February 29, 2024

Dear Readers, CONTENTS

Only 3000 out of the 3 million of Bnei Yisroel committed the sin and were found dancing around the לגעה אטח Hashem had just given the 10 commandments, one of which says “I am Your G-d, Do not worship other G-ds.” The Jews had just intimately experienced the presence of Hashem in a national revelation in what is the most powerful ever recorded in history! It’s hard to imagine how this could have happened.

Even though only a small percentage of the total nation committed the crime, why was Hashem so exacting with the punishment for the whole nation? Why is this story recorded in history as one of THE worst sins? Why such standards?

That’s exactly it. Because Hashem holds us to very high standards. We just said “השענ עמשנו,” we are choosing to be an example to the entire world. We have accepted to be the chosen nation, to be the light onto the nations, to be THE nation that serves as the moral compass to the entire world.

This also teaches how we are each responsible for one another. הזל הז םיברע לארשי לכ Even though he may not have participated, in this instance, every Jew was held accountable for the לגעה אטח

Then Hashem models for us the concept of Teshuva. Even though Hashem was so angry and distanced Himself by removing his tent from amongst the people, He forgives us. Moshe goes up for another 40 days, another set of luchos were created, and Hashem asks us to build the mishkan so he can dwell amongst us.

But didn’t we just learn about the construction and the many laws of the mishkan in the last two parshiot? The mishkan is Hashem’s way of

showing He forgave us for the sin of the golden calf, and that He will travel and rest with us. But then why did he give us the instructions for building the Mishkan before Matan Torah and before the לגעה אטח even happened? So what happened first - the לגעה אטח or instructions for building the mishkan?

The OU’s Rabbi Menachem Leibtag response to this question describes the differing opinions of Rashi and Ramban, who both comment on the order of the parshiot.

Rashi believes the parshiot in Shemot are written out of order, הרותב רחואמו םדקומ ןיע, and that the laws of the mishkan were given after Har Sinai, not only after לגעה אטח, but because of it, as an atonement for the sin of לגעה אטח. Rashi believes that Bnei Yisroel was supposed to conquer the land through supernatural means and then build a Beit Hamikdash. However, due to the לגעה אטח, now Bnei Yisroel are at a lower level and they’re going to need to travel in the desert for 40 years. Therefore, they need a mishkan in the meantime, as a b’dieved, for the Shechina as a place to rest and travel with them, and it was not the original plan.

The Ramban disagrees, and believes that even if there was never a לגעה אטח, there still would have been a mishkan l’chatchilah. Ramban believes that the Shechinah needed a place to rest after Har Sinai, and the mishkan is that place. Only later will the Beit Hamikdash serve as a permanent place for the Shechina to rest. Ramban believes that the laws of building the mishkan were given as described in the parshiot, before Moshe went up to Har Sinai and he learned them up there.

Ariela

Emphasis on Hebrew Language at Maimonides

The lower school students participated in an Ivrit Race ץורימה תירבעל, celebrating the revival of the Hebrew language. Students have been looking forward to this special program and designed shirts for this special day. Students engaged in educational games and sports activities, experiencing a lively celebration of Hebrew’s modern usage. The Ivrit teachers created an exciting race featuring words coined by Eliezer Ben Yehuda, enriching the students’ understanding of the Hebrew language. The event was both enjoyable and memorable for everyone.

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So Much Fun at Saturday Night Fun

During the winter months, when Shabbos ends early, Friendship Circle runs a very special program for our families. ‘Saturday Night Fun’ offers our participants’ parents the chance to drop off ALL of their children at FCLA to go on a date night and spend quality time with each other. It is generally not easy to find a babysitter for a special child and we give all of their children, including their adorable siblings, a jam-packed evening filled with food, fun, and friendship, while the parents enjoy some precious time off.

These past few Saturday nights, volunteers from Pressman, Maimonides, and other local schools have been matched up with FC participants and their siblings, giving our children the chance to enjoy a late night out. They enjoy pizza and incredible entertainers - from exotic animals to puppeteers to clowns - and make it a night to remember for the entire family.

Keeping the beat with our drum circle

Smiles all around in our craft room

Dynamic duos formed all night long

Late night bonding for our teen girls

Shalhevet Community Committed to Chessed

Shalhevet High School’s Chessed program recently hosted two separate events to bring Chessed opportunities directly to the Shalhevet community.

Shalhevet hosted a beautiful OBKLA event for prospective families - which helped parents and their children experience something so core to the Shalhevet community. With many prospective families, current staff, and student ambassadors in attendance, the vibe on a Sunday morning was electric and so meaningful. Families were grateful to start their family’s weeks off with some meaningful Chessed. Maya Cohen, Director of Admission at Shalhevet, shared, “this event embodies all that is meaningful to Shalhevet. Chessed and giving back to our community is a weekly, if not a daily occurrence at Shalhevet. Every year, we look forward to partnering with OBKLA and participating in such a meaningful experience.”

Shalhevet partnered with Yachad to host Paint Night, an evening bringing together Shalhevet students and Yachad participants to harness creativity and build camaraderie.

Tovah Goldman, Shalhevet’s Director of Chessed, explained why the event was so important. “Our Shalhevet students love working with Yachad participantsthese events bring so much joy to our campus.” For Shalhevet students, Paint Night wasn’t just about painting; it was about fostering understanding, empathy, inclusivity. Through shared laughter and a sense of play, stereotypes can be shattered and replaced by genuine connection and mutual respect.

The event exemplified the ethos of both organizations that are committed to nurturing acceptance and compassion, creating a space where differences are celebrated. Paint Night wasn’t just an event; it was a demonstration of the power of human connection.

MEET THE DOCTORS

Dr. Richard Katz

Graduate of Georgetown dental School and has treated patients at the Pico office for over 40 years. Specializes in general and cosmetic dentistry.

Dr. Gabe Rosenthal

Graduate of USC, Dr. Gabe specializes in cosmetic dentistry with emphasis on veneers, Invisalign and full mouth reconstruction.

Dr. Farhad Shafa

Graduate of USC dental School, Dr. Shafa is a general and cosmetic specialist and specializes with patients who suffer from dental anxiety.

Dr. Hillel Katz

Dr. Hillel Katz is a graduate of NYU Dental School and served as chief resident at Bellevue Hospital in New York. He specializes in general, cosmetic, and implant dentistry.

Dr. Victor Israel

Graduate of Tufts University dental School, Dr. Vic is a periodontist specializing in implant and “all on 4” fixed dentistry.

Dr. Amir Rad

Dr. Rad MD is a board certified anesthesiologist. He’s had over 8 years of experience in providing anesthesia in hospitals, surgery centers and dental offices.

WHY CHOOSE KATZ DENTAL

• All treatments done in our office (no referalls).

• Complimentary invisalign implant consultations.

• Accept all PPO insurances. No insurance, no problem. Join our Katz Dental Plan.

• Open Sundays. No missing work. No traffic.

• Fear of dentist. We have anesthesiologist on staff. Have all treatment done while under general anesthesia.

Shalhevet Prospective Parents join together with Student Ambassadors and Staff for a morning of Chessed

Shalhevet Chessed Departments brings together Yachad participants and Shalhevet students for a night of painting and bonding

Father-Son Israel Mission by the OU Department of Synagogue Initiatives

In a trip that combined the community values of family and support for Israel, father and sons from across America joined together to volunteer in Israel, and returned from the mission feeling inspired and bonded.

Of the many participants from Los Angeles, OU Department of Synagogue Initiatives National Director Rabbi Adir Posy organized the trip and participated with three of his sons. Also in attendance was LINK Rosh Kollel Rabbi Asher Brander, who accompanied the group as the rabbi in residence. The group consisted of 27 fathers and sons ages 12 to 16 from Florida, California, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania who participated in the five-day mission led by the OU Department of Synagogue Initiatives.

OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer notes, “There is such power in standing side by side with our children and living our values of chessed, empathy, volunteerism and achdut at a time when our brothers and sisters in Israel most need our support. The Orthodox Union is privileged to have brought fathers and sons together on this mission. They no doubt returned home with a stronger connection to each other and to Am Yisrael, strengthened and inspired by experiencing the resilience and emunah of Am Yisrael firsthand.”

“The chevra was outstanding,” says

LINK (Los Angeles Intercommunity Kollel)

Rosh Kollel Rabbi Asher Brander, who accompanied the group as the rabbi in residence. “We bonded very nicely and it was very special. The chinuch was tremendous and the engagement of fathers and sons in chessed activities was magical. It was a fabulous, transformative mission.”

Designed to strengthen both Israel’s citizens and mission participants, the trip centered on Torah, volunteerism/chizuk for Israeli communities, and supporting Tzahal.

“The mission enabled us to merge multiple communal values,” says Rabbi Adir Posy, who organized the trip and participated with three of his sons. Rabbi Posy is also the associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills, and represented his kehilla as well.

“As a community, we strongly support Acheinu Bnei Yisrael,” he says. “By going, we showed that Jewish communities around the world are with them despite our physical distance and that we will drop everything to come and give them a hug.”

Rabbi Posy adds that the mission enabled fathers and sons to strengthen their connections through life-changing, powerful experiences of achdut and chessed. While this trip catered to fathers and sons, Rabbi Posy notes that the OU hoped to reinforce other familial bonds in the future.

The mission itinerary cen-

tered on the theme of “Am Yisrael’s resilience” and the trip was designed with the utmost sensitivity.

“We built the itinerary with the understanding that parents had chosen to share different information with their kids about the situation in Israel,” he says. “We were very, very sensitive

to make sure that participants came away buoyed, excited and inspired.”

Rabbi Brander is proud that the trip was infused with Torah; fathers and sons learned together on the bus, at the Kotel, at Yeshivat HaKotel and the Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot, and made a siyum on Masechet Megillah.

Largest Nach Yomi Class in History Celebrates In-Person Siyum with 500 Women from 28 Countries

OU Women’s Initiative aims to create and promote programming centered on Torah study, community leadership, and spiritual, personal, and professional development for women of all ages. When Rebbetzin Shmidman launched the department in 2017, Nach Yomi had already been running successfully since 2008 under the leadership of OU Torah Content Editor Rabbi Jack Abramowitz. Then taught exclusively by men, OU Women’s Initiative re-launched the program in January 2020 under the Torat Imecha umbrella, with the goal of creating a space for women educators and learners to share insights on Nach. That first cycle, 6,500 women registered.

About 10,000 participants signed up to learn the second cycle, and 500 women from 28 countries and 38 U.S. states, including Alaska, recently celebrated a Siyum of Nach at two in-person events in Jerusalem, and Teaneck, New Jersey.

The beauty of Nach Yomi is that it is accessible from anywhere and geared to learners of all levels. Each day at their convenience, Nach Yomi participants download an online shiur on the day’s perek, which is recorded by different female scholars. All shiurim are available

via the Torat Imecha app on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Spotify.

Rebbetzin Shmidman notes that while participants may join the cycle at any time, there are two ideal jump-on points: “One is at the very beginning,” she says. “The content spreads very cleanly over a two-year period, which is fascinating; we begin with six months of Neviim Rishonim, then six months of Neviim Achronim. The next inflection point is Tehillim, at the beginning of Ketuvim. For many women, Nach Yomi is their daily anchor.”

With about 60 female educators teaching Nach Yomi, Rebbetzin Shmidman views the program as an avenue to introduce more scholars to the community; something she says is an OU Women’s Initiative department objective. “Because there are so many teachers with unique styles and approaches, we get a broad spectrum of insights. It’s what makes this ‘by women for women’ program unique — it touches every single one of us and transforms us in personal, meaningful ways.”

The third Nach Yomi cycle began on February 1, and 14,000 women have registered to date, something that continues to inspire Rebbetzin Shmidman.“For so many people who are doing it again and

again, this is part of their lives. They’re committing 15 minutes to Torah every day.”

When asked why anyone would be interested to relearn all 19 books again, she points to Jennifer Airley of Ramat Beit Shemesh. Airley found

comfort in returning to her Nach Yomi learning following the tragic death of her son, Binyamin Meir, in Gaza on November 18. She continues to view the program as nourishment for her soul.

Mission participants with Tzfat’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu

Fathers and sons dance with Golani soldiers at their training base

Participants of the OU Father-Son Israel Mission pose on the roof of the Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot with a menorah made of rockets fired from Gaza

Nach Yomi participant Jennifer Airley of Ramat Beit Shemesh, and OU Women’s Initiative Founding Director Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman at the Nach Yomi Siyum in Jerusalem

Combine world-class Torah studies with elite academics and tap into Israel’s innovation hub while experiencing vibrant student life on scenic Jerusalem campuses

• Immersive Torah Studies in a World Class Beit Midrash Environment with Top Tier Rabbeim and Teachers.

• Academic Degrees in Partnership with Leading Israeli Research Universities.

• Engagement with Israel’s Innovation Hub and Industry Leaders.

• Vibrant Student Life on YU’s Scenic Jerusalem Campuses

Los Angeles Rabbis Join ‘Rabbis Can Run’

On February 12-13, a group of over 30 Rabbis representing 25 cities in the US and Israel gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the annual RabbisCanRun conference. Spearheaded by running coach Rabbi Meir Kaniel, the program focuses on health and fitness for Rabbis. Each participant spent the preceding 3 months training - many first timers starting from never having run, to others who had run before and set greater goals. Los Angeles was represented by a number of Rabbis, including Rabbi Yosef Caplan (RCC Kashrus), Rabbi Chanan Gordon (Gateways), Coach Rabbi Nachi Klein (Young Israel of Northridge and Valley Torah), Rabbi Yitzy Feiglin (Valley Torah), and Rabbi Shmuel Stoch (Ohr Eliyahu).

The highlight of the conference was a well organized race, in which every Rabbi attained the goal he had been working

a variety of topics relevant to Rabbonim.

While a major objective of the program is physical health and fitness, it comes along with a significant focus on self improvement in various areas of Middos: Reliability and consistency, overcoming one’s Yetzer Hora and the fear of the apparently unattainable, pushing through difficult situations, and achieving goals with accountability to name a few.

A common phrase used when asking Rabbis their thoughts about the program was: Life changing. While next year’s RabbisCanRun is quite some time away, Rabbi Kaniel runs virtual programs for all ages throughout the year - runnergize.com. To watch the recap video and more information about RabbisCanRun visit rabbiscanrun.org.

The event was also a fundraiser for Olami, a wonderful organization that focuses on college campus Kiruv.

Emek’s 3rd through 5th grade students participated in an after-school interactive JSTEAM program. JSTEAM, which stands for Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics, united with Judaic content and history, makes for a powerful and compelling amalgamation of subjects at our Project Based Learning Night.

The evening consists of numerous experiments presented in the ways in which they connect to Judaism. Stations included balloon rockets, catapult, ocean in a bottle, muscular system of the hand, magnetic art, DIY projector, making drawings float, and a coding game. From the colorful displays to the interactive exhibits and activities, each educator brought his or her own unique talents and concepts to the table, and combined them to create magic.

The students were thoroughly involved and excited, and the parents were highly impressed and fascinated. JSTEAM PBL Night is one of Emek’s many annual events that infuses students with 21st century learning and prepares them for a global economy.

5th grade students at Emek

Yesh Tikva and Cookbook Author, Elizabeth Mandelbaum Host a Women’s Community Event in Los Angeles

Yesh Tikva (“There is Hope”) is a Los Angeles-based national organization that works to provide those thrown into the world of infertility with navigational tools to cope emotionally and practically for free along this journey.

On February 21, Jewish women gathered for an evening of “Women’s Health from the Inside Out” with Plated cookbook author and holistic chef, Elizabeth Leigh Mandelbaum. Elizabeth spoke about her own fertility journey, prepared select dishes from her cookbook, and educated women with different tips about different ways to nourish their bodies.

“It is such an honor to be a part of the Yesh Tikva community where strong women warriors are able to make a difference and come together for learning and support,” said Elizabeth Mandelbaum.

Maimo students were introduced to the next segment in our Ayin Tov theme: The search is on for the Brachot in our lives. To bring this message home, we were visited by a very impactful speaker, Yossi Hecht.

At the age of 19, doctors found a tumor in Yossi’s spine and he needed a few surgeries to remove it. Such invasive surgeries can affect a person’s ability to use the bathroom. With the advice of his Rabbi, Yossi embarked on a journey to inspire people to say the Bracha of Asher Yatzar with concentration, to really thank Hashem and appreciate all the wonders He performs in our bodies.

Yossi told the students of the many personal miracles he saw and how he made it his mission to continue to inspire others to recognize and appreciate the many miracles that Hashem does for us at every moment of our lives.

Over the next few weeks, we will be working on taking a few moments out of our day to appreciate and thank Hashem for all He does for us every day. May Hashem bless us to always see and appreciate all the brachot He bestows upon us!

April Silverman

The Woman Who is Single-Handedly Making Our Streets Safe Again

By: Ariela KauFfman

PERSONAL PROFILE

Name: April Silverman (Maiden name: Stone)

Age: 31

Current Residence: Los Angeles- La Brea Area

Education: Yavneh, Bais Yaakov Los Angeles

Family status: Kids attend Yavneh Hebrew Academy

RALPHS AT 202 S SYCAMORE

Built a wall to stop drug-dealing homeless, city towed a car where someone was living.

180 S. SYCAMORE SIDEWALK

A screaming and undressed lady was arrested after sleeping there for days and was taken to a mental hospital.

PARKING LOT AT 133 NORTH LA BREA AVE (Next to Taam Shabbos)

Cleared homeless and drug den fires, owner built a fence, city cleared graffiti.

OUTSIDE THE ENTERPRISE RENTAL CAR (Beverly and La Brea)

Cleared homeless, installed two planter deterrents.

CBS STUDIOS

Cleared the whole skid row, installed planters.

ARIEL MARKET

Cemented planters under the awning to prevent sidewalk sleeping.

LA BREA AND 2ND

Removed a grumpy old man living on a bench, cemented planters installed.

BEVERLY AND MARTEL (Empty Store Front)

Installed planters, leading to the departure of a person living there.

1ST AND LA BREA

Installed planters, leading to the departure of a person living there.

In Conversation with April Silverman

Can you describe what sparked your involvement with homeless encampments?

Due to the terrible leadership in California, I don’t even recognize my own city anymore. In October, a homeless man did the unmentionable. He pitched a tent directly in our residential neighborhood (Sycamore and 2nd). I was so angry. It’s one thing seeing them all over the busy streets, but to have them on our doorstep?! No way! I had to do something about that!

This guy was not an innocent harmless man who fell on some bad luck. He knew the system inside and out. He was dealing drugs. He had 3 to 4 cars, in addition to his tent, taking up the whole block, leaving nowhere for people to park. The frum kids in our neighborhood had to go blocks out of the way to go to shul and school because they were terrified of him and his vicious dog.

I knew I had to do something to clean up our neighborhood.

Can you walk us through the very first measures you implemented?

After three months of this vagrant occupying the block, I put a lot of pressure on the city council in our district to at least do a Care Cleanup. Care Cleanup is what we call “Maid Service” for the homeless. It doesn’t ban the person from coming back, rather it’s a 72 hour notice that the area will be off-limits from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM on a certain date for cleaning. The homeless occupying the space must clear their belongings or their belongings will be removed.

Once the city agreed to schedule a Care Cleanup, I knew this was my best chance to make sure the man won’t come back.

I figured out who owned the property and contacted them to see if they would pay for a wall to be built. I hired a security guard and bought “No Trespassing” signs as well as traffic cones. At 6:00 in the morning, when it was still dark, I donned gloves and started clearing away the city cones he stole to save all his parking spots (that was his secret weapon!). Then I put my cones on the area and waited with the security guard I hired for protection until the construction workers arrived to start building the wall. I didn’t want to leave the spot for a moment or he would come back.

Once the city completed the cleanup and the wall was up, the homeless guy finally realized that the party was over! Time to find new territory for his shady business.

How would you describe the root cause of the problem? I believe in common sense and law and orderneither of which are being enforced in Los Angeles right now. The “housing first” model does not work because the majority of the people on the street today are there by choice. There is no plan for those who decline housing and no way to enforce mental health intervention and drug rehabilitation for those who don’t want it. The current policy is problematic and distressing to many law-abiding Angelenos who have to deal with the dangers of the homeless encampments on our streets.

Can you tell us more about what you are doing to be part of the solution?

I tackled an encampment at the corner of Beverly and La Brea, in front of “Enterprise Rent a Car”. I took a photo of a community member in a wheelchair having to go into the busy street and bus lane because the encampment was blocking the sidewalk, which is an ADA violation. After the area was cleared by the city, I quickly ran to buy planters for that space to deter the homeless guy from setting himself up there again.

Since the restaurant Berkshire House has closed, the lot beside it has become riddled with homeless vagrants who started fires every night. That lot was cleaned out too. I discussed getting the lot fenced out with the property owner so it remains free of encampments until it is leased and met with contractors to price out different options. With the help of my council member’s team, I got The Office of Community Beautification (OCB) to tentatively agree to address the graffiti. Hopefully, that should be resolved by the end of the month. The city’s Jewish security patrol agreed to do me a favor and park one of their cars there and patrol the area until the gate is installed to ensure vagrants don’t come back.

The biggest project that I am currently tackling is outside of CBS Studios. It has essentially become a drug dealing Skid Row. It got so bad that even Bill Maher, who films in that studio, mentioned it on his show. Being that there is a school directly across the street, I demanded to have it cleared as it violates Municipal Code 41.18. It was quite the encampment, about two full blocks, and over 1000 feet of empty sidewalk space. I went to Lowe’s to purchase deterrents and started planting window boxes. I put up deterrents myself by filling planter pots with wet sand, rocks, soil, and plants. This makes it so there is no available open bare sidewalk for people to get comfortable in.

As of now, the Hancock Park/ La Brea area is about 90% free of encampments. I have biweekly contact with the city council team of our district. In their own way, they are trying to help me. I have learned the policies and the nuances of what they are allowed and not allowed to do. I get them to clean up and I do whatever I need to do to deter it from happening in that spot again in the future. After I’ve fully dealt with the Hancock Park/ La Brea area, my hope is to branch out to other areas in Los Angeles. The model I have been using has been working so far.

How has the community supported you?

The community is extremely supportive and appreciative of my efforts. People are pitching in financially to help with the cost of paying for planters, security guards, lunches of gratitude to police officers. Others are contributing their time and energy to help me set up planters and barriers in the spaces occupied by homeless people so it deters them from coming back. I started a WhatsApp group for those who want to be involved and contribute to the efforts.

Do you see this venture leading you to a political career?

I live and breathe politics. I think common sense and a real desire to make a difference is lost with our current leaders. I’ve always been a Do-er. I want things to change and I am willing to make it happen. I am considering running for office in the next few years. I am hoping to seriously turn things around and clean up our town!

The current administration's policies propose that not forcing someone to get help is the most humane approach. This is where my political and ideological views differ greatly from the administration. They believe in housing first, but what if the majority of those people are not accepting the housing and resources due to mental health issues and drug addiction? I advocate for a more compassionate approach, finding it inhumane to simply allow those who clearly need help to continue to live on the street. There needs to be a plan in place for those who reject housing due to their lifestyle choices. We can’t endanger our youth, community members, and all citizens by allowing them to keep doing what they are doing.

Embracing Flexibility: Overcoming Stiff-Neckedness

Parshat Ki Tisa delves into the story of the sin of the Golden Calf and the subsequent conversation between Moshe Rabeynu and Hashem related to the consequences. During this back and forth, Hashem characterizes Bnei Yisrael as a “stiff-necked people” as the motivation behind many of our struggles. The parsha provides us an opportunity to explore the psychological concept of being Stiff-Necked and the lessons we can learn to overcome this poor quality.

In Exodus 32:9, Hashem says to Moshe that he has seen Bnei Yisrael to be “Am-kesheh-oref hu – a stiff-necked people.” Rashi on the spot writes that Bnei Yisrael turned their stiff-necks away from those who reprove them and refuse to listen. Rashi describes Bnei Yisrael as stubborn and resistant. The Ibn Ezra further elaborates that they

refused to follow Hashem’s commands like a person unwilling to turn and listen to someone calling them. The Sforno brings the point home by indicating that Hashem saw no hope in Bnei Yisrael, as the qualities of resistance to change and stubbornness are the precursors to a nation inflexible to grow.

In psychological terms, being “stiff-necked” breeds traits such as stubbornness, rigidity, or resistance to change. It often reflects a certain cognitive inflexibility or emotional resistance to new ideas, perspectives, or ways of doing things. This term is commonly used in a negative context to highlight someone’s inflexibility, reluctance to compromise, or refusal to consider alternative viewpoints. It suggests a certain rigidity and resistance to being swayed or influenced by external factors or opinions. A stiff neck usually goes along with a stiff brain.

Shalom Bayit

Announce a Gift?

“You don’t love me anymore,” a wife complains. “Didn’t I tell you I love you when we got married? If anything changes I’ll let you know!” This joke goes to the heart of our question: You bought your wife some nice flowers but oy, she walked by, & didn’t notice. Should you say anything?

After God gives us the gift of Shabbos, He says in אשת יכ “for I am God who sanctified you” and the Sages learn that “Anyone who gives a gift to his friend needs to inform him.” Why inform? If you see a flower and tell your wife, “Look: a flower,” you have just reflected reality. However, if you say “I got this flower for you,” you haven’t only reflected reality, you reinforced it. You strengthened the bond.

Is it required to inform? No, it’s

Rabbi

The Rambam on Deuteronomy 10:16 discusses when Moshe rebukes Bnei Yisrael to no longer being stiffnecked. He describes the first step to overcoming this quality as being self aware, leading to disavowing our incorrect ways. The Gemarah on Taanit 20b says, “a person should always be soft like a reed and not rigid like a cedar.” Addressing psychological stiffness often involves fostering a more flexible mindset, encouraging adaptability, and helping individuals develop coping strategies for managing change.

Hashem’s rebuke of Bnei Yisrael provides us insight that the more rigid the mindset the fragile the spirit of the person. Parshat Ki Tisa invites us to examine our own tendencies to be stiff-necked and encourages us to break free from rigid mindsets. By doing so, we can navigate life’s challenges with greater flexibility, humility, and openness to positive change.

Here are three tips for overcoming stubbornness and resistance:

1. Cultivate Self-Awareness: Begin by developing a keen awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Notice when you feel resistant to change or overly attached to a particular viewpoint. Journaling or mindfulness practices can be valuable tools in enhancing self-awareness.

2. Practice Humility: Embrace the humility to acknowledge mistakes and recognize that change is a natural part of life. Understand that being open to new ideas and perspectives does not diminish your worth; rather, it is a sign of strength and wisdom.

3. Set Small, Achievable Goals for Change: Overcoming stiffnecked tendencies often requires gradual steps toward flexibility. Start by setting small, achievable goals for yourself. Celebrate your successes along the way, reinforcing the idea that change is manageable and rewarding.

Elan Javanfard, M.A., L.M.F.T. is a Consulting Psychotherapist focused on behavioral health redesign, a Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University, & a lecturer related to Mindfulness, Evidence Based Practices, and Suicide Prevention. Elan is the author of Psycho-Spiritual Insights: Exploring Parasha & Psychology, a weekly blog. He lives in the Los Angeles Pico Robertson community with his wife and two children and can be reached at Elan.Javanfard@gmail.com.

only recommended because you don’t want your wife to feel you’re doing it because there’s a mitzvah, because you want some credit, because you want to use this to trade favors. No ulterior motive.

It is therefore recommended that you ask your wife: “Honey how do you like the violets?” You’ll reinforce your bond and your Shalom Bayit.

ShalomInComics@gmail.com

Rage Rooms and Halacha Rage Rooms and Halacha

Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Big corporations are always looking for team-building opportunities. And now there is something new on the block. WARNING: Pun imminent. They are the latest “rage” in entertainment, so to speak. Instead of “escape rooms,” indoor skiing, or axe-throwing venues, people are now paying money to enter a room with safety gear and baseball bats – and smashing and breaking things. They are called “rage rooms,” and they are available in different packages.

You can buy a package where you smash high-end electronic equipment, computer equipment, fax machines, printers, etc. A cheaper package will give you plates, glassware, and low-quality artwork to break.

The question is: what does halacha say about all of this?

wrong and deeply offensive.

One could argue that the Gemara says that it is only prohibited if one does it in anger. Different poskim say that even if one does not do it in anger, but just rips or destroys them, is still in violation of the prohibition (see Mivchar HaPninim p. 241).

Three Violations

Rabbeinu Yonah in his Shaarei Teshuvah (3:82) explains that there is a double violation in this. The first is the wanton destruction and violation of baal tashchis, destroying things, and the second is that he is allowing and giving opportunity and expression to his evil inclination dominion over his actions which will violate the Torah. There is also a view that there is a possible third prohibition – Darchei Emori – following the ways of Ovdei Avodah Zara.

Three Relevant Sources

The Gemara in Shabbos 105b states, “Kol hameshaber keilim b’chamaso k’ilu oved avodah zara – one who breaks vessels in his anger – it is as if he is worshipping idols.”

The Gemara in Yevamos 96b goes even further. It seems that there was an argument in a certain shul in Teveriah that ultimately ended in the Sefer Torah being torn. Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma was present and remarked, “I would be very surprised if there was no avodah zarah in that shul.” They searched and apparently, there was some avodah zara there.

There is a third source, (Avos DeRabi Nosson 3) wherein Rabbi Akiva remarks that whoever stomps his bread on the land and whoever throws out his money in anger does not leave this world without needing to receive charity from others.

Now while it is true that Rav Ovadiah Yosef, zt”l, understood this Gemara in Shabbos as an exaggeration (YO OC Vol. I 28:9), there is no doubt that Chazal found it terribly

Baal Tashchis

The prohibition of baal tashchis is the teful destruction of trees and the like. The prohibition is found in Devarim 20:19. Although the verses refer to a wartime situation, the Ramban explains that after you defeat the enemy, you will be able to utilize them. That being the case, the halacha is extrapolated from these verses that all types of wasting are forbidden. This is the ruling of the Rambam (Malachim 6:10) – that it applies to all forms of waste and destruction. The Baal HaTanya in his Hilchos Shmiras HaGuf v’Nefesh also understands that the Torah prohibition is across the board and is not just limited to fruit trees.

The Netziv writes in his commentary on Chumash that the reason is that whatever is necessary to benefit mankind is forbidden to destroy. On the contrary, one must seek to benefit from it.

Most authorities, however, are of the opinion that the destruction of items other than fruit trees is of rabbinic origin (See Sefer haChinuch Mitzvah 530), so at least according to these authorities, it is not exactly equivalent to the pork tasting – but one does get the picture.

It is interesting to note that the author of the Shulchan Aruch did not devote a section to this area of halacha.

What if The Items are Ownerless?

It seems that there is a debate among the Rishonim whether the prohibition of baal tashchis applies to ownerless items. In Responsa Yehudah Yaaleh (YD #164), the Mahari Assad cites a debate between the Rosh and Rashi who are lenient versus the Rambam, the RaN, and Tosfos who hold it is a prohibition.

When

Breaking Things is Permitted

There are times when the notion of breaking something is permitted. We do find leniencies in the Talmud where some forms of smashing are permitted in order to assert healthy respect and fear. Also, we find that some form of smashing is permitted to ascertain the middos of a child and to see whether more specific instruction is necessary in middos.

The Maharsha (Shabbos) writes specifically that one may only do so with pre-broken items. Also, two other caveats are presented. One should make sure that people do not learn from him to get angry (Meiri) and one should take extraordinary care not to allow such actions to affect his temperament (Yeshuos Chochma).

But Doesn’t It Relieve Tension?

One could possibly put forth the argument that when there is a purpose to breaking something, perhaps this does not fit into the Gemara that forbids it. Don’t we find that

we smash a glass at a chuppah and a plate at a tanaim?

This argument is specifically rebuffed by the quote of this Gemara, according to Rav Yonasan Shteif in chadashim gam yeshainim and by sefer Yichusei Tanaim v’amoraim, page 313.

When An Alternative Exists

The Chikrei Lev (Mahadurah Basra YD 11 “shuv ra’isi”) writes that when an alternative choice exists, then it is entirely forbidden to accomplish it through the medium of breaking a vessel. The Orech Meisharim 19:6 writes this as well. The newly printed Ritva (also on Shabbos) cites the same qualification.

In short, if one is planning to go to one of these during Chanukah vacation, winter vacation, or just a plain date – don’t. It is at least a debate among the Rishonim. Change your plans instead.

This article should be viewed as a halachic discussion and not practical advice. The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com.

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that’s Odd!

A GLOBAL COLLECTION OF UNUSUAL NEWS NUGGETS

Soaring High Soup-er Soaker

Ava Shelly is reaching great heights. The Port St. Lucie teenager is now the youngest female pilot to complete three solo flights. She already had high aspirations when she was ten years old and learned the craft from her grandfather.

“He was an airline pilot, so for my 10th birthday, he got me a Discovery Flight, and ever since, I kind of stayed hooked,” she said. Her grandfather was accomplished in the cockpit. “He was also triple-rated, so he had his helicopter, glider, and pilot’s license,” Shelly said. She idolized her grandpa and wanted to become triple-rated, so at 13, she embarked on her aviation journey in his honor.

Protesters for the environment brought the “Mona Lisa” into their fight on Sunday, when they hurled orange soup at the famous portrait in the Louvre in Paris. The precious piece of art was protected by the food fight by a clear piece of glass.The environmental group Riposte Alimentaire—which roughly translates to “Food Response”—said two protesters involved with its campaign were behind the vandalism. After the two people hurled the orange pumpkin soup from bottles at the painting, they ducked beneath a protective barrier to address onlookers. “What is more important: art or the right to a healthy and sustainable diet?” one queried.

Quickly, staff members at the Louvre moved black screen in front of the protesters. Staff members at the Louvre are then seen moving black screens between visitors and the protesters. The museum evacuated the “Salle des Etats” room, which houses the “Mona Lisa,” though it has since reopened.

In a series of social media posts about the incident, Riposte Alimentaire said it wanted to draw attention to unsustainable food production and hunger in France, calling for “the integration of food into the general social security system.”

Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece the “Mona Lisa” hangs in the Louvre museum and is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Millions of visitors each year line up to see, photograph,or pose with the small masterpiece, which is just over 2.5 feet tall and under 2 feet wide. Small but really soup-er.

Over the past six years, Shelly has completed more than 125 hours in multiple aircrafts. On her 16th birthday, Shelly completed her first glider flight, making her the youngest woman in history to complete a glider, helicopter and powered flight. “It was pretty amazing, honestly,” Shelly said. “I was nervous, but in a good way, because I was confident in what I was doing. I knew I was safe, and I knew everything was going to go well. I just still had those butterflies.” Sounds like she’s soaring high.

Pick a Winner

The group of 30 current and former workers at the Kentucky middle school has been playing the lotto together with the same numbers since 2019. “We all taught at the same school at one point or another,” a member of the group told Kentucky Lottery officials. “We’ve got counselors, admins, special-ed teachers, the school nurse ... Some have moved on or retired but we still continue to do it. We’ve remained buddies for all of these years.”

The group’s organizer discovered the ticket for the January 27 Powerball drawing was a $1 million second prize winner. She was the one who thought to hide the ticket in the math book. The winning numbers were drawn at random. “Our math teacher and assistant principal pulled them out of a hat,” one winner explained. “At first, we didn’t have the right amount of numbers to choose from, so we drew again. Thank goodness we did.” Each member took home $24,000 after taxes. “We always have so much fun. It’s just cool to win as a group and share this experience.” What’s a million dollars between friends?

Spy Bird

Indian authorities cried foul when a pigeon was captured near a port in Mumbai last May with two rings tied around its legs. Thinking it was a spy sent by China, the police held the bird in detection for eight months. This week, authorities confirmed that the two-legged feathered creature was not a spy for China and released it into the wild.

Authorities said that the rings around the bird’s legs had words that looked Chinese. It arrested the pigeon and sent it to Mumbai’s Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals.

This is not the first time a bird has come under police suspicion in India. In 2020, police in Indian-controlled Kashmir released a pigeon belonging to a Pakistani fisherman after a probe found that the bird, which had flown across the heavily militarized border between the nuclear-armed nations, was not a spy. In 2016, another pigeon was taken into custody after it was found with a note that threatened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sounds like a bird-brained scheme.

Diamond in the Rough

Julien Navas was visiting the United States from France when he decided to stop at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. His detour turned out to be fortuitous, as he discovered a beautiful gem at the park. Navas had come to the United States to see the launch of the first U.S.moon landing mission in decades from Cape Canaveral, Florida. He had panned for gold and searched for ammonite fossils before, so a stop at the diamond park was within reason. On January 11, Navas arrived at the park, bought his ticket, and rented a basic diamond hunting kit. “I got to the park around nine o’clock and started to dig,” Navas said. “That is back-breaking work, so by the afternoon, I was mainly looking on top of the ground for anything that stood out.”

Lucky for Navas, the park had received more than an inch of rain a few days before he arrived, so it was wet and muddy. “As rain falls on the field, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds near the surface,” Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox explained. Many of the park’s biggest diamonds are found on the surface, Cox said, and the park periodically plows the 37.5 acre search area to loosen the soil and to promote natural erosion. Eventually, Navas emerged at the park’s Diamond Discovery Center with his findings. There, he was told he had found a 7.46-carat brown diamond. The stone is about the size of a gumdrop, with a chocolate brown color. Navas named his diamond the Carine Diamond, after his fiancé, and plans to have the stone divided into two diamonds, one to gift to his bride-to-be and the other for his daughter. The Carine Diamond is the eighth-largest diamond found in the Crater of Diamonds since it became a state park in 1972. On average, park visitors find one or two diamonds there every day. According to Navas,the park is a “magical place, where the dream of finding a diamond can come true! It was a real great adventure.” A gem of a find.

CHATTERBOX!

Welcome to a new fun corner in our newspaper where objects talk! Every week, we'll publish an image featuring two animated items engaged in a mysterious conversation. Your job is to figure out what one might be saying to the other!

What To Do:

See the Picture:

Look at our drawing of the band-aid box and pink medicine discussing something important inside the medicine cabinet to the left.

Think:

What could they possibly be talking about? Are they talking about their feelings? Are they gossiping about little Sara who is always needing them?

Write:

Send us the words you think one is saying to the other. You can choose either object to voice, but remember, only one line of dialogue per entry! Look at the following examples.

Band Aid Box: "Feeling sticky today, or is it just me?" or Pink Medicine: "Do you think Sara keeps pretending to be sick just to see us more? We must be her favorites here!"

Be Creative:

The wackier and more imaginative, the better.

Keep It Short:

Your dialogue entry should be no more than one sentence.

Submit by Deadline:

Make sure to send in your entries by Sunday, March 3 before 10:00 PM. Late entries won't be eligible for that week's competition.

One Entry per Person:

Only one submission per participant each week. Choose your words wisely!

Have Fun:

This is the most important rule. Enjoy the process and have fun with it!

Winners: The most original and entertaining entry will win a surprise sweet treat from Munchies and be featured in the next issue of "ChatterBox"!

The Intelligence Failures That Left Israel Vulnerable on October 7

The October 7 Nightmare

Hamas pulled off the worst massacre in Israel’s history. Overwhelming the meager contingent of troops stationed along the Gaza border, the 3,000 terrorists unleashed chaos, perpetrating kidnappings, murders, and acts of brutality unparalleled since the Holocaust.

Numerous voices have highlighted the shocking intelligence failure leading up to the tragedy. Israel’s revered intelligence apparatus, known for its prowess, faltered tragically and failed to anticipate and forestall the October 7 massacre. However, the lapses extended well beyond intelligence failures; operational missteps compounded the dire situation.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were, regrettably, unprepared for the coordinated onslaught orchestrated by Hamas, leading to devastating consequences that shook the nation to its core.

A pillar of military strategy is that combat troops need to prepare as if there was no intelligence in order to avoid being caught off guard. But that was exactly what happened, as the mistaken belief that Hamas was not interested in war resulted in the IDF senior command reducing forces to a dangerously low level.

By: D. Hart

n 2018, an article was published asking, “Is The IDF Ready For War?” The piece profiled Major General (res.) Yitzchak Brik, the military ombudsman who had been putting out increasingly serious reports about what he said was the army’s dire lack of readiness.

Amongst other things, Brik claimed that the IDF suffered from a corrupt corporate culture centered on careerism that resulted in officers only sharing what their superiors wanted to hear. In a series of damning reports, he detailed how the senior command was completely clueless to the realities on the ground, particularly the terrible state of readiness in the Ground Forces and the irrelevant intelligence reports.

A veteran of the Yom Kippur War, Brik called for a complete overhaul of the IDF, warning that it was even less prepared for war than it was on the eve of its worst-ever intelligence failure in 1973. For this, Brik was deemed persona non grata by defense establishment elites.

Speaking his mind cost Brik coveted speaking slots on prime time television and at academic conferences. The decorated general went from a widely respected military expert to a national laughing stock within a remarkably short span of time.

With an insufficient number of troops manning the Gaza border, the IDF was unable to mount a robust defense against the onslaught. Hamas’ Nukhba commandos easily overran the defenses, leading to widespread panic and, tragically, a massacre that unfolded before the eyes of a nation.

What occurred wasn’t simply a few missteps but the collapse of an entire military. The IDF effectively ceased to exist for much of that dark day; with no command and control systems working, the general staff in the situation room at headquarters was forced to scroll Hamas Telegram groups to get an accurate picture of what was happening.

Pilots and drone operators used television reports for targeting information, having no idea where the terrorists were at any given moment. Soldiers on leave, retired policemen and anyone with a weapon rushed to the Gaza border, armed with nothing more than their personal sidearms and plunging into the fighting as an ad-hoc unit.

In other words, Major General Yitzhak Brik had been right about every thing.

Warnings Unheeded

The events of October 7 showed for the first time that something was deeply rotten in the IDF.

Every possible red flag was waving on the night of October 6. Alarmed by reports of highly irregular Hamas activity in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet internal security agency chief Roni Bar, and Southern Command head Major General Yaron Finkleman held an emergency Zoom call.

After an hour of deliberations, the three concluded that all of the warning signs were likely no more than a Hamas training exercise – nothing to worry about. The handful of IDF troops guarding the Gaza border were not informed of anything out of the ordinary, and Military Intelligence Directorate Chief Aharon Haliva chose not to interrupt his vacation in Eilat to join the fateful Zoom chat.

Upon being questioned about his absence, Haliva admitted that he would have come to the same conclusion as everyone else: Hamas was deterred and was not interested in war. This logic underpins every mistake and misstep on October 7 – from covert and high-level negotiations between Israel and Hamas to the inadequate number of soldiers on the border that day.

Herzi Halevi Roni Bar Yaron Finkelman

The Konseptzia Delusion

The overarching failure throughout the litany of strategic and operational missteps was the “Conception” or “Konseptzia,” as it’s known in Hebrew – a term originally coined to describe the mistaken beliefs that underpinned the intelligence failure of the Yom Kippur War. The thinking went that if Egypt would only go to war to win back the Sinai Desert but couldn’t without advanced air defense systems, and Syria wouldn’t go to war without Egypt, then there was no threat of war from either countries as long as Cairo didn’t get hold of surface-to-air missiles.

The perils of unwavering belief in the Konseptzia led the IDF to systematically downplay the possibility of war. Every indicator, every warning, was filtered through this doctrinal lens and deemed inconsequential. Yet, the Konseptzia transcended mere intelligence; it was a cornerstone of Israeli policy, deeply embedded within the highest echelons of leadership.

Ignoring Hamas’ Apparent Shift

This time around, the Kontzeptzia revolved around Hamas’ apparent moderate turn. Needing to run the Gaza Strip and provide basic services such as schools and collecting the trash for over 3 million residents, Hamas had supposedly decided to abandon terrorism in order to care for its constituents.

Hamas itself did everything it could to support this illusion, remaining on the sidelines during rounds of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and feeding the Shin Bet intelligence on the latter’s plans. At one point, Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar even sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a handwritten letter in Hebrew urging him to “take a calculated risk” during truce talks in 2018.

The very fact that Israel was involved in negotiations in 2018 for a long-term ceasefire shows how it was blind to Hamas’ true intentions. Truly believing that Hamas had abandoned its violent struggle, Israel stood ready to allow tens of millions of dollars in Qatari cash to enter Gaza on a regular basis, to pay Hamas civil servants as well as support needy Gazan families.

This, from a terrorist group that had already killed thousands of Israelis and was working night and day to build up military forces for the sole task of attacking Israel – naval commandos, a formidable rocket arsenal, and hundreds of miles of tunnels.

The official Hamas charter leaves no room for doubt. Featuring passages stating that “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it,” it reminds the reader that “Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem – in the face of the Jews’ usurpation, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised.”

Dismissing Crucial Intelligence

The Konseptzia distorted every aspect of Israel’s intelligence gathering apparatus. Fueled by the official military intelligence assessment that “Hamas had no interest in launching an attack from Gaza that might invite a devastating response from Israel,” senior officers dismissed any and all signs of the coming assault.

A special forces unit tasked exclusively with monitoring Hamas movements to prevent a surprise attack had half of its manpower axed and its activities reduced to part-time. With violence in Judea and Samaria exploding throughout 2022, the Shin Bet internal security service slowly shifted its vast collection apparatus from Gaza to the West Bank.

Assuming that Hamas was disinterested in war, the IDF focused on covering Hezbollah and Iran. In the year running up to October 7, the vaunted 8200 Signals Intelligence Unit ceased eavesdropping on Hamas’ radio network. When their counterparts at the National Security Agency in the United States reached out to understand the meaning of this change, they were told that listening to Hamas walkie talkies “is a waste of time.”

Someone who was still listening, though, was Raphael Hayun, an amateur radio enthusiast who was convinced that disaster was in the offing after hearing Hamas training exercises on the powerful device he kept in his basement. But his frantic attempts to alert the military went nowhere, as senior officers at the Gaza Division literally laughed in his face.

“They said that Hamas was deterred, that there would be years of quiet on the border. My last meeting with them was less than a month before the massacre,” Hayun recalled to Israel’s Channel 12.

The mistakes kept mounting. In July, a veteran subject matter expert at Unit 8200 succeeded in getting her hands on the entire Hamas battle plan for the October 7th invasion.

Shocked by what she found, the analyst canceled her scheduled vacation to brief Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Directorate Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva. Yet Israel’s spy chief refused to hear of it, dismissing her warnings of the looming cross border attack as “imaginative” and chalking up the attack orders as something intended solely for internal training purposes.

This was despite the fact that Hamas does not commonly create detailed operational plans solely for internal consumption; similar intelligence intercepts in the past were always for military operations that Hamas was planning to actually carry out. “There’s always a first time for every thing,” Haliva reportedly replied when challenged by more junior officers.

Field Observer’s Reports

Disregarded

Then there were the three dozen Field Observers, female IDF soldiers who monitor live camera feeds of the border twenty-four hours a day. Based out of a forward operating post adjoining the fence, they are a central node in Israel’s intelligence gathering system and are tasked with scrambling forces to respond to any attempt to breach the border fence.

Their Nahal Oz base was overrun on October 7, with all but two of them killed or taken hostage. The two survivors recounted that in the months leading up to the invasion, they had been sounding alarms about its planning.

The Field Observers witnessed Hamas terrorists undergoing training to seize control of kibbutzim and IDF bases, practicing hostage-taking, and blowing up tanks. They observed terror commanders overseeing the drills, and Hamas recon units testing the fence for vulnerabilities.

Despite reporting these concerns, high-ranking officers in the intelligence corps ordered them to cease their efforts. When the observers persisted in reporting, they were warned of disciplinary action and potential removal from the unit.

Convinced that Hamas was more interested in supplying civil services than jihadist struggle, top decision makers viewed the warnings as a headache at best. With no command and control systems working, the general staff in the situation room at headquarters was forced to scroll Hamas Telegram groups to get an accurate picture of what was happening.

Technology's Double-Edged Sword

The intel failure was not only conceptual but touched directly on how intelligence was gathered. Israel traditionally excelled in cultivating human sources and running spies, in light of its mastery of Arabic and Middle Eastern culture.

Israel, as a nation, is characterized by a diverse population with individuals from various backgrounds, cultures, and languages. This diversity is an asset in intelligence operations, enabling agents to blend into different environments more effectively.

In recent years, however, Israel leaned increasingly on technological mastery – satellite photos, hacking cell phones and imagery from hidden cameras. This was both the result of its dominance in the cyber realm and the difficulty of gaining access to informants in Gaza.

But as advanced as it may be, nothing can replace the intelligence supplied by people embedded deep into an enemy organization. At the same time, Hamas went offline – using couriers to communicate, not writing anything down on devices connected to the internet, and staying off the phone in order to foil Israel’s tech dominance.

Israel’s failure left it blind to what Hamas was planning. The Konseptzia was a key reason for the Gaza Division’s Intelligence Officer’s unit-wide memo a week before the invasion concluding that “warnings of a Hamas invasion are overblown and unrealistic.”

“The other side learned to deal with our technological dominance, and they stopped using technology that could expose it,” noted Brigadier General Amir Avivi, formally the IDF military intelligence community’s liaison to the Ministry of Defense. “They’ve gone back to the Stone Age. In practice, hundreds, if not thousands, of Hamas men were preparing for a surprise attack for months, without that having leaked.”

The overreliance on technology was not limited to intelligence but permeated the entire IDF. It was a key reason for the shocking operational failure on October 7 that left the border woefully undermanned and set the stage for the subsequent bloodbath.

For years, senior officers had invested extraordinary sums of money in order to create a “smart border” designed to make “boots on the ground” obsolete. The centerpiece was the hulking NIS 10 billion barrier constructed in 2016 featuring advanced sensors, video cameras, underground tunnel-detecting technology and pressure-sensitive panels. Then there were the Bardalas autonomous vehicles armed with .50 caliber belt-fed weapons that patrolled throughout the day, remote shooting platforms, and thermal cameras equipped with advanced Artificial Intelligence. “A terrorist approaching Israel from Gaza with an AK-47 can be spotted and neutralized without a single soldier even getting within shooting range,” boasted an IDF general in 2021. Together with the widespread belief that Hamas was not interested in war, the array of sophisticated technological systems on the border led military planners to cut the number of troops stationed on the border to

Where Was The Manpower?

The already-low number of troops was reduced even further on October 7 due to it being the Simchat Torah holiday – causing commanders to send home on leave half of the soldiers at their disposal.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman paid a social visit to a community on the Gaza border on October 6 and was astounded at how little troops were left guarding it.

“I had never seen anything like it before. I have been in politics and government for over three decades and know how a border is supposed to look,” he recalled a few days after the massacre. “Where were the soldiers? Why didn’t I see anyone? When I asked a senior commander, he said that everything was fine and that nothing would happen anyway.”

The lack of adequate manpower extended to the air force. Incredibly, only two Apache attack helicopters were on standby and were based in a faraway base in the Galilee – 45 minutes flying time from Gaza.

It took almost four hours on October 7 to scramble another squadron of helicopter crews to their base and into the air, valuable time that could have made a key difference in blunting the Hamas invasion in its early hours. Furthermore, only one drone was combat-ready that day and was used solely for collecting intelligence, without the ability to launch missiles at the oncoming horde.

Caught Off Guard

The Konseptzia that reigned supreme had a direct effect on the few soldiers that remained on ground. Believing the intelligence reports concluding that “Hamas is deterred” from making war on Israel, the frontline troops were unprepared mentally and physically.

The Hamas invasion on October 7 kicked off at 6:30 AM with a massive rocket volley to the bases on the Gaza border. Instead of heading to their positions, the soldiers ran directly for the bomb shelters out of the belief that full-on battle was out of the question.

Huddling in the reinforced shelters both blinded the frontline troops to what was occurring outside and left them sitting ducks for the thousands of terrorists pouring across the border. This was not an accident, as Hamas had studied IDF procedures for years and purposely began the onslaught by bombarding military positions in order to send them to a death trap.

The soldiers who responded first were fighting a hopeless battle. They were not equipped with heavy weapons or anything that could have actually made a difference such as grenades, belt-fed machine guns, and shoulder-launched missiles.

On that dark day, around 500 IDF soldiers armed with nothing more than rifles faced off with 3,500 Hamas terrorists on pickup trucks and motorcycles wielding rocket propelled grenades and .50-caliber machine guns.

They fought valiantly but never stood a chance. The Golani and Armored Corps soldiers who fell in the early hours of October 7 were the first victims of a colossal intelligence failure that refused to be convinced by reality.

Reevaluating Strategies

The aftermath of October 7 will prompt a reevaluation of Israel’s defense strategies and a call for accountability within the military leadership. Questions regarding the allocation of resources, the adequacy of troop deployments, and the responsiveness of the IDF to emerging threats have come to the forefront of public discourse.

Why had the military’s munitions stockpiles stood at only 20% on October 7, forcing Israel to beg the United States for emergency resupply, thus limiting the government’s freedom of action as a result? Why had the IDF over the past years invested mainly in special forces and the air forces to the detriment of regular ground troops and the reserves?

More critically, how was Hamas able to dig a jaw-dropping 850 kilometers of tunnels underneath Gaza – most of it unknown to what was until recently described as a world-class intelligence service? How was Hamas able to smuggle enormous qualities of industrial drilling and mining equipment despite the Gaza Strip being under siege by the IDF for over 15 years?

In the wake of this unprecedented event, Israel faces the challenge of rebuilding confidence in its defense capabilities. The October 7 invasion serves as a stark reminder that even the most advanced military forces can find themselves unprepared, necessitating a thorough examination of intelligence-gathering processes, strategic planning, and overall readiness.

The lessons learned from this tragic episode will undoubtedly shape the future of Israel’s defense posture as the nation seeks to prevent a recurrence of such a devastating breach.

The writer is an intelligence officer in the IDF who just finished three months of reserve duty in Gaza.

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A BACHELOR'S DEGREE VS. MILITARY SERVICE

In Israel, military service isn't just a duty; it's a unique experience. All citizens are called to serve when they turn eighteen. In many ways, one can dub military service in Israel a more physically rigorous social and educational rite of passage, akin to college or university elsewhere in the world. It's a melting pot where young recruits connect with folks they'd never meet otherwise, see parts of the country they might never visit, and gain a tremendous amount of useful skills. They emerge from military service with leadership, planning, teamwork and analytical tools that provide the basis for building a profession later in life.

STRIPES OF HONOR

Depending on a soldier's rank and how much time they have served an Israeli soldier, he or she receives “dargot,” a symbol of their rank, that is sewn onto the sleeve of their uniform. For each year a soldier serves in the IDF, he or she adds a straight line to his or her uniform.

Next time you see a photo of a soldier, check out the uniform! You can tell who is "tzair" (young) and who is already a "boger" (older, more seasoned soldier). Senior officers can be identified by a symbol most commonly called a “falafel.” When looked at closely, an officer's rank is symbolized by one, two, or three small trees, but from far away those trees just look like… falafel! And as we know, the more falafel the better!

CLIMB THE LADDER

The IDF is one of the least hierarchical armies in the world. Of course, the Israeli Army has ranks, as mentioned above. However, since everyone is conscripted, there is no shortcut to becoming a commander or other high-ranking army official. Instead, soldiers rise through the ranks through their own dedication.

In addition, many of the formalities that other armies frequently use, like salutes and parades, are virtually non-existent in the IDF. Soldiers usually refer to their commanding officers by name rather than rank, and have a friendly, mutually respectful relationship where volunteering alternate suggestions instead of blindly following orders is encouraged.

THE IDF’S MOTTO

You won't find a one-size-fits-all motto for the entire IDF. Instead, there's a fascinating array as different segments of the military proudly carry their own. Take the officers, for instance. They live by "Akharai!" (ירחא), which translates to "After me" or "follow me," emphasizing the importance of leading by example, a practice you'd especially notice among the Airborne troops.

According to Wikipedia, the motto of the IDF artillery corps is “Sophistication and Might," but the ones more commonly known are “where needed, when needed, as hard as needed" (המצועבו ןמזב ,םוקמב

By: Belle Miller

תשרדנה) and “open fire with whatever's available" (שיש המ םע שאב םיחתופ). Soldiers joke that if they ever ran out of ammunition they could load the howitzers with the tuna cans from field rations… Open fire with whatever is available!

Across the IDF, certain phrases like “Difficult in training, easy in combat” ("לק ,םינומיאב השק ברקב") are pretty common. Another popular one is “What doesn't kill, strengthens” ("לשחמ גרוה אלש המ"). And you've got to appreciate their grim sense of humor too, with unofficial version of that slogan being “What doesn't kill you strengthens you, what kills you strengthens your mother” ("אלש המ אמא תא לשחמ גרוהש המ ,לשחמ גרוה").

PUNCH! KICK!

Krav Maga, a martial art that has gained global recognition, originated in the IDF. This fighting technique, a hybrid of boxing, wrestling, judo, aikido, and karate, was developed to equip soldiers with practical self-defense skills. The IDF's expertise in Krav Maga is so renowned that they are often invited to train other militaries around the world.

NOT ONLY HUMANS SERVE IN THE IDF

The U.S. has an extensive dog program in its military ranks, but Israel has taken it a step further. They’ve gathered and trained all types of animals, including camels, donkeys, alpacas, antelopes, and llamas. Some military bases even use sheep to guard their ammunition, as the sheep are very aggressive and protective of their territory!

Animals who serve in the IDF are considered soldiers in their own right and receive excellent treatment. On top of that, Israeli troops often rescue stray cats and other feral animals that wander onto bases and have them re-homed so they are fed and safe.

BERETS BEYOND FASHION

In the IDF, berets are a symbol of pride and identity. Each unit within the IDF has its own unique beret color, independent of rank or position. Even if a soldier is serving in special forces within a specific army unit, he or she will wear the beret color of the larger unit and display some unit pride. During initiation and training completion ceremonies, officers in the Israeli army have a tradition of passing down their own berets to exceptional soldiers, as a token for their hard work and as a public honor!

FACTS AND STATISTICS: THE GO-TO RIFLE

Fun fact: Israel is the only country in the world where women are required to enlist.

Men serve for 32 months while women serve for 24 months.

The Tavor, the IDF’s go-to firearm, is a testament to Israel's commitment to self-reliance and innovation in defense technology. It was developed in 1995 by Israelis who recognized the need for homegrown ammunition that is compact and adaptable. This rifle is fabulous for close-quarters combat, thanks to its unique design where the magazine is behind the trigger. This makes the Tavor shorter and easier to handle in tight situations, like urban warfare or when maneuvering in vehicles.

The Tavor's fame goes beyond Israel's borders. It has been adopted by military forces in countries like India, Colombia, and Ukraine, proving its effectiveness on the global stage.

When it comes to answering the call of duty, Israel has impressive stats — about 80% of those summoned actually end up serving.

That is one of the highest rates worldwide!

An IDF pilot, Giora Epstein, holds the world record for the most enemy jet takedowns.

THE GREEN DIET

Nearly one in five Israelis don’t eat meat, and about five percent of the population is vegan, including the IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi! The IDF adapted to the needs of its soldiers and has introduced several measures to make it easier to be a vegetarian or vegan soldier during mandatory service. Soldiers can opt for non-leather boots, wool-free berets, and plant-based food options at every meal on base. These efforts have earned them the title of the most “vegan-friendly military” in the world.

Minds, Joining Hearts,

Notable Quotes

I would say it’s criminal neglect for Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden to get together to send $100 billion overseas to fix someone else’s border before we fix our border. We have an emergency.

-Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

UNRWA is a humanitarian organization without military or security expertise, making it incapable of conducting military inspections beneath its premises.

-UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at a press conference, denying knowing that Hamas had a massive nerve center under UNRWA’s headquarters

Today, the Kremlin confirmed that Tucker Carlson has interviewed Vladimir Putin. You can tell the interview went over well, ‘cause Tucker is still alive.

-Jimmy Fallon

I see homeless folks in the streets of New York all the time that are American citizens, I … sure see them in California. We’ve got poor, impoverished, starving people who are born and raised in this nation. How in the [world] do we come up witha $53 million pilot program for illegals, but folks who are here legally, or born here, we don’t have enough for them?

-Sports host Steven A. Smith

Everything is possible… Even if the conditions right now don’t seem right for the rescue of more hostages, it doesn’t mean that we won’t do everything to keep trying, whether it’s intelligence or operations, and we’ll take every risk on ourselves to carry out the next operation.

-The commander of the elite IDF unit that rescued two hostages from Rafah last week, in an interview with JNS

The education system robbed me of my identity. And what is happening now is a thousand times worse. If I came out after 12 years of study completely ignorant of who I am, where I came from, and why I’m here at all, today the situation is a thousand times worse.

I read the data according to which the vast majority of teachers in Israel claim that there is not enough study or Jewish identity in schools. And the vast majority of parents in Israel claim the same thing. I say with deep pain, I only learned at a late age that Judaism is dynamic.

In South Korea, they introduced the study of the Talmud, the Talmud is a gym for logic. Why was it denied to me? Why didn’t I know until I was older that Judaism tells me that we are not physical beings who undergo a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings who are currently going through a physical experience here?

There is philosophy in it. There is spirituality in it. There is science in it…

We have the roots pulled out from under our feet, sitting here and telling me that the study of Judaism is what?

Israeliness and Judaism together? Israeli Hebrew cinema? Compared to the Malbim, the Ramchal, the Holy Ari HaKadosh!

Do you know what worlds there are? I graduated from seven years of philosophy. I was so thirsty for knowledge, after 12 years of barren studies, that I went to university and studied for 7 years. Philosophy of all shades— absolutely nothing.

Dust, compared to the diamond we sit on and bury!

And our children do not know what it is to be Jewish; they have no idea. I am studying today, and I say, if only I had known this at a younger age. It’s resilience; it’s identity; it’s roots; it’s the strength to fight. I see our soldiers today with Torah books, secular. With the kippahs and tefillin, secular.

I see it, and I see how their soul thirsts for it, how much they yearn for it, I want to say that Israel needs to make a new start from the education system. Judaism is not what the Hartman Institute wraps it up with, Judaism is not the other, it is me. [It is not] the progressive approach to the Mishnah and the Bible.

I want to say that Israel needs to reboot the education system. Judaism is not the other is me or the progressive approach to the Mishnah and the Bible. Judaism is an eternal truth. We are sitting on an eternal truth, and we are sitting on a diamond, and the time has come for us to access this diamond, this spirituality that has humanity in it, that has the basis of universal morality. Israelis are growing up here who think that their identity is that they like pizza.

We sit on eternal truth; we sit on a diamond. And the time has come for us to access this diamond, this knowledge, this spirituality.

-MK Galit Distal Atbarian’s passionate address about Judaism during a Knesset committee hearing on education

Look, we were attacked in the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. The October 7 massacre was equivalent to 29 9/11s in one day and the equivalent of 50,000 Americans slaughtered … and 10,000 Americans taken hostage, including mothers and children. So, what would America’s response be? I would say it would be at least as strong as Israel’s and many Americans tell me, “We would have flattened them. We would have turned them into dust.”

-Prime Minister Netanyahu on Fox News

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Forget About a Second Term: Is Biden Fit To Be President Right Now?

Marc A. Thiessen

Special counsel Robert K. Hur, in a devastating 345-page report on his investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, concludes that Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials. But that is not his report’s real bombshell. Far more damaging is the picture it paints, in explaining Hur’s decision not to prosecute, of Biden as suffering from “diminished faculties” and “significant limitations” on his memory. So much so, the report says, that jurors would be unlikely to convict Biden because they would find him “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Most of us can judge Biden’s mental fitness only by his many struggles in public appearances – most recently forgetting the name “Hamas” while trying for about 30 painful seconds to articulate the state of hostage negotiations, referring to his recent meeting with a French president who died in 1996, and claiming to have discussed the Capitol riot with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who died nearly four years before it took place.

We are left to wonder: If the president is this diminished in public, what is he like behind closed doors?

Well, the special counsel office’s report draws back the curtain and shows us. Based on its review of dozens of hours of recorded conversations between Biden, his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, and “on our direct interactions with and observations of him” during interviews with Justice Department lawyers, a deeply troubling picture emerges of a man who at times seems incapable of conducting basic conversations.

“Mr. Biden’s memory … appeared to have significant limitations,” Hur writes, “both at the time he spoke to Zwonitzer in 2017, as evidenced by their recorded conversations, and today, as evidenced by his recorded interview with our office.” The recorded conversations with the ghostwriter “are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.”

“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,” Hur continues. Biden “did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’). He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.”

The report adds that Biden’s “memory

appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him,” adding that “among other things, he mistakenly said he ‘had a real difference’ of opinion with General Karl Eikenberry, when, in fact, Eikenberry was an ally whom Mr. Biden cited approvingly in his Thanksgiving memo to President Obama.”

Hur concludes that jurors would likely find “Mr. Biden’s apparent lapses and failures” in sharing classified information with his ghostwriter in 2017 “consistent with the diminished faculties and faulty memory he showed in Zwonitzer’s interview recordings and in our interview of him.”

As a columnist without a medical degree, I am in no position to diagnose Biden, and neither are most Americans. But we see what we see – how his gait has stiffened and his ability to answer simple questions has declined. Which is why multiple polls show that 76 percent of American voters believe Biden is too old to effectively serve another term as president and 54 percent say he no longer has “the competence to carry out the job of president.”

That was based on his public appearances. But the special counsel’s description of his private interactions raises these concerns to Defcon 1. If the president is this confused in his meetings with Justice Department lawyers, how bad are his interactions with world leaders or his meetings with his own national security officials in the Situation Room? During the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, Biden falsely claimed that none of his military advisers had recommended leaving a residual force of 2,500 troops, only to have those military leaders testify that they had in

fact given him that advice. Did he lie, or did he simply not recall what they had told him? Which is worse?

A few weeks ago, much of Washington was outraged by a defense secretary who failed to disclose a serious medical condition and undermined the military chain of command. Well, now we have reason to be concerned about the man at the top of that chain of command.

Biden’s news conference Thursday, in which he angrily defended his mental acuity (“I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the […] I’m doing”) only made things worse. He referred to President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi of Egypt as the “president of Mexico” and claimed the special counsel never said that he shared classified information when Hur’s report said he “disclosed classified materials.”

In trying to rebut the report’s assertions, Biden pointed out that his five hours of interviews with the Justice Department across two days came as he was “managing an international crisis.” The first of the interviews came one day after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel – and the special counsel’s report said Biden displayed “diminished faculties and faulty memory.” Can Americans afford to have a president with diminished faculties managing an international crisis?

The president’s closest aides protect him, and foreign leaders wouldn’t publicly reveal any concerns about their discussions with him, for fear of damaging relations with the United States. But the special counsel has shown us Biden behind the scenes. If the president is “struggling to remember events” during his “painfully slow” interactions with others, how can he effectively conduct diplomacy or make decisions on matters of peace and security?

There are wars raging in Europe and the Middle East; U.S. forces are under attack in Iraq, Syria and the Red Sea; the risk of war in the Pacific is growing; and rising numbers of people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list are trying to slip into the United States by illegally crossing the southern border. And apparently the commander in chief dealing with these

overlapping crises is a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

We’re now beyond concern about whether Biden is fit to serve a second term; we should be concerned about whether he is fit to finish his first.

(c) 2024, Washington Post Writers Group

Your Safety, Magnus’s Mission

By: Or Lev

MAGNUS International Search & Rescue

is a

world-renowned emergency management and travel safety and emergency evacuation service with over 30 years of life-saving experience.

MAGNUS, an Israeli company founded over 30 years ago by Hilik Magnus, with the vision to turn the world into a safer place. He is driven by a desire to find a way to allow people to travel with peace of mind, knowing that if they encounter any emergency big or small, they will be cared for.

MAGNUS may be one of the best kept secrets in the travel safety industry. With a full scope of services being offered to travelers anywhere in the world and the largest network of dedicated assets in the business, everywhere is within reach. MAGNUS has a unique methodology and approach to solve whatever travel SNAFUs people may experience.

From assisting travelers caught up in riots in urban cities, lost backpackers on a trek in South America, a tourist experiencing a psychotic breakdown in Ukraine during the outbreak of war, or mountain climbers in Nepal that find themselves caught in a sudden snowstorm, the MAGNUS teams have been there before.

MAGNUS also specializes in Mental Health Crisis Intervention, teams that ensure immediate support for people experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis. Trained experts rapidly deploy to provide in-person assistance, psychological first aid, and effective coping strategies, fostering resilience in highstress situations.

Their modest yet modern offices in Tel Aviv are a great example of the blend between

an operational hub and business casual. Hosting one of MAGNUS’ 24-hour emergency operations centers as well as a complete satellite services division, this site vacillates between a full service training center and a real time crisis management node.

Like something straight out of the movies, large screens project real-time maps and resource allocations as well as global news feeds and intelligence reports following the most critical and significant events, from political upheaval, civil unrest, and natural disasters to airport closures crime reports, and highway shut downs.

Travel safety is not just about avoiding danger, it’s also about being prepared for the unexpected and having the knowledge and resources to handle any situation that may arise

New tools like location-based management software, and next generation satellite communications give MAGNUS an extremely honed edge in travel safety and risk management.

The Team Behind the SOS Button

The core team as well as the company management all come from an operational

background in a variety of fields. They may be specialists from elite military units, search and rescue specialists for all types of environments, emergency physicians, paramedics, trackers, security experts, government liaisons, negotiators, fixers, and native speakers of dozens of languages.

Moreover, the company is built on the power of relationships that have cemented over the course of 30 years of continual operations. MAGNUS has built a reliable global network of human resources seasoned in their regions of expertise. Additional resources are trained and deployed around the world regularly.

“Last year, we rescued over 3,000 people, including those stranded in wildfires in Greece, the earthquakes in Morocco and Turkey, mudslides in India, and the Burning Man festival in Nevada. We were also involved in countless medical rescues, emergency consultations and providing support to people working abroad who got caught up in emergency situations”. Tal Tusk, Chief Business Officer at MAGNUS.

Many of the emergency situations occur

in remote areas that are ‘off the grid’ with no cellular networks. The lack of communication sometimes is the emergency itself.

However, the teams take into consideration that travelers don’t need to go far to get into trouble, it’s enough that you’re unfamiliar with the language or encounter local threats and just need someone to reach out to, tell you what to do, or act when needed.

“Several months ago, a mother lost contact with her son who was traveling throughout Nepal. For us this is not an unusual call, and we have a questioning protocol to build the most reasonable operational picture. In this case she didn’t consider the trek he was on was an extra day long. On the other hand, when the timeline doesn’t align, or we are familiar with specific dangers we activate a protocol which puts into motion a 360◦ set of actions from intelligence gathering to on-ground teams” Or Lev, CEO of MAGNUS.

From the mundane to the extreme, MAGNUS is customer focused. “MAGNUS is about giving a customer our full attention until the optimal resolution of their situation. Our inhouse development of robust intelligence tools alongside the application of innovative technologies has paved the way for us to direct our enhanced our ability to support any traveler, anywhere in the world. We focus on prevention and mitigation, but ultimately, when it comes time for action, we’re always prepared.” Joe Serkin, Director of Business Operations.

MAGNUS to the Rescue

Today, MAGNUS offers Safety Membership subscriptions, as a mechanism for working with them. The subscription is crucial in helping you travel with peace of mind, knowing a professional team has your back. In urban areas or areas with cellular reception you can connect to a user-friendly mobile app, that provides information about local threats and gives you the ability to consult with MAGNUS or activate specialized assistance.

You can connect your Garmin satellite communications device to the subscription, so the services are provided on and off the grid.

Decades of collaboration and partnership with insurance companies around the world allow MAGNUS to provide support, and at the same time, mitigate financial repercussions to their customers.

Recently, MAGNUS has partnered with the American insurance company IMG (Inter-

something that represents a threat to their safety is happening around them, they’ll be notified and supported.

What has normally functioned as a total support system for international travelers has made a recent pivot due to necessity.

MAGNUS is leveraging their experience in emergency management and crisis operations to improve the safety within communities in the United States and around the world. MAGNUS uses what they call ‘crowd-sourced intelligence’ and leveraging of local volunteer resources, not to mention, of course, their global network to coalesce into their Community Safety service, to be able to create a feeling of safety for all their subscribers. The goal is to facilitate and support building resilience at the community level, working together alongside community leaders, families and individuals, to give them an immediate response and a strong back, despite what they are facing.

Anytime, anywhere, 24/7/365 the MAG NUS Operations Centers, strategically placed around the globe, are always poised to jump

Miracle in the Minutiae

Of Sunsets and Streetlights

The first thing I notice in this photo is the streetlight in the lower right section. It’s unexpected, and a bit of a distraction from the sky. I absolutely love it. I love that it wasn’t cropped out. I love that it distracts me.

The one thing that sunset photos typically don’t include is distraction. They might be fiery, with huge, rounded clouds edged in fluorescent colors or they might be serene, with muted pastel shades folding into one another, but they are always focused. And that’s essentially their point, to settle our attention on the incredible miracle that takes place before our eyes every single day. Nature evokes a deep spiritual connection, and the setting sun affords us regular access to that realm.

Somehow, there’s a tendency to view the miracle as diminished when we become aware of the manmade world. People seek out empty spaces --- open fields, empty beaches, fresh snow in the forest, or a blank patch of sky --- as a way of connecting with the infinite capacities of Hashem. Signs of modern industry can therefore be felt as intrusions.

In actuality though, is a power line or a streetlight any less miraculous than the setting sun? When they first appeared around a hundred and fifty years ago, they may well have been regarded as more so. Nothing like electric power had ever existed before. And while our ancestors in the nineteenth century may have considered electricity to be a miracle, their ancestors, for the entire history of Life before them, could not even imagine such a thing.

This brings us to something real-

ly intriguing in art history. The first paintings depicting the setting sun were done right around the turn of the nineteenth century. For a thousand years prior, paintings took place at midday. The intrigue is that the interest in sunsets coincides with the start of the industrial revolution --- the introduction of the steam engine, machines, and eventually the invention / discovery of the lightbulb. It’s almost as though artists had a spiritual premonition about the enormous changes to come.

There’s a famous quote, attributed to Albert Einstein, about there being “only two ways to live life: one is as though nothing is a miracle, and the other is as though everything is a miracle.” In other words, Hashem echad.

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The hospital's parts department vending machine re-organ-ization hit a snag. Can't change donors into change donors once they're heartless.

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- A.B.

No one had the heart to tell him it wasn’t kibble.

Snacks these days can really cost an arm and a leg.

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