Now you see it - now you don't

Daled Amos writes about an editorial by the New York Times rallying against Israel for passing a new law banning calls for boycotts. A few days ago, the New York Times published an article about the passage of the law which contained the following paragraph.
“For years now there have been laws in the United States that come with fines and prison sentences for anyone who calls for a boycott of Israel, and yet the Israeli who persuades American companies to boycott us is completely exempt. That is ludicrous,” Mr. Elkin was quoted as saying in the popular Yediot Aharonot newspaper. He was referring to a federal law in the United States that forbids Americans from complying with, furthering or supporting a boycott of a country that is friendly to the United States.

If you click on the NYT article titled Israel Bans Boycotts Against the State you won't find the above paragraph. But it is quoted in a Forbes post which references the NYT article. Conclusion - that paragraph was scrubbed.

How could the NYT write an editorial criticizing Israel's new law when America also adopted anti-boycott laws, as well? Well, the first step is to remove the paragraph about the American anti-boycott laws from an article published a number of days prior to the editorial.

This morning I discovered a screenshot of a National Post 2009 article about the President titled Obama's bio a state secret in Canada.
The following is an excerpt from the article. The full article can be read here. However, if you try to access the original article, you will find it disappeared.

In blacking out the biographies of the president and his entourage,officials cited a section of the act that allows the government to refuse records whose disclosure could be "injurious to the conduct of international affairs, the defence of Canada or any states allied or associated with Canada."

The 17th of Tammuz

by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple
The wall of Jerusalem was breached on 17 Tammuz, enabling the enemy to enter Jerusalem and destroy the sanctuary. The fast we observe that day is, according to the prophet Zechariah, one of four that commemorate the destruction of the city and the Temple. In messianic times all four will change their character and “be to the House of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful seasons; therefore peace and truth shall you love” (Zech. 8:19). It is one thing, and a most welcome one, to have faith that darkness will turn into light and sorrow into joy. But what is the connection with loving peace and truth?

It points to one of the two approaches to the destruction of the Temple – the external and the internal. The external interpretation blames the enemy; the internal interpretation blames us ourselves. Without excusing the enemy’s cruelty and savagery, the internal interpretation says that in a community in which truth and peace are not honoured there will be such social disintegration that the enemy will find it easier to enter and do its damage.

Conversely, if we raise the quality of our society we will achieve such inner strength that we can overcome any odds and find that no dream, even the rebuilding of the sanctuary, will be impossible.
http://www.oztorah.com/2011/07/17-tammuz-the-hole-in-the-wall-fast/

Bizarre

A Charedi site has an article in Hebrew about missionaries seeking to capitalize on the tragedy of last week by going door to door in Borough Park, dressed as Orthodox Jews and distributing pamphlets describing how not to lose faith in the wake of the Kletzky tragedy.

A New York Post article states, "Cops believe that the twice-married Aron was "simple-minded" and appeared to have acted on just a bizarre "fondness" for kids, freaking out after snatching the boy,.."

Someone who met Mr. Aron told a relative that the man was slow and acted like a young boy. It reminded me of the movie Big, where Tom Hanks looked like an adult but was, in reality, a young boy.
So, I was quite perturbed with the speculation posted on the internet. - "He must have been a...." - Why the rush to judge and speculate?

Presidential problems

A Spanish lawyer has formally accused Barack Obama of crimes against humanity for ordering the assassination of Osama bin Laden.
Daniel Fiol lodged a written complaint at the International Criminal Court accusing the US president of breaching the Geneva Convention.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8643525/Barack-Obama-accused-of-crimes-against-humanity-for-Osama-bin-Laden-killing.html#disqus_thread

Did Mr. Fiol lodge a complaint against Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks?

And speaking of the President, "Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver conceded Sunday that President Obama has a problem among Jewish New Yorkers, but said electing a Republican to fill ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's seat is not the answer."
Read full article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/07/18/2011-07-18_stick_with_dems_shelly_tells_jews.html

And in an article about whether the President's birth certificate is a forgery, someone had the audacity to post an anti-Semitic comment about how "the Owners of Mainstream Media physicly live in Israel.."

The last challenge

The following is part of an email I received this evening.
"For those that are seeking a way to express their sympathy to the family of Leiby Kletsky OB"M. Write condolence email to the family tell them something special you will do in this little boys honor -
leibykletsky.letters@gmail.com. take on a Mitzvah however small, you can give 5c to charity, put on tefillin, light Shabbos candles... may this be the last challenge that we need to overcome to bring Moshiach now!!!"

As klal Yisrael lost another towering figure in European Jewry today, with the passing of Rabbi Aba Dunner, Executive Director of the Conference of European Rabbis, let us hope that the words of the email come true - that we have faced "the last challenge to overcome to bring Moshiach now."

The Guardian's bad example

I glanced at the headline of a Guardian article with incredulity.
Beckhams a 'bad example' for families
With a fourth child, the couple have joined the ranks of the irresponsible, population experts say

I find it ironic that the Beckhams, in a committed stable marital relationship, are identified as a 'bad example'. As the latest breakup of a Hollywood marriage was announced this week, subjecting the children to custody battles and the problems associated with divorce, the stable marriage of the Beckhams is viewed in a negative light?
Unbelievable.

The three weeks

The "Three Weeks" between the 17th of Tammuz and the Tisha B'Av have historically been days of misfortune and calamity for the Jewish people. During this time, both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, amongst other terrible tragedies.
These days are referred to as the period "within the straits" (bein hametzarim), in accordance with the verse: "all her oppressors have overtaken her within the straits" (Lamentations 1:3).
...ASPECTS OF MOURNING DURING THE THREE WEEKS

1.No weddings are held. (However, engagement ceremonies are permitted.)
Read full article: http://www.aish.com/h/9av/oal/48943916.html

The fast of the 17th of Tammuz takes place this Tuesday, July 19.
Five days later, same gender marriage will be allowed in New York.

Shalom Aleichem

Rabbi Y. Eisenman discusses what should be learned from the tragedy of a lost nine-year-old boy who was murdered this week.
Click here to read the article.

Let's not get lost in our own world, talking on the cell phone or checking the BlackBerry so that we become oblivious to our environment.
Hevei Makdim B'Shalom Kol Adam. Let us greet those we meet with a friendly countenance and words of shalom.
Good Shabbos.

And the plague stopped

"Pinchas Ben Elazar Ben Aaron HaCohen Hayshiv Es Chamosi Mai'al Bnei Yisroel"; "Pinchas, son of Elazar, son of Aaron the Kohen, turned back my anger from upon the Bnei Yisroel" Instead of saying "Hayshiv"- "turned back" my anger - it should have said "Bateil"- "nullified"?
Dovid HaMelech says in Tehillim,"Pinchos arose and executed judgment and the plague stopped. It was counted to him "LiTzdakah"- as a righteous deed - for all generations forever." What does the act of Pinchas have to do with Tzdakah?
The Vilna Gaon answers, according to the Torah every Jew is obligated to give annually a Machatzis HaShekel - a half Shekel- for the purchase of Korbonos Tzibur - communal offerings. The word "Machatzis' consists of 5 letters, the middle one being a "Tzadi", the first letter of the word ‘Tzdakah". Immediately flanking the Tzadi are a "Ches " and a "Yud", which spell the word "Chai" - life - and at the outer ends are the letters "Mem" and "Tof", which spells the word "Mais" - death. This is an allusion to the adage "Utzedakah Tatzil MiMaves" - Tzedakah saves from death.
Pinchas through his zealousness removed the plague from the Bnei Yisroel, thus committing an act of Tzedakah whereby life prevailed and death was excluded.
In the word "Chamosi" - "my anger" - it is the reverse. The middle letters are "Mem" and "Tof", which spells "Mais" - "death" - and the outer letters "Ches " and a "Yud", which spell the word "Chai" - life. Hashem was saying that Pinchas "Hayshiv Es Chamosi" - inverted the word "Chamosi " - chasing death away and bringing life.
http://revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-Pinchas-Vilna-Gaon-Pinchas-Turns-Around-The-Word-Chamosi/489

Soliciting funds

I don't know about you, but I was put off by the DNC solicitation for campaign donations for the President's re-election. Click here to see an article detailing a letter sent out by the DNC to solicit funds. I don't particularly like when a political party can't stand on its own merits and has to resort to attacking the other side. But, that's politics.