Rabbi Ben Packer

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/20/2025, 8:49:57 PM

Packer on the Parsha - Parshas Mishpatim

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/21/2025, 10:54:51 AM

https://mailchi.mp/51113ca56663/we-will-win

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/26/2025, 10:38:54 PM

This Week Today Current Events from Israel I saw a video this week of the head singer of the “Green Day” band wearing an Arab terrorist flag during some semblance of a performance. First of all, obviously I would never listen to white music during Black History Month and secondly, I had optimistically thought that his heartbeat had gone the same route as music career, but alas, it still exists. Anyway, I will admit that I listened to his music about 30 years ago and even then I thought he was an idiot, but I can confidently say that in answer to his question, I certainly have no time to listen to him whine. Some might think that all this is a bit harsh, but if we did like this to all of these terrorist supporting Jew-haters maybe they would think twice before doing stupid things. Anyway, it’s worth it for laughs alone. The Bibas Family The Bibas Mother and two young children were buried this week after their bodies were returned by Hamas as part of the current ceasefire agreement. Initially, Hamas returned the body of some random Arab woman instead of Shiri Bibas, hy’d. After Israel performed forensic tests, it was determined that it was the wrong body. After that, Hamas sent the right body. As if that wasn’t enough, the Israeli coroners were able to determine definitively that the Bibas children were killed by the terrorists with their bare hands and not in a bombing, as Hamas had erroneously claimed. Pretty awful, but not too surprising considering Oct. 7th. You would think that this news might cause some of the anti-Jewish folks on US campuses and in Hollywood to change course, but they seem to just double down. It reminds of that old physics theory: “Stupidity in motion, tends to stay in motion”. Tens of thousands of Israelis lined the roads of the procession of the funeral. Many of them wore orange which has become a symbol of the Bibas children because of their orange hair. Very ironically, orange was also the color of the Jewish communities in Gaza and was prominent in the demonstrations against their destruction. A popular meme that spread on social media said “If we had listened to the orange of 2005, then we wouldn’t have arrived to the orange of 2025”. Yep. Ceasefire Deal After 6 live Israeli hostages were released this past Shabbat, Israel refused to release the requisite Arab terrorists from Israeli prisons. Israel cited Hamas’ many violations of the agreement and the disgusting ceremonies with the hostages as the reason for the delay. Eventually a deal was brokered where Hamas would transfer 4 bodies of Israelis they previously killed to Egypt and the Egyptians would then deliver them to Israel, with no ceremony party, and then Israel would release all the terrorists that they had originally agreed to release. With the release of the bodies and the terrorists, the first phase of the deal is theoretically concluded. The second phase of the deal is supposed to be under negotiation now, but that isn’t really happening. Instead, Israel is offering an extension of the current phase. Basically, the ceasefire would be extended and Israel would release more terrorists in exchange for more live hostages. There are currently believed to be 24 living hostages in Hamas custody, including 2 foreign workers. Among the 22 Jewish hostages, 4 are fathers and it’s likely Israel will strongly attempt to secure their release. Any potential deal reached will probably include a ceasefire extending through the month of Ramadan. Alternatively, pretty much effective immediately, the war could be back on and that could include Hezbollah in the north and the moronic Houthis from Yemen. And there are crazy rumors going around now about Egypt and Jordan as well. Syria It was quite a dramatic week between Israel and the new regime in Syria. Basically, Israel announced a whole new policy that they were now guaranteeing the safety of the minority Druze communities in southern Syria. Some leaders of these communities had explicitly pleaded for this publicly in the recent past. Now they got it. Needless to say, the new Syrian jihadi junta was none too pleased by all this. They arranged to meet with Druze leaders in an attempt to reassure them. Subsequently, Israeli forces, both air and land, attacked targets of the new regime in southern Syria for the first time. This was a clear sign that Israel was very serious about enforcing the recent declaration. Unclear how the regime will respond, but it could actually end up being very similar to the way that the Assad regime consistently responded to Israeli attacks - not at all. They got a lot going on and it just ain’t worth it right now and might never be. Lebanon Israeli forces continue to hold positions within southern Lebanon and Lebanon continues to complain about it. Despite this, there has been no discernible offensive action by Hezbollah. What there has been are attempts by Hezbollah to rearm through the smuggling of weapons into Lebanon and the smuggling of terrorists to the south. They also had a funeral for Nasrallah and a bunch of other dead Hezbollah leaders. One might think if Hezbollah is in the process of rebuilding and is weak, then now is the time to hit them even harder. Apparently that one must not be Prime Minister Netanyahu. During the funeral this week in Lebanon, Israeli Air Force fighter planes flew low over the stadium, but did not fire, despite the abundance of significant potential terror targets below. There are rumors that maybe both Israel and the US are planning to hit Iran very hard soon, maybe that explains it. Not much else does. Judea and Samaria The IDF continues to operate extensively in northern Samaria, even employing tanks for the first time in decades. More terrorists were eliminated and arrested. A bit of a recurring theme. There are reports that large numbers of residents from areas with high concentrations of terrorism have been evicted and aren’t being allowed to return. Not sure how accurate any of that is, but would be a good idea. There is more and more chatter about applying Israeli sovereignty to areas throughout what the goyim called the “West Bank”. Some folks are talking about the Jordan Valley, parts of Area C, the whole thing, all of Gaza - you get the point. Ironically, former Prime Minister and inmate, Ehud Olmert, thought that this week would be a good time to revisit his offer to Mahmoud Abbas almost 20 years ago where he tried to give away everything and Abbas just laughed at him. Now everyone is laughing at him. What a clown. An evil clown. He will be remembered as one of the biggest losers in the history of the country. Speaking of being remembered, Jewish social media is abuzz this week with posts for and against the opinions of the late Rav Meir Kahane, hy’d. Needless to say, he was right. -Ben Packer +972-54-447-0221

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/20/2025, 9:30:57 AM

This Week Today Current Events from Israel Just ten days remain in Black History Month and then it’s straight into always peaceful Ramadan - quite a year to be north African. Ok, now onto important things. I apologize for the delay in the news update this week, there was a violent burglary/attack in the Old City and I had to respond as part of the first response team. The victim is recovering and searches are continuing for the perpetrator, who has reportedly fled Jerusalem. Israeli Hostages in Gaza We are nearing the end of Phase 1 of the current hostage deal with Hamas. Negotiations have begun toward a Phase 2, but nothing has been agreed to as of now. According to the schedule of Phase 1, and a secret until very recently, 4 dead hostages are to be returned to Israel this Thursday. After that, what was supposed to happen was that 3 more live hostages would be released on Shabbos and then repeat again the following week. Meaning, as of this writing, there are 6 more live hostages to be released and 8 dead hostages to be released as part of Phase 1. Of the 6 live hostages, 4 were kidnapped on Oct. 7th and 2 are Israeli citizens (an Arab and an Ethiopian) who crossed into Gaza approximately 10 years ago of their own volition and who reportedly suffer from mental health situations. At some point this week it was agreed to by Israel and Hamas that all 6 live Israeli hostages would be released this Shabbos in return for Israel allowing the entrance of heavy machinery and temporary trailer residences into Gaza. It’s a pretty bizarre deal. Why is it worth it for Israel to move up the release of the 3 remaining live hostages (of which only one is connected to Oct. 7th) by one week? Certainly it’s a nice thing, but how is it worth it to give something to Hamas - something that they will celebrate publicly as a major victory? Perhaps Israel was already aware that of the 4 bodies being returned, 3 of them would be the Bibas family members - mother and two small children. While it has seemed fairly clear that they have been dead for some time (over a year), it appears that many in Israel and around the world were holding out hope that somehow that was not the case. I have no idea why folks would think that, but it seems quite widespread. As if killing a mother and 2 kids is anywhere near out of bounds for Hamas or other Islamists. Undoubtedly, Hamas will blame Israel for the deaths regardless. With the official announcement by both Hamas and Israel that the Bibas Family members are indeed dead and their bodies set to be returned to Israel, shock and rage are spreading like wildfire throughout the Jewish world. The rage is actually refreshing, but the shock is a bit confusing. I don’t know why anyone is confused about Hamas and I don’t know why the rage has been so absent for so long. Anyway, maybe Israel wanted all the live hostages home asap so that they could then lambaste Gaza or at least take out some Hamas terrorist leaders or something akin to that. Hope so. In the meantime, Hamas has once again reiterated their offer, as they have from Oct. 8th, that they will return all the hostages in exchange for all terrorists being released, all Jews out of Gaza and an end to the war. Israel didn't agree on the first day and never should. No backsies Hamas, now you go away, forever. For now, Hamas is making a whole party of giving the bodies of the hostages back. It’s really sick, but in a way, those folks supporting this all over the world are even sicker. “Nations, sing the praise of his People for he will avenge the blood of his servants and take revenge on his enemies and appease his land and his nation.” (Deut 32.43) May we be appeased very soon and completely. Lebanon The official ceasefire in Lebanon has expired and Israel has pulled back its forces from all populated areas in southern Lebanon. However, Israeli forces remain in 5 strategic locations within the borders of Lebanon. Needless to say, the Lebanese government is whining about this. Meanwhile, Hezbollah flags are once again being flown near the Israeli borders and within eyesight of Jewish communities. Israel is continuing, as in Gaza, to conduct pinpoint strikes on terrorists, but in both places, this is a far cry from what is going to need to happen in order for the Israeli people, especially those living in the border regions, to feel secure again. Judea and Samaria Israeli forces continue to eliminate terrorists, primarily in the northern Shomron (Samaria). Again, it cannot be emphasized enough that similar to Gaza, this is an area that Israel unilaterally expelled both its citizens and forces from as part of the “Disengagement” of 2005. Topping the Oslo Accords as the worst decision in Israel history is no easy task, but we got a real competition on our hands. : Speaking of bad decisions, Egypt is openly violating the terms of the Camp David Peace Accords by stationing large numbers of military forces in the Sinai Peninsula. They are reportedly now in the process of building bases there as well. This is a very dangerous game they are playing. Egypt was the first Middle Eastern country visited by President Hussein Obama, but he ain’t in charge no more. It’s well known that Egyptian society is behind on a lot of things, although not like prehistoric Yemen. The bulk of the weapons in Gaza came from Egypt. Egypt has not allowed Gazans to flee there. Egypt is a big part of the problem. They best catch up fast and get in line. Patience and understanding are not what Israel is striving for right now and these are also not traits generally attributed to President Trump. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get an African country to open an embassy in Jerusalem this month, but we did get Fiji. Fiji becomes the seventh country to do so. Hopefully more will join, but whatevs. As we often quote first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion: “What matters is not what the goyim say, but what the Jews do.” The traditionally joyous month of Adar is right around the corner. May the light and joy of Judaism blot out the savagery that surrounds us. We are required to enjoy a festive meal on Purim during the day, exactly while our enemies will be starving during Ramadan this year. This will, G-d willing, become quite the trend. -Ben Packer +972-54-447-0221

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/12/2025, 10:51:30 PM

This Week Today Current Events from Israel The whirlwind that is the President Trump Administration continued in full force this week and now the whole world waits with bated breath to see what will happen next. Anyone who tells you that they know what's coming, stop listening to that person. Speaking of people who should not be listened to - any Jew who didn't vote for Donald Trump! I'm not saying such folks should go jumping off of buildings, but they should at least be quite contrite. What's the Deal? After Hamas released three Israeli hostages this past Shabbos who looked eerily similar to concentration camp survivors, outrage came from many different places. Although not nearly as many as it should have. Anyway, not very surprising, President Trump was the most bothered. A few days later, Hamas announced that they wouldn't be freeing any hostages this coming Shabbos as called for in the current agreement. They claimed that Israel had violated parts of the agreement. Not really sure what Hamas was thinking on this one, here are some possibilities: -The Israeli public is so elated with the release of hostages that they'll force the Government to do whatever it takes to continue. -The Israeli public/army doesn't want to return to war so quickly. -They have a death wish (definitely true but not necessarily mutually exclusive to other possibilities). So let's just say this move by Hamas was not received well. Prime Minister Netanyahu huffed and puffed and announced that he would hold a meeting on the subject the next morning. In the meantime, President Trump demanded that ALL of the Israeli hostages (not just the 9 living hostages to be released in the current phase of the deal) better be released by noon on Shabbos or all hell would break loose. In case folks thought that he misspoke/miss-tweeted, he has repeated this threat every day since. Now Hamas is saying that they probably will release 3 hostages on Shabbos as originally agreed upon. Obviously this is not what President Trump demanded, but he'll probably just let it slide. Probably not. So what's going to happen when Hamas likely does not do what President Trump said to do? Will the fighting resume and if it does, will it be different then it was before? What about the remaining Israeli hostages? In short, how will things be different practically? There are no clear answers to any of this, but here's what I think is most likely: -A cessation or significant decrease in aid to Gaza. Until now the US has compelled Israel to provide large amounts of aid to Gaza and this has enabled Hamas to both continue to exist and to rule over Gaza. This may come to an end and have a dramatic impact. -A massive attack by Israel, specifically on Hamas leaders and positions not previously attacked. -A large-scale attempt by Israel to rescue remaining living Israeli hostages from captivity. These last two were always likely, but the first one is what may actually lead to Hamas' defeat. Anyway, it ought to be a pretty exciting weekend, even without Kendrick Lamar ripping on that other fellow. Lebanon, As if the drama in Gaza this week was not enough, the extension of the ceasefire in Lebanon is due to expire this coming week. What will happen then? Hezbollah has not only not been eliminated but they have returned to their positions in the south, close to the Israeli border. Basically, there is a real feeling in Israel that an attack is coming very soon either from Gaza, Lebanon or both. Also Yemen, but that threat and their country in general are a bad dark joke. Judea and Samaria The IDF continues to conduct intensive operations, specifically in northern Samaria. At least 60 terrorists have been killed in the Jenin area and many more arrested. Since Oct. 7th, the Israeli security establishment has continuously screeched about the imminent threats to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria from their nearby Arab neighbors. But not so much. Apparently the Arab neighbors realize the very dire ramifications that would undoubtedly result from such an attempt and have opated against it, much unlike the communities around Gaza. Besides the certainty of the elimination of any active terrorists, there would also probably be vigilante revenge response attacks and most importantly the strengthening of the Jewish Presence and weakening of the Arab one - the key to this whole conflict! It's a shame that Kanye is acting so badly again, especially during Black History Month. However, the celebration must still go on. Hopefully he'll have much to celebrate in the very near future. Happy Tu B'Shevat! -Ben Packer +972-54-447-0221 To receive weekly on WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J1sIjzUbYOD2uAXubYr4I3 Follow the Rabbi Ben Packer channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaniA3YJZg475AzRF00J To receive weekly by email: https://mailchi.mp/dd9d88d97a17/israel-current-events

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/6/2025, 7:52:54 PM

Packer on the Parsha - Parshas BeShalach

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/28/2025, 12:10:56 PM

https://mailchi.mp/dffae3c82066/in-just-one-day-this-week-we-worked-on

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/13/2025, 9:59:50 PM

Packer on the Parsha - Parshas Yisro

Rabbi Ben Packer

2/5/2025, 10:03:57 PM

This Week Today Current Events from Israel Happy Black History Month to one and all! Of course President Trump would pick this auspicious time to make possibly the most consequential comments by an American president concerning Israel since President Truman first recognized the State in 1948. Here's how it went down: Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to DC for meetings with President Trump and the new Administration. This alone was a huge political victory for Netanyahu. He was the first world leader to be invited to the White House and at an extremely delicate time. President Trump was exceedingly gracious towards Netanyahu and this was clearly broadcasted on all Israeli and international news channels. Pretty much every day leading up to the meeting, President Trump made a point of mentioning how all the Gazans should be relocated from the Gaza Strip, preferably to Jordan and Egypt at least initially. During this time, opposition to this idea was voiced by numerous countries including but not limited to Jordan and Egypt, but seemed to have no effect whatsoever on President Trump's message. No big surprise there! After the meeting between the two world leaders, a press conference was held. Some of the best TV in history. More or less what President Trump said was this: -All Gazans would leave the Gaza Strip. -As many hostages as possible will be released, but it's a difficult and unpredictable situation. -Hamas would be completely eliminated. -America would be heavily involved in the future of the Gaza Strip. -The Abraham Accords would be expanded to include more countries. -Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is very possible and isn't dependent on anything connected with the "Palestinians". -When asked by an Israeli reporter about potential American support for Israeli sovereignty being applied to Judea and Samaria, President Trump said that there was a lot of support for such a move but that a decision would be made in about another month. Giving an exact date for a decision is hardly a dodge and shows very clear intent to provide an answer in the near future. This is something that was completely absent in the Biden Administration, must like Biden's own cognitive abilities. -In response to a question by a female Afghan reporter, President Trump remarked that the Afghan accent is very pretty, but hard to understand, so he moved on to the next question. Additionally, President Trump announced a permanent end to US funding for UNRWA as well as withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Subsequently, Israel announced that they too would be quitting. About time! What the heck was Israel doing there in the first place? Furthermore, the US will now be sanctioning Iran and applying pressure on them to cease trying to acquire nuclear weapons capability. Needless to say this press conference sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world. The memes are incredible! Future Pesach programs in Gaza are already being advertised. The Israeli right praised President Trump's ideas, although some expressed apprehension concerning the extent of the proposed intensive American role in Gaza. This may seem reasonable, however Netanyahu has been (very wrongly) adamant from the beginning of the war that Israel has no territorial goals in Gaza, so somebody has to deal with it. "In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man" (Pirkei Avos 2:5). Itamar Ben Gvir even suggested that his party might be able to rejoin the Coalition if the plan moves forward in any kind of practical way. Opposition "leader" DJ Yair Lapid spoke against the proposals but absolutely nobody cares what he has to say these days. If this plan is in any way successful, there is certainly no reason why it can't be applied in Judea and Samaria, even if in stages. Jenin would be a good place to start. This week there was once again a terrible terrorist attack in the Jenin area. A lone terrorist entered an IDF fortification and murdered two reserve soldiers. Additional soldiers were wounded before the terrorist, wearing a bullet-proof vest, was eliminated. Over the past few weeks, at least 55 terrorists have been killed in the Jenin area. More have been wounded and arrested. Airstrikes and the use of anti-tank missiles have become common. This was all predicted to take place once the ceasefire began in Gaza. The proliferation of weapons throughout the area, many provided by Iran and smuggled from Jordan, has also heavily contributed to the deterioration of the security situation. Local Arab leaders are already comparing the destruction in Jenin to that in Gaza. Ken Yirbu! Hostages Released Earlier in the week, three more Israeli hostages were released from Gaza. American Keith Siegel was released along with Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas. All three were kibbutz residents along the Gaza border when they were kidnapped on Oct. 7th. Both Siegel and Kalderon were reunited with their children and partners. Bibas's wife and children are still being held in Gaza and are presumed to have been killed during their captivity. More hostages are scheduled to be released in the next few weeks, with most of them being older kibbutz men. Some hostages holding Russian and American citizenship may also be released. Despite the joy at seeing the hostages freed after so much time in captivity, the number of savage terrorists being released in exchange is very worrying for much of the Israeli population. This hasn't stopped the families of the hostages released and of some of those still being held from saying incredibly stupid things on a regular basis. Maybe this is the result of trauma, but it aligns very closely with their well-known leftist political views. It's terribly annoying and they should really stop. One cannot easily ignore the irony of the despicable displays of the images of the way Hamas and the other terror groups go about releasing the hostages and not think about the very public celebrations of the local kibbutz members when the Jews were expelled from their houses in Gaza a few years back. Lebanon The current extended ceasefire in Lebanon is scheduled to finish in about 10 days time. In the meantime, Israel continues to bomb Hezbollah targets on a pretty regular basis. What will happen in 10 days is anyone's guess. Maybe the former southern Lebanon residents can join the Gazans wherever they end up. Whatever happens, this has been quite the momentous start to Black History Month 5785!! -Ben Packer +972-54-447-0221 To receive weekly on WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J1sIjzUbYOD2uAXubYr4I3 Follow the Rabbi Ben Packer channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaniA3YJZg475AzRF00J To receive weekly by email: https://mailchi.mp/dd9d88d97a17/israel-current-events