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Dear Matzav Inbox,

Why is bad breath the one problem nobody is allowed to mention?

We live in a community where people will correct your pronunciation of a word, your nusach, your shoelaces, or how long your jacket is, but when someone’s breath is so bad it makes standing next to them physically difficult, suddenly everyone becomes polite, silent, and paralyzed.

This isn’t about embarrassing people. It’s about basic derech eretz.

We sit next to each other in shul. We talk face to face at Kiddush. We lean in during conversations. We daven shoulder to shoulder. And sometimes, honestly, it’s unbearable. People are stepping back, turning their heads, holding their breath, and nobody says a word. Everyone just suffers quietly and pretends nothing is happening.

Why?

Brushing teeth is not a chumra. Mouthwash is not a luxury. And checking yourself before going out into public is not asking too much. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness.

What makes it worse is that the person usually has no idea. Everyone else knows. Everyone else talks about it, just not to him. That’s not chesed. That’s ridiculous. If someone had spinach in their teeth all day and nobody told them, we’d say that’s cruel. So why is this different?

We’ll hint. We’ll cough. We’ll open windows. We’ll suddenly remember something urgent and walk away. But actually saying, “Maybe check your breath,” is treated like a capital offense.

And let’s be honest: Sometimes it’s not a one-time thing. It’s constant. Day after day. The same smell, the same avoidance, the same quiet suffering.

This affects shalom bayis, friendships, chavrusas, workplaces, and shul life. People don’t want to sit near you. They don’t want to talk to you. They don’t want to learn with you. And instead of addressing the issue, we let relationships die slowly and silently.

What happened to the idea that caring about someone includes telling them uncomfortable truths?

Nobody is saying to announce it publicly or embarrass someone. But a spouse, a close friend, a sibling, someone, should be able to say it gently and privately. “I’m telling you because I care.” That used to be normal.

Somehow we’ve decided it’s better to let a person go around unknowingly offending everyone than to risk an awkward conversation. That makes no sense.

We expect people to dress appropriately, behave appropriately, and show basic consideration in public spaces. Hygiene is part of that. Not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. It just makes everyone miserable.

So here’s a radical idea: Let’s stop pretending this isn’t a thing. Let’s normalize basic self-awareness. And let’s remember that real kindness isn’t silence. It’s honesty, said with care.

Because bad breath doesn’t just disappear on its own.
And neither does the discomfort when nobody is willing to speak up.

I Can’t Stand It

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Lindsey Graham on Iran: There are a lot of headlines out there that are, in my view, not accurate. President Trump’s resolve is not the question. The question is when we do an operation like this, should it be bigger or smaller? I’m in the camp of bigger…

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has finalized an understanding with the Agudas Yisroel faction that will see MK Yisrael Eichler appointed as Deputy Communications Minister, a move that will require him to step down from his seat in the Knesset.

Eichler’s resignation will trigger the Norwegian Law mechanism, allowing Yitzchok Pindrus of Degel Hatorah to reenter the Knesset as a serving MK.

Agudas Yisroel and Degel Hatorah run jointly under the banner of United Torah Judaism, using a so-called “zipper” list in which candidates from the two factions alternate. Under this arrangement, when an Agudas Yisroel lawmaker resigns, the next eligible candidate from Degel Hatorah moves into the Knesset, and the same applies in reverse.

Pindrus’ return is expected to strengthen the governing coalition by adding another vote in favor of advancing the Draft Law.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Likud welcomed the development and praised Eichler’s appointment, saying, “I congratulate my dear colleague, MK Yisrael Eichler, on his appointment as Deputy Communications Minister. I thank Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu and MK Eichler for their cooperation and trust and welcome this move.
Together, we will work decisively to complete the central tasks of the government, in the Draft Law, communications reform, the budget, and other areas, for the benefit of the people of Israel.”

Sharp criticism came from Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, who blasted the decision, saying, “Government ministries are not gifts or bribes, there is actually a country to manage here. Eichler’s appointment as Deputy Communications Minister is not only disgraceful but also absurd. Eichler is a person who opposes the very existence of the State and, broadly speaking, also pretty much opposes the very existence of communications. As mentioned, an absurd and disgraceful appointment.”

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday rejected media reports suggesting that President Donald Trump is easing off the possibility of US action against Iran, calling such coverage flatly wrong.

Responding on X, Graham said reports portraying the administration as stepping back were misleading. “All the headlines like these are examples of reporting that are beyond inaccurate,” he wrote.

Graham insisted that any potential move against Tehran has not been weakened by hesitation from the White House. “The circumstances around the necessary, decisive action to be taken against the evil Iranian regime have nothing to do with President Trump’s will or determination. Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite the opposite. Stay tuned,” he added.

The comments followed a turbulent stretch on Wednesday, when tensions appeared to peak and the prospect of American action against Iran seemed imminent. However, as evening approached in Tehran, the situation appeared to cool after President Trump said he had been told that Iranian authorities had halted the killing of protesters.

“We have been notified pretty strongly that the killing in Iran is stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,” Trump told reporters during remarks in the Oval Office.

Trump stressed that the information came from reliable sources, while cautioning that events would need to be verified. “I’ve been told that in good authority. We’ll find out about it, I’m sure. If it happens, we’ll be very upset,” he said.

By Thursday morning, Iran had reopened its airspace after shutting it down for several hours amid the unrest. The regime also announced that it would not carry out the execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old arrested during the recent protests who had become a prominent symbol for demonstrators.

President Donald Trump highlighted the development in a social media post, writing, “According to Fox News, ‘An Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise, others.’ This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council said it had arranged an emergency session for Thursday afternoon at the request of the United States to address the unfolding situation in Iran.

{Matzav.com}

Verizon has announced that it will give its customers $20 in credit for yesterday’s major outage.

BREAKING: The Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Iranian individuals linked to the violent crackdown on peaceful protests.

Schumer: The affordability crisis will be our focus throughout 2026 because that’s what the American people are demanding.

The U.S is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow American military forces, including Special Operations troops or CIA officers, to participate in joint raids targeting and dismantling fentanyl production labs.

BREAKING: The Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Iranian individuals linked to the violent crackdown on peaceful protests.

Sen. Ted Cruz: “I want to take a moment to speak to the people of Iran. America stands with you. President Trump stands with you.

Sec. Noem: “Every single action that our ICE officers take is according to the law and following protocols that we have used for years—that this administration has used, that the previous administration has used…and over and over again, in litigation in the courts, we’ve proven that they’ve done the right thing.”

Sec. Noem on Tim Walz: “He’s had the greatest fraud in American history happening right under his nose. He didn’t just allow it to happen, we believe, from all indications, that he was complicit in it — that he knew all about this Somalian fraud that was happening.”

The Yerushalayim District Court on Thursday turned down a police request to keep Fakhri Khatib under house arrest following a fatal ramming during a protest earlier this month that claimed the life of 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal.

In her decision, Judge Hagit Mac Kalmanovitz said the legal threshold for continuing the house arrest had not been met, while stressing that the ruling does not bar investigators from taking additional steps as the probe continues.

The ruling followed a decision issued a day earlier by the Magistrate’s Court, which lifted all restrictive measures imposed on Khatib, including the house arrest he had been placed under for roughly a week. Police immediately challenged that decision, but their appeal was rejected.

Khatib remains under investigation on suspicion of causing death either intentionally or through reckless conduct, as well as causing severe injury to a minor. Authorities initially brought an aggravated murder charge, though it was later reduced.

At the court hearing, police acknowledged that Khatib himself contacted the emergency center after the incident, reporting that he was under attack and asking to be rescued. His attorney told the court that his client “was attacked, spat on, and felt in danger,” and maintained that “he acted to save his life without intending to harm anyone.” The defense further claimed the case amounted to a “political investigation.”

The incident took place during a January 6 protest opposing the proposed Draft Law. Video footage shows a bus driven by Khatib moving toward demonstrators and striking Eisenthal, who was pinned beneath the vehicle and killed. Three additional protesters sustained minor injuries.

{Matzav.com}

New York City’s largest nursing strike in decades stretched into a fourth day Thursday, with little sign of a breakthrough as hospital systems and union leaders dug in for what both sides now appear to expect could be a long fight. Roughly 15,000 nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association walked off the […]

U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials have met face to face to discuss President Donald Trump’s ambitions to take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. At the same time, Denmark and several European allies are sending troops to Greenland in a pointed signal of intent to boost the vast Arctic island’s security. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said after […]

President Trump said Thursday that he is prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota if state leaders fail to halt violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, escalating federal warnings amid growing unrest in Minneapolis.

The Insurrection Act grants the president authority to deploy active-duty military forces and place National Guard units under federal control in situations involving widespread disorder or rebellion against the federal government.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me,” Trump warned on Truth Social.

The president’s statement followed a violent encounter Wednesday night in Minneapolis during a traffic stop involving an ICE agent and a suspected illegal immigrant. Authorities say two people intervened during the stop, striking the officer with a shovel and a broom handle.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the suspect managed to break free and then assaulted the officer with either a broomstick or a shovel, prompting the agent to fire a shot that struck the individual in the leg.

Federal officials said the suspect, identified as a Venezuelan national, has since been taken into custody.

The incident came just a week after another ICE officer fatally shot activist Renee Good after she allegedly drove her SUV toward him.

Together, the two incidents have sparked several consecutive days of demonstrations and unrest across the Twin Cities area.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that more than 3,000 federal immigration officers, including personnel from ICE and the Border Patrol, have been sent into the city — a presence far exceeding the city’s roughly 600 police officers.

“This is not sustainable,” Frey told reporters late Wednesday. “This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in, and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward, to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order.”

The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Minnesota following disclosures of widespread benefits fraud that officials say has strained the state’s systems.

Governor Tim Walz’s office did not immediately comment on Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act.

Earlier this week, Minnesota and Illinois jointly filed suit against the Trump administration seeking to halt the expanded ICE presence. Federal officials argue the increase is necessary due to state laws that restrict cooperation between local police departments and immigration authorities.

Trump issued the warning about invoking the Insurrection Act in a Truth Social post dated Jan. 15.

The statute was last used in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush authorized military involvement during the Los Angeles riots that erupted after the acquittal of police officers charged in the beating of Rodney King.

Trump has previously explored other legal avenues to deploy National Guard forces in states such as Illinois, but those efforts were abandoned after courts blocked them.

National Guard troops remain stationed in Washington, D.C., where the federal government exercises broader authority than it does over state and municipal jurisdictions.

{Matzav.com}

A majority of American adults believe President Donald Trump has exceeded appropriate limits in using U.S. military power overseas, according to a new survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the AP reports.

The poll, conducted January 8–11 in the aftermath of the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, found that 56% of U.S. adults think Trump has “gone too far” when it comes to military intervention in other countries. Majorities of respondents also said they disapprove of how the Republican president is handling foreign policy overall, as well as his approach to Venezuela specifically.

Those views run counter to Trump’s increasingly assertive posture on the world stage. Recent actions and statements have included moves aimed at controlling Venezuelan oil resources, repeated calls for the United States to take over Greenland, and warnings that Washington would assist demonstrators protesting the Iranian regime. While many respondents viewed the administration’s intervention in Venezuela as a “good thing” for curbing the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and as potentially helpful to Venezuelans, fewer believed it would strengthen U.S. national security or boost the American economy.

Republicans have largely aligned themselves with Trump despite the contrast between these policies and the “America First” message he campaigned on. Still, only a small share of Republicans want the president to take even more aggressive steps abroad, highlighting the political risks of deeper international involvement.

The poll was conducted against the backdrop of U.S. military action in Venezuela that led to Maduro’s capture. At the same time, Trump has made headlines by suggesting the United States could seize Greenland “the hard way” if Denmark refuses to agree to a deal, and by warning Iran that the U.S. would come to the “rescue” of peaceful protesters.

Democrats and independents are the primary drivers of the belief that Trump has overreached. Roughly nine in ten Democrats and about six in ten independents say the president has “gone too far” with military intervention, compared with only about two in ten Republicans.

Among Republicans, 71% say Trump’s actions have been “about right,” and only around one in ten believe he should push further.

Overall, 57% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the situation in Venezuela, a figure slightly lower than the 61% who disapprove of his foreign policy approach more broadly. Both numbers are consistent with his overall job approval rating, which has remained relatively stable during his second term.

Despite the skepticism, many Americans acknowledge certain upsides to U.S. involvement in Venezuela. About half of respondents said the intervention would be “mostly a good thing” for stopping illegal drugs from entering the United States. Forty-four percent believe the U.S. action will do more to help than harm the Venezuelan people, who lived under Maduro’s rule for more than a decade. Opinions are far more divided on whether the intervention will benefit U.S. economic interests or national security, or whether it will have little effect.

Republicans are more inclined than Democrats and independents to see advantages in the U.S. move, especially in relation to drug trafficking. Roughly eight in ten Republicans say the intervention will be “mostly a good thing” for reducing illegal drugs, though only about six in ten think it will help the U.S. economy.

The poll also shows broad resistance to expanding America’s role on the global stage. Nearly half of Americans want the United States to take a “less active” role in world affairs, while about one-third believe its current level of engagement is “about right.”

Only about two in ten U.S. adults favor greater international involvement, including just one in ten Republicans.

At least half of Democrats and independents now say the United States should scale back its global role, marking a sharp change from attitudes measured just a few months ago.

Republicans, by contrast, have grown more comfortable with the current approach. Sixty-four percent now say the country’s role in world affairs is “about right,” up from 55% in September. About one-quarter of Republicans favor a “less active role,” down slightly from 34% earlier in the fall.

{Matzav.com}

An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station. Their first stop […]

[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. 

ShasYiden.com

  You loved the films, now experience the magic live. They got their tickets, did you get yours?   They packed their bags. Did you  purchase your ticket?  A first class performance is coming to the US.   This has never been done before. You’ve been to concerts. You’ve been to shows.   But you’ve […]