Hello again and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links, and what a crazy week it was again on this fine planet.
One of the biggest stories of the week, of course, was the number of seemingly intelligent persons who were shocked and/or surprised by Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter for a very wide variety of unsavoury acts, which Hunter may or may not have committed during a very, very, very wide expanse of time. These same individuals were apparently very surprised that the date range of the presidential pardon, the Holy Grail of forgiveness in America, coincided with various acts and indulgences possibly committed by Hunter Biden's that may or may not be have been associated with the fine, upstanding state of Ukraine and its grafting, midget leader. Can you imagine the chances? Crazy, right?
This pardon and the possibly upcoming ones are about as surprising as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. Puh-lease. January just cannot come soon enough.
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As you may or may not know, the Jewish calendar is lunisolar – that is to say that the rhythm of Jewish life is influenced by the sun and the moon. We have just entered the Hebrew month of Kislev. This is the month during which Chanukah is celebrated and one of the traditional motifs of the holiday is light triumphing over darkness. Lo and behold, I saw some light emanating from the President elect. Did you see the post on Truth Social that Trump posted about the hostages? A few people on X quipped that Trump has learned how to speak Arabic. Imagine if such things were said by America on October 8th. Instead, Hamas saw weakness and American decline. And unfortunately, the Formerly Great Britain continues to disgrace itself-hosting these scumbags, who along with Iran, pathologically fund the destruction and jihadification of our countries. Absolutely pathetic. Thank you to President Trump for those rays of light. Also as an FYI, Chanukah and Christmas overlap this year. I'm not sure if that means anything in particular but it might!
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Keeping it Jewy, I wanted to take a moment for a brief shout out to Psalm 41 which I studied this week with my learning partner. I've asked you all several times if you grok the Jewy stuff and everyone seems to be on board so here we are. In my current favourite volume (Schottenstein Edition: The Kol Menachem Tehillim, with commentary and insights anthologized from classic Rabbinic texts and the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: Kol Menachem 2013).
In Psalm 41: 2, we read "Happy is he who understands the poor".
Now on the surface, this lesson seems pretty simple: happy is the person who understands what the poor person needs and they are happy that he or she can help by giving charity. Giving charity to the poor is a very good thing indeed. But the Talmud explains that there is something that is superior to charity and that is "gemilut chasadim" which roughly translates to "acts of kindness".
Why are acts of kindness even more redemptive, on a more elevated spiritual level, and even more Messianic than charity? This is because charity can only be extended to the poor, whereas acts of loving kindness can be extended to rich and poor.
The Rebbe explains:
"It is normal and understandable to give charity to a person who is in a desperate situation. But to give of your own money to someone who doesn't need it is unconventional, exceptional and messianic. That is the meaning of "Happy is he who understands the poor." Technically, the recipient of "gemilut chasadim" (acts of kindness) may be wealthy, and not in need of your assistance. But you understand that, right now, he is "poor"-there is something which you could help him with, and you rush to help him even though you could have excused yourself on the basis that he has money of his own. Such an act is truly messianic in character."
Let's all pray for loads of light and kindness to shine upon us, and do as many acts of redemptive, loving kindness and goodness as we can during our limited time on earth.
Have a great weekend and I'll pop into the comments as I'm able.
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North America:
"How Trump Can Reform The Mean Girl Media"
"One the dirtiest tricks of dirty tricks that prosecutors use is they perform dirty tricks (like making knowingly incorrect statements and charges in the legacy media to inspire hatred against the defendant) then they try to use the rules of the court to prevent the defendant from defending themselves against the wrongful, dishonest attacks."
Montreal: the antisemitism capital of North America.
What Canada has become under Justin Hairdo Castro.
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The Great Walkbackening, Reckoning and Accounting:
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The Formerly Great Britain:
"Every Zionist needs to leave Britain or be slaughtered."
"A Dark Day for Britain".
More here.
Imagine being too pro-Palestinian for BBC employees??!?! This is very hard for me to imagine.
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Jews and Israel:
"The first rule of negotiating with Islamic terrorists is don't.
Spiked: "Making It A Crime For the Jews to Defend Themselves"
"Here lie the remains of Joseph, viceroy of Egypt"
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Jewish Wisdom:
"We can learn from Esau's coarse behavior that an essential facet of doing what is right is doing it in a kind and considerate way. For example, the words we speak should not only be meaningful and free of any prohibited types of talk (falsehood, gossip, slander, etc.); they should also be refined and delicate, as were Jacob's."
"Light does not have to actively exert itself to dispel darkness – darkness simply ceases to exist in the presence of light.
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Europe:
Oh, how nice, she apologized. How helpful.
This is an amazing and important essay from Amanda Achtman about the German euthanasia program that preceded the mass murder of Jews. It is a very important topic that very few people know about. She brings context and sensitivity to the table, and it is particularly important to discuss the roots of "mercy killing" and its evolution and current societal iteration. I would urge you to read the whole thing.
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Barbarians:
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Human Grace:
"A Free Press Conversation With Natan Sharansky"
" A society's mission should be to assist the most vulnerable people how to live and not how to die.
"There's a pop-up Grandma Stand in New York City where you can chat with a grandma for free advice & a listening ear"
Dr. Naomi Wolf: "The Ceremony of Innocence"
One of the last "big" things I remember talking to Kathy Shaidle about quite extensively was the Notre Dame fire. We both were so upset about it and had long exchanges about the civilizational significance the event presented. So it does bring me a small measure of peace that it has been restored so beautifully and tastefully and NOT in a modern style. This story and its restoration is a bright light for us all especially as we approach Chanukah and Christmas.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.
