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As leading Democrats condemn the coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran’s ruling regime, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is taking a sharply different approach — vigorously defending President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s operation while criticizing members of his own party who have labeled it reckless.

Fetterman, who has increasingly embraced outspoken pro-Israel positions, questioned why critics on both the far-right and far-left have reacted so strongly against the military action. He argued that the strikes were a justified response to Tehran’s conduct and said the backlash highlights growing divisions within the Democratic Party over how firmly to stand with Israel as tensions escalate in the region.

On Monday, Fetterman posted that he’s “not sure why it’s controversial to anyone to appreciate and celebrate wiping out 49 leaders of one of the most evil regimes in recorded history,” after Trump revealed that the planned mission — expected to last up to four weeks — was moving faster than anticipated once intelligence showed several high-ranking Iranian officials were gathered in a single location and could be targeted simultaneously.

Following the initial strike on Shabbos, Fetterman reshared an image circulated by the “Israel War Room” depicting a Wanted-style poster of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei with the word “Eliminated” emblazoned across it.

“Let’s see who grieves for that garbage,” Fetterman captioned.

In subsequent remarks, the former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor expressed appreciation for Trump’s leadership, stating that he “has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.”

“God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”

Fetterman also took aim at fellow Democrats who have consistently said Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons but are now criticizing the strikes.

“Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” he wrote on X.

“I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that. Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security — which is it?”

He added Saturday that he would be a “hard no” if Democrats attempted to force a vote on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s authority.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, however, told reporters in Richmond on Monday that he plans to push ahead with a vote on the War Powers Resolution he introduced in January concerning Iran.

In a separate public statement, Kaine questioned whether Trump is “too mentally incapacitated to realize we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran…”

“The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” Kaine said.

Fetterman was not alone among Democrats in defending the strike. Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, criticized what he described as political extremes for overlooking the human rights violations, killings, and attacks on Americans carried out under Khamenei, 86, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Rep. Gregory Landsman, D-Ohio, also voiced support for the operation, likening the killing of Khamenei to the U.S. mission that eliminated Usama bin Laden. Still, he stopped short of fully endorsing Trump’s broader strategy.

“There’s a lot of folks in Congress who don’t trust this president and I’m one of those people. In the end I trust the generals and I trust our military,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

{Matzav.com}

After declaring war on Hezbollah for joining the war overnight Sunday and following additional rocket and drone launches from Lebanon into Israel overnight Monday, the IDF announced Tuesday morning that a limited number of ground forces were deployed to southern Lebanon. Forces from the 91st Division entered southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts it maintained […]

The State Department on Monday urged U.S. citizens in 14 countries in the Middle East to leave due to “serious safety risks.” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on X: “The State Department urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation due to serious safety […]

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has relied on the encrypted messaging platform Signal to correspond with fellow elected officials and political advisers, including conversations involving government matters, a practice that may conflict with public records and freedom of information requirements, according to a report by Politico.

Signal previously drew national attention after reports last year that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used the application on his personal phone to discuss U.S. military operations in Yemen.

Politico reported Monday that it independently verified that Mamdani maintains an active Signal account tied to his personal cellphone number.

Three individuals familiar with the situation told the outlet that Mamdani used the app to exchange messages with other officeholders and political advisers and that some of those communications involved official government business. The sources were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, members of the public are entitled to request access to the mayor’s official communications. However, Signal’s end-to-end encryption and its feature allowing messages to disappear after a designated period could complicate efforts to obtain those records if they are stored within the app or deleted.

Mamdani campaigned on a pledge to bring greater transparency and accountability to city government. Critics argue that using encrypted messaging applications for official communications appears at odds with that promise.

Norman Siegel, a First Amendment attorney and former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told Politico that city mayors should avoid using Signal for discussions with other government officials.

“I would urge him to not engage in Signal or similar kinds of applications that basically are meant to hide information and prevent the public from knowing the inner workings of government,” Siegel said.

Politico also reported that after his election victory in November, Mamdani exited several Signal group chats, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity. That step suggested an awareness of the potential legal and transparency issues associated with the app’s use by public officials.

Questions surrounding digital communications are not new for New York City mayors.

Shortly after taking office, Eric Adams faced inquiries about his own use of Signal. At the time, he told City & State that the app was used strictly for “private” matters and that “government business is conducted on my government phone.”

Less than three years later, federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a corruption indictment that included claims Adams used encrypted messaging platforms to communicate with aides regarding alleged campaign finance misconduct.

Before Adams, former Mayor Bill de Blasio and members of his staff also faced scrutiny in 2019 when it became public that they had used Signal to coordinate government scheduling.

Advocates for government transparency say Mamdani should halt the practice. John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, a watchdog organization focused on accountability in government, told Politico, “He’s got to stop doing that.”

Grace Rauh, executive director of Citizens Union, a nonprofit organization dedicated to government reform in New York, likewise cautioned that conversations with other officials can easily cross into official territory.

“City leaders must be deliberate about how they communicate,” Rauh told Politico. “Any discussion of official government business must occur in a manner that ensures records are preserved and accessible under the Freedom of Information Law. The rules exist to protect the public.”

{Matzav.com}

Sirens blared across Israel on Tuesday as Israelis celebrated Purim and experienced modern-day nissim amid direct hits of missiles and shrapnel in various locations, with no reports of serious injuries. Sirens sounded Tuesday morning in northern Israel amid rocket launches from Lebanon, with one rocket scoring a direct hit on a home in Kfar Yuval […]

The Saudi Al-Arabiya outlet reported Tuesday morning that Israel conducted a ground operation in Iran overnight involving Mossad agents and special forces. The report, citing unnamed sources, provided no further details. Israel has not commented on the claim. An IDF spokesperson for foreign media dismissed the report as “unlikely,” adding that sending ground troops to […]

New details were revealed overnight about the deaths of six U.S. service members since Operation Epic Fury began, with CNN reporting that the soldiers were killed when an Iranian missile scored a direct hit on a makeshift operations center at Kuwait’s Shu’aiba port. A source familiar with the incident told CNN that the missile directly […]

Iran launched missiles and drones at several Persian Gulf countries in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. Two drones struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, causing a massive fire to break out at the site. According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s […]

This evening, the Rosh Yeshivah of Ponevezh, Rav Berel Povarsky, wrote a letter to the thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Ponevezh. This year, in light of the current situation, the Rosh Yeshivah calls upon them to intensify their avodah for Purim while exercising heightened caution, particularly by refraining from drinking and intoxication, as these days require exceptional vigilance.

He opens his letter: “To the precious bnei hayeshivah — The days of Purim are sacred days of accepting the Torah with love and willingness, and the bnei hayeshivah merit a special privilege to establish a seder of Torah study for several consecutive hours on the night of Purim in the holy yeshivah. Indeed, it is a breathtaking sight to behold the heichal hayeshivah on the night of Purim filled to capacity, with the bnei hayeshivah engaged in Torah in close friendship — fortunate is the eye that sees this. It is a lofty kiddush Hashem, and it brings awakening and strengthening in the love of Torah, with toil and diligence.”

The Rosh Yeshivah continues: “The unique quality of the day of Purim is that it is the day on which the Torah was accepted with love and willingness, and the mitzvos of the day encompass the three pillars upon which the world stands. Since the acceptance of the Torah was renewed with love — which is a superior acceptance — it is fitting to understand that at that moment the entire world was elevated, and a renewed creation of the world comes through Torah accepted out of love. Therefore, in the mitzvos of Purim as well, it is appropriate to enhance and beautify all three pillars. The words of the fast and its outcry represent the concept of avodah — service of the heart, which is tefillah, corresponding to the korbanos. Mishloach manos and matanos la’evyonim stem from the realm of chessed. Thus it is well understood that all the mitzvos of Purim form one unified whole upon which the world stands — and of course the study of Torah with love and joy. And Chazal already said in Tanna D’vei Eliyahu (Chapter 18): ‘What joy does a person truly have other than in words of Torah alone?’”

Addressing the present reality, Rav Povarsky writes with pain: “Unfortunately, we find ourselves within a fog and fear, and none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, this year it is incumbent upon us to strengthen ourselves with greater intensity and greater resolve — and especially to be cautious regarding matters that impair sound judgment, and to refrain from intoxication, for caution is particularly necessary in these days.

“Beyond this, we must utilize these days to strengthen ourselves in tefillah and supplication before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, especially on Taanis Esther and the days of Purim, whose purpose is to demonstrate the truth of what the Torah promised us — ‘Who is a great nation that has God so close to it as Hashem our God whenever we call to Him,’ as the Rambam writes.”

He concludes: “In this merit we shall be granted eternal salvation, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu will perform miracles for us as He did for our forefathers.”

{Matzav.com}

The United States launched its attack on Iran after determining that Israel was preparing its own strike and concluding that Tehran would respond by targeting American forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, framing the operation as a preemptive move designed to reduce U.S. casualties.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a classified briefing for senior lawmakers, Rubio said U.S. officials were aware in advance that Israel intended to act and assessed that Iran would quickly retaliate against American personnel in the region.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio told reporters.

According to Rubio, intelligence indicated that Iranian leadership had instructed commanders in the field to automatically strike U.S. forces if Iran came under attack.

“If we stood and waited for that attack to come first before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties. And so the president made the very wise decision” to hit alongside Israel, Rubio said.

When questioned about whether the United States faced an imminent threat from Iran — a key legal consideration given Congress’s constitutional authority to declare war — Rubio again pointed to the anticipated Israeli action and Iran’s expected response.

“There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked — and we believed they would be attacked — that they would immediately come after us,” Rubio said.

“We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow,” Rubio said, adding that if Iran hit U.S. forces first, “we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn’t act.”

Earlier, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Israel carried out Saturday’s strike in Tehran that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other senior officials, after intelligence showed they were gathered for a meeting.

Rubio emphasized, however, that President Donald Trump’s administration viewed military action against Iran as necessary independent of the precise timing or sequence of events.

“No matter what, ultimately this operation needed to happen,” Rubio said.

While expressing hope for political change inside Iran, Rubio made clear that regime change was not the stated objective of the mission.

“We hope that the Iranian people can overthrow this government and establish a new future for that country. We would love for that to be possible,” Rubio said.

“But the objective of this mission is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and of their naval capabilities.”

{Matzav.com}

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President Donald Trump on Monday sharply rebuked Democratic lawmakers who have faulted his administration’s joint military operation with Israel against Iran’s ruling regime and key military infrastructure, charging that their objections are rooted not in policy differences but in opposition to him personally.

In a message posted to Truth Social, Trump described the coordinated U.S.-Israeli action as “very necessary and important” and argued that many of the same critics would have demanded decisive force if he had chosen not to act.

Trump wrote: “The Radical Left Democrats, a Party that has completely lost its way, are complaining bitterly about the very necessary and important attack, by the United States and Israel, on Iran.

“What most people understand is that they are only complaining BECAUSE I DID IT and, if I didn’t do it, they would be screaming — Why didn’t ‘TRUMP’ attack Iran, he should do it, IMMEDIATELY?

“There’s nothing surprising about this! It’s the same people that the other night at The State of the Union Address wouldn’t stand for ANYBODY, including a mother who lost her beautiful daughter to an illegal alien, a Great and Brave Helicopter Pilot, who got the Congressional Medal of Honor, or a 100-year-old Veteran Warrior whose Bravery is Legend!

“The fact is, whatever I do, they will be on the opposite side. These people are SICK, CRAZY, and DEMENTED, but America, despite them all, is now BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The president’s remarks come as lawmakers in both chambers of Congress move ahead with proposed war powers resolutions aimed at curbing his ability to authorize additional military action against Iran. Separate measures in the House and Senate are expected to face significant political obstacles before they could become law.

Before the weekend’s U.S.-Israeli strikes began, both resolutions had already been placed on the legislative calendar for debate and votes. With military operations now in progress, questions remain about whether any approved resolution would have an immediate practical effect. Even if Congress were to pass such legislation, Trump would almost certainly veto it.

Some Republicans say they are witnessing limited Democratic backing for the strikes. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., said Monday in an interview with Newsmax that certain Democrats representing competitive districts are expressing support.

“You’re seeing Democrats, some more moderate Democrats in Republican districts, or districts Trump won, actually saying that they support the operation,” he said. “So, I think it’s bipartisan support, not overwhelming bipartisan support, but bipartisan support for what the administration is doing.”

On Sunday, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., publicly endorsed the military action, calling it “entirely appropriate.”

Other Democrats, however, have raised constitutional objections. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who co-sponsored the Senate war powers measure, argued that the administration acted without proper congressional authorization.

“The Constitution says we’re not supposed to be at war without a vote of Congress,” Kaine told NPR on Saturday. “The White House knew that I had a war powers resolution scheduled for vote by the Senate early next week.

“I assume they wanted to try to rush the initiation of an illegal war before Congress had a chance to vote on it.

“This is important. The lives of our troops are at risk. We ought to come back to Washington right away and vote on this.”

In the House, a similar resolution is being advanced by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., indicated Sunday that the chamber could take up the matter as soon as Thursday.

Massie, who has often disagreed with Trump, reiterated his opposition to the military campaign in a post on X.

“I am opposed to this War,” Massie, a frequent Trump critic, wrote Saturday on X. “This is not ‘America First.’ When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”

Administration officials have continued to defend the operation, saying it was carried out to address threats from Iran’s leadership and to safeguard American interests and regional allies.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]FIRST $50,000 ON PURIM WILL BE MATCHED!!!

Click Here To Donate

Make sure not to miss the deadline. 
All donations until 3 PM on Purim will be 
delivered by hand to the aniyim in Zichron Moshe

Kupas Zichron Moshe Face a New Reality this Pesach Season

In past years, many of the needy in the Zichron Moshe neighborhood in Yerushalayim travel abroad and raise the necessary funds to be able to make Yom Tov in addition to many that visit Yershshalyim for Purim and Pesach.

However, in the past 24 hours, everything has changed. 

The fresh war has basically shut down all borders, leaving many families in complete desperation in how to proceed.

Kupas Zichron Moshe was established by Rav Aaron Nimersovsky to assist the needy families in Shchunas Zichron Moshe in Yerushalaym, including almanos, yesomim, and those that are in crisis. 

Unfortunately, the numbers have been growing over the last few years, with over 800 families on the list for this year.

Kupas Zichron Moshe will have Gabaim on standby all day on Purim distributing Matanos Levyonim to the poor and needy in Zichron Moshe/Geula. 

Make sure not to miss the deadline. 
All donations until 11:30 AM on Purim will be delivered by hand to the aniyim in Zichron Moshe

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Started twelve years ago, Kupas Zichron Moshe has become a respected
organization that has grown past natural bounds. Run under the asupices of
Rav Gamliel Rabinovich, Rav Moshe Elyashiv and Rav Yitzchok Soloveitchik,
Kupas Zichron Moshe has continued to provide for the Yom tov needs for over
700 choshuve families in Zichron Moshe/Geula Yerushalayim who cannot live on
their own means

These are not families that are looking to buy luxuries. These are families
that would literally not have fish and chicken on Shabbos and Yom Tov without y(our)
help.

This year we are having a much harder time than usual . 700 families are relying on us and we cannot do it without your help!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

POWERFUL BRACHA: HaRav Asher Weiss shlit”a, a world-renowned Rosh Kollel, Posek and Av Beis Din gives a powerful bracha from the depth of his heart for all those who donate to the Purim campaign for poor families in Israel: “Hashem should fulfill what your heart desires for the good” CLICK TO DONATE: https://thechesedfund.com/kupahsheltzedaka/fulfill-the-mitzvah-matanos-l-evyonim-in-eretz-yisroel-on-purim-day?aff=4007

Two Iranian drones hit the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, overnight, according to two American officials and preliminary assessments from the Saudi Ministry of Defense.

Because the attack occurred during late-night hours, the embassy had only minimal personnel on site, and no injuries have been reported. However, U.S. officials indicated that concerns remain about a continuing threat to the facility.

The Saudi Ministry of Defense said the impact caused “limited fire and minor damage to the building,” according to a spokesperson.

In response to the strike, the State Department released a security alert instructing American citizens in Saudi Arabia to shelter in place immediately.

The incident marks the second time in recent days that an Iranian drone strike has damaged a U.S. diplomatic mission, following a similar attack on the U.S. embassy in Kuwait on Monday.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Air Force carried out a new wave of airstrikes Monday night against sites linked to the Iranian regime, including a key communications facility in Tehran, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced.

According to the military, the operation was launched based on detailed intelligence provided by the Intelligence Directorate and focused on assets associated with what it described as the Iranian terrorist regime.

Just before midnight, Israeli aircraft targeted and destroyed a central communications hub used by the regime.

In its statement, the IDF said the facility had recently served Iranian forces in advancing military operations while presenting those activities as civilian in nature. The site was also described as a base for propaganda efforts broadcast by the regime.

The military added that operations conducted at the center were managed and overseen by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

“Over the years, the Iranian Broadcasting Authority called for the destruction of the State of Israel and for the use of nuclear weapons. In addition, it led directly to the repression of the Iranian population and the spreading of lies to the public,” the statement said.

“The IDF will continue to strike the Iranian regime’s infrastructure across Tehran,” it clarified.

{Matzav.com}

VICE PRESIDENT VANCE: “What the president determined is he didn’t want to just keep the country safe from an Iranian nuclear weapon for the first three, four years of his second term.”

The U.S. Department of State on Monday called on American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries without delay, including Israel, as military action involving the United States and Israel against Iran intensifies.

The warning comes as joint U.S. and Israeli operations targeting Iranian assets remain ongoing, raising concerns about potential escalation across the region.

According to the State Department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, U.S. nationals are being advised to exit Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen as soon as possible.

“Depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks,” the State Department said in a newly released security alert.

Earlier in the day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that additional military action against Iran is expected, cautioning that further developments are imminent. He said “the hardest hits are yet to come,” suggesting that the campaign is entering a more aggressive stage.

Addressing reporters at the Capitol, Rubio said operations would persist until Iran’s missile systems and naval forces are completely dismantled.

While he declined to outline a specific timeframe for the effort, Rubio made clear that Washington intends to see the mission through. “I don’t know how long it will take,” he said, “but we will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives and we will achieve those objectives. The world will be a safer place when we’re done with this operation.”

{Matzav.com}

Dear Readers,

If you’re reading this between one l’chaim and the next, we salute your dedication to staying informed — even while dressed as Mordechai, Achashveirosh, Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, or that mysterious “guy in a black hat” costume that looks suspiciously like your weekday wardrobe.

Purim reminds us that even when the headlines look dark, confusing, or downright upside down, Hashem is running the story from behind the scenes. The Megillah has twists, turns, last-minute reversals — honestly, if it were submitted as a news article, we’d send it back for being too dramatic.

And yet, in the end: v’nahafoch hu. Everything flipped.

A few thoughts from our newsroom:

• If Haman had a PR team today, he’d issue a “clarification” that he was “misunderstood” and that the gallows were taken “out of context.”

• Somewhere in Shushan, there was definitely a guy with a big WhatsApp following saying, “I heard from a reliable source” — and he was wrong.

• Developing: Senior Persian official declines interview request, calls coverage “very unfair.”

• Exclusive: Palace sources say the king “could not sleep.” Analysts describe it as the most consequential insomnia event on record.

• Anonymous palace aide: “We did not anticipate the gallows being repurposed.”

• BREAKING: President Achashveirosh says the kingdom has “never been stronger,” one day after signing decree calling for total destruction.

• Palace statement: “This was the greatest banquet in Persian history. Nobody does banquets like we do banquets.”

• Senior royal adviser describes gallows as “tremendous infrastructure. Beautiful. Really tremendous.”

• LIVE: King says he doesn’t recall authorizing genocide. “If it happened, it was handled perfectly.”

• Palace insider: “The king likes Mordechai. Always liked him. Many people are saying he always liked him.”

• BREAKING: King announces he has “absolute authority” to reverse his own irreversible decrees.

• Opinion: Was the signet ring properly secured?

• Late-night briefing: “The enemies of the Jews are very bad people. Very bad. We’re hearing terrible things.”

• BREAKING: President Achashveirosh calls emergency press conference at 2:17 a.m. to clarify he “technically didn’t read the decree.”

• Palace statement: “This was the most successful near-annihilation in Persian history. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”

• DEVELOPING: Haman claims the decree is being “mischaracterized by hostile palace media.”

• FACT CHECK: Did the king really say, “Who is he, and where is he?” Experts confirm: yes. Tone described as “not great for Haman.”

• BREAKING: King says he has “absolute authority” to issue decrees, reverse decrees, and then honor the people targeted by decrees.

• LIVE FROM THE GATE: Mordechai refuses to bow. Markets react.

• DEVELOPING: Esther’s approval ratings surge after second banquet performance.

• Legal experts stunned as decree loophole allows targeted population to defend itself. “We did not see that clause coming.”

• FINAL UPDATE: Haman unavailable for follow-up interview. Sources describe current status as “permanently suspended.”

On Purim, we laugh a little louder, give a little more, forgive a little easier, and maybe — just maybe — refresh Matzav.com a little less often. (Just for today, of course.)

May your children’s costumes survive at least until Maariv and your ad d’lo yada stay within the boundaries of good taste and better judgment.

Most of all, may this Purim bring revealed yeshuos, hidden brachos uncovered, and true simcha that carries us far beyond this glorious day.

From our Matzav family to yours, a joyous, safe, and meaningful Purim!

Ah Freilichen Purim!

In light of the ongoing war and widespread flight cancellations, the prominent Yerushalayim posek, Rav Moshe Brandsdorfer, Gaavad of Heichal Hora’ah, has issued an urgent and far-reaching psak regarding residents of Yerushalayim stranded abroad, as well as visitors from chutz la’aretz who remain in Yerushalayim against their will.

Rav Brandsdorfer writes that he was asked about a pressing matter affecting many individuals: due to the wartime situation, numerous residents of Yerushalayim have found themselves stuck in chutz la’aretz and unable to return home for Purim because of canceled flights. Similarly, many visitors from chutz la’aretz who had traveled to Yerushalayim with plans to return home for Purim are now unable to leave and remain in the Ir HaKodesh involuntarily.

In his written ruling, Rav Brandsdorfer explains that according to the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 688:5) and the Mishnah Berurah (ibid. 12), when one is delayed due to circumstances beyond his control and is currently outside his place of residence against his will, he must observe Purim according to his home location — not according to where he presently finds himself.

Accordingly, a resident of Yerushalayim who left before Purim with the intention of returning home for the Yom Tov, but was delayed due to the war and remains in a city in chutz la’aretz, must, according to the strict letter of the law, observe Purim on the 15th of Adar as a ben Yerushalayim. Conversely, a resident of chutz la’aretz who traveled to Yerushalayim with the intent to return home for Purim, but is now stranded in Yerushalayim, must read the Megillah and observe the other mitzvos hayom on the 14th of Adar, despite physically being in Yerushalayim.

Rav Brandsdorfer explains that the fundamental principle in this matter hinges upon a person’s intent at the time he left his home. One’s original mindset and plan at departure determine his halachic status. Therefore, if at the time he left his city — even well before Purim — he intended to be back home for the time of the Megillah reading, and only due to oneis related to the war was he prevented from returning, his status follows his original intent.

He notes, however, that there is significant discussion among the Rishonim and Acharonim on this topic. The Chazon Ish disagrees with the ruling of the Mishnah Berurah, maintaining that the determining factor is one’s intent at the onset of the night of the 14th of Adar. Nonetheless, Rav Brandsdorfer writes that the prevailing ruling of the poskim follows the Mishnah Berurah, that the determining moment is one’s intent at the time of departure from home.

In conclusion, Rav Brandsdorfer rules: “Therefore, in my humble opinion, as far as halachah l’maaseh, all those who were delayed and remain against their will outside their place of residence must observe and conduct Purim according to the place from which they departed. That is, a resident of Yerushalayim must observe on the 15th even if he is presently in chutz la’aretz, and a resident of chutz la’aretz must observe on the 14th even if he is presently in Yerushalayim.”

At the same time, in order to take into account the views of other poskim, he advises that such individuals should observe both days — the 14th and the 15th — with respect to Krias HaMegillah and the other mitzvos hayom. Regarding which day the berachah should be recited, he notes that the matter depends on various detailed halachic considerations and one should consult a competent rav or hear the Megillah from someone else, as elaborated in the Biur Halachah there.

{Matzav.com}