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While speaking in the Turkish Parliament on Thursday, PA Dictator Mahmoud Abbas said he is planning on visiting Gaza and Yerushalayim.

“I have decided to head with the Palestinian Authority members to the Gaza Strip,” Abbas said, to a large applause.

“I will exert every effort so we can all be with our people to stop this barbaric aggression even if it costs us our lives.”

“Gaza is an integral part of the unified Palestinian state,” he said. “There will be no state in Gaza alone. The Palestinian people will not be broken and will never surrender.

“We will rebuild Gaza and heal the wounds of our people with the support of the Arab and Islamic nations and global allies, within the framework of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.” He also said he plans on visiting Yerushalayim, although he did not give any details.

Abbas likely views the war and the ceasefire talks as an opportunity to present himself as the leader of the Palestinian people. The US, Egypt and Gulf Countries have indicated they want a ceasefire agreement to include a path towards a Palestinian state, with a “reformed” PA leading Gaza.

Meanwhile Hamas also seeks to capitalize on the opportunity to be seen as the leaders of the Palestinian people, with Hamas reportedly trying to get popular Fatah terrorist Marwan Barghouti released in a ceasefire deal, likely with the goal of showing Palestinians that only Hamas terrorism will lead to results they are looking for.

{Matzav.com}

TRUMP: “At this very moment, the blood-thirsty Iranain regime is reportedly preparing large-scalele assault on Israeli territory.”

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman So what are the top 8 things to know about Shabbos Nachamu? #1. Firstly, being joyous and celebrating Shabbos Nachamu is a custom with deep historical roots.  The Maharil (1365 – 1427)  in his Minhagim (27) explains that the entire nation should rejoice on this special Shabbos.  He further writes that we should express our faith and conviction in the arrival of the redeemer who will surely comfort us. #2.   Because of this, it is worthwhile to treat this Shabbos differently than another Shabbos.  Indeed, the Sefer entitled Drashos Even Shoiv (Parshas VoEschanan) states that we should treat Shabbos Nachamu like a Yom Tov. This Sefer was written by a student of the Rashba. The Ritvah (Taanis 30b) indicates that the food preparations on this Shabbos should be like Yom Tov – in other words, the food should be more elaborate than for a regular Shabbos. #3.  Many Shuls recite special Piutim on Shabbos Nachamu as well. #4.  Shabbos Nachamu also represents the first of the seven  Shabbaths of consolation that is to come prior to Rosh haShana.  But aside from being the first, Shabbos Nachamu is different than the others.  Of all the seven, it is only Shabbos Nachamu which contains this remarkable “Yom Tov” nature. #5. Another aspect of the Yom Tov nature of Shabbos Nachamu lay in the fact that the Torah reading is always Parshas V’Eschanan – when we lein the Aseres haDibros – the Ten commandments.  This is a convention enacted by Chazal.  The Chofetz Chaim (in his Biur Halacha to Orech Chaim 428) explains that this was enacted  so that during the week immediately before Tisha B’Av we can read the reproach of both Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshas Dvarim as well as that of Isaiah in the Haftorah. Certainly, this is an important reason, to enable us to get the most out of Tisha B’Av and help direct our Teshuvah. #6.  But perhaps there is another reason, as well.  Chazal tell us that there is no Simcha, there is no joy like Torah.  Last week we read Yisamach Yisachar beOhalo – Yissachar, he who dedicated himself to Torah study will rejoice in his tent.  The Abarbanel, as others, explains that there is no Simcha, there is no joy like the joy of Torah.  This then may be another reason for why Shabbos Nachamu is always on Parshas VoEschanan.  The reading of the Aseres haDibros gives us joy.  It uplifts, nourishes, restores – especially after having been deprived of it for close to 36 hours! There is something different about Klal Yisroel – The collective neshama of the Torah nation is configured with a different operating system – one that finds joy and meaning in Torah itself.  We are only truly happy, we only thrive on account of Torah. We have just witnessed grave tragedies.  The day that commemorates the destruction of both palaces of Hashem – the batei HaMikdash.  Klal Yisroel needs a reprieve, a salve for our affliction and ailments.  There is no better salve than that of Torah, and the receiving of it. #7.  Many have the minhag to immerse in the Mikvah on Shabbos Nachamu – even those who do not do normally on a Shabbos morning.  And, of course, the Minhag is to honor the Rav […]

TRUMP: “We want our hostages back, AND THEY BETTER BE BACK BEFORE I ASSUME OFFICE.”

Following the visit by Itamar Ben-Gvir and hundreds of others to Har Habayis on Tisha B’av, five senior Rabbanim released a video calling on Jews not to go up to Har Habayis. The video was released with Arabic subtitles, in a clear attempt to send a message to the Arab world. Reportedly, security officials and Yerushalayim mayor Moshe Lion requested the video be created.

The video featured HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, HaRav Simcha Rabinovich, HaRav Avigdor Neventzal, HaRav Shmuel Betzalel, and HaRav Dovid Cohen.

However the video did not receive much traction in the Arab world, with only two outlets sharing the news – US based Al-Hurra and the terror supporting Al-Jazeera, run by the government of Qatar. Neither channel shared the entire video, instead posting screenshots with explanatory graphics.

The Al-Jazeera graphic also referred to the Rabbanim in Arabic as “Extremist” and “Hardline,” and emphasized the video was created at the request of Israeli security officials.

The reactions in Arabic to the Al-Jazeera post were filled with antisemitism, and expressed outrage at the outlet for publicizing the Rabbanim’s “Zionist” message, with one user saying ““Al-Jazeera are pigs,” and another saying “Stop whitewashing the occupation.”

Other reactions included a user who wrote “May God help the [Muslim] Jerusalemites in cleaning up their filth…,” and “They’re distributing it to the Arabs as a smokescreen.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Two months after her son Eli Moshe was killed in Gaza, Sara Zimbalist shared a moving video calling on the public to embody her son’s positive traits and dedicate themselves to enriching both their own lives and those of others. Eli Moshe Zimbalist, just 21 years old at the time of his passing, was one of eight soldiers killed on June 15 when their armored vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile in Gaza. Described by his mother as having a heart of gold, “Eli Mo” was known for his ability to connect with people, make them feel appreciated, and spread love wherever he went. “He would greet everyone with a smile,” Zimbalist said. “Eli Moshe was a doer. He would see something that needed to be done, and he would go out and just do it or fix it.” Zimbalist encouraged people to emulate Eli Moshe’s admirable qualities. “Every day, try to be a little bit more like Eli Moshe,” she said. “Share a smile, help someone in need, appreciate people, and together we can try to make our lives and other people’s lives more meaningful.” Born in Silver Spring, Maryland, Eli Moshe immigrated to Israel in 2005 with his parents, Sara and Simmy Zimbalist, at the age of two, settling in Beit Shemesh. The video was published on the social media channels of United Hatzalah, where Zimbalist serves as a volunteer medic as part of the organization’s Sandberg Women’s Initiative.

Members of Congress are pressing the Pentagon’s top two leaders to ensure the military is not swept up in politics during the presidential election and that active-duty troops are not used illegally as a domestic police force. The concerns come as the campaign heats up — the first presidential vote since the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, aimed at preventing Joe Biden’s victory from being certified. Former President Donald Trump continues to claim that fraud cost him the 2020 election even though his own attorney general, recounts and investigations found no evidence of that. And he still faces charges of illegally conspiring to undo the results of the election. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmakers asked the defense leaders to reaffirm that U.S. law prohibits forces from being used for civilian law enforcement and that they should not carry out unlawful orders. The letter, written by Democratic Reps. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, mirrors questions posed in the run-up to the 2020 election when Trump was already suggesting that he might not accept the results of the election if he lost. They point to Project 2025, the ultraconservative blueprint for the next Republican White House, in underscoring fears that the military will be used to actively police the southern border. The nearly 1,000-page document includes startling proposals such as firing large swaths of the federal government workforce and disassembling longstanding agencies, including the Justice Department. While the document was organized by many of Trump’s former aides, it is not a part of his campaign, which has its own series of proposals. Trump and his campaign have distanced themselves from the project and he’s called some of the proposals extreme. “In 2020, when the former President and others disrupted the peaceful transfer of power, principled military leaders made it clear they would not help that effort and took an important stand for democracy,” Slotkin said. “Now, prominent leaders are once again declaring that if given a chance, they will use the military for their own political ends.” In the letter, she and Sherrill said they “feel compelled to look ahead to decisions that you, as the most senior defense officials, may be called upon to make in the next six months.” Slotkin is a former senior defense policy official, and Sherrill served as a Navy helicopter pilot. When similar questions were posed to former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley just a few months before the 2020 election, he responded bluntly, “I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military.” And he added that, “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military.” Austin hasn’t spoken much about the issue, but told reporters during a July 2021 press conference at the Pentagon, that “it’s really important to me that this department remain apolitical.” He said he would do everything in his power to ensure that the military did not become “part of the political apparatus.” Federal law — under the Posse Comitatus Act — prohibits using active-duty military for law enforcement purposes. But the Insurrection Act […]

Time moves a tad faster on the moon. Now an international group of astronomers has joined calls to give the moon its own clock so that future space missions can keep track of minutes on the celestial body. The International Astronomical Union voted Thursday encouraging space organizations across the globe to collaborate on a timekeeping standard for the moon, where one day lasts 29.5 Earth days. “That’s the crux of our resolution: to work together to establish this standard time,” U.S. Naval Observatory’s Susan Stewart said this week at the group’s conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Stewart helped propose the resolution. The moon has less gravity compared to Earth, so time ticks by about 58.7 microseconds quicker every day. As more countries and private companies set their sights on future lunar missions, astronomers want to ensure perfect synchrony with a unified clock. Currently, a moon mission runs on the time of the nation that’s operating the spacecraft. The European Space Agency pushed last year for the creation of a lunar clock. And earlier this year, the White House directed NASA and other agencies to cobble together an initial idea by the end of the year with a final plan due by the end of 2026. Astronomers are still in the early days of determining exactly how lunar time will tick, said Bijunath Patla, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “I think that the community has realized that this needs to be done,” Patla said. “And this is the beginning.” (AP)

Israel Hayom has reported that American Airlines has decided to continue their suspension of flights to Israel until at least April 2025.

American Airlines suspended it’s flights to Israel in October 2023, and never reinstated their flights since that time. Now, travel agents have told Israel Hayom that the airline will not be flying to Israel for many more months.

American Airlines has not published an official statement on the matter, nor made any acknowledgment of the suspension.

However when reporters attempted to book flights to Israel on their website, they discovered there were no flights available throughout the entire upcoming winter. Attempts to book through the airline’s hotline were not successful either.

The lack of direct flights from the US to Israel has sent prices skyrocketing, and resulted in El Al enjoying record profits once again. Travelers are having an increasingly hard time finding flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport, and report having to pay sky high prices to get to and from Israel.

{Matzav.com} 

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas opened his address to the Turkish parliament on Thursday by offering a prayer for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an assassination last month that has been attributed to Israel.

“Please allow me, brothers and sisters, to start speaking to you to ask Allah to have mercy on those tens and thousands of martyrs who were killed by the Israeli oppression and genocide against them,” said Abbas, according to a translation by Ankara’s state broadcaster, TRT World.

“The latest massacre, the latest oppression, was the crime against the leader martyr Ismail Haniyeh. I call upon you, my brothers and sisters, to say Al-Fatiha on his soul,” Abbas continued, using the term for a Koran chapter often recited to ask for mercy on behalf of the deceased.

As Abbas mentioned the name of Haniyeh, Turkish lawmakers held up pictures of the Hamas terror leader and his successor, Yahya Sinwar. In addition, an empty seat was reserved in honor of Haniyeh, responsible for the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on Oct. 7.

In his remarks, which lasted approximately 40 minutes, Abbas called on all to help “liberate the more than 10,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails,” including Hamas terrorists captured during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Abbas also told lawmakers he intends to travel to Gaza alongside “other brothers from the Palestinian leadership.” The P.A. leader has not visited the Strip since Hamas violently seized control of the enclave in 2007.

“Even if my life was at risk, our lives, they are not dearer than the lives of children or anyone in Gaza. We are implementing Sharia [law]; we seek victory or martyrdom. This is according to Islamic Sharia,” he stated.

Abbas’s address at times echoed antisemitic tropes, with the P.A. leader asserting that “the Palestinian people are not just defending Palestine … we are at the forefront of defending the Arab and Islamic nations against this imperialist, expansionist project; against the aspirations of the Zionist movement seeking to control the entire region.”

“The Jews in America—I’m not talking about Europe—40% of the Jews in America consider Israel a criminal state. I’m talking about the Jews. So the status quo is changing,” he claimed.

Abbas met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Ankara’s Presidential Complex on Wednesday ahead of his speech in parliament.

The two discussed “the massacres committed by Israel in Palestinian territories” and “the steps that need to be taken for a permanent ceasefire,” according to a readout published by Erdoğan’s office.

The Turkish leader underscored “the need for all countries, especially those in the Islamic world, to intensify their efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians,” according to the readout of the talks.

“The silence of some Western countries and their continued support for Israel is unacceptable,” Erdoğan said.

Abbas agreed to address the Grand National Assembly of Turkey after Erdoğan launched a scathing attack on him last month, accusing the P.A. leader of refusing to speak before the parliament in Ankara.

“Mahmoud Abbas, who didn’t show up despite our invitation to address the parliament, owes us an apology. Let’s see if he’ll agree to come now,” Erdoğan told attendees at a charitable event in July.

Erdoğan’s remarks expose the growing rift between Ramallah and Ankara in the wake of Turkey’s unified stance with Gaza’s Hamas.

The Turkish president has become ever more hostile towards Israel and closer to Hamas since the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 cross-border massacre.

In May, Erdoğan called Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu a “vampire who feeds on blood,” urging Muslims to fight the Jewish state.

“The world is watching the barbarity of … a vampire who feeds on blood called Netanyahu, and they are watching it on live broadcast,” he said.

Last month, Erdoğan told Newsweek that Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip are “simply defending their homes, streets and homeland.

“What is between Israel and Gaza is not war,” he continued. “Israel has been treating Gaza as an open-air prison for years. They are usurping Palestinians of their homes, businesses and farmlands throughout Palestinian territory using thieving terrorists they call settlers.”

(JNS)

Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, Florida State Police Chaplain, speaking at a private event hosted by President Trump titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism” at his Bedminster Golf Course in NJ.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance have agreed to debate each other on Oct. 1, setting up a matchup of potential vice presidents as early voting in some states gets underway for the general election. CBS News on Wednesday posted on its X feed that the network had invited both Vance and Walz to debate in New York City, presenting four possible dates — Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 — as options. Walz reposted that message from his own campaign account, “See you on October 1, JD.” The Harris-Walz campaign followed up with a message of its own, saying Walz “looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up.” Vance posted on X that he would accept the Oct. 1 invitation. He also challenged Walz to meet on Sept. 18. Officials with the Kamala Harris-Walz campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Vance’s acceptance of the earlier debate that he said would be on CNN or whether Walz would participate in that one as well. Representatives for CNN confirmed that Vance had accepted the network’s debate invitation. “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of “Face the Nation” will moderate the Oct. 1 debate, according to the network. Whether or not Walz and Vance would debate before the Nov. 5 general election had been in question. In just the past several weeks, President Joe Biden left the campaign and Democrats selected Harris to lead their ticket. Vance has largely kept his focus trained on Harris, whom he would have been set to debate before Biden’s departure from the race. Vance has lobbed critiques against Walz, including questioning the retired Army National Guardsman’s service record. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has said he wanted Vance to debate Walz on CBS, which had been discussing potential dates for that meeting. The debate is expected weeks after the Sept. 10 top-of-the-ticket debate recently solidified between Trump and Harris on ABC News. Trump has said he negotiated several other debate dates, on three different networks. Fox News has also proposed a debate between Harris and Trump to take place on Sept. 4, and NBC News is angling to air one on Sept. 25. During an appearance in Michigan, Harris said she was “happy to have that conversation” about an additional debate. (AP)

A Russian court on Thursday sentenced Russian American Ksenia Karelina to 12 years for treason, in a closed court case, weeks after the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

Karelina, a dual passport holder and a beautician living in Los Angeles, was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service in February during a trip home to Yekaterinburg to visit family.

Karelina’s sentencing, weeks after the prisoner exchange, underscored the risks of travel to Russia after U.S. officials warned of a sharp rise in hostage diplomacy: the practice of arresting foreign citizens for political leverage or use in prisoner exchanges.

Russia swapped 16 prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Washington Post contributing columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza and other prominent political prisoners, and several German citizens, in return for 10 Russian intelligence agents, undercover spies and their two children, hackers, and Vadim Krasikov, a convicted assassin associated with an elite unit of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The chances of a similar sweeping prisoner exchange in the future appear unlikely, given the rarity of such events, but President Joe Biden has vowed to seek the freedom of other Americans being held, including schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who is serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted of drug charges, in a case strikingly similar to that of WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Griner was convicted in 2022 of drug smuggling and exchanged in December that year for a notorious Russian arms dealer, Victor Bout.

Karelina was charged with sending aid to help Ukraine’s war effort, after investigators examined her phone and found evidence of a donation of just over $50 to a Ukrainian humanitarian agency.

The initial FSB statement of arrest accused her of “providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of our country.” The money was used to “used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” according to the FSB.

Karelina’s name from her former marriage is Khavana; she now goes by Karelina. Her support page, freeksenia.com, says that Karelina was charged after FSB officers searched her Venmo account and found a $51.80 donation to a U.S.-based nonprofit that helps children and elderly impacted by the war in Ukraine. “It has nothing to do with supporting the military,” the page says.

Interfax reported that Karelina pleaded guilty to the charges, and that the FSB had accused her of “numerous actions” in support of Ukraine’s military.

She faced a closed trial in the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg – the same court that last month convicted Gershkovich and sentenced him to a 16-year jail term, before his release in this month’s exchange.

After the judge handed down Karelina’s sentence of 12 years in a general-security prison, her lawyer said he would seek to include her in a future exchange, Interfax reported.

Karelina’s sentencing comes the same week that an American citizen, Joseph Tater, born in 1978, was arrested in Moscow and remanded to custody for 15 days on accusations of assaulting police.

Tater was arrested Monday after an argument with hotel reception staff, and he reportedly cursed at staff who called the police.

On Wednesday, he was given an administrative penalty of 15 days for disorderly conduct, but Russia’s Investigative Committee said it would open a criminal case against him for the more serious charge of assaulting police.

Interfax reported that a law enforcement official said Tater had tried to check into a Moscow hotel but was denied a room because he did not produce a migration card, as required in Russia. Police were called after he behaved aggressively and uttered obscenities in both Russian and English, according to Interfax and other Russian media.

Later at a police station, he struck a police officer on the arm and pushed her, Interfax reported.

Many other Americans are in prison in Russia, including Gordon Black, a U.S. soldier jailed last month for nearly four years after being convicted of theft and threatening to kill his Russian girlfriend.

(c) Washington Post

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, another sign that the job market remains resilient in the face of high interest rates. Jobless claims dropped by 7,000 to 227,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 4,500 to 236,500. In the week that ended Aug. 3, 1.86 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits, down by 7,000 from the week before. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits, which are a proxy for layoffs, remain low by historic standards. From January through May, claims averaged a rock-bottom 213,000 a week. But they started rising in May, hitting 250,000 in late July and adding to evidence that high interest rates are taking a toll on the U.S. job market. But claims have since fallen two straight weeks, dispelling worries that the job market was deteriorating rapidly rather than just slowing. “Claims calmed down and their recent rise appears to be just a blip, not a fundamental shift in the labor market,” said Robert Frick, economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union. The Federal Reserve, fighting inflation that hit a four-decade just over two years ago, raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, taking it to a 23-year high. Inflation has come down steadily — from 9.1% in June 2022 to a three-year low of 2.9% last month. Despite higher borrowing costs, the economy and hiring kept cruising along, defying widespread fears that the United States would sink into recession. The economy is weighing heavily on voters as they prepare for November’s presidential election. Despite a solid job market and decelerating inflation, Americans are still exasperated that consumer prices are 19% higher than they were before inflation started to take off in 2021. Many blame President Joe Biden, though it’s unclear whether they will hold Vice President Kamala Harris responsible as she seeks the presidency. Lately, higher rates have finally seemed to be taking a toll. Employers added just 114,000 jobs in July, well below the January-June monthly average of nearly 218,000. The unemployment rate rose for the fourth straight month in July, though it remains low at 4.3%. Monthly job openings have fallen steadily since peaking at a record 12.2 million in March 2022. They were down to 8.2 million in June. As signs of an economic slowdown accumulate and inflation continues to drift down toward its 2% target, the Fed is expected to start cutting rates at its next meeting in September. (AP)

The IDF’s Home Front Command is concerned that over the Bein HaZemanim period, tens of thousands of Chareidim are expected to go on trips to forests, hiking sites, and open areas – and will not be able to receive safety alerts on their kosher cell phones. Bein HaZemanim began on Wednesday during an especially tense security period, particularly the possibility of Hezbollah expanding its fire beyond the northern border area. As of now, there is no technological solution that enables kosher phones to receive Home Front Command alerts. Instead, the Home Front Command launched an extensive information campaign to raise awareness among the Chareidi public of possible dangers during the Bein HaZemanin period. The Home Front command published a document conveying safety messages, including: – Trips in open areas are life-threatening without a mobile device equipped with the Home Front Command application. – If there is no urgent need, it is recommended not to go to areas that frequently receive multiple sirens, especially in the northern region. – A warning against approaching shrapnel on the ground, which exists en masse in open areas at which dozens and hundreds of rockets were fired during the war. Major (res.) Danny Cohen, head of the Dati-Chareidi division of the Home Front Command explains: “In open areas, it’s not possible to hear the sirens of the Home Front Command. The only way to receive alerts in such a place is through the application. If you don’t have such an option, don’t go to potentially dangerous places. It’s sakanot nefashot!” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman Just to name a few who discuss it, it’s Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l (Ohr Yisroel Letter #7), the Chazon Ish zt”l (OC Siman 9) and Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l (Ohr Yechezkel Elul p.79) and lehavdil bain chaim l’chaim Rav Yitzchok Yoseph Shlita in his haskama to the sefer entitled, “Imrei Yechezkel.” What do they all say? IYUN – THE ESSENCE OF IT ALL They all say that the essence of learning Torah is Iyun – the delving into the nitty-gritty of it all.  Unfolding the latent processes of reasoning and understanding the internal workings, the lomdus behind the issues is the key to Torah study. Sadly, after completing years in Yeshiva doing just that, the vast majority of Yeshiva graduates no longer engage in Iyun.  Many do the Daf Yomi, but if the aforementioned Gedolei Torah are to be listened to – it is a band-aid to a gaping problem. One of the Roshei Chaburah in Lakewood’s BMG, Rav Moshe Chaim Katz shlita, however, is working hard to provide a solution to this problem – and it is a true game-changer.  Predicated on the Daf Yomi, it is a website entitled 7minuteIyun.com. THE IYUN OF THAT DAY’S DAF At this site is a daily shiur on that day’s daf Yomi – in Iyun.  Now, like never before, you can plumb the depths of the Daf in a short shiur that will enhance your Torah learning.  In the shiur on Bava Basra 51, for example, Rabbi Katz explores a fascinating Machlokes Rishonim between the Rashba and the Rosh that explores the parameters of Kinyan Shtar and so much more.  Here we have a source to the idea of property transfer – merely by admission.  (Think the position of the Ktzos HaChoshen during Mechiras Chometz).  Or do we?  This, explains Rav Katz,  may be the dispute between the Rashba and the Rosh.  Also, what happens when the language of the document refers to the future and is written b’lashon asid?  Does it work?  What makes a Shtar work in general?  What is the motor? On the same Daf, he explores Rav Elchonon Wasserman’s classical difference between the Chatzer of a woman and the Yad of a woman. The shiurim are available in both audio and video.  The advantage of the video is that each of the topics discussed in the shiur are highlighted in the upper right corner of the video, and the one dealt with at that point in the video is highlighted in bold. BORROWING WITHOUT A PAYBACK PLAN Rabbi Katz’s shiur on Bava Basra 46 is a particular favorite of mine.  Are you allowed to borrow money from someone when you do not see a way of paying it back – in other words, can you borrow without a viable plan?  When the Gemorah says that Hashem is telling us, “Borrow on my account and I (Hashem) will pay back” – is that only for Shabbos expenses or for all Mitzvos? Rabbi Katz quotes Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein’s shiur about the topic with a fascinating story –  one being a Pidyon Shvuyim story with the Sfas Emes, the Gerrer Rebbe. The Av Beis Din of Lodz could save people only if he borrowed 30,000 rubles.  The Sfas Emes felt that he shouldn’t have borrowed money without […]

On this date, August 15th, 19 years ago, Israeli forces began implementing the Disengagement Plan formulated by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Many Israeli politicians, including at one point current Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, supported the plan, hoping evacuating Gaza would improve Israel’s security. Gush Katif required extensive military resources to secure, something many Israeli leaders did not think was sustainable. Additionally, Sharon and others believed that separating the Israeli and Palestinian populations could lead to peace, even without a formal peace agreement. Looking back, that idea seems naive at best.

Many Israelis protested the disengagement, with some protests turning violent. In some cases, Gush Katif residents barricaded themselves inside buildings, and security forces fought their way inside to drag them out.

Over the few weeks that followed August 15th, 2005, thousands of Israeli soldiers and police officers worked their way through Gush Katif, evacuating residents, and removing those who resisted by force. Additionally, the disengagement also included evacuating four towns in the northern Shomron. The evacuations were completed by September 22nd, 2005.

Many Israelis view the disengagement as one of the biggest mistakes in Israeli history. Following the disengagement, Hamas gained power in the strip, and years of rocket fire and small scale wars finally culminated in the worst day for Jews since the Holocaust, October 7th.

Following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, many right-wing Israelis have been calling for Jews to once again return to live in the Strip, with rallies calling for a Jewish return to Gaza featuring thousands of attendees, including members of Knesset. However Prime Minister Netanyahu, who once supported the disengagement, has rejected these calls, emphasizing he will not allow Jews to return and live in Gaza once again.

{Matzav.com} 

Americans stepped up their spending at retailers last month by the most in a year and a half, easing concerns that the economy might be weakening under the pressure of higher prices and elevated interest rates. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that retail sales jumped 1% from June to July, the biggest such increase since January 2023, after having declined slightly the previous month. Auto dealers, electronics and appliance stores and grocery stores all reported strong sales gains. The July retail sales data provided reassurance that the U.S. economy, while slowing under the pressure of high interest rates, remains resilient. It showed that America’s consumers, the primary driver of economic growth, are still willing to spend. The prospect of a still-growing economy is likely to be promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, which is preparing to roll out policies Friday to ban “price gouging” on groceries. On Wednesday, her opponent, former President Donald Trump slammed the economic record of the Biden-Harris administration, though he wildly inflated cost increases on food and monthly mortgage payments. Other economic data released Thursday was also mostly positive, including a report on first-time applications for unemployment benefits. The figures show that businesses are mainly holding onto their workers and not increasing layoffs. With Americans spending more, economists at Morgan Stanley have boosted their forecast for growth in the July-September quarter to a 2.3% annual rate, from an earlier estimate of 2.1%. The economy expanded at a healthy 2.8% rate in the April-June quarter. All told, the latest data is consistent with an economy that is headed toward a “soft landing,” in which the Federal Reserve raises interest rates enough to cool inflation but not so much as to cause a recession. “The ongoing resilience of consumer spending should ease recession fears and reduce the odds markets have placed on a larger (half-point) cut” at the Fed’s meeting in mid-September, said Michael Pearce, an economist at Oxford Economics. Instead, economists increasingly expect the Fed to begin cutting interest rates next month with a modest quarter-point reduction in its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans. Adjusted for inflation, sales rose about 0.8% last month. And excluding gas station sales, which don’t reflect Americans’ appetite to spend, retail purchases also rose 1%. Consumers have been pummeled since the pandemic by high prices and elevated interest rates. Yet at the same time, average wages have also been rising, providing many households with the means to keep spending. Inflation-adjusted wages have increased slightly from a year ago. Upper-income households have also seen their wealth increase, with stock prices and home values having jumped in the past three years. Increases in wealth can encourage more spending. Auto sales jumped 3.6% last month, the largest increase since January 2023. It marked a rebound from the previous month, when a cyberattack involving many dealerships slowed sales. Sales at electronics and appliances stores surged 1.6%. And they rose 0.9% at hardware stores and garden centers. Restaurant sales were up 0.3%, a sign that Americans are still willing to spend on discretionary items, such as eating out. Financial markets had plunged earlier this month on fears surrounding the economy after the government reported that hiring was much weaker than expected in July and the unemployment rate rose for a fourth […]