “Do you not yet know that the land is lost?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is a
strong clue, but it still leads to many questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Did the servants
tell Pharaoh something he didn’t know? Why are they speaking up now? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">Obviously,</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"> they reached the breaking point, but why is this the breaking point? Why not
earlier? Until now, there were warnings for five out of seven plagues. Not once
did the servants flinch. Why is this warning different?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">And… how
could any servants confront Pharaoh anyway? Did he ask them for advice?
Despotic kings are usually not interested in anyone’s advice. Giving a king
unsolicited advice was usually a one-way trip to the chopping block. How could
these servants dare to give Pharaoh advice? And why did he listen to them?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The answer is
that there was something very unique about the plague of hail that did not
apply to any of the other plagues. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Barad</span></i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> was the only plague where the Egyptian
citizens were <b><i>given a choice</i></b> whether to get smitten by it or not.
Moshe gave them an out. “Go gather your livestock and your people into your
houses.” If you do so, they won’t be harmed. If not, they’re gone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By now, Moshe
should have had a bit of credibility. Why on earth would anyone who valued
their possessions not take heed of Moshe’s warning?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are
three easy answers:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Answer 1</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Egyptians
sheltered their animals in barns and pens and their non-Jewish slaves in ramshackle
shanty towns. They had no qualms to keep them quartered there for the duration
of the plague. But that wasn’t Moshe’s deal. Moshe insisted they bring all
their animals and migrant workers <i>into their own homes</i>. Many Egyptians could
not comprehend what should be the difference. Why should it matter which place of
shelter they chose?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So they would
not listen to Moshe to bring this zoo into their own homes and relied on the
existing animal or servants’ shelters. But this wasn’t the deal and it wasn’t
going to work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Answer 2</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Whenever there
is a cultural battle, each side takes stubborn pride in their position. The
Egyptians collectively had a master race ideology. Pharaoh was their Fuhrer. He
brought their nation to prosperity (on the shoulders of Yosef) and he was
always right. The Egyptians believed in Truth, Justice, and the Egyptian way! They
believed in Egyptian science and religious mythology. Now comes a Hebrew upstart
and is telling them that all the “truth" and science that they always believed
in is a bunch of baloney and a Hebrew G-d with a long beard and payos is
running the show.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Revelations
such as these are a bitter pill to swallow. Diehard communists, socialists,
fascists, democrats, evolutionists, Islamists – the list goes on, will always
believe their ideologies and even fight wars and die for them. Even when the “truth”
is staring them in the face. So, they must discredit the facts, explain away
the precedents and convince themselves that the warnings are empty threats that
will not actually come about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Answer 3</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When Moshe
warned Pharaoh about the upcoming plague of hail and advised the citizens to
bring their livestock into their homes, what do suppose was Pharaoh’s response?
Did he concur with Moshe’s suggestion and advise his nation to comply?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Most
assuredly not. More likely he actually forbade his nation to comply. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When the
Irgun launched their attack on the British HQ at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem
in July 1946, they called in a warning to the hotel switchboard about one half
hour earlier. There is an unconfirmed legend that the warning reached the ears
of Chief Secretary Sir John Shaw, and his response was, “I am here to give
orders to the Jews and not to take orders from them.” Subsequently, he forbade
any of his staff to leave the hotel. He himself felt an urge to exit the hotel
to get himself a snack.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This legend
has not been verified and it is challenged by the fact that there is no
indication that the warning to the hotel switchboard made it into the British command.
Nevertheless, it fits the arrogant British caricature and is all too
believable. Pharaoh was no less arrogant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, we have
to believe that the “advice” of Moshe Rabbenu was the quintessential challenge
to Pharaoh’s authority and credibility. Moshe was challenging the Egyptians – “Do
you believe your god Pharaoh and trust that he is interested in your well-being? or do you trust the G-d of the Jews? It’s your choice.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By no other
plague did the Egyptians have such a choice. Therefore, by no other plague was
Pharaoh’s authority put to the test. This wasn’t just a bit of hail. It was a
Hail to the Chief. The only question was, who is the true Chief?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Torah tells us clearly that "he among Pharaoh's servants who feared the word of G-d refuged his servants and his livestock in the houses." How many people did this?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">Interestingly, this pasuk is versed in the singular as if there was only one person who took up Moshe on his offer. It also mentions "from among Pharaoh's servants". This implies that only those in Pharaoh's inner circle were aware of Moshe's magnanimous offer. The ordinary citizen was not let in on it. Even among Pharaoh's servants it was probably very few. As</span><span style="font-size: large;"> the pasuk later states (9:30), “And you and
your servants, I know that they have not yet come to fear in the face of Hashem
Elokim”. Not only Pharaoh, but even his servants.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But certainly, some did
listen to Moshe. And to do so, they had to defy the orders of Pharaoh. Their properties
were not harmed. (I wonder if for these believers, perhaps even their crops
were miraculously spared from harm.) </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;">Everybody in Egypt saw this and it </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">shook
Pharaoh to the core. Until now, even though he was unable to prevent the
plagues, he still had total obedience from his nation and his inner circle. His statement
was that the plagues are just augmented events of nature (if not witchcraft). “Perhaps
I can’t beat the plagues, but the plagues can’t beat me, either. I am the god
Pharaoh and I am too strong for that.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And his
nation was with him. They hated the Jews as much as he did, and they all rallied
to his side. Nobody broke ranks against Pharaoh, but nobody had the opportunity
to do so, either. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Makkas barad</i>
changed all that. For the first and only time, Moshe told them that if you
listen to me, you will be better off than if you listen to Pharaoh. And, for the
first time, some people listened. And some people defied Pharaoh. And they came
out ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Pharaoh is
not reliable. Pharaoh does not have it all figured out. Pharaoh is not
invincible. Pharaoh is not a god.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So,
immediately after the plague of hail, the servants looked at Pharaoh
differently. He is not building up his empire. He is presiding over its
destruction. When Moshe comes to warn him about the upcoming plague of locusts,
his servants were no longer so docile and obedient. They had their own personal
interests, and for once, they were bold enough to confront Pharaoh and let him
know.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And Pharaoh
was willing to negotiate. Just a little bit. But why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It was not because
he was horrified by the impending plague of locusts. He wasn’t worried about
losing his wheat and his spelt. He’ll import from the Ukraine. But he was
afraid of losing his royal guard. He heard what happened to Gaius Caligula and
he didn’t want to be there when it happened to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In today’s
world we have an acronym to refer to those who sit in the drivers’ seat –
<b><span style="color: #990000;">TPTB</span></b>. It stands for “The Powers that Be.” It means, “The people that we have to
listen to.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why do we
need to listen to them?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because they “call
the shots” and “they have the big guns” and “they have all the money” and “they
make the rules”. And mostly because, “if we don’t, we’ll be sorry”, or “we don’t
really have much choice”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But all this only works if one <i><b>believes </b></i>that they “call the shots” and one <i><b>believes </b></i>“they
have the big guns” and that “they have all the money” and that “they make the
rules”. And especially if one <i><b>believes</b></i> that “we don’t really have much choice”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But sometimes it’s
just an illusion. TPTB put up a convincing show and we fall for it. But this usually
happens when there is nothing else to believe. Or so we think.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I wrote in my
book that, ironically, due to environmental influences (television, magazines, and museums),
I, from a strictly Orthodox background, was indoctrinated in evolution before I
started learning chumash in school and learned about Creation. When I discovered Breishis at the age of eight – after evolution – it enlightened me that I now need
to choose what to believe. Integrated in this choice, is the determination of
who is the true <b>PTB</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once we know
who is the true PTB, every other candidate, real or imagined, is a powerless
imposter. Pharaoh wasn’t sharing his title with anybody. But neither was Moshe’s
G-d. There can be only one winner in this game.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When anybody
claims or acts like they call the shots, it pays to look around first and see
if there are any competing contenders. If there are, there is something to
choose. The candidate with the best press and glitzier campaign is not
automatically the one that’s going to deliver the goods. It’s the One with the clearest
vision and the truest message.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The first
five plagues came from the <b>ground</b>. The second five plagues – the boils and the
hail (and the rest) came from the <b>heavens</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">העדתי בכם היום את
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">השמים </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">ואת </span><span style="color: #38761d;">הארץ</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">; החיים והמות נתתי לפניך, הברכה והקללה, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ובחרת בחיים</span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> – </span><span style="color: #38761d;">למען תחיה</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">
אתה וזרעך.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And – <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">HAIL TO THE CHIEF!</span></span></b><b style="font-size: large;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-217446249969341052023-01-22T00:30:00.007+02:002023-01-23T14:59:50.701+02:00Prenups XIII – PNA Bankruptcy and Reorganization – The Hirshman 3-Step initiative<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Welcome to
the [intended] final installment on the topic of Halachic <b>PNA</b>s (<b>P</b>re<b>N</b>uptial <b>A</b>greements).
After investing twelve posts to keep it in business, I have no choice but to file
for Chapter 13 “reorganization”. From all I’ve written, it’s clear that as a
universal, foolproof, silver-bullet solution to the [exaggerated] “agunah”
crisis, this instrument is bankrupt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Throughout
the entire journey it was clear that the BDA progressives are biting off more
than they can chew. They are trying way too hard to do way too much for way too
many. In the effort to satisfy everybody, they need to do a lot of cutting and
stitching.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Where I come
from, there’s a term for bending and stretching to get an instrument to fit
every goal and opinion – the “bed of Sodom”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But now,<i><b> good
news</b></i> for the BDA. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A recent find
indicates that we can relieve some of their burden. The burden I refer to is
the ultra-burdensome language that the BDA felt compelled to insert into the
“sticky” (Rav Willig’s term) waiver-of-the-wife’s-earnings part of the
contract. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In my Prenups
series, I spent the first several posts in demonstrating that the part about
the husband irrevocably committing to waive the wife’s earnings at “showtime”
stands on very shaky ground. This is something that even Rav Willig admitted
to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In my post
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/11/prenups-5-trei-gadya-trei-gadya-part.html" target="_blank">Prenups V</a></b>, I wrote as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The results
of my previous analyses indicated that the language of the document, at best,
needs at least two corrections. None have been made.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>One language
problem is that the term “<b>and I recite that I shall be deemed to have
repeated this waiver at the time of the wedding</b>” is useless. This is
because the groom has no intention for the waiver to take effect at the time of
the wedding, only at the time of the separation. So this is what the contract
must say. Even after this, it is not certain that the waiver takes effect and
it is almost certainly revocable until the time of separation.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course,
the BDA does not agree with me and does not think this terminology is useless. It
was a key issue even in my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/11/prenups-i-emperors-waiver-has-no-close.html" target="_blank">first post</a></b>. Here is what I wrote there:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>… peiros
cannot be called “my wife’s earnings” because they are automatically his as
soon as they come into existence. Yet, the phrase “<b>and I recite that I shall be
deemed to have repeated this waiver at the time of our wedding</b>” indicates
otherwise. Why are those words there?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Rabbi Willig
explains himself (<b><a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/868284/rabbi-mordechai-i-willig/hilchos-ishus-shiur-3." target="_blank">71:00</a></b>):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>“If you look
in Kesubos 83 it says that you can’t do that (waive his rights) before the eirusin
…”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I again
elaborated on this convoluted language in my <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2017/11/prenups-ii-emperors-waiver-has-no-close.html" target="_blank">second post</a></b>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>In the
current English version there is an odd clause added in. It says: “<b>and I recite
that I shall be deemed to have repeated this waiver at the time of our
wedding</b>.” These words are not in the original Hebrew, so why are do they appear
in the current English?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Says Rabbi
Willig (<b><a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/868284/rabbi-mordechai-i-willig/hilchos-ishus-shiur-3." target="_blank">70:45</a></b>) that, without these words, the waiver part of the agreement will
not be enforceable. He points to the gemara in Kesubos (83a) that tells us that
one cannot relinquish any “rights” prior to the wedding because he hasn’t been
awarded them yet. The opportune time for such a thing would be after the
kiddushin but before the nissuin. So by repeating this waiver after the kiddushin,
or being deemed to have done so, we have grand-slammed the ball on to
Waive-land Ave.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rabbi Willig
was saying that because one cannot waive his upcoming rights until after the <i>eirusin</i>
takes place, which is not before the chuppah, this “waiver” needs to be “deemed”
to be repeated at that time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, here’s a
special personal message to Rabbi Willig (if you speak to him, let him know):
<b>You can now totally expunge this verbose line from the text of the PNA</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Who says so?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mahari
Kash (16th century Egyptian sage Rabenu Yaakov Kashtro).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This was
ruled by the Rabbanut Beis Din in the Haifa District under the authority of
Harav Avraham Meir Shalosh (AB”D), Rav Ephraim Bogard and Rav Ben-Tzion Topik.
This is from Case File 1071879/2 issued on 13 Mar Cheshvan 5782 (10/19/2021). You
can see it <b><a href="https://dintora.org/article/1940" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In their
ruling, they quote Mahari Kash in his sefer Shu”t Ohalei Yaakov 101, who says that
what we call “shidduchim” in our times is just like the official <i>eirusin </i>period
in the times of Chazal. Mahari Kash seems to draw support from the Rashba. The Haifa
Rabbanut dayanim draw additional support from the Taz and the Chasam Sofer and
Chavos Yair brought down in Pischei Teshuva Even HaEzer 162.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As such,
there is no further need for this onerous “bed of Sodom” verbiage. To the
extent that this <i>siluk </i>works even at the time of the <i>eirusin</i>, it works
just as much if it is merely expressed during the “engagement” period prior to
the wedding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nevertheless,
I went on to say that it doesn’t matter if it is expressed before the <i>eirusin</i>
or after it. It still doesn’t work. This is because, in reality, the chassan is
not accepting upon himself any <i>siluk </i>at either of these times. As a result,
this “waiver” is truly bankrupt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So much for
good news.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All told, the
situation with these halachic PNAs is hopeless – but it’s not serious. I think
we can come very close to accomplishing what we want with these PNAs as long as
we don’t want them to do the impossible. We need to forget about trying to
eradicate the “agunah” problem and get more proactive in terms of preventing it
from coming about in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For this we
will need the <i>Yechezkel Hirshman Prenuptial Agreement</i>, or the
revolutionary <span style="color: #990000;"><b>Hirshman [Three-Step Plan] Initiative</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yep, as
usual, Yechezkel has it all figured out. It is amazingly simple, amazingly
innovative, and amazingly old-fashioned. No fancy contracts, no lawyers or
toanim or notaries, no asmachtas, waivers, “mezonos”, and no “kim li”s. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No, Yechezkel
is not going to reinvent the wheel. I didn’t get much credit for it the first
time I did it. That was in a previous galgal, anyway. Not at all. We will
simply take the tools that Chazal have given us for centuries and, for a
change, learn how to use them. Here is all we need to do:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Step 1</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> - Revamp the Kesuba<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Step 2 </span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">- Revamp the Chassan/Kallah classes<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000;">Step 3 </span></span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>- Revamp the Tanayim</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Are we ready?
Let’s go!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Step 1 –
The Kesuba </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">MA[K]GA –
Make Ashkenazy Kesubot Great Again! or “Where’s the <strike>trei gadya</strike> Beef?”</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One thing I
learned from my decades here in Eretz Yisrael is that our Sephardi brethren and
the Rabbanut in general take the Kesuba very seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We know that
a Kesuba has three parts. The principle (<i>ikar kesuba</i>), the <i>nedunia</i> (<i>tzon
barzel</i>), and the <i>tosefet</i> (bonus). The principle is a set 200 zuz for
all chaste Jewish maidens. There is a dispute on how much this amounts to in
today’s terms. The Mechaber holds a mere 120 grams of silver. We Ashkenazim are
much more magnanimous. As such, the Rema rules that it is 960 grams of silver. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I checked
today’s price of silver for a kilo (1000 grams) and got $782.85. As such, the
value of the<i> ikar kesuba</i> for us Ashkenazim is a whopping $751.68. For
the Sephardim, they can manage with a grand $93.94. but the Sephardim are not
to be outdone. In Sephardic circles it is customary to add a very substantial <i>tosefet</i>.
Usually, it is nothing less than 120,000 shekels and it is not uncommon to go
to 555,555 shekels. Wealthy folks pledge even higher. This amount in today’s
dollars would range from about $35,000 to about $163,000. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These amounts
are usually marked in current local currency so there will be no need for
precious metal conversions. Moreover, since the amount is clearly stated in
current local currency, it is generally upheld when a kesuba is mandated for
payment in a divorce case. As such, many contentious divorces here in Eretz
Yisrael include a full-scale litigation over whether the wife is eligible to
collect her kesuba since, typically, there is a serious handful of money at stake.
For this reason, Beis Din needs to examine the conduct of the two spouses to
determine if either one can be faulted for the divorce. Thus, the prize money
of the kesuba plays an influential role in how divorce proceedings proceed and
how the couple behaves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We Ashkenazim
are a bit more traditional and prefer to rely on antiquated Aramaic language.
We offer 100 <i>zekukim</i> for the <i>nedunia</i> and another 100 zekukim for
the bonus for a grand total of 200 <i>zekukim</i> after the principle $750. It
is not our custom to add to this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It should be.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The kesuba is
meant to be an amount of money that the husband would take pains to avoid being
required to pay and that the wife would take pains not to forfeit. So, let’s
check it out. What is the true value of 200 zekukim? (You can check it out <b><a href="https://din.org.il/2015/07/01/%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%9A-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%91%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We will start
at the low end. This is the opinion of the Nachlas Shiva who maintains that the
entire 200 <i>zekukim</i> amount to a paltry 2.784 kg of silver which, in
today’s prices, will add a whopping $2,180 to the principle $750. According to
the Nachlas Shiva, the total value of an Ashkenazy kesuba today is less than
USD $3000! This is not likely to have much impact on the spouses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the very
high end of the spectrum is (who else?) the Chazon Ish who contends that our
200 <i>zekukim</i> come out to 57.6 kg of silver. In today’s world this will
amount to just around USD $45,000. This is indeed a respectable amount but still
not very exorbitant. In any case, it is by all accounts the upper limit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Chazon
Ish’s shiur may be effective but it is very difficult to enforce. The general
rules of</span><span> <b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: arial;">המוציא מחברו עליו הראיה</span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
and <i>kim li</i> dictate that, for lack of clarification, we cannot impose more than
the minimum amount. In many specific cases, the Beis Din has bent over
backwards to justify some of the higher opinions such as averaging out the
extremes or imposing the Chazon Ish, but such a recourse needs to be justified.
It cannot be imposed by default.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What’s more,
this can only work due to the inherent <i>safek</i> of the true value since, in
most cases, no chassan really tried to determine how much 200 <i>zekukim</i> are
worth when he got married (I certainly didn’t). As such, Beis Din can claim
that he accepted upon himself whatever amount they determine. However, if a
chassan – or a sharp to’ein – <b><i>expressly</i></b> declares that, at the wedding,
he had in mind the opinion of the Nachlas Shiva or some other low-price
opinion, it is really hard for any Beis Din to forcibly impose a higher amount.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To sum up,
even though we can claim a standard Ashkenazy kesuba to be worth $45,750, we
must acknowledge that the default amount is a mere $2,950.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We need to
change this. An Ashkenazy kesuba needs to be worth a substantial amount. This
is how it was in the old days, and this is certainly what our wives and
daughters deserve. We need to take a page out of the Sephardic “book” and do a <i>tosefet</i>
<i>kesuba</i> that has teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I personally
think that </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">אפילו עני בישראל לא יפחות</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> from $36,000 <i>tosefet</i> on a kesuba. Minimum. $360,000 is
more like it. $100,000 would be very reasonable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This would
not be changing any minhagim or even the text of the kesuba. We can leave in
the standard 100 <i>zekukim keseph</i> for <i>nedunia</i> and 100 <i>zekukim
keseph</i> for <i>tosefet</i> and right after it says: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">סך הכל מאתיים זקוקים כסף צרוף</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> simply add </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">ועוד ______</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> and fill in the blank. (I have seen Sephardi kesubos just like
that).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another very
simple method is, that immediately after those fateful words, </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">סך הכל מאתיים
זקוקים כסף צרוף</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,
just add these five magic words: </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;">כפי דעת מרן החזון אי"ש</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. This tells us that the chassan
acknowledges the higher value of silver <i>zekukim</i> and automatically brings
up the <i>tosefet</i> to the $45,000 range without any disputes should the
unthinkable happen.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Accordingly,
instead of recklessly mandating every <i>mesader kiddushin</i> to refuse to
officiate if the chassan does not sign a controversial prenup – which will more
than likely lead to a <i>get meuseh</i> and many <i>mamzerim</i> – we should
mandate every <i>mesader kiddushin</i> <b><i>in all circles</i></b> to refuse
to officiate if the kesuba is anything less than $36000 (about NIS 125,000) or,
at least, to define the value of silver <i>zekukim</i> according to the Chazon
Ish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>[Update </b>- After this post went online, an astute reader contacted me offline and informed me that the Rabbanut has a standard version of an Ashkenazy kesuba that contains both some blank spaces for adding extra amounts of tosefet and it notes that the zekukim are in accordance with the Chazon Ish. You can see it <b><a href="https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%91%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C_-_%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%96" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;">I am grateful for this information and gratified that these "reforms" are available out there. Despite this, I remarked to the reader that this version certainly needs more marketing and wider usage.]</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once the
sides agree to beefing up the kesuba, we can advance to Step 2.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Step 2 – Chassan/Kallah
lessons</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An
Educated Consumer (Chassan and Kallah) is our Best Customer<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I wrote
earlier that the purpose of boosting the kesuba is to make it into an
instrument of influence. It should be something that a husband is not going to
want to pay out and that a wife is not going to want to sacrifice. All of this
only counts if two things are in effect:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The relevant
parties are aware that the kesuba is a valuable and enforceable document.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The parties
are aware of when it can be enforced and when not.</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Besides this,
in exceedingly succinct language, the kesuba spells out all of the other rights
and obligations of the two sides.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Knowledge is
power and it is also safety and security. It is vitally important to for a
newlywed couple to know all these things. Sadly, most of us do not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the recent
decades there has been much controversy as to whether the yeshivos and the Bais
yaakovs are adequately preparing our youth for marriage. Well, the answer is a
resounding <b>NO</b>. This is because the aforementioned rights and obligations
are spelled out in Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer. In order to know them, one has
to learn these parts of Even HaEzer. But almost nobody does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The yeshivos
don’t teach them. The Bais Yaakovs don’t teach them. And the Chassan and Kallah
instructors don’t teach them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I already
wrote about this issue at length almost five years ago in the second half of
this post:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-strange-arm-of-law.html" target="_blank">The Strange Arm of the Law</a></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I highly
recommend linking over there and reading the entire post (or at least the last
half), but for those who don’t want to bother, here is the primary excerpt:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>When even the
most observant couples go to Beis Din, they commonly squabble about what he
does or doesn’t do and what she does or doesn’t do. Oft times they are shocked
when the dayan asks him, “Why do you think she is required to do that?” or he
asks her, “What makes you think that he is not entitled to do that?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">They
never really knew the rules. And if they did, maybe they wouldn’t be in Beis
Din.</span></b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>When I was a
chassan more</span><span> than 30 years ago, my chassan teacher taught me all of the
Halachos of </span><span>Taharas HaMishpacha </span><span>like standard and gave me the standard
pep talk about how to interact with my wife during the night and during the
day. He also did one extra thing that I don’t think was standard. He told me to
read over the kesuba up front and make sure I understand what it says.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I am told
that today, there is a little more training about worldly issues. But still
something is missing.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The rules.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Chassanim [and
kallahs] are taught the relevant parts of Yoreh Deah 183-200 but they are not
taught the relevant parts of Even HaEzer 69-90. This is where the rules are. I
really think that Chassan and Kallah lessons need to include these Halachos.</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, I said it
then and I repeat it now. Chassan/kallah classes cannot be limited to Yoreh Deah and Orach
Chaim 240. These classes need to cover the relevant parts of Even HaEzer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The entire
body of Halacha is quite vast. It begins at siman 66 of Even HaEzer and
continues to siman 118. That’s 53 topics. Of course, we don’t need all of them.
But the curriculum must begin at 69 and continue to 80 non-stop. Special
emphasis on siman 75 which deals with where to live and 77 which deals with
what is a <i>mored</i> and a <i>moredes</i>. It needs to be made clear to the
chassan that in the event that he is deemed to be a <i>mored</i>, Beis Din is
empowered to add more sums of money to his wife’s kesuba! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">(<b>Note </b>- The official amount is 3 <i>dinarim </i>per week. A dinar is 4 <i>zuz </i>so this would amount to 12 <i>zuz </i>per week which, according to Rema, is a bit shy of USD $50 and about $200 per month. This is not a scary sum of money for a well-off person, but it would still be effective for one who is living on a tight budget. Moreover, it is possible that a modern Beis Din is empowered to adjust this amount to reflect current CPIs.)</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">After this
it’s a good idea to know siman 85 about financial rights. The kallahs must also
study 115 about <i>Das Moshe and Yehudis</i> and how they can lose their kesuba
rights. The feminists should learn siman 154 about when they can dump their
husbands without losing their kesuba. Finally, everybody should learn siman 178
about [in]fidelity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All this is
the get-ready-for-marriage curriculum that every chassan and kallah must know.
If they are not taught early on in the yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs, they must be
integrated into the chassan and kallah lessons. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course, many
will ask: Are you insane? It is almost impossible for a chassan and kallah to
find time for the crucial Yoreh Deah lessons during the course of their engagement.
Now you want us to triple it with half of Even HaEzer on top of that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the
obvious response is that nobody said that this part needs to be studied <b><i>exclusively</i></b>
<b><i>during</i></b> the engagement period – unlike the Yoreh Deah topics which
do. These do not need to be taught one-on-one, either.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ideally, as
noted, these can certainly be part of any yeshiva or Bais Yaakov or Girls’
Seminary curriculum. And they should be. Perhaps BMG should make it a prerequisite
of leaving the freezer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But, if not,
and if there is not enough time to get it done before the wedding, then by all
means, do it <b><i>after</i></b> the wedding. Indeed, if it is a post-wedding
extension of the pre-wedding chassan and kallah lessons, it can double as a
post marriage supervision program that can help the sides adjust to marriage. Several
Chassidish courts have programs like these in place. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alternatively,
it can be offered as a group class by a community institution like a shul or
local Kollel. Or, I think it may be a great idea for the couple to actually
study it themselves as a “<i>chavrusa-shaft</i>” and consult their joint or individual
mentors for their questions and to clarify their differences of opinion on the
subject matter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Step 3 –
The Tanayim </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Hirshman-RMFeinstein
PNA<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once we have
a chassan who makes the kesuba worth something and who learns the rules – so he
knows what to expect at Beis Din down the road, and we have a kallah that knows
that her kesuba is not just a fancy piece of paper to store in her jewelry box but
that it is really worth something and it comes with strings attached, all we need
to do is to write a very succinct PNA wherein the spouses pledge to allow
either the designated Beis Din or some other local Beis Din handle the proceedings
in the event of marital strife.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Certainly, we
need some teeth to enforce this. But we only need one “threat” to the parties:
Anyone who violates this PNA and does not approach the designated BD, but
instead takes their dispute to another court <b><i>before</i></b> Beis Din
allows it, is automatically deemed a <i>mored</i> or <i>moredes</i>
respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now where
have we already seen such a PNA?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That’s right.
This is HRHG Rav Moshe Feinstein’s “prenup” with just a little bit of mustard
on it. And he suggested that it be inserted into the <i>tanayim</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, in
conjunction with the other steps, this is all we need to do. We need to incorporate
HRHG Rav Moshe Feinstein’s prenup into the <i>tenayim</i> but just tailor the
language to reflect the other steps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What will the
terminology look like?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What was Rav
Moshe’s nusach?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In English
this is what it says: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“If after the
wedding they (the couple) should come to a separation (</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE">פירוד</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">– “pirud”), cha’v, then the husband
will not hold out from giving a get piturin and the wife will not refuse
to accept it, as will be mandated by Beis Din xxxx, etc.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly, I
believe his precise language is too rough and needs to be polished. It is not
logical that he meant that any kind of separation (<i>pirud</i>) should
automatically mandate giving a get. It is obvious from the context that when he
wrote “separation” (<i>pirud</i>), he meant what we refer to as “irreconcilable
differences”, meaning there is clearly no hope for the marriage. Since it is
quite possible for others to interpret the term “<i>pirud</i>” as only a trial
separation or a less extreme level of marital discord, it is too ambiguous to
safely use this terminology. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alternatively,
we can say that this is what Rav Moshe meant when he added the words “as
mandated by Beis Din”. He is saying that this automatic obligation to deliver a
get is only effective <i>if and when mandated by the Beis Din</i>. Either way,
his language is too vague and subject to abuse, so it needs to be refined. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is worth
pointing out that Beis Din is not meant to be only the address for a tviat get.
It should also be the address for a tviat Shalom Bayit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Secondly, as
noted, this clause needs to be beefed up to reflect the other steps we
discussed and to include our threat for punitive action.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence, I
propose something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"></span></span></b></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">אם אחרי
הנישואין יבאו לידי קטטה או סכסוך, ח"ו, לא יעכב שום צד להגיש את הסכסוך לבית
דין _______ או לבית דין השורר באיזור מגורי הזוג, ויפעלו על פי הנחיותיהם. כל צד
שיגיש תביעה בערכאה חילונית או אזרחית או שיעסיק עורך דין לשם כך ללא הנחיית בית
הדין ייחשב כמורד/ת.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span lang="HE" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">הצדדים מתחייבים
להיות בקיאים [בהלכות טהרת המשפחה ו] בהלכות כתובות בשו"ע אבן העזר סימנים
ס"ט-פ', פ"ה וקט"ו ולנהל אורח חייהם בהתאם. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And, in plain
English:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>If, after the
marriage, a dispute or a conflict arises, cha”v, neither party will refrain
from referring the conflict to Beis Din _______ or to the prevailing Beis Din
in the area where the couple resides, and act according to their instructions.
Any party who files a lawsuit in a secular or civil court or engages a lawyer
for this purpose without a directive from the Beis Din will be considered a mored/es.<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>The parties undertake
to study [the laws of family purity and] the laws written in Shu”A Even HaEzer simanim
69-80, 85 and 115 and to conduct their lifestyles accordingly.</b></i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b><o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is it.
Short and <s>bitter</s>sweet. No more, no less. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">הכל שריר
וקיים</span></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It will be
signed by the witnesses of the <i>tanayim </i>and a <i>kinyan</i> made by the chassan and
kallah and parents as is customary. However, I think it may not be a good idea to
read this part out loud at the <i>tish</i>. Make a note to skip it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chronology is
not important. Some people do <i>tanayim</i> at the engagement and others at
the wedding. If it’s done at the engagement, just ascertain in the parental
pre-engagement negotiations that the chassan needs to put some meat into the
kesuba – either with a respectable <i>tosefet</i> or an acknowledgement of the
Chazon Ish opinion on <i>zekukim</i> as explained above. Further, that both
sides need to add the requisite Even HaEzer topics into their chassan/kallah
education and intend to abide by it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For those who
delay the <i>tanayim</i> until the wedding, it is hoped that the beef-up of the
kesuba and the additional education have already been undertaken or, at least,
agreed upon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif">Note, that
since this is just an amendment to the standard <i>tanayim</i>, this should
alleviate the objection said in the name of Rav Elyashiv, ZTL regarding the
Yashar prenup, not to sign it on the day of the wedding itself. I saw it
explained that his reasoning is that onlookers should not think that this is an
additional ceremonial part of the wedding ritual. As part of the <i>tanayim</i>,
this is irrelevant. The <i>tanayim</i> is indeed a standard part of the wedding
ritual. After all, this initiative is modeled on Igros Moshe who earmarked it
for the <i>tanayim</i> in the US where it is more customary to do it on the
wedding day. Hard to imagine that Rav Elyashiv would conflict with Rav Moshe
Feinstein on this issue.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, here you
have it. <i><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Hirshman Three-Step Plan Tanayim Halachic PNA Initiative</span></b></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No fancy
contracts, lawyers, notaries, fines or waivers. Nothing. And for those who put
it into effect, it is guaranteed to bring positive results. This is the
hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin of PNAs. Forget Rabbi Michael J. Broyde’s
unsafe and ineffective <b><a href="https://www.torahmusings.com/2012/05/mandating-prenuptial-agreements/" target="_blank">vaccines</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Will this
reduce recalcitrance?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, it will.
And it will strengthen their marriage. I guarantee it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Will this
eradicate recalcitrance completely?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course it
won’t. But this is not our goal. Such a goal is unreachable in any case. Bear
in mind that these agreements are only for people who want them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here is my
guarantee:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>אם את הדבר הזה תעשה וצוך א-לקים ויכלת עמד וגם
כל העם הזה על מקמו יבא בשלום! </b></span></span><span lang="HE" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Post Script - </b>Any reader who wishes to promote or disseminate this initiative is hereby authorized to do so freely and is under no obligation to do so in my name or to credit me for it in any way. YH</span></div>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7186734097245460670.post-46853552325262492322023-01-02T01:07:00.003+02:002023-01-15T15:18:06.490+02:00Prenups XII – The Straight Dope on the Yashar Initiative<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It’s hard to
believe that it’s a full year and a half since <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2021/06/prenups-xi-final-trei-gadya-part-2-of.html" target="_blank">I left off</a></b> on the series about
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/search/label/Prenuptial%20Agreement" target="_blank">Halachic Prenuptial agreements</a></b>. It began over five years ago in November 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One of the
main purposes of the entire <i><b>One Above <span style="color: #cc0000;">and </span>Seven Below</b></i> project is to explain to
mitzva-observant “NCOJs” (non-“chareidi” Orthodox Jews) who do not really
understand the chareidi value system and do not participate in it, what the
chareidi value system is and why, because of it, we see things differently.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence, the
purpose on the series about Halachic prenups was to explain why they are not
being embraced in the chareidi world and, from my viewpoint, will never be
embraced. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As a rule,
the chareidi world has looked askance at “Halachic” prenuptial agreements for
many reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are
serious Halachic issues that we don’t want to ignore.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We are not
fond of new ideas and “rituals” that are not part of our tradition (i.e., my
father never signed one and neither did his or his or his).<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We don’t
really need them. Certainly not at a community wide level.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As an addendum
to the above, one can argue that they increase the likelihood that troubled marriages,
which could be saved, will end in divorce.</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the
first reason – the Halachic issues – I invested many posts analyzing them. A
basic overview and a comprehensive list of issues is available in<b> <a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/11/prenups-x-more-trei-gadya-consumers.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The second
reason is self-explanatory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The last two
reasons are what I want to dwell on here as I discuss the last outstanding
candidate for Halachic prenups – the <b><a href="https://yasharinitiative.org/" target="_blank">Yashar Initiative</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Apparently,
some progressive members of the chareidi world are falling into the trap of
offering man-made solutions to G-d-given problems. I explained why it won’t
work in<b> <a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/02/mesira-viii-desperate-measures-making.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>. Most progressives (chareidi or otherwise) don’t read
my posts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In many ways,
I am grateful for this year-and-a-half-long hiatus in writing about prenups
because it gave me the opportunity to sit back and observe if anything of
substance will come of this Yashar Initiative. I certainly did not expect this
to take off and, as far as I can see, it surely hasn’t. This comes to me as no
surprise. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Like I wrote
above, even if it may be helpful, we don’t really need it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Real
hard-lined recalcitrance does not happen much in the chareidi world, and this
is due to several reasons. At the top of the list is that chareidim have a more
profound perspective of what marriage is all about and, because of it, we have
a much better track record than those who are just “Orthodox”. To us, marriage
is much more traditional, reverent, role-defined, and goal-oriented than it is
to the non-chareidi masses. As a result, we have less divorces in general.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I can attest
to this. I lived in the Lakewood community for five years while I was single.
After I married, I lived in some mainstream US communities and lived over
twenty-five years in Har Nof. I have never, ever seen a “plague of divorces” in
any of these communities. If I sat down with a pad and paper and tried to make
a list of how many chareidi/Yeshivish couples I know over the past forty years
who got divorced, I doubt I could put down even fifty names. Without prejudice,
I must report that most of the divorced couples I know were couples where at
least one spouse came from a very religiously compromised background or a
dysfunctional home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Along with
the phenomenon of less divorces comes a much lower level of recalcitrance. Bear
in mind that divorces are never meant to be quick and simple. It is not
uncommon for <b><i>marriages</i></b> to carry a fair amount of negotiation
between the sides over money or where to live or whatever else before they are
“finalized”. Sometimes proceedings are delayed, held back and even dropped
because the sides cannot reach agreements. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All this is
for two parties who are not yet bound to each other. No joint assets or
children or anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If so, why
should anybody expect that undoing an existing bond where there are joint
assets and children and, perhaps, other issues, should require any less
negotiation and should not be subject to at least the same propensity for
delays or one side refusing to cooperate for lack of reaching an agreement?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, typical
divorces can get sluggish for “natural” reasons which can usually be worked
out, even if it takes a good deal of time. This is because, in most cases, when
all is said and done, both sides really want them to eventually work out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Conversely,
spiteful recalcitrance for “its own sake” is quite rare by us chareidim. Sure,
it happens and in the few cases that it does, the agunah advocates have a field
<s>day</s> year promoting it as a poster child case. Many of us know about one
such poster child case in Monsey that even includes a full-sized poster on Rt.
59. I gather that nobody signed a prenup in that particular case, but the
question stands: if there would have been a BDA-type prenup, would it have made
any difference?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All told, the
yeshivish/chassidish/chareidi world does not promote these PNAs and, as a community,
we are none worse for the wear because of it. Yet, we do have our fair share of divorces and some of them are very messy and devastating affairs that cause
much more damage to the parties (and the children) than they need to. As such,
numerous <i>askanim </i>and Rabbanim/dayanim think that even the chareidi world has
somethingto gain from some kind of a “Halachic” prenuptial agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">After this so
very short introduction, it should not surprise anybody that I was personally
distressed to get a copy of Mishpacha Magazine in my mailbox in Dec. of 2019
(it’s been that long?) sporting a primarily black (i.e., gloomy) background and
the feature article:<b><i> <span style="color: #990000;">Can we find a better way to divorce? A renewed Call
for the Halachic Prenup</span></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A better way
to divorce? Are you serious?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Incidentally,
there is a silver lining counterargument to the situation. Maybe we <b><i>don’t
want </i></b>a better way! To some degree, it is a good thing that divorces
should be acrimonious and devastating. This will cause people to appreciate
their marriages more and go the extra mile to avoid this fiasco. If divorces
were all quick and smooth and ceremonial, more folks would end up doing it. Not
good for business (unless you are a <i>to’ein</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But <i>askanim</i>
need to keep themselves busy. If they don’t, they’re not <i>askanim</i>. And
there is logic to saving the couple from themselves and saving their children
from the self-destruction of their parents which invariably destroys the
children, R”L.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To address
the Call of the Wild (or the Call of the Child) a number of devoted <i>askanim</i>
led by Martin Friedlander and Eli Goldbaum created the <b><a href="https://yasharinitiative.org/" target="_blank">Yashar Coalition</a></b> and,
with it, the <b><a href="http://yasharcoalition.org/docs/Heskem.pdf" target="_blank">Yashar Initiative</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What is the
Yashar Initiative?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In my
opinion, it isn’t really much of an initiative but rather, it is a modernized, enhanced
version of <b><a href="https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=921&st=&pgnum=177&hilite=" target="_blank">HRHG Moshe Feinstein</a></b>’s one line “prenup” expanded and expounded into
a formal agreement between the sides to encourage them to play nice. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We know that
the BDA prenup is a combination of a binding arbitration agreement and a penalty-for-recalcitrance
agreement and the <b><a href="https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/c__c/Signatyourownrisk...pdf" target="_blank">Ariel Rosen PNA</a></b> is only a recalcitrance penalty agreement
without the arbitration agreement. The Yashar “initiative” is nothing but a
binding arbitration agreement without any built in pre-determined penalties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The parties
agree to submit their grievances to a pre-designated Beis Din and allow the
Beis Din to guide them through their ordeal for better or for worse. There is
no preset penalty for added mezonos or anything to pressure the husband to give
a get, although Beis Din has the authority to assess the husband with support
costs at show time in accordance with Halacha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">All this is
fine. It is very similar to Rav Moshe Feinstein’s “prenup”. I noted in
<b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/11/prenups-x-more-trei-gadya-consumers.html" target="_blank">that post</a></b> that the Yashar prenup (and some of the others) is meant to be able to enable the court to
force the couple into arbitration through Beis Din but it is hard to see it
being carried out in practice. If my memory serves, Rabbi Avraham Kahan said in
his <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/122819-show-252-prenutials/" target="_blank">Headlines interview</a></b> something like, “<i>I don’t really know what we’ll do if
the husband refuses to show up to Beis Din</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, in the
larger picture, the Yashar Initiative has all the attributes of Rav Moshe’s
“prenup” - it is Halachically sound and relatively toothless. It essentially
obligates the couple to do what they are obligated to do even if they don’t
sign it – air out their grievances in Beis Din. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, there is
indeed something to be said for taking an abstract obligation and putting it
down on paper and signing on it. It makes it more concrete and deliberate and
impedes one’s ability to deny it or “play dumb”. This is akin to the concept of
making a vow (<i>shevuah</i>) to uphold the mitzvos of the Torah as discussed in
Nedarim 8a. The gemara endorses this as a tool for one to motivate himself, yet
in Shevuos 27a it tells us that this is not an actual <i>shevuah </i>and one is not
flogged for violating it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hence, at the
end of the day, it doesn’t really have a lot of teeth. I find it hard to
imagine that, even if our “poster-child” from Rt. 59 in Monsey would have
signed the Yashar Initiative, that it would impact his case much. So, the
looming question is: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Is it good
for the Jews or bad for the Jews?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To answer
this question, we need to rephrase it:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What good
does it do? (Pros)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What bad does
it do? (Cons)<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Do we come
out ahead?</span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Yashar
agreement is trying to address a key problem that dominates the <i>parsha </i>of
divorce in today’s world, but I am not optimistic that it gets the job done. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If I were to
assess the biggest problem in Jewish divorce it is that the drama is all too
frequently played out in secular court. The courts, the laws, and, most
certainly the lawyers, are what cause the situation to get out of control and
to become acrimonious as well as prohibitively expensive. It also creates many forms
of coercion and duress which bring about serious questions of <i>get meuseh</i>
– a forced get. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By our
Halacha, every divorce process – just like any monetary litigation - must be
initiated in Beis Din. For whatever purposes the courts are needed, they are
only to be implemented under the guidance and approval of Beis Din. The couple
must first go to Beis Din and let Beis Din determine when it is appropriate to
go to court and for what purpose. If the woman “jumps the gun” and goes to
court without the consent of the husband and without the approval of Beis Din,
which is so often the case, I can’t think of any reason that the get won’t be a
get meuseh and totally invalid (see Shu”A Even Haezer 134:8. <b>Note </b>- I discussed this in the <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/11/prenups-x-more-trei-gadya-consumers.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a></b> and remarked that it seems that most poskim and even Rav Moshe Feinstein are not bothered by this. But it is far from clear.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, the important
thing is not that the couple <i><b>should come</b></i> to Beis Din, but that they <i><b>should not
go</b></i> to court <i><b>before </b></i>Beis Din allows them to. As such, it is not sufficient for
the couple to have an agreement where they agree to go to Beis Din. The main
part of the agreement must state that no party can approach a secular court
unless and until Beis Din allows them to. I would venture to go a step further
and put into the agreement that no side can engage a lawyer in the process
until Beis Din allows them to. This does not mean that the sides cannot consult
with lawyers for legal advice about civil rights and procedures. It means they
cannot retain one for proceedings and issue ultimatums to the other party. Accordingly,
there would need to be some sort of a penalty for any side to violate this
aspect and “jump the gun”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The language of
the Yashar agreement says that the parties will bring their case to Beis Din,
but it says nothing about not going to court or engaging a lawyer <i><b>before</b></i> going to
Beis Din. Since this is generally where the problems start, what good does this
agreement do?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, even if
the Yashar people want to insert this kind of language, we have a number of
ironic catch-22s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Firstly, as
Rabbi Kahan stated in his <b><a href="http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/122819-show-252-prenutials/" target="_blank">Headlines interview</a></b>, “<i>I don’t really know what we’ll
do if the husband refuses to show up to Beis Din</i>.” What, exactly, should be the
problem? Isn’t this an enforceable pre-arbitration agreement that is legally
binding?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, indeed. The
pre-arbitration agreement is indeed enforceable, but where is it enforced?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In secular court.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If the
purpose of the agreement is to get the couple into Beis Din and away from the secular
courts until the time is ripe, but the husband’s recalcitrance is going to
force the wife to open the case in court, we are back to square one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A second
catch-22 is that I noted that the parties should not even engage a lawyer into
the case until Beis Din says to. However, we all know that the law requires
that any party in an arbitration is allowed to have legal representation.
Indeed ,the agreement itself acknowledges this fact. So we can’t really
disallow any side from engaging a lawyer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To remedy
this, the agreement must stipulate that although each party can have a lawyer
represent them at arbitration, the lawyer is forbidden to contact or serve
notice of legal proceedings to the opposing party before the Beis Din
arbitration takes place. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is an
additional irony of this point of not engaging a lawyer or going to court
before the case is heard in BD. This is that the entire notion of these prenups
is being promoted by liberals and women’s advocacy group to ensure that <i><b>their
men</b></i> play fair and show up to Beis din to give a get. It supposedly helps the
women at the expense (literally) of the men and, as such, it’s a hard sell to get the men to comply.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But alas, when
it comes to going to court and sending nasty letters from lawyers, the women and
their advocates are generally all for it. Today’s secular courts give the women
better terms than they get from Beis Din. They prefer to play the game in court
and only show up to Beis Din for the ceremonial Halachic requirement of getting
a get. The last thing the women want to do is to sign an agreement to rein in
their “rights” to open a case in court. As such, would this agreement be properly
drafted (which it is not), it would be a hard sell to get <i><b>the women</b></i> to sign it,
not the men!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A third
catch-22 is the “<i>Bitul Modaah</i>” clause in clause 37. It states: “<i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Parties
represent that they have each had the opportunity to seek the advice of counsel
and toanim of their own choosing <b>prior </b>to executing this Agreement</span></i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is the clause that says, "I am doing this of my own free will and have had informed consent. I know what I'm doing." This is similar to what Groucho Marx called the “sanity clause” (The parties represent that they are of
sound mind and not insane and that they know what they are agreeing to.) His
brother Chico tells him that, “You can’t fool me, there ain’t no Sanity Clause”.
What I think Chico means is that, if one party claims that he was coerced into signing it
and didn’t know up front what it says and/or he did not have the chance for council (or
that he was or is insane), this claim nullifies the entire agreement
<i><b>including </b></i>the integrated sanity clause.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EpL565sEKCc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I wrote about why an integrated <i>Bitul Modaah</i> cannot work when I discussed Clauses L and Q of the Rachel Levmore PNA in <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2020/11/prenups-x-more-trei-gadya-consumers.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The obvious
response, and remedy, to this problem is to say that for this reason, the
agreement needs to be witnessed and notarized. Notarization means that an
objective third party is affirming that the agreement was signed by the relevant
parties in good faith. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What we learn
from this is that to make this work, we need a 43-clause contract which is
expected to be reviewed by lawyers and <i>toanim </i>(neither one of which are cheap
if they are not relatives), witnessed and notarized, and it should also be
approved by the Beit Din. I suppose it should also include a <i>kinyan </i>for good
measure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As Hillary HaZekeina said, “It takes a village.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This
agreement is supposedly designed for the Torah world, <i>yeshivaleit </i>(both
chassidish and misnagdish) and Beis Yaakov girls. In our circles, engagements
are relatively short and terribly hectic. Chassanim and kallahs are busy with
married-life lessons, getting halls and caterers, bands, flowers, clothes,
invitations, finding a place to live and making it livable all in the space of
six to twelve weeks on average. All the while trying to remain as happy and
exuberant as they felt on the day of their engagement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now, among
all this commotion, we also want to burden this exuberant (or perhaps
exceedingly nervous and fragile) chassan and kallah to take out time to make
divorce plans in the middle of their wedding plans!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">How
thoughtful.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And to call
lawyers and <i>toanim </i>and notaries and to get a Beis Din to sign along.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Did I mention
getting a Beis Din? Which Beis Din? Where? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Note, we are
not talking about people who are customers of the BDA </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>שכבודם מלא כל הארץ</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. Those folks will just use the BDA prenup. We are talking about
the black-hatters. We are suggesting to them, before their wedding, to choose a
Beis Din for their impending potential divorce. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Where are
the chosson and kallah from? Are they both from Lakewood? Both from Borough Park? What if not?
What if they are from different cities? Different countries? Different
continents?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Perhaps they
know where they plan to get married. But do they know where they plan to live? Do
they know where they plan to divorce (as long as they are anyway planning their
divorce)?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What if the
boy is from Monsey and the girl from Miami and they are getting married in Lakewood
and plan to spend the first three years in Eretz Yisrael? Then, one spouse wants to
stay in Eretz Yisrael and one doesn’t and the marriage goes south and they
split and, let’s say, the girl takes the two kids and goes back to Miami and he
stays in Ramat Eshkol. The Yashar agreement specifies a BD in Lakewood which
doesn’t exist because the Av Beis Din took a position in Toronto. What then?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Once we
understand all this, we can go back to our initial questions:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What are the Pros
and Cons?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the plus
side - <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, there
don’t seem to be any Halachic problems with it and, if both sides willfully and
amicably adopt the agreement and notarize it and implement it, then it might
serve to help them divorce happily ever after. It won’t make their marriage any
better, only their divorce.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But that’s
about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the minus
side – <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If there is
no firm language to dissuade and discourage either side from going to court
before Beis Din, including penalties for such, as there currently isn’t, it’s
not worth anything. If there would be any such firm language, I doubt the women
will want to sign it, nor will the women’s advocacy groups support it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is way too
intrusive and cumbersome to burden a young exuberant couple with at the eve of
their wedding. More so if we are dealing with an anxious and vulnerable couple. It could stop
some weddings before they even begin. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Don’t take
this from me. I noted that this agreement is generally an enhanced version of Rav Moshe Feinstein’s
<i>tanayim </i>prenup from <b><a href="https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=921&st=&pgnum=177&hilite=" target="_blank">Igros Moshe Even HaEzer 4 107</a></b>. Rav Moshe says that such an agreement (to pre-designate a Beis Din to go to) is good and clear, BUT…it’s
not for everybody. He clearly says that we must evaluate the couple to ensure
that such a stipulation will not be the cause of discord. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus, even HRHG Rav
Moshe, ZTL, says that this is a <i>parah adumah</i> that will help some people and
hurt some others. Incidentally, Rav Moshe’s initiative was published in
Cheshvan 5740 (43 years ago) as an addendum to a standard <i>tenayim</i>. From then, it never
gained universal acceptance. Personally, I am not aware of a single <i>tenayim </i>anywhere
in the world that includes this clause.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So much for a
universal agreement that should be implemented for the masses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sof davar, in
my view, the Yashar Initiative may be a straight shot but it’s a straight shot
to nowhere. My instinct is that it was formulated so that the chareidim can
also appear to be “progressive” and to "keep up with the Willigs". </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Build a better prenup
and the world will beat a path to your <strike>chuppah </strike>Beis Din. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It won’t
work. The traditionalists don’t need it and don’t want it. It will never
placate the liberals. And, besides, none of these agreements are going to work
on a large scale for the reason I expounded in my acclaimed 2016 post about <b><a href="https://achaslmaala.blogspot.com/2016/02/mesira-viii-desperate-measures-making.html" target="_blank">Desperate Measures</a></b>. I wrote there:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Likewise, we
will not eradicate problems of Shalom bayis and the Agunah issue. Why? Because
HKBH doesn’t want us to. He wants us to achieve </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים עמו</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. (Mishlei 16:7) He wants us to choose
marriage partners that will primarily enable us to fulfil His will (</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>אם בחקתי תלכו</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>...) not our own. And any “solution” that is not based on this
isn’t going to work.</span></span></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But if it
makes any couple feel better, it’s there for the taking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Post Script </b>–
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Despite all
this beating around the bush with these “Halachic” PNAs – whether Yashar or
<i>krum </i>– all is not lost. Yechezkel has his “three-step plan” to help make
marriages more robust and to reduce divorces in general and make them smoother
when they happen (sometimes).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But, as usual,
I am way past my allotment in this post, and it will have to wait for another
one. Meanwhile, love your spouse and keep the faith (oh, am I giving it away?...)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><br /><p></p>Yechezkel Hirshmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417734718880643428noreply@blogger.com0