Two rebbes, the admorim of Vizhnitz and Erlau, were hospitalized over Shabbos in separate incidents.
On Leil Shabbos Kodesh, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Menachem Mendel Hager, was transported from his lodgings in Arad—where he had gone for rest—to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer after feeling unwell.
After undergoing a series of medical evaluations, the Rebbe is expected to be discharged from the hospital as early as Sunday.
Senior medical advisor Rav Yaakov Shakol arrived at the Rebbe’s residence in Arad on Friday night and advised immediate medical transfer for further observation.
All are asked to daven for the complete recovery of Rav Menachem Mendel ben Leah Esther.

A baby girl was born on Friday to the widow of Rav Refoel Mordechai Fishoff Hy”d, the yungerman who was murdered in a terror attack in Chadera on Erev Yom Kippur.
The newborn is the seventh child in the family and will never have the chance to meet her father.
Rav Refoel Mordechai was just 35 years old when he was killed by a terrorist in a brutal attack in Chadera. He left behind six young orphans and a grieving wife.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Lipskar zt”l, rov of The Shul of Bal Harbour, Florida, as well as the founder of the Aleph Institute. He was niftar on Shabbos at the age of 77.
Rabbi Lipskar was one of Klal Yisroel‘s great and selfless askanim, humble, kind, soft-spoken, and always working to be mekadeish Sheim Shomayim.

The Sanzer Rebbe will spend a Shabbos at the Kosel HaMaaravi together with a group of Chassidim, marking the first time in his 31-year leadership that he will be spending Shabbos at the site.

At a gathering at Slabodka Yeshiva marking the shloshim since the passing of Rav Nachman Plonczek zt”l—one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Slabodka—the renowned posek Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein delivered an emotional hesped that also touched on the devastating wave of wildfires affecting Eretz Yisroel in recent days.
Speaking in the main bais medrash of Yeshivas Slabodka, Rav Zilberstein addressed the bochurim. He emphasized that amid the chaos and uncertainty, the true security for Klal Yisroel lies in the eish haTorah, the holy fire of Torah.

In a powerful letter, Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, rov of the Old City of Yerushalayim and noted posek, has issued a public call urging Torah Jews around the world to vote for the Eretz HaKodesh slate in the current WZO elections.
The rov describes Eretz HaKodesh as “a clear and strong voice from the bnei haYeshivos and the Torah-faithful communities who seek to increase holiness in the Land, to spread Torah and prayer, and to reinforce the voice of Torah that resonates throughout the batei midrash in Eretz Yisrael.”

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Yisroel Hager, who was in Los Angeles for the past two and a half months following a complex surgery, departed last night on a private jet bound for Switzerland, where he will be staying for a period of rest and recuperation.
The Rebbe took off from Los Angeles at 10:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday night, en route to Davos, where he is expected to remain for ten days.
Barring any changes, the Rebbe is scheduled to return to Eretz Yisroel at the start of the week of Lag BaOmer.

Thousands of Yidden from across the globe gathered in Kerestir, Hungary, to participate in the central hilulah seudah marking the 100th yahrtzeit of the tzaddik Rav Yeshayale ben Rav Moshe of Kerestir zt”l. The 100th yahrtzeit is today.
The seudah took place in the massive tent known as “Reb Yeshaya’le’s House,” which has become a spiritual focal point for those seeking yeshuos and inspiration from the legacy of the revered tzaddik.

In a heartfelt interview with Arutz Sheva during their Yom HaZikaron broadcast, Rabbi Yoram Eliyahu, father of Sergeant First Class (res.) Yedidya Eliyahu Hy”d of Karnei Shomron, who fell in battle in Gaza, shared his perspective on loss and resilience.
Rabbi Eliyahu expressed his discomfort with the term “bereavement,” stating, “We are not the families of bereavement, but the families of heroism. If you call it bereavement, it already has a negative effect on you, and this is not the right message that we should be conveying to the people of Israel. I say this both personally and nationally, the purpose of the Heroism Forum is to bring life back to the people of Israel, until we achieve our military victory and the collapse of Hamas.”​