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A man approximately 50 years old was injured Friday after falling from a ladder while building a sukkah on Rav Tzirlson Street in Bnei Brak, prompting emergency organizations to issue renewed warnings about the dangers involved in sukkah construction.

First responders from Hatzalah, together with Magen David Adom personnel, provided initial medical treatment at the scene before the injured man was transported to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.

United Hatzalah ambulance driver Aharon Lerer and EMTs Yaakov Yisrael Malka and Leizer Margalit described the circumstances of the accident and the treatment provided.

“His family members told us that he fell from a ladder that he had climbed while building the sukkah. We provided him with medical treatment at the scene that included stopping the bleeding, bandaging and immobilization, after which he was quickly transported in a United Hatzalah ambulance to the trauma room at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, suffering from injuries to his head and limbs, and his condition is defined as moderate,” they said.

Hatzalah EMT Yedidya Friedman, who also responded to the scene, said: “When I arrived at the scene, I found a man approximately 50 years old suffering from a head injury after falling from a ladder while building a sukkah. Together with Hatzalah and MDA EMTs, we provided him with initial medical treatment including immobilization and bandaging, and he was transported for further treatment at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.”

The incident comes amid a number of injuries connected to sukkah construction during the days leading up to Sukkos. Hatzalah reminded the public to be particularly cautious while assembling sukkahs and urged people to use proper, safe and approved equipment.

Such accidents recur each year during the hectic pre-Sukkos period, when families are busy completing their final preparations for Yom Tov. Along with observing the many halachos involved in constructing a sukkah, emergency personnel stressed the importance of basic safety precautions, particularly when using ladders, working at elevated heights or handling construction equipment.

{Matzav.com}

The Torah and kabbalah worlds were plunged into mourning on Erev Sukkos with the sudden petirah of the gaon and tzaddik Rav Dovid Shalom Batzri zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Hashalom in Yerushalayim and one of the foremost mekubalim of the generation. He was 85.

Rav Batzri collapsed suddenly Friday morning at his home on Rav Landau Street in Bnei Brak, where he had been living in recent years. Emergency medical personnel rushed to the scene and performed prolonged resuscitation efforts before transporting him in critical condition to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Despite their efforts, he was niftar, leaving thousands of talmidim, admirers and those who had sought his guidance and brachos over the decades deeply bereaved.

During his final years, Rav Batzri had experienced periods of declining health and was hospitalized on several occasions. Nevertheless, he continued his lifelong avodas hakodesh, teaching the hidden dimensions of Torah, receiving people seeking advice and brachos, and conducting tikkunim and tefillos on behalf of individuals and the wider community.

The levayah was scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. Friday from Yeshivas Hashalom on Tachkemoni Street in Yerushalayim and proceed to the Sanhedria cemetery. Thousands were expected to participate, including roshei yeshiva, mekubalim, rabbonim and admorim, accompanying one of the senior figures of the world of kabbalah on his final journey.

Rav Dovid Shalom Batzri was born in Yerushalayim on 14 Av 5701 to his father, Rav Yosef Batzri zt”l, and his mother, Mrs. Victoria Batzri a”h.

He descended from a distinguished family of the great Torah scholars of Iraqi Jewry. His mother was a great-granddaughter of the Ben Ish Chai, Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad zt”l, as well as a great-granddaughter of the famed mekubal Rav Yehuda Fatiyah zt”l, author of Minchas Yehudah. That illustrious lineage provided the roots for what would become Rav Batzri’s lifelong immersion in Toras hanistar and kabbalah.

His family included numerous distinguished marbitzei Torah and dayanim. His brothers included Rav Ezra Batzri, who served as a member of Israel’s Great Rabbinical Court; Rav Sasson Batzri, a dayan on the Ahavas Shalom bais din; and Rav Menachem Batzri, director of Mosdos Sukkas Dovid. His brothers-in-law included Rav Ben Tzion Mutzafi and Rav Yehuda Mutzafi zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Mishkan Shiloach.

As a bochur, Rav Batzri studied at the famed Yeshivas Porat Yosef in Yerushalayim’s Old City, where he became a close talmid of the legendary Rosh Yeshiva Rav Ezra Attiya zt”l. Already in his youth, he distinguished himself through extraordinary diligence, depth of learning and personal tzidkus. He also absorbed Torah from the great sages of Yerushalayim, including Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l and Rav Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l.

Upon reaching marriageable age, Rav Batzri married Rebbetzin Tziporah Batzri a”h, daughter of the mekubal Rav Salman Mutzafi zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Bnei Tzion. Rebbetzin Batzri passed away on Erev Pesach 5780.

Following his marriage, already steeped in both Toras hanigleh and Toras hanistar, Rav Batzri established Yeshivas Hashalom on Tachkemoni Street in Yerushalayim’s Mekor Baruch neighborhood. The yeshiva was named for the famed mekubal Rav Shalom Sharabi, the Rashash.

Under Rav Batzri’s leadership, Yeshivas Hashalom developed into one of Yerushalayim’s best-known centers for the study of kabbalah. He led the study of the kavanos hatefillah according to the siddur of the Rashash and conducted various traditional tikkunim, including tikkunei teshuvah, tikkun kareis and pidyon nefesh, as well as tefillos for shidduchim, refuah, parnassah and shalom bayis.

Over the decades, thousands of Jews from across Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world came through his doors. Some sought a bracha, others advice, while many participated in the special tikkunim and tefillos that Rav Batzri conducted with intense emotion. Numerous people attributed remarkable yeshuos in their personal lives to his tefillos and brachos.

Rav Batzri also became widely known because of his involvement in several highly unusual and publicized episodes involving alleged dibukim. He was regarded by his followers as possessing deep knowledge of the traditional teachings concerning names and spirits, a field associated particularly with his ancestor, Rav Yehuda Fatiyah.

One of the most famous episodes occurred in the spring of 5759, when a woman said to be suffering from a dibuk was brought to his bais medrash. Rav Batzri conducted a lengthy ceremony that included tekios shofar, kabbalas ol Malchus Shomayim and practices drawn from kabbalah. Recordings of the event, including what participants described as the voice of the dibuk and its eventual departure from the woman, were subsequently distributed widely and generated enormous interest throughout the Jewish world.

Another widely discussed episode took place in Teves 5770, when an avreich from Brazil who was said to be suffering from a severe dibuk was brought to Yeshivas Hashalom. Rav Batzri, together with his son Rav Yitzchak Batzri and Rav Yaakov Ades, conducted an intense gathering of tefillah. Those present reported that the purported dibuk spoke in different languages and in an unfamiliar voice before being adjured to leave through the toenail. The event was publicized extensively and became another of the episodes for which Rav Batzri was known far beyond the circles of mekubalim.

Alongside his leadership of the yeshiva and his work in Torah hanistar, Rav Batzri was a powerful maggid and traveled throughout Eretz Yisroel delivering drashos intended to strengthen observance of Shabbos, taharah, tznius and yiras Shomayim.

He was also known for speaking forcefully on matters concerning the kedushah of Yerushalayim and the preservation of traditional Jewish observance. On communal and spiritual issues, he did not hesitate to publicly express what he regarded as daas Torah, repeatedly calling upon Jews to strengthen themselves in teshuvah and emunah and to yearn for the ultimate yeshuah.

With his petirah, the Torah and kabbalah worlds lost one of the remaining links to an earlier generation of Yerushalmi mekubalim — a talmid chacham and tzaddik whose life was devoted to both the revealed and hidden dimensions of Torah and to helping Jews who turned to him in times of difficulty.

Rav Batzri leaves behind a large and distinguished family of sons, daughters, sons-in-law and descendants who continue his legacy. Among his sons are Rav Yitzchak Batzri and Rav Shlomo Batzri.

His levayah later proceeded to the Sanhedria cemetery, where he was laid to rest alongside his wife, Rebbetzin Tziporah a”h. In a poignant parallel, she had been niftar on Erev Pesach, leaving the family only a brief opportunity for shivah before Yom Tov. Rav Batzri’s petirah on Erev Sukkos likewise left his family with less than two hours to sit shivah before the onset of the Yom Tov.

Yehi zichro boruch. 

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump personally warned Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States will not accept any Chinese assistance to Iran, whether through intelligence, military equipment, components or indirect support, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday, offering new details about the two leaders’ high-stakes White House talks.

The Iran issue was among the major geopolitical matters discussed during Xi’s state visit to Washington, which included extensive talks with Trump on Thursday. The meeting came as Washington has been seeking to determine the extent of Beijing’s assistance to Tehran amid the ongoing war with Iran.

“We ⁠made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help ⁠that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it ‌be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was ‌totally unacceptable. President Trump made that very ‌clear again yesterday. This is an ongoing drumbeat,” Perdue said in an interview ⁠with CNBC.

Trump himself confirmed Friday that Iran came up during his discussions with Xi.

“We did,” Trump told reporters when asked whether the two leaders had discussed the Iran war. “I think we’re going to do great.”

Perdue indicated that Washington has been delivering the same warning to Beijing for weeks, making clear that the administration’s objections extend beyond direct Chinese military aid. According to the ambassador, the U.S. position also encompasses intelligence assistance, components and other forms of indirect support that could aid Tehran.

The ambassador separately told Fox News that the United States received assurances from Beijing on Thursday concerning Chinese assistance to Iran. Perdue said Washington had already observed some movement by China following those assurances, though he did not provide details about what Beijing had agreed to stop doing or what changes the United States had detected.

The warning comes amid scrutiny in Washington over reports of Chinese assistance to Tehran. In the days leading up to Xi’s visit, lawmakers from both parties pressed the administration to confront Beijing over its relationship with Iran. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that Chinese activity involving Iran was significant enough that Trump should raise it directly with Xi.

Trump last week dismissed a Wall Street Journal report alleging that Chinese entities had provided Iran with satellite imagery of a U.S. military base before an Iranian strike that killed three American service members in Jordan. At the time, Trump offered a more measured assessment of Xi’s behavior regarding the conflict.

“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said.

Perdue’s comments Friday, however, indicate that behind closed doors the administration delivered a direct warning that Chinese assistance to Tehran crosses a line for Washington.

At the same time, Perdue described the Trump-Xi discussions as unusually frank and suggested that the relationship between the two leaders has continued to develop despite the deep disputes separating Washington and Beijing.

“These ‌two leaders ⁠are beginning to develop a relationship of somewhat ⁠trust ⁠and also working on the issues. I ‌mean, this was a very candid and open conversation, and every time they talk, ‌I think we ‌see a different level of intimacy about these difficult issues that we’re dealing with.”

Xi’s visit was his first to Washington in more than a decade and included an elaborate White House welcome, bilateral meetings and a state dinner. Beyond Iran, the two leaders confronted a broad range of contentious issues, including trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.

Despite those disputes, both governments have sought to prevent the broader U.S.-China relationship from spiraling into uncontrolled confrontation. Xi said during his White House visit that the two countries should “coexist in peace,” while acknowledging that competition between them would continue.

The Iran question presents a particularly sensitive test of that relationship. China has maintained extensive economic ties with Tehran and has resisted U.S. pressure to sever those connections, even as Washington has sought to isolate Iran economically and restrict its ability to obtain foreign assistance.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu made no mention of an alleged warning from United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed that Hamas was preparing an attack when he convened Israel’s senior security officials just six days before the October 7, 2023, massacre, according to a new report by The New York Times. The existence and substance of the purported warning remain disputed, with Netanyahu and Emirati officials rejecting key elements of the account.

The Times report provided additional details surrounding an earlier Haaretz investigation alleging that Sheikh Mohammed personally contacted Netanyahu in late September 2023 to warn him that Hamas was contemplating a major attack against Israel.

Two people cited by The Times said they had either spoken directly with Sheikh Mohammed about the matter or were briefed by someone who took part in the conversation between the Emirati and Israeli leaders.

According to the account, Sheikh Mohammed contacted Netanyahu in late September after receiving information indicating that Hamas was preparing an attack. One source said the intelligence did not make clear whether Hamas was contemplating a major rocket barrage or an attempt to invade Israel on the ground.

It also remains unclear where the Emirati leader obtained the information and what other issues may have been discussed during the alleged conversation. Separate reporting this week said UAE intelligence had warned Israel’s Shin Bet in September 2023 of possible Hamas violence before the end of that month.

Whatever information may have been received, The Times reported that it apparently did not reach Israel’s top security officials. Five former senior Israeli officials told the newspaper that they were unaware of such a warning having reached the upper levels of the Israeli security establishment.

The Times also reviewed minutes of a security meeting Netanyahu convened on October 1, 2023 — less than a week before the Hamas invasion and massacre — to discuss the situation in Gaza. According to the newspaper, the minutes contain no reference to any warning from Sheikh Mohammed.

Instead, the minutes reportedly show Netanyahu emphasizing the importance of maintaining calm in Gaza.

Israeli officials at the meeting also discussed the possibility of carrying out strikes against senior Hamas figures who were responsible for attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria, according to the report.

The Times said Netanyahu opposed such a move at the time, expressing concern that an Israeli military operation in Gaza could jeopardize the emerging effort to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he believed was approaching a breakthrough.

The latest report follows weeks of controversy over the original Haaretz account. Netanyahu has emphatically denied that Sheikh Mohammed personally warned him of an impending Hamas attack and has said he intends to sue Haaretz over its reporting. His office has maintained that any relevant intelligence originating in the UAE would have been handled through established intelligence channels.

The UAE Foreign Ministry initially declined to address the substance of the reports, saying that it does not comment on media accounts or speculation regarding conversations between national leaders. It said the UAE and Israel maintained direct lines of communication and that relevant intelligence was transmitted between the two countries.

An Emirati official subsequently rejected the claim that intelligence or a warning about an impending Hamas attack had been conveyed directly between Sheikh Mohammed and Netanyahu, leaving conflicting accounts over whether such a conversation occurred and, if it did, precisely what was said.

Neither Netanyahu’s office nor the UAE Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment from The Times for its latest report.

The newspaper reported another potentially significant detail: Sheikh Mohammed allegedly discussed the September episode afterward with William Burns, who was serving at the time as director of the CIA.

According to a person familiar with that conversation, the Emirati president told Burns that he had warned Netanyahu about a looming threat of Hamas violence in either Judea and Samaria or the Gaza Strip.

The alleged phone call also does not appear in the internal investigations conducted into the Israeli security failures surrounding October 7, according to the five former senior Israeli officials interviewed by The Times. Those officials participated in the investigations, significant portions of which have not been made public.

{Matzav.com}