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A wave of speculation surrounding comments attributed to Rav Ben Tzion Mutzapi prompted the prominent Sefardi posek to issue a strong clarification. The rav firmly rejected claims that he had sharply attacked Shas leadership over the ongoing controversy surrounding the draft law and the status of yeshiva students.

Reports circulating online suggested that the rav had used harsh language toward Shas figures amid the political storm. Rav Mutzapi, however, insisted that the allegations were completely fabricated. He emphasized that his remarks were directed only at the pain he feels when shluchai derabbanan fail to adequately protect bnei Torah and that he never mentioned names nor hinted at any individuals.

In the written clarification released to the public, Rav Mutzapi opened with a firm statement: “The clarification: I hereby make known publicly, before all, regarding the rumors being spread in my name by people of ill intent, as if in my protest over the draft law regarding yeshiva students I mentioned names of askanim from the chareidi sector, or described them using terms taken from the lexicon of marketplace peddlers.”

He then stated unequivocally, “Every one in its entirety is founded on a vile falsehood.” Rav Mutzapi continued: “I only expressed my pain regarding the shluchai derabbanan, without mentioning any names or allusions. Their role is to safeguard bnei haTorah so they do not suffer harm; and to our sorrow, they are being harmed—nothing more.”

The rav concluded his letter with the words, “And love truth and peace. Ben Tzion Mutzapi.”

{Matzav.com}

It seems like nothing will curtail Israel’s judiciary officials from acting as the unelected leaders of Israel, with Judge Yitzchak Amit, who himself was “appointed” as the President of the court under highly questionable circumstances, taking extraordinary measures on Thursday to invalidate the authority of elected Knesset members. One day after the Supreme Court invalidated […]

A vaccine advisory committee is set to vote on hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns.

Dear Matzav Inbox, 

I want to say something that I never say out loud because it feels pathetic, embarrassing, and small, but it’s the truth clawing at me from the inside.

I feel like a nobody.

Not in a poetic way, not in a “we’re all humble servants” way. I mean in the literal, suffocating sense of being just a regular guy—too regular—who wakes up, grinds through the day, tries to support a family, and barely manages to keep his head above water. I look around and see a world where everyone seems to have a thing. A talent. A platform. A following. A fire. And me? I’m just a guy trying to keep the bills from eating me alive while pretending that everything is fine.

I’m not a gvir. I’m not one of those people who can just write a check and command respect. I’m not a speaker who gets applause. I’m not a singer who brings crowds to tears. I’m not a rebbe (not even a rebbi!), not a mashpia, not an influencer, not a “WhatsApp king” with armies of followers hanging on every forwarded quote. I’m not a mover. I’m not a shaker. I’m not a name people whisper with admiration in the hallway. I’m not even a story.

I’m the guy standing quietly in the back at every simcha, smiling politely, praying no one asks me what I do, what I’ve accomplished, how life is going. I’m the guy who tries to convince himself that being a good, normal, working man should be enough, even though deep inside it feels like it isn’t. Because in today’s world, it feels like being “just a regular person” is the same as not existing at all.

Everyone is something. And I… I’m not.

I’m the guy who goes to work, comes home exhausted, and tries to pretend that he’s not drowning. I’m the guy who says “Baruch Hashem, all good,” while knowing full well that the numbers don’t add up and the pressure is suffocating. I’m the guy who watches other people shine while trying to convince himself that he’s lucky just to be standing in the same room.

I show up, but no one remembers that I was there. I’m in the crowd, but never on the stage. I’m always the listener, never the one being heard.

And maybe it shouldn’t bother me. Maybe it shouldn’t tear me apart the way it does. But it does. Because I’m human. Because I’m tired. Because I feel like no matter how hard I try, I’m always falling short. I work and work and work, and still feel like I’m barely holding my family together with fraying threads. There’s no glory in it. No spotlight. No appreciation. Just endless pressure and the quiet fear that maybe I’m not doing enough, not being enough, not becoming enough.

People talk about purpose. Mission. Impact. Destiny. I hear those words and I feel a stabbing ache, because what if my entire identity is just… survival?

I don’t want kavod. I don’t want awards. I just want to feel like I matter in our frum world. Like who I am is enough. Like being a simple, honest, hard-working father should count for something. But right now, it feels like I’m standing at the bottom of a mountain watching everyone else climb while I’m stuck holding a backpack full of bricks.

And the worst part? No one sees it. No one even knows. Because the world sees titles, influence, charisma, money, not the quiet guy fighting with everything he has just to stay afloat.

I feel invisible. Replaceable. Forgettable.

A nobody.

And I’m tired of feeling this way.

M. N. 

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com

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The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.

{matzav.com}

Authorities arrest Israeli man from Ashkelon suspected of spying for Iran • 37-year-old Amir Malka, from Ashkelon, was arrested last month after a months-long investigation by the Shin Bet and Israeli Police. • He is suspected of maintaining prolonged contact with Iranian intelligence agents. • Authorities say he carried out assignments for them over a […]

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Israir is scrambling to assess potential damage after Turkish hackers attempted to steal customer data through a third-party service provider, Channel 12 reported Wednesday, in what investigators describe as a targeted cyberattack that was stopped just moments after it began. According to the report, the breach attempt was detected only days ago and blocked in […]

A fierce political-media confrontation erupted Wednesday night after the office of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri launched a blistering attack on Channel 12 and reporter Dafna Liel, accusing them of spreading a distorted and misleading report about Deri’s fight over food-voucher eligibility.

Liel had reported that Deri was seeking to “adjust” the criteria for distributing food vouchers in a way that benefits the chareidi community, a claim Deri’s office called entirely fabricated. In an unusually sharp statement, the party insisted the report amounted to “a false story as part of an anti-chareidi propaganda campaign.” The office emphasized that the allegation was nothing less than “an absolute lie.”

According to Shas, Deri’s efforts have nothing to do with securing preferential treatment for chareidim. Instead, they say the goal is to prevent the exclusion of impoverished chareidi families under revised guidelines being advanced by the Finance Ministry. The statement noted that last year, food vouchers were distributed to roughly 400,000 families across every segment of Israeli society, secular, immigrants, Arabs, and chareidim alike.

Now, party officials claim, the Finance Ministry intends to alter the criteria in a way that “everyone will receive them except poor chareidi families.” Deri, they stated, has no intention of allowing such discrimination to stand.

His office stressed that he is prepared for a full-scale fight on the issue, declaring, “Rav Deri will not stay silent and will continue the battle until the criteria are restored to full equality.”

Channel 12 has not yet responded to the accusations.

{Matzav.com}

Tim Walz and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison are now under congressional investigation for allegedly “allowing widespread fraud to occur.”

UPDATE: The identity of the alleged Jan. 6 pipe bomber arrested in Virginia just 90 minutes ago is expected to be revealed shortly.

Sec. Duffy on President Trump terminating Joe Biden’s CAFE standards: “The American consumer is a winner… We saw the inflation over the last administration, the price increases… He’s actually working to make these products more affordable for the American consumer.”

Sen. Jim Banks: The more we learn the truth, the more we realize that President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth are doing exactly what the American people elected them to do…

NATO Military Chief: “I’m very much in favor of freedom of speech, but I’m not necessarily convinced that what Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk is doing on X is the right approach.”

The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes moments ago in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

Militia Leader Working With Israel Reportedly Killed in Rafah Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of the Popular Forces militia that had been cooperating with Israel in parts of southern Gaza, was reportedly shot and killed on Thursday in eastern Rafah. Israeli assessments say he was attacked by unidentified gunmen while operating in an area his […]

The IDF has officially confirmed that four Hamas terrorists, East Rafah Battalion commander Mohammad Bawab, his deputy Ismail Abu Labda, company commander Tawfiq Salem, and Abdullah Hamad, the son of senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, were killed on Sunday after troops and the Israeli Air Force targeted them as they attempted to flee a tunnel […]

Prime Minister Netanyahu has selected Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, his military secretary, to serve as the next director of the Mossad. His appointment will be submitted to the advisory committee that reviews senior appointments, and he is expected to replace Mossad Director David Barnea, whose term ends in June 2026. Gofman previously served in the Armored […]

Ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi will be discharged on Thursday from Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after a three-week hospitalization stay, a police spokesperson announced. “The suspect of leaking information and other serious criminal offenses is expected to be released from hospitalization and will be summoned for further questioning in the coming days,” the police […]

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in one of his final acts as the city’s chief executive, signed two executive orders on Wednesday designed to curb antisemitism and prevent municipal dollars from being used in ways that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. His actions immediately injected new tension into the transition to the incoming administration.

According to reporting by the New York Post, Adams’ first order prohibits the city and its pension funds from making contracting or investment decisions that discriminate against Israel. The directive is widely seen as a pointed contrast to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has been outspoken in his backing of BDS.

Speaking at the North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in New Orleans, Adams emphasized the longstanding connection between the city and Israel. As he put it, his administration “recognizes the benefit of maintaining a strong relationship between the city of New York and the state of Israel,” a statement cited by The Post.

His second order focuses on public safety, instructing the NYPD to strengthen enforcement measures to better protect synagogues and other houses of worship from threats, harassment, and intimidation.

These directives set the stage for a deeper clash of worldviews between Adams and Mamdani, who will decide after January 1 whether the orders remain in force. Mamdani’s team did not answer questions from Fox News Digital seeking comment.

Mamdani reaffirmed his stance in a November 4 interview with MSNBC, defending support for the BDS movement as a method of attempting to pressure Israel into meeting international legal standards. “And I’ve said, I support BDS because this is a movement that is looking for that kind of compliance. We haven’t seen it,” he said during the interview.

When pressed on whether BDS would become official city policy, “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist asked him directly, “Would BDS be the policy of your administration as mayor?” Mamdani responded by reiterating his commitment to nonviolent pressure campaigns. “I’ve said that I would support and have supported non-violent movements to bring about compliance with international law,” he said. “And where this mayor [Eric Adams] has violated and looked to violate that kind of law, I would bring us back into compliance.”

Mamdani also stated he intended to represent Jewish New Yorkers alongside all other communities.

As noted by The Post, New York City manages an enormous financial footprint—more than $32 billion in procurement spending for fiscal year 2024 and five major pension systems covering upwards of 750,000 people. Those funds collectively hold close to $300 billion in global investments, including more than $300 million in assets tied to Israel.

Adams’ actions follow a disturbing incident last week, when demonstrators reportedly shouted “globalize the intifada” and “death to the IDF” outside a Manhattan synagogue, highlighting the rising concern over Jewish safety in the city.

Explaining his rationale, Adams said his administration was “ensuring our city government doesn’t participate in that type of behavior and are putting in safeguards that protect New Yorkers’ tax dollars and protect their right to practice their religion without harassment.”

After speaking at Wednesday’s conference, Adams wrote on X that he “discussed and shared how we’re governing through the rising tide of hate, fear, and misinformation in our cities so we can better protect ALL communities.” He further insisted that “we cannot stand by as antisemitism or any other form of hate spreads.” As he declared, “We must loudly defend the Jewish people.”

In November, Adams had already cautioned Jewish residents about the shifting climate, telling attendees at a Combat Antisemitism Movement event in Tel Aviv that “everything is not fine” following Mamdani’s election.

{Matzav.com}

Last week, Chaim, a young man in his mid-20s, from a frum family and strong Yeshiva background, attended a shiur at BJX. He dreaded opening the Gemara. He said that it was the first time he was seeing a Gemara in over seven years. Just a short while later, he was deeply engrossed in the Gemara […]