The gradual loss of Kovod for our present day Gedolei Yisroel. First it was the important ad in Yated that everyone is being Mechalel Shabbos in Japan. A full page announcing to Klal Yisroel that one must follow the Psak of the Chazon Ish. No one can Chas v’Sholom say anything to diminish the Kovod of the Chazon Ish ZTL. However, Klal Yisroel has been following the psak of the Gedolim of our Dor, Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZTL, Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman ZTL and Rav Shlomo Zalamn ZTL, all who pasken that we follow the Shita of Chachmei Yerusholayim and the Yidden in Japan are keeping the correct Shabbos. This writer doesn’t have the chutzpah to discuss the actual halacha, but he does know that we have been following these Gedolim in all our Shailos and they were post Chazon Ish.

I am filled with admiration and respect for the askonim and baalei battim who have invested countless hours and significant resources to build two new halls in Lakewood, providing a valuable option for those who prefer affordable chassunas rather than spending exorbitant sums on a five-hour wedding. At the same time, it is only fair to acknowledge and express deep hakaras hatov to the existing halls and caterers in Lakewood who have been offering affordable chassuna packages for many years — far below the standard market rates. Foremost among them is Bais Faiga, together with Greenwald Caterers, who for the past 30 years have hosted thousands of weddings at unbelievably low prices. For most of those years, this was achieved without outside subsidies or wealthy donors.

I write to you with great admiration and respect, aware of the many ways in which you have supported and sustained our kehilla with generosity, leadership, and vision. Your dedication to Klal Yisroel — in Torah, chesed, and communal growth — has built institutions, supported families, and shaped the future of generations. Recently, a remarkable initiative was launched in Lakewood: two new wedding halls, Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther, were established to directly address the crushing financial burden so many families face when marrying off children. These halls offer an elegant, all-inclusive simcha package — hall, catering, music, photography, flowers, and more — for just $13,000.

Dear Editor, I read the recent heartfelt letter about the shidduch crisis with deep emotion and full agreement. The pain, frustration, and desperation felt by so many parents of Bnos Yisroel is real — and it is unacceptable that our community has allowed this “shidduch crisis” to persist for so long, largely unchallenged. While the new initiative encouraging girls to wait until Shavuos to begin dating, and boys to return earlier from Eretz Yisroel, is a step in the right direction, it must be the beginning — not the end — of our communal introspection and action. We can no longer ignore a glaring truth: the system is broken. And it is man-made.

Having just recently read some gender-based letters (that is, letters from women complaining about men) in a Jewish publication, I was confronted with a mailbag letter from a female high school student complaining about the dress code of the seminary she will be attending next year. Besides saying that the code would stifle her self-expression, the student alleged that parallel standards are not applied to yeshiva bochurim, in that rules against “hoodies” and guidelines about haircuts are allegedly not being enforced in men’s yeshivas. Excuse me??? Last time I checked, Yeshiva boys have the most restrictive dress code of all, being required to wear black suits/pants and white shirts.

Dear Editor, I was thrilled to hear about the new initiative endorsed by the Gedolim and Rabbanim Shlit”a: encouraging girls returning from seminary to wait until Shavuos to begin dating, and asking boys to return earlier from Eretz Yisroel to start shidduchim sooner. Why am I so excited? Because I speak from painful experience. Six years ago, my oldest daughter entered the shidduch parsha. Like many other well-meaning, naïve parents, I assumed the traditional Litvish system was still working — that a good girl and a good boy would be redt to each other, go out, and build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel. We reached out to shadchanim. We waited. One year passed. Nothing. Two years passed. Still nothing. Can you imagine that pain?

While having supper Thursday evening, I received a call from a 212 number claiming to be from Chase Bank. Normally, I don’t answer calls during dinner — especially not from unfamiliar area codes — but for personal reasons, I made an exception this time. The caller identified himself and immediately asked about a couple of Zelle transactions on my account. Each was for several thousand dollars and had been flagged by the bank as potentially fraudulent. The money was being sent to someone whose name I didn’t recognize. After confirming with my wife that she hadn’t authorized any transactions either, the caller assured me he would mark them as fraudulent and “freeze” my Zelle account for 24 to 48 hours for my protection.

When I read the news on YWN in the last few days, my heart breaks for the Yidden who have lost their lives because of this war. But my heart also fills with pride when I see images of Israeli warplanes pounding our enemies and recognizing the yad Hashem in everything that is happening. Iran is not Hamas or Hezbollah. Iran is a large and powerful country that has threatened many times to wipe out Israel and kill all the Jews. The fact that Hashem has given us the ability to inflict great damage on this enemy is a tremendous gift from Hashem. I am incredibly proud of our ability to defend ourselves. My great uncles and aunts, who died horrible deaths in the Holocaust, did not have the ability to defend themselves. We do, and we should thank Hashem profusely for this gift.

Judaism teaches that the world will exist for 6,000 years, followed by a 1,000-year “Shabbat” — the Messianic era. This is based on the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) and reflected in Kabbalistic sources such as the Zohar and writings of the Ramchal and Vilna Gaon. As of today, the Jewish year is 5785. That means: 6000 − 5785 = 215 years remain in the pre-Messianic era. Kohelet Chapter 3: The 28 “Times” In Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) Chapter 3, King Shlomo writes: “לַכֹּל זְמָן, וְעֵת לְכָל-חֵפֶץ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם” – “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” He then lists 28 distinct “times” (עֵת) — 14 contrasting pairs: 1.עֵת לָלֶדֶת – A time to be born/עֵת לָמוּת – A time to die 2.

The following letter was sent to the Chaim V’Chessed organization, and provided to YWN: Over the past few days, as war-related disruptions continue to affect travel, Chaim V’Chessed and other dedicated organizations have been working nonstop to help people get where they need to go. That includes Israelis who are stranded abroad and trying to get back home – and it also includes foreign citizens who found themselves in Israel when the skies closed and are now trying to return to their home countries. It’s a complex operation, filled with uncertainty and emotion. But there’s one important difference between these two groups – and it’s not just about geography. Yes, Israelis abroad are understandably desperate to get home.