Hamas’ military wing announced Thursday afternoon that it will hand over the remains of two Israeli hostages to Israel later in the day, setting the transfer time for 4:00 p.m. local time.
Israeli forces have already begun logistical and medical preparations to receive the bodies. Once transferred, the remains will be taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where experts will conduct official identification procedures.
At present, Hamas continues to hold the bodies of thirteen hostages in Gaza, a grim reminder of the human toll of the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday morning, Hamas reversed an earlier commitment to return one hostage’s body. The group claimed the change came after an IDF strike in Gaza that followed gunfire by Hamas operatives targeting Israeli troops engaged in engineering work in Rafah.
The same day, confusion arose over a previous transfer. The body that had been delivered to Israel the night before was initially believed to belong to one of the hostages whose remains had yet to be recovered. However, it was later discovered that the remains were those of hostage Ofir Sarfati, whose body had already been returned to Israel two years earlier.
Forensic testing conducted at the Abu Kabir Institute confirmed the identity of the remains, clarifying the mix-up and highlighting the sensitive and painstaking nature of the identification process.
{Matzav.com}
Billionaire businessman and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is once again throwing his weight behind Andrew Cuomo, declaring that the ex-governor is the only candidate with the grit and know-how to handle what he called “the second toughest job in America.”
“Four months ago I endorsed @AndrewCuomo because I thought his management experience and government know-how made him the best choice for New Yorkers,” Bloomberg posted on X. “I still do. And today, with early voting underway, I wanted to reiterate my support for Andrew Cuomo.”
Bloomberg, who led New York City from 2002 to 2013, stressed the challenges facing the next mayor. “Being Mayor of New York City is the second toughest job in America, and the next mayor will face immense challenges. Andrew Cuomo has the experience and toughness to stand up for New Yorkers and get things done. I hope you will join me in supporting him.”
His latest endorsement came just as Bloomberg poured $1.5 million into a Super PAC named “Fix the City,” reportedly managed by a longtime Cuomo associate, according to The New York Times. The contribution marks Bloomberg’s first direct financial involvement in this year’s mayoral race since the Democratic primary.
The paper also noted that major business figures across the city are preparing to spend up to $100 million in an effort to block socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, who currently leads the race, from winning the mayoralty.
Though Bloomberg and Cuomo clashed during Cuomo’s tenure as governor, the Times pointed out that Bloomberg’s ideological rift with Mamdani runs far deeper. Mamdani has pushed for sweeping progressive changes, including proposals for city-run grocery stores and deploying “mental health experts” in place of police to handle certain emergencies.
The Queens assemblyman has faced criticism for remarks on a 2020 podcast where he rejected the idea that police create public safety. “Police do not create safety … there are so many responsibilities we’ve given to police that, frankly, should have nothing to do with their departments … if somebody is jaywalking, if somebody is surviving, going through domestic violence — there are so many different, different situations that would be far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun.”
A recent Quinnipiac University poll conducted October 23–27 among 911 likely voters shows Mamdani holding a 10-point advantage with 43 percent support. Cuomo trails with 33 percent, while Republican contender Curtis Sliwa lags behind at 14 percent.
{Matzav.com}
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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.
Tensions escalated just hours before today’s mass atzeres tefillah in Yerushalayim, as at least ten Chabad bochurim were arrested upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport on a flight from New York.
The arrests were reportedly carried out because the students had failed to report to the army draft offices during the past year.
The detainees are part of “the k’vutza,” the long-standing Chabad tradition in which young men spend a year studying in Crown Heights before returning to Israel. Upon arrival, however, security officials and military police detained them and transferred them to a military prison.
Sources indicated that additional arrests may follow, as dozens more bochurim are en route to Israel after completing their year of study in Lubavitch.
Leaders within Chabad expressed outrage over the arrests, describing them as a serious violation of a long-standing understanding with the IDF that allowed k’vutza participants to return home without facing detention. “This is an unprecedented breach of the long-established arrangement between the army and the Chabad community,” one figure said.
The timing of the arrests—just hours before the massive protest in Yerushalayim—has fueled anger across the Torah world.
Chabad rabbonim joined other rabbonim in signing a public letter urging their followers to travel to Yerushalayim and “cry out for the honor of Torah” in solidarity with the detained yeshiva students.
Community activists, including askan Reb Eliezer Shisha and attorney Menachem Shtauber, are reportedly involved in efforts to secure the young men’s release.
{Matzav.com}
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed the swirling chatter about a potential 2028 run, acknowledging that constitutional limits bar him from serving another term. “I have my highest poll numbers that I’ve ever had and, you know, based on what I read, I guess I’m not allowed to run, so we’ll see what happens… It’s too bad,” he said, according to AFP.
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution restricts presidents to two elected terms, a rule that has long defined the boundaries of American presidential power. Trump, who began his second term in January after first serving from 2017 to 2021, appeared to accept those limits with his trademark mix of humor and defiance.
Despite that, Trump’s base has kept the idea of another campaign alive. On his desk in the Oval Office, visitors have spotted red caps emblazoned with “Trump 2028,” sparking a flurry of online theories and hopeful speculation. Some supporters floated a hypothetical ticket featuring Vice President JD Vance, but Trump brushed that aside this week, saying it was “pretty clear” he couldn’t run again. “But we have a lot of great people,” he added.
When pressed about who might succeed him as leader of the Republican Party once his current term ends, Trump didn’t hesitate to praise his running mate. “I think most likely, in all fairness,” he said when asked whether he would back Vance as the party’s next nominee. “So it’s too early to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point,” the president added.
Still, Trump’s comments didn’t come out of nowhere. Earlier this year, in March, he openly mused about the idea of seeking a third term, offering a characteristically provocative hint at the time. “I’m not joking,” he said, suggesting that “there are methods which you could do it.” Yet even then, he cautioned supporters not to expect anything imminent, adding, “It is far too early to think about it.”
{Matzav.com}
In a striking show of support from within the Likud party, MK Galit Distel-Atbaryan spoke passionately on Kol Chai Radio about her admiration for Torah learners and her frustration with the ongoing campaign against the chareidi community.
“Talmidei chachamim are the very soul of the Jewish people,” she said. “Last night in the Knesset I told those who attacked them: ‘They’re in distress.’ There’s definitely been change among the chareidim, but the problem lies with the army—it simply isn’t suited to them. A chareidi from Bnei Brak doesn’t understand the culture of the IDF: the presence of women, the language, the foreign environment. The first thing to collapse is spirituality. In the army there’s no respect for religion. The chareidi lifestyle is viewed as outdated, strange. Every minority deserves democratic respect.”
Distel, a close ally of the right-wing bloc, accused Israel’s media, judicial system, and liberal elite of exploiting the draft controversy to weaken the current government.
“The left—in the media, the courts, the entire elite—uses you cynically to bring down a right-wing government,” she warned. “Even if a draft law passes, they won’t let go. It’s too powerful a weapon for them. During the so-called ‘change government,’ they didn’t pass a draft law because it wasn’t truly important to them. Lapid told Deri and Gafni, ‘Take everything, just join us.’”
When asked whether chareidi parties might benefit from forming a coalition with the left, Distel responded candidly. “From a purely practical perspective, it would be the smart and justified move,” she said. “If you align with the left, they’ll leave you alone. The stipends, the draft issue—it will all disappear from the headlines. But I was raised from a young age to believe that the chareidim are my closest brothers, and I’ve fought for them all my life. When I see how hard things are now, I can only imagine how much harder it is for you.”
She also reflected on what she sees as the right’s political missteps in recent years. “Our biggest mistake was standing on a stage and announcing loudly, ‘We’re making a change,’” she said. “That was a tactical error. It should have been done quietly—under the radar, maybe through private legislation. We shouldn’t have talked about it so much or given the left and the elite the ammunition for war. That was a mistake.”
Distel’s remarks come on the eve of today’s million-man atzeres in Yerushalayim.
{Matzav.com}
[COMMUNICATED]
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It is a book of inspiration, filled with incredible stories and life applications that are both positively inspiring and refreshingly practical. Enjoy thought-provoking questions, soul-stirring stories, and concrete exercises that will improve your spiritual life―all culled directly from the Torah and its commentaries. Based on the weekly parashah, this sefer includes easily digestible two-minute chapter summaries for those short on time.
Included in Making It Real are stories about…
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WATCH:
As anticipation builds for today’s massive atzeres in Yerushalayim protesting the draft decrees against yeshiva students, set to get underway in just a few minutes, Rav Shabtai Levi, Rav of the Ramat Aharon neighborhood and head of Badatz Hilchos Moshe, issued a halachic clarification regarding a special bracha that will apply to this historic gathering.
In a message, Rav Levi explained that the bracha of “Chacham HaRazim”—recited upon seeing 600,000 Jews assembled in one place—should be said at the event. “When so many Jews gather, and each one is unique—in face, in opinion, in outlook—only HaKadosh Baruch Hu knows the secret depths of every individual heart,” he said. “That is the meaning of Chacham HaRazim—the One Who knows the inner thoughts of all.”
Rav Levi drew upon the commentary of the Ra’ah in Maseches Berachos 58a, which explains that 600,000 represents the fullness of Klal Yisroel’s spiritual and intellectual diversity. “The Torah was given to 600,000 because that number embodies all possible understandings and insights,” Rav Levi quoted. “Every person represents a distinct perspective, and together they reflect the totality of the Torah’s 600 facets. When all those minds stood at Har Sinai, every one of them heard and interpreted the Torah in his own way.”
“Since more than 600,000 Jews are expected to attend this atzeres,” Rav Levi declared, “it is fitting to recite the bracha: ‘Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam Chacham HaRazim.’”
The rav went on to describe the moral urgency of the protest. “The gathering is being held in honor of those who learn Torah—to cry out against the disgrace being heaped upon Torah scholars,” he said. “They are sending Jews to prison for the ‘crime’ of learning Torah. Has there ever been such audacity in our history? Never.”
He added passionately: “It has never happened in the history of the Jewish people that Jews themselves would imprison other Jews for studying Torah. The nations of the world did that—Rabi Akiva was arrested for it—but for Jews to do this to one another? It is unthinkable. We must protest it with all our strength.”
Concluding his remarks, Rav Levi noted that even if participants cannot see all 600,000 people at once, the bracha still applies. “When 600,000 Jews gather in one place—even if not all are visible simultaneously—the bracha of Chacham HaRazim is recited,” he said. “It recognizes the unity of the multitudes and the individuality of each soul within Klal Yisroel.”
{Matzav.com}
