Feed aggregator

A French couple, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained in Iran for more than three years, are now facing new charges of espionage on behalf of Israel and conspiring to overthrow the regime, according to reports by the AFP news agency citing a Western diplomatic source. The source emphasized there is “no basis” for the allegations.

The French Foreign Ministry issued a swift and strong condemnation, calling the couple’s detention “completely arbitrary” and demanding their release.

This development comes on the heels of recent reports that a group of Jews residing in Iran had also been arrested by the regime and cut off from contact with family and acquaintances. Rumors spread suggesting they were accused of spying for Israel and maintaining ties with Israeli agents, against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The reports have sparked serious concern among Iran’s Jewish community, which fears the regime’s notorious record of false accusations and summary executions. However, Homayoun Sameh, the Jewish community’s representative in the Iranian parliament, dismissed the claims.

Sameh stated that the detained individuals were not arrested for espionage, but rather for holding unauthorized family celebrations, and that their release is expected shortly. “Their arrest has nothing to do with spying,” he said.

He added that during the recent “12-day war,” several Iranian Jews were killed and referred to as “martyrs of Zionist aggression,” asserting that this fact demonstrates the local Jewish community’s loyalty and support for Iran.

{Matzav.com}

The government’s top vaccine official working under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently restricted the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released Wednesday. The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency’s vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna. Both vaccines were approved by the FDA in May after months of analysis by rank-and-file FDA reviewers. But internal correspondence show Prasad disagreed with staffers who planned to approve the shots for everyone 12 and older, similar to previous COVID vaccines. The scientists had concluded the benefit from the vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 outweighed the risk of possible side effects, which are rare. Instead Prasad decided the shots should be limited to those who face special risks from the virus— seniors or children and adults with underlying medical issues. Prasad explained that the COVID vaccine benefits must be reconsidered in light of falling rates of death and hospitalization and the possibility for vaccine side effects. It’s the latest in a series of vaccine restrictions imposed by officials working under Kennedy, who has long questioned the benefits of vaccines. “Even rare vaccination related harms both known and unknown now have higher chance of outweighing potential benefits” Prasad wrote in a five-page memo explaining his decision. COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months. Top FDA leaders are typically not involved in the review of individual products. Officials like Prasad can overrule staffers, but such cases are rare and often controversial. News of the FDA documents was first reported by the New York Times. Prasad was hired to lead the FDA’s vaccine center in May, after the previous director, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign over disagreements with Kennedy. An academic researcher specializing in cancer therapies, Prasad came to prominence during the pandemic for criticizing public health measures, including the FDA’s approval of COVID boosters for healthy adults and children. Since arriving at the agency he has worked with FDA Commissioner Mark Makary on new guidelines that will limit approvals of future COVID boosters to higher-risk Americans, mainly seniors and those with medical conditions like asthma and obesity. Those limits match the terms FDA recently approved for Novavax’s shot, Nuvaxovid and Moderna’s mNexspike. Novavax’s vaccine is the only protein-based coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Moderna’s vaccine is an updated, lower-dose version of its existing mRNA-based vaccine. The review team for the Novavax vaccine pointed to data from a study in 30,000 adults, concluding that “the risk-benefit assessment for this vaccine technology remains favorable.” FDA staff reached a similar conclusion for the Moderna vaccine, deeming it similar in safety and effectiveness to the company’s original shot. Last week, the FDA finalized new warning labeling about the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation, on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, the other maker of an mRNA-based shot for COVID. In his “override memo,” reversing FDA staff’s decision on the Moderna shot, Prasad pointed to the […]

Senior Hamas political leaders based in Qatar have been instructed to relinquish their personal weapons, according to a report by the UK’s The Times on Wednesday. The move reportedly comes in response to increased U.S. pressure aimed at securing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Those affected include Khalil al-Hayya, who heads the Hamas delegation conducting ceasefire talks; Zaher Jabarin, responsible for the group’s financial operations; and Muhammad Ismail Darwish, head of the Hamas religious council and a key representative in diplomatic visits to countries such as Turkey and Iran. According to sources cited by Ynet, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz recently named al-Hayya as next on Israel’s list of targets for elimination. Fear for his life appears to have influenced his approach to negotiations, those close to him say. He has indicated support for the latest ceasefire proposal and is no longer opposing a temporary truce, despite Hamas’s earlier insistence that any hostage release must be contingent on a permanent end to the war. Qatar’s directive that al-Hayya and his security team disarm has reportedly added to his sense of vulnerability, possibly increasing the likelihood that the current proposal will move forward. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

After parshiyos that discussed the tragic accounts of the meraglim and Korach, this week’s parsha begins with an elevated vision of life steeped in Torah. “Zos chukas haTorah, adam ki yomus ba’ohel.” This is the way of Torah: spiritual living demands sacrifice. Those who seek to bind themselves to Torah shed the layers of material life, dedicating themselves to growth, meaning, and eternity. Their lives revolve around Torah, and they steer away from pursuits that distract from their spiritual ascent.

Rashi, quoting the Medrash Tanchuma, tells us that the Soton and the nations of the world mock this mitzvah. They ask: What sense is there in the Parah Adumah? What logic can justify it? The Torah anticipates this, so it emphasizes that this command is a chok, a Divine decree beyond human understanding. We follow it because it comes from Hashem.

We are not expected to explain the Torah to those who mock it. We do not owe the world rationales for our practices. We follow the chok, the word of Hashem, with humility and resolve, and through that, we survive and flourish in a world saturated with falsehood.

A story is told of a lion that encountered a chicken and began to choke it. “Why are you doing this to me?” the chicken cried. “I never harmed you.”

The lion answered plainly, “Because I can.”

For much of our history, that was the attitude of the world toward the Jewish people. For centuries, we were tormented without reason, our loyalty and intelligence questioned, our very existence scorned. The Torah teaches us not to justify ourselves to those who wish only to ridicule. Engaging with them is fruitless. Their questions are not sincere. Their aim is not clarity, but derision.

Torah, the ultimate wisdom, does not conform to conventional logic. Its truths are not confined to what the human mind can grasp. We accept the chukim alongside the mishpotim, with the understanding that our bond to Hashem transcends reason. Torah living is not a matter of intellect alone. It is a covenant rooted in submission, in faith, in eternity.

Greatness in Torah is not achieved through brilliance, but through purity, diligence, and humility. Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach would often recount the story of Rashi, who, before writing his timeless commentary, traveled extensively to ensure that no greater peirush already existed. Only after his search proved fruitless did he begin his monumental work. As he wrote, he fasted hundreds of times, begging that his words would reflect Divine truth and help propel people to the truth.

Rav Shach would become emotional as he retold this story. To him, it represented the essence of Torah greatness: not ego or intellectual conquest, but deep humility, responsibility, and fidelity to mesorah.

Rav Aharon Kotler, in Mishnas Rav Aharon on Parshas Korach, explores the unique role of shevet Levi, the shevet set apart from all the rest to serve in the Mishkon and rule on matters of halacha. They were not given a portion in the land, which would have encumbered them with caring for it, planting and harvesting for their sustenance. Instead, they relied on terumos and maaseros from the rest of the nation.

Rav Aharon asks: If their service was so vital, why were they left financially dependent on others? Wouldn’t this create instability and pressure, especially when considering that the reason for the terumos and maaseros – and them not owning property – was so that they would not be worried about earning a livelihood?

His answer is profound: Precisely because they were spiritual leaders, they needed to be protected from arrogance. Had they been self-sufficient and financially secure, they might have grown proud and disconnected from the people. But Torah leadership demands humility. Financial dependency served as a safeguard against conceit. For without humility, a person cannot merit siyata diShmaya, Divine assistance. Hashem detests arrogance, as the posuk says, “Toavas Hashem kol gevah lev.” Someone who is conceited cannot properly understand Torah and arrive at the proper p’sak halacha. Someone who is conceited will be lacking the siyata diShmaya necessary to pasken correctly.

To grow in Torah, intelligence alone is not enough. Torah is unlike any other form of knowledge. It is a Divine gift, granted to those who approach it with reverence and self-effacement. This principle holds true for communal leadership as well.

A group of askonim devised a solution to a communal issue. Before implementing it, they consulted with a senior communal leader, who told them that he favored their approach but must first consult with Rav Shach before signing off on it. When the plan was presented to Rav Shach, he rejected it outright, saying that he saw from the Chofetz Chaim that their approach is wrong.

The group was convinced that they had thoroughly analyzed the issue and arrived at a perfect solution. Convinced that Rav Shach rejected it because the plan wasn’t properly explained to him, they went themselves to meet Rav Shach to discuss with him their solution to the pressing communal crisis.

Rav Shach told them, “I will not debate your arguments, and for all I know, your thoughts might be correct. But Klal Yisroel is not led by conclusions and thoughts of smart people. Klal Yisroel is led by mesorah, tradition. If the mesorah from the Chofetz Chaim is that we don’t engage in something like that, then we don’t do it, no matter how smart it seems, for following our mesorah is the proper course of action.”

This is a vital truth in every generation. Too often, people believe that they know better than the Torah. They view themselves as visionaries, convinced that their solutions are superior to those passed down through generations. But such confidence often stems from arrogance, not insight. And without humility and mesorah, even the most well-intentioned leader can lead others astray.

We see people who are consumed by a problem and believe that they have the perfect solution. They fail to properly consider it, as they are convinced of their intelligence and leadership abilities, but due to their conceit, they lack the siyata diShmaya required to arrive at proper decisions.

They think that their reasoning is impeccable, but they fail to consider the mesorah—namely, how gedolim who came before them thought and acted.

No one, as smart as he thinks he is and as pressing as the problem he faces is, has a right to present plans that differ from our mesorah. Doing so causes mayhem and fails to solve problems. The logic may be compelling, but it is still wrong.

People in our day are led astray by those who claim to understand the reasoning for different halachos and temper them to mesh with the times.

History has shown us the dangers of this path. The Conservative and Reform movements arose from attempts to modernize halacha—to “rationalize” it, to make it more palatable. The result was a tragedy of assimilation and spiritual confusion, as they caused many to deviate from halacha and mesorah, leading millions of Jews astray.

To us, it sounds ridiculous that they maintain institutions that they refer to as “yeshivos” and have halachic decisors who write so-called teshuvos, as if they are following the Torah. Through the implementation of what they refer to as logic, they have so dramatically twisted halacha as to make it meaningless for their millions of followers.

Once mitzvos are rationalized and twisted to conform to someone’s human understanding of them and their concepts, the halachos become compromised and eventually are totally lost.

Those who study Torah while lacking yiras Shomayim, respect for mesorah and humility ultimately destroy instead of build, obscure instead of reveal, and cause others to repel the Torah instead of drawing closer to it.

When they first began, we regularly reported on the actions and teachings of those in the Open Orthodoxy movement, who follow in the path of the founders of the Conservative movement. Their hypocrisy, true intentions and the sad path they have followed have become obvious to all. We should never cease to remind all that the leaders and clergy of this group are not Orthodox in thought, practice, attitude or approach.

Their teshuvos and drashos mock tradition and halacha, and are fanciful attempts to have the Torah conform with current progressive thought, bearing little relation to the reality of Torah thought and interpretation. Though they claim to uphold the Torah, their reinterpretations and institutions consistently erode its foundations.

Rav Elchonon Wasserman explained the posuk of “Tzidkoscha tzedek le’olam” (Tehillim 119:142) to mean that man cannot fathom the depths of Hashem’s justice, for society and its concepts are ever changing. What is considered just in one generation is viewed as unjust in the next. But “veSorascha emes,” the truth of Torah is everlasting. It neither changes for the times nor conforms to them.

Zos chukas haTorah. Torah is a chok. Torah is neither about impressive dissertations nor social welfare and contracting with a good marketing firm. It is about following the will of the Creator as expressed in Torah Shebiksav and Torah Shebaal Peh.

Chazal say (Taanis 30, et al), “Kol hamisabel al Yerushalayim zocheh veroeh besimchosah.” In order to merit enjoying the rebuilding of Yerushalayim, one must mourn its destruction.

When justice is man-made, there is always going to be inequality, mistakes, and feelings of division, for the system is inherently only as good as the mortals who formulate the laws and enforce and adjudicate them.

What society considers just is ever-changing. But the truth of Torah is eternal.

So when the parsha begins with the words “Zos chukas haTorah,” it is telling us that Torah is not a philosophy, nor is it a social framework or a platform for pontification. Torah represents the Divine truth through which the world was created and which we must follow to exist successfully in the world that was created through it and for it.

The lesson for us is that we cause the flame of Torah to burn brightly within us as a steady blaze that warms everything in its path. Let mitzvos be more than obligations. Let them be the song of our lives. Let us dance to the rhythm of halacha, not out of habit or pressure, but out of deep joy and knowledge that this is the correct way to live our lives.

Let us endeavor for our tefillah to carry the urgency of someone who knows he is speaking to the One who created heaven, earth and us. Let our learning feel like a reunion with eternity. When we sit down to learn, no matter the time of day or night, let the pages of the Gemara pulse in our hands, like living breath, providing us the very oxygen we need to survive.

Let us ensure that our homes and shuls shine with sincerity, the glowing warmth of love and authenticity. Let us raise our children so they see Torah as the heartbeat of life. Let our neighbors feel kindness radiating from us. Let us uplift people and not put people down. Let us be warm and not cold, friendly and not distant.

We are students of Torah, its bearers, its heirs. We are the link in a chain that stretches back to Har Sinai, a chain forged by brilliance and by fire—the fire of bitachon, sacrifice, and unwavering loyalty to Torah, halacha and mesorah.

The fire of Torah that brings life to everything.

The summer sun stretches long across our days, casting a softer light and a slower rhythm upon our lives. With the burdens of routine temporarily lifted, we instinctively breathe a little deeper, hoping to recharge, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

But the Torah doesn’t go on vacation. The weekly parshiyos continue to echo through our lives, each one a reminder of who we are and what we’re here for.

As we review Israel’s miraculous military triumphs that defied logic and revealed the Hand of Hashem, we are reminded that Jewish survival is never natural. It is always supernatural. At the same time, we begin to approach the somber days of Tammuz, entering the shadowed corridor of the Three Weeks, when we mourn not only the loss of the physical Bais Hamikdosh, but also the resulting spiritual distance that has become part of our lives.

And so, this calm season offers more than leisure. It offers clarity. It is a time to pause and ask ourselves the questions we so often silence during the year’s noise: Where am I really headed? Am I living deliberately, or drifting gently in the current? What can I be doing better and how can I accomplish that?

We sit on porches and benches, feeling the stillness, while inside something stirs. A whisper. A nudge. A subtle call to return. To reflect. To realign. Because even as the world seems to slow, the neshomah does not rest. It seeks direction, meaning, and connection. It seeks the fire of purpose, even in the warmth of summer.

This is the time to look inward, to look upward, and to let the sunlight not only warm our skin, but also awaken our hearts and help us prepare for the great day when the new light will shine with the coming of Moshiach very soon.

{Matzav.com}

Ongoing friction between justices on Israel’s Supreme Court has exposed deep ideological divides and is creating mounting pressure for reform within the court’s ranks. The growing tension, particularly over how cases with high public profiles are handled, has placed conservative Justice Noam Sohlberg at odds with Supreme Court President Yitzchak Amit, who is known for his judicial activism.

Recent rulings and hearings have drawn criticism from both legal experts and the media, with many alleging that the court is projecting a one-sided tone and failing to maintain the objectivity and balance expected in major legal decisions.

These concerns were amplified last week as the court deliberated on several sensitive cases, including the outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the appointment of General Zini, and matters relating to the Civil Service Commission. During these proceedings, sharp disagreements emerged between the justices, with Chief Justice Amit adopting an assertive, activist stance.

In one notable exchange during the debate over General Zini’s appointment, Justice Alex Stein responded to the Attorney General’s representative by asserting that a prime minister has the right to disagree with the legal opinion of the attorney general. Justice Amit sharply opposed this, stating, “I do not agree. If every minister makes up his own law, we’ll be meeting here every day.”

Tensions reached a new level when Justice Stein accused the attorney general’s position of contradicting a previous Supreme Court ruling, a claim Justice Amit rejected outright. The dispute highlighted not only ideological differences but also a growing frustration within the court’s leadership.

Against this backdrop, legal affairs journalist Netael Bendel of Ynet reported that Justice Sohlberg has held several private discussions with Chief Justice Amit, advocating for more diversity in judicial panels—both ideologically and numerically—when hearing cases of major public importance. Sohlberg reportedly believes that expanding the number of justices and varying their perspectives would bolster the court’s professional integrity and public trust.

However, this proposal presents a serious dilemma for Justice Amit. Agreeing to broader and more ideologically diverse panels could dilute the court’s activist orientation, particularly as some of the newer judges, like Justices Mintz and Elron, lean toward a more conservative judicial philosophy than judges such as Amit or Barak-Erez.

Moreover, moving away from the traditional seniority-based system Amit uses for appointing justices to panels could erode his influence. This was seen clearly during the recent debate on Zini’s appointment, where Amit found himself at odds with Justices Stein and Canfy Steinitz.

Ultimately, the situation poses a fundamental question about the role of the Chief Justice. If Yitzchak Amit cannot effectively guide the outcomes of the court’s most critical discussions, then what added value does his leadership truly bring?

{Matzav.com Israel}

Astronomers are monitoring an object headed our way that may have wandered over from another star system. Scientists have discovered what might be only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system, the European Space Agency said Wednesday. The harmless object is currently near Jupiter hundreds of millions of miles (kilometers) away and moving toward Mars, but it should get no closer to the sun than that, according to scientists. It’s too soon to know whether the object, designated for now as A11pl3Z, is a rocky asteroid or a icy comet, or how big and what shape it is. More observations are needed to confirm its origins. NASA said it is monitoring the situation. Astrophysicist Josep Trigo-Rodriguez of the Institute of Space Sciences near Barcelona, Spain, believes it is an interstellar object based on its odd path and extreme speed cutting through the solar system. He estimates its size at roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) across. The first confirmed interstellar visitor was in 2017. It was dubbed Oumuamua, Hawaiian for scout, in honor of the observatory in Hawaii that discovered it. Classified at first as an asteroid, the elongated Oumuamua has since showed signs of being a comet. The second object confirmed to have strayed from another star system into our own is 21/Borisov, discovered in 2019 and believed to be a comet. (AP)

The families of the hostages Maxim Herkin, 37, and Bar Kupershtein, 23, gave permission for a clip of a Hamas propaganda video to be published on Thursday. The clip is from a longer video which is intended to voice the families’ cry against the possibility of a partial hostage release deal that would include “cruel selections” and “separation between blood and blood.” The clip was taken from a video published by Hamas in April, but at that time, the Herkin and Kupershtein families did not approve its publication. Maxim Herkin, the father of a three-year-old girl, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival. His mother has Russian citizenship. Bar Kupershtein’s abduction was the second major blow in the family in recent years. His father was severely injured several years ago when he stopped to help someone on the side of the road and remains severely disabled. Bar began working full-time after his father was injured to support his parents and four younger siblings. He was working as a guard at the festival when he was abducted. Bar’s mother, Julie, became frum a number of years ago and has been very active in organizing tefillos and other events related to ruchniyus for the release of the hostages. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)    

WATCH:

Four people have died from gunshot wounds and 14 others have been hospitalized following a drive-by shooting in Chicago, police said Thursday. At least three were in critical condition. The shooting happened late Wednesday in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Several media outlets said it happened outside a restaurant and lounge that had hosted an album release party for a rapper. Someone opened fire into a crowd standing outside, police said, and the vehicle immediately drove away. No one was in custody, police said. Preliminary information from police said 13 women and five men ranging in age from 21 to 32 were shot, and that the dead included two men and two women. Those shot were taken to multiple hospitals, police said. Police said that nine people, including the two women who died, were taken to Northwestern Hospital. Five people, including the two men who died, were taken to John H. Stroger Hospital. (AP)

WATCH:

Israel is ramping up efforts to seal a sweeping ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza ahead of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s high-stakes trip to Washington next week, multiple Israeli news outlets reported. For the first time since the war erupted, Israel is prepared to enter negotiations on a comprehensive framework that could secure the release of all 50 remaining hostages held by Hamas, Channel 12 reported, citing sources close to the talks. Even if Hamas signals willingness to move forward — a decision that could come within 24 hours — the path to a deal remains long. Negotiations would shift to Doha or Cairo to work out details on the exchange of Palestinian security prisoners, IDF withdrawals, and humanitarian aid corridors — a process expected to stretch at least another week. At the center of the push are wider-ranging talks led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Qatari officials, seeking to pin down how far Israel is prepared to go toward ending its military campaign, and whether Hamas will bend on core demands. Without Hamas signoff, the odds of a breakthrough remain slim, despite growing optimism, according to the reports. Netanyahu on Wednesday insisted the objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages are not mutually exclusive. “There will be no Hamas. There will be no Hamastan. We are not going back to that,” the prime minister declared at the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company headquarters in Ashkelon. “We will release all our hostages.” Critics who argue Israel must choose between eliminating Hamas or securing hostage releases are spreading “nonsense,” Netanyahu added. “It works together. We will complete this together,” he said. Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu is expected to ask President Donald Trump at Monday’s White House meeting to press Qatar into threatening senior Hamas officials with expulsion if they do not show flexibility or advance the framework quickly. Senior Israeli officials have grown frustrated over what they see as “preferential treatment” granted to Hamas leadership abroad, and believe targeted sanctions could shift the calculus — particularly against a senior Hamas figure whose name was withheld, currently being hosted by Qatar or Turkey. “Hamas leaders are traveling freely around the world and feel no pressure — that’s why they’re in no rush to make a deal,” one security official told Channel 12. Hamas, for its part, signaled Wednesday it was open to a ceasefire but rejected a U.S.-backed proposal laid out by Trump a day earlier, under which Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce. Trump described it as a framework that would allow all parties to work toward ending the war for good. The terms largely mirror previous proposals, which have repeatedly collapsed over post-truce security guarantees. Israel insists on maintaining its right to resume operations, while Hamas is demanding a permanent ceasefire. Kan reported that both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz have privately expressed support for the framework under discussion, though no formal government endorsement has been issued. The framework reportedly includes U.S.-brokered guarantees that negotiations on a permanent end to the conflict would continue beyond the initial 60-day ceasefire, potentially to be announced as soon as next week. Channel 13 said Israel is also preparing for the possibility that a preliminary agreement could […]

A military veteran was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for plotting to attack an FBI office and assassinate law enforcement officers in retaliation for his arrest on charges that he was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court records show. Edward Kelley was one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol. Nearly two years later, Kelley made plans with another man to attack the FBI office in Knoxville, Tennessee, using improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles and drones, according to prosecutors. Last November, a jury convicted Kelley of conspiring to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing federal officials by threat. Kelley received a pardon from President Donald Trump for his Jan. 6 convictions, but a judge agreed with prosecutors that Trump’s action did not extend to Kelley’s Tennessee case. That makes Kelley, who is from Maryvale, Tennessee, one of only a few Capitol riot defendants remaining in prison after the Republican president’s sweeping act of clemency. U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan handed down Kelley’s life sentence during a hearing in Knoxville, according to court records. The judge denied a request for Kelley to be released pending the outcome of an appeal. Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence for Kelley, saying he was remorseless and incapable of rehabilitation. “On the contrary, Kelley not only believes the actions for which he was convicted were justified but that his duty as a self-styled ‘patriot’ compelled him to target East Tennessee law enforcement for assassination,” they wrote. Kelley served in the Marine Corps for eight years. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before his 2015 discharge from the military. On Jan. 6, 2021, Kelley was captured on video helping two other rioters throw a Capitol Police officer onto the ground and using a piece of wood to damage a window, according to the FBI. He was the fourth person to enter the Capitol through a broken window, the FBI said. After a trial without a jury, a federal judge in Washington convicted Kelley last November of 11 counts stemming from the riot. Before Kelley could be sentenced, Trump pardoned him and hundreds of other convicted Capitol rioters. Kelley argued that his pardon was broad enough to cover his conduct in the Tennessee case, but the judge disagreed. Varlan said Kelley’s crimes in the Tennessee case were separated from Kelley’s conduct on Jan. 6 “by years and miles.” Prosecutors reached the same conclusion. In other Jan. 6 cases, however, Trump’s Justice Department has argued that the pardons apply to separate convictions. For instance, prosecutors concluded that a Kentucky man’s pardon for storming the Capitol also covered his conviction for illegally possessing guns when FBI agents searched his home for the Jan. 6 investigation. Kelley has been jailed since December 2022. His lawyer, Mark Brown, said Kelley did not hurt anybody or directly threaten anybody with violence. Brown urged the judge to reject prosecutors’ request to apply a “terrorism enhancement” in calculating his client’s sentence. “Kelley does not deserve the same sentence as an actual ‘terrorist’ who injured or killed hundreds or thousands of America citizens,” Brown wrote. Kelley’s co-defendant, Austin Carter, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in January 2024. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4. Kelley […]

By Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when I received a phone call from a mother who had just returned from the Waterbury Sunday Baseball League.

“Rabbi Heber,” she said, her voice full of emotion, “I have to share something with you.”

She described a middle school boys’ baseball game she had just watched. Ezzy, a strong hitter known for his power, was up at bat. On the mound stood Yehuda, pitching one impressive throw after another. Ezzy struck out—a rare sight.

But what happened next is what stayed with her.

Instead of reacting with frustration—no bat throwing, no helmet slamming—Ezzy turned to Yehuda and said two simple words:

“Great pitch.”

That was it.

But those two words carried something bigger than baseball. In that short moment, he showed humility, sportsmanship, and awareness. He acknowledged his opponent’s skill with sincerity, even while dealing with his own disappointment. That’s not easy to do at any age.

I recorded the story and shared it. I’ve shared many anecdotes before, but this one resonated. People told me how it sparked real conversations with their children. The simplicity of the moment made the message land: there’s a right way to behave, even—and maybe especially—in competitive moments.

Stories like these remind us what kids are capable of. Not just talent or knowledge, but real depth. When children fall short, it’s often not from a lack of caring—but sometimes, because they haven’t yet been clearly shown what’s expected. That’s where our role as parents and mechanchim becomes so powerful. In a fast-paced world, fundamentals like derech eretz, hakaras hatov, and kavod habrios can easily slip away.

The famous first line of Pirkei Avos is: “Moshe received the Torah from Har Sinai.” It seems almost out of place. Pirkei Avos isn’t about halachah. It’s about middos, values, and interpersonal behavior. So why start with a line about Matan Torah and the handing down of Torah from generation to generation?

Says the Rav on the Mishna: These aren’t just nice ideas. Middos aren’t suggestions. They’re Torah, received at Sinai like everything else. And without them, Torah can’t truly take root.

It’s like placing a perfect diamond in a broken setting. No matter how flawless the gem, it won’t shine the way it’s supposed to. Torah is the diamond. Middos are the setting. Both have to be strong.

This idea of modeling behavior I saw firsthand during our nightly Mishmar program in Waterbury, where nearly a hundred boys and fathers come to learn from Monday through Thursday.

Each night during the learning, I walk around handing out snacks. But I started noticing something. Many boys weren’t saying thank you.

At first, it bothered me. But then I paid closer attention. The boys sitting near their fathers? Most of them were saying thank you. Not because they were better kids—but because their fathers quietly reminded them. “Say thank you.” One soft word. One small prompt. And it worked.

So I tried something. I started pausing after handing out each snack. No instructions, no speeches. Just a short pause to  remind them to say thank you.

And the boys started responding. One by one. Thank you. Thank you. The tone shifted. All it took was a little space. A tiny pause turned into a culture change. For the weeks following, the boys on their own said “thank you”.

As we go through the summer, these are the moments to watch for. Camp. Family time. Sports. These aren’t distractions from chinuch—they are chinuch. These are the places where lessons sink in.

Let’s use this as an opportunity to teach our children, patiently and clearly, what it means to respect others, to show gratitude, and to acknowledge effort. These things take time. They take repetition. But they work.

And the next time a boy strikes out and turns to the pitcher and says, “Nice pitch,” we’ll know it was all worth it.

Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber is a rebbi at Yeshiva K’tana of Waterbury and a division head in Camp Romimu. He can be reached via email mdheber@ykwaterbury.org

 {Matzav.com}

Fifteen people were taken to the hospital after a skydiving aircraft radioed it was having engine trouble after takeoff and crashed on landing near an airport in southern New Jersey on Wednesday, according to authorities. The single engine Cessna 208B was carrying 15 people when it crashed at about 5:30 p.m. at the Cross Keys Airport, about 21 miles (34 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. “The plane did try to circle back and attempt a landing we are told but was unsuccessful in that attempt,” Andrew Halter, with Gloucester County Emergency Management, said during a news conference Wednesday night. The injuries ranged from minor to critical and the plane was severely damaged, Halter said. Some of the people on board were covered in jet fuel and had to be decontaminated before being taken to the hospital, he said. “Just the fact that we have 15 people that are still with us here today, some with minor injuries, I think is fantastic and remarkable,” he said. Aerial footage of the crashed plane shows it in the woods, with several pieces of debris nearby. Firetrucks and other emergency vehicles surrounded the scene. Three people were being evaluated at Cooper University Hospital’s trauma center in Camden, New Jersey, and eight people with less severe injuries were being treated in its emergency department, said Wendy A. Marano, a spokesperson for the hospital. Four other patients also with “minimal injuries” were waiting for further evaluation, she said. She wasn’t able to provide the exact nature of the injuries. Members of the hospital’s EMS and trauma department were at the crash site, she said. Halter said the aircraft is owned and operated by ARNE Aviation out of Virginia and leased to Skydive Cross Keys. Skydive Cross Keys didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment. When asked about the crash, Tracey Sackett, who confirmed she is ARNE Aviation’s office manager, said to call the office tomorrow. A person who answered the phone at Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday said he had no information and referred questions to Skydive Cross Keys. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on the social platform X that it is investigating the crash. Gov. Phil Murphy said on X that he had been briefed on the crash and that there had been “no fatalities at this time.” (AP)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1533-Tocheles-Part-53-Try.mp3

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

New details were published on Wednesday evening on Kan News regarding the Puma APC disaster in Khan Younis, in which seven soldiers were killed by the explosion of a bomb thrown by a terrorist into the IDF vehicle. According to chilling details revealed in the IDF’s internal investigation, the APC’s exit hatch was broken. The soldiers tied it with a rope, leaving it open, and the terrorist threw the bomb into the vehicle through the opening. In addition, the cameras on the APC had not been working for a long period. Soldiers testified that the commanders knew about the malfunctions, but no action was taken to improve the situation. A father of a soldier in the battalion said last week that the soldiers were using outdated equipment without perimeter cameras due to budgetary concerns. “It’s the only battalion with old Puma vehicles, which are outdated,” he said. “Other battalions use Namer APCs. The vehicles are so old that every few weeks the engine has to be replaced.” Parents of soldiers in the battalion sent a letter to the battalion commander last week, stating, “We are shaken and appalled by the recklessness that has been revealed in all its force in the serious and horrifying event in which we lost seven precious soldiers, whom we entrusted to you, due to gross negligence. It is inconceivable that the battalion under your command is the only one in the IDF that still uses old and faulty equipment lacking the protection that all other infantry battalions routinely receive, including the rest of the engineering battalions.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Stories4Life-Shiur-452-Understand.mp3

The State Attorney’s Office has filed an indictment in the Nazareth District Court against Yoni Segal, 18, and Nehorai Mizrahi, 20, both from Tiveria, on charges including contact with a foreign agent, providing information to the enemy, and obstruction of justice. According to the indictment, the defendants initiated contact with Iranian operatives via Telegram in mid-May. Initially, the Iranian contacts posed as “Kaplanist leftists” and tasked the pair with symbolic acts such as writing “Bibi Dictator” on a note and burning it, offering cryptocurrency in return. As contact progressed, the Iranians instructed the defendants to purchase secure “operational phones” to conceal their identities and engage in more advanced espionage tasks. These included photographing and gathering intelligence on shopping malls in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Netanya, as well as Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. The defendants provided their Iranian operators with very detailed information on security arrangements, camera locations, and the number of guards. Eventually, the Iranian agents proposed that the defendants travel to Iran for training to carry out an assassination of a senior Israeli official, offering 200,000 NIS to each. The defendants agreed. The defendants also claimed to their operators that they had access to weapons and drones, which the Iranians were interested in purchasing. Despite understanding they were communicating with Iranian operatives, the defendants continued their activities and even sought additional assignments. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman describes how Achav’s daughter Assaliah killed her grandchildren and took the crown of Yehudah for herself.

WATCH:

Chapter Thirty-three: One Kingdom Survives

The previous chapter traced the decline and fall of Malchus Yisrael until the deportation of the people to distant places in the Assyrian Empire. This chapter traces the parallel fate of Malchus Yehudah. The paths of the two kingdoms diverged after the death of Shlomo and the division of his kingdom. The respective paths of the two kingdoms converged again when Asa, its king, gave his support to Omri’s claims to the throne of Israel and sealed it by taking Omri’s daughter as a wife for his son Yehoshaphat.

After Omri died and his son Achav ascended to the throne of Israel, Yehoshaphat and Achav, the two brothers-in-law, entered into a military alliance. The bond of blood was made even stronger when Yehoshaphat’s son Yehoram married Achav’s daughter Assaliah, his first cousin.

In 711 b.c.e., Yehoshaphat died, and Yehoram ascended to the throne of Yehudah. Four years earlier, Achav’s grandson Yehoram, through his son and successor Achaziah, had ascended to the throne of Israel. Two first cousins named Yehoram, both grandsons of Achav and Ezevel, sat on the thrones of Yisrael and Yehudah. Yehoram of Yehudah was by far a truer grandson than was Yehoram of Yisrael.

As soon as he ascended to the throne, he slaughtered all his male siblings ensuring that no one else would lay claim to his crown. Then with his bloodstained hands, he erected a temple of the Baal in Yerushalayim. For all its problems, Yehudah had not suffered widespread idolatry among the general population, but under Yehoram, the Baal cult of the northern kingdom spread to the southern kingdom as well.

Yehoram of Yehudah reigned for eight years and was succeeded by his son Achaziah, who followed in the exact footsteps of his father. After the death of Achaziah, his mother Assaliah, the daughter of Achav and Ezevel, followed the example of Yehoram, her husband. Just as he had exterminated all his siblings, she now exterminated all her grandchildren and placed the crown on her own head. Had she succeeded, the royal patrilineal bloodline of the Davidic dynasty would have come to an end, but she did not succeed.

One grandchild eluded her, a one-year-old boy named Yoash. The boy’s aunt Yehosheva, Achaziah’s sister, and her husband, Yehoiadah the Kohein Gadol, secreted him in a bedchamber in the Temple, where he remained for six years.

During those years, this evil daughter of Achav sat on the throne of the Davidic kings and ruled the Kingdom of Yehudah. In the seventh year, the seven-year-old Yoash was brought out of hiding and crowned, triggering a popular uprising. Assaliah was executed, and the temple of the Baal was destroyed …

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

Hope is rising on Thursday morning in Israel regarding the chances of reaching a hostage release/ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. If Hamas responds positively to the deal, an Israeli team will leave for negotiations in Qatar as early as the end of next week. According to Israeli media reports on Wednesday evening, Israel is making major efforts to reach a deal ahead of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House next week. Israeli sources say that Hamas is showing “flexibility” to a revised US-brokered proposal. According to the proposal on the table, Israel will halt the war for two months but will agree to extend the ceasefire even after the two months to try and reach an agreement that will end the war. In addition, President Trump will guarantee that Israel will uphold the ceasefire if advanced negotiations take place on ending the war. Hamas will release 10 live hostages and the remains of 18 hostages in five waves over the two-month ceasefire. As part of the deal, Hamas will be strictly banned from holding hostage release ceremonies. In addition, Israel will release terrorists with blood on their hands, ones that Israel has refused to release until now. Meanwhile, the Arab media reported last night that the Hamas terrorist organization is “satisfied” with the new proposal on the negotiating table and that the organization will return its response by tomorrow, Friday. Sadly, the fate of the other 10 hostages who are considered alive remains unclear. According to Israeli sources, the hostages not included in the hostage deal may be in the hands of other terror cells or may possibly have been killed. However, as long as there is no confirmation, they are presumed alive. Those opposed to the deal say that agreeing to the release of only half of the live hostages is signing a death sentence to those left behind. Others assert that Hamas has no intention of releasing every hostage, as it is needs them as bargaining chips to ensure its survival. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)