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The Game of Life
TuS Makkabi Berlin players pose for a team group photo before their first round match in the DFB Cup against VfL Wolfsburg at Mommsenstadion stadium in Berlin, Germany on August 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
JNS.org – You may be familiar with the story of the passionate British soccer fan who was asked whether he considered soccer a matter of “life and death.” He said, “No. It’s much more important than that!”
Well, I’d like to address what I would call some of the “more important” things in life.
The final countdown has officially begun. It’s a week to Rosh Hashanah. Hopefully, you’ve sorted out your synagogue seating arrangements, festive meal schedule and a few new Yom Tov recipes. Now for a look at other matters …
This Shabbat, we will read two short but intense Torah portions, Nitzavim and Vayelech. Together, they comprise a grand total of only 70 verses, but they are packed with powerful messages for life, particularly for this season in our calendar.
“You stand firmly today, all of you together, before G-d … ” is the beginning of the first reading, Nitzavim. Moses is addressing the entire nation as he prepares for the end of his life and to pass the baton onto Joshua, his successor, who will take the people into the Promised Land.
Moses speaks of the unity of Israel, the accessibility and practical relevance of the Torah way of life for all of Israel, that we all have freedom of choice, and how God appeals to us to choose our path in life wisely.
According to commentary, the opening line, “You stand firmly today,” is actually a veiled reference to Rosh Hashanah, which is always observed in the week following this reading. The Hebrew word, hayom, “today,” is a word that will be heard many times over Rosh Hashanah. No doubt, many different melodies come to mind from just this one word. Hayom, this day, is the Day of Judgment; it is therefore not surprising that the word reverberates through our Yom Tov holiday prayers.
So, how are we to prepare for the Days of Judgment ahead?
Firstly, we are encouraged to focus not only on the necessary physical or culinary preparations but, more importantly, to get ourselves into a state of spiritual readiness.
Have you ever had the frightening experience of preparing for the wrong test? You spent hours reviewing your history syllabus, and when you arrived at school, you received the English exam? If you have, I’m sure it was panic-inducing and unnerving, to say the least.
Well, we all have to pass our own tests in life. What would happen if we arrived at the Heavenly exam and the questions put to us were not at all what we spent our lives preparing for? We’ve focused on our businesses, our health, our sports and leisure activities—all necessary and natural. But what if we’ve forgotten about the other areas of life that are “more important?”
The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) has shared some inside information about the questions we will be asked at the legendary Pearly Gates. Guess what? None of the questions pertain to our wealth, health or occupations. We will not be asked about our share or property portfolios, our waistlines or our athleticism.
We will be asked whether we conducted our business affairs faithfully with honesty and integrity, if we fixed regular times for Torah study, if we did our best to raise a family, and if we looked forward to the Final Redemption.
Does this come as a shock to you? Did you imagine that if you would say, “Let me into heaven because I made the Fortune 500,” or “Open the Gates of Heaven for me because I ate my broccoli or I never developed a pot belly,” or even “I supported the winning NBA or Super Bowl team, or Manchester United or Liverpool,” you would gain entry?
The eternal questions deal with the truly important things in life. Were you a worthy human being? Were you honest and upright? Did you dedicate yourself to studying God’s wisdom? Are you leaving a legacy of children and grandchildren who will learn from your fine example? Did you aspire higher and were hopeful of a better world for all?
Of course, health is important. Ask anyone who is suffering from illness. Wealth is a big one, too. We all want to live comfortably and be able to give generously. And to have a break from work and engage in sports, whether as a participant or spectator, has its merits, too. But these are all means to a higher end. When the game of life is over, the truly important things—our higher value system and the legacy we leave top all those considerations. A healthy and wealthy life is not as important as a worthy life.
We still have a week to prepare for the right exam—to focus our time and attention on higher values, and to recalibrate our priorities in preparation for the new year. If we do it, we’ll be able to answer the questions much more confidently. May we be prepared and be blessed.
I wish you all Shanah Tovah. May our prayers for our unfortunate hostages, valiant defenders and regional peace through our strength and resilience be answered positively. Amen.
The post The Game of Life first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials
FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.
“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.
The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.
The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.
According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”
The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.
Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.
Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.
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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.
Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.
Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.
There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.
The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.
Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.
US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS
The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.
Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.
The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.
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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.
The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.
The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.
The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.
While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.
The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.
USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.
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