At Yeshivas Kisei Rachamim, the rosh yeshiva, Rav Tzvi Mazuz, delivered a powerful address marking the start of the winter zeman, urging bnei Torah to remain detached from the distractions of the media and to find refuge within the batei midrash.
As is the yeshiva’s long-standing custom, established by the late rosh yeshiva, Rav Meir Mazuz zt”l, talmidim returned from bein hazemanim Sunday to begin the new zeman. Rav Tzvi Mazuz, who continues his father’s legacy, opened the zeman with words of chizuk and reflection, touching on current challenges facing the Torah world, including the draft decree, the hostages’ release, and recent political developments.
“The Yeshiva Is the Teivas Noach”
Drawing on Parshas Noach, Rav Mazuz likened the yeshiva to Noach’s teivah, a haven from the floodwaters of the outside world. “The yeshiva is the Teivas Noach,” he said. “If not for my father’s firm protection, I don’t know what would have become of us. Whoever wants to remain a diamond must stay inside the teivah. Noach didn’t step out for fresh air—he knew that to survive, he needed to remain inside. Today, the batei midrash are our teivos Noach. The more one stays inside, the more protected he is.”
He cited the tefillah of Rabbi Nechunya ben HaKanah: “She’samta chelkeinu miyoshvei beis hamidrash velo samta chelkeinu miyoshvei keranos”—explaining that even being in the yeshiva provides spiritual protection. “Just sitting in the beis midrash shields a person from the harmful winds outside,” he said. “And if he also learns Torah—how much greater his merit!”
On “News Lines” and Constant Information
The rosh yeshiva voiced strong criticism of the growing trend among bochurim of following news lines and phone updates. “I heard that today you can call a number and every minute hear what’s happening in the world. Dvarim beteilim! I look at a newspaper briefly after Shacharis—just the headlines—and baruch Hashem, I’m alive. I don’t turn on the radio, maybe I hear something by chance in the car, but I don’t devote time to it—and baruch Hashem, I’m alive. A person must train himself not to be tied down thinking, ‘I have to know the news.’ That’s not the way!”
He contrasted this with bochurim who spend their breaks immersed in learning even during bein hazemanim: “I saw bochurim sitting alone here learning quietly. About them it says, ‘Yeishev badad veyidom ki natal alav’. One who learns in solitude—Hashem Himself determines his reward.”
“The Miracles We See Are in the Merit of the Lomdei Torah”
Rav Mazuz turned to recent world events, expressing gratitude for the open miracles seen in the return of hostages after two years in captivity. “Who imagined that they would be released exactly two years to the day? We’ve seen great miracles. Kimei tzeischa me’eretz Mitzrayim ar’enu niflaos—Hashem is showing us wonders before the redemption.”
He referenced the Trump peace plan, which proposed removing Hamas leaders and disarming the group. “I saw the twenty clauses Trump wrote—though my heart tells me Netanyahu wrote them and Trump copied,” he quipped. “But yehi ratzon, let good come from anywhere. I believe with complete faith that all of this is in the merit of the bochurim who sit and learn. We don’t see it now, but after 120 years, it will be clear which miracles happened because of which Torah.”
“Moshiach Is Near”
Concluding his remarks, Rav Mazuz spoke with emotion about the draft crisis threatening bnei Torah. “We all feel that Moshiach is close. Never before have bnei Torah been persecuted like this past year. A bochur who was sitting shivah—they came in the middle of the week and took him away because he hadn’t reported to the draft office. These are the signs the Gemara in Sotah described 1,800 years ago. It’s like a woman in the final stages of labor—the pain is great, but it’s a sign of imminent birth. So too, we are close to the geulah, and ashrei is the one who uses this time to strengthen himself.”
{Matzav.com}
As hundreds of thousands prepare to gather in Yerushalayim tomorrow for the historic Atzeres Tefillah uniting Klal Yisroel in heartfelt tefillahand supplication, the list of kappitlach Tehillim and tefillos to be recited at the event has been obtained by Matzav.com.
Matzav.com is pleased to provide the full list below for those who wish to join in tefillah from wherever they are — whether at home, in shul, in the office, or on the road — and to unite their voices with the multitudes of Yidden who will be davening in Yerushalayim.
Below are the kappitlach Tehillim and tefillos that will be recited at the Atzeres Tefillah.
Matzav.com will continue to provide full coverage and updates about the Atzeres Tefillah in Yerushalayim.
{Matzav.com}
New footage released Wednesday evening has ignited outrage, showing that representatives of the International Red Cross were present and watching as Hamas terrorists staged the burial of a body — part of a fabricated “hostage recovery” meant to deceive the public.
The footage, aired by Channel 12 News, appears to contradict the Red Cross’s recent claim that it was unaware of Hamas’s deception. In previous statements, the organization condemned the “false footage” circulated in recent days that depicted Hamas terrorists pretending to retrieve the body of an Israeli hostage. However, the newly released documentation indicates that Red Cross staff were on-site and witnessed the event unfold in real time.
In the video, Red Cross vehicles arrive at the scene as the supposed “hostage’s” remains lie on the scoop of a construction vehicle. Instead of taking custody of the body, the Red Cross workers stand by and watch as Hamas operatives re-bury the body, doing nothing to intervene.
The footage raises serious questions about the Red Cross’s neutrality and credibility as an impartial humanitarian organization. Observers are now asking whether this incident points to a deeper level of cooperation or complacency with Hamas in its manipulation of international opinion.
The revelation comes amid growing scrutiny of international organizations’ conduct in Gaza, as Israel continues to expose Hamas’s use of deception, propaganda, and civilian infrastructure for terror operations.
{Matzav.com}
On the eve of Thursday’s massive atzeres tefillah in Yerushalayim, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, released a special video message explaining the event’s purpose and urging full participation, even at great personal cost.
In his message, Rav Hirsch stressed that attending the demonstration is not optional, declaring that every individual must come “with mesirus nefesh,” even if it means traveling long distances or missing time from learning. “The government must understand that it cannot continue like this,” he warned. “Right now, we are praying — but if this does not succeed, there are other ways.”
Responding to a question about the goal of the rally, Rav Hirsch said, “First, we are gathering to beseech Hakadosh Baruch Hu together as one Klal Yisroel. Such a united tefillah surely has the power to influence Heaven. Secondly, the government must see that we are united and firm — that it is impossible to continue in this way. We are praying now, but they should understand that if prayer does not help, there are other means.”
He emphasized that it is a chiyuv — an obligation — for every avreich and bochur to attend, “even from far, even when it’s difficult — specifically with mesirus nefesh.” When asked whether participation is justified even if it involves missing limud haTorah, Rav Hirsch replied emphatically, “On the contrary — this is the fulfillment of Torah itself.”
The rosh yeshiva concluded that failing to show up would constitute a chillul Hashem: “If, chas veshalom, it’s not one hundred percent participation, it will be a desecration of Hashem’s Name.”
{Matzav.com}
By Stephen M. Flatow
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer has spent years calling himself “the shomer of Yisrael”-the “guardian of Israel,” a play on his last name. It’s a title he’s repeated often, especially when he wanted to reassure Jewish voters and pro-Israel supporters that he stood firmly with the Jewish state.
But when it comes to Zohran Mamdani-New York’s radical state assemblyman who parrots Hamas talking points, demonizes Israel at every turn, and stands a good chance of being elected the next mayor of New York City-Schumer has gone silent.
And silence, in moments like this, is not neutrality. It’s cowardice.
Mamdani has referred to Israel’s war of survival-“Swords of Iron”-as a “war of occupation.” He refuses to call Hamas what it is: a terrorist organization that massacred, raped, kidnapped and burned civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.
When pressed on his views, Mamdani doesn’t answer the question. He pivots. He blames Israel. He frames terror as “resistance.” He wraps Hamas’s barbarity in the language of human rights.
He’s not just another loudmouth on X. He’s an elected official in Schumer’s own state, representing a growing faction of the Democratic Party that openly sides with Israel’s enemies. And while Mamdani spews poison and rallies activists, Schumer is nowhere to be found. No statement. No pushback. Not even a polite rebuke.
That’s not guardianship. That’s political calculation, plain and simple, and Schumer is an expert at it.
Schumer knows that Mamdani represents the progressive activist base that Democrats are afraid of crossing. He also knows that standing up to them takes courage. And that’s exactly what doesn’t have , exactly what he’s avoiding. But leadership isn’t about convenience. It’s about standing up when it matters most.
This isn’t just about Mamdani. It’s about the normalization of anti-Israel rhetoric inside the Democratic Party, including in the state of New York, the geographical area with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. When the party’s most powerful Jewish elected official refuses to confront it, the message to the haters is clear: You have nothing to fear.
It’s also a message to the Jewish community: Don’t count on Schumer when things get uncomfortable.
Schumer cannot claim the mantle of shomer while pretending that Mamdani doesn’t exist. Guardians don’t hide when enemies approach the gate to destroy you. They stand up, speak out and lead.
Right now, Chuck Schumer is failing that test. The question is whether he will find his voice or continue to prove that his self-appointed title was always just a slogan. Time is running out…
Stephen M. Flatow is president of the Religious Zionists of America. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995, and author of A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice Against Iranian Terror.
In a deeply emotional ceremony attended by the Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander was elevated to the rank of Sergeant First Class on Monday, marking another chapter in his remarkable journey of courage and resilience.
Alexander, who serves in the elite Golani Brigade, was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during their October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel. His release in May came following intensive efforts led by the Trump administration, ending months of brutal captivity in Gaza.
The 21-year-old made headlines again in September when, during the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Gala in New York, he stunned the audience with a moving declaration that he would return to active service in the IDF.
“I also want to honor the IDF. Serving in the IDF is one of the greatest honors of my life. To the soldiers who continue to defend Israel, and to the families of the fallen – I carry your sacrifice with me always,” Alexander said, addressing a visibly emotional crowd at the gala.
He ended his remarks that night with a powerful vow that has now been fulfilled: “Next month, God willing, I will return to Israel. I will once again put on the IDF uniform, and I will proudly serve alongside my brothers. My story does not end with survival – it continues with service.”
{Matzav.com}
