NEW YORK (VINnews) – — Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn is moving closer to becoming part of New York City’s public hospital network, even as a lawsuit seeks to halt the transition.

Dr. Mitchell Katz, who leads NYC Health + Hospitals, told City Council members Monday that the integration could take effect as early as April 1. He said immediate priorities would include upgrading the hospital’s aging maternity facilities and improving its financial stability.

A legal challenge filed by several former board members argues that joining the city system could negatively affect patient care and weaken the hospital’s longstanding ties to the Orthodox Jewish community. However, Katz said there is no court order currently blocking the process.

Today, the Committee on Hospitals held an oversight hearing on the impacts of the proposed merger between @MaimoHealth & @NYCHealth, examining how it would protect access to care in Brooklyn, support safety-net services, and ensure long-term financial sustainability for… pic.twitter.com/FuSRtY8Wpi

— New York City Council (@NYCCouncil) March 2, 2026

Community leaders have expressed concern about whether religious and cultural practices at the century-old hospital would be maintained. Katz said the agreement includes provisions safeguarding those practices for decades and emphasized that the hospital’s name and much of its staff would remain in place.

The proposed merger still requires approval from state health regulators. Gov. Kathy Hochul has pledged billions of dollars in funding over five years if the deal proceeds.

If completed, the agreement would direct significant funding toward building a modern maternity ward. Hospital officials note that Maimonides handles roughly 6,000 births annually, making it one of the busiest maternity centers in the region.

Joining the public system would also increase Medicaid reimbursement rates, generating an estimated multimillion-dollar monthly revenue boost, Katz said. He added that the added funding would help hire additional support personnel and modernize outdated medical record systems, including expanding patient access to digital health tools.

El Al announced Monday evening that it will not begin operating flights to Taba at this time, citing the absence of authorization from Israeli security officials.

In a statement released by the airline, the company made clear that it will not operate any flights without explicit security clearance. The announcement also stressed that a severe travel warning remains in effect for Egypt, and that Israeli carriers are barred from flying to the country.

El Al emphasized that it follows the directives of the relevant security authorities without exception and that passenger safety takes precedence over every other consideration.

Following the reopening of Ben Gurion Airport, the airline reiterated its commitment to bringing all of its customers back to Israel at no extra cost from more than 20 destinations worldwide.

At the same time, it was reported that Wizz Air will take part in the evacuation efforts and will bolster its service to Sharm El Sheikh beginning Friday.

{Matzav.com}

The head of Israel’s Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, declared that Israel will continue striking senior enemy figures and expanding its target list, stating that recent operations delivered a clear and uncompromising message to its adversaries.

Maj. Gen. Binder made the remarks Monday during an intelligence situation assessment held at the Intelligence Directorate’s Command Center, where he met with commanders and personnel from the Research Division to review ongoing operations and future objectives.

Addressing those present, Binder described the operational capabilities that enabled Israeli forces to act with speed and precision.

“We could tactically surprise them, beginning at an unexpected hour and catching our enemies mid-gatherings. In 40 seconds, we eliminated more than 40 of the most important people in Iran…and we are not finished. You must continue to set these targets and mark them. Just last night we achieved another such accomplishment, and we intend to add to the list every day.”

He framed the recent actions within the broader context of the war over the past two years, emphasizing the strategic message being conveyed.

“Looking at the past two years of the war, I believe we are sending a very clear message to our enemies – there is no place where we will not find them.”

Binder concluded with a direct warning to those who threaten Israel and its citizens.

“Anyone who chooses to engage in such actions against the State of Israel, against the residents of the State of Israel, against our future here, we will find them, and we will eliminate them.”

{Matzav.com}

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted amid the U.S. and Israeli offensive against Iran — dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” — finds that roughly one in four Americans approve of President Trump’s decision to order military strikes that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The national survey, conducted Saturday and Sunday in the hours following the initiation of the joint operation, indicates that 27 percent of respondents approve of the strikes, with 43 percent disapproving and nearly 30 percent undecided.

55 percent of Republicans said they backed the military action compared with 32 percent who opposed it. Among Democrats, 73 percent disapproved of the strikes and just 7 percent offered support. Independents were similarly skeptical, with 44 percent expressing disapproval, 19 percent approving and nearly four in 10 unsure.

The poll was conducted before the Pentagon announced the first U.S. military casualties linked to the operation — three service members killed and five seriously wounded, according to U.S. officials and news reports.

In a Monday interview with the New York Post, Trump pushed back against questions about the polling, saying he was unconcerned with approval numbers and focused on what he described as necessary action.

“I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling,” Trump said. “I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.”

Trump warned Sunday that any significant Iranian retaliation would be met with an unprecedented response. “If Iran were to hit very hard,” he said, “they would be met with a force that has never been seen before.”

Fifty-six percent of Americans said Trump is too willing to rely on military power to advance U.S. interests. That view was most pronounced among Democrats — nearly nine in 10 — and independents, at roughly 60 percent. Even among Republicans, about 25 percent said Trump was too willing to use force.

Trump — who has ordered previous strikes on Venezuela, Syria and Nigeria in recent months — defended his decisions, arguing the threat posed by Iran’s leadership and aspirations for nuclear armament warranted decisive action.

“I think people are very impressed with what is happening, actually,” the president said. “I think it’s a silent — if you did a real poll, the silent poll — and it’s like a silent majority.”

Trump’s overall job approval rating in the new survey stands at 39 percent, a one-point drop from a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-February.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

It wasn’t a snake that wrapped around a leg.  They were a number of snakes that aimed and fired missiles toward Eretz Yisroel.  But shocking enough, we can derive the halacha of the snakes from the halacha of a snake that wraps around the leg of someone davening Shmoneh Esreh.

 It was a missile siren – a tzeva adom – and it happened to a kehilla in Eretz Yisroel in the middle of reading the Megillah. But in order to understand the halacha, we need to look at the halacha regarding snakes and scorpions, the laws of hefsek in Shemoneh Esrei, and the fascinating question of how these principles apply to the reading of the Megillah.

The Case

A shul in an Israeli city was in the middle of Krias HaMegillah on Purim night. The baal korei had reached the middle of perek daled when suddenly the siren went off – a tzeva adom indicating an incoming rocket. Everyone immediately left the shul and went to the bomb shelter, as required by pikuach nefesh. After a few minutes, the all-clear was given and the mispallelim returned to the shul. The question is: Does the baal korei go back to the beginning of the Megillah? Or does he pick up where he left off?

The Background: Snakes, Scorpions and Shemoneh Esrei

The first Mishna of the fifth perek in Maseches Brachos (30b) states that if a snake wraps itself around a person’s ankle during Shemoneh Esrei, he is still not permitted to make a hefsek (an interruption). The Gemorah (Brachos 33a) explains, however, that if a scorpion is approaching, one does make a hefsek.

The ramifications are significant. If the person made a hefsek when he should not have (the snake case), he must restart Shemoneh Esrei from the beginning. If he made a hefsek when he was supposed to (the scorpion case), he picks up where he left off.

The Rambam (Peirush HaMishnayos) explains the underlying reasoning: the majority of the time, the snake does not bite. Since most encounters with snakes do not result in a bite, this is not considered a sufficient reason to interrupt Shemoneh Esrei.

The Fundamental Question

But this raises a powerful question. The Gemorah in Yuma (84b) states a fundamental principle: “delo halchu b’pikuach nefesh achar harov” – when it comes to matters of life and death, we do not follow majorities. If so, how can we rely on a majority to tell us that one may not interrupt Shemoneh Esrei when a snake wraps around his ankle? Isn’t there a concern of pikuach nefesh? And how is the snake different from the approaching scorpion?

There are at least seven answers to this question, each of which has implications for our case of the Megillah and the missile siren.

The Seven Answers and Their Implications for the Megillah

1. Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l (Kovetz Shiurim Psachim #32) explains that someone standing in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei is considered a Shliach Mitzvah – a person involved in a Mitzvah. The Gemorah in Psachim (8a) teaches that Shluchei Mitzvah ainam nizakin – those involved in a Mitzvah are not harmed. There is, however, a qualification: if the damage is common, this dictum does not apply. A scorpion is more likely to bite, so the principle does not protect against it. But since a snake is much less likely to bite, the person remains protected by his Mitzvah status. According to this approach, if the majority of the time a siren goes off in a particular area there is in fact genuine danger, then those who left to the bomb shelter would have acted properly, and they would pick up the Megillah where they left off. However, if the majority of the time the sirens in that area are false alarms, the hefsek was unnecessary, and they would have to restart the Megillah from the beginning. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, however, (cited in Shmiras Shabbos K’hilchasa chapter 25 footnote 15) disagrees with Rav Elchanan’s understanding of Shluchei Mitzvah and its parameters.
2. Rav Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov zt”l (1783–1841), the author of the Bnei Yissaschar and nephew of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk, in his Sefer entitled “Vehaya Bracha,” explains that the halacha regarding snakes in Shemoneh Esrei is entirely unique. There is a special pasuk in Mishlei (16:7) that states: “When Hashem accepts a person’s ways, He will cause even his enemies to make peace with him.” The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 54:1) identifies this “enemy” as the snake. It is specifically because of this verse that we do not make a hefsek for a snake – but there is no comparable verse for other dangers. According to the Bnei Yissaschar, since the missile siren has nothing to do with the special verse about the snake, the hefsek was entirely justified. The kehilla would therefore pick up the Megillah where they left off and would not have to restart from the beginning.
3. The Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l (Divrei Yatziv OC Siman 61) writes that there is a drasha in Yuma 19b regarding Krias Shema: “Vedibarta bam – and you shall speak in them” – in them (Shema) and not in Tefillah. This drasha teaches us that the rules of hefsek in Tefillah have unique stringencies and that we do not follow the standard rules of rov (majority) when dealing with Tefillah. According to this approach, since our case deals with Krias HaMegillah and not Shemoneh Esrei, the special stringency of Tefillah would not apply. The kehilla would therefore, likely, pick up where they left off.
4. Rav Avrohom Stern zt”l in his Kisvei Aish (Volume V Siman 6) makes an inference from the Bartenura that the case of the snake involves a double majority – most times snakes do not bite, and even when they do bite, most snakebites are not fatal. By virtue of this extreme rarity of actual danger, it is not considered pikuach nefesh at all. According to this reasoning, the missile siren presents a very different scenario. A siren indicates a genuine and immediate threat with real statistical danger of harm. Since there is no double majority to minimize the danger, the hefsek was entirely justified, and the kehilla would pick up the Megillah where they left off.
5. Rav Avrohom Dirnfeld zt”l, the Rav and Rosh Mesivta of Puppa, in his Bais Yosef Sefer on Brachos, cites the Chasam Sofer’s responsum (YD #245) that when the minority danger is not present before us – meaning, one cannot see the actual threat – then we do follow a rov, a majority. When it comes to the missile siren, one could argue that the threat is not visibly present before the mispallelim – they hear a siren but do not see the rocket. According to this view, the question would hinge upon whether the majority of the time the sirens result in actual danger or not. If the majority of the time there is no actual strike in that location, they would have to restart the Megillah from the beginning.
6. The Rashash explains that sometimes we do indeed follow a rov even in regard to pikuach nefesh (see Shulchan Aruch OC 618:3). This view suggests that the distinction between the snake and scorpion is not about the general principle of pikuach nefesh and majorities, but rather about the specific level of probability in each case. For the missile siren, a posek would need to evaluate the actual statistical likelihood of danger when a siren sounds in that particular area.
7. The Magadim Yekarim by Rabbi Shlomo Menachem Schwartz explains that by virtue of the fact that there is a Chillul Hashem involved in leaving in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei for only a very remote chance of danger, we do not make a hefsek. According to this view, one would need to consider whether leaving in the middle of the Megillah reading to go to a bomb shelter constitutes a Chillul Hashem or, to the contrary, a Kiddush Hashem. It would seem that demonstrating the primacy of pikuach nefesh – showing that the Torah values life above all – would actually be a Kiddush Hashem rather than a Chillul Hashem. If so, the hefsek was entirely appropriate, and the kehilla would pick up where they left off.

What Constitutes a Hefsek in Megillah?

It should be noted that there is a debate among the Poskim as to the nature of a hefsek. The Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah rule that the prohibition of interrupting during Shemoneh Esrei is only through speech, but walking is not considered a hefsek. The Ramah (OC 104:3) rules in accordance with this view. The TaZ and the Vilna Gaon, however, maintain that walking is also considered a hefsek. The Vilna Gaon cites the view of the Rosh (Siman 3) that talking would not help in the situation of a snake, and that is why the hefsek being discussed refers to walking away.

When it comes to Megillah, however, the parameters may be different. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 690:5) rules that if one paused during the Megillah reading, even for a significant amount of time, one picks up where one left off. The Mishnah Berurah (690:18) explains that this is true as long as the interruption was not of such a duration that one would have to start over. The Poskim discuss what that duration would be.

Additional Considerations for the Megillah

There is another important factor to consider. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 692:1) rules that one must hear every single word of the Megillah. If words were missed, there is a serious question as to the validity of the reading. When the kehilla rushes to the bomb shelter, it is likely that the baal korei stopped in the middle of a pasuk. When they return, he must be careful to resume from the exact place he stopped and not skip even a single word.

Furthermore, the Rema (OC 690:5) writes that if there was a significant interruption, it is preferable to go back to the beginning of the Megillah if possible. Many Poskim understand this to be an ideal practice (l’chatchilah) even if b’dieved one would be yotzei from where one left off.

The Rivevos Ephraim on Fire Alarms

Rav Ephraim Greenblatt zt”l (Rivevos Ephraim Vol. 8 #311) rules that one must leave if a fire alarm goes off even in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei. He notes, however, that the situation may be different if there is a history of the alarm going off in error. Kal vachomer, when a missile siren sounds in Eretz Yisroel, one must certainly leave immediately. Pikuach nefesh overrides all.

Practical Conclusion

Based on the analysis of the seven approaches, the majority of the views would hold that when a missile siren goes off during Megillah reading in Eretz Yisroel, the kehilla acted properly in going to the bomb shelter, and when they return, the baal korei should pick up the Megillah from where he left off. This is because the danger presented by a missile siren is real and immediate, and interrupting for genuine pikuach nefesh is not considered an improper hefsek.

However, it is advisable, l’chatchilah, to go back a few pesukim before the point of interruption to ensure that the listeners reconnect with the flow of the Megillah and do not miss any words. And of course, one should consult one’s Rav or Posek for a final ruling.

May Hashem protect all of Klal Yisroel, and may we soon merit the day when the only sounds we hear during Megillah reading are the joyous shouts of “Arur Haman” and “Baruch Mordechai.”

As an aside, we must always use every opportunity to look at things from the perspective of halacha and Torah.  In this zchus, may we merit that none of acheinu bnei Yisroel be hurt, chalilah, nor any innocent bystanders, nor the brave US soldiers that are fighting against evil and tyrrany, Amain!

Post Script:  Someone pointed out to me that Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita wrote about this topic as well and wrote as follows: 

From where do you resume Kriyah after the tzibur returns?

If the tzibur stayed in a clean place where it would have been halachically possible to read the Megillah, then even if a long time passed and even if they had to interrupt by talking, they resume from the point where they stopped and do not return to the beginning.

But if they were in a shelter that is not halachically clean (a place where one may not read the Megillah), or if such a long time passed that they could have completed the entire Megillah from start to finish during that interval, then they must go back and read from the beginning. In that case, they do not repeat the brachos, as long as they never fully removed their mind (hesach da’as) from the mitzvah.

Are the brachos repeated when they continue the Kriyah?

When the tzibur regathers and continues from where they left off, if they did not divert their minds (hesach da’as) from the Megillah, they do not recite the brachos again.

If their attention was diverted from the mitzvah, they must repeat the bracha of ‘Al Mikra Megillah’ (but not the other brachos).

Siren between the brachos and the Kriyah

If a siren sounds immediately after the three brachos were recited, but before the Kriyah began, or right after finishing the Kriyah but before reciting ‘הרב את ריבנו’, the following applies:

If they then spoke or lost focus on the mitzvah (hesach da’as), the brachos must be repeated (and it appears they should also repeat “She’asa Nissim” and “Shehecheyanu”).

But if they managed to read even one word of the Megillah (for example, “Vayehi”) before the interruption, this already counts as beginning the mitzvah, and the original brachos remain valid.

Therefore, if a siren sounds between the brachos and Megillah, the Shliach Tzibur should quickly recite at least one word of the Megillah as soon as he completes the brachos in order not to invalidate them.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

As Klal Yisroel prepares to celebrate Purim with simcha, Rav Boruch Hirschfeld, Rosh Kollel of Torah Life Institute in Cleveland, is encouraging ways to elevate the Yom Tov while keeping Acheinu Bais Yisroel in mind.

Rav Hirschfeld offered two simple suggestions:

1. Increase limud torah on Purim — each person according to his level — as a zechus for Acheinu Kol Beis Yisroel.

2. During the Purim seudah, pause every twenty minutes and say a kapittel of Tehillim together, followed by “Acheinu Kol Beis Yisroel,” followed by “Avinu Malkeinu,” and then share a short Dvar Torah to be marbeh kavod Shamayim.

With Yidden across the world – and particularly in Eretz Yisroel – living through such dangerous, turbulent developments each day, Rav Hirschfeld’s suggestions provide an easy and objectively beautiful way to unite all of Klal Yisroel together on Purim, an auspicious day for yeshuos.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

This afternoon, Lakewood Police Chaplain Moe Heinemann and Police Liaison Ben Inzelbuch, together with several School Resource Officers, visited the family of last night’s shooting victim to extend their condolences on behalf of the community and to offer their support during this difficult time.

“This isn’t just your tragedy, it’s the entire community’s tragedy,” said Inzelbuch.

In the coming weeks, plans are underway to organize a community event in honor of the boy’s memory.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday attributed a large red spot on President Donald Trump’s neck to a skin cream he is using, without elaborating on what condition it is treating.

The redness drew widespread attention Monday, when news photographers captured close-up images of the president’s neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

“President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor,” Sean Barbabella, the president’s doctor, said in a statement. “The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks.”

The White House did not immediately respond to follow-up questions, such as what the cream is, when Trump began the treatment and what condition it is supposed to prevent. Zoomed-in photos from at least as far back as an “angel families” event at the White House on Feb. 23, a day before his State of the Union address, show visible redness on the president’s neck.

The president’s medical report from his April 2025 physical noted that he was taking mometasone cream “as needed” for an unspecified skin condition.

Trump, 79, became the oldest president to have taken the oath of office when he was sworn in last January. In particular because of his advanced age, Trump’s health is closely scrutinized.

Barbabella said in December that Trump had MRI imaging on his heart and abdomen in October as part of preventive screening for men his age, with the results being “perfectly normal.” That October physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center found that Trump is in overall “exceptional health,” according to Barbabella.

The Yerushalayim Municipality has introduced a new emergency notification system tailored specifically for residents who use kosher phones and do not have access to smartphone apps or standard digital alerts.

The initiative, launched at the direction of Mayor Moshe Lion, is designed to automatically place phone calls to those who register for the service. Subscribers receive two types of recorded voice updates: an advance warning prior to the sounding of a siren in their area, and a follow-up message informing them when the security incident has concluded.

One of the system’s central features is its ability to send localized alerts based on specific neighborhoods, rather than issuing blanket notifications citywide. In addition, the system has been structured in a manner that complies with halachic requirements, enabling it to function on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim in a permissible way.

“It is important to ensure that those who choose a lifestyle without a smartphone receive the earliest possible warning so they can reach a protected space safely,” Lion stressed.

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Beit Shemesh, where residents lost their lives despite following official directives, Lion stressed the critical importance of remaining inside a protected room, describing it as “life-saving and an obligation upon every individual.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years before he was killed in the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment.

It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

The supreme leader has the final say on all major decisions, including war, peace and the country’s disputed nuclear program.

In the meantime, a provisional governing council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and senior Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi is guiding the country through its biggest crisis in decades. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a new supreme leader would be chosen early this week.

The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts, who by law are supposed to quickly name a successor. The panel consists of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected after their candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog.

Khamenei had major influence over both clerical bodies, making it unlikely the next leader will mark a radical departure.

Here are the top contenders.

Mojtaba Khamenei

The son of Khamenei, a mid-level Shiite cleric, is widely considered a potential successor. He has strong ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard but has never held office. His selection could prove awkward, as the Islamic Republic has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative.

Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi

Arafi is a member of the provisional government council. The senior Shiite cleric was handpicked by Khamenei to be a member of the Guardian Council in 2019, and three years later he was elected to the Assembly of Experts. He leads a network of seminaries.

Hassan Rouhani

Rouhani, a relative moderate, was president of Iran from 2013 to 2021 and reached the landmark nuclear agreement with the Obama administration that U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term. Rouhani served on the Assembly of Experts until 2024, when he said he was disqualified from running for reelection. Rouhani criticized it as an infringement on Iranians’ political participation.

Hassan Khomeini

Khomeini is the most prominent grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He is also seen as a relative moderate, but has never held government office. He currently works at his grandfather’s mausoleum in Tehran.

Ayatollah Mohammed Mehdi Mirbagheri

Mirbagheri is a senior cleric popular with hard-liners who serves on the Assembly of Experts.

He was close to the late Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a fellow hard-liner who wrote that Iran should not deprive itself of the right to produce “special weapons,” a veiled reference to nuclear arms.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mirbagheri denounced the closure of schools as a “conspiracy.”

He is currently the head of the Islamic Cultural Center in Qom, the main center for Islamic teaching in Iran.

(AP)

Early risers across NYC will have a chance to witness a striking celestial display Tuesday as a total lunar eclipse paints the moon a deep red hue, known as a “blood moon.”

A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon.

During the event, the moon will take on a reddish tint, a phenomenon commonly referred to as a “blood moon.”

According to astronomers, this marks the final total lunar eclipse that will be visible anywhere in the world until 2028.

Viewing times for NYC:

The eclipse will unfold during the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, with totality expected to last approximately 58 minutes:

3:44 a.m. – Eclipse begins

4:50 a.m. – Partial eclipse becomes visible

6:25 a.m. – Total eclipse begins

6:28 a.m. – Moon begins to set

What is a total lunar eclipse?

The National Weather Service explains that a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun projects Earth’s shadow onto the moon.

For the event to qualify as a total lunar eclipse, the moon must pass completely into Earth’s darkest central shadow, known as the umbra.

Unlike a solar eclipse, viewing a lunar eclipse requires no special eye protection. The event can be safely enjoyed with the naked eye, as well as through binoculars or a telescope.

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who drove his car into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in New York City has been charged by federal prosecutors with intentionally damaging religious property.

Dan Sohail, 36, was set to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court for the Jan. 28 incident, which damaged the entrance of the revered Jewish site, but did not cause any injuries.

An attorney for Sohail did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

He was previously arrested by New York City police at the scene and charged with multiple hate crimes by state prosecutors.

He later told officials that he had recently learned he had Jewish heritage and had been invited to the headquarters that night to learn more about the religion’s traditions, according to the federal complaint unsealed Monday.

Several people close to him — including family members and Chabad rabbis — have said Sohail did not seem to harbor any hatred toward Jews, and confirmed that he had expressed interest in converting to the religion.

Weeks before the incident, he had attended a social gathering at the Chabad headquarters, where he was seen on video dancing with Orthodox men, according to police.

Sohail’s father told The Daily News that his son suffered from “mental problems,” but had “a very good friendship, relationship with the Jews.”

Sohail initially claimed that his “clunky boots” had slipped, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, according to police.

Federal prosecutors said he was seen removing several blockades and cleared snow away from a sidewalk before driving into the building at least five times.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison if the damage is found to have exceeded $5,000.

Jailed since his arrest, Sohail was temporary released Monday to the custody of the U.S. Marshals for his federal court appearance, online records show. His next hearing in the state case is March 31.

A spokesperson for Chabad did not respond to inquiries about the federal charges.

The crash occurred on the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson becoming the leader of the Lubavitch movement and prompted immediate concern in the city. Schneerson died in 1994 but remains a revered figure globally.

There has been a near constant police presence around the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters for years.

The site was at the epicenter of the Crown Heights riots in 1991, when Black residents of the neighborhood attacked Jews after a child was killed by a car traveling in Schneerson’s motorcade. In 2014, a disturbed man entered the synagogue and stabbed a rabbinical student, wounding him, before being shot dead by police.

<<CLICK HERE TO HELP NOW>>

נדיבי העם אחינו כל בית ישראל רחמנים בני רחמנים

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Purim be מקיים the great מצוה of מתנות לאביונים in its highest and best form by donating to help a very poor family that is struggling financially and has accumulated huge amounts of debt and is begging for your help. The פוסקים write that you should spend more on the מצוה of מתנות לאביונים than on משלוח מנות and סעודת פורים. The Gemara says that the eyes of the poor are looking out for מקרא מגילה as this is when they will get the מתנות לאביונים.

Even if you already gave today Tzedakah you should still donate to this important cause as it says כל הפושט יד ליטול נותנים לו, so please donate generously and keep in mind that every Dollar goes directly to the poor family, 100% of your donation, וכל המוסיף מוסיפין לו מן השמים.

In the זכות of this great Mitzvah may you and your family be blessed by Hashem with Bracha, Hatzlacha, Refuos and Yeshuos and all your Prayers should be answered and you should always be on the giving end and never on the receiving end.

Thank you, תזכו למצוות and פורים שמח. 

<<CLICK HERE TO HELP NOW>>

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Tax ID: 87-1695856

Israel’s Tel Aviv Stock Exchange closed at fresh record highs in a surge described as the strongest session since the COVID era. The TA-35 jumped 4.6% and the broader TA-125 climbed 4.8%, with TA-90 also outperforming on the day.

The shekel strengthened about 1.5% against the dollar, pushing back toward levels near a 30-year high. At the same time, options-based gauges of expected shekel volatility spiked, markets are buying the upside, but bracing for shocks.

Traders credited a sharp repricing of the war outlook, confidence in Israel’s operational momentum, plus expectations that the campaign is shorter and strategically decisive, would reduce Israel’s risk premium and ultimately ease financing pressure. Banks, energy, and defense-linked shares led the green wave across the board.

The Finance Ministry sold about 3.3 billion shekels of debt in its weekly auction, with demand reported around 20 billion shekels and participation by major international banks—an unusually clear vote of confidence under fire. The main variable now is duration: if the fighting drags or expands, analysts warn markets may be underpricing the fiscal and macro risk.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to the son of Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, a World War II soldier credited with saving the lives of hundreds of Jewish-American prisoners of war during the Battle of the Bulge.

During a White House ceremony, Trump recounted Edmonds’ actions in January 1945 after he was captured with his unit from the 106th Infantry Division and held in a German POW camp.

As the senior non-commissioned officer among the American prisoners, Edmonds was ordered by a German commandant to have only Jewish-American soldiers step forward for identification. Fearing they would face execution or severe mistreatment, Edmonds instead instructed all approximately 1,200 American POWs under his authority to stand together.

When the German officer confronted him and said the prisoners could not all be Jewish, Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews here,” according to historical accounts.

.@POTUS presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Master Sergeant Roderick W. Edmonds, posthumously — accepted on his behalf by his son, Chris. pic.twitter.com/JghfrPZ2jy

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 2, 2026

The officer reportedly drew his pistol and threatened to shoot Edmonds if he did not identify the Jewish soldiers. Edmonds refused, and the Germans ultimately backed down. The Jewish POWs were not separated.

Historians credit Edmonds’ defiance with saving the lives of an estimated 200 to 300 Jewish-American service members.

Trump called Edmonds’ actions an example of extraordinary courage and unity, saying the story reflects “the very best of America.”

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for valor.

While awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, our President just told a magnificent story.

In late December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds (then 25, from Knoxville, Tennessee, a devout Methodist and non-Jewish Christian) was… pic.twitter.com/VY8QPbRJwh

— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) March 2, 2026

As Purim approaches in the shadow of the current war, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, nosi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, has released detailed pesakim addressing how to properly observe the mitzvos of Purim during the current military operation.

In recent days, hundreds of she’eilos have been presented to the Rishon LeTzion in light of the wartime situation. In response, he issued clear guidance on how to fulfill the mitzvos of Purim this year, with particular focus on the proper observance of Krias Megillas Esther under security restrictions.

First and foremost, the Rishon LeTzion stressed that it is self-evident that one must strictly adhere to all instructions issued by Pikud HaOref, as these directives are life-saving and fall under the obligation of “v’nishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem.”

Accordingly, he ruled that during these days it is essential to remain in locations that are in close proximity to a protected space. One should not conduct simchas Purim in areas that are not immediately near an accessible shelter.

Regarding Krias HaMegillah, the Rishon LeTzion clarified that one does not fulfill the obligation by listening through technological means such as “radio,” “Zoom,” “telephone,” or any other electronic medium — even if it is a live broadcast heard in real time. The obligation is fulfilled only through direct hearing from the baal koreh, without any intermediary device.

Therefore, he ruled that Krias HaMegillah in batei knesses and batei medrash should take place only in locations that are immediately adjacent to a protected area capable of accommodating all participants, or alternatively in shelters themselves.

If a siren sounds during the Krias HaMegillah, the entire tzibbur must immediately proceed to a shelter or protected space and pause the reading. They should make every effort not to speak during the interruption. If feasible, the reading may continue in the protected area. If this is not possible, the Megillah reading should resume in the bais knesses once Pikud HaOref authorizes a return to routine activity.

The Rishon LeTzion further ruled that if the reading was interrupted in order to seek shelter — even if there was speech during the interruption, and even if a lengthy amount of time passed, sufficient to complete the entire Megillah — upon returning, the baal koreh should resume from the exact point where he stopped, without reciting the berachos again. However, if the interruption and speech occurred immediately after the initial berachos and before the reading itself began, the berachos must be repeated, with the exception of Shehecheyanu.

If the tzibbur already heard the majority of the Megillah — defined as six chapters — and then were required to disperse to their homes, they may complete the remaining portion by reading from a Chumash at home.

Women, who are equally obligated in Krias HaMegillah, must also ensure that they hear the reading from a baal koreh in a protected location or one close to a shelter, in accordance with Pikud HaOref regulations.

Concerning the concluding berachah of Harav Es Riveinu, it may only be recited in the presence of a minyan. Even ten women may combine for this purpose. If, b’dieved, there was speech between the conclusion of the reading and the final berachah — for example, if the congregation had to evacuate to a protected space before the berachah — upon returning to the place of reading, if a tzibbur of ten is present, the berachah of Harav Es Riveinu should be recited, even if conversation took place in the interim.

Regarding Machatzis HaShekel, as of today, Erev Purim, 13 Adar 5786, the value stands at 101 shekels. One who cannot afford this amount for all household members should at minimum give this sum for himself, and contribute for the rest of his family according to his ability — at the very least three half-shekel coins per person. It is proper to give this amount today, on Taanis Esther, during Minchah, close to the time of Krias HaMegillah. The Rishon LeTzion emphasized the importance of directing these funds to mosdos haTorah that support bnei yeshivos and avreichim.

As for Matanos LaEvyonim, strictly speaking one fulfills the obligation with the value of a perutah. However, it is appropriate to beautify the mitzvah by giving the equivalent of a meal including a drink — approximately 25 shekels per needy individual, totaling 50 shekels for each person above the age of bar or bas mitzvah.

The Rishon LeTzion concluded with a heartfelt tefillah: May the Ribono Shel Olam perform for us nissim v’nifla’os as He did for our forefathers in those days at this time, and may He hasten the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu speedily in our days, amein kein yehi ratzon.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM — The Israeli Air Force conducted a series of airstrikes targeting dozens of headquarters and bases linked to Iran’s internal security apparatus in Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The strikes hit facilities subordinate to what the IDF described as the “Iranian terror regime,” including those responsible for suppressing protests through violence and civilian arrests.

“As part of the sortie, the IDF struck headquarters and bases of internal security bodies … responsible for suppressing protests against the regime, including through the use of violence and the arrest of civilians,” the military said in a statement. “Striking these bases deepens the blow to the regime’s repression capabilities.”

The IDF reported striking more than 10 headquarters belonging to Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, as well as a command center operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, where Iranian soldiers were reportedly gathered.

Additional targets included Iranian ballistic missile launchers, a weapons production site and other IRGC facilities, the military added.

The operation is part of an ongoing escalation in the conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran, which has seen coordinated airstrikes on Iranian military, leadership and nuclear-related sites since late February. The strikes come amid broader U.S.-Israeli efforts to degrade Iran’s missile capabilities, air defenses and command structure.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and regional targets, while Iranian officials have reported significant casualties and damage in Tehran and other areas.

No immediate independent confirmation of the specific targets or damage was available from Iranian sources, which have accused Israel of attacking civilian infrastructure in some cases.

The IDF emphasized that the strikes were intelligence-guided and aimed at weakening the regime’s ability to repress its population and project power regionally. The military has released footage purporting to show precision hits on command centers in the Iranian capital.

A newly released poll indicates strong backing from the American public for the SAVE America Act, a measure designed to bolster election security protocols nationwide.

According to the survey data, 71% of Americans overall are in favor of the legislation. The poll numbers also show significant cross-aisle appeal, finding that 69% of independent voters and fully half (50%) of Democrats support the bill.

The SAVE America Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives, would mandate that individuals provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. It would also require voters to present valid photo identification at the polls. Proponents of the bill maintain that these steps are vital to ensure only eligible citizens cast ballots.

Commenting on the widespread approval reflected in the poll, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the numbers confirm the public’s priorities regarding the electoral process.
“Strong public support shows one thing clearly: Americans want confidence in their elections,” Hegseth said.

He dismissed the notion that securing the voting process inherently suppresses lawful turnout. “Safeguarding the ballot and protecting access aren’t opposing goals — they’re complementary responsibilities,” Hegseth explained.

“Election integrity works best when security measures are clear, fair, and applied consistently to protect every eligible voter,” he concluded.
The legislation currently awaits further action in the Senate.

It is with great sadness that _Matzav.com_reports the petirah of Rav Meir Berlin zt”l, one of the distinguished talmidei chachamim of the Ezras Torah neighborhood and a devoted talmid muvhak and close confidant of the Rosh Yeshivah of Brisk, Rav Meshulam Dovid HaLevi Soloveitchik zt”l. He was 78 years old.

The levayah was held today at his home at 13 Even Ha’azel Street in Ezras Torah, proceeding past Bais Medrash Bais Yisroel in the neighborhood, and continuing to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.

Rav Meir was born on 19 Teves 5708 to his father, Rav Chaim Berlin, and his mother, Mrs. Ruchama Berlin. His father, Rav Chaim, was among the close associates and attendants of the Brisker Rov.

In his youth, he learned in Yeshivas Brisk, where he became a beloved talmid and close disciple of the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Meshulam Dovid HaLevi Soloveitchik. He remained deeply connected to the Brisker mesorah and its hanhagos throughout his life.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife, daughter of Rav Yehoshua Schiff, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Bais Shraga in Monsey, New York.

Throughout his life, Rav Meir was wholly bound to Torah, which was the joy and essence of his existence. He toiled in it with extraordinary diligence and strength, investing constant amal and yegiah, teaching and transmitting it in its pristine purity.

He served as a living model for many in attaining elevated levels in the precise fulfillment and beautification of mitzvos, sparing no effort or expense. With tireless exertion and unwavering resolve, he charted his path in accordance with the ways of his rabbeim, the great luminaries of the generation from the house of Brisk, to whom he cleaved from his earliest years.

Beloved by all, he shouldered the burdens of others with humility and selflessness. His heart was open wide to assist both the community and individuals, materially and spiritually alike. His radiant joy in avodas Hashem brought happiness to all who came near him.

Rav Meir served as a R”M at Yeshiva Torah V’Yirah in the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Yerushalayim. In Ezras Torah, he was among the founders of the Ashkenaz minyan at the Bais Yisroel Shul, which he maintained, led, and guided for many years.

He is survived by sons and daughters and many grandchildren who continue in his path.

His brother, Rav Zev Berlin zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov, passed away one year ago, during the month of Adar.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its largest domestic oil refinery on Monday following a drone strike, according to a source, as escalating Israeli and US operations against Iran — and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks — triggered disruptions to energy infrastructure across the Middle East.

The latest round of strikes marked the third consecutive day of violence affecting the region’s oil and gas sector. In response to security concerns, most crude production in Iraqi Kurdistan was halted as a precaution, and several major Israeli offshore gas fields were also taken offline, curbing exports to Egypt.

Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery, which has a processing capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, was shut down as a preventive measure. The refinery forms part of a major energy hub along the kingdom’s Gulf coastline and functions as a key export terminal for Saudi crude.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, where approximately 200,000 barrels per day were shipped via pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port in February, companies including DNO, Gulf Keystone Petroleum, Dana Gas and HKN Energy suspended operations at their fields as a precaution. No physical damage was reported at those sites.

Off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, the Leviathan natural gas field, operated by Chevron, was shut on Saturday, sources said. Energean also halted operations at its floating production unit servicing smaller gas reservoirs.

The situation at Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery is under control, the source said. Two drones were intercepted at the facility, with debris causing a limited fire, the Saudi defense ministry’s spokesperson said on Al Arabiya TV, adding there were no injuries.

Saudi state news agency SPA reported, citing an unnamed energy ministry official, that while some refinery units were taken offline as a precaution, domestic supplies of petroleum and refined products were not disrupted.

Even so, the refinery’s temporary closure is likely to intensify concerns about global supply. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes — has slowed sharply after vessels were targeted in the area on Sunday. Brent crude futures jumped about 10% on Monday, climbing above $82 per barrel.

“The attack on Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran’s sights,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

“The attack is also likely to move Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states closer to joining U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.”

Saudi energy infrastructure has been targeted in the past. In September 2019, coordinated drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities temporarily knocked out more than half of the kingdom’s crude production capacity.

Ras Tanura itself was previously targeted in 2021 by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

{Matzav.com}

💔 HEARTBREAKING: The victims have been identified as Yaakov Biton (16), Avigail Biton (15), and Sarah Biton (13), three siblings killed when an Iranian ballistic missile hit Beit Shemesh.

Reports from the scene indicate the strike hit near/at a shelter area, triggering a deadly collapse and trapping people under debris as rescuers searched for survivors.

One report describes Yaakov escorting his younger sisters toward shelter moments before they were killed.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City paid more than $117 million last year to settle police misconduct lawsuits in cases ranging from the violent arrests of protesters in 2020 to bad police work that led to wrongful convictions in the 1980s, according to a newly published analysis of city data. Nearly $800 million in payouts were made over the last seven years.

The largest settlements last year, totaling $24.1 million, went to two men who spent more than 20 years in prison after they were wrongly arrested and convicted for a fatal 1986 robbery in midtown Manhattan robbery. Another settlement, for $5.75 million, went to a man who said police blinded him in his left eye with a stun gun.

The analysis, released Monday by the nonprofit public defender organization The Legal Aid Society, comes as the nation’s largest city faces a $5.4 billion budget shortfall. Along with broader cuts, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed trimming $22 million from the NYPD’s $6.4 billion budget as it continues to tout lower crime numbers. Settlements are paid out of a separate part of the city’s budget. Elsewhere, they’re paid directly from a police department’s operating budget.

“This analysis is really about transparency around what the NYPD is costing us,” said Jennvine Wong, the supervising attorney with the organization’s Cop Accountability Project. “And from what we can tell here, I think it means that meaningful accountability has been lacking in the police department. It’s a chronic problem that needs to be addressed.”

NYPD says it’s increasing accountability, helping right wrongs
In all, the city settled 1,044 police misconduct lawsuits in 2025, the most since 2019, when 1,276 were resolved. It was the fourth straight year with settlements exceeding $100 million. Last year’s total was nearly double the $62.1 million the city paid in 2020 to settle 929 lawsuits. In 2024, the city paid $206.4 million in 980 lawsuits.

Those amounts are just a part of the city’s overall police misconduct toll. The Legal Aid Society’s analysis only includes lawsuit settlements, not claims that the city comptroller, the official in charge of financial matters, resolved prior to formal litigation.

Of last year’s settlements, about $42 million were for wrongful convictions and $28 million — nearly a quarter of the payout total — involved incidents that occurred more than two decades ago. Such cases have also accounted for a substantial portion of the $796 million the city has paid to resolve police misconduct lawsuits since 2019, the NYPD said.

“While these cases are very important to address, they tell you nothing about the state of policing today,” the department said in a statement.

Under Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the NYPD “has taken significant steps to increase accountability, compliance, and change outdated policies that might create greater risk,” the statement said. The department said it also works closely with the city’s district attorneys’ offices, providing material to facilitate their review of cases involving wrongful arrest and conviction claims.

Multimillion-dollar payouts for wrongful convictions and brutality
The men wrongly convicted in the fatal 1986 robbery, Eric Smokes and David Warren, received $13 million and $11.1 million, respectively. In a lawsuit filed in 2024 in federal court, they alleged that a corrupt detective relied on the word of an emotionally handicapped and drug-addled 17-year-old who was seeking a way out of his own separate robbery rap. Three of the four witnesses who identified Smokes and Warren as the killers only did so after being threatened with criminal charges, the lawsuits said.

Another settlement, for $3.9 million, went to Steven Lopez, a sixth man arrested with the so-called Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five, after their convictions in the 1989 rape of a female jogger were overturned. The Five went to trial but Lopez, under intense police and public pressure, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that he mugged a male jogger the same night.

Other settlements included $1.7 million for four protesters who said officers beat them with batons or threw them to the ground during a June 2020 demonstration in Brooklyn over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

The city paid $5.2 million to nine people who said they were framed in cases from 2014 to 2016 by two officers who were later convicted of falsifying testimony or paperwork.

Stop-and-frisk continues to be a concern, police monitor says
Last week, a court-appointed monitor criticized the NYPD for poorly supervising and underreporting officers’ use of the tactic known as stop-and-frisk. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that the NYPD’s frequent use of the tactic to search for guns and drugs violated the civil rights of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

Since then, the department has sharply cut down on stop-and-frisks, but continues to have “unacceptably low compliance rates” with constitutional protections, said the monitor, Mylan L. Denerstein.

The NYPD’s staggering settlement costs suggest more needs to be done to drive down misconduct, and a “lack of accountability has continued to contribute to a culture of impunity,” Wong said.

“These judgments and settlement costs are costing the city so much money and are costing the victims of police misconduct not just monetary losses and financial losses, but also causing real human trauma that they carry with them,” she added.

In his first live address since the Iran campaign began, President Donald Trump defended the decision to launch the assault even as polling shows most Americans oppose it. He argued that a “sick and evil regime” potentially armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons had created an unacceptable threat. Earlier, he also avoided ruling out the possibility of sending U.S. ground forces.

Trump said Monday that American planners initially expected the conflict to last roughly four to five weeks, but he stressed that the United States is prepared to continue “far beyond that” if needed. Speaking from the White House, he described the offensive as “our last and best opportunity” to confront Tehran’s leadership, adding, “We will win easily.”

He delivered the remarks during a Medal of Honor ceremony for veterans of the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars. Until then, Trump had only issued prerecorded messages, posted on his Truth Social platform or given phone interviews. His appearance coincided with fresh polling showing the political risks: a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted after the initial strikes found 27 percent support the war, 43 percent oppose it and 29 percent remain unsure.

Trump said the United States had previously “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure during last June’s “Midnight Hammer” operation and warned Tehran not to rebuild it. He claimed Iran ignored the warning and continued pursuing nuclear weapons, while rapidly accelerating development of ballistic missiles he described as a growing threat to U.S. forces and allies.

“The regime already had missiles capable of striking Europe and our bases, both in the region and overseas, and it was close to obtaining missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America,” he said.

He argued that Iran’s expanding missile arsenal was intended to protect its nuclear ambitions and deter outside intervention. “An Iranian regime equipped with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would have been an intolerable threat to the Middle East and to the American people. Our country was under threat,” he said.

Trump maintained he had attempted to resolve the crisis diplomatically. “We thought we had a deal,” he said. “But then they backed out. I said you can’t negotiate with these people. You have to act the right way.” He also attacked the nuclear agreement brokered under the Obama administration, saying, “We signed with them in our great stupidity.”

He laid out the objectives of the operation, saying it would continue “as long as required.” The goals include eliminating Iran’s missile capabilities and production sites, crippling its navy, preventing it from obtaining nuclear weapons and cutting off its ability to arm or direct proxy forces outside its borders. Although he did not list regime change as a formal aim, he again urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders. He pushed back on suggestions he would grow tired of the conflict, noting that the United States had expected it would take four weeks to eliminate Iran’s military leadership but completed the task “in about an hour.”

In an interview with the New York Post earlier Monday, Trump declined to commit to keeping U.S. ground forces out of the conflict, saying he avoids blanket statements. He added that he believes ground troops are unlikely to be needed but would consider them if the situation required it.

Trump insisted he had made “the right thing” in ordering the operation and dismissed negative polling. He argued that allowing “crazy people” to obtain nuclear weapons would have posed a far greater threat than the prospect of a broader regional war.

In a separate interview with CNN, he warned that “the big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon,” suggesting a possible escalation ahead. He also said he was surprised by what he described as Iranian attacks on Arab states, claiming that countries once expected to remain only marginal participants now “want to fight.” In an interview with Fox News, Trump asserted that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed during a breakfast meeting with senior advisers, assuming the United States and Israel would avoid striking during daylight hours.

Meanwhile, Iranian forces targeted oil infrastructure and other sites across a 2,000-kilometer swath of the region, from the Gulf of Oman – where a drone-laden boat struck an oil tanker – to Cyprus, hitting a British military base.

The US military said Kuwait’s air defenses accidentally shot down three American F-15E fighters during an Iranian attack, though all six crew members were safely recovered. Video footage showed one of the planes spiraling out of control before crashing in a fireball.

Black smoke rose near the US embassy in Kuwait amid a heavy presence of security personnel, ambulances, and fire trucks. Explosions were reported in Dubai and Samha in the UAE, and in Doha, Qatar. Saudi Arabia shut its largest refinery after drone strikes triggered a fire, part of a wider wave of attacks on oil installations.

In the first strike to hit US allies in Europe, a drone targeted Britain’s Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus overnight. Both Britain and Cyprus reported only limited damage and no casualties.

The campaign to topple Iran’s leadership marks one of the boldest US foreign policy moves in decades. President Donald Trump reiterated calls for Iranians to rise up and said the air campaign could continue for weeks. “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon,” he told CNN.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the campaign’s objectives are to destroy Iran’s navy, its ballistic missile program, and its nuclear weapons potential. He emphasized that the United States will not become mired in the conflict, stating, “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.”

B-2 stealth bombers reportedly struck Iranian missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said 10 Iranian warships were sunk and the navy’s headquarters largely destroyed.

Within Iran, residents jammed highways to escape the bombings, expressing a mixture of fear and excitement. One Tehran resident described Monday’s bombardment as the heaviest yet, hitting hospitals and clinics. “We are becoming like Gaza,” he said. Another, Hosna, a 45-year-old lawyer, said: “Every time we hear the noises [of explosions], we get scared for just a second. But we experience some joy and excitement every time we hear a strike.”

The Iranian Red Crescent reported 555 deaths and attacks on over 130 cities. Israeli officials said Monday’s strikes targeted regime command centers and senior leaders. In Israel, 11 people have been killed Hy’d, while 52 died in Lebanon, authorities said.

European allies initially criticized Trump’s war decision as failing to meet the legal threshold of an imminent threat but later agreed to assist in suppressing Iran’s capacity to retaliate. A senior White House official said Washington plans to eventually engage Tehran but will continue “Operation Epic Fury” for now.

Iran’s temporary leadership, including elected president Masoud Pezeshkian and members of the judiciary and guardian council, has taken over Khamenei’s duties. Ali Larijani, head of Tehran’s supreme national security council, said on X that Iran would not negotiate with Trump, accusing him of “delusional ambitions” and warning the country is ready for a prolonged conflict.

Missiles fired toward central Israel were intercepted, though booms rattled windows in Jerusalem. An Israeli military spokesperson said the reduced overnight attacks were a result of Israeli operations weakening Iran’s military capabilities. Hezbollah’s involvement, he added, was a strategic error.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted, disrupting about a fifth of global oil trade. Oil prices surged sharply, while stock markets fell. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported striking three US and UK oil tankers and military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles. Hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers, were forced to anchor nearby.

Global air travel has been heavily affected as major Middle Eastern airports remain closed due to airstrikes.

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that it had no evidence of Israeli or US attacks hitting Iran’s nuclear facilities, despite an Iranian claim of targeting one the previous day. Rafael Grossi, the agency’s chief, confirmed that any existing nuclear installations appear to have been largely spared during this campaign.

JERUSALEM — Tears and grief filled Hadassah Hospital on Monday as President Isaac Herzog met with Penina Cohen, a Beit Shemesh woman who survived a deadly Iranian missile strike that tore through a synagogue and nearby homes, killing nine civilians, including her husband and mother-in-law.

Cohen had sought shelter with her children when the missile struck. “We were sitting there and suddenly it happened. My young son was beside me and was also injured… I was right beneath the hole that was torn open, and I have no explanation for how we were not more seriously hurt. We experienced a great miracle,” she said, her voice trembling.

Among the dead were her husband, Yossi Cohen, and her mother-in-law, Bruria Gloria Cohen. Her son, who had been set to celebrate his bar mitzvah Monday, survived but remains shaken by the tragedy. “My children and I survived, but sadly, my husband and my mother-in-law, who was sitting next to me, were murdered,” she said. “Despite all the pain, I feel that we were under great protection.”

Rescue crews continue to comb the rubble in Beit Shemesh, searching for any remaining victims as the city reels from one of its deadliest attacks in recent memory.

״במקום שהבן שלי יחגוג היום בר מצווה – הוא קובר את אבא שלו״.

פנינה כהן, שאיבדה את בעלה יוסף ואת חמותה בלוריה, ובנה והיא נפצעו פצעים מורכבים מנפילת הטיל האיראני במקלט בבית שמש, שיתפה אותנו ליד מיטתה בבית החולים כיצד יום שהיה אמור להיות מלא שמחה, הפך ליום של אבל ואובדן נורא.

זהו… pic.twitter.com/adkgfa1mfv

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) March 2, 2026

President Donald Trump posthumously presents the Medal Honor to Robert and Linda Ollis, parents of Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)[/caption]WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump recognized three U.S. Army soldiers with the Medal of Honor at the White House on Monday, with two of the commendations being awarded posthumously.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Terry P. Richardson was recognized for actions during the Vietnam War that were credited with saving the lives of 85 other service members.

Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2013, was recognized for saving a Polish Army officer’s life.

Master Sgt. Roderick W. Edmonds, who died in 1985, was recognized for his leadership and resistance as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II.

“There’s no ceremony that can be more important than this,” Trump said to begin the East Room ceremony that included the recipients’ family members and the officer Ollis shielded from enemy fire.

“Bravery is amazing,” Trump said. “You never really know who’s brave and who’s not until they’re tested.”

The Republican president also used the ceremony to talk about his decision to launch a war in Iran, his immigration crackdown, expansion of the White House and curtains that he chose at the executive mansion during his first presidency. On Iran, the president defended the preemptive action as necessary to block Tehran from rebuilding its nuclear program and becoming “an intolerable threat to the Middle East but also to the American people.”

The Medal of Honor is awarded by U.S. presidents, in the name of Congress, for combat service that goes beyond the call of duty and risks one’s life.

Richardson led a Vietnam reconnaissance mission
On Sept. 14, 1968, Richardson was a staff sergeant on a reconnaissance mission as a platoon leader in the vicinity of Loc Ninh, part of the Republic of Vietnam.

According to his citation, Richardson, a native of Cass City, Michigan, came under fire from the North Vietnamese Army, including heavy machine gun fire as he rescued three wounded soldiers. After the rescues, he led his unit to its intended destination, a hilltop identified as a place to direct airstrikes. He found the location to be part of an enemy camp but remained for at least seven hours, directing strikes even after being wounded by a sniper.

Enemy forces eventually fled. Richardson, when found by other U.S. forces, declined medical evaluation so he could remain with his troops.

“His gallant and selfless actions … spared the lives of 85 fellow soldiers,” the White House said.

Trump praised Richardson, who attended with some members of his unit, as a “brave man” and described him as “central casting.”

“You feel like fighting? I think we could take him today,” Trump said, joking with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Ollis was killed shielding someone else in Afghanistan attack
As a staff sergeant at Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Ollis was a skilled infantryman who led soldiers during an attack on the base by enemy combatants on Aug. 28, 2013.

Ollis, 24 at the time, first directed soldiers to a bunker before returning to the building where they had been to check for any more endangered people, according to his citation. The Staten Island, New York, native came upon a Coalition Forces officer Lt. Karol Cierpica of Poland. They moved toward combatants who breached the base perimeter and joined other coalition forces.

During fighting, one enemy combatant confronted Ollis and Cierpica.

“With complete disregard for his own safety, he positioned himself between the insurgent and the Coalition Forces Officer, who had been wounded and unable to walk,” his commendation reads. “Staff Sergeant Ollis fired on the insurgent and incapacitated him, but as he approached the insurgent, the latter’s suicide vest was denotated, mortally wounding him.”

Called to the podium by Trump, Cierpica at times grew emotional as he paid tribute.

“A soldier is not something you are from time to time. It is who you are forever,” Cierpica said, later adding, “I am deeply moved, happy and grateful to God.”

Cierpica named his son, Michael, after Ollis, and he addressed members of Ollis’ family by name, calling them “my second family from Staten Island” and the U.S. his “second homeland.”

Edmonds led resistance in POW camp during World War II
A master sergeant, Edmonds was the ranking non-commissioned officer among American prisoners of war at a German camp in early 1945.

According to the commendation, the Germans announced on Jan. 26, 1945, that “only Jewish-American prisoners would fall out for roll call the following morning, at the threat of execution.”

Edmonds, who enlisted from South Knoxville, Tennessee, determined that allowing that segregation would result in the torture or death of 200 Jewish American POWs. He directed officers to have all 1,200 American troops present themselves for roll call.

With a German commandant enraged, Edmonds stood his ground and invoked prisoners’ rights under international law.

“We are all Jews here,” Edmonds said in a quote that Trump recounted Monday.

The German officer relented and made no further efforts to identify the Jewish American soldiers.

“Really amazing, right? It’s an amazing story,” Trump said.

Weeks later, as Allied forces advanced toward the camp, the Germans ordered POWs to prepare for evacuation. Edmonds prepared the POWs to assemble in formation and resist. German forces eventually retreated from the camp.

“Without regard for his own life Master Sergeant Edmonds gallantly led these prisoners in a relentless pursuit of opposition and resistance, forcing the Germans to abandon the camp leaving the 1,200 American prisoners behind,” the White House said.

Edmonds’ son, Chris, first learned of the story when reading his father’s journals after his death, then interviewing surviving veterans who also were POWs. Chris Edmonds spent years pushing for the official recognition and on Monday accepted the medal from Trump on his father’s behalf.

The U.S. military says it targeted the Iranian naval drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri during the initial wave of strikes against Iran on Saturday.

U.S. Central Command dismissed Iranian claims that an American aircraft carrier had been sunk, calling them false and stating that the only carrier struck was Iran’s Shahid Bagheri.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces hit the vessel within hours of initiating Operation Epic Fury.

The IDF released footage of an Israeli Air Force pilot maneuvering to avoid an Iranian surface-to-air missile while operating over Iran.

In the recording, the pilot is heard reporting, “Another launch — climbing above the clouds,” as the aircraft takes evasive action.

According to the military, the jet had been striking targets in Tehran at the time. The IDF adds that since fighting began on Saturday, IAF fighter aircraft have flown more than 1,000 operational sorties over Iranian territory.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

READING THE MEGILLAH

1. Rav Yeruchem Levovitz zt”l, the famed Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva in Poland, writes something absolutely fascinating (Daas Chochma uMussar Vol. I page 76) about the Megillah.  He writes, basing himself on the Vilna Gaon’s pshat on the last pasuk in Megilas Esther, that the entire Megilah is a mussar sefer – wherein we derive lessons in both inspiring behaviors that we should imitate, as well as horrible behaviors that we should stay away from.  Every act and character trait that Esther and Mordechai do and exhibit in the Megillah are perfect prototypes for us all to follow.  Conversely, every character trait and act that Haman and Achashveirosh do are examples of horrible character traits from which we must distance ourselves.  Examples abound.  Vechamaso baarah bo – and his anger seethed within him. “What we should be doing,” writes Rav Yeruchem, is we should carefully note all of these traits and learn to imitate the good and stay away from the bad.”
2. The Megillah is read on the 14th of Adar if you plan to be outside of Yerushalayim and on the 15th of Adar if you plan to be in Yerushalayim.  If you got stuck in cicumstances beyond your control, the halacha follows what you had planned initially.
3. Chazal at the time of Purim and just after, created an obligation to read the Megillah at night and in the day in commemoration of the miracle, where they cried out day and night. The daytime reading begins at sunrise and continues until the end of the day.  If it was read from Amud HaShachar – dawn, the Mitzvah has still been fulfilled.   It is interesting to note that the Mishna does not mention the night reading at all.
4. The reader must read the Megillah as if it was an iggeres – a letter.  Therefore, he should not pause between the Psukim more than a breath.  This is the ruling of the Tur and the Mogain Avrohom.
5. The chapter splits of Megilas Esther are NOT OF JEWISH ORIGIN.  Therefore, it is wrong for the reader to end off a chapter with a different tone or melody.  (Kuntrus Toras HaKoreh).
6. The nighttime reading begins when three stars come out and continues throughout the night until 1 and 1/5th hours before sunrise. If one lives far away and can only travel to hear one reading of the Megillah, it is preferable to hear the day reading rather than the night reading.
7. If it is absolutely impossible to hear the Megillah otherwise, and one cannot read the Megillah by oneself, may one fulfill the obligation by telephone?  Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l (IM OC IV 91:4) permitted a woman to hear Havdallah in a hospital through the telephone if there was no other possibility.  Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Minchas Shlomo Vol. I #9) disagreed but did hear a ruling from the Chazon Ish that it is not so simple to dismiss this possibility.  Some Poskim, therefore, rule that when there is no other choice at all, one should opt for the telephone option.
8. One should not eat before hearing the Megillah unless it is very necessary. Very necessary means that one is either sick or has difficulty with not eating.   The reason why an issue is made of Megillah is because of how important this Mitzvah is – since it pushes off all other Mitzvos.  Women should also not eat before hearing the Megillah.
9. One may, however, have a coffee in the morning before the reading of the Megillah.
10. Hallel is not recited on Purim because the reading of the Megillah is itself considered a recitation of song. If one does not have a Megillah and will not hear the reading from a Megillah, the Poskim have ruled that hallel should be said, but without a blessing.

PIRSUMEI NISSAH

11. The best way to of fulfill the Mitzvah is to read the Megillah publicly, and in Shul.  When attending the Megillah in a bigger place, one should have in mind that he or she is giving greater glory to Hashem by hearing the Megillah there.  This Kavannah serves to bring us closer to Hashem, and is an action similar in purpose to the recitation of Kaddish, an extremely holy endeavor.
12. Reading the Megillah involves the notion of Pirsumei Nissah – publicizing the miracle.  Because of this, it sets aside any other Mitzvah – even a Torah Mitzvah. Even the study of the Torah is set aside for the reading of the Megillah. The only Mitzvah which is not pushed off is the Mitzvah of providing burial for a dead person, when there is no one else available to do so.  This is interesting because reading the Megillah is only a Rabbinic Mitzvah.  If the other Mitzvah cannot be performed later, however, and it is a Biblical Mitzvah – that Mitzvah would come first.  A Bris Milah is an exception to this halacha.  The Bris Milah is performed before the reading of the Megillah.
13. Even if there are many people in one’s company, he should not read the Megillah at home, but should rather go to Shul, since, ‘In a multitude there is Majesty;’ and the miracle is made known more widely.
14. Before reading it, the reader of the Megillah recites these three blessings:

• “Al Mikrah Megillah” – Who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us with the Reading of the Megillah
• “Sh’asah nissim laAvosainu,” – Who made miracles for our fathers in those days at this time…
• “Shehecheyanu.” – Who kept us alive and sustained us…
• After the reading he recites the blessing of “Harav es riveinu” – Who waged our quarrels…

15. The reader should intend to fulfill the obligation of the congregation. The congregation answers ‘Amen,’ and they too should intend to fulfill the Mitzvah. “Baruch Hu u’varuch Sh’mo’ – is not said.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DAY READING AND NIGHT READING

16. The only difference between the day reading and the night reading is that in the day when  saying “Shehecheyanu” the Reader should have in mind the other Mitzvos of the day – the Purim Feast, the Sending of Gifts, and possibly Matanos L’Evyonim – Giving of Gifts to the Poor.  Some leave out the last one possibly because it may be improper to recite a blessing on someone’s misfortune.
17. If someone read it without having recited the blessings he has still fulfilled the Mitzvah.  If a person remembered that the blessings were not recited, they may be recited in between the chapters of the Megillah.
18. If one reads the Megillah alone, he recites the “brachos” which come before it, but not the one which comes after. If one has already fulfilled the obligation of reading the Megillah, and he wishes to read it a second time for many other people, he recites all the “brachos” the beginning ones and the end bracha.
19. If he is reading the Megillah only for one other individual, he recites only the first brachos.  If that person knows the brachos well, he says them himself.
20. Before HaRav es Riveinu – the final brachah after the Megillah Reading, the Megillah is rolled together.   This is because it is disrespectful to keep the Megillah open after the reading.

ASPECTS OF THE MEGILLAH

21. In (1:7) it is the custom to recite the words “Vechailim mikailim shonim” to the tune of Aicha.  The reason is because it refers to Achashveirosh’s use of the vessels of the Temple for a mundane use.  We do not do this, however, when we read “v’es y’kar tiferes gdulaso” even though the Gemorah tells us that he wore the vestments of the Kohain Gadol at this time. The reason is because during the latter he did not mean to show disrespect to the clothing, but he did mean to do so for the vessels. Intentions make a difference.
22. The Baal Koreh stops and waits for the Kahal four times during the reading.  Where is this done?  It is done during the four “verses-of-redemption.”  After he stops everyone listening reads the Pasuk before him.  The Chazan then repeats it from his Megillah.   This is because all the listeners are required to hear the entire Megillah read.
23. These are the four Psukim where he stops:
    1. “Ish Yehudi haya beshushan habirah  – There was a Jew in Shushan the capital…’
    2. ’And Mordechai went forth from before the King in royal garments…’
    3. ’Unto the Jews there was light…’
    4. ’For Mordechai, the Jew, was second to the King. . .’
24. The purpose of this custom is to keep the children from slumber so that the great miracle performed for Israel in the days of Mordechai and Esther, might enter their hearts.
25. Another minhag is to read more loudly the Pasuk which states, “That night the sleep of the King was disturbed.”  It is also read in a slightly different tune.  These changes are made because it is in this particular pasuk in which the salvation of the Jews actually begins. According to the Kaballah, “the King” refers metaphorically to Hashem Himself.
26. We also read the names of the ten sons of Haman all together in one breath.  This is also done with the four preceding words [‘500 men and’], and the word ‘ten’ which follows the ten names.  This is done to show that they were all killed and hung together.  If this was not done the Mitzvah of reading has still been fulfilled.
27. The reader should be careful not to read the “v’es” of each son of Haman by heart.  He must read it from the Megillah.  Likewise, he should connect each “v’es” to the one that comes before the name and not after the name.
28. Rav Michel Ber Weismandel zatzal, after the horrors of the Second World War, made a remarkable discovery in the letters of the Megillah itself.  In the writing of the ten sons of Haman Megillah (9:7-9), there are three letters, the Taf, the Shin, and the Zayin, of a much smaller size than the other letters of the Megillah.  These letters correspond to 5707 – the Hebrew year that occurred during the 1946 hangings that resulted after the Nuremburg Trials.  Ten “sons of Haman” were hung during this period.   No other adequate explanation has ever been given to explain the different sizes of the letters in this section.  There is also a very large Hey in this section which corresponds to the fifth millennium (5000 plus 707).
29. It is interesting to note that Esther says in the Megillah, “Im al haMelech Tov, yinasain gam lamachar.. v’es aseres Bnei Haman.. – If it is pleasing to the King, He should also give tomorrow – the ten sons of Haman.”  As mentioned before the Kaballah states that whenever the word HaMelech appears in the Megillah, it also refers metaphorically to Hashem.

It is also interesting to note that Newsweek magazine reported that Julius Streicher, Yimach Shmo, one of ten Nazis hung at Nuremberg said while going to the gallows, the words “Purimfest, 1946!

30. All are obligated in reading  the Megillah:  men, women, converts, and children.  The term “reading the Megillah” is used instead of “hearing the Megillah” for a reason.  The obligation, however, is to hear it from someone who is himself obligated in reading it too.

THE TEFILOS ON PURIM

31. In the Shmoneh Esreh of Maariv, Shacharis, and Minchah and in Bentching we add the Tefillah of Al HaNissim. The Mishna Brurah writes that the correct Nussach is to add a vov in the beginning, as in, “V’al HaNissim.”  This is both in Davening as well as in Bentching.
32. If Al HaNissim was forgotten, one does not have to rerecite either the davening or the bentching. The Mishna Brurah recommends inserting it as a request in Elokai Netzor found at the end of Shmoneh Esreh.  It is proper to place a piece of paper in the Siddur to remind ourselves to recite Al HaNissim.

MATANOS L’EVYONIM

33. The mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim on Purim is discussed in the Gemara at the bottom of Megillah 7a. The mitzvah is to give at least one gift to two different poor people on the day of Purim. The plural form of the word “l’evyonim” appearing in the verse teaches us that it must be given to two people.
34. There is also a Gemara in Bava Metziah 78b that discusses the charity plate of Purim. It is a debate among the Rishonim whether or not this Gemara is discussing the mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim, or whether it deals with a separate mitzvah of providing for the Purim needs of the poor.

NATURE OF THE MITZVAH

35. There also seems to be another debate among the Rishonim as to the nature of the mitzvah. Is it a mitzvah of tzedakah, or is matanos l’evyonim its own special mitzvah of the day of Purim, a mitzvah associated with creating happiness? We will see that this issue is a matter of further debate among the poskim. On account of this debate, there are a number of differences in halachah as to the nature of fulfilling this mitzvah.
36. Can you fulfill the mitzvah of Matanos L’rvyonim with ma’aser funds? If it is tzedakah, then yes – you can. If it is a “happiness mitzvah” then it may not be fulfilled with ma’aser funds.
37. Is an ani, a poor person, obligated to fulfill this mitzvah? If it is tzedakah, then no, he is exempt. The obligation of an ani to give tzedakah is once per year. If it simcha, however, then he must give the matanos l’evyonim.
38. Even a poor person who himself has reached a financial state that he must ask for charity must give.

PREAMBLE

39. Preamble – Rav Alexander Ziskind of Grodno was one of the only two individuals who ever received an approbation on a sefer from the Vilna Gaon himself. In his sefer, Yesod V’shoresh HaAvodah, (12:6) he recommends that one should recite a specific preamble before fulfilling the mitzvah. From the text, it is clear that the Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah understands that this mitzvah is tzedakah.
40. The Ramban (Bava Metziah 78b) explains that the main purpose of this mitzvah is to spread simcha, joy and delight. Rav Yeruchem Olshin shlita, one of the four Roshei Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Gavo’ah in Lakewood, New Jersey, in his Sefer “Yare’ach LaMoadim,” cites the Peleh Yoetz that it is also a good idea to send Mishloach Manos to someone with whom one is in a fight or argument.
41. This obligation may be fulfilled through any type of gift—money, food, drink, or clothing. One should, however, try to give a substantial monetary gift. If one does use money, ideally it should be enough to buy bread weighing at least three eggs—five slices, approximately. At the very least, however, one must give a perutah or its equivalent value to each of two poor persons. A perutah is 1/1244th of an ounce of silver.
42. Many poskim, however, are concerned that giving the minimum amount no longer causes the feeling of simcha to the poor. When these minimal amounts were calculated, the value of silver was significantly higher.
43. Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlita, thus rules that the minimum amount should be $1. The Shaarei Teshuvah rules that it should be the equivalent amount of the cost of a meal for a poor person. In modern times, this amounts to approximately five dollars (ruling of Rav Shmuel Fuerst). In the post-COVID era, it seems that it should be more like eight dollars.

SPEND MORE ON MATANOS L’EVYONIM

44. The gedolei ha’poskim (see Mishnah Berurah 694:3) tell us that it is preferable to spend more on the mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim than on the mitzvah of mishloach manos. The calculation, of course, includes the food items, the packaging, and the value of the time and effort placed into making the mishloach manos. For many people, all of this amounts to several hundred dollars. Thus, we should give this amount for matanos l’evyonim as well.
45. These gifts should be given in the daytime, after the Megillah is read. Matanos l’evyonim should be above and beyond ma’aser. Therefore, ma’aser money should not be used, but it may be added to it.
46. Some poskim hold that, technically, matanos l’evyonim may be given before Purim. However, because of the concern that the recipients will spend it earlier, it is preferable to give it on Purim itself. Others write that one should make sure that the funds are only given on Purim itself and that when an intermediary is used it should be held as a package for the poor person and not received on behalf of the poor person.
47. If one thought to give to a specific poor person but was unable to facilitate it, one may give it to another as long as one did not verbalize it. If one verbalized that he wishes to give to that specific person, he should follow up (BaLeilah Hahu p. 16).
48. Money set aside for matanos l’evyonim should not be changed to another tzedakah without a ruling from a posek. This is based upon the Gemara in Bava Metziah (78b), according to those Rishonim who learn that the Gemara is dealing with matanos l’evyonim. Other Rishonim learn that this Gemara doesn’t deal with matanos l’evyonim at all, and therefore there is room for a posek to be lenient.
49. One is not overly strict with the poor on Purim to determine whether they are really poor or not. Whoever puts his hand out, we give to him. According to leading poskim, this does not apply to organizations, however. Why is that? Perhaps because there is no simcha in regard to making organizations happy—it is only making actual poor people happy that makes the simcha.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN

50. Women are also obligated to give gifts to the poor on Purim. A married woman may fulfill the mitzvah through her husband. Ideally, however, the husband should inform his wife that he has given matanos la’evyonim for her as well.

51. Children who are dependent on their parents’ table should still give matanos la’evyonim on their own (Aruch HaShulchan 694:2). Even though they may be exempt from tzedakah, there is still the idea of simcha.

THE ORIGINAL MITZVAH

52. Originally, the mitzvah was to give to a true evyon, a poor person who did not have enough money to have a meal on Purim.

Nowadays, such a definition is indeed rare. The poskim have thus ruled that it may be given to any poor person who is eligible to receive ma’aser funds. The Chazon Ish (Terumos U’ma’asros cited in Ba’Leilah Hahu p.12) has written that it may be given to anyone who is not “mesudar b’parnasaso” to the extent that he can sustain himself and his family.

CHECKS

53. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, ruled that one may fulfill the mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim with a check. This is true even if the check is post-dated. This is also the opinion of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt’l, cited in Halichos Shlomo 19:23, and of Rav Elyashiv, zt’l, cited in Yismach Moshe (p. 140).
54. Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l on the other hand, is of the opinion that the check must be negotiable on Purim itself in order for one to fulfill the mitzvah. This may present a difficulty when Purim falls on a Sunday. In inner cities where they have check-cashing facilities open on Sundays, it would, of course, not be a problem.
55. There are those who have questioned whether these rulings in Israel are applicable in America where one may place a “stop payment” on checks. The truth is that both in Israel and in England a “stop payment” may be placed on a check as well – as long as there are funds to cover it.

MOURNERS

56. Although generally speaking one does not give gifts to an avel, a mourner, one may give him matanos l’evyonim because it is considered tzedakah.
57. A mourner within twelve months must, of course, give matanos l’evyonim, too. This is true also for a mourner within the seven days of shivah.
58. An onein, someone who has lost a close relative who has not yet been buried, may give matanos l’evyonim in the merit of the neshamah of the deceased, according to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt’l.

HOW IT SHOULD BE GIVEN

59. One may fulfill the mitzvah of matanos la’evyonim by giving the money even to a young child who is considered poor.
60. Matanos l’evyonim may be given anonymously. This, in fact, is the ideal form of fulfilling the mitzvah of Matanos L’evyonim.

SMALL AMOUNT TO MANY OR LARGE AMOUNT TO FEW

61. There is a debate as to whether it is preferable to give many poor people a minimum amount of matanos l’evyonim or to give just a few people a significant amount of matanos l’evyonim.

The Bach (Siman 695) writes that it is preferable to give more people the lesser amount. Rav Elyashiv, zt’l, is quoted (Shvus Yitzchak 8:2 as cited in Kovetz Halachos, p. 92) that it is preferable to give fewer people a more significant amount. Rav Elyashiv seems to be emphasizing the simcha aspect of the mitzvah. Since either way one fulfills the mitzvah, one should perform it in the manner in which one feels most inspired toward dveikus b’Hashem.

MISHLOACH MANOS

THE MITZVAH

62. The Michtav M’Eliyahu writes that the best way to form a relationship is to give. When you give, you develop your ahavas Yisrael to that other person, and eventually to others. Mordechai and his beis din enacted that on the day of Purim each person must send a gift of at least two portions of food to a friend. This is seen from the verse in Megillas Esther, “U’mishloach manos ish l’rei’eihu.”

THE “TWO BLESSING” MYTH”

63. The mitzvah is to send two different foods. The two foods may certainly have the same berachah; there is no requirement the two different food items to have two separate berachos. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in hilchos Purim.

There is an issue, however, of taking one food item and cutting it in half into two slices. The Aruch HaShulchan (O.C. 695:14) writes that “just because one cut it in half it should be considered two foods?” Perhaps it is this statement of the Aruch HaShulchan that has caused the two-blessings myth to exist. If someone sends another two pieces of meat from two different limbs that taste slightly different, this is considered two foods (Mikraei Kodesh, Siman 38).

TWO DIFFERENT FOODS

64. The parameters of what constitutes two different foods have been delineated by the poskim. Rav Shlomo Miller, shlita, has ruled that one piece of roasted chicken and one piece of boiled chicken are considered two minim, but two different pieces of chicken prepared the same way, such as one top piece and one bottom piece are considered one min, one type of food (See Sefer Shoshanas Yisrael cited by Rabbi Moshe Friedman).

65. Similarly, a mixed vegetable salad is considered one type of food only, while cut-up vegetables to be mixed into a salad are considered two minim.

66. A sandwich or hamburger in a bun is considered to be one min. This is even if it has two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pareve cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame-seed bun. The same would be true with a hotdog in a bun. What about the thousand-dollar Doma sandwich? That would be considered one min.

THE REASONS

67. What is the reason behind the mitzvah of mishloach manos? Two reasons are brought down. The Terumas HaDeshen (Siman 111) writes that it is to ensure that the recipients not run out of food items to serve for their meals.

68. The Manos HaLevi on Megillas Esther (9:19), written by Rav Shlomo Alkabetz and cited by the Chasam Sofer, writes an altogether different reason: to increase peace and brotherly love. This is the opposite of the characterization of the Jewish people by Haman as a nation that is “mefuzar u’mefurad,” spread and standing apart on account of internal arguments.

PREAMBLE AND INTENTIONS

69. Rav Alexander Ziskind of Grodno was one of the only two individuals who ever received an approbation on a sefer from the Vilna Gaon himself. In his sefer, Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah, he includes a preamble that one should recite before fulfilling the mitzvah of mishloach manos. Translated from the Hebrew text, it’s “For the unification of the Name of the Holy One Blessed be He, I am hereby prepared and ready to fulfill the positive mitzvah of the sages of “u’mishloach manos one to the other.”

70. When performing the mitzvah, one should not just perform it perfunctorily, but should focus on the qualities of the recipient and place within his heart a strong love for his fellow man. He should intend to honor him and to strengthen his inner joy with this package manos.

WHO IS OBLIGATED?

71. Men and women are both included in this mitzvah. The halachah is that men send to men, and women send to women. Women are obligated in the mitzvah because, according to the Mishnah Berurah, they, too, were involved in the miracle. A child should be instructed to fulfill the mitzvah just as one instructs a child to fulfill all the other mitzvos. The child may send to another child, as the other child is considered his or her peer.
72. Even a poor person is required to fulfill the mitzvah of mishloach manos. The mitzvah of mishloach manos MAY NOT BE FULFILLED WITH MONEY, CLOTHING, OR OTHER NON-FOOD OR NON-DRINK ITEMS. The mitzvah may only be fulfilled with kosher items.

HOW FANCY?

73. Another little-known halachah about mishloach manos is found in an esoteric Biur Halachah (written by the Chofetz Chaim) in Orach Chaim 695. He writes that the Chayei Adam has proved from a passage in the Talmud Yerushalmi that if one sends a Purim package to a wealthy individual, the package must be a respectable one.

74. Thus, one should not send something below the kavod of the recipient. The poskim have ruled that a lollipop is not considered chashuv for an adult, nor is a bottle of Poland Spring water or seltzer. To fulfill the mitzvah, the portions must convey sufficient regard for the recipient.

Rav Shlomo Miller, shlita, ruled that one does fulfill the mitzvah with flavored seltzer water, even though regular water and regular seltzer are not sufficient to fulfill the mitzvah.

WEALTH OF THE GIVER AND OF THE RECIPIENT

75. Getting back to the “respectable package” for the wealthy, the Biur Halachah writes that the Ritva’s comment on his version of the Talmud Bavli agrees with the Chayei Adam. A careful reading of the Ritva, however, reveals that the Ritva and Chayei Adam are not exactly the same. Both of them require an upgraded Purim package on account of wealth; of that there is no question. However, the Ritva’s requirement is of the wealth of the giver—not the recipient. According to the Ritva, if the giver is very wealthy, his package must reflect that as well and he cannot fulfill the mitzvah with a meager package. Since the Biur Halachah quotes both the Chayei Adam and the Ritva, both would seem to be authoritative. Therefore, one should not send something below the kavod of either the giver or the recipient.

NATURE OF THE PACKAGE

76. The mitzvah is fulfilled only with foods that are immediately edible or drinkable. The Magen Avraham, Vilna Gaon, and Chayei Adam hold this way. The Pri Chadash is lenient. We rule in accordance with the former view.
77. An item that requires further cooking or preparation may be added, but two immediately usable foods must be included, too. It is praiseworthy to send portions to as many friends as possible. It is better, however, to give more matanos la’evyonim than to give more mishloach manos to friends.

THROUGH A MESSENGER

78. Ideally, mishloach manos should be sent through a messenger, rather than be delivered personally. Generally speaking, we say, “Mitzvah bo yoser mi’b’shlucho”—it is a bigger mitzvah to do it oneself rather than through a messenger. Regarding the search for chametz before Pesach, it is better to do it oneself. Here, though, it is different.

The Chasam Sofer writes in his commentary to the Talmud (Gittin 22b), that the pasuk says, “and the sending of gifts—mishloach manos,” which indicates that it should be done through a messenger. A gift sent through a messenger is fancier and nicer. If one did deliver the mishloach manos oneself, the obligation is still fulfilled.

79. Virtually all the poskim rule that a goy or a child may be a shaliach for mishloach manos. Rabbi Akiva Eiger, zt’l, was unsure of this, however.

SENT TOGETHER

80. Must the two foods be sent together? Rav Elyashiv, zt’l, is of the position that they must. May one of the foods be a liquid? Most authorities hold that one of the foods may certainly be a liquid (except for water), and this is the authoritative view. There is a reading of Rabbeinu Chananel that holds a liquid may not be one of the two food items. This view is apparently not l’halachah.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

81. Does sending money to buy food or sending a gift certificate for a restaurant work? Some Acharonim hold that it does, but many hold it does not. The language of the Rambam (Hilchos Megillah, Chapter 2) seems to indicate that it must be real food and not a gift certificate or money.

REFUSAL OF GIFT

82. What if a package is prepared and the recipient responds with a “No, thank you?” Has the sender fulfilled the mitzvah in such a case? According to the Terumas HaDeshen cited above in the reasons for the Mitzvah it would seem not; according to the second opinion of the Manos HaLevi he very well might. It is interesting to note that the Rema in O.C. 695 writes that one has fulfilled the mitzvah. The Pri Chadash questions this position and does not understand it.

The Chasam Sofer answers the dilemma by suggesting that the Rema holds like the Manos HaLevi. Perhaps one can point out, however, that even according to the Manos HaLevi, the full effect of the mishloach manos has not been achieved. Peace and brotherly love is a two-way street, and the giver doesn’t necessarily feel so good if his gift is refused.

So how can the Rema be understood? It is only if the recipient responds gently, “Don’t worry about it; you don’t need to actually give it to me.” Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt’l, however, holds that Sephardim should not rely on this Rema and should send the mishloach manos to someone else.

ANONYMITY

83. Does the recipient have to know who sent it, or does anonymity work? The Ksav Sofer (responsum O.C. #141) relates the issue to the two reasons mentioned above. He recommends that one be stringent and avoid anonymity. Rav Elyashiv, zt’l, ruled that one does not fulfill the mitzvah with anonymity.

LOST OR STOLEN

84. What happens if the mishloach manos that you had sent got lost or stolen? The Birchei Yosef writes that one must send it again.

THROUGH A CHILD

85. May one fulfill the mitzvah by sending to a child? The verse in the Megillah uses the term “U’mishloach manos ish l’rei’eihu—and the sending of portions each man to his peer.” The Aruch HaShulchan permits it and considers a child a “peer.” Other poskim disagree with the Aruch HaShulchan. It is, therefore, better to send it to an adult.

TO A MOURNER

86. What about sending shalach manos to a mourner? The Rema states that one should not send during the entire 12 months of mourning. This halachah is true for Ashkenazim. Sephardim, however, can receive mishloach manos during mourning. The mourner, however, should send to one person, but should avoid sending items that arouse great joy.

One may send to the spouse of a mourner. The Divrei Malkiel (Vol. V) writes that one may send to one’s teacher even if he is a mourner because this is considered similar to a payment of an obligation.

THE PACKAGING

87. Should at least two of the food items be wrapped separately or in two different containers? Some authorities (the Ben Ish Chai) hold that if they are sent together then the container itself may make it as if it is one food. Thus, Raisin Bran would only be considered one food item unless one separated the raisins from the cereal into two plastic baggies. Others (Sheim M’Shimshon, O.C. #31) write that the container does not make it into one food.

TIMING

88. When should the mishloach manos package be given? It must be given in the daytime and not at night. The mitzvah should also be fulfilled, ideally, before one begins the Purim seudah.

SCHOOL AND SHUL PROGRAMS

89. What about sending Mishloach Manos through the school and shul? Schools and shuls often send out a flyer and request you to participate in their mishloach manos program. While this idea is fantastic in terms of reducing the waste and excess in mishloach manos giving, the givers should be aware that one cannot and does not fulfill the actual mitzvah with this form of giving. Many people are unaware of this fact.

OTHER RULINGS OF RAV SHLOMO MILLER

90. Rav Moshe Friedman cites a number of other rulings of Rav Shlomo Miller, shlita.

• One still fulfills the mitzvah of mishloach manos if one did not have in mind to fulfill the mitzvah and just gave over the package to the recipient without thinking.
• If the recipient of the package was not aware that he or she has received it until after Purim, the sender has still fulfilled the mitzvah.
• One may send a package to a non-religious Jew, even though a berachah will not be recited on it. [It is recommended that actual ha’motzi products not be sent because of a possible violation of Lifnei Iver – placing a stumbling block before the blind.]
• A groom may be lenient and send mishloach manos to his kallah. It does not violate the halachos of creating a possible pre-marriage.
• If a shliach had delivered it before Purim and it was not eaten until Purim, the person has fulfilled the mitzvah. (It is recommended that a note be affixed to the package that states, “Please do not eat before Purim.”)
• If someone baked a shiur of challah even though she meant to send smaller cakes to a number of individuals, a berachah on taking off challah is recited.
• Rav Miller ruled that a sender may tovel a dish with a berachah when he or she sends a food that requires a dish, such as applesauce. However, when sending a candy dish where the candies in it are wrapped, a berachah is not recited on the tevilah.

WHAT TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PREPARING MISHLOACH MANOS

91. There are a remarkable pshatim that one can think about when preparing the Shalach Manos.  But first a question.  With what power did Haman succeed in getting his agenda passed?
92. The answer is that he pointed out to Achashveirosh – “yeshno am echad mefuzar umeforad bein ha’amim bechol medinos malchusecha – there is one nation scattered and separated from all the nations in all the states of your realm.”  He pointed out the division within us.  The Chasam Sofer points out that the word yeshno means that we are sleeping – we are thus sleeping in our achdus.
93. What does mishloach manos do?  It points out that we are indeed, one – we have an Achdus, a unity, that no other nation has and this mishloach manos awakens us to it. We are united in our love for each other.  This undoes the power of Haman and Amalaik.
94. There is a fascinating Targum Yonasan that is found in a different megillah – that of Megilas Rus.  Boaz mentions the fact that Rus both joined up with the Jewish nation (an amazing thing – being that she was a foreign princess) as well as that she did chessed with her mother-in-law.  The fact that they were both mentioned together indicates that both of these acts were performed on the same level of piety.  Imagine if a British princess, Princess Diana or someone like her, were to leave her royalty and join up in Lakewood as a kollel wife – availing herself of WIC and HUD.  It would be earth-shattering news.  And yet it did happen.  It happened with Rus.  What a remarkable accomplishment!

NO LIMIT TO WHAT WE PLACE IN A MITZVAH

But from this Targum Yonasan we see an even more remarkable chidush.  The chessed she did with her mother-in-law was equal to the first accomplishment!  What we see from here is that there is no limit to what we can put into a Mitzvah.  Let’s think about what we can, therefore, accomplish with Mishloach Manos.  In preparing them, we can counter the power and tumah of the sonai Yisroel – of the Hamans of the world, by showing our achdus. So let’s prepare, bake new, repackage, whatever it is that we do – all with intense kavana.  We should have the kavana of achdus.

MISHLOACH MANOS – GEULAH COMES FROM US

95. The Nesivos Shalom in his sefer on Megilas Esther explains that Purim is different from all the other yomim tovim – in that the ge’ulah did not come on account of zchus avos like it did on Pesach.

Rather, it came from the individual teshuvah of each member of Klal Yisroel.  He, therefore, explains that they enacted Mishloach manos as an expression of Hakaras haTov to each other – a manifestation of the gratitude we need to show all of our brethren for bringing about the ge’ulah then.  We can also have this idea in mind too.  And the sky is the limit in terms of the intensity of the kavanah that we have.

THE SEUDAH

96. It is a mitzvah to have a festive meal on Purim (Ramah 695:1). It is during this meal that one experiences the most profound growth and escalation in our connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. This meal should include both meat and wine.

And just as a pre-reminder:  Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l would learn some hilchos Pesach at the Purim Seudah to fulfill the Mitzvah of learning the halachos of an upcoming Yom Tov starting at 30 days before the time.

97. One should also wash on bread at this festive meal because there are many authorities who hold that it is an obligation (Raavya Vol. II Siman 563).  By the same token, it is preferable to have beef during this meal and not just chicken, as there are some authorities who hold that chicken does not fulfill the requirement of simcha. This meal should include meat and wine.
98. This meal is held during the day. If one holds it at night, he has failed to fulfill his obligation. Nevertheless, one’s evening meal should be more festive than usual. One should wear festival clothing and rejoice.

The main Purim meal is held Purim afternoon and is preceded by Minchah. The meal is extended into the night. Most of the meal, however, should be during the day.

When Purim falls on Friday, the meal is held early, and is finished with enough time before Shabbos that one will have a good appetite for the Shabbos meal. Some, however, have the custom to extend the meal until Shabbos arrives.

DRINKING

99. The Biur Halacha poses the question as to why drinking is a part of Purim when we find so many Psukim that show how terrible and evil getting drunk actually is. He explains that the miracles of Purim actually all occurred through wine.  A] Vashti was removed from her throne because of wine. B] Haman was brought down through wine.  C]The Teshuvah of Klal Yisroel  involved regretting  having drunk wine at the feast of Achashveirosh.
100. Chazal enacted that those who truly experience growth in Avodas Hashem should drink wine on Purim. They said, “Chayav adam libsumei B’Puraya ad de lo yada bain Arur Haman u Baruch Mordechai.”  The Nesivus Shalom explains this to mean that a person is obligated to become genuinely intoxicated with the notion of Purim – that is that no matter how distant we are from Hashem – Hashem is close to us.  Whether throughout the year we are Boruch Mordechai or Arur Haman – Hashem wants to develop our connection with Him.
101. The Nesivos Shalom notes that the word “wine” is absent in the formulation of the Shulchan Aruch: “Chayav adam lib’sumei b’Puraya ad de lo yada.” The reason, he writes, is that we must become inebriated with the concept of Purim—not with wine. The concept of Purim is that Hashem is close and that we can achieve remarkable dveikus b’Hashem at this time. No matter how distant we are—even if we are “arur Haman” in terms of our general distance from Hashem, we can become, at this particular time of Purim, as close as “baruch Mordechai.”
102. Aside from this, the mitzvah of drinking is only at the seudah. And there are numerous interpretations which seem more in line with the guidelines that the Torah requires of us.
103. One pshat is that “ad de lo yada” means “ad v’lo ad bichlal”— never get to that point. Rav Avigdor Miller, zt’l, held that way. The Aruch HaShulchan (695:3) states that it means to reach a point where one would be unable to recite an ancient poem with the stanzas “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordechai.”
104. The Rema writes that one is merely required to drink “a little more than usual” on Purim, which would cause one to fall asleep.

Another explanation (see Magen Avraham 695:3) is that one should drink to the point where one is unable to calculate the gematrias of “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordechai.”

The Ba’al HaMaor writes that the reason that the Gemara tells us the story of Rabba killing Rabbi Zeira was to show us why we should not be drinking on Purim.

There is a fascinating Gemara that backs up this idea. The Talmud Yerushalmi (Tractate Shabbos 8:1) explains that Rabbi Yehudah bar Illai would only drink wine from Pesach to Pesach. The implication is that Rabbi Yehudah Bar Illai did not drink wine on Purim. The Talmud Bavli has a similar statement in Nedarim (49b).

There are three possible understandings of this passage of the Yerushalmi. The first is that, indeed, this is the case, but the halachah is not in accordance with Rabbi Yehudah bar Illai. The second possibility is that we are misreading the import and implication of this Yerushalmi. The third possibility is that Rabbi Yehudah bar Illai had a perfectly valid reason not to consume wine on Purim and was in complete accordance with our statement in the Gemara which is cited by the Shulchan Aruch.

The Shaarei Teshuvah (695:2) writes clearly that we should interpret the Yerushalmi in this third method. The Yerushalmi understands that Rabbi Yehudah bar Illai had a weaker constitution and that drinking wine would actually damage his health, body, or general welfare.

A very good argument can be made that in contemporary times, we all share the status of Rabbi Yehudah bar Illai, since, medically, even one time drinking can cause severe damage to the brain and heart. Over time, drinking can cause extreme damage to the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It has also been linked to developing cancers.

STATE OF HAPPINESS

105. A person should eat and drink the seudah in a state of happiness. One should gladden every family member at this meal (See Eliyahu Rabba 695:4 and Rashi Megillah 9:28).  Individual attention should be given to each family member.

AT LEAST TWO ITEMS

106. The meal should have at least two items, meat and some other dish (See Rambam 2:15 who learns that the obligation of Mishloach Manos stems from the obligation of the Seudah).  This is at a minimum. Indeed, the Rambam indicates that one should arrange and organize the best meal that one can (Hilchos Megillah 2:15).

OTHER MINHAGIM

107. There is also a custom to eat a kreplach at the Seudah, which is meat covered with a dough. This is because the entire holiday came about through hidden means (Likutei Maharich).  Some have the custom to eat Hamantaschen at the meal (Taamei HaMinhagim, Aruch HaShulchan and perhaps the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch).
108. Traditionally, hamantaschen have been made out of poppy seeds, although, of late, there are all sorts of other fillers that have popped up. Why poppy seeds? The minhag was based upon a Ramah in Shulchan Aruch, where he cites the Kol Bo and writes (OC 695:2), “Some say that it is a custom to eat zironim – seeds on Purim, as a commemoration of the seeds that Daniel and his friends ate in Babylonia.”
109. The main Purim meal is held Purim afternoon and is preceded by Minchah. The meal is extended into the night. Most of the meal, however, should be during the day.

WORKING ON PURIM

110. It is technically permitted to work on Purim. Nonetheless, if possible, it should be avoided.  The Ramah writes (OC chapter 696) that nowadays the custom is to refrain from working on Purim.  Chazal tell us that “Whoever works on Purim does not see a siman bracha from it – any sign of blessing.”

This refers to work that involves making money or strenuous effort.  Therefore, one may do machine laundry on Purim.  One should avoid doing laundry by hand on Purim.  One may therefore shave, get a haircut or cut one’s nails on Purim.

112. The custom to refrain from work on Purim refers to the daytime, but not the evening, according to the Biur Halacha (written by the Chofetz Chaim).
113. Work involving a Mitzvah is completely permitted.

MOURNING ON PURIM

114. Eulogies and fasting are forbidden Purim. If someone is a mourner rachmana litzlan, and is in Shiva, he or she does not publicly display mourning on Purim.  Mourners do not sit on the ground nor remove their shoes.  Private aspects of mourning are observed, however, just like on Shabbos. As a reminder, Mourners must give Mishloach Manos but should not receive.

MARRIAGE ON PURIM

115. It is permitted to get married on Purim and to have the wedding feast on this day as well. Although it has been a debate in the past, the Mishna Brurah permits it and writes that our custom is to allow it.

PURIM FALLING ON A SUNDAY

116. When Purim falls on Sunday, Taanis Esther is pushed up earlier and is observed on Thursday. This is because the day before Purim is Shabbos and we do not fast then.  It is permitted, however, for the Baal Koreh to practice reading the Megillah on this Shabbos, because it is still considered Torah study.  It is nonetheless forbidden to bring a copy of the Megillah on Shabbos day in preparation for the Saturday night reading of the Megillah even when there is an Eiruv.  This is considered Hachana on Shabbos for during the week.
117. If someone was the beneficiary of a personal miracle, he may institute upon himself and his descendents a personal day of Purim. We rule that such a meal is considered a Seudas Mitzvah since it is done to commemorate the wonders that Hashem performed for us.  Certainly, the members of a community or city may enact such a community Purim – as long as the members of that community or city had accepted it upon themselves.  The Chayei Odom and his descendents celebrate the 15th of Kislev as their personal Purim on account of the fact that his family was miraculously saved from a fire on that day.  They fast on the 15th and on that evening they light candles, recite the Shir HaKavod, and make a feast.  The idea of a personal Purim reflects the notion that all of a person’s experiences in life should serve the purpose of bringing us to an ever higher level of devotion and Dveikus Bashem.

PURIM AFTER MOSHIACH COMES, PURIM KOTTON AND THE DALET PARSHIOS

118. So what will Purim be like AFTER  Moshiach comes? There is a famous Yalkut Shimoni (#944) referring to the time of Moshiach that states, “All the holidays are destined to be negated but the days of Purim will never be negated forever.  Rav Elazar says that Yom Kippur will also not be negated.”  The idea is also found in Midrash Mishlei.
119. Regarding this Midrash, Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal is quoted (page 160) in the second volume of Mesoras Moshe (printed Taives 5776) that his grandson, explained to Rav Moshe that his wife’s shul had purchased for him a silver Chanukah menorah as a wedding gift, but he hoped never to use it. Rav Moshe zatzal expressed confusion. His grandson explained that he hopes that Moshiach will come beforehand and the above Midrash will apply. Rav Moshe explained that when the Midrash refers to Purim, it also includes Chanukah – because they are both of the same type of Yom Tov.  In other words, Chanukah will always be around as well – just like Purim.

There is another source to this idea.  Rav Yoseph Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch had kept a diary in which he included the learning sessions he had had with a Malach.  The Sefer is called “Maggid Mesharim.”  Rav Karo also mentions the idea that both Purim and Chanukah will not be abolished (See Maggid Mesharim Parshas Vayakhel)

The Bnei Yissaschar writes (Maamar Chodesh Adar 4:8) that this Midrash does not actually mean that the other holidays will be abolished – because nothing of the Torah will be erased.  Rather, the intent is that the new Geulah will be so remarkable that it will cause all of the other Moadim to pale in comparison.  Nonetheless, we will still be observing them.  The Satmar Rebbe zt”l in Divrei Yoel Motzei Yom Kippur (page 418) writes the same thing.

ADAR

120. It is important to know that the entire experience of Adar and Purim should be a time where one undergoes tremendous and remarkable growth in Dveikus Bashem and Avodas Hashem. Whoever does not experience this growth has failed to fully appreciate Purim and what it could bring about.
121. The Gemorah (Taanis 29a) tell us that when the Month of Adar begins we increase our joyous activity. Why is this so?  Because this month is a very favorable time for the Jewish people.  We, the nation of Israel, drew ourselves ever closer to Hashem.  The closeness was so visible for all to see that even gentiles observed it and jumped to convert and join us.  Indeed, Chazal explain that on Purim, Hashem is so close to us, that even Yom Kippurim is called – like Purim.
122. Therefore, the Mogain Avrohom writes, if one has a lawsuit with an idol-worshipper, a special effort should be made to settle it during the month of Adar.

PURIM KOTTON

123. Every 19 years, there are 7 years in which an extra month is added. These years are 3, 6, 8, 11. 14, 17, 19 in the 19 year cycle.  5784 is the 6th year of the cycle.  The month that is added is an Adar Rishon.  Purim is held in Adar Sheini.  But on Afar Rishon we do have a day called Purim Kotton.
124. The Mishna Brurah (697:2) tells us that it is the custom of Klal Yisroel to conduct a festive seudah on Purim Kotton. It is also true that we do not recite Tachanun on that day. What special message does this give us?

The Chida, Rav Chaim Yoseph Dovid Azulai in his Birchei Yoseph, focuses on an extra hidden message taught to us by the Ramah.  The Ramah begins his comments on Orech Chaim with the idea of Shivisi Hashem leNegdi samid – placing Hashem next to you at all times.  The Ramah ends his great work with the idea of making a mishteh – a feast, on Purim Kotton.  The message?  The Birchei Yoseph explains that they are both two sides of the same coin – vetov lev mishteh tamid – one who is of good heart is in a festive mood at all times.

Purim Kotton occurs 7 out of every 19 years.  The Halachos of Purim Kotton are not that we read the Megillah on the 14th of Adar Rishon, but we do make a festive meal.  We do not say the portions of davening that evoke sadness.  This is the special Avodah of this day.

The Yom Tov of Purim Kotton thus reflects the idea that ivdu es Hashem b’simcha is an important aspect of serving Hashem.  We have to be sameach b’chelko.  The standard translation of this idea is to be happy with one’s lot – a theme that Purim Kotton represents.  The great Kabbalistic masters, however, understand this phrase that one is happy with his chailek – that is the Chailek Eloka mimaal – the Divine portion from above that is a part of the Torah neshama.

Let us also not forget that Yom Kippurim is described as a day that is likened to Purim.  In other words, the closeness that we feel to Hashem during the time of Purim is reflected on Yom Kippur.  The Slonimer Rebbe writes that it is inconceivable that Yom Kippur has the aseres yemai Teshuvah – and Purim which seems to be the primary source of this special day of closeness to Hashem does not.

The Slonimer Rebbe answers that indeed there are preparatory days.  The Megillah may be read on the eleventh for those who live in areas that do not have a minyan and who have to travel.  When is ten days before this time?  It is Rosh Chodesh Adar.  Thus the idea of mishenichnas adar marbim b’simcha is part of the ten days of preparation akin to the aseres yemai teshuvah.

The Nesivos Shalom explains that the impetus of Purim was Mordechai’s incredible emunah – his faith and bitachon in Hashem.  He points out that it does not say that Mordechai did not bow down or prostrate himself.  It says, and Mordechai would not bow down and would not prostrate himself.  Why the different verb case?  To show his remarkable emunah and bitachon in Hashem.

Chazal tell us that intense bitachon and trust in Hashem is one of the ways in which we can actually change reality.  This is also reflected in Mordechai’s response to Esther, “For if you remain silent, salvation and redemption shall come from another source..”  Mordechai was absolutely sure in Hashem’s redemption.

Putting all this together we have the following messages:

• the Ramah’s message about Purim Kotton – that it is two parts of the same coin – having a festive mood and placing Hashem next to us constantly.
• Sameach b’chelko means being joyous in our Divine portion from Above that forms part of our soul.
• The preparatory nature of Adar.
• The knowledge that trust in Hashem can change worlds – can truly imbue meaning and depth in the festive seudah that we will conduct today.

TAANIS ESTHER

125. During the time of Mordechai and Esther the Jews united on the 13th of Adar – to fight and wage war thus standing up for their lives. They fasted during the day of the battle to beseech mercy from Hashem.  Hashem sees and hears every person in his or her time of need, when they fast and return to Hashem with all their heart.  In order to remember that Hashem does this, all of Israel accepted upon themselves this fast of Esther.
126. Esther herself fasted for three days, but she did so during the month of Nissan. Since this was when we were redeemed and when the Mishkan was erected – we rather make the fast in Adar.
127. Taanis Esther is not as obligatory as the four written fasts. When necessary, therefore, one can be lenient such as for expecting or nursing women, or if someone has a severe headache or something similar. Others, however, should not separate themselves from the community and should fast.  The custom among some different groups in Klal Yisroel for the women not to fast is entirely incorrect and should be stopped.
128. According to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, if a person is having difficulty fasting, he or she may eat a small amount of food 41 minutes after Shekiya before the Megillah reading.
129. When reading the Torah at Mincha of Taanis Esther, only those that are fasting may receive an Aliyah. If there is no Levi that is present who is fasting, the Kohain is called twice.

REGULAR PURIM AND SHUSHAN PURIM

130. The holiday of Purim was split into two days – because the salvation and fighting that occurred in the capital of Persia, Shushan happened on a different day than the salvation of Jews elsewhere. It happened one day later on the 15th of Adar.  Since Shushan was a walled city, the sages of the time decreed that every walled city should celebrate Purim a day later.  Jerusalem is a walled city and Purim is celebrated on the 15th of Adar not the 14th.  For the honor of Eretz Yisroel the determination of what is a walled city was set back to the time of Yehoshua.

MACHATZIS HASHEKEL

131. Immediately before Purim, it is the custom to give half shekels of the established coinage of the country to charity in order to commemorate the half shekels that were given for the communal sacrifices. These were done in Adar.  We give three half shekels because in parshas Ki Sisah, where the matter of the donation  is discussed, the word Trumah appears three times.
132. The money given for Machtzis HaShekel should be aside from the amount given each year for Maaser. Some say that ideally the money should be given to the maintenance of the shul,the Yeshiva, or the Bais HaMidrash.
133. A child is not obligated in Machtzis HaShekel. Some say that the obligation begins at thirteen.  Others rule that it is at twenty.  If a father gave Machtzis haShekel for a child even once, he is obligated to continue doing so each year.
134. Women are exempt from the Mitzvah of Machtzis HaShekel. Although the Talmud Yerushalmi discusses the apparent obligation of women giving Machtzis HaShekel, the reference refers only to women who have taken the Mitzvah upon themselves voluntarily.
135. If one neglected to give the Machtzis HaShekel immediately before Purim, he may do so until Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

THE FOUR PARSHIOS

136. There are four special Parshios that Chazal instituted to read beginning from before the month of Adar until the month of Nissan. These parshios assist us in developing the very special Kesher we have with HaKadosh Boruch Hu during these two months.
137. The first Parsha of the four is Parshas Shekalim.  This Parsha brings to mind the half shekel that the Jewish people brought in order to bring the Korban Tamid – the sacrifices brought daily in the Bais HaMikdash.  It is proper to realize that term “sacrifice” is a mistranslation.  The correct translation of “Korban” is “a closifier” – or “something that brings one closer to Hashem.”
138. The next parsha is Parshas Zachor, which causes us to remember the actions of Amalek. It is a Torah Mitzvah to recall his actions and to abhor him with a hate firmly situated in the heart.  We read it during this time because Haman was a descendent of Amalek, and Hashem saved us from him.
139. If one did not hear Parshas Zachor on this Shabbos, he may fulfill the Mitzvah by listening to the Torah reading that is read on the morning of Purim. However, he must specifically have in mind that he is fulfilling the Mitzvah of Parshas Zachor at this time.  He must also request of the Baal Koreh that he specifically have in mind to be Motzi him.  If either of these two requirements are not fulfilled, he has not fulfilled his Mitzvah.
140. The third parsha is Parshas Parah which commemorates the Parah Adumah that was prepared in the desert after the Mishkan was erected so that the Korban Pesach could be eaten in purity. We read it now so that Hashem should throw this purifying water upon us as well – speedily in our days.  Some say that it is a Torah Mitzvah to read this Parsha.
141. The fourth Parsha is Parshas HaChodesh which is read to sanctify the month of Nissan. Nissan is the time when we both dedicated the Mishkan and when we became the Am Hashem.  These four Parshios are read in addition to the weekly Torah portion.

The determination of when these parshios are read is dictated by the need for Parshas Zachor being read immediately before Purim and Parshas HaChodesh being read immediately prior to Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

PARSHAS ZACHOR

142. On the Shabbos before Purim, we read a special maftir from a second sefer Torah. It is from Sefer Dvarim (25:17-19) in which we are commanded to remember the evil of Amalek and to eradicate it from the face of the earth.  What is it about Parshas Zachor that makes it so unique? What does the Torah want us to do with remembering Amalek to extinguish it’s memory – isn’t it, at first glance, counter-intuitive? Also, why did Chazal ordain that we fulfill this Mitzvah on Shabbos?  Finally, how can we utilize this Mitzvah to gain inspiration in our Avodas Hashem?

UNLEASHED FORCES

Long ago, at the very beginning of time, different forces were unleashed in the universe.  Some were unleashed by Hashem, and some were unleashed by the actions of mankind.  There were forces of goodness of purity.  There were impure forces.

THE OHR HAGANUZ

One such force was the Ohr HaGanuz – the hidden light.  There are figurative and physical understandings of this light – and both are true.  The complete physical aspects of the light were put away for Tzaddikim – in the future, but the figurative understanding is that Tzaddikim see that every event, every aspect of the universe – is controlled completely by Hashem.  Ain Od Milvado.  Understanding this, we see from one end of the universe to the other.

MAN HAS BECHIRAH

Man was different than the other animals.  Man was endowed with something called Bechira – freedom of choice.  He had the ability to choose good over evil. Man could utilize the impure destructive force in his choice toward evil.  Likewise, he could utilize pure forces in his choice to pursue good.

MAHARAL’S EXPLANATION

The Maharal, Rabbi Yehudah Lowe, was a master Talmudist and also was fully fluent in the esoteric knowledge of Kabballah.  In one of the Maharal’s works, Ohr Chadash, he explains (intro. P. 51) that the snake discussed in Bereishis represented the dark and impure destructive force in the world.  The evil Haman in the story of Purim also represented and utilized the primordial destructive force.  The sages of the Talmud, were well aware of this.

The Talmud (Chulin 139b) asks, “Haman – from the Torah – where can he be found?”  The Talmud answers with the verse in Bereishis 3:11 “Hamin (spelled the same) Ha-Aitz asher tzivisi levilti achal mimeno achalta?”   In context, it is from Hashem’s response to man – Did you eat from the tree that I commanded of you not to partake?

MAHARAL’S DEEPER EXPLANATION OF THE GEMORAH

The Talmud, explains the Maharal, is not merely revealing a symmetrical siman.  No, it is revealing to us that this was the primordial destructive force which was unleashed – a force that defined Haman and the evil that was his forebear – Amalek.

AMALEK – ME’UKAL – WARPED

Rav Chaim Vital explains (Aitz HaDaas Tov Vol. III p. 105) that Amalek has the very same letters as the Hebrew word – M’UKL – warped.  Amalek is the apogee of warped and distorted justice.  Warped and distorted – destructive thinking.  It is the anti-thesis of that which is pure and just.

MORDECHAI – REPRESENTS FORCE OF GOODNESS

Mordechai, on the other hand, represents a primordial force of goodness – the cure, the antidote to the destructive and evil force.  The Gemorah points this out as well.  “Mordechai – from the Torah – where can he be found?”  The Gemorah answers based on the pasuk in Shmos (30:23), “Take for yourself “pure myrrh – Mor Dror.”  This refers to the Ktores – upon which the Gemorah in Shabbos (89a) states that it stops death and destruction.

Parshas Zachor then is the remembering of our mission of the triumph of good over evil.   Haman’s plan of the wholesale murder and destruction of men, women and children who symbolize the concept of Hashem in the world – His Great Name –  was set aside.  How?  Through the actions of our leaders – Mordechai and Esther.

WHAT ESTHER AND MORDECHAI REPRESENT

Esther represented self-sacrifice – giving of herself so that the people will live.  Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk – the Meshech Chochma explains that Esther’s original plan was to give her own life up – so that Klal Yisroel should survive.  That is why she never revealed her own destiny. Rav Yeruchan Olshin shlita explains that Mordechai represents Chessed as well.  He looked after a kidnapped Beis Yaakov girl, for years – alone in the palace.  This chessed helped save Klal Yisroel at the time.

WHY SHABBOS?

Why on Shabbos?  Because Shabbos represents the mission of Klal Yisroel – to build and to do the ratzon Hashem.  Shabbos has always been viewed as the symbol or flag of the Jewish nation.  Just as patriots look at their flag as more than a mere dyed cloth with fancy designs, so too is Shabbos viewed in the eyes of the Jewish people.  The Sheiltos of Rav Achai Gaon explains that Hashem instructed us to rest on Shabbos, just as He rested from all creative acts on Shabbos.  Observing Shabbos is a sign of our deep belief in Hashem – that it was He who Created the world and that we should Create as well – create rather than destroy and build.

GENERAL DEBATE OF THE RISHONIM

There is also a debate among the Rishonim as to the underlying reason for the requirement of Parshas Zachor. The Sefer HaChinuch understands this Mitzvah as a means of encouraging the men of Klal Yisroel to battle to defend against an implacable enemy. His position is that women are exempt from this Mitzvah.

Not so the Sefer Mitzvos Ketanos (Rav Yitzchok Ben Yosef 1210-1280), also known as the SMaK. He is of the position that the reason is to realize that Hashem saved us from the hand of Amalek and so that we will always be in awe of Him so that we not sin against His will. This position could perhaps be traced to the words of the Targum Yonasan on the verse “Lo Tishkach” (Shmos 25:19). He writes, “v’afilu l’yoma Malka d’meshicha lo tisnashi” – that it applies even to the times of Moshiach.

NESIVOS SHALOM’S DEFINITION OF YIRASH SHAMAYIM

There is also a fascinating explanation of Yiras Shamayim, fear of Heaven that is provided by the author of the Nesivos Shalom. It is different than the explanation that is commonly given. We are afraid of losing our unique bond and relationship with Hashem – our dveikus to Him. He give a moshol, a parable. Imagine you are drowning in a vast ocean. A lifeguard jumps in and rescues you, You hold on to him for dear life – afraid to let go. You are afraid of losing that connection you have with him.

So too here, Yiras Shamayim, according to this explanation of the Nesivos Shalom is that you are afraid of losing that special relationship that you have with Him.

Aside from the aforementioned explanation of the Maharal of the cosmic significance of the battle between Klal Yisroel and the forces of destruction, we have now another explanation.  According to the combined SMaK’s and Nesivos Shalom’s explanation, we read Parshas Zachor to further cement the notion within us that Hashem saved us from the hand of Amalek and so that we will realize how precious our relationship with Hashem is and that we should be afraid of losing it. This will encourage us not to sin and do aveiros – which will distance ourselves from Him. According to the Sefer HaChinuch (and also the Ramban’s explanation) the obligation is combined with the Mitzvah of destroying Amalek. Many people explain that Amalek represents the epitome of evil. The intent we should have then is that we must fight that which epitomizes evil in all that we can.  This fits with the Maharal’s explanation.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Allies of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the state Legislature have introduced a proposal that would empower New York City to levy an additional 25% surcharge on corporate tax liability, a move that would significantly expand the city’s authority to raise revenue from businesses.

The legislation reflects the Democratic socialist mayor’s broader push to increase taxes on corporations and high earners to fund a series of costly initiatives promised during the 2025 campaign.

“This legislation would authorize New York City to charge a surcharge on corporate taxes, allowing the city to increase its corporate taxes should the mayor and City Council deem this necessary and appropriate,” said Assemblywoman Diana Moreno and Sen. Kristen Gonzalez in a memo summarizing their legislation.

Moreno, who is also aligned with the Democratic Socialists, succeeded Mamdani in representing Astoria in the Assembly after he vacated the seat to assume the mayoralty.

Gonzalez represents areas that include western Queens, parts of northern Brooklyn and Manhattan’s East Side.

“Revenues generated from a corporate tax could contribute to addressing the affordability crisis and strong public services for residents of the city,” the lawmakers said.

The bill summary, however, does not estimate how much additional revenue the surcharge might produce, instead noting that the fiscal impact is “to be determined.”

Mamdani has indicated that his preference is for Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature to raise taxes at the state level—either by increasing the income tax on millionaires or boosting the corporate tax rate—to help close a multibillion-dollar shortfall in his proposed budget and bankroll his policy agenda. He has described a 9.5% property tax increase as a last-resort option, one that appears to lack sufficient support in the City Council.

“New York City is home to dozens of Fortune 500 companies. Yet, for corporations with over $5 million in annual profits, the corporate tax rate is only 7.25%, significantly lower than neighboring states like New Jersey, which is set at 11.5%,” the lawmakers said.

Business advocates dispute that comparison, arguing that it does not account for additional levies already imposed on companies operating in the city.

They note that when other charges, including an MTA corporate surcharge, are factored in, the city’s highest combined marginal corporate income tax rate currently stands at 17.44%, exceeding New Jersey’s rate. Under Mamdani’s proposed increase, they contend, that figure would climb to 22.48%.

“I don’t think the tax conversation is productive because we are going to be 100% higher than New Jersey if we take that proposal,” Steve Fulop, the new CEO of the Partnership for The City of New York, said last week on 77 WABC’s “The Cats Roundtable” program.

“New Jersey’s current corporate tax rate is 11%. If we do what the mayor has recommended, will be at 22% — 100% over New Jersey,” he said during his appearance. “People don’t have to move to Texas or Florida. They can just move a mile away, which is a real risk for the economy here in New York.

“People want to be in New York, but you have to have an economy that’s competitive. We’re getting close to a place that it isn’t,” he said.

Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, also urged restraint, arguing that the focus should be on reducing spending rather than increasing taxes.

“Raising taxes makes New York even more expensive for people we want to come and stay here, people whose taxes support our teachers, cops, libraries, health services and more of what we all need,” Citizens Budget Commission president Andrew Rein said last week.

“New York and its localities are already top of the charts — collecting more taxes per person than anywhere else in the nation.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is running for re-election to a second term, has said she does not support broad-based tax increases this year. Still, observers note that it remains unclear whether she would maintain that position if faced with pressure from members of her own party after the November elections.

Hochul is being challenged by Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

{Matzav.com}

HaPosek HaGaon Moshe Brandsdorfer, the Gaavad of the Heichal Hora’ah Beis Din, issued an urgent p’sak regarding Jerusalem residents stranded overseas and tourists stranded in Jerusalem due to the war.

HaRav Brandsdorfer wrote that because many Jerusalem residents were unable to return home for Purim due to flight cancellations, and likewise many visitors to Jerusalem could not leave, the halacha follows the Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Berurah: since they are away from home involuntarily, they should observe Purim according to their home location rather than their current location.

Thus, Jerusalem residents who left before Purim, intending to return home, must keep Purim on the 15th even if they are now in non-walled cities abroad. Conversely, visitors from outside Jerusalem who came to the city intending to return home must observe Purim on the 14th even though they are currently in Jerusalem.

Rav Brandsdorfer explained that the determining factor is the person’s intent at the time they left home. Although there is much debate among Rishonim and Achronim on the issue, and the Chazon Ish paskened differently than the Mishnah Berurah, saying that the day one observes Purim is based on one’s intent on the night of the 14th, the accepted p’sak follows the Mishnah Berurah, which bases it on the person’s original intention when departing from home.

“Therefore, the halacha l’maisa is that anyone stranded away from home (against their will) should keep Purim according to their place of origin,” HaRav Brandsdorfer wrote. “However, in light of the opinion of other poskim, it is proper to observe both days—the 14th and the 15th—regarding Kriyas Megillah and the other mitzvos. Shailos regarding which day the brachos should be made depend on specific details and should be asked to a competent Rav.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The Gerrer chassidus announced, in a recorded message sent to thousands of its yeshiva bochurim ahead of Purim, that due to the war with Iran, no organized activities will take place at yeshivos, and each bochur should spend Purim at home.

The bochurim were instructed that there should be no gathering or dancing in the streets, and they should not travel from city to city for seudos. The bochurim were also instructed not to organize their own minyanim but to daven only in established shtiebelach.

Bochurim are permitted to visit their Rabbanim from yeshiva, but not in large groups

Kriyas Megillah with the Gerrer Rebbe is expected to take place on a limited scale, rather than with all the chassidim as in previous years. The Purim tish will not be held.

Meanwhile, B’Chadrei Charedim reported that Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion proposed to the Home Front Command that Chassidish courts be allowed to hold their Purim wine seudos in municipal parking lots that have been approved as protected spaces. The initiative is currently under review.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

In a moment that has left many shaken and reflective, fragments from the Iranian missile that fell Sunday in a shelter adjacent to a beis haknesses in Beit Shemesh struck one of the Sifrei Torah, landing precisely in Parshas Zachor, the very parsha that Klal Yisroel read just this past Shabbos.

The parsha, which reminds us of the eternal battle against Amalek and resonates so powerfully with the story of the Megillah, carries profound relevance in these days, as we face a modern-day Persia — Iran. That the shrapnel found its way specifically to those words seemed, to many, far beyond coincidence.

Misplallelim in the beis haknesses stood in stunned silence when they discovered where the fragments had pierced. The sight of the damaged Sefer Torah, struck in the very section commanding us to remember Amalek, was viewed by many as a stirring remez min haShamayim — a call to introspection, teshuvah, and strengthened emunah.

In days when missiles fly and sirens wail, this remarkable occurrence has left the community contemplating the clear and present message: that even amid the noise of war, the Ribbono Shel Olam speaks — sometimes in ways that pierce straight to the heart of the parsha.

{Matzav.com}

Believe it or not, there are families that do not have money to pay for their own Seudas Purim! These people are your neighbors and you don’t even know! Many of these families struggle with their daily bills, and can’t make ends meet. They have all had their share of electric and gas shut-offs, owing money to their grocery, tuition’s, medical bills and other pressing issues.

There is no greater Mitzvah then making poor people happy on Purim.

While many of us continuously donate to causes in Eretz Yisroel, many times the poor are suffering in our own backyards. The Halacha is clear: “Aniyei Ircha come first”.

PLEASE open your hearts and donate generously.

Money will be distributed by HaRav Elya Brudny and other Rabbonim

BEIT SHEMESH, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site of a deadly missile strike in Beit Shemesh on Monday, where nine people, including three siblings, were killed.

Offering condolences to the families and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, Netanyahu said the government would help rebuild damaged homes.

Addressing Iran, Netanyahu said the Israeli campaign targets what he described as an existential threat. “The regime in Iran calls for the death of Israel and America. They threaten all the peoples of the region,” he said. “If this tyrannical regime gets nuclear weapons, they will threaten all of humanity.”
IMG_1888
He added that the operation is intended to give the Iranian people a chance to free themselves from the regime’s oppression. “The day they will be able to do so is approaching, and we are bringing it closer,” he said.

An Israeli whose house in Beit Shemesh was struck by a missile and completely destroyed had this to say:

“I have my Tefilin tomorrow for Shacharis, my family is fine, and Purim is in two days. It’s all good!”

WASHINGTON (AP) — With hundreds of millions of people turning to chatbots for advice, it was only a matter of time before tech companies began offering programs specifically designed to answer health questions.

In January, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health, a new version of its chatbot that the company says can analyze users’ medical records, wellness apps and wearable device data to answer health and medical questions. Currently, there’s a waiting list for the program. Anthropic, a rival AI company, offers similar features for some users of its Claude chatbot.

Both companies say their programs, known as large language models, aren’t a substitute for professional care and shouldn’t be used to diagnose medical conditions. Instead, they say the chatbots can summarize and explain complicated test results, help prepare for a doctor’s visit or analyze important health trends buried in medical records and app metrics.

Here are some things to consider before talking to a chatbot about your health:

Chatbots can offer more personalized information than a Google search
Some doctors and researchers who have worked with ChatGPT Health and similar programs see them as an improvement over the status quo.

AI platforms are not perfect — they can sometimes hallucinate or provide bad advice — but the information they produce is more likely to be personalized and specific than what patients might find through a Google search.

“The alternative often is nothing, or the patient winging it,” said Dr. Robert Wachter, a medical technology expert at University of California, San Francisco. “And so I think that if you use these tools responsibly, I think you can get useful information.”

One advantage of the latest chatbots is that they answer users’ questions with context from their medical history, including prescriptions, age and doctor’s notes.

Even if you haven’t given AI access to your medical information, Wachter and others recommend giving the chatbots as many details as possible to improve responses.

If you’re having worrisome symptoms, skip AI
Wachter and others stress that there are situations when people should skip the chatbot and seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or a severe headache could signal a medical emergency.

Even during less urgent situations, patients and doctors should approach AI programs with “a degree of healthy skepticism,” said Dr. Lloyd Minor of Stanford University.

“If you’re talking about a major medical decision, or even a smaller decision about your health, you should never be relying just on what you’re getting out of a large language model,” said Minor, who is the dean of Stanford’s medical school.

Consider your privacy before uploading any health data
Many benefits offered by AI bots stem from users sharing personal medical information. But it’s important to understand that anything shared with an AI company isn’t protected by the federal privacy law that normally governs sensitive medical information.

Commonly known as HIPAA, the law allows for fines and even prison time for doctors, hospitals, insurers or other health services that disclose medical records. But the law doesn’t apply to companies that design chatbots.

“When someone is uploading their medical chart into a large language model, that is very different than handing it to a new doctor,” said Minor. “Consumers need to understand that they’re completely different privacy standards.”

Both OpenAI and Anthropic say users’ health information is kept separate from other types of data and is subject to additional privacy protections. The companies do not use health data to train their models. Users must opt in to share their information and can disconnect at any time.

Testing shows chatbots can stumble
Despite excitement surrounding AI, independent testing of the technology is in its infancy. Early studies suggest programs like ChatGPT can ace high-level medical exams but often stumble when interacting with humans.

A 1,300-participant study by Oxford University recently found that people using AI chatbots to research hypothetical health conditions didn’t make better decisions than people using online searches or personal judgment.

AI chatbots presented with medical scenarios in a comprehensive, written form correctly identified the underlying condition 95% of the time.

“That was not the problem,” said lead author Adam Mahdi of the Oxford Internet Institute. “The place where things fell apart was during the interaction with the real participants.”

Mahdi and his team found several communication problems. People often didn’t give the chatbots the necessary information to correctly identify the health issue. Conversely, the AI systems often responded with a combination of good and bad information, and users had trouble distinguishing between the two.

The study, conducted in 2024, did not use the latest chatbot versions, including new offerings like ChatGPT Health.

A second AI opinion can be helpful
The ability for chatbots to ask follow-up questions and elicit key details from users is one area where Wachter sees room for improvement.

“I think that’s when this will get really good, when the tools become a little bit more doctor-ish in the way they go back and forth” with patients, Wachter said.

For now, one way to feel more confident about the information you’re getting is to consult multiple chatbots — similar to getting a second opinion from another doctor.

“I will sometimes put information into ChatGPT and information into Gemini,” Wachter said, referencing Google’s AI tool. “And when they both agree, I feel a little bit more secure that that’s the right answer.”

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a keynote speech Monday on France’s nuclear deterrence policy, as his European allies express growing concerns over possible U.S. disengagement and Russian threats.

France is the European Union’s only nuclear power and its deterrence doctrine relies on a strictly defensive strategy intended to safeguard the country’s “vital interests.” Macron has long maintained that those “vital interests” have a “European dimension.”

On Monday, he announced a strengthening of France’s nuclear arsenal and a major shift of the country’s deterrence doctrine, allowing France for first time to temporarily deploy its nuclear-armed aircraft to European allies.

While France is a member of NATO, it maintains full independence over its nuclear forces while contributing to the alliance’s broader deterrence posture. Under the French Constitution, the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the sole to decide on the potential use of nuclear weapons.

Here is a look at France’s nuclear capabilities, by the numbers:

1 warship
France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is the only surface warship in Europe capable of carrying nuclear weapons deployed by Rafale fighter jets using catapult-assisted takeoffs.

The navy’s flagship has in recent weeks operated in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, making a stop in recent days in the Swedish port of Malmo.

Because the carrier undergoes lengthy periodic overhauls, France does not have a permanent sea-based air nuclear capability.

Macron confirmed in December that the country will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace the Charles de Gaulle by 2038.

4 submarines
France has four nuclear-armed submarines: Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant and Le Terrible (The Triumphant, The Fearless, The Vigilant, and The Terrible).

They are based in Ile Longue on the Atlantic coast, one of the nation’s most secretive military sites.

Each 138-meter (453-foot) submarine is operated by a crew of about 110 and can carry 16 M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with multiple warheads.

Since 1972, at least one nuclear-armed submarine has been on patrol at all times, ensuring France’s permanent capacity to carry out a strike.

500 kilometers (310 miles)
The ASMPA air-launched cruise missile — short for enhanced medium-range air-to-surface missile — has an estimated range of about 500 kilometers (310 miles).

Launched by Rafale fighter jets, it is designed to serve as a final warning before any potential escalation to large-scale nuclear conflict.

The missiles are operated by the Strategic Air Forces, which was created in 1964 and is based at three sites across France. They can also be launched by jets operating from the Charles de Gaulle.

Macron announced that some nuclear-armed aircraft of the Strategic Air Forces may be deployed temporarily to allied countries, listing Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark as key partners.

8,000 to 10,000 kilometers (5,000 to 6,200 miles)
The M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile has an estimated range of 8,000 to 10,000 kilometers (5,000 to 6,200 miles). The exact range has not been made public.

The upgraded M51 entered operational service in October and features improved accuracy and enhanced ability to penetrate missile defenses, according to the French Defense Ministry. Each missile carries multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads.

Over 80% of France’s warheads are submarine-launched, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

290 warheads
France has an estimated 290 nuclear warheads, according to latest figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Macron announced the number of French warheads will increase but didn’t provide a figure.

That makes France the world’s fourth-largest nuclear power after Russia (more than 4,300 warheads), the United States (about 3,700) and China (about 600). The United Kingdom — no longer an EU member but a NATO ally — is estimated to have about 225 warheads, according to SIPRI and FAS.

All five nations are nuclear-weapon states recognized under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

India, Pakistan and North Korea have acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons. Israel is widely believed to have them but has never publicly confirmed it.

Exact stockpile numbers are closely guarded state secrets.

Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. But it has in recent years been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90%.

UN nuclear watchdog said it was unable to verify whether Iran has suspended all uranium enrichment, in a report seen Friday by The Associated Press before U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major attack on Iran,

Yesterday, Misaskim CJ volunteers delivered hundreds of Purim Seudos to Almanos and Yesomin throughout the Lakewood area, carrying on the legacy of Reb Yanky Meyer ZT”L.

There are still a few meals that need to be covered. The cost to cover a Seudah for an entire family is $500.

What better day to put a smile on the faces of Almanos and Yesomim.

Click here to cover the entire Seudah for a family for $500.

photos: Avrumi Blum 

Israel is considering a ground incursion into Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, and an Israeli source said that “no immunity [will be granted] for any politician or military figure in Hezbollah, and even for its supporters.”

The IDF said it will not evacuate the northern part of Israel, vowing to protect Israeli civilians from the front instead. However, the IDF issued evacuation notices to 53 Lebanese villages across the border.

“My message is clear; we will not evacuate you, we will continue to protect you from the front,” Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo stated Monday morning, explaining that Israel had prepared for an extensive ground operation in Lebanon.

“Hezbollah’s activity has compelled the IDF to operate in the area,” said IDF spokesperson Ella Waweya, speaking in Arabic. “The IDF does not seek to harm civilians. For your safety, leave your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages into open areas. Anyone near Hezbollah operatives, positions, or weapons is putting their life at risk.”

The IDF also indicated that Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s leader, is a target in the military campaign against Lebanon. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz explicitly named the secretary-general of the terrorist group and warned that Hezbollah “will pay a heavy price” for its attacks against Israel.

“Anyone who follows in Khamenei’s path will soon find himself alongside him in the depths of hell with the rest of the eliminated members of the axis of evil,” Katz said. “We will not return to the rules of engagement that existed before October 7. We will defend the residents of the north and all citizens of Israel with full force.”

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir added that Israel must be prepared for a prolonged campaign.

“We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” he said. “We must prepare for multiple days of fighting. We need strong defensive readiness and waves of attack, while taking advantage of opportunities.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam slammed the operation.

“Regardless of who is behind the rocket fire from southern Lebanon, this is a reckless and suspicious act that endangers Lebanon’s security and gives Israel an excuse to continue attacks against Lebanon,” he said. “We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures. We will take all necessary measures to stop these operations and protect the Lebanese people.”

Three American F-15 fighter jets participating in operations linked to the campaign against Iran were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire incident, US Central Command confirmed early Monday.

According to a statement from CENTCOM, all six crew members aboard the aircraft successfully ejected and were recovered in stable condition.

“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Tampa, Fla.-based CENTCOM went on.

Video circulating online captured the dramatic crashes, which occurred shortly after what appeared to be an Iranian drone barrage struck the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City. Earlier, the embassy had issued a stark advisory to American citizens, instructing them to stay indoors, seek shelter, and “Do not come to the Embassy.”

Footage showed flames and heavy smoke billowing from within the diplomatic compound, though no immediate casualties were reported.

Kuwait, along with several other Gulf states neighboring Iran, has come under missile and drone fire from Tehran in recent days. The strikes appear aimed at pressuring the United States and Israel to halt a military campaign that has reportedly resulted in the deaths of dozens of senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Over the weekend, three US service members stationed in Kuwait with a logistics and supply unit were killed in an Iranian strike. They were the first American fatalities since the Pentagon launched the operation known as Operation Epic Fury.

CENTCOM said it would withhold the identities of service members who were killed until 24 hours after their families were notified.

Iranian retaliatory strikes have also targeted American military installations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. In addition to military targets, Tehran has directed attacks toward energy infrastructure across the region.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery was targeted by drones, according to a military spokesman quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Air defenses intercepted the aircraft before they reached their objective.

Videos posted online appeared to show dense black smoke rising near the refinery site following the incident. Even when drones are successfully shot down, falling debris can ignite fires and cause injuries on the ground.

Ras Tanura, located near Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia, is among the largest oil refineries in the world, with the capacity to process more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Saudi state television reported that operations at the facility were temporarily halted as a precaution.

Earlier the same day, falling debris from intercepted drones struck Kuwait’s Ahmadi oil refinery, injuring two workers, according to the state-run KUNA news agency.

{Matzav.com}

A late-night head-on collision in Ocean County claimed the lives of three people after a vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic, authorities said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that the crash occurred around 11:50 p.m. last night on Pinehurst Road in Plumsted Township. Responding officers from the Plumsted Township Police Department found two vehicles involved in a head-on collision.

An investigation revealed that a Ford Bronco traveling northbound crossed over the double yellow lines into the southbound lane, striking a Toyota Sienna head-on.

The driver and two passengers inside the Toyota Sienna sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver of the Ford Bronco was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, where he is listed in stable condition.

The crash remains under active investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Vehicular Homicide Squad, Plumsted Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

A sharp exchange erupted Sunday between Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Nancy Mace after the South Carolina Republican suggested that Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib were grieving the death of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The dispute began when Mace posted a sarcastic message online following news of Khamenei’s death. “My heart goes out to Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib tonight.

“Sending them thoughts and prayers,” she wrote in a post accompanied by a picture of Khamenei.

Omar and Tlaib, the first Muslim women elected to Congress, are members of the progressive bloc known as “The Squad.”

Omar responded forcefully on X, accusing Mace of intoxication. “I hope you aren’t drunk and took your staff’s advice, Rashida and I don’t know this man and feel confident he didn’t care about us,” she wrote.

She continued, “Please restrain [sic] from drinking too much as you have been warned from your staff and stay off social media when you are drunk. I pray in his holy month you find peace and respect for your self [sic].”

Omar’s remarks appeared to reference prior allegations made by former Mace staff members claiming she fostered a hostile work environment.

A New York Magazine article published last month alleged that Mace consumed alcohol “excessively” and required staff to make late-night liquor store runs on her behalf.

Mace has strongly denied those claims, even as several former aides have publicly supported them. She has said she suffers from hemochromatosis, describing it as a “lifelong genetic affliction that prevents me from consuming much alcohol.”

Hemochromatosis is a disorder in which excess iron accumulates in vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, and liver.

Mace fired back at Omar with a jab at her grammar, writing, “Honey, it’s ‘please refrain’ not ‘please restrain.’ This is what happens when your staff is from the Third World and can’t speak proper English,” Mace needled Omar in response.

Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, has praised the killing of Khamenei and supported efforts to weaken Iran’s ruling regime.

The two lawmakers have a history of public disputes on social media.

Earlier this year, Mace sought to have the House Oversight Committee issue a subpoena for records related to allegations that Omar married her brother.

On Shabbos, Omar criticized President Trump for authorizing the Operation Absolute Fury strikes against Iran, in which Khamenei was killed during joint U.S.-Israeli military action.

“The American people are sick and tired of endless wars built on false promises and paid for with innocent lives. Congress must immediately pass [the] Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution,” Omar wrote on X.

Before the strikes took place, Omar had also expressed frustration over the timing of U.S. military actions during Ramadan.

“The US apparently loves to strike Muslim countries during Ramadan and I am convinced it isn’t what these countries have done to violate international law but about who they worship,” she wrote.

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, prayer, and reflection, runs this year from Feb. 17 through March 19.

{Matzav.com}

By Y.M. Lowy

Money and electronics were stolen from a home on Sunday evening. Two people broke into a residence near 39th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway and made off with more than $3,000 in cash, along with cellphones and other electronic devices. The suspects fled the area before officers arrived.

No injuries were reported. The NYPD says the investigation is ongoing as detectives work to identify those responsible.

Incidents like this are a reminder to double-check locks, security cameras, and alarm systems, especially as longer evenings and routine changes can create opportunities for theft.

While the U.S. military campaign against Iran continues to unleash its full force, Congress is gathering to debate the president’s authority to conduct the campaign in the first place. This is striking in that previously, Congress debated for months before authorizing strikes, as it did ahead of the Iraq war.

Democrats have criticized the operation mostly on two grounds: The president does not have the authority to declare war, and the he has not clearly articulated the goals of the war or explained his endgame.

As bombs continue to drop, casualties rise and threats of retaliation are traded by both sides, the debate in Congress will test both Congress’ power to declare war and the limits of presidential authority.

“The Constitution is intended to prevent the accumulation of power in any one branch of government — and in any one person in government,” said David Janovsky, acting director of The Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight.

“Congress is the people’s representatives in a way that the president isn’t,” he said. “We need the people’s representatives to weigh in on whether we, the people, are going to war right now.”

Sen. Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump “does not have the right to do this on his own.”

“When the president commits American forces to a war of choice, he needs to come before Congress and the American people and ask for a declaration of war,” Warner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Republican isolationists who have chosen “America First” as their mantra have also criticized the war, accusing Trump of betraying his campaign promise to put America first.

However, with the Republicans controlling both Houses of Congress, despite some dissenters, it’s unlikely a vote against the war in Iran will win the day.

L’ILE LONGUE, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France would allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries as part of its new nuclear strategy.

Macron said the new posture would “provide for the temporary deployment of elements of our strategic air forces to allied countries,” but said there would be no sharing of decision-making with any other nation regarding the use of the nuclear weapons.

Talks about such arrangements have started with Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark, Macron said.

A juvenile has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting in Lakewood last night.

As first reported by TLS, police responded to the area of Pearl Street at approximately 8:17 p.m. after receiving reports of a male suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department arrived to find a juvenile male with a single gunshot wound to his back. The victim was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Sources tell TLS the fight allegedly stemmed from a fight over a sweater and a book bag

Following an investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, alongside the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and local police, authorities determined that another juvenile was responsible for the shooting.

Bradley D. Billhimer announced that the suspect has been charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. The juvenile is currently being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center pending further proceedings.

The investigation remains ongoing.

MEMBER: R.D.

LOCATION: BALTIMORE, MD

MEMBERSHIP TYPE: FAMILY (9 MEMBERS)

MEMBERS SINCE: 2019

WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION TO JOIN UNITED REFUAH AT THE VERY BEGINNING?

Healthcare was getting very expensive for our family. We initially explored the other HealthShares we’ve heard about, but they were all Christian-based and required signing belief statements we weren’t comfortable with. When we asked, we were advised to try and find an alternative rather than signing on those beliefs. When United Refuah started we spoke with the team and their approach seemed right for our family. We joined and six years later, we’ve never looked back! 

HOW SIGNIFICANT WERE THE SAVINGS WHEN YOU MADE THE SWITCH?

We were a family of seven at that time paying about $1,200 per month in premiums alone. With United Refuah, our monthly contribution dropped to under $600 — cutting expenses by roughly 50%.

WAS IT CHALLENGING TO ADAPT TO THE NEW SYSTEM?

Like anything new, it requires learning. The theoretical knowledge only goes so far and you really only understand it once you start using it — that’s where the United Refuah team really shines! They are responsive, knowledgeable, and supportive and help guide you through whatever you encounter. Our first major medical incident happened shortly after joining. That helped us learn the ropes fairly quickly and since then, thank G-d, has been smooth sailing.

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE SHARING ABOUT THAT FIRST MAJOR MEDICAL INCIDENT?

Certainly. In October 2019, shortly after joining, our four month old son was hospitalized for six days with a cellulitis infection. We went to one ER but were sent home. The next day he was admitted to Johns Hopkins where he received a six-day inpatient antibiotic treatment. It could have been overwhelming being we were dealing with multiple hospital bills, doctors bills, medication, etc., but everything was taken care of quickly and smoothly. Within the week of receiving the bills, United Refuah settled the payment directly with our providers. I remember thinking ‘wow, this really works’. We were not left with large or outstanding bills.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY MEDICAL SERVICES THAT UNITED REFUAH WOULDN’T SHARE IN? 

Generally, it meets our family’s needs really well. We’ve had medical services ranging from ER visits, physical therapy, specialist consultations, and surgeries — all shared without a problem. The only small hiccup I had was with vaccine billing. Initially, I didn’t realize I could request vaccines through the VFC program (a national program which provides vaccines free of charge to children ages 18 and younger) which led to higher charges. After discussing it with United Refuah, they made an exception and shared the higher expense, even though it was my oversight. Now I know to request them through the program, which significantly reduces costs.

IF YOUR FAMILY GREW TO 9 KA”H, DID YOU USE UNITED REFUAH FOR YOUR RECENT BIRTHS?

I kept my insurance as a precaution for my first pregnancy while on United Refuah because we didn’t yet know how it would work. My last pregnancy and birth were fully under United Refuah and everything went exactly as my case manager explained. There were no surprises, and everything I needed was shared without an issue or extra costs for me.

WHAT DO YOU TELL PEOPLE WHO ARE HESITANT ABOUT JOINING A HEALTHSHARE?

If I ever felt that the care I had access to was inadequate or that I had to make compromised decisions regarding my family’s health due to the lack of traditional insurance, the financial savings wouldn’t be worth it. However, I never once felt that I had to compromise or make a less than ideal decision about my kids’ medical care based on the fact that I do not have regular insurance. The process is straightforward, and the care access, including specialists, is uncomplicated. The main difference is the financial savings and the extra $700+ each month that can be used to pay for better things than private health insurance. 

To speak with the featured member, reach out to United Refuah to request an introduction. [email protected] | (440) U-REFUAH.
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BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei opened Congress on Sunday with a fiery speech highlighting his government’s achievements, lambasting the opposition, and praising his relationship with American President Donald Trump.

His 90-minute speech, was marked by shouting at opposition lawmakers, who he described as “thieves,” “murderers” and “ignorant,” while highlighting what he described as his government’s key achievements over the past year.

Milei delivered the speech after a series of legislative victories, including labor reform, lowering the age of criminal responsibility, the Mercosur-European Union trade agreement and initial approval of a glacier protection law.

“This has been one of the most productive extraordinary sessions in our history, fulfilling all the campaign promises made in 2025,” Milei said.

Some of Milei’s main points included Argentina’s potential for exporting raw materials and energy, as well as its strategic location. He also emphasized the need to maintain alignment with the United States, highlighting the success of the financial aid provided by Washington last year and alluding to the “special relationship” he has with Trump, whom he defined as a “key ally.”

Milei added that “we have to create the century of the Americas. Make America Great Again.”

He also argued that Argentina possesses the critical minerals demanded by the West and underscored the country’s strategic location, with access to two oceans and proximity to Antarctica. “We are a natural link in the West’s strategic value chain,” he asserted.

However, throughout the speech, Milei repeatedly clashed with opposition lawmakers, calling them corrupt and thieves, and also took aim at former leftist President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is imprisoned on corruption charges.

Milei faced a friendlier Congress
On Friday, Milei scored a crucial victory in Congress after the approval of a labor reform bill that will radically alter the job market and which was opposed by left-wing parties and the country’s main labor union.

Milei appears much stronger on the legislative front, Juan Negri, director of the Political Science program at Torcuato Di Tella University, told The Associated Press.

“We find him with significant support and, through his allies, with a parliamentary majority that seemed unprecedented in 2023,” he said

Milei assumed the presidency in 2023 with an opposition that promised to resist the liberal reforms promoted by his party La Libertad Avanza, which at the time was only the third-largest bloc in both houses of Congress. During the first months of his term, the president had strong clashes with the Legislative Branch, which he called a “rat’s nest” for obstructing his initiatives.

In the 2025 legislative elections, La Libertad Avanza, in alliance with the right-wing Republican Proposal, or PRO, party, consolidated its position as the largest bloc in both chambers and secured the one-third needed to uphold presidential vetoes in Congress.

The government also consolidated the support of allies who were previously more reserved or even critical, including some members of PRO, “who are now perfectly aligned with the ruling party,” said Gustavo Marangoni, a political scientist from Buenos Aires and director of the economics, finance, and public opinion consulting firm M & R Asociados.

Milei also benefited from several provincial governors who, regardless of their political affiliation, recognized the advantages of negotiating with the national government, Marangoni explained.

(AP) – As Israel unleashed a sweeping military response to the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, assault by Hamas, it aimed punch after punch at the power of Iran, the militant group’s longtime sponsor, and its other proxies and allies in the region.

The result has been a rapid and systematic degradation of Iran’s clout across the Middle East over the past 2½ years, a seismic change that led directly to this weekend’s devastating attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.

“Certainly the Oct. 7 events were a turning point in this long conflict between Iran and Israel,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an expert on Iranian politics at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. “I think it provided Israel with the argument or justification to deliver a strong blow.”

The most devastating hit so far came this weekend when President Donald Trump and Israeli leaders launched a wave of attacks on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and inflicting widespread destruction. But the war, while still in its early stages, is part of a much longer continuum of events that have severely weakened Iran, Hezbollah and other proxy militias, and upended political balance in the region.

“It’s a very bloody, a very violent but transformative moment that the Middle East is going through,” said Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow focused on the Middle East at Chatham House, a British think tank. “We don’t know where this will end up.”

The war in Gaza was the wellspring
The damage to Iran’s power radiated from the war in Gaza, where Israeli forces followed Hamas after militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel has since killed more than 72,000 Palestinians in Gaza, nearly half of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas government and which does not distinguish between militants and civilians.

The conflict quickly expanded, though, to include other groups in the Iran-sponsored Axis of Resistance.

In Lebanon, the powerful militant group Hezbollah had long been considered Iran’s first line of defense in case of a war with Israel. It was believed to have some 150,000 rockets and missiles, and the group’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah once boasted of having 100,000 fighters.

After Oct. 7, the group launched rockets across the border to Israel, seeking to aid its ally Hamas. That drew Israeli airstrikes and shelling and the exchanges escalated into full-scale war in the fall of 2024.

Israel inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah, killing Nasrallah and other top leaders and destroying much of the militant group’s arsenal, before a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire nominally halted that conflict last November. Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and to carry out near-daily airstrikes.

Hezbollah was further weakened when rebels overthrew the regime of key ally Syrian President Bashar Assad, cutting off a major supply route for Iranian weapons.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, also sponsored by Iran, joined the expanding conflict, firing rockets at vessels in the Red Sea and targeting Israel. U.S. warships and the Israeli military returned fire.

Israel left the status quo behind
As the conflict expanded, leaders of Iran and its proxies failed to recognize that Israel had abandoned the long-tense status quo and was trying to engineer a fundamental shift, Mansour said.

The toll on Iran escalated last June when Israel launched a surprise offensive aimed at decimating Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program while Iran and the U.S. were in negotiations for a nuclear deal. The 12-day war that followed saw bombing attacks of Iran’s energy industry and Defense Ministry headquarters.

Iran’s weakened proxy groups largely stayed on the sidelines as their sponsor came under direct attack last year. So far in the new war, they’ve done much the same.

“It’s very much about survival” for Hezbollah and the other Iran-backed groups, Mansour said. He noted that over time the Axis had become less driven by top-down orders from Iran, and the groups have become more autonomous. “And survival to them is based on calculations that aren’t necessarily about Iran’s survival.”

Since Israel and the U.S. launched a barrage of strikes on Iran Saturday, Tehran’s allies and proxies in the region have had a minimal role in the response.

Hezbollah appeared to change that early Monday, even though the group has been under great pressure by Lebanese officials not to enter the fray in defense of Iran out of fear of another damaging war in Lebanon.

Hezbollah issued statements condemning the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and mourning the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Then it hinted it might get involved. Early Monday, it did, firing missiles across the border. Israel promptly retaliated with strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut. It was the first time in more than a year that Hezbollah has claimed a strike against Israel.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and for “repeated Israeli aggressions.”

How might other proxy groups react?
How other proxy groups could react to Khamenei’s death remains to be seen. Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said Israel’s actions since 2023 may give such groups pause.

“Previous bouts of conflict since Oct. 7 appear to have underlined the existential risk associated with making yourself a target,” Lister said in an email responding to questions from The Associated Press.

In Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed several drone strikes targeting U.S. bases in Irbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the country’s north. The extent of damage caused by the attacks is not clear. But the Kurdish region has seen widespread power outages after a key gas field that supplies much of the region’s electricity stopped operations, citing security concerns.

Two officials with different Iran-backed militias in Iraq told the AP that a meeting took place two months ago between Iranian officials and allied Iraqi militias to make plans for a response in case Iran was attacked, including distributing tasks among the Iraqi armed groups.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. One of the officials said it was decided that the response would target U.S. forces and interests in Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdish region and in neighboring Jordan.

There’s often a misconception that Iran issues orders to its proxy militant groups and they all fall in line, Boroujerdi said. But independent decisions the groups have made so far to stay clear of the conflict are a sign of the overall weakening of Iran’s network.

“The dominoes started to fall with the October 7 events,” Boroujerdi said. “Just take note of everything that has changed since then in terms of the balance of power.”

Iran is intensifying efforts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital energy corridor, raising fears of a major supply shock that could rattle global markets, Newsmax reports. While no formal blockade has been declared, escalating warnings, vessel strikes, and maritime disruptions suggest Tehran is seeking to exert leverage in the strategic waterway without officially closing it.

If Iran were to successfully shut down the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, oil prices could surge dramatically, triggering economic turbulence worldwide.

In the past three days, Iranian authorities have broadcast warnings over marine Channel 16 telling commercial ships that the strait is “closed,” despite the absence of any internationally recognized declaration to that effect.

When vessels continued navigating the corridor, tensions rose. Since March 1, at least three ships have reportedly been hit, fueling concern that Iran may be shifting from rhetorical threats to physical enforcement.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center in Dubai confirmed that Iranian forces were issuing closure announcements but emphasized that such declarations carry no legal authority.

The Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational naval coalition headquartered in Bahrain, described the situation as “critical,” cautioning that there are “active kinetic hazard conditions” and widespread GPS interference affecting navigation.

Tracking data from the automatic identification system on March 1 indicated a sharp drop in traffic within designated shipping lanes. Many tankers were observed anchoring near Dubai, Fujairah, and Khor Fakkan rather than attempting to transit the strait.

The mounting tensions have already had real-world effects.

According to Reuters and maritime security officials, several vessels reported receiving VHF messages from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declaring that “no ship is allowed to pass.”

Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said the tanker Skylight was struck in Omani waters near the Musandam Peninsula, injuring crew members.

Other incidents reportedly involved damage to the crude carrier MKD Vyom and the product tanker Hercules Star.

Severe GPS spoofing has further complicated maritime movement, with ships’ tracking signals appearing inaccurately on land or looping in circular patterns, creating navigational confusion.

Even in the absence of an official blockade, tanker movements have slowed significantly.

Major carriers such as Hapag-Lloyd have halted sailings through the area, while Maersk said it is coordinating closely with security partners.

The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners stated that the U.S. Navy had warned it could not guarantee safe passage throughout the broader Gulf region.

War-risk insurance rates have climbed sharply, and some insurers have withdrawn coverage entirely for voyages through Hormuz.

At its narrowest shipping point, the Strait of Hormuz measures just 21 miles across, with traffic lanes roughly two miles wide in each direction.

Yet its economic significance is enormous. In 2024, approximately 20 million barrels of oil per day passed through the strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That represents about 20 percent of global oil consumption and nearly a quarter of worldwide seaborne oil trade.

The estimated annual value of oil and gas transported through Hormuz approaches $500 billion.

Liquefied natural gas shipments are equally vital. Roughly one-fifth of global LNG trade, much of it originating from Qatar, moves through the strait.

About 84 percent of crude and condensate exports and 83 percent of LNG cargoes are bound for Asian markets, particularly China, India, Japan, and South Korea.

Alternative export routes are limited. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates maintain some pipeline capacity that bypasses the strait, but those systems could not fully compensate for a complete closure.

Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar remain largely dependent on Hormuz access for exports.

Energy markets are already preparing for volatility.

U.S. crude oil settled Friday at $67.02 per barrel, reflecting a 17 percent increase this year. Brent crude closed at $73.21, up 20 percent year to date.

Rystad Energy analysts warned that Brent could climb by as much as $20 if disruptions persist.

UBS analysts said a significant interruption might send Brent above $120 per barrel.

Prediction markets currently suggest a strong likelihood that U.S. crude could rise above $73 in the near term.

Barclays has projected that Brent could reach $100 if the disruption continues. Even a partial interruption affecting 20 percent of flows could trigger a 20 percent price increase within days.

Higher oil prices would likely reignite inflationary pressures worldwide, delay anticipated central bank rate cuts, and place strain on airlines and transportation-intensive industries. Emerging market currencies could also face renewed stress.

A sustained rise toward $100 oil would complicate Federal Reserve policy in 2026, as elevated fuel costs feed into broader inflation data.

Iran does not need to formally declare a blockade to disrupt shipping.

Its asymmetric capabilities include naval mines, fast attack craft, coastal missile systems, submarines, drone operations, and electronic warfare.

Mining the narrow shipping lanes would be particularly disruptive, requiring complex multinational efforts to clear.

Selective vessel seizures, GPS interference, and targeted strikes could effectively create conditions resembling a closure by deterring insurers and shipping companies.

Approximately 3,000 ships transit Hormuz each month. Even temporary interruptions can create immediate supply bottlenecks and rapid price swings.

However, a sustained full shutdown would also harm Iran.

Iranian oil exports use the same route, and any prolonged closure would likely provoke a strong international military response.

The United States has expanded its naval presence in the Gulf, deploying carrier strike groups, missile defense systems, and surveillance assets.

President Donald Trump said military operations will continue until American objectives are achieved, though he also signaled openness to negotiations.

The Pentagon has indicated that freedom of navigation missions will persist, and allied naval forces are escorting commercial vessels.

Historically, the United States has treated attempts to block Hormuz as a red line.

In previous crises, mine-clearing operations and naval escorts were launched quickly to maintain open transit.

Current alerts from the Combined Maritime Forces and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations suggest coalition forces are preparing for such contingencies.

Even a partial disruption would mark one of the most severe energy supply shocks in decades.

With roughly one-fifth of global petroleum consumption passing through a single corridor, the systemic risk is immense.

Asian economies would feel the immediate impact, but consequences would ripple globally through higher fuel costs, rising freight rates, market volatility, and potential recessionary pressures if elevated prices persist.

The episode also highlights how maritime chokepoints remain powerful strategic leverage points.

Electronic interference, drone attacks, and hybrid tactics blur the boundary between harassment and outright warfare, complicating military and diplomatic responses.

For now, the Strait of Hormuz remains technically open.

But with ships damaged, insurers withdrawing, and traffic thinning, Iran appears to be pursuing disruption without a formal declaration.

In already volatile energy markets, that strategy alone may be sufficient to drive oil prices higher and intensify geopolitical tensions, bringing both economic and political risk in its wake.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) – Today is the 13th of Adar, the Yartzeit of the Posaik Hador, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l,  who was niftar 40 years ago in 1986.  Who was he exactly and how did he have such a remarkable impact on the United States?

Let us first go back, not to the beginning but to his entry here, in the United States.

On a frigid Thursday, January 14th 1937, in the afternoon, the RMS Aquitania glided into New York Harbor, carrying among its third-class passengers a penniless refugee rabbi, his wife, and three young children. The man who disembarked that day brought with him no material wealth—only the clothes on his back, a few possessions, and the accumulated Torah wisdom of Lithuanian scholarship stretching back through generations to the Vilna Gaon himself.

He had survived a pogrom where his house was blown apart by artillery, endured Communist persecution that stripped him of home and livelihood, and escaped Soviet Russia with only days to spare before his passport expired.

He would tell relatives who criticized his decision to come to America: “I came to be a street cleaner. I am prepared to clean the streets, to be a shammes, as long as my children and I will be free to learn Torah.”

That refugee would become Rav Moshe Feinstein, the posek hador—the foremost halachic authority of his generation—whose responsa would guide millions of Jews navigating the unprecedented challenges of modern life. His integrity would become legendary. And his very name would become synonymous with Torah leadership in twentieth-century America.

The world he left behind in Luban was destroyed utterly. The calendar he lovingly prepared for eighteen years of Jewish observance was never used—the community was murdered in the Holocaust before even five years had passed. But the Torah he brought with him to America, the methodology he taught, the responsa he wrote, and the example he set continue to illuminate the path for Jews facing challenges he never imagined.

This is his story.

On the seventh day of Adar in the year 5655, corresponding to March 3, 1895, a child was born in the town of Uzda who would become the preeminent halachic authority of his generation. The town of Uzda lay in the Minsk Governorate of White Russia, in what is today Belarus. This region, part of the Pale of Settlement where Jews were permitted to reside under Tsarist rule, was home to numerous vibrant Jewish communities despite the oppressive restrictions placed upon them.

The child’s father, Rav David Feinstein, and his mother, Faya Gittel, named their son Moshe.

Rav Moshe’s father, Rav David, was a direct descendant of Rav Avraham, the brother of the Vilna Gaon. The Vilna Gaon, Rav Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, who lived from 1720 to 1797, was perhaps the greatest Torah scholar of the modern era, a man whose genius encompassed not only all areas of Torah but mathematics, astronomy, and geography as well. His brother, Rav Avraham, was himself a tremendous scholar and the author of Maalos HaTorah, a profound work of Torah scholarship. Both the Vilna Gaon and his brother Rav Avraham were in turn direct descendants of the author of Be’er HaGolah, the commentary that appears on every page of the Shulchan Aruch and provides source references essential for all who study Jewish law.

The Vilna Gaon’s influence extended beyond his immediate family. Rav Avraham Tzvi Kamai, who founded the Mirrer Yeshiva, was the grandson of Rav Avraham, the Gaon’s brother, making him a relative of Rav David. Rav Kamai’s son-in-law, Rav Finkel, later became Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, one of the greatest yeshivos in Lithuania. Thus the Feinstein family was connected by blood and tradition to the most illustrious institutions and personalities of the Lithuanian yeshiva world.

At some point in the family’s history, Koidenover Chasidus entered the Feinstein lineage, though the exact date of this development remains uncertain. Rav Moshe’s great-grandfather, also named Rav David, was a Koidenover Chasid, as was Rav David, Rav Moshe’s father, in his youth. The Koidenover movement represented one strand of the Hasidic revolution that had swept through Eastern European Jewry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, emphasizing devotional prayer and the service of Hashem through joy and emotional connection to the Divine.

Rav Yitzchok Yechiel, Rav Moshe’s maternal grandfather, had four sons-in-law, each of whom was a significant Torah scholar and leader. The first was Rav Eliyahu Pruzhaner, whose devotion to his family and selfless character we have already described. Rav Eliyahu was the father of Peshe, who married Rav Moshe Soloveitchik and became the mother of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. Rav Yosef Dov, known in America as “the Rav,” would become the leading Torah authority of Modern Orthodoxy and the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.

The second son-in-law was Rav Yaacov Kanterovitz, whom Rav Moshe refers to in his responsa, published as Iggeros Moshe, as “my uncle the great Gaon.” The use of the term “Gaon” in this context indicated extraordinary scholarship, comparable to the great sages of the Talmudic academies. The third son-in-law was Rav David Feinstein, Rav Moshe’s father. The fourth was Rav Moshe, the father of Berl Katzenelson. Berl Katzenelson would become a mentor to David Ben-Gurion, who would later become the first Prime Minister of Israel.

The town of Uzda, where young Moshe Feinstein spent his earliest years, was typical of the Jewish settlements that dotted the Pale of Settlement in the late nineteenth century. The Pale, that vast region of the Russian Empire where Jews were compelled to live, stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, encompassing parts of modern-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland. Within these boundaries lived the largest concentration of Jews in the world, perhaps five million souls, creating a civilization that would produce an extraordinary flowering of Torah scholarship even as it endured poverty, persecution, and periodic violence.

There, under his father’s tutelage, young Moshe studied three sedarim of Shas, three of the six orders of the Talmud. The methodology they employed was that of Volozhin, the approach that Rav David had absorbed during his own years in that great yeshiva. Rav David had meticulously recorded all the shiurim, the lectures, that he had heard in Volozhin, and now he transmitted this material to his son.

Yet Rav David understood that his son’s education required more than study with him alone.

When Moshe was in his late teens, Rav David sent him for one year to the nearby town of Slutzk, where he would study with one of the greatest Torah scholars of the generation, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer. Slutzk lay northeast of Uzda, in the same region of White Russia.

However, during Moshe’s time in Slutzk, a dispute arose between Rav Isser Zalman and his mashgiach, Rav Pesach Pruskin.

Unable to resolve their differences, Rav Isser Zalman and Rav Pesach decided to take their dispute to a din Torah, a judgment before a rabbinical court. They agreed that Rav David Feinstein, Moshe’s father, would serve as the dayyan, the judge.

The choice of Rav David for this delicate task reveals the respect in which he was held throughout the region. Both Rav Isser Zalman and Rav Pesach were older than Rav David and were established figures in the yeshiva world. Yet they trusted his judgment.

Rav David heard the arguments of both sides and issued his ruling. He determined that Rav Pesach Pruskin could take ten talmidim, ten students, and establish a new yeshiva.

Young Moshe was chosen to be one of the ten students who would leave Slutzk with Rav Pesach to study in the new yeshiva.

Rav Moshe left Rav Isser Zalman’s yeshiva and studied with Rav Pesach Pruskin for three years. These were formative years in his development as a Torah scholar. During this entire period, he lived in Rav Pesach’s house,

Rav Moshe became extremely close to Rav Pesach Pruskin during these years. For the rest of his life, he would consider Rav Pesach as his primary rebbe, the teacher who most influenced his development. When asked about his approach to learning, about his methodology in analyzing a sugya or arriving at a halachic conclusion, Rav Moshe would credit Rav Pesach with forming his derech halimud, his way of learning. When Rav Prusskin’s granddaughter got married in the 1960’s, Rav Moshe gave them a check for %200, on his meager salary. That was how much hakaras hatov he had to him!

During his time with Rav Pesach, Moshe led a chaburah in Ketzos HaChoshen.

Years later, Rav Gustman, himself one of the great Torah scholars of the twentieth century, would testify to the remarkable intellectual powers and exemplary character that young Moshe displayed during these formative years. Rav Gustman had studied in the yeshiva world of Lithuania and later served as the youngest member of the Beis Din of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski in Vilna. His testimony about Rav Moshe carries special weight precisely because Rav Gustman himself was recognized as a gaon, a genius, and because he had known the greatest Torah scholars of the pre-war generation and could make comparisons based on personal knowledge.

Rav Gustman related to Rav Moshe’s family many stories about Rav Moshe’s intellectual powers and exemplary character during his youth. Rav Moshe himself would never have told these stories, for to do so would have violated his profound sense of humility. But he confirmed them after Rav Gustman told them, and they therefore became part of the historical record, providing insights into the development of one of the great Torah leaders of the twentieth century.

Rav Pesach used to say that it was a special zechus, a privilege and merit, to have had a talmid like Rav Moshe, who surpassed him many, many fold. This statement reveals the greatness of both men.

As mentioned earlier, despite their dispute and the din Torah that had divided them, when Rav Pesach Pruskin arranged the chanukas habayis, the dedication ceremony, for his new yeshiva, the guest speaker was none other than Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, the very person with whom he had disagreed.

At this chanukas habayis, young Rav Moshe was honored with delivering a public shiur, a lecture on a Talmudic topic before the assembled community

Rav Moshe’s shiur was a triumph. The lecture he delivered that day was later published without modification in his work Dibros Moshe on Bava Kamma. The fact that it required no revision, that what he presented orally in his youth could be published decades later as a mature work of scholarship, testifies to the extraordinary level he had already achieved.

 In 1920, at the age of twenty-five, he married Shima Kustanovich. The marriage took place on a Friday afternoon, with Moshe’s father, Rav David, serving as the mesader kiddushin, the one who officiated at the ceremony. In a detail that reveals the modesty and unpretentiousness that characterized the family, Rav David performed the ceremony not only for his son but for several other couples as well on that same afternoon. There was no elaborate wedding celebration, no week of sheva brachos with feasts and festivities. The sole sheva brachos took place on Shabbos, and then the young couple began their life together.

This simplicity was not due to poverty or lack of means. Rather, it reflected a value system that emphasized substance over show, that viewed the marriage itself as the important thing rather than the celebration surrounding it. In later generations, elaborate weddings with multiple days of celebration and hundreds of guests would become the norm in Orthodox communities. But in the world of Lithuanian Jewry in the early twentieth century, simplicity and focus on the essential remained prized values.

Rebbetzin Shima Feinstein would prove to be a true eishes chayil, a woman of valor, throughout their sixty-six years of marriage. Her support for her husband’s Torah work was unstinting. She managed the household with limited resources, raising their children in an environment of Torah and middos tovos even during times of terrible poverty and danger. She endured the hardships of life under Communist persecution with courage and fortitude. And when they finally reached America, she helped her husband adjust to a new country and culture while maintaining the values and standards they had brought from Europe.

Shortly after his marriage, Rav Moshe assumed his first rabbinical position. He became the Rav of Uzda, the town where he had been born and where his father had served.

Rav Moshe eventually decided to leave the position in Uzda. With his brother, Rav Mordechai, who was also a tremendous talmid chacham, he went to the nearby town of Izdarobin. There they established their own yeshiva, creating an institution where they could teach and study without the ceremonial trappings of a formal rabbanus. Izdarobin, whose name means “old rabbi,” had a reputation for employing the most prestigious rabbanim in Russia, and the community welcomed these two brilliant young scholars.

The yeshiva that Rav Moshe and Rav Mordechai established attracted serious students from throughout the region.

The yeshiva in Izdarobin operated during a particularly dangerous period. The Russian Revolution had erupted in 1917, plunging the country into civil war. The Bolsheviks, who seized power in November of that year, were committed to destroying all religious institutions as part of their program of creating a purely materialistic society. While they could not immediately suppress all religious practice, they made it clear that religion had no place in their vision of the future.

For Jewish communities, the chaos of the revolution and civil war brought new dangers. Armies of various factions swept back and forth across the land, each bringing violence and destruction. The White armies, fighting to restore the old Tsarist order, were often virulently antisemitic and carried out pogroms against Jewish communities. But the Red Army was hardly better. While the Bolsheviks officially opposed antisemitism as a form of bourgeois prejudice, individual commanders and soldiers often participated in violence against Jews.

When antisemitism in Russia became unbearable, Rav Moshe and Rav Mordechai made a crucial decision. They sent six of their best talmidim to Eretz Yisroel.

After leaving Izdarobin, Rav Moshe Feinstein assumed the position that would define his career in Russia. He became the Rav of Luban, a town that lay northeast of Minsk in the Minsk Governorate. Luban, like other towns in the region, had a substantial Jewish population that maintained traditional observance despite the challenges posed by government persecution. The position of Rav in Luban was prestigious, and the community’s allegiance to their young rav would prove absolute.

Rav Moshe served as Rav of Luban for sixteen years, from approximately 1920 until his departure for America in 1937. These were the years in which he developed his reputation as one of the premier poskim in Russia.

Rav Gustman, who was the youngest member of Rav Chaim Ozer’s Beis Din in Vilna, later reported what happened when two responsa from Rav Moshe and a Posaik who disagreed with one of his rulings arrived. Rav Chaim Ozer studied both carefully, analyzing the arguments and the sources cited by each side. Then he delivered his verdict. He ruled that Rav Moshe was correct. But Rav Chaim Ozer went further. He said, “I too had written a responsum permitting it, but Rav Moshe’s teshuvah was several levels more brilliant than mine.”

This statement from Rav Chaim Ozer was extraordinary. Here was the gadol hador, a man in his sixties with decades of experience as a posek, saying that a young rabbi in his twenties or early thirties had written a more brilliant analysis than his own.

But Rav Chaim Ozer went even further. He added, “There are two brothers in Russia, much greater than I, who study Torah with the tradition that goes back to Ezra the Scribe: Rav Moshe in Luban and Rav Mordechai in Shklov.”

The years in Luban were marked not only by Rav Moshe’s growing reputation as a posek but also by the development of his family. He and Rebbetzin Shima had four children during their time in Europe: Pesach Chaim, Fay Gittel, Shifra, and David. Tragically, Pesach Chaim died while still in Europe.

Rav Moshe’s father-in-law, Rav Yaakov Kustanovich, was a great tzaddik renowned for his hospitality. He served as the shochet of Luban, and Rav Moshe himself had received kabbala for shechita, authorization to perform ritual slaughter.

The respect and affection that the Luban community felt for their young rav was absolute. They recognized his greatness in Torah, but they also appreciated his personal qualities: his gentleness, his genuine concern for each individual, his willingness to help anyone who needed assistance, and his complete integrity in all his dealings. This mutual devotion between rav and community would be tested severely in the years to come, as Communist persecution intensified and both Rav Moshe and his community faced choices that would determine whether Judaism could survive in Soviet Russia.

The Jewish community of Luban, like Jewish communities throughout Russia, lived under a constant threat of violence. The pogroms that had swept through the Pale of Settlement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had left deep scars on the collective Jewish psyche. Every Jew knew stories of towns destroyed, of families murdered, of Torah scrolls desecrated and synagogues burned. The knowledge that such violence could erupt at any moment, that one’s gentile neighbors could turn into a murderous mob with little provocation, created an atmosphere of perpetual anxiety.

This anxiety proved justified during Rav Moshe’s time in Luban. On Lag B’Omer, the thirty-third day of the counting of the Omer, during the Russian civil war that followed the Bolshevik Revolution, Luban was subjected to a terrible pogrom. The civil war, which raged from 1918 to 1921, pitted the Bolshevik Red Army against various White armies that sought to restore the old order. Both sides committed atrocities against civilians, and Jews were particularly vulnerable.

The Jews of Luban had been warned that marauding hoards of drunken peasants, led by their priests, were looting, raping, and killing throughout the region. These pogroms often involved the use of mortars or light artillery provided by local army commanders. The participation of Orthodox Christian priests in organizing and leading anti-Jewish violence was a particularly bitter reality. The religion that preached love and forgiveness transformed into an instrument of murder, as clergy incited their parishioners to destroy the “Christ-killers” and blessed those who participated in the violence.

At the time of the pogrom, Rav Moshe was still unmarried, probably in his early twenties. He had a premonition that the gentiles were about to attack. This intuitive sense of danger, this ability to perceive threats before they materialized, was a quality that Rav Moshe possessed throughout his life.

Acting on this premonition, Rav Moshe decided to leave his house. He had already prepared for the possibility of flight by putting his kesavim, his Torah writings, in a case so that he could flee without leaving them behind. These writings represented years of work, his chiddushei Torah, original insights and analyses that he had developed through his studies. To a Torah scholar, such writings are precious beyond measure, representing not merely intellectual achievement but spiritual avodah, service to Hashem through the study and elucidation of His Torah.

Minutes after Rav Moshe left his house, it was hit by a shell and blown up. The attackers had specifically targeted the rabbi’s house, seeking to destroy the spiritual leader of the Jewish community. The blast would have killed anyone inside instantly.

With people shooting at him, Rav Moshe ran through the streets of Luban. Bullets cracked past his head. Shells exploded around him. The screams of the wounded and dying filled the air. Smoke rose from burning buildings. Yet somehow, clutching his satchel of writings, he managed to escape the town.

Realizing that the satchel of writings made him too visible and too encumbered to run further if necessary, Rav Moshe made a difficult decision. He left the satchel behind the stone wall and continued his flight. The writings that he had so carefully preserved, that represented years of Torah study and original thought, had to be abandoned if he was to save his life. The choice must have been agonizing, but Rav Moshe understood that pikuach nefesh, saving a life, takes precedence over all other considerations.

For days, Rav Moshe remained in hiding. He found refuge in the woods near a town twenty-five kilometers from Luban. He spent several nights sleeping in fields, exposed to the elements, without food or adequate shelter. Eventually, a Jewish family took an enormous risk by sheltering him in their home. They knew that if they were discovered hiding a fugitive, they would be killed along with him. Yet they could not turn away a fellow Jew in desperate need. This act of mesiras nefesh, of self-sacrifice, exemplified the mutual responsibility and solidarity that bound Jewish communities together in times of persecution.

Rav Moshe remained with this family until he recovered from his ordeal and could safely return to Luban.

Meanwhile, back in Luban, two days after the pogrom, the surviving townspeople began the grim task of burying their dead and assessing the damage. In the field where Rav Moshe had hidden, they found the satchel containing his kesavim. Recognizing the writings immediately, they brought them to Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer in Slutzk, who was by this time one of the most respected Torah leaders in the region.

Rav Isser Zalman immediately sent the writings to Rav David in Uzda, Rav Moshe’s father. When Rav David saw his son’s writings but not his son, he naturally assumed the worst. He asked Rav Isser Zalman whether finding the writings was sufficient proof of his son’s death and therefore necessitated that he begin the mourning period. This question itself reveals the terrible uncertainty that characterized life during the civil war. Families often did not know whether their loved ones were alive or dead, as communication was disrupted and bodies were not always recovered.

Rav Isser Zalman responded with both wisdom and faith. “No,” he said, “I am sure he is alive.” We do not know what basis Rav Isser Zalman had for this certainty. Perhaps it was simply hope, a refusal to believe that such a brilliant young scholar had been taken from the Jewish people. Perhaps it was intuition or even ruach hakodesh, Divine inspiration. Whatever the source, his conviction proved correct.

Several weeks later, Rav Moshe reappeared in Luban, having recovered from his ordeal. His return must have been a moment of tremendous joy for the community, who had feared their young rav was lost. But Rav Moshe himself was profoundly affected by the experience. He had seen firsthand the hatred that gentiles could harbor toward Jews. He had experienced the terror of being hunted, of fleeing for his life while his neighbors were murdered around him. He had lost his home and nearly lost his life.

In response to this tragedy, Rav Moshe adopted a permanent change in his religious observance. For the rest of his life, it was his custom to observe the modified mourning rules for all of Sefirah, the period between Pesach and Shavuos, without breaking for Lag B’Omer as is customary. Most Jews observe mourning practices during part of the Sefirah period in memory of the students of Rabbi Akiva who died during this time, but they suspend these practices on Lag B’Omer, which is celebrated as a minor holiday. Rav Moshe, however, continued the mourning practices straight through Lag B’Omer because of the tragedy that had befallen his town on that day.

One remarkable incident from Rav Moshe’s time in Luban reveals his profound spiritual sensitivity and the reality of the spiritual world. On the first Shabbos Vayera that Rav Moshe spent in his son-in-law’s home in Monsey many years later, he related a story from his first year as Rav in Luban that had clearly made a deep impression on him.

A townsman fell seriously ill. Rav Moshe, fulfilling the mitzvah of visiting the sick, went to see him. The patient was a very beloved member of the community, and many people had gathered at his bedside, concerned for his welfare and hoping to provide comfort. The man could barely speak. His tongue was swollen and seemed to fill his mouth, making communication nearly impossible.

When Rav Moshe arrived, the patient made an unusual request. He asked all the other visitors to leave. He wanted to be alone with the Rav of Luban. This request itself was significant. A person on what might be his deathbed, surrounded by family and friends, asks to be alone with his rabbi. Clearly, he had something of great importance to confess or to discuss, something too sensitive to share in front of others.

Once they were alone, the patient began to speak, struggling to form words with his swollen tongue. He told Rav Moshe, “I know why I am ill and why I will die.” Several weeks earlier, on Parshas Vayera, he had commented to several people that he was astounded that Hashem would have David HaMelech, King David, come from women who had committed incest with their father. He was referring to Lot’s daughters, who after the destruction of Sodom had gotten their father drunk and had relations with him, believing that they were the last humans alive and needed to repopulate the world. From these unions came Moav and Amon, and eventually, through the line of Ruth the Moabite, came David HaMelech.

The patient continued his confession. That night, after making these comments, he had a dream. In the dream, two old women dressed in black appeared to him. They complained bitterly: “Why did you debase and insult us? We could have claimed that we became pregnant by an angel of Hashem, and then we would have been honored throughout the generations. Instead, we told the truth and named our children Moab, meaning ‘from father,’ and Benei Amon, ‘a son from my own people,’ so that no one would ever be able to claim that they had been conceived by means of immaculate conception. Had we not done so, there would have been veracity to such claims. By telling the truth and accepting shame rather than claiming divine intervention, we performed a great service. Yet you spoke of us with contempt.”

The patient concluded his confession by telling Rav Moshe, “I know how terribly I sinned, and Hashem insists that I must pay with my life.” The following morning, he died.

Rav Moshe’s absolute commitment to serving as the official Rav of Luban, even when doing so brought tremendous hardship, stemmed from his understanding of what was at stake. He often said that he was the last official Rav in Russia. After the Revolution, the Communists could not openly prohibit the rabbinate because religious freedom was supposedly guaranteed by the Soviet Constitution. But they found other ways to suppress religious leadership.

They imposed a heavy “parasite tax” or “bourgeoisie tax” on rabbanim, making it financially impossible for most to continue in their positions. The term “parasite” was particularly insulting, implying that rabbis contributed nothing to society and merely lived off the labor of others. This was part of the Marxist worldview that saw religion as the “opiate of the masses” and religious functionaries as obstacles to the creation of a perfect socialist society.

In order to avoid the tax, many rabbanim resigned from their official positions. They would remain in town and continue to serve the needs of the people unofficially, but they would no longer hold the formal title of rav. From a practical perspective, this seemed like a reasonable compromise. They could continue their religious work while avoiding the crushing financial burden of the tax.

But Rav Moshe held that this was forbidden under the injunction of יהרג ואל יעבור, which sometimes demands that one forfeit one’s life rather than transgress. This principle, derived from the Talmud, establishes that for certain fundamental matters, a Jew must accept martyrdom rather than violate the law. These include the three cardinal sins of idolatry, murder, and forbidden sexual relations, as well as any transgression performed publicly when the purpose is to force Jews to abandon their religion.

Rav Moshe reasoned that resigning from the rabbanus under Communist pressure constituted a form of kfira, denial of faith in Hashem and His Torah. Whenever a rabbi resigned from the rabbanus, the Communist newspapers would carry a gloating report that another rabbi had given up his “decadent religion.” These propaganda victories were important to the regime, demonstrating that even religious leaders recognized the superiority of scientific socialism and were abandoning their primitive superstitions.

By refusing to resign, Rav Moshe was making a public stand for Torah and Judaism. He was declaring that no pressure, no hardship, no persecution would cause him to abandon his role as a Torah leader. This was not merely stubbornness or a concern for personal honor. It was a profound theological statement about the eternal validity of Torah and the obligation to maintain Jewish religious leadership regardless of external circumstances.

The cost of this decision was enormous. All of Rav Moshe’s salary went to pay the parasite tax, leaving him literally penniless. The family had no income whatsoever. They survived only through the charity of community members who, despite their own poverty, made sure their rav and his family had food to eat.

When Rav Moshe still refused to resign despite this financial devastation, the Communists mounted an even more aggressive campaign against him. They confiscated his shul building, taking away the place where the community gathered for prayer and study. They took away his home, leaving the family without shelter. They took away his food rations, the government-issued coupons that were necessary to purchase even basic necessities in the Soviet command economy.

The fast day of Asarah B’Teves, the tenth of Teves, had special significance for Rav Moshe for the rest of his life. This fast day, which commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem that led to the destruction of the First Temple, is considered particularly stringent in Jewish law. Even in later years, when Rav Moshe’s physical health no longer permitted him to fast on Shiva Asar B’Tammuz or Tzom Gedaliah, the other minor fast days, he always fasted on Asarah B’Teves. It was a day of personal tragedy for him, for on this day the authorities took away his shul.

On that same day, a briefcase containing many of his chiddushei Torah was stolen. Rav Moshe always kept his writings in a leather case, and he happened to take it along on a train journey. A fellow passenger stole the case, probably having no idea what it contained and hoping only to find something of monetary value. With the case disappeared years of Torah writings, original insights and analyses that represented countless hours of study and thought. This loss was devastating. A Torah scholar’s chiddushim are his legacy, his contribution to the eternal chain of Torah study and interpretation. To lose such material was to lose a part of oneself.

The reason Rav Moshe had taken the kesavim with him on this train trip was that he had learned, through bitter experience during the Lag B’Omer pogrom, never to leave them behind. During that pogrom in the 1920s, when he had fled for his life, he had managed to hold onto his writings even while being shot at. After that experience, he put his kesavim in a case and took them wherever he went, ensuring that they would not be left behind if he had to flee suddenly.

When the authorities confiscated Rav Moshe’s home, he and his wife and three surviving children had no place to live. The situation seemed impossible. They were penniless, homeless, and without food rations. Yet the community did not abandon them. Rav Moshe moved in with the local shoemaker, Asher der Shuster, who lived in one room with his own family.

This shoemaker was himself a remarkable individual. Despite working long hours at his trade, despite having little formal education, Asher der Shuster knew all of Shas by heart. He had memorized the entire Talmud through constant repetition and review, demonstrating the Jewish people’s profound connection to Torah study regardless of social class or economic circumstances. He regarded Rav Moshe as his great Rebbe and considered it the highest privilege to help him in his time of need.

Asher divided his one-room dwelling in half with a curtain, giving Rav Moshe’s family one side while his own family occupied the other. He shared his food rations with them, even though this meant less food for his own children. This act of mesiras nefesh, of self-sacrifice for Torah and for a Torah scholar, exemplified the best qualities of Eastern European Jewish life. Despite poverty and persecution, despite the hardships imposed by a hostile regime, the bonds of mutual responsibility and devotion to Torah remained strong.

Living in such cramped conditions, with multiple families sharing a single room, must have been extraordinarily difficult. There was no privacy, no space for quiet study, no comfort. Yet Rav Moshe continued his work. He continued to answer halachic questions from the community.

It is hard to know for certain what finally made Rav Moshe decide to emigrate to America. For some time, relatives in the United States had been urging him to leave Russia because of the growing antisemitism and the threat of war. The Soviet Union under Stalin was becoming increasingly totalitarian and paranoid. The Great Purge of 1936-1938 saw millions arrested, imprisoned in the Gulag labor camps, or executed. While the purges primarily targeted Communist Party members suspected of disloyalty, no one was truly safe. Jewish religious leaders were particularly vulnerable, viewed as obstacles to the creation of the new Soviet society.

But Rav Moshe refused to abandon his people. He understood that if he left, the community would be without religious leadership. Who would answer their halachic questions? Who would perform marriages and supervise divorces? Who would maintain Torah standards in a society that was systematically trying to destroy every vestige of religious life? As long as there was a community that needed him, he felt obligated to remain, regardless of personal cost or danger.

The final insult, the event that finally convinced Rav Moshe that he could no longer remain in Russia, occurred on Pesach in 1935. The local Communist officials issued a ruling prohibiting children from attending the Seder, the traditional Passover meal that is central to Jewish observance of the holiday. The alleged rationale for this prohibition was that the ritual theft of the afikoman, a piece of matzah that is hidden during the Seder and then “ransomed” back by the children, actually taught youngsters to be thieves.

This cynical, sarcastic interpretation of a beloved tradition was characteristic of Communist propaganda. Officials who had themselves often been yeshiva students in their youth, who understood perfectly well that the afikoman custom was a way of keeping children engaged in the Seder and teaching them about the Exodus from Egypt, deliberately perverted its meaning for propaganda purposes. They visited homes to make sure that children were not participating in the Seder, treating this religious observance as if it were a crime.

Then the officials added a new cruelty. They convened a special school assembly on the Seder night and sent truant officers to collect the Jewish children from their homes. It was nighttime, when children would normally be with their families, but attendance at this assembly was mandatory. The truant officers went from house to house, forcibly removing children from their families and escorting them to the school building.

The entire purpose of the school assembly was to issue each and every Jewish student a piece of black bread and force them to eat it. The officials knew full well the anguish this would cause youngsters from Torah-observant homes. On Pesach, eating chametz, leavened bread, is one of the most serious prohibitions in Judaism. To force children to violate this prohibition publicly was an act of spiritual cruelty designed to break their connection to their heritage and to humiliate their parents.

After this incident, Rav Moshe decided that he could no longer remain. The persecution had crossed a line. When the authorities were deliberately forcing Jewish children to transgress Torah law, when family life itself was being attacked, when children were being torn from their parents on the holiest nights of the year, there was no longer any possibility of maintaining a Torah community. He would have to find a way to leave, to bring his family to safety, and to continue his Torah work in a place where Jews could practice their religion freely.

The decision to leave must have been agonizing. Rav Moshe was abandoning a community that loved him and depended on him. He was leaving behind his parents, his extended family, his students, everything familiar. He was embarking on a journey to an unknown land, with no position waiting for him and no certainty about how he would support his family. The America of 1936 was in the midst of the Great Depression, with massive unemployment and economic hardship. Moreover, America had a reputation as a spiritually dangerous place, where Torah observance was difficult and where many immigrants abandoned their traditions.

But the alternative was to remain in Soviet Russia, where the future for Jews and for Torah was clearly hopeless. The persecution would only intensify. War was coming; anyone who followed European politics could see that another devastating conflict was inevitable. If his children were to have any chance of growing up as Torah-observant Jews, if his family was to survive, he had to leave.

Having made the decision to emigrate, Rav Moshe faced the daunting challenge of actually obtaining permission to leave. The Soviet authorities did not readily grant passports to their citizens, especially to religious leaders whose departure might be seen as a propaganda defeat. The process of obtaining a passport and the subsequent journey to America would prove to be complicated, dangerous, and ultimately miraculous, involving intervention from unexpected sources and demonstrating once again the hand of Hashgacha Pratis, Divine Providence, in Rav Moshe’s life.

Rav Moshe decided that it would not be wise to apply at the local office in Luban. The local officials knew him, knew that he was the rabbi who had refused to resign, and would almost certainly deny his application. Instead, in 1936, he went to Moscow and applied for a passport there, hoping that in the capital city, where thousands of applications were processed, his might escape special scrutiny.

Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, was a city of contrasts in the 1930s. The Kremlin, the ancient fortress that served as the center of government, dominated the city with its red brick walls and golden-domed churches that had been converted to museums and offices. Broad new avenues had been constructed to create the grand vistas that Stalin favored, but these modern thoroughfares contrasted with narrow medieval streets where wooden houses still stood. The city was crowded, with hundreds of thousands of peasants having migrated there hoping to find work in the new factories that were being built as part of Stalin’s industrialization drive.

To establish himself as a resident of Moscow and thus eligible to apply for a passport there, Rav Moshe rented a room sixty kilometers from the city. This was far enough from the center to be affordable but close enough to allow regular travel for the application process. He dressed like a worker, in simple clothing that would not mark him as different or draw attention. He lived with a family in this rented room, maintaining a low profile and avoiding anything that might identify him as a rabbi.

The address where he stayed was not chosen randomly. As Rav Moshe would later learn from Rav Yosef Zalman Nechemya Goldberg zt”l, the son-in-law of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, the apartment belonged to Rav Goldberg’s father. This apartment served as a “legitimizing” address not only for Rav Moshe but for a number of other rabbanim who had come to Moscow to apply for passports. There was apparently a network of mutual assistance among rabbis trying to escape, with certain addresses known as safe places where one could establish nominal residence without too many questions being asked.

While living near Moscow, Rav Moshe went to the local shul incognito, never identifying himself as a rabbi or scholar. He wanted to avoid drawing attention, to be just another Jew attending services. But people noticed that he was studying Mishnayos with great concentration and evident understanding. The community, desperate for Torah instruction, asked him if he could teach them Mishnayos, explaining that they had no rav.

Rav Moshe’s response revealed both his love of teaching and his inability to turn away from Jews who needed Torah instruction. Despite the danger, despite knowing that he should maintain his anonymity, he agreed to give a Mishnayos shiur in the afternoons. Over the next few months, this shiur became a major event for the entire area. Several hundred people came to hear this unknown Jew display his extraordinary mastery of Torah. Word spread throughout the Jewish community of Moscow that someone of remarkable learning was teaching Mishnayos, and people came from considerable distances to attend the shiur.

This should have been a moment of triumph, an opportunity to spread Torah knowledge to Jews who had been deprived of serious instruction for years. But it was also a serious tactical error. The Soviet Union was a police state where informers were everywhere. The NKVD, the secret police, maintained extensive networks of spies and encouraged citizens to report on their neighbors. A gathering of hundreds of Jews for religious instruction could not possibly escape official notice.

The government, through its many informers, must have learned of his activities and identified him as a religious leader. This would have been sufficient reason to deny his passport application. Religious functionaries were not permitted to leave the country where they might spread anti-Soviet propaganda or reveal the truth about religious persecution to the outside world.

The situation seemed hopeless. Rav Moshe had risked everything by coming to Moscow and applying for a passport. He had established residence, paid bribes to officials, waited for months. And now his application was denied. He could not safely return to Luban, where the situation was deteriorating. But he had no permission to leave the country. He was trapped, and the danger was increasing daily. The Great Purge was beginning, and anyone who had drawn official attention by being denied a passport was at risk of arrest.

Salvation came from an unexpected source: his brother-in-law, Rav Nechemiah Katz. Rav Nechemiah had married the daughter of the Rav of Toledo, Ohio, and had himself become the rabbi of that city. Toledo was a significant Jewish community in the American Midwest, and its rabbi had connections that extended to the highest levels of American government.

The story of how Rav Nechemiah came to be in America and in a position to help was itself remarkable and demonstrated the workings of Hashgacha Pratis. Years earlier, when Rav Moshe had married Rebbetzin Shima, his wedding had been modest. There was no lavish celebration, no week of elaborate feasts. The couple began their life together with limited resources. What money they did have, including Rav Moshe’s wedding gifts and the dowry that Rebbetzin Shima brought to the marriage, represented their total financial security.

Rav Nechemiah, who was family and whom Rav Moshe trusted completely, came to them with a business proposition. He had identified what he claimed was a sure-fire investment opportunity, a deal that would profit them enough to buy a complete Shas. This was no small matter. A complete set of the Talmud was expensive, and the town of Luban did not have one. They had extremely dilapidated single volumes, worn from years of use and falling apart, but not a complete set in good condition. The ability to acquire a complete Shas would be a tremendous boon to the community and would facilitate Torah study for generations.

Rav Moshe, trusting his brother-in-law’s judgment and motivated by the worthy goal, gave Rav Nechemiah all the wedding money and dowry to invest. The investment failed. Rav Nechemiah lost everything. This was a devastating blow to the young couple, who now began their married life with literally nothing. For Rav Nechemiah himself, the failure was psychologically crushing. He had taken his brother-in-law’s money, money that represented the couple’s entire financial security, and lost it all.

Depressed by this failure and perhaps feeling that he could not face the family he had disappointed, Rav Nechemiah decided to leave Russia and try to build a new life in America. This decision, born of failure and shame, would prove to be the instrument of salvation for Rav Moshe and his family years later. Had the investment succeeded, Rav Nechemiah might have remained in Russia. He would not have been in America with connections to Senator Robert A. Taft Sr., one of the most influential politicians in the United States. He would not have been in a position to intervene when Rav Moshe desperately needed help obtaining a visa.

Senator Taft, son of President William Howard Taft, was a powerful figure in American politics. He would later serve as Senate Majority Leader and be known as “Mr. Republican” for his influence within the party. In 1936, he was already a respected attorney and political leader in Ohio, with connections to the State Department and influence over immigration matters. When Rav Nechemiah explained the situation to him, describing how a renowned Torah scholar and his family were trapped in the Soviet Union and needed help obtaining the necessary documents to emigrate, Senator Taft agreed to intervene.

The intervention of an American senator carried weight even with the Soviet bureaucracy. The Soviets were concerned about their international reputation and particularly about their relationship with the United States, which they hoped might become a trading partner and ally. A direct inquiry from a prominent American politician about a visa case would not be ignored. Moreover, by 1936, the Soviet regime was beginning to allow some emigration, particularly of people they regarded as undesirable or troublesome. A rabbi who had refused to resign his position and who had drawn attention by teaching Torah publicly might actually be someone the authorities would be happy to see leave.

Through Senator Taft’s efforts and whatever strings Rav Nechemiah was able to pull through other channels, a passport was finally issued in November 1936. The document was mailed to the legal address sixty kilometers from Moscow where Rav Moshe had established residence. But by this time, Rav Moshe had moved to a rented room within Moscow itself, closer to where he needed to be to complete the emigration process. He learned that the passport had arrived only eight days before its expiration date.

Eight days. If he had learned of the passport’s arrival one day later, or if there had been any delay in the notification, the document would have expired before he could use it, and the entire process would have to begin again with no guarantee of success. The narrow window demonstrated how precarious the entire situation was and how easily the opportunity could have been lost.

Despite the urgency, despite the need to move quickly before the passport expired or before the authorities changed their minds, Rav Moshe took the time to prepare one final gift for his community. He created a calendar for the people of Luban showing all the dates for Rosh Chodesh, the new moon, and the Yomim Tovim, the Jewish holidays, for the next eighteen years. This calendar would enable the community to maintain proper Jewish observance even without a rabbi to guide them.

With the passport finally in hand and the calendar completed, Rav Moshe and his family prepared to leave. The journey from Luban to the West was complex and dangerous. They had to travel by train from Luban through Soviet territory to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Latvia, though it would later be absorbed into the Soviet Union, was still independent in 1936 and served as a transit point for those leaving Soviet Russia. From Riga, they would make their way across Europe to the French port of Cherbourg.

On the train from Luban to Riga, Rav Moshe woke up with a pasuk from Tehillim, Psalms, running through his mind. The verse was from Psalm 141:6 – ושמעו אמרי כי נעמו, “they will hear My words because they are pleasant.” Rav Moshe interpreted this as a message from Hashem that all would be well, that their journey would be successful, and that they would reach safety.The family made their way from Riga westward through Europe to Cherbourg, a port city in Normandy on the northern coast of France. Cherbourg had long served as a point of departure for transatlantic voyages, its deep-water harbor and rail connections to Paris making it one of Europe’s premier embarkation points for those traveling to America. The city, with its maritime tradition stretching back centuries, had seen countless emigrants pass through its gates, each carrying dreams and fears about the new world they were about to enter.

On Sunday, January 10, 1937, Rav Moshe and his family boarded the RMS Aquitania, one of the most famous ocean liners of the era. The Aquitania was a vessel of legendary reputation, known throughout the maritime world as the “Ship Beautiful” for her elegant lines and luxurious appointments. Built by John Brown & Company of Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1913 for the Cunard Line, she was one of the last great four-funneled liners, a majestic ship that embodied the golden age of ocean travel.

The Aquitania called briefly at Southampton, England, taking on additional passengers and mail before heading out into the open Atlantic. Southampton, like Cherbourg, was a major port for transatlantic travel, and the brief stop there was the last sight of Europe that passengers would see before the long ocean crossing. From Southampton, the great ship steamed westward, her four funnels belching smoke as her turbines drove her through the winter seas at speeds approaching twenty-three knots.

The voyage took approximately five days from Cherbourg to New York, depending on weather conditions. The Aquitania’s third-class passengers were a diverse group: emigrants from various parts of Europe seeking new opportunities in America, some fleeing persecution, others simply hoping for economic betterment. There would have been other Jews aboard, perhaps other religious families making the same journey from Eastern Europe to America. The shared experience of the voyage, the common hopes and fears, created temporary bonds among people who would likely never see each other again once they reached New York.

As the ship approached American waters, the weather typically improved. The final day of the voyage brought anticipation and anxiety in equal measure. Passengers crowded the railings, hoping for their first glimpse of land. The Aquitania would have been met by a pilot boat off Sandy Hook, New Jersey, a pilot coming aboard to guide the great ship through the approaches to New York Harbor. Then came the dramatic moment when the Statue of Liberty came into view, standing in the harbor with her torch raised high, symbol of freedom and opportunity to millions of immigrants.

The Aquitania proceeded up the Hudson River, her great bulk dwarfing the smaller vessels in the harbor, and made her way to Pier 54, one of the Cunard Line’s docks on the west side of Manhattan. The pier, a massive structure extending out into the river at the foot of West 14th Street, was designed to handle the largest ocean liners, with customs and immigration facilities built into the terminal building.

On Thursday, January 14, 1937, the Feinstein family disembarked from the Aquitania onto American soil. The immigration process was lengthy and sometimes humiliating, with officials checking documents, asking questions, conducting medical inspections. The experience of passing through immigration at New York in this era has been described by countless immigrants: the anxiety about whether all papers were in order, the fear of being turned away after having come so far, the incomprehension when officials barked questions in English that the immigrant could not understand.

Rav Moshe’s arrival was different from that of most immigrants in what awaited him beyond the customs barrier. Standing there to greet him was Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, along with a large contingent of rabbanim. That these distinguished Torah leaders had taken the time to come to the dock to greet an arriving refugee rabbi demonstrated the respect in which Rav Moshe was already held, even before he had set foot in America.

Initially, Rav Moshe and his family took residence in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.   But soon his relatives in the Feinstein family were instrumental in giving Rav Moshe an opportunity to establish himself. They arranged for him to start a yeshiva in Cleveland with the father-in-law of Rav Ruderman. Rav Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, who had founded Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, was one of the rising stars of American Torah leadership, and his family connections extended to Cleveland, an important Jewish community in Ohio.

Cleveland had a substantial Orthodox population and several established congregations. The opportunity to found a yeshiva there seemed promising. A yeshiva would allow Rav Moshe to do what he did best: teach Torah, train students, and build an institution devoted to serious learning. Cleveland was less intimidating than New York, a smaller city where it might be easier to establish oneself and where the cost of living was lower.

Rav Moshe left his family in New York and went to Cleveland to evaluate what could be done. He spent seven months there, studying the community, meeting with potential supporters, assessing whether he could successfully establish and maintain a yeshiva. Rebbetzin Shima managed the household and cared for three children alone during this time. 

After seven months, Rav Moshe returned to New York, convinced that he did not have the ability to succeed in Cleveland. This conclusion may seem surprising. Rav Moshe was a brilliant scholar, an experienced educator, and a proven communal leader. Why would he doubt his ability to establish a yeshiva in Cleveland?  Cleveland’s Orthodox community, while substantial, was not as large or as committed to intensive Torah study as the communities in New York. Building a serious yeshiva from scratch in such an environment would be extraordinarily challenging.  Years later, Rav Moshe would say that he had regretted this decision and did not understand his own motivation at that time.  In new York, he as yet did not have a position. From the perspective of Jewish history, his return to New York and eventual position at Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem proved providential. 

The solution to Rav Moshe’s employment situation came through family connections. His wife, Rebbetzin Shima Feinstein, had a first cousin, Rav Yosef Adler, who was the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem on the Lower East Side of New York. Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, commonly known as MTJ, was one of the established yeshivas in New York, founded in 1907 and occupying a building on East Broadway. The yeshiva served both high school age students and a higher-level beis medrash program.

Rav Adler invited Rav Moshe to start a Beis Medrash and Semichah program at MTJ. This was a perfect fit for Rav Moshe’s abilities and experience. A Beis Medrash program would focus on advanced Torah study for post-high school students, and a Semichah program would train rabbis, teaching them not only Talmudic sources but also the practical halachah necessary for serving as communal rabbis. This was exactly the type of teaching Rav Moshe had done in Luban and was precisely suited to his knowledge and skills.

Rav Moshe accepted the position and began teaching at MTJ. The work was deeply satisfying. He was back in the world he knew best, the world of the Beis Medrash where Torah study was the central activity and highest value. 

The position at MTJ provided not only professional satisfaction but also the beginning of financial stability. Rav Moshe now had a salary, modest though it was, and the family could begin to establish a more permanent life in America. They were no longer dependent on the charity of relatives or the temporary arrangements that had characterized their first months in the country.

Two years after Rav Moshe began teaching at MTJ, tragedy struck. In the summer of 1939, Rav Yosef Adler drowned while swimming off the beach in Far Rockaway. Far Rockaway, located on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, was a popular beach destination for New York Jews during the hot summer months. Many families would spend the summer there, escaping the oppressive heat of Manhattan tenements. But the Atlantic Ocean could be dangerous, with rip tides – strong currents and undertows that could overwhelm even strong swimmers.

Rav Adler’s sudden death at a relatively young age was a tremendous loss for MTJ and for the broader Jewish community. He had been a respected Torah scholar and educational leader, and his death left the yeshiva without a Rosh Yeshiva. The board of the yeshiva faced a crucial decision: whom should they appoint to lead the institution?

The choice fell naturally on Rav Moshe Feinstein. He had been teaching successfully at the yeshiva for two years. The students respected him. His knowledge and abilities were evident to anyone who attended his shiurim. Moreover, he had the experience of having served as the rav of Luban for sixteen years, so he was not new to positions of leadership. The board offered him the position of Rosh Yeshiva, and Rav Moshe accepted.

II. PART II

During his early years at Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, Rav Moshe’s salary was thirty-five dollars a week. To understand how little this was, consider that the average annual income in America in the early 1940s was around fifteen hundred dollars, or roughly thirty dollars per week. Rav Moshe was earning slightly above the average, but he had to support a wife and three children on this amount in New York City, where the cost of living was higher than the national average. Thirty-five dollars a week had to cover rent, food, clothing, and all other expenses. There was nothing left over for luxuries or savings.

Moreover, the family initially lived in East New York, Brooklyn, near Rav Reuven Levovitz, who was married to Rebbetzin Feinstein’s sister, Zlota. East New York was a working-class neighborhood with a significant Jewish population, but it was far from the Lower East Side where MTJ was located. The commute from East New York to the yeshiva on East Broadway required taking the subway, and even this small expense—five cents per ride at that time—was a consideration when money was so tight.

In fact, Rav Moshe could not afford the carfare home to East New York. Rather than spend ten cents per day on subway fare, he slept on a bench in the Beis Medrash all week, returning home only for Shabbos. This arrangement meant he was separated from his family for most of the week, sleeping in the study hall on a hard wooden bench, without proper facilities for bathing or maintaining personal comfort. It was a level of sacrifice and self-denial that few could sustain, but Rav Moshe did so without complaint because it allowed him to fulfill his responsibility to teach Torah while minimizing expenses.

Eventually, the situation improved slightly when the family was able to find an apartment on the Lower East Side, closer to the yeshiva. This move eliminated the impossible commute and allowed Rav Moshe to live with his family. But the financial pressures remained intense. The Lower East Side was crowded and often uncomfortable, with tenement apartments that were small, dark, and lacking in amenities. The family’s apartment would have been modest at best, with limited space for a growing family.

Yet Rav Moshe and Rebbetzin Shima maintained their home with dignity and warmth despite the material limitations. The apartment was clean, the meals were nourishing if simple, and the atmosphere was one of Torah and middos tovos. Rebbetzin Shima was a remarkable woman who managed to stretch their meager resources to feed the family and provide for guests, who were frequent. In the tradition of Jewish hospitality, their home was open to students who needed a meal, to visitors from out of town who needed a place to stay, to anyone who required help. The Rebbetzin’s ability to maintain a welcoming home while managing on such limited resources demonstrated her own strength of character and her commitment to her husband’s work.

During these early years in America, an incident occurred that would prove decisive in establishing Rav Moshe’s reputation as a posek who could not be influenced by considerations of politics or power. He was asked to adjudicate a major dispute between some of the most powerful rabbanim in the United States and some shochtim, ritual slaughterers, in the slaughterhouses that these rabbanim supervised.

The details of the dispute involved complex questions of Jewish labor law, contracts, and the authority of rabbinic supervisors over the workers they oversaw. The rabbanim, who were well-established figures with strong political connections in the Orthodox community, presumably felt they had good grounds for their position. The shochtim, workers who depended on their jobs for their livelihoods, had their own arguments about their rights and the fairness of the rabbanim’s demands.

Rav Moshe studied the case carefully, analyzing the relevant halachic sources and considering the arguments of both sides. His conclusion was that the shochtim were correct and the rabbanim were wrong. This ruling could not have been easy to make. Rav Moshe was still establishing himself in America, still relatively new to the country, still building his reputation. To rule against powerful rabbanim who could potentially harm his career required courage and absolute commitment to halachic truth regardless of consequences.

The rabbanim whose position Rav Moshe rejected were not pleased. They had expected, perhaps, that a relatively new arrival to America would be reluctant to contradict established figures, that considerations of deference or self-interest would lead him to support their position. Instead, Rav Moshe had ruled based solely on his understanding of the halachah, without regard for who might be offended or what repercussions might follow.

The rabbanim’s response was direct and threatening. As Rav Moshe would later recount with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction, they said to him, “We tried to help you and you turned against us. You’re finished in America.”

This threat was not empty rhetoric. These were powerful men with influence over major institutions, control of fundraising networks, and the ability to help or harm rabbinic careers. If they chose to campaign against Rav Moshe, to speak negatively about him to donors and community leaders, to prevent him from receiving honors or positions, they could make his life very difficult. For someone in Rav Moshe’s precarious financial situation, dependent on his modest salary from MTJ and with a family to support, such a threat represented real danger.

Rav Moshe’s response to this threat demonstrated his character and his priorities with perfect clarity. He said, “My role was not to help you or myself, but to state the halachah without prejudice, which I did.”

This statement was more than a defense of his ruling. It was a declaration of principle that would guide Rav Moshe’s entire career as a posek. His obligation was to Torah truth, not to individuals or factions. His responsibility was to analyze sources objectively and reach conclusions based on that analysis, not to consider who would be pleased or displeased by his rulings. His loyalty was to halachah itself, not to personal relationships or political considerations.

The din Torah, being a very public one with many people involved on both sides, was soon known throughout the Jewish world. News traveled quickly through the tight-knit Orthodox community. A new posek had emerged in America, one who could not be intimidated, who ruled based solely on his understanding of halachah, who was willing to contradict even powerful figures when he believed they were wrong. This was precisely the quality that people wanted in a posek—absolute integrity, freedom from political influence, commitment to truth above all else.

The long-term consequences of this incident were exactly the opposite of what the angry rabbanim had threatened. Rather than being “finished in America,” Rav Moshe’s reputation was made. Thereafter, every difficult din Torah in America was referred to Rav Moshe. People who feared the political power of the “establishment,” who worried that established rabbinical courts might be influenced by considerations beyond pure halachah, who needed a posek they could trust to be completely objective, turned to Rav Moshe Feinstein.

Over the ensuing decades, he presided at hundreds of dinei Torah, adjudicating disputes involving millions of dollars, complex business relationships, contested divorces, and every variety of disagreement that arises in human affairs. His reputation for absolute integrity and brilliant analysis made him the address for the most difficult cases.

In February 1943, a joyous occasion brought light into what had been difficult years. Rav Moshe’s oldest daughter, Fay Gittel, married Rav Eliyahu Moshe Shisgal. The wedding took place on Sunday, February 7, 1943, and the mesader kiddushin, the one who officiated at the ceremony, was Rabbi Yaakov Kanterovitz from Trenton, New Jersey. The choice of Rav Kanterovitz for this honor was significant. He was Rav Moshe’s uncle, the great gaon whom Rav Moshe had mentioned in his responsa with such respect, calling him “my uncle the great Gaon.”

Also present at the wedding were some of the leading Torah scholars in America: Rav Aharon Kotler, founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey; Rav Elazar Silver, one of the great rabbinic leaders and activists who worked tirelessly to rescue Jews during and after the Holocaust; and Rav Yitzchok haLevi Rosenberg. The presence of these gedolim at the wedding demonstrated the respect that Rav Moshe had earned within the Torah community and the recognition that despite his relatively recent arrival in America, he was regarded as one of the important Torah leaders.

The chasan, Rav Eliyahu Moshe Shisgal, was himself a remarkable person and would become one of the great Torah scholars raised in America. He had been born in Slutzk in 1921, the same town where Rav Moshe had studied with Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer. In fact, Rav Isser Zalman had served as the sandek at Rav Shisgal’s bris, holding the infant during the circumcision ceremony. This connection between the families dated back to Europe, to the world of Lithuanian Torah scholarship that both men’s families had inhabited before the upheavals of revolution and persecution.

Rav Shisgal’s father, Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Shisgal, had brought his entire family to the United States in 1925, when Eliyahu Moshe was only four years old. They settled at 138 Henry Street in Manhattan, in the heart of the Lower East Side, and became part of the growing Orthodox community there. Young Eliyahu Moshe received his education at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, one of the premier yeshivas in America, where he learned under two of the great Torah scholars of the generation: Rav Shlomo Heiman and Rav Reuven Grozovsky.

Rav Shlomo Heiman, who served as Rosh Yeshiva at Torah Vodaas from 1935 until his death in 1945, was renowned for his brilliance and his ability to train students in profound Talmudic analysis. His shiurim were legendary, drawing students who would later become leading rabbis and scholars throughout America. Rav Reuven Grozovsky, who would succeed Rav Heiman as Rosh Yeshiva, was similarly renowned for his analytical depth and his ability to develop students’ learning abilities.

Under these great teachers, Rav Shisgal flourished. His brilliance became evident at a remarkably young age. In May 1939, when he was only eighteen years old, Rav Shisgal published a learned article in the Torah journal HaMesilah about doubts in shechita. This lomdisha piece, dealing with complex questions in the laws of ritual slaughter, was so brilliant that it reflected his gadlus baTorah, his greatness in Torah scholarship, even as a teenager.

Rav Shisgal had become a maggid shiur, a teacher of advanced Talmud, at Torah Vodaas at the remarkably young age of twenty-two, while still single. This appointment testified to both his knowledge and his teaching abilities. He taught the older bochurim, young men close to his own age, and would continue teaching at Torah Vodaas for twenty years at the instigation of his rebbe, Rav Shlomo Heiman.

When Rav Aharon Kotler arrived in America in 1941 and began saying a shiur in Seder Zeraim, the order of the Talmud dealing with agricultural laws, in Manhattan, Rav Shisgal attended regularly. The connection between these two Torah giants would deepen when Rav Aharon established his yeshiva in Lakewood in 1943. Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelovitz, the legendary founder and principal of Torah Vodaas, sent his top bochurim to learn in Lakewood and to help establish the new yeshiva. Rav Shisgal was among them, and he became very attached to Rav Aharon, developing a relationship that would last until Rav Aharon’s death.

The marriage between Fay Gittel Feinstein and Eliyahu Moshe Shisgal thus united two families of Torah scholarship. For Rav Moshe, having a son-in-law of such caliber was a source of tremendous joy and satisfaction. Rav Moshe would later write that he merited to have Rav Shisgal as his very first son-in-law, and that he derived great pleasure from him in Torah, wisdom, and fear of Heaven.

The relationship between Rav Moshe and his son-in-law was extraordinarily close. It was not merely the formal relationship of mechutan, in-law, but a genuine bond of mutual respect and affection. In a responsum dated July 29, 1957, published in Iggeros Moshe, Rav Moshe addressed a question to Rav Shisgal regarding a complex halachic matter involving the principle of kanayim pogin bo. The way Rav Moshe addressed him in the responsum was revealing: “my son-in-law who is like a son.” This was not mere formality but reflected the genuine closeness between them.

The family lived together on Grand Street in Manhattan, with Rav Shisgal and Fay Gittel maintaining their own household while remaining closely connected to Rav Moshe and Rebbetzin Shima. Rav Shisgal continued his teaching at Torah Vodaas and became deeply involved in communal leadership as well. In 1951, he became the Rav of a local shul, Congregation Beth HaKnesses, an unpaid position he served in for eighteen years.

The congregation had a special significance for the Shisgal family. It had been established in 1893, and Rav Shisgal’s father, Rav Avrohom Yitzchok, had been the previous rav. For Rav Eliyahu Moshe to assume his father’s position was itself an honor and a continuation of family tradition. That he served completely unsalaried demonstrated that this was not a means of earning a living but rather a commitment to communal service.

Congregation Beth HaKnesses faced many struggles during Rav Shisgal’s tenure. The Lower East Side was changing as younger families moved to other neighborhoods and older members passed away or relocated. More troubling were incidents of blatant antisemitism that plagued the congregation. In 1953, the city acquired the shul building at 290 Madison Street through eminent domain, condemning the property and planning to build a seventeen-million-dollar housing project there called the LaGuardia Houses, which would provide apartments for close to eleven hundred families.

The loss of their building was devastating for the congregation. Eventually, after protracted negotiations, the city gave the shul an opportunity to buy back the building for one hundred twenty-four thousand dollars in 1956. This was an enormous sum for a small congregation to raise, but they managed through tremendous sacrifice and fundraising efforts. In 1971, the shul finally paid off its mortgage, a moment of triumph after years of struggle. Rav Moshe Feinstein and, lehavdil, Mayor John Lindsay were both present at a ceremony celebrating this occasion.

But the troubles were not over. On March 20-21, 1971, the shul was vandalized and set on fire. The damage was extensive, some fifty thousand dollars worth, a catastrophic loss for a small congregation. Two days later, the vandals returned to abuse other religious articles that had escaped the fire. Then, a few weeks later, anti-Semitic slogans were scrawled in black ink on the synagogue’s floors. In the final week of August, most of the remaining siddurim, prayer books, were stolen. The congregation had only about sixty regular mispallelim, worshipers, and these repeated attacks on their holy place was deeply demoralizing.

Through all these challenges, Rav Shisgal provided leadership and chizuk, strength and encouragement, to his small but devoted congregation. His commitment to them, his willingness to serve without salary, his steadiness in the face of antisemitic attacks, all demonstrated the same kind of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice, that characterized his father-in-law’s service in Luban.

As a teacher, Rav Shisgal was remarkable. Rav Moshe described his relationship with his students as that of a friend, an approach that was somewhat unusual for that era when rebbes typically maintained more formal distance from their talmidim. Rav Moshe described Rav Shisgal’s method of learning as first studying and understanding each matter in great depth. His students picked up this method and became great Torah scholars themselves. The combination of profound knowledge, rigorous methodology, and genuine personal warmth made Rav Shisgal an exceptional educator.

Torah never stopped from his mouth. Rav Moshe said of his son-in-law that what he learned and knew in his short time of fifty-two years, other talmidim could not know in one hundred years. This was an extraordinary assessment from someone as sparing with praise as Rav Moshe. It testified to Rav Shisgal’s phenomenal breadth and depth of knowledge, his tireless dedication to study, and his ability to absorb and retain vast amounts of material.

Rav Shisgal was very attached to his rebbe, Rav Shlomo Heiman. When Rav Heiman passed away in 1945, Rav Shisgal was devastated. At the funeral, he saw that one of the talmidim was not crying. He approached the student and said, “The rebbe is not here—why can’t you cry?” This response revealed Rav Shisgal’s emotional connection to his teacher, his belief that the proper response to the loss of such a gadol was genuine grief, and his inability to comprehend how any student could remain unmoved.

Beyond Rav Heiman, Rav Shisgal maintained close relationships with other gedolim of the generation. He was close to Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, to Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, to Rav Aharon Kotler, and of course to his father-in-law, Rav Moshe Feinstein. On the occasion of one of his daughters’ weddings, Rav Shisgal personally delivered an invitation to Rav Henkin. Rav Henkin demurred, saying that he knew there would be many great rabbis present and he did not wish to receive any blessings or honors. Rav Shisgal consulted with his father-in-law about this response, and when Rav Henkin arrived at the wedding, they gave him the first two blessings under the chuppah anyway, honoring him despite his protestations.

In the early 1960s, Rav Shisgal was appointed as the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel for two years. Earlier, in 1954, he had begun teaching at Tiferes Yerushalayim, Rav Moshe’s yeshiva, at the Staten Island campus. He continued this position for eight years. All told, he taught Torah for thirty years, dividing his time between Torah Vodaas, Tiferes Yerushalayim, and Be’er Shmuel, while also serving as the unpaid rav of his father’s congregation.

Tragically, Rav Eliyahu Moshe Shisgal passed away in 1973 at the young age of fifty-two. His death was a devastating blow to his family, to his students, to his congregation, and to the broader Torah community. At the shloshim, the memorial service thirty days after his passing, Rav Moshe Feinstein cried as he read the posuk from the parsha of the week in Ki Savo. The verse declares, “I have done all that You have commanded me.”

Rav Moshe burst into tears and said, “Velcher mentche—who in this world can say, ‘I have done all that You have commanded me’?” Then, speaking through his tears about his beloved son-in-law, Rav Moshe said, “HaRav Shisgal could say, ‘I have done all that You have commanded me.'”

This assessment, coming from Rav Moshe at such an emotional moment, revealed the profound respect and love he had for Rav Shisgal. For Rav Moshe to say that someone had fulfilled all of Hashem’s commandments was praise of the highest order, a recognition of complete dedication and righteousness that few could claim.

After Rav Shisgal’s passing, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky offered his own assessment: “No one truly knew him. His place was among those of a much earlier generation.” This cryptic statement suggested that Rav Shisgal’s greatness was not fully appreciated even by those who knew him well, that he belonged spiritually and intellectually to the era of the great European scholars rather than to twentieth-century America, and that his loss represented something even more profound than was immediately apparent.

For Rav Moshe, losing his first son-in-law, the brilliant scholar who had been like a son to him, who had shared his love of Torah and his commitment to teaching, was a personal tragedy that would affect him for the rest of his life. The family would preserve Rav Shisgal’s chiddushim, his original Torah thoughts, and work to publish them so that his Torah would continue to illuminate future generations. But the personal loss, the absence of this remarkable individual from family gatherings and from the world of Torah scholarship, could never be fully assuaged.

The marriage of Fay Gittel and Rav Shisgal in 1943 and the relationship that developed over the thirty years until Rav Shisgal’s death in 1973 represented one strand in the complex tapestry of Rav Moshe’s life in America. While his daughter’s marriage had brought joy and a son-in-law who brought him great nachas, satisfaction, the broader story of Rav Moshe’s development as the posek hador was continuing through these years, with his reputation spreading and the questions coming to him becoming increasingly complex and consequential.

In 1959, a milestone was reached in Rav Moshe’s career as a posek: the publication of the first volume of Igros Moshe, “Epistles of Moshe,” his collected responsa. The title was simple and unpretentious, yet this volume would establish Rav Moshe as the preeminent halachic authority not only in America but throughout the Jewish world. The responsa in this first volume, which dealt with questions in Orach Chaim, the section of Jewish law governing daily life, blessings, prayer, and holidays, demonstrated the range and depth of Rav Moshe’s knowledge and his ability to address contemporary questions that earlier authorities had never encountered.

The publication of Igros Moshe made Rav Moshe’s responsa accessible to rabbis and scholars everywhere. Previously, his rulings had circulated mainly through personal correspondence or through word of mouth. Now they were available in printed form, carefully organized by topic, with comprehensive indices that allowed readers to find relevant material easily. Rabbis dealing with difficult sheilos could consult Igros Moshe to see how Rav Moshe had addressed similar cases. Students could study the responsa to learn his methodology and approach to psak.

The impact was immediate and profound. As subsequent volumes of Igros Moshe appeared—eventually totaling seven volumes published during his lifetime, with additional volumes published posthumously—Rav Moshe’s rulings became the primary reference point for difficult questions in contemporary Jewish law. When a complex situation arose, the first question rabbis would ask was: “What does Rav Moshe say?” His responsa were widely referenced, quoted, and used as precedents for deciding new cases.

The range of topics addressed in Igros Moshe was extraordinary. Rav Moshe ruled on questions involving modern technology: could one use electricity on Shabbos and under what circumstances? How should halachah address innovations like microphones, telephones, and eventually computers? He addressed medical ethics: when was a person considered dead according to Jewish law, a question that became urgent with the development of organ transplantation? Under what circumstances could one violate Shabbos for medical emergencies? Could experimental treatments be used?

He ruled on questions of family law and personal status: how should Jewish law address the rising rates of divorce in modern society? What status did children from problematic marriages have? How should gittin be written and delivered in the contemporary world? He addressed kashrut questions raised by modern food production methods, contemporary business practices, and the structure of modern communities.

Some of his rulings became famous and controversial. His responsum on donor insemination addressed a question that earlier generations had never faced: what was the halachic status of a child conceived through artificial insemination? His ruling that such a child was not considered a mamzer, a child from a forbidden relationship, was compassionate and practical, but it drew fierce criticism from some segments of the Orthodox community, particularly from Satmar Chasidim.

Another controversial ruling concerned the height and nature of the mechitzah, the partition separating men and women in Orthodox synagogues. Rav Moshe ruled on the minimum requirements for such a partition, seeking to balance the halachic requirements with practical considerations in contemporary American synagogues. Again, some felt his ruling was too lenient, while others appreciated his practical approach.

The Satmar community, in particular, maintained sustained opposition to Rav Moshe on these and other issues. The Satmar Rebbe sent a committee consisting of their three greatest talmidei chachamim to meet with Rav Moshe and ask him to retract his teshuvah on artificial procreation. The Rebbe had instructed them, however, not to get into a discussion of halachic sources with Rav Moshe, presumably recognizing that in a direct confrontation over Talmudic sources, his emissaries would be overmatched.

The emissaries did not heed their Rebbe’s warning. They began discussing the topic from Talmudic sources, attempting to show that Rav Moshe’s conclusions were not supported by the texts. Rav Moshe, in the recollection of those who heard about the meeting, devastated them intellectually. He pointed out that they had never even mastered the simple understanding of the Talmudic texts they were citing, that their arguments rested on misunderstanding of basic sources. When they responded, “Well, the Rebbe warned us not to talk to you about learning,” Rav Moshe replied, “Your Rebbe is wiser than you.”

This exchange, while apparently good-natured on Rav Moshe’s part, demonstrated the enormous gap in learning between him and even the most respected scholars of the Satmar community. It also revealed Rav Moshe’s confidence in his mastery of sources and his willingness to defend his positions vigorously when challenged.

There was one incident in which Rav Moshe zatzal found amusing as well.  Both Rav Moshe and the Satmare Rebbe were present at a shiva in front of an avel, a mourner.  The Satmar Rebbe was speaking in learning with someone else entirely, and Rav Moshe was a bit shocked. The Satmar Rav was in very close earshot of the mourner, and there was no doubt that he would hear him. The halacha is clear that an avel should not learn Torah!  

Rav Moshe pointed it out to the Satmar Rebbe.  The Rebbe then pointed to one of the empty aveilim chairs that was less than 3 tefachim above the ground and remarked, “Iz do a mechitzah, iz do a Mechitzah!”  He was, of course, referencing Rav Moshe’s more lenient position on Mechitzos in shul than those of others. Rav Moshe zatzal smiled as if to say, “you got me..”  This was Rav Moshe’s personality – never taking an insult.

One particularly egregious case involved a certain rav who had quite viciously attacked Rav Moshe, crudely denigrating him in his writings. Subsequently, this individual became involved in a criminal matter. Knowing the great respect that judges and others in the legal system had for Rav Moshe, he had the chutzpah to ask Rav Moshe for a recommendation that might ameliorate any punishment imposed on him. Rav Moshe went to great lengths to help.

The Rebbetzin expressed her dismay at this man’s chutzpah. How could he possibly face Rav Moshe after what he had written about him? Rav Moshe’s response perfectly captured his character and his priorities. “What has one to do with the other?” he asked. “He came to me for help. Did you expect me not to help him?”

This incident illustrated a fundamental aspect of Rav Moshe’s personality. He did not conflate different areas of life. Someone’s intellectual or ideological disagreement with him had no bearing on whether that person deserved help when in need. Someone’s personal attacks on him did not affect Rav Moshe’s obligation to perform chesed when the opportunity arose. He kept these matters separate, responding to each situation based on its own requirements rather than allowing personal feelings to influence his behavior.

As Rav Moshe’s reputation grew, so did his responsibilities. He was not merely a Rosh Yeshiva teaching at MTJ and answering written sheilos. He became involved in communal affairs, taking positions on important issues facing American Orthodoxy. He served on various batei din, rabbinical courts, adjudicating disputes. He participated in rabbinic conferences addressing contemporary challenges to Orthodox Jewish life.

In later years, Rav Moshe took an active leadership role in Chinuch Atzmai, the independent Orthodox school system in Israel. Despite never having lived in Israel for any extended period, he understood the crucial importance of Torah education for Israeli children and devoted significant time and energy to supporting this cause. His involvement demonstrated his concern for the entire Jewish people, not merely the American community where he lived and worked.

Through all these activities and responsibilities, Rav Moshe maintained his primary commitment to learning and teaching. He continued delivering his regular shiurim at MTJ, continued his daily study schedule, continued writing responsa that addressed the full range of questions that came to him. His days were long and demanding. He would wake early for davening, spend the morning teaching or studying, devote the afternoon to answering correspondence and meeting with people who came for guidance, and spend the evening again in study or attending to communal responsibilities.

His personal life remained simple and unpretentious despite his growing fame. He lived in a modest apartment on the Lower East Side. He walked to yeshiva rather than using a car. In the evening, he would often go for a walk with the Rebbetzin, stopping at the local candy store to buy a glass of soda, a small treat that they both enjoyed.

The trait of emes, of absolute integrity, permeated all his responsa, all his behavior, his very personality. This integrity manifested itself in ways both large and small. The story of how he handled Social Security payments provides a perfect illustration. As mentioned earlier, Rav Moshe had escaped the military draft in Russia by obtaining a birth certificate that made him five years older than his actual age. This false birthdate was subsequently recorded on his passport and on all official documents when he arrived in the United States.

When Rav Moshe became eligible for Social Security based on the birthdate listed on his official documents, the checks began arriving. For the first five years after he became eligible according to his official birthdate, Rav Moshe regularly returned his monthly Social Security checks. He offered no explanation to the government, simply saying, “Thank you, I do not need it. When I need it, I will let you know.”

He did not want to tell the government that the birthdate on his passport was false, as this might have legal complications and might reflect negatively on how he had obtained the passport in the first place. But he also would not take money to which he was not actually entitled. For five years, therefore, he returned every check, waiting until he reached the age when he would have been genuinely eligible based on his actual birthdate. When those five years passed, he began cashing the Social Security checks, knowing that he was now entitled to them according to both his official and his actual age.

This scrupulous honesty extended to every area of his life. Rav Moshe gave a disproportionate percentage of his income to charity. He kept meticulous records of every penny he gave for tzedakah, never returning an envelope he received in the mail from a charitable organization without putting in at least a few dollars. His charitable giving was so extensive relative to his modest salary that it triggered IRS audits on five separate occasions.

The audits themselves became testimonies to Rav Moshe’s integrity. His salary from MTJ was seven thousand dollars a year, yet he claimed charitable deductions far exceeding what one would normally expect from such an income. The IRS computers flagged his returns as anomalies, and agents were dispatched to investigate whether he was fraudulently inflating his charitable deductions.

Each time, the investigating agent would arrive prepared to find fraud. Instead, they encountered Rav Moshe, who would patiently produce receipts for every single dollar claimed as a charitable deduction. His record-keeping was perfect. Every donation was documented. There was never a discrepancy between what he claimed and what he could prove. The agents were invariably so impressed by his integrity, honesty, and meticulous care in handling charity funds that each one sent him a gracious, courteous letter of apology for troubling him.

Unfortunately, these letters of apology did not prevent his return from being flagged again the next year. The sheer magnitude of his charitable giving relative to his income meant that his returns continued to trigger the IRS’s warning systems. But each investigation reached the same conclusion: Rav Moshe’s deductions were completely legitimate, supported by documentation, and reflected genuine charitable giving rather than any attempt at fraud.

Beyond his integrity in financial matters, Rav Moshe demonstrated absolute honesty in his halachic rulings. He never shaded a psak to please a powerful person or important institution. He never ruled based on what would be popular or politically advantageous. When asked for his opinion, he gave it based solely on his analysis of the sources, regardless of consequences. This unwavering commitment to halachic truth, combined with his comprehensive knowledge and brilliant analytical abilities, was what made him the posek hador.

As the years passed and Rav Moshe’s reputation continued to grow, more and more people came to recognize him as the leading halachic authority of the generation. Difficult sheilos from around the world arrived at his modest apartment on the Lower East Side. Rabbis facing unprecedented situations sought his guidance. Individuals caught in seemingly impossible halachic dilemmas turned to him for solutions. And Rav Moshe responded to each question with the same thoroughness, the same intellectual rigor, the same commitment to finding the correct answer according to Torah law.

The scope of questions that came to Rav Moshe was truly remarkable, reflecting the full spectrum of challenges that modern Jewish life presented to traditional halachah. Some questions were purely theoretical, abstract problems in Talmudic reasoning that had no immediate practical application but that required resolution for the sake of intellectual completeness. Others were urgently practical, involving real people facing real dilemmas that required immediate answers.

Rav Moshe’s schedule was exhausting as well.  Hewould wake early, typically before sunrise, and begin his day with davening at the yeshiva. After prayers and breakfast, he would teach his morning shiur to the advanced students in the beis medrash program at MTJ. These shiurim continued the traditional Lithuanian approach to Talmud study that he had learned from his father and from Rav Pesach Pruskin: systematic, comprehensive, analytically rigorous, demanding the highest level of preparation from students.

The students who learned under Rav Moshe developed reputations as serious talmidei chachamim. Many went on to positions of Torah leadership themselves. Among his prominent students were Rav Nisson Alpert, who became rabbi of Agudath Israel of Long Island; Rav Elimelech Bluth, who served as rabbi of Ahavas Achim of Kensington and as a posek for various organizations; Rav Shimon Eider, who became known as a posek and author of practical halachic guides; and many others who took positions as rabbis, educators, and dayanim throughout America and beyond. His son-in-law Rabbi Dr. Moshe Dov Tendler took a position in Yeshiva University and helped Rav Moshe understand many of the complexities in medical science. His grandson, R’ Mordechai, served as his shammesh for twenty years and is now publishing several volumes of Mesoras Moshe.  

Rav Moshe’s sons also studied under him and became distinguished Torah scholars in their own right. His son Rav Dovid Feinstein assumed leadership of the Manhattan branch of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem and became a respected posek whose opinion was sought on difficult questions. His other son, Rav Reuven Feinstein, became the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Staten Island, which had begun as a branch of MTJ that Rav Moshe had established. Both sons absorbed their father’s methodology and approach to Torah study, ensuring that his derech would continue into the next generation.

Rav Moshe supervised countless gittin over his decades in America, training numerous rabbis in the proper procedures and serving as the final authority when questions arose about proper procedure. His student Rav Shmuel Fuerst became a dayan in Chicago, serving on the Chicago Rabbinical Council’s beis din and handling gittin for the Midwest region. Another student, Rav Nota Greenblatt, became Av Beis Din, chief judge of the Vaad Hakehilos of Memphis, Tennessee, similarly handling complex gittin and other matters of personal status. The training these students received from Rav Moshe ensured that high standards were maintained throughout America.

Rav Moshe’s approach to other contemporary issues also reflected his careful balancing of tradition with practical wisdom. When asked by a bachur whether he could attend college, Rav Moshe first asked how the young man’s parents felt about it. When the bachur explained that his parents wanted him to attend, Rav Moshe responded that he should listen to his parents. Rav Felder, who was present, questioned this guidance, and Rav Moshe explained his reasoning: first, the bachur had not expressed that he himself did not want to go to college, suggesting that he was amenable to the idea; second, and more importantly, “es iz shver tzu zogen gain galten elter”—it is difficult to tell someone to go against his parents’ wishes.

This response illustrated several aspects of Rav Moshe’s approach to practical guidance. He recognized that not every issue had a single correct answer that applied in all circumstances. The question of college attendance was not purely halachic but involved educational philosophy, family dynamics, and practical considerations. A bachur whose parents wanted him to attend college, and who did not himself strongly object, was in a different situation than one who desperately wanted to remain in yeshiva full-time while his parents pressured him to get secular education. Rav Moshe tailored his advice to the specific circumstances, understanding that the obligation to honor parents carried significant weight and that counseling a young man to defy his parents created its own serious problems.

On other practical matters, Rav Moshe’s rulings sometimes surprised even those who knew him well. Rabbi Felder once brought up the difficult issue of the blessing recited on chocolate. Why, he asked, is the blessing “shehakol” and not “Borei Pri Ha’Adama,” given that cocoa beans are grown specifically to be eaten and their flavor is certainly detected in chocolate? This was not merely a theoretical question; the proper blessing on chocolate was a matter of practical importance for observant Jews.

Rav Moshe’s response was characteristic: “It has already been the custom for many years for Klal Yisroel to recite the shehakol. Now, what is left for us to do is to find the rationale for the custom of the world, as it is impossible to say that all of Klal Yisroel is doing it improperly.” This response demonstrated Rav Moshe’s respect for established minhag, custom, and his recognition that when the entire Jewish people had adopted a particular practice, there must be valid reasoning supporting it, even if that reasoning was not immediately apparent. The role of a posek was not to overturn longstanding customs based on theoretical arguments but rather to find the halachic justification for practices that had become universal.

Not all of Rav Moshe’s guidance involved leniencies or accommodations. When a religious Jew entered the Beis Medrash to speak with Rav Moshe about his son who was sitting in jail for dealing drugs, and requested that Rav Moshe write a letter to the judge asking for mercy, Rav Moshe’s response was harsh and uncompromising. “Your son makes people ill and damages them,” he said. “Let him sit in jail.” Even when the father pleaded and persisted, Rav Moshe refused to budge. He added that the son’s actions were against the laws of the state and that one cannot simply do whatever one wants without regard to civil law.

This incident revealed Rav Moshe’s strong sense of civic responsibility and his recognition that Torah law requires respect for legitimate civil authority. A drug dealer who ruins lives through distributing narcotics is not someone deserving of mercy or special intervention, regardless of family connections or religious affiliation. Rav Moshe understood that writing letters of support for those who committed serious crimes would compromise his own integrity and would send a message that religious Jews could evade consequences for criminal behavior. He therefore refused, despite the personal discomfort of turning away a father pleading for help for his son.

In another case that demonstrated Rav Moshe’s priorities, the descendants of the Chofetz Chaim approached him with a difficult question. The saintly Chofetz Chaim, Rav Yisroel Meir HaKohain Kagan, one of the greatest Torah scholars and tzaddikim of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was buried in Radin, Poland. Some members of the gentile population in that area were vandalizing the Jewish cemetery, desecrating the graves including that of the Chofetz Chaim. The descendants asked Rav Moshe whether they were permitted to re-inter the Chofetz Chaim, to move his remains to Eretz Yisroel where they would be safe from such desecration.

Rav Moshe responded that while technically they would be permitted to re-inter the Chofetz Chaim in Israel based on the principle of kavod hameis, respect for the deceased, he would not advise it. His reasoning was striking and revealed his spiritual sensibility. “All of Polish Jewry that had passed away in Poland and are buried there as well are carefully anticipating the opportunity to greet Mashiach along with the Chofetz Chaim at their side. If you take him to Eretz Yisroel, who knows what can happen if those souls would be against it!”

This response demonstrated Rav Moshe’s profound belief in the reality of the spiritual world and in the continuing connection between the living and the dead. The souls of the deceased Polish Jews, he believed, found comfort in having the Chofetz Chaim among them, and they anticipated that when Mashiach comes and the dead are resurrected, they would have the merit of greeting the Redeemer alongside this great tzaddik. To remove the Chofetz Chaim from Radin would deprive them of this merit and might even cause spiritual harm through their opposition to the move.

Whether one accepts this reasoning or not, it provides insight into Rav Moshe’s worldview. For him, the spiritual realm was as real as the physical. The concerns of deceased souls were as legitimate as the concerns of the living. Decisions about such matters needed to take into account not merely physical desecration but spiritual consequences that might not be immediately visible.

As Rav Moshe moved into his later years, his position as the preeminent halachic authority in America and indeed throughout much of the Jewish world was firmly established. When difficult questions arose, “What does Rav Moshe say?” became the standard starting point for analysis. His responsa were cited constantly in Torah literature, his rulings became precedents for subsequent decisions, and his methodology influenced how a generation of poskim approached contemporary questions.

SOME RULINGS

On a significant question regarding mixtures of forbidden and permitted foods, Rav Moshe ruled that there is no bitul beshishim, nullification in sixty times the volume, regarding something forbidden because of danger rather than ritual prohibition, such as a mixture of fish and meat. This ruling followed the stringent position of the Taz against the more lenient view of the Shach, though most later poskim had adopted the Shach’s leniency.

If someone had adopted a stringency because he believed it was the opinion of his rabbi, and subsequently learned that this was not actually his rabbi’s opinion, Rav Moshe ruled that there is no need for hataras nedarim, the formal annulment of vows. The stringency had been adopted based on a mistake rather than as a genuine vow, so the normal procedures for releasing oneself from vows were unnecessary.

In a related ruling that revealed his understanding of commitments, Rav Moshe explained that a handshake can be like a neder, creating a binding obligation. This emphasized the seriousness with which one should treat even informal agreements and commitments.

On matters of family relationships and responsibilities, Rav Moshe ruled that a person should never take his father or mother to a din Torah, to a rabbinical court. The obligation to honor parents means that one should not subject them to the formal judicial process even if they have wronged one financially. This ruling followed a position found in Sefer Chasidim and reflected Rav Moshe’s understanding that some obligations transcend normal legal processes.

In the commercial realm, Rav Moshe ruled that it is forbidden to buy and sell non-kosher commodities. Thus trading in pork bellies or other non-kosher products is prohibited, even though the trader never personally handles or consumes the forbidden items.

If someone wishes to study in Israel at a time of perceived danger, Rav Moshe ruled that he must ask his parents’ permission. This obligation extended even to someone learning in kollel, who must also ask his in-laws, because even though there is no complete obligation to accord them the same honor as parents, it is forbidden to cause them anguish by exposing oneself to danger without their approval.

On the question of hachnasas Sefer Torah ceremonies, where wealthy donors think they are completing the final letters of a Torah scroll when in fact the sofer has already finished the Torah, Rav Moshe ruled that there is no deception involved. The money donated is considered full tzedakah, and the symbolic completion of the letters is understood by all involved to be ceremonial rather than technically accurate.

Regarding insurance, Rav Moshe ruled that money received from insurance for a destroyed Sefer Torah does not have kedusha and may be used for other purposes. The insurance payment is compensation for financial loss rather than a direct replacement for the holy object.

He ruled that it is denigrating to a Sefer Torah to photograph it unless there is good reason for doing so. This reflected his general principle that one should treat holy objects with maximum respect and avoid any use that might diminish their dignity.

On questions of Even HaEzer, dealing with marriage and family law, Rav Moshe addressed various practical issues. In a Kesuvah, the marriage document, if the word “v’kaninah” (and acquired) was left out entirely, one may write it in, but the witnesses must sign the Kesuvah again. However, if only the line of the letter kuf was left out, it may be filled in without requiring the witnesses to sign again. This distinction reflected the difference between an entirely missing word and an incomplete letter.

He ruled that there is no need to separately rent the yichud room, the private room where bride and groom spend time alone immediately after the ceremony, because this is already included in the hall rental. The requirement that the husband take his wife into his own residence is fulfilled through the rental.

On the difficult question of arranging a get, a Jewish divorce, when the parties are separated by distance, Rav Moshe ruled that when there is great need, it is permissible to arrange a get by means of video, which is preferable to telephone. This applies only when they are completely certain that it is indeed the husband on the video. This remarkable ruling, addressing technology that barely existed during most of Rav Moshe’s life, demonstrated his willingness to apply halachic principles to new situations when necessary to solve practical problems.

Even more remarkably, Rav Moshe ruled that when there is great need, one may give a get up until fifty minutes after shkiya, sunset, with the date listed as the previous day. This ruling appears to extend the halachic day considerably beyond what most authorities would permit and represents one of the more controversial positions recorded in Rav Felder’s work.

On questions of Choshen Mishpat, dealing with civil and monetary law, Rav Moshe addressed various modern situations. If someone printed a book without the permission of the copyright owners, he ruled that it is permitted to purchase it from the publisher as long as an injunction has not been issued, because there is an assumption that the owner is not adamant about enforcing his rights. This ruling reflected Rav Moshe’s understanding of property rights and the practical realities of copyright enforcement.

If a car was sold with specific mileage stated, and the odometer had been tampered with, Rav Moshe ruled that even if the seller was unaware of the tampering, the sale is invalid if there is a significant discrepancy. However, if the seller made no mention of mileage and was unaware of the tampering, the sale remains valid. The distinction reflected principles of mistake in sales and the extent to which sellers are responsible for unknown defects.

When a charitable institution conducts a raffle and forgets to place one person’s ticket in the drawing, Rav Moshe ruled that they are not obligated to refund the money since his main intent was charitable giving rather than gambling. This ruling balanced the technical requirement of fairness in raffles against the reality that most people who buy raffle tickets for charity are primarily motivated by desire to support the cause rather than by expectation of winning.

On the question of parental gifts, Rav Moshe ruled that when parents purchase a car for their child, they retain the right to place restrictions and conditions on its use even after giving it to him. The gift is not considered a complete transfer of ownership that eliminates all parental control.

Regarding sales of real estate, Rav Moshe ruled that if someone sold a house with a faulty boiler and the purchaser was unaware of it, the sale is still valid because there is no onaah, overcharging, regarding land. However, it is forbidden to knowingly mislead a buyer about such defects.

On the sensitive question of reporting Jewish criminals to police, Rav Moshe ruled clearly that it is permitted to call the police on a Jewish thief, and there is no halachic issue of mesirah, the prohibition against informing on Jews to gentile authorities. His reasoning was that it is impossible to allow the state to become completely lawless. The prohibition of mesirah applies when gentile authorities act unjustly or when the punishment is disproportionate to the crime, but not when legitimate law enforcement is necessary to maintain social order.

These rulings, spanning all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch, demonstrate the breadth of Rav Moshe’s expertise and his practical approach to applying Torah law to contemporary situations. Each ruling reflected careful analysis of sources, consideration of practical consequences, and commitment to finding solutions that honored both the letter and spirit of Torah law.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER GEDOLIM

His relationships with other gedolim of his generation were characterized by mutual respect even when they disagreed on specific rulings. Rav Moshe maintained close connections with Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, who served as Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas and later of Yeshiva of Spring Valley. The two great scholars consulted regularly on difficult questions, though each made his own independent determinations.

Rav Moshe was also close to Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, one of the leading poskim in America before Rav Moshe’s rise to prominence. Rav Henkin, born in White Russia in 1881 and arriving in America in 1923, had addressed many of the early questions about adapting Torah life to American conditions. He had enormous respect for Rav Moshe’s abilities and would defer to his analysis on complex questions. The incident at Rav Shisgal’s daughter’s wedding, where Rav Henkin demurred from receiving honors but Rav Moshe and Rav Shisgal gave them to him anyway, illustrated the mutual respect and affection between these great scholars.

Rav Aharon Kotler, founder of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey, represented a somewhat different approach to Torah life than Rav Moshe. Rav Aharon championed full-time Torah study and was skeptical of accommodations to American culture that he felt might compromise Torah standards. Yet he had tremendous respect for Rav Moshe’s Torah knowledge and his integrity. When Rav Aharon needed a halachic question addressed with absolute objectivity, he would turn to Rav Moshe. When Rav Aharon passed away in 1962, Rav Moshe felt the loss keenly, recognizing that a giant of Torah had been taken from the Jewish people.

Rav Moshe’s relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was cordial and respectful despite significant differences in approach and philosophy. The Lubavitcher Rebbe led a Hasidic movement with its own distinctive practices and beliefs, emphasizing outreach to non-observant Jews and belief in the imminent arrival of Mashiach. Rav Moshe’s Lithuanian background and approach were quite different. Yet both recognized in the other genuine dedication to Torah and to the Jewish people. They consulted on matters of mutual concern and maintained communication despite leading very different segments of Orthodox Jewry.

As Rav Moshe aged through the 1970s and into the 1980s, physical challenges increasingly constrained his activities. He had sight in only one eye; the other eye had been what is now called a “lazy eye” but, having gone untreated in his youth, had never developed proper function. This monocular vision had never prevented him from learning or writing, but it did require that he hold texts very close to his face and bend over his work at an angle that put strain on his spine.

On the thirteenth of Adar II, 5746, corresponding to March 23, 1986, Rav Moshe Feinstein’s neshamah returned to its Creator. The man who had survived a pogrom, who had endured Communist persecution, who had fled across Europe to reach freedom, who had built Torah institutions and guided generations of Jews, who had issued thousands of responsa that shaped contemporary Jewish life—this man’s time on earth had ended.

The news spread rapidly through the Orthodox community. Within hours, Jews throughout New York and beyond knew that the posek hador had passed away. The loss was staggering. For decades, Rav Moshe had been the address for the most difficult questions, the final authority when disputes needed resolution, the voice of Torah wisdom guiding the community through unprecedented challenges. Now that voice was silenced.

Preparations for the funeral began immediately. According to Jewish tradition, burial should take place as quickly as possible, ideally within twenty-four hours of death. But for someone of Rav Moshe’s stature, there were practical considerations that required slight delay. The funeral would need to accommodate tens of thousands of mourners. It would need to include proper eulogies from Torah leaders who could adequately express what the Jewish world had lost. And it would need to coordinate with the plan to bury Rav Moshe in Eretz Yisroel, which would require transporting the body by air to Israel.

The funeral in New York took place near Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem on the Lower East Side, in the neighborhood where Rav Moshe had lived and taught for nearly fifty years. Over twenty thousand people gathered, filling the streets, crowding onto rooftops and fire escapes, straining to hear the eulogies that were delivered through loudspeakers. The crowd included Torah scholars and simple Jews, rabbis and laypeople, students who had learned directly from Rav Moshe and others who knew him only through his responsa.

The eulogies delivered at the New York funeral attempted the impossible task of capturing what Rav Moshe had meant to the Jewish people. Speakers spoke of his comprehensive mastery of Torah, his brilliant analytical abilities, his absolute integrity, his gentle character. They spoke of his accessibility despite his greatness, his willingness to help anyone who needed assistance, his devotion to the Jewish people. They spoke of the thousands of responsa that would continue to guide future generations, the students who would carry forward his approach to learning, the example he had set of what it means to be a true talmid chacham.

But words, however eloquent, could not adequately express the magnitude of the loss. Language fails when trying to describe the departure of a gadol of this caliber. The tears that flowed, the grief that was palpable in the massive crowd, the sense that something irreplaceable had been taken from the Jewish world—these spoke more powerfully than any eulogy.

After the funeral in New York, the plan was to immediately transport Rav Moshe’s body to Eretz Yisrael for burial. But this plan encountered an unexpected obstacle. The plane carrying the aron, the coffin, experienced mechanical problems and had to return to New York. The delay meant that the funeral in Israel, originally planned for the day after the New York funeral, had to be postponed by an additional day.

This delay, while frustrating for the family and for those waiting in Israel, allowed even more people to learn of Rav Moshe’s passing and to arrange to attend the funeral. When the plane finally arrived in Israel and the funeral took place, the turnout was staggering. Estimates ranged from two hundred thousand to two hundred fifty thousand people, one of the largest funerals ever held in Israel.

The enormous crowd in Israel testified to Rav Moshe’s status not merely as an American posek but as a figure of international significance. While he had never lived in Israel except for brief visits, while his career had been based entirely in New York, his responsa and his reputation had spread throughout the Jewish world. Israeli rabbanim consulted his rulings. Israeli yeshivos studied his Talmudic commentaries. Families in Israel dealing with difficult halachic questions would write to Rav Moshe in New York seeking his guidance. His influence transcended geographic boundaries.

The funeral procession in Israel made its way through Jerusalem toward Har HaMenuchos, the cemetery where Rav Moshe would be buried. The crowds lining the streets, the eulogies delivered at various points along the route, the sense of collective mourning—all reflected the recognition that a giant had fallen, that the Jewish people had lost one of their greatest leaders.

The Matzeiva over Rav Moshe’s grave recorded that he had been Rav of Uzda. This inscription fulfilled Rav Moshe’s wish to honor the town that had given him the rabbanus that made his draft exemption possible, the community that had saved his life in the most literal sense. Though his tenure as Rav of Uzda had been brief, though he had left because he could not bear the ceremonial honors that came with the position, he never forgot his debt to that community. The inscription on his gravestone ensured that future generations would know of this connection.

In 1982, I asked a shailah to Rav Moshe zatzal about the halachic status of neo-Nazis.  Rav Moshe responded to me with a fascinating three-point answer.  I was zocheh to have visited him in teh early eighties. Once, years after he was niftar, I author was visiting Rav Moshe’s Matzeiva, but there was another Matzeivah next to his where a yahrtzeit commemoration was being held.  Rav Moshe zatzal’s was knocked down, r”l. I called Rav Dovid immediately, and the matter was taken care of soon.  I was happy that I had the zchus to assist. I was also zocheh to teach many, many of his descendants.

Yehei zichro boruch.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

VIENNA (AP) — Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday alleged that airstrikes by the United States and Israel targeted the Natanz enrichment facility in his country.

That contradicts an assessment by the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi who said that “up to now” the agency has “no indication” that nuclear facilities have been hit in Iran.

“Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday. Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” Reza Najafi told reporters at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, where a special session of the Board of Governors is being held at the request of Russia.

When asked by a reporter which nuclear facility he was referring to, Najafi replied “Natanz.”

The Natanz site, some 220 kilometers (135 miles) south of the capital, is a mix of above- and below-ground laboratories that did the majority of Iran’s uranium enrichment.

Before the war, the IAEA said Iran used advanced centrifuges there to enrich uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Some of the material is presumed to have been onsite when the entire complex was attacked last June.

The main above-ground enrichment building at Natanz was known as the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant. Israel hit the building June 13, leaving it “functionally destroyed,” and seriously damaging underground halls holding cascades of centrifuges, the IAEA’s director-general, Rafael Grossi, said at the time. A U.S. follow-up attack on June 22 hit Natanz’s underground facilities with bunker-busting bombs, likely decimating what remained.

AKROTIRI, Cyprus (AP) — Britain is not at war, the government said Monday, despite saying it would allow the U.S. to use British bases during its war with Iran and after a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus was struck by an Iranian-made drone.

Sirens sounded again at RAF Akrotiri on Monday and British Typhoon and F-35 warplanes were scrambled. Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis posted on X that two drones heading toward the British base had been intercepted.

More than two decades after Britain followed the United States into a devastating war in Iraq, it is trying to avoid being drawn into a new Middle East conflict with unpredictable consequences.

Akrotiri attacked
U.K. officials say an attack drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, a British air force base in Cyprus, late Sunday. There were no injuries and “minimal” damage, but the strike brought the conflict onto European soil.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides identified it as a “Shahed-type” Iranian drone. It was not immediately clear whether it was launched from Iran or by a Tehran-backed militant group such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Akrotiri is the U.K.’s main air base for operations in the Middle East and in recent years has been used by British warplanes on missions against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq and to strike Houthi targets in Yemen.

As tensions between the U.S. and Iran mounted, Britain last month deployed extra F-35 fighter jets to Akrotiri, along with radar, counter-drone systems and air defenses, as part of “defensive measures.”

Britain retained the base, and another on Cyprus, after the eastern Mediterranean island gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.

It was last attacked in 1986, when pro-Libya militants struck the base with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, injuring three dependents of British personnel. The latest attack is believed to be the first attack on Cyprus from outside the country since Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974.

Britain’s defense ministry said families of U.K. personnel who live on the base were being moved to nearby accommodation as a precaution.

Some residents of the nearby village of Akrotiri also opted to leave their homes and spend the night with relatives elsewhere.

Villager Mikaella Malta said she heard “strange noises” just before the drone explosion.

“We tried to figure out what was going on. We then picked up whatever we could from home. We were in a panic and we left,” she told the AP.

U.K. ambivalence
British officials have refused to say whether the U.K. supports the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. They have said that Iran should not be able to have a nuclear weapon and called for an end to Iranian strikes and a diplomatic solution.

Britain did not take part in the strikes on Iran that began Saturday, and did not allow the U.S. to use U.K. bases in England or on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

But on Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he had agreed to let the U.S. use the bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites. He said the change came in response to Iranian attacks on U.K. interests and Britain’s allies in the Gulf, and is legal under international law.

Britain says its bases can’t be used for attacks on political and economic targets in Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump told the Daily Telegraph on Monday he was “very disappointed in Keir,” saying the prime minister “took far too long” to change his mind about the use of British bases.

Unpredictable consequences
Starmer said Britain would not be joining the U.S.-Israeli strikes, and U.K. Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer stressed that “the U.K. is not at war.”

The memory of Iraq remains raw for many in Britain. The decision by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to join the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 remains one of the most contentious in modern British history.

The subsequent yearslong conflict killed 179 British troops, some 4,500 American personnel and many thousands of Iraqis.

Critics say that attempts by the government to set firm limits on Britain’s involvement in Iran could be swept away by a fast-moving conflict.

“We are being drawn in, just as we were in Iraq, following the U.S. into an incredibly dangerous situation,” said John McDonnell, a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party.

Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath, said Britain is in an “incredibly difficult” position.

“We’ve had very little explanation for this war, really, from the U.S.,” he said. “The U.K. policy is always heavily on upholding international law. So they’re kind of looking at this going, ‘How does this fit with our own foreign policy?’ And I think that explains why they’ve held off as much as they could.

“And nevertheless, they get a direct request. What are you going to do, say no?”

A wave of coordinated attacks by the IDF against Hezbollah targets on Monday eliminated top Hezbollah officials, including a chief intelligence officer, according to the Israeli military. The attacks came in response to Hezbollah rockets fired at Israel, which the IDF said precisely targeted senior Hezbollah officials and command centers, as well as weapons depots.

The IDF said that the command centers it had destroyed were used by Hezbollah and Iran to coordinate attacks against civilians in Israel in recent years.

“The strike targeted the Hezbollah terrorist organization that decided to join the Iranian terrorist regime and, going forward, will face the consequences of their attack against the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF published updates on its campaign so far in Iran and Lebanon:

• The IDF struck and destroyed 600 military targets in Iran, including more than 20 sites associated with top military officials, more than 150 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and more than 200 Iranian air defense systems.
• The IDF has dropped over 2,500 bombs so far.
• More than 30 terror infrastructure sites were hit in Lebanon.
• About 110,000 reservists were called up.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said he envisions peace and strategic partnership with Israel in a future Iran, declaring in an interview with CBS News 60 Minutes that “the strategic importance of having a partnership with Israel is critical.”

“Of course,” Pahlavi responded when asked whether he imagines peace with Israel. He added that in modern history, Iran “gave refuge to Jews who were escaping the Nazis during the Second World War, giving them refuge and sanctuary in Iran.”

Speaking from Paris, the 65-year-old son of the late shah described what he believes is the imminent collapse of the Iranian regime following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the war.

“It is definitely a sort of earth-shattering event,” Pahlavi said. “When people identify the entire monstrosity of the regime that is depicted ultimately by the chief monster of these monsters, when he’s gone… It’s like elation. It was like, ‘Oh, my G-d, it has finally occurred. Maybe this is it. This is our chance now.'”

He accused Khamenei of presiding over widespread atrocities. “Ever since this regime has taken over, how many Iranians’ lives have been lost?” Pahlavi asked. “I don’t think you can have an example of such a level of atrocity ever in the history of Iran… And this is all because of Ali Khamenei’s insistence and persistence to keep himself and his Mafia regime in power at the expense of the Iranian people.”

Pahlavi said that despite cautioning demonstrators to remain safe for now, many Iranians have continued to protest. “To us, it’s liberation. To us it’s like a humanitarian intervention to protect lives that could otherwise continue to be lost,” he said.

Pahlavi stated that Iranians were “prepared to fight the fight” regardless of outside intervention and are “thanking President Trump for actually standing on his word and acting upon his word.”

Pahlavi expressed confidence that the regime could fall after nearly five decades in power. “Of course,” he said when asked whether he believes that outcome is possible.

He emphasized that he does not seek to restore the monarchy. “I’m not running for office,” Pahlavi said. While declining to pursue the throne, he said he is willing to serve as a transitional leader. “They trust me as a transitional leader. Not as the future king or future president or future whatever. I’m totally focused on my mission in life, which is to bring the country to a point that they can make that free choice.”

Outlining his vision for a future Iran, Pahlavi cited four core principles: “Iran’s territorial integrity,” “a clear separation of religion from state,” “equality of all citizens under the law and individual liberties,” and “the democratic process to allow the people to elect and decide what the future system of governance should be.”

On Iran’s nuclear program, he was unequivocal. “I think it should be totally dismantled,” Pahlavi said. “I don’t think Iran has any need to pursue a military weaponization of the nuclear program.”

Addressing criticism of his father’s rule, Pahlavi said the late shah left Iran voluntarily “to avoid bloodshed.” Quoting his father, he said, “I’m a king. A king doesn’t build his throne on the blood of his own people. If the nation today wants me out, I will leave. I will not turn my guns on them.”

Pahlavi said millions of Iranians are calling his name in the streets and that he remains focused on the country despite nearly five decades in exile. “From the day I left, I never left Iran,” he said. “When I wake up in the morning, the first thing that is on my mind is Iran.”

He confirmed he is in contact with the Trump administration and members of Congress. Asked for his message to President Trump, Pahlavi said: “I’m here to echo and join millions of my compatriots inside and outside of Iran to thank him for having done and having the courage to do what is not easy, but intervene. And he will go down in the annals of Iranian history as the most-celebrated foreign leader that changed the ballgame and changed the world as a result.”

Pahlavi also said there are units within Iran’s military and police that have signaled willingness to turn against the regime, adding that many troops could be granted amnesty in a process of national reconciliation.

“Have faith in yourselves,” he said in a message directed to the Iranian people. “You are a nation with an ancient civilization… Instead of hoping, start believing that it can be done.”

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LONDON (AP) — Global air travel chaos intensified on Monday as the U.S. and Israel continued to bombard Iran, which struck back at targets across the Middle East, leaving airports closed and stranding travelers including those in faraway areas who were scheduled to transit through the region.

Governments were scrambling to help their citizens get home after the conflict erupted on Saturday, throwing travel plans into turmoil.

Tourists, business travelers and religious pilgrims found themselves stuck unexpectedly in hotels, airports and on cruise ships, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to and through the Middle East would resume. Governments told stranded citizens to shelter in place.

Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, which are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia, remained closed after they were all directly hit by Iranian strikes.

Emirates, based in Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, has suspended its flights until at least 3 p.m. local time Tuesday.

Doha-based Qatar Airways said Monday its flights remain suspended, with its next update planned for Tuesday morning.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has halted all flights until 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday and suspend operations at its hub, Zayed International Airport.

The flight turmoil stretched even farther, with Jordan announcing a partial closure of its airspace.

More than 58,000 Indonesians were stranded in Saudi Arabia, where they were visiting Islam’s holy sites of Mecca and Medina on an Umrah pilgrimage during Ramadan.

“It has become an urgent humanitarian and logistical issue,” said Ichsan Marsha, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, which is coordinating with Saudi authorities, airlines and Indonesian travel operators to arrange alternative routes or rescheduled flights.

About 30,000 German tourists are currently stranded on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East and cannot get back home because of the conflict.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said late Sunday a military evacuation wasn’t possible because of airspace closures and that the government was looking into other options to help bring citizens home. He said everyone should follow advice from German travel agencies and local authorities.

The German Travel Association called on tourists to “remain at their booked hotels as a matter of urgency” and not “make their own way to the airport or to a neighboring country.”

Other governments made similar recommendations.

The Czech Republic is sending two planes to Egypt and Jordan to bring home Czech nationals, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said. One will pick up 79 Czechs in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh who want to return from Israel. They are traveling from Israel to Egypt by bus. The other plane will evacuate Czechs from Amman, Jordan. Babiš said there are some 6,700 Czechs in the region.

Four more planes are heading to Muscat and Salalah in Oman to fly home Czech tourists.

Britain is preparing for all options, including possible evacuation of Britons in the Middle East, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

“We are setting up the support systems,” told Sky News, when asked if Britain was preparing for an evacuation. “We’re working on every possible option.” More than 102,00 Britons in the region have registered their presence with the U.K. government since the conflict erupted on the weekend.

In Asia, thousands of travelers were stranded on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali because international flights were canceled.

Bali’s international airport said at least 15 flights, including eight departures and seven arrivals, on routes to Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were canceled as of Monday afternoon. Airline data showed 3,197 departing passengers were affected by the disruptions, airport spokesperson Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi said.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh, while carriers from Air India to KLM suspended flights and issued advisories.

U.S. airlines issued travel advisories and upended global transportation roiled the travel sector in financial markets early Monday, including the shares of airlines that fly globally. United, Delta and American all slid 5% to 6% and global hotel chains tumbled. Cruise lines like Carnival fell even harder.

Iran’s attacks on its Arab neighbors on the other side of the Persian Gulf are dealing a serious, if temporary, blow to their status as key nodes on the world’s travel map.

The Gulf’s shimmering and globalized cities depend on a steady influx of flights carrying foreigners – both tourists and resident workers – and cargo to keep their economies humming. That’s fueled the growth of Gulf airline brands including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

Those long-haul airlines and a handful of smaller carriers typically pack the skies over the Gulf and have turned their hubs into some of the busiest international airports in the world.

Now their flights are grounded along with those of other airlines whose planes were in the region when airspace was shut. Gulf airliners are scattered in airports the world over without an easy way to get home.

Dubai International Airport handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, ensuring its status as the world’s busiest airport when measured by international travel. It’s second only to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport overall.

One of Dubai International’s concourses sustained what authorities called “minor damage” during an Iranian attack Sunday that left four people there injured.

Authorities in the UAE are paying all “hosting and accommodation costs” for affected passengers, the General Civil Aviation Authority announced in a statement carried by official Emirati news agency WAM.

It said that as of Sunday the country had handled around 20,200 passengers affected by rescheduled flights.

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the sudden passing of Dr. Tova Rosen, a selfless and courageous physician in the community who devoted herself to the young people of our community over many years. She was 74 years of age, and her passing leaves those who knew her, and the many of benefitted from her expertise and devotion deeply saddened. 

The nifteres fought for Yiddishkeit her entire life, and abandoned a secular life to lead a life of Torah and mitzvos. 

As a pediatrician, with a practice in Boro Park, Williamsburg, and Monticello, she was deeply devoted to the health of the young people in our community, and countless people benefitted from her generosity. 

The levaya will take place in front of the Tenke Beis Medrash on 12th Avenue and 47th Street at 10:00 this morning. 

As the nifteres has no family, anyone who is able to is asked to attend the levaya and give a kavod acharon to this selfless member of our community. 

Yehi zichra baruch.

(AP) – Some of the United States’ most important historical documents are beginning a first-of-its kind journey Monday as part of the country’s 250th anniversary commemoration.

Typically housed in highly controlled vaults under the watch of preservation experts at the National Archives, documents such as the 1783 Treaty of Paris that formally ended the Revolutionary War and the 1774 Articles of Association that urged colonists to boycott British goods are rarely moved.

But those documents, signed by George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and other American revolutionary leaders, will be making their way across the country and put on display for free at local museums.

“It’s tangible history, and tangible history inspires,” said Jim Byron, senior adviser to the acting archivist of the United States. “These documents have not traveled, and they’ve certainly not traveled collectively, ever. They are here in vaults.”

The Boeing 737 “Freedom Plane” transporting the documents is just one of many events and activities planned across the country to mark America’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A congressionally chartered commission, America 250, and a separate White House-led initiative, called Freedom 250, are both coordinating events, an overlap that has faced some criticism in Washington.

Among the planned activities are a fleet of mobile museums driving across the country, a story collection initiative and a Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump has even announced plans for a “ Patriot Games ” sporting event featuring high school athletes and a UFC mixed-martial arts fight at the White House.

The “Freedom Plane” is scheduled to depart Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday and head to its first stop in Kansas City, Missouri, where the documents will be transferred to the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The records include a rare original engraving of the Declaration of Independence printed in 1823 from a copperplate of the original; the Oaths of Allegiance signed in 1778 by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and other officers of the Continental Army; and a rare draft copy of the U.S. Constitution that includes handwritten notes by the delegates.

Other planned stops will be in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Miami, the Detroit suburb of Dearborn and Seattle.

“The reality that these documents are leaving D.C. and coming to the heartland is fantastic,” said Matt Naylor, president and CEO of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, where they will be on display for a little over two weeks starting Friday. “There’s a lot of excitement about that and a lot of talk in and around the city about what that means.”

Naylor said the early response has been overwhelming. Local schools have already booked visits for more than 5,000 schoolchildren.

“That’s indicating that there’s a lot of enthusiasm for this,” he said.

The “Freedom Plane” tour was inspired in part by the “American Freedom Train” that toured 48 states in 1975 and 1976 as part of the country’s bicentennial celebration. It carried various pieces of American history, including the original Louisiana Purchase documents, Judy Garland’s dress from The Wizard of Oz and Jesse Owens’ gold medals from the 1936 Olympic Games.

Candace Owens, a professional antisemite who has revived the ancient medieval blood libel against the Jews, wrote in a social media post, “I stand against Israel.” She also claimed, bizarrely, as is her wont, that Charlie Kirk was murdered “for this war.”

“We will never forget that they MURDERED Charlie Kirk for this war and he knew they were going to do it,” she ranted. “His [sic] spent his final days mentally anguished, texting the very people who would ultimately betray him. In honor of Charlie, I STAND AGAINST ISRAEL.”

Tucker Carlson also expressed his displeasure in his usual thoughtful and measured way.

We will never forget that they MURDERED Charlie Kirk for this war and he knew they were going to do it.
His spent his final days mentally anguished, texting the very people who would ultimately betray him.

In honor of Charlie, I STAND AGAINST ISRAEL. https://t.co/xVVzPXzIUO

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) February 28, 2026

In an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, Carlson said the attack on Iran is “absolutely disgusting and evil.” He added that it will profoundly impact the MAGA movement, saying, “This is going to shuffle the deck in a profound way.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene, former representative from Georgia, blasted the war on X.

“The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran???” she fumed.

“How about ZERO you bunch of sick f***ing liars,” she added profanely and ungrammatically. “We voted for America First and ZERO wars.”

In a very long post, she raged about President Donald Trump breaking his campaign promise to end wars and not to engage in regime change, betraying his “America First” promise to voters. “Thousands and thousands of Americans from my generation have been killed and injured in never ending pointless foreign wars,” she raged.

She said that the Iranian people don’t need the help of the United States. “There are 93 million people in Iran, let them liberate themselves,” she wrote.

“It’s always a lie and it’s always America Last,” she added.

YS GOLD 

On Sunday, the Boro Park community in general, and her family in particular, lost Rebbetzin Frimit Taub–Housman a”h, a woman whose life was marked by steadfast yiras Shamayim and devoted service to her family and community. She carried herself with quiet strength and dignity, leaving a lasting imprint on all who were privileged to know her.

Born Frimit Werzberger on the Lower East Side, she grew up in a home defined by mesirus nefesh for shemiras Shabbos during the hardships of the Great Depression. At a time when Shabbos observance often came at significant personal cost, her family remained unwavering. Those early experiences of sacrifice and emunah shaped the values and spiritual foundation of the home she would later build.

She was a granddaughter of Reb Berish Elefant zt”l, a respected maggid shiur at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and later rosh yeshiva of Nesivos Olam. From him she absorbed a deep love for Torah learning and a strong appreciation for the mesorah of Klal Yisroel.

In her first marriage to Reb Dovid Housman zt”l, a devoted Karliner chossid and shochet, she helped establish a warm and committed Torah home. Following his untimely petirah, she shouldered the responsibility of raising her children with resilience and faith, guiding them and building a family rooted in Torah and yiras Shamayim.

Later, she married Rav Ahron Tzvi Taub zt”l, the Haleiner Rov. As the Heiliner Rebbetzin, she became a respected source of inspiration and guidance. She delivered shiurim for women, and is remembered for their clarity, depth, and thoughtful integration of Torah sources and Jewish history.

Even in her later years, she remained devoted to acts of chesed. She regularly prepared food for Yad Ephraim, offering comfort to hospital patients and their families. Her lifelong commitment to Torah, kindness, and quiet service stands as a meaningful legacy for her family and community.

The levaya took place at the Haleiner Beis Medrash on 50th Street on Sunday morning, where she was mourned by family and many admirers. 

Yehi zichra baruch.

As security tensions intensify under Operation Roaring Lion, the Health Ministry announced sweeping new measures Sunday night, including the mass early discharge of hospital patients to create surge capacity. Community clinics will operate under emergency protocols, well-baby clinics will remain closed, and urgent care centers will significantly expand their services.

Reflecting a system-wide move to Alert Level Dalet, the ministry said hospitals are being prepared for extreme scenarios. Under the updated directives, efforts to release patients early from all hospitals will continue, and well-baby clinics will remain closed.

Continuing policies implemented over the past 24 hours, the ministry clarified that services on Monday will focus on urgent care only. Health funds have been instructed to keep open those clinics and medical facilities that comply with Home Front Command protection guidelines.

The directive states that only essential activity should take place in the community, alongside measures designed to minimize hospital visits. Health funds are required to strengthen telephone hotlines and expand remote medical services as alternatives to clinics that have been closed due to sheltering limitations.

In an effort to maintain continuity of care and prevent overcrowding in emergency rooms, health funds have been ordered to extend the operating hours of urgent care centers into the morning and afternoon, and in certain areas to run them 24 hours a day. General hospitals have likewise been directed to continue early discharge of inpatients to preserve their ability to absorb casualties, while elective and outpatient procedures are being significantly curtailed.

The measures also apply to the mental health system, where hundreds of calls have been reported to emergency hotlines, as well as to geriatric and rehabilitation hospitals, which have been instructed to create reserves of available beds. Despite the strict restrictions, the Health Ministry sought to convey cautious optimism, stating that it intends to ease some of the limitations in the coming days where possible. However, officials emphasized that all well-baby clinics will remain closed Monday, and district health offices will operate only for the most urgent cases.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli police have opened an investigation into allegations that a user on the Polymarket betting site won millions of shekels after betting with astonishing accuracy on the dates of sensitive IDF strikes.

According to Israeli political pundit Amit Segal, the user, whose nickname is magamyman, exhibited a method that raised serious questions among intelligence officials.

On Saturday at 7:33 a.m., shortly before the operation was revealed, the gambler significantly raised his wager that the strike would begin that day. By 8:11, he had already won $200,000.

In addition, the user bet precisely on the date of the Israeli strikes on Iran in October 2024. He even went as far as to bet against strikes on the days prior, indicating complete confidence in the scheduled date. The gambler also managed to predict with high precision Israeli moves after the fall of the Assad regime. Altogether, he has earned a massive sum of 2.5 million shekels from his bets.

After numerous substantial wins, the user changed their name, apparently to avoid being tracked.

The most disturbing part of the report is that an Air Force official noticed the issue a few weeks ago, but “all outreach to the defense establishment was ignored,” Segal revealed.

“On the other hand, maybe it’s just someone with a lot of money to waste on gambling, and they have extraordinary luck or talent reading coffee grounds.”

פורים - אנגלית

Iranian state television was briefly overtaken in a major cyber intrusion that aired a direct video message from Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, replacing regular programming with wartime visuals and a call aimed at the Iranian public.

The interruption opened with a split-screen display of smoke-filled scenes and destruction, accompanied by Persian-language text asserting that the Iranian government is collapsing and that “only the people of Iran should decide about their own future and the future of their country”.

Netanyahu then appeared on screen, declaring that Israel plans to target “thousands of targets of the terrorist regime” in the days ahead. He described the current moment as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for Iranians to “liberate themselves from the chains of tyranny”.

As the broadcast ended, Netanyahu addressed viewers directly, encouraging them to prepare for action. “Don’t sit on your hands,” he warned. “Soon your moment will arrive, the moment you will be required to take to the streets”.

{Matzav.com}

Four U.S. service members have now been killed in the escalating conflict with Iran, after one of the five troops previously listed as seriously wounded died from their injuries, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

The latest death raises the toll from three to four, marking the first American combat fatalities since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.–Israeli military campaign that began late last week. Officials said families of the fallen are being notified before the names are released publicly.

CENTCOM confirmed that five service members were initially reported as seriously wounded in the attack. One has since succumbed to injuries, while others remain hospitalized. Several additional troops sustained minor injuries, including concussions and shrapnel wounds, but are expected to return to duty.

The casualties come amid continued exchanges between U.S. forces and Iran, following coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iranian military and leadership targets. In response, Iran has launched ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. and allied positions across the region.

President Donald Trump said the operation will continue as long as necessary, while acknowledging the risk of further losses.

Israeli Police arrested a suspect Sunday after footage circulated online showing individuals cheering as air raid sirens sounded warning of Iranian rocket fire toward Israel.

The video, which spread across social media and came to the attention of officers in the Judea region of the Shai District, shows several Palestinians alongside Israeli activists celebrating as sirens blared, signaling that Iran had launched missiles at Israel.

Following a brief intelligence investigation, police identified one of the suspects as a 60-year-old resident of Samu. He was taken into custody for questioning, and authorities said additional arrests are expected among others seen rejoicing in the footage.

In a statement, police said: “The Israel Police will act decisively against anyone who exploits the security situation during wartime to incite against the State of Israel, encourage the enemy, and support harm to the security of Israel’s citizens, wherever they may be.”

{Matzav.com}