Matzav

[Links below.] Today, Tuesday of Parshas Beshalach, is a special day. Seforim tell us that it is extremely prudent to utilize this day to pray for parnassah, livelihood, for the next 12 months.

It is a widespread and accepted custom to recite “Parshas Hamonn,” the portion in the Torah that describes the way Hashem provided monn (i.e., parnassah from heaven) for the Yidden in the Midbar. This can be found in Sefer Shemos, Perek 16: 4-36. It is customary to read the pesukim twice and the Targum once, and also to recite a short tefillah for sustenance beforehand. (Click here for the tefillah as well as for the ArtScroll English translation of these pesukim. Click here for the parsha, including the Targum Onkelos.)

Reciting this parsha reminds us that just as Hashem sustained the Jews then, so too, He – and He alone – provides for each and every one of us now.

With Hashgacha Pratis, Divine Providence, Hashem looks after our every need down to the most minute and seemingly mundane detail.

The following is a short yet powerful essay by Rav Yissocher Frand, which teaches us an important lesson:

One Who Cheats In His Business Doesn’t Believe in G-d

By Rav Yissocher Frand

Parshas Mishpatim begins “And these are the statutes that you shall place before them.” There is a very famous Rashi on the words “And these”. Normally “these” would mean “to the exclusion of others”. But Rashi says that the conjunction “and” adds to what came before (vov mosif), in Parshas Yisro.

In Parshas Yisro, G-d gave us the Ten Commandments. Rashi here says that just as the Ten Commandments were given at Sinai, so too the laws that are recorded in Parshas Mishpatim were also given at Sinai.

The truth of the matter is that this Rashi requires understanding. There is another famous Rashi [Vayikra 25:1] on the words “On Mount Sinai” (mentioned in connection with Shmita) which asks, “What is the connection between Shmitah and Mount Sinai?” Rashi there answers that just like the laws of Shmita were given with all their rules and intricate details at Sinai, so too all other commands were given with their rules and intricate details at Sinai.

If that is the case, what is Rashi adding here, by telling us that the laws of Parshas Mishpatim were given at Sinai? We know that — the whole Torah was given at Sinai!

The Ramba”n says a very interesting thing. According to the Ramba”n, Parshas Mishpatim and the Parsha of the Ten Commandments were said together at the initial meeting of G-d with Moshe on Sinai (prior to the 40 day period when Moshe learned the rest of the Torah). Subsequent to that, Moshe Rabbeinu came down, taught the Jewish people what he had learned from G-d and then went back up to Mount Sinai to learn more.

What emerges from this Ramba”n is that the laws of one ox goring another ox, of digging a hole in the public domain, or paying workers on time, all the mundane intricacies of life have the same status and were given at the same time as the Ten Commandments. Therefore, Rashi is stating something significant.

But, is it not peculiar that almost in the same breath as G-d spoke “I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out from Egypt…”, the foundation of Judaism, He also told us about our responsibilities when we borrow our neighbor’s car?

Why does Parshas Mishpatim rate the same session as “I am the L-rd your G-d”?

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, said that this comes to teach us that if a person does not keep Parshas Mishpatim (monetary laws), he doesn’t believe in “I am the L-rd your G-d” either.

“I am the L-rd your G-d” is the theory — I believe. But the other side of the coin, the practice, is do you cheat in your business? If you cheat in your business, you do not believe in “I am the L-rd your G-d”.

Rav Moshe continues, if a person believes in G-d with more than lip service, then the person believes that G-d provides him with a livelihood. If a person believes that G-d provides the livelihood, then what reason is there to cheat? “A person’s livelihood is fixed for him from Rosh HaShannah” [Beitzah 16a]. If one believes that, there is no need to cheat. Anyone who cheats, does not believe it.

That is why “I am the L-rd your G-d” is in the same session as the law of how to pay one’s workers.

There was recently a meeting in New York of the Association of Jewish Certified Public Accountants; an organization appropriately called Cheshbon. Rav Schwab told this group that a person who is dishonest in business is a Kofer b’Ikkar (He denies G-d). For the same reason that we just mentioned — that if a person really believed, he would not need to cheat. One cheats because he thinks — “this will get me the parnossah”. Cheating indicates that he does not believe that G-d will take care of him.

Then Rav Schwab continued by saying the following. “You will ask that we see people who cheat a tremendous amount and are nonetheless, successful. Now if parnossah comes from G-d, how can that be?”

Rav Schwab explained that such people’s money comes from the ‘Sitra Achra’, from the forces of impurity in the world, not from G-d. No good will ever come out of the money that comes from the powers of impurity (Kochos HaTumah) in the world. He or his children or someone down the line will never see satisfaction (nachas) from that money.

The ‘test’ of earning a livelihood is not only a test of telling the truth, of not stealing, etc. It is a test of ‘I am the L-rd your G-d’. Daily, we are put to the ‘test’ of whether or not we really believe. If we really, really believe, then there is never a reason to be less than 100% honest in our dealings with other people and with ourselves.

{halachafortoday@yahoo.com/Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}

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By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

Kriyas Yam Suf was the completion of Yetzias Mitzrayim. We learn a very interesting halacha from Kriyas Yam Suf.

A person once came to the Netziv with the following question. He had a massive fight with another person and swore that he would never see the other person again. That person later died, and now he wanted to stand in front of the niftar and ask mechilah. Does the shvua of never seeing him again apply after the person has died?

The Torah Temimah brings a raya from the posuk in Shmos 14:13, which says that the Yidden will not see Mitzrayim/Mitzriyim ever again. Later, the posuk states that the Yidden saw Mitzriyim dead by the seashore. The Medrash says that every Yid recognized the Mitzri who had made him work. From here we see that seeing someone after death is not considered a violation of a shvua never to see that person again.

However, the Targum Yonasan says that the Yidden did not see the Mitzriyim dead, but rather in the final throes of life (gossessin), which would seem to contradict what we said earlier. How were the Yidden able to see them if Hashem had told Moshe that they would never see them again?

We can answer that this is similar to the halacha of returning a stolen object. The Torah states that one must return the stolen item and then adds the words “asher gozal.” The Gemara learns from this that one must return the stolen object in the same condition it was in at the time it was stolen; that is what the word “asher” teaches us. Here too, the Torah says “asher” regarding the way Mitzrayim was seen today—in that manner they would not be seen again. The Yidden were not going to see them in the same way as they had seen them that day, but rather while they were taking their final breaths.

We see the importance of Kriyas Yam Suf being the completion of Yetzias Mitzrayim from the first of the Aseres Hadibros, where Hashem said the word “anochi.” During Kriyas Yam Suf, Hashem appeared as a warrior ready to do battle, whereas during Mattan Torah, Hashem appeared as an elderly person full of rachamim. Hashem was conveying that even though He appears differently in different situations, He is the same Hashem.

In Tosafos in Brachos 13b, it is paskened that if one is in a place during Kriyas Shema where he would be permitted to respond Shalom Aleichem to a person to whom he must show respect, then it stands to reason that he may also answer amein and Kedusha. However, if one is in the middle of Shemone Esrei, it would be forbidden. It is a kal vachomer that since between Go’al Yisrael and Shemone Esrei one is forbidden to be mafsik, then certainly in the middle of Shemone Esrei one would be forbidden to be mafsik.

Rabbeinu Tam would stop between Mi Kamocha and Shira Chadasha and answer all the ameins. Only afterward would he begin Shemone Esrei. He did this because Shira Chadasha discusses Kriyas Yam Suf, and that is what Rabbeinu Tam was somech his Shemone Esrei to—not something directly related to Yetzias Mitzrayim. From here we see that Kriyas Yam Suf was the culmination of Yetzias Mitzrayim. It is therefore considered the geulah that must immediately precede Shemone Esrei without any hefsek.

May we be zocheh to be like the people in Mitzrayim who were redeemed with great miracles, including Kriyas Yam Suf.

{Matzav.com}

A Holocaust museum based in Washington, D.C., sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after he drew a comparison between federal immigration enforcement and Nazi Germany, calling the remarks an offensive misuse of Holocaust history.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum responded on X by underscoring that Anne Frank had been “targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish.” The statement was issued a day after Walz held a press conference urging President Donald Trump to withdraw ICE and Border Patrol agents from Minnesota.

Speaking at the Sunday press conference, Walz said: “Allow our children to go back to school. We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.”

The museum pushed back forcefully, writing: “Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges.”

Walz’s remarks invoking Anne Frank followed a Border Patrol agent-involved shooting on Saturday that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti.

According to reporting by Breitbart News’s AWR Hawkins, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents were “conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.”

That incident occurred after another fatal encounter involving federal immigration authorities, in which 37-year-old Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent. Authorities said Good had “weaponized her vehicle” against ICE officers.

The DHS statement explained that agents were “conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault” when, during the operation, a man approached “U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.”

Reacting on social media, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, described as “Trump’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the State Department,” said Anne Frank’s experience has no connection to the state’s immigration issues, Fox News reported.

“Ignorance like this cheapens the horror of the Holocaust,” Kaploun stated. “Anne Frank was in Amsterdam legally and abided by Dutch law. She was hauled off to a death camp because of her race and religion.”

{Matzav.com}

The powerful winter storm that battered the Tri-State area cleared out of New York and Mew Jersey by Monday morning, but forecasters warned that the region is now facing an extended stretch of dangerously cold weather.

Snowfall totals from the system ranged between 8 and 12 inches across New York City. Central Park recorded 11.4 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Air travel remained heavily disrupted as the city began recovery efforts. More than 1,200 flights were canceled at local airports on Monday, following over 3,000 cancellations the day before.

City officials said cleanup operations were continuing around the clock. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said thousands of sanitation workers were still clearing roadways, with the administration aiming to restore regular city operations by Tuesday.

“Our goal is for all services to be fully restored by tomorrow, with all streets cleared, students back at school in person, and our city back to normal, albeit with a lot of snow piled up,” he said during a morning briefing at City Hall.

Later in the day, the mayor confirmed that New York City public schools would reopen Tuesday for in-person instruction, with all classes, programs, and activities proceeding as scheduled.

Even as snow removal continued, bitter cold had already settled over the region. Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that the frigid conditions would persist for more than a week.

“This Arctic siege on our state is unrelenting and will continue for the next nine days,” the governor said in an interview with 1010 WINS.

“There will not be a single part of New York that goes above freezing temperature for nine days,” the governor said. “And that’s what we have to anticipate, prepare for.”

Temperatures on Monday reached a high of 28 degrees, with RealFeel readings in the teens. Overnight lows are forecast around 12 degrees, with wind chills near zero.

The deep freeze is expected to intensify through the rest of the week, with daytime highs hovering near 20 degrees from Tuesday through Friday and continuing into the weekend.

{Matzav.com}

The main beis medrash of the Gerer Chassidus in Yerushalayim was formally sold this week for the symbolic sum of just 10 shekels, sparking widespread discussion within the chassidus on the eve of a major family wedding.

The sale took place at an official ceremony in which the rights to the beis medrash were transferred for full payment of 10 new shekels. While the price raised eyebrows, those familiar with the inner workings of Ger explained that the transaction follows a long-standing practice rooted in the court’s approach to kedushas beis hamedrash.

According to the tradition observed by the Gerer rebbes, the beis medrash is deliberately not registered in the name of the Rebbe himself. The concern, chassidim explain, is that activities occasionally take place in the building that are not fully in keeping with the desired level of sanctity, such as idle conversation or insufficient decorum. To avoid any association of such conduct with the Rebbe, the property is instead placed in the legal ownership of a respected senior chossid.

This custom dates back to the era of the Beis Yisrael, and was continued by subsequent Gerer Rebbes. Following the construction of the current beis medrash and world center of Ger, the Rebbe at the time instructed that ownership be transferred via a formal deed to the late Reb Chaim Yisrael Weinstein, a revered elder chossid, Holocaust survivor, and the father of baal tokeia Reb Moshe Aryeh Weinstein.

After Rabbi Weinstein’s passing several years ago, the legal rights to the beis medrash had not yet been reassigned—until now.

On Monday, acting on the Rebbe’s directive, Reb Yitzchak Meir Tauman of the beis medrash administration completed the sale, transferring ownership for 10 shekels to Reb Yitzchak Meir Spernovitz. Rabbi Spernovitz, a distinguished elder among Gerer chassidim in Yerushalayim, previously served as mashgiach ruchani at the Gerer Yeshiva L’tzeirim and is among the leaders of the Tohar HaMachaneh initiative. He is the son of the late Gerer baal tokeia, Reb Simcha Bunim Spernovitz.

The timing of the sale added to the attention it drew. This evening, the beis medrash hosted the wedding of a granddaughter of the Gerer Rebbe, a daughter of his son-in-law Reb Chaim Yehoshua Shor, who married a grandson of philanthropist Reb Yitzchak Shapira. The chuppah took place on the roof of the beis medrash.

What might appear at first glance to be a curious real-estate deal is, in truth, a reflection of a deeply ingrained Gerer tradition, one that highlights the care taken to preserve the kedusha of the beis medrash while maintaining a clear separation between the institution and the personal standing of the Rebbe himself.

{Matzav.com}

A practical and sensitive halachic question—whether it is permissible to publicize the name of a resident who has failed to pay vaad bayis (building maintenance) fees—was addressed during a chizuk gathering held at the home of Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein.

The gathering took place as the avreichim of Kollel Chafetz Chaim B’Iyun, part of the nationwide kollel network under the nesius of Rav Mordechai Shmuel Edelstein, marked the completion of their joint study of Sefer Chafetz Chaim.

The event was attended by senior rabbanim of the kollel network, including Rav Moshe Zakai and Rav Akiva Zaritzky, as well as the noted mezakeh harabbim Rav Aharon Margalit, author of Eshaleich.

Opening the gathering, Rav Zilberstein delivered a central address in which he spoke at length about the stature of the Chafetz Chaim, sharing striking insights and accounts of his conduct.

“If I were not afraid, I would say that the Chafetz Chaim was akin to the Rambam in his generation,” Rav Zilberstein said. “In his time, the Rambam was the rav of all of Klal Yisroel, and today it is similar with the Chafetz Chaim. His seforim are accepted everywhere, without dispute. Fortunate are you for immersing yourselves in the words of this giant of Torah.”

Following his remarks, Rav Zilberstein presented a contemporary halachic question to the assembled avreichim, as well as to philanthropist Rami Feller, who studies regularly b’chavrusa with the rav every Friday night: Is it permissible to post a notice on a building bulletin board stating that a particular family has not paid its vaad bayis dues?

Rav Zilberstein then cited the ruling he heard from his father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, that after proper warning, such publication is permitted.

“After giving prior notice, it is allowed,” Rav Zilberstein stated. “There is no prohibition of embarrassing someone or of lashon hara. The proof is from the Gemara in Kesubos, which states that one who refused to support his minor children was publicly proclaimed in the marketplace: ‘The cruel raven feeds its young, while So-and-so does not feed his children.’ We see that it is permitted to shame a person who fails to meet his obligations. All the more so in the case of a resident who benefits from the investments of his neighbors while refusing to repay them, which constitutes gezel.”

Rav Zilberstein added an additional proof from halacha, noting that Beis Din is permitted to seize a borrower’s assets in public, even though doing so may cause embarrassment, while entering the borrower’s home is prohibited. “Clearly,” he said, “the public nature of such an action is not forbidden, despite the resulting shame.”

The gathering concluded with a powerful song of tefillah, ‘Tehei hasha’ah hazos sha’as rachamim v’eis ratzon’. Rav Zilberstein himself joined in the dancing together with Rav Edelstein and the assembled participants. As the event drew to a close, Rav Zilberstein urged those present to return immediately to learning the Chafetz Chaim, emphasizing the importance of the daily practice of studying two halachos from the sefer. “It is truly extraordinary,” he said, “and it is a segulah for everything one may need.”

{Matzav.com}

A special Knesset team headed by MK Uri Maklev will examine the consequences of a banking initiative to make digital delivery the default method for sending account statements, amid warnings that the move would disproportionately harm chareidi families, the elderly, and new immigrants who lack consistent access to technology.

The review follows mounting opposition to a plan promoted by the banking sector, under the banner of “digital efficiency,” to stop mailing physical bank statements and instead send them by email unless customers actively opt out. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have pushed back against the proposal, arguing it would leave hundreds of thousands of households without reliable access to basic financial information.

Under the proposed policy, banks would discontinue routine postal delivery of checking account statements and transaction records, shifting to email as the default option. Critics say the move is designed to cut costs for banks while transferring the burden onto vulnerable populations who do not regularly use email or computers.

Opponents warned that without paper statements, many customers could remain unaware of overdrafts, interest changes, or account seizures until significant financial damage has already occurred. In response, the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, chaired by MK David Bitan, convened an urgent discussion at the initiative of Maklev and other lawmakers to halt the measure.

Speaking at the committee meeting, Maklev said the banking system must address technological gaps rather than pushing responsibility onto weaker customers. He rejected claims by bank representatives that it is impossible to identify which clients lack digital access, telling them that banks cannot decide who does or does not have digital literacy and should not attempt to make such determinations.

Maklev said many people rely exclusively on physical statements to understand what is happening in their accounts, noting that large numbers of customers do not use email or banking websites at all. He warned that hundreds of thousands — and possibly close to a million people — have no access to a computer, leaving elderly populations especially exposed. He cautioned that such customers would become easy targets for scams and fraud, adding that banks would not exempt anyone from fees or penalties simply because they were unaware of changes to their accounts.

MK Yoni Mshariki warned that technological progress is being used as an excuse to abandon those left behind, while also threatening livelihoods tied to the printing industry. He said the decision could effectively shut down the Be’eri printing house in the Negev, calling the outcome absurd. His remarks followed warnings from the plant’s CEO that the move would cause severe harm to a kibbutz still in the process of recovery.

Mshariki added that the policy would have far-reaching consequences, saying it would significantly impact large segments of the population, including chareidim, senior citizens, and new immigrants. He stressed that the Knesset’s role is to protect consumers and ensure their basic needs are met.

MK Yossi Taieb accused the banks of trying to maximize profits at the expense of weaker sectors and said opposition to the plan unites both coalition and opposition lawmakers. He said it was inconceivable to cut off entire communities from essential communication simply so banks could save money, asking whether it was acceptable for banks to earn hundreds of millions while denying basic service to those who need it most.

Taieb also said that providing account information by mail is part of the fundamental agreement between banks and their customers and should not be changed unilaterally.

At the close of the session, Committee Chairman David Bitan accepted the position advanced by the chareidi lawmakers and announced the formation of a dedicated Knesset team led by Maklev. The team will engage with the Bank of Israel and the Banking Association and is expected to present its findings within one month.

Chareidi representatives welcomed what they described as an important first step in stopping the initiative and said they would continue monitoring the issue to ensure that physical bank statements remain the default option. Without that safeguard, they warned, hundreds of thousands of citizens could be left effectively cut off from clear information about their financial affairs.

Naftali Bennett’s political party filed a police complaint on Monday against the ruling Likud party, accusing it of circulating a manipulated image that falsely depicted Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid celebrating with Arab politicians, Times of Israel reports. The complaint followed Likud’s sharing of the image after Arab parties announced last week that they would move toward reuniting under a joint slate ahead of the next Knesset election.

“The Bennett 2026 party has filed a police complaint against the Likud party for malicious forgery, regarding an edited and false photo that was published on the official account of the Likud party,” Bennett’s party said in a statement, noting that it would also file a petition with the Central Elections Committee.

“The State of Israel is facing a fateful election campaign, and therefore it is necessary to set red lines now,” the statement said. “We will fight every attempt to produce fake news that poisons the discourse and divides the country.”

Bennett, who previously served as prime minister, is broadly viewed as the leading political rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the country heads into elections later this year.

During the 2021–2022 period, Bennett joined forces with a coalition of parties opposed to Netanyahu, including the Islamist Ra’am party, bringing an end to Netanyahu’s more than 12 consecutive years in office.

Just days before the 2021 vote, Bennett had publicly pledged on live television that he would not form a government with Lapid or Ra’am, a promise he reversed shortly after the election.

That ideologically diverse coalition, jointly headed by Bennett and Lapid, marked the first time in decades that an Arab party was included in a governing alliance.

In the 2022 election, Likud returned to power under Netanyahu at the head of a bloc made up of far-right and chareidi parties, a coalition that has remained intact even after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Since Bennett’s role in pushing Netanyahu into the opposition, the prime minister and his allies have repeatedly attacked him, arguing that he would once again rely on Arab parties if given the opportunity to form a government.

As part of that ongoing campaign, Likud Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem said in a radio interview on 103FM on Monday that Bennett “should sit in prison.”

“He conned the nation of Israel. He stole the soul of right-wing voters,” he charged.

The controversy erupted days after four Arab parties — Hadash, Ra’am, Ta’al, and Balad — signed an agreement on Thursday committing to work toward reestablishing their Joint List alliance in the upcoming election.

The leaders of the parties — Hadash’s Ayman Odeh, Ra’am’s Mansour Abbas, Ta’al’s Ahmed Tibi, and Balad’s Sami Abu Shahadeh — were gathered in the city of Sakhnin during a nationwide general strike protesting police inaction in the face of escalating violent crime within the Arab community.

For months, negotiations over reviving the Joint List had stalled due to internal disputes, particularly between Ra’am and the other factions, largely centered on Abbas’s insistence that the alliance function only as a technical arrangement that would allow him to split off after the election and potentially join a governing coalition on his own.

Abbas later said that the other parties ultimately agreed to those terms, clearing the way for the signing of the agreement.

A spokesperson for one of the parties told The Times of Israel that the public announcement was effectively forced, mainly on Abbas, after intense pressure from Arab citizens demanding unity in the face of the crime crisis, with demonstrators in Sakhnin urging the leaders to act.

Arab communities recorded their deadliest year on record in 2025, with 252 people killed in homicides, and since the beginning of January, another 20 victims have been reported.

Nearly every Arab town and city shut down on Thursday as part of the protest, which grew out of a local strike in Sakhnin following a series of extortion-related shootings targeting local business owners.

{Matzav.com}

More than 55,000 children under the age of 3 in Yerushalayim — representing 79 percent of that age group — are enrolled in unlicensed and unsupervised daycare settings, the Knesset Research and Information Center reported Monday during a special discussion on early childhood education convened after two infants died last week at an illegal daycare facility in the city, Times of Israel reports.

The research presented to lawmakers showed that 55,100 children under 3 in Yerushalayim are not part of the supervised daycare system. Comparable figures include 13,400 children in Beit Shemesh, 12,000 in Bnei Brak, 7,500 in Tel Aviv, and 6,100 in Rahat who are also outside regulated frameworks.

Only 21 percent of toddlers in Yerushalayim are enrolled in supervised daycare programs, a figure far lower than in other major cities. By comparison, supervised enrollment stands at 44 percent in Bnei Brak, 45 percent in Ashdod, 49 percent in Netanya, 53 percent in Haifa, 55 percent in Cholon, 58 percent in Tel Aviv-Yaffo, 61 percent in Petach Tikva, 61 percent in Rishon Letzion, and 62 percent in Beersheva.

On a nationwide level, the highest rates of supervised daycare enrollment were recorded in Ness Ziona at 97 percent, followed by Har Adar at 94 percent, Rosh Pina at 88 percent, and Ramat Hasharon at 84 percent. The lowest rates were found in the Bedouin municipalities of Rahat, Arara, and Kuseife, where only 12 percent of young children attend licensed facilities.

The findings were presented to the Knesset Education Committee, which held a joint session with the Welfare Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child following the deaths of four-month-old Leah Goloventzitz and six-month-old Aharon Katz.

Both infants died, and another 53 babies and toddlers were injured to varying degrees, in an incident last Monday at an unlicensed daycare in Yerushalayim. Three caregivers from the facility were arrested in connection with the case.

Video footage from the scene indicated severe overcrowding, and police believe the two babies died from heat exhaustion and dehydration caused by a malfunctioning heating system.

Chareidi politicians have argued that the tragedy stemmed from efforts to conscript chareidi men into the IDF, which resulted in a 2024 High Court of Justice ruling ordering cuts to daycare subsidies for the children of draft evaders, although the prevalence of unlicensed daycare centers predates that decision by many years.

During Monday’s discussion in the Education Committee, Labor MK Naama Lazimi accused United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Yitzchok oldknopf of trying “to whitewash the disaster” and said he was “part of the problem.”

Committee chairman Zvi Sukkot of Religious Zionism responded by accusing Lazimi of inciting against the chareidi public.

Goldknopf said that while his party supports steps to prevent similar tragedies, he believes the caregivers involved were treated too harshly by authorities.

“They were held for several days in jail,” he said. “Whatever happened is in the past — you can’t charge someone if you don’t know they’re guilty.”

Likud MK Keti Shitrit, who heads the Committee on the Rights of the Child, expressed alarm that nearly half of Israel’s children under 3 are placed in unlicensed daycare environments.

“Why are the babies being neglected? There is a grave manpower shortage. Fifty percent of caregivers leave during the year. Parents are forced to send their kids to unsupervised daycares,” she said.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch told lawmakers that shutting down illegal daycare operations requires coordinated action across multiple authorities, and said his ministry lacks the ability to address the issue on its own.

“Pirate daycare centers are a phenomenon that has existed for decades. It is clear that we are trying to ensure that as many daycare centers as possible are licensed and supervised, but without cooperation between the police, the prosecutor’s office, local government and government ministries, we will not be able to deal with this,” Kisch said.

“I do not have the information or the authority to go to a neighborhood and check one apartment or another to see if there are children inside or not. Since the issue was transferred to the Education Ministry, thousands of kindergartens have registered and come under supervision,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

The Shin Bet on Monday disclosed fresh information about the intelligence trail that enabled Israeli forces to retrieve the body of Ran Gvili, the final deceased hostage held in Gaza.

The agency said that roughly a month earlier, Israeli forces carried out an operation in southern Gaza City in which an Islamic Jihad operative was captured. The suspect had taken part in combat activity against IDF troops during the war and was transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning.

According to the Shin Bet, the detainee confessed during interrogation to being involved in moving Ran Gvili’s body between multiple locations and provided the names of additional terrorists who were aware of where he was ultimately buried.

Information gathered through the investigation reinforced intelligence assessments that the burial site was located at the Al-Batsh cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip.

Based on that intelligence, the Shin Bet said Israeli forces launched a wide-ranging operation in the area, during which Ran Gvili’s body was located, identified, and brought back to Israel.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said Monday that he held a productive phone conversation with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, paving the way for a meeting Tuesday between the mayor and the administration’s “border czar” following deadly shootings involving federal agents and days of violent unrest in Minnesota.

“I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Lots of progress is being made!

“Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion.”

Frey, a Democrat, confirmed the call and said he welcomed the dialogue with the president.

“I expressed how much Minneapolis has benefited from our immigrant communities and was clear that my main ask is that Operation Metro Surge needs to end,” the mayor wrote on X.

According to Frey, the president acknowledged that the situation on the ground was untenable.

“The president agreed the present situation can’t continue,” Frey said.

“Some federal agents will begin leaving the area tomorrow, and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go,” he continued.

In the aftermath of the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents, US Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino and a number of agents have been directed to leave Minneapolis, sources told The Post.

The directive does not apply to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and does not cover all Border Patrol personnel operating in the area.

At the same time, Homan has been sent to Minnesota to assume control of immigration enforcement efforts there, replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Tensions escalated earlier this month when anti-ICE protester Renee Good, 37, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent after she drove her SUV toward him on Jan. 7.

In a separate incident, ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed during a confrontation with Border Patrol agents. Pretti was carrying a handgun but was reportedly disarmed by agents before he was fatally shot.

{Matzav.com}

US Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino has been instructed to leave Minneapolis along with several agents, marking a sharp reversal in federal operations in the city following the deaths of two US citizens during confrontations involving federal law enforcement this month, according to reports.

The directive does not apply to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nor does it cover every Border Patrol agent stationed in the area.

Still, Fox reported that Bovino is expected to depart the state “imminently,” alongside the agents being pulled back.

Bovino has faced mounting criticism for his aggressive style of immigration enforcement, as well as for statements he made Saturday asserting that Pretti was wielding a firearm before Border Patrol agents shot him.

Unrest has gripped Minneapolis since Jan. 7, when anti-ICE protester and mother of three Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot by an ICE agent after she drove her SUV toward him.

The situation escalated further on Saturday with the killing of a second American, Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse. Authorities believe an accidental discharge from his own gun — after it had been taken from him — may have prompted agents to open fire.

According to officials, Pretti had a pistol tucked into his waistband when he stepped between a protester and ICE agents. Border Patrol agents tackled him, disarmed him, and he was shot and killed during the ensuing struggle.

Following Pretti’s death, tensions surged to a breaking point, with some Republicans openly calling for the Department of Homeland Security to remove its personnel from the city — a notable divergence from President Trump’s immigration agenda.

Over the weekend, Bovino repeatedly labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” claimed he intended to “massacre” immigration officers, and accused Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz, of “inciting” the disorder.

President Trump, however, struck a more conciliatory tone on Monday, indicating progress in discussions with Minnesota’s governor.

“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a sharp warning after the government postponed a vote on the state budget, signaling that the delay could trigger the collapse of the Knesset.

The budget had been set for a vote on Monday, but the schedule was pushed to Wednesday after the chareidi parties refused to back it, citing the government’s failure to advance a Draft Law.

The chareidi factions, United Torah Judaism and Shas, said they would not support the budget until they are able to meet with the Knesset’s legal adviser about the status of the Draft Law.

Their insistence stems from a desire to first clarify legal issues surrounding the promotion of the conscription legislation with the Knesset’s legal advisers.

In response, Smotrich delivered a blunt message to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, declaring, “If the budget does not pass today, it does not pass at all. Let’s dissolve the Knesset.”

Until Monday morning, coalition leaders believed that Shas and Degel Hatorah would back the budget in its first reading, based on an understanding that the second and third readings would move forward only after the Draft Law was passed.

That expectation unraveled when the chareidi parties informed Netanyahu they would not support the vote as planned and asked for a postponement. Netanyahu agreed to delay the vote in order to address unresolved legal concerns.

Amid the growing crisis, Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting that included Smotrich, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, and Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism.

{Matzav.com}

By Rabbi Shraga Freedman

I wanted to share with Matzav readers a powerful story that took place in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy that occurred in Yerushalayim last week, when two young children died in a charedi daycare. It appears that there was overheating, and as a result, two infants, one three months old and one six months old, were niftar, R”l.

I believe the story below captures something profound about how the Jewish people can navigate deep and painful machlokes within our nation.

The tensions in Israel between the charedi community and the rest of the population are currently at an all time high. Many people have accused the charedi public of an overall culture of lawlessness.

One such person is Chaggai Luber. Chaggai, a religious Zionist, lost his twenty four year old son, Yonatan, in Gaza last year. He has since been an outspoken critic of certain aspects of the charedi world.

This past week, Chaggai joined the many Israelis who felt anger, and even a sense of smugness in reaction to the daycare tragedy.

He wrote in a post:

“And I too participated yesterday, at least as a listener, in the collective frenzy.
And I too clicked my tongue at “the irresponsible parents….”
And I too read about “a culture of contempt, lawbreaking, and irresponsibility among the charedim.”
And I too hurried to reach a verdict and take a stance.
And I too wallowed in that same murky swamp.”

But then he wrote that his wife reminded him of something. Chani Katz, the mother of one of the children who died in that daycare, had once visited the Luber family during their shiva.

Not only that, but when she came, she brought with her a heart shaped necklace bearing Yonatan’s image. It was part of a large jewelry project she launched after October 7, to commemorate those who were killed in the war.

In a social media post, Chaggai wrote that in that moment everything changed. The charedim were no longer a faceless group to criticize. They were people. Brothers and sisters. Broken parents.

He wrote:

והיא עמדה לפני, אמא במלא כאבה,
במלא צערה.
במלא אובדנה

“And I saw her standing before me. A mother filled with hurt. Filled with pain. Filled with loss.”

ומה קרה לי, אב שכול שהצטרפתי לחגיגה
ונסחפתי, אפילו במחשבה, לאותו מחול האשמות נורא.
כשהמתים עוד מוטלים לפנינו, עוד לפני הקבורה.

“What happened to me, a bereaved father, that I joined in the celebration against the charedim? That I got carried away, even if only in thought, into that terrible dance of blame, while the dead were still before us, even before burial?”

והתחרטתי וכמעט שקרעתי קריעה

“And I regretted it. And I almost tore my clothes in mourning.”

This story, I believe, carries within it an answer to the existential struggle of painful machlokes in Klal Yisrael. We can disagree strongly, even passionately, and still truly feel another person’s pain. We can see the most human side (tzelem elokim) of those with whom we differ.

Chani Katz, who carried her own ideological worldview, nevertheless entered the home of grieving parents and joined them in their mourning. Her ability to feel the pain of others created a remarkable transformation in someone who had been emotionally closed off to her world.

This is the challenge of our generation. How to defend Torah values with vigor and conviction, while remaining faithful to Torah’s call for love, dignity, and respect. We can unequivocally reject ideas without rejecting people.

And perhaps the most compelling defense of our values is not the force of condemnation, but the integrity of our conduct. Living as a reflection of Hashem, as mekadshei Hashem, to the point that the Name of Heaven becomes beloved through us.

(This story was adapted with permission from the following article: https://nertamid.net/sermons/praying-for-the-ayatollah-parshas-bo/)

Rabbi Shraga Freedman

Living Kiddush Hashem Foundation

Email LivingKiddushHashem@gmail.com for a free file of stories and sefer Mekadshei Shemecha. Visit LivingKiddushHashem.org for more resources.

Ye has again publicly apologized for years of antisemitic remarks, purchasing a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in which he linked his behavior to past, untreated health issues.

“I lost touch with reality,” the rapper and fashion designer formerly known as Kanye West wrote in the ad. Elsewhere in the statement, he added, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”

Since late 2022, Ye has repeatedly drawn outrage from Jewish communities worldwide and from much of his own audience. That period began when he threatened to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” The following year, he aired a Super Bowl commercial promoting T-shirts featuring swastikas and later released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” which was recently played by a group of far-right antisemitic influencers, including Nick Fuentes, at a Miami nightclub in a widely shared video.

The Wall Street Journal advertisement is the latest in a string of apologies from Ye. Previous attempts included a May 2025 statement declaring that he was “done with antisemitism,” as well as a personal apology delivered to Rav Pinto in November.

In the ad, Ye said he suffered a head injury in a car accident 25 years ago that went undiagnosed until 2023, an injury he said “caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.” Ye has spoken publicly for years about living with bipolar disorder.

Describing his mindset at the time, Ye wrote, “In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it.” He referred to periods of “disconnected moments” and “reckless behavior” related to his condition, while emphasizing, “It does not excuse what I did, though.”

He also extended an apology “to the black community – which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times.” After he openly embraced Nazi imagery and rhetoric, following earlier promotion of the phrase “White lives matter,” many former allies and collaborators in the Black community distanced themselves from him. Despite that, his music continues to circulate widely on social media, frequently used as background for Instagram posts and other user-created content.

Ye said he is now pursuing an “effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living,” and closed the ad by writing, “I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”

His typically active social media accounts, which have previously featured antisemitic language and imagery, were silent Monday morning following the publication of the ad.

Ye has continued to perform live and maintains a busy concert schedule. He is slated to headline two major shows in Mexico City later this week.

Despite the renewed apologies, Ye’s past antisemitic statements continue to fuel extremist figures online. In recent days, Candace Owens, a far-right commentator and antisemitic conspiracy theorist whose collaborations with Ye helped spark his public antisemitic turn, resurfaced some of his original antisemitic posts for her audience. “This tweet is a whole vibe,” she wrote in reference to his “death con 3″ tweet. Owens has also been promoting claims that Israel was involved in Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said Monday that Hamas played a role in helping locate the remains of the last Israeli hostage, saying the group must now fulfill its pledge to lay down its weapons as the process moves into its next phase.

Speaking in a joint interview with Axios and Israel’s Channel 12, Trump said the recovery of Ran Gvili’s body завершed the return of all Israeli hostages — both alive and deceased — under the first stage of his peace framework. He noted that many Israeli officials had initially doubted that every hostage could be accounted for, assuming some remains would never be found.

Trump said the operation to locate and identify the body was harrowing and complex. He told Axios and Channel 12 that teams faced a grim reality on the ground, explaining that the work was “very tough” because they “had to go through hundreds of bodies.” He added, “It was a hard scene.”

Despite years of enmity, Trump said Hamas cooperated during the search. “They worked very hard to get the body back. They were working with Israel on it,” he said, adding that details shared by Hamas helped make the recovery possible.

With the first phase now completed, Trump said there are no longer barriers standing in the way of the next steps. He recalled that the effort to bring back every hostage had been widely doubted, but said those doubts have now been put to rest. “Nobody believed we would bring back all the hostages. It was a great moment,” he said, stressing that only the families and the people of Israel can fully grasp what it means to bring home every last trace of those taken.

Trump said the focus must now turn to enforcing the next part of the agreement, which calls for Hamas to disarm. “Now we have to disarm Hamas as they promised,” he said.

He said he received updates Monday morning from advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and later spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, whom he said “was thrilled.” Trump also pointed back to comments he made last week suggesting that the sides were close to finding the final hostage.

Recalling a recent meeting with the family, Trump asked that his reaction be conveyed to Gvili’s parents. “Please tell the parents I am very happy,” he told Axios and Channel 12.

Trump later spoke with Channel 13 reporter Neria Kraus after Gvili’s remains were returned to Israel. “We are very happy about Gvili’s return,” Trump said, describing it as “a great honor to be part of this process and to be involved in it.”

He said he had spent time with Gvili’s parents and with other families who lost loved ones, calling the recovery something few believed could be achieved. “I got to know Ran Gvili’s parents and his family, and other families as well,” he said. “It’s an amazing achievement. Nobody thought it was possible.”

Asked about the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the region, Trump told Channel 13 that “the process in the Middle East is significant and very important.”

The chief executive of one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies has issued a stark warning about the dangers posed by the very technology his firm is developing. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, published a 38-page essay cautioning that the next major threat from artificial intelligence may come from AI companies themselves as the technology rapidly accelerates.

“It is somewhat awkward to say this as the CEO of an AI company, but I think the next tier of risk is actually AI companies themselves,” wrote Dario Amodei, who leads Anthropic, on Monday.

Amodei warned that if current trends continue, artificial intelligence could soon outperform humans at “essentially everything,” a shift he said could have sweeping and destabilizing consequences. Among the risks he outlined were widespread job displacement, heightened terror threats, increased power for authoritarian governments, and a political environment in which leaders are reluctant to impose limits because of the immense influence and financial stakes tied to AI.

He explained that the purpose of the essay was to shake policymakers, industry leaders, and the public into confronting those dangers before they become unmanageable. “The years in front of us will be impossibly hard, asking more of us than we think we can give,” he wrote.

The essay builds on earlier efforts by Amodei and others to push for stronger guardrails on artificial intelligence. It follows a “Statement on Superintelligence” released in October that called for limits on AI development and has since been signed by more than 100,000 people, including prominent figures from the worlds of technology, entertainment, royalty, politics, and business.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump voiced disbelief that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is contemplating a run for the presidency, saying the governor’s stewardship of the state makes such ambitions hard to fathom. Trump argued that California’s problems under Newsom’s leadership would undermine any national campaign.

“I’m amazed Gavin wants to run for office,” Trump told The California Post in an Oval Office interview following his administration’s legal action against California over sanctuary policies, allegations of fraud, and the move to reclaim federal funds.

Trump, who owns a golf course in the state, said his view of California has soured as conditions there have deteriorated during Newsom’s tenure.

“People love the dream of California, but they hate what’s happening to them,” Trump said.

He added that the state is suffering from a lack of effective leadership, contending that its current governor has failed to deliver.

“Gavin’s incompetent,” he said.

Newsom has been adopting a sharper social media approach as he builds a national profile and currently tops early polling for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, according to RealClearPolitics averages.

Those figures show Newsom with 24% support among Democrats, ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris at 21%, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11%, and New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 8%.

Trump predicted that Newsom’s tenure in California would be a central issue on the campaign trail, pointing in particular to the state’s troubled high-speed rail initiative intended to link Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The rail effort, now estimated to cost $135 billion, is the most expensive train project in U.S. history.

Earlier this month, Newsom touted progress on the project during his State of the State address.

“Speaking of tracks, we’re finally laying them,” Newsom said, citing more than 60 miles of guideway completed in the Central Valley, land acquisitions, and environmental approvals for much of the route.

Trump dismissed those claims and reiterated his criticism of the project.

“He has the train, the train to nowhere, that was supposed to be a simple train that went from San Francisco to Los Angeles,” he said. “It’s the greatest cost run over that I’ve ever seen.”

“I could have built that thing, and I could have built that thing in one year,” Trump said.

Originally slated for completion in 2020, the rail line is now projected to reach a limited Central Valley segment between Bakersfield and Merced sometime around 2030, well short of California’s largest cities.

The project has also faced persistent financing troubles, with federal funding repeatedly withdrawn and reinstated, leaving state taxpayers responsible for keeping construction moving.

Trump suggested that the rail project is emblematic of broader issues in the state.

He also said his personal relationship with Newsom has deteriorated sharply since his first term.

“I used to get along with him, but now it’s sort of a hopeless situation. They’ve gone radical left. They’re crazy,” he said.

Newsom, as he weighs a 2028 presidential bid, attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, at the same time as Trump.

During the gathering, Newsom publicly criticized Trump’s actions in office and accused global leaders of yielding to the U.S. president.

Trump confirmed to The NY Post that he briefly spoke with Newsom in Davos but declined to elaborate.

“I saw him in Davos,” he said. “I spoke to him. I spoke to him fine.”

{Matzav.com}