Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

Henrico Countys Administration building at the western Henrico government center. (Photo by Analise Beres for the Henrico Citizen)

Several Henrico residents brought concerns about public safety and transportation to the Henrico Board of Supervisors during its May 24 meeting.

Lakeside resident Lori Valente Coffey spoke about road safety and drainage issues in the neighborhood. She read a few of the 200 survey responses she got from posting a survey on the Lakeside RVA neighbors Facebook page, many of which referenced the necessity of sidewalk construction in the area.

One response explained that Lakeside Elementary School does not have a sidewalk around its entire perimeter, causing safety issues for students, parents and teachers traveling on foot.

Students walking or biking to school must share the road with school buses, trash trucks, commuters and work vehicles on narrow streets that have no sidewalks and no four way stop signs to get to school, one comment read.

Other responses specifically mentioned Dumbarton and Hermitage Roads as being unsafe for pedestrians and in need of sidewalks and bike lanes.

Hermitage is extremely dangerous for anyone walking and there are always people walking dogs or heading towards Bryan Park. Children, teens, bikers, runners etc., Coffey read, It is a narrow road and with pedestrians it is smaller, especially if they are walking on both sides of the street at the same time.

(The topic of active transportation (biking, walking and other non-motorized forms of travel) has been prominent in Henrico recently, and the Citizen will host a panel discussion webinar June 10 to address it. Among other topics, panel members will discuss: the future of sidewalks and bike lanes in Henrico.)

Resident John Owens gave a presentation called Make Willow Lawn Great Again, during which he proposed the county purchase land currently occupied by Extra Space Storage and redevelop the space as a regional transit hub. Though the Greater Richmond Transit Company has a stop at Willow Lawn, he argued that self storage is not a prime commercial use for the area and should not be located on a major commercial artery like West Broad.

County officials have been seeking property in the area to use as public parking for the GRTC and Pulse stops at Willow Lawn.

Richard Sullivan voiced concerns about the response time of emergency vehicles in certain parts of the county and requested that the board approve additional emergency vehicles for stations 8, 10 and 17.

* * *

In other matters, the Board voted unanimously for all proposed resolutions included on the meeting agenda.

Supervisors voted to proclaim May 2022 as National Drug Court Month, honoring the 19th anniversary of Henrico Countys Drug Court, a program that up to this point has served 265 graduates. Three-Chopt representative Tommy Branin presented the proclamation to Sarah Perkins Smith, drug court administrator and Circuit Court Judge John Marshall.

The board also voted: to award a $315,000 easement clearing contract to G.L. Howard Incorporated that will commence June 1and end May 31, 2023. (The contract will be funded by the countys Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.)

to award InfraMap Corporation with an annual contract for subsurface utility designating and locating services with a $2.5 million spending limit per term.

in favor of an agreement with Virginia Electric and Power Company for the construction of underground electric line facilities across county property at 6007 Morningside Drive. The facilities, according to the resolution, will alleviate load issues and provide more reliable electric service to County facilities and the surrounding area.

Also at the meeting, Deputy County Manager for Community Affairs Monica Smith-Callahan took the mic to acknowledge May as a commemorative month for several diverse communities.

First, Smith-Callahan acknowledged that May is Jewish Heritage Month (celebrating the partnerships between Henrico and the Weinstein Jewish Community Center, the Holocaust Museum and other organizations and synagogues that make up the Jewish community Federation of Richmond) as well as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. She noted the work of the Asian American Society of Central Virginia, along with the Asian Latino Solidarity Alliances support of the My Henrico academy and the Stop Asian Hate rallies in Henrico.

Lastly, she acknowledged that May also is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Our Henrico Area Mental Health Developmental Services [team] reminds us that if we or someone we know is in need of mental health support they can be reached at 804-727-8484, she said.

Following comments from Smith-Callahan, County Manager John A. Vithoulkas asked that meeting attendees honor the legacy of Diamond Brown-Mosby, a Henrico High School senior fatally shot May 19, with a moment of silence.

This young woman was a kind and talented leader on and off the basketball court with an extremely bright future ahead of her, but it was cut short just weeks before her high school graduation, Vithoulkas said, expressing deep sympathies on behalf of the county for Brown-Mosbys family and friends.

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Citizens bring transportation concerns to Henrico supervisors - The Henrico Citizen - Henrico Citizen

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Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

Lavrov warns West being drawn into Ukraine war with weapons shipments

Western countries transferring weapons to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight off invading Russian forces are being drawn into the conflict, Moscows foreign minister warns in a thinly veiled threat while on a trip to Saudi Arabia.

Lavrov accuses Ukraine of a direct provocation for requesting missile launchers, air defense systems and other weapons.

This is a direct provocation aimed at drawing the West into hostilities, he says.

Of course, sane Western politicians are well aware of these risks, he adds, apparently referring to fears that Russia will attack countries in Europe supplying arms to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced earlier that Washington would send Ukraine the Himars multiple launch rocket system, or MLRS, a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.

Lavrov commends what he calls reasonable assessments from Washington, apparently referring to a pledge that the system wont be used to launch rockets into Russia itself.

In an article in the New York Times, Biden insists: We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders.

So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly engaged in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces, he adds.

Lavrov says that while Russia is making its case via backchannels, some Europeans dont seem to be convinced that they should stop supporting Ukraine militarily against the Russian onslaught.

I will say it frankly: not everyone in the European Union, especially in its northern part [understands this]. There are politicians, who are ready to do this madness in order to satisfy their ambitions. But serious countries in the EU naturally are well aware that such scenarios are unacceptable, he says, according to state-run Russian media.

The comments come as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announces Berlin will deliver an air defense system capable of shielding a large city from Russian air raids to Ukraine.

The government has decided that we will send the Iris-T system the most modern system that Germany currently possesses, he says in parliament.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock admits however that it would take months for the air defense system to reach Ukraine.

Germany will also deliver a tracking radar system capable of detecting enemy rocket artillery, he adds.

AFP contributed to this report.

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Bill to ban Palestinian flag at state-funded institutions clears initial reading - The Times of Israel

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Alex Selsky

By Alex Selsky

On Jerusalem Day, 55 years after Israels great victory in the Six-Day War and with it the liberation of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, the state of Israel and the people of Israel won again.

Israel defeated its enemies: terrorist organizations and their supporters, critics inside and outside the country, those who try to question our sovereignty and boycott us, those who try to destroy us from near and far, those who still dream, in vain, that we will someday be defeated.

We won because we overcame our own fear. We did not capitulate, we did not stutter, we did not change the route of the annual Flag Parade. Israelis came in droves from all over the country, our country, and climbed the Temple Mount in record numbers, with our flags raised proudly, because we believed in ourselves and our right, our strength and our justice.

This year was the opposite of last year, and that is the big difference. When we stood proudly and did not back down, no one dared to attack.Many of our neighbors have seen our strength and resilience, and realized that it is better to cooperate than fight with us.

This is a major victory because it had an extraordinary symbol. The flags of Israel proudly hoisted on the Temple Mount are a message of power and faith to the whole world, to Diaspora Jewry, to the Christian world and, of course, to the Muslim world, to both partners and enemies.

Our allies want to see us as strong because otherwise they have less justification to cooperate with us. Our enemies must see us as strong; otherwise, they will continue to fight us.

The violence against us will end only if our enemies fear us, if they recognize and accept that we have won and there is no point in continuing to fight us.

There is no more symbolic and proper place to convey this message than on the Temple Mount, precisely because it is important to both our partners and our enemies. The Mount is where they want to see us fold.

The Mount is where the struggle is most painful and therefore the most decisive. That is why Hamas wants to defeat us there, and why it is precisely there that we dare not lose.

Some will say that what occurred on Jerusalem Day was not a victory. Do not listen to them.

Some will say it was a small victory. Even so, small victories can combine to make great victories, and great victories are based on our faith.All our technological and military power, and the support of the United States, are not what led to victories in our wars, but spirit, commitment, faith in the justice of our cause and the knowledge that we have no other choice.

Do not worry about criticism. It is irrelevant. It always will be. No matter what our answer to it may be.

Some of the criticism is insincere. It is the result of domestic and local political struggles, as well as an organized attempt to put pressure on us from the outside. It is not going away.

But we have nothing to be ashamed of. We are a democratic country and attentive to different voices. We are ready and able to listen to criticism. We make mistakes and try to correct them. We argue amongst ourselves, and that is an important part of who we are.

Part of our power is to withstand and ignore unfair and unjust criticism. Our best answer is victory, and on Jerusalem Day we provided a perfect answer.It should teach us a lesson for the future. Only an Israeli victory will make the world stop pressuring us and put an end to over 100 years of violent Palestinian rejection of Jewish sovereignty.

There is still a long way to go, but we will win. On Jerusalem Day, we reminded ourselves that we can win.

Happy Victory Day!

Alex Selsky is a member of the board of directors of the Middle East Forum Israel, which runs the Israel Victory Project.

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On Jerusalem Day, We Showed That Israel Can Still Win - Jewish Exponent

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Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

Israel, UAE to boost economic ties with free trade deal

Israel and the United Arab Emirates are set to officially sign a free trade agreement tomorrow in a bid to boost trade between the two countries, says Israels Economy and Industry Ministry.

The signing ceremony for the free, full, first trade agreement with an Arab state, as Israels Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbivai described the deal, will take place Tuesday in Dubai.

The terms of the agreement were finalized last month in Jerusalem with Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.

The agreement covers regulation, customs, services, government procurement, e-commerce, and protection of intellectual property rights.

Some 96% of products traded between the countries, including food, agriculture, cosmetics, medical equipment, and medication, will be exempt from customs duty, says the ministry. A number of products will be exempt immediately, while others will gradually be granted exemptions.

Existing Israel-UAE trade was estimated at $2.5 billion since the 2020 Abraham Accords, Zeyoudi said in Davos last week. Over $1 billion of that sum was recorded in trade in the first quarter of 2022, he said.

Zeyoudi said that in 2023-2024, trade between the two countries is forecast to reach $5 billion.

Barbivai says the visit to the UAE is of strategic importance to the economic relations between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Together we will remove barriers and promote comprehensive trade and new technologies, which will form a solid base for our joint path, will benefit citizens, and make it easier to do business. This is a free, full, first trade agreement with an Arab state, which is taking place so soon after the establishment of diplomatic relations, says Barbivai in the ministry announcement.

The UAE and Israel signed a normalization agreement in 2020 as part of the US-backed Abraham Accords. Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco also normalized ties with Israel in the framework of the accords.

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Report: Israel warns 100 Israelis in Turkey to leave over concrete Iran threat - The Times of Israel

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As Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's unlikely government reaches the one-year mark this month, the Biden administration's main priority in its relations with Israel continues to be the coalition's survival.

Between the lines: U.S. officials won't say so that bluntly, but it's clear they prefer Bennett's broad coalition to the return of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the head of a radical right-wing government.

Flashback: The diverse coalition came together last June in an explicit effort to keep Netanyahu out of power.

State of play: Crises threaten to topple Bennett's coalition nearly every week most recently the government's inability to renew a law regulating settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Behind the scenes: In their communications with Washington, Bennett and his aides have often justified certain actions or inactions particularly on the Palestinian issue based on the fragility of the coalition.

What they're saying: In several recent public events, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides explained the Biden administrations approach.

Whats next: U.S. officials say Biden's planned visit to Israel later this month will take place regardless of the domestic political situation in Israel.

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The Biden administration's top priority on Israel is the survival of Bennett's coalition - Axios

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The Defense Ministry is planning to advance a controversial housing project in the E1 Area of the West Bank after the Israeli government withdrew the plan in January amid international pressure, and assured the Biden administration that it would not be moving forward with it.

The ministrys Civil Administration body that authorizes West Bank construction published on Tuesday its agenda for a July 18 meeting to discuss objections to projects that have received initial approval. Two E1 plans totaling 3,412 housing units were the only ones on the docket.

The E1 project was first approved by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus government in 2012 and then put on hold for roughly eight years amid significant international pushback. The homes would be built between the Maale Adumim settlement and Jerusalem in the middle of the West Bank, breaking up contiguity between Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. The plan even received pushback during the Trump administration, which envisioned Israel annexing all West Bank settlements in the peace plan it presented in January 2020. Weeks later and against the backdrop of a parliamentary election Netanyahu took the plan off the back-burner, directing that it be advanced through the deposit stage.

The next stage in the planning process requires the Civil Administrations High Planning Subcommittee to hear objections against the projects, which were filed by a large group of Palestinian attorneys along with several Israeli rights groups. Those hearings were delayed amid the repeated election cycles until August of last year. Two sessions were held but a final one scheduled for January was yanked from the agenda. US Ambassador to the US Tom Nides revealed in March that he had aggressively pushed the Israeli government to withdraw the plan.

[You] cant stop everything and have to pick [your] battles, but E1 was a disaster. I went full bore on E1, he told the dovish group Peace Now in a webinar.

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Jerusalem assured Washington that it would prevent the E1 construction from taking place, two Israeli and US officials told The Times of Israel in February.

A map of the housing projects Israel has planned in the E1 corridor. (Peace Now)

If the legal objections against the E1 plan are waived, as these often are, the project will still need several additional approvals before ground can be broken a process that often takes months, if not years.

Nonetheless, Peace Now issued a statement blasting the latest development saying the unity government is promoting Netanyahus dangerous policies.

The E1 plan poses a real threat for the chance for peace and thus has gained sharp opposition in Israel and internationally, the left-wing group added.

The Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Joe Biden during a joint press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu, not seen, at the Prime Ministers Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Debbie Hill, Pool via AP/File)

However, the State Prosecutors Office confirmed the move later on Tuesday in its response to a petition from the Maale Adumim settlement demanding that the Jerusalem District Court compel the state to finish the objection hearings on the E1 plan.

The Defense Ministry agenda was published just weeks before Joe Biden is expected to make his first visit to Israel as US president and weeks after Israel advanced plans for nearly 4,500 settlement homes throughout the West Bank, drawing Washingtons ire. However, a US official told The Times of Israel then that the announcement would not lead Biden to cancel his yet-to-be-finalized trip.

The last time Biden visited Israel was in 2010 when he was vice president. The trip was marred by an Israeli announcement of a project in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. Biden fumed at the time, saying in a statement that it undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that Ive had here in Israel.

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Israel puts E1 settlement project back on agenda, weeks ahead of Biden trip - The Times of Israel

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An Israeli airstrike on an agrochemical warehouse during last years war in Gaza amounted to the indirect deploying of chemical weapons, according to a report analysing the attack and its impact.

Incendiary artillery shells fired by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) hit the large Khudair Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Tools warehouse in the north of the Gaza Strip on 15 May last year, setting fire to hundreds of tonnes of pesticides, fertilisers, plastics and nylons. The strike created a toxic plume, which engulfed an area of 5.7 sq km and has left local residents struggling with health issues, including two reports of miscarriages, and indications of environmental damage.

The extensive investigation, which involved analysing mobile phone and drone footage and CCTV, dozens of interviews with residents, and analysis from munitions and fluid dynamics experts, used 3D modelling of the warehouse to determine the circumstances of the attack.

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It is the first publication by Palestinian human rights NGO Al-Haqs newly established forensic architecture investigation unit, a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the Middle East with Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, which carries out spatial and media analysis for NGOs and in international human rights cases.

Legal experts concluded from Al-Haqs findings that while conventional weapons were used in the bombing, the shelling of the warehouse, with knowledge of the presence of toxic chemicals stored therein, is tantamount to chemical weapons through indirect means. Such acts are clearly prohibited and prosecutable under the Rome Statute of the international criminal court.

Chris Cobb-Smith, a munitions expert, is quoted as saying: There is no military justification for [advanced smoke projectiles] to be used here. It is inherently inaccurate and unsuitable for use in an urban environment.

Two hundred and fifty six people in Gaza and 14 in Israel died in the 11-day war last May between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the besieged strip. Al-Haq said the strike on the Khudair warehouse was the first in a series of attacks deliberately targeting Gazas economic and industrial infrastructure, with half a dozen other factories and warehouses systematically bombed.

The international criminal court (ICC) opened an investigation in 2019 into war crimes allegedly committed by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Palestinian territory. Israel disputes the ICCs jurisdiction.

The IDF said in a statement that in response to the onslaught of attacks by Hamas, Israel had carried out a series of strikes on legitimate military targets in the Gaza Strip last year during what in Israel is known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.

The IDF takes all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians during operational activity, a spokesperson said, adding that the event in question was being investigated by an internal IDF inquiry to examine whether there were any deviations from the binding rules and make necessary adjustments based on lessons learned.

Israa Khudair, 20, who lives with her husband and two children 40 metres away from the site of the agrochemical warehouse, suffered a miscarriage in the fifth month of her pregnancy, eight weeks after the attack.

For months the smell was unbearable, like a car engine mixed with burnt oil, sewage and cooking gas, so of course we knew it could be harmful, said her husband, Ihab, 26.

I have had skin rashes since and so have most people here. We washed the house five times, and the furniture, but the smell stayed. It was like an oil on the walls eventually in the winter the rain washed a lot of it away from the rubble of the warehouse.

We are worried for our health now. One of my cousins, who is only 19, and my aunt also, got cancer recently and we think it is related to what happened here.

Last years fighting was the third round of full-scale conflict between the Israeli state and Hamas since the group seized control of Gaza in 2007, after which Israel and Egypt imposed a punishing blockade. Since then, the strips water, sewage and electricity infrastructure have all but collapsed, leaving Gazas 2 million residents struggling to deal with increasing levels of air, soil and water pollution.

Al-Haq, which operates in Gaza and the West Bank, has also come under attack from the Israeli authorities: last year, the NGO was one of six leading civil society and human rights organisations working in the occupied Palestinian territories designated as a terrorist organisation. The decision has been widely condemned by the UN, western governments and prominent international organisations such as Amnesty International.

Rula Shadeed, the head of Al-Haqs monitoring and documentation department, said in a statement: Without our professional documentation based on legal standards [Palestinians] cannot call for accountability and justice. Introducing new methodologies to enhance and complement the standard documentation and presentation of our work is very crucial.

We are very proud that despite the illegal attacks and difficult times Palestinian civil society is facing, we still manage to continue and advance in our work, due to our strong belief in the importance of exposing the violations against our people and to hold perpetrators accountable.

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Impact of Israeli strike in Gaza akin to chemical weapons, NGO report finds - The Guardian

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Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

On June 7, 1981, eight Israeli fighter jets launched a strike targeting Iraqs nuclear reactor. Dubbed Operation Opera, this daring mission marked the first successful raid ever conducted against a nuclear reactor. The mission would set the stage for the Begin Doctrine, Israels counter-proliferation policy that allows for preventive strikes against adversaries seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Despite immediate international condemnation of Israel following the operation, the destruction of the Osirak reactor prevented Iraq from reaching a nuclear-capable threshold.

Iraq-France Collaboration

The Iraqi government acquired its nuclear reactor in 1975, after finalizing a nuclear cooperation agreement with France. In addition to the Osiris-class research reactor, the French government supplied Iraq with training personnel and approximately 72 kilograms of enriched uranium. Iraq also received a smaller ISIS-type reactor, the Tammuz II, from the French. The research facility, built near Baghdad, was reportedly subject to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, and France insisted this ensured the reactor would never produce nuclear weapons. However, then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said the procurement of the French-built reactor represented the first Arab attempt at nuclear arming.

Despite French assurances that Iraqs nuclear reactor was peaceful, both Israel and the U.S. feared Iraq could learn to produce fissile material for destructive means. Iran also targeted Iraqs reactor site, at the onset of the Iran-Iraq war, but the attack only caused limited damage.

Seizing the Moment

Israel gained the ability to carry out Operation Opera because of the Iranian Revolution. After the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the U.S. canceled its shipment of 75 cutting-edge F-16 fighter jets to Iran. Israels air force swooped in at this crucial moment and purchased the fleet of top-of-the-line airframes.

The planes capabilities were essential to the operation. The Israel Defense Forces needed the F-16 fleet to conduct the long-range, low-altitude maneuvers necessary to take out Iraqs nuclear reactor. Israels arsenal of F-4 Phantoms and Skyhawks was not equipped with the capacity to perform the mission.

During Operation Opera, the Israeli fighters flew undetected through hundreds of kilometers of Saudi airspace and into Iraq. They took out the reactor and returned home safely. At the time, mid-air refueling was not an option, and it was possible that some pilots would not make it back home. One pilot who flew on the mission, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, said that the fighters flew at speeds best suited to conserving fuel and not the best speed for flying in enemy territory. The IDF timed the attack to take place before the reactor reached operational status, in order to avoid radiation contamination during the operation.

The destruction of Iraqs Osirak nuclear reactor remains controversial. While Israel said that it acted pre-emptively in order to bring Iraq back from the brink of the nuclear threshold, the international community, including the United States, characterized it as an offensive mission and largely rebuked it. It may be contentious, but there is no doubt that Operation Opera altered the trajectory of the Middle East.

Maya Carlinis a Middle East Defense Editor with 19FortyFive. She is also an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.

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Operation Opera: Did Israel Stop Saddam Hussein From Getting Nuclear Weapons? - 19FortyFive

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By David Etengoff

One of the most famous sources in all Rabbinic literature that discusses the relationship between G-d, man, Torah, and truth is found in Talmud Bavli, Baba Metziah 59b:

On that day Rabbi Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: If the halacha agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it! Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place. No proof can be brought from a carob-tree, they retorted. Again, he said to them: If the halacha agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it! Whereupon the stream of water flowed backward. No proof can be brought from a stream of water, they rejoined.

Again, he urged: If the halacha agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it, whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But Rabbi Yehoshua rebuked them, saying: When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have you to interfere? Again, he [Rabbi Eliezer] said to them: If the halacha agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven! Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: Why do you dispute with Rabbi Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halacha agrees with him! But Rabbi Yehoshua arose and exclaimed: Lo vashamayim he [it is not in Heaven].

Rabbi Yeshoshuas creative use of the pasuk, lo vashamayim he, creates a question that begs to be answered: What exactly does he mean when he cites this verse in the context of our passage? We are fortunate that Rabbi Yeremiah was focused on this very same issue in the continuation of our Gemara: What did he mean by this? Said Rabbi Yeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because You have long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.

The Talmuds words are extraordinary, to say the least. They confirm that imperfect human reason, and the principle of majority rule, are the determinants in any halachic dispute even when one of the disputants is the Voice of Heaven!

HaRav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik (1820-1892), known as the Beit HaLevi, builds upon our Talmudic passage when he explains the Torahs role in our lives. He asserts that the Torah was given to the Jewish people in its ideal heavenly form in conjunction with the obligation to interpret it and arrive at practical solutions to the problems of daily living.

He further notes that, since our Sages were tasked with the explication and application of the Torah SheBaal Peh, these conclusions are our truth. Moreover, based upon Rabbi Yehoshuas utilization of the verse, lo vashamayim he, the Beit HaLevi concludes that earthly truth can only be apprehended through intense Torah study and analysis, since, lo nitnah haTorah lmalachei hashareit the Torah was not given to the Ministering Angelsbut rather, to the Jewish people.

Rabbi Asher Weiss, in his introduction to Sheilot uTeshuvot Minchat Asher, volume I, expands upon the Beit HaLevis analysis. In a thought-provoking essay entitled, Din Emet lAmito (True Law According to its Truth), he examines the essence of Torah and Jewish Law:

It appears that we can explain the following: When the Holy One blessed be He gave the Torah to the Jewish people, He did not give them wisdom alone. Instead, He gave them the ability and strength to rule over the Torah and render an absolute decision even if this decision, so to speak, is against the opinion of Hashem.

For this is the path of the Torah and the nature of Halacha: The Torah Sages are those to whom the Torah was passed down to reveal its mysteries, to decrypt its underlying principles, to decide the cases in doubtful matters and to render conclusive judgments regarding its laws. Their decision, in consonance with the wisdom of the Torah that mans Creator gave to them, are the essence of the Torah itself.

In these words, Rav Asher elucidates the two-fold nature of the Sinaitic Revelation. In addition to the revealed wisdom of the Torah, Chazal were given permission, through Torah SheBaal Peh, to rule over the Torah and render an absolute decision even if this decision, so to speak, is against the opinion of Hashem. This idea goes a long way in helping us understand the role of Chazal in the overall Torah enterprise, namely, to decrypt [the Torahs] underlying principles, to decide the cases in doubtful matters and to render conclusive judgments regarding its laws.

Rav Asher continues his analysis by noting that when the earthly-accessible Torat emet arrived at by our Sages determination of the halacha is in harmony with the ultimate truth of Shamayim, both the Heavens and earth rejoice as one. As Dovid HaMelech declared: The heavens will rejoice, and the earth will exult, (Tehillim 96:11)

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach

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Putting Sinaitic Revelation to work for mankind - The Jewish Star

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Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

To the editor Sincere thanks to the YH-R for courageously editorializing about the dangers of theocracies and then publishing a letter about abortion, noting not all people of faith believe the soul begins at conception.

Jewish rabbis disagree with Evangelicals and others who make the poetic praise of Psalm 139 (You knit me together in my mothers womb) into a proof-text for legislating when life begins.

Many Jewish scholars understand both the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud to teach the fetus is part of the mother until birth. The babys soul or spirit arrives only when the first breath is taken.

It should be deeply troubling to people of all faiths indeed, all Americans when one religious view seeks to become the law of the land, taking away from other people of faith the right to follow the teachings of their sacred texts.

Freedom of religion means nothing when one religion can impose its beliefs on society. When mere mortals attempt to enforce their theocratic beliefs on others, the result never proves to be righteous.

The result is, instead, sorrow and division. If history is any indication, theocracies tend to deteriorate into violence.

AARON COHEN

Yakima

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Letter: History shows us where theocracies lead | Opinion | yakimaherald.com - Yakima Herald-Republic

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