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Dear Matzav Inbox,

I’ve read the discussions on Matzav.com about prices, overpaying, and trying to save a few dollars here and there. But I have a different problem, and I need to speak from the heart because this is weighing on me in a way that I can barely describe.

I’m making over $300,000 a year, and as a frum Yid, I’m in debt. Yes, you read that right. I’m in debt! And before you start thinking I’m spending money on extravagant vacations or driving a fancy car, let me tell you—I don’t overspend. I’m not living a lavish lifestyle. I’m just trying to keep my head above water, to live an ehrlich Yiddishe life, and support my family of seven children.

And I’m drowning.

Let’s break it down.

First, everything I earn is on the books, so the IRS siphons off an insane amount of my income for taxes. It hurts beyond words.

Between my mortgage, car payments, health insurance (which, by the way, is sky-high for a family our size), car insurance, and tuition—oh, the tuition!—it’s a miracle if I have anything left over.

Then add in simchos, groceries (you know what it costs to feed a large family today?), basic household items, clothing for the kids, medical bills, utility bills, camp fees, and a thousand other random everyday expenses that pop up out of nowhere.

I’m telling you, it’s not possible.

It’s just not possible to make it.

Imagine—who would have ever thought that a person making $300,000 a year could not support his family? Not normal! Mamish not normal.

I sit at the end of the month, looking at my bank account, and I feel like I’m in a bad dream. How did we get here? How is it that the money I work so hard for, that I thought would secure my family’s future, doesn’t even stretch to cover the basics?

I thought maybe I was losing my mind, that something must be wrong with the way I’m budgeting or planning. But then I started talking to friends, other hardworking Yidden in the same income range, and you know what? They’re in the same boat! One friend told me he just made a bar mitzvah and a wedding, and he’s earning even more than I am, and he’s in chovos up to his neck. He can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel either.

Years ago, if someone would have told me I’d be making this kind of money, I would have thought I’d be a gvir. I would have been thrilled, thinking I’d be able to give tzedakah generously, help others, and live comfortably. And now, I’m just struggling to make ends meet. I’m literally not making it to the end of the month. The money is gone before I can even take a breath, before I can even think about how to stretch it further.

I’m not writing this letter for sympathy from Matzav readers. Actually, I don’t know why I’m writing it. Maybe I’m just in pain and feel so alone. There are so many of us out there, Yidden who are working hard, earning what used to be considered a respectable income, and still, we’re sinking. The pressures on a frum family today are immense, and the costs are overwhelming.

We’re just trying to live an ehrlich, Torahdige life, to raise our children b’derech haTorah, and somehow, the system is broken. Something has to change, because this is not sustainable. We can’t keep going on like this, constantly worrying, constantly stressed, constantly in chovos, even when we’re supposedly making good money. It’s not right. It’s not what any of us expected, and it’s certainly not what we were promised.

So what do we do? I don’t have the answers, but I know this conversation has to keep going. We need to speak up and share our struggles, because only when we’re honest about the challenges we’re facing can we hope to find some kind of solution.

Sincerely,

A Broken Breadwinner

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{Matzav.com}

Rav Gershon Ribner, rosh kollel of Kollel Nesivos Hatorah and son-in-law of Rav Shneur Kotler, has succeeded in applying classical Talmudical analysis and methodology to understanding all areas of Yiddishkeit, bringing out its profundity and sense.

LISTEN:

It’s been a wild week of weather in many parts of the United States, from heat waves to snowstorms to flash floods. Here’s a look at some of the weather events: Midwest sizzles under heat wave Millions of people in the Midwest have been enduring dangerous heat and humidity. An emergency medicine physician treating Minnesota State Fair-goers for heat illnesses saw firefighters cut rings off two people’s swollen fingers Monday in hot weather that combined with humidity made it feel well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius). Soaring late summer temperatures also prompted some Midwestern schools to let out early or cancel sports practices. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings or advisories across Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Several cities including Chicago opened cooling centers. Forecasters said Tuesday also will be scorching hot for areas of the Midwest before the heat wave shifts to the south and east. West Coast mountains get early snowstorm An unusually cold storm on the mountain peaks along the West Coast late last week brought a hint of winter in August. The system dropped out of the Gulf of Alaska, down through the Pacific Northwest and into California. Mount Rainier, southeast of Seattle, got a high-elevation dusting, as did central Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor resort. Mount Shasta, the Cascade Range volcano that rises to 14,163 feet (4,317 meters) above far northern California, wore a white blanket after the storm clouds passed. The mountain’s Helen Lake, which sits at 10,400 feet (3,170 meters) received about half a foot of snow (15 centimeters), and there were greater amounts at higher elevations, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Shasta Ranger Station. Tropical storm dumps heavy rain on Hawaii Three tropical cyclones swirled over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, including Tropical Storm Hone, which brought heavy rain to Hawaii; Hurricane Gilma, which was weakening; and Tropical Storm Hector, which was churning westward, far off the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. The biggest impacts from Tropical Storm Hone (pronounced hoe-NEH) were rainfall and flash floods that resulted in road closures, downed power lines and damaged trees in some areas of the Big Island, said William Ahue, a forecaster at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu. No injuries or major damage had been reported, authorities said. Deadly Alaska landslide crashes into homes A landslide that cut a path down a steep, thickly forested hillside crashed into several homes in Ketchikan, Alaska, in the latest such disaster to strike the mountainous region. Sunday’s slide killed one person and injured three others and prompted the mandatory evacuation of nearby homes in the city, a popular cruise ship stop along the famed Inside Passage in the southeastern Alaska panhandle. The slide area remained unstable Monday, and authorities said that state and local geologists were arriving to assess the area for potential secondary slides. Last November, six people — including a family of five — were killed when a landslide destroyed two homes in Wrangell, north of Ketchikan. Flash flood hits Grand Canyon National Park The body of an Arizona woman who disappeared in Grand Canyon National Park after a flash flood was recovered Sunday, park rangers said. The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was discovered by a group rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, the park said in a statement. Nickerson was […]

The Israeli Yated Ne’eman newspaper, aligned with the Degel Hatorah faction of the Yahadut Hatorah party, sharply criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in its paper today, labeling him as a “pyromaniac politician.”

This rebuke follows Ben Gvir’s recent endorsement of establishing a shul on the Har Habayis in Yerushalayim’s Old City.

The newspaper emphasizes the enduring stance of leading gedolei haposkim across generations who categorically prohibited Jews from ascending the Har Habayis.

The publication condemns Ben Gvir’s statements as “severe” and accuses him of “endangering the residents of the Holy Land.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Dear Friends & Supporters: Approximately 30 years ago, Rav Zechariah Gelley zt”l, Rav of K’hal Adas Yeshurun in Washington Heights, was invited to join the rabbinic presidium (Nesius) of Agudas Yisroel of America and to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Nesius. Rav Gelley graciously accepted the invitation, but he had a question: “What is accomplished at these meetings? I’m sure it’s very nice to drink coffee or tea with rabbonim and roshei yeshiva from different backgrounds, but does anything tangible, l’maaseh, come out of these meetings?” To which Rav Elya Fisher zt”l, Rosh Kollel of Ger and fellow member of the Nesius, replied; “There is much l’maaseh, as you will see. But even if the Nesius existed for the sole purpose of creating a table at which we all sit together and drink coffee and tea, that itself would be a great thing.” From time to time, even today some three decades later, we at Agudas Yisroel hear a slight variation on Rav Gelley’s question: “L’maaseh, what does the Agudah do?”  The reality is that Agudah is very much a l’maaseh-focused organization. Hence the theme of our upcoming fifth annual Charidy fundraising campaign: THIS IS WHAT WE DO We will tell you about Agudas Yisroel’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country that help bring in millions upon millions of dollars in government programs, services and funding to the yeshiva community across the USA. We will tell you about the central role Agudah plays in the battle to preserve the independence of our yeshivos against inappropriate governmental intrusion. We will tell you about the work Agudas Yisroel does in promoting the legal rights of our special needs population, and about the trailblazing activities of the growing national network of Yahalom offices servicing this population. We will tell you about Agudah’s essential role in combatting antisemitism in America, with special emphasis on the growing cancer of anti-charedi’ism. We will tell you about Agudah’s immensely popular “H3” business halacha seminars in venues across the United States, and even in the UK, which have given essential halachic guidance to thousands of businessmen and professionals from all types of backgrounds. We will tell you about the remarkable work of our Chayim Aruchim division, dealing with end-of-life halachic and legal challenges; about our recently started Zahav division to help seniors and their families in navigating the federal and local bureaucracies for various forms of government assistance programs; about the numerous court cases in which we have filed legal briefs to make sure that our community’s interests are protected. There’s more — lots more  — but enough for now.  The bottom line, as the unforgettable President of Agudas Yisroel Rabbi Moshe Sherer would often say, is that while it is true that the Agudah is an ideological organization — the ideology is an ideology of activism! In short: l’maaseh! And so, dear friends, please read the literature and watch the videos we will be publishing for Agudas Yisroel’s upcoming Charidy fundraising campaign. Learn more about what we do, about the many thousands whose lives are directly impacted by our work, about the wonderful tangible accomplishments that are the hallmark of the Agudah.  And then, open up your hearts and your pockets to enable us to continue doing what we do to meet the needs of a growing […]

IDF Spokesmen Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari speaks following the successful rescue of Qaid Farhan Alkadi from Hamas captivity in southern Gaza. This was the first successful hostage rescue mission in a terror tunnel.

Photos of the emotional meeting between Farhan Qadi, who was rescued from being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza today, and members of his family at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. Credit: Yossi Ifergan

The chief of Ukraine’s army said Tuesday that the country’s troops have gained control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russia’s Kursk region since their surprise incursion three weeks ago. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi also said that Ukraine has captured 594 Russian prisoners in its operation. “The enemy drags troops from other directions, in such way weakening them. They attempt to create a ring of defense around our offensive group of troops and plan counteroffensive actions,” Syrskyi said, commenting on the situation in the Kursk region. The seized territory is roughly the size of Los Angeles. His claim, which could not be independently confirmed, came hours after Ukraine endured a second consecutive barrage of nighttime air and missile attacks from Russia. Five people were reported killed and 16 injured in the attacks, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said included 81 drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles. He said four people died, but the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region later said a fifth person had died there from burns in the attacks. “We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.” Zelenskyy wrote on X. The Kursk operation, the largest incursion into Russia since World War II, forced some 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Russia has sent reinforcements into the region, but it was not clear to what extent these movements might be weakening Russia’s position in eastern Ukraine, where it was making slow advances in efforts to gain ground in the Kharkiv region. The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in Kursk — some 6,600 troops either killed or injured — and that more than 70 tanks have been destroyed along with scores of armored vehicles. Those figures could not be independently confirmed. In the Kyiv region, which had struggled with blackouts after Monday’s onslaught that targeted energy facilities throughout the country, five air alerts were called during the night. The regional administration said air defenses destroyed all the drones and missiles but that falling debris set off forest fires. After Monday’s barrage across Ukraine of more than 100 missiles and a similar number of drones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said “the energy infrastructure has once again become the target of Russian terrorists” and urged Ukraine’s allies to provide it with long-range weapons and permission to use them on targets inside Russia. President Joe Biden called Monday’s Russian attack on energy infrastructure “outrageous” and said he had “reprioritized U.S. air defense exports so they are sent to Ukraine first.” He also said the U.S. was “surging energy equipment to Ukraine to repair its systems and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy grid.” The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks used “long-range precision air- and sea-based weapons and strike drones against critical energy infrastructure facilities that support the operation of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. All designated targets were hit.” In Russia, meanwhile, officials reported four Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Kursk region. The fighting in the region has raised concerns about the nuclear power plant there. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi arrived inspected the plant on Tuesday, but did not immediately give a public assessment. (AP)

General Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed Reuters on Monday that the immediate threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East has lessened following recent exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, though Iran remains a serious concern as it contemplates a possible strike on Israel.

Brown’s remarks came after a three-day visit to the Middle East, which included a stop in Israel where he met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. His visit coincided with Hezbollah’s launch of hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, prompting the IDF to retaliate against Lebanon to prevent a more extensive assault.

Brown highlighted that Hezbollah’s attack was one of two significant threats to Israel that have emerged recently. Iran is also threatening a response following the killing of Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, an incident Israel has not officially acknowledged.

When asked whether the risk of a regional war had decreased, Brown responded, “Somewhat, yes.”

“You had two things you knew were going to happen. One’s already happened. Now it depends on how the second is going to play out,” he explained.

“How Iran responds will dictate how Israel responds, which will dictate whether there is going to be a broader conflict or not,” Brown said. He also warned of the potential danger from Iran’s allies in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, who have attacked U.S. troops, as well as Yemen’s Houthis, who have targeted shipping in the Red Sea and even launched drones at Israel.

“And do these others actually go off and do things on their own because they’re not satisfied – the Houthis in particular,” Brown remarked to Reuters.

Brown further mentioned that the U.S. military is now in a stronger position to support Israel’s defense, as well as its own forces in the Middle East, compared to April 13, when Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.

“We’re better postured. We try to improve upon what we did in April,” Brown told Reuters.

John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman, recently stated on CNN that U.S. intelligence suggests Iran has not withdrawn its threat to attack Israel.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder informed reporters that an Iranian attack on Israel is “certainly possible,” stressing that the threat must be taken seriously, prompting the deployment of additional resources to the region.

{Matzav.com}

The New York State Thruway Authority has taken legal action against the constructors of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, asserting that certain sections of the bridge do not meet required standards, even though the structure remains secure for use.

Amidst worries about the quality of the anchor pipes—the locations where the cables attach to the bridge’s supporting framework—the Thruway Authority initiated the lawsuit against Tappan Zee Constructors in Albany’s Supreme Court.

The Thruway Authority claims that 61 out of the 192 anchor pipes are substandard and need to be upgraded, which will increase the costs associated with maintaining the bridge.

The lawsuit alleges that TZC—a coalition of four construction companies—has declined to correct the deficient work and is indebted to the Thruway Authority by at least $6 million over the matter.

Tappan Zee Constructors has not yet responded, and the company had previously filed a lawsuit against the Thruway Authority in 2021, claiming it was owed payments.

The newly built bridge, which was inaugurated in 2017 to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge linking Nyack and Tarrytown, is designed to have a lifespan of one hundred years.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day mentioned that he had a conversation with Frank Hoare, the leader of the Thruway Authority, who assured him that the bridge is safe for use and that the issues pertain to its durability and upkeep.

“I will drive over the bridge,” Day said.

Regarding the upgrading of the components that did not meet the standards—the procedure is currently in progress.

“They have already put together a program of inspections, replacements, so they’re moving it along,” Day said.

“He feels strongly that everything will be fine,” Day said of Hoare. “But he wants to add an extra level of caution and an extra level of inspection to make sure that everything is fine.”

In a statement released on Thursday, Thruway Authority spokesperson Jennifer Givner stated: “The New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) is committed to ensuring contractor compliance to guarantee the toll payers get what they paid for in the construction of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which independent experts have confirmed is safe.”

“NYSTA and Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC) have a dispute regarding material compliance of several stay cable anchorage components,” Givner’s statement continued. “NYSTA asserts that these components are not contractually compliant and require remediation. TZC has disagreed and refused to act in accordance with their contract.”

“To ensure contract compliance, NYSTA has filed a lawsuit to recover the costs of evaluation and remediation of these components,” Givner said. “Simultaneously, NYSTA has begun the process to retrofit these components, under the guidance of nation-leading experts in material science, engineering and design. NYSTA has also commissioned a full independent safety review of the GMMCB, which determined that the retrofit of the components is necessary to ensure their durability and full service life that toll payers paid for.”

{Matzav.com}

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant: “The IDF and ISA have rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from Gaza where he was held hostage, and brought him to his family in Israel. This operation was part of the IDF’s daring and courageous activities conducted deep inside the Gaza strip. This operation joins a series of actions taken by the IDF that bring us closer to achieving the goals of this war. I would like to reiterate and emphasize: Israel is committed to taking advantage of every opportunity to return the hostages home to Israel.”

A Southern California woman fed up with her packages getting stolen out of her post office box sent an Apple AirTag to the address and cleverly tracked down the suspected thief, police said. The woman had had several items stolen from her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office already when she thought of the idea, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Apple’s $29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from their lost keys to wallets and luggage. On Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies were called to the post office where the woman told officials her mail had been stolen again — including the package with the AirTag. Law enforcement tracked the AirTag to a block in Santa Maria, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the post office and arrested two suspects — a 27-year-old woman from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside. They located the package with the AirTag among the victim’s mail, as well as items believed to have been stolen from more than a dozen other people. The woman declined to be identified, the sheriff’s department said. The two suspects were booked in jail on charges of possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy, and identity and credit card theft. The 37-year-old was also booked on a burglary charge and several other theft warrants from Riverside County. The sheriff’s department commended the mail theft victim for contacting law enforcement so they could apprehend the suspects rather than attempting to contact them on her own. (AP)

[COMMUNICATED]

Dear Friends & Supporters:

Approximately 30 years ago, Rav Zechariah Gelley zt”l, Rav of K’hal Adas Yeshurun in Washington Heights, was invited to join the rabbinic presidium (Nesius) of Agudas Yisroel of America and to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Nesius.

Rav Gelley graciously accepted the invitation, but he had a question: “What is accomplished at these meetings? I’m sure it’s very nice to drink coffee or tea with rabbonim and roshei yeshiva from different backgrounds, but does anything tangible, l’maaseh, come out of these meetings?”

To which Rav Elya Fisher zt”l, Rosh Kollel of Ger and fellow member of the Nesius, replied; “There is much l’maaseh, as you will see. But even if the Nesius existed for the sole purpose of creating a table at which we all sit together and drink coffee and tea, that itself would be a great thing.”

From time to time, even today some three decades later, we at Agudas Yisroel hear a slight variation on Rav Gelley’s question: “L’maaseh, what does the Agudah do?” 

The reality is that Agudah is very much a l’maaseh-focused organization. Hence the theme of our upcoming fifth annual Charidy fundraising campaign: THIS IS WHAT WE DO

We will tell you about Agudas Yisroel’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country that help bring in millions upon millions of dollars in government programs, services and funding to the yeshiva community across the USA.

We will tell you about the central role Agudah plays in the battle to preserve the independence of our yeshivos against inappropriate governmental intrusion.

We will tell you about the work Agudas Yisroel does in promoting the legal rights of our special needs population, and about the trailblazing activities of the growing national network of Yahalom offices servicing this population.

We will tell you about Agudah’s essential role in combatting antisemitism in America, with special emphasis on the growing cancer of anti-charedi’ism.

We will tell you about Agudah’s immensely popular “H3” business halacha seminars in venues across the United States, and even in the UK, which have given essential halachic guidance to thousands of businessmen and professionals from all types of backgrounds.

We will tell you about the remarkable work of our Chayim Aruchim division, dealing with end-of-life halachic and legal challenges; about our recently started Zahav division to help seniors and their families in navigating the federal and local bureaucracies for various forms of government assistance programs; about the numerous court cases in which we have filed legal briefs to make sure that our community’s interests are protected.

There’s more — lots more 
— but enough for now. 

The bottom line, as the unforgettable President of Agudas Yisroel Rabbi Moshe Sherer would often say, is that while it is true that the Agudah is an ideological organization — the ideology is
an ideology of activism!
In short: l’maaseh!

And so, dear friends, please read the literature and watch the videos we will be publishing for Agudas Yisroel’s upcoming Charidy fundraising campaign. Learn more about what we do, about the many thousands whose lives are directly impacted by our work, about the wonderful tangible accomplishments that are the hallmark of the Agudah. 

And then, open up your hearts and your pockets to enable us to continue doing what we do to meet the needs of a growing Klal Yisroel in these most challenging times.

One final request: as you learn more about what the Agudah does, please pause for a moment to remember Rav Elya Fisher’s response to Rav Zechariah Gelley. Agudas Yisroel represents a large table around which all chareidim lidvar Hashem sit together, drinking coffee and tea and strengthening our bonds to
one another b’ahava v’achva v’shalom v’reius. 

This is what we do, yes. But it’s also who we are. Won’t you please join us around the table?

B’yedidus,

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel
Executive Vice Presiden

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