LA Jewish Home - 3-19-20

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The Week In News

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Dear Readers, It’s said in the name of the Maggid of Mezeritch, “See how precious the body of a Jew is to the Almighty; because of it we have forgone countless mitzvos!”

Billions of individuals are currently home. No school, work, entertainment. Just us and our families.

It’s extremely unnerving, to say the least, but it’s a forced opportunity to go back to basics: Who are we? What do we believe? What role does Hashem play in our lives?

It’s as if everything we’ve learned until this point was all practice for how we’ll respond to the spread of this virus. With fear and panic, gobbling up every forwarded email, post, or text filled with the most dreadful news from around the world? Or acting safely and full of trust in Hashem?

We should feel confident that: 1. He still controls the world, everything in it, and that anything that happens comes from Him and not from a new deity called “coronavirus.”

2. This will pass with the fewest possible casualties.

3. This is very much tied in with the last moments of our long golus.

Perhaps we need to be shaken up from our indifference. Perhaps certain evil regimes needed to be to be taken down in the natural order. Perhaps we needed to internalize the concept of personal responsibility, or perhaps this was the best way to show us that there’s no such thing as “I can do what I want, I’m not bothering anyone.”

Perhaps all of the above.

We now know with certainty that individual decisions affect whole communities and eventually the entire globe.

As Jews we always look for a call to action. Let us all think of those around us worst affected by this— the elderly, certain businesses, families with members not feeling well, etc.—and try to find ways to help them get through this.

The Rambam writes that it is middas achzariyos, cruel to respond to natural disasters as if they’re simply a natural phenomenon, ignoring the message they are supposed to be telling us: “Wake up sleepers from your sleep and return to your Creator!”

May each one of us fulfill our obligations both with regard to physical precautions and in regard to spiritual self-reckoning, so that we are zocheh, in the very near future, to a time when there shall no longer be sickness or disease, for the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem.

Wishing you a healthy and, as much as possible, enjoyable Shabbos Mevorchim Chodesh Nissan,

Shalom

T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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The Week In News

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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TheHappenings Week In News

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

All Female Hackathon at Touro’s Lander College for Women Celebrates Women in STEM Over 100 female hackers filled the gymnasium at Touro’s Lander College for Women (LCW) on Sunday, March 1st, for the 5th annual student-run hackathon, HackItTogether. The women shared a day of coding competition in a warm, collaborative environment.

“An all-women’s hackathon gives women—and especially Orthodox Jewish women—an opportunity to stand out outside the classroom,” said organizer and Touro LCW student Sarah Bracha Schuraytz. “It is a chance for women interested in tech to improve their programming skills, meet other women in STEM, and have fun.”

During the 12-hour day, teams worked on either a general challenge or a sponsor-created challenge. Sponsor Guardian Life, one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the United States, asked Hack It Together participants to “come up with a unique technological innovation to promote financial literacy among college students.” IHS Markit asked the hackers to

“create an innovative channel that would help IHS Markit build persistent and long-lasting relationships based on instantaneous support, trust in the application, and customer satisfaction.”

In addition to the Touro teams from Lander College for Women/The Anna Ruth and Mark Hasten School and Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Flatbush, there were teams from 26 other schools including NYU, Princeton, Stern College, City College of NY, Pace University, Grace Hopper Coding Bootcamp, Dominican Academy, SUNY New Paltz, Stevens Institute of Technology, and LaGuardia Community College..

“Being part of the planning enabled me to meet and network with representatives from various companies and learn about future career opportunities in the field,” said Touro student organizer Sarah Orlian.

The day ended with each team presenting a short demo of its hack. Judging was based on factors such as innovation, usability, problem solving, and techni-

cal achievement. The judges were Dr. Andrew Katz, a computer science professor at Touro’s LCW; Andrew Schwimmer of Disney Streaming Services; Sobhagya Kaushal, a software developer at JPMorgan Chase; and Vivian Schneck-Last, an alumna of Lander College for Women and former managing director at Goldman Sachs.

A team from Touro’s Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn won the IHS Markit challenge. Students from Machon Ora High School in Passaic, New Jersey, won the Guardian Life challenge.

“The hackathon has become a great tradition at LCW that showcases the in-

novative work women are doing, and can do, in the fields of technology and engineering,” said Lander College for Women Dean Marian Stoltz-Loike. “Every year I am more and more impressed by the creative solutions these students are able to come up with in just one day.”

This year’s event was sponsored by Cross River Bank, IHS Markit, Guardian Life, and Balsamiq.

Yeshivas Ner Aryeh’s Annual Melaveh Malkah Welcomes Chashuve Speaker Brenda Goldstein “Ner Aryeh is a family,” said Yeshivas Ner Aryeh executive assistant Debra Berman at the yeshiva’s annual melaveh malkah at Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

“It’s a place where I work, but it’s really a family. We genuinely care about each boy…the rabbeim are really father figures to each one of the boys, and we’re really blessed to have them.” The February 29th fundraising dinner, which featured Beth Medrash Govoha Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Dovid Tzvi Schustal, shlita, as guest speaker, marked the finale of his Shabbos speaking tour of Valley Village.

Mrs. Stella Wohlarth, who has two sons enrolled in Ner Aryeh, spoke of how the yeshiva gives the talmidim a strong learning environment to fortify against the negative influences surrounding us today.

The students, she said, “truly bring the Torah they learn in the [yeshiva] and apply it to their daily lives. It is a privilege to… send my kids to Ner Aryeh.”

Impressed by the number of shuls, yeshivas, and kollelim here, Rav Schustal described Valley Village as “vibrant” with “mosdei Torah.” He called the yeshiva “a bayis that enhances in the talmidim a depth of understanding of Torah sheh b’al peh,” and exhorted all in attendance to “appreciate the mikdashim me’at I had the zechus to visit.”

After Rav Schustal’s speech, attendees enjoyed a delicious buffet-style dinner and then watched Ner Aryeh’s latest inspiring video. “Through our high-caliber chinuch and educational programs,” says Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yochanan Weiner in the video,

“our students at Ner Aryeh will become happy, fulfilled, well-educated, successful bnei Torah with a firm foundation for their limitless future.” Adds 10th grader Yaakov Wakslak: “The rebbeim are always eager to impart their knowledge and wisdom, their love for learning; they’re always willing to take your questions.”

English Principal Jason Strouse comments, “I think one of the most satisfying moments for myself and the other teachers is when we see a boy have that moment when everything makes sense, and he realizes that his hard work has paid off.”

Currently sharing quarters with the Valley Village Community Kollel and the past home of Congregation Toras Hashem, Ner Aryeh has begun construction on its long-awaited new building. “I hope that, with the new building…many families will realize the beauty of Ner Aryeh and be able to select [it] as a good choice for high school kids,” Mrs. Wohlfarth said.

Founded in 2001 and reestablished as a yeshiva and beis medrash in 2009, Ner Aryeh holds an affiliation with Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim of Queens. Rabbi Weiner, one of the founders of Ner Aryeh, serves as Menahel and Rosh Yeshiva of the high school. He and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yechezkel Cohen also run Ner Aryeh’s threeyear beis medrash program.

“The yeshiva,” said Rebbetzin Dassie Weiner, “aims to develop a real love for learning in the boys; a commitment to Torah learning, an involvement in Torah learning that will, b’ezras Hashem, remain with them the rest of their lives.”

Torah Musings The Week In News

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

S.T.O.P., Look, and Listen Sarah Pachter

One Shabbos, I wanted to make a delicious yet healthy dessert. I found a recipe for coconut and hazelnut truffles, and I decided to give it a whirl. The recipe required an unusual ingredient, and I called a few stores to see if they carried it.

Unfortunately, it could not be found in typical kosher stores, nor any health food stores near me. I looked online, but none of the products would arrive in time for Shabbos. I took note of the brand that had a visible kosher symbol, made several more calls to additional stores, and finally found one that had it.

I quickly bought the ingredient and brought it home, and then began the process of concocting truffles. It took more time than I had intended, and yielded much more than I had anticipated. I ended up making over 100 truffles!

Much later that evening, I was randomly struck with the thought to double-check the package for the hechsher.

To my horror, the package had no kosher symbol whatsoever. I scanned it over and over but could not find the symbol I had seen online.

As with most of us, I don’t actually have time to make 100 truffles, especially not ones that can’t even be eaten. As I started to panic, my inner dialogue began: How is it possible that there is no symbol? I can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted. I must call a rav before I toss them, just to be sure.

Immediately I phoned a friend who uses this ingredient often to see if it was the same brand—no such luck. I then took some pictures of my package, emailed a rabbi, and anxiously waited for his response.

Standing by my kitchen table, staring at the product, I forced myself to do the following: I stopped, took a deep breath, observed, and attempted to gain perspective.

These steps make a useful acronym: STOP. S – stop T – take a deep breath O – observe P – attempt to gain perspective The truffle situation reminded me of something Rivka Malka Perlman once shared.1 While shopping with her daughter, she faced many challenges finding clothing that was both tznius and fashionable.

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https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Cy9hMUaA__E

They finally found a dress, and her daughter tried it on. It was the perfect length and neckline, but was just a bit too tight. The dress was beautiful, but the daughter ultimately sighed and said, “It’s okay, Hashem, this dress is my korban to You.” Knowing how difficult it is to decline a dress that is beautiful but borderline immodest, I was impressed by her strength.2 Back in my kitchen, I declared, “Okay Hashem, this is my sacrifice to You.” I called my friend again, and said through gritted teeth, “I have decided, I am so lucky that this is my nisayon [test].

Thank You, Hashem, for giving me a nisayon that is so easy to pass and learn from. What a great nisayon to have.” The more I thought about it, the more I meant it, and the better I felt. No anger, no resentment we left in me. Just gratitude for the opportunity to grow.

Then, something unexpected happened. The next morning, I received an email from the Rav, informing me that the item was actually kosher! I passed it the test, and I got to have my coconut truffles (and eat them, too)!

This was admittedly a minor moment, but I learned three deeper lessons from the experience.

Thank You The words thank You for this test really struck me. A few days afterward, Hashem handed me a much larger, personal test.

Surely if I could feel lucky regarding the truffles, then maybe I could extend that feeling to this bigger test Hashem sent my way.

When that second nisayon hit, I found myself saying, Thank You, Hashem. I am so lucky that this is my nisayon, and I know that whatever is meant to be, is from You. Every test we face can be viewed through this lens. We may not feel it at first, but if we regularly ask ourselves, How does Hashem want me to react in this situation? Each challenge in life can train us to become our best selves. Not only do we have to thank Hashem for not giving us a certain nisayon, but we also must thank Hashem for the tests He does give us.

Choice Not all tests are equally difficult, and similarly, some boundaries are stronger than others.

If something is treif, it is not even a question whether or not it would be served in a kosher home. Kashrut is objective; there is no room for rationalization. However, I certainly have other mitzvot that are

2 Addendum to the story: they eventually

found the same dress one size up in a different store, and it was less expensive!

grey areas.

How many times have we told ourselves, It’s not really lashon hara, it’s l’toelet! in situations where this wasn’t truly the case? The place where rationalizations dwell can be used as an indication of where our nekuda habechira, our “choice point,” is. Throughout life, we face certain challenges and struggles. The phrase nekuda habechira, refers to a moment in which we must act in an area that we struggle in. If the choice is either too easy or too hard, those matters do not fall within our “choice point.”

Hashem is using this to show us where we need to grow, and also where we have the most potential for growth. We don’t have to judge ourselves for this struggle; rather, use that opportunity to recognize that Hashem is showing us what we need to strengthen.

A great question when dealing with our grey areas is, What does Hashem want from me right now?

Ratzon

What bothered me most about the truffle incident was the loss of my time. With four children to care for, time is a scarce commodity for me. In fact, most people I know are lamenting that they are too busy, or wished they had more time.

Rebbetzin Henny Machlis taught a beautiful concept in her seminary. She explained, “We are all so busy doing so many things. Really, there is only one thing to do, and that’s ratzon Hashem.”3 My wish for myself and others is that every time we are faced with a challenge, we can S-T-O-P. When we stop, take a deep breath, observe, and have perspective, we can learn something valuable from each test we face. From the truffle situation, the perspective I gained was gratitude for the nisayon, recognizing where my choice point lies, and the realization that there’s only one thing on my to do list—ratzon Hashem. What will your next test reveal?

3

Rigler, Sara Yocheved, Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup, pg.

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The Week In News Living with the Times

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Stay Calm

Publisher of the Yated Ne’eman

People are confounded. They don’t know what they should be thinking now.

As coronavirus spreads, the world panics hysterically. Thankfully, so far, only a minimal number of people have been afflicted. Every person’s health is important, and every life is precious, but from the international anxiety, you would think that many millions have contracted the disease and died.

The fear of the unknown has taken over the collective psyche of mankind.

Until now, we have all lived with the misconception that our lives and society are so advanced that nothing could invade the comfort bubble in which we live. We thought that we would never be affected by throwbacks to the Middle Ages. We are educated and advanced enough that we can deal with all issues, we thought. Plagues cannot affect a generation armed with computers, electricity, vaccines and antibiotics. For whatever ails us, there is a pill.

We are easily able to care for our needs.

Hashem has created a new invisible pathogen to teach us differently.

In the Kovno ghetto, Rav Mordechai Pogramansky met a group of Slabodka yeshiva bochurim. He began speaking with them and asked what they thought Hashem wanted from them. Having gone from the lofty sublimity of the prime Lithuanian yeshiva to being forced by Nazi madmen into cramped quarters, they were at a loss for an answer.

Rav Pogramansky said to them, “Look up. There stands a German with a gun.

Why doesn’t he shoot us? He would love nothing more than to see a Jew lying on the floor, dying in a pool of blood, with other Jews shaking in fear nearby. He has the gun, he has the bullets, and he would love to use them. Why doesn’t he?

“The answer is that even in a time when the lights have gone out and everything is dark, even when we are in a time of the greatest hester ponim that could be, there is no such a thing as a Jew without Hashem watching over him. Every bullet has an address, and because we are not destined to die now, a Nazi can stand here with a loaded machine gun and not shoot us.

“At a time like this, Hashem wants us to reinforce our faith that even in the dark periods for Klal Yisroel, what was not preordained for us by Hashem will not happen.”

As believing Jews, we do not fear and do not succumb to fear. As the world

convulses from an epidemic of fear, we remain calm and resolute. We follow the precautions set by medical experts and we obey the laws put in place by governments seeking to stem the spread of coronavirus, but we do not panic and do not become anxious and crazy. We maintain our balance as we daven that Hashem protect us.

We don’t permit chaos to distract us and overwhelm our thinking. We are guided by our faith, not by our emotions.

The Rosh writes in Orchos Chaim (#100), “Al tivahel maasecha.” Even in times of turmoil and panic, conduct yourself with calmness and equanimity. A believing person does not lose himself and become caught up with anxiety and de-

ask Hashem to watch over you, heal you and bless you.

Most of all, we need to maintain our faith and belief that everything that transpires in the world is coordinated by Hashem. We think we understand some things, and oftentimes we are clueless as to why they happen, but we know that they do not occur by themselves.

The Chofetz Chaim would explain this with a moshol. Sometimes a person is sick, and to become well, he has to take a bitter pill that is very difficult to swallow. To enable the swallowing of the medicine, it is surrounded by a capsule. The easily consumed capsule is ingested and hopefully the medicine cures the person.

In times when the middas hadin is rampant in the world, in a time when disease is spreading like a plague, don’t look at others and don’t do what the world is doing.

Do what a Yid does. spair, no matter what is going on around him.

If you listen to what unintelligent and uninformed people say, then you will quickly devolve into dread. If you pay attention to every unfounded rumor, then you will be overcome with angst about your future. If you become attached to your iPhone and check it every minute for updates and silliness, then you can lose your mind. In times like this, especially, the best thing you can do is to put away your phone and access to social media and replace it with a Sefer Tehillim.

In times when the middas hadin is rampant in the world, in a time when disease is spreading like a plague, don’t look at others and don’t do what the world is doing. Do what a Yid does. Look inside to your heart and soul and strengthen your observance of Torah and mitzvos. Daven, and when you do, think about what you are saying.

Don’t rush through the tefillos, mumbling words incoherently. Rather, concentrate on the meaning of what you are saying as you

This, said the Chofetz Chaim, is the explanation of the posuk which states, “Vehaboteiach baHashem chesed yesovevenu.” The believer is surrounded by kindness. Bitachon is the capsule that envelops the bitter times of life. The Chofetz Chaim explained that a person who lives with bitachon doesn’t feel or taste the bitterness or pain of a rough time.

A husband once went to Rav Moshe Feinstein asking for a brocha for his wife who was before childbirth. “She is very afraid,” the man said. “She is experiencing pain and complications.”

Rav Moshe blessed him that everything should go well and that she should give birth to a healthy child.

The man wasn’t satisfied. He said that he thought that after telling Rav Moshe that his wife was suffering, he would send her a message of support and chizuk.

Rav Moshe said to the man, “Of what use is worrying? Strengthening herself in emunah and bitachon will accomplish a lot more than my messages of feeling her

pain.”

Dovid Hamelech says (Tehillim 31:25), “Chizku veyameitz levavchem kol hameyachalim laHashem,” those who believe in Hashem should have no fear, for they know that He is the One who brought the disease and He is the One who will remove it.

People forget that Hakadosh Boruch Hu runs the world. We became so used to expecting that a press of a button gets us what we need. We take for granted that we leave our homes, get into a car and drive to the airport, where we show our passport and are able to get onto an airplane and fly to anywhere in the world. If chas veshalom we become ill, we take a pill without much thought and, after a few days, we are better.

We go to work every day without appreciating that we can. We go to shul three times a day without giving any thought to the gift we have to be able to freely congregate and daven. We put our children on the bus each morning and off they go to school. We go about our day without thinking of the fact that we are blessed with yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs staffed by excellent rabbeim, moros and teachers.

Hashem says, “I will show you who is Boss and let loose a virus nobody ever heard of or has a clue how to deal with.”

The tiny unseen organism has spread like crazy throughout the world, causing mayhem and panic in country after country. People are locked in their homes, unable to go to work, school, or play. Shuls are closed, schools are closed and businesses are closed. Employees are laid off and airlines are grounded. People are separated from each other, sitting at home and fretting.

Others see it as the way of the world.

Someone in China ate a bat that was sick and suddenly the whole world went mad.

But we, bnei Avrohom, Yitzchok, v’Yaakov, know that the root of the disease is not a random animal and its Chinese consumer.

We know that at the root of the disease is Hakadosh Boruch Hu reminding us, His beloved children, that He is our Father.

The Chazon Ish once explained this to Rav Shmuel Wosner. A person took ill and after davening he was healed. The person thought that his tefillos were what removed the sickness from him, but it was not so. The proper way to look at it, said the Chazon Ish, is that this person “forgot” about Hashem, so He brought a sickness

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Living with the Times

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upon the man so that he would daven and bring Him back into his life. When the person davens and remembers that he needs Hashem, he no longer needs the infection, so he is healed.

Living with bitachon in a fearful time does not mean to close our minds to what is transpiring. It means knowing and appreciating the danger, but knowing that it is not the virus that is in charge, but Hashem.

During Israel’s independence war of 1948, the Brisker Rov decided that it was too dangerous to remain in Yerushalayim.

He piled his family into a car and they set out to leave for a safer area. As they left the holy city, they were ambushed by an Arab group. As the driver negotiated with the armed band, the rov explained to his children the danger they were in, enumerating what could happen to them. They asked their father why he felt the need to make them more agitated than they already were about their situation.

The rov responded that bitachon doesn’t mean to negate the dangerous situation and say that everything will work out beseder. It means appreciating the severity of their condition and having faith that Hashem will save them from the danger.

We need not negate the danger of the virus, but rather respect the threat it poses to our health and deal with it calmly and with complete faith that we shall be protected.

This is the foundation of Shaar Habitachon in the classic sefer Chovos Halevavos.

It is brought in seforim from the Arizal that fear is what drives “dever,” a plague.

Those who are able to overcome the fear by strengthening their faith in Hashem and engaging in tefillah and limud haTorah are spared.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Derech Sicha) states that emunah and bitachon have the power to overcome nature. He wrote a letter last week stating that improving in the areas of lashon hora and the way we deal with each other are especially meritorious in a time like this. A letter from Rav Akiva Eiger written during a deadly cholera epidemic in 1831 calls upon people to heed government mandates about not having more than 15 people together in shul and advises to recite “parshas haketores” at Shacharis and mincha.

Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponovezher Rov, was the consummate fundraiser of his time. He dreamed of rebuilding the yeshiva that the Nazis de-

stroyed in his hometown of Ponovezh in Lithuania. He traveled the world raising funds to build and then maintain the yeshiva.

It was only natural that when Rav Chaim Leib Auerbach needed a speaker to motivate people to donate to stave off the closure of his yeshiva, Shaar Hashomayim in Yerushalayim, due to financial ruin that he turned to Rav Kahaneman.

The rov made a special trip to be at the yeshiva’s emergency dinner and delivered a rousing speech about emunah, bitachon and love of Torah. The directors of the yeshiva were very upset. “For this we brought you all the way here to speak?” they told him. “We are desperate for money. We were expecting a moving appeal from the master fundraiser.”

The Rov answered them, “I am not a good fundraiser. I do not know how to raise money. What I have is emunah that Hashem will help me maintain the yeshivos I established. The love of Torah that burns in my soul motivates me to travel from one end of the world to the other.

These are my fundraising tools, so I shared them with your crowd.”

In all that we do and all that we accomplish, in good times and in times like today, the secret to survival and success is emunah and bitachon.

We need to keep our wits about us, acting intelligently and prudently. We need to follow the guidance of rabbonim and health authorities as they seek to interrupt transmission of this germ. We should not be cavalier about the dangers the virus represents. We should be mindful of the stress the situation creates on people whose children are home and those whose income is down.

We should remember that we are an am chochom venavon, an intelligent nation who values life. Our G-d is an “Av rachum vechanun,” kind and merciful, and we seek to follow His ways.

At this time, when shuls are shut and we cannot daven with a minyan, when yeshivos are shuttered and the study of Torah is impacted, we need to do our best to fill the void that has been created. We need to be better, do better, and create a kiddush Hashem in all we do during this trying period.

We pray that just as He brought this disease, He will remove it from our midst quickly and life will return to normal, leaving us chastened and reconnected to Him.

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The Week In News

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

PROTECTION FROM THE

CORONA VIRUS,

FOR ALL MEN & WOMEN: The following message was said by RAV

GAMLIEL HA

on the day of his father's yahrtzeit, the Baal Madaenie HaShu "The Corona virus is A

PLAGUE. I'm sharing a promise in Yochai and the Arizal, that MEN who are careful to daven w

and don't talk during davening, are protected just like being

WOMEN should accept Shabbos early before the Zman. I h

who accepts Shabbos early is protected. We can show our lov

KEEPING QUIET IN SHUL IS A ZECHUS FOR

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

AKOHEN RABINOVICH,

ulchan:

n the name of Rav Shimon Bar

with a Minyan 3 times a day,

g in an underground shelter!!

heard from my father that the Chofetz Chaim said that one

ve for Hashem, since Shabbos is the source of blessing..."

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MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Faith Over Fear Based on R’ Yechiel Perr’s mussar vaadim on bitachon as presented in the sefer Faith over Fear Prepared for print by Rabbi Yehuda Keilson

W W

hat is bitachon?

It is mysterious is bitaand hat elusive.

We chon?

It is hear about it all myster ious the time and are elusive. oftenandurged to We difficulty hear embrace it, yet we still have about itwhat all articulating, even for ourselves, itthe really Is itare an obligation or to merely timeis.and often urged emabrace handy What its paramit,panacea? yet we still haveare difficulty areters? ticulating, even for ourselves, what it Bitachon most basic embodreally is. Is itisanthe obligation or merely a iment of the religious life.

It describes handy panacea? What are its paramthe leap from abstractly believing in eters?

God,Bitachon speaking of most and serving Him, is the basic embodto holding His Hand in life.

Bitachon iment of the religious life.

It describes is the nexus of the mortal and where the leap from abstractly believing in man chooses to tear aside the mirage God, speaking of and serving Him, and make room for G-d to be the real to holding His Hand in life. Bitachon actor in his world. is the nexus of the mortal and where Some have the impulse to be man chooses to tear aside the mirage ashamed of being afraid or nervous and make room for G-d to be the real in frightening times.

However, this is actor in his world. misguided. I knew towering figures be thatSome were have subjecttheto impulse seeminglyto petashamed of being afraid or nervous ty fears, such as fear of dogs, public in frightening times.

However, this is speaking, or even swallowing a pill. misguided.

I knew towering figures There is no contradiction between exthat were fright subject to bitachon. seemingly petperiencing and is as notfear a simple switch we ty Bitachon fears, such of dogs, public carry around with us, able to be flicked speaking, or even swallowing a pill. on in any scenario. It is a deeply hu-

man quality that ebbs and flows with the waves of a person’s spirit. In a moThereofiscrisis, no contradiction between exment one can summon inner periencingoffright and and bitachon. reservoirs courage with it, his Bitachon is not a simple switch bitachon, to the fore. The river of boldwe carry around with him us, able be ness coursing through tugstoaloft flicked on in any It is a deepthe bitachon thatscenario. had been buried in ly human quality that ebbs and flows the muck when it was dormant. When withperson the waves of atoperson’s spirit. the is called action, and he rises vigorously to theone occasion, he In a moment of crisis, can sumwill reserves of courage, daring, monfind inner reservoirs of courage and and that he never withbitachon it, his bitachon, to theeven fore.knew The that Even ifcoursing we are not accusriverheofhad. boldness through tomed to think of ourselves as ba’alei him tugs aloft the bitachon that had bitachon, there aremuck moments our been buried in the when in it was lives in which we the are enabled to called attain dormant.

When person is flashes of bitachon that go well beyond to action, and he rises vigorously to our ordinary circumstances. We are the occasion, he will find reserves of buoyed by unique circumstances, able courage, daring, and bitachon that he to circumvent the ordinary lifetime of never even knew that he had. Even if hard work, and toil required to have we are not accustomed to think of bitachon. ourselves as ba’alei bitachon, there are moments A Calm Breezein our lives in which weBitachon are enabled to attain flashes of does not preclude fear, but bitachon that go well beyond our orwe can look to it to take the edge off. A dinary circumstances. buoyed person wonders: Will IWe getare sick?

How by unique circumstances, able to cirwill my loved ones and neighbors cope? cumvent the ordinary lifetime of hard Will my family get along peaceably for work, in and toil required to have bitaweeks quarantine?

Bitachon is the calm breeze cutting chon. across these stormy, turbulent thoughts.

It soothes the paralyzed, fevered mind, whispering, “G-d is looking out for you, A Calm Breeze ka’veyachol.

You will survive; you won’t Bitachon precludeWeigh fear, be destroyed does by thenot challenge. but we can look to it to take the edge out the choices and make an informed off. A person wonders: Will IOnce get sick? decision; you’ll be alright.” the How will my loved ones and initial pressure is relieved byneighbors bitachon, Will family frightened get along peaceacope? person is my no longer by the thought collapsing.

His mind is much ably for of weeks in quarantine? clearer.

He can question Bitachon is approach the calm the breeze cutrationally and decide on the right path. ting across these stormy, turbulent He doesn’t Ithave interference clogging thoughts. soothes the paralyzed, his thought processes. fevered mind, whispering, “G-d is This benefit bitachon can beYou atlooking out for of you, ka’veyachol. tained without actually even acquiring will survive; you won’t be destroyed by the trait itself. Weigh Personally, I find the the challenge. out the choices mere knowledge of the bitachon mindand make an informed decision; you’ll set provides a great relief for me. There be alright.” Once the initial pressure are times when I’m in such a dither, is relieved by bitachon, a person is no so wound up and tense, that my only longer frightened by the thought of comfort is knowing that there’s a sefer, collapsing. His mind is much clearer.

Madreigas Ha’adam (authored by He can the question the Alterapproach of Novardok), with an ratioentire nally and decide on the right path. chapter devoted to bitachon, lyingHe in doesn’t interference clogging his my desk.have When I run my fingers along thought processes. the coarse, pebbled edges of the cover, This benefit bethat atI achieve a senseofofbitachon relief. I can know tained without actually even acquiring I can open up these pages dedicated to the trait out itself.

Personally, find that the mapping this lofty ideal,I and itself me. of the bitachon mindmere calms knowledge remember clearly myfor first setIprovides a great relief me.contact There with an ish of bitachon, my father-in-

law, zt”l. He was a disciple of Novaradok and went through Poland and Siberia are times whentoI’m in suchNovaradok a dither, before coming America. so wound tense, that only focused onup twoand main pillars of my avodah: comfort is knowing that there’s a sefer, bitachon and lishmah. My father-inMadreigas Ha’adam (authored byeven the law was always an island of calm, Alter of Novardok), with an entire in stormy surroundings.

He would walk chapter devoted bitachon, lyingfeel in into a room and toeveryone would my desk.There Whenwas I run my an fingers along relaxed. never emergency tugging at his equanimity.

This not the coarse, pebbled edges of thewas cover, because he was dozy and unaware; he I achieve a sense of relief. I know that was awarepages and sharp.

It was I canperfectly open up these dedicated to because knew were good and mappingheout thisthings lofty ideal, and that that would itselfthey calms me.turn out okay.

There were occasions whencontact I was I remember clearly my first under great pressure andmy I asked him, with an ish of bitachon, father-in“Can you have bitachon for me? I don’t law, zt”l. He was a disciple of Novaraknow how to have bitachon for myself.” dok and went through Poland and He said, “Yes, I can. I will have bitachon Siberia before coming to America. Nofor you.” I immediately felt such a relief. varadok focused on two main pillars He was going to have bitachon for me! of avodah: bitachon and lishmah. My It was one of the greatest things he ever father-in-law was always island of did for me. I could let go aanlittle; bitacalm,was evenininthe stormy surroundings.

He chon picture.

I did not have would walk into a room and everyone to push so hard for the desired outcome. would feel relaxed.

There It was being taken care of.was never an emergency tugging at his The emperor of fear is equanimity. the gnawing This was not because he was dozy and anxiety of all the fears huddled in waitunaware; he was perfectly and ing on tomorrow’s horizon.aware President sharp. It was knew things Roosevelt, in because his firstheinaugural address, attempted to rally a nation pumwere good and that they would turn meled by the Great Depression while

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

gazing with dread across the Atlantic at a continent gone mad. He famously declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” The greatest fear to grip a person is often of fear itself.

Sometimes a person who is scheduled to undergo surgery will examine what scares him about his time on the operating table. He realizes that he’s not afraid of the pain or not of waking up from the anesthesia. He’s afraid that as he’s being wheeled into the operating room, his hands will start to shake uncontrollably and a knot will twist his innards into a pretzel. The fear will then spread until his entire body tingles from it. He can tolerate the idea of pain; he can even face the prospect of a failed surgery. It’s the vague, amorphous, undefined fear that threatens to drive a stake through his heart.

Bitachon grants us permission to forgo worry about the future and to focus on the moment in front of us. The idea is to sever the future from the present. I do not have to bear the burdens of all my tomorrows today. Today I have to bear only today. This minute I have to bear only this minute. Bitachon urges us to throw the future on Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Do I control the future? Instead, I will take the moment in front of me.

The truth is that all of us, in some form or another, already possess this ability to push aside worries about the future. For example, what if I tell a roomful of young kids that automation and artificial intelligence are progressing at such a pace that there won’t be any jobs left in a few decades? I, baruch Hashem, have already lived most of my life, so I don’t have to worry about the future too much. I’m an old man, ready to withdraw my Social Security. But what about you young kids?

Are you worried about Social Security raising the age to sixty-seven next year and then to sixty-nine a few years after that? Who worries about that when they’re seventeen? You’ll be sixty-seven in a million years from now!

There are many areas of life you consider beyond your purview to worry over. Your mind draws a circle of time around the present, which it considers worthy of worry. Perhaps you worry for a year hence, maybe two or three, but certainly not for fifty years in the future. Bitachon exhorts you to draw that circle even smaller, so that you do not worry about tomorrow either. In fact, you do not have to worry at all! Can you believe it – you have permission not to worry? Hey, I thought worrying was a very great mitzvah! Aren’t Jews obli-

Feature

gated to worry all the time? What about the elections in Israel or what about the anti-Semitism here in the United States! Doesn’t Shlomo HaMelech say (Mishlei 28:14), Fortunate is the man who is always afraid? But the Gemara (Brachos 60a) says that refers to one who is constantly afraid he will forget some of his Torah learning. Otherwise, you are actually not supposed to worry.

Can you imagine the happiness you could reach by relinquishing your obsession with worrying? Most of our days and nights are sickened with worry. We look disdainfully at people who are without worry because they must be too foolish to prepare for the future.

Not so, says bitachon.

Take a Deep Breath and Focus As the harried bustle of daily life grinds to a halt, it seems worthwhile for people to focus on mindfulness, that is, the experiences of life before their noses.

As you age, and amass more responsibilities on your broadening shoulders, you can find that your insides are always percolating. You become like an old car that cannot stay still at a red light. It runs smoothly when accelerating, but when your foot is on the brake, it leaps up and down, making grinding, clanking noises. A constantly busy person is the same way. Whenever he takes a break, he’s still kuching, kuching, kuching. You get into a mode where you’re always running internally.

When I speak to young people, I have to explain this, but when I speak to a group of middle-aged people, there is no need. As soon as I begin, they’re already nodding, yes, yes. They have all experienced the rat race firsthand, no illustrations necessary.

One benefit bitachon bestows upon its practitioners is menuchas nafsho mi’kol tirdos ha’olam. It gives a person peace inside his soul. It staves off all the musts of the world that surround him like hungry wolves. Who says it must be done? You can’t make everything happen on your own.

Take a breath and let it out. Menuchas nafsho mi’kol tirdos ha’olam. Of course, we will not acquire it instantly.

Start to practice it, hesitantly. I often wonder at people – I should not criticize them – for constantly carrying cellphones. It is such a pleasure when the phone doesn’t ring for a while. I find the ringing awful and destructive to my peace and serenity. These are the sorts of things that snatch little bits of your life from you. When are you truly living, tell me? When in your life do you actu-

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䄀 猀瀀攀挀椀愀氀 倀愀猀猀漀瘀攀爀 最椀昀琀 昀漀爀 爀攀愀搀攀爀猀 漀昀 䨀攀眀椀猀栀 䠀漀洀攀 漀昀 䰀䄀

∠ 䰀愀爀最攀猀琀 匀攀氀攀挀琀椀漀渀 漀昀 䬀漀猀栀攀爀 圀椀渀攀 椀渀 琀栀攀 眀漀爀氀搀 ⴀ 戀攀 琀栀攀 眀椀渀攀 栀攀爀漀 漀昀 琀栀攀 倀愀猀猀漀瘀攀爀 匀攀搀攀爀℀ ∠ 圀椀渀攀 爀攀挀漀洀洀攀渀搀愀琀椀漀渀猀 昀爀漀洀 漀甀爀 挀攀爀琀椀ǻ攀搀 眀椀渀攀 挀漀渀猀甀氀琀愀渀琀猀 ∠ 䘀爀攀攀 猀栀椀瀀瀀椀渀最 漀渀 挀愀猀攀猀 漀昀 ㄀㈀ 戀漀琀琀氀攀猀 ⴀ 猀欀椀瀀 琀栀攀 猀挀栀氀攀瀀 琀漀 琀栀攀 猀琀漀爀攀 ∠ ㄀ Ⰰ ⬀ 挀甀猀琀漀洀攀爀 爀攀瘀椀攀眀猀 愀渀搀 爀愀琀椀渀最猀 ∠ 䐀攀氀椀瘀攀爀礀 琀漀 琀栀攀 洀愀樀漀爀椀琀礀 漀昀 琀栀攀 唀匀 椀渀 漀渀氀礀 ㄀ⴀ㔀 搀愀礀猀

刀攀搀攀攀洀 愀琀 䬀漀猀栀攀爀圀椀渀攀⸀挀漀洀⼀㤀 㠀 漀爀 琀攀砀琀 ᰠ嘀伀唀䌀䠀䔀刀 㤀 㠀ᴠ 琀漀 ㌀㄀㌀㌀㄀㌀ 䌀氀愀椀洀 眀椀琀栀椀渀 ㌀ 搀愀礀猀

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ally live? You live when you have those rare moments of quiet, your mind is clicked on, and you are not tired or hungry. When you’re alert and interested, and you have some intriguing thought to chew over. That’s the stuff that life is made of. But then, all of a sudden, the phone rings, followed inevitably by a raucous voice demanding: Rabbi Perr!

When will you be back in Far Rockaway! I need to speak to you about….

Bitachon and focus save your soul from fragmentation. Your soul, your attention, is in pockets, attending to a thousand different things. You have to remember today’s to-do list, tomorrow’s, and the next day’s. You have to write them all down – and make sure not to lose your list!

I was once redt to the daughter of a prominent and very active communal rav. When I first met the father, we spoke in learning. It was an extended, wide-ranging discussion. His knowledge was comprehensive, but I was struck that regarding any particular inyan we were discussing, it was clear he couldn’t concentrate on it for very long.

I kept having the feeling that throughout our discussion, he was hoping the

MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

phone would ring. This was the result of many years of running a shul, heading a shechitah institution, being very active in the wider community, and a wellknown spokesman for Jewish Orthodoxy. It had been years since he really

ing for him.

A person should be able to stroll down the block in the fall and admire the colors and hues of the turning leaves and bask in the brisk chill on his cheek and the wonderful crunch under his

It soothes the paralyzed, fevered mind, whispering, “G-d is looking out for you, ka’veyachol.” sat down and examined a svara, took it apart and put it back together. That requires a certain peace in your soul that he had lost. A discussion on one topic for fifteen minutes was an inui, a suffer-

feet. If you can’t be bothered to stop and look at it, then what is it there for? Why did G-d make it? If you don’t look at it now, when will you look at it? Someone points it out to you and says, “Hey, look at that tree!” And you respond, “Yeah, I see it. Let’s go.” You cannot simply see it.

You have to look at it. When your mind and soul are splintered, all of life ceases to be things that you look at and they become merely things that you see. The average person hurries along the block too wrapped up in his blanket of worry and haste to notice.

Worries snatch at your life, making off with a chunk here and there until you have nothing left. Most worries that preoccupy you never come to fruition.

And sometimes you follow your worries so far down the rabbit hole that they are utterly divorced from any reality you will ever face.

The river of worries never runs dry.

When you have children, you worry about raising them and providing for them and marrying them off. And your worry increases greatly if you have girls to marry off, let me tell you. But then a wise man pulls you over and whispers, “You know, don’t think that boys are so easy to marry off either; they’re quite a handful as well!” So, your worry grows.

Then, finally, you reach that stage in life when sticky-faced grandchildren pull on your pant leg, squealing, “Zeidy, Zeidy, make that funny noise again, Zeidy!” What does life have to offer better than that? But you can’t appreciate even that because your mind is so used

to worrying, that you do not know how to turn it off. You never learned not to worry.

Anxiety and fear steal a person’s life, and when he gets to the Next World, G-d has ta’anos on him for not enjoying the life and health he was given. You were provided everything you needed, but you chose to fling it all away in exchange for nothing. Bitachon, on the other hand, wants to give you life.

Someone who lacks bitachon can’t grasp at any of the experiences that slide through his hands. All of life, and davening, and Torah pass through you without your ever getting a chance to taste them. You have children and raise them without tasting it. Life escapes you, and all of a sudden you are an old man and you wonder where it all went.

Lately, a curious thing has been happening to me: A strange old man started hanging around my house. He sneaks into my bathroom, and whenever I look in the mirror, I see this gray-bearded ogre staring balefully back at me. Who is this character? I’m a young kid. I just got here in this world! Be gone, old man!

Life goes by in a flash because we don’t know how to slow it down with experiences. We are steeped in being plagued by the worries of tomorrow.

Sometimes the machar is tomorrow; sometimes it is forty years from now.

Either way, worry stems from a lack of bitachon. By ridding ourselves of our worries, we stand to regain every day of our lives.

Rabbi Yehuda Keilson is the author of Faith over Fear and Mind over Man, both based on R’ Yechiel Perr’s mussar vaadim. He has also authored works for Artscroll Mesorah Publications, including a newly translated and elucidated edition of Derashos HaRan.

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MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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LET’S NOT LOSE THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY OF

‫ויתן לך‬ ,‫ ואנון מקיימי על ההוא בר נש כל ברכאן דקא אמרי צבורא‬:‫זוהר‬ (‫)בראשית כז כח‬

,‫ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים‬ (‫)דברים כח ג‬

.‫ברוך אתה בעיר וברוך אתה בשדה וגומר‬ THE ZOHAR SAYS: WHOEVER SAYS ‫ויתן לך‬ WITH A MINYAN WILL BE ZOCHE TO ALL THE BRACHOS! If your shul would like to be listed on the directory of shuls that say Vyiten Lecha after davening, please email us at VYITENLECHA@GMAIL.COM

The following shuls have a minyan available:

Agudah Of Avenue L Cong. Ner L-Meiah 2913 Avenue L 2876 Nostrand Avenue Cong. Shlomo Zalman V’Chaim Bais Dave 1252 East 23rd Street 1415 East 34 street Cong. Talmud Torah of Flatbush BJX Beis Medrash 1305 Coney Island Ave. 2915 Avenue K Congregation Pozna Cong. Bais Moshe Shmiel Kozova 2422 Avenue I 1782 East 28th Street

Khal Ahavas Achim 549 East 2nd Street Khal Bnei Avrohom Yaakov 2701 Avenue N K’hal Shaar Tosfos Yom Tov 2115 Avenue J Khal Bnei Torah 3514 Flatlands Avenue

Knesses Bais Avigdor 1720 Avenue J Young Israel of Avenue J 1721 Avenue J Young Israel of Avenue K 2818 Avenue K

NEW YORK, NY The Beis 451 West End Ave #4E

CHICAGO, IL Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago 3000 W. Devon

LAKEWOOD, NJ Beis Medrash Lutzk 570 New Egypt Road

BOCA RATON, FL Young Israel of Boca Raton 7200 Palmetto Cir North

Bialystoker Shul 7-11 Willet Street

MONSEY, NY Cong. Bais Yosef Meier 37 Olympia Lane Cong. Beth Tefillah Maplewood Lane Khal Adas Yeshurun 2 Dover Terrace

BALTIMORE, MD Congregation Shomrei Emunah 6221 Greenspring Avenue

PASSAIC NJ The Ahavas Israel Shul 181 Van Houten Ave.

SILVER SPRING, MD Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah 9001 Georgia Avenue

LOS ANGELES, CA Congregation Tifereth Zvi 7561 Beverly Blvd

SPRING VALLEY, NY Kehillat New Hempstead 720 Union Road

BROOKLINE, MA Young Israel of Brookline 62 Green St.

SUFFERN, NY Bais Avigdor 57 Lime Kiln Road

SOUTHFIELD, MI Cong. Yagdil 17100 W. 10 Mile Rd.

Young Israel 519 Grand Street CEDARHURST, NY BAIS MEDRASH OF CEDARHURST 504 West Broadway Kehilas Bais Yisroel 352 West Broadway Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi 391 Oakland Avenue

Young Israel Of Hancock Park 225 S. La Brea Ave SAN JOSE, CA Kehillas Am Echad 1504 Meridian Avenue

CITICOM! 718.692.0999

BROOKLYN, NY

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MARCH 19, 2020 | The Jewish Home

coronavirus pandemic.

“We will overcome the spread of the infection and host the Olympics without problem, as planned,” Abe announced on Saturday. He added that the International Olympic Committee would have the final say in the matter.

U.S. Bombs IranianBacked Militia U.S. warplanes bombed an Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia last week after an earlier rocket attack killed and wounded U.S. and British personnel near Baghdad.

The Department of Defense said in a statement that British forces had joined the U.S. in hitting five separate sites belonging to Kataeb Hezbollah on Friday morning. The bases were allegedly used by the armed group to manufacture weapons.

Overall, there two strikes at Jurf alSakher, one in Karbala, one at Al-Musayib, and one at Arab Nawar Ahmad. A U.S. military official said that the Pentagon estimated that the strikes “significantly degraded their military abilities” and that there would be less than 50 casualties.

Calling the airstrikes “targeted aggression,” the Iraqi government condemned the attacks and accused the U.S. of escalating tensions in the region. “The repeated violations the state is being subjected to are a dangerous and deliberate weakening of its abilities especially at a time when Iraq faces unprecedented challenges on political, economic, financial, security, and health fronts,” said President Barham Salih.

According to the Iraqi military, the strikes killed three soldiers, two policemen, and a civilian. The attacks came in retaliation for a missile attack earlier in the week on Camp Taji that killed two U.S. troops and a British national.

Kataeb Hezbollah is considered one of the more radical Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and has repeatedly fired rockets at U.S. bases. Earlier this year, the U.S. killed 25 Kataeb militants in an airstrike on a base near the Syrian border after they killed a U.S. embassy employee in a rocket barrage.

“The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday. “As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region.”

Olympics Will Go On Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insists that his country will host the 2020 Summer Olympics in July despite the

Abe’s comments came amid swirling speculation that Japan would postpone the Tokyo Games due to its struggles to contain the coronavirus. Japan currently has 1,400 cases that have caused the death of 28 people, leading President Trump to suggest last week that the competition should be put off until 2021.

Abe said, however, that the virus’ infection rate in Japan remains considerably lower than the explosion witnessed in nearby South Korea and China. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike added that city officials were working with the public health experts in order to ensure a safe and secure environment during the Olympics.

Despite fears of cancellation, the Olympic Torch was lit on Thursday at the site of the original Games 2,000 years ago in Greece. The torch is slated to arrive in Japan on March 26.

In a first, the lighting of the torch was barred to spectators in order to avoid crowds that could spread the virus. At the ceremony, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach promised that the Games would take place despite the “difficult circumstances.”

Restrictions Down Under

Australia implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers arriving from overseas and banned cruise ships as part of the fight to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

When the new policy goes into effect, all foreign citizens must be quarantined for 14 days starting from when they left their location of origin. However, this does not apply to Australian citizens and legal residents, who must stay inside for only 24 hours upon their return home.

The draconian new measures were announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday following

hours of consultations with Australian health and economics experts. Calling the policies “vital” to flatten the curve of the virus,” Morrison implored his citizenry to stay at home as much as possible and to avoid large crowds.

“To help stay ahead of this curve, we will impose a universal precautionary self-isolation requirement on all international arrivals to Australia and that is effective from midnight tonight,” said Morrision. “Further, the Australian government will also ban cruise ships from foreign ports from arriving at Australian ports for an initial 30 days.”

The restrictions come as the number of coronavirus cases in the remote continent surpassed 250, with three people dead.

Australia has already banned entry to nationals hailing from countries hard hit by the pandemic, including Italy, South Korea, Iran, and China.

Australia has also banned gatherings of more than 500 people but has declined to follow most European nations in shuttering schools and universities. Despite mounting criticism, Morrison has said that closing educational institutions would actually cause the virus to spread faster “That happens for two reasons,” said Morrison. “When you take children out of schools and put them back in the broader community, the ability for them to potentially engage with others increases that risk. And that’s the understanding we have.”

Vietnamese Coffee Did you know that Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter of coffee, after Brazil?

The International Coffee Organization reports that Vietnam exports around 25 million, 60 kilogram (132 pound) bags of coffee a year, valued, on average, at $3 billion.

The drink is also extremely popular at home, where it was first introduced by French colonists in the 1850s.

For the Vietnamese, coffee provides much more than just a shot of energy – it’s a way of life. Coffee outlets range from hole-in-the-wall counters with plastic stools on the sidewalk, to sleek, contemporary cafes with roasters on the premises.

“It’s about getting together with friends,” says Will Frith, a coffee consultant who owns a co-roasting enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City. He says coffee drinkers tend to gather in their favorite coffee shops, which operate as “a third space,” outside the home and workplace, and often form friendships with the owners and staff. Additionally, “nearly every Vietnamese household makes coffee at home,” he says.

But despite the size of its export sales, and its vibrant local coffee culture, Vietnam has not gained a reputation as a

source of quality coffee. And that’s because of the beans.

The majority of Vietnam’s coffee beans – around 97% -- are the robusta variety.

Known for their bold, earthy, bitter flavor, and high caffeine content, robusta beans are typically used to make cheap, mass-market products, including instant coffee and supermarket blends. Coffee connoisseurs usually opt for arabica beans, which have less caffeine, higher acidity, and a lighter, sweeter flavor.

In Vietnam, you can have a lot more added to your coffee besides milk and sugar. Here are some of the popular concoctions on offer: salt coffee brings out the sweetness of coffee by adding salt whipped with fermented milk; egg coffee adds a topping of egg yolks, frothed with condensed milk, to a coffee base; coconut coffee is blended with coconut milk and ice to create a delicious shake; and fruit coffee is combined with banana or avocado to produce a smoothie.

Russian Troll Farm in Ghana

By now, most people are aware of how Russia skillfully used social media to manipulate the 2016 American presidential election.

As detailed in a 2018 Senate Intelligence Committee report, Russian intelligence used trolls to promote divisive messages on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube. While the main purpose of the effort was to sway the elections, Russia also wanted to stir up social tensions throughout the United States.

Now, Russia may be gearing up for more ahead of the 2020 presidential elections. According to a new CNN report, Moscow has commissioned an army of internet trolls in Ghana and Nigeria who are working to inflame divisions among Americans.

Headquartered in a walled compound close to Ghana’s capital, the troll farm is operating under the auspices of an NGO called Eliminating Barriers for the Liberation of Africa (EBLA). There, a group of 16-year-old Gambians work on their EBLA-issued laptops to do Russia’s bidding.

The social media experts craft messages that portray candidates negatively and focus on promulgating inflammatory racial messages geared towards the black community. For example, one account controlled by the group is titled “Black

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People Trenz” and highlights police killings of African-Americans. Those operating the page present themselves as black Americans residing in the United States and share false experiences of everyday racism.

One post demonized white people, writing that “Blacks have a right to defend themselves against Racism.” It was shared more than 2,000 times and got 5,000 reactions.

“They were very closely engaged in the Black Lives Matter community,” Clemson University Professor Darren Linvill told CNN. “They talked almost exclusively about what was happening on the streets of the United States and not on the streets of Africa.”

Facebook and Twitter are aware of Russia’s efforts to sow discord. In a statement, Facebook said that an investigation turned up 49 accounts, 69 pages, and 85 Instagram accounts connected to the Ghanaian trolls farm. The false accounts were followed by 13,200 people on Facebook and 263,200 on Instagram, with 65% of them hailing from the United States.

“This network was in early stages of audience building and was operated by local nationals – witting and unwitting – in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of individuals in Russia. It targeted primarily the United States,” Facebook told CNN. Meanwhile, Twitter removed 71 accounts that reached 68,000 people. “Most were tweeting in English and presented themselves as based in the United States,” Twitter said. “The accounts – operating out of Ghana and Nigeria and which we can reliably associate with Russia – attempted to sow discord by engaging in conversations about social issues, like race and civil rights.”

Other distributors could then not offer promotions or lower prices, as such Apple “abused the economic dependence” of the distributors by subjecting them to “unfair and unfavorable commercial conditions.”

The fine stems from a complaint lodged in 2012 by Apple re-seller eBizcuss.com, which is no longer in business.

In a statement, Apple called the decision “disheartening” and said that it plans to appeal.

“It relates to practices from over a decade ago and discards thirty years of legal precedent that all companies in France rely on with an order that will cause chaos for companies across all industries,” an Apple spokesperson said.

“We are extremely proud to serve our French customers and believe they should be allowed to choose the product they want, either through Apple Retail or our large network of resellers across the country,” the spokesperson added.

The delay in issuing the fine partly stems from Apple contesting the legality of a 2013 raid on some of its French offices by the competition authority as part of its investigation. Apple took the authority to court over the raids, which were deemed legal in 2018.

It’s the second fine French regulators have levied against Apple this year. In February, Apple was fined €25 million ($27.9 million) for deliberately slowing down older iPhones without informing customers.

France Fines Apple $1.2B

Portugal’s Parliament voted to enshrine March 31 to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of Jews who perished in the Inquisition.

Lawmakers selected March 31 as it was on that date in 1821 that the Inquisition officially ended in Portugal. The decision to establish an official Day of Remembrance came as a result of lobbying by Reconectar, a non-profit working to locate Jews descended from lost Spanish and Portuguese communities.

“This is a historic and important decision, because finally there will be official memorialization of the tens of thousands of victims of the Inquisitorial regime which hounded and hunted our people for 275 years,” Reconectar president Ashley Perry said.

Perry highlighted the importance of the Day of Remembrance to commemorate the tragedy of the Inquisition, contending that the public is not fully aware of the scope of the tragedy. He added that he hoped “other nations,” including Spain and Israel, would establish their own special commemorations similar to that of

The French Competition Authority announced on Monday it is fining Apple €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) over restrictions it placed in contracts with wholesalers.

That’s the biggest antitrust fine the French authority has ever levied.

The country’s antitrust regulator alleged that Apple and two of its wholesalers, Tech Data and Ingram Micro, “agreed not to compete” and as a result prevented distributors from competing with each other, “thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products.”

Portugal to Commemorate Victims of Inquisition

Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day).

“Unfortunately, in recent years the terminology and memory of the Inquisition have become debased somewhat because of its usage in popular parlance and even for comedic purposes,” said Perry. “However, it was one of the most traumatic events in Jewish history and its effects are still felt today, so hopefully this day will help people understand the brutality, effect and significance of this evil regime.”

Beginning in 1546, the Portuguese Inquisition was a campaign of religious persecution carried out by the Catholic Church against Jews and other minorities.

While not as well known as its Spanish counterpart, an estimated 50,000 Jews are said to have been jailed or killed by the time it ended in 1821.

Long Live the Queen Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II just passed a Mayan ruler to become the fourth-longest serving monarch in world history.

Last Wednesday marked 68 years and 34 days since she first ascended the

throne. This surpasses Mayan monarch K’inich Janaab Pakal, who took the throne in July 615 at the age of 12 and ruled until August 683.

Now, Queen Elizabeth II trails France’s King Louis XIV, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days, and Thailand’s King Bhumubik Adulyadej with 70 years and 126 days. In third place is Lichtenstein monarch Johann II, who sat on the throne for 70 years and 91 days.

Yet while the 93-year-old remains in fourth place worldwide, she has been the longest-serving leader in United Kingdom history since 2015. She achieved the title after passing Queen Victoria’s 63 years and 216 days on the throne, as well as becoming the only British royal leader to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee in 2017.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne at only 25 years of age after her father, King George IV, suddenly died from cancer at the age of 56.

Her move into fourth place worldwide comes amid stormy times at Buckingham Palace amid a split with her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife. The aforementioned pair had shockingly announced that they would leave the royal family and move to Canada, setting off a protracted battle with the queen regarding the terms of their exit.

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