TEVES, 5743 /DECEMBER, 1982 VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 7 E IS $2.00

THE EIGHTH COMPLETION Of THE SHQS byDAFYOMI ...you say the sweetest things. . Whateversweetthingsyou'd //7};;,5-; - '\ want to try every like to say to those you love /;:"~/~r variety of Schmerling' s. the most, say it with · Our milk chocolates Swiss chocolates- . \ .._ -'--'· ar~ Cholov the finest in the -: . _ · -- ROs£;;>;:1<;< Y1srael, and world. Taste the creamy --="::__ ' --- all Schmerling's richness of Schmerling' s Choco Blanc, products maintain orthe subtle de! icacy of pareve the highest standards of Noblesse Semi-Sweet. You'll kashruth and qua Iity.

IMPORTED BYT MM 10V FCXllJS INC. . N Y 1122.1 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615) is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath of America, 5 Beekman Street, New York, N.Y. 10038. Second class postage paid in this issue . • • at New York, N.Y. Subscription $15.00 per year; two years, $27.00; three years, $36.00; out­ The Eighth Completion of by Oaf Yomi ...... 4 side of the , US The : A Celebration of the Study of , ... 6 funds only. $20.00 in U.K. and Oaf Yomi in the Lodz Ghetto, Menachem G. Israel. Single copy, $2.00. In the Vilna Ghetto, Yosef Fuchsman ...... 9 Printed in the U.S.A. Excerpts of the Addresses ...... 10

RABBI N1ssoN W0Lr1N "And You Shall Delve Into it Day and Night,'' Editor a photographic essay by Gershon Meyers •••••.•.•..... 18 Diary of a Oaf Yomi "Maggid " ...... 20 Editorial Board OR. ERNST BODENHEIMER The Last Day of a Tzaddik: Chairman , ;i::i1::i'7 P'"l::> 1::i1, RABBI NATHAN BULMAN translated from "Meir B'Ahava" RAee1 JosEPH EuAs by Rabbi Chaim Uri Lipschitz ...... 22 JosrrH FRIEDENSON RABBI The Crisis Is Now, Aaron M. Brafman ...... 26 Management Board Three Cheers For Turbulence "LeShem Shomayim," NAFTOU HIRSCH S. bat ....•...... •....•...•..•. 32 KtRZNER NACHUM STEIN My Cousin Anatoly, a poem by Shira Shapiro ...... 37

Business Manager Rabbi Leib Gurwitz, '7''::>1 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 38 PESACH H. KONSTAM They Don't Make "Mems" the Way They Used To, Shoshana Perr ...... •••.•••..•...... 39 THE Jrw!SH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Postscript Kashrus of any product or ser­ vice advertised in its pages. The Bialystoker Memorial Book ,Chaim Shapiro ...... 40 To Keep Teachers From Disappearing ...... 43 ©Copyright 1982

DEC. 1982, VOL. XVI, NO. 7 Cover photographs: Nachman Wolfson TEVES, 5743 Photocredits for montage on page 5, beginning top left, procaadingc/ockwise: Nachman Wolfson; Mosha Friedman: N. Wolfson (Rabbi Kamenetzky with Rabbi Simcha B. Ehrsnfeld-Matersdorfer )"; N. Wolfson (Rabbi Levi Y. Horowltz-Bostonsr Rsbbe, Rabbi Hansch Lsbowitz-Y. Chafetz Chaim, Rabbi Avraham Pam-Mssivta Vodaath); N. Wolfson (Rabbi Aaron Schachtar-Y. Chaim Bar/in, Rabbi Sh raga Grossbard-Chinuch Atzmal, Rabbi Moshe Sherar-Agudath /sraal, Rabbi Pinchas Teitz-Elizabeth, Rabbi YaakovPerlow-Novominsksr , Rabbi ElyaSvei-PhlladelphiaJ: Yossi Mela mad; N. Wolfson (Rabbi Moshe Horowitz-Bo.stoner Rebbe); center, N. Wolfson. • Those who addressed the Siyum are Identified elsewhere. THE EIGHTH COMPLETION Of THE SHOS byDAFYOMI

This past month, thousands of all over the world Hashana, 5684 with the study of Bera(hos 2 and celebrated Siyum HaSlzas-completing the entirety of the thousands of his followers did likewise, as did hundreds Babylonian Talmud. There was a time when this was a of thousands of Jews everywhere. rare achievement, only a distant dream for most Jews. Seven years later, on 15 , 1931, the entire Close to sixty years ago, however, this changed with the Talmud was completed by Dal Yomi participants for the introduction of the Oaf Yomi study program, whereby first time. Seeing that the project was not impossible, Jews in countless communities around the globe em­ more and more Jews joined the Oaf Yomi. By the time barked on a systematic study of Gemora at the rate of one the Talmud was completed for the second time in 1938, daf (two sides of a page) per day, completing 2711 dafim of it was estimated that over a million Jews were studying Shas in approximately seven and a half years. the Talmud in accordance with the Oaf Yomi.

"'

The idea was proposed at the Knessia Gedolah Tragically, the vast majority of these dedicated Jews (International Congress) of Agudath Israel by a young perished under the Nazis. Some persisted in their regu­ man-only 37 at the time-Rabbi Meir Shapiro, then lar pursuit of the Oaf Yomi regimen even in the Valley the Rav of the Galician town of Sunik (later, Rav of of Death. Remarkably, in 1946, a few survivors com­ ). Warmly received, it succeeded in uniting Jews pleted a third cycle. The Torah giants of that time gave of all walks of life by one of the primary features that tremendous encouragement to Jews all over the world marks us Jews as a distinctive people--. to begin a fourth cycle. Since then, four more cycles Any skepticism about the broad success of the plan have been completed. But it was Oaf Yomi during these was dispelled when the Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom years under Nazi oppression that was most memorable. Mordechai Alter ~"~!, began the New Year, Rosh We quote here from two accounts of such heroic study.

4

The Eighth Completion of the A Celebration of the Study of Talmud

It was an animated blatt Gemora, bound with its key forgetting limitations of lime, here lo head this undertaking Meforshim (commentaries). It was a full Shas come to life. dedicated lo the dissemination of Torah. It brought to mind Rabbi Meir Shapiro's metaphoric On Sunday afternoon, 28 Marcheshvan/November description of Torah sheb'al Peh in its broadest in­ 14, the global ingathering that is bound between the terpretation: covers of a Gemora became a tangible reality, represented When /first thought of the idea of Daf Yomi, it suggested a by Jews of German, Hungarian, Galician, Lithuanian, unifying symbol for the broad cross-section of Jewry such as Polish, Russian heritage ... of Chassidic, Misnagdish, represented here at this second Knessia Gedolah (, Yeshivish, Sefardi traditions ... and Jews whose fami­ 192 9}, fews of all walks of life, all streams, all manners and lies have lived in America or Israel too long to identify customs. The Gemora relates how Adam Harishon was with any previous "last stop" ... thousands of Jews, who created: His head was formed from the earth of Erelz Yisroel, participated in the Siyum Celebration, marking the his body from Babylon, the rest of his limbs from the other completion of the entire Shas, following the Oaf Yomi lands of the Earth. G-d refrained from molding the father of folio-a-day schedule for the eighth time since its in­ mankind from the dust of one specific area to avoid endowing ception. him with a one-sided personality. There was a special tingle of anticipation as, on high­ So has ii been in the recording of the Oral : its ways all over the New York Metropolitan area, cars head-the Mishna-was compiled in the Holy Land; its crowded with hatted or beyarmulked passengers rec­ body-the Talmud-was written in Babylon; the rest of its ognized fellow pilgrims bound for a common destina­ limbs-the commentaries and codes of , Rambam, the tion-part of the stream of thousands of celebrants, Tosfos, Maharsha, and Maharam-were each composed in joining thousands more that were surging forth from different lands: the Provence, Spain and Egypt, France, Hun­ subway exits, converging on the Eighth Avenue en­ gary, and . trance to 's Felt Forum. Here, too, with us today are representatives of various The dialogues, the debates, the over-riding harmony national groups, all united with one overriding ambition of Torah sheb'al Peh-it all seemed to be streaming into the strengthening and enhancing Torah. Students and laymen led Felt Forum, filling its multi-tiered rows of seats that by venerabe sages who are ignoring consideration of health, fanned out to a wide arch, focusing on a curtained "'""+ryy\,,,,,

Part of the overflow crowd outside Madison Square Garden.

6 The Jewish Observer/December, I 982 The vast crowd in the Garden's Felt Forum. platform ... thousands more that followed, facing among the Cherubim ... ' (Berachos 49b). Replied the closed doors, yet staying on hoping for a chance that youngster: 'The more Jews present, the more one feels another seat might be found within; some latecomers the Shechina.' Today, thousands of Jews are gathered for settling begrudgingly for a place by one of the loud­ no reason other than to honor the Torah. How close we speakers stationed outside. feel to our Creator!" Meanwhile, maggidei shiur, prominent rabbonim, Chas­ sidic leaders, leading Roshei , and patriarchal Mincha figures took their places on the curtained platform. "I was dizzy with excitement, just sitting in the audito­ Have you ever davened Mincha together with fivt' rium," commented one veteran Oaf Yomi student." And thousand people? The energy in the Garden, a setting then the curtains parted and revealed the stage. What a usually reserved for boxing matches and rock concerts, sight! What a panorama of Jewish greatness!" was almost tangible. Ten thousand feet arched upward Similarly, one well-known Rav later remarked, "When in unison, as ten thousand mouths cried "Kadosh, kadosh, the curtains opened, the view from the dais of the vast kadosh" together in a sacred thundering of glory. A man crowd, stretching from wall-to-wall, from the foot of nearby took note of this anomaly and quoted the pas­ the stage all the way up to the eaves, gathered for the sage from the Talmud: "Theaters and circuses are des­ sole purpose of giving honor to limud HaTorah-it was tined to be converted into and halls of absolutely breathtaking!" Torah study." Others, too, must have sensed the his­ In the words of Rabbi Shimon Schwab, Rav of K'hal toric nature of this lefilla for there was a remarkable Adath Jeshurun, "I once asked a Yemenite boy in Erelz hush in the arena throughout the repeating of the Yisroel why an additional reference to G-d is required for Shmoneh Esrei-especially remarkable in view of the size every addition to Jews participating in Zimun. For of the congregation. instance, when a thousand Jews recite Grace together, they open with: 'Blessed be HaShem, G-d of Israel.' The afternoon was opened by Rabbi Chaskel Besser, When ten thousand are present, they begin: 'Blessed be chairman of the Oaf Yomi Commission of Agudath HaShem, G-d of Israel, L-rd of Hosts, who dwells Israel of America, which sponsored this event.

The Jewish Obsenier/Decembrr, 1982 7

1 Oaf Yomi in the Lodz Ghetto another, maintaining our curriculum, until .we had by Menachem G. exhausted our complete storehouse of the Oral Law ... and we started all over again. Torah must not be forgot• We also studied Daf Yomi in the Lodz Ghetto, even ten from Israel. when we were starving for food, thoroughly crushed in body and spirit. But that should not be surprising. That Immediately after the German defeat, .we were blalt Gemora, which we studied in secret every night, was determined to start our Daf Yorni study again.Hanover our primary source of nourishment, both physically and Labor Camp was close. to Bergen·Belsen, so several spiritually. fellows made the trip to Bergen·Belsen and came back Our meeting place was on Bzezhiner Street 7, in one with Gemaros. The Nazis .had saved.several complete sets of the crowded ghetto houses-the home of Reb of Shas to use in their nefarious charges againstthe Jews. Yechiel, a Gerrer Chassid, which doubled as a shtiebel. This To us the discovery of the Gemaros was like finding a was our shelter where we retreated from our troubles. great treasure. And so we regrouped and with the aid of photostats Late hours, when our tiny supper had long demon· . j strated its inadequacy for satisfying our hunger pangs, of the Nazi's "evidence of Jewish depravity," we began we'd repair to the wellsprings of Torah. Slowly, avoid­ our Daf Yomi schedule again. ing detection, we would steal our way in ... one by one. In short, we witnessed fulfillment of Gcd~s vow: "My The terrifying fear of discovery by the Kripo IKriminal Torah will not be forgotten from the mouths of your Polizei) made no caution seem excessive, seed . ..." It might seem strange that our oppressors who planned to destroy the entire ghetto should at all be concerned that we not daven or study Torah. But that's Daf Yomi in theVilna Ghetto: the way it was. One of .the Kripo chiefs was Sotar, .a ' Volksdeutsche who had grown up among Jews. He was Beatings and Bravery l fluent in and was thoroughly familiar with Jew­ by Yosef Fuchsman .i ish traditions and habits. As a child raised in poverty, he l 4 had been the Shabbos Goy for the Alexander Rebbe. Now, In October, 1942, the new decrees were posted in in a seat of power, he was a special advisor on Jewish three different languages: Polish, Lithuanian and ­ -~ affairs, and distinguished himself in his cunning at man, signed by the German. Commissar Wolfe. Their . , penetrating Jewish secret activities and in his brutality gist was that in order to reduce epidemics of contagious in inflicting punishment on those who broke "the Law." diseases, all public places of worship would be dosed until further notice. · Discovery by Sotar was our biggest fear. He once came within a hairsbreadth of finding us at tefilla, but at AfterYomim Noraim, a new poster appeared, notifying the last minute. someone tipped us off and. we. slipped us of the dosing of all balti midroshim, kloize11 and other out and fled for our lives. But that did not stop us from such informal places of study and tefilla .. The doors. of all convening our regular 9 to 11 p.m. Daf Yomi shiur the gathering places were locked and sealed bythe militia.of next night .... Among our participants was Reb Zalman the . Meir, a Chassid, who gave us tremendous.encour­ But one group refused to give upon meeting to study . agement with his sichos (Chassidic talks) and stories. Daf Yomi. It was on the seventh of Cheshva:n, the ninth Yahrzeil of Reb Meir Shapiro ~":It, when· .these Daf Ours was not the only group in our ghetto where Yomi'niks (as they were called) made up their minds Torah was studied. On Marshiner Street, a.secret group that come what may, the dafwould be studied in publlc. of Gerrer Chassidim avoided forced labor altogether and So in "Yegiche's Kloiz" the group convened, learned the devoted their entire days to studying Torah and Chassi­ daf, and after Mint ha said for the departed soul of dus. They surely kept track of the Daf Yomi Calendar. the Gaon of Lublin, Rabbi Shapiro. Suddenly, a conting• As you can guess, our group did not last. In. 5704 ent of eight militia men broke in and started swinging (September 1944), our Chevra broke up and we were rubber billysticks. Some of the Jews fled for their lives, scattered. The road from Lodz led directly to Ausch­ but fifteen Slonimer Chassidim were determined to witz, where our group was destroyed-for a while. At stick it out and refused to leave the Kloiz; they were the very outset, we were without a remnant of seforim or going to review the day's blalt. Blood flowed, clothes sacred objects. The Auschwitz Selektzia assigned me to were ripped, and a few of the men were forcibly evicted. slave labor in a synthetic rubber factory in Hanover, Two who were most severely beaten were not Slo­ where a few of us tried to reestablish our seder. nimer-Chaim Smiatitzki, a poet, and the community After our long day's work, a small group of us activist, Zelig Kalmanowitz. gathered together in a comer of our barracks. Without The Oaf Yomi participants (may their memorv be a or Gemora, we studied by heart. Everyone of us blessing) all perished in the death camps of World War remembered a few Mishnas from different parts of Shas, II, but their dedication.to Oaf Yomi remains a living so one af a time we contributed our knowledge to one inspiration to us, the survivors. ,

The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 9 ' THE ADDRESSES excerpts transcribed and translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan An air of expectation charged the auditorium as the speakers took their turns to address the Siyum, each representing a different face of Torah greatness, each tracing his own personal involvement with Oaf Yomi, each offering his own insights into the Oaf Yomi program's challenges, the opportunities it offers, and making suggestions as how to make the most of them. Rabbi Yisroel Spira, the vener­ great world of Torah Jewry before able Bluzhover Rebbe K"l.1'711', re­ the destruction, the destruction of called the excitement generated by World War II, and an inspiring re­ Rabbi Meir Shapiro when he pres­ naissance since the war. Today, we ented the Oaf Yomi plan to the find people studying Daf Yomi in Knessia Gedolah in Vienna. He went offices, with tape recorders, and on to say: even with computerized telephone Dedicated study of the Tal­ hookups ... something the origina­ mud, such as represented by tor of the Daf Yomi never would this vast gathering, has the have imagined. power to banish all evil decrees A person who adheres to a Daf against the Jews. In spite of the Yomi has three important advan­ great destruction of world tages: Jewry in World War II ( of 1. He is engaged in study along which the Rebbe is a survivor), with thousands of others. The the Oaf Yomi has endured. Talmud states that when a Today, a vast number of Jews person performs a good deed study the designated page of as part of a large group, his Talmud every day-and we merit-even as an individual­ will do so until the coming of is greater than it would be the Moshiach. otherwise. 2. He quite literally accepts upon Rabbi Shimon Schwab, K"t:l•'itu Rav himself the yoke of the Torah. of K'hal Adath Jeshurun: Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakana I recall my father's excitement taught, "Whoever accepts the when he returned from the first yoke of Torah is exempted Knessia Gedolah in Vienna and told from the yoke of government us about the Oaf Yomi. It struck and of worldliness." some people as too visionary, too 3. Harboring no motives of earn­ ambitious, but when Reb Meir Sha­ ing recognition or a degree, he piro visited and spoke studies Torah for its own sake about Oaf Yomi, his inspiring en­ !lish'mah}. thusiasm was absolutely infec­ tious .... The teaches that Noach, Rabbi K"t:'.l''ill', Daniel and lyov are mentioned to­ Rosh Ha Yeshiva of Teishe, Wick­ gether in a single verse (Ezekiel liffe, Ohio: 14:14) because all three saw "three One of the important advantages worlds"-a functioning world, a of the Daf Yomi is that it involves a world destroyed, and a world rebuilt continuous course of study-with­ (Aggadath Bmshilh 10). In a sense, the out interruption. Daf Yomi people DafYomi also saw three worlds-the complete their scheduled page without missing a single day, study­ RABBI KAPLAN is a well-known author and trans­ ing even on Yorn Kippur, , lator of many dassicai works on Torah and , Simchas Torah, and Motzaei Tisha including Me'am Loez., The Torah Anthology. B'Av.

Thr Jeuiish Ohsen 1cr!Duember, 1982

,, The Talmud tells how Rabbi Akiva Rabbi YekusieI Yehudah Halber­ part of the Daf Yomi. When I em­ left his wife for twelve years to stam, The Zanz-Kiausenberger barked on it, I was already advanced study Torah. When he returned Reh be N"e~'itu: in age, and now it has proven to be a home, he was just outside the door A great sage taught, "Just as it is good segulah for me, as it is taught, and heard her remark to a neighbor, an obligation to put on tefil/in every "When one begins something, he is "I would be happy if he would con­ day, so it is an obligation to study told to complete it." tinue studying for another twelve Torah every day" (Vavei Amudim). Many yeshiva students feel that years." He immediately returned to The discipline of the Daf Yomi as­ Daf Yomi does not apply to them. I his studies. The Telzer Rav, Rabbi sures one of this. would like to inform them that it is Yoseif Leib Bloch, 7"~1, asked why Normally, the Daf Yomi consists of possible to learn through the entire Rabbi Akiva did not come in and the study of Gemora with Rashi's Talmud, but one must work hard at visit with his wife before returning commentary. However, one who is it, and the earlier one begins, the to yeshiva. In reply, he explained more learned should complete the better are his chances for success. T osafos, as well. that studying Torah for two succes­ Of course, a yeshiva student When the Daf Yomi was initiated sive periods of twelve years each is should not study Daf Yomi at the sixty years ago, some Torah leaders not the same as studying Torah for expense of his regular yeshiva cur­ opposed it on various grounds. But a continuous, uninterrupted twen­ riculum. However, every student we see that HaShem has endowed ty-four year period. can take a half hour a day to go this project with success, until today Daf Yomi does not consist of a ran­ through the Gemora. At first, he may we find tens of thousands of Jews dom collection of days, but must be gain only the barest glimmer of studying Talmud primarily with the seven continuous years of Torah understanding, and studying Oral Daf Yomi. We must express gratitude study-day in, day out. If one con­ Law calls for comprehension. With to Agudath Israel for serving as host experience, however, his under­ tinues Oaf Yomi from one cycle on to to this project, from its inception the next, an entire life of uninter­ standing will grow. Eventually, in through this very day. In seven rupted Torah results .... this half hour period, he will be able years from now, may we all be In Birchas HaTorah, we say to completely understand the simple together to complete Shas again-in meaning of what he is studying. iiiin 'i::li::l pioy'i- the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim, " ... to engage in Torah study," as together with Moshiach. Learning much Gemora in itself one engages in business. A highly enhances one's understanding. If successful businessman once com­ Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky K"e'7tu: one completes Shas the first time mented that he achieved his success Although I had completed Shas only with Rashi, the second time because he was totally immersed in other times before this-even once through, he will be able to complete his business; nothing else could in­ in a lecture to working people, this is it with Tosafos. Besides increasing his terfere with it. If that is the re­ the first time that I ever personally knowledge, the person who partici­ quirement in mundane pursuits, went through the Daf Yomi from pates in the Daf Yomi also has the how much more so is it true in the beginning to end. For me, it is a spe­ advantage of sharing in the merit of study of Torah! cial joy to complete the Talmud as the entire Jewish people. hi "" I

'' Aftermath -1- ... the siyum, which had 1,000 people in ... Chi­ 0verheard on the "F" train: a thousand participants, including cago . . Los An­ "Imagine. Finishing Shas by the Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller of Telshe, geles-across the continent, circling time I'm twenty-two!'' . the world with Oaf Yomi. "Sure. You're fifteen now. I'd guess that it should take more than a half hour a day, but if you stick with it, you could make a Siyum HaShas by the time you're married."

Aftermath -2- 0verheard in the crowd outside the Garden at 3:20 p.m.: Guard I: Whee-yoo! Sure is good to outside for a minute. Hey! I left my jacket inside! Guard 2: Big deal! It's not cold out. Guard I: But I had my money in t ' the inside pocket; I better get back. Guard 2: Don't bother. With this crowd, you've got nothing to worry about.

Aftermath -3- The Felt Forum in was not the only place where the Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas was celebrated. YAD ELIYAHU: Rabbi Shach spraking. From left: Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Slonimer Rebbe, K/ausenberger Rebbe, Hundreds-perhaps thousands-of Belzer Rebbe al far right. shiurim all around the world con­ vened siyumim of their own. Out­ standing was a gathering in the Yad Eliyahu stadium outside , which attracted close to 20,000 peo­ ple, with the participation of such Gedo lei Torah as the Ponevezher Rabbi Elazar Schach, the Viznitzer Rebbe, and the Zanz/ Klausenberger Rebbe ... The over­ flow crowd at the Binyanei HaUma in , addressed by Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter (Gerrer Rosh Yeshiva), Rabbi , Rabbi Yehuda Zedakah (P~rat Yoseif), among others-at w1uch a number of people who had completed Oaf Yomi for the eighth time were honored ... . Zurich ... 1,000 people in , addressed by the Mora D'Asra Rabbi and by Rabbi Hirschsprung of . 's siyum, at which 1400 joined in a Seudas and heard drashos from a number of outstand­ ing British Torah leaders as well as Rabbi Pinchas Teitz (Elizabeth, NJ) The vast crowd al the Siyum Hashas in Yerushalayim

12 Dais al the London Oaf Hayomi Siyum

A partial view of the vast gathering at the Daf Hayomi Siyum in London. J\NT\VERP: Rab/Ji Hirschprung addressing.

Aftermath -4- mencement of Shas was indeed a Kid­ I wanted to let you know that The interest generated by the dush Hashem indicating to the world there is now (in fact as of Masechet publicity surrounding the siyum has that we are the ''Am HaSefer." Tamid) a Oaf Yomi Shiur in Provi­ inspired a number of new shiurim, BEREL TEITELBAUM dence, delivered by myself. We cur­ and brought about a vast increase in Brooklyn, NY rently have five regular participants participation in exisiting shirurim. with the promise of growth in the Some of this has been expressed in The number of Oaf Yomi Shiurim future. We-myself as well as the newspaper and bulletin comments has proliferated-at least by our members of the shiur-are looking as well as letters to the Oaf Yomi standards-here in Chicago. to celebrating this historic Commission of Agudath Israel. We number has jumped from one just a event together with you on Nov­ quote from some of the letters: few months ago to five. The Agudah ember 14. I have just returned from the has begun a new Oaf Yomi Shiur Siyum HaShas at Madison Square itself which meets in the Agudah (Rabbi) MOSHE MILLER, Garden. The huge crowd that as­ Center each evening. sembled for no other purpose but to (Rabbi) YITZCHOK BIDER Principal celebrate the completion and com- Chicago, Ill. Providence, R.I. Hebrew Day School

The Jewish Obsenxr!Dcrrmlier, 1982 l3 '

I

O~ JeMI at the Felt ftlt'l.tm melmlte ead of rHWflll and 11 half yean of 'falrlla4k •tudy. Jtabbl y-.1e1 Yellwh ffatbentflm 9f Union City, N.S., waa • apealwr.

Thousands Mark Talmudic Milestone

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- Aftermath -5- ing how much space to allow in the kills ... Daf Yomi has become so pop· separate area for women, then res­ ular that it is featured as a regular Oaf Yomi ervations could have been offered to activity of the Hotel. During certain determine a definite number of peak weeks of the summer we get as Dear Rabbi Besser, women planning to attend. much as 40-50 people participating. As chairman of the Dal Yomi On Shabbo; we have to set up over a Commission, I would like to extend Men do not learn Daf Yomi so that hundred chairs. to you a hearty Yeasher and others will commend them and AHARON ZIEGLER Maze I T ov on the occasion of Siyum women do not encourage their hus­ Brooklyn, NY HaSha; . . I realize that a tremend­ bands so that they will be lauded. ous amount of planning and thought However, the gathering at Felt (Western Union) go into such a program and I have no Forum will undoubtedly encourage PLEASE SEND INFORMATION ABOUT doubt that it will be a memorable the men presently engaged in Daf DAF HAYOMI ... WANT TO STUDY event. Yomi programs and serve as encour­ TORAH, BUT LIVE JN NORTH CAROL­ I was gravely disappointed to dis­ agement for others to join this INA. CAN THIS BE DONE BY COR­ cover that this mass celebration was unique program. Women need en­ RESPONDENCE??? being limited to men only. The Gem­ couragement, as well. CHAIM TEVYE CHOLMETSKY ora asks, "How do women merit? In As the wife of a MaggidShiurin Daf Raleigh, No. Carolina that they send out their husbands Yomi (and a mother of young child­ In of two and sons to the Beis Midrash to ren), I felt terribly slighted to see weeks ago, I read with great interest learn Torah." If there are men who that I was excluded from such a his· the story about the "Dial a Daf" ser­ learn Gernora daily-with a chavrusah toric event. I take great pride in my vice of the Torah Communications or as part of a there are husband's learning and just as I Shiur, if Network. Could I trouble you to Maggidei Shiur who not only give a would expect to be present at an advise as to whether I may use the Shiur but also spend time in its prep­ event marking his professional telephone service long-distance from aration, then there are women be­ achievement, so too, so much more Ohio? hind the scenes who encourage these so, I would want to participate in DOUGLAS SAVAGE men to learn. If there are men who this Simcha. Springfield, Ohio spend time away from their homes I am sure that I write in behalf of and families learning Torah, then other women, as well, who not only Could you then send me your ther are women who sit home and have a share in their husband's new seven year calendar? ... A little take care of that home and of the learning, but are the catalysts who more information about myself-I children to ensure that the men can allow that learning to take place. have the Soncino Talmud in English learn. Whether the limud of the daf I hope that Agudah will realize and while I read sporadically in it, I takes place early in the morning their mistake and I look forward to feel with your calendar, daily read­ (when it is then the sole job of the the next Siyum HaSha; when I will sit ing will become a habit. woman to dress, feed, and send all with othe; women like myself at a A BRAHAM I. TUCKER the children off to school) or whe­ Mass Torah Gathering and receive Albequerque, Neu1 Mexico ther the learning is in the evening Chizuk from Gedolim for all that we do I intend B"H starting the Daf (when it is then the sole job of the in behalf on Torah. Yomi Program. Would be glad if you woman to do homework and send (Mrs.) LIBBY SCHWARTZ could send me s'dorim for future all the children off to bed) a Ire· Brooklyn, NY years, and any other relevant cor­ mendous share of that learning goes respondence. to the woman. When a Siyum Ha· The next Siyum HaSha; will take STEPHAN BENNET WEINER Shas takes place (once in 7 years!!) place in Yerushalayim, where the Johannesburg, S. Africa surely the women who are ozros to largest facilities available will be their husbands join in the Simcha. To used. Barring Moshiach's arrival Now, that we finished Shas we exclude women from such an event until then, 1"0, Agudath Israel of don't chasvishalom go out in the purposely is a tremendous affront. America has reserved the main arena street and do bad, but we go back to Perhaps there are some who will in Madison Square Garden on Sun­ the Misechta of Brachos and start say that iiC~Jn l~C n: iiii:~ ~= it is a day, April 22, 1990, to celebrate the again ... So by your Gimurus, and woman's place to be betznius and out Ninth Siyum. A special section is go into that shul. One page (blatt) a of the public eye. However,if women being set aside for women. day, that is it. It is Pery easy. It will take were excluded from this event on The Editor pretty short (7Y, yrs.) ... So learn that basis, women have no place in every day one blatt. Let's go now!! shul either! During the summer months I am P.S. Learn very Gishmack! If women were excluded due to the Maggid Sliiur at the large and CHANOCH HENACH GJNZBERG the technical difficulty of not know- prestigious ---Hotel in the Cats- (91/2 years old, Yeshiva Karlin-Stalin)

The Jewish Obsrn>rr/Durml1er. 1982 15 Innovative ideas have come to the known, pointed to more than the end of izing this monumental event and we fore-not the least of them Dial-A­ a course of study. The study instills love congratulate the scores of thousands of Daf, whereby subscribers can call in for the Talmudic way of reasoning, Jews worldwide who participate in the with their access number and listen creates a spiritual discipline and inspires Oaf Yomi project. devotion. Locally, while we might not be able to to a pre-recorded shiur of the day's fill Market Square Arena with partici­ daf(in English) beginning every hour pants, each of us might do well to ask on the hour from 5 A.M. to mid­ • • ourselves what we have done to con­ night. This program is being bom­ tinue our . A folio of barded with requests for a Yiddish Talmud might be beyond our reach, but counterpart, a Monsey hook-up, and An editorial in the Inter­ each of us can surely set realistic goals. a West Coast subscriber who mountain Jewish News: This is an especially appropriate time to claimed:" An off-time long distance There can be no authentic Judaism keep in mind the teaching of Hillel: "One call is cheaper than my tutor." ... •vvithout knowledge of its sources. "Daf who does nol increase his knowledge decreases if." In addition, we have Daf Yorni Hayomi" has democratized the basic IAvoth 1'1 3) source of Jewish law and lore-the T al­ RABBI RONALD GRAY Review, summary sheets in English, mud-in a way which is comparable to Parpara'os-a commentary bulletin in the indispensable, eye-opening, classic Hebrew, an international directory commentary of Rashi written 900 years to help travelers find a shiur when ago. away from home, A Hot-Line to It is time for more Jews to accept the answer difficult questions on the "Daf Hayomi" discipline. For we Jews day's daf ... using technology and survive and thrive in proportion to our ingenuity for Torah. Jewish educational drive. No one with the requisite commitment and interest • • • should have to stand outside the glor­ ious tradidtion begun by the Rabbi of Lublin whose heritage we celebrate next As mentioned, the newspapers, Wednesday. too, have taken note-from the New York Times: (Nov. IS, '82): The , Cong. Bnei Torah's For the thousands in Madison Square Bulletin from Indianapolis: Garden's Felt Forum, the rite of Siyum We salute the Oaf Yomi Commission ha-Shas, as the completion of the cycle is of Agudath Israel of America for organ-

DEDICATION "They are here now. We must disrobe. One final request-my children have been housed Everyone here has no doubt heard that the with a Christian family. Save them!" merit of today's Siyum Hashas has been dedi­ There was great mesiras nefesh in all concen­ cated to the memory of the saintly martyrs who tration camps. We can clearly see the awesorpe gave their lives for the sanctification of Hashem's will of those who perished. One man wrote this name during World War 11. I can personally tes­ letter. His words speak eloquently for all of them. tify that those who perished bore their suffering It was with great mesiras nefesh that small chil­ with love. For many, their greatest concern was dren were taken to a Jew to remain Jews. These not the tragedy of their own demise but who Jews' last minutes were solely concerned with could say "Kaddish" after them, and who would their names being remembered through our learn a Perek Mishnayos in memory of their sacred Torah. We therefore dedicated our learn­ name. Truly there is no greater remembrance, no ing to those holy neshamos and we should con­ greater memorial for them than the dedication to tinue to do so. We should neverforgetthat which their memory of the learning of Oaf Hayomi. took place. Let these neshamos array them­ I'd like to read a letter I received, written just selves in front of the Divine Presence and pray minutes before the writer died in sanctification of for us: We should see an end to all our troubles the Holy Name. and we should merit i;wy;i iow; io;;i io;; and " ... when you, Bluzhover Rebbe, reach Eretz the final coming of Moshiach. Yisroe/, remember me in a : 'Arye ben -Bluzhover Rebbe K"o•':'w Chaya,' and I will bring your tidings to your at 7th Siyum Hashas sacred ancestors and ask them to pray on your Celebration in June, 1975 behalf that you be bestowed with long life .... (translated by Leibish Becker) i..T.

16 The Jewish Obstn'er!Deamber, 1982 The Torah World A fascinating and Inspiring collection of biographical sketches. In these pages, 25 great Torah leaders - the shapers of today's Torah world - flash before your eyes, penetrate your heart, shape your thinking. o Rabbi shaping Torah leaming in America. j o The Lubavitcher Rebbe facing communist jailers. ' '''.,:'i..' ,'-..,, o The humiUty and the genius of the Tshebiner Rav. Reb Boruch ·Ber, the Mirrer Mashgiach, Rabbi . .Rabbi Meir Shapiro, Rabbi· , Rabbi Elya Meir Bloch and. more and .more and more. This Is a book that will enrichevery Jewish home. It will make you proud and humble. Nine of these articles are by Chaim Shapiro, the popular chronicler of pre-War life whose wit, insight, and narrative brilliance have made him one of JO's most popular writers. · Four sketches are new, written especially for this book - on Rabbi Meir Shapiro, Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, the lubavitcher Rebbe, and the Tshebiner Rav. Many articles are from The Jewish Observer. Edited by Rabbi Nlsson Wolpln; Published by Mesor.ah Publlc:atlons, Ud. in conjunction with AgUdath Israel of America. hard cover $12.95 paperback $9.95 Of special Interest: Seasons of the Soul Perspectives on the Jewish year and its milestones. Including Yomim Noraim and Succos essays from the thoughts of Maharal, Sefas Emes, Rabbi E.E. Dessler, Rabbi . Rabbi and many others. hard cover $12.95 paperback $9,95

------Judalscope I Agudath Israel of America 5 Beekman Street I New York. N.Y. 10038 Enclosed is my check in the amount of$ ...... I deducted I 0% off prices listed below and added $1.50 per order for postage &. handling. Please send me the following books in the Judaiscope Series. THE TORAH WORLD ...... hard cover @ $12.95 . paperback @ $9.95 THE TORAH PERSONALITY ...... hard cover@ $12.95 ... paperback@ $9.95 SEASONS OF THE SOUL ...... hard cover@ $12.95 ...... paperback @ $9.95 Name ...... Address ...... City ...... State ...... Zip ...... i1'7"'7i Qt,j,., i:l l'i".:i"i1, 11 And you shall delve in it by day and by night." -Yehoshua 1:8 A Jew dedicates time to Torah study by day and selves to the daily daf . .. meeting almost around by night. Daf Yomi is a case in point. The surge in the clock, from 5:30 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. popularity in Oaf Yomi is probably no more evi­ GERSHON MEYERS a photographer of international dent than along Boro Park's Sixteenth Avenue acclaim, has captured some of the intensity and (dubbed "Oaf Yomi Row" by some), where within dedication of these groups with his sensitive lens, seven blocks over fifteen different groups-rang­ for the readers of THE JEWISH OBSERVER. ing in size from five to a hundred-apply them-

18 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 ''

The Jewish Obsenwr!Deceml1er, 1982 ]9 Diary of a Daf Yomi Maggid Shiur

5735: T AMMUZ 15 nights but we compensated by doubling the time spent The first day of the eighth cycle. I've learned Daf Yomi the next evening. There were no compromises; a seder on and off for a few years but this time it's going to be must be honored, no interruption tolerated. We have different. I've decided to force upon myself the obliga­ ascended the first rung with comprehension and no tion of preparing and teaching the daf. Start and stop, gaps. We felt the Siyala Dishmaya. The goal of completing skip a Perek, even a Mesechta, superficial comprehension Shas, once thought insurmountable, is not beyond us; as long as I finished the daf: these were the pitfalls of the now we can dream. past. Not this time, now that I have assumed responsi­ bility for a friend, too. He must think that I am being magnanimous but the relationship is symbiotic. I am 5736: SHYAT 26 gaining at least as much. The huge gathering in Man­ Mesechta Shabbos is now complete; very difficult and hattan Center celebrating the Siyum Hashas is fresh in my technically complex. We are elated and we want to share mind, Gedolei Yisroel from all segments of Orthodoxy our joy with others, so we prepare a large Kiddush and joined in a massive Kiddush Hashem. I want to be part of it, invite friends, Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva. Our happi­ and I will do my utmost to succeed. ness must be infectious for there are many questions and some are enticed to try Daf Yomii 5735: ELUL 18 This is also a time of reflection and even doubts. This We completed Berachos. Almost every night I said the Mesechla we had studied in depth in Beis Midrash and shiur. I somehow found the time to prepare. You always Kolle/. It.is. true that we demanded of ourselves a basic surmise that you11 be too busy or you'll have pressing understanding of each dafbefore continuing to the next obligations. However, nothing stands in the way of the one; however, delving into the Rishonim and powerful force of Torah learning. We missed some (earlier and later commentaries) is not feasible. So we left many unanswered questions, many paths waiting The keeper of this diary is a well-known mechanech in the New York area. to be trodden. The excitement offered by the profound

20 The Jewi5h Obsenier!Deamber, 1<182 analysis of the various sugyes, the give and take of debat­ 5741: AOAR 1 28 ing the logic of your argument is missing. The eternal We have now completed Seder Nezikin and the majority dilemma of "Sinai" versus "Oker Horim"* is our personal of Shas. It is time for a personal accounting. Has it been trial. You never fully resolve your doubts because you worth it? The dafim pass so quickly. You try to look upa . must continually walk the tightrope. On one hand, you Gemora that you are sure that you just learnt and when are compelled to finish Shas. On the other, you must also you finally find it, it was two months ago. Time and set aside time to.learn with the intensity and freshness dafim become extremely compressed. You must con­ of your youth. stantly review for you forget so readily. The words and concepts sound only vaguely familiar and it is traumatic 5737: ELUL 11 when you realize that you taught it in the past year. Is it Seder is now complete. It is the first time in my really worth it? life that I have completed an entire seder. For this accom­ One day one of my new talmidim in the shiur-twenty­ plishment alone it has been worth it. Of course, I would five of them now-called me on the phone to ask me a have set aside time for learning even without Daf Yomi. question on the daf we studied in the morning. This was Think, though, of all the extra hours because of the goal the first of many follow-up questions by members of that must be achieved. We must finish the daf no matter the shiur. They actually reviewed what I taught. It was what obstacle intrudes. We go on vacation together so having an affect on them. They wanted to know. My that we will not fall behind. We learn on the plane for Rosh Yeshiva always said that you could tell a true ben every minute is precious. Previously, we didn't appre­ Torah as someone who could not fall asleep because of a ciate the amount of Torah learning that can be accom­ difficult Rabbi Akiva Eiger. These bnei Torah gave up plished during a busy and harried day. Ten, fifteen their sleep every day to learn Torah. They were con­ minutes stolen here and there add up to countless hours cerned, involved, curious and demanding. Their lives of Limud ha Torah. However, be cautious, there is always began to revolve around the Oaf Yomi. Their children the danger lurking that when you finish the daf you stop knew that Tally woke up in the dark house before day­ learning that day. The Yetzer Hora never rests. You must break to learn Torah. What a magnificent lesson in discipline yourself to learn an extra Tosafos or concen­ Chinuch! At times the topic of conversation in the homes trate on a difficult Ktzos or Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Oaf Yomi revolved about Abba's learning. The example set was should teach you to utilize your time productively and pointed and impressive. Yes, it was worth it! not create new limitations. 5742: 9 I had started learning Oaf Yomi with my twelve-year­ 5738: 11 old son with the inception of Kadoshim. One of the Today I start a new Perek (chapter) together with all proudest days in my life was when he made a Siyum on those people learning Oaf Yomi throughout the world. Mesechla Menachos on the Shabbos of his Bar Mitzva. I hope For me it is also a new Perek in my life. I have been asked this accomplishment will lead him to complete Shas to say the DafYomi shiur for a group of bnei Torah in our many more times in his life. local shleibel-five people at the outset. My life pattern will now experience a complete metamorphosis. When 5742: ELUL 25 you learn with one individual your level of advance We have just completed Kadoshim. We are very thank­ preparation can be minimal. You can stop in the middle, ful for the support and encouragement that we have search for answers, work out the problems together. received all these years from our wives and we include Now you must be totally prepared. You have exactly them again in our Siyum celebration. Our shiur, number­ one hour to finish the daf. You must anticipate potential ing forty now, encompasses a group of very devoted and questions, have advanced knowledge of upcoming dafim dedicated bnei Torah, from a doctor in his 70's who fol­ and be cognizant of the main points made by Rishonim lows the daf in an English Gemora, to a very alert fellow and Acharonim in clarifying the Gemora. What a frighten­ with a seeing-eye dog, the only ta/mid never to have ing but exciting and challenging prospect! barked at me. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, musicians, Another aspect of the new shiur had an even more accountants, professionals of every stripe. The odds profound affect on my lifestyle. I had always learnt in were against their succeeding but their persistence was the evening, and I was basically a night person my whole amazing. They are my constant source of chizuk and I life. It was unusual for me to be in bed before midnight. I will be eternally grateful to them. now had to awaken at 4:30 in order to be in shul for the class at 5:40. My new bedtime goal was 10:30.... It 5743: CHESHVAN 28 wasn't often achieved since the phone didn't respect my What a manifestation of Kvod Shamayim, Kial Yisroel schedule. together in Felt Forum for one purpose only, the supreme purpose, Limud haTorah, the survival of our *Literally, "uprooter of mountains"; the Talmud's description of the people. During such a Kiddush Hashem, you can hear conflict between broad knowledge (Sinai) and critical analysis. faintly the sound of the shofar of Moshiach. !.T.

The Jewish Obseroer!December, 1982 21 The Last Days of a Tzaddik Rabbi Meir Shapiro i1'.ji~'f p~1~ i'.jT

Rabbi Meir Shapiro 7"ll.

If Daf Yomi is lo bring lo mind one name, ii would be that of its "Until now, many of the seats were empty; people studied only originator, Rabbi Meir Shapiro. Although only in his thirties al the certain Mesechtos, neglecting others. But now, thanks to you, all the time that he presented the idea to the Knessia Gedolah in Vienna, it seats are being filled, and what joy there is in Heaven!" became widely accepted, and he in turn became an object of affection The young, inspiring rabbi who authored this plan became cele­ and admiration. brated for his achievements in many other endeavors-he was presi­ Years later when Rabbi Meir Shapiro visited the revered Chofelz dent of the Agudath Israel of Poland, and Agudath Israel's delegate Chaim, the latter told him: "I am especially fond of you-and ta the Sjem (the Palish parliament), became Rav of the great Jewish why?-because of the Daf Yomi. You have to your credit a tremen­ community of Lublin, and founded the pace-setting yeshiva in that dous achievement, and in Heaven they are pleased with your efforts. community, Chachmei Lublin. Admired for his leadership qualities, You should know that there-in the 'World of Truth'-man is not his ready wit, and his Torah' scholarship, Reh Meir Shapiro became honored for his good deeds nearly as much as he is honored for his a legendary figure in Poland, beloved by Jews in all walks of life-al study of Torah. In the World la Came, each Jew is honored far the his passing, even the cynical Socialist and Yiddishist sectors mourned measure of Tarah he has studied. They call out: 'WELCOME TO THE his death with special editions of the newspapers in his honor. It was MAN WHO STUDIED MESECHTES BERACHOS! WELCOME TO for his personal warmth, however, that he was mast beloved. The THE MAN WHO STUDIED MESECHTES SHABBOS!' Each one sits following reminiscences, based on material recorded in "Meir on a seat engraved with the name of the Mesechta which he learned. B'Ahava," by RABBI BENJAMIN MINTZ, translated by RABBI Rabbi Lipschitz, currently a resident of Jerusalem, is a pioneer in Jewish CHAIM URI LIPSCHITZ, capture that special warmth in his last journalism in America. A detailed biography of Rabbi Meir Shapiro, by Pesach days. and convey haw ii formed a deep band that tied talmid ta rebbe, Konstam, appears in The Torah World. disciple to mentor.

22 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

On Monday, the fourth of Cheshvan, 5694 (1933), Rabbi Meir Shapiro entered the immense library of his yeshiva, Chachmei Lublin, and remarked to someone standing near him that he felt very cold one minute and extremely hot the next. He entered his private room and lay on the bed, remaining there the entire day. The next day, Tuesday, he did not deliver his regular shiur (lecture), but rested instead. Later in the day, he asked for two of his disciples, whom he requested to sing "Ye'ancha Hashem B'Yom Tzara (G-d will answer you on your day of crisis)." He hummed along with them, as if he were saying, "I am with you, I am with you, I too am beseeching the Al-mighty in my behalf." The yeshiva continued in its daily routine, no one aware that its leader was gravely ill. He seemed calm but as the evening approached, his pain became noticeable, and a doctor was summoned. He diagnosed the ailment as an inflamed throat, but did not seem overly con­ cerned. On Wednesday morning it was very difficult for him to utter a word. Yet he moved his lips continuously, repeating prayers and some Talmud, his agonizing pain clearly visible on his face. After midnight, he called for the students who had been studying in the beis hamidrash. When they assembled around his bed, he asked them to sing a piyul (liturgical composition) that he would lead every Yorn Kippur after midnight. As they sang, he listened attentively, humming along. Suddenly, his face seemed like a burning fire, his eyes like two bright stars. With all of his strength he raised his hands high and shook his head, as if he had had a confrontation with some hidden entity, which sees but cannot be seen. He did not sleep the entire night and it was apparent that his pain had intensified further, but he did not register any complaint, accepting his agony with love.

Thursday, The Heavens Were Clouded

Thursday arrived and the heavens were clouded. Strong winds shook the yeshiva walls, as if the world were returning to chaos. The doctor examined him Funeral of Lublintr Rap, again but still failed to detect any emergency. In spite of his mounting pain, he greeted each visiting Reb Meir whispered in a very low voice, audible only disciple with a joyful expression. One of his students to those.able to crowd close to him: "Our sages say that put his tallis and on for him, and he nearly fainted pain removes sin from man. They also say that no one is while the student was completing his task. Speaking appointed to lead a community until his sins are for­ had become almost impossible for him, yet he davened for given. In my case, both factors are present, the pain and a full two hours. the appointment to leadership." (Several days before, he He was forced to write a note for every request, had been chosen to become rash heis din of Lodz, the which terribly distressed those with him. They begged greatest Jewish metropolis in Poland.) He then turned his permission to visit the old cemetery in Lublin to his glowing face aside, saying, "I do not have time to be beseech the tzaddikim buried their to supplicate to the i II." Al-mighty for him. He shook his head and lifted his

The }twi.