Glenn Beck: Truth-Seeker or Fear-Monger

My friends and family know that I am big fan of Glenn Beck. I have listened to Beck's radio program on and off for years, but became a devoted listener about 18 months ago.

I have watched as the ratings of his Fox News program have steadily climbed since its debut in January. In terms of viewership, he long ago surpassed the likes of Larry King, Chris Matthews, Olberman and Maddow. Now he is approaching Hannity and O'Reilly territory. The Fox News shows in general have been adding viewers almost as fast as network news and CNN have been bleeding them.

Something is going on in the country. The people have been awakened from their media-induced trance. The health care debate may have been the tipping point, but the country's agitation is not about health care. It is about all that health care represents--the spending, the government intrusion into our daily lives, the arrogance of the political class, the hypocrisy, the bailouts, the stimulus, the headlong rush into financial oblivion caused by crushing deficits and debt.

People hunger for truth. It is in our nature. Americans especially love the truth, and abhor tyranny, even tyranny with a smiley face. Our yearning for freedom and liberty runs so deep that it remains standing even in the face of the multi-generational attempts by our government schools to wipe the history books clean of our founding principles.

Naturally, people turn away from media outlets suffused with scorn for their deeply held values, like personal liberty, individual freedom, traditional morality or God--especially God. People don't like to be mocked merely for holding strong beliefs. So they turn instead to those whose values and worldview reflect their own and whose opinions they respect even if they disagree with them.

Which brings me back to Glenn Beck. A few months ago I dragged my kids to see a live simulcast of his stage show, entitled "Common Sense." It was funny, poignant and a terrific reminder of America’s uniqueness and her founding promise. I have read his book of the same name, in which he articulates the timeless principles of Thomas Paine. Glenn is either the most honest political and social commentator, or the most talented liar, of our time.

In case you haven’t heard, Glenn has embarked on an ambitious 5-day series on Fox called “The New Republic: America’s Future-- Reasonable Questions for Unreasonable Times.” This series is not about Barack Obama. It isn’t partisan. It is about what’s happening in our government and the people who surround our political “leaders.”

I have watched the first two episodes. The series is not some fear-mongering rant or a campaign of hate. It is a well-researched, documented and fact-laden look at some of the people advising Obama and Congress and the ideologies in which they are steeped. Glenn asks more questions than he answers, but even the questions are bracing and sobering.

It is the job of an independent media in a free society to question the government and the political class and to shine a light into the dark corners of the bureaucracy. The elite American media, however, are either unable or unwilling to perform their traditional role. So it is left to souls like Glenn Beck and others to fill the void.

I worry that Glenn will pay a price for having the gall to challenge our new overseers in the White House and Congress and Wall Street. The Left will pull out all the stops to try and marginalize him and even destroy him. They will do anything to shift the focus away from the truth of what they plan for this country. Perhaps their efforts are a good indication that Glenn is on to something.

Please watch the rest of Glenn’s series, starting tonight at 5pm. If you can’t watch it then fire up the old DVR and tape it. And please pass this post along to your friends, family and acquaintances and urge them to watch it too.

Click here for Glenn's discussion of Obama's Green Czar Van Jones from episode 1.

There are More Slaves Today Than Ever Before

So says Benjamin Skinner, currently a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and previously a special assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

This interview with Skinner highlights the horrific incidence of human bondage, slavery and trafficking worldwide, an issue virtually off the radar screen of American and international policymakers.

While left unsaid, it also points to the huge failure of international human rights organizations, NGOs and especially the United Nations in protecting the world's most vulnerable souls from human degradation.

For a change, here is an issue that transcends politics and the right/left divide.

Death panels? We don't need no stinkin' death panels!

Lets face it. The Brainless One, Sarah Palin, has in two words transformed the debate about ObamaCare in a way that the Brilliant One, Barack Obama, could not do in ten thousand.

Palin's detractors--meaning everyone in the Democrat- media-academia complex--would like you to believe that Palin—via her August 7th "death panels" entry on her Facebook page-- claimed that the Democrat’s health "reform" bill authorizes government bureacrats to deny care to the terminally ill or elderly. Of course, Palin claimed no such thing. Palin’s remarks were not meant as an indictment of any particular section, paragraph or clause of any proposed legislation. Rather, they were meant to describe the inevitable process that would be set in motion by whatever it is the Dems pass. Said Palin:

The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Now, we can debate some other time whether or not the Democrats' proposed health care system is "evil." Personally, I'd prefer to reserve that term for something really horrendous, like waterboarding the likes of Khalid Sheik Mohammed. But there is little debating the consequences of what has come to be known as ObamaCare.

Look, it’s really not that complicated. Obama has repeatedly said that the stated goal of health care “reform” is to reduce the costs of health care. Indeed, cost cutting was the core public justification for his plans. So taking Obama at his word, let’s consider the various ways that cost reductions can be accomplished:

(1) Reduce the fees docs and other providers receive for service.

(2) Reduce the amount of services delivered.

(3) Increase competition among providers and insurers to drive costs down.

(4) Reduce the number of people receiving health care.

(5) Create savings by focusing on "preventative" care.

Let’s look at these in descending numerical order.

(5) Savings from focusing on preventative care. As Charles Krauthammer pointed out recently, studies show that every ten dollars spent on prevention of illness yields about a dollar in savings. That is because preventative medicine is by definition practiced on the un-sick, most of whom will not get sick. Even the Democrat-run Congressional Budget Office states that preventative care will only increase, not decrease health costs. So prevention, while a laudable goal, is not going to reduce health care costs.

(4) Reduce the number of people receiving care. The other big goal of "reform" is to cover the 47 million poor souls without insurance. Sticking for a moment with the fictitious "47 million" number, that means adding more people to the system than are currently receiving Medicare. And half of all health care dollars are now spent on Medicare patients. By the Dems own math we are going to double the amount of people eligible for government-sponsored health care. No cost reductions here.

(3) Increase competition among providers and insurers to drive costs down. Even with increased competition, it is hard to see how health care costs would drop dramatically, especially with so many millions more in the system. But the point is moot because there is nothing being proposed by Democrats that would promote price competition either among docs or insurance companies.

(The last person who believed that the purpose of the so-called "public option" is to foster competition among insurance companies left the building weeks ago.)

And despite the cries of the Democratic-media complex to the contrary, Republicans are offering "reform" alternatives that would be pro-competitive, like making insurance available across state lines; tort reform; allowing patients to contract directly with providers, etc. But no one is listening, because competition has never been the goal of liberal health care "reform." Scratch number (3).

(2) Reduce the amount of services delivered. Now we're getting somewhere. The draft Waxman-Dingell-Miller “Tri-Committee” House bill establishes a vast federal bureaucracy with unprecedented (and unchecked) powers, among others, to audit medical records, analyze treatment outcomes, establish treatment protocols, mandate coverage caps and establish provider fee schedules on a one-size-fits-all basis. This byzantine structure will effectively exist for the sole purpose of deciding how much money is spent on health care and worse (if that,s possible) how those limited dollars are spent.

Ironically and bizarrely, politics and political correctness will compel the health bureaucrats to mandate heretofore un-covered treatments for the un-sick (think gender-change operations and abortion services). Meanwhile, economics and budgetary pressures will compel them to deny treatment to the sickest among us. So count on number (2).

(1) Reduce Fees to Providers. This goes hand in hand with number (2). The same bureaucracy that will determine how to spend the budgeted health care dollars will also reduce the rates that docs can bill for service. They will certainly have the legislative mandate to do so and will be subject to political pressure to reduce costs at any price. Reduce reimbursements or fees to the docs and they will take their talent and work ethic to a different endeavor. The iron law of economics cannot be broken even by bureaucrats.

And it is that iron law (and logic) that leads to the inevitable conclusion that the goal of health cost reduction so often expressed by Barack Obama and his minions can only be achieved on the backs of either the sickest (i.e., the oldest) patients, the doctors, or both. With fewer providers, fewer choices and less care, waiting lists and rationing are the inevitable result.

So who needs death panels or “public” options? The vast, unaccountable bureaucracy and its unforgiving mandates envisioned by the Democrats will be quite enough to completely re-make the health care industry, wreck the private health care market, and make life miserable or intolerable for millions for Americans.

So we can be afraid. Or we can do everything in our power to strangle this misbegotten monster in its crib

Another Diamond in the Necklace

By Moshe Feiglin

Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall surely adorn yourself with them all as with an ornament, and gird yourself with them, like a bride. (Isaiah 49:18)


Last week, we were invited to the airport to welcome a young relative who was making aliyah from the US. I had heard a lot about the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization that helps North American (and British) Jews to make aliyah. But until you see it with your own eyes, you don't really understand the amazing work that this organization does.


***
The Nefesh B'Nefesh charter plane rolls into Terminal 1. The people gathered to welcome the olim are allowed to wait for the new arrivals literally on the runway. The band plays. Singing and dancing all around. Suddenly, all the cynicism and daily battles peel off and the old and good Zionism shines forth in all its glory. This entire scene plays on some of my rusty heartstrings. Out of nowhere, my eyes fill with tears – that I try to hide behind the daily edition of the Jerusalem Post distributed by Nefesh B'Nefesh so that the people waiting will G-d forbid not get bored until the olim emerge from the plane.


Afterwards, some short speeches by [Prime Minister Netanyahu], Natan Sharansky and the heads of Nefesh B'Nefesh. Netanyahu mentioned something of which most people are not aware. In the upcoming year, with G-d's help, the number of Jews in the Land of Israel will be greater than the number of Jews in the Diaspora – according to Bibi, for the first time in 2000 years. It is nice that Bibi mentioned that, but he was off by about 1000 years. Even in the time of the Second Temple, the Jews in Israel were fewer in number than their Diaspora counterparts. In other words, we are at the threshold of a historic reality that has not transpired since the ten tribes were exiled prior to the destruction of the First Temple. This has far-reaching implications in Jewish law. Furthermore, what is both fascinating and gives me the goose bumps is the fact that the number we are talking about is six million Jews in Israel.


I do not generally write about the mystical significance of numbers. But it is crystal clear that the number 600,000 has special Jewish import. This was the number of draft-age Jews who were redeemed from Egypt and the parameter of 'public domain' in Jewish laws pertaining to Shabbat. In other words, a place through which 600,000 people pass is considered public domain in Jewish law. This number of Jews creates a new reality. When that happens in Israel, it is a positive new reality.


600,000 Jews lived in Israel when the State was established in 1948.


600,000 draft-aged men lived in Israel in the War of Miracles in 1967.


I do not know what the new reality of the majority of Jews in the world living in Israel will bring on its wings. Especially when the absolute number of Jews living here will be the significant 10 times 600,000 – six million. But the words of the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied more or less at the time that the majority of Jews in Israel was lost, strike a chord deep inside my heart:


Behold, Zion, see how your children are returning to you. And you, like a bride under the canopy, stand and watch as the lost diamonds return to you, one by one, to be embedded on the glorious necklace around your neck.


For those of you who want to know what will happen next, just look at Isaiah 49.


Moshe Feiglin is the leader of the Jewish Leadership faction of the Likud party, an organization that seeks to promote faith-based political leadership in Israel.

Healthcare Rationing: Real Scary

That's the title of a recent op-ed in The Los Angeles Times by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Nothing being proposed, contemplated, spun, backtracked or flip-flopped by the Administration
or Congress will change the ultimate reality of what health "care" legislation will result in.

Peter Schiff: Get rid of the Politicians

In the days or weeks to come I believe Peter Schiff will announce his candidacy for U.S. Senator from Connecticut. Peter seeks to unseat the corrupt plutocrat and career teat-sucker Senator Chris Dodd should he win the GOP primary.

Who is Peter Schiff? He is a political neophyte who is a successful investment advisor and author of the bestseller "Crashproof." Peter is also a well-known public speaker and frequent guest on the various cable business shows. He is the President of Euro Pacific Capital, a broker-dealer specializing in foreign markets.

Although Schiff will run as a Republican he can best be described as a free market libertarian. His views on the economy, the Fed, the U.S. dollar, the stimulus, Cash for Clunkers and the health "transform" bill, as well as his prospects for Dodd's Senate seat, are all clearly articulated in this 24-minute interview with Newsmax TV's Dan Mangru.

I urge you to take a listen and form your own opinion on whether Peter would be worthy of your support should he decide to run for office.

Another good reason for carrying an assault rifle...

Coroner: Wild dogs killed Ga. woman, then husband

What if George Were President?

A Poem by Scott Italiaander

What if George were President and promised to enlist
Devoted public servants instead of lobbyists,

And then named a tax cheater as our nation’s tax collector
And put in place some faceless “czars” to police the private sector?

What if George’s Chief of Staff was a ruthless machine hack
Who threatens corporate CEOs if they give him any flack?

What if George to Cairo flew to give a major speech

And suggested to the Muslim world that Jews are blocking peace?

And what if he had also said that Gazans' “humiliation”
Is caused not by their leaders but by Jewish “occupation”?

What if George were silent as the Mullahs killed dissenters,
Yet criticized Israelis for building shopping centers?

What if George’s party had a lock on Capitol Hill,
And spent damn near a trillion bucks on a pork-filled “stimulus” bill?

And what if six months later 2 million jobs went “poof”?
And the rate of unemployment kept climbing through the roof?

What if George’s buddies came up with legislation
Behind closed doors and out of sight to “transform” our health care system?

And what if George demanded: “Pass this plan this summer--
I don’t know what' in the bill, but the status quo’s a bummer”?

What if George told doctors: “From now on I’ll decide
Your fees for treatments rendered and the meds you can prescribe”?

What if George said that his plan will cause health costs to sink
When even his own experts say it’ll drown us in red ink?

And what if George insisted that old folks need not fear;
They'll not be forgotten when the end of life is near?

(“Together with your doctor you have freedom to decide:
The pills to keep you “comfortable”; or the assisted suicide.”)

What if George got testy when he found out that his plan
Wasn’t going over well with the average American

And came up with a website suggesting we inform
On disloyal friends and neighbors who oppose Health Care “Reform”?

What if George’s cronies called those who would dissent
Racist “Evil-Mongers”; a Mob of malcontents?

And what if George’s allies came to a Town Hall or a rally
To intimidate the people from speaking their minds freely?

What if George refused to hear what the people have to say

And told those who don't agree to get out of his way?

*** *** ***

My friends, you know the answer to the questions I have posed.
We don’t have to speculate, for everybody knows:

The Democrats in Congress and the elite establishment
Would be screaming for impeachment-- if George were President.

Town hall protests on health care are American, too

By Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is an author, radio host and columnist who holds political views that most would describe as left-of-center .

I have no illusions about protesters at the recent town hall meetings on health care.

Some are fueled by angry conservative groups. Some are hopped up on radio hosts' rants and ravings. Some are Barack Obama haters. Some use one piece of wrong information to smear an entire event.

And some just think the whole idea of government health care stinks.

But all of them -- all of them -- have the right to be there, and the right to their point of view. Liberal-minded thinkers who regularly speak up for the poor and underprivileged cannot suddenly yank the rug when it comes to free speech for others.

No matter what I think of national health care -- no matter what you think, either -- it is an issue that affects everyone, and everyone should have the same right to talk, argue or shout about it.

The fact that some are doing so in an impolite, abrasive way is unfortunate.
But then, there is precedent.

Let's be honest. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s took great pride in storming events and yelling slogans. We didn't care who we interrupted. We were, in our minds, right and proud and arguing for our beliefs. And we look back on that era now with a certain pride. We were engaged. We were involved. We gave a damn.

Well, some of us are the same people now offended by critics shouting, "Socialism!" or, "Kill the bill!" at these town hall meetings. We chide the protesters for lacking all the facts or for looking out for only their small group's interests.

But ask yourself, did we always have all the information when we did the shouting? Did we always read all the fine print? Probably not. We had our basic core beliefs (Stop the war! Save the environment! More rights for women!) and we fought for them whenever we perceived an enemy.

Well, like it or not, people perceive an enemy when they hear about a government health-care plan. Especially one so complex, confusing and undercooked that no one can really say what it will or won't allow, or who will or won't pay for it.

And so they yell. And if they are yelling incorrect facts, it is the burden of those hosting these events (usually Democratic lawmakers) to correct them.

And if they are yelling they hate it, they don't want it -- well, what's wrong with that?

Now, I know some of these protesters are sent by dubiously named groups like Americans for Prosperity, which sounds harmless enough, until you check and see the group's leader once organized for Enron and worked with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

I know these groups often hand out instructions on how to be disruptive.

And I know some people just want to see Obama -- and any of his plans -- fail.
But that's what America is. That's what town halls are for. And let's be honest, politicians try to orchestrate these events as much as protesters do. The only problem I have is when people won't let others speak or come only to disrupt. That's not right. That's not democracy.

But the rest is. If you feel other people are ill-informed, take the time to try to correct them. If you feel others are shouting to bring down a cause, shout to bring it up.

But I would rather live in a place where people questioned what their government proposed rather than swallowing it blindly -- especially a government whose members guard our tax money while taking bribes, shout morality and then get caught with their pants down, or lecture businessmen about private planes and then order a bunch for themselves.

What did Democrats expect with a bill like this? Roses and hosannas? Many who supported Obama's campaign promises of health care for everyone wouldn't have done so if they read how he now plans to pay for and administer it.

It may not be pretty, but shouting and confrontations are part of this country. They have been from the start. More manners would be better. But silence would be worse

Congress Votes to Outsource Presidency...

...if only in our dreams.

Congress today announced that the office of President of the United States of America will be outsourced to India as of September 1, 2009. The move is being made in order to save the President's $400,000 yearly salary, and also a record $750 billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead that his office has incurred during the last 3 months.

It is anticipated that $7 trillion can be saved to the end of the President's term. "We believe this is a wise financial move. The cost savings are huge," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-WA). "We cannot remain competitive on the world stage with the current level of cash outlay," Reynolds noted.

Obama was informed by email this morning of his termination. Preparations for the job move have been underway for some time. Gurvinder Singh, a tele-technician for Indus Teleservices, Mumbai India , will assume the office of President as of September 1, 2009. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his Indian parents were vacationing at Niagara Falls , NY . Thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month, but no health coverage or other benefits.

It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job responsibilities without a support staff. Due to the time difference between the US and India , he will be working primarily at night. "Working nights will allow me to keep my day job at the Dell Computer call center," stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive interview. "I am excited about this position. I always hoped I would be President." A Congressional spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be fully aware of all the issues involved in the office of President, this should not be a problem as Obama had never been familiar with the issues either.

Mr. Singh will rely upon a script tree that will enable him to respond effectively to most topics of concern. Using these canned responses, he can address common concerns without having to understand the underlying issue at all. "We know these scripting tools work," stated the spokesperson. "Obama has used them successfully for years, with the result that some people actually thought he knew what he was talking about."

Obama will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his final day of employment. Following a two-week waiting period, he will be eligible for $140 a week unemployment for 26 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be eligible for Medicaid, as his unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit.

Obama has been provided with the outplacement services of Manpower, Inc. to help him write a resume and prepare for his upcoming job transition. According to Manpower, Obama may have difficulties in securing a new position due to a lack of any successful work experience during his lifetime. A greeter position at Wal-Mart was suggested due to Obama's extensive experience at shaking hands, as well as his special smile.

Our trip to Israel: A letter to my sons (Part 4)

Shabbos--Saturday. Shabbos morning you slept in while I went across the street to the Yeshurun Central Synagogue for morning prayers. I was introduced to “Yeckie” (German)-style davening, with its cantorial flourishes and ritual formalities. It appeared to me that the majority of worshipers were over the age of 65; I wonder what will become of the German-Jewish synagogue when this age cohort is no longer with us.

I dragged you out of your beds in time to walk to Harold and Shanie Stiefel’s apartment for lunch. These fortunate Atlantans spend their summers in Jerusalem in their large airy flat on Keren HaYesod just a few blocks down from the Great Jerusalem Synagogue. We joined them, their 4 lovely daughters, their son Daniel, a friend of his serving in the IDF, and Harold’s parents for a sumptuous Shabbat meal and some really interesting conversation. (Harold is one of those people who can talk about anything—he knows a lot without seeming like a know-it-all. I especially enjoyed hearing his stories about life in Israel.)

You probably noticed that we were asked to wash “natilas yadayim” before the recital of Kiddush, not afterwards as we do at home. This is a “Yeckie” custom of unknown meaning (to me). I can only assume it derives from the fact that German Jews are known for not wasting time. Perhaps this custom was adopted in order to get to the “business” part of the meal as quickly and efficiently as possible!

As an example of Germanic focus on punctuality, Harold announced that we would “bensch” precisely at 1:15 and walk down the block in time to daven mincha at the earliest possible time before returning to the flat for dessert. I am glad we didn’t give in to the temptation to “bail out” of this exercise for an afternoon nap because we would have missed a treat. Upon our return to the apartment we noticed the table was filled with the most delectable cakes, rugelahs (coated with marzipan no less), sweets and fruits I’ve seen. We stayed another hour eating and shmoosing. I think I gained 5 pounds on the spot.

The Shomron (Samaria). I would wager that few Israelis-- not to mention Americans-- have visited the “West Bank” communities of Judea (to Jerusalem's south) or Samaria (in the north). A gentlemen named Moshe, who is a colleague of the ubiquitous and colorful Chanoch E., led us on a land tour of the Samarian settlements of Elkana, Shaarei Tikveh and Ariel. Much of the world conceives of these “settlements” as a collection of temporary, illegal dwellings on land seized from Arabs by Zionist radicals. As we saw, these places are fully developed towns and cities more reminiscent of the enclaves of San Diego than of ramshackle outposts. We also saw a number of Arab villages throughout the Shomron, as well as vast tracts of land and hilltops in the territory that are claimed by neither Jew nor Arab. If all the Jews in, say, the town of Ariel were forcibly evicted tomorrow “for the sake of peace,” it might well be ransacked by the Arabs, but I doubt a single Arab would feel compelled to move there.

I don’t know whether or not it is a good idea for Jews to spend so much time and energy expanding these settlements (although I believe they should have the right to do so). There are plenty of opportunities for Jews to expand their presence in “Israel proper,” whether it be in Modi’in, Bet Shemesh, the new town of Lachish, Ashdod or even the Galil. Apparently Arabs are buying up hundreds of dunams of “Jewish” land throughout Israel. Perhaps it would behoove both Israeli and American Jews to consolidate their hold on the parts of Israel that (at least so far) are undisputed rather than focus on the more far-flung enterprises.

Our Final Hours in Israel. After our return from the Shomron we were all laid low by a stomach bug that left us weak and listless for almost 24 hours. Fortunately we recovered by midday Monday, our final day in Israel. After packing and hurriedly snatching up some last minute gifts on Ben Yehuda Street ("hurriedly" is an expensive way to shop), we shoved our luggage into the Hyundai and trundled off to Nachalat Shmuel Yeshiva, where the last of the week-long Sheva Brachas for the Scheinbergs’ daughter and son-in-law was underway.

A room full of around 45 high school bocherim honored the chosson and kallah through words of Torah and singing while their devoted Rosh HaYeshiva and his family looked on approvingly. We were more like spectators than participants, but it was hard not to appreciate the event for its youthful exuberance, solemn spiritual significance and the yiddishe nachas felt by family and friends.

After meeting the gracious Mrs. Scheinberg and her beautiful daughter Rivka and her new husband, Rabbi Scheinberg announced that he would like to take us to Petach Tikvah, near Tel Aviv, to visit Yeshiva Ohr Yisroel. This was not so much a suggestion as a declaration of fact. It didn't seem possible to resist a will as strong as Rav Scheinberg’s, and so we piled in the car and went along.

According to Rabbi Scheinberg, Ohr Yisroel is one of the most demanding and rigorous post-high school yeshivos in Israel, with 350 or so of the “best and the brightest” talmidim (students). It is impossible for me to judge the quality of the learners or the learning, but certainly I was impressed by the sight and sound of hundreds of boys learning Gemara (Talmud) in the beis midrash that Monday afternoon. I have seen this sight before, at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Jerusalem and Ner Israel in Baltimore, and it is a sight that never fails to awe and inspire.

We all have different missions to fulfill and there are many ways to contribute to Am Yisroel without engaging in full-time Torah study, as praiseworthy as that is. However, because so few Jews engage in the mitzvah of Torah learning even on a part-time basis, one has to view the boys and men engaged in the full-time study of Torah as carrying all of K’lal Yisroel on their shoulders. By helping support institutions of Torah learning both in Israel and at home, we not only have a share in the accomplishments of their talmidim-- we help bring more Torah into the world in the merit of K’lal Yisroel and, G-d willing, help hasten the day of our Redemption.

We were delighted to learn that the Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Rozen, had taken time from his crushing schedule to meet with us. He ushered us in to his comfortable and surprisingly spacious study/conference room, where fruits, cakes and soft drinks were laid out for us. Language barriers limited our conversation to pleasantries, but the Rav managed to communicate to us his warmth, sincerity and devotion to his Yeshiva and “his boys.” Merely being in the presence of one as humble and self-effacing as Rav Rozen is a memorable experience.

We ended our visit to Ohr Yisroel and said our goodbyes to Yaacov and Rav Sheinberg, then made our way to Tel Aviv for a look at the Mediterranean and a bite to eat. After a long, exhausting and satisfying day we checked in at the airport and soon thereafter boarded our flight to Atlanta.

Could ObamaCare lead to this?

Patients forced to live in agony after NHS refuses to pay for painkilling injections

--headline in Sunday's U.K. Daily Telegraph

Tens of thousands with chronic back pain will be forced to live in agony after a decision to slash the number of painkilling injections issued on the NHS, doctors have warned.

The Government's drug rationing watchdog says "therapeutic" injections of steroids, such as cortisone, which are used to reduce inflammation, should no longer be offered to patients suffering from persistent lower back pain when the cause is not known...

click here for story