There are bad ideas, and then there are utterly absurd, Torah-defying, and self-destructive ideas. The suggestion that a $100,000 “kehila tax” be imposed on any girl who gets married before some arbitrary age dictated by community leaders falls squarely into the latter category. Let’s get one thing straight: Marriage is not a luxury. It is a mitzvah. It is not something to be delayed at the whims of bureaucratic kehillah enforcers wielding tax sheets like a shidduch resume. This proposal is not only foolish—it is a direct attack on the very foundation of Klal Yisroel. A young couple chooses to follow halacha and build a Torah home—and you want to fine them for it?! You want to place a tax on a Torah-observant Jew for following the divinely-ordained structure of Klal Yisroel?

There was a community effort recently to count how many older single girls we have. I heard that it was approximately 3,000 over the age of 25, and the askanim stopped counting after they hit such a number. BMG accepts about 1,200 new bochurim a year. This means that if everyone coming to BMG married an older single it would take at least two years to solve the shidduch crisis. Anyone who believes cutting three months out the yeshiva system alone will solve these numbers is clearly not comprehending the scale of this issue. As having the yeshiva system shortened drastically is unrealistic, clearly, we need a way to delay younger girls from entering into shidduchim. There is an obvious issue in doing this.

The recent discussion about the cost of therapy highlights a painful reality in our community: so many people need therapy but simply can’t afford it. Unlike other medical needs, where large communal organizations step in to provide financial assistance, no such system exists for therapy—because, frankly, it would be too expensive. But that doesn’t mean we should throw up our hands and do nothing. Instead, we need to think about solutions that make therapy more affordable and accessible in a way that is actually sustainable. 1. Supporting Those Who Are Already Helping A close friend of mine—a highly respected individual with a demanding job, a growing family, and a strong commitment to learning—once took it upon himself to help people in his shul afford therapy.

Ever since the October 7th massacre, we’ve heard nonstop about the IDF’s intelligence failures—how they ignored warning signs, how they were unprepared, how Hamas caught them off guard. And yes, those failures are real, and they must be addressed. But what we almost never hear about is the person who led us to this moment, the man who made all of this possible: Ariel Sharon. It was Sharon, not the current government, who handed Gaza to Hamas on a silver platter. It was Sharon who ignored the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the IDF, and every security expert who warned him that a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza would turn it into a terror state. And it was Sharon who dismissed those warnings with a wave of his hand, convinced he knew better. And now?

As an administrator of a school located on 50th St. between 13th and 14th Avenues (there are 3 large schools on that block), I was intimately involved in the askonis over the last three days. We administrators were terrified of the protest taking place in front of our schools at the same time that we dismiss our students. There are over 1000 girls that are dismissed on this block on a given day. Upon the attention this event generated, the initial location grew very concerned and no longer wanted this event to take place at their facility. We were working closely with the Boro Park leaders and askonim, as well as daas Torah, and the difficult decision was made to cancel this event. Having said that, a new location, 14 blocks away was booked.

The conversation around mental health and insurance coverage cannot be allowed to fade into the background. Our community is suffering like never before, yet despite advancements in medicine and therapy, too many people are being left without access to the care they desperately need. For many, paying cash for essential mental health services is simply not an option—and yet, that is exactly what they are being asked to do. Imagine if general practitioners and pediatricians suddenly refused insurance, demanding cash payments for every visit. The public outcry would be deafening. Politicians, rabbanim, and askanim would rush to intervene. So why is it that when it comes to mental health, this same level of urgency is missing?

I was surprised to read the recent mailbag on YWN complaining about mental health providers not accepting insurance. The writer seems to suggest that private healthcare providers must take insurance, ignoring the reality of how the insurance industry operates. As a dentist, I know firsthand the headaches that come with insurance companies. Over the years, I’ve had to drop participation in certain plans due to constant denials and delayed payments. A Chassidic Rebbe once urged me to take lower-paying plans to help the community, and I have done my best. But the reality is that insurance companies prioritize profits—often at the expense of providers and patients alike. Many reimbursements haven’t increased in 30 years.

Dear Klal Yisroel, As we continue to watch the agonizing trickle of hostages being released—three here, four there—many of us have been davening for a complete and immediate redemption for our acheinu bais Yisroel who are suffering in captivity. We know that Hashem is the one who can bring them home, and sometimes He does so through unexpected avenues. Yesterday, we saw President Donald Trump declare that all the hostages should be freed by noon this coming Shabbos—or else. Could this be the shliach Hashem is using to bring about the miracle we’ve been yearning for? Maybe. Maybe not. But what we do know for certain is that Hashem listens to our tefillos and rewards our hishtadlus. This got me thinking—what if we, as one united Klal Yisroel, took on a collective zechus this Shabbos?

I am writing to address a disturbing and deeply troubling reality within our community—the unethical and exploitative practices of certain mental health professionals who refuse to accept insurance, forcing desperate patients to pay exorbitant out-of-pocket fees. While we frequently hear about the importance of mental health awareness, why do we not speak about the financial barriers that prevent people from accessing care? In nearly every other field of medicine, doctors work within the insurance system to ensure patients receive treatment without financial ruin. Yet, in our heimishe community, mental health providers actively avoid insurance, knowing full well that their patients—due to cultural and religious sensitivities—will not seek help outside the community.

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu, I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your tireless efforts over the past year and a half in working to secure the release of our precious hostages. We are aware of the countless hours and sleepless nights you dedicated to this critical endeavor, and we recognize how deeply you cared about this cause. Therefore, it was disheartening to hear the speeches of some released hostages and their families, listing individuals and groups to thank, yet omitting your name. It felt like a personal blow, a knife twisting in my heart. How could they not fully appreciate the extent of your behind-the-scenes efforts and the significant role you played in their liberation? It’s undeniable that your leadership was instrumental in securing their release.