THE TWIN BRIEF
Why four corners beats five, Russia’s biggest strike since the “energy ceasefire,” the Houthis go after Saudi oil, Google’s Gemini 4 Argon goes public, inflation numbers drop this morning, and McDavid’s four-point night makes it five straight for the Oilers.
Dvar Torah
Four corners, not five
The Ben Ish Chai, in his Year One halachot for Parashat Noach, asks a fun question: what about a garment with five or more corners? It still needs tzitzit. But you only put them on four of the corners, and he says to pick the four that are farthest apart, because those are the ones that most truly count as “corners.”
Then the twist. If someone decided to be extra and tied tzitzit on all five corners, he says they’d break the rule of bal tosif — not adding to the Torah’s mitzvot. More strings doesn’t mean more mitzvah. He even adds that it’s better to stay away from wearing a garment like that at all, since some authorities exempt it completely.
Teen takeaway: doing a mitzvah right beats doing it bigger. The Torah gave you a shape — four corners — and real growth means putting your energy into doing those well, not inventing a fifth to show off. Spread out and reach the far corners of what you’re already asked to do.
Source: Ben Ish Chai, Halachot Year One, Parashat Noach (laws of tzitzit), on a garment with more than four corners (Sefaria text). Teen reference, not a personal ruling. Ask your rav for your own practice.
World
Big strike on Ukraine’s power · Houthis hit Aramco · Hormuz squeeze tightens
- Russia / Ukraine: Overnight, Russia fired 39 missiles and 128 drones at Ukraine, hitting power plants and lines around Kyiv and Kharkiv. President Zelenskyy says about 600,000 people lost electricity, and at least six were killed. That’s despite President Trump announcing an “energy ceasefire” on Sunday. Russia says it shot down 902 Ukrainian drones overnight, and its foreign minister says Ukraine doesn’t deserve a break.
- Saudi Arabia / Yemen: The Houthis say they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, a refinery in Riyadh, and Riyadh’s airport. Saudi Arabia says Tuesday’s hit on Aramco caused a small fire and no injuries, and it shot down another missile aimed at Riyadh on Wednesday. The Houthis are telling people to stay away from Saudi airports and oil sites. Riyadh’s airport stays closed until Oct 17.
- Strait of Hormuz: Iran has stepped up surveillance of ships in the strait, attacks there are rising, and oil shipments through it dropped again. That’s a big reason oil prices keep climbing.
Tech
Gemini 4 Argon for everyone · Intel’s giant-memory AI chip
- Google made Gemini 4 Argon, its newest top AI model, available worldwide. Paying Gemini Pro and Ultra subscribers get it in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Google Search, and developers get it through the API at an introductory price that’s cheaper than rivals until Nov 30. Testers at Artificial Analysis say it ties OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra on their overall smarts score at a lower cost.
- Intel showed off the D270, a chip for running AI models with up to 480 GB of memory. Big shipments probably won’t start until 2027.
- Also: Denmark proposed banning realistic AI deepfakes of people shared without their consent, with exceptions for satire and parody.
Money
Stocks flat · Citi slides despite a beat · Inflation report at 8:30
- Tuesday’s close: S&P 500 7,805.45 (−0.02%), Nasdaq 27,204.38 (−0.15%), Dow 51,670.10 (−0.35%). Oil (WTI) rose to about $95 a barrel.
- Banks: Goldman Sachs crushed expectations, earning $17.01 a share as stock-trading revenue jumped 72%. Citi also beat, but its stock fell 5.6% on worries about a weaker end of the year. Johnson & Johnson dropped 5.7% after a soft medical-device quarter. This morning, Bank of America reported $6.9 billion in profit, and Morgan Stanley reports before the open.
- Inflation today: September’s consumer price report (CPI) comes out at 8:30 AM ET. Economists expect prices up about 3.6% from a year ago, pushed by gas, while “core” inflation (without food and energy) is expected around 2.5%. The 10-year Treasury yield is about 5.22%.
Sports
Oilers 4, Kings 1 · ALCS tied 1–1 · Brewers up 2–0
- Oilers 4, Kings 1: In his 800th NHL game, Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists, and he set up all three first-period goals. Leon Draisaitl scored, Vasily Podkolzin scored twice (he’s up to seven), and Devon Levi made 39 saves even though LA outshot Edmonton 40–16. The Oilers are 5-0-1, have won five straight, and swept their California trip. Next: home vs. Utah on Friday.
- NFL: Thursday Night Football is Seahawks at Broncos (both 3-2), 8:15 PM ET.
- MLB: The Rays beat the Guardians 3–1 behind Freddy Peralta’s six strong innings, so the ALCS is tied 1–1 and heads to Cleveland. The Brewers lead the Dodgers 2–0 in the NLCS, with Game 3 in LA tonight.
- NBA: Still preseason. The regular season tips off Tue Oct 20.
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