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In the midst of a heated campaign against Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, the revered mekubal, Rav Yaakov Ades, has sent a heartfelt letter of support and clarification, denying recent claims that he criticized Deri and expressing deep regret over false publications using his name.

“I was truly shocked to see posters in the streets claiming that I mentioned your name and spoke against you,” Rav Ades wrote. “Such a thing never happened—it is a complete fabrication. You can hear in the recording that your name was never mentioned at all. It is not only illogical that I would do such a thing, but I am also bound by the Torah to exercise great caution because of my father’s health. There is no possibility that I would ever do something like that. Of all those involved in caring for his health, you were the best emissary sent by Hashem, and my father, shlit”a, told me many times, ‘You truly saved my life.’”

Rav Ades explained that the statements being circulated originated from a months-old radio interview on Kol Chai with Rav Moshe Ben Lulu, recorded back in Adar, which were recently taken out of context. “People mistakenly think those words were said now,” he clarified. “When you sent Eli Mizrachi to tell me that my words had caused you pain, I immediately went back on air in the same program and praised you. I said explicitly that we spoke together in the summer of 5784 and both agreed that the current situation is very bad, and that the draft law is terrible. We only differed in opinion over which aspect was worse. I said clearly that it was obvious to me that you are acting lesheim Shamayim. From then on, I was careful never to say anything—on air or in a public talk—that could even mistakenly be taken as criticism of you.”

The mekubal added that after the committee chairmanship was replaced, he held a lengthy meeting with Deri’s emissary, Ariel Attias, to discuss the situation in detail. “I tried to find out who was behind these false postings in order to protest, but I couldn’t discover who it was. Anyone who does know may rebuke him in my name,” he wrote.

Rav Ades concluded his letter with a heartfelt bracha: “May it be Hashem’s will that you merit to increase Torah and holiness among the Jewish people, to be spared from all pitfalls and mistakes, and to accomplish great and lofty things for the spreading of Torah, for the strengthening of mitzvah observance, and for a widespread return to teshuvah—all in complete goodness. Signed, your longtime friend, who prays constantly, bli neder, that you be protected from all harm.”

{Matzav.com}

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Rabbi Alvin Kass, the guiding spiritual force of the New York City Police Department for almost sixty years, has passed away at the age of 97. The beloved chaplain, who joined the force in 1966, was remembered by city leaders and police officials as a man whose compassion and faith became inseparable from the heart of the NYPD.

Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch reflected on his extraordinary legacy and long-standing impact. “Rabbi Kass joined the NYPD in 1966, at the age of 30, becoming the youngest chaplain in the Department’s history,” she said. “Nearly six decades later, he remained its spiritual heart – a source of strength, guidance, and faith for generations of police officers and their families.”

Tisch spoke of the breadth of his accomplishments and the depth of his service. “A US Air Force veteran and Columbia graduate, Rabbi Kass devoted his life to service, to this city, and to the women and men of the NYPD. He comforted the grieving, counseled the troubled, and reminded all of us of the deeper purpose in what we do.”

Throughout his life, Rabbi Kass stood beside officers in their darkest and proudest hours. He was among the first to arrive at Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks, offering comfort to the families of the 23 NYPD officers who lost their lives that day. “And for more than half a century, he stood beside our members through moments of tragedy and triumph alike,” Tisch added.

At countless NYPD ceremonies and graduations, his benedictions became a symbol of unity and hope. He would pray that New York remain “a place where people of every race, religion, color, and creed can pursue their individual destinies untrammeled, unafraid, and in obedience to Thy will.”

Commissioner Tisch closed her tribute with words that captured the Department’s collective grief and gratitude. “Today, that prayer belongs to all of us,” she said. “And as we carry his words forward, we know he will still be watching over the city and the Department he loved. His loss is immeasurable. His example is everlasting. May his memory be a blessing.”

Mayor Eric Adams also paid heartfelt tribute, noting that Rabbi Kass’s presence extended far beyond official duty. “Rabbi Kass was a pillar of strength and comfort for the NYPD. He consoled us through the monumental tragedies and personal hardships. Whenever you needed solace or help, he was there for you.

“Thank you for everything, Rabbi. May his memory be a blessing.”

{Matzav.com}

Messages in a bottle written by two Australian soldiers a few days into their voyage to the battlefields of France during World War I have been found more than a century later on Australia’s coast. The Brown family found the Schweppes-brand bottle just above the waterline at Wharton Beach near Esperance in Western Australia state […]

In preparation for the upcoming “Million-Man Rally”, expected to draw hundreds of thousands this Thursday, the event’s publicity team has released the first wave of official messaging that will accompany the campaign in the coming days. Organizers emphasized that only official notices bearing the event’s logo should be regarded as authentic, and that any other […]

President Trump: “I also want to focus on China…but we’ll come back and we’ll at some point in the not-too-distant future meet with North Korea.”

Body of Rabbi Alvin Kass, Chief Chaplain of the NYPD being removed from Cornell Hospital to the funeral home.

Governor Ron DeSantis confirms Floridians will vote on officially abolishing property taxes statewide, so they no longer pay “rent” to the government.

Hurricane Melissa lashes El Cobre in Santiago de Cuba, snapping trees and bringing down power lines.

The IDF confirmed that overnight airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed around 30 Hamas terrorists and other armed group field commanders, including participants in the October 7 attacks, in retaliation for Hamas killing an IDF soldier in Rafah yesterday.

Russian President Putin announced that Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle, the 2M39 Poseidon.

Nvidia has become the first company in history to be worth more than $5 trillion.

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.