A highly unusual and distinguished encounter took place when the Ashlag Rebbe visited the bais medrash of the senior kabbalist Rav Dovid Batzri, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat HaShalom, accompanied by his son Rav Moshe Batzri. The meeting brought together two influential figures in the world of Kabbolah, along with a circle of their leading talmidim.
The Rebbe arrived at the bais medrashin Bnei Brak at the head of a delegation from the editorial team behind the new Zohar edition, Bnei Heichala. Rav Batzri, who has delivered his teachings there for years, welcomed the Rebbe with great honor. During the visit, the Rebbe presented him with the newly released volume of the Zohar featuring the Bnei Heichala commentary, prompting an extended discussion on the essential role of in-depth Zohar study and the commentary’s contribution to greater clarity.
When the Rebbe entered the bais medrash, Rav Batzri was in the middle of delivering an advanced shiur on the inner dimensions of Torah. Surrounding him were prominent talmidim, rabbanim, and fellow mekubalim. After greeting his guest, Rav Batzri was shown the first volume of the new edition, which incorporates the classic Sulam commentary alongside additional layers of analysis.
The Rebbe described the decades of work that went into producing the commentary and supplements. He remarked, “Here, in this place, there is certainly no need to elaborate on the importance of precision in every single word of the Zohar. At times, one word changes the entire picture and the entire understanding.” He demonstrated several examples where a single term in the text significantly shifts the meaning, explaining the necessity of an “analysis” section within the new Zohar edition, one that lays out questions, contradictions, and textual challenges with methodical, deeply grounded answers.
The Rebbe further noted that in the writings of the Arizal there are more than ten thousand citations from the Zohar, yet the Arizal often does not specify the source. “The more one can trace the Arizal’s foundations back to the Zohar itself, the more the entire inner Torah becomes illuminated,” he told Rav Batzri. The senior mekubal expressed profound admiration for the new work, praising its depth, clarity, and rigorous organization.
After closely reviewing the volume, Rav Batzri spoke with extraordinary enthusiasm. “I testify that there has never been a Zohar like this! It is literally like Shulchan Aruch!” he declared before the Rebbe and the assembled talmidim. He lauded the precision and coherence of the edition and offered a heartfelt brocha to the team behind it, expressing hope that it would “make a revolution in the world,” enabling more people to learn the Zohar and thereby come closer to the teachings of the Arizal and the inner essence of Torah.
The Rebbe also shared a story told to him by Rav David Abuhatzeira: that his grandfather, the Baba Sali, studied the Zohar with the Sulam commentary during his years in Morocco and later said that this commentary gave him “very great clarity in the Zohar.”
Throughout the encounter, the two mekubalim explored numerous intricate passages from the Zohar, engaging in deep discussion on the mysteries of Torah. Rav Batzri referenced the teaching of Rav Shalom Buzaglo in his classic Kisei Melech nearly 280 years ago, emphasizing that one hour of Zohar study with understanding is equivalent to tens of thousands of hours of study in the revealed aspects of Torah.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Rav Batzri accompanied the Rebbe out with warm friendship, and the two parted with heartfelt brachos.
{Matzav.com}
MK Avi Maoz, head of the Noam party, charged that the Israel Defense Forces are not genuinely interested in drafting chareidim in a way that allows them to complete their service while fully maintaining their religious identity.
Maoz made the remarks during an interview at the Kikar Hashabbat studio, with the full conversation set to air later tonight.
Maoz argued that the military has failed to create an environment that preserves the lifestyle and standards of chareidi recruits. “I think that the army is not doing what it needs to do so that a chareidi can enlist as a chareidi and also leave as a chareidi while preserving his way of life,” he said.
He explained that the core issue, in his view, is the lack of formalized protections. “Since the army does not anchor the service conditions of chareidim in IDF regulations, I am waiting for the army to anchor the chareidi service conditions in IDF regulations. Only then will I know that the army really wants to draft them so that they will be fighters and not in order to put them through the IDF melting pot to educate them anew.”
Maoz said his conclusion comes after a long period of evaluation. “I, to my great sorrow, and I say this after a long time, the army does not really want to draft the chareidim and have them also leave as chareidim.”
{Matzav.com}
During a tense appearance on Kan 11 News, MK Yuli Edelstein leveled fierce criticism at the coalition’s latest Draft Law proposal, insisting that the legislation is far from what the army actually requires. He argued that the bill is being pushed forward without genuine conviction and suggested that crucial pieces of the plan were never properly vetted.
Edelstein said the military is grappling with a shortfall of roughly 12,000 soldiers across combat and support roles, yet he believes the proposal fails to offer any meaningful solution to that staffing crisis. He also expressed frustration with last-minute items that appeared in the legislation—provisions he noted were never discussed throughout the year—claiming they were tacked on simply to manufacture disputes so that any eventual horse-trading could be marketed as political “achievements.”
Turning his attention to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Edelstein remarked, “I’ve known Netanyahu for 30 years. When something is important to him, he throws himself into it. That’s not what’s happening here. I know how many calls he makes and how many meetings he holds when he wants to get something passed. In this case – I haven’t seen that.” His comments underscored his belief that the prime minister has not been fully invested in steering the law to a workable outcome.
The Likud veteran didn’t mince words when discussing the text of the bill itself. “What’s written there is evasion, not enlistment. The Bismuth Law is, unfortunately, a law of evasion,” he said, labeling the draft as a blueprint that avoids the real problem rather than confronting it.
Edelstein cautioned that the political consequences could be severe, noting that dissatisfaction isn’t coming only from opponents of the government. “Opposition to this law isn’t coming from Kaplan demonstrators – it’s coming from Likud and Religious Zionism voters,” he warned, signaling potential turbulence for both the coalition and his own party.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar brushed aside the inflammatory claims coming from New York City’s soon-to-take-office mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has publicly vowed to have Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu arrested the moment he steps into the city. Sa’ar, speaking with the New York Post during a stop in Midtown on Monday, said the dramatic threats have zero impact on Netanyahu’s intentions.
“I don’t want to enter into a legal debate with the elected mayor of New York,” Sa’ar said. “But I will only say or repeat what the prime minister had said himself, he will come to New York.”
Mamdani has been one of the loudest critics of Israel on the American political scene, repeatedly accusing the Jewish state of committing war crimes during its war against Hamas. Citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant, he has insisted he would order Netanyahu’s detention should the prime minister visit New York City.
That declaration was quickly dismissed at the state level. New York Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized last week that Mamdani has absolutely no power to carry out such an act. “No, I do not, and the New York City mayor has not had the power to do that,” Hochul said, making clear that the threat was purely rhetorical.
Even with the heated language flying from City Hall-elect, Sa’ar signaled he was not entirely closing the door on future engagement. “I hope that we will have, in the future, maybe, a constructive dialogue, even though I can be skeptical about it,” he told the Post.
{Matzav.com}
