|
December 14, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Israel Air Force on Wednesday night targeted three terrorist objectives in Gaza including a weapons storage facility and a terrorist training facility. The attacks were in retaliation for rocket fire into southern Israel on Wednesday evening, 25 Kislev.
Rocket fire slammed down into southern Israel on Wednesday evening for a fourth consecutive day. Once again, B’chasdei Hashem, there were no fatalities or injuries. Two of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system and two landed in open fields.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office also announced the Erez Crossing from Gaza to Israel would remain closed in retaliation to several consecutive days of rocket fire from Gaza.
|
December 14, 2017 at 9:10 pm
Hamas on Wednesday, 25 Kislev, announced that all of al-Quds (Jerusalem) belongs to Islam, including eastern and western Jerusalem, issuing the declaration marking the 30th anniversary of the terrorist organization. Clearly the timing is not coincidental, but to counter the declaration by US President Donald Trump, declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
Hamas speaks of “liberating all of occupied Palestine, and bombing occupied Tel Aviv”, clearly stating the terror organization does not recognize the legitimacy and sovereignty of the State of Israel over any areas of the country.
|
December 14, 2017 at 9:05 pm
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the world’s largest generic drugmaker, on Thursday said it would lay off over a quarter of its workforce as part of a global restructuring meant to salvage its ailing business.
The company said 14,000 workers would be let go. The cuts will be scattered across Teva’s global operations and will occur over the next two years, with most expected in 2018.
The announcement marked a stunning setback for a company seen as a national source of pride in Israel. With roots going back more than a century, Teva has grown into a major global player over the past 40 years with a series of acquisitions, and by developing original drugs and leading the move toward cost-saving generic medications.
The country’s main trade union scheduled a nati...
|
December 14, 2017 at 9:04 pm
Delta Air Lines picked Europe’s Airbus over Boeing for a huge order of new jets.
Delta said Thursday that it will order 100 Airbus A321neo jets with a sticker price of $12.7 billion and take an option to buy another 100 jets, a deal that Chicago-based Boeing had hoped to land.
Financial terms of the order were not disclosed so it isn’t known how much Delta will actually pay Airbus. Airlines typically get huge discounts off the sticker price of new planes.
Atlanta-based Delta announced the order just before beginning its annual meeting with investors.
CEO Ed Bastian told investors that travel demand remains strong both on international and U.S. routes. He said Delta expects fourth-quarter revenue for every seat flown one mile — a measure of ticket demand and aver...
|
December 14, 2017 at 9:02 pm
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is catching blame from fellow Republicans for coughing up a safe Senate seat in deep-red Alabama and foisting damaging political advice on President Donald Trump. But in the aftermath of this week’s stinging Alabama defeat, Bannon is showing no signs of abandoning his guerrilla war against the GOP establishment.
Bannon wholeheartedly backed Roy Moore, the insurgent conservative who faltered in Tuesday’s special election amid allegations of inappropriate behavior from decades ago. The accusations prompted the national party to withdraw support for its nominee for a while, but Bannon stuck with Moore, headlining rallies for the candidate and convincing Trump to extend a full-throated endorsement.
But when Moore lost on Tuesday, h...
|
December 14, 2017 at 8:59 pm
It is a sad fact that over 90% of our Midrashim have been lost. This is due primarily to the seizure of manuscripts and seforim by the Catholic Church in Europe. How do we know that this is the percentage that was lost? The answer is that it can be culled from a statistical analysis of the sheer numbers of Midrashim quoted in the Drashos of the Rishonim that are simply not there. Nine out of ten times that a Rishon cites a Midrash – it is not to be found.
Below we find a Midrash cited by the Bach that can only be found in in Eisenstadt’s Otzar HaMidrashim (p. 93). Boruch Hashem, this one was not lost entirely, but others, unfortunately were.The Bach writes (Orech Chaim 670:4):
“That evil one [Antiochus] decreed to abolish the Korban Tamid and he further said to them: ...
|
December 14, 2017 at 8:59 pm
This past week, I read a beautiful insight from Rabbi Chayim Shmuelevtiz, zt”l, the late Rosh Hayeshiva of Mir. How could pharaoh have trusted Yosef to such a degree that he appointed him to be the main administrator of plans to save Egypt from the shortages of the forthcoming famine? True Yosef was understanding and wise, but how can pharaoh trust someone who was just released from prison and was a slave?
Rabbi Chayim Shmuelevtiz, replied that pharaoh saw Yosef’s extreme honesty in something Yosef said before he related the interpretation of the dream. Yosef began by saying to pharaoh that he had no power at all. It was a gift from the almighty. Yosef Didn’t want to take the credit even for a moment. This total honesty in one minor point showed that Yosef could be trust...
|
December 14, 2017 at 8:55 pm
The Republicans’ razor-thin margin for driving their sweeping tax package through the Senate was thrown into jeopardy Thursday when GOP Sen. Marco Rubio declared he will vote against it unless negotiators expand the tax credit that low-income Americans can claim for their children.
Rubio’s potential defection complicates Republican leaders’ goal of muscling the $1.5 trillion bill through Congress next week, handing President Donald Trump his first major legislative victory by Christmas.
Senate Republicans could still pass the package without Rubio’s vote, but they would be cutting it extremely close. An original version was approved by only 51-49 — with Rubio’s support. The co-sponsor of Rubio’s proposed change, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of ...
|
December 14, 2017 at 7:27 pm
The reading of the portion of Mikeitz always coincides with Chanukah. There are many allusions within the portion to this association. One of the first striking parallels is in the dreams of Pharaoh. He dreams of robust and beautiful cows being consumed by seven ugly gaunt ones. He has a vision of seven healthy and good ears of grain being swallowed up by seven thin and scorched ones. This imagery echoes the miracle Chanukah where G-d delivered, גבורים ביד חלשים, the strong into the hands of the weak.
When Yosef satisfactorily interprets Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh is duly impressed, enthusiastically exclaiming ‘there is no one so discerning and wise’ as Yosef.
His wise men attempted to interpret his conflicting dreams in terms of conquests and defeats ...
|
December 14, 2017 at 7:00 pm
1) Pharaoh on the Nile
We know that Mitzrayim had the Nile river in it, and in Pharaoh's dreams he saw himself standing on top of the Nile, the Ye’or.
The Nile is actually known as a river that goes through Africa, and it is considered the longer river in the entire world. It’s 4258 miles long and passes through Uganda, The Dominican Republic of Congo and all the way through Sudan and Egypt. Historically, it was regarded as a God in Egypt because Egypt is not a very fertile but when the Nile would spill over it would help fortify the entire land. This is why the first of the 10 Plagues actually attacked their water supply against the Nile.
Interestingly, the Nile is about 25 - 35 feet deep in certain parts which explains why the Egyptians were very bad sailors. Th...
|
December 14, 2017 at 5:51 pm
Weary national Republicans breathed a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday, a day after voters knocked out their own party’s scandal-plagued candidate in deep-red Alabama. Yet all is not well in a party confronted with new rounds of infighting and a suddenly shrinking Senate majority heading into next year’s midterm elections.
A semi-humbled President Donald Trump conceded that Roy Moore’s loss was not his preferred outcome. He said he “would have liked to have had the seat” and an important Senate vote as he and GOP lawmakers scratch for legislative victories.
But he also acknowledged, “A lot of Republicans feel differently. They feel very happy about the way it turned out.”
Indeed, it was easy to find establishment-minded Republicans &...
|
December 14, 2017 at 5:48 pm
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday the U.S. is only hurting itself with investigations of alleged collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, and the Kremlin leader vowed he won’t allow the radical opposition at home to challenge the status quo as he seeks re-election.
At his annual news conference, Putin also mocked his most visible critic, Alexei Navalny, saying that those like the opposition leader want to drive Russia into chaos ahead of the March 18 presidential election in Russia.
Brimming with self-confidence during the nearly four-hour session, Putin reaffirmed his denial of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“All of it was invented by people who oppose President Trump to undermine his legitimacy,” Putin sai...
|
December 14, 2017 at 5:45 pm
The public’s interest in all things bitcoin and efforts by entrepreneurs to fund their businesses with digital currencies is starting to draw more attention from regulators.
The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission this week warned investors on the risks of investing in largely-unregulated digital currencies.
Just this month, the SEC halted two attempts to raise money through what’s known as an initial coin offering. Legal experts believe this signals that a crackdown on sketchy offerings is coming.
“The SEC has given so many warnings now that people should know they are on notice,” said Joshua Klayman, a lawyer with the firm Morrison & Foerster who specializes in legal issues related to digital currencies.
The world of bitcoin and digital cu...
|
December 14, 2017 at 5:42 pm
This is reported to be the last ‘sicha’ given by Maran HaGaon HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman ZT”L marking the 17th anniversary of Yeshivas Orchos Torah.
|
December 14, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Vice President Mike Pence will delay and curtail his upcoming trip to the Middle East to be on hand for an upcoming Senate tax vote and take into account the unwillingness of Palestinians and others to meet with him while in Egypt and Israel.
The White House said Thursday that Pence now plans to leave for Egypt on Tuesday so he can preside over the Senate during a likely vote next week on the Republicans’ sweeping tax package. Pence serves as president of the Senate. Pence also shortened the length of his planned trip to the region after Palestinian officials and leading Muslim and Christian clerics in Egypt said they would refuse to meet with him.
Pence had originally been scheduled to leave Saturday for Israel, following President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize ...
|
December 14, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Seventy-seven suspects who took an active part in the violent riots during the last few days and since the US president’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, were arrested by the police.
“Through fieldwork, intelligence gathering, documentation, sophisticated use of technology, and the determination of Israel Police investigators, the main suspects in the disturbances were mapped and identified. Our job is to maintain order and enable normal life and routine for normative citizens, and we will continue to act without compromise,” the police spokesman stated.
During the past two days, 37 suspects who took an active part in the violent disturbances that took place in recent days in eastern Jerusalem have been arrested. This is in addition t...
|
December 14, 2017 at 3:52 pm
The Best Gift Buyer
When the cupbearer presented Yosef to Pharaoh, he tried to denigrate him by describing him as a “young lad”, a “Hebrew (a foreigner)”, and a “slave”. Despite this, Pharaoh was so impressed with Yosef's interpretation of his dream that he immediately appointed Yosef as viceroy over Egypt. What could Yosef have possibly said that impressed Pharaoh so greatly - enough for him to dismiss all of Yosef's "flaws" and immediately declare that he wanted Yosef, an inexperienced slave, to be the viceroy? Additionally, although we know that it was Hashem's will for Yosef to rule Egypt, what specific merit earned him this incredible position of power?
R’ Shimon lived in Jerusalem and was known for always paying spec...
|
December 14, 2017 at 3:16 pm
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell by 11,000 last week to 225,000, the lowest in nearly two months and another sign that U.S. workers are enjoying job security.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the less volatile four-week average also fell by 6,750 to 234,750.
Overall, 1.89 million Americans are collecting unemployment checks, down more than 7 percent from a year earlier and close to a four-decade low reached in November.
Unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs. They’ve been below 300,000 a week for nearly three years, the longest stretch in more than four decades.
The low levels reflect the strength of the job market and the overall economy. The unemployment rate has fallen to a 17-year low of 4.1 percent. Employers, who added 228,00...
