By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

In Parshas Emor the Torah discusses Shabbos and Yom Tov. The Gemara in Shabbos 118 and in Pesachim 112 say in the name of Rabi Akiva that a person should rather have a simple Shabbos, without any delicacies, rather than come on to other people for a loan or gift to enable them to procure delicacies. We pasken this way in Shulchan Aruch 242 where it states that if someone has to borrow money from others, but he has some money of his own, he should make sure to use his own money for Shabbos. We only say that one should celebrate Shabbos like a weekday (sans special foods) to someone who is in really dire financial straits.

The following question arises: Does the same thing apply to Yom Tov as well?

NEWARK – A new software update prevented a third

In a victory for global agrochemical maker Bayer, Georgia has become the second state to shield pesticide manufacturers from some lawsuits claiming that they failed to warn customers of potential dangers. The legislation signed Friday by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is designed to protect Bayer from lawsuits claiming that it failed to tell customers that its popular weed killer Roundup could cause cancer. It’s written broadly enough to provide legal protection in Georgia to any pesticide manufacturer that follows federal labeling requirements. North Dakota’s governor signed the first such law last month, and similar measures have been considered this year in at least nine other states. Bayer, based in Germany, acquired Roundup with the 2018 purchase of St. Louis-based Monsanto.

Syria’s newly installed ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa is pushing for a one-on-one meeting with President Donald Trump during his upcoming Middle East visit—dangling a dizzying package of incentives that includes oil deals, normalization with Israel, and even a Trump Tower in Damascus. According to multiple sources familiar with the effort, Sharaa is attempting to bypass traditional diplomatic channels by appealing directly to Trump’s knee-jerk instinct for big deals. The initiative is being spearheaded by Jonathan Bass, a pro-Trump American activist who met with Sharaa for four hours in Damascus on April 30.

Reservists injured in the ongoing conflict over the past 18 months gathered Monday night for a heartfelt meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, part of a special initiative led by the War Wounded Forum.
Speaking to the group, the Prime Minister made a forceful declaration: “We will conquer Gaza, and our security control will remain there forever. Within days, things are going to happen in Gaza. Things will happen that you haven’t seen before.”
He emphasized that the current campaign has a clearly defined goal. “We didn’t do everything we’ve done in Gaza so far just to return to the starting point. Things have changed; a decision has been made to go all the way. We are very close.”

Following medical treatment in Los Angeles and a rest period in Davos, Switzerland, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Yisroel Hager, is set to return to Eretz Yisroel tomorrow. His arrival will coincide with Lag Ba’omer, where he is expected to preside over the traditional hadlakah ceremony in the Vizhnitzer enclave in Bnei Brak.
Excitement is running high among tens of thousands of Vizhnitzer chassidim in both Israel and abroad upon hearing the uplifting news that the Rebbe will be returning to his residence in Kiryat Vizhnitz, Bnei Brak.
According to plans, the Rebbe—who is currently resting in the Swiss town of Davos—will board a private flight on Tuesday evening en route to Israel.

Israel sent a request to the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw the arrest warrants against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after examining the investigations and detailed testimony regarding allegations of rape against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Khan issued the warrants to deflect attention from the allegations against him. Israeli officials believe that this information is “explosive material that can affect the case.” According to the report, Israel also asked the court to order the suspension of its investigations into alleged Israeli atrocities in Palestinian areas.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday urged California cities to clear homeless encampments, escalating efforts anew to address an intractable issue of his time in office: the makeshift tents that line underpasses, parks and streets up and down the state. Newsom’s administration unveiled a blueprint for a camping ban that counties, cities and towns can directly adopt or modify to achieve his goals. The Democratic governor is also releasing $3.3 billion in voter-approved funds to expand housing and treatment options for homeless residents. “The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” Newsom said. Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, made homelessness a priority upon taking office in 2019, tackling a problem that’s largely been the purview of mayors and local government.