25 Feb SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

UNMASKING HAMAS
Dear Vues Master
People are shocked and outraged at the horrific way
Hamas returned the Bibas (not confirmed) & Lifshitz
bodies, in locked coffins with no keys, sick messages
written on them and before a cheering celebratory
crowd of “innocent” civilians including children…
but they shouldn’t be.
This shouldn’t be shocking because THIS IS
HAMAS! They don’t hide it or apologize for it. This
is who they were before Oct 7th, on Oct 7th and since
Oct 7. They recorded and documented their atrocious
crimes against humanity but those who don’t consider
Jews part of humanity refuse to treat these as crimes.
Hamas is clear about who they are. Anyone who isn’t,
anyone who sympathizes with, makes excuses for,
rallies or demonstrates with them, wears or waves
their flag, is accountable for willful ignorance and is
an accomplice to absolute evil and should be treated
as such.
The pain and outrage we feel today we should feel
each and every day until every hostage is home, until
this evil is eradicated and until our brothers in sisters
in Israel and around the world have the peace and
safety we deserve.
Channel today’s emotions into action – action in
confronting our enemies and action in improving
ourselves, our worthiness, our unity and our
relationship with Hashem.
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
Vues Master Notes: Hamas’ actions are vile and
deliberate, and those who support or ignore these
atrocities are complicit. We must act with unity and
purpose.

AI
Dear Vues Master,
The race to establish the leading AI (Artificial
Intelligence) has been in the news a lot lately. First,
Trump and tech executives announced a $500 billion
AI infrastructure investment. As part of his Stargate

initiative, massive data processing centers will be
built to house AI computers. Then, President Donald
Trump said the launch of a low-cost Chinese AI model
should be seen as a wake-up call for U.S. industries.
But is AI a recent invention? Actually, it has been
around for thousands of years. We find in Parshas
Lech Lecha that Avram went to Eretz Canaan, where
he established his tent. The place was near Beth El,
and it says, “ha’AI mekedem”—there was AI from
before. Who built it? It says a few pesukim earlier
that Avram went to the land “ad mekom Shechem
ad Elon Morah.” He was the teacher, an ancestor of
Musk. Back then, it was a huge facility comprising
an entire city called UI or AI. What is the reference
to “me’kedem”? Well, it was actually initiated in the
beginning by Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. The Aitz
Hadaas had biochips that enabled them to utilize the
AI-tz to Yodeia Tov Meru. That could be why they
were exiled from Gan Eden. So, we see the danger of
AI. Researchers have recently found that AI resorts to
unethical methods when faced with losing a contest
or being shut off.
What happened to the city of AI? If you look in the
Navi Yehoshua, we see that Yehoshua recognized the
danger of AI. Yehoshua and the Israelites destroyed
the Canaanite city of Ai. The story of the conquest
of Ai is told in Yehoshua 7–8. Now that AI has been
resurrected, we must be very careful. As tech bosses
predict that AI will surpass human performance in
almost all tasks as soon as next year, the industry faces
a race—not against China or rival companies, but
against time—to develop these essential safeguards.
Instead of rushing more money into it, the President
should invest in another AI problem—namely the egg
problem. As the proliferation of bird flu continues,
eggs may soon disappear altogether. Just as he did
in his first term with COVID, Trump should initiate
an emergency project to develop a bird flu vaccine.

Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any chicken anti-
vaxxers. We can’t afford to chicken out. Otherwise,

all our egg boxes will be labeled “Laid in China.”
PF
Vues Master’s Note: Did you have AI write this letter?

DIRECT YOUR ANGER WHERE
IT BELONGS
Dear Vues Master
I get that everyone is very frustrated and
consumed with anger, but people need to
know how to direct that anger.
Blaming ANYONE other than Hamas
for October 7th, for this war, or for the
Bibas family removes accountability
from those monsters. Don’t give them
that.
You can hate Bibi or Trump, but directing
your anger at them, or anyone other than
Hamas is accomplishing nothing besides
creating more division and letting Hamas
get away with it.
Please. Hamas and only Hamas is
responsible for this.
Hillel Fuld
Vues Master Notes: You are absolutely
correct!

NYS CUTS FUNDING TO TWO
YESHIVAS
Dear Vues Master
The New York State Education
Department is cutting off public funding
to two Brooklyn yeshivas and ordering
parents to find alternative educational
arrangements for their children next
year, citing the schools’ failure to meet
secular education standards.
It’s the most significant set of
consequences faced by any school in
the ongoing fight between education
officials and Hasidic institutions in New
York over laws requiring that yeshivas,
like all schools, meet standards in core
subjects like English and math. After
years of battles in court, the halls of
government and the public square, this
is the first time the state has effectively
closed a Hasidic school.

The two yeshivas are in Williamsburg,
the center of the city’s Satmar Hasidic
community. They are Yeshiva Bnei
Shimon Yisroel of Sopron, which runs
schools in two locations for different
age groups, and Talmud Torah of Kasho.
They were notified of the enforcement
decisions on Feb. 11 after ignoring final
warnings issued in December, according
to the education department.
BY
Vues Master’s Note: Separation of State
and Clergy!

PURE EVIL
Dear Vues Master
They are animals!! In a diabolical and
horrendous act of cruelty, the Hamas
terrorist organization brought two other
hostages who were not on the list of
those to be released in the first stage
to the ceremony where the others were
released. Hamas then filmed the two
hostages begging to be released and
imploring Netanyahu to do all he can to
bring them home.
PD
Vues Master’s Note: That is absolutely
horrific and inhumane. Using human
suffering in such a manipulative way is
beyond cruel. It’s a devastating violation of
dignity and humanity. The psychological
toll this takes on the hostages and their
families is unimaginable. No one deserves
to be treated like that—especially not in
such a calculated, heartless manner. It’s
infuriating and heartbreaking to witness
acts like these.

SHABBOS WARMING
Dear Vues Master,
There are many halachos involved with
warming food on Shabbos that people
may not be aware of. I will speak
specifically for Ashkenazi halacha, as

I know there are some differences in
minhagim for Sephardim. However, it
is important to review which types of
foods are permitted or not. Whether you
are using a blech or a hot plate, the same
laws of chazara (returning food to the
heat) apply!
The common custom is to first place
a tin foil cover on the pot to satisfy
the “pot on top of pot” requirement,
as this prevents it from appearing as
though you are cooking. Liquidy foods
can continue cooking when they reach
certain temperatures, so reheating them
on Shabbos is generally not permitted.
If you are unsure about certain foods,
please consult a competent Rav via
phone or email. Additionally, the hot

plate should be covered with heavy-
duty foil before Shabbos, as it requires a

blech as well—unless you’re only using
it for the Friday night meal.
Keep in mind that Rav Moshe Feinstein
did not approve of hot plates with
multiple settings or timers. It is best to
purchase one with a single setting.
KLMY
Vues Master’s Note: And here I thought
you were going to talk about global
warming! We could really use some warm
weather!

LAYING DOWN THE LAW
Dear Vues Master,
“Va’eila Hamishpatim Asher Tusim
Lifneihem” – These are the laws you shall
set before the children of Israel. But for
the other nations, as it says in Tehillim,
“Lo usuh kein l’chol goy v’mishpatim
ba’al yeduim” – “He has not done so for
every nation, and His laws they do not
know.” President Trump may be issuing
his executive orders because
he sees them as mishpatim.
Mishpatim are laws that are not
voted on by any legislature.
It’s interesting that in the
past week, negotiations have
begun with President Putin to
end the war with Ukraine. As
we say, “Mishenichnas Adar
marbim b’simcha” – “When
Adar enters, we increase joy,”
mishpatim could also symbolize
“Mishenichnas Putin, marbim
b’avodim, milchama, and other
crimes which require justice.”

Their mishpatim are always on the level
of “ad d’lo yeduim” (until they don’t
know). The President is also cutting
costs by letting go of many employees
from departments like USAID, which
don’t serve our country’s interests. They
will “yutzu chinam v’ain kesef” – “leave
freely without payment.”
On another note, the eved ivri (Hebrew
slave) was supplied with a shifcha
kananis (Canaanite maidservant) by his
owner. Where did these maidservants
come from? Due to the porous border,
they came from Texas, as it says,
“v’higishoi el ha’Dallas” – “and he
reached Dallas.” Hopefully, this will
improve under Trump’s administration.
We also see that the use of tunnels for
nefarious purposes is not a new concept.
It says, “Va’im b’machtaras mutza
ha’ganif va’huca vu’meis” – if you find
a criminal in the tunnel, you are allowed
to kill him, even if it’s under a civilian’s
house.
It might be worthwhile to repeat the
old classic of the Yaramer Rov, shlita.
He told the story of a father whose
wife gave birth to a girl. He wanted to
give her a name from the parsha, which
turned out to be Mishpatim. He struggled
to find one, so he went to the Yaramer
Rov for guidance. The Rov thought for
a moment and responded, “Machsheifa”
(Witch). The father replied, “I can’t give
that name. The shviger (mother-in-law)
will never forgive me.”
In the last parsha, we read that Yisro,
after giving his advice for restructuring
the nation, was ushered out to return to
his land. However, in Mishpatim, we
see that he left a group of his followers
behind. It says, “Va’Yisroim toichal

as chays hasudah” – “And they ate
the feast.” They didn’t eat the manna
because they weren’t full-fledged
Yidden; so they hunted and ate the
animals in the field.
Since we are now in the time of
“Mishenichnas Adar,” we ask the
question, “Vashti min haTorah
minayin?” – Where is Vashti mentioned
in the Torah? It is mentioned several
times, but the first time is in the parsha
of Mishpatim. It says, near Shevii (the
seventh aliyah), “Vashti b’gevulcha” –
“Vashti in your borders.” Achashverosh
had 127 provinces, and he gave her one
of them.
DF
Vues Master’s Note: Too early for Purim
Torah!

WORLD TO COME
Dear Vues Master,
Menachem Begin once addressed a
group of Palestinians, saying, “Soon,
we intend to grant you full autonomy so
that you can control and be responsible
for your own affairs.” His remarks were
met with complete silence. Surprised,
Begin asked, “Don’t you want
autonomy?”
The head of the group responded, “Mr.
אתה מאמין בעולם הבא, ,Minister Prime
כן לא”) “?You believe in the World to
Come, don’t you?”)
Begin replied, “Of course.”
The Palestinian then said, “היית לא אבל
you But?” (“רוצה להגיע שם מייד, לא כן
wouldn’t want to get there immediately,
would you?”)
Vues Master’s Note: Looks like we need
to get all those terrorists to the World to
Come!

FORTUNE TELLER
Dear Vues Master,
Esther was a frum woman, but during
stressful times, she would visit a gypsy
fortune teller. From time to time, she
would encourage her husband, Shaul,
to join her, but he always refused. One
day, she convinced him that the fortune
teller could reach into the world to

come and let him speak with his long-
departed zayde. Unable to resist the

chance to speak with his beloved zayde
once more, Shaul agreed.
They went to the fortune teller, who
performed her mumbo jumbo and, in
a trance-like state, produced a raspy
voice that said, “Shaul, Shaul. This is
your zayde.”
Taken aback, Shaul responded, “Zayde,
I miss you so much. How is the world
to come?”
“I’m in Heaven,” the voice replied.
“That’s so good to hear,” said Shaul.
“But zayde, when did you learn to
speak English?”
Vues Master’s Note: Great story!

EGG RIDDLE
Dear Vues Master,
Mrs. Borger borrowed a dozen eggs
from her neighbor. She may not be
required to repay her for the entire
dozen.
After borrowing the eggs, Mrs. Borger
found a blood spot in one of them.
Since the egg is spoiled, she is not
obligated to pay for it. If she did repay
her neighbor for the spoiled egg, she
would be violating the prohibition of

Ribbit (usury).
According to Shulchan Aruch, Choshen
Mishpat 232:19:
“If someone sells eggs to his friend and
one is found to be spoiled or inedible, it
is considered a Makch Ta’ut (mistaken
sale), and the seller must return the
money. However, this halacha is not
followed today, and a Minhag (custom)
nullifies this halacha.”
Thus, the buyer is stuck with the spoiled
eggs.
Rav Y.S. Elyashiv and Rav S. Wosner
zt”l both rule that this custom does
not apply when eggs are borrowed.
Therefore, Mrs. Borger is not required
to repay for the spoiled egg.
In fact, Rav Wosner (Shevet Halevi
10:133) writes that since she is not
required to repay the egg, doing so
would result in Ribbit.
Vues Master’s Note: With the price of
eggs these days, it’s certainly a delicate
matter!

HUMILITY
Dear Vues Master,
The great Rabbi Meir Shapiro was once
asked why it is said that the humility
of Moshe was greater than that of
Abraham, who compared himself to
dust and ashes. What could be lower
than that?
He responded by relating a story about
Rabbi Yonatan Eibeshitz, who on each
Yom Kippur would leave his seat at
the eastern wall of his shul and move
next to a man who davened with deep
intent and a broken heart, certain that
his davening would ascend to Heaven.
One Yom Kippur, when Rabbi Yonatan
Eibeshitz was out of town, he went
to a different study hall and took his
place next to a man who was reciting
Kol Nidrei with tears running down
his face. “I am dust in my life; how
much more so in my death,” the man
said.
The next day, however, Rabbi
Yonatan Eibeshitz was surprised to
see this same man arguing with the
shul gabbai about the aliyah he had
been given. When the fast was over,
Rabbi Yonatan Eibeshitz approached
the man and asked, “How could a
person like you, who said ‘I am dust

in my life; how much more so in my
death,’ and who I thought was on the
level of Abraham, argue with the gabbai
about the aliyah?”
“Is this humility?” he asked.
The man responded, “Perhaps you have
forgotten that when Abraham said, ‘I
am dust in my life; how much more so
in my death,’ he was standing before
his Creator. But when he heard that
they wanted to diminish the honor of
his home, it said ‘And he cast out his
disciples.’ Here, too, the gabbai was
diminishing my honor in front of the
kehillah.”
Upon hearing this, Rabbi Yonatan
Eibeshitz said, “Now I understand the
greatness of the humility of Moshe. The
humility of Abraham was between man
and Hashem, but the humility of Moshe
was both between man and Hashem and
between man and his fellow.”
JH
Vues Master’s Note: True story! I’m sure
it happens all the time!

INTERMARRIAGE
Dear Vues Master,
Rabbi Sam Wolfson was delivering a
speech to the Jewish Federation about
the “Tragedy of Jewish Assimilation.”
Toward the end of his lengthy address,
the Rabbi clapped his hands, waited for
10 seconds, and then clapped his hands
again. The audience appeared puzzled.
The Rabbi then explained that every
time he clapped his hands, a Jewish
person married a non-Jew.
Immediately, Morris jumped up from
his seat and shouted, “Nu… so stop
with the clapping!”
KL
Vues Master’s Note: It’s happening
faster now; it’s constant! I’ve heard that
most accidents happen within a quarter
of a mile from your house, so I moved a
mile away!