"American rabbonim regularly encounter people who tell them they or their spouse is “Jewish,” or their child is marrying someone “Jewish,” even though the rav knows the person is a “Marilyn Monroe convert.”

 

TRUMP

KLOSS

CLINTON

 by Rabbi Dov Fischer

While Israel is secure and forever, peril faces American Jewry. Not only are non-Orthodox rapidly self-destructing and disappearing, but these fault lines extend into “Modern Orthodoxy”:

1. At least 33-40 percent or more of American “Jews” are not Jews. American Orthodox rabbinic and lay institutions are terrified to reveal they know this and its ramifications. All practicing American rabbonim (Orthodox rabbis) know they secretly undertake lineage investigations before conducting weddings for anyone not engaged in their communities because odds are that one or both prospective spouses is not Jewish. For that same reason — encountering “Jews” who are not Jews — they turn away even relatives of paid synagogue members from being buried in their shul cemeteries and from having their kids “bar- or bat-mitzva’d.”

American rabbonim regularly encounter people who tell them they or their spouse is “Jewish,” or their child is marrying someone “Jewish,” even though the rav knows the person is a “Marilyn Monroe convert.” Because the Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Council of America, terrified to offend members and donors, deliberately evade the issue and stopped educating the public years ago, many Jewish parents affiliated with O.U. shuls and RCA rabbonim have evolved to accept when their boys marry non-Jewish and tell them “Mom, she’s doing a conversion with a reform/conservative rabbi, so it’s OK and you will have Jewish grandchildren, and don’t write me out of your will.” Jewish parents no longer feel stigma: “Well, Rabbi, at least she is undergoing some kind of conversion. Right?”

Wrong.

The local syngogue raibbi is afraid to speak the Truth because he may get fired. He rationalizes: “If I tell them the hard truth, they will fire me, and then what will become of the shul?” (Answer: They will hire someone else with the exact same skills-set but more docile.) Tragically, the RCA and OU, who cannot be fired by local congregants but fear donors, also resist speaking the Truth. That is the meaning of Exile. The lesson for Israel: Jews vigilantly must guard against similar erosion in Israel’s Law of Return and Grandparent Clause. The toxicity poisoning American “Judaism” must not attain a foothold in Israel. This is Judaic life-or-death.

2. Secondly, mainstream American Modern Orthodox institutions proceed with contempt-of-court toward their own Poskim (Torah Authorities) and fear speaking with clarity on issues regarding the pernicious pretense of “Open Orthodoxy.” The “Maharat” Academy (“Yeshivat Maharat”), which contravenes Judaism and ordains “Orthodox women rabbis” (“Maharats”), now proudly and publicly endorses lesbian marriage, even among their own Maharat “Yeshiva” students. Yes, “Orthodox women rabbis” in lesbian marriages.Other “Maharats” advocate for transgender legislation, claiming they speak for Orthodox Judaism. Such “Maharats” amplify the disgrace; one is “Rabbi in Residence” at Missouri’s Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Another is a professor of Feminism at the seminary for “Reform Rabbis,” where she is proud to be called “Rabbi.”

The Orthodox Union asked their Poskim to pasken (Judaically rule) on whether “women rabbis” may serve O.U. congregations, and their revered Torah Authorities unanimouslypaskened in an extended learned Teshuvah (Responsum) in February 2017 — more than six years ago — that women rabbis are absolutely forbidden. Yet, to this very day, there are O.U. congregations in public contempt of their own rabbinic judges, and Orthodox Union knows it — because allknow it, because it is so public — and yet O.U. has not implemented the very rabbinic ruling it sought. That is contempt of court.

Even so, the same O.U. “boldly” lectures Israelis on how to deal with their courts. Nor does Rabbinical Council of America conscientiously enforce its own explicit requirement: ". . . [W]e cannot accept either the ordination of women or the recognition of women as members of the Orthodox rabbinate, regardless of the title.” Indeed, RCA even has bumbled into becoming a back-door vehicle for "Open Orthodox" female and male rabbis to gain legitimacy.

And the third “pillar” of American Modern Orthodoxy, Yeshiva University, now has a “Vice Provost for Values and Leadership” who leverages her YU status to legitimize “Maharat women rabbis” in a number of venues. The university’s Cardozo Law School awarded Jimmy Carter their “International Advocate for Peace” award, and 21 of their faculty signed a letter opposing Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court. Cardozo even has mandated that all students must take a course in critical race theory to graduate.

How far YU has descended from Presidents Rav Bernard Revel, Rav Samuel Belkin, and Rav Norman Lamm of blessed memory and the overriding spiritual leadership of HaRav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik!

Greater Israel is safe and secure forever. American Modern Orthodoxy?

ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375594

To receive Rav Fischer’s Weekly Extensive Torah Commentaries or to attend any or all of Rav Fischer’s weekly 60-minute live Zoom classes on the Weekly Torah Portion, the Biblical Prophets, the Mishnah, Rambam Mishneh Torah, or Advanced Judaic Texts, send an email to: shulstuff@yioc.org

Rav Fischer’s recent hour-long interview on a range of pressing contemporary Jewish issues, ranging from the “Palestine” Myth to apostate Jewish leftists and their like-minded reform rabbis to the weakness of pro-Israel campus Jews who root their advocacy in Victimology instead of Jewish strength, can be found here.

“I know that you feel comfortable being naked, I’m sorry for you."

 

Teen girls told to sit in back of bus, cover up because of Haredi passengers

 

Incident is one of several reports of bus drivers illegally discriminating against women in past week

The flag-raising marked the official start of the work of the new government.The composition of the all-male, all-Taliban government was celebrated by the Knesset.

A bus driver on Sunday ordered a group of teenage girls to sit in the back and cover themselves up, another in a string of recent instances of discrimination against women on public transportation.

When a group of teenage boys and girls boarded the Nateev Express 885 line from Ashdod to Kfar Tavor, the driver told the boys to sit up front and the girls to sit in the back and cover themselves with blankets, explaining that they were on an ultra-Orthodox bus line.

“I know that you feel comfortable being naked,” the bus driver could be heard saying in a recording of the incident obtained by Ynet.

When one of the girls told him that she felt humiliated, the driver responded: “Go tell Channel 12. Enough with this nonsense, you don’t have religious people in your home. You live in a kibbutz, detached from the world. You live in a Jewish state and you should respect the people living here. The fact that you live in a kibbutz and were raised this way, I’m sorry for you.

“I’m done arguing with you, you’re just kids,” he went on. “You’ll grow up and maybe understand that the upbringing you received is the worst possible kind. When you get on a bus where there are religious and ultra-Orthodox people who respect your way of life, you should respect theirs. You need to understand this, this is the Jewish state. This is where you live, and this is what’s happening in this country now.”

When the girls said that it was their right in a democracy to choose how to dress and where to sit, the driver said that “This has nothing to do with democracy. What you’re doing is undemocratic. If you have an issue with what I’ve said, then as far as I’m concerned you weren’t educated properly.

“What’s going on in the country today is because of your opinion. I’m giving you an opinion that maybe you should pass on to your parents at home.”

One of the girls, Shaked Rapaport, 15 from Kibbutz Hatzor, told Ynet that she had spoken with ultra-Orthodox passengers who told her that they had no issue with them sitting with their male friends.

In a statement, Nateev Express said that the company was reviewing the incident and that it condemns all forms of discrimination on its lines.

Bonot Alternativa, a women’s rights advocacy group, said: “This is not a mistake, it’s a policy. The Israeli government is actively working to exclude and erase women from the public sphere.

“There is one captain navigating this dangerous ship, and he is the prime minister.”

Separately on Sunday, Tzefi Erez, an 88-year-old woman from Givatayim, told Kan that a bus driver repeatedly ignored her when she asked him if she had gotten on the correct line. When the woman’s husband asked the driver why he wasn’t responding to her, the driver said that he refuses to speak to women.

“I was deeply hurt. I am a Holocaust survivor,” the woman said. “I’ve suffered enough… I came to the State of Israel, and suddenly I’m in Iran. Tomorrow they’ll tell me to cover my face.”

The Dan bus company put out a statement apologizing for the incident, and saying that it had personally contacted Erez and her husband, though Erez said that no one from Dan had spoken to her.

Two similar instances occurred last week. A bus driver in Ashdod told a woman that she could not board a bus because it was meant only for ultra-Orthodox men, and in Tel Aviv a driver berated a woman for wearing a tank top.

Mehadrin (strictly kosher) buses, which enforce gender separation to accommodate ultra-Orthodox passengers by having men sit in the front and women in the back, operated in Israel until the High Court of Justice ruled in 2011 that the practice was illegal.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/teen-girls-told-to-sit-in-back-of-bus-cover-up-because-of-haredi-passengers/?utm_campaign=daily-edition-2023-08-14&utm_medium=email&utm_source=The+Daily+Edition

Arabs Give Jews The Finger(s)!

 

 

Halal nail polish raises complex discussions among Muslim consumers

 

The halal cosmetic market is growing rapidly, but many customers remain skeptical.

 (The Arabs Caught the OU and Moshe Heinemann dreaming in Black & White - could be Yenta Yachne the Mikve Lady's job does not require nail polish remover - Water Soluble Dye May Not Be Considered a Chatzizah) Y:D 198-17, Chut Shani Nidah 198- pg. 309, Rema ibid -1, L’torah U’lhorah 7 pg. 27 (PM)

 Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ---"The Mishna in Shabbat 65a teaches that a woman is permitted to wear a small piece of cotton in the ear into a public domain on Shabbat.  The Gemara explains that any item which is a chatzitza may not be worn into the public domain on Shabbat. It would seem, accordingly, that a piece of cotton is not a chatzitza.  Rav Moshe explains that the reason for this is as follows.  He says that there are two types of chatzitzot.  The first is a Chatzitza which actually attaches to the skin and impedes the contact of the skin with water.  Examples of this include nail polish and ointments." PM

SEE TUR YORAH DEAH: יורה דעה הלנות טנילה קצח

file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/yd4_138-1.pdf

Tuesday in Love nail polish meets halal rules and offers access to specially produced cosmetic products. 

(RNS) — On her TikTok, Maham Ayaz, also known as @eggdelivery, regularly tests the water permeability of halal nail polish. In a video that received 27,000 likes, Ayaz lay small portions of nail polish film on a paper towel before applying six to seven drops of water to each.

After a five-minute wait, she announced the verdict: The paper towel remained dry. None of these products let water seep through despite advertising to the contrary.

The flow of disappointed users in the comment section revealed the stakes: Making sure water can reach the surface of the nail tip at any time, even with a manicure, is important to many Muslim consumers.

When performing wudu, the ritual purification before each of the five daily prayers, some claim the cleansing isn’t complete unless the water reaches all parts of the face, hands, arms and feet. Including the nails.

Tapping into this booming market, many nail polish companies developed water-breathable formulas in the past 10 years, also known as wudu-friendly nail polish. But there is yet to be an official standard in the halal certification industry to rate the efficiency and reliability of these products.

For Imam Mansoor Rafiq Umar, the CEO and president of Halal Watch World, a halal certification organization, labeling a nail polish as halal is a tricky and complex process.

“It’s very difficult for any company to claim that something can permeate it. I would love to see all the scientific data and papers to be able to show that,” he said.

In 30 years of business, Halal Watch World only certified one nail polish brand as halal for its clean composition, as it didn’t include any prohibited ingredients, such as alcohol, explained Umar. For now, the company refuses to grant wudu-friendly certificates, claiming that existing water permeability tests aren’t convincing enough.

For Umar, certifications should clearly distinguish between the halal composition and the wudu-friendliness of the nail polish. He said this could help strengthen Muslim consumers’ trust in halal nail polish brands. Since the use of the term halal in this context can be misleading, Umar believes such products can’t be considered haram, or sinful in Arabic.

“I think the categorization is actually problematic. You can’t deem something as halal if you can’t make wudu with it. That’s not really a proper classification,” he said.

 

Halal nail polish from Tuesday in Love includes a variety of colors and shades.

Dr. Umar Dar, the CEO and founder of the halal nail polish brand Tuesday in Love, also thinks the halal certification industry should agree on new standards for halal nail polish.

“When it comes to the halal certification industry, there is very little to no central and authoritative organization,” he said.

Dar first got interested in the halal nail polish industry in 2014, when he spent hours testing the water permeability of such products in his kitchen. After months of testing samples of various brands, Dar realized none let water seep through due to the use of nitrocellulose. This compound, used in paint, lacquer and most nail polish, hardens when it dries and creates a solid layer on the nail.

Even if many brands add another chemical in their formulas to alter the nitrocellulose base, it isn’t enough to change the original properties of nail polish and make them completely water-breathable, said Dar.

“I had a chemistry background, I examined it closely, and I was like, this is just a marketing scam. … Breathable nail polish is literally just a regular nail polish jacked up in price,” he said.

Dar developed a water-breathable complex certified by the Canadian Halal Certification and the Islamic Society of North America, and he put a patent on it. He regularly challenges his clients to rate its efficiency with homemade tests.

“We tell our customers: Look, it should be simple enough for you to even do this at home,” he said.

Dar called out halal nail polish brands and the organizations that certified them on his brand’s YouTube channel and TikTok.

Javed Younis co-founded a leading brand in the industry, Maya Cosmetics, a Chicago-based company. He recognized there is a specific way of using these products to ensure efficiency, suggesting consumers let water run on their hands and create enough pressure by rubbing their fingertips.

Maya Cosmetics produces a line of fully halal nail polish

After an audit that included the company’s manufacturing, their subcontractors, and a battery of water-permeability tests using coffee filters, Maya Cosmetics products have been certified halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America and the IDCP, a Filipino certification organization.

“It’s not just our opinion in that saying this is a safe product, an independent certification body approved the product,” said Younis.

Ever since he founded the company in 2016, Younis said, he has encountered a lot of skeptical clients.

“Despite having certification, there is still a portion of the Muslim population that does not accept it as valid. We are OK with that; that is perfectly acceptable,” he said.

Expected to grow steadily in Asia-Pacific and Muslim-majority countries, the halal cosmetic global market represented $30 million in 2020, according to a recent report by Allied Market Research. Younis said halal cosmetic products are particularly appreciated in countries with a trendy young Muslim population, such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Jewish and vegan consumers are also a growing market.

This growing interest should force halal certification organizations to take the problem seriously, according to Dar, who believes they are trying to avoid conversations on the topic or simply refusing to take positions on these products.

“I think, that’s where a lot of our younger generation gets very frustrated. Just because it’s technology and it’s new doesn’t mean you should dismiss it,” he said.

 

 

https://religionnews.com/2023/08/11/halal-nail-polish-raises-complex-discussions-among-muslim-consumers/

As Troublesome As The Judicial System Is Presently For Various Legitimate Reasons - Turning It Over To The Veto Power Of The Present Majority In The Knesset Is Unimaginably Worse!

 

‘The time to fight is now’: Masses nationwide rally against overhaul for 32nd week

 

Ex-IDF general pans PM for ‘handing country over to lawbreaking’ far-right ministers; protest heads said to warn they may shut Israel down if government defies court nixing of laws

 

• 
  Protesters use flares during a rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv on August 12, 2023. (JACK GUEZ/AFP)
• 
  Protesters against the government's judicial overhaul plans light a fire at Karkur Junction, in northern Israel, August 12, 2023. (Amos Gil)
• 
  Protesters demonstrate against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Herzliya, August 12, 2023. (Shai Kurianski)
• 
  A performance art protest against gender-based violence during the main anti-overhaul rally in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2023. (Doron Margulies)
• 
  Prof. Shikma Bressler speaks during a protest against the government's judicial overhaul plans, in Tel Aviv, on August 12, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
• 
  Demonstrators rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2023. (Gitai Palti)
• 
  Demonstrators rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2023. (Gilad Furst)
• 
  Former general Amiram Levin speaks during a protest against the government's judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, on August 12, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
• 
  Protesters lift flags and banners during a rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv on August 12, 2023. (JACK GUEZ/AFP)
• 
  Protesters play the drums during a rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv on August 12, 2023
   
• 
  Protesters lift flags and placards during a rally against the government's judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv on August 12, 2023. (JACK GUEZ/AFP)

• 
  

Tens of thousands of Israelis protested Saturday against the judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv and cities across the country, kicking off the 32nd straight week of protests against the legislative plan, days after the government indicated that it still intends to pass the most critical part of the package despite massive opposition.

At the main Tel Aviv protest, over 100,000 were in attendance, according to Channel 13 news, which cited data from the CrowdSolutions firm. Other rallies were held at some 150 locations.

Protesters gathered at Kaplan Square for the main part of the rally and hundreds marched to the nearby home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, calling “We are not afraid,” waving flags and blowing horns outside before eventually being pushed away by police. Hounding the homes of government ministers has been a staple of anti-overhaul protests from the get-go, echoing tactics employed last year by the Benjamin Netanyahu-led opposition that eventually toppled the previous government and returned the Likud party leader to power.

Earlier in the evening, police arrested three Palestinians, aged 16, 20 and 25, who unlawfully entered Israel. The three detained near Kaplan Street were from the West Bank village of Aqraba, police said, adding that they had apparently been in Israel working illegally and were stopped due to the police’s state of high alert as they secured the protest.

Among those addressing the Tel Aviv rally was retired general Amiram Levin, who made a tearful plea to Likud ministers to “be brave” and oppose the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation.

Levin, who at various times headed the IDF Northern Command, commanded the elite Sayeret Matkal unit and served as deputy director of the Mossad spy agency, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wanting to hand the country over to criminals.

“Bibi wants to give the keys to the country to a group of awful ministers, some of whom are convicted criminals and draft dodgers, to ministers who encourage massacring Palestinians subject to our rule, to a racist minister who loots the state budget and blocks funds for Arabs, just because they are Arabs. To a justice minister who wants one branch of government and no independent judiciary,” Levin said, apparently referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other Orthodox members of the cabinet.

He said some of the most hardline ministers “don’t know what democracy is because they and their aides grew up in a land that doesn’t have one,” he said, referring to those in the government who live in the West Bank, which is under Israeli military rule.

Former general Amiram Levin speaks during a protest against the government’s judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, on August 12, 2023.

“We won’t let Bibi and his group of ministers turn Israel into a dictatorship. We won’t allow it and won’t stay silent until we win,” he added, using the prime minister’s nickname.

Levin issued a direct plea to relatively moderate Likud ministers, including Avi Dichter, Nir Barkat and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, reminding each of them of their friends and colleagues who fell in battle during their military services: “Who would you want to go to war with? Their successors, or the draft dodging gang of Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and [Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak] Goldknopf… the gang of lawbreakers and warmongers… who discriminate against women and LGBTQ people?”

“I call to you from here, this is the battle of our lives, but this is also the opportunity of our lives — be brave. Here and all across Israel you will find hundreds of thousands of successors of your friends,” he said.

In her own speech at the rally, protest leader Shikma Bressler told demonstrators that despite the current Knesset recess, the threat of the coalition’s plans still looms.

“The Knesset may be on a break, but the coup continues at full strength. In the crosshairs is anyone who doesn’t fall in line with the rebellion declared by Netanyahu, led by the fascists and with the support of the corrupt,” Bressler said. “Every one of us understands that the time to fight is now.”

Prof. Shikma Bressler speaks during a protest against the government’s judicial overhaul plans, in Tel Aviv, on August 12, 2023.

Bressler went on to offer backing to police volunteers and military reservists protesting the overhaul, as well as three women in top positions — Michal Rosenbaum, director of the Companies Authority; Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara; and Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut — who have all faced attacks from government members.

Also joining the Tel Aviv rally was Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who tweeted: “We come to Kaplan today to say that a government that doesn’t obey the court, that doesn’t obey the law, is an illegal government.”

Netanyahu has refused to commit to honoring a theoretical High Court of Justice decision striking down the reasonableness law — which was passed into law and bars judicial review of government and ministerial decisions on the grounds of their “reasonableness” — raising concerns of a potential constitutional crisis.

In an unprecedented move, all 15 judges of the High Court will rule on the law in September, setting up a showdown between the judiciary and the government.

In addition to the rally in Tel Aviv, thousands of anti-overhaul protesters held demonstrations in Jerusalem, Beersheba, Haifa and dozens of other cities across the country.

Thousands of protesters intermittently blocked the Karkur Junction in northern Israel, lighting flares, as police worked to remove them from the road.

Demonstrators rally against the government’s judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2023.

Protesters were reportedly preparing to completely shut down the country if the government does not respect such a High Court ruling on the “reasonableness” law or on the recusal law, which bars the court and the attorney general from ordering a premier to step down — a move apparently designed to allow Netanyahu to violate a conflict of interest deal he signed.

The anti-overhaul protesters “are prepared for a complete paralysis of the country, based on a general strike of the economy without a time limit,” a source within the protest movement was cited as saying by multiple Hebrew media outlets.

“Many important sectors of the economy have already joined the plan,” the source said, expressing hope that the Histadrut national labor union would join such action.

Netanyahu indicated a week ago that his government will move ahead with changing the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee, perhaps the most far-reaching and controversial measure in the judicial shakeup package. He intimated that he was still seeking consensus on this. After that, he said, he would shelve the rest of the judicial overhaul plan.

“We’ve already done quite a bit,” Netanyahu told the Bloomberg financial news outlet. “I stopped the judicial legislation for three months, seeking consensus from the other side – unfortunately not getting it. Then [I] brought in a relatively minor part of the reform, passed it,” he said, referencing the passage two weeks ago of the controversial reasonableness law.

The current judicial selection bill, which was suspended in March but is ready to be brought for its final readings at short notice, would remake the Judicial Selection Committee, under which coalition and Supreme Court representatives currently each have veto power over the other’s candidates for the top court, requiring a consensus on such appointments. Instead, the legislation would change the composition of the panel so as to bring appointments throughout the judicial hierarchy under near-absolute government control.

Demonstrators rally against the government’s judicial overhaul plans in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2023. 

 

The government’s plans have continued to roil the country, particularly the military.

The chief of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, met Friday with dozens of reservist pilots who have declared they would no longer show up for volunteer duty to protest the overhaul, warning them that the state of the force’s readiness was “worsening.”

An unconfirmed report by Channel 12 news added that Bar told pilots: “Instead of preparing for war, I’m dealing only with this.”

As the coalition advanced the first major piece of related legislation last month, more than 10,000 reservists who frequently show up for duty on a voluntary basis said they would no longer do so. The reservists, some of whom have acted on their threats, have warned they will not be able to serve in an undemocratic Israel, which some charge the country will become if the government’s overhaul plans are realized.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-time-to-fight-is-now-masses-nationwide-rally-against-overhaul-for-32nd-week/?utm_campaign=daily-edition-2023-08-13&utm_medium=email&utm_source=The+Daily+Edition

Well You See Jamie Foxx --- Your Ancestors Were Sold Into Slavery To Help Them Poor People Survive!

 

Jamie Foxx had written “They killed this dude name Jesus… What do you think they’ll do to you???!” on Instagram on Saturday

Why was slavery allowed in the Old Testament?

Slavery in the Bible is a difficult topic to broach because our paradigm is both horrific and largely unrelated to slavery in the Bible. Slaves in our time and in recent centuries are "chattel" slaves. They were tricked into or forced to work. They received no pay and had no right to refuse to work.

Slavery in the Old Testament was very different and involved a variety of methods, situations, and restrictions. But the Old Testament is clear about capturing people and selling them as chattel: kidnapping was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 21:16).

The Purpose of Slavery:

 
In an ideal world, slavery would neither be an option nor a necessity. Because of the socioeconomic situation of Old Testament Israel, God did allow slavery, but He allowed it for a simple purpose: to help the poor survive. 

 A person could sell himself into slavery (akin to indentured servitude) in order to pay off debt or provide a basic subsistence. God did not intend for Israel to have poverty (Deuteronomy 15:4), but sin made it inevitable (Deuteronomy 15:5), and God allowed slavery to deal with that reality.

God enacted several laws to prevent the need for slavery in the first place. Many of these laws are found in Deuteronomy 24:

- Verse 6: a piece of equipment used in the survival of a family may not be taken in pledge for a loan.

- Verses 12, 17: if a poor man gives his cloak in pledge, it must be returned at night so he won't be cold; a widow's cloak must not be taken in pledge at all.

- Verses 14-15: a poor hired man must receive his wages daily.

- Verses 19-21: when harvesting wheat, olives, or grapes, some must be left over for the poor to take for themselves.

Slavery was to be a last resort. Israel was to "remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there" (Deuteronomy 24:18).

Sometimes, circumstances were such that the laws requiring care for the poor were not enough. In ancient agrarian societies, it was often extremely difficult to provide for oneself and one's family. Many slaves in Old Testament Israel had sold themselves to prevent starvation; others had been sold by their family so the family wouldn't starve.

Types of Slaves
The Old Testament recognized different types of slaves depending on their circumstances.

Foreigners
The Old Testament Law gave the procedure for taking foreigners (Deuteronomy 20:10-11). When making war against a city, Israel was to first extend an offer of peace, in which the city's inhabitants could voluntarily bind themselves over as slaves to Israel. This was more like serfdom than slavery. Foreign women and children could be taken in war, but the women could also be taken as wives (Deuteronomy 21:10-13

Debtors
A poor man could sell himself to a richer man if there was famine and the poor man had no way to provide for himself. Or a debtor could sell himself to the one he owed money to. If the debtor owed money to several people, he could sell himself to a rich man who agreed to pay off the debts. Similarly, the head of a household could sell a family member in exchange for any of the above. Other arrangements were possible; Jacob sold himself to Laban for fourteen years to pay the bridal prices of Leah and Rachel. Some debt slaves were foreigners and lived under slightly different regulations if they were not proselytes (converted Jews).

Girls
When a girl was sold into slavery, it was usually to marry into the family when she came of age. A father might sell a daughter to benefit the family or to improve the girl's prospects—usually, the girl married into a higher socioeconomic class. Although abuses undoubtedly occurred, the intent was to improve the girl's future. Every girl in that culture faced an arranged marriage; if she was sold, she moved into her husband's house earlier than usual and was provided for long before her wedding.

Treatment of Slaves
The treatment God prescribed for slaves reflects His concern for the foreigner and the poor. In the case of debt slaves, foreign women, and girls, slaves lived with the family. They did domestic chores and sometimes held responsible, trusted positions (Genesis 24:2-4). Laws that, at first glance, seem to be abusive actually mirror civil law regarding free men.

- If either a free man (Exodus 21:18-19) or a slave (Exodus 21:20-21) is injured, the one who caused injury must provide care for the victim.

- If a man harms his slave's face, the slave is free (Exodus 21:26-27), a fair comparison to the injury of a free man (vs. 24-25).

- An ox who killed a free man (vs. 28) or a slave (vs. 32) was to be stoned—the punishment of a murderer.

Slavery and Religious Rites
- Passover was to be celebrated by slaves if they were Jews or proselytes (Exodus 12:44).

- Observance of the Sabbath was for everyone—free, slave, hired, and foreigner. Everyone got a day of rest (Exodus 20:8-11).

- A slave privately owned by a priest could partake of the food given as an offering to the priest (Leviticus 22:11)—something a free hired man could not do.

- Servants were to celebrate the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:11) and the Feast of Booths (Deuteronomy 16:14) with the family.

Opportunities for Freedom
One of the biggest differences between modern chattel slavery and Old Testament slavery was that no Israelite had to be a lifetime slave. Debt slavery always came with an expiration date.

- A Hebrew slave was to go free after six years (Exodus 21:2) with generous support (Deuteronomy 15:14).

- A Hebrew slave was to go free at the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:40).

- Any foreign slave who escaped to Israel was to be sheltered and not returned to slavery (Deuteronomy 23:15-16).

- Note, there is nothing in the Old Testament Law that prohibits an Israelite slave from running away. 

Slavery was advantageous for the poor, and, apparently, if they thought they could do better elsewhere, they could leave. If, however, the debt was not fulfilled, the slave could be apprehended and sold like any other debtor.

- Foreign slaves were not automatically released after six years; foreigners were not allowed to own land in Israel, and it would have been next to impossible for them to earn a living on their own; to release such slaves against their will may have been cruel.

Slaves and Family
Exodus 21:4-6 is a hard passage. If a man went into debt-bondage with a wife, he could take her with him when he left after his commitment was fulfilled. If his master gave him a wife, though, she had to stay behind if the slave/husband left. There are three scenarios that would make this law sensible:

- The slave's wife was an adult debt-slave who still owed time on her commitment (Deuteronomy 15:12).

- The slave's wife was bought as a girl with the intention of being married. In this case, the master had the role of her father, and a newly freed slave would need to provide a bride-price to claim his wife. The bride-price was often used as a reserve in case the husband divorced the wife, and she needed independent support. In providing a bride-price, the husband proved he was able to support a wife.

- The slave's "wife" was actually a concubine, perhaps a foreigner. A concubine was similar to a wife, but her children were not eligible for inheritance. The master may have given her as a concubine to provide more children for his household.

In any of these situations, a slave could agree to stay permanently in the arrangement. This would ensure he had the support of a wealthy family as well as being able to stay with his wife and family.

Female Slaves
A girl sold to a family for the eventual purpose of being married into that family had different rights (Exodus 21:7-11), although, to modern eyes, they look like restrictions. She was not to go free because working to freedom was never the intent. Once she was married to either the master or his son, she was no longer a slave, but a member of the family—a daughter (vs. 9) or a wife (vs. 10). If the master rejected or divorced her (vs. 8, 11), she and her birth-family were forgiven the whole debt.

Leviticus 19:20-22 is puzzling. If a man has sex with a female slave who is engaged to someone else, they will be punished, but not killed. She is not married—the text says "she was not free," which implies that, since she is still a slave of her master's house, she had not yet married her betrothed.

Israelites vs. Foreigners
Leviticus 25:39-46 explains some of the differences between an Israelite slave and a foreign slave. An Israelite slave was to be treated as a cross between family and a hired man. But Israel also had foreigners who had been taken in battle or who, like the Gibeonites, had chosen to become Israel's servants (Joshua 9). These slaves could be held permanently—could be, but it wasn't required. An Israelite who had to sell himself was to be treated respectfully and redeemed as quickly as possible (Leviticus 25:47-55).

Conclusion
Some people categorically condemn the Bible because it does not call for the universal abolition of slavery. What they don't understand are the cultural conditions that made slavery a sad necessity. Also important to recognize is the Bible's prohibition against "man stealing" (Exodus 21:16), which is what happened with the transatlantic slave trade and with human trafficking today. Like divorce and polygamy, slavery was never in God's perfect plan. But, because of sin, for a time and place, slavery was permitted by God, with certain restrictions.

https://www.compellingtruth.org/slavery-Old-Testament.html

The solution to this loss of direction is for the power to be vested in the people. We must demand a reform, or revolution if you will, that transforms the Chief Rabbinate from a bastion for functionaries, to a source of pride and inspiration for Israelis on all sides of the great divide as well as for Jews around the world.

 

Israel's Chief Rabbinate has become a hereditary monarchy

 

The position of chief rabbi, which has a ten-year tenure, has become a political tool and the province of members of a few elite families who monopolize it.

 

ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau (left) and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: The silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions, the writer argues.

In a number of his recent sermons to the Ramot Gimmel Young Israel Congregation in Jerusalem, Rabbi Shmuel Slotki has addressed the massive political and social crisis we are facing in Israel. Without taking sides or voicing an opinion as to the merits of the judicial reform or revolution (depending on your point of view,) he has, with a calm and quiet eloquence, sourced the weekly Torah readings, providing spiritual perspective, purpose, and direction to most of us middle-of-the-road Israelis who may have opinions either way, but fear for the future of the social fabric of our fragile country.

While these lines cannot possibly do justice to the depth of his thoughts, here are the themes he has referenced. He spoke of the decision to appoint the more conciliatory Joshua as Moses’ successor despite the better qualifications of Caleb, who was a dogmatic, uncompromising ideologue.

Another sermon centered on the internal strife caused by the demand of the tribes of Reuben and Gad to remain on the eastern banks of the Jordan, outside the boundaries of the Promised Land. Part of the compromise fashioned by Moses was to allot land to the conciliatory tribe of Manasseh straddling both sides of the river, thereby creating an unbreakable connection between all the fractious factions of the nascent nation. We also heard of the state of society in ancient Israel, leading up to the mass devastation and destruction in ancient temple times, and modern parallels.

Rabbi Slotki has been praised by congregants expressing their gratitude for his wisdom and leadership at this time of confusion and alienation. His words serve as guidance at a time when they are so sorely needed. It is a great shame that his, and the thoughts of others like him, are not heard by a greater audience.

Israel's chief rabbis stay silent in a time of great division

AGAINST THIS background, the silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions. One would imagine, that as the appointed spiritual leaders of our flock, they would be seen and heard on media, in synagogues and auditoria, charismatically calling for conciliation and unity as we flounder in unchartered waters, churned by animosity. To the best of my knowledge, there has been nary a word uttered by Rabbi’s Lau and Yosef throughout all of these months.

Is it legitimate to expect that our chief rabbis be such leaders? The definition of their roles as per their official website includes, “… a representative and leadership role: the rabbis appear before the diverse Israeli public, and give lectures on a variety of acute topics relevant to daily Israeli socio-national life: relations between religion and state… concern for others and the needy, and more...”

Looking back, we remember, among others, the profound mystical writings of the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook; the passionate speeches and proclamations of Rabbi Shlomo Goren; the activism and groundbreaking halachic rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef; and the remarkable eloquence and unifying persona of Rabbi Meir Lau.

You may or may not have agreed with them. After all, even Mordechai, who together with Esther saved the Jewish diaspora, earned the approval of just “a majority of his brothers.” But these were personalities who had the courage to take a stand, and were a source of thought and insight for so many who revered their wisdom and words. Sadly, if there is anything we remember about the recent crop, it is that the previous Ashkenazi incumbent subsequently served a jail term for bribery, corruption, tax fraud, and obstruction of justice. 

The names Lau and Yosef are the key to understanding why leadership is no longer one of the job requirements for these towering titles. In the Ethics of the Fathers, Rabbi Shimon teaches us that “there are three crowns, the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty.”

The crowns of royalty and priesthood are granted on a hereditary basis. However, for good reason, the crown of Torah is bestowed on the basis of meritocracy, or ought to be. And when it is not, no grand appellation or headgear can disguise the state of bankruptcy of the institution.

The position of chief rabbi, which has a ten-year tenure, has become a political tool and the province of members of a few elite families who monopolize it. This titular crown of Torah is now worn by two sons of previous office holders. Family connection in itself should not disqualify a prospective candidate but it must not be the stepping stone for those unworthy of the position.

POSTS OVER the past two months on the Facebook page of the Chief Rabbinate at the time of writing, concern themselves almost exclusively with the examinations that are currently being taken by 2,800 prospective rabbis. Every single one of the subjects the candidates are tested on relates to aspects of halacha, almost all of them ritual in nature. To the best of my understanding, there are no requirements relating to pastoral leadership.

The solution to this loss of direction is for the power to be vested in the people. We must demand a reform, or revolution if you will, that transforms the Chief Rabbinate from a bastion for functionaries, to a source of pride and inspiration for Israelis on all sides of the great divide as well as for Jews around the world.

Given the performance of the latter holders of this office, the argument that only the “experts” are qualified to know who is best, is absurd. How about a once-in-seven-year general election, where the citizens of the country elect the president and chief rabbis? (It must be noted that the current president, whose father and grandfather held distinguished offices, is proving to be an outstanding exception to his sorry counterparts at Heichal Shlomo.) 

Rabbi Shimon concludes his list of crowns with a fourth one. “The crown of a good name is greater than the others.” What we desperately need are spiritual leaders who have built a reputation for themselves based on their own lofty values and actions, to be present and active in guiding us through the storm so that we may emerge from it with our nation and families intact.

In the meantime, given the current unfortunate affairs of state and religion, we will continue to draw sage guidance from Rabbi Slotki and his kind.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-754081?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Israeli+snake+dies+trying+to+eat+porcupine&utm_campaign=August+9%2C+2023&vgo_ee=ee7zLSbwHoLyUrb8jFIXk6P9nNMGWQg3LohBz%2Ba8IJ447g%3D%3D%3AN7yl7zO%2F25HdLkWF6mLTbu%2FBYBQ%2FtVNy

Just when I thought I heard it all.....

New AI app lets users ‘text with’ Yoshka Pundrick and other (fictional in most cases) biblical figures 

 

The app replicates an instant messaging platform, allowing users to chat with ChatGPT impersonations of biblical figures, including the apostles, the prophets, Ruth, Job, Lot and more.

 

A "Text with Jesus" app promotional banner. 

(RNS) — If you ever wondered how Jonah felt while he was trapped inside the whale’s stomach for three days, why Solomon had so many wives or why Judas betrayed Jesus, a new app called Text with Jesus is your chance to ask for yourself.

Launched in July, Text with Jesus is the latest creation from Cat Loaf software, an app-development company in Los Angeles. The app replicates an instant messaging platform, with biblical figures impersonated by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT.

Characters available on the app include the Holy Family, the apostles, the prophets, Ruth, Job and Abraham’s nephew, Lot.

“We stir the AI and tell it: You are Jesus, or you are Moses, or whoever, and knowing what you already have in your database, you respond to the questions based on their characters,” said Stéphane Peter, the app’s developer and the company’s CEO.

Peter, who founded Cat Loaf software in 2011, has built numerous more static applications with historical figures — Text from the Founding Fathers, Text from Oscar Wilde, and more recently, Text from Jesus — in which users received quotes from the person in question, but couldn’t interact.

When ChatGPT was released last year, the 46-year-old developer, who came to the United States from France, wondered how to use AI to upgrade the Text from Jesus app. In February, he started digging into OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research laboratory that launched ChatGPT, and created a proper chat from a simple devotional app.

“Instead of just getting a daily Bible verse, now you get a chance through this app to chat with Jesus or anybody else in the Bible,” he said.  

There are few limits to what users can ask the app’s characters. Whether the topic is personal relationship advice or complex theological matters, they formulate elaborate responses, incorporating at least one Bible verse.  

Asked how he defined a good Christian, the app’s Jesus replied that such a person will “profess faith in me, but also follow my teachings and embody them in your life,” and quotes a passage in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus teaches that the greatest commandments are, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Many people in the Bible, Mary Magdalene among them, are only accessible in the app’s premium version, which costs $2.99 a month. In a conversation with Magdalene, the devoted follower of Jesus mentions how having seven demons “was an incredibly tormenting experience. …”

“Chat with Satan” can be activated if the user chooses. The character signs all his texts with a “smiling face with horns” emoji.

Peter, who said he didn’t work with any theological advisers on this project, explained that he trained the AI to “try to stick to the biblical tradition as hard as possible.”

 

Screenshot of the “Text with Jesus” app on a tablet

But Peter did invite church leaders to try Text with Jesus once he had a beta version. Some pastors complained that some responses lacked Bible chapter and verse citations, or about the strange uptight tone in which Jesus talked, but on the final version, Peter said, he received “pretty good feedback” from the professionals.

“I updated it so it can speak more like a regular person and ensured it didn’t forget that it’s supposed to get stuff from the Bible. It’s a constant trick to find the right balance,” he said.

In case users were tempted to reveal sensitive information about themselves to the app’s Jesus, all information is stored temporarily, just long enough for the AI program to keep track of the conversation. The server does not keep any identifying information about users, Peter said.

On X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, the launching of the app stirred reactions ranging from amusement to accusations of blasphemy and heresy. “That’s a hard NO for me,” tweeted one user.

Peter anticipated the app would draw blowback but called it “another way to explore Scripture.”

Asked about the criticisms about Jesus’ oddly mild responses on some touchy issues, Peter acknowledged that Text with Jesus’ characters tend to avoid taking offensive stances, instead taking an inclusive and tolerant line.

On same-sex marriage, the app says it is “up to each individual to seek guidance from their own faith tradition and personal convictions” and encourages users to “prioritize love and respect for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” signing the text with a rainbow and red heart emojis.

About feminism, Jesus emphasized the importance of “empowering women and breaking societal barriers that limited their opportunities.”

https://religionnews.com/2023/08/07/new-ai-app-lets-users-text-with-jesus-and-other-biblical-figures/

But it is in the area of child sex abuse when the effects of the halo effect really become clear and dangerous. In the not too distant past, a number of high profile members of our community have been accused of and/or arrested for crimes of a sexual nature against children.

Eliminating The Halo Effect For Sex Abusers

 

A PIG WITH A HAT IS STILL A PIG!

Photo Credit: 123rf.com

You’re at the jewelry store to buy a pair of earrings as a present for someone you love. But you aren’t sure if you should buy the pair you’re looking at. You’re not sure if it is their style. You’re also not sure if the price is a good price. Across the counter, the salesperson is telling you how they’re beautiful and how the price is a great deal.

You decide to leave the store, not heeding the calls of the salesperson to buy. After all, they are the salesperson, they aren’t a neutral party.

---

---

People can be very quick to realize when they’re doing business with someone who has a bias. However, these same people often fail to recognize that they themselves have their own biases. This is known as the blind bias spot.

I have written about numerous cognitive biases in the past, but for the purpose of this article, I’m going to focus on a bias that many have, this is called The Halo Effect / The Horns Effect.

The halo effect is the belief that if something is good at one thing, it would also be good at other things.

The horns effect is the reverse. If something isn’t good at one thing, it is believed that it will not be good at the other thing.

Here is an example of the halo effect: There is a pizza store near your home and you find their pizza to be delicious. This store now adds homemade frozen yogurt to their menu. You have no idea whether it is good or not, but given that you find the other items on their menu to be extremely tasty, you believe that their frozen yogurt will also be tasty.

The horns effect is the following case: The bagel store whose food you dislike starts selling soft serve ice cream. You decide to get your ice cream elsewhere because, after all, if they can’t get a bagel right, why should you think they can get ice cream right?

Pizza isn’t frozen yogurt.

Baking bagels and making soft serve ice cream are two very different skills.

Yet we allow our experience with one to impact our decision when it comes to the other.

Welcome to the halo effect.

The halo effect also distorts how we view people. People who are dressed nicely or more put together will be viewed more positively than those who aren’t.

But it is in the area of child sex abuse when the effects of the halo effect really become clear and dangerous.

In the not too distant past, a number of high profile members of our community have been accused of and/or arrested for crimes of a sexual nature against children.

The cries from the community are always the same.

“But he does so much chesed!”

“Someone who leads such an organization must be a tzaddik! A tzaddik doesn’t do that!”

“What about all those important messages to kids in his books?”

“Do you know how many honors he has received?”

That’s the halo effect.

The chesed done over many years doesn’t mean a crime wasn’t committed.

Running a non-profit organization doesn’t mean that a crime wasn’t committed.

Teaching important lessons to kids doesn’t mean that a crime wasn’t committed.

Receiving honors doesn’t mean that a crime wasn’t committed.

When we allow the halo effect to corrupt our thought processing, we are telling the abusers: “If you show me that you’re a nice person, I’ll believe you and protect you when the truth comes out about you being an abuser.”

The halo effect is a giant welcome mat in front of our communities.

It welcomes abusers, protects them while silencing and shaming their victims.

When we both individually and communally start recognizing the lack of connection between a person’s good traits and the possibility that they’re doing bad things, that’s when we are able to defeat the halo effect.

So instead of a mat welcoming abusers, there is a giant sign for them that reads: “Do Not Enter.”

I feel the need to add the following:

The pasuk in Parshas Shemini says: ”The pig, because its hooves are split…” What does it mean because its hooves are split? That is a sign of kosher, not a sign of being non-kosher!

Says R’ Moshe Shternbuch quoting the Kli Yakar: Because the pig goes around bragging and proving that it is kosher due to it’s foot, don’t say that it is treif in spite of its acceptable foot; rather the acceptable foot is also a sign of it being treif!

The same is true when we hear of these famous and “chashuv” people who commit acts of abuse.

They didn’t abuse in spite of all the good that they did, the good that they did was part of their abuse!

It was part of the grooming and manipulation.

The pig shows its feet to be accepted where it doesn’t belong, no different than these abusers.

https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/eliminating-the-halo-effect-for-abusers/2023/08/04/

Another Moshiach Moronic Crackpot - The Frum Sites Put This Garbage Up Because Why? You Guessed It If You Have an IQ of 50!

"Lawyer Is A Jew" - tweeting out a vague picture of a visible minority that has been subject to rising hate crimes in NYC to your 31 million followers is just not acceptable!

 

Rapper Cardi B tweets, then deletes, picture of Orthodox Jews after legal triumph

 

Cardi B, seen here performing onstage during 2023 HOT 107.9's Birthday Bash in Atlanta in June 2023, tweeted a picture of Orthodox Jews after her Jewish lawyers announced victory in a legal case.

 

(JTA) — Soon after Cardi B learned that police in Las Vegas would not charge her in connection with an incident at a recent concert, she turned to Wikipedia.

The rapper tweeted a picture that illustrates the digital encyclopedia’s entry for “Jewish religious clothing.” The picture shows two Hasidic Orthodox Jewish men walking in Borough Park, Brooklyn. One wears a fur hat called a streimel as well as a tallit, a prayer shawl, over his clothes; the other has long peyos, the sidelocks worn by some Orthodox men.

“Remember … ” she wrote.

Fans immediately connected the post to a lyric in her 2018 song “Bickenheld,’ in which she sings, “Lawyer is a Jew, he gon’ chew up all the charges.” Jewish lawyers are a sustained theme in rap music, and Cardi B’s legal team on the Las Vegas incident included multiple Jewish attorneys.

But even as some interpreted the tweet as praise for her Jewish lawyers, others decried it as offensive because Cardi B appeared to attribute her attorneys’ success to their Jewish identity, not their skills. (The men in the picture are not Cardi B’s attorneys.)

“Appreciate you @iamcardib, but tweeting out a vague picture of a visible minority that has been subject to rising hate crimes in NYC to your 31 million followers is just not acceptable,” tweeted David Bashevkin, a prominent Orthodox voice on social media. “When hate is an option don’t leave anyone guessing what you meant.”

Amid a social media backlash, the tweet was removed without comment. “Lawyer is a Jew” continued trending on X, the platform that was until recently called Twitter, for some time.