Tishrei 5765 • October 2004 • VOL XXXVII/NO. 8 U.S.A. $3.50 (Outside NY area $3.95)/Foreign $4.50 CLICK HERE FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS THEJJewishewish OOBSERBSERVERVER Tishrei 5765 • October 2004 • VOL XXXVII/NO. 8 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021- 6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the America, 42 Broadway, New York, NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in Jewish Observer. The web edition contains only a selection of New York, NY. Subscription $24.00 per articles (indicated in COLOR). Click on the title to go to the year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside of the United States beginning of that article. Navigate using your browser’s menu (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single and other options. copy $3.50; foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway, NY, NY 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000, Fax: 6 The Essence of Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim, based on an 646-254-1600. Printed in the U.S.A. address by Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon a”jyls, RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR prepared for publication by Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum EDITORIAL BOARD RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Chairman SUKKOS INSPIRATION RABBI ABBA BRUDNY JOSEPH FRIEDENSON 9 Basking in the Clouds, Rabbi Yosef Levinson RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN 30 Eternal Fire, a poem by Shira LaLev PROF. AARON TWERSKI DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z”L RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z”L Founders 16 Nafla Eim B’Yisroel – A Mother Has Fallen in Israel: l”z MANAGEMENT BOARD Rebbetzin Pesha Leibowitz , Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg AVI FISHOF, NAFTOLI HIRSCH ISAAC KIRZNER, RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN Smoking Addiction – A New Perspective, Dr. Susan Schulman RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING 20 Managing Editor 24 The Treatment of Smoking Addiction, Dr. Robert Schulman Published by Agudath Israel of America 25 PostScript, Rabbi Abraham Twerski U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR ISRAELI REPRESENTATIVE Feldheim Publishers Intnl. Media Placement 200 Airport Executive Park POB 7195 / 97 Jaffa Road Nanuet, NY 10954 Jerusalem 94340, ISRAEL THE PINTELE YID BRITISH REPRESENTATIVE BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVE Lost and Found: Poignant Encounters, Chana Nestelbaum M.T. Bibelman Mr. E. Apter 28 Grosvenor Works Lange Kievitstr. 29 Mount Pleasant Hill 2018 Antwerp 32 A Donkey in Manhattan, Sarah Shapiro London E5 9NE, ENGLAND BELGIUM FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE SOUTH AFRICAN 35 Sheva Berachos in Ein Harod, Yonoson Rosenblum Rabbi Bamberger REPRESENTATIVE 21 Boulevard Paixhans Mr. V. Taback 57000 Metz PO Box 51552, FRANCE Raedene, Johannesburg 2124 SOUTH AFRICA FOCUS ON TEFILLA SWISS REPRESENTATIVE Mr. S. Feldinger 37 Heavenly Prayer, Rabbi Yaakov Salomon Leimanstrasse 36 4051 Basel, SWITZERLAND 40 Reader’s Forum on: Tefilla,Worthy of Our Effort...As Ever THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the 44 A Response to a Letter, by Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus l”xz Kashrus of any product, publication, or service advertised in its pages BOOKS-IN-REVIEW © Copyright 2004 45 Rav Pam, by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, reviewed by Rabbi Matis Blum October 2004 VOLUME XXXVII/NO. 8 SUBSCRIBE TO THE JEWISH OBSERVER! CLICK HERE. Based on an address by weighed down by a burdensome weight of itself, not a weight nor a hindrance. Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon strapped to one’s back. It is rather a facilitator, which enables a a”jyls, Mashgiach Ruchani This is not the case at all. Jew to perform his obligations with hap- of Beth Medrash Govoha, Ol means yoke. It is decidedly not a piness and enthusiasm. Lakewood NJ, translated and massa,which denotes weight. It is rather Kabbalas ol Malchus Shamayim is find- adapted for publication by an instrument, a medium by which one ing the instrument, the incentive that Avrohom Birnbaum enables himself to easily perform Torah makes it more comfortable and more very time we recite Krias Shema, and mitzvos. enjoyable to bear and fully observe Torah we are mekabel ol Malchus Ol Malchus Shamayim,explains the u’mitzvos. EShamayim.The simple translation Zohar (cited in Nefesh HaChaim), is akin This definition of ol Malchus of these words is “accepting upon one- to the standard ol – the yoke of an ox. Shamayim as being the requisite, per- self the yoke of the Kingdom of The yoke itself is not heavy at all. Rather, sonalized incentive of every Jew is Heaven.” Without ol Malchus Sham-ayim, it is something fashioned to conform to described by the Rambam in his mitzvos have no meaning, and one has the shape of the animal’s shoulders and Commentary on Mishnayos.No one, the totally missed his calling as a Jew. The to fit comfortably, allowing it to pull a Rambam explains, learns Torah and per- term ol Malchus Shamayim,however,is great load with ease and with a minimum forms mitzvos by natural instinct. When commonly misunderstood to mean a of strain. If the load is attached by being a child begins to learn, he does not imme- great burden, the crushing weight of strapped to the body of the animal with- diately experience the sweetness of Malchus Shamayim.This weight may be out a yoke, the animal can pull almost Torah. He needs incentives to motivate important, even critical, so the thinking nothing. With it, it can pull a great deal. him to learn….” You promise him goes, but it is heavy and difficult to carry, Ol Malchus Shamayim is the same. It sweets and delicacies when he is young, nonetheless. is the means by which a person enables to motivate him to learn. As one gets In fact, we conjure up an image of a himself to use his natural strengths and older, the incentives are adjusted accord- heavy, onerous load, visualizing being abilities in the service of the Creator, with ingly, first with new clothes, then money, a maximum of ease and a minimum of then honor, etc… choosing the optimum Rabbi Birnbaum, an educator living in Lakewood, is a columnist for Hamodia and a fre- difficulty. way to educate a child in Torah quent contributor to these pages. Thus, ol Malchus Shamayim is, in and (lechat’chila).” 6 The Jewish Observer, October 2004 This, the Rambam explains, is what me a large inheritance. I never had the to learn Torah when he originally Chazal mean when they say, “Le’olam opportunity to learn and I would like approached Rav Yochanan. ya’asok adam beTorah ubemitzvos afilu to give the beautiful, expensive items Nevertheless, he – and Rav Yochanan – shelo lishma shemitoch shelo lishma ba and clothing to talmidei chachamim.” recognized that he was a human being lishma – A person should always engage Rav Yochanan gave the entire fortune with human weaknesses who needed in Torah study, even if his motives aren’t to his talmid,“Rav Yosi the Wealthy.” incentives, a “yoke” to make it easier for pure, for from this he will eventually From then on, he was called “Rav Yosi him, to properly bind the “load” of Torah study with pure motives.” The empha- ben Pazi (paz means gold).” and mitzvos to him, to make it enjoy- sis is on the word le’olam – always, After Rav Yosi received the riches, able and pleasant. From there, he pro- because there is always a need for he engaged in learning Torah be’sim- gressed from one level to the next, until incentive to learn. The incentives could cha,with joy. He completely immersed he finally attained true yiras Hashem, and should change over a person’s life- himself in the depth of the Torah, pro- wanting to fulfill Hashem’s desire with time, but an incentive is needed to ensure gressing to increasingly higher levels no ulterior motive. limud Hatorah and mitzvah observance of knowledge. with joy and enthusiasm. One cannot After discovering that the beauty and GROWTH THROUGH MOTIVATORS attain the level of performing Torah and wealth of Torah was far greater than mitzvos lishma without first traversing glittering gold and silver, Rav Yosi ben hat this means for us in prac- the exigencies of shelo lishma. Pazi was overcome by a feeling of pro- tical terms is that when we These shelo lishma incentives men- found regret. “Woe is to me,” he said, Waccept upon ourselves ol tioned by the Rambam are precisely the “that I disregarded eternal life in Malchus Shamayim,we must invest yoke, the ol,ofMalchus Shamayim.As favor of temporal life.”He went to Rav effort in thinking of motivations and an ol is something designed to make our Yochanan and said, “I do not want to incentives that would make it easier and avodas Hashem easier and more enjoy- engage in Torah study in order to attain more enjoyable for us to serve Hashem. able, proper incentives perform that very riches. I only want to learn to glorify In truth, many of us understand this function. the name of Hashem!’ concept when it comes to educating our Clearly, the ultimate goal is that one’s Rav Yosi then took all of the rich- children. Clearly, a child needs an ol Malchus Shamayim is composed of his es that he had received and distributed incentive to learn. With regard to our- pure yiras Shamayim.But first and fore- them to the poor. He now recognized selves, however, we often act as if we think most, the ol must be something that the truth. This is why he is called Rav that we have already reached the exalt- makes it easier to fulfill our obligations Yosi ben Pazi throughout the Talmud. ed spiritual level whereby we do not to Hashem.