[COMMUNICATED]
by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler
The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”
It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.)
Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.
Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!
Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!
YES! YOU CAN MAKE
your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE Shas, Rashi & Tosfos IN JUST ONE YEAR!
The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha
The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly: It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact.
All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.
Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year
The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own.
Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden.
Official Shtar from Shas Yiden
Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.
All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.
The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!
Yissachar-Zevulun Pact –
Beyond the Grave
The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon.
Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).
One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”
In the words of Gedolei Torah:
Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:
“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).
“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.
“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”
Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:
“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”
Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:
“Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”
Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:
“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”
Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:
“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory.
Dr. Anthony Fauci spent the pandemic years burying critical information about where COVID-19 came from, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary alleged in a fiery appearance on “Pod Force One,” accusing the longtime federal health official of directing an intentional and far-reaching concealment.
Makary, who previously taught at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told host Miranda Devine that while leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Fauci aggressively shut down discussion of a possible lab leak in China — a suppression effort that, he argued, went largely unnoticed inside the medical world. “One thing that’s extremely obvious that very few people realize, and certainly hardly anyone in the medical establishment where I come from realized, is that [Fauci] was involved in a massive cover-up of the origins of COVID, a massive cover-up,” the FDA commissioner said.
He emphasized that the concealment was indisputable, regardless of whether Fauci had any personal involvement in the underlying experiments. “Whether or not he was involved in the experiments or funding the experiments that led to the origins of COVID, he was clearly 100% involved in the cover-up,” he added.
Fauci — who also held the role of chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden — received a sweeping presidential pardon last December, insulating him from prosecution for any potential offenses dating back to 2014. Makary suggested that this blanket pardon was not coincidental, arguing that Fauci’s alleged actions in hiding the virus’s origins overshadow even the “massive disagreements” he has with Fauci’s public health guidance during the crisis.
According to Makary, Fauci took the manipulation of scientific discourse to a new level. “[O]nly recently did Anthony Fauci take it to the next level of using science as political propaganda,” he told Devine. “He commissioned the pieces that lied about the COVID origins. The author who submitted the article said this was commissioned by Dr. Fauci and [Dr. Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health] in that cover letter.”
Evidence released in 2023 by the House Oversight Committee showed that Fauci requested, reviewed, and approved a scientific paper — “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” — written early in 2020 to push back against the notion that the virus originated from a Wuhan research facility.
Two months later, Fauci appeared at a White House briefing beside President Trump and cited that paper while arguing that a lab leak was unlikely.
The paper’s timing raised further questions: it was drafted just four days after Fauci and Collins held a call with its authors to address growing reports that COVID-19 could have escaped from the Wuhan lab.
Makary described the internal scramble during that period. “If you think back to the end of January, just before COVID became a thing in the news in the United States, January, February, what was Dr. Fauci doing? He was frantically engaging in a massive cover-up with 3 a.m. emails and phone calls,” he said. He added that the scientists involved originally told Fauci, “‘We think it came from the Wuhan lab,’” only to publish a letter days later asserting the opposite — after some reportedly received “millions of dollars in funding from Fauci’s agency.”
“This is not rocket science. It’s a no-brainer where it came from,” Makary fumed.
Beyond the origins debate, Makary accused Fauci and Collins of systematically weakening Obama-era restrictions on gain-of-function work and approving grants for risky viral manipulation projects. He argued that “They did everything you could do bureaucratically,” and said Fauci subsequently “parsed his words to basically lie to Congress” about the research.
He called the alleged deception “an American tragedy,” expressing disbelief that leading academics missed what he views as obvious. “What I’m shocked by coming from the faculty at Johns Hopkins is none of my colleagues knew any of this,” Makary said. “I could not believe that my colleagues had no idea of the origins and the facts surrounding the origins and the massive cover-up that Fauci and Collins led.”
Makary contended that Fauci and Collins managed to shape the narrative because of the immense influence they wield — influence tied deeply to federal research dollars. He said the Wuhan lab maintained “the safety standards of a poorly managed dental office,” yet the medical establishment still rallied behind Fauci and Collins.
“They have achieved sainthood, and they have tremendous power.”
{Matzav.com}
Dear Editor,
There have been countless podcasts, articles, speeches, and discussions about the rising cost of frum living. There’s no denying it: living a frum life is expensive. Yes, there are many contributing factors, and everything from the shidduch crisis to basic capitalism has been blamed. But one thing is clear: if we, as a community, take real steps to reduce costs, then costs will come down.
I’d like to suggest a simple first step. Every shul should establish straightforward guidelines for making a kiddush, bar mitzvah, aufruf, or any similar event within the shul. For example: if you’re making a kiddush here, you choose from two or three preset tiers. Naturally, the Rav should speak with the membership to determine what is truly affordable, and the available options should reflect the financial reality of the shul’s families.
I can already hear the reactions: “But what about people who won’t make the kiddush in the shul?” And the answer is — you’re right. You can’t force anyone to do anything once they’re outside the shul. But if 90% of the membership follows the system, it’s absolutely worth it. And let’s be honest: many of the wealthier members would probably prefer preset options anyway. It gives them less to worry about, and it even provides a built-in excuse — “I would’ve done something fancier, but the Rav doesn’t allow it.”
This is not a massive national initiative that requires an Agudah convention session. We don’t need a new organization or a fundraising drive to make it happen (give your maaser to the tzedakah of your choice). All we need is for our rabbonim and our shul members to look around and finally say: enough is enough.
C.J.
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A new wave of anger is sweeping through the 9/11 survivor and responder community after New York City acknowledged the existence of dozens of long-absent toxin-related records—files many say should have been available decades ago to protect first responders’ health.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), which represents thousands of FDNY firefighters, sounded the alarm after learning that 68 boxes of documents tied to environmental hazards at Ground Zero had been located. Union leaders say the people who dug through the rubble, breathed the toxic dust, and developed illnesses deserve complete transparency, not confusion over missing paperwork.
City officials recently confirmed that these materials—once described as nonexistent—had indeed been found, sparking widespread concern about how such a trove could vanish for so long. The timing adds tension to an already strained system, as the World Trade Center Health Program is confronting a $3 billion budget gap that could begin limiting services by 2027. More than 92,000 responders and survivors rely on the program.
Attorney Michael Barasch, who represents tens of thousands of 9/11 victims, including the family of Detective James Zadroga, placed responsibility squarely on the city. “You do not find 68 boxes by accident,” Barasch said. “You either hid them or ignored them, and families paid for that choice with funerals, chemo, and empty chairs at the table.”
Barasch labeled the discovery “a betrayal” and pressed for federal oversight, arguing that such records could have accelerated diagnoses and benefits for cancer and respiratory-disease patients who were exposed to toxic dust after the towers fell.
Data from the CDC shows the staggering scope of the health crisis: 9/11-linked cancer cases have climbed 143% in just five years, with over 48,000 confirmed cases and at least 8,215 deaths—now outnumbering the victims killed on the day of the attacks itself.
Responding to the uproar, City Hall issued a statement to FOX 5 NY defending its handling of the situation. “As one of the many first responders at Ground Zero on 9/11 and in the weeks that followed, Mayor Adams has been unwavering in his commitment to ensuring victims, their families, first responders, and survivors receive the care and services they deserve. While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the city has begun turning over documents to plaintiff’s counsel, and both parties are working out a schedule to continue this process.”
For families still fighting cancers and lung diseases two decades later, the appearance of these documents raises hopes that long-buried details about contamination levels, cleanup decisions, and environmental risks may finally come to light. Advocates like Barasch insist that only full transparency—and reliable federal funding—can ensure that first responders are not, in their words, “sacrificed twice.”
{Matzav.com}
A dramatic confrontation overnight at the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan border escalated into a major street riot, after military police attempted to arrest a chareidi yeshiva bochur wanted for draft evasion. The arrest operation failed, triggering large-scale clashes, damage to military police vehicles, and multiple arrests.
According to initial reports, military police forces arrived to detain a student from Yeshivas Rav Chaim Ozer at his home. However, the bochur was not at home—he was in yeshiva at the time. News of the attempted arrest immediately spread through the emergency alert lines of the Yerushalmi Faction, drawing hundreds of protesters within minutes.
A massive crowd of avreichim and yeshiva students responded to the call from local assistance groups, flooding the scene and confronting the military police.
Radio journalist Daniel Grobais of Galei Tzahal reported that demonstrators overturned military police patrol vehicles, vandalized additional equipment, and even stole military gear and handcuffs from the vehicles. Border Police officers were eventually dispatched to rescue the military police personnel from the area.
Photos from the scene showed an overturned military police car lying on its side. Witnesses described a chaotic environment as the crowd surged around the security forces.
The Israel Police released a statement early Wednesday morning, saying: “The police operated tonight to disperse an illegal demonstration in Ramat Gan and arrested two rioters. A report was received of a gathering of protesters on Meir Baal Haness Street in Ramat Gan, following military police activity at the scene and attempts to harm the forces.
“Dan District officers arrived immediately and began dispersing the rioters and extracting the military police teams. The rioters continued to gather, damaging military police vehicles and overturning a car. Officers worked to disperse the demonstration and arrested two suspects, who were brought in for questioning at the police station.”
Video footage from the scene showed Border Police officers flipping the damaged military patrol car upright while securing the area.
One of the arrested individuals is a well-known yeshiva student from the chareidi community. Local sources claim that the draft-dodging bochur initially targeted for arrest managed to flee during the chaos, escaping to his yeshiva under the cover of the clashes.
{Matzav.com}