Pilot Cut Off Fuel Switch to Air India Plane Moments Before Crash??

 

Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday.

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.

The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India’s worst aviation disasters.

The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members.

According to the report, the flight lasted around 30 seconds between takeoff and crash. It said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another” within a second. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight.

The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane’s engines.

The switches were flipped back into the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent after the aircraft had begun to lose altitude.

The report stated: “One of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY’.”

Aviation expert and former airline pilot Terry Tozer said the engine cutoff switches being switched to off only seconds after takeoff was “absolutely bizarre.”

“Unfortunately, the altitude was so low that the engines were only beginning to recover and they didn’t have enough time,” Tozer told Sky News.

The report also indicated confusion in the cockpit moments before the crash.

In the flight’s final moment, one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.

The preliminary report did not recommend any actions for Boeing, which said in a statement that it “stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”

“Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,” the statement added.

India’s civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, said the report’s findings were preliminary and one should not “jump into any conclusions on this.”

“Let us wait for the final report,” Naidu told reporters.

Air India, in a statement, said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash.

“Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses,” it said.

The plane’s black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders — were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.

Indian authorities had also ordered deeper checks of Air India’s entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.

Bilam's prophecies in our time

by Rabbi Lazer Gurkow

 I grew up in the shadow of the Six-Day War. The impossible yardstick of this war measured every subsequent war in Israel. It redefined the term blitzkrieg as Israel rebuffed a three-nation attack and came away with land from each of them.

All this changed when we woke up on Friday, June 13, 2025, to the news that Israel had landed a devastating blow against the Iranian Nuclear plants, missile silos, and military leadership. The campaign lasted 12 days and resulted in the most asymmetrical victory in the history of warfare.

Israel crippled Iran’s military and nuclear ambitions without losing a single soldier or airplane. It absorbed terrible blows from Iranian missiles, brutally and cynically dispatched against civilian areas, but that did not lessen the magnitude of the mission’s success. This will now be the new standard bearer for Israeli military success.

IN MONSEY: Reb Yitzchok Tzvi Klein killed in Devastating Elevator Accident

 Reb Yitzchok Tzvi Klein was critically injured in a horrific elevator accident earlier this week at Hatzlacha Grocery in Spring Valley.

Reb Yitzchok Tzvi  was in his twenties, a young man full of life and promise. Despite the tireless efforts of Rockland Hatzolah and hospital teams, and the heartfelt tefillos of Yidden around the world, he was sadly niftar on Friday morning from his injuries.

He was known as a warm, ehrliche Yid with a gentle spirit and a kind word for everyone. He leaves behind his devoted wife and grieving family. The couple had no children.

‘Jews for Zohran’ Mamdani group tied to the Ugly niece of lefty China-based billionaire

The ugly niece of the China-based billionaire purportedly backing left-wing protest groups in the US spearheaded the “Jews for Zohran’” Mamdani campaign — a bid to give the Israel-bashing candidate cover from antisemitism accusations and win over Jewish voters, The Post found.

Marxist tycoon Neville “Roy” Singham‘s ugly niece Alicia Singham Goodwin serves as political director of lefty nonprofit Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, which in January launched Jews for Zohran.

“We, like, had our own voter file . . . and for phone banks that were only Jewish voters, and had, like, Jews talking to Jews,” Singham Goodwin, 33, said in a July 1 interview on WBAI. “We developed early on these talking points about antisemitism and a way for volunteers to engage.”

Zera Shimshon Parshat Balak

 

Balak (That's what AI says he looked like, but I understand he was blind in one eye)

Omer Gelder z"l Last Words before he fell in battle

 Omer Van Gelder z”l’s family found these words in his phone after he fell in battle. His family now asks us to read them.

"If we constantly reflect on the situation we’re in, and on the losses we’ve endured If we truly grasp the number of precious souls who gave their bodies and their lives for us, We will be overwhelmed by emotion. On one hand, the grief is immense, unbearable. But on the other hand, there is a tremendous sense of purpose: Our lives were paid for at an unimaginable cost So they must be worth more. Just living is not enough. Our lives must be worthy of the sacrifice. We have to do meaningful, great things. We have to use this life to become better, much better. If we waste our lives and fail to become the best version of ourselves, we are disrespecting those who gave everything for us. But if we live to the fullest, if we strive every day to be the best we can possibly be maybe then, maybe, we’ll be worthy of their sacrifice. And if I’m no longer here, I ask this of everyone who loves me: Be good. Be the best you can possibly be."

Inbal Lieberman a True Heroine

This is Inbal Lieberman. On October 7th, 2023, Hmas terrorists murdered, raped, and tortured people throughout southwestern Israel, spreading terror like a wildfire from one village or kibbutz to the next, including a music festival.

Inbal Lieberman heard the sirens and rushed along with the other residents of Kibbutz Nir Am to a shelter to escape rocket fire from Gaza. Sadly, this was not an uncommon event. What was uncommon were unusual noises in the distance that made her suspicious. So, she left the shelter, and in her role as security coordinator for her kibbutz, she summoned up the twelve other members of the security team, distributed weapons, and positioned people strategically along the security fence to ambush possible assailants.

She also made sure that the gate to the kibbutz was locked and could not be opened. When the Hamas terrorists arrived shortly after, the kibbutz was prepared. The battle lasted more than three hours. Unlike most other communities near the Gaza Strip on October 7th, Kibbutz Nir Am had no losses.

Inbal Lieberman was 26 years old at that time. Ten months earlier, at 25, she had been appointed the security coordinator of the kibbutz.

Had this happened anywhere else in the world, Inbal Lieberman would be renowned as a hero. A feminist icon. Had you even heard of her before today?

The Gazan Conflict summarized in 2 minutes

 

The entire history of the Gaza conflict explained in 2 minutes. pic.twitter.com/l9Ks6puRKi

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) July 9, 2025

Israeli Minister Chikli Calls Schumer a “Self-Hating Jew” and “Palestinian” Over Support for Mamdani

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) launched a scathing attack on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling him a “self-hating Jew” and referring to him as a “Palestinian” in response to Schumer’s praise for Zohran Mamdani, a far-left NYC mayoral candidate with a history of inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric.

Posting on X, Chikli accused Schumer and other Jewish Democrats of enabling antisemitism cloaked in progressive ideology, writing: “It’s called a self-hating Jew… the new form of antisemitism denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.”

Chikli also condemned Haaretz newspaper for publishing accusations of genocide against Israel, grouping it with what he called “Jews who participate in the campaign of hatred against their nation.”

His remarks echoed language used by Donald Trump, who last year told rallygoers Schumer had “become a Palestinian” and a “proud member of Hamas.”

Schumer has drawn fire from Jewish leaders and Israeli officials for refusing to criticize Mamdani, despite Mamdani’s support for the slogan “globalize the Intifada” and his refusal to back legislation condemning the Holocaust or affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

Rabbi Dov Landau doesn't want Sfardie Girls to mix with Ashkenazi Girls so he establishes a new School for the Sefardic Girls!

 

The Ashkenazi Seminary in Jerusalem, "The Branch", which is not willing to accept Mizrahi students, found a "solution

The Ashkenazim in Jerusalem have established a new seminary for those with Sephardic backgrounds, and will enroll more than 450 girls who remain without a seminary, thus preventing the assimilation of Sephardic Ashkenazi in the girls' schools in Jerusalem. - 

It should be noted that the Lithuanian school has not yet opened registration in order to prevent hundreds of Sephardic girls from assimilating with Ashkenazi Girls 

 Maran Rabbi Landau instructed to delay the registration   until a solution would be found.

 A new principal, Rabbi Mendelsohn, will open the new school in the same building, but with separate entrances, and in this way they will ensure that the Ashkenazi girls do not assimilate into Sephardic and vice versa, Chas Ve'sholom

Threat of Iranian attacks spike in UK, including abductions, murder

 

Iran's international spy agencies are 'willing and able – often through third party agents – to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK,' a parliament committee report said

A new report by the UK parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee on Thursday warned that the threat of Iran attacking individuals on UK soil has "significantly" spiked.

Since 2022, the report said, the "wide-ranging, persistent, and unpredictable threat" of Iranian attacks has risen. Iran's international spy agencies are "willing and able – often through third party agents – to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK," the report said. At least 15 attempts to abduct or murder Britons have been recorded.

The report said there have been 15 murder or kidnap attempts against British citizens or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022.

Israel will be fine. It is the UK everyone needs to be worried about!

 

This is from the University of Cambridge 2025 graduation.

Israel will be fine.
It is the UK everyone needs to be worried about! pic.twitter.com/vP3hG8arVS

— David Collier (@mishtal) July 10, 2025

Mossad: The Official Trailer

 

Mossad: The Official Trailer🤭

Hey @TheMossadIL you’ll love this 😂

H/T @Cyber_zionist pic.twitter.com/clkKWvWY4O

— Cheryl E 🇮🇱🎗️ (@CherylWroteIt) July 9, 2025

Susie Wiles the rock behind Donald Trump ... Who is she?

Donald Trump calls her the “Ice Maiden.” But in person, the very private White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is warm and hospitable — as long as you don’t cross her. She didn’t become the most powerful woman in the world without a determined glint in her eye that can silence the most spirited Cabinet minister.

Wiles, 68, has brought a sense of order and calm to Trump’s second presidency, which has given him the space to notch up wins at breakneck speed.

In a rare interview on our new podcast “Pod Force One” she explained how she does it.

“I gave a piece of advice to myself when I started this job,” she told us this week in her large sunny office in the West Wing, down the hall from the Oval Office.

“I am the chief of staff. I’m not the chief of Donald Trump.”

Epstein followers in shambles as their conspiracies are falling apart

The doom-scrolling community is not happy.

From basement bedrooms across the US comes the muffled sound of huffing and puffing.

Reddit is ablaze with the anger of digital hysterics who haven’t seen sunlight in months.

Why? Because their most beloved conspiracy theory is coming apart at the seams.

The Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory — that all-purpose, fact-light morality tale about our decadent, venal elites — is falling apart.

What will the Epstein heads do now?

No sooner had the Department of Justice and the FBI poked a very large hole in the Epstein story than the internet was consumed by fury and moaning. These officials have concluded that Epstein did not in fact have a “client list” implicating politicians, businessmen and celebrities in a vast Caligulan regime of sordid sex parties.

And nor was he bumped off by some nefarious actor — Hillary Clinton, people say — while awaiting trial for sex trafficking at a correctional facility in New York.

No, he really did kill himself.

And just like that, the two pillars of this crazed fable have fallen down.

The Dangerous Unhinged Supreme Court Justice

 

The dangerously unhinged Justice Jackson.

Jackson’s public comments and dissents are toxic. She’s viciously attacking her colleagues and the institution of the Court. I’ve never seen a justice conduct him/herself like this. “Existential threat to the rule of law,” she says.…

— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 9, 2025

The Chulent Debacle that Refuses to Go away!

 

Hey, you Jew in the keffiyeh!

Jew in the Keffiyeh

We are a nation with a long memory and a longer legacy. Symbols matter. History matters. And so does truth. When Jews wrap themselves in the keffiyeh, they are not engaging in solidarity—they are erasing the scars of our people and honoring those who rejoiced in our murder. It is not conscience—it is cowardice disguised as compassion.

The Keffiyeh’s True Legacy

“You wear a keffiyeh. Why not a swastika too?”

Let us speak plainly: The keffiyeh is not a neutral garment. It is the banner of those who shed Jewish blood—from Haj Amin al-Husseini to Hamas. And worse, it was a British Jew who helped lift that banner high.

Hegseth hosts Netanyahu at Pentagon and Army Band Plays "Hatikvah"

 

Did Biden's Doctor who refused to testify save unwittingly the USA as we know it?

 

Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s refusal to testify before Congress has stirred outrage among conservatives. But beneath the frustration lies an uncomfortable truth: this man may have single-handedly spared the United States from an unprecedented national calamity. Whether he intended to or not, Dr. O’Connor saved the country from a leftist takeover—and conservatives should recognize the magnitude of that act.

The Disaster We Almost Had

Let’s be blunt: had President Biden’s deteriorating health been publicly acknowledged and led to his removal, the United States would have faced a full-fledged constitutional crisis—one with Kamala Harris at the helm. Not for a month, not for a caretaker period, but potentially for a full term leading into the next election.

President Kamala Harris would have meant a radical lurch to the far-left fringe of American politics. Her ideology is not just liberal—it’s progressive to the point of destabilization. Sympathetic to anti-Israel demonstrators and unwilling to draw a hard line against groups expressing open support for Hamas, Harris has repeatedly aligned herself with the activist wing of the Democratic Party. Her social justice posturing, race-obsessed rhetoric, and deference to the most extreme voices in the culture wars make her a uniquely dangerous figure on the national stage.

US Sanctions the "klavta" Albanese

The U.S. State Department announced that it is sanctioning Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on Palestinian territories, under an executive order that states those who engage “directly” with an effort by the International Criminal Court to arrest or probe a “protected person” without the consent of the person’s country are subject to having their property and assets blocked.

Mordechai Klainberg A Dangerous Predator in Oak Park Michigan

 Oak Park Michigan Resident, Mordechai Klainberg, Charged with Stalking, Home Invasion, and Criminal Sexual Conduct

WARNING!!!!! EXPLICIT MATERIAL!!!

According to a transcript of testimony given in court by the alleged victim, the alleged victim moved to Oak Park in 2024. About a month after moving, according to the transcript, the alleged victim went to Borenstein’s and encountered Mordechai Klainberg, who was working there, for the first time. The alleged victim described Klainberg approaching her, telling her that he could help her meet people in the community, and asking for her phone number, which she gave him. She described being under the impression that Klainberg worked for the Detroit Vaad. In the transcript the alleged victim described moving to Oak Park to complete a conversion which would have been taking place under the supervision of the Detroit Vaad.

Beit Shemesh Buries its Hero ..Moshe Shmuel Null

 

Rav Zilberstein "Clarifies" ruling against Thursday night cholent

 

After getting flak from the "chulent fressers" Rav Zilberstein said that his original ban on mid-week chulent was "full of beans" and clarified that growing bochrim should certainly eat Chulent Thursday night!

You can mess with the Ladies with their "Lace Sheitels" you can mess with the men on "smartphomes" but don't mess with their food! 

Lesson given, lesson learned! 

Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein has opened up about his recently published halachic ruling according to which it is improper to eat cholent during the week, and it should be reserved for Shabbat only.

Rabbi Zilberstein clarified on Wednesday that his ruling was not meant to be a blanket prohibition, "and certainly at a seudat mitzvah (a religious celebratory meal) where the dish is served, it is permitted to eat it."

Regarding yeshivas that serve cholent for dinner on Thursdays, the rabbi answered: "Certainly they should eat since yeshiva students must rely on the dean in every matter, and if the yeshiva management brings this dish for dinner during the week, you should certainly eat it."

Rabbi Zilberstein clarified that the original instruction was intended as an enhancement to the observance of the commandment to honor the Sabbath, but at yeshivas and family events, one may eat cholent on a weekday.

Cholent is a stew usually made of meat, potatoes, beans, and grains, invented to circumvent the prohibition of cooking on the Sabbath. While traditionally enjoyed on Shabbat mornings, in recent decades, it has become common among haredi, religious, and even secular Jews in Israel and abroad to eat the dish on Thursday nights as well, usually at casual eateries known as "cholentiot."

CIA report makes it clear Trump was framed

 

By Gregg Jarrett Fox News

In a blockbuster report, the CIA has belatedly exposed the rank corruption among top intelligence officials who connived to frame President Donald Trump and drive him from office during his first term.  

Their pernicious lie was that Trump colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 presidential election in his favor. The principal piece of so-called evidence was a document known infamously as the dossier.  

It was secretly financed by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and Democrats, conceived by a foreign agent with a checkered past in espionage, and then brokered to solicitous collaborators at the FBI, CIA, the Department of Justice and the Trump-hating media.  

Luftwaffe Resumes Flights ..Satmar Rebbe Can now travel to Israel

 

 Lufthansa Resumes Tel Aviv Flights August 1

Lufthansa Group will restart flights to Tel Aviv on August 1 after suspending service due to the Iran conflict. SWISS flights remain paused until October 25.

Air France resumed direct Paris–Tel Aviv flights today. Other major airlines like British Airways, Delta,  have not yet returned.

The Charedie Gossip Paper The Yated warns Netanyahu: War leadership isn't enough

 An editorial published Wednesday morning in the Yated Ne'eman newspaper sent a sharp and clear message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning him not to neglect domestic issues.

DIN: This is a lie, they are not warning Netanyahu about "Domestic Issues," all they want is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and want Chilonim to die for them as they don't want to fight and as the Rav Yosef said yesterday,  "they don't want to learn" either!

Yated Ne'eman is affiliated with the haredi Degel Hatorah faction, part of the Knesset's United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party.

Titled, "Lessons of the Past," it compared Netanyahu to Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II. The writer noted that Churchill was a "great statesman, an admired politician, and a brilliant commander who led Britain to victory," but emphasized that "it quickly became clear that no matter how brilliant and talented his performance was, during wartime, it was not enough to define him as a 'leader.'"

According to the writer, Churchill "did not listen to the needs of the exhausted people," and instead of focusing on internal reconstruction, "he sold them victory speeches." The writer added that "the tired and exhausted British public expected leadership that would bring change — particularly in the areas of health, education, welfare, and employment."

The writer warned that even someone perceived as a national savior could lose the public’s trust if they neglect domestic issues. "Empty promises and neglecting the needs of the people, including those who were once his supporters, came at a heavy price," the writer stated.

The article included a quote attributed to Churchill about his political rival: "An empty taxi cab arrived at 10 Downing Street, and Clement Attlee got out of it," and noted that the joke did not save Churchill from defeat.

The article aims to hint to Netanyahu that even strong and admired leadership during wartime does not guarantee political survival if the leader is not attentive to the needs of the public, and that neglecting social and civil issues could exact a heavy toll even from leaders with impressive security achievements.

Despicable Chareidi Journalist Praises Deaths of IDF Kedoishim

 

The dog .. Yisrael Frey 

Israeli police have opened a criminal investigation into the Charedie  journalist Yisrael Frey following a social media post in which he celebrated the deaths of five IDF soldiers and called on Israeli mothers to oppose the war in Gaza.

“The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity,” Frey wrote on X early Monday. He went on to reference suffering in Gaza, writing: “Unfortunately, for the boy in Gaza now being operated on without anesthesia; the girl starving to death and the family huddling in a tent under bombardment — this is not enough.”

In a message to Israeli mothers, Frey added: “Do not be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse.”

The post drew widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum. While right-wing lawmakers and activists denounced Frey’s comments as incitement and treasonous, even left-wing critics of the war distanced themselves from his remarks, with some accusing him of glorifying death and undermining legitimate anti-war advocacy.

By Monday afternoon, police had formally requested authorization from the State Attorney’s Office to open a criminal probe into Frey on suspicion of incitement. The request was approved, and a joint investigation is now underway by the police’s Investigations and Intelligence Division and an anti-incitement unit operating under the National Security Ministry.

In a joint statement, police and the ministry vowed to take a hard line. “We will continue to act in accordance with the policy of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Danny Levy, and take a firm and uncompromising approach against anyone who gives voice to incitement or support for the enemy,” the statement read.

Done with "Lace Sheitlach" & Smart Phones Now NO CHULET EXCEPT FOR SHABBOS!

DIN: Yes you read the headline right! It's not a Joke!!!!

This story comes in a very bad time as a young soldier who lives around the corner from my home, Moshe Shmuel Null hy"d, was murdered by Hamas, and in a couple of minutes, I'll be heading to the funeral! 

New widows, new orphans, grieving parents and siblings, and the Chareide leadership shows that it is totally disconnected and aloof to what is going around them, and instead puts out a psak against eating chulent during the week, and drags the likes of the Yam shel Shlomo, Chasam Sofer , the Ari z"l into this quagmire!

 I'm going to stay away from the validity of the stories, which I think someone made up. Rav Zilberstein says that the Yam Shel Shlomo writes that  "it is preferable not to eat fish on Friday Night, so that one can enjoy them during the Shabbas meal," and from this Yam Shel Shlomo, Rav Zilberstein prohibits chulent on Thursday night, through a "Kal Ve'chomer"?? .... 

He further writes that the Baal Shem Tov (who grew up as a hungry orphan,) chastised a little child because he was eating  “eggs with onions” (ei mit tzvibel), during the week, to which he supposedly told the child, “Jewish children eat that only on Shabbat.”

Anyone believing this story needs their head examined! 

In a bizarre twist, Rav Zilberstein adds that "Chulent" is not healthy!

 I don't know where he gets this, as any nutritionist will tell you that "Chulent" without fat is one of the healthiest foods! It is loaded with vitamins! Beans, Barley, Potatoes etc! 

It is the theatre of the absurd!

What about "Challah?" Specifically made for Shabbos! So now we shouldn't be serving this at a wedding or a bar-mitzvah?

 In the “Divrei Chemed” bulletin, a fascinating halachic ruling was published, especially relevant for yeshiva students and the general public, regarding eating cholent on Thursday night. According to the posek Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, doing so undermines the honor due to the Shabbat morning meal.

A number of yeshiva students sent a question to Rabbi Zilberstein, writing as follows:

“It is well known that there is a significant value in eating chamin (cholent) on Shabbat Kodesh. Throughout the years, it was a special dish eaten specifically at the Shabbat morning meal, and many would fulfill the mitzvah of ‘Toameha chaim zachu’ (‘Those who taste [Shabbat early] merit life’) by tasting this delicacy on Friday.”

They continued:

“However, recently, many have begun to be machmir in tasting this dish already on Thursday night, to the point where some now prepare this dish in large pots specifically for Thursday night—not just to taste a bit of Shabbat food, but to indulge themselves on Thursday night. And some even go so far as to eat it on Thursday during the day or throughout the week.”

“Our question is: Is there anything inappropriate in the fact that a dish originally created for Shabbat is now being eaten on weekdays? Or is there no fault in this? And is it considered an act of piety to refrain from eating a dish that, throughout generations, was reserved for Shabbat Kodesh, and continue to eat it exclusively on Shabbat, and not during the week?”

Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, who regularly receives interesting and complex halachic queries due to his broad and deep knowledge, responded with the following explanation:

“There is great importance in honoring and distinguishing Shabbat with special foods, and weekday meals should not resemble those of Shabbat.”

Among the sources cited by the rabbi are: Midrash Tanchuma (Parshat Bereishit, Siman 2), Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 21 and Tikkun 48),Ramban (Leviticus 23:2), Radak (Isaiah 58:13)

He further cited the Yam Shel Shlomo (Gittin 38b), who rules:

“It is preferable not to eat fish on Friday night, so that one can enjoy them during the Shabbat day meal—since ‘honor of the day is greater than that of the night.’ From this we learn a kal vachomer: If one should refrain from eating a beloved dish on Friday night to honor the daytime meal, all the more so one should refrain from eating such dishes on weekdays in order to honor Shabbat properly.”

Rabbi Zilberstein also brings testimonies from various sages:

The Arizal was very strict not to prepare any dish during the week that was customary for Shabbat, such as kugels and the like.

A story about the Baal Shem Tov: He was once hosted and served a meal while a child stood nearby eating “eggs with onions” (ei mit tzvibel), to which he told the child “Jewish children eat that only on Shabbat.”

A similar story about the Chasam Sofer, who was once served tzimmes during the week and refused it, saying: “That’s a Shabbat dish,” adding in Yiddish: “A Shabbos-essen est men nikst in der vokh” – “Shabbat food is not eaten during the week.”

Rabbi Zilberstein further emphasized:

“Especially with cholent, a dish originally created specifically to honor Shabbat—so that people could eat hot food on Shabbat morning. As the Ba’al HaMaor (Shabbat 16b) wrote: ‘Our Sages instituted eating chamin (hot food) to delight in Shabbat, and anyone who doesn’t eat chamin should be checked to see if he is a heretic or an unbeliever.’”

He added another interesting point:

“In previous generations, some were concerned about eating cholent due to health issues, but as the Bnei Yissaschar (Ma’amarei HaShabbatot, Ma’amar 3) writes, ‘On Shabbat there is no need to worry, for the holiness of Shabbat brings blessing into the food.’ Likewise, the Mishnah Berurah writes that ‘one who keeps a mitzvah will know no evil.’ But this protection applies only on Shabbat—not on weekdays.”

In conclusion, Rabbi Zilberstein wrote:

“Cholent is a dish that was specifically created for Shabbat, and therefore it is very appropriate not to eat it during the week, so that one can properly delight in it on Shabbat. Especially since this dish is not particularly healthy, and it is only thanks to the sanctity of Shabbat that it becomes a blessing and a delicacy for the body. As the verse says, ‘He who observes a mitzvah shall know no evil.’”

Shas spiritual leader says deaths of 5 soldiers in Gaza may be due to yeshiva students’ neglect of Torah study

 In an open letter to yeshiva students, former Sephardic chief rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Yitzhak Yosef asserts that the deaths of five IDF servicemen overnight in Gaza may have been caused by the students’ insufficient Torah study and calls on the Haredi community “to strengthen and grow stronger in Torah study.”

Yosef’s call comes as his faction prepares to go to the barricades against the government over its demand that those engaged in such study be exempted from shouldering the burden of military service.

Mourning the deaths of the “dear soldiers” who “gave their lives for the people of Israel” Yosef says that the Torah-observant community is “obligated to come to an account of why this trouble has come upon us, and perhaps it is nothing but the sin of neglecting the Torah.”

Four of those who fell in Gaza last night were members of the IDF’s ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion.

Yosef has been an outspoken opponent of efforts to conscript yeshiva students and, like many other prominent leaders of the Haredi community, has asserted that mass Torah study is vital to the national defense.

In May, he stated that if the government arrests ultra-Orthodox men for dodging the draft, then the community will be forced to leave Israel. Declaring that “our Torah protects the soldiers,” Yosef argued that Israel’s anti-missile defenses only succeeded in blocking attacks in the merit of yeshiva students’ studies. He has also later called Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein “wicked” for demanding tough sanctions on yeshiva students who evade military service.