43 Comments
User's avatar
Yehoshua's avatar

Was Ploinus' account deleted by the Mossad, the IDF, big pharma, or just aliens?

I really enjoyed discussing with him.

Expand full comment
Yosef Hirsh's avatar

Same.

I am the only far right MAHA jew on the platform now...oh well.

Expand full comment
shulman's avatar

Nice.

Expand full comment
Schmerel's avatar

It is a longstanding issue that the militant atheistic and kanoim are usually on the same page when it comes to downplaying Yad Hashem in relation to Israel but in this particular situation I don’t see any big theological question raised for those who declared October 7th to be a just punishment due to the terrible aveiros those killed were doing. Among many other answers they can simply apply the same logic they applied to Israel to Iran. The Iranians even according to most kanoim are an evil country so Hashem gave their enemies an easy time decimating them. After that they will fall back on their standard line of finding analysts who more or less predicted these results. Conversely there were no experts who were known to have thought Hamas would be capable of pulling off October 7th beforehand. To be clear I don’t agree with the above . I just don’t see anything inconsistent about taking that approach

Expand full comment
test test's avatar

Don't be silly. It’s all in the zechus of the learners - they are our real soldiers.

Expand full comment
Liba's avatar
3dEdited

Too much intellectualism. Of course most Chareidim give credit to the pure ingenuity of this whole mission…knock out the Iranian “gedolim”, complete takeover of air space, mossad in Iran, DRONES that were actually made in a factory in Iran…brilliant! Oh yes , Bibi’s sons’ wedding which was supposed to be, the “falling” of the government… this is better than the old Mission Impossible (60’s) tv show. BUT, the whole Knesset was saying tehillim last Thursday night as the planes were taking off. Anyone with half a brain knows that Siyata D’Shemaya was 100% necessary for all of these details to come together.

October 7 wasn’t a punishment, it was an opportunity. And many grabbed on. Now we had enough people, mostly “chilonim” who have been davening and doing everything they can to release the hostages, etc. Maybe, just maybe, Am Yisrael accrued enough zcuyot since October 7 that this mission could succeed. Maybe not. I’m just reporting from the ground, so I don’t really know.

Expand full comment
Jerry Steinfeld's avatar

Ash, how can I get in touch with you?

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

DM me or email me ashssubstacks@gmail.com

Expand full comment
Nahum's avatar

I don't think one needs to deny God or be crazy to say that. Deism (vs Theism) holds just that. A deist would posit that outstanding Israeli ingenuity (along with a bit of luck) is responsible for what has occurred (or not).

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

When you say these were “Nissim”.

What do you think happened exactly? Can you describe the Neis.

I may be a militant atheist under your definition but I think I am pretty open minded. :)

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

There's no nissim that can be identified as explicit miracles. It's when you zoom out and look at the combined picture do the miracles stand out. The fact that Iran didn't get the subterfuge, the fact that major missiles keep just missing, the fact that Irans air defense folded so quickly shows us He is on our side.

(There was a military analyst on CNN that said no one in military history has ever attempted such subterfuge in history, because it is doomed to fail. It was exactly like an insane conspiracy theory but it was true.)

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

Then I don’t understand what you mean by “nissim”. How can the entirety be a Neis but each individual instance not be something that was veered off of nature’s path?

In what sense is it a Neis then? Did god do something specific and special or did he not?

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

It's the traditional understanding of Esther.

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

I don’t know what you’re referring to.

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

Have you never read the Megillah and the traditional approach to its message?

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

Do you mean that god was intervening the whole time?

Like put an idea into Vashtis head, or achashveiroshes head, put an idea into Bigsans head to shmooze about the a where Mordechai was….

That kind of thing?

Expand full comment
shulman's avatar

A neis is a banner where Hashem shows He loves us

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

So why is this act clearly a banner of love from god that should be obvious to a non-believer?

Expand full comment
shulman's avatar

It's not.

Expand full comment
Jethro's avatar

Okay so you disagree with the post?

Expand full comment
Sholom's avatar

Other than Rav Asher Weiss, any major haredi Rabbonnim who have publicly acknowledged the contribution of the IDF and Mossad, expressed gratitude for their willingness to risk their lives for us, or singled them out as people we should daven for?

Expand full comment
Happy's avatar

Rabbi Binyamin Cohen of Flatbush is a major chareid rav I would say

Expand full comment
Sholom's avatar

Thank you for letting us know that he said this.

Was it in writing or otherwise publicized?

Expand full comment
Happy's avatar
1hEdited

No, it was reportedly said publicly in shul in his drasha

Expand full comment
Yosef Hirsh's avatar

Slifkin made this point a bunch of times..

Plonis deleted his account? why?

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

Yes but Slifkin didn't hear it (the October 7th one) straight from the horses mouth in his shul

Expand full comment
Bpsb's avatar

This is a very Slifkinesque post.

Though he would not even give a footnote to crackpots and also understands enough to not insist there was neis.

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

It's not Slifkinesque because I do give footnotes to crackpots and I do believe there is a neis.

Expand full comment
Bpsb's avatar

Maybe follow his lead like you did for the content if you want to reach a larger audience.

Expand full comment
Ash's avatar

Nah. I write for myself.

As for the larger audience - I don't have paywalls.

Expand full comment