העורך Editor

Charedim Are Israel’s ‘JEWS’? Hmmm

Quoting from Chananya Weissman’s newsletter:

I spent enough time preparing and teaching the class, and will not summarize it all here. It’s embedded above and on Rumble here. Those who are smart and want to become even smarter will listen to it; יהב חכמתא לחכימין.

I will, however, translate a short excerpt from Rav Wasserman’s essay, which is of utmost importance and fits today’s headlines like a glove:

And so it is with libels. Just as the nations constantly search for libels against the general Jewish people, so the wicked of our people constantly search for libels against the general learners of Torah. If it so happens that one of the Bnei Torah stumbles in something improper, they will not scorn him alone, but their wrath will go out against the learners in general.

The truth is that these two wars, the hatred of the nations toward our people, and the hatred of the wicked of Israel toward those who fear Hashem — both of them are one and the same, and that is the war of impurity against holiness, as it is written “It is a war for Hashem against Amalek from generation to generation” (Shemos 17:16), for Amalek is the root of impurity in all the generations. And so wrote the Gra (Even Sheleima 11), the Amalekites are the heads of Israel in exile, etc., and about them it says “Their enemies became their leaders” (Eicha 1:5).

Even the language and tactics of the blood libels are eerily similar. They aren’t loyal citizens…they don’t care about anyone else…they wield too much power…they steal our money…they couldn’t survive without us…we are dying for them…they control our leaders…they spread disease…they have too many children…and on and on.

Measure for measure. It’s the same war.

Read the rest here…

Quick Guide to Listening to Primary Torah Texts on Sefaria

I didn’t check this, just asked ChatGPT:

✅ What Sefaria already offers (natively)

  • On Sefaria’s website, for the Five Books of Moses, many verses can be heard chanted (with trop / cantillation) in Ashkenazi melody: open any passage → scroll to the “Torah Readings” section in the Resource Panel → click ▶ to play. help.sefaria.org+1

  • Sefaria remains a free, open-source library of Hebrew/English Tanach, Talmud, commentaries, etc. Wikipedia+1

Thus: if you want a proper chanting of Tanach verses, that built-in feature works — but only on a device where Sefaria displays the audio icons properly (typically a desktop / laptop browser), not always reliably on mobile. hebcal.com+1

🎧 For general Hebrew/Torah text (or other works) — use your OS/browser text-to-speech

If the text has no native chanting audio (e.g., many commentaries, non-Tanach, etc.), you can still listen by using the text-to-speech (TTS) or screen-reader utilities built into your OS or browser.

On Mac

  1. Open System Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak (or “Speech,” depending on your macOS version). Apple Support+2Apple Support+2

  2. Enable “Speak selected text when the key is pressed” (or similar). Set or accept a keyboard shortcut (default often Option–Esc or Cmd–Esc). Apple Support+1

  3. In your browser, open the page you want on Sefaria. Select (highlight) the Hebrew (or English) text you wish to hear.

  4. Press the chosen shortcut — the Mac will read aloud the selected text. You may also adjust voice, rate, etc., in settings. Apple Support+1

This works for any text on screen — Tanach, Talmud, commentaries — even if Sefaria has no built-in audio.

On Windows

  1. Use the built-in screen reader Narrator (no extra cost or download needed). To activate: press Windows-logo key + Ctrl + Enter. Microsoft Support+1

  2. In Narrator settings you can adjust voice, speed, and reading control (pause, skip, etc.). Microsoft Support+1

  3. Open Sefaria in your browser, navigate to the text you want, and let Narrator read the web page aloud.

Alternatively, many browsers (or third-party TTS / “Read Aloud” extensions) may read the page — but for simplicity Narrator suffices out-of-the-box.

⚠️ What to watch out for & limitations

  • The built-in Sefaria chanting-audio is only for Biblical-text (Tanach), not for Talmud, commentaries, halachic works, etc. help.sefaria.org+2help.sefaria.org+2

  • If you rely on OS TTS (not chanting), the pronunciation is generic — not a proper trop, and lacks the traditional cantillation melody.

  • Text-to-speech may mispronounce complex Hebrew (e.g. rare words, Aramaic, vowel marks, cantillation marks), especially in classical or masoretic text.

📚 Recommended workflow depending on your goal

  • To hear an actual Torah verse with trop (for learning leyning or melody): use Sefaria’s native “Torah Readings” audio.

  • To hear general texts — mitzvot, Gemara, Rishonim, commentaries — to follow while reading or for reviewing: use Mac’s Speak-Selection or Windows’ Narrator.

  • For deeper learning (text + translation + commentary): open the Hebrew + English side-by-side on Sefaria, and optionally use TTS on the English side so you can follow meaning while reading Hebrew (or vice versa).

‘I think that I am here, on this earth, to present a report on it, but to whom I don’t know’

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