What Do You Get by Offering Palestinians a State?By Stephen M. Flatow and : Animals are served first! and Bombshell ruling: Baba Sali's family must pay income tax on 'earnings' and Surgeon at Israeli hospital pulls a live cockroach out of a woman's ear

View in browser Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement. Love Yehuda Lave Join my blog by sending me an email to YehudaLave@gmail.com A shout out to my only child on her birthday today! Katie I love you What Do You Get by Offering Palestinians a State? By Stephen M. Flatow For more than 50 years, Israel's critics have claimed that if Israelis would just agree to create a Palestinian state, the Palestinians would live in peace with them. Well, last month, Israel's prime minister offered to create a Palestinian state. How did the Palestinians respond? Is the long-promised peace at last dawning upon the Middle East? Not quite. At the United Nations on Sept. 22, Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced his willingness to create a non-terrorist Palestinian state. Did the Palestinian Arab leadership respond by announcing an immediate return to the negotiating table to work out the details of the new state? Hardly. The Palestinians responded with murderous violence. Within 24 hours of Lapid's declaration, there was a car-ramming attack against Israelis near Havat Gilad that was publicly cheered by the Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas. Another terrorist was caught trying to smuggle several dozen handguns into Israel via the Jordan Valley. Handguns for peace? The next day, Sept. 25, a Palestinian Arab mob assaulted Israelis on the Temple Mount. On Sept. 27, Palestinian Arabs threw rocks and bombs at Israeli soldiers north of Shechem and carried out a drive-by shooting as well. On Sept. 28, they fired shots at an Israeli motorist south of Hebron and carried out multiple shooting and bombing attacks on Israeli soldiers in Jenin. In the days to follow, the Palestinian Arabs continued to respond to Lapid's statehood offer with bombs, bullets and bloodshed. On Sept. 29, they fired shots at an Israeli tour group near Kiryat Arba, stoned Israeli soldiers in Jilazoun and tried to run them over and tried to stone Israeli motorists to death near Bethlehem. When an Arab child died in unrelated circumstances nearby, the peace-loving P.A. Foreign Ministry immediately blamed Israel for his death. On Oct. 1, Palestinian Arabs threw rocks, firebombs and explosive devices at Israelis in al-Azariya. On Oct. 2, they fired shots at Israelis near Itamar (one was wounded), shot at an Israeli bus and Israeli taxis on the road to Alon Shvut (one driver was wounded), stabbed and wounded an Israeli guard outside the Rimon prison and tried to ram an Israeli with a car in Jilazoun. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I note that on Oct. 6, Palestinian Arabs near Qalqilya threw firebombs at Israelis, and dozens of others near Ramallah threw rocks, hitting one Israeli in the head. On Oct. 8, Palestinian Arabs shot and killed an 18-year-old female Israeli soldier near Shuafat. Dozens of Palestinian Arabs threw firebombs and explosive devices at Israelis in Jenin and fired shots at them. As I write this, there has been no let-up. On Oct. 11, Palestinian Arab terrorists murdered an Israeli near Shavei Shomron. On Oct. 14, they opened fire on Israelis in Jenin. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? All of this leads to two obvious questions: Why have the Arabs responded to Lapid's statehood offer in this way? And why is it that advocates of Palestinian statehood are always mistaken in their predictions about peace? As to the first question, one need only look at the historical record. The U.N. offered the Palestinian Arabs a state in 1947. They responded with violence. Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert offered them a state. They responded with violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered them something resembling a state—again, bombs and bullets. Clearly, the consensus among the Palestinian Arabs is that a state composed of most of Judea, Samaria and Gaza is insufficient. They consider all of Israel to be "Palestine." They want it all. Anything less is unacceptable. And the way they show that they dislike something is to murder Jews. The answer to the second question is that most advocates of Palestinian statehood—the Jewish left, the State Department, much of the news media—simply find it too painful to admit that their cherished belief is mistaken. It is frustrating and disorienting to acknowledge that creating a Palestinian Arab state will not bring peace. To do so would mean admitting that there is no "solution" to the Israeli-Arab conflict in the conventional sense. Westerners are accustomed to resolving international and regional conflicts through compromise and reason. It's too hard to accept that, in some parts of the world, compromise and reason simply don't work. Thus, supporters of the Palestinian Arab cause can operate only according to theories, never according to actual experience or facts. They have to pretend that their proposal has never been tried before, in order to create the false hope that it can work. But it has been tried before. Over and over. It never works, as Lapid has belatedly discovered. {Reposted from JNS} The Three Musketeers at the Kotel The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember. The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave. Surgeon at Israeli hospital pulls a live cockroach out of a woman's ear surgeon and director of the pediatric emergency department at Netanya's Laniado Medical Center was surprised after pulling out a cockroach from and woman's ear. By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH  Laniado Medical Center(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)Advertisement It's a rare event when Dr. Jay Wolgelernter – a surgeon and director of the pediatric emergency department at Netanya's Laniado Medical Center – encounters a live cockroach in his job, but that strange experience occurred recently and was surprising, if not disgusting. A woman in her 70s arrived at the emergency medicine and complained of suffering from very loud noise and a tingling sensation and intense irritation in her ear. Wolgelernter was on duty even though the patient was not a child. After questioning her, he realized that an insect had entered the ear canal and settled on her eardrum. This is a rare phenomenon, the treatment usually given to it begins with pouring an anesthetic liquid into the ear, thereby killing the bug and easing the pain. But the patient said she was sensitive to anesthetics, so it was impossible to perform the usual treatment. How the surgeon got it out The surgeon inserted a tiny camera into her ear canal, saw that it was a live, flying cockroach, located where it was and – thanks to his extensive experience – pulled it out on the first try despite opposition from the cockroach. All this was done without anesthesia at all, and the patient did not move despite the sound of the insect's wings on her eardrum and the pain. "Once every few years, I get a call in the middle of the night, with a complaint and terrifying screams from patients that an insect got into their ears. Sometimes they behave as if they were having a psychotic attack. When an insect settles on the eardrum, it produces a very loud noise, along with a severe itching/tickling/tingling sensation. It is simply unbearable. In this case, a woman came to me from the emergency room, with a complaint that about four days ago an insect entered her ear, and despite the situation, she managed to remain calm. I have no idea how. Had she not been so calm, I doubt very much if I would have been able to get the bug out of the ear without anesthesia." The dangers of an insect entering the ear, apart from the severe suffering, are infection, hearing loss and more. "It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I am happy that I was able to pull the bug out of her ear, and I wish her good health." Bombshell ruling: Baba Sali's family must pay income tax on 'earnings' Judge: Millions received by Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira & son Rabbi Yehuda considered business revenue. Israel National News) Tax Authority Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira Mordechai Yair Levy In what promises to be a controversial decision, Judge Magen Altuvia of the Tel Aviv District Court has ruled that tens of millions of shekels given to Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira (known as the "Baba Baruch") and his son Rabbi Yehuda Abuhatzeira are considered taxable income. The rabbis are members of a famous rabbinic dynasty; the Baba Baruch is the son of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the Baba Sali. They had appealed the assessments of the Tax Authority and denied claims that funds deposited into their bank accounts were equivalent to business revenue. Rabbi Baruch appealed tax assessments from the years 2003-2011 and his son Rabbi Yehuda appealed assessments from the years 2005-2011. According to the appellants, the funds that were deposited in their accounts during those years were personal gifts received at hilulas (festive memorial events) and were designated to be transferred afterward to various non-profit organizations. Other "income" was derived from the sale of religious articles that had belonged to the Baba Sali, or from voluntary contributions made by those who were seeking blessings or advice, as has been the custom in many haredi communities for hundreds of years. According to the Tax Authority, deposits to the rabbis' accounts (which have allegedly accumulated to the sum of approximately 59 million shekels - around $18 million - over the years) are to be considered income from religious services provided by Rabbi Baruch and his son and are therefore liable for tax. The Authority also claims that the rabbis do not keep track of the payments that they receive. The assessments are allegedly based on the deposits made to the appellants' accounts, after the transfer of funds to non-profit organizations. In its decision, the court stated that during his interrogation Rabbi Baruch confirmed that he accepts visitors several times a week, attends events, and arranges memorial services on certain dates (including once a year in Paris during which he raises hundreds of thousands of shekels for charitable purposes). The rabbi also stated that various individuals transfer funds to him and to non-profits, and added that he is assisted by a staff of assistants. The court has now ruled that millions of shekels a year received by Rabbi Baruch are to be considered payment for services rendered and are taxable income. "The sums raised, the frequency of the transfers, and the system which enabled the meetings with the rabbis demonstrate that this is a business or profession that derives from the rabbis' position and training, as well as the reputation of their family," the judge wrote in his decision. In addition, since the appellants did not maintain accounts as required, the court imposed on the appellants the relevant fines prescribed by law (in relation to the years 2009-2011) and required them to pay court costs to the amount of NIS 300,000. Ekev: Animals are served first! Israel's first Chief Rabbi: Why does the halakha have animals served before hunans? Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook Parshat Shavua Animals Rabbi Avraham Hakohen Kook Rabbi Kook Hilik Leitner collection The celebrated first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (1865-1935) is recognized as being among the most important Jewish thinkers of all time. His writings reflect the mystic's search for underlying unity in all aspects of life and the world, and his unique personality similarly united a rare combination of talents and gifts. He was the undisputed leader of Religious Zionism defining the Jewish People and the Land of Israel as entities with specific commandments in the Torah of Israel, a construct known as Torat Eretz Yisrael. Rav Kook was a prominent rabbinical authority and active public leader, but at the same time a deeply religious mystic. He was both Talmudic scholar and poet, original thinker and saintly tzaddik. The Torah promises that if we observe the mitzvot and sincerely love God, we will enjoy timely rain and bountiful crops: וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ׃ "I will give plants in your field for your animals; and you will eat and be satiated." (Deut. 11:15)Rav Abba Aricha, the celebrated third-century scholar, called attention to the order of the verse: first the animals eat, and only then the people. He learned from here that one should not eat before first placing food before one's animals. Why is this? Should not people eat first, since they are more important? Are not human beings "the crown of creation"? Rav Kook explained that this Talmudic rule of etiquette contains several moral lessons: Given our central place in the universe, we have a responsibility to look after all creatures. Our food (and in the case of the farmer, also his livelihood) is supplied by cows, chickens, and so on. We should feed these animals first as an expression of the fundamental gratitude we should feel toward these creatures which provide us with our basic needs. If we lack food for a short time, we may comfort ourselves with spiritual or intellectual pursuits. This is an integral aspect of the human soul, which is not sustained "by bread alone." Animals, however, have no such alternate outlets when they are pained by hunger. Therefore, it is logical to deal with the animal's hunger first. In purely physical aspects, animals are superior to humans. Is there a human being who is stronger than a bear, faster than a horse, more agile than a cat? Our superiority over animals lies exclusively in the spiritual realms: in our intelligence and our higher aspirations. Therefore, when it comes to physical sustenance, animals take precedence to humans, and by right are served first. (Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 180) Illustration image: Animal Industries at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan (PikiWiki) Sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ravkooktorah.org) See you tomorrow bli neder We need Moshiach now! Love Yehuda Lave Yehuda Lave, Spirtual Advisor and Counselor Jerusalem, Jerusalem  Israel 972-585043210 YehudaLave@gmail.com You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a purchase from us. Unsubscribe