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The renowned mashpia Rav Yigal Cohen has issued a passionate call to bnei hayeshivos and avreichim across Eretz Yisroel: close your Gemaros this Thursday and head to Yerushalayim to take part in the mass atzeres tefillah.

“Hakadosh Baruch Hu is calling out, ‘Lech lecha mei’artzecha’—leave your comfort zone and come show love for those who learn Torah,” he urged.

Speaking to Kol Chai Radio, Rav Cohen addressed the broader Israeli public, saying, “They should be paying us a fortune just so that we continue learning Torah.” The rov emphasized that the gathering is not a political demonstration but a declaration of unity and love for Torah and its learners. “Every avreich would prefer to stay with his Gemara in the beis medrash,” he said, “but Hakadosh Baruch Hu is calling out: leave your comfort zone, take your bag, and come show love for the lomdei Torah.”

Rav Cohen noted that the vast majority of Jews, across all backgrounds, respect and support Torah learning. “I’m not talking based on surveys,” he said, “but from what I see every day, when a simple Jew wants to give charity, he chooses to support lomdei Torah. Eretz Yisroel was not given to us because of the army, but because of the Torah. We just need to reach people and explain it to them.”

He also turned to traditional and newly observant Jews, saying, “The thousands of young people who put on tefillin for the first time, who come to the Kosel, who are growing stronger in their Yiddishkeit, they all need to come. Torah unites everyone.”

In a tone of self-reflection, Rav Cohen admitted, “Somewhere along the way, we failed to ‘sell’ the value of Torah. Torah is the greatest start-up in the world. That avreich sitting in a 40-square-meter apartment in Bnei Brak—because of him, there’s rain, there’s oxygen, there are miracles. ‘Lo brisi yomam valaylah’—the world exists only through Torah.”

Rav Cohen concluded with a personal appeal for continuous outreach: “Don’t wait for a draft law. Every bochur, grab a friend and learn Pirkei Avos with him for half an hour a week. Let him taste the sweetness of Torah, see its beauty, and he’ll come to love it on his own.”

{Matzav.com}

As preparations intensify for the massive atzeres tefillah in Yerushalayim tomorrow, the secretary of the Gerer Rebbe, Rav Yitzchok Broide, has issued a call urging all chassidim to take part in the historic gathering.

Gerer communities across the country have begun organizing large-scale transportation to Yerushalayim, where tens of thousands are expected to join together in tefillah and protest against the proposed giyus decree.

In a recorded message sent to chassidim throughout Eretz Yisroel, Rav Broide called on all avreichim and bochurim of the Gerer yeshivos to participate in the atzeres. The announcement did not include a directive for children to attend.

“We ask that the message be conveyed to all members of our community: anyone who is able should take part in the gathering of outcry and protest against the gezeiras giyus bnei hayeshivos, which will, b’ezras Hashem, take place this Thursday, 8 Cheshvan, in Yerushalayim. This includes avreichei hakollelim and bochurei hayeshivos vehamesivtos,” the message stated.

{Matzav.com}

A month after the State Prosecutor’s Office announced it would not investigate the leak of the video from Sde Teiman, the IDF announced on Wednesday afternoon that it is launching a criminal investigation into the affair, including an examination of the possible involvement of officials within the Military Advocate General’s Office. The IDF stated, “At […]

Nvidia has become the first $5 trillion company, just three months after the Silicon Valley chipmaker was first to break through the $4 trillion barrier. Hitting the new benchmark puts more emphasis on the upheaval being unleashed by an artificial intelligence craze that’s widely viewed as the biggest tectonic shift in technology since Apple co—founder […]

In a moving encounter Tuesday evening, Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Dov Landau warmly received Ariel Rosenzweig, a yeshiva bochur who was arrested last week during the shivah for his late father and later released.

The Rosh Yeshiva bentched him, saying, “Learn Torah and pay no attention to these wicked people who want to drag you into that terrible place — the army.”

He also offered words of nechamah for the loss of his father and blessed him that he should receive a full exemption from military service.

Ariel, a talmid at Yeshivas Neve Eretz, was arrested by the military police in the middle of shivah at his home in Ramat Gan. His father had passed away only days earlier. Despite the pleas and tears of his grieving family and the newly widowed mother, the bochur was taken from the house and imprisoned.

Following intense public outcry and political pressure, Ariel was eventually released from detention.

{Matzav.com}

A vacationer in Montego Bay, Jamaica surveys the damage to a luxury hotel from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday night.

Chareidim arrested after storming Israel’s Supreme Court during a hearing on the IDF drafting yeshivaleit

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused the Trump administration of committing horrific acts, alleging that “Black babies are being thrown in the back of vans” and “zip-tied in the middle of the night.”

The Las Vegas Police Department is rolling out a large fleet of Cybertruck police cars.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz signed an order prohibiting Red Cross visits to terrorists held in Israeli prisons.

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said dozens of Hamas commanders were eliminated after yesterday’s Rafah attack, warning there will be no immunity for Hamas leaders — “whoever raises a hand against IDF soldiers, his hand will be severed” — and that anyone who attacks soldiers or breaches agreements will pay the full price.

REPORTER: “Mr. President, could we get your reaction to Israel striking in Gaza again?” TRUMP: “From what I understand, they took out an Israeli soldier… I just heard about it a little while ago. They killed an Israeli soldier, so Israel hit back, and they should. When that happens, they have every right to respond.” […]

Trump on Gaza peace deal: “We’re getting into phase two,” he said, adding, “We made a deal with them… If they don’t behave, they get taken out. And it could be from numerous countries.”

President Donald Trump was awarded South Korea’s highest honor, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, with officials noting, “Mr. President, you are the first American president to receive this honor.”

The IDF announced that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is now in effect, following a series of significant strikes targeting dozens of Hamas terrorists and sites. In a statement, the military said that, under the directive of the political echelon, it launched the strikes in response to Hamas’ violations, hitting more than 30 commanders […]

President Donald Trump acknowledged that U.S. law prevents him from seeking a third term, indicating he does not plan to challenge the constitutional limit on presidential tenure. “If you read it, it’s pretty clear I’m not allowed to run — it’s too bad,” he said.

The IDF reported that it thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt last night using a drone. Troops intercepted and shot down the drone after it crossed the border, discovering it was carrying three assault rifles.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to flood the streets of Yerushalayim tomorrow to protest the government’s giyus decree and the arrests of yeshiva bochurim. Gedolei Yisroel will stand on balconies along Yirmiyahu and Sarei Yisrael Streets, joining the masses in tefillah.

The organizers have stressed that the event will be entirely devoted to tefillah and kiddush Hashem, with no political overtones. The gathering is being held in protest of the threats to Torah learning and the detentions of bnei yeshivos.

The main atzarah will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the entrance to Yerushalayim and is expected to continue for approximately two hours. The program will include Tehillim and special tefillos composed for the occasion.

The protest area will extend from the Chords Bridge toward the city entrance up to the gas station, continuing along Rechov Yirmiyahu to Rechov HaTzvi, as well as along Sarei Yisrael, Shazar Boulevard, and Rechov Yafo up to their junctions. Gedolei Yisroel and roshei yeshiva will be positioned on balconies along these main routes to participate and lead the tefillos.

The atzarah will conclude around 4:30 p.m., close to shkiah, to allow the crowd to disperse safely. Organizers emphasize that all participants must follow safety and security instructions, maintain decorum, and ensure the event proceeds in a spirit of kiddush Hashem.

Hundreds of buses are being organized independently across the country to bring participants to Yerushalayim. The public is urged to follow official guidance from the organizing committee.

Police are preparing for the massive event, deploying hundreds of officers and Border Police units to ensure public safety, direct traffic, and maintain order.

Traffic Restrictions:
From 12:00 p.m. until the conclusion of the event, Route 1 will be closed in both directions from Latrun to Givat Shaul, including entrances via Route 16 and Sha’ar HaGai. Entry into Yerushalayim through Route 1 will be permitted only for prearranged buses, which will be directed by police to designated drop-off zones. Private vehicles will not be allowed to use Route 1.

Drivers exiting the city will be directed through the Arza Tunnel, Route 16, or Route 443, which will remain open for private traffic. Within Yerushalayim, the main entrance area and surrounding roads will be closed, as well as central city routes. Additional closures and delays are expected near the protest zone.

Gedolei Yisroel — including leading roshei yeshiva, rebbes, and rabbonim — have called on the public to join this historic event, to stand together in unity and sanctify the name of Hashem before the world.

{Matzav.com}