THE TWIN BRIEF
A midrash that says you only wear tefillin on Shabbat (huh?), Israel’s final count and who gets first crack at a government, Gen Z protests sweep Europe, Intel has its worst day since 1974, the Oilers post back-to-back shutouts, and they’re at Madison Square Garden tonight. Also: clocks fell back last night, so you got an extra hour of sleep. You’re welcome.
Dvar Torah
Tefillin only on Shabbat?!
The Ben Ish Chai opens his halachot for Parashat Chayei Sarah with a riddle. A famously puzzling midrash (Midrash Peliah) says: “We only put on tefillin on Shabbat.” Wait, what? Everyone knows we don’t wear tefillin on Shabbat.
His answer, which he heard in the name of the great Rabbi Akiva Eiger: ShaBaT isn’t the day here, it’s an acronym. Sh = se’ar (hair), B = b’makom (in the place of), T = tapuach (the “apple,” the muscle bump). Translation: the head tefillin go where the hair starts, and the arm tefillin go on the bulge of the bicep, which lines up with your heart. Cracked it.
Then he gets practical. The bottom edge of the head box has to sit at or above your hairline, where the hair actually grows from, not low on your forehead. If your hair flops halfway down your forehead, putting the box on the hair isn’t enough; it has to start from the real roots and up. Wearing it down on the forehead, he says, is the old Karaite way, and you haven’t done the mitzvah. And the knot in the back sits on the bottom of the skull, not down on your neck.
Teen takeaway: Next time you’re rushing out of minyan, take five seconds in a mirror (or ask your friend). Box at the hairline, centered between the eyes, knot high on the back of the head. Your tefillin shouldn’t look like a headlamp that slid down.
Source: Ben Ish Chai, Halachot 1st Year, Parashat Chayei Sarah #1–2 (Midrash Peliah and Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s “Shabbat” acronym; head tefillin from the hairline up; knot on the back of the skull, not the neck). Hebrew text checked on Sefaria. Written in-house (no Rabbi input this run). Teen reference, not a personal ruling. Ask your rav for your own practice.
World
Israel’s final count · Europe’s Gen Z protests · Iran says no meeting
- Israel: Final results are in: Netanyahu’s bloc 53, Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc 48, and Arab-led parties a record 19. Nobody has 61. President Herzog gets the official results Wednesday and starts talks; Eisenkot is expected to get the first shot, with 28 days (plus a possible 14) to build a government. The hard part: Avigdor Liberman says he won’t join anything that depends on Arab or Haredi parties. The new Knesset is sworn in Nov. 10, and Herzog is urging everyone to be flexible so Israel doesn’t end up voting again (AP, Jerusalem Post, Ynet).
- Europe: A third weekend of youth-led protests hit France over living costs and school, with about 320,000 people out on Saturday. Most marched peacefully (some in Halloween costumes), but there were clashes and hundreds of arrests. Similar “Gen Z” protests in Germany turned rough at night, with police using water cannons (AP, Straits Times, DW).
- Iran & diplomacy: Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran has no plans to meet U.S. officials for now, though talks through Qatar and Pakistan continue. Meanwhile, G20 foreign ministers wrapped up two days in Atlanta without agreeing on a joint statement, split over Ukraine and Iran (Xinhua citing Al Jazeera, AP).
Tech
Intel faceplants · Big Tech’s AI bill comes due
- Intel: The stock crashed about 29% Friday, its worst day since the 1970s, after a weak forecast. Two reasons: PC sales are slumping because memory and parts got expensive, and an explosion earlier this month at its factory in Israel (which killed two workers) will cost about $600 million in lost sales (CNBC, AP).
- Amazon & Google: Amazon missed expectations and burned cash for a second straight quarter because it’s spending huge on AI, around $220 billion this year. Alphabet (Google) had its worst day ever on Thursday, down 12%+. The big question on Wall Street: when does all this AI spending start paying off? (CNBC, Business Insider)
Money
Ugly end to October
- Friday’s close: S&P 500 down 1.8% to 7,580 (worst day since June, third straight losing week), Nasdaq down 2.9% to 25,437, Dow down 572 points to 51,770. Chip stocks got hit hard: AMD fell about 11%, Nvidia 4% (Reuters, AP).
- The month: October was the Nasdaq’s worst month since March 2025, down more than 5%. The Dow actually finished the month up 1.5% as investors moved into non-tech names like Procter & Gamble (Yahoo Finance, CNBC).
Sports
Oilers: two straight shutouts · Tonight at MSG
- Oilers: Edmonton beat the Islanders 4–0 on Saturday. Tristan Jarry stopped all 18 shots for his second shutout in a row, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, and Podkolzin and Dickinson (empty net) added goals. McDavid set up RNH’s second goal to stretch his record season-opening assist streak to 14 games; he leads the NHL with 37 points. The Oilers are 10-2-2 and a perfect 6-0-0 on the road. Tonight: at the Rangers, Madison Square Garden, 6:00 PM ET (NHL.com, ESPN/AP).
- NFL: Packers beat the Panthers 27–19 Thursday as Jordan Love threw three TDs. Today: Ravens at Bills (1 PM ET, CBS), Chiefs at Broncos (4:25 PM, CBS), and Eagles at Commanders on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM, NBC) (ESPN, NFL.com, Sportsnet).
- NBA: The Knicks lost 98–93 to the 76ers Friday in an NBA Cup game, with LeBron James scoring 20 for Philly. Next up: Knicks vs. Nets on Monday (AP).
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