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As tensions rise over Hamas’s sluggish response to international pressure, Israeli officials believe the terror group is deliberately withholding the remains of key fallen soldiers, including Hadar Goldin and Colonel Asaf Hamami.

According to a Channel 13 News report released Monday night, intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas is aware of the burial sites of at least ten hostages who were killed, among them Goldin and Hamami. Despite this, the terror group is reportedly refusing to return their bodies because they have become “symbols.”

Hamami, the commander of the IDF’s Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, was one of the first senior officers to fall on the morning of October 7. He was taken along with two other soldiers during the surprise Hamas invasion. Goldin, a Givati Brigade officer, was captured and killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and has been held by Hamas ever since.

The new revelations come as Israel grows increasingly impatient with Hamas’s continued stalling. Earlier in the evening, Hamas returned the body of another fallen hostage.

Israeli officials say that while Hamas has the capability to retrieve and release the bodies, it is deliberately holding onto figures like Goldin and Hamami due to their symbolic significance, a move seen as part of the group’s ongoing psychological warfare against Israel.

{Matzav.com}

Zohran Mamdani built his campaign on moral outrage — but now it’s his own credibility that’s under fire. The self-described socialist and frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race is backpedaling after admitting that the “aunt” at the center of his emotional 9/11 story wasn’t actually his aunt at all. At a recent campaign rally, […]

Two weeks after his release from Gaza, Yosef Chaim Ochana broke his silence, recounting the horror he endured and the desperate tactics he used to survive during his captivity. Speaking with Channel 12 on Monday, he described the moments when his life hung by a thread and how he managed to persuade his captors not to execute him.

“In the first place where I was kept, suddenly someone came into the room, angry, cocked his pistol, and put it to my head. ‘Tell me how many people you have killed, now I will kill you.’ I reply: ‘Zero, zero.’ Then he says, ‘Eh, you’re also lying to me,’ and was about to shoot me. At that point, some shiekh walks in, pulls him by the hand, and tells him, ‘Not now,'” Ochana recounted.

He recalled that the terrorists would intentionally torment them psychologically. “There were times that it was planned; they wanted to make us anxious. They sat us down and told us: ‘Your country did so and so, now we are taking revenge.’ They made us choose between each other, who to kill, who to just wound, they drew lots on us.”

Ochana described how simple greetings often turned into brutal assaults. “Once, they came, we said hello, and they suddenly began beating us. They were ordered to begin hitting us. They faced us against a wall, took off our shirts, and beat us. Since then, we would call it ‘the flashlights are coming.’ Every time we saw flashlights, we would have a panic attack. No one knew what to do; ‘Should I stand?’ ‘Should I sit?’ ‘Who will be the first to get it?’ We wanted to run as far in as possible, but then we understood that it won’t look good and that we need to spread out across the room. We preferred that they wouldn’t come for a week, two weeks, a month; that they would leave us alone.”

When faced with the threat of execution, Ochana said he appealed to their logic, hoping to convince them of his value alive. “At that point, I knew them, and I knew what was important to them, why they abducted me, and that the very fact that I was a hostage made me an ‘important bargaining chip.’ I told them, ‘What, now you’ll take revenge on me so that your citizens will be happy, but what about the prisoners waiting to be released in return for me from prison, to leave and see their families? If I die, they’ll release fewer prisoners.'”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump began one of his busiest days of his Asia trip on Tuesday by warmly greeting the new Japanese prime minister and taking her with him as he spoke to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier. Although Trump is visiting one of America’s most steadfast allies in Asia, there’s no shortage of uncertainty while he’s […]

A senior delegation of close to a dozen New York law enforcement officials visited the national logistics center of ZAKA Search and Rescue in Beit Shemesh to learn more about ZAKA’s response on Oct. 7, 2023, and to meet some of the civilian volunteers whose lifesaving work has become a cornerstone of Israel’s emergency response […]

Mike Waltz is approaching his new role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a mandate from President Donald Trump to cut funding for what were once longtime American priorities the same way he set about representing Florida in Congress. “I approach nearly every decision I can here with America first, with the American taxpayer first,” Waltz said […]

An IDF drone operating on Monday in the area where excavation work was being carried out near the Daraj-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City documented the deception of Hamas regarding the remains returned to Israel on Monday. The drone showed a Hamas tractor digging a pit near a building and covering it with soil. Shortly afterward, […]

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A day after the police officially approved the holding of the “Million-Man Rally” against the arrests and imprisonment of bnei yeshivos, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau published a detailed letter of instructions ahead of the event. In the letter, the Rosh Yeshivah instructed participants not to be drawn into any confrontations with the police and other […]

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Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday morning that the identification process was completed at the Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Medicine for the body transferred by Hamas to Israel on Monday night, and it was determined that the coffin did not contain one of the 13 deceased hostages still being held in Gaza. Instead, the […]

By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

In Parshas Lech Lecha, we find that after Avrohom Avinu’s victorious battle against the kings, he encountered Shem ben Noach, who served as the Kohen of that generation. The posuk tells us that Avrohom gave Shem maaser from all that he had taken.

In Parshas Toldos, we read that after Yitzchok left Avimelech, he planted a field, and it yielded “Meah She’arim” — one hundredfold. Rashi explains that Yitzchok measured the field’s extraordinary output in order to determine how much maaser he owed.

Later, in Parshas Vayeitzei, Yaakov Avinu pledges to Hashem, “Aser aasrenu lach”—I will surely tithe everything You give me. The Baalei Tosfos, citing the Medrash, note that Yaakov established the practice of giving maaser from monetary earnings. From this, Chazal derive the concept of giving a fifth of one’s income to tzedakah. This is learned from the double expression aser aasrenu—two tenths, equaling one fifth.

The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 9:1) writes that Yitzchok instituted maaser, while the Raavad disagrees, arguing that Avrohom had already given maaser earlier. The Kesef Mishneh reconciles this by explaining that Avrohom’s gift to Shem was not maaser in the halachic sense, but rather tzedakah. His proof is that Avrohom gave only from the spoils of war, not from all his possessions. Yitzchok, by contrast, tithed all the produce of his fields.

Among the Rishonim, there is a discussion regarding maaser kesafim—whether separating a tenth from one’s income carries the same halachic weight as maaser from grain, or whether it is considered tzedakah with a minimum of one-tenth and a maximum of one-fifth.

One can harmonize the opinions by suggesting that each of the Avos introduced a different dimension of maaser: Avrohom gave maaser as tzedakah; Yitzchok tithed his agricultural produce; and Yaakov established the giving of maaser from monetary earnings.

The Shita Mekubetzes in Kesubos (50a) writes that one who earns money should first set aside a tenth for his own spiritual and religious needs, and then another tenth to give to the poor. He compares this to the two maasros given from grain—maaser sheni, eaten in Yerushalayim, and maaser ani, given to the poor. This, he explains, is likely what Yaakov meant by the double expression aser aasrenu lach. Yaakov did not say achamshenu (“I will give a fifth”) but rather “two tenths.”

Just as one may not use maaser from an already tithed crop to exempt another that has not yet been tithed, one cannot simply separate one fifth at once; the process must be done in two steps—first one tenth, then another tenth.

The Gemara teaches, Aser bishvil shetisasher—give maaser so that you may become wealthy. Indeed, maaser is not just an obligation; it is the wisest and most reliable investment a person can make.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday after the Kremlin leader bragged about testing what he called an “invincible” nuclear-powered missile capable of striking the United States. “They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force […]

President Donald Trump’s visit to Tokyo on Tuesday marked one of the most eventful days of his Asia tour, as he met with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi — Japan’s first female leader — before addressing U.S. troops and business leaders later in the day.

While Japan remains one of America’s closest allies, Trump’s trip comes at a pivotal moment for both nations. Takaichi, who assumed office only days ago, faces the dual challenge of strengthening ties with Trump and protecting Japan’s economic footing. Trump lauded her historic role, calling her appointment as Japan’s first woman prime minister “a big deal,” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Tokyo. “Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” he said. “We are an ally at the strongest level.”

The pair began their meeting at Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace with a warm handshake, prompting Trump to joke, “That’s a very strong handshake.” Takaichi responded by offering symbolic gestures of goodwill, announcing Japan’s plan to send Washington 250 cherry trees in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, along with fireworks from Akita Prefecture for Independence Day festivities.

She also invoked the memory of her mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had forged a close friendship with Trump during his time in office. “As a matter of fact, Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy,” she said.

Trump is working to secure a $550 billion investment package from Japan as part of an expanded trade framework. Both leaders signed an agreement they described as ushering in the “golden age” of the U.S.–Japan alliance. The concise document reaffirmed a 15% tariff structure on Japanese imports and established the massive investment fund for projects in the United States.

They then finalized a second deal — this one focused on strengthening the supply chain for critical minerals and rare earth elements vital to advanced technologies. The agreement indicated that a portion of Japan’s investment would go toward the development of these strategic resources.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Takaichi would be nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting the growing rapport between the two leaders. The pair also met with families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.

The event featured a distinctly American touch — reporters arriving at the palace were ushered past a gleaming gold Ford F-150 pickup truck and a row of white U.S.-made Toyota vehicles. The move appeared to nod to Trump’s long-standing complaints that Japan buys too few American-made cars, which he has often described as ill-suited to the country’s narrow streets.

Takaichi is expected to launch her own charm campaign, with discussions reportedly underway about purchasing Ford F-150 trucks for government use. Trump, who has often linked trade and security, seemed pleased by the symbolic gesture.

Trump’s Asia agenda extends well beyond Tokyo. He had arrived in Japan the previous day following a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. There, he celebrated a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, praising both governments for ending months of skirmishes after he threatened to suspend trade deals if they continued fighting.

Looking ahead, Trump’s diplomatic focus will turn toward China. Signs of easing tensions have emerged ahead of his planned meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea later this week. Negotiators from both sides suggested that progress was being made on a trade agreement, potentially avoiding another economic standoff between the two global powers.

Still, uncertainties remain. China recently altered its export policies on rare earth minerals vital for technology production — a move that prompted Trump to threaten tariffs he admitted “would be unsustainable” if prolonged. Whether the new accord will restore balance to U.S.-China relations remains to be seen.

Trump will conclude his Tokyo visit with a speech aboard the USS George Washington, an American aircraft carrier stationed near Tokyo Bay, before heading Wednesday to Seoul for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit — the next stop in his high-stakes Asian tour.

As the chareidi community braces for Thursday’s massive atzeres tefillah in Yerushalayim following the recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim who refused to report to army draft offices, Rav Moshe Maya, senior member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, issued a passionate call for every member of the tzibbur to attend.

Speaking on Kol Chai Radio’s Mahadura HaMerkazit with Avi Mimran, Rav Maya condemned the recent arrests and warned against complacency. “The Gemara says that because Rabi Eliezer did not protest when his neighbor’s cow went out on Shabbos with a strap between its horns, the transgression was attributed to him. If a person has the ability to protest and does not, he is held accountable for that sin,” Rav Maya said.

The Rav’s voice rose with emotion as he declared, “To arrest talmidei chachamim, there is no greater disgrace to talmidei chachamim than this. And if we remain silent, we become partners in that disgrace. One who can protest but does not is held responsible for the sin of degrading talmidei chachamim. And whoever disgraces talmidei chachamim has no share in the World to Come. We are talking about our very Olam Haba! Therefore, it is an absolute obligation to attend the atzeres.”

Addressing recent criticism of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Rav Maya forcefully rejected the attacks. “Even without bringing racism into the discussion, Aryeh Deri is a great talmid chacham,” he said. “He has always sought the guidance of the gedolei hador. He does not act on his own—he does what the rabbonim tell him to do.”

{Matzav.com}

Long before his presidency, Donald Trump pitched the idea of constructing a grand ballroom at the White House — even personally offering to design and build it for President Barack Obama back in 2010. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration ultimately ignored the offer.

For over fifteen years, Trump had envisioned an elegant ballroom on White House grounds that could host major state dinners, official receptions, and high-profile gatherings of world leaders and celebrities. The Journal revealed that in early 2010, Trump placed a call to David Axelrod, then one of Obama’s closest advisers, after being introduced by MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski.

“He said, ‘You have these state dinners in [profanity] little tents,’” Axelrod recalled in an interview. “He said, ‘I build ballrooms. I build the most beautiful ballrooms in the world. You can come to Florida and see for yourself.’”

At the time, Trump proposed constructing a modular ballroom on White House property — one that could be assembled or taken apart as needed. “I was thinking, we’re in the middle of a recession, I’m not sure about this,” Axelrod admitted. He suggested Trump contact the administration’s social secretary about the idea, but the conversation went nowhere.

As the Journal noted, Trump approached the proposal the same way he tackled most of his projects — by navigating regulations and identifying creative ways to push construction through bureaucratic channels. His vision was for a permanent, opulent space worthy of major state functions.

That vision has now come full circle. The White House ballroom is finally being built, funded entirely by private donors at an estimated cost of $350 million.

Even The Washington Post editorial board defended the project, pointing out that both Obama and Biden administration alumni had long acknowledged the need for such an indoor facility. They noted that the current setup — where visiting dignitaries must cross the lawn to temporary tents and rely on outdoor portable restrooms — has been a long-standing embarrassment at major White House events.

{Matzav.com}

A British political commentator who once urged Muslims to “celebrate the victory” after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel was detained by U.S. authorities Sunday –  part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign nationals accused of supporting terrorism. Sami Hamdi, a London-based pundit with a history of inflammatory statements, was taken into custody […]

As preparations intensify for Thursday’s large atzeres tefillah in Yerushalayim, Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced that her ministry is coordinating enhanced public transportation to accommodate the anticipated crowds. “Wherever we identify heavy traffic, we will increase transportation service,” Regev told Kol Chai radio.

Regev emphasized her respect for lomdei Torah, saying, “We respect those for whom Toraso umanuso. There’s no doubt that we must strengthen those who learn Torah, but those who don’t learn must serve. The law we will bring will be very balanced — it has been coordinated with the chareidi representatives, including Ariel Atias of Shas, and with the IDF. It’s a good law for everyone.”

Responding to claims that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu is hesitant to pass the draft law, Regev pushed back: “That’s completely untrue. Netanyahu believes the law must be passed, and that’s why he replaced former Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein. Boaz Bismuth is determined to pass the law, and it will happen.”

Addressing the situation in Gaza, Regev said, “According to the Trump plan, we now control over 50% of the Strip, while Hamas still holds the rest. But we will not leave until the area is demilitarized and a new government arises there. The administration in Kiryat Gat is handling all the logistical issues, and we will not agree to any Turkish or Qatari presence.”

Regev added that Hamas knows where the bodies of the deceased hostages are located. “They can return them all. If they don’t, we’ll have to enter the areas where they’re holding them,” she warned.

Regarding Thursday’s rally, Regev assured that her ministry is fully prepared: “We’ll act just as we do for any major event. Once we identify congestion at specific locations, we’ll increase public transport on the spot. Israel Railways will add trains to Yerushalayim, and bus operators will also increase service.”

{Matzav.com}

Elon Musk has officially launched Grokipedia, an online encyclopedia that he says will serve as an alternative to Wikipedia — one shaped more by artificial intelligence and less by what he calls “woke” bias. Musk described the project as a major milestone in building tools that reflect his worldview and push back against the dominance of traditional media outlets.

The billionaire entrepreneur said he was inspired to pursue the idea after a conversation with his friend and fellow investor David Sacks, who currently serves as the Trump administration’s AI and crypto czar. Musk accused Wikipedia of leaning left politically and frequently relying on outlets such as The New York Times and NPR, which he has criticized for promoting partisan narratives.

“An AI-generated encyclopedia would be super important for civilization,” Musk wrote on X, calling the effort an essential step toward “understanding the Universe.”

Unlike Wikipedia, where thousands of human volunteers write and edit pages, Grokipedia will rely on Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, from his company xAI, to verify and compile content. Readers can suggest corrections using a pop-up form, but they cannot directly edit entries themselves.

Many of Grokipedia’s pages acknowledge that they are derived from Wikipedia under a Creative Commons license. A notice on several entries, including the one for the Nobel Prize in physics, reads: “The content is adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.” Some pages, particularly those on general topics, appear nearly identical to their Wikipedia counterparts.

Musk, however, has made it clear that his long-term goal is to eliminate Wikipedia as a data source entirely. He said Grok will stop drawing from Wikipedia’s database by the end of the year.

The differences between the two platforms are already visible. On Grokipedia, the page for President Donald Trump omits details about his alleged acceptance of a luxury aircraft from Qatar and his involvement with a Trump-themed cryptocurrency token — both of which appear in Wikipedia’s section on conflicts of interest. Similarly, Musk’s own entry on Grokipedia leaves out mention of a rally gesture that many observers labeled a Nazi salute, a topic discussed extensively on his Wikipedia page.

Responding to the new site’s debut, the Wikimedia Foundation emphasized that human input remains central to its mission. “Wikipedia’s knowledge is — and always will be — human,” the organization said in a statement. “Through open collaboration and consensus, people from all backgrounds build a neutral, living record of human understanding — one that reflects our diversity and collective curiosity. This human-created knowledge is what AI companies rely on to generate content; even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist.”

The Foundation added, “Many experiments to create alternative versions of Wikipedia have happened before; it doesn’t interfere with our work or mission.”

The launch of Grokipedia pits the world’s richest man against one of the most visited sites on the internet. According to Similarweb, Wikipedia ranks ninth globally in traffic, far surpassing older encyclopedic resources such as Encyclopedia Britannica.

Wikipedia has long symbolized an earlier era of the internet — one driven by open collaboration rather than the influence of corporate tech giants. Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, the site has remained ad-free and nonprofit, supported largely by volunteer editors.

Sanger, who co-founded Wikipedia, has in recent years become one of its harshest critics, charging that its anonymous editing model has led to ideological bias. He repeated those accusations in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, which Sacks later shared on X.

While Wikipedia currently boasts about 7.1 million English-language entries, Grokipedia launches with roughly 885,000. The new platform’s homepage labels it “version 0.1,” signaling that Musk sees this as just the beginning of what he hopes will become a major AI-driven knowledge network.

{Matzav.com}

As the Supreme Court weighs challenges to the proposed Chok HaGiyus (Draft Law), MK Meir Porush remains unfazed. Speaking in a firm and emotional tone, Porush emphasized that arresting lomdei Torah in a Jewish state is “unthinkable” and urged for unity ahead of Thursday’s massive tefillah rally in Yerushalayim.

In an interview with Avi Mimran on Mahadura HaMerkazit, Porush condemned the government’s handling of the yeshiva bochurim arrests carried out by the military police. “Our message is simple,” he said. “We are asking to be allowed to learn Torah here, in Eretz Yisroel. People gave their lives to come to this land.”

Porush stressed that every Jew who wishes to dedicate himself to Torah study must be free to do so: “Every person sitting and learning Torah should receive a deferment,” he declared. He reiterated that detaining bnei Torah for doing what generations have sacrificed to preserve is unacceptable in a state that calls itself Jewish.

Mimran raised the question of Porush’s earlier hunger strike outside the Attorney General’s office, wondering why it did not draw broader public support. Porush responded that he did not seek to rally others for his protest but acted out of conviction. “We must stay focused on our goal,” he said. “We will be united. I promise you, when we are united, we will be able to withstand anyone who seeks to harm us.”

When asked if he feared that a new draft law could again be overturned by the Supreme Court, Porush dismissed the concern. “So, what do you suggest—that we do nothing?” he asked. “Our responsibility is to do what’s in our hands to do. There’s no such thing as saying, ‘Maybe I’ll fail, so I won’t act.’ We must act and trust in Hashem.”

{Matzav.com}