Matzav

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was taken into custody Thursday in the United Kingdom on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations that he passed confidential trade materials to convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Authorities moved in on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the Sandringham Estate in eastern England early in the morning, coinciding with his 66th birthday. Law enforcement sources said multiple unmarked vehicles and plainclothes officers were involved in the operation.

Investigators are examining claims that, while serving as a British trade envoy, Andrew allegedly forwarded sensitive government trade documents to Epstein. If found guilty of misconduct in public office, he could face a sentence of up to life imprisonment.

King Charles III issued a statement expressing “full and wholehearted support” for the ongoing investigation into his brother. The monarch stressed that “the law must take its course,” signaling that the royal household would not interfere with the legal process.

Hours before the arrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed the principle of equal accountability under the law. In a BBC interview, he said that “nobody is above the law.”

The arrest marks an unprecedented development in modern British history. Andrew is the first senior member of the royal family in contemporary times to be detained by police. The last reigning monarch to be arrested was King Charles I during the English Civil War in 1647; he was later tried and executed in 1649.

Despite having relinquished his royal duties and military titles amid earlier controversies linked to Epstein, Andrew remains eighth in the line of succession to the British throne. Removing him from that position would require legislation passed by Parliament and the consent of Commonwealth realms where King Charles serves as head of state.

The arrest reignited scrutiny of the broader Epstein scandal and its political ramifications. Nile Gardiner, a former adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, suggested the fallout could destabilize the current government. “This entire scale is pretty big enough to bring down the British government,” Gardiner said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” He added that “there are growing calls for [Prime Minister] Keir Starmer to resign over his handling [of the Epstein case].”

Gardiner further claimed, “You’re seeing the Prime Minister’s top aides going one by one. They’re all stepping down, resigning. It’s only a matter of time before I think Keir Starmer himself is forced to resign over this.” He concluded, “I expect you’re going to see the collapse, actually, of Keir Starmer’s government over this entire scandal. It’s a huge can of worms.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has positioned himself to advance his campaign pledge to freeze rent for stabilized tenants after installing a majority of his own selections on the city’s Rent Guidelines Board.

The mayor has named five new members to the nine-person panel and renewed the term of an existing member, ensuring that most of the board now consists of his appointees.

“I trust they will consider all the factors facing our city’s rent stabilized tenants and come to an appropriate decision,” Mamdani said while announcing the move outside a Harlem affordable housing complex.

Several of the newly appointed members closely align with Mamdani’s political outlook.

Among the three newly named public members are Brandon Mancilla, a labor union leader who describes himself as “disruptive” and is known for his outspoken anti-Israel activism; Lauren Melodia, an economist affiliated with nonprofit advocacy groups who has published research opposing interest rate hikes; and Chantella Mitchell, who will serve as the board’s new chair. Mitchell previously worked in city housing roles and has an extensive background with affordable housing nonprofits.

The mayor also selected Maksim Wynn to serve as one of the two landlord representatives. Wynn currently works for the city’s Department of Homeless Services and later oversaw affordable housing operations for a private developer.

In addition, Mamdani reappointed tenant representative Adán Soltren, a housing attorney and academic who has consistently voiced opposition to rent increases.

The Rent Guidelines Board is composed entirely of mayoral appointees: five public members, two representatives for tenants, and two representing landlords. The board is tasked with reviewing economic data affecting both property owners and renters and making annual determinations on rent adjustments for roughly one million stabilized apartments across the city. Although described as independent, the panel’s decisions are crucial to the mayor’s ability to implement his housing agenda.

“Rent stabilized tenants deserve a rent freeze,” Mamdani said Wednesday. “And of course, I also understand that the RGB is an independent board, and they will consider all of the evidence we are working to lower costs for property owners across the city.”

Mamdani’s ability to secure a majority on the board nearly fell through. Former Mayor Eric Adams had attempted to fill two vacancies before leaving office, but both appointees ultimately withdrew. On Tuesday, board member Alex Armlovich stepped down, clearing the way for Mamdani’s selections to form a majority, according to Gothamist.

Under Adams, the board approved rent increases totaling 12% for stabilized units. By contrast, during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, rent freezes were enacted three separate times.

Freezing rent during his first term was a central plank of Mamdani’s campaign and a key factor in his electoral success. The newly reshaped board will soon determine whether that promise becomes reality when it votes on rent guidelines, expected around June.

Questions remain, however, about how independent the board will function, given that many of its members have extensive backgrounds in affordable housing advocacy and other progressive initiatives aligned with the mayor’s platform.

Mitchell, the new chair, has built a career centered on anti-poverty and affordable housing efforts. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and currently oversees grantmaking at the New York Community Trust.

Mancilla previously organized a five-day hunger strike demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and once likened anti-Israel protests to “opposing fascism in WWII” in a post on X. His professional experience has largely involved organizing and activism rather than housing market analysis.

Soltren supported a rent increase in 2023, though he indicated strong reservations at the time. He has since remained a vocal critic of rent hikes, arguing that tenants cannot absorb additional costs. He voted against increases in both 2024 and 2025, stating that such measures would be “devastating for low-income and moderate-income New Yorkers, as well as predominantly black and brown New Yorkers.”

Melodia, for her part, co-authored a 2021 policy brief for the Roosevelt Institute opposing interest rate hikes and advocating instead for worker-centered economic policies. Her background includes roughly a decade of work on progressive causes, including criminal justice reform and anti-prison advocacy.

At the same time, Mamdani has warned that he may seek a significant 9.5% property tax increase if Gov. Kathy Hochul declines to support a proposed 2.2% tax on millionaires. He has described the property tax hike as a “last resort” to close budget gaps.

Opponents argue that raising property taxes could indirectly burden renters, even those in stabilized units, effectively functioning as what one critic called a “de facto rent increase on renters.”

“For rent stabilized tenants who may not get the costs passed directly onto them, this is the city raiding their rent money that’s going to show up in more distress, more disrepaired housing,” Kenny Burgos, CEO of the rent-stabilized landlord group New York Apartment Association, previously told The Post.

“Increased property taxes = a rent increase,” Burgos also wrote on X.

A sweeping buildup of American military forces across the Middle East has positioned the United States to carry out what could become a prolonged bombing campaign against Iran within weeks — or even days — if Tehran continues to reject President Donald Trump’s demands in ongoing negotiations.

With a second aircraft carrier heading toward the region and hundreds of strike aircraft, support planes, refueling tankers and command platforms already in place, the scope of the deployment is striking. Former Pentagon official and Atlantic Council fellow Alex Plitsas told The Post that the concentration of assets now assembled is unlike anything seen in the region in decades.

“What we have amassed is an unprecedented size combination of land-based attack aircraft, command and control and sea-based platforms,” he said. “We haven’t seen a buildup like this in this region in decades.”

Although last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer lasted just 25 minutes and targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, officials indicated that any new operation would likely be far more extensive. U.S. officials told The Post that a future campaign could stretch on for days or even weeks.

The current deployment — which includes carrier strike groups, land-based combat aircraft, refueling tankers and command-and-control systems — provides Trump with the ability to initiate what Plitsas described as a sustained air and naval offensive without deploying American ground forces.

“The military footprint tells us that that option is quite large,” he said. “This is sufficient firepower for a sustained and very large air and naval strike campaign.”

Such a level of force would give the administration a broad range of military choices, from limited strikes aimed at weapons facilities and mid-level officials to sweeping decapitation operations targeting Iran’s ruling leadership, including the radical Islamist regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“The only thing that any of this tells us for sure is the range of options on the table and what’s in and what’s out,” Plitsas said.

Trump could ultimately decide not to authorize military action, but officials suggested the window for a diplomatic resolution may be narrowing.

“Diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

The military surge follows comments Tuesday from Vice President JD Vance, who said Iran has yet to satisfy several of Trump’s negotiating “red lines,” despite what he described as some progress during talks in Geneva.

“It was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through,” Vance told Fox News host Martha MacCallum.

According to a source familiar with White House deliberations, the firm public messaging combined with the scale of the buildup demonstrates Trump’s determination to secure the terms he has outlined.

“The message to the Iranians is crystal clear: Come to the table, meet the red lines and get a deal done — or else,” the person said.

Still, Leavitt acknowledged that major gaps remain between Washington and Tehran.

“But Leavitt said the US and Iran are “still very far apart on some issues.”

“I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, and so the President will continue to watch us,” she said.

Military analysts have noted that roughly two weeks is also the estimated time it will take for the USS Gerald R. Ford to reach the region.

Trump previously issued Tehran a two-week deadline to advance nuclear negotiations in June 2025, but ultimately ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites before that period expired.

A source close to the White House said the current timeline, when viewed alongside the force posture and Vance’s remarks, indicates that military action could be ordered at any moment.

“If you look at the timeline for them to respond the Vice President’s comments and the military buildup, what it tells us is that we are already at the potential for a massive campaign at any point if the president choose to order it,” the source familiar with White House discussions told The Post.

Leavitt said Trump is consulting extensively before making any decision.

“Leavitt said Trump is consulting “many people” to determine how to proceed — “his national security team first and foremost.”

“This is something obviously the President takes seriously,” she said. “He’s always thinking about what’s in the best interest of the United States of America, of our military, of the American people, and that’s how he makes decisions with respect to military action.”

Should strikes be authorized, defense experts say the initial phase would likely focus on neutralizing Iran’s capacity to retaliate.

“What you need to do initially is take out the missiles, the launchers and the drones and drone factors, if you can, right away to prevent retaliatory strikes against US forces and the Israelis in the region,” Plitsas said.

From there, the U.S. would face a spectrum of options — from targeting officials involved in January’s crackdown on protesters to potentially eliminating top leaders in Tehran.

“With so many options on the table, there are more questions than answers.”

“If it happens, it’s going to be weeks of sustained campaigns,” the source familiar with discussions told The Post. “Questions are who survives the opening strikes? If that happens, who’s in charge? You know, when do we stop?”

“Is just a [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro-type thing where we do a quick, fast decapitation, take out the missiles, everything else, and negotiate with what’s left?” the person added.

Plitsas cautioned that regional dynamics further complicate the picture. While Washington’s principal concern remains Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Israel is focused more urgently on Tehran’s expanding ballistic missile arsenal.

“At some point, you go from having sufficient missiles to serve as a deterrent to building a stockpile that’s sufficient for war,” he said. “When they cross that threshold … it’s going to invite an Israeli strike.”

Plitsas estimated that Iran’s missile inventory is growing by roughly 300 missiles per month and could eventually overwhelm defensive systems.

Regional allies are also preoccupied with Iranian-backed proxy forces, creating multiple pressure points that a nuclear-only agreement would not resolve.

“Even if the US strikes a great nuclear deal, if that does not extend into a deal over the ballistic missiles as well, that doesn’t mean the Israelis are going to be satisfied,” the US source familiar told The Post. “If it doesn’t include the proxy groups, other regional partners may not be satisfied either.”

The source warned that limiting negotiations strictly to nuclear matters could heighten tensions, particularly if Iran continues accelerating missile production.

“Their continued production of ballistic missiles is effectively serving as a countdown clock toward a potential strike,” the person said. “The smartest thing that they could do at this point is freeze ballistic missile production.”

Plitsas also suggested Tehran may be underestimating Trump’s readiness to act.

“If there’s a question about his intentionality and somebody doesn’t think he’s going to do it, they are very sadly mistaken,” he said. “It will come down to whether the president believes that there is still room to negotiate. Or if at this point they’re wasting their time.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he believes President Trump is capable of bringing Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end, while also acknowledging discomfort with what he described as Trump’s approach toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in an interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored” posted on YouTube, Zelensky expressed confidence in Trump’s intentions to stop the conflict, even as he admitted uncertainty about Trump’s personal dealings with the Kremlin leader.

“I trust him [Trump] … he really wants to end this war, and I trust that he really can end this war,” the Ukrainian president said during the interview.

At the same time, Zelensky made clear he is unsure how to interpret Trump’s rapport with Putin.

“But I don’t know, to speak about his relationship with Putin,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky explained that he cannot “really estimate or understand” the nature of Trump’s ties with the Russian president, though he stressed that the issue is not simply about confidence.

“[T]hey have some relations, I’m sure and that’s why for me, sometimes it’s very, very painful that his attitude to Putin is sometimes, to put it, more good than Putin deserves,” Zelensky said.

Since returning to office, Trump has communicated directly with Putin in an effort to broker an end to the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

The two leaders have spoken multiple times by phone and met in Alaska last October for negotiations that ultimately did not produce a peace agreement.

Their diplomatic efforts did lead to a brief, one-week cease-fire earlier this year. However, Zelensky’s government accused Russia of breaching the truce just days after it began, citing a brutal strike on a Ukrainian energy facility during freezing winter conditions.

Trump, for his part, maintained that Putin “kept his word” and did not violate the agreement.

As the four-year mark of Russia’s invasion approaches, Zelensky described a war-weary population eager for resolution but determined to preserve national honor.

“People are tired, yes, people want to finish with this tragedy… to end this war, as quickly as possible of course, but in the right way not to loose dignity in any way,” Zelensky said.

He also confirmed that the next round of three-way negotiations will once again be held in Switzerland, the same venue as the previous talks, a location he views as significant.

“If the war is in Europe … Europeans, they have to feel that this is aggression against us and Europe … this why peace negotiations have to be in Europe,” he said.

According to Zelensky, the parties are moving closer to consensus on mechanisms to supervise a potential cease-fire. However, sharp disagreements remain over the fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.

“We don’t have the same view even trilaterally – we have three different views – on the land question,” Zelensky said.

Addressing proposals that Ukrainian forces pull back from the Donbas region, he rejected the idea as unjust and dangerous to Ukraine’s future security.

“We can’t just withdraw … it’s not fair,” he said of removing troops from Ukraine’s Donbas region, framing it as part of his country’s security guarantee against a possible Russian invasion in the future.

Zelensky added that Moscow is pressing Kyiv to relinquish control of heavily fortified cities in the Donbas.

He also characterized Putin’s so-called “red lines” — including Ukraine’s potential NATO membership or the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil — as rooted in the Russian leader’s broader expansionist aims.

“They’re thinking that they will come again,” he said of the Kremlin.

Despite enduring what he called a “difficult, terrible winter,” marked by sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid that left civilians in freezing conditions without electricity, Zelensky insisted that Moscow failed to achieve meaningful battlefield progress.

“There were no successful steps on the battlefield,” Zelensky said of Russia’s winter military campaign, claiming that the aggressors lost up to 35,000 troops per month to death or injury.

When asked whether he would ever authorize Ukrainian forces to kill Putin if given the chance, Zelensky hesitated, indicating he likely would not approve such an action but stopping short of ruling it out entirely.

He suggested that even if Putin were replaced, the successor would be just “the same as Putin.”

This past Motzei Shabbos, dozens of families from across the Baltimore community attended a Naava Kodesh Melava Malka to hear and engage in a meaningful discussion about living in Eretz Yisrael.

The event took place in Ohel Moshe’s new hall and was co-hosted by three local kehillos: Congregations Ohel Moshe, Shomrei Emunah, and BJSZ.

The evening was made possible through the generous sponsorship of The Dream Raffle, whose partnership enables Naava Kodesh to bring vital resources and open conversations to the Baltimore community about living in Eretz Yisrael.

The program offered both inspiration and a practical discussion focused on keeping Eretz Yisrael at the forefront of people’s minds and, ultimately, on meriting to one day live there.

Joining from Eretz Yisrael was renowned author and speaker Yonoson Rosenblum, who chaired the panel and spoke about the opportunity to effect positive change on Klal Yisrael by living in Eretz Yisrael. He spoke about the ability to build a meaningful life in Eretz Yisrael with chinuch and parnassah, emphasizing that while challenges exist, they are realistically manageable.

The chashuve panel was comprised of local rabbanim, including Rabbi Moshe Teichman of Ohel Moshe; and Rabbi Shmuel Kimche, Assistant Rabbi of Ohel Moshe. The panel discussed the importance of living in Eretz Yisrael and the ongoing aspiration to strive toward making that goal a reality.

The event highlighted a common drive and hope to live in Eretz Yisroel,’’It was encouraging to see how the pulsing of love for Eretz Yisroel flowed through the hearts of the large audience gathered at the Naava Kodesh event’’, Commented Rabbi Tzvi Teichman. 

There was a palpable sense of a common drive and hope to make the dream of Aliyah a reality. 

Naava Kodesh presented an honest picture of both the challenges and joys of life in Artzeinu HaKedosha.’’

Rabbi Daniel Rose, Rav of Bnei Jacob Shaarei Zion, shared divrei chizuk, highlighting the deep yearning and chashivos of Eretz Yisrael,  ‘’we yearn for Eretz Yisrael not because we are missing something in Baltimore or anywhere else, we yearn for Eretz Yisrael because that’s the place we want to be’’.

Also sharing Divrei chizuk was, Rabbi Binyomin Marwick, Rav of Shomrei Emunah, who noted the strong connection and aspiration Klal Yisrael has for Eretz Yisrael. ‘’We all have a connection to the land, that is where we all belong, that’s where the future is, the destiny of the Jewish people.…Your attitude is,  when the right time comes I am going to be on that plane.’’ 

Joining virtually from Eretz Yisrael was Rav Eli Levy, Menahal of Yeshivas Yesodei Yisrael in Ramat Beit Shemesh, who himself recently made Aliyah from Baltimore. Rav Levy shared insights into day-to-day life in Israel and spoke about the new realities on the ground that are making living in Eretz Yisrael increasingly attainable for frum families. Rav Levy highlighted that ‘’in the past, you had to fit in a specific “box”. Now, a s an American Oleh, you can grow close to Hashem in a way that is unique to Eretz Yisroel while maintaining your unique identity.’’ 

Dovid Paige, Director of the Naava Kodesh Baltimore Division, directed the evening, remarking:

“Gathering in a room of over 100 people focused on building their future in Eretz Yisroel was a powerful expression of the Baltimore community’s chashivus and deep yearning. We are already hearing thoughtful feedback from members of the kehila and Rabbanim, and I look forward to continuing to work together with community members, leaders, and Rabbanim to help translate the vision into practical, actionable steps.”

 Founder and Executive Director of Naava Kodesh, Tzvi Arnstein shared,

“When respected rabbanim and entire kehillos lend their voices to the conversation, it tells you something fundamental is changing. Aliyah is reaching new heights within the frum community, and the excitement we witnessed in Baltimore reflects a growing sense that this is our moment. It’s profoundly moving to see Am Yisroel taking real steps toward coming home to Eretz Yisroel.”

Naava Kodesh is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping English-speaking families build successful, lasting Torah lives in Eretz Yisrael. Through personalized guidance on community and school placement, fully coordinated pilot trips, and a vast network of volunteer mentors across the country, Naava Kodesh has helped countless families navigate their Aliyah journey with clarity and confidence.

Photo credits: B. Ansbacher Photography

20By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Imagine a land where people have no appreciation for music, where the sounds of song are never heard. In a country like that, instruments are viewed with suspicion, and voices raised in harmony are quickly stilled.

Unbeknownst to each other, there are lone individuals scattered throughout the country who love music, but they keep it a secret. In the solitude and seclusion of their homes, they might play a few bars and hum a melody, but only quietly.

One day, word spreads of a gathering where all of them will come together, the musicians and the singers, those who love to sing and those who love to hear. They will ignore the disdain and disapproval of the masses and congregate, their instruments and voices joining together.

It will be the most glorious song ever heard, the secret longing and hope of so many, more than a thousand sounds fusing as one.

The very fact that this gathering will take place gives vent to the song within the participants.

This analogy helps explain the way the Vilna Gaon (Shir Hashirim 1:17) describes the power of the Mishkon. Every individual Jew was walking around with a flame in his heart, but until they had a place where they could unite – a physical location where they could connect – those passions lay dormant.

The Mishkon allowed the collective fires to unite and light up the world. There, the secret could emerge. Like musicians meeting and creating song, a nation of dveikimbaHashem found each other in this sacred structure, elevating the landscape.

The Shechinah resides inside the heart of every good Jew. The Mishkon is the place where all those Jews gather, as the Shechinah that dwells within them comes alive and expands, kevayachol. Hashem therefore commanded them to take a “terumah” from every “ishasheryidvenulibo,” allowing every person to contribute from his heart toward the construction of the Mishkon, enabling all the hearts to join together in this special place.

In the Mishkon, every feature reflected Divine mysteries, and each element was filled with cosmic significance. Just as the calendar ushers in the month of Adar, we begin reading the parshiyos that detail the particulars of the construction of this special place.

The month of Adar has taught us that, as a nation, we can achieve salvation. The shekolim that were collected symbolize that the Mishkon was meant to achieve the sense of shared purpose and desire that defines every Jew.

Achdus is a current buzzword, often misused as a catchphrase manipulated to paint those of us who have standards and traditions as haters. If we dare call out the falsifiers of the Torah for what they are, we are condemned for lacking achdus.

The Mishkon, which was the epicenter of unity in the universe, came with severe restrictions. While everyone could contribute to its construction, there were many halachos delineating who could approach the Mishkon and who couldn’t, who could perform the avodah there and who couldn’t. Achdus comes with rules. It is not a free-for-all, as some would have you think.

The pesukim at the beginning of Sefer Bamidbor (1:50) charge shevetLevi with assembling and dismantling the Mishkon and its keilim when the Bnei Yisroel traveled. Any outsider who dared approach and attempt to do the coveted work specified for shevetLevi would be killed. There were also precise rules for each one of the keilim.

Achdus doesn’t mean an absence of rules. It doesn’t mean that anything goes. It means that everyone who beholds holiness has a unique role to play in the mosaic of Yiddishkeit.

While detailing the laws of the Mishkon, the posuk says, “VehayahhaMishkonechad – And the Mishkon will be one.” What does the Torah mean with this addition? The Ibn Ezra explains that the oneness of the structure reflects the oneness of Hashem’s creation. It reflects harmony and unity.

The Bnei Yisroel became one, coming together at Har Sinai and then at the Mishkon, the individual sparks of fire within each person joining together in a torch. The Shechinah in each person joined together at this special place, bringing back experience of Har Sinai, forming a home for the Shechinah in this world and a place where the voice of the Shechinah could converse with Moshe.

The Me’orV’shemesh writes that chassidim would make it a priority to travel to their rebbe for Shabbos to be inspired. But the prime growth was not necessarily derived from the rebbe’s Torah or tefillah. He writes that chassidim achieved more than anything else from simply being together. Each chossid who went to the rebbe for Shabbos had tens of new teachers, as each of the other Jews with whom he had gathered possessed the ability to teach him something. From this one, he learned about kavanah in davening. In that one, he saw the definition of oneg Shabbos. And in a third, he observed extraordinary middos.

The achdus created multiple rebbes.

The Arizal told his talmidim to recite the words, “Hareinimekabelolai mitzvas aseishelve’ahavtalerei’achakamocha,” before starting Shacharis. These words are printed in some siddurim. What is the significance of the particular mitzvah of ve’ahavtalerei’achakamocha before beginning a new day’s tefillah?

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (12:2) explains: “Unity and connection in the lower realms create a bond in the higher spheres, and the tefillos join together and are beloved by Hashem.”

The feeling of connection that a person experiences as he walks into shul – Yankel’s cheerful good morning, Moishe’s careful BirchosHashachar, the way Chaim respectfully holds the door for an older man – opens gates in Shomayim. The shared fire they have created is more powerful than their individual points of light.

When I lived in Monsey, I had a delightful Sephardic neighbor who enjoyed teasing me on Friday nights as we left shul. Week after week, he would ask me what purpose the carrot serves on gefilte fish. He would laugh heartily at his own question. While I’m not privy to the mysteries concealed in ma’acholei Shabbos, of which there are many, I enjoyed the exchange, because it hammered home a beautiful truth. He would go home and eat his traditional Shabbos foods, and I would eat mine, yet we agreed about why we were eating them, Whom we were honoring, and what we hoped to achieve. He reveled in his points of light and I reveled in mine, and together we thrived on our individual mesorah, handed down generation after generation through the millennia of the exile.

Rav Avigdor Miller would say that Shabbos is our Mishkon. He explained that this is hinted to by the fact that the 39 melachos are derived from the building of the Mishkon. Note the similarities in the way Jews prepared to enter the holy structure and the way we prepare for Shabbos. Look at how each has strict rules that must be observed, the danger of ignoring them, and, most of all, the way each is meant to create an earthy sanctuary for Hashem, carving out a physical resting place for the Shechinah.

On Shabbos, there is a sense of achdus, because we don’t see our neighbors as carpenters or lawyers, mechanchim or electricians. We are all Jews who have come together in our bigdei Shabbos – much like the bigdei avodah – for Hashem’s glory, a reflection of what life was like around the Mishkon.

With the words of the Vilna Gaon as our guide, we can understand the oft-repeated lesson that achdus will lead to geulah. It is not merely in the merit of unity. It is the synergistic effect of unity – when we camp around a place and allow the song within each of us to emerge, fusing with the melodies of others – that lays the opening for the geulah.

When that moment comes, our shared hopes, dreams, and ambitions will combine to create a place where the Shechinah will rest.

I can do it, you can do it, we can all do it – if we do it together.

Forged in a crucible of holiness, we keep the embers alive, awaiting the day when we rid ourselves of the ashes that prevent us from joining all the holy embers and bringing about the great reunion.

This brings us to Chazal’s dictate: “Mishenichnas Adar marbimb’simcha – When the month of Adar enters, we increase our joy.” With this dictum, they are teaching us not only that Adar is a month of simcha, but that we are commanded to increase it. Simcha is not merely an emotion; it is an avodah, a spiritual practice.

The obligations of most months involve us doing things. During Elul, we do teshuvah. During Tishrei, we continue doing teshuvah, construct a sukkah, eat and live in the sukkah, purchase the arba minim, and shake them. During Kislev, we light the Chanukah menorah. During Nissan, we rid our homes of chometz and eat matzah. And so on. But the defining mitzvah of Adar is unique. It is not something we do with our hands, but rather something we cultivate in our minds and souls – the obligation to be happy and to increase that happiness.

The obligation Chazal place upon us is not a superficial happiness brought about by escaping reality or ignoring pain. On the contrary, the story of Purim is born in a world of danger, uncertainty, and hidden threats. The Megillah recounts that the Jewish people stood on the brink of annihilation. Yet, the Megillah does not recount open miracles, such as the splitting of the sea during Krias Yam Suf and other open miracles described in Tanach. Instead, it describes a quiet, concealed salvation unfolding behind the scenes.

And that is precisely where Adar’s simcha lives – not in the absence of struggle, but in the discovery of meaning within it.

The Megillah does not mention the explicit Name of Hashem, yet His presence saturates every posuk. Coincidences align, reversals occur, hidden turns become redemptive. Adar teaches that joy is the ability to perceive the HashgochaProtis – Hashem’s orchestration of events – even when b’hastorah, masked by ordinary circumstances. Simcha does not come from being naïve. It is spiritual vision.

The simcha of Adar is the joy of trust. The joy of realizing that what appears random is in fact precise. That which feels chaotic is being gently guided. In a world where so much feels unstable, Adar proclaims the quiet truth: What happens to us, to Am Yisroel, and to the world is all part of a story being carefully written.

Sadness contracts the soul. Simcha expands it. A sad person shrinks into himself. A joyful person has space for others, for appreciation, for emunah and bitachon. When Chazalsaymarbimb’simcha, they are telling us to widen our hearts, to make room for others and for hope.

When we widen our hearts and souls, we can appreciate all that Hashem does for us and prepare for geulah. By connecting with others through achdus, we open ourselves to experiencing simcha and allowing it to expand beyond ourselves. For simcha is not a reward for when life makes sense. It is the tool that allows us to make sense of life. It flows from the courage to smile when Hashem is hidden, to trust in His goodness before it becomes visible, to dance even when the music is faint, and to recognize that everything that happens is purposeful and, ultimately, good.

Mishenichnas Adar marbimb’simcha. When Adar arrives – in the cold of winter, in the darkness of a fearful world, in the confusion of worrisome news, as our land is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors and we feel the tightening of golus – we are joyous anyway. For we know that the megillah of our existence has already been written, and we are approaching the happy ending that will usher in Moshiach tzidkeinubemeheirah.

Federal investigators have contacted Mexican law enforcement as the search intensifies for Nancy Guthrie and the individual believed to have abducted her, widening the scope of an investigation that is now entering its third week.

According to law enforcement sources, authorities have broadened their efforts far beyond Tucson in recent days. At the same time, officials stressed there is no current indication that drug cartels are connected to the case.

The outreach to Mexico comes after a purported ransom letter claimed the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie is being held “south of the border,” according to TMZ, which obtained the message.

Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, residence on February 1. Her home is located roughly an hour from the Mexican border, fueling speculation that she may have been transported across the border after vanishing.

While the FBI has not publicly confirmed that agents are actively searching for her in Mexico, a person of interest was taken into custody and questioned in Rio Rico, a border community, on February 10.

That individual was later released without charges. Still, the detention signaled that investigators are examining the possibility that Guthrie may have been moved into Mexico shortly after her alleged abduction.

Surveillance footage from Guthrie’s property captured a suspect appearing to disable a security camera on the morning she went missing. The individual, wearing gloves and carrying a firearm, appeared to have facial hair visible beneath a full-face ski mask.

The investigation has also extended to local businesses. The FBI recently visited a gun shop in Tucson, where agents presented the owner with names and photographs of individuals who “looked Mexican,” Phillip Martin, the store’s owner, told The Post on Tuesday.

Martin said most of the approximately 20 people identified as persons of interest had brown complexions and facial hair consistent with the appearance of the masked suspect.

In the Tucson area, the case — spearheaded by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the FBI — has encountered repeated setbacks.

On the same day authorities made public the surveillance video, they detained a person of interest in Rio Rico. However, that man was freed in less than twelve hours without facing any charges.

Days later, a SWAT team executed a law enforcement operation at a home near Guthrie’s neighborhood, questioning multiple individuals. No arrests were made during that action.

Investigators also recovered a glove discarded near Guthrie’s residence that contained DNA believed to belong to a possible suspect. However, the sample did not match any profiles in the FBI’s national DNA database, suggesting it may not be linked to the crime.

On Wednesday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that a separate DNA sample collected from inside Guthrie’s home is now undergoing testing.

In addition, authorities have deployed a specialized “Bluetooth sniffer” device in hopes of detecting signals emitted by Guthrie’s pacemaker, an effort aimed at tracking her possible location through electronic means.

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Major General (res.) Amos Yadlin, the former head of IDF Military Intelligence, said Wednesday morning that the current round of negotiations between the United States and Iran is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting regional strain, warning that decisions must be approached with care.

Speaking in an interview with Chadashot Haboker, Yadlin reflected on the broader international climate and remarked, “Last week, I allowed myself to fly to the Munich Security Conference. I would think twice about flying this upcoming weekend.” He suggested that the very fact he would reconsider travel plans signals how much the level of tension has escalated.

During the conversation, Yadlin added, “We are much closer than we were before, but I remind you – a superpower doesn’t go to war within days. There is a diplomatic path that must be exhausted.”

He emphasized that while maintaining military readiness is essential, diplomatic channels must be fully pursued before any escalation.

“Many oppose an attack,” Yadlin noted. “In the Pentagon, it’s not clear what they want it to achieve. The President is very determined – the statement that all options are on the table relies on a credible military threat, complementing his preparation near Iran’s shores and in its skies.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump is said to be holding onto a speech addressing extraterrestrial life and unidentified spacecraft, with plans to deliver it when the timing is right, according to his daughter-in-law Lara Trump.

During an appearance on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Lara Trump said that both she and her husband, Eric Trump, have pressed the president about the possibility of aliens and UFOs, but that he has remained somewhat guarded in his responses.

“We’ve kind of asked my father-in-law about this… we all want to know about the UFOs… and he played a little coy with us,” Lara Trump said.

She went on to suggest that the president may already have prepared remarks on the subject. “I’ve heard kind of around, I think my father-in-law has actually said it, that there is some speech that he has, that I guess at the right time, I don’t know when the right time is, he’s going to break out and talk about and it has to do with maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life.”

When asked Wednesday about Lara Trump’s comments, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she was unaware of any such speech but acknowledged it would generate significant attention.

“I’ll have to check in with our speech writing team. Uh, and that would be of great interest to me personally, and I’m sure all of you in this room and apparently former President Obama, too.”

In recent days, Barack Obama addressed renewed online speculation about aliens after remarks he made on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast were widely circulated and interpreted by some as confirming the existence of extraterrestrial life.

“They’re real but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said on the podcast. “And they’re not being kept in… what is it? Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

Obama later clarified his comments in an Instagram post, explaining that he had been responding in a lighthearted rapid-fire segment and did not intend to suggest any firsthand knowledge. He wrote that, “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.”

“But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

Public fascination with the possibility of alien life has intensified in recent years, drawing attention from lawmakers as well. Members of the House of Representatives have conducted hearings and received classified briefings concerning unidentified flying objects, now officially referred to by the government as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP.

One such hearing in July 2023 included testimony from former military intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch, who alleged that the Pentagon and other agencies have concealed details about UAP activity.

Grusch claimed that the government has operated a “multi-decade” effort aimed at reverse-engineering nonhuman technology recovered from crash sites and currently in U.S. possession. The Pentagon has rejected those assertions.

A subsequent report released in March 2024 dismissed allegations that the United States had successfully reverse-engineered alien spacecraft or that authorities were concealing extraterrestrial technology or biological material from beyond Earth.

A political and legal dispute has erupted over the expansion of weekend public transportation after Shas MK Moshe Abutbul called on Transportation Minister Miri Regev to immediately suspend the operation of Line 711, part of the “Naim B’Sofash” Shabbos transit network.

The controversy centers on the line’s recent extension into Ben Gurion Airport, where it now enters airport grounds and stops at Terminal 1. Abutbul described the move as a “serious, unlawful and unprecedented event,” arguing that it represents an unauthorized attempt to establish facts on the ground without state approval.

In a sharply worded appeal to the minister, Abutbul claimed the route is operating as a “pirate” line, bypassing the authority of national regulators. He criticized statements by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi, who had argued that local authorities are stepping in where the government has left a vacuum.

“The only vacuum here is an attempt by a municipality to replace the state,” Abutbul wrote.

In his letter to Regev, Abutbul outlined what he described as multiple legal violations, including alleged breaches of Israel Airports Authority regulations and the placement of signage at the terminal without proper authorization. He further argued that operating an intercity transportation service without the approval of the Interior Minister violates the Cities Association Law, and noted that the Transportation Ministry has not yet completed the regulatory review it committed to conducting before the court on the matter.

Beyond the issue of Shabbos observance, Abutbul warned of potential criminal and traffic violations, including stopping at designated public transportation stations without a license and harming licensed taxi drivers at Ben Gurion Airport who operate under binding agreements. He also accused the municipality of using artificial intelligence-generated images to depict signage at the terminal, calling it part of what he described as a broader effort by a “State of Tel Aviv” to appropriate sovereign powers belonging to the State of Israel.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev responded to a parliamentary query from Abutbul, stating that she would thoroughly examine the claims and the legality of the route’s operation.

Abutbul concluded with a pointed message directed at Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai: “Ben Gurion Airport is not a municipal plaza, and the law is not a recommendation. Whoever seeks to lead must first lead in respecting the law.”

{Matzav.com}

A rare and historic Sefer Torah once owned by Rav Aharon of Chernobyl zt”l was presented this week to the Skverer Rebbe during a moving ceremony marking the completion of the public Torah reading cycle in a scroll that the Rebbe had dedicated one year earlier.

The miniature Sefer Torah, written more than 160 years ago, was acquired and gifted to the Rebbe by philanthropist Mr. Nachum Rokeach.

After the passing of Rav Aharon of Chernobyl, the Sefer Torah was inherited by his son, Rav Yeshaya Meshulam Zusia, and later by his grandson, Rav Shlomo Bentzion of Chernobyl. Rav Shlomo Bentzion took the Sefer Torah with him when he fled the pogroms in Russia in 1919.

Several years ago, Rav Yitzchak Meir Twersky of Queens, a descendant of the Chernobyl dynasty, discovered that the Sefer Torah was in the possession of another descendant of the family living in Eretz Yisroel. The Sefer Torah was being kept in a simple bag, and its owner mistakenly believed it to be a “Tanach of the Baal Shem Tov.” After careful historical and scholarly research, it was confirmed that the Sefer Torah was in fact the long-lost Torah of Rav Aharon of Chernobyl.

Rav Twersky purchased the scroll, and Mr. Rokeach of Lakewood subsequently acquired it on behalf of the Skverer Rebbe.

The Sefer Torah is exceptionally small, with the parchment measuring approximately 10 centimeters in height. Despite its size, the script is remarkably precise and beautifully formed. The Skverer Rebbe invested tens of thousands of dollars to have the Sefer Torah meticulously restored and enhanced by an expert sofer.

{Matzav.com}

The federal government has now been partially shut down for five days, though many Americans may not yet have felt the effects. If the standoff continues, however, travelers could soon encounter problems at airports across the country.

The shutdown, which took effect early Saturday morning, is limited to the Department of Homeland Security. As a result, air traffic controllers — who work under the Federal Aviation Administration — continue to receive their pay.

Transportation Security Administration employees, by contrast, are generally required to report to work despite not receiving pay during the shutdown.

History suggests that travel complications tend to surface gradually rather than immediately during funding lapses. Roughly a month into last year’s lengthy shutdown, TSA shut down two screening checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. On that same day, federal officials took the rare step of instructing commercial airlines nationwide to scale back their domestic flight schedules.

This time, however, disruptions may arise more quickly, according to John Rose, chief risk officer at global travel management firm Altour.

“It’s still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks,” Rose said, referring to last year’s shutdown experience.

Strains could intensify once TSA workers miss their first paycheck while still facing regular monthly expenses. Some may feel compelled to call in sick or seek temporary work elsewhere to cover essential costs.

“If you have kids, a mortgage, a car payment, food bills—you can’t miss a check,” Joe Shuker, regional vice president of the union representing TSA workers, said during the late 2025 shutdown. “Our members are worried about how to pay for childcare, wondering if they could be saving money by staying home with their kids.”

Although air traffic controllers remain on the payroll, flight operations could still be affected indirectly. Airlines might hold planes at the gate if passengers are delayed at security checkpoints. Staffing shortages among TSA agents could also slow the inspection of checked luggage behind the scenes, adding to delays.

Negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats remain stalled. According to an administration official who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press, the two sides are “still pretty far apart” on an agreement that would impose certain limits on federal immigration enforcement agents.

Democratic leaders presented a revised proposal to the White House late Monday, but with lawmakers currently outside Washington, expectations for a breakthrough this week are low.

The administration official said the White House remains open to serious discussions aimed at reopening the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the TSA. At the same time, the president has made clear that any compromise must safeguard law enforcement personnel.

All other federal agencies outside DHS remain funded through September 30.

An unusual and troubling incident unfolded Tuesday on an El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, when several passengers landed at Ben Gurion Airport only to discover that their luggage had been left behind in the United States. The reason, according to airport officials, was the discovery of “Free Palestine” stickers affixed to the suitcases, prompting a security hold.

The flight, which departed from Los Angeles en route to Israel, was already delayed on the runway before takeoff. One passenger, Keren, a resident of Kfar Saba who was on board, described a chain of events that began with an unexplained delay and ended in frustration at the baggage carousel in Israel.

“There was about an hour-and-a-half delay at departure from Los Angeles,” Keren recalled in a conversation with mako. “Everyone was already on the plane, but we didn’t take off, and no one told us the reason.”

The explanation only became clear after landing at Ben Gurion Airport. When Keren and several others were unable to locate their suitcases, they approached the airport’s baggage tracing department.

“When we landed in Israel and went to collect our suitcase – we didn’t find it, and together with eight other passengers we went to the baggage tracing department at Ben Gurion Airport,” she said. “There we were told that all of our suitcases remained in Los Angeles after ‘Free Palestine’ stickers were found on them, apparently placed there by one of the airport workers. There is no other explanation.”

Beyond the inconvenience of being separated from their belongings, Keren voiced serious concern about the broader security implications.

“It’s really frightening and alarming – what if they had put something inside one of the suitcases? Whoever did this could have done other things,” she said.

The passengers’ luggage is now reportedly en route to Israel and is expected to be returned to its owners within the next 24 hours.

Airport officials emphasized that after check-in, all luggage bound for Israel undergoes a rigorous inspection process. Bags are subject to multiple layers of security screening — both by the airline and airport personnel — before being loaded into the aircraft’s cargo hold, effectively creating a double security procedure prior to departure.

{Matzav.com}

Donald Trump made the decision to seek the presidency again just hours after departing the White House in January 2021, according to Lara Trump, who described the pivotal moment during a recent podcast interview.

Speaking on New York Post columnist Miranda Devine’s “Pod Force One” podcast in an episode released Wednesday, Lara Trump recounted that the realization came the same evening the family arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, following their final trip from Washington after the contentious 2020 election.

She described the mood aboard their last Air Force One flight as heavy and subdued. The family, she said, was “in a place of despair,” and there was little conversation as they traveled south.

Later that night, before a family dinner began, Donald Trump addressed those gathered and made his intentions clear. “Well, kids, I’ve got to do it again.”

According to Lara Trump, that declaration reflected a core quality that defines her father-in-law — determination in the face of adversity. She emphasized that even during moments of intense political and media pressure, he has consistently refused to withdraw.

During the interview, she presented that evening as evidence that Trump’s return to the presidency was driven by personal resolve rather than carefully engineered campaign strategy. In her telling, it was resilience — not messaging — that fueled the path back to the Oval Office.

The podcast also revisited an earlier chapter, when Trump first floated the idea of running for president in 2015 during a family discussion, before his widely publicized descent down the escalator at Trump Tower. At the time, she said, he cautioned that if he pursued the campaign and did it “right,” critics would “come after” not just him but the entire family.

In the years that followed, those warnings materialized as Donald Trump faced multiple investigations, criminal charges, and civil lawsuits, while continuing to exert significant influence within the Republican Party.

Lara Trump also reflected on her first meeting with Donald Trump, which took place at the U.S. Open in New York early in her relationship with Eric Trump. She said that the persona Americans see publicly closely matches the individual she came to know in private — someone forthright, high-energy, and at ease commanding attention.

She shared a lighter memory from that introduction, recalling how he eased the pressure of the moment by offering to buy her ice cream, something she said made her feel she could “get through this.”

Comparing the family’s political journey to “Olympic training,” Lara Trump suggested that mounting criticism and scrutiny only strengthened their resolve.

The conversation also explored the evolving public roles within the Trump family, including Lara Trump’s own movement between party leadership and media work. She noted that today’s political battles extend well beyond campaign events, increasingly playing out in cultural spaces where Republicans argue that the broader direction of the country is at stake.

{Matzav.com}

An eight-year-old girl in Beitar Illit was injured Wednesday when her hand became impaled on a nail protruding from a wooden surface after she fell while riding a scooter. Firefighters who arrived at the scene carried out a careful rescue operation to free her hand as she suffered intense pain.

Fire and Rescue teams from the Judea Regional Station were dispatched to a residential home in the city following reports of a child whose hand had become lodged in wood by a nail during the fall.

Upon arrival, emergency crews found the girl in visible distress and frightened from the ordeal. Firefighters worked methodically and sensitively, speaking to her throughout the operation in an effort to calm her while preparing the necessary equipment.

Using specialized tools, the team succeeded in extracting her hand from the wooden surface without causing additional injury. She was then transferred to medical personnel who were on scene for continued treatment.

Staff Sgt. Yosef Elazar, the team commander at the incident, described the rescue: “We treated a young girl who was suffering severe pain as a result of a nail that had penetrated her hand into a wooden panel. The operation was carried out with the utmost caution to prevent further damage, and at the same time the firefighters spoke with the girl and reassured her until the successful completion of the rescue and her transfer for medical care.”

{Matzav.com}

The Torah community in Bnei Brak is mourning the petirah of Rav Shmuel Dovid HaLevi Volpe zt”l, one of the city’s prominent marbitzei Torah and respected talmidei chachamim, who was niftar at the age of 66. His levayah took place this evening in Bnei Brak.

Rav Volpe was widely known for disseminating Torah both in writing and through his public shiurim, and for his unwavering dedication to transmitting the teachings of his revered rebbi, HaGaon Rav Shmuel Rozovsky zt”l, with exceptional clarity and precision.

He was born on 7 Kislev 5720 (1959) to his father, Rav Baruch Mordechai Volpe, who was recognized as a gaon and mekubal and who learned b’chavrusa with Rav Sroya Deblitzky.

At the age of eleven, he entered Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim, where he learned under the Rosh HaYeshivah HaGaon Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l.

From his youth, Rav Volpe was an oveid Hashem who accepted upon himself the yoke of Torah with remarkable diligence. Torah study was his lifelong joy and constant occupation.

Even during his years in yeshivah ketanah at Ponovezh, and before reaching bar mitzvah age, he made siyumim on sefarim such as Ketzos HaChoshen and Shaar HaMishpat.

Throughout his life, he taught Torah to many, both orally and through his written works. He devoted himself to preserving and transmitting the Torah of his primary rebbi, Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, ensuring that the shiurim were presented with meticulous accuracy and clarity. He edited dozens of sefarim authored by leading roshei yeshivah who were transmitters of the mesorah, most notably the published shiurim of Rav Rozovsky. He also carefully reviewed and offered critical insight on the shiurim of Maran Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l.

When he reached marriageable age, he married his wife, the daughter of Rav Yehuda Aryeh Weiser zt”l, who served as the rav of the municipal slaughterhouse in Bnei Brak.

He spent his life immersed in Torah and avodah despite financial hardship, accepting all that befell him with love and joy.

He was known as an ish emes in both his learning and personal conduct, illuminating the eyes of many with clear and authentic daas Torah. He served as a living example of total dedication to Torah study, plumbing the depths of iyun and profound understanding.

The levayah was held at his home at 18 Rechov HaRav Meltzer in Bnei Brak. The procession passed the beis haknesses of the talmidim of Yeshivas Ponovezh L’Tzeirim and proceeded to the Vizhnitzer cemetery for kevurah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}