העורך Editor

I recommend reading the whole article over here.

An excerpt:

… Therefore, election day is basically a national emergency day, and we should pray that somehow God grants us the wisdom to choose what is right.

…

The Knesset elections are to be held on Tuesday, the fourth of Nisan (April 9), and because it is inappropriate to hold a public fast day during Nisan, I propose that the previous day, Monday, the third of Nisan, be declared a day of extra prayer, while on election day laymen should be encouraged to spend a significant part of their work holiday in the study halls.

Again, see the rest here.

Apparently, the “Academy for the Hebrew Language” (the governmental language standards organization) has decided next year will be noted in all government documents as תש”ף (instead of תש”פ, like a normal person!).

I believe that distorts the Gematria. The regular פ is 80, while the ending form of ף is sometimes 800! See this essay by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg, and the chart at the end.

And see the following screenshot of the pesukim counts in the ArtScroll Chumash:

At least their decisions aren’t binding on civilians yet…

Rabbi Miller as quoted in “Rav Avigdor Miller – His Life And His Revolution” by Rabbi Yaakov Y. Hamburger (I don’t recall the page number):

I’ll tell you a story. In Vilna, Reb Yisrael Salanter once entered the big shul and there was a custom to say, ‘Hanosein teshuah lamelachim,’ a certain prayer for the king. When the shamash skipped it, Reb Yisrael went up to the bimah, took the siddur, and recited it out loud for the public to hear. He did it to let them know that it’s an obligation – we have to pray for the government.

Yes, there’s a difference between the two!

The following story is highly representative of the sort of Halachic rulings which help spread the misery:

Rabbi Greenblatt told this writer that there was a Yeshiva Day School principal who was abusive to children in his school. The incidents were investigated and found out to be true. The principal had a year to go in his contract and agreed to go quietly after the year would be up. An assistant principal was hired for the specific purpose of supervising the behavior of the principal. This solution was recommended by the posek to whom the problem was referred. What would have happened had the principal refused to go along with this solution? Rabbi Greenblatt said it would then have been appropriate to go to the newspaper and write an article saying there was a principal who was accused of mistreating children. The name of the principal should not be mentioned so that there should not be further embarrassment to him. If he still refuses to accept the posek‘s decision, then his name and more details can be written because the rights of the community supersede the rights of the individual who is threatening the welfare of the community, according to Rabbi Greenblatt. Once the principal agrees to the plans for his departure, no other articles specifically referring to him may be written since that would cause needless embarrassment.