Matzav

Hi everyone.

My name is Ahuva Rotkin. (That’s me in the picture above.)

I would like to thank everyone for helping me with my first surgery, which gave me my ear. It feels so much more comfortable to walk around with two ears, just like everyone else.

Although we used the top doctor in the field in Los Angeles, Hashem decided that we should face some complications. I already had to go back a second time to fix my ear, and unfortunately, the surgery was not successful because I got an infection. The second surgery was covered by insurance, but now my ear has developed a hole, so we need to do another skin graft to close it up. Insurance will not cover the third surgery, which needs to be done as soon as possible to avoid infection.

We are flying to Los Angeles this week, and the surgery is planned for Friday. We are $12,000 short of covering the expenses.

Whoever is able to help my Totty and Mommy do this for me would make me very happy! I bentch you to never know any pain, and may Hashem give you only good. Thank you so much!

You can help out by donating HERE.

Love, 

Ahuva

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Finally, after generations of enslavement in Mitzrayim and a dramatic redemption, Klal Yisroel reaches the apex of creation, standing at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. They hear the Aseres Hadibros and are awed and inspired to live lives of holiness, following the will of the Creator.

One of the mitzvos included in the Aseres Hadibros is Shabbos. We study the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” (20:8), which literally translates as “Remember the Shabbos day to make it holy.”

The pesukim then state that we are to work six days of the week and rest on the seventh, not doing any work on that day, because Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, He blessed the Shabbos day and sanctified it.

The Ramban explains the posuk of “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho” to mean that it is a mitzvah to remember to sanctify Shabbos and keep it holy. He cites the posuk which states, “Vekarasa laShabbos oneg likdosh Hashem” (Yeshayahu 58:13), and writes that when we rest on Shabbos, we do so because it is a holy day. We therefore take a break from even thinking about mundane matters. Instead, we seek to satiate our souls in the way of Hashem and study Torah.

In Parshas Beshalach (16:28–29), the Torah discusses Shabbos in reference to the monn. A double portion fell on Friday because none fell on Shabbos. The posuk states, “Reu ki Hashem nosan lochem es haShabbos — See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos.”

The Seforno explains that the posuk is teaching us to reflect on the fact that Hashem has given us Shabbos, which has two components that set it apart from the rest of the week: firstly, through its mitzvos, and secondly, because it is a gift that Hashem gave to the Bnei Yisroel.

This is probably based on the Gemara in Shabbos (10b), which states that Hashem told Moshe that He has a good gift among His treasures by the name of Shabbos, and He wishes to present it to Klal Yisroel.

What is the gift? Is it the entirety of Shabbos, or is it a component of Shabbos?

In the sefer from Rav Meir Soloveitchik al haTorah, in Parshas Beshalach, it is brought from the Brisker Rov that he deduced from a Rashi in Bereishis (2:2) that the rest component of Shabbos, menucha, is not just a lack of work, but a special creation that Hashem presented to us. He says that Shabbos has two components. The first is its mitzvos, and the second is the menucha.

The Brisker Rov concluded that the menucha of Shabbos was especially created for the Jewish people and is the gift that Hashem gave us.

What is the gift of menucha?

Rav Shimshon Pincus (Shabbos Malkesa 3:4, 2) explains that when a person engages in intense physical labor, he naturally becomes tired and requires rest. This is rooted in the laws of nature, as it reflects a deep spiritual truth: that the source of all life is spiritual. The physical realm, by contrast, is not only distinct from the spiritual, but also serves as a barrier, distancing a person from his spiritual essence and, in turn, from his true source of vitality.

When someone immerses himself entirely in physical labor, he becomes disconnected from this spiritual energy, leading to exhaustion. However, when he ceases his physical exertion and rests, his physical side no longer obstructs his spiritual side. This allows him to reconnect with his true source of life, replenishing his energy and restoring his vitality.

This is compounded when we sleep and our neshamos ascend on high to their Creator, becoming reconnected to their life source. They return to us fully charged, and we wake up energized to take on the day.

The gift that Hashem gave us with Shabbos is that on this day we totally separate from gashmiyus — physical labor, activities, and thoughts — and return to ruchniyus, that which is spiritual. The holiness of Shabbos envelops us. Once we are unburdened from the physical aspects of life that have enveloped us for the past six days, we enter the realm of the kedusha and menucha of Shabbos, as we proclaim, “Yom menucha ukedusha l’amcha nosata.”

Shabbos disconnects us from gashmiyus, enveloping us in the source of energy and life. This is the ultimate gift of menucha that Hashem presented to us.

In order to merit this gift, however, we have to do our part and not only refrain from doing the physical labor of the 39 melachos, but, on Shabbos, elevate ourselves from the mundane through our actions and also through our thoughts. We refrain from discussing, reading about, or thinking about work and the everyday concerns that occupy our minds during the week. Shabbos is a time to step away from the ordinary and reconnect with a higher, spiritual realm. The more we do so, the better off we are and the more energetic we will be.

Menuchas Shabbos is not about lounging around, engaging in shallow conversations, or indulging in gossip without regard for the truth or the harm it may cause. It is not about speaking ill of others, mocking them, or simply passing the time with vacuous chatter.

Those who seek to experience the gift of menuchas Shabbos do so by elevating their ruchniyus through learning, refining their behavior, thoughts, speech, and what they read and focus on.

Shabbos is not solely about refraining from the 39 melachos. It is about rising above our physical, material side as much as possible. It is an opportunity to connect more deeply to our spiritual essence.

Shabbos is a precious gift from Hashem. The more we recognize and appreciate this gift, the closer we draw to Him and the better off we are. Viewing Shabbos as a burden only robs us of the deep opportunities it offers. It keeps us stuck in the triviality of the physical world, sapping our energy and preventing us from experiencing the true depth and perception that this holy day can provide.

The holiness of Shabbos is so profound that, according to the Vilna Gaon, when we eat and drink on Shabbos to fulfill the commandment of oneg, experiencing the joy of eating and drinking on Shabbos, it is as sacred as if we were partaking in a korban. The reason for this, he explains, is that by engaging in these physical acts, we bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual realms, connecting the material (gashmi) and the spiritual (ruchni).

Rav Dovid Cohen elaborates on this by explaining that the essence of kedushas Shabbos lies in elevating the physical world and connecting it to the neshomah. Eating and enjoying food, though a physical act, becomes a spiritual one when done with the intention of fulfilling the mitzvah. As a result, this act is considered so holy that it is as if the person were consuming the meat of a korban.

Imagine that, although we are in golus, without the Bais Hamikdosh and without korbanos, every Shabbos we have the opportunity to eat in a way that is equal to eating korbanos. We don’t have to travel anywhere or do anything special. All we need to do is sit at our Shabbos table, immersed in the sanctity of the day, enjoying the delicacies our mothers and wives prepared for us and the family. Most likely, the recipes they used were handed down to them from their mothers, who received them from their mothers for hundreds of years, each one of whom cooked for a family of mekadshei Shabbos who had the pleasure equivalent to eating korbanos that were shechted in the Bais Hamikdosh.

No matter where they lived or how hard they worked all week, they all enjoyed the transformative powers of Shabbos, the yom menucha ukedusha.

Davening in the Zichron Moshe Shul in the heart of Yerushalayim’s Geulah neighborhood is a special pleasure. The shul and its shtieblach welcome Jews of all stripes, who combine to form the beautiful mosaic that is Geulah in particular and Yerushalayim in general.

I have written previously about the Friday morning when I was there and saw a man sleeping on a bench. His clothing was dirty. His sleep was repeatedly interrupted as he scratched himself in pain from not having showered in many days. It was a pitiful sight, though not unusual in that hallowed shul.

On Friday evening, I passed the shul and stopped by the window of the large bais medrash. I looked toward the mizrach, and there, next to the rov, was the man who, that morning, had been sleeping in squalor on a bench in that very room. From the window, I saw him as he sat at the mizrach wall, facing the mispallelim. He was bedecked in a Yerushalayimer gold bekeshe and shtreimel. He was shining as he sat there with a broad smile on his face. He looked like a malach.

Shabbos transformed him. He was a new person.

It was Shabbos, and he was a new being, almost unrecognizable from what he had been just a few hours before.

I stood there, soaking in the image and thinking that this is how the geulah will be. We are overcome with shmutz, dirt, pain, and sadness. We are in golus, exiled among the nations and among those who have strayed. We are far from home but we do not despair because we know that the day of our redemption is quickly arriving. We will be cleansed, freshened, and made anew. Joy will return. And in the very place where we experienced pain, humiliation, and suffering, we will find comfort.

Meforshim wonder about the connection between the geulah and the heightened moments when Shabbos enters every week, moments that are combined in the universally recited Lecha Dodi.

We raise our voices and sing, welcoming the kallah, yet the words we chant aren’t as much about Shabbos as they are about Yerushalayim.

We shift from Likras Shabbos to Mikdash Melech, focusing on the Palace of the King. We hope for Hisna’ari and call out for Hisoreri, breaking into dance as we envision the time of Yosis Olayich Elokoyich.

Commentators ask why we chant these poetic expressions about the redemption and Yerushalayim as Shabbos begins. What is the connection?

In Zichron Moshe, as I stood at that window, I saw the transformational power of Shabbos and understood the answer to this question.

Every Shabbos, we are each able to rise from the dust of the workweek, from the darkness of golus — mei’afar kumi.

When Moshiach comes, we will do so as a people, together, just as we sing in Lecha Dodi: “Hisna’ari mei’afar kumi livshi bigdei sifarteich ami al yad ben Yishai bais halachmi korvah el nafshi ge’olah.”

May we all merit, each week, the transformation that Shabbos offers, and the ultimate transformation that Moshiach will bring when he redeems us from the struggles of the six days and ushers us into the world of eternal Shabbos.

{Matzav.com}

The BBC has issued an apology after its International Holocaust Memorial Day coverage failed to explicitly state that the six million people murdered by the Nazis were Jews, an omission that drew sharp criticism and was described as “hurtful, disrespectful and wrong,” according to a report in The Times.

The issue arose during Tuesday morning’s BBC Breakfast, when presenter Jon Kay opened a segment by saying Holocaust Memorial Day was “for remembering the six million people murdered by the Nazi regime over 80 years ago,” without identifying the victims as Jews.

The Campaign for Media Standards highlighted that multiple high-profile BBC presenters used nearly identical language, alleging that the broadcaster had “used the same script all day.”

Lord Pickles, who served as the UK’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues from 2015 until last year, said the omission amounted to “an unambiguous example of Holocaust distortion, which is a form of denial.”

“This kind of obfuscation was common during the Soviet control of parts of Europe,” said Pickles, now co-chairman of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. “For the BBC to use it today is shocking. They should be fighting antisemitism, not aiding it.”

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, also condemned the wording. “The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. Any attempt to dilute the Holocaust, strip it of its Jewish specificity or compare it to contemporary events is unacceptable on any day. On Holocaust Memorial Day it is especially hurtful, disrespectful and wrong,” she said.

Danny Cohen, a former BBC director of television, said the failure to name Jewish victims marked “a new low point for the national broadcaster.”

“It is surely the bare minimum to expect the BBC to correctly identify that it was six million Jews killed during the Holocaust,” Cohen said, according to The Times. “To say anything else is an insult to their memory and plays into the hands of extremists who have desperately sought to rewrite the historical truth of history’s greatest crime.”

In response, the BBC said in a statement: “This morning’s BBC programming commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day. The Today program featured interviews with relatives of Holocaust survivors and a report from our religion editor. In both of these items we referenced the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.”

“The chief rabbi recorded the Thought for the Day. BBC Breakfast featured a project organized by the Holocaust Educational Trust in which a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust recorded her memories. In the news bulletins on Today and in the introduction to the story on BBC Breakfast there were references to Holocaust Memorial Day which were incorrectly worded, and for which we apologize. Both should have referred to ‘six million Jewish people’ and we will be issuing a correction on our website.”

The controversy adds to a growing list of disputes involving the BBC and accusations of bias against Israel and the Jewish community.

In November 2023, the broadcaster apologized after wrongly claiming that IDF forces were deliberately targeting medical teams during fighting near Gaza’s Shifa Hospital.

Earlier, the BBC had also reported that Israel was responsible for an explosion at a Gaza hospital, a claim later disproven when the IDF demonstrated the blast was caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket. The network subsequently admitted that “it was false to speculate” about the cause.

Last year, the BBC faced intense criticism over its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which used the son of a senior Hamas official as a narrator.

After the backlash, the broadcaster conceded there were “serious flaws” in the program.

More recently, the BBC apologized following complaints about a December 26 episode of The Repair Shop, which discussed the Kindertransport without mentioning Jews, despite the operation’s primary purpose of rescuing Jewish children from Nazi persecution during the Holocaust.

{Matzav.com}

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A car was deliberately driven into an entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, tonight, setting off a significant law enforcement and emergency response and raising renewed concerns about security at the site.

Shmira volunteers and NYPD officers cleared the building as authorities cordoned off the area and treated the location as an active crime scene. Officials have not yet disclosed the identity of the driver involved.

Footage circulating from the scene shows the suspect slamming a vehicle multiple times into the building’s front doors before police detained him. Law enforcement officials said no injuries were reported.

As police activity continued, the NYPD advised the public to expect road closures, traffic slowdowns, and a large emergency presence near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, urging motorists to seek alternate routes and plan for delays.

Police said the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m., at a time when the building was filled with bochurim after a video screening and as many others were arriving for farbrengens marking Yud Shevat.

The attack has once again drawn attention to earlier efforts to bolster security around the Chabad headquarters. In July 2018, community activists in Crown Heights called on the city to establish a permanent security installation or pedestrian plaza outside 770 Eastern Parkway. During that period, New York City Public Spaces Director Emily Weidenhof toured the proposed area on July 31, 2018. Those discussions, however, did not result in the creation of a permanent security plaza.

Following tonight’s incident, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the site alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York State Attorney General Tish James.

In a statement posted on X, Mayor Mamdani wrote: “I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident. This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world. Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable. I stand in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community, and I am grateful to our first responders for taking swift action. I will keep New Yorkers updated as we learn more about the incident.”

Police in Bnei Brak are searching for a teenage suspect believed to be responsible for a series of disturbing harassment incidents targeting chareidi women in recent weeks.

According to reports, the suspect—described as a minor around 15 years old who appears to dress in chareidi clothing—has allegedly approached women from behind along Herzl Street in the Pardes Katz neighborhood and forcibly pulled off their head coverings or shaitels before fleeing the scene.

Local residents say several of the incidents occurred in close proximity to a municipal special-education kindergarten located on Herzl Street. Security cameras installed near the facility may provide footage that could assist authorities in identifying the suspect, according to sources.

Police confirmed that the case is under investigation and that efforts are ongoing to locate and question the suspect. Authorities urged anyone with relevant information or footage to come forward as the investigation continues.

[Video below.] Late-night host Stephen Colbert devoted a segment of his show to criticizing immigration enforcement agencies and the Trump administration following the killing of Alex Pretti, weighing in on what he described as a disturbing pattern of deadly encounters involving federal agents.

Opening his monologue on the January 26 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert referenced the recent shootings involving immigration authorities, telling viewers, “On Saturday, only 17 days after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent, another American citizen was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection agents.”

Colbert went on to fault the administration for what he characterized as an effort to “immediately blame the victim.” He noted that video footage of the confrontation between Pretti and ICE agents showed that Pretti was not pointing a weapon at officers, although he was legally carrying a concealed firearm with a permit.

Addressing the graphic nature of the footage, Colbert said he deliberately chose not to air it on his program. “I’m not going to play you that video. You’ve all seen it. And if you haven’t seen it, it’s because you didn’t want to, and I don’t blame you,” he told the studio audience.

Viewers also reacted strongly to Colbert’s language during the segment, particularly when he addressed comparisons between ICE and the Gestapo. “Do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis,” said Stephen before a twist. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.”

The remark drew intense responses online. “‘The Nazi’s were willing to show their faces’ was a chilling sentence to hear,” one fan wrote in the YouTube comments.

Commenters flooded social media with emotional reactions, with many expressing outrage toward the government and describing Pretti’s death as a “murder.” One viewer wrote, “I’m not even American, and I’m crying watching this from afar – tears of anger and tears of sadness. It’s an absolute tragedy and an absolute outrage.”

Colbert also read a full statement from Pretti’s family on air, a move that viewers praised. “I really appreciate how his parents’ statement is being read in full, not only by Stephen but also by news channels,” one commenter said.

Many online commenters described Pretti as an “American hero” and a “true patriot,” language echoed by his family. “I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman,” they said. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.”

Additional reactions poured in across platforms, including one post that read, “Alex Pretti believed in America, in free speech, and in coming to the non-violent aid of women being brutalised by ICE. The govt. is a liar.” Another commenter wrote, “It says everything about Alex Pretti and his wonderful nature, when faced with such violence and brutality, that he didn’t pull his gun and start shooting. That he didn’t choose violence. I hope his and Renee’s deaths are not in vain and that ICE faces the consequences of their actions!”

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In what askanim are calling an unprecedented event, tens of thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Mir are set to unite for the first time ever in a single gathering, marking a historic moment for the world’s largest yeshiva.

The Adirei HaTorah-styled event, titled “Malki Rabbanan,” will take place on Rosh Chodesh Adar at the Pais Arena in Yerushalayim in the presence of Gedolei Yisroel and the yeshiva’s roshei yeshiva.

Yeshivas Mir, with thousands of talmidim learning across numerous batei midrash, has never before brought its entire student body together under one roof. Organizers say the upcoming asifa will serve as a powerful public demonstration of kavod haTorah and appreciation for those who dedicate their lives to Torah study.

The massive gathering, expected to fill the Yerushalayim arena to capacity, represents both a logistical and historical breakthrough. Since the yeshiva’s founding — and even as it expanded into its current vast network of botei medrash centered in Yerushalayim’s Beis Yisroel neighborhood — there had never been an opportunity for all of its talmidim, from every beis medrash and chaburah, to assemble at a single event.

Yeshiva personnel stressed that the asifa is intended to be far more than a technical convening. “Mir is not just a yeshiva, and not just a kollel. It is an engine of Torah for the entire world,” members of the hanhalah said. “The goal is to honor those who toil in Torah, and to declare loudly: upon you the world stands.”

The dais of honor will be graced by leading gedolim, alongside hundreds of rabbonim from the Mir’s many batei midrash, led by the roshei yeshiva.

In addition to the drashos, a carefully curated musical and artistic program has been planned, tailored to the elevated nature of the event. Musical direction will be led by arranger and conductor Moishy Roth, who will oversee performances by singers including Yisroel Adler, Boruch Levine, Zanvil Weinberger, and Bentzi Stein.

To accommodate the thousands of participants, a special transportation network will operate, ferrying talmidim directly from Mir’s various botei medrash to the arena.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Chief Rabbi and Rishon LeTzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, delivered an emotional and deeply moving hesped on Wednesday at the funeral of Master Sergeant Ran (Rani) Gvili HY”D, whose body was finally brought to burial after being recovered from Gaza following two years of agonizing uncertainty.

Thousands attended the levayah in the southern community of Meitar, where Rav Yosef spoke words of grief, faith, and national reflection, drawing a powerful historical parallel between the present tragedy and the destruction of Beitar during the Bar Kochba revolt nearly two millennia ago.

In his remarks, the Rishon LeTzion recalled the horrors inflicted by the Romans after the fall of Beitar, emphasizing the cruelty of denying burial to Jewish victims and the profound meaning of Ran Gvili finally being laid to rest in a Jewish grave.

“The Gemara tells us that during the Bar Kochba revolt, Beitar was destroyed and the Romans carried out a horrific massacre of the Jews,” Rav Yosef said. “Tens of thousands were slaughtered and murdered. But the Romans were not satisfied with the massacre itself — they wanted to break the spirit of the Jewish people, and they did not allow the bodies to be buried. They used the bodies of Jews to build fences for their vineyards, erecting a barrier eighteen kilometers by eighteen kilometers, as tall as a person. From this we understand the magnitude of the catastrophe and the unimaginable number of those killed in the destruction of Beitar. These events occurred about fifty years after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, some 1,900 years ago. Only much later did the Romans allow the bodies to be buried. Our sages instituted a special blessing in response — the blessing of HaTov VeHaMeitiv. To this day, we recite it in Birkas Hamazon. ‘HaTov’ — that they were given burial, and ‘HaMeitiv’ — that the bodies had not decomposed. They remained whole.”

Rav Yosef then drew a direct and haunting connection to the present day.

“1,900 years have passed, and history is repeating itself,” he said. “The entire Jewish people has been fighting to bring our fallen soldiers to a Jewish burial, and here too, the miracle has returned. Ran Gvili comes back whole — whole in body. Wonder of wonders. The G-d of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, loves us. The nations of the world — not so much. Sadly, we are dealing with antisemitism. We are a people that rose up and simply wants to survive, wants to live — and the world accuses us. When we seek to defend ourselves, the verse says, ‘The Jews gathered and stood up for their lives,’ yet the world directs its arrows specifically at us. Unfortunately, there is no logical solution to antisemitism. We must fight it, but we must also understand — they hate us because we are Jews. And we must be proud that we are Jews. We are the chosen people of the Holy One, blessed be He. ‘Behold, a nation that dwells alone.’ Yes, we still dwell alone — but we are Jews, and we must take pride in the fact that we merited to be the people of Hashem. As the verse says, ‘All the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they will fear you.’ In the end, the Jewish people live forever. Nothing will help them — we are here because this land is ours, the land of our forefathers, given to us by the Holy One, blessed be He, and we will be here forever, with G-d’s help.”

Toward the end of his address, Rav Yosef turned to the social fabric of Israeli society and issued a heartfelt call for unity, particularly around bereaved and wounded families. He spoke with admiration of the strength shown by the Gvili family and the way their struggle united the nation.

“Rabbosai, it is no secret that we are living through an extremely difficult period, a time of deep internal division,” he said. “Everything we have gone through in recent years reflects a great crisis. But we must also look at the half-full cup. There is no other nation like ours — when one person is hurt or when a soldier falls, the entire people grieves and mourns. When there was a terror attack in faraway Australia, on the first night of Chanukah, I went to the Kosel to light the menorah, and it felt like Tisha B’Av — all of us in deep pain. Ultimately, we are one people. Everything we have experienced proves that we are still one nation, that we love one another. We have a great mission around which we can unite.”

He continued, “We have seen the heroism of the Gvili family. I met the dear parents. They shook the world. The entire world stood astonished, watching how a whole nation fought for what? To return a fallen soldier. To bring a fallen son home. We have much to be proud of — and we also have thousands of broken-hearted families. ‘What shall I testify to you, to what shall I liken you? For your breach is great as the sea,’ says the prophet. We have thousands of bereaved parents, siblings, orphans, and widows. We have a great responsibility to encourage, to strengthen. We have many wounded. Each and every one of us must unite around them. This is how we are one people. We hurt, and when we show them that we hurt with them, we strengthen them — and we strengthen ourselves as well.”

Addressing the family directly, Rav Yosef concluded, “Dear Gvili family, may Hashem comfort you among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim. The entire Jewish people stands with you. On this day, you merited to unite all of Am Yisrael around you. May you be comforted from Heaven. Amen, may it be His will.”

{Matzav.com}

Instacart has started adding a new surcharge to grocery orders placed by New York City customers, introducing what it calls a “regulatory response fee” shortly after new delivery worker regulations went into force this week, according to The New York Post.

The new charge appears directly in customers’ order summaries, with Instacart’s website now stating, “NYC regulatory response fees appear in the order summary.” The company explains that the fee “helps cover increased operating costs in NYC due to government regulations on delivery platforms,” language that was not present on the site as recently as last month.

An analysis by The Post found that no such fee appeared on Instacart orders before Monday. By Tuesday, however, customers placing orders between $35 and $184 were seeing an added charge of $5.99.

Instacart confirmed that the fee went into effect Monday and pointed the finger at city lawmakers. In a statement to The Post, the company blamed “the City Council’s misguided and burdensome grocery delivery laws.”

“For months, we raised clear, data-backed concerns that the policy would increase grocery delivery costs for New Yorkers, but those warnings were repeatedly ignored,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said the agency is looking into the matter.

The added fee comes as Instacart is already facing scrutiny following a report last month that accused the company of using an opaque algorithm that allegedly charged different customers different prices for the same items without disclosure.

The new city rules, which took effect Monday, significantly expand protections for grocery delivery workers, including higher minimum pay for drivers working on platforms such as Instacart. Under the law, drivers must earn at least $21.44 per hour before tips, with scheduled increases in future years.

The legislation also requires food delivery apps, including Uber Eats and DoorDash, to present customers with a tipping option before checkout, setting the default gratuity at no less than 10% of the order total.

Earlier this month, the Mamdani administration accused Uber Eats and DoorDash of costing delivery workers more than $550 million in tips by previously requiring customers to add gratuities only after completing checkout.

City officials argued the new approach was necessary to safeguard workers’ earnings, particularly after tips reportedly dropped following the introduction of a new minimum-wage rule in late 2023.

Uber Eats and DoorDash sought to block the law in federal court, claiming the city violated their free speech rights by forcing them to “speak a government-mandated message in a prescribed manner and at a prescribed time.”

The companies also contended that the higher minimum pay requirements have driven up delivery costs in New York City and warned that the new regulations — along with “tipping fatigue” and “generally rising prices” — would negatively affect their profits.

U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels rejected that challenge in a decision issued Friday. Shortly thereafter, Instacart’s new regulatory fee began appearing on customer orders.

{Matzav.com}

Senior U.S. officials are openly acknowledging that Washington has no clear picture of who would assume power in Iran if the current regime were to collapse, even as American military forces continue to surge toward the region. Speaking at a Senate hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of succession after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains unanswered, according to a report by Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.

“Nobody can give an answer as to what will happen the day after if the Iranian regime falls,” Rubio told lawmakers. He also emphasized the risks facing U.S. personnel in the region, noting that between 30,000 and 40,000 American troops stationed in the Middle East could be targeted by Iranian missiles or drones in the event of retaliation following a U.S. strike.

Rubio stressed that military readiness remains a core element of the administration’s posture, explaining that “The President always keeps for himself the option of launching a defensive preemptive strike.” He added, “That’s why it is wise to have forces in the region that can respond and, if necessary, carry out a preemptive strike to protect American troops and our allies. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

President Donald Trump echoed that message on Wednesday, issuing a public warning that a significant U.S. naval force is on its way toward Iran while urging the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enter talks without delay and agree to what he described as a fair agreement.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.”

He continued with another warning, stating, “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

Trump followed up with an additional post, repeating his earlier threats toward Tehran: “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The president reinforced that warning last Thursday during an in-flight briefing with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Davos, describing what he said was a substantial American military buildup near Iran. “We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”

During the same exchange, Trump claimed he personally intervened to stop mass executions in Iran the previous week. “I stopped 837 hangings [last] Thursday. They would have been dead. Every one of them would have been hung…I said ‘if you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts.’ And an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they canceled it. And they actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it. They canceled it. So that was a good sign.”

Iran responded with its own warnings. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned that any attack would trigger what he described as a “comprehensive and regret inducing” retaliation by the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, reports on Tuesday indicated that U.S. officials are considering limited strikes aimed at Iranian officials and military commanders, as reports from inside Iran put the death toll from ongoing protests at more than 36,000.

{Matzav.com}

JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America announced on Wednesday that they will each match a one-time $1,000 federal deposit into children’s retirement-style savings accounts for qualifying employees, making them the latest large corporations to sign on to the initiative.

The accounts, widely referred to as Trump accounts, are part of a pilot program in which the U.S. Treasury places $1,000 into tax-advantaged investment accounts for eligible children born in the United States between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028.

The initiative, which was developed in part by hedge fund manager Brad Gerstner, is designed to promote early saving and investing as a way to reduce long-term wealth disparities in the United States. The program has drawn support from a range of high-profile backers, including Michael and Susan Dell, Ray Dalio, and rapper Nicki Minaj.

“JPMorgan Chase has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the financial health and well-being of all of our employees and their families around the world, including more than 190,000 here in the United States,” CEO Jamie Dimon said in a release. “By matching this contribution, we’re making it easier for them to start saving early, invest wisely, and plan for their family’s financial future.”

Bank of America conveyed its position in an internal memo circulated to employees on Wednesday and first reported by Reuters, praising what it described as the government’s “innovative solutions” aimed at strengthening employee savings.

Financial institutions now make up the bulk of companies pledging to match the government’s contribution. In addition to JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, other major players including BlackRock, BNY, Robinhood, SoFi, and Charles Schwab have also committed to providing matching funds for the new accounts.

[Video below.] Newly released video footage appears to document a volatile encounter between Alex Pretti and federal immigration agents more than a week before he was shot and killed in Minneapolis, showing behavior that authorities are now reviewing as part of their broader assessment of events leading up to his death.

The footage, which the BBC said it has verified, reportedly shows the ICU nurse yelling at federal agents as they drove away from a Jan. 13 protest, spitting in their direction and then kicking the rear of a black SUV. According to The News Movement, the video captures Pretti smashing the vehicle’s taillights, prompting officers to stop, exit the car, and subdue him.

In the recording, the man—wearing clothing similar to what Pretti was seen wearing on the day he was fatally shot last Saturday—can be seen being forced to the ground by at least five agents. As the confrontation escalated, tear gas was released into the surrounding crowd, which included protesters blowing whistles amid the chaos.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations is “reviewing” the newly surfaced video, telling The Post that agents are examining the footage as part of their ongoing evaluation of Pretti’s prior interactions with federal authorities.

According to a CNN report published Tuesday, Pretti, 37, was already familiar to federal officials and had sustained a broken rib during a separate violent encounter with agents roughly a week before his death. The report said immigration officers had been tracking and documenting information about Pretti as well as other anti-ICE protesters involved in recent demonstrations in Minneapolis.

Investigators with DHS believe the fatal shooting may have been triggered by a stray discharge from Pretti’s own firearm after it was taken from him. Authorities say Pretti had a loaded pistol tucked into his belt when he inserted himself between another protester and ICE officers. Border Patrol agents tackled him, removed the weapon, and during the ensuing struggle, two agents opened fire, killing him.

Security and police were dispatched on Wednesday to the Union of Cities for Environmental Protection venue in Chadeira after an object described as a piece of coal was hurled toward Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman during a public session focused on air pollution.

Reports by Walla said the incident took place as Silman arrived at the hall for a hearing connected to the Israel Electric Corporation. Officers who were called to the location detained a young woman, estimated to be about 18 years old, and brought her in for questioning regarding the incident.

Witnesses at the event said the object appeared to strike the minister, though she was not injured and did not need medical attention. Silman chose to remain at the venue and continued taking part in the conference until it concluded, despite the disruption.

Police later issued a statement explaining their response: “Upon receiving the report, officers from the Hadera station arrived at the scene, managed to locate the suspect, and despite no formal complaint being filed, the suspect was detained for questioning. Depending on the investigation’s needs and findings, the continuation of her detention will be examined.”

{Matzav.com}

A key decision aimed at stabilizing Israel’s coalition government was reached after consultations at the home of Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, with Degel HaTorah deciding it will support the state budget in its first Knesset reading, while insisting that the draft law be finalized before the bill advances further.

Following the meeting at the Bnei Brak residence of Rav Landau, the party ruled that it would allow the budget to move forward at the initial stage, but would condition its continued support on the completion of legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students before the second and third readings. The move gives the coalition crucial breathing room, with the budget now expected to pass the first vote with the backing of 64 MKs. Aside from Agudas Yisroel and MK Avi Maoz, who have both announced their opposition, the government appears to have secured a solid majority.

The decision comes after several tense days in which the government’s survival appeared uncertain, following ultimatums from chareidi parties warning they would block the budget if the issue of yeshiva deferments was not resolved. The standoff raised the prospect of the budget failing, which would have triggered the dissolution of the Knesset and new elections.

The crisis began when Degel HaTorah and Shas publicly declared they would not support the budget unless progress was made on the draft law. Tensions escalated after a meeting between chareidi representatives and the legal adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, during which it was made clear that changes would be required to ensure the legislation could withstand judicial review. That demand sparked deep concern among chareidi leaders, who feared the law would be watered down or indefinitely delayed.

Those concerns intensified when it emerged that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth, would not convene as scheduled to discuss the draft law ahead of the budget vote. Chareidi parties viewed the delay as a sign that the government might stall on the legislation, further eroding trust between the sides.

At the same time, the vote on the state budget itself was postponed from Monday at the request of the chareidi parties, who sought additional time in light of the legal changes being demanded to the draft law. From their perspective, passage of the law is a prerequisite for approving the budget. The postponement followed an emergency meeting convened earlier in the week by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and MK Moshe Gafni, in an effort to prevent the budget from being voted down.

Despite the emerging compromise ahead of the first reading, anger has been reported within Smotrich’s circle over linking the budget to the draft law. Some warned that continued delays could still lead to the collapse of the coalition and the dispersal of the Knesset.

With the immediate crisis temporarily defused, attention is now turning to the upcoming legislative marathon in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where the draft law will be debated. That process is widely seen as the true test of whether the coalition has achieved lasting stability or merely a brief and fragile calm.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli officials are assessing recent statements from President Donald Trump as possible indications that he is weighing a sweeping strategy toward Iran that could extend beyond diplomacy and include efforts to topple the current regime, according to a report aired by Kan News.

Those interpretations intensified after Trump posted a warning on his Truth Social account, writing, “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

Against that backdrop, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is scheduled to convene a high-level security meeting on Tuesday, with the agenda expected to focus on the ongoing war in Gaza as well as the escalating standoff with Iran.

At the same time, the United States has been reinforcing its military presence across the Middle East, even as American officials express interest in seeing the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership brought to an end. While Trump has publicly left the door open to negotiations, he has also cautioned Tehran that “time is running out” to reach an agreement.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations pushed back sharply against the president’s remarks, issuing a statement that warned of the costs of military confrontation. The delegation said, “The last time the U.S. got involved in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it wasted 7 trillion dollars and lost over 7,000 American soldiers. Iran is ready for dialogue based on respect and mutual interests – but if tested, it will defend itself and respond in a way it never has before.”

Adding to the rhetoric, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted a message in Hebrew on his X account threatening direct retaliation. He wrote that “Any military action by the United States will be considered an act of war, and its response will be immediate, comprehensive, unprecedented, and directed at the aggressor, at the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggression.”

{Matzav.com}

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth said that opposition lawmakers had crossed a serious boundary after several Yesh Atid MKs entered the committee staff area outside his office, apparently disrupting discussions he was holding with representatives of the chareidi parties.

Footage from the scene showed a heated exchange outside Bismuth’s private office, next to the committee chamber, involving several MKs, among them committee members Elazar Stern and Moshe Tur-Paz, and Degel HaTorah MK Uri Maklev. In the video, Tur-Paz was seen lifting a document from a desk and taking a photograph of it.

Reacting to the incident, Bismuth wrote on X, “A red line has been crossed! I have just summoned the Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms following the violent and forceful outburst by opposition members of Knesset who stormed my office at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.”

He went on to accuse the opposition of hypocrisy, saying, “Those same actors who warned about ‘the right wing storming the Knesset’ are the ones behaving today with bullying and vulgarity, attempting to turn a sovereign institution into lawless territory — including serious attempts to photograph committee documents unlawfully.” Bismuth added that he intended to file a formal complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee.

The confrontation followed a meeting held earlier that afternoon between Bismuth, coalition whip Ofir Katz, and chareidi MKs Uri Maklev of Degel HaTorah, Yaakov Asher, and Shas representative Yinon Azoulay.

Also reported to have participated in the meeting were former Shas MK Ariel Attias, who had been representing the chareidi parties in talks surrounding Bismuth’s legislation, and committee legal adviser Miri Frenkel Shor, whose proposed amendments to the bill had drawn strong opposition from the chareidi factions.

Yesh Atid chairman and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized that meeting, claiming that those involved had “set up an alternative Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for themselves” in order to apply “heavy pressure on [Shor], to push her to approve changes that the ultra-Orthodox parties want.”

Responding to questions about the episode, Tur-Paz told The Times of Israel that he and fellow opposition MKs had gone to the committee area “to tell the Haredim and Bismuth: you will not strike a deal behind the backs of those who serve. We will not allow it.”

Tur-Paz also shared the photograph he had taken, which showed a list of committee members, and said he had snapped it “in an unclassified area,” insisting that he had not broken into any restricted space.

{Matzav.com}

Speaking in the Knesset plenum, United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf said that he and members of his Agudas Yisroel faction would vote against the 2026 state budget, arguing that the chareidi public was being “persecuted” by a government that arrested yeshiva students who avoided military service.

Goldknopf said there were considerations that outweighed fiscal concerns, declaring, “There are things that are more important than a budget, and in their name we oppose the budget. The State of Israel without the Torah of Israel does not need a budget.” He accused the government of criminalizing yeshiva students and relegating them to the status of “criminals” and “second- or third-class citizens.”

He stressed that the move was not intended to bring down the coalition. “Our intention in this vote is not to overthrow the government,” Goldknopf said, while directly urging Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to delay the budget vote until legislation formalizing the status of yeshiva students could be enacted.

Goldknopf’s Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction opposed the current draft law under discussion, even though it would have exempted yeshiva students from conscription, because it included punitive sanctions.

By contrast, Degel HaTorah, UTJ’s Litvishe faction, supported both the enlistment bill and the budget, as did the Shas party. Despite Agudas Yisroel’s opposition, the budget was still viewed as likely to move forward.

{Matzav.com}