Turning Point USA announced Tuesday that President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance will both speak at the upcoming memorial service for conservative leader Charlie Kirk, scheduled for this Sunday.
The organization confirmed that, in addition to Trump and Vance, a lineup of prominent figures will also take the stage at the large-scale ceremony.
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, will address the audience as part of the program.
Several current members of the Trump administration are also slated to deliver remarks, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Sergio Gor, who heads the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.
Other speakers will include Tucker Carlson, once a prime-time anchor at Fox News, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son.
According to the event’s website, additional names are expected to be added to the roster of speakers in the coming days.
The memorial is being held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, with a seating capacity exceeding 63,000.
Attendance will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the stadium’s limits. The online registration page urges attendees to sign up ahead of time.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. local time, with the program beginning at 11 a.m. Attendees are asked to dress in “Sunday Best- Red, White, or Blue.”
Charlie Kirk was murdered last Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
Authorities later apprehended Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, charging him with Kirk’s killing. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty and announced seven charges on Tuesday, including aggravated murder.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump confirmed his participation in the memorial, emphasizing his close relationship with Kirk. “A very sad weekend. We lost a great person,” Trump said. “I’ll be going on early Sunday morning. We’re going to Arizona, taking some people with us, on Air Force One.”
In addition, the president announced Thursday that he intends to honor Kirk posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
{Matzav.com}
During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” Tuesday, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania warned that drawing parallels to Hitler can provoke dangerous consequences.
Fetterman said, “[D]o not ever, ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler. If not, go online and you can read up on exactly what he’s responsible for, 75 to 80 million lives lost and World War II. And you don’t compare him to anyone. And if you do, then you will incite somebody to say, well, now I feel like I have to stop that, and take them out.”
He went on to stress the seriousness of recent events, remarking, “People seem to have forgotten that the president took a shot to the head. And can you imagine if that shot would have gone the way Charlie Kirk’s went and what kind of condition our nation would be in? This is such a dangerous time right now. And now why? You don’t need this [to be] an opportunity to share your opinions on it. Just, again, it’s appalling, and allow folks enough space to grieve. The man hasn’t even been buried yet. And it’s like, that’s why we wanted to have a conversation that we have to find a way to work together.”
He added a cautionary note on political language, stating, “Any [kind] of extreme rhetoric, left or right, is really dangerous.”
Fetterman also pointed to the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, stating, “[T]his coward executed a father and a businessman, just because you happen to disagree with his business. Now, that’s — keep having these kinds of arguments, well, guess what? The next one’s going to be on you and you’ll end up on the sidewalk, then.”
{Matzav.com}
A TikTok video has been making the rounds online, alleging that a Starbucks employee would not allow the use of Charlie Kirk’s name on a drink order.
Supporters of Kirk have been honoring his memory by purchasing his go-to beverage from the chain: a mint majesty tea with two honeys.
According to the TikToker, her husband went to a Starbucks location in Yucaipa, California, to order the drink. She said the worker at the counter refused to take the name “Charlie Kirk,” telling him he needed to “pick a different name” since they don’t “honor politics here.”
The woman later decided to go to the same branch herself to test the response. In the recording, she ordered Kirk’s favorite tea and, when asked for the name to place on the cup, she replied, “Charlie Kirk.”
“We can’t do political names, but it didn’t even ask for a name to begin with, so it will be $3.75, OK,” the barista responded.
The customer then pressed the point, asking if Kirk’s name could still be written on the cup.
“The sticker won’t print,” the worker said. The TikToker again asked why it could not simply be handwritten.
“I could, but I could write Charlie,” the barista replied, before eventually adding, “Because it’s political.”
“Political?” the customer asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” the barista answered, before moving on to prepare the order. At that moment, the customer declined to continue, saying, “Forget it, I don’t want it.”
Fox News Digital followed up with Starbucks about the clip. The company said it has no rule preventing customers from giving Kirk’s name for an order. A spokesperson added the chain is “working to understand what took place in this store.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to the TikTok user for a response and to request permission to share the footage.
About a month ago, at a Turning Point conference, Kirk had been asked what he orders at Starbucks.
“I literally drink for one reason, because I lose my voice very easily. … I drink like nine of them a day, otherwise I lose my voice,” Kirk explained at the time.
Since his death, fans on TikTok, X, and Instagram have been posting photos of Starbucks cups holding his preferred drink.
One user, @DigitalGal_X, shared an image of her tea on X, writing: “Just stopped by Starbucks and got a mint majesty tea with two honeys – Charlie Kirk’s favorite.”
She added in her caption, “Rest easy, this one’s for you. Have a good Tuesday, everyone. #TuesdayMotivaton.”
{Matzav.com}
[COMMUNICATED]
by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler
The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”
It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.)
Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.
Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!
Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!
YES! YOU CAN MAKE
your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE Shas, Rashi & Tosfos IN JUST ONE YEAR!
The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha
The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly: It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact.
All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.
Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year
The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own.
Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden.
Official Shtar from Shas Yiden
Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.
All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.
The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!
Yissachar-Zevulun Pact –
Beyond the Grave
The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon.
Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).
One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”
In the words of Gedolei Torah:
Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:
“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).
“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.
“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”
Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:
“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”
Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:
“Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”
Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:
“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”
Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:
“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory.
A remarkable episode from the life of Rav Baruch Shmuel Deutsch zt”l has resurfaced, shedding light on his sharp perspective regarding the purpose of limud haTorah and the boundaries of scholarly investigation.
Rav Deutsch was once sitting with two of his top talmidim, deeply immersed in Bava Kama 93. When they reached the words “Amar lei Rav Asi bar Chama,” the Rosh Yeshiva suddenly paused, his thoughts soaring in lofty reflection. His talmidim noticed his hesitation and were reminded of a similar pure and exalted moment from years earlier.
One of them recalled an instance when they were learning Kiddush HaChodesh and encountered the phrase “v’tes chalakim.” The count seemed incorrect. Rav Deutsch concluded that it should have read 775 chalakim, which had originally been typeset as תשע״ה, tav-shin-ayin-hei. The printer mistakenly removed the quotation marks, so it became תשעה, and the printer write the letter tes, which was then read as “nine.”
“Pela’im nifla’im!” the talmid recalled.
Returning to Bava Kama, Rav Deutsch swiftly reviewed all of Shas, Bavli and Yerushalmi, and declared: “There is no such wording in Shas: Rav Asi bar Chama!”
The talmidim suspected that their rebbi knew the solution but chose not to share it immediately. Only after they pressed him did Rav Deutsch reveal: “In the Aruch, it is written that Asi is Yosi, and in Doros Rishonim, it is explained that Yosi is Yosef. Thus, in our Gemara, the correct text should read: Amar lei Rav Yosef bar Chama.”
The talmidim wondered: why had he not offered the solution at once? Rav Deutsch explained: “So that you will not think I waste my time on such peripheral matters, and so you will not be drawn into devoting too much energy to them, losing focus on the essence!”
But the story did not end there.
One of those very talmidim became captivated by this style of study. After encountering the sefer Birchas Kohen al HaTorah, which collected parallel phrases of Tannaim and Amoraim across Shas, he began recording his own marginal notes of similar variations. Eventually, he gathered them into a thick volume, even larger than the original work. He proudly brought it to his rebbi, requesting a haskama.
Rav Deutsch’s response was sharp and unexpected: “We are not a university!” he declared, refusing to grant his approbation.
The remark seemed puzzling. After all, Rav Deutsch himself had cited the Aruch and Doros Rishonim to resolve the Gemara’s difficulty. How could he dismiss his talmid‘s efforts as “academic”?
Rav Yosef Dovid Weingarten, Rav of Beis Haknesses Kahal Chassidim in Modi’in Illit, offered an explanation: “Doros Rishonim was written as a polemic against the Maskilim—an urgent, defensive necessity. The Aruch belonged to an earlier era and cannot serve as a precedent for contemporary projects of this kind. That does not imply we should today engage in compiling volumes on such topics.”
Sefer Ha’Aruch was authored by Rav Nosson ben Yechiel of Rome, an 11th-century rosh yeshiva. A descendant of Shevet Yehuda, he came from one of the four noble families brought to Rome by Titus after the destruction of Yerushalayim. His Aruch is the most comprehensive lexicon of Chazal’s language, completed in 1101 and first printed in Italy around 1470. It became a cornerstone for later Torah scholarship.
Rav Yitzchok Isaac Halevi (1847–1914), author of Doros Rishonim, was born in Ivenitz, near Minsk. At age thirteen, he entered the famed Volozhin Yeshiva and learned under Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. He later became a communal activist and fought vigorously against the Maskilim, who sought to close down traditional chederim and publish a revised Shulchan Aruch. His multi-volume Doros Rishonim was written as a scientific yet faithful response to the works of the Haskalah’s “Wissenschaft des Judentums” school. The seven volumes cover Jewish history from the end of the Second Bais Hamikdosh through the Geonic era, though he published them out of chronological order, beginning with volume three in 1897.
The above story highlights Rav Deutsch’s guiding principle: Torah study must remain focused on the essential goals of growth in yiras Shamayim and immersion in Torah lishmah. Historical references may be necessary at times, but when turned into an intellectual pursuit for its own sake, they risk becoming what Rav Deutsch dismissed with a single cutting phrase: “We are not a university.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
