According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday, the government approved the outline of a plan to reopen cultural events in Israel in the near future. The plan restricts all cultural events to being held outside and applies to concerts, theatrical shows, and other performances. The performances may begin taking place immediately. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein spoke about why the plan was approved. “Culture is important to the mental health and well-being of the public. It is equally as important to follow the [Health Ministry] guidelines with extreme care.

One of the country’s largest egg producers illegally inflated prices when the pandemic hit New York, taking in $4 million as it charged up to four times more per carton, state Attorney General Letitia James charged in a lawsuit Tuesday. James claims that in March and April, Hillandale Farms price gouged more than 4 million cartons of eggs sold to grocery store chains, U.S. military facilities and wholesale food distributors. The lawsuit seeks restitution for consumers. “As this pandemic ravaged our country, Hillandale exploited hardworking New Yorkers to line its own pockets,” James said in a prepared release. An email seeking comment was sent to Hillandale.

BINA.  The name itself brings feelings of comfort and relief to so many.   BINA has been there for families dealing with brain injury through thick and thin, providing guidance and support every step of the way. When there is a stroke, fall, car accident, aneurysm, brain tumor, or other neurological condition, BINA Stroke and Brain Injury Assistance is the address people turn to. BINA’s role has only been magnified since the onset of the pandemic. While for some, Covid-19 is receding into the recesses of their minds and is a time they would rather forget, BINA continues to stand at the frontlines of the crisis.

(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com) Before we get to the halachic question – please heed this warning:  Never allow others to open up credit cards or credit lines in your name. Even if it is a “no lose opportunity” – just don’t do it.  It won’t turn out well. And now, onto the question:  When is it permitted to act upon a possible thief or con-man in our midst? When can we warn others about possible-Ponzi schemers and the like? A case in point:  An employer believes that his employee has “sticky fingers.” Can he fire him?  Can he force him (where it is legal to do so) to take a polygraph examination? Also, what is the status of a polygraph exam in Halacha?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit Israel hard and the number of infected in Israel continues to rise daily. As of yesterday, Israel surpassed China in the total number of infected people due to the virus. According to the Health Ministry’s website, on Tuesday, 1,093 people were found to be infected with the disease. There are currently 25,468 people actively infected in the country. Over the course of the day, some close to 24,000 tests were conducted. The total number of people infected since the beginning of the virus has climber to 84,147, with 60,055 people having made full recoveries from the disease. Among those that are ill, 797 are hospitalized, 170 are in moderate condition, and 375 are in serious condition. There are 110 people on respirators.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the Czech Republic at the start of a four-nation tour of central and eastern Europe expected to focus on threats to the region posed by Russia and China. Amid post-election violence and concerns about significant democratic backsliding in nearby Belarus, Pompeo plans to use his visit to push his hosts to counter Russian and Chinese influence. Russia and China are active and seeking greater roles throughout the continent in the energy, infrastructure and telecommunications sectors, a trend the United States is keen to reverse. Pompeo on Tuesday was opening his visit in the Czech city of Pilsen, where he was to visit the Patton Museum and memorial to the World War II liberation of western Czechoslovakia by U.S. troops.

Since 1937, the state of Pennsylvania has had strict rules about who can stand in polling stations and challenge the eligibility of voters. The restrictions are meant to limit the use of “poll monitors” long sent by both parties to look out for voting mishaps but at times used to intimidate voters. In June, the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign sued to ease those rules, saying they imposed arbitrary limits on the party’s ability to keep tabs on the voting process no matter where it occurs. The Pennsylvania lawsuit over an obscure slice of election law is just one piece of the party’s sweeping plan to expand poll monitoring this election year.

Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz was hospitalized on Tuesday and is scheduled to undergo back surgery on Wednesday morning at Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. Doctors will be attempting to correct an injury that Gantz suffered during his military career which has gotten drastically worse over the past few months. Gantz underwent a series of tests by the orthopedic department when he arrived at the hospital. After the tests, he is scheduled to undergo the surgery in the morning. The Defense Ministry issued a statement that said that updates on the minister’s condition will be forthcoming throughout the night as needed. Gantz spent the day touring the command center of the Coronavirus task force of the Home Front Command and visited an airforce base in Haifa.

Despite Israel’s decision that Israel’s skies will begin to reopen on August 16, no detailed plan has yet to be formulated, Globes reported. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tasked Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and Foreign Affairs Minister Gabi Ashkenazi with forming a plan ahead of August 16 to reopen Israel’s skies but the plan has yet to be seen.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com l’ilui nishmas the author’s mother Sara Bas HaRav Eliyahu on 22 Av –  her 13th Yartzeit It is the custom within Klal Yisroel to light a Yartzeit candle on the day that a relative had passed away. The lighting has no accompanying blessing, and many people would like to express themselves in a Tefillah when lighting the candle. This is not only true on a Yartzeit but whenever Yom Tov comes as well. The author of the Peleh Yoetz, Rabbi Eliezer Papo (1785–1828), did, in fact, compose such a prayer. Rav Papo was the Rabbi of the city of Selestria in Bulgaria. Bulgaria was a part of the Ottoman Empire at the time.