Israel is getting almost everything it wanted from Trump ....Amit Segal

 Channel 12 News’ chief political analyst Amit Segal explained on Monday evening why the statements at the start of the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump show that, from Gaza to Iran, Israel has received what it wanted from the United States.

“First, a message to viewers around the world: the sound you heard during the press conference was the popping of yet another balloon that recently tried to claim there is a huge gap between Netanyahu and Trump, and between Israel and the United States -- and that Trump intends to forgo the demilitarization of Hamas. Israel is getting nine out of ten things it wanted, and Netanyahu, apropos the pardon, is getting eleven out of ten,” Segal began.

He added, “Regarding Israel’s security, Trump says there will be no reconstruction of Gaza without the demilitarization of Hamas - which means Israel is not required to withdraw from the territory it currently controls, about 58% of the Strip.”

Segal noted that the most significant statement concerns Iran. “More important than anything is the existential Iranian threat. President Trump closes the small gap between Israel and the United States and says that even if the non‑nuclear ballistic project advances, he is committed to approving a rapid strike. This is an extraordinarily important message and excellent news for all Israelis.”

Yair Lapid to Supreme Court: Transfer of billions to Charedi institutions is illegal

 The Yesh Atid party filed a petition today (Tuesday) with the Supreme Court, requesting a conditional order and urgent interim injunctions against the Finance Committee’s decision to transfer more than one billion shekels to haredi educational institutions.

According to the petitioners, the funds are being transferred unlawfully to institutions that do not teach core curriculum subjects and are not subject to oversight, while bypassing budgetary restrictions and proper procedures.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, together with party members Vladimir Beliak, Moshe Turpaz, and Naor Shiri, stated that “the petition joins a prolonged struggle against a rotten, corrupt, and wasteful government that disregards Israel’s citizens and treats our money as a bargaining chip and political bribe to solve coalition problems.”

Attorneys Oded Gazit and Eliram Bakal of the Gazit-Bakal law firm, who filed the petition, argued that “the Finance Committee abused its authority and transferred funds unlawfully to institutions that do not meet the educational criteria required by law, rendering the transfers null and void.”

Yesh Atid added that “these are institutions that do not prepare Haredi children for modern life, and the funds are being transferred while attempting to conceal the transfers from the public.”

Yeshiva Bochur Tried To Register For Marriage And Discovered He’s Not Jewish

 Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services held a professional conference last week for marriage registrars from across the country at the Givat Shmuel Religious Council.

At the conference, an extraordinary case was presented to the participants, illustrating the heavy responsibility borne by the marriage registrars.

A couple arrived to register for marriage according to halacha at one of the religious councils in Israel. The chasan—who had grown up with an adoptive family since infancy—is a talmid yeshivah who arrived at the registry fully confident in his halachic status.

However, during the routine lineage verification, the marriage registrar discovered a detail that changed the entire picture. He noticed what appeared to be a minor but suspicious technical detail: the name of one of the parents was missing from the records.

The registrar launched a deeper inquiry, which led to a surprising discovery: the chasan has a biological brother who was adopted in childhood by a different family. Further examination revealed that this brother had married shortly beforehand, and in his case the marriage registration process was preceded by a proper giyur, after it emerged that the original adoption had not included a full giyur.

The conclusion was unavoidable: to the shock of the chasan and his relatives, it was determined that he is not Jewish according to halacha. The painful discovery prevented thorny halachic issues and underscores the critical importance of the verification procedures carried out in marriage registration offices.

A source familiar with the details said that since the chasan was Shomer Torah u’mitzvos, the giyur process was quick and straightforward, and the couple’s chasunah took place at the scheduled time.

The head of the Marriage Department at the Ministry, Rabbi Chizkiyahu Samin, referred to the case at the conference, saying, “The story revealed here is a chilling reminder of the importance of your avodat hakodesh. We must continue to combine advanced, welcoming service with uncompromising adherence to halacha and to the identity of the Jewish people.”

WORRYING REPORT: Iran Developing Chemical and Biological Warheads for Ballistic Missiles

 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is developing chemical and biological warheads for ballistic missiles, according to military sources cited by Iran International.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the IRGC’s Aerospace Force is pursuing the development of the unconventional warheads while simultaneously relocating missile launchers to eastern Iran.

In addition to work on the warheads themselves, the report said efforts are underway to adapt ballistic missiles to carry such payloads and to upgrade related command-and-control systems.

According to the sources, these activities have intensified in recent months amid growing concern in Tehran over the possibility of renewed confrontation with Israel and the United States.

According to Israeli intelligence assessments cited in the report, Iran is rebuilding its missile capabilities with increased urgency following the 12-day conflict in June. Israeli officials estimate that Iran’s missile stockpile declined from roughly 3,000 missiles before the war to about 1,500 afterward, while the number of missile launchers was reduced from approximately 400 to 200.

They added that postwar reconstruction efforts suggest a renewed and intensified focus on restoring and expanding Iran’s missile forces.

TikTok Post Praising Ben-Gurion Airport Triggers Backlash Against Muslim Traveler

 A British Muslim woman has drawn widespread attention — and sharp backlash — after posting a TikTok video describing a positive experience passing through security at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, challenging widely held perceptions about treatment of Muslim travelers.

The woman, who posts under the name Sanam, shared footage earlier this month recounting her arrival in Israel en route to visit Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque. In the video, which quickly went viral, she said airport officials treated her respectfully and without harassment.

“They gave me a coffee, they gave me a cheese sandwich,” she said. “We weren’t strip-searched or anything like that. It was all good.”

Sanam said she decided to document the experience after hearing negative stories that initially made her hesitant to travel. She said she hoped sharing her account would encourage others to judge the experience for themselves.

The video sparked a flood of online reactions. Critics accused her of “promoting” Israel and questioned her motives, with some commenters asking whether she had been paid to post the video. Others expressed anger over her decision to speak positively about Israeli security procedures amid the ongoing war.

At the same time, many Israelis and Jewish users thanked her for sharing her experience and welcomed her to the country. Several commenters said her post offered a rare counter-narrative to claims of systemic mistreatment at the airport.

In a follow-up video filmed in Jerusalem, Sanam described hearing church bells near the al-Aqsa Mosque and wrote, “One city, three religions.” That post also drew mixed reactions. When some Israelis praised Israel’s religious freedoms and security, she responded dismissively, correcting users who referred to Israel by name and instead calling the area “Palestine.”

The videos highlight how even personal travel experiences can become flashpoints online amid heightened political tensions surrounding Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Second-Temple Mikveh With Charring From The Churban Found Under the Kotel

 A ritual purification bath (mikveh) dating back to the late Second Temple period has been discovered in archaeological excavations beneath the Western Wall plaza.

The rock-hewn mikveh was uncovered beneath a destruction layer, bearing witness to the events of the destruction of Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago. The Mikveh itself has heavy charring on its walls, testimony to the huge conflagrations at the time of the Second Temple’s destruction.

Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority believe that the mikveh was used by Jews who lived in the area as well as by pilgrims who came to Jerusalem, who were required to purify themselves before ascending to the Temple.

What the Israel Antiquities Authority is exposing here are stones that tell stories,” explains Ari Levy, the excavation director, his voice filled with emotion. “Stones that connect us to eras, to people, to hardships, to moments in history.”

The mikveh, whose rectangular dimensions have been remarkably well preserved, is carved into bedrock and plastered along its walls. It measures 3.05 meters in length, 1.35 meters in width, and 1.85 meters in height. On its southern side, four carved steps leading down into the bath were uncovered. The mikveh was found sealed beneath the destruction layer. Within the ash, pottery and stone vessels were discovered, artifacts characteristic of the Jewish population that lived in the city just before everything went up in flames.

The dramatic discovery is taking place precisely now, in chilling proximity to the fast of the Tenth of Tevet, the day marking the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem in 588 BCE, which led to the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile.

“This find is being revealed just before the Tenth of Tevet, which once again reminds us of the warning signs of destruction,” Levy says in a video statement. “We don’t need any more warnings. We need to take all of this and move forward together.”

**חשיפה מדהימה**
בסמיכות לעשרה בטבת: מקווה טהרה משלהי ימי הבית השני התגלה בחפירות ארכיאולוגיות תחת רחבת הכותל.

המקווה החצוב בסלע נחשף תחת שכבת חורבן עדות למאורעות חורבן ירושלים לפני כ-2,000 שנה.
חוקרי רשות העתיקות משערים, שמקווה הטהרה שימש את היהודים שחיו במרחב ואת עולי הרגל. pic.twitter.com/JPM0UOatcU

— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) December 29, 2025

"Naval Birshus Ha'torah! "

by Scott Kahn

 Three weeks ago, I released an episode of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast entitled,

 “A $10,000 Bottle of Scotch: Alcohol Abuse, Conspicuous Consumption, and Orthodox Life Today.” 

It has become one of the podcast’s most downloaded episodes, and its message decrying many communities’ increasing emphasis of materialism has resonated with a large number of listeners.¹

The podcast opened with a discussion of “Toameha,” which traditionally meant the custom of tasting food on Friday afternoon to make sure that it was properly seasoned for Shabbat, but has become in certain circles an excuse for a type of erev Shabbat boys’ club, with an elaborate spread and expensive liquor.

It is troubling that many in the Orthodox community take pride in their lavish spending. It is equally troubling that the consumption of alcohol has become a sine qua non for many Orthodox culinary events. But what bothers me the most is that overt materialism and overindulgence in alcohol are implicitly defended as being essential parts of mitzvah observance.

Indeed, the obvious halachic problems with many Toameha clubs - gluttony, drunkenness, staying away from home when one should be helping to prepare for Shabbat, ruining one’s appetite for Friday night dinner, and more - are easily ignored when Toameha is considered a religious desideratum.

There are many other examples where people do what they want to do, think what they want to think, while conveniently and retroactively finding a Torah source that confirms their choices. As I mentioned on the podcast, a fine example of this was offered by Mishpacha magazine in its profile of millionaire businessman Yoeli Landau, who only flies by private jet. His reasoning?

“First of all,” he explains, “I really think that Hashem created shefa so that Yidden should enjoy abundance. If Hashem blessed someone with wealth, and his personal conduct does not come on account of his generosity to tzedakah, then why should he refrain from having a private jet?

“But there’s something deeper here. I think that when someone is generous toward himself, he can then be generous to others. I know enough gvirim who live frugally. They think and rethink every expense, pinching and scrimping wherever possible. You can imagine what their tzedakah is like.

“And I have a third consideration — the spiritual component. With the private jet, I’m not dependent on airline schedules, and this way I can plan my trips in a way that I will never miss out on davening with a minyan. For me, that’s a very firm principle. It’s one of the secrets without which it’s not possible to have birchas Shamayim. Plus, it spares me from walking around in airports, which present serious challenges in shemiras einayim.”

It is possible that Mr. Landau is sincere in his belief that flying on a private jet is somehow a fulfillment of God’s will. I have a harder time believing that those who espouse such practices would have done so before attaining wealth of this magnitude. Is his decision to indulge in this incomparable luxury a result of studying Torah sources, or do the Torah sources justify a decision - consciously or otherwise - that he already wanted to make?²

According to some commentators, the Torah itself describes this psychological process when Jacob’s sons decided to sell their brother Joseph into slavery. The brothers were convinced that Joseph intended to harm them, and responded by striking first.³ Yet the text indicates that they were likely fooling themselves rather than engaging in sober judgment, as they conclude their plans by saying, “And let us see what will become of his dreams,”⁴ and then stripping him of his special coat,⁵ indicating that their jealousy of Joseph was a greater part of their reasoning than they would have liked to admit.

The Ramban famously interprets the Torah commandment of kedoshim tehiyu⁶ - to “be holy” - as referring to the requirement to refrain from indulging in excess, particularly when that excess is not explicitly prohibited by Torah law. The Ramban does not view this as a stringency for the pious, but as an essential Torah value; in fact, he argues that it is parallel to the first of the Ten Commandments, “I am Hashem your God.”⁷

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