Galus Judaism VS the Temple

A quote from Haaretz, the day after the modern liberation of Jerusalem (from Sichat Hashavua, Iyar 19 5778, #1635):

מי שראה אתמול את ירושלים בשמחתה, אולי היה יכול לתאר לעצמו את שמחת ירושלים הקדומה, בעת העלייה לרגל בשלוש הרגלים. ובסערת הרגשות הפך, לפתע, גם המושג של בית המקדש למשהו מוחשי יותר. ‘עתה אפשר יהיה לבנות את בית המקדש’. זו הייתה אמירה שיצאה מן הלב. אתמול התכוונו האנשים ברצינות לדבריהם. אמר זאת רופא פרופסור באוניברסיטה. אמר זאת תלמיד תיכון. אמרו זאת רבים, ודווקא לא דתיים…

One can certainly claim the reason religious Jews didn’t speak this way is they are more aware of the technical Halachic hurdles (although not everyone is so knowledgable). And perhaps Haaretz’s reporter didn’t try to speak with religious Jews at all. But my heart tells me Moshe Feiglin is right when he says the Beis Hamidash “doesn’t fit” into Galus judaism, instead.

Many of the supposed problems are not insurmountable, as Rabbi Brand explains. Others might be solved through joint effort. Instead, the anti-visionary “religious” team up with the wicked regime to spread falsehoods of threatening physical and spiritual danger in ascending the mount and coming closer to Hashem.

May Hashem put it in our hearts to do full Teshuvah, especially the “already religious”!

Maybe Kedushas Tzion Can Include This

Chagigah 5b:

ודמע תדמע ותרד עיני דמעה כי נשבה עדר ה’, אמר רבי אלעזר שלש דמעות הללו למה אחת על מקדש ראשון ואחת על מקדש שני ואחת על ישראל שגלו ממקומן ואיכא דאמרי אחת על ביטול תורה בשלמא למאן דאמר על ישראל שגלו היינו דכתיב כי נשבה עדר ה’ אלא למאן דאמר על ביטול תורה מאי כי נשבה עדר ה’ כיון שגלו ישראל ממקומן אין לך ביטול תורה גדול מזה.

Chiddushim Ubiurim by Rabbi Chaim Greineman:

כיון שגלו ישראל ממקומן אין לך ביטול תורה גדול מזה, לכאו’ ר”ל דבגלות בהכרח מתבטלין מן התורה, מתוך טורח הגלות, אבל לפ”ז קשה הלשון שאין לך ביטול תורה גדול מזה, וגם לפ”ז הול”ל כיון שגלו ישראל ממילא בטלו מן התורה, ואפשר דרמזו למה שאמרו ספרי עקב בגויים אין תורה, מכאן שהתורה בא”י, ובב”ר פט”ז שאין תורה כתורת א”י, והיינו אין לך ביטול תורה גדול מזה.

Why Do We Need to Rebuild Israel Before the Full Redemption?

lo timacher l’tzemisus – redeeem the land

The Mishnas Chasidim, quoted by Rav Teichtel in his sefer Mishneh Sachir on parshas Bechukosai, writes that in the two years he spent in Tzefat in 1718/19 — almost exactly 300 years ago — he saw so many houses being built that he felt it could not be anything less than a reversal of the curse of ‘v’areichem ye’hi’yu charva,” the promise in the tochacha of the land being laid desolate.  The development of the city, says the Mishnas Chasidim, is a “siman l’bi’as ha’go’el.”
What do you think the Mishnas Chasidim would say were he alive today, looking at the many cranes that dot every neighborhood of Yerushalayim, at the buildings going up all over Eretz Yisrael?   What do you think he would say if he witnessed the celebration of Yom Yerushalayim in a rebuilt, modern, Yerushalayim in an independent Jewish state?

Ramban in sefer ha’mitzvot lav 227 discusses the nature of the issur of “lo timacher l’tzemisus.”  Rashi seems to hold the issur is for the buyer not to return the land, but, as Ramban points out, the formulation of the lav seems to indicate the prohibition is on the seller, not the buyer.  Ramban, based on the Yerushalmi, is machadesh that the issur is in selling land to an aku”m, who has no incentive to return it.  Ramban then compares the issur of leaving Eretz Yisrael in the hands of aku”m to the mitzvah of redeeming a Jew who is sold into slavery to an aku”m.  Just like in that case  the Torah tells us that the reason for the mitzvah is “ki li Bnei Yisrael avadim,” that we are supposed to be servants only of Hashem, so too, Eretz Yisrael is supposed to be a land dedicated to being a makom Shechina, a place of service to Hashem, which is impossible so long as it is not in our hands.

Big Pharma PAYS For Its Own Regulation…

New Law Will Raise Drug Prices

Written by Gary North on July 3, 2012

Most Americans are unaware that the pharmaceutical companies that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration are required to pay for this regulation.

The FDA negotiates these fees.

Does this sound like a system of payoffs?  It does to me. But Congress thinks it’s business as usual.

Now Congress is united. The law must extend to generic drugs. These are not new drugs that require extensive testing. They are drugs whose patent protection has run out.

The new law will bring in an extra $6 billion over the next five years.

The old law was set to expire. So, Congress passed a new one.

It took key lawmakers a year to draft this law.

Think of this. Nobody in Congress was allowed read Obamacare’s 2,700 pages before the vote. Not enough time, Pelosi said. But a $1 billion a year bill took a year to draft.

The Washington Post describes the arrangement.

Traditionally, the FDA has collected most of its fees from companies that make brand-name drugs, and it will continue to do so under this bill, starting with $693 million through next year. Medical-device manufacturers will kick in $595 million total through 2017. The funds will enable the agency to more quickly review those industries’ products.

Makers of generic drugs will pay about $300 million annually. In return, the FDA has committed to speed approval of generic drugs and more closely scrutinize imported generics.

Let me understand this. The FDA demands that the regulated forms pay money to speed up the regulatory process.

What happens if a firm does not pay? Delays?

But this system is not an aspect of coercion. It does not lead to a system of bribery. No, no, no. It is just a way to help reduce costs to government.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that the legislation will reduce federal spending by $311 million over 10 years, mostly by helping generic drugs reach the market faster. That would slash federal drug expenditures for Medicare and similar programs.

Let’s see: that’s about $31 million a year.

Continue reading…

From Tea Party Economist, here.