Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yitzchak Yosef used his weekly shiur to call for a change in how Sephardic yeshivos conduct Chanukah candle lighting, questioning the practice of interrupting seder learning for the mitzvah.
Addressing the issue of candle-lighting times, Rav Yosef discussed the customs followed by various Chassidic leaders and contrasted them with strict adherence to halachah. He noted that certain Chassidic rebbes would light Chanukah candles 18 minutes after sunset, explaining that this practice was followed by the Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisrael, and later by Rav Pinchas Menachem Alter, who served as Rosh Yeshivah of Gur before becoming Rebbe.
“There are rebbes who light later,” Rav Yosef said, “but we follow halachah. Someone who is at home should not delay lighting without reason. Why delay? Light exactly on time. Someone who is late can still light afterward — at six or seven. If a person is working and cannot stop, or if stopping would cause a significant loss, or if he has a chavrusa at that time, why stop learning at five o’clock, bang on the bimah, and light Chanukah candles?”
Rav Yosef went on to propose a clear change for yeshivos: continuing the regular learning schedule and lighting the Chanukah neiros only at the conclusion of seder. He said that this has already been the practice for years at Yeshiva Chazon Ovadia, where candle lighting is held at 7:00 p.m., and added that he was told the same is done at Yeshivat Porat Yosef under Rav Moshe Tzadkah.
“In our yeshivah, Chazon Ovadia, for years already we light at seven,” Rav Yosef said. “I heard that in Porat Yosef as well they do the same. Meaning, they light at the end of seder. At seven, they close the Gemaras and then light. That is the best way to do it.”
Expressing hope that his guidance would be adopted more broadly, Rav Yosef said, “If only all yeshivos would do this. The Ashkenazim won’t listen to me — at least the Sephardim should listen. Light the Chanukah candles at the end of seder. It’s a shame — this is Toras harabbim. You stop the learning, then go to the room to light, sing songs — what kind of bitul Torah is this? Do all of that at seven. You have an hour break, do it then. But a person who is at home, not a yeshivah student, should light on time — exactly at five.”
{Matzav.com}
Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, Slabodka rosh yeshiva, delivered a powerful address of chizuk at the Rabbeinu Chaim Ozer Yeshiva following the arrest and imprisonment of one of its talmidim by the Israeli Military Police, sharply condemning the move and calling it a “horrific crime.”
The Rosh Yeshiva spoke Wednesday night in the beis medrash of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Ozer after talmid Yitzchak Rebibo was taken into custody and incarcerated in a military prison on charges of being a so-called “deserter.”
“All observant Jews are shocked to the depths of their souls by the horrific crime of throwing a yeshiva student into prison,” Rav Landau declared. “A student of your yeshiva — Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Ozer, led by my esteemed colleague the great gaon Rav Menachem Tzvi Berlin — is imprisoned solely because of his ‘crime’: that he learns in yeshiva and does not enlist in the army of their regime. This is something utterly terrifying.”
Rav Landau went on to say that the Torah world must respond with strength and clarity. “We must proclaim that ‘no weapon formed against you shall succeed,’ that their decrees will be nullified like dust of the earth, and that all will be able to continue learning Torah without interference.”
Addressing the imprisoned talmid directly, Rav Landau offered words of chizuk. “To the bochur Yitzchak Chaim ben Shlomit, we strengthen him that he stand firm against the plots of wickedness, that he pay no attention to empty temptations and false persuasion, and that he merit to emerge soon from the prison in which he is being held.”
Turning to the yeshiva and its leadership, Rav Landau urged them not to be demoralized. “Do not allow your spirits to fall. Be strong and courageous. In these days of Chanukah, grasp the attribute of the Chashmonaim, who stood with bravery against those who sought to make them forget Your Torah. Just as then, so now, may Hashem show us miracles and wonders in our time, and we will prevail.”
{Matzav.com}
As Jewish communities confront a wave of violent antisemitic attacks, a little-known telegram sent nearly seven decades ago by the Lubavitcher Rebbe has reemerged, drawing fresh attention for its urgent tone and striking relevance.
The document, written by Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, dates to April 16, 1956, just days after Arab terrorists attacked a Chabad school in Kfar Chabad during Maariv, murdering five students and their teacher. Though preserved in archives, the message had not previously circulated widely.
In the telegram, the Rebbe sharply condemned the attack, describing it as a “cold-blooded massacre of Jewish children at prayer,” and pressed Eisenhower to act. Rather than offering condolences alone, the Rebbe appealed for American influence to be used to prevent further bloodshed and to safeguard Jewish religious and educational institutions in Israel. Writing in the name of the worldwide Chabad movement, he framed the massacre as a moral test that “must arouse every decent human being,” urging immediate and effective steps.
The resurfacing of the telegram comes at a moment of acute concern for Jewish security after 15 people were killed in an Islamist terror attack targeting a Chanukah gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
{Matzav.com}
Dear Matzav Inbox,
There is a quiet, creeping issue that has taken root in our simchos and it needs to be called out plainly.
People show up. They take time off work. They battle traffic. They arrange carpools, babysitters, flights, and so on. They get dressed, (put on makeup, for the women), and come—often exhausted, often stretched thin—simply to share in another Yid’s joy and offer a heartfelt mazel tov. And far too often, what do they receive in return? A nod without eye contact. A rushed half-smile. Or worse, nothing at all.
When did basic hakaras hatov become optional?
A baal simcha who barely looks up as someone approaches, who offers a limp handshake while scanning the room for someone “more important,” sends a clear message: Your presence doesn’t really matter. And that message stings. It stings deeply.
And then there’s the kabbolas ponim circus.
How many times does one walk into a wedding hall, make their way to the designated table, and find… empty chairs? The baalei simcha are nowhere to be found. Instead of sitting and receiving people, they’re sprinting across the room looking for eidim, whispering frantically with photographers, managing crises that shouldn’t be their problem.
Sit down. Stay put. Let people wish you mazel tov. That is the entire point of a kabbolas ponim.
Is it really so unbearable to pause the logistics for a moment and be present?
This isn’t about entitlement. No one is asking for fanfare or flowery speeches. We’re talking about eye contact. A sincere smile. Two seconds of acknowledgment that says, “Thank you for coming. It means something to me.” That small human moment can carry someone for days. Its absence can sour an entire evening.
We speak endlessly about mentchlichkeit. Mentchlichkeit is how you treat the person standing in front of you.
A baal simcha who cannot be bothered to properly acknowledge the people who came to share their joy should stop and ask: What exactly is this simcha for?
Sit down. Look people in the eye. Say thank you. Mean it.
It shouldn’t be radical. It should be obvious.
B. T.
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