It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Yitzchok Meir Brim z”l, one of the elder and most respected members of the Boyan-Ruzhin chassidus in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Yerushalayim. He was 84 years old.
Born in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Yitzchok Meir was the son of Rav Yehoshua Heschel Brim, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Tiferes Yisroel—Ruzhin-Boyan, and Rebbetzin Rivkah.
Rav Yitzchok Meir was a staunch chossid of Boyan, deeply connected with the Rebbe as well as his brothers-in-law, the Rebbes of Bohush and Vasloi, with whom he shared a close kesher.
After marrying a daughter of Rav Chaim Uri Rosenberg, he built a home firmly rooted in Torah and chassidus.

There are books you read. And then there are books that read you.
Moments of Greatness by Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger is nothing short of a revelation. In a Jewish world blessed with countless story collections, this one stands in a league of its own — a towering masterpiece that doesn’t just inspire, it awakens.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Elazar Yonah Ginsberg zt”l, rov of Agudas Achim and a distinguished talmid chacham whose life was defined by avodas Hashem, ahavas haTorah, and a deep, personal connection with every member of his kehillah.
Rav Ginsberg was a son of Rav Tzvi Meir Ginsberg zt”l of the Agudas Harabbanim, a brother of the Chuster Rebbe of Boro Park, and a brother-in-law of the Skolya Rebbe of Boro Park.

All parents want the best for their children – that they should be good and upright, that they have everything they need for a fruitful, joyous life. The classic work, Shelah HaKadosh, contains a tefillah that parents should recite for their children at any time of the year – but especially before Rosh Chodesh Sivan, which is Sunday, for that is the month when Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave us the Torah, and when the Yidden began to be called His Children.
This year, it is preferable to recite it today, the day of Yom Kippur Koton for Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan.
As a public service, we offer the text of the tefillah for downloading.

On the eve of Chag HaShavuos, Rav Dov Landau issued an urgent and strongly worded letter to bnei yeshiva, addressing their role at this critical juncture and warning of government threats to conscript lomdei Torah.
With the state dragging its feet on passing a draft deferment law, Rav Landau expressed grave concern over attempts to forcibly draft yeshiva students — and threatened consequences should such efforts proceed.
“If they force yeshiva students to enlist,” Rav Landau wrote, “we will be compelled to take actions that we do not wish to take.”

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of the longtime spiritual leader of the Johannesburg, South Africa Sephardic kehillah, Rav Aviyahu Levy zt”l, at the age of 80, after a period of illness.
Rav Levy was born and raised in the Musrara neighborhood of Yerushalayim. A close disciple of Chacham Yehuda Tzadkah zt”l, the rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef, Rabbi Levy received semichah at a young age and was also deeply connected to the Baba Sali zt”l.

In a political snub just days before a critical vote in the committee for appointing dayanim, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu attempted to mediate between Likud Minister Dudi Amsalem and the heads of the chareidi and religious parties—Aryeh Deri (Shas), Moshe Gafni (Degel HaTorah), and Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism). But the effort failed, with all three leaders refusing Netanyahu’s invitation to meet, asserting that the process is already closed and that “you have no connection to it.”

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Mrs. Dina Bracha Dvorkes a”h, the wife of Rav Elyakum Dvorkes, one of Givat Ze’ev’s most prominent rabbonim and a widely recognized morah horaah. She was 74 years old.
Mrs. Dvorkes was born in Romania to her father, Reb Yehoshua Avraham z”l, and her mother, Esther a”h.

In a strongly worded response to what they see as an alarming trend, the roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh have launched a campaign against the increasingly lengthy “final meeting” between chassanim and kallos during the engagement period. The yeshiva leadership made their position clear at an urgent gathering with members of Vaad Beis (advanced bochurim in shidduchim), firmly drawing red lines regarding conduct between the engagement and the wedding.

For the first time since the devastating tragedy that struck the Karlin-Stolin community on Erev Shavuos four years ago, the chassidus is preparing to return to its grand beis medrash in Givat Ze’ev.
Massive renovation and safety efforts are currently underway to enable the building’s rededication in time for the upcoming Yom Tov of Shavuos.