יום רביעי, א׳ אב תשפ״וWednesday, July 15, 2026
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He always viewed his photographs and films more as documentation than art, and most cinema commentators agree, some cynically.
If we were to neglect or disregard such a gift, that would be a great insult and disrespect to whoever gave us the present. The greater the value, the greater the insult.
That might explain why The New York Times decided to run an article last week and a follow-up editorial two days later about Hillary Clinton’s e-mails.
The problem is that nothing like a quid pro quo appears in the transcript of the conversation between Trump and Zelensky.
News from across the pond.
By Tzvi Fishman
While there are many meaningful aspects to Darwin’s writings, evolutionary biologists don’t accept his theory of gradual change.
The stateless Kurds may not have had their Jabotinsky-but they do dese3rve a state.
By Tzvi Fishman
For whatever reason, bad news sells. The same is true when it comes to Israeli news.and this is not new--over 3,300 years ago, the Spies entered a land that was full of luscious fruit, yet they chose to see only frightening giants and constant funerals
By Tzvi Fishman
Rav Kook considered some Jews - like Jewish communists who persecuted religious Jews in the Soviet Union - as people who had broken all ties to the Jewish people.
If we have fallen short, does that mean we shouldn’t dance with the Torah? Of course not. What it does mean, however, is that when we hold onto the Torah, it should be with a renewed commitment to spend more time with it during the coming year.
To cross the infinite gulf separating us – as finite created beings – from the infinite Creator, we need to nullify our sense of self-importance.
By Hodaya Lavie
The thunderous, urgently repeated “Ya’amod” precipitated a virtual kibbutz galuyos that made my heart skip a beat and my breath catch in my throat.
Google's arrogance is such that a vast number of Americans – liberals as well as conservatives – are worried that the major conduit of speech in the Free World doesn’t care about free speech.
By Hannah Rubin
Jewish law treats human remains with considerable respect, in accordance with a view of the body as the erstwhile dwelling of the soul.
Spared Possible Punishments ‘Those Who Are New To The Ketores’ (Tamid 32b-33a)
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
Keriat haTorah, properly understood, is a performative act. It is a weekly recreation of the revelation at Mount Sinai. It is a covenant ratification ceremony like the one Moshe performed at Sinai:
A person only receives the amount of parnassah that was proclaimed for him in Heaven.
You’re tired, and I get it. Tired of being the single sibling, tired of helping the most, and tired of everyone treating you like you can’t possibly be OK on your own.
The offending text states that this edition of the Talmud was approved by the censors of Russia and Poland.
In a pre-clinical trial, researchers discovered that electromagnetic impulses to stimulate memory and cognitive function prevented memory impairment in young mice and reversed memory impairment in aged mice.
The sukkah, like the chupah, is pure and simple. It is symbolic of a strong spiritual connection.
And in other UK News, London Teacher Flippantly Threatens To Send Kids to Gas Chambers.
During his career, the great Houdini only failed to escape a pair of cuffs once – when he was presented with a rigged set stuffed with buckshot, rendering the locking mechanism inoperative, even with the key.
Believing in man over G-d naturally leads to selfishness, which leads to a society not having children.
Far from preaching religious zealotry, Barr was advocating an appreciation and retention of what has served us well in this country for 250 years.
Then there is the significant matter of the hearings by the Intelligence Committee being held in closed session to prevent the public from learning what is being testified to.
Rabbi Dickman had great hopes for his Kuzari Shlishi, believing it would help defeat the assimilation and apathy of Jews of his day.
Question: My custom is not to don tefillin on Chol HaMoed. What should I do if I go to a shul that has the opposite custom? M. Jakobowitz
If I angrily punished him for insulting me in his time of bitterness, then people would begin to question my objectivity and my judgment.
I have a friend who absolutely hates cooking. She just texted me a long thank you for this recipe because she was able to follow it, and everybody loved it!
Guarding The Temple – Even Today ‘Kohanim Stationed in Three Places’ (Tamid 25b)
In any relationship, the words that people say are extremely significant, but it is the unspoken language of friendship that truly allows relationships to flourish and grow.
By dvora
To my shock, you see, after 21 years of living and working in the U.K., Rivkie, Yossi, and family announced that they were returning to live in the U.S.
In his youth, tradition tells us, he lived the life of a pauper. Many a week he would fast two days, and even during his fast he would sit in the beis midrash and continue his studies.
The more strongly liberal Jews embrace progressivism, the less capable they become of defending their Judaism—much less defending their fellow Jews who aren’t progressive.
But even if there is an unacceptably low police presence in the Arab sector: Is that a reason for people to kill each other? I rarely see police in my own neighborhood. We don't kill each other. In my brother's charedi neighborhood, one never sees a cop. Zero homicides.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
The first person to die in Tanach is Hevel, who is killed by his brother Kayin. Kayin’s name comes from the concept of acquisition.
By Tzvi Fishman
The etrog is the only pri hadar that produces fruit five times annually. For Sukkot, we keep only the last three harvests.
Since the lulav’s special quality is expressed in the taste of its fruit (the date), why aren’t we required to take the fruit itself instead of its leaves?
By Tzvi Fishman
Some people make the blessing over the candles in the sukkah and then bring the candles into the house to avoid the danger of fire. This is a non-kosher practice, however.
By Tzvi Fishman
He replied in a loud, irritated voice, "Why do they ask me a question that every child in cheder can answer?!"
If the walls have ears (as the Midrash points out) then how much more so, human beings.
If someone interesting is suggested and he sounds promising to you, go out on a date. Date with honesty and integrity, and expect the same from the men you are set up with.
Ashkenazic society for over 700 years has considered sleeping in the sukkah to be a chumrah, not a requirement.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The international community should relate to Palestinians’ claims to Jerusalem as nothing more than the desire to do away with Israel.
The left has convinced innumerable young Americans that their past is terrible and their future is terrible. The left tells American children that their past – the American past – is shameful and their future is even worse
Imagine how nice it would be if Jewish drivers, particularly if they are identifiable as Jews by their dress or the stickers on their cars, would be known as the Five Star guys on the road.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
It is almost as if Sukkot were two festivals, not one.
It’s a costly endeavor and, for many, the ROI (return on investment) just doesn’t seem to be there yet.
"Mrs. Stern plans to work on Yom Tov," Mrs. Alter said to her husband afterwards. "I tried to dissuade her, but she didn't pick up on it. Are we allowed to process the billing and keep our percentage?"
By Tzvi Fishman
His books are still banned in charedi yeshivot, and, in the eyes of a large part of the charedi world, the students of Rav Kook are barely considered rabbis.
The illustrations are described on the title page as being "in accordance with the instruction of the Talmud."
In what manner was Aharon distinguished? Why were Klal Yisrael protected with Clouds of Glory in his merit?
Each time, as I behold the majesty of our beautiful land of Israel, I wonder: How is it possible that some of our people cannot see what I see – the miracle of the existence of the State of Israel?
The Malbim argues that “asifah” connotes bringing inside what one has gathered, while “kovetz” connotes gathering without necessarily bringing inside.
A person who responds “Amen” with all his might…has the power to open all the gates surrounding Gan Eden.
Question: In which direction should a person wave the lulav first? Menachem
And when the time finally comes to have the verdict read out loud, one can just imagine how tense and scared this person will be to find out if his life will now go back to normal, more or less, or be changed for the worse.
There’s a note in the file from U.S. army intelligence saying: We have no objection to his extradition – and then it’s as if Kammler never existed. There’s no trace of him from that point forward.
Frankly, it is hard to understand how this is a serious anti-discrimination measure in the traditional sense and not simply a statement against the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.
Small wonder, then, that the left is horrified, perhaps justifiably, by the very real prospect that some of their longtime core notions of public policy are in serious jeopardy before a newly fashioned right-of-center Supreme Court.
Our soul wants, to be better, different, true. Now the soul prevails over the body, and in the last moments of this journey, we must take something with us, some 'soul food' for the road ahead.
By Irwin Cohen
In 1985, I became the answer to a trivia question: Who counted each and every seat in Tiger Stadium?
Some German interviewees were averse to being interviewed on camera, so Lanzmann employed subterfuge in filming some of his interviews, pretending to be pro-Nazi and using hidden equipment.
Should an average Jew spend a lot of money when buying an esrog?
By Sandy Eller
We are living in a society where the bar gets raised higher and higher every year, and where today's splurge becomes tomorrow's necessity.
What happens if the stressor is not a lion? What happens if the stressor is a really rude boss?
"I asked Rabbi Dayan and he said I shouldn't seat you near Mr. Fine," explained the gabbai. Mr. Gold approached Rabbi Dayan and asked him the reasoning behind his directive.
By Gitty Stolik
Sin should be painful, not because of any punishment we’ll receive, says Chassidus, but because it separate us from Hashem.
By Tzvi Fishman
The tank to my left took a direct blow. Two tankists were killed. Two others made their way wounded to our tank, but we couldn’t stop to help them, so they fled on foot to the base.
The court ultimately overturned the lower court's decision, and he was declared fit and released.
By Carol Elias
We met very special people as we navigated this quest for history.
By Yaffa Ganz
I hope and pray that a strong, united Right will emerge and things will move forward.
Kishka – Stuffed Derma ‘Intestines Are Not Meat’ (Me’ilah 20b)
She would not focus on what she didn't have, but on what she did have.
News From Across The Pond
Hashem’s love for us is like the love of parents for their young child; it’s an essential love not dependent upon the child’s conduct.
Righteousness is man’s natural state; sinfulness, in contrast, is considered unnatural. Therefore, a wicked person who repents is viewed as “returning” to his natural state.
It was already nearly a year, and I nearly despaired of ever seeing the money. I kept trying to recover it, calling him periodically.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
The moment when all we can say is gevalt. All we can do is cry out. That’s what the shofar was on Rosh Hashanah and will be at the end of Yom Kippur: The sound of our tears... The sound of a heart breaking. No more excuses. No more rationalizations and justifications. Ribbono Shel Olam, forgive us.
July 10, 2026 
