Dear Matzav Inbox,
I am writing to express my frustration with the ongoing disparity between cholov Yisroel and cholov stam products, particularly when it comes to basic dairy items like sour cream, yogurt, and butter.
Take, for example, Friendship’s OU-D sour cream, which is priced at $2.49 for a 16 oz pint. In contrast, a cholov Yisroel sour cream is often priced around $4.99 for a pint. The kicker is that the ingredients in the Friendship sour cream are simple: cultured cream, and that’s it. However, the cholov Yisroel versions are often filled with a list of unnecessary additives, including Modified Food Starch, Calcium Sulfate, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, and Enzyme.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
In recent years, there has been an increasing usage of the term ahavas chinom—a phrase that, although widely understood in contemporary discourse, is, in fact, not a hashkafically correct term. The true expression, which should be used in its place, is ahavas Yisroel, which carries a deeper and more accurate meaning according to Torah sources.
The tikkun for sinas chinam is not ahavas chinam. It’s sina k’halacha and ahava k’halacha. I am always shocked at people publically discussing ahavas chinom, as this does not seem to be a Torah idea or ideal. Who we love and hate is supposed to be dictated by the Torah.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Face it. Life has its rough patches, days when nothing seems to go as planned and everything you do leaves you feeling frustrated.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
I can’t be the only one who’s fed up with the flood of tzedakah brochures that get sent home for our children every Purim. It’s bad enough that these organizations know no bounds when it comes to fundraising, but now they’ve figured out how to rope in our kids with promises of prizes if they raise enough money. And let me tell you, it’s not just the kids who are caught up in this madness — it’s us, the parents, who are left to pick up the pieces.
Every day for weeks leading up to Purim, our homes are flooded with brochures. “Raise X amount, get a prize!”

Dear Matzav Inbox,
It is beyond time that we address the disturbing trend of people – both children and adults – using fireworks on Purim. This is NOT a minhag tied to the Yom Tov, nor does it have any place in the celebration of Purim. Fireworks are an absolute sakanah, a danger to both those using them and those around them.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
Each year, as Purim approaches, we eagerly anticipate the sacred and joyous mitzvah of hearing the Megillah. It is a time to celebrate and relive the miracle of our ancestors’ deliverance from the evil hand of Haman. But, unfortunately, a growing trend threatens to overshadow this special occasion. As a parent and a member of our Yeshiva community, I feel it must be addressed before it becomes even more pervasive: the incessant noise during the Megillah laining.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
As Bnei Torah, we strive to follow the gedolim, to live by the Torah, and to dedicate ourselves to Torah. We raise our children to be true yerei shamayim, to follow in the same path. We take pride in the values that define us, and yes, we don’t send our boys to the army, as we believe in protecting their spiritual growth.
But, we must ask ourselves – do we truly feel the pain of our brothers and sisters? Do we truly internalize the suffering of those who are in the trenches, of those whose sons, husbands, and fathers are fighting day and night for our safety?

Dear Matzav Inbox,
I am writing in response to the nauseating trend that has become all too prevalent in Jewish publications — ads for children’s clothing that display models who look absolutely nothing like Jewish children. It is beyond disturbing to see young children — some as young as five years old — being paraded in these ads with expressions and postures that reflect nothing but the toxic chic of the secular world. Where is the chein? Where is the modesty? How is this acceptable in a community that prides itself on maintaining a way of life that revolves around modesty, holiness, and living with Hashem?

Dear Editor,
We are writing this letter with heavy hearts, deeply torn between our gratitude for all that President Trump has done for us and Eretz Yisroel, and the undeniable frustration and anguish that we feel over the handling of the hostage situation. We have long admired his unwavering support and the numerous ways he has championed the cause of the Jewish people, but when it comes to the issue of the hostages in Gaza, he has failed us. It’s as simple as that.

Dear Matzav Inbox,
I took a week to gather my thoughts after the recent mesivta farher/application debacle. I needed time to calm down and clear my mind before writing this letter. I am deeply troubled by what’s happening in some communities, and I feel compelled to speak out.
And I write this letter as a longtime mechanech myself.
Let me just say it: Any rosh mesivta, any rebbi, any menahel, anyone who operates a mesivta with the sole focus of taking in only “top boys” should be ashamed of himself. Is this what Hashem wants? Is this the standard we should be setting for our boys?