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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. 

ShasYiden.com

Rav Reuven Ravitz zt”l, a distinguished talmid chochom who devoted more than five decades to teaching Torah in Kfar Saba and Nechalim and was among the most respected elder figures of Petach Tikva, passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 93.

Rav Ravitz was born in Tel Aviv’s Montefiore neighborhood as the eldest son of Rav Aryeh Leib Ravitz zt”l, who served for many years as av beis din of Tel Aviv. From a young age, he was known for his yiras Shomayim and deep commitment to limud haTorah.

In his youth, he studied at Yeshivas Chevron, where he became closely attached to the roshei yeshiva and mashgichim of the era, including Rav Yechezkel Sarna, Rav Moshe Chevroni, Rav Aharon Cohen, and the famed mashgiach Rav Meir Chodosh. He later continued his studies at Yeshivas Ponevezh, where he further developed his Torah scholarship under the guidance of the yeshiva’s roshei yeshiva.

Upon reaching marriageable age, Rav Ravitz married the daughter of Rav Yitzchok Pasternak, one of the founders of the Kfar Ganim neighborhood in Petach Tikva. The couple established their home in the city, where they lived for approximately seventy years.

For many years, Rav Ravitz taught at Yeshivas Nechalim during a period when many talmidim were continuing on to the major yeshivos. With great dedication, he worked tirelessly to draw numerous young men into a life of Torah and yiras Shomayim within the walls of the yeshivos.

He was also a longtime presence in the Beis Medrash Toras Eretz Yisroel in Petach Tikva, where he immersed himself in uninterrupted Torah study. In his later years, he learned at the Chevron Beis Medrash in the city, where he served as a living example of perseverance in learning and exemplary character traits. Known as a faithful transmitter of tradition, he shared countless accounts, teachings, and personal observations about Torah giants of previous generations with whom he had close קשר, including the Chazon Ish and the roshei yeshiva of Chevron and Ponevezh.

For roughly fifty years, Rav Ravitz delivered shiurim to members of the third generation in the Kfar Ganim neighborhood. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, he continued these shiurim by telephone and through individual study sessions, maintaining his commitment with remarkable devotion.

In the 1990s, he was active as a member of the association supporting the Montefiore nursing home in Petach Tikva. In that role, he advised on matters affecting the welfare of residents and assisted the institution’s leadership with financial issues. His warm demeanor and personal qualities made him a beloved figure and an integral part of the city’s communal landscape.

Two years ago, Rav Ravitz was awarded the title of Yakir Ha’ir, Honorary Citizen of Petach Tikva, by Mayor Rami Greenberg in recognition of his lifelong contributions to Torah and community life.

Rav Ravitz merited to raise generations of students, educating them in Torah and yiras Shomayim, and to build a family rooted in the traditions of Torah and reverence, seeing generations of ישרים מבורכים.

He is survived by his family. His brother was Rav Avraham Ravitz zt”l, the former Knesset member and the longtime chairman of Degel HaTorah.

The levayah took place Wednesday night at his home at 64 Trumpeldor Street in Petach Tikva. The procession passed the Chevron–Heichal Yechezkel Beis Medrash, with kevurah at the Segulah Cemetery in Petach Tikva.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Please say Tehillim for the Zakan Roshei Yeshivos, HaGaon HaRav Elyakim Schlesinger, who is in need of Tefillos. Rav Schlesinger, who is around 104 years old, is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas HoRomoh in London. His name for Tehillim is Elyakim ben Bayla.

Tom Homan: In the past few days, I met with Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, Mayor Frey… One thing we all agreed on was that ICE is a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress and keep this community safe.

Tom Homan in Minneapolis: “President Trump promised the American people, including the residents of Minnesota, that he would work to ensure our communities are safe…this administration is absolutely focused on identifying removable aliens that pose a public safety threat and national security threats—and the numbers prove it.”

NEAR DISASTER IN YERUSHALYIM: A serious incident was narrowly avoided on Thursday after a fuel tanker fell from a height into the middle of a major highway in Jerusalem, near the chareidi neighborhood of Neve Yaakov. Video footage shows the tanker plunging directly onto the roadway but, Bichasdei Hashem,, did not strike any vehicles and […]

A potentially catastrophic incident was narrowly avoided on Thursday in Jerusalem, after a fuel tanker fell from a height and crashed into the middle of a major highway near the chareidi neighborhood of Neve Yaakov. Dramatic video footage shows the tanker plunging directly onto the roadway. Bichasdei Hashem, the truck did not strike any vehicles, […]

Yeshiva University announced that Douglas Murray, a well-known British journalist, an outspoken supporter of Israel and one of the chassidei umos ha’olam, is joining its faculty in a newly created academic role.

Murray, who is not Jewish, is a familiar voice in international media, where he frequently comments on Israel and global affairs. University officials described his appointment as a significant addition that brings a prominent public intellectual into the school’s academic life.

According to the university, Murray has been named its first-ever President’s Professor of Practice, a role that, it explained, “recognizes leaders who have shaped public discourse and invites them to contribute that perspective to university life.”

As part of his appointment, Murray will teach within the honors program, offering lectures for a poetry course titled “The Values of Verse: Sacred and Secular Perspectives.”

“Great poetry is not an ornament of civilization,” Murray said in a statement. “It is one of the ways civilizations think, remember and endure.”

“I’m honored to join Yeshiva University in a setting where those questions are taken seriously and explored with intellectual rigor,” added Murray.

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset plenum approved the 2026 state budget in its first reading late Wednesday night, with 62 lawmakers voting in favor and 55 opposing.

The dramatic development of the vote, however, unfolded within the coalition itself, as United Torah Judaism split in an unprecedented manner, exposing sharp internal tensions tied to the draft law. In a rare move, all three Knesset members of Agudas Yisrael — Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, MK Meir Porush, and MK Yaakov Tessler — entered the plenum and voted against the budget.

By contrast, the members of Degel HaTorah, following the directive of Hagaon Rav Dov Landau and Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, supported the budget after an intensive day of consultations with gedolim and discussions with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth. Shas chairman Aryeh Deri was notably absent from the vote.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sought to downplay the rift, saying the government would not have brought the budget to a vote without a chareidi commitment to support it through all three readings. According to Smotrich, “the chareidim are not linking the budget to the draft law.”

Degel HaTorah responded swiftly with an unusually sharp public rebuttal, rejecting the finance minister’s assertion. “The statement by the finance minister claiming that we supposedly committed to vote for the budget in the second and third readings — did not happen and was never agreed to, and everyone knows this,” the faction said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader issued a stark warning on Wednesday, saying any US military action against Iran would trigger an immediate and sweeping response, including strikes on Tel Aviv.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered the warning in a social media post published in Farsi, Hebrew, and English. In the post, Shamkhani wrote, “A ‘limited strike’ is an illusion. Any military action by the US – from any origin and at any level – will be considered the start of war⁩, and its response will be immediate, all out⁩, and unprecedented, targeting heart of Tel Aviv⁩ and all those supporting the aggressor.”

The message came shortly after US President Donald Trump issued renewed warnings to Iran in response to the regime’s crackdown on anti-government protesters.

On Tuesday night, Trump said he hoped Tehran would agree to negotiations with Washington, while again emphasizing that the United States has bolstered its military presence in the Middle East.

Addressing a rally in Iowa, Trump said, “There is another beautiful armada floating beautifully towards Iran right now. So we will see.”

“I hope they make a deal. I hope they make a deal,” he added.

Trump reinforced his remarks on Wednesday with a post on Truth Social, writing, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.”

He continued, “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump has repeatedly cautioned that the United States would respond forcefully if Iranian authorities proceed with executions of anti-regime demonstrators.

According to a report aired Wednesday evening by Kan 11 News, Israeli sources believe Trump’s rhetoric signals he may be weighing a far-reaching move on Iran that could include regime change.

Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also warned that the Islamic Republic would issue a “comprehensive and regret inducing” response to any act of aggression.

{Matzav.com}

Hi everyone.

My name is Ahuva Rotkin. (That’s me in the picture above.)

I would like to thank everyone for helping me with my first surgery, which gave me my ear. It feels so much more comfortable to walk around with two ears, just like everyone else.

Although we used the top doctor in the field in Los Angeles, Hashem decided that we should face some complications. I already had to go back a second time to fix my ear, and unfortunately, the surgery was not successful because I got an infection. The second surgery was covered by insurance, but now my ear has developed a hole, so we need to do another skin graft to close it up. Insurance will not cover the third surgery, which needs to be done as soon as possible to avoid infection.

We are flying to Los Angeles this week, and the surgery is planned for Friday. We are $12,000 short of covering the expenses.

Whoever is able to help my Totty and Mommy do this for me would make me very happy! I bentch you to never know any pain, and may Hashem give you only good. Thank you so much!

You can help out by donating HERE.

Love, 

Ahuva

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Finally, after generations of enslavement in Mitzrayim and a dramatic redemption, Klal Yisroel reaches the apex of creation, standing at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. They hear the Aseres Hadibros and are awed and inspired to live lives of holiness, following the will of the Creator.

One of the mitzvos included in the Aseres Hadibros is Shabbos. We study the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” (20:8), which literally translates as “Remember the Shabbos day to make it holy.”

The pesukim then state that we are to work six days of the week and rest on the seventh, not doing any work on that day, because Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, He blessed the Shabbos day and sanctified it.

The Ramban explains the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” to mean that it is a mitzvah to remember to sanctify Shabbos and keep it holy. He cites the posuk which states, “Vekarasa laShabbos oneg likdosh Hashem” (Yeshayahu 58:13), and writes that when we rest on Shabbos, we do so because it is a holy day. We therefore take a break from even thinking about mundane matters. Instead, we seek to satiate our souls in the way of Hashem and study Torah.

In Parshas Beshalach (16:28–29), the Torah discusses Shabbos in reference to the monn. A double portion fell on Friday because none fell on Shabbos. The posuk states, “Reu ki Hashem nosan lochem es haShabbos — See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos.”

The Seforno explains that the posuk is teaching us to reflect on the fact that Hashem has given us Shabbos, which has two components that set it apart from the rest of the week: firstly, through its mitzvos, and secondly, because it is a gift that Hashem gave to the Bnei Yisroel.

This is probably based on the Gemara in Shabbos (10b), which states that Hashem told Moshe that He has a good gift among His treasures by the name of Shabbos, and He wishes to present it to Klal Yisroel.

What is the gift? Is it the entirety of Shabbos, or is it a component of Shabbos?

In the sefer from Rav Meir Soloveitchik al haTorah, in Parshas Beshalach, it is brought from the Brisker Rov that he deduced from a Rashi in Bereishis (2:2) that the rest component of Shabbos, menucha, is not just a lack of work, but a special creation that Hashem presented to us. He says that Shabbos has two components. The first is its mitzvos, and the second is the menucha.

The Brisker Rov concluded that the menucha of Shabbos was especially created for the Jewish people and is the gift that Hashem gave us.

What is the gift of menucha?

Rav Shimshon Pincus (Shabbos Malkesa 3:4, 2) explains that when a person engages in intense physical labor, he naturally becomes tired and requires rest. This is rooted in the laws of nature, as it reflects a deep spiritual truth: that the source of all life is spiritual. The physical realm, by contrast, is not only distinct from the spiritual, but also serves as a barrier, distancing a person from his spiritual essence and, in turn, from his true source of vitality.

When someone immerses himself entirely in physical labor, he becomes disconnected from this spiritual energy, leading to exhaustion. However, when he ceases his physical exertion and rests, his physical side no longer obstructs his spiritual side. This allows him to reconnect with his true source of life, replenishing his energy and restoring his vitality.

This is compounded when we sleep and our neshamos ascend on high to their Creator, becoming reconnected to their life source. They return to us fully charged, and we wake up energized to take on the day.

The gift that Hashem gave us with Shabbos is that on this day we totally separate from gashmiyus — physical labor, activities, and thoughts — and return to ruchniyus, that which is spiritual. The holiness of Shabbos envelops us. Once we are unburdened from the physical aspects of life that have enveloped us for the past six days, we enter the realm of the kedusha and menucha of Shabbos, as we proclaim, “Yom menucha ukedusha l’amcha nosata.”

Shabbos disconnects us from gashmiyus, enveloping us in the source of energy and life. This is the ultimate gift of menucha that Hashem presented to us.

In order to merit this gift, however, we have to do our part and not only refrain from doing the physical labor of the 39 melachos, but, on Shabbos, elevate ourselves from the mundane through our actions and also through our thoughts. We refrain from discussing, reading about, or thinking about work and the everyday concerns that occupy our minds during the week. Shabbos is a time to step away from the ordinary and reconnect with a higher, spiritual realm. The more we do so, the better off we are and the more energetic we will be.

Menuchas Shabbos is not about lounging around, engaging in shallow conversations, or indulging in gossip without regard for the truth or the harm it may cause. It is not about speaking ill of others, mocking them, or simply passing the time with vacuous chatter.

Those who seek to experience the gift of menuchas Shabbos do so by elevating their ruchniyus through learning, refining their behavior, thoughts, speech, and what they read and focus on.

Shabbos is not solely about refraining from the 39 melachos. It is about rising above our physical, material side as much as possible. It is an opportunity to connect more deeply to our spiritual essence.

Shabbos is a precious gift from Hashem. The more we recognize and appreciate this gift, the closer we draw to Him and the better off we are. Viewing Shabbos as a burden only robs us of the deep opportunities it offers. It keeps us stuck in the triviality of the physical world, sapping our energy and preventing us from experiencing the true depth and perception that this holy day can provide.

The holiness of Shabbos is so profound that, according to the Vilna Gaon, when we eat and drink on Shabbos to fulfill the commandment of oneg, experiencing the joy of eating and drinking on Shabbos, it is as sacred as if we were partaking in a korban. The reason for this, he explains, is that by engaging in these physical acts, we bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual realms, connecting the material (gashmi) and the spiritual (ruchni).

Rav Dovid Cohen elaborates on this by explaining that the essence of kedushas Shabbos lies in elevating the physical world and connecting it to the neshomah. Eating and enjoying food, though a physical act, becomes a spiritual one when done with the intention of fulfilling the mitzvah. As a result, this act is considered so holy that it is as if the person were consuming the meat of a korban.

Imagine that, although we are in golus, without the Bais Hamikdosh and without korbanos, every Shabbos we have the opportunity to eat in a way that is equal to eating korbanos. We don’t have to travel anywhere or do anything special. All we need to do is sit at our Shabbos table, immersed in the sanctity of the day, enjoying the delicacies our mothers and wives prepared for us and the family. Most likely, the recipes they used were handed down to them from their mothers, who received them from their mothers for hundreds of years, each one of whom cooked for a family of mekadshei Shabbos who had the pleasure equivalent to eating korbanos that were shechted in the Bais Hamikdosh.

No matter where they lived or how hard they worked all week, they all enjoyed the transformative powers of Shabbos, the yom menucha ukedusha.

Davening in the Zichron Moshe Shul in the heart of Yerushalayim’s Geulah neighborhood is a special pleasure. The shul and its shtieblach welcome Jews of all stripes, who combine to form the beautiful mosaic that is Geulah in particular and Yerushalayim in general.

I have written previously about the Friday morning when I was there and saw a man sleeping on a bench. His clothing was dirty. His sleep was repeatedly interrupted as he scratched himself in pain from not having showered in many days. It was a pitiful sight, though not unusual in that hallowed shul.

On Friday evening, I passed the shul and stopped by the window of the large bais medrash. I looked toward the mizrach, and there, next to the rov, was the man who, that morning, had been sleeping in squalor on a bench in that very room. From the window, I saw him as he sat at the mizrach wall, facing the mispallelim. He was bedecked in a Yerushalayimer gold bekeshe and shtreimel. He was shining as he sat there with a broad smile on his face. He looked like a malach.

Shabbos transformed him. He was a new person.

It was Shabbos, and he was a new being, almost unrecognizable from what he had been just a few hours before.

I stood there, soaking in the image and thinking that this is how the geulah will be. We are overcome with shmutz, dirt, pain, and sadness. We are in golus, exiled among the nations and among those who have strayed. We are far from home but we do not despair because we know that the day of our redemption is quickly arriving. We will be cleansed, freshened, and made anew. Joy will return. And in the very place where we experienced pain, humiliation, and suffering, we will find comfort.

Meforshim wonder about the connection between the geulah and the heightened moments when Shabbos enters every week, moments that are combined in the universally recited Lecha Dodi.

We raise our voices and sing, welcoming the kallah, yet the words we chant aren’t as much about Shabbos as they are about Yerushalayim.

We shift from Likras Shabbos to Mikdash Melech, focusing on the Palace of the King. We hope for Hisna’ari and call out for Hisoreri, breaking into dance as we envision the time of Yosis Olayich Elokoyich.

Commentators ask why we chant these poetic expressions about the redemption and Yerushalayim as Shabbos begins. What is the connection?

In Zichron Moshe, as I stood at that window, I saw the transformational power of Shabbos and understood the answer to this question.

Every Shabbos, we are each able to rise from the dust of the workweek, from the darkness of golus — mei’afar kumi.

When Moshiach comes, we will do so as a people, together, just as we sing in Lecha Dodi: “Hisna’ari mei’afar kumi livshi bigdei sifarteich ami al yad ben Yishai bais halachmi korvah el nafshi ge’olah.”

May we all merit, each week, the transformation that Shabbos offers, and the ultimate transformation that Moshiach will bring when he redeems us from the struggles of the six days and ushers us into the world of eternal Shabbos.

{Matzav.com}

The BBC has issued an apology after its International Holocaust Memorial Day coverage failed to explicitly state that the six million people murdered by the Nazis were Jews, an omission that drew sharp criticism and was described as “hurtful, disrespectful and wrong,” according to a report in The Times.

The issue arose during Tuesday morning’s BBC Breakfast, when presenter Jon Kay opened a segment by saying Holocaust Memorial Day was “for remembering the six million people murdered by the Nazi regime over 80 years ago,” without identifying the victims as Jews.

The Campaign for Media Standards highlighted that multiple high-profile BBC presenters used nearly identical language, alleging that the broadcaster had “used the same script all day.”

Lord Pickles, who served as the UK’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues from 2015 until last year, said the omission amounted to “an unambiguous example of Holocaust distortion, which is a form of denial.”

“This kind of obfuscation was common during the Soviet control of parts of Europe,” said Pickles, now co-chairman of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. “For the BBC to use it today is shocking. They should be fighting antisemitism, not aiding it.”

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, also condemned the wording. “The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. Any attempt to dilute the Holocaust, strip it of its Jewish specificity or compare it to contemporary events is unacceptable on any day. On Holocaust Memorial Day it is especially hurtful, disrespectful and wrong,” she said.

Danny Cohen, a former BBC director of television, said the failure to name Jewish victims marked “a new low point for the national broadcaster.”

“It is surely the bare minimum to expect the BBC to correctly identify that it was six million Jews killed during the Holocaust,” Cohen said, according to The Times. “To say anything else is an insult to their memory and plays into the hands of extremists who have desperately sought to rewrite the historical truth of history’s greatest crime.”

In response, the BBC said in a statement: “This morning’s BBC programming commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day. The Today program featured interviews with relatives of Holocaust survivors and a report from our religion editor. In both of these items we referenced the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.”

“The chief rabbi recorded the Thought for the Day. BBC Breakfast featured a project organized by the Holocaust Educational Trust in which a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust recorded her memories. In the news bulletins on Today and in the introduction to the story on BBC Breakfast there were references to Holocaust Memorial Day which were incorrectly worded, and for which we apologize. Both should have referred to ‘six million Jewish people’ and we will be issuing a correction on our website.”

The controversy adds to a growing list of disputes involving the BBC and accusations of bias against Israel and the Jewish community.

In November 2023, the broadcaster apologized after wrongly claiming that IDF forces were deliberately targeting medical teams during fighting near Gaza’s Shifa Hospital.

Earlier, the BBC had also reported that Israel was responsible for an explosion at a Gaza hospital, a claim later disproven when the IDF demonstrated the blast was caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket. The network subsequently admitted that “it was false to speculate” about the cause.

Last year, the BBC faced intense criticism over its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which used the son of a senior Hamas official as a narrator.

After the backlash, the broadcaster conceded there were “serious flaws” in the program.

More recently, the BBC apologized following complaints about a December 26 episode of The Repair Shop, which discussed the Kindertransport without mentioning Jews, despite the operation’s primary purpose of rescuing Jewish children from Nazi persecution during the Holocaust.

{Matzav.com}

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NYC Mayor Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke outside Chabad World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway following Wednesday night’s car-ramming incident. Mayor Mamdani noted that today marks the yahrtzeit of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Harav Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, zt”l.

EXCLUSIVE: Highly credible sources tell YWN that the individual who rammed 770 this evening had arrived at a yeshiva in Carteret, NJ, yesterday claiming he wanted to convert to Judaism. Sources say he was not taken seriously and was “upset” by the response, prompting his deranged rampage tonight.

A car was deliberately driven into an entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, tonight, setting off a significant law enforcement and emergency response and raising renewed concerns about security at the site.

Shmira volunteers and NYPD officers cleared the building as authorities cordoned off the area and treated the location as an active crime scene. Officials have not yet disclosed the identity of the driver involved.

Footage circulating from the scene shows the suspect slamming a vehicle multiple times into the building’s front doors before police detained him. Law enforcement officials said no injuries were reported.

As police activity continued, the NYPD advised the public to expect road closures, traffic slowdowns, and a large emergency presence near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, urging motorists to seek alternate routes and plan for delays.

Police said the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m., at a time when the building was filled with bochurim after a video screening and as many others were arriving for farbrengens marking Yud Shevat.

The attack has once again drawn attention to earlier efforts to bolster security around the Chabad headquarters. In July 2018, community activists in Crown Heights called on the city to establish a permanent security installation or pedestrian plaza outside 770 Eastern Parkway. During that period, New York City Public Spaces Director Emily Weidenhof toured the proposed area on July 31, 2018. Those discussions, however, did not result in the creation of a permanent security plaza.

Following tonight’s incident, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the site alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York State Attorney General Tish James.

In a statement posted on X, Mayor Mamdani wrote: “I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident. This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world. Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable. I stand in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community, and I am grateful to our first responders for taking swift action. I will keep New Yorkers updated as we learn more about the incident.”