“Use it or lose it.”  It is an admonition we know only too well.  It tells us that if we don’t continually hone a skill, we gradually (or precipitously!) lose the ability to do it – whether “it” is taking a jump shot in basketball, solving differential equations or playing piano concertos.  If we don’t practice our knowledge and skills, they fade. As in most things, this modern warning is but a weak echo of Torah wisdom! In Parashat Ekev, we read the second paragraph of the Shema (which was introduced in last week’s parasha).  In the opening paragraph of the Shema, we are told to accept and reaffirm God’s oneness and sovereignty.  In Ekev, the lesson is on the requirement of mitzvah observance; on our obligat...
President Trump is considering an executive order that would unilaterally impose a stimulus plan and include a suspension of the payroll tax, an extension of federal unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium and another round of individual stimulus checks. The constitutionality of such a move in unclear. And some people tell FOX Business Trump may be using this as a negotiating tactic to bring Democrats to the table and hammer out a compromise. Either way, Trump is floating this idea with key advisers. Read more at FOX Business
The collective voices of nonpublic school children in the five boroughs have been amplified, as leaders of Seventh-day Adventist schools join the Committee of NYC Religious and Independent School Officials. The announcement of the Committee’s expansion was made earlier this week by Committee chairman Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America. In her acceptance letter, Dr. Sheena Ward-Basdeo, director of student services for special education of the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said she was looking forward to working with her superintendent of schools, Dr. Viola Emmons-Chapman, and the Committee on behalf of their students. The Committee of Religious and Independent School leaders was founded approximately half a cen...
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 5, 2020 - The store shelves are lined with supplies. The ads are beginning to infiltrate our news feeds. It seems that the topic of going back to school is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Or almost everyone’s minds. Do you see it? Or maybe you are already reliving it this year, even if it feels different this year. Now take a step back in your memory from past years. Visualize yourself walking down the aisles purchasing all those supplies that each child needs and then some. Do you see a woman standing alone with an empty cart absorbing your excitement? She sees you. She is taking it all in. But do you see her? Do you remember the look of longing in her eyes as she stands there imagining what she would be buying for her children? Do you remember ...
Updated as of Aug. 5, @ 1:32 PM - B"H the procedure went well and the Rosh Yeshiva is recovering.###The Rosh Hayeshiva of Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Maran Hagaon Rav Dovid Feinstein, Dovid ben Shima, who has been hospitalized in serious condition over the past few weeks, is scheduled to have a procedure today. Everybody is urged to please say Tehillim for the success of the procedure, and that the Rosh Hayeshiva should have a refuah shelaima, b'soch she'ar cholei amo Yisroel. May we share besoros tovos. Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel Executive Vice President Agudath Israel of America
CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (VINnews) — A Jewish woman from South Africa is celebrating her 111th birthday at the Highlands House Home for Jewish Aged in Cape Town, according to a report by the Cape Jewish Chronicle. Rosalie Wolpe, who used to reside in the Cape Town suburb of Claremont, credits her long life to physical activity. Wolpe never owned a car, preferring to walk to work and to shops. She was also an active mountaineer in her youth, having met her late husband during a climb of Table Mountain. Wolpe wakes up every day on time for her tea and lunch. Her carer, Julia, says that she wants her soup and tea piping hot and will not eat or drink when it is warm or lukewarm. She still likes bittersweet chocolate and her favorite treat is a chocolate muffin and a cappuchino. Her son D...
JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In the wake of the massive explosion in Beirut which reportedly killed more than 100 people and injured over 4000, Israel has taken the unusual step of offering humanitarian assistance to Lebanon despite it’s status as an enemy country. Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi sent a message via international diplomatic and defense officials offering to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, a country which is also suffering catastrophic economic consequences in the wake of the coronavirus. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said that “we participate in the pain of the Lebanese nation at its time of tragedy and offer our assistance at this difficult time.” However not all Israelis shared the same sentimen...
MODI’IN ILLIT (VINNews) — Despite the massive criticism of Israel’s police force in the wake of excessive use of force against Chareidim, the police continue to demonstrate insensitivity and discriminate against the Chareidi community. In one instance this week they even came to a wedding and fined the Choson in front of all the guests for having more people at the wedding than permitted in public health regulations. At the same time  demonstrations go on nightly unheeded, with thousands of demonstrators who do not maintain health regulations properly. The Choson responded by taking drinks and offering to all of the policemen who had arrived at the wedding to fine him. At the same time, police tried to break up a wedding in Modiin Illit even though all of the regul...
A majority of Americans don’t trust what President Donald Trump has to say when it comes to coronavirus, according to a new poll. A NBC News/SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking Poll released Tuesday indicates Americans are more likely to trust the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their state’s governor over the president when it comes to the virus. Poll results show: 31% of Americans say they trust Trump’s statements on coronavirus. 58% of Americans say they don’t trust the president when it comes to his comments on the pandemic. 55% of Americans say they trust information from the CDC about coronavirus. 51% of Americans say they trust statements made about the virus by D...
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 5, 2020 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Tamar Steele and Asher Gomzo on their engagement. Mazel Tov to parents Levi Yitzchak and Oshra Steele and Ezra and Tammy Gomzo יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
An irritated Joe Biden snapped at a reporter when pressed Wednesday on whether he had taken a cognitive test — defensively asking the interviewer if he was a junkie and tested for cocaine use. The 77-year-old Democratic presidential nominee also confirmed he has never taken a cognitive test, countering remarks he made in June where he said he was “constantly tested” for mental decline. The heated exchange happened during an interview with CBS correspondent Errol Barnett who asked Biden to clarify if he had taken a test to measure his mental acuity. Read more at NY Post
 
Republican National Convention is considering using the White House South Lawn for President Donald Trump to deliver his televised acceptance speech for the GOP presidential nomination Aug. 27, according to The Washington Post. The RNC convention was initially planned to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, but Trump ditched that idea when he disagreed with the governor over the state’s pandemic reopening response. The convention plans then moved to Jacksonville, Florida, until they were also canceled over concerns the event would spread coronavirus. Read more at NEWSMAX.
The Washington Post was roasted on Tuesday for publishing a glowing piece praising China’s Communist Party that was quickly compared to Beijing’s propaganda. The piece, headlined “Trump views China’s Communist Party as a threat. Young Chinese see it as a ticket to a better future,” and written by Beijing bureau chief Anna Fifield, was accused of reading like a “press release” by Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas. Read more at Fox News.
The latest Yahoo News/YouGov poll, conducted July 28 to 30, shows that just 42 percent of Americans plan to get vaccinated for COVID-19 — the smallest share to date. The outlook for universal vaccination is clouded by political considerations from both sides: skepticism about medical authority and expertise (more common among Trump supporters), and suspicions (mostly among Democrats) that the administration is cutting corners on safety to rush a vaccine into production before the election. Together, these forces threaten to undermine COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. Read more at Yahoo.
As a prominent Flatbush rov, Rabbi Yehuda Metzger* was often asked to lend his name to many a kol korey or other proclamation, but putting his signature on items being circulated never sat well with this respected talmid chochom. Ironically, the one paper that Rabbi Metzger did sign was something he believed to be of vital importance, ultimately proving to be a tremendous gift to his family ten years later during the coronavirus outbreak. That document was a halachic medical directive. It was in 2010 that Rabbi Metzger handed his daughter and son in law, Reb Eli Silver, a sheaf of papers that included information about a plot he had purchased in Eretz Yisroel and a halachic medical directive, presented to him by Chayim Aruchim’s president, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz. Then in his m...
A pro-Trump ad was removed from Facebook after claims that it contained false information, Fox News has learned. America First Action PAC on Tuesday told Fox News that Facebook removed one of its ads, titled “On Hold,” which was placed in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on July 24. The ad was flagged by Politifact on July 29, according to the PAC. “Facebook’s decision to take down this ad shows its anti-conservative bias,” America First Communications Director Kelly Sadler told Fox News. “America First Action has logged an appeal, but the threat of anti-conservative bias, targeting, and censorship remains ahead of Election Day in November and we must be vigilant in holding big tech, like Facebook accountable.” Read m...
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will likely choose either Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., or former National Security Adviser Susan Rice as his running mate, Ben Shapiro predicted on “The Daily Briefing” Tuesday. Harris has long been considered a frontrunner to join the Biden ticket, but her record as a prosecutor and her contentious debate exchanges with the former vice president during the primary are seen as liabilities. Rice was a controversial figure during her time in the Obama administration, most notably in the aftermath of the 2012 Benghazi terror attack. But she has experience in government and a working relationship with Biden. Read more at Fox News.
Joe Biden is no longer planning to travel to the Democratic convention site of Milwaukee to accept the party's presidential nomination, citing coronavirus concerns. Convention organizers said in a statement Wednesday that Biden will instead accept the Democratic nomination and deliver a speech from his home state of Delaware, and other speakers also will not go to Milwaukee. “From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first. We followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and we continued making adjustments to our plans in order to protect lives. That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House,&rdqu...
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