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IMPORTED BYT MM 10V FCXllJS INC. BROOKLYN. N Y 1122.1 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615) is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel 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 Shas by Oaf Yomi ...... 4 side of the United States, US The Siyum: A Celebration of the Study of Talmud, ... 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 Shiur" ...... 20 Editorial Board OR. ERNST BODENHEIMER The Last Day of a Tzaddik: Chairman Rabbi Meir Shapiro, ;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 MOSHE SHERER The Crisis Is Now, Aaron M. Brafman ...... 26 Management Board Three Cheers For Turbulence "LeShem Shomayim," NAFTOU HIRSCH S. bat Abraham ....•...... •....•...•..•. 32 ISAAC 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 Rav)"; N. Wolfson (Rabbi Levi Y. Horowltz-Bostonsr Rsbbe, Rabbi Hansch Lsbowitz-Y. Chafetz Chaim, Rabbi Avraham Pam-Mssivta Torah 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 Rebbe, 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 Jews 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 Shevat, 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.
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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 Lublin). 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--Torah study. 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 Daf Yomi 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 (Vienna, 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 Law: 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 Rashi, 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 Poland. trance to Madison Square Garden'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 Yeshiva, 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 synagogues 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 Yiddish 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 Ger -~ 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 Judenrat. Meir, a Chabad 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 Kaddish 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. Elul 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 Siddur 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 Frankfurt and spoke studies Torah for its own sake about Oaf Yomi, his inspiring en !lish'mah}. thusiasm was absolutely infec tious .... The Midrash teaches that Noach, Rabbi Mordechai Gifter 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, Purim, lator of many dassicai works on Torah and Judaism, 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 Manchester siyum, which had 1,000 people in Toronto ... Chi 0verheard on the "F" train: a thousand participants, including cago Cleveland . . Los An "Imagine. Finishing Shas by the Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller of Telshe, geles-across the continent, circling time I'm twenty-two!'' Chicago. 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 get 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 New York City 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 Tel Aviv, which attracted close to 20,000 peo ple, with the participation of such Gedo lei Torah as the Ponevezher Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Elazar Schach, the Viznitzer Rebbe, and the Zanz/ Klausenberger Rebbe ... The over flow crowd at the Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem, addressed by Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter (Gerrer Rosh Yeshiva), Rabbi Sholom Schwadron, 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 ... Bnei Brak. Zurich ... 1,000 people in Antwerp, addressed by the Mora D'Asra Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth and by Rabbi Hirschsprung of Montreal. London's siyum, at which 1400 joined in a Seudas Mitzvah 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. The forward 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 '
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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 Koach 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 the New York Times 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 Jewish education. 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 Denver 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 Shofar, 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 Sefer Torah: '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 Aharon Kotler 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 Menachem Ziemba. .Rabbi Meir Shapiro, Rabbi· Joseph Breuer, 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 Zalman Sorotzkin. Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner 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 ArtScroll 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 Acharonim 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 Moed 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: KISLEV 9 I had started learning Oaf Yomi with my twelve-year 5738: CHESHVAN 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 tefillin 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.
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NY 11204 (212) 436-1700 FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE FOR ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Separate classes for men and women CopeVocational Institute The Quality school with a Proven record. 5 Beekman StreeL New York. NY 10038 Licensed by th<> N Y State Education Department Accredited by The Assonat1on of /ndependen/ Colleges and Schools The Jewish Obseroer!December, J 982 25 Aaron M. Brafman The Crisis is Now On the surface things seem serene. In fact, there is Torah. Their Torah scholarship improves gradually until it good reason for Orthodoxy to be optimistic or even peaks al an unusually high level-a level that nonetheless falls triumphal in spirit. The Torah community in America short of the attainments of earlier scholars. At the point of has never been stronger; many of its achievements peaking, the new generation does not see any opportunities for were not even dreamed of thirty or forty years ago: A progress. Its members have nothing to add, no way to compete day school in every community of 5000 or more Jews, and be creative as compared to their immediate predecessors. continuation from high school to beis midrash accepted as How can they possibly add to the accomplishments of earlier a matter of course, thousands of girls enrolled in Bais generations? So the need for change and creativity expresses Yaakov schools, kollel viewed as a norm rather than an itself in criticism of the status quo and borrowing from the outlandish extreme, the emergence of the community cultf're of their host country. This, in turn, leads to eventual kollel and the introduction of the mini-teaching kollel, denial of the value of their ancestral heritage . ... The Jew of widespread acceptance of the sheitel as a requisite for this final generation totally abandons his religion and national personal modesty ... glatt Kosher, cholov Yisroel, alien identity in favor of the mores of his adopted country." ated Jews returning to Yiddishkeit in large numbers, The Meshech Chochma goes on to describe a process of the mounting popularity of Oaf Yomi-we are a com deterioration which continues until they deny every munity that has arrived, and is still progressing. thing that is holy. At that point, difficulties begin again Yet even at its peak, a vibrant Jewry can have within it and a new era of expulsions and wanderings begins, elements of decay that can ultimately effect the entire which starts the cycle all over again. community. Indeed, a critical look at our society can There are currently enough indications that we may reveal several factors currently coming together, with be facing the climactic part of this thesis, and that as we the effect of leading to what may be an imminent crisis. approach the apex of this cycle, sighting the maximum Before going into these phenomena in any detail, how "success" point ahead, we must be wary that we might ever, I would first like to put them into a historical be a mere step from a downhill slide. True, Reb Meir perspective, which demonstrates that even at Jewry's Simcha warns that the "next generation" begins to triumphant best, a destructive process may be set in deteriorate because it needs to contribute something motion. new or it seeks an opportunity to be creative. But the fact remains that even in success, decay can set in. For The Golus Cycle our purposes, we can focus on the fact that the process of deterioration and ultimate collapse can also begin The historical framework for this understanding is from a lack of substance within, even when the form is supplied by Reb Meir Simcha of Dvinsk's famous piece intact. This should be frightening, for there is ample in his commentary on Parshas Bechukosai, in Meshech evide~ce from Torah and historical example to the Chochma. in which he predicted the tragedy that befell effects of this phenomenon. But first we must take European Jewry: "They will replace Jerusalem with Ber stock of our specific place in the pattern of Jewish life, lin, and from there the fire will erupt." His essay for every distinct period in our existence brings with it includes a prelude, which is not as often quoted. Yet, it is new challenges and new problems to which Kial Yisroel no less significant, because it offers the basis for Reh must respond. If indeed we are entering a new phase of Meir Simcha's dire predictions. Moreover, it has much our stay in America, then we must be prepared to to say to us today, as well. respond accordingly. Reb Meir Simcha establishes a sociological truth about the history of Kial Yisroel and the ways in which Challenges Past and Present the Hashgacha works: "When Jews enter a strange country, they are relatively The years during World War II as well as those that ignorant of Torah as a result of the distractions from the followed called for herculean efforts to rebuild and insecurities that plagued them in their old country and in their resuscitate the remnants of religious Jewry. Torah, migrations to the new. They then experience a reawakening of with all its greatness, had to be replanted and estab the Divine spirit within, which impels them to return to lished on these shores. This was accomplished by the Gedolei Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbonim and Admorim that Hakadosh Rabbi Brafman is menahel of the Yeshiva Derech Ayson of Far Rockaway Baruch Hu saved for us. Their strength, courage, and 26 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 - inspiration brought us to this stage where there are i1"V:l large masses of talmidei chachomim and laymen who have committed themselves to living and learning as Torah-true Jews, as described at the outset. The achievement is monumental. But by the same token, we have reached a danger point, for when sitting and learn ing is popular-when being [rum becomes a life-style there is no challenge in conducting one's life as a reli gious Jew. This permits a shallowness of commitment, and when this is coupled with affluence, our position is a tenuous one. The Torah and Tanach are replete with warnings of this danger: "Take heed lest you eat and become satiated, and you build good houses and settle in them, and your cattle and sheep will increase. And then your heart will become haughty and you will forget Hashem, your G-d, who took you out of Egypt." As the pasuk clearly states, forgetting about G-d can occur even if the Klal is religious, for the people come to equate improve ment with material betterment, not with internal growth. Comfortable living can help shield a hollow core. "Fo-r mo_re: than: 2,0_00 years, _fnY 'peop:I&_ -_have _been For a further example of this, one need only refer to di~p~rsed: _But "wherever_ J_ews are fqun_{j.- -every yearJhe:y the second Parsha of Krias Sh'ma: "It shall be when you have repeated, 'Next' year in Jerusalem!' Now, further away than -eve'r-Jrom my _people ·:,. fa_cing my imprisonment;- I will listen to My commandments that I command you say: 'Next yeat _in Jerusalem-1"_" today .. , You will eat and be satisfied. Guard yourself Can-you_-imagtne the -C_6urag-e:, the strength of corrrmit-- lest your hearts go astray and you will turn away to ment it took for,Nosson (An_atoly) S_chara_nskyto_ma_kethi:s worship false gods." declaration -fn_ a _Soviet courtroorn_~facing 13 yea-ts of forced lab_or, in JlJIY _1978? _ _ _ _ · Again the Torah is addressing a Kial that seems Nosson_ grew up in atotafly setular_atmos-phere. Thtotigh_ perfect-it "listens to My commandments"-and yet it guidance_ fr_om Yosef Mendelevictrand others, he man- carries within it the seeds of "lest your hearts go astray," aged to-:e> The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 27 How this comes about should be of significance in guid as a result experiences inner growth. Once he begins to ing us in avoiding further deterioration. Where does struggle and grow, he can continue to advance to other decay begin? yet-to-be perfected areas for further development. But For one, when a person sees himself as being without achievement is also where difficulty begins. Rav Dessler temptations or obstacles to overcome-if Shabbos, Kash in the Michtav M'Eliyahu makes this point numerous rus and all other external requirements for being reli times, particularly in discussing the different forms of gious are not problems-how does a person become an avoda of the Avos IMichtav M'Eliyahu, Vol. II, pg. 205). It is Eved Hashem, a servant of G-d? A person can only relatively easy to become a "better" Jew by assuming develop in this manner if he struggles with himself and mere externals of frumkeit; but these are only meaning ful if the outer embellishment is matched by growth resulting from inner battles waged to overcome the yetzer hora. If not, then exterior growth not matched l'ro~ll~c~ ~~rk.Bll.lis· Leah inwardly would seem to make decay inevitable. First of all, complacency sets in, as people pursue the track of . 1-Jig]l. SchO()l attacking those who look less {rum than oneself-far Whiir~ th~ indi~:udr aru.l her ni'To iount easier than examining one's own shortcomings. Then, if •• p;Jlk;t 4c~m~ sti'i~ds the surrounding society proffers all of its allurements, we are faced with the potential for the added trap of • ~.is 'faa'1ov 1uach ·. ·• ••. • HoUSi!lg !'.rra!lgelfi<;nrs.fordut-ofwwrrers · "lest your hearts go astray." ".\\1ami:.at1)J(jsfih£re It has been said that one of Reb Yisroel Salanter's •.GoM Nlil'1:,N ·. prime concerns when he initiated his movement for the •·;~f®ktt~hivs.acaildb/¢·· study of Mussar was the shallowness and insensitivity · · , , , , For_- _more infOrn\~'rion, Calf or- wfit~~ . . among the people of his time, particularly in interper sonal relationships-although extreme poverty rather 212"'375..0844 than affluence was the dominant condition that seemed J669 A,V'e~ue R, 8tnoklyµ,NYU:Z29 . to be numbing sensitivities in his day. · kabbiAvroho.tiKelman RabbiJoelKratner -Deait Prlrif;ipal ,- Mt.. Louii Gleuck Rebbettin z; Hobetman Ignoring the Lesson of History I'r 28 The Jewish Obseroer!December, 1982 share in the blame, for every individual act of violence, HERITAGE CATERERS ANNOUNCE fraud, or Chillul Hashem is our collective responsibility, as 1be Ope!dng of: members of the same community. Just as the corruption of the world-at-large can be blamed for infecting indi vidtials with its insidiousness, so too can the Torah 1 community be held accountable for failing to create an GLATT t:M5' KOSHER atmosphere that does not tolerate corruption. This is l 1MEH ..,T:!l evident throughout Torah and the literature and teach HADRIN i..,Tlt:5 ings of Mussar. R. Yisroel Salanfer was once witness to an incident in which a poor shoemaker was publicly humiliated by a wealthy "Where there's always sdmethlng co·o ng" few. He commented, "/am certain that the Gedolei Hador of the previous generation, who are sitting in Gan Eden, are WY'Duffifr llili.lffiIB®~ ffi IT®ffiTITis;11 being brought to judgment because of this incident. They are (GJ[RS[E,ffi 1J' ~Il]])]])l]J§IHJ&l being faulted for not having taught the people requisite knowl It's the food. edge and proper middos, and for not educating them in a If you're a really smart "cookie" you'll plan like the professionals plan, and buy the most tanta\yzing meichels from the umewholesale kitchen as manner that would make the occurrence of such a corrupting they do. We're opernngour spotless new Commissary to the public for your incident virtually impossible." rT nuas Hamussar, page 146, next affair, whether we cater it or you cater if,yourself. We'll give you footnote 24) delicious fresh rood at a reasonable price. SPECIAL DEAL!! Complele Shilbbo• & Vom To" "Dinner" delivered to yow door We can Gedolim of previous generations stated that the Chur A "t!,ipical" Kiddu!ih for 50: make any Shabbos a spec•ai party! Se!ec ban of 1648 (when Bogdan Chmelnitzki and his Cossack 0 Potdl<• Kug\>; "' Gc·lulw h~h lions include; Turkeys (cut up and pu! back Cl Me<>I ChvlFnl c Noori!" Pudd•n>1 on frame). Roast Lh1ckens or Ducks. Spe hordes murdered a third of Europe's Jewish population) a Sod<1s ~' C1k··~ cial Meat Roasts and many "lniemanonal" O Uw o! our >fl<'< "'I ;:; P.•pH (j,~,<1, e11!rees. Gelul!e Fish. Boiled Whoie Fish. somehow resulted from the Chillul Hashem of people Shahbos Own; Asst. Kugels. Chopped Lover. K 1shke, Please caH for our Soups. Salads, Cold Cur Planers & many talking in shul. One might expect that this interpretation Speda! Grand Openiog Prices. other Filvonte Foods of events would put a halt to this practice once and for c.omplete Parly Catering I /\TT~~~!~~ e~~:~: !1~~~:,:~··~-~ all, yet uninhibited talking continues to this very day. Ser\llt::e and many Halls av.11k1ble if vou A~sort~d 5,1ndw" h"' s.,l~ds would rather not do ii your\\elf. Kn h~s. Sod~,, ~It' it 16 Worse yet, it has been elevated to a status where is JUST CALL· WE'LL DELIVER ON ORDERS OVER $50. held to be synonymous with being [rum . ... We cater Brissen. Engagements, Bar Mitzvahs We are surely aware that rnachlokes (disputes) existed To Order Call Moshe Pruzansky at (212) 438~2700 in Jewish communal life in Europe, and we have seen the fruits of dissent. We should then, by all logic, apply the I warnings of Chazal that declare that machlokes is a con i suming fire-it destroys whatever place it enters, and I one must avoid it at all costs! ... These are all areas that border on or are a Chillul Hashem, the most unforgivable form of Sin (see Rambam ii:J1't.t'haGoetz Hile hos Teshuva), yet they are the ones most readily over "1 . ( looked. One merely has to examine a few chapters in the I Chofetz Chaim's Shemiras Halashon to get a feeling of the z: frightening consequences of machlokes and the tremend ous blessings resulting from shalom (peace) (see chapters 11 and 15). I I $1.50 Mesiras Nefesh and Baalei Battim I at your Our ability to transmit Torah knowledge and com mitment to the next generation is also under threat. For centuries we have known that a hen Torah must strive to I live without certain amenities: "Pas bamelach tochal-You i' shall eat bread with salt" is listed as one of the conditions c c for acquiring Torah !J\vos VI, 3), and true to form, schol ars have never led too comfortable an existence. Per Dov Dov Publications haps it is even expected that those who teach and are 6203 BILTMORE AVENUE being marbilz Torah (disseminate Torah) must expect to BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21215 do so with mesiras nefesh (ultimate devotion). But living up (301) .358-9864. to even a hardship standard is becoming increasingly The Jewish Obseroer!Decemher, 1982 29 impossible, and-for that matter-may well be an For the School Year 5744 (1983-4) unfair demand. If the lzibbur (community at large) were poor, or at a BETH JACOB HEBREW level of Jewish consciousness where it did not care about Limud haTorah, one perhaps could demand mesiras nefesh TEACHERS COLLEGE from teachers and students. In our present-day afflu ent, oppulent society, however, it is impossible to expect Rabbi Shlomo Teichman Rabbi Avrohom Greenberg mesiras nefesh, and it is inexcusable to maintain the Dean Dean inequitable situation as is. Something is terribly amiss if we have raised an American-born, yeshiva-educated has scheduled its generation (without compulsions to compensate for a "TEACHERS SEMINARY deprived childhood) that lives as if its primary purpose were to make money and then calculate how best to ENTRANCE EXAMINATION elevate the level of frum materialism. Something is very askew when the amount an American yeshiva product for Rosh Chodesh Adar, February I 3, I 983 spends on a one family home can exceed the annual 10:00 A.M. in the school auditorium budget of many a yeshiva, while he feels that he is fulfilling his tzeddaka obligations with token contribu o Intensive One-Year Seminary Program O Two-Year Advanced Seminary Program tions.... O Supeivised Classroom Teaching D Recognized Teaching Certificates The Crisis of the Family O Faculty Well Known for Teaching Excellence D Convenient Arrangements for Out-of-Town Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky K"t:>'7W remarked recently Students (in private conversation) that the greatest klalla (curse) of the present period is the disintegration of the family. For application and/or additional information, contact Anyone with only a bit of awareness of current goings on cannot fail to see the tragedy inherent in the break Rebbetzen Yehudis Karelitz Rabbi Shabsai Slae up of families and the subsequent damage this inflicts or Dean of Students Academic Dean on the children. These occurrences cut across all bound BEm JACOB HEBREW TEACHERS COLLEGE aries-young couples as well as middle-aged, Orthodox as well as "modern," kollel families as well as those of 1213 Elm Ave. I Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230 Tel. (212) 339-4747 working professionals. It is thus an issue that can no longer be ignored or denied with the hope that lack of publicity will make it go away, or out of the belief that focusing attention on the problem can only aggravate it. Judah Dick (formerly with the Office of the It is here, and it is getting worse. Corporation Counsel of NYC) announces the Obviously, the causes are numerous and it would be opening of a general practice law office in asso naive to think that it can be resolved with one simple ciation with: solution; however, there might be one basic flaw in our Joseph Goldburd educational system that, if corrected, might supply us 160 Lee Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11211 with an antidote that could at least mitigate the 875-1200 problem. This approach is based on the hope that Roshei Yeshivas, mechanchim and Rabbonim will make a point of addressing the total human personality of their talmidim and con gregants, and deal with real problems and real areas of conflict. The customary discourses about holiness, haughtiness, anger, desire, and nisyonos (tests) should not merely deal with these subjects as remote or mysti Published weekly cal concepts; they should be presented in the context of 97, Stamford Hill, London, N. 16, England everyday experiences, as they relate to interpersonal relationships. After all, the goal of all education, preach Annual subscription Airmail $48.00. Surface Mail $25.00 ing, and instruction is the development of mature indi Write now fur youT free sample copy viduals who will understand that difficulties in life are Published by Agudath Israel of Great Britain Divine-ordained challenges to overcome and opportuni It pays to advertise in The Jewish Tribune ties for growth, and not excuses for defeat and self ruination. 30 The Jewish Obseroer!December, 1982 Teaching Responsibility Education for a responsible life should go beyond one's conduct as an individual, and extend to Kial con sciousness. Once each and every talmid is imbued with the concept that he has a responsibility for the survival of Kial Yisroel, which in turn is dependent upon the flourishing of Torah, there will be a possibility to create a mature tzibbur that truly understands its responsibil ity, Each individual should be educated to choose to fulfill his obligation in his own way, Hopefully those who are capable of serving through Limud ha Torah will elect to do so, while others who opt for more lucrative fields will do so for the purpose of he! ping spread Torah through their financial support, This road has always been accepted as a valid alternative to the former course (see Hilchos Talmud Torah in Rav Shulchan Aruch), If the goals of money-making are for charity purposes, a dif ferent set of life-values will surely emerge, This seems so elementary, and yet with rare excep tions it is not being done. The emphasis on so many of today's pursuits-even among those who devote them selves to full-time Torah-study-is "far zich, for oneself," If one only learns so that he becomes a gadol (without realizing that a gadol ultimately is the property of the Kial!, then even this activity will produce a self-centered person,, , , And if the ben Torah is selfless in regard to his learning, one might hope that the baa/ habayis-the layman-will be similarly altruistic in regard to his hard-earned money. If we cannot now create this feeling of responsibility, if we do not search for ways of improving the inner quality of our religious practice and behavior, and if we do not drastically reduce the level of our material living, then the outlook is bleak indeed. l realize that prophets of doom are not popular, and that America lives with perennial optimism and derision of all who preach pessimism. But l also know that throughout the history of Kial Yisroel, we Jews have been alert to impending crises, and in the event they struck, we responded to them with resiliency and regeneration. There is something inherently positive in avoiding disaster in advance instead of correcting its effects after the fact. .cT. I :..:;YES! I would like to know more about the Article Reprint Service. Please send me full detaHs on how I can order. I :-::; Please include catalogue of available titles. A NEW NEWSLETTER I Name -·-···------··----··-Title I Institution/Company __ .______.. ,_.__ , __ THE DAF YOMI REVIEW Dei;.arlment ------·------··-··- I Address ______,, ____ .... ______To aid in the review of Dal Yomi, A Synopsis of the 7 I City------.. - _ State ______, ______Zip ____... _ weekly 'Blall', • Subscription, Annually. SI S.00. Or Send For Sample. Write To: I Mail to: University Microfilms International I Article Reprint Service I ft v ft • DAF YOMI REVIEW 300 North Zeeb Road ~Yeshiva Fund, Bax 82, SJ., N.Y. 10309 L------.._--JI Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 The Jewish Obsen1er!Dectmber, l982 31 '1 Three Cheers For Turbulence Le-Shem Shomayim! a letter from S. bat Abraham Dear Editor: emptiness, inanity. The turbulent one started when I Upon reading the exchange of correspondence in the left my Georg Jensen-appointed apartment in Paris, my September, 1982 J.O,, I thought I would contribute my sports car and my successful lawyer husband of twenty two cents' worth on the subject, too. years' standing to come to Israel with a suitcase in one "Ba 'ale feshuva come out of disillusionment, out of despair. hand, a one-way ticket in the other, and the firm inten Some simply cannot face the world, their lives are in shambles, tion to become Jewish in head and heart. and they suffer emotional problems, physical addictions and Yes, I "came out of disillusionment" with the vapid failure in their endeavors." members of the jet set whom I faced so frequently over -D. Gottlieb, Planting Seeds of Return, escargots a l'aille (snails in garlic sauce) at the city's best ).0., March, 1982 restaurants. I suffered from "failure in my endeavors" Are these words necessarily derogatory and insult to adapt to the tuma in the street in front of our building ing? Perhaps it depends upon how they are viewed. I (and upstairs, and next door, and nearly everywhere I feel qualified to speak on this subject, as I have been part turned). This was"simply a world I did not want to face" of the "teshuva movement" ever since my conversion to any more. Thus a period of "calm" came to an end ... Judaism ten years ago. and then it really hit the fan. Imagine what it would be like. Picture to yourself, as if Turbulence Le-Shem Shomayim in a technicolor movie: •going to a new country, where the word "foreign" In my forty-eight years in Olam ha Ze I have known as a description is the understatement of the year; periods of calm, and periods of turbulence. The calm • a new language, completely unlike anything you periods, seen from the inside, were ones of boredom, have ever seen or heard before; S. bat Abraham resides in Jerusalem. This is her firs/ appearance in these • new ways of dressing and eating; pages. •a collection of different kinds of people from all over the world, living on top of one another, each with his different mentality, reaction patterns, likes and dislikes ~ and national customs; !Patadtse • an economic situation where many single women Glatt Kosher Caterers at cannot earn enough to afford both rent and food-with the result that you cut down on food and, after a few years, your health cuts down on you (complicated by the ~ QMarig_a del ~ problem of finding a full-time job where modesty can be Throgs Neck, N.Y safe-guarded); (a short 35 minute drive from Boro Park and Flatbush) •a complete reupholstery job in the idea-and-attitude department: everything you thought, yea, took for granted from childhood, gets questioned, subjected to a ·.... · ~.sL:r~ spiritual roto-rooter, and replaced by new concepts ~ ... ditto for midos (character); •a change of identity entailing not only a new, unfa For memorable affairs the choice is always miliar name on an identity card, but a highly uncomfor Paradise at The Marina. table feeling, somewhere in the subterranean caverns of The reason is simple! Superlative Glatt Kosher the neshama, of not knowing really who you are after Catering in an extravagant setting - all on one forty years of thinking you did. level to accommodate up to 800 of your Now, set the electric miser dial at"high," stir, and fold in a wrench for good measure. Then imagine all this guests. So to celebrate "a marriage made in coming at you at once, from all sides. And all alone, heaven" in style, call Paradise - the exclu initially, no family, no familiar circle to run to for sive Glatt Kosher Caterers at The Marina, encouragement and advice. because The Marina reflects you best! Turbulence? Yes, ma'am. Call Moshe Plaut or Moshe Gordon " ... And they suffer from emotional problems." If someone caught up in the throes of the foregoing did not (212) 627-0072 suffer from emotional problems, he probably should see a shrink, fast, 32 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 - fo.1' I admit there were times, in the middle of the above hood because we feel we can be an influence for Kiddush mentioned entanglement, when I was ashamed of my Hashem here. A weekly women's shi'ur meets in our mess. I looked at the quiet, serene, ordered, predictable home; very few Shabbosos go by that we do not have daily lives of my neighbors, and then looked at me. Ugh! ba'alos teshuva from the seminaries as guests. The house is "Convert" was not a word I liked to think about in those open to anything in need of a meal, companionship over days, and when someone tried to cheer me up with the a cup of tea, or help in finding a room, job, or shidduch. I story of Ruth, I would answer: "But she had a family enjoy cooking yet another traditional Jewish dish for (Naomi) and a roof over her head." Shabbos and baking my own challos as much as I relish I believe this sensitivity and feeling of shame may be writing. natural to many going through the turbulence of the This is the "outside view," the surface. Simultane major life change involved in teshuva. However, seen ously, on the inside, I note the blossoming of new alt~ from one angle, these feelings can be a stimulus to the tudes. For one, I am at peace with myself as a convert. hard work, learning and prayer needed to straighten Rabbi Gottlieb, in his letter to the editor in the Sep things out. tember, 1982, J.O., writes: And now the good news: IT DOESN'T LAST FOREVER. "In many areas of life, a ba'al teshu11a never stops being a Like the automatic washing machine's cycle, the spir ba'al teshuva." itual wash, spin, rinse and wring comes to an end and This is quite true. But I have found now that instead you are left with much cleaner, brighter midos and atti of being a stumbling block, it has become an asset, both tudes than when you started. in my neighborhood and in the classroom. Actually, I hardly think of it any more. I feel at home. But, the question may arise: "Were there any instan The Task: Finding My Niche ces when you were not accepted?" No, never. There were occasions, however, when without rejecting me as a It appears to me that the central task confronting the Jew, my choice of poseik, Siddur, and the customs I decided newcomer to Judaism is finding his/her own niche in Am to follow were rejected loudly and clearly, pressure Yisroel. First of all, I want to establish what I do not mean being brought to change my approach to Judaism to b" finding one's own niche. I do not mean passing for an conform to various molds that did not fit my basic F FB as life's goal; I do not mean marrying into a family of · Jrestigious lineage and living merrily ever after; nor oecoming "one of the crowd" in the Rolls-Royce owners club. I am speaking of something that has to do with l making a unique, personal contribution to the Jewish People and the discovery and development of a one-of a-kind set of talents in the process. After ten years I am finding my niche. Somewhere, back toward the beginning of the Turbulence, I started to become interested in a rather specialized field, one which had very few exponents in the religious commun ity and none anyone had ever heard of that spoke Eng lish. Out of love and fascination with the subject, I read everything I could get my hands on about it, and it was THE DA IR Y &erve& the moat dellclou1 and not long before I started writing thereon. (I had never PLANET wldelt a&1ortment of dairy and vegetarian dishes. written before.) Seven years, a sheaf of articles and one book later, I was invited to lecture on my subject at a THE DAIRY has ii& own bakery. Enjoy our PLANET danl&h, putrle&, and cakes seminary for ba'alos teshuva. I am currently lecturing at baked fresh dally. two seminaries and give an occasional shi'ur in my neighborhood in Hebrew. THE DAIRY has a private dining room for PLANET seminars, conferences, meet ings, Sheva Brochos, etc. 200 On the Surface: Domestic Tranquility Seal dining capacity THE DAIRY delivers outgoing order& But more important is my job as Jewish homemaker. I PLANET ($5.00 min.) am married to a man who shares my interest in this specialty, and who studies full time in a small yeshiva. OPENMON.·THUAS 10AM-10PM,FAI 10AM-3PM 182 BROADWAY iCOR JOHN ST I We are far from rich; my wardrobe mostly consists of CALL AIGHT NOW FOR /NFORMA T!ON creations off the racks of used clothing stores, and 227-8252 hand-me-downs. We live in a poor neighborhood which is largely irreligious, although there is a steadily grow ing, strong religious nucleus. We chose this neighbor- Thr Jewish Oburver!Duember, 1982 33 - inner structure. And this, as luck would have it, just at To newcomers I would say: "Recognize that there are the spin-and-wring cycle, when sensitivity and vulner two kinds of criticism: that which can be useful as an ability were at their zenith. (It was an experience, I educational tool (regarding, for example, lengths of believe, that I could have done without at that particular hemline and neckline; the finer points of kashrus, etc), epoch in my history!) and that which comes from a disquieting feeling within Now, firmly rooted in my own little patch, such occa the critic himself when faced with a kind of person he sions pass me by with as little effect as the dulcet tones has never seen before in his life, and who perhaps also of a grumpy bus driver. Truth to tell, they rarely happen voices ideas which, although 120°/o kosher, are nonethe these days. Time is probably a vital factor. less also completely outside the critic's ken. Learn to know the difference, in spite of how you might feel at Dealing With Criticism the moment you receive the criticism." When confronted with a more-brusque-than-neces Suspicion of a newcomer is a natural, deeply rooted sary fochacha, ask yourself: instinct, usually unconscious. But if the newcomer sticks it out, quietly and persistently, going about his "Is this true? Is my hemline too high?" Or, "Is this business over a long period of time, the uncomfortable statement on the halacha of kashrus accurate?" If in feelings of those individuals seem to evaporate as it is doubt, ask a she'eila. If you know you are right and the seen and felt that the new person is not a threat to other person is wrong, it is best not to argue. Best security, even with his differences in custom. The for response is: "You may be right; maybe I should look into mula appears to be Time-plus-Perseverence. it." This answer, accompanied by an outwardly calm, smiling manner, is recommended in assertiveness train ing courses and doeth much to gentle down even the r------,I Subscribe, Renew or Give I roughest of conversation partners. The Jewish Observer now and save. I I If pressured to follow a particular rebbe or poseik I •One Year/$15.00 (for ten issues) I which you do not feel is "your thing"; or to wear a wig I •Two Years/$27.00 (a $40 value) I instead of a kerchief, for instance-a good answer is: •Three years/$36.00 (a $60 value) "Yes, I am sure Rav so-and-so has many merits"; or, I (Add $1 per year for overseas subscriptions) "You're right, wigs are attractive" ... and then continue I Clip and save doing what you know to be best for you. I stress again, I The Jewish Observer in these instances time is on your side. 1 5 Beekman Street I New York, N.Y. 10038 1 0 One Year $15.00 0 Two Years $27.00 Advice to the Born-Religious I 0 Three Years only $36.00 To the born-religious, I would like to offer a sugges I Send magazine to: tion when dealing with a ba'al teshuva or convert. If you have an uncomfortable feeling when you are with a certain person, ask yourself: "Why do I feel this way? Address------What about him/her makes me tense? Could what I am about to say hurt this person?" City ------~·tate/Zip ______I can't recommend gentleness too highly when speak From: ing to a newcomer to Judaism. Name ______If a convert or ba'al teshuva comes to you for advice or help, and you are not able to be of assistance; you believe Address------you do not have the time, or you feel that his personality is not compatible with yours, instead of a preemptory City ______...,,tate/Zip. ______dismissal you might try: o Enclose gift card D Bill me: $ __ D Enclosed: $ __ "I really can't help you, but I know someone who may Israel and Great Britain: via airfreight-$20. be able to. Why don't you try this address?" D Payment Enclosed I assure you that you will be remembered with a I D Charge my credit card: D Master card D Visa blessing. Keep in mind that, willingly or involuntarily, you are I Account No. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I providing an example for the newcomer, an impression I Expiration date DD (month) DD {year) I that will stick with him in his new life. This, I believe, is Signature I one of the meainings of the phrase "Kiddush Hashem." I We are sorry, but due to high bank charges, all payments I In answer to the possible question: "What's the mat I must be made in US dollars, drawn on a US bank. I ter, you oversensitive or something?" The answer (as I wrote once) is: ~------~34 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 - "Yes, we are generally a sort of sensitive crowd (with 1 exceptions, of course); and there are periods and cir cumstances when we are more so than usual. People Winter Sale! who are attracted to Judaism are usually above average On our new line of fine suits, in intelligence and sensitivity. Abstract questions re sport jackets, overcoats and raincoats. garding Truth, Justice, human behavior and its causes Shop NOW and avoid and effects, Meaning, etc., rarely enter the mind of the the last minute rush. less perceptive individual, while the insensitive and coarse are not likely to notice such things in their envir Free necktie with the purchase of any onment as emptiness, moral decay, lies, corruption, suit or jacket when mentioning cruelty, and the suffering they breed. These types The Jewish Observer. accept such conditions as "natural," feel at home where Largest selection-dress and casual-name they are, and have no reason to search for anything else. brand designer suits and sports coats-biggest Perhaps this is the reason the mifzva relating to converts discounts-Hard to find black-on-black suits appears so many times in the Chumash. in stock. •Botany 500 • H. Freeman Aids Along The Way •London Fog • Glen Eagles I believe that finding one's particular niche is a pure •Sasson gift from Hashem. To be sure, efforts on our part are • Oleg Cassini necessary-but someone could make all the efforts in • Dior his power and not find his place; or conversely that he • Egon von Furstenburg could suddenly become aware of an open door where Open Sunday-All credit cards there was none yesterday and voila! he finds himself "Our best advertisements are worn, not written" rooted in his own little patch. Prayer is perhaps the most important of my hishtadlut 5101 New Utrecht Ave., Brooklyn, New York activities. One great scholar said that Hashem often puts us into certain circumstances for the purpose of chasing us under the wings of the Shechina. The tribula tions of the teshuva reconstruction period are guaranteed to do just that, if nothing else. Again I want to emphasize persistence. It is written that nothing stands in the way of the will. This means keep ing the will up-and-at-' em day after day after day, espe cially during stretches of desert where it seemed no progress was being made, or when the treadmill ap NEW peared to be going backwards. LOW I don't see how it is possible to do all this alone PRICES perhaps for some extraordinary souls, it is. But I found Rabbi Gottlieb accurate in his statement: "Ba'ale teshuva (and most converts)* have very unique needs-specialized shi'urim, sensitive counseling and psak "ZECHUSIM" FOR SALE halacha. (Among other things) ... At each stage in life A highly respected Rosh Yeshiva who has the ba'al teshuva (or convert) is trying to live according to a life style of which he had no personal experience until always solicited outside aid to help others, now adulthood. It is our experience to help him fill that gap, finds himself in desperate need. He refuses not only one year after he makes his commitment, but help and is falling deeply into debt. You can throughout the rest of his life-even after he can pass buy a part of the MITZVAH GEDOLAH of for an FFB through his dress and Torah knowledge." helping him besalser by sending your tax I received this kind of support (and still do) all along deductib!e contribution in any amount to: the way, and I am deeply indebted to all those in the community who are my "family." It is not only their MIFAL TZEDUKA V'CHESED advice and concrete assistance, but their example-when c/o Yonoson Israel the tumult dies down and one is over the hump, it is the 1680 59th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204 example that endures. The costs for this advertisment were donated. All con tributions go directly to help this family. *Parentheses mine. The Jewish Obsenier/Decem/,er, 1982 35 Although I did say that membership in the "in" crowd AN EVENT was not my cup of tea, far be it from me to disparage aristocracy. On the contrary: I am all for it-aristocracy, TO REMEMBER! that is nobility of the spirit. This has nothing to do with The Torah Gathering family lineage and possessions, or even knowledge in in Honor of Daf Yomi some cases. This nobility concerns midos, particularly Siyum HaShas at Felt Forum those touching on veahavta l're'acha ka'mocha,· and it can be had by those on all social strata and income levels, by the TAPE#l Rabbi Chaskel Besser/Rabbi Yisroel Spira-Bluzover Reb, unlettered as well as by PhDs. Thus I have friends in all be/Rabbi Shimon Schwab*/Rabbi Mordechai Gifter/Rabbi these categories, who in addition represent a cross Yekusiel Y. Halbersram-Zanz-Klausenberger Rebbe section of all the different national origins and ap proaches to Judaism in the country. True aristocracy is TAPE#2 not snobbish, and I found this confirmed when one of Zanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, continuation/ Rabbi Yaakov the scions of an American "prestigious lineage" family Kamenetzky. married a hitherto unknown ba'alas teshuva not long ago. Both tapes, $5 .00 (Single tapes available upon request.) Three Cheers AN I do not see disillusionment, failure in endeavors, emotional problems, and inability to face the word as UNFORGETTABLE necessarily derogatory terms. Wouldn't it make sense to look coolly at what someone is disillusioned about? And CONVENTION exactly which endeavors did he fail in? What was the Yours to hear again and again world like that he was unable to face? What is causing TAPE#l his emotional problems, and what is he doing about "Ler Your Actions Inspire Love of G- 36 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 """-- My Cousin-A Shcharansky Shira Shapiro (he often says psalm 2 7) Your father's picture hangs on For one moment my tears are hotter my parents' wall. My Grandmother was his cousin. than the flames. My mind dares not linger "Ben clod" is also son of a over your moments. Loved one. We are both His children. Bitterness is worse than death. Friday Night the sun Peace of mind is restored greets the tree tops. only by the realization The shadows lengthen. I cannot understand His ways Echoes of the Beginning resound. I find comfort; The bread I kneaded and shaped The light shed on my life is on the table. is from the same Source Man was formed by His hands As the brilliant light with infinite care. that illuminates your ways. I light my candles And still my mind struggles A little bit of light with your experience. Braving a world Teach me the language that rapidly being enveloped by darkness. has words for your pain. My spirit is alight Let me hear the music with the fire of prayers. that has notes for your courage. For my family, friends, and for you Right now they don't exist In your isolation cell But the days are surely coming ... Starving your body in protest, In the meantime our Being force-fed communication will be In the Gulag. With light Mrs. Shapiro is a resident of Los Angeles. This is her first appearanct in fhese And fire. pages. WE (:ARllYA Wtl:IE FiANGE OFAO'fOJ.tOSILES . . 'Col'ii~acts:"' Mid Size"'." Garpo.:& f!~!!fsl!1tger;Viins > '. STAl'fONWJ,GO.NS •·l=UL.L SIZEC'AAS Dally. Wffkl~ •_Mohlhfy .ll•I•• •.·:fte~f'M.llea:geJ'>lan~·.•--fol&Jot:c·~·e11tca·rds ... ; • ..Shott 1'.·LtthJJ !•rm :,l.•1l5lh'g :~.·Alf.. Make•·& MOdels 'Let Os tfillor..A LftB81oFJt·Your.N_••d• 1 E"xt:luslve Catere~sattlJ!> EletJ~nt C()TILLJON '!"EB.RACE ~l:itit:IP 7307.18thAvenue ·. · · Aut(> Rental, & .L.easinf:l 51120 New Ulret:hl Ave_., Brooldy11. J11.Y-. corner5'i'lh St. ar<>~klyn, l\jc'(: . v Op~ri Su?·"" T_~u.r~, :S~6:3.0, Ftf.. tilf 3.:00: ()pen Chup11,...Glatl Koslil!r •. ...• (212) 435.·8111 · Acto111modtti The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 37 'r<· c2KATANA (jALLEI(Y Rabbi Lucite, Zirconia, Pearl and Semi~Precious Stone Jewelry; Leib Gurwitz Personalized Challah Covers, T alis Bags and Yarmelkas; Jew i1~iJ? i'.,,~ i~i ish Books, Judaica; Taleisim, Mezuzos, and Lots More- Gadol and Manhig All at Super Discount Prices. World Jewry noted with deep sor Open Sunday and Wednesday 11:00 A.M. -6:00 P.M. row the passing of Rabbi Leib Gur Other Times by Appointment. witz i1~1:.i.'i p,il 1-'i, the Rosh Yeshiva Reb Leib-the gadol-the man who of Gateshead, England, and member shouldered the burdens of Europe's 1163 East 10th Street of the Moetzes Gedo lei Ha Torah (Coun largest Yeshiva had time, nay made Bet. Kand L cil of Torah Sages) of Agudath Israel. time, for all who sought his help. 252-1222 In the words of Dayan Moshe "Yet with all his concern for the Swift of the London Beis Din, a individual, he exuded royal stature chaver of Reh Leib in Mir of old, "Reh and authentic Torah authority when Leib was the greatest 'tree planter' addressing large public audiences or in the Torah world, because there attending meetings of the Moetzes isn't a town or village in the length Gedolei Ha Torah. He was passionately and breadth of the Jewish world involved in the affairs of Kial Yisroel, where there are no falmidim of Gates and of Agudath Yisrael in particular. head Yeshiva taking their full part After the pelirah of the late lamented as Rabbonim, Dayanim, Marbitzei Torah, Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Ba bad 7"ll, Klei Kodesh, or active Baalei Battim out he was the natural successor as standing in every walk of Kehilla chairman of the European Aguda life." Dayan Swift quoted the late Executive. At the last Knessia Ge Dayan Abramsky 7"ll as having re dolah in Jerusalem, when a three ferred to Reh Leib as "England's man Presidium was elected, he vvas greatest Mechadesh in Torah." the natural candidate to be one of In his column in the London Jewish them and was elected by popular Tribune, Agudath Israel leader Joe acclamation. Lobenstein added to the above, writ "He never allowed himself to be ing most affectionately of Rabbi looked upon as a mere figurehead. Leib Gurwitz 7"ll: Notwithstanding his innate mer "Reh Leib was a Gadol Be Yisroel in desty, he insisted on leading-and the truest and most undiluted sense lead he did. He combined compas of the word. Not great, but very sion with firmness; kanaous (zeal) great; not just a lamdan but an illuy; with love and warmth, and his ex HADERECH, 97 Stamford Hill not just a pleasant man but an out pressions of Daas Torah were never London Nl6 STR, England standing gentleman; not merely challenged. Although the Reform Enclosed please find my remittance of $10 modest but a person who could movement was unlikely to make an incl. surface mail postage ($8 extra for reduce himself to the minutest prob impact in his own sphere of influ airmail) in payment of my subscription to lem of a young bachur or to the hartz ence he fought it tooth and nail and Haderech for six issues. veitog of an ailing man or woman. His opposed those who were even mildly NAME ______telephone at home never stopped tolerant towards it. Because Reb ADDRESS ______ringing. People from all walks of life Leib thought far beyond his imme asked him for help or guidance and diate confines-he thought in terms he gave it unstintingly. Some advice of Kial Yisroel as a whole. on a shiduch, a business deal which "He was a gadol and leader of the had gone wrong, or p'shat in a Tosfos, old school." 38 The Jewish Obseroer/December, 1982 Shoshana Perr er, and program director at camp, I symbolized n~tvr.:: ~?:n,* the very same search for the medium of conveying time it spelled out the word n•wo. It the old in all its majesty. I search for was painstaking work. They called They Don't a means of communicating a pasuk me in to see the finished product. (Biblical passage) ma'arnar Chazal They were proud. The effect was Make Mems (rabbinical dictum) with the power stark and striking. It evoked the and immediacy of the snake bite you desired mood. don't know you've received until "It's beautiful," I said praising the The Way your arm is swollen. I want to effect creativity and the meticulous work. the way I have been effected-to get "But I don't recognize the 'MEM,' "I They Used To goose pimples from Torah. complained. I search for a vehicle to instill "It's the new 'MEM'," the art staff Hot Porridge and Cocoa appreciation for the stories and insisted. "It's used everywhere." sounds that riveted my attention, New is unsettling. New is threat At least part of me wants to be and that inspired me. ening. I question my angst. Was it terribly old fashioned-bake my own I succeed at times. Yet at times I feelings of nostalgia for the known? bread, make my own cheese. Send notice that it is with patience that Was it the anomie experienced from off my little ones to yeshiva on a cold the younger ones listen to a song living in a rapidly changing world? ls winter day with tummies full of that moved me in my youth and the construction of youngsters, the warm porridge and be there to greet moves me yet today. It is the new process of breaking down old forms, them upon their return with a mug sound that fires their imagination. I wondered. of hot cocoa around which to warm The old song is a frame of reference, I consented to the new "MEM" their little round hands. a piece of history they cannot fathom recognizing that it was my sensitiv And that part of me is stunned unless I can manage to reconstruct ity that stood in their way. One can when in dicussing a family problem the total vanished picture, to give it be flexible with letters. But for me with my father, he will respond the life it has within me. I sometimes the "MEM" had to be a certain shape smiling chidingly, "Is that the new succeed. I sometimes fail. to be a "MEM." Not to them. It was psychology?" The new psychology? New songs abound. I feel much my frame of reference. Does it speak from me without my more at home with the old ones. But On visiting day I went up to a knowing it? Am I a child of my I understand the impetus to create parent of one of the artists involved times-me, the old-fashioned mo the new, to be original. in the project. He is a scholar and ther? also a person with an interesting The old is known. The old is "The bee collects from others but view and mind-stretching overview. secure. The old is safe. The old is produces honey," my father once He is also a person of my own who we are. It was transmitted to us told me. "The spider creates his own generation. with painstaking care. It is what we but it is only a spider web," he added. "Everything is changing," I said. wish to transmit unadulterated to Yet the creative impulse cries out "They don't make 'MEMS' the way our children. for expression." As their faces differ they used to," I complained, know Yet a tension exists. We are told so do their minds differ." And we ing he would understand. to approach the old with a fresh have been taught that it is right to "No," he said thoughtfully, "they ness, with a fascination, with a curi be true to the uniqueness which is don't make 'MEMS' the way they osity one has in scanning the head yourself. Reb Zyshe remarked, used to. They don't even make lines, in opening the newly arrived "When I come to Heaven they will Moms the way they used to." mail. And though nothing is new not ask me why weren't you Moshe * Chr11/ei Moshiach-litera!ly, birth pangs of the under the sun-it is that which is Rabbeinu-they will ask why weren't Messiah. "Chni/ri'" also means "ropes of. new to our experience that arouses you Zyshe." our interest, fires our imagination. MOVE TO Longing for M ... Paramus, New Jersey Snake Bites and Goose Pimples Shiurim This summer the camp produced Teaching is the art of articulating an original cantata expressing the Thurs. Eves: Gemora Shabbos by the old nuances into the current longing for Moshiach. As a back RABBI H. SCHACTER idiom. It is the pouring of old wine drop for the performance, the young Rosh Hakollel, Yeshivas into new flasks. As a mother, teach- ladies involved in the art work Rabbeinu Yitz~hok E!chanan Shoshana Perr is a mother, /eacher, Camp Btios draped the stage wall in black cloth Call: David Lehmann (201) 261-3136 Program Director, Counselor and Therapist with and formed the word n~w~ using Torah Umesorah Counferforcr Program, and is cur rope as the art medium. Ship rope (212) 929-2395 rently in private practice. stretched between tenpenny nails Transportation available from N. Y. The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 39 we ask: do these books really give us directorship of my uncle Zelig Sha a true picture of their cities? Or do piro. Hence my connection with Bia the editors sometimes twist and lystok. Going by train from Lomza bend the truth in order to grind to the Yeshiva in Baranovitz re their own ideological axes?" quired changing trains in Bialystok, The same questions should be so every so often, I would spend a asked regarding The Bialystoker Mem few days with my uncle and his fam orial Book. Clues to the answers can ily. During these visits, I became also be drawn from the same article, acquainted with the city, and I used which concludes: "On reading a Yiz this knowledge as a basis for judging kor Book, check the ideology of the this book. editors and writers. You can be cer tain that they will twist the facts to A City of Torah Institutions their fancy, to suit their ideology. Chaim Shapiro How can you check further? If the Bialystok was distinguished by a editors or writers personally write number of yeshivos. First among in detail about the leftist parties, you these institutions was the Bialys Yizkor Books know for sure that the book is not a toker Kibbutz,' with Reb Yaakov The Bialystoker true mirror of the town." As for Masmid as Rosh Yeshiva. A second Bialystok, I can d~aw on my own Rosh Yeshiva, who also served as Memorial Book experience there, besides the indica Mashgiach, was Reb Elchonon ja tions from the book's authorship. kubowitz, who was a Novaradoker, (published by the Bialystoker Cen a ta/mid of both the Alter of Nova ter, N. Y., 1982, 205 pages in Eng Remembering Bialystok radok and Reb ltzele Peterburger lish, 396 pages in Yiddish.) There were three main centers of (Blazer). He also published a sefer, In "How Not to Write a 'Yizkor thetextileindustryinPoland-Lodz, Even Shimon. Book"' (JO, April, 1980), I wrote: Bialystok, and Belice, all competing Then there was Yeshiva Beis "The purpose of all these books is with Manchester, England, for dom- Meir, which was headed by Rabbi certainly not for the survivors; ra-- ination of the textile market in Eu- Sholem Eishishker, a ta/mid muPhokof ther it is for posterity, for future rope. In fact, there were llO textile the Chofetz Chaim. The Mashgiach historians that they are written. So factories in Bialystok plus 200 leather was M. Levinson, also a Radiner. Both men were sons-in-law of Reb Chaim Shapiro of Baltimore, has had a number manufacturers. The industry was Baruch Lipkes, a well-known baal of articles appearing in THE JEWISH OBSERVER almost entirely in Jewish hands. One habayis in Bialystok. including "Lomza" and ,.Tik!in." He is represented by of the seven Jewish banks in town, Reb Bunim Farbshtain, a Kotzker ten chapters in the recently-published The Torah which had helped in the industry's World, an anthology of biographical articles, most of development, was the Bank for Chassid, who represented Agudath which had been featured in THE JEWISH OBSERVER. Commerce and Industry, under the Israel in the Kehilla Council, founded a Bais Yaakov school for the girls of rls your name and address print<;d incottectly on the JO mailing label? l Bialystok. Are. you moving? Help us deliver your JO to you as efficiently as j The largest Torah institution in I possible. Please attach current mailing label in space below; or else print . Bialystok was Novaradok,2 with a j clearly your address as we now !\ave it, I huge building at Sosnowa St. 30, which in addition to housing 400 Name I j talmidim, served as the headquarters Addres. I Footnotes I City, State, ZiP I 1. Not to be confused with the Kibbutzim in I Pdnt your correct (or new)' nameand address he'e: I Eretz Yisroel, some yeshivos in Poland were called "Ki/1bu.f;; .. before there ever was a col 1 lective settlement in the Holy Land. Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski had a Kibbutz. in Vi!na; its illustrious ralmidim included R' Moshe Shatzkes, later Rar of Lomza; R' I ::.. ,, I Yechezkie! Abramski, later of London and then Jerusalem; R' Eliezer Silver (Cincin I Mail 1:6: I The Jewish Observer nati); and R' Amie!, Ra!' of Tel Aviv, among others. L __.. ~ ~kman Sr., N.Y. 10038 --' ___ .J 2. I 0 March, 1977. 40 The Jewish Obsenier!Derember, 1982 CHINUCH PUBLICATIONS Proudly announces two major new works MENORAS HAMAOR The Light of Contentment by Rabbeinu Yitzchak Abohav MENO RAS HAMAOR is a series of individual works that collectively offer a unique panoramic view of Judaism and its many facets. For 600 years this beloved work of Jewish thought and popular in· spiration has been studied and enjoyed by both men and women in Hebrew, Ladino, German and Yiddish. Now for the first time this great classical work is Bialystok Beth Hamidrash being translated into English by of the Novaradok movement, under Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Avraham Yofen. It was a nerve center that 280 Pages, 7 x 10 supervised seventy yeshivos all over Hard cover $9. 95 • Soft cover $7.95* Poland, with a total enrollment of Scheduled for Publication summer 1983: The Light of Mitzvos 5000 talmidim. I remember the con stant flow of Roshei Yeshivas, Mashgi chim, messengers, collectors, and su GIANTS OF JEWRY by Aharon Surasky pervisors visiting the offices in the Yeshiva building, the life center of Volume Two This monumental work. originally Published in Hebrew as Novaradok throughout the world. MARBITZEI TORAH U'MUSSAR is now available in English, And then, the Mizrachi had a This beautiful work captures in vivid detail sketches of these Torah giants. giving us insights into their rich lives and the college-level T achkemoni School for inspirational impact left on their own and future generations. years in Bialystok. Included in this volume: • Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Der Alter of Slobodka/ • Rav Eliei.er Gordon Not a Word ... • Rav Yosef Yozel Horowitz(Der Altero{Novhardok/ • Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein Look through this book's 601 • Rav Naftoli Trop • Rav Eliyohu Meir Feivelson pages and not one word about all the • Rav Yosef Leib Bloch above mentioned will you find in the • Rav Yehuda Leib Cha~man book! On page 34, there is a photo 336 Pages, 5% x 8'/z with a caption: "Yeshiva boys and Hard cover $9.95* Soft cover $7.95* their teachers." Orthodoxy also exists, in a caption on page 81: "The Available at your local bookstore or contact the distributor Committee for Maach'l Kosher, to HALACHA and CHINUCH PUBLICATIONS supply kosher food for soldiers and 418 Twelfth Street, Lakewood, N.J. 087011(201)363-3980 prisoners." And on page 146: "In the Ghetto, they organized two schools, ------one secular and one Orthodox. The Order Form Orthodox school had 500 children, Name boys and girls separate." Who put this book together? Address Its editors are Daily Forward peo City ______State------Zip------ple, who are attempting to keep PLEASE SEND: alive their lo!"lg moribund tradition ___ copies MENO RAS HAMAOR (Hard cover) @ $9.95* of Bund and Soc'alism, which ex __ copies MEN ORAS HAMAOR (Soft cover) @ 7.95* plains their attitude; as it says: "The __ copies GIANTS OF JEWRY Vol. l (Hard cover) @ 9.95* wicked do not even repent at the ____ copies GIANTS OF JEWRY Vol. l (Soft cover)@ 7.95* gates of Hell." ·-·--·----copies GIANTS OF JEWRY Vol. 2 (Hard cover) @ 9.95* On the frontispiece, they printed --·-·copies GIANTS OF JEWRY Vol. 2 (Soft cover)@ 7.95* the following slogan: PERPETUATE •Please add 11.00 for first item ordered and 60 cents each additional item. Canada and foreign please add 11.50 for first volume and 75 cents for each THE HALLOWED TRADITIONS OF JEW additional item. ISH BIALYSTOK! Special rates for bulk orders. Prepaid orders accepted only. What tradition? Which Bialystok? Plea&e write for our free catalogues. The Jrwish Obsen'er!Deum/1er, 1982 41 conjecture, in the commentary, is Letters to the Editor that it is precisely for this reason that these three statements are in ter-related. In other words, I am suggesting that this in fact may be the real meaning of the Mishna. However, I should add that com j mentary of this sort should never be assumed to be definitive. The book was intended to be a psychological philosophical perspective, not the "As a Tree By Waters" evolves from a society where one definitive explication of Pirkey Avoth. -the Author Explains reaches the top by murdering the I hope that this serves to some opposition. It is only to be expected how or other clarify some of the To the Editor, that achievement via murder will, in I am grateful to The Jewish Observer very astute observations picked up the end result, become defeat via by the reviewer. for seeing fit to review my book, As that same route, which was Hillel's A Tree By The Waters-Pirkey Avoth, (Rabbi) REUVEN P. B ULKA warning. Aside from the divine jus Ottawa, Ontario Psychological and Philosophical Insights tice element, there is a behavioristic (Av 5742-Summer 1982-Volume side to this pattern which also has its 16, number 4). Photocards of legitimacy, and which I tried to Gedolei Yisroel The reviewer of the book, in analy project. 35 glossy, postcard size sing the volume, raises some inter Finally, I would like to make a (3Y,"' x Sy,") portraits of esting points, to which I would like comment concerning the interpre to respond. tation of "Do not engage in exces Gedolei Yisroel There is no question that the sive idle chatter with women." Here for your set, send $4 connection between the Mishnayos in my interpretation deals with the to: Photocards the first two chapters is clearly his importance of not reducing one's Agudath Israel of America torical, as the reviewer notes. In my wife to small talk, or to the status of 5 Beekman Street book, I endeavor to show connec household servant, who must obey NYC 10038 tions between the Mishnayos, but husbands's orders and cater to hus this is in no way intended to deny band's whims. The reviewer indi the historical connection, showing cates that the observation is true Pincus Mandel the chain of Rabbinic leadership. We but it is not the real meaning of this Cemetery Consultant know why Shemaya and Avtalyon Mishna. Representative of Chevros come after Yehuda Ben Tabai and I suggested this interpretation Kadisha in Jerusalem Shimon Ben Shetach. In other since I was working with the as with karka on Har Hazaitim, San~ words, the historical chain is what sumption that there is a logical con hedria and Hat Hamnuchot; also has established authorship of the nection which inter-relates the var sole agent for the "ADMAT KO~ DESH" Cemetery in SEFAT, near various Mishnayos, but the essence of ious statements in Mishna, where each Mishnayos and the intercon the " TZIYON" of R'PINCHAS the Mishna is made up of a conglo Ben YAIRand MERON Cemetery, nectedness still are open for expla merate of statements. In this in nation, which my book makes a in the vicinity of the "OHEL" of stance, the statement regarding R'SHIMON BAR YOCHAI. Karka modest attempt at. one's wife is preceded with exhorta also available on all other COM~ The reviewer reacts to my com tions to keep one's house open wide, MllNITY ,OWNED Cemeteries in mentary on Hillel's remarks when and to allow the poor to be members Eretz Yisrael, controlled and main~ he saw a floating skull. "Quite likely of the household. This obviously tained by the CHEVRA KADISHA it was the end result of a person relates to the type of household that of the COMMUNITY ... Not a striving to be a person where others is created, and to the capacity of an PRIVATELY-OWNED BUSI NESS. ' were already entrenched (as per individual to be concerned for oth 1569 47th Street sons)." According to the reviewer, ers and to allow the environment of Brooklyn, N.Y. 11219 this robs Hillel's statement of its the home to project that concern. Day and Night Phone profound message about the work That, however, can only be done (212) 855-5121 ings of divine justice. Again, the when the husband and the wife in Honesry - Inregrity - point is well taken, except that what the home are of like mind with Responsibiliry I intended in my interpretation is regard to this, but it is something Over 30 Years of Dedicated Service to not to deny the divine justice theme, that the husband should not take for the Onhodox _kwish Cornmumrv but to show the syndrome which granted and demand of the wife. My 42 The Jewish Obsen'er!Deamb1•r, J 982 Organizing to Keep Teachers When a rebbe, after teaching 25 standing rebbe why he doesn't talk From Disappearing years in the Limudei Kodesh and secu up, his reply was that he was afraid lar departments of a yeshiva, must of being fired. To the Editor: serve as a van driver to make ends I am a proud mechanech (Torah meet, his children and friends will educator) who tries to inspire Bais not enter the field of chinuch. Or, if It Hurts to See Them leave Medrash bachurim and graduates of after a day of teaching, a rebbe has to Bais Yaakov Seminary to enter the serve as a waiter till 1:00 in the It hurts me to see so many capable field of chinuch instead of seeking morning, it hurts his prestige and he melamdim leaving the field of chinuch better paying jobs as computer pro finds physical difficulty in teaching because they can't make ends meet grammers, etc. Whenever a Menahel the next day with vim, vigor and because the raises are meager and or Rebbe is disgusted, I try to incul vitality. When yeshivos do not give because of inflation. Others are dis cate him with the real values of chi the rabbeim Social Security, it hurts couraged by their parents and nuch. If I had to live my life again, I the field of chinuch. If a rebbe who friends because melamdim are treated always tell future mechanchim, I would taught 34 years for one yeshiva is as in Europe before the war. Do we be a mechanech because the children given $39.50 a month pension from want only melamdim who cannot we teach are the future of Kial Yis the yeshiva, the members of his make it in any other field? roel. My married daughters are in family, and the children of his I am strongly opposed to rabbeim the field of chinuch. acquaintances, will look down at the joining the AFL-CIO or city-wide After I taught twenty years at a field of chinuch. organizations of melamdim, for if they well-known yeshiva, more than half fall into the hands of those who believe in strong-arm tactics, they of the rabbeim were on the staff '' many years more than I. Why do Give Them Tenure may be used as a tool to close down those who enter the field of chinuch many institutions of Torah at the prefer to teach in certain yeshivos A rebbe or a morah should have same time. and avoid joining the staff of other tenure as soon as he or she starts If, however, each yeshiva would yeshivos? The financial remunera teaching the third year. If at any have its own organization of melam tion and the status of melamdim are time after that the heads of the dim with a committee of rabbeim major factors. If every rebbe who yeshiva deem it necessary that he speaking on behalf of the entire seeks a raise must speak on his own should be removed from his position staff, more people would enter the to the principal or executive director because he is not capable any more field of chinuch. Each rebbe. after a few and beg for the raise, his spirit is or he is taking advantage of his years at the yeshiva, should have lowered. security, the rebbe can be taken to a the same salary in order to avoid Din Torah. After the Din Torah decides jealousy among the melamdim. It is that he must resign from his posi understood that rabbeim should not tion, it is understood that he has no misuse the power of an organized more security and must seek em group. ATLAS ployment elsewhere. However, until Many years ago, when our ye the dayanim decide that the rebbe is shiva gave us $120 annual raise, the ICOSHEI not doing a satisfactory job, he can administration claimed it was diffi WINTER not be expelled by either the menahel cult for them to meet the budget, or the administration. yet it managed .... And when we ESCAPES A rebbe needs Social Security. If he received $1500 or more as a raise is treated as self employed, he prob more recently, it also managed to DACAPULCO ably will not make yearly payments meet the budget. to Social Security because he finds it Thus, as I stressed before, in order DARUBA difficult to make ends meet on a to lift up the spirit of the rabbeim and DNASSAU day-to-day basis. Thus, it is neces to attract capable people to the field DAMERICANA sary that the yeshiva and the rebbe of chinuch, it is necessary that each GREAT GORGE RESORT should each pay Social Security so yeshiva should have its own organi Freshly Cooked Glatt that his spouse will be protected in zation of mechanchim so that no one Kosher Value Vacations case of death and he will have at should feel humiliated by being least some earnings at the age of forced to approach the heads of the ATLAS sixty-five. A yeshiva of repute de institution for a proper salary. INT£RNAT10HAL TOURS 2 West 4Sth St N V C 10036 cided one day that each rebbe is a NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST (212) 921 9292 self-employed worker. Thus, they Out of N V State Cati Toll Free 800-Z21 260-0 stopped making their Social Secur The writer of the above letter is a Torah ity payments. When I asked an out- educator of many years' experience. The Jewish Obsen1er/Deumber, 191'2 43 The most delicious record Raised Consciousness and you've ever heard I Professional She'eilos To the Editor: As a dental student, I found Meir Wikler's article on "Halacha and Psy chotherapy" (May '82) very intrigu ing because at least two of the she'ei los mentioned are relevant to den tistry as well. The first she'eila is the question of child abuse. A dentist, by examing the face and mouth of a patient, can Songs and Story of 81rchas Haoch/1n often detect child abuse. By law, I by Rabbi Shmuel Kunda believe, he is required to report any suspected abuse. The second she'eila, though not mentioned specifically in the article, also involves the issue [. featuring: of maser-informing on one's fellow. A dentist is often able to detect prob '~· There's No Such Thing As A Watermelon Tree! lems such as Venereal Disease. Join in the fun as Boruch learns the What's worse is that a child patient Brochos for his favorite foods from might ask not to have the parents Velvel Watermelon, Pitzel Peanut, informed. By law, even if the par Mr.Gazook, Slippery Jake, & many ., ! ~ ents are not informed, the public other new & exciting friends on a visit,t.Ji ___ ~ t/ health department must be in formed. l certainly hope I don't to.Zvi's Gr~cery ~tore. WJ~ --···· ~\ ,\'.l\~'/,.. encounter either of these difficul Voice Animation and -~~X·:'s;.'' ties, especially not within the {rum Cover Design by Rabbi Shmuel Kund community. Nevertheless, the pos sibility does exist. Musical Arrangements by: Yisroel Lamm I would like to know what piskei Soloist and Child Narrator: Shimshe Gross halacha (decisions) have been given Guest Singer: Moshe Ollech on this subject and where I can find Distributed by Aderet: {212) 436-6131. them. Thank you for raising my consciousness about these problems. ROBERT RUBIN Stony Brook, New York Come To Formerly Kosher Krng The correspondent was referred to an authority for guidance in these questions.-The Editor -The Editor k06hctr £~.~tty Photo credits in Oct. '82 edition of THE JEWISH OBSERVER, Whrtehead Hall Brooklyn College Nachman Wolfson took photographs of Rabbi Shneur Kotler 7":il that appear on pages 4, 8 (rt. col.), and 9; Naftoli Heinemann took the pano ramic sweep of Reb Shneur's lel'ic1h Are you going to Israel? (pp. 10-11); Albert Sutton, the photo on p.12; Bernard M. Stern, the pho Your visit to the Holy Land will have more meaning when you utilize tographs of London on p.16. the free touring information service available from Tourist Departmem ii'";~ii ~!Y\"': Agudath Israel World Organln"on EV 7-1750 5 Rechov Shomre Hakosel (opposite Kikar Hacherut) v--io i~o wwri•=~~ •cit,1w1ii•1~v ·--·· _____:;_Je_ru_s_al_e_m_._0_2_-2_2_3-_3_5_7 ______J 44 The Jewish Obst'n)er!December, 198.2 •. t. ~ Chinuch Atzmai-Torah Schools part of a history of discrimination and depri Ask Education Ministry vation against the independent system of THE WORLD FAMOUS for Equality Tor ah education." DIGEST OF MEFORSHIM "In spite of continued growth in enroll 'l:i1j)~ "\l'\:l '!:i1i'~ ment, and a supply of qualified teachers, the n'i~'ii 001~ i:. ri~:.ni ;n:n ivc?H ?~i:w 'i i"n1"1n~ Chinuch Atzmai-Torah Schools in Israel face Did you learn Available at a possible breakdown because of negative LEK UTE! INC. c/o I. Rosenberg budgetary procedures by the Ministry of Torah today? 10 West 47th Street, Room. 702 Education," stated Rabbi Maier Luria, Direc Let us help you (free of charge) NeW York, N.Y.10036 tor of the network's Department of Organi find a Chavrusa or Shiur. (212) 719-1711 zation and Program, during a visit in Amer Call now for fast, 20 Volumes on Torah, Perek, ica." A budget for the current school year has courteous service: Medra•h, Megilos and Talmud. not even been approved yet." Proceeds of sales .:distributed among He explained that the annual budget of Reshet-Torah feshivos and used for _reprinting Chinuch Atzmai-Torah Schools has three Education Network of volumes out-of~print components: "teken," government funding (212) 791-1851 PRICE $7.• SO PER VOLUME for required programs in grades one through eight; "ganim," government funding for re quired programs in Kindergartens; and Keren Hachinuch L'Torah, community funding for j extended hours and programs. The major I segment of the budget is "teken," where dis , proportionate cuts were directed by the ' Ministry. Bound Rabbi Luria charged the Ministry with con ducting a double-standard in determining weekly teaching hours. Until 5742 (1981- 1982), determination tables for all schools for life. were uniform. A school of eight grades, with 25-40 children in each grade, was alloted 275 funded hours each week: 243 teaching hours, The gift ofa lifetime! and 32 administrative hours. Then the Minis try imposed a series of cuts upon Chinuch Atzmai-Torah Schools totalling 13.37°/o, re MEO ROT ducing teaching hours by 37 hours. This left only 206 teaching hours, in spite of the Maz SHAS kirut Pedagogic (Pedagogical Secretariat) of "which has received worldwide the Ministry requiring a minimum of 239 recognition as the leading teaching hours, while for other school sys Shas available today!" tems, whose cuts averaged less than 13.370/o, there remained an allotment of 248 teaching hours. The discrepancy, Rabbi Luria explained, is For home preview also because other school systems had pre appointment call 840-0171 viously been enjoying supplementary funded and get 10% discount. programs which were not granted to Chi nuch Atzmai-Tor ah Schools. Therefore, when the cuts came in, the other systems reduced their supplementary programs, while FEATURES: the Chinuch Atzmai-Torah Schools would •full H1' ·"x 1(1•;,lnrm,it -t)w,,mw,i-th•• • ( h'<'I i\,Oi)ll !ll1 p,igp ,1nrH>Llti The Jewish 0b5frver!Daember. 1982 45 . ' "ONLY COMMUNAL EFFORT CAN SA VE JEWRY" TORAH SAGE TELLS AGUDA TH ISRAEL Rabbi Y aakov Kamenetzky Addresses the 60th Annual Convention of Agudath delegates and visitors from twenty-five Overflow Crowd af National Convention Israel of America. "The person who attempts states and nine foreign countries to the Rye "Today's problems are far too complex to to go it alone can neither achieve his objec Town Hilton Hotel in Port Chester, New be dealt with by individuals, no matter how tives, nor can he himself be sure he'll survive. York, for three days, was an opportunity for dedicated they may be," Rabbi Yaakov Ka We must overcome intra-mural differences Orthodox Jews of a wide variety of back menetzky, venerable dean of Mesivta Tor ah because only through the power of com grounds to share ideas, exchange opinions, Vodaath and member of Agudath Israel of munity-as represented by Agudath Israel and hear addresses from outstanding Torah America's Motfzes Gedolei Ha Torah (Council of can Orthodoxy secure its goals." scholars, prominent thinkers and commun Tor ah Sages), said at the keynote session of The Convention, which brought 3,000 ity leaders on a broad range of vital subjects. '• The dais af the ktynole session (front row): Rabbi Aryeh Ma/kiel Koflrr (Lakewood}, Rabbi Elya Fisher, Rabbi Yekusiel Bitersfeld, Rabbi Yitzchok Feige/sfock, Rabbi Sh/omo Lorincz, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Horowitz., Rabbi Avrohom Pam, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, Rabbi Mordechai Gifler(speaking), Rabbi Moshe Horowitz, Rabbi Chaskel Besser, Rabbi Simcha Z. Broyde, Rabbi Y. Perlow, Dr. Isaac I.twin, Rabbi Levi Krupenia, Rabbi Shraga Grossbard, Rabbi Aaron Schuster, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levine, Rabbi Yechiel Perr, Rabbi Simcha Wasserman and Rabbi David Singer. Rabbi Gifter Calls for Reaching Out With Torah At the same session, Rabbi Mordechai Gif ,~ recorded film, stressed that:" Although Juda ter, dean of the Tels he Yeshiva in Cleveland 0 ism teaches every Jew to be responsible for and a member of the Morlzes Gedolei Ha Torah, z his fellow Jew, only a collective force such as "> n said that "Jews who study Torah must I Agudath Israel can have any hope of genuine ~ shoulder the burden of raising the personal > success with the Jewish masses." integrity of the Jew in general." He added, z Rabbi Moshe Sherer, president of Agu "The only practical approach to halt con 0• dath Israel of America, declared that "because ~ tinued losses of American Jewry to assimila w of the ravages of living in a diaspora society, 0 tion is the massive effort to involve every z much of Orthodox Jewry is suffering from a Jew in Torah study. The success of the loss of spiritual appetite-" He called upon Orthodox community in reaching out to Orthodox Jews to "lift their sights to apply unaffiliated Jews is beyond question a posi traditional Torah values to every phase of tive force in Jewish life, but for every Jew personal and national Jewish life; the choice returned to the 'fold', ten are being lost faced by Jews today is clear: either total through intermarriage and assimilation. In acceptance of Torah law or chaos will reign volving every Jew in Torah study, including supreme observant Jews who fail to study, must be a priority of the organized Orthodox Jewish r-··The Si?fer "Ceder Olom" by the Cho community." l fetz Chaim, now available in English The addresses of Rabbi Kamenetzky and ! translation only $1.00 per copy; 5 for Rabbi Gifter were carried on a special radio ! $3.SO; '12 for $5.00. Write to: broadcast. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, dean of ! Zichron Shlomo Pub! Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, the chairman of 5 Beekman St."~~Y-~ 100:__j Moetzes Gedo/ei HaTorah, speaking by pre- Rabbi Mordechai Giffer L 46 The Jewi>h Obsen1er!Dccember. 1982 - z < The keynote session also heard greetings , Desks/Office Space available with telex 0 from Rabbi Moshe Horowitz {Bostoner w facilities near City Hall. 212-732-4600 ~ Rebbe, Brooklyn), Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz, "w I Rabbi Shraga Grossbard, Rabbi Levi Yitz~ w 0 chok Horowitz (Bostoner Rebbe, Brookline, , Mass.), and was chaired by Rabbi Chaskel 0 OAF YOMl? 0 < Besser. " SURELY! Symposia of Challenge But if not, then join Mishna and Controversy and Halacha Vomit. Learn The Convention theme, which was drawn two Mishnas a day and you from the Talmudic adage, "Let Your Deeds Inspire Love of G-d," was the basis for the will complete Mishnayos in Convention's opening Session: "Is Orthod 7'12 years. Through Mish oxy Living Up to its Charge?" Rabbi Avro nayos you will learn what hom Pam, dean of Mesivta Torah Vodaath Shas is all about. Join now (Brooklyn), responded to the topic saying: and the joy of learning "Our obsession with image building to gain Torah every day will be prominence distorts the teachings of Or yours. thodox Jews-to spread the teachings of our people." Rabbi Pam added: "We are taught Send for free Lu'ach: ' Rabbi J\vrohom Pam. that one of the highest forms of charity is Rabbi Elias Karp ~ educating a poor child, but poverty is also 1880 4 7th Street , defined in terms of limited Jewish know 0 Brooklyn, New York 11204 w ledge." ~ In memory of w Addressing the same topic, Rabbi Shlomo I w Freifeld, dean of the Mesivta Shor Yashuv Rabbi Charles Batt ;;"y, 0, (Far Rockaway), stressed that "inspiring a Hartford, Connecticut commitment to Judaism in others can only be achieved through serving G-d with a pas sion. Merely complying with commandments cannot be a source of inspiration to another Jew." He cited examples of the fervor with HOME which returnees to Judaism observe the mitz vos, "a commitment we can all learn from." ATTENDANTS 'j Rabbi Yehuda Blum, a spiritual leader of K'hal Yereim (Cleveland), who served as needed for chairman of the session, said that Ortho doxy's self-critical look is an indication of its HOUSEKEEPING AND ''li maturity. He lauded Agudath Israel for its PERSONAL CARE Rabhi Shlomo Frnfr/d. role in building bridges to all segments of z <, Orthodox Jewry. for the 0 w ~ Orthodox Unity Possible w I Another symposium tackled the theme, DISABLED AND w 0, "American Orthodox Unity: Is It Possible?". HOMEBOUND Rabbi Nachman Bulman, an American au- good pay and benefits Soro Park, Bensonhurst and Flatbush Area full-time live in positions only :g0 Project OHR Inc. " (Office for Homecare Referral) 3920 13th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11218 R.ablii Yrlwda Blum. Rab/,i Nachman Bulman. 853-2700 The ]i'wish Obsrn1er!Ocaml1er. 79/12 47 z z z < < 0 , , ~ 0 0 ~ w w ~ i£ i£ 0 w w •z I I < w w , • 0 0 I , , 0 r < \; £ £ z 0 0 < < 0 " " < " Rabbi David Singer. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Rabbi Yaakov Perlow thor and lecturer now in Migdal Haemek, ferences. Rather, it means listening to one of Torah Sages, addressed the occasion say Israel, said: "Despite the apparent elusive another and working together while respect ing that "the study of Torah is the only unify ness of a broad spectrum Orthodox unity, ing the integrity of each group." Both agreed ing force in Judaism." Rabbi Ruderman was there are growing signs of unity, especially that despite differences amongst various joined by a number of other noted scholars at in the expanding network of Orthodox groups, the common commitment to au the banquet for 1,000 people and a live radio sponsored philanthropic activities." thentic Jewish values can make unity possi audience of thousands more. The Talmud ; Rabbi Nosson Scherman, editor of the Art ble. The session was chaired by Rabbi was formally completed by Rabbi Yisroel ' Scroll-Mesorah Series, said: "Unity within Shmuel Bloom, administrative director of Yitzchok Piekarski, the dean of Yeshiva Orthodoxy does not call for eliminating dif- Agudath Israel of America. Tomchei Temimim. The Queens rabbi blast Both sessions were concluded with lively ed false reports in the press about "non discussion periods in which the symposiasts existing friction within the Orthodox Jewish responded to questions from the Aoor. community." The new cycle, which begins with the Siyum Celebration study of the tractate Berachos, was opened by Rabbi Aaron Schechter, dean of Mesivta The convention was the setting for a fes~ Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Rabbi Shmuel Uns tive banquet celebrating the completion of dorfer, dean of the Klauzenberg Yeshiva in the Talmud as part of the worldwide Oaf Montreal, called the Talmud study program Yomi (folio-a-day) program. Rabbi Yaakov 1309 48 St .• B'klyn, N.Y. 11219 "a stabilizing force in Jewish family life." The Yitzchok Ruderman, dean of Yeshiva Ner 854-2911 session opened with greetings from Mr. Israel, a member of Agudath Israel's Council Benzion Fishoff, co-chairman of the Oaf Yomi Commission, and was chaired by Rabbi Reuvein Feinstein (Mesivta of Staten Island) . ... Boruch Hashem ... A FABULOUS NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK Visitors From Israel: by Popular Al.llhor Bracha Rlshona"' Report to the Convention Several prominent visitors from Eretz ''MYSTERY AT Yisroel reported on their activities to the Convention. At a session (chaired by Rabbi KOSHER KANDY KORNER'' Eliezer Horowitz, Rav of Agudath Israel of Boro Park/14th Avenue), Rabbi Shlomo A Deliahtlul Drama To Thrill A Jewish Child's Heart! AN INVALUABLE EDUCATIONAL AID Ill TEACHING THI MITZVAH OF KASHRUS Lorincz, Agudath M.K. and chairman of the Beautiful Vivid Color Ulu1trotion1 By Blimm'e Tw•nki Knesset's Finance Committee, said: "New positive attitudes towards religion in Israeli Only$2.95 society are a dramatic by-product of Agu at Hebrew Book Stores· Toy And Specialty Shops .. or Order Directly From: dath Israel's swing vote role in the coalition TORAH.TIMI PUBUCAYIONI 2229 85th Street, Brooklyn, New Yorio 11214 Tel. 212-854-6155 or 212-259-2479 of Prime Minister Menachem Begin that D.. ecf Mail: Pleo$• Add $1.00 For Postoge and Handling even outshadowed the legislative gains real SPECIAL SCHOOL RA TH ized through the coalition agreement." Ac~ • ovth•t of "Adventvte• in the Meuno. Hov1e'' cording to Rabbi Lorincz, even opposition Labor members in his committee now see 48 The Jewish Ohsen1er!Dccember, 19132 @ Ce•td•ed Koshf'' by the U'"0" of Orthodox Jew•sh Congrega11oris Two novels which will pave the way towards a deeper understanding of the momentous events of our own times. Fascinating and compelling reading! The Twins A poignant tale of the meeting of The story of two young eastern and western Jewry during children caught in the first years of the fledgling State Poland in the death of Israel. Just published. throes of World War IL hard cover ... 144 pages hard cover. .. 232 pages .. $6.95 ... $7.95 By the well known Israeli rav, scholar, and writer, Rabbi Benzion Firer. I Young Readers Division 6 FELDHEIM BOOKS ffJ 'I 96 East Broadway New York, N.Y. 10002 (212) 925·8130 l The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 49 t. lit z ' 0 "'~ "0 3 z ~- < ~ ~ z I < u ~ 0 ~ < 0 n I z < u 0 < 0 " z < 0 0 < " " ~ *l Mr. B. Fishoff. Rabbi Reuuain Feinstein. #'· z the benefits of the Israeli government's in- 0 ~ creased funding to yeshivas. "'~ "0 Rabbi LorincL added: "While we are wit- 3 '~· ness to positive changes towards religion in z Rabbi Isaac Piekarski. < Israeli society, we must also be concerned ~ ·~! I with negative developments, represented by u z ' f. \'\/;; z 0 "'~ "0 3 z Rabbi Aaron Schechter. < Rabbi Ai1rohom Uzerson. ~ I z u ,< z < 0 0 z w 0 ~ ii' "' 0 ~ ~· 0" < w 3 I z " 00 < ,0 If ~ I u 0 Rabbi Shmuel Unsdorfer. Rabbi Simcha Zissel Broyde. Rabbi Shraga Grossbard. 50 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 On the dais at the keynote session Mordechai Giffer, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Broyde, Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Dr. Isaac Lewin. Levine, Rr.ibbi Reuvain Feinstein, Rabbi Simcha Rabbi Dcwid Steinu>urul. Rabbi Simcha Shusta/, Wasserman. Rabbi Jlrye Malkiel Kofler, Rabbi Yekusie/ Biters{eld, Rabbi Elya Fisher. Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Rabbi Moshe Sherer, Ra/1bi Yaakot' Kamenetzky, Fai!'elson, Rabbi Yilzchok Feige/sfock. Horowitz, Rabbi Avraham Pam. Ii A Taste of the World-To-Come Rav, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld. Mr. I Josef Friedenson, editor of Dos Yiddishe Vort LOST The special Shabbos ambiance of the Agu dath Israel Convention grows from the was chairman. I AND MUST BE FOUND bringing together of Chassidic leaders, Ye ' shiva deans, prominent rabbonim and their !Thousands have been lost to cults, missionar~ followers all in one kaleidescopic kehilla, exud ies, intermarriage, and assimilation. Others who addressed the Convention ing an unusual spirit of achdus and unity. included Rabbi Yekusiel Bitersfeld (Be' er CHIZUK-an agency of Agudath Israel World The uplifting mood was set by a stirring Shmuel), who delivered an appreciation of Organization is doing something about it address by the Novominsker Rebbe, Rabbi through outreach activities-adult study classes the late Rabbi Shneur Kotler 7~1, Dr. Isaac Yaakov Perlow, who recalled Rabbi Shneur -seminars-campus programs-counseling Lewin, who greeted the convention on behalf Kotler 7"1'T, the late Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva, publications. of the Agudath Israel World Organization, and his dedication to bringing harmony in We must expand our staff of volunteers and Rabbi Aaron Zuckerman (Rav of the Agu our ranks by endeavoring to eliminate /ashen urgently need capable people who have a feel~ dath Israel of Midwood), Rabbi Elya Fisher hora/slander. ingfor Kiruv, to help out in the following areas: (Rosh Kole!, Chassidei Gur), who was me Rabbi Perlow was introduced by Rabbi sayem Mtstchtas Kesubos, Yerushalmi. • giving classes David Olewski of Mesifta Bais Yisroe!, Gur. e campus activites •artwork The Shabbos ltfi//os were led by the renowned i1'5'.:li1 ~~-.·, Rabbi Chaim Adler of Tel Aviv. The Friday •counseling night session featured addresses offering EV 7-1750 e home hospitality program other perspectives on the Convention • office work tJ"'"''i!:l "".tc:O e publications Theme, by Rabbi Meir Belsky of Memphis, 1tJW?'i"'C1'N "'C~UWT'i.,1"'i~u and more. Rabbi David Singer of Congregation Anshei • but mainly giving classes S'fard of Bora Park, and Rabbi Shmuel Arye Levin of Buenos Aires. Chairman was Rabbi Yosef Frankel of Flatbush. Ei·SHEllY Shalash Suedes was that special highlight of the Convention, when Rabbi Yaakov Ka :; lADli GET INVOLVED menetzky shared his insights in the Sedra "The Torah Link' with the convention delegates. He was pre • ll'thestra ... ._,.,._,,...,..,,,,..,,_~ FinliftkmanSl.""'1/NH•Yotli.N.Y.100381 ceded by greetings from the Matesdorfer = 438-3402 The Jewish Observer!Decembtr, 1982 51 NOW AVAILABLE ON AIRLINES REMEMBER: IN HOSPITALS, HOMES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND HOTELS When flying (domestic or overseas), be sure THE WORLD FAMOUS ~4a¢ to reauest ~4tiYif:sher meals WHICH HAS PROVIDED THE MOST DELICIOUSLY PREPARED ;f: by name when purchasing your ticket GLATT KOSHER FOODS FOR GENERATIONS and when confirming your flight. THROUGH ITS MANY RETAIL OUTLETS Is Proud To Announce That NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME Our Glatt Kosher meals are prepared We Have Available in a U. S. Government inspected kitchen under the strict RABBINICAL SUPERVISION A FULL LINE OF GOURMET MEALS of the GRAND RABBI OF NIRBATOR. ~ Just Heat and Serve ~ ~ ~ ')t:l.~'l D',))f ,i,:tM,, ® 272-1080 'I t; ------~ This is the flrst volume in a new kind of Jewish history ~ries in English. Based on a book that has 12 become a standard text History in Israel, it tells the story of the of the Jewish nation from Jewish the vantage point of the Jews themselves. reople This volume. which reads like a fascinating novel, covers the period from the Destruction of the First Tempie to the Destructlon of the L---··~·-·------J Second - the era of the Second Commonwealth. It is a fascinating story. It includes some of the great names. famous miracles, and heartrending tragedies: Simeon the Just, the Maccabees. Yochanan ben Zakkai, and Hillel: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Herod, Nero. and Vespasian; the heroic defense of Jerusalem and the heartbreak of its fall. There are those who say that ancient Jewish histoiy is a mOSdic Adapted by the noted historian, Rabbi Hersh Goldwurrn, from of invasion. defeat.- and pogrom. It is much more. There Le, tenacity Dr. Eliezer Ebner's translation of Yekutiel Friedner's Hebrew work. and courage here. There is idealism and loyalty, There ls a stubborn Published in conjunction with HIUel Press, Jerusalem. insistence that scholarship, morality, ethics, and idealism are hard cover $12.95 paperback $9.95 always relevant. Let us never forget that the conquerors of Ancient Israel - Available al better Hebrew bookstores or direct from publisher: Persia. Macedonia, Syria, Rome - are all gone from center stage. But Israel lives on! ~~fil This book is a valuable contribution to an understanding of the 1969Corneylsland Avenue !Brooklyl'l. New York 11223 /{212) 339..1700 Jewish people. It is an exciting, inspiring, engrossing tale for every Direct Mail/ In U.S.A. plf'aseadd$1.50perorderpo~tage & handling; N.Y.5. residenl.1add Sllle.1 rax. kind of reader. Israeli Distributor: J. Gt '"''-"'' ,.><. At Rockefeller Center or The Empire State Building UMB Means Business .. Commercial banking is easier now that New Yorkers have a choice. They can bank uptown or downtown at UMB Bank & Trust Company. Whether your commercial interests stretch across town or across oceans, UMB crafts its multitude of services to meet your special needs. And, there are so many services-commercial loans, domestic and international money market operations, import export arrangements, letters of credit and many more. As we are increasing our branches, we are increasing the scope and flexibility of UMB. So, besides adding a new location, we're adding more of the finest commercial and international banking professionals to tailor our services to your business needs. Service and knowledge-it's our special combination that has 111 made us a top choice here in New York and worldwide. Remember, banking with UMB means business. Closed on all Jewish Holidays. UMBBANK AND TRUST COMPANY j I Head Office ' Rockefeller Center Empire State Branch 630 Fifth Avenue 350 Fifth Avenue I New York, NY 10111 New York, NY 10118 212·541-8070 212·947-3611 A subsidiary of Established in 1923 Depositors Now Insured United Mizrahi Bank LTD., Worldwide Assets Up To $100,000 Israel Exceed $3 Billion Member FDIC z In the Wake of the Siyum ,< Spotted among the students at these shiu~ 0 rim were Rabbi Y. Kamenetzky, Rabb Levi The public celebration of the Siyum HaShas w ii' Krupenia (Kamenitz), and Rabbi A. Pam. of the Oaf Yomi has generated a heightened " interest in following this program, resulting ~ in an overflow participation in the Oaf Yomi ~ Elections and Resolution study sessions at the Convention. Daf Yomi 0 In its bi-annual elections, the Agudath shiurim were delivered by Rabbi Avrohom _g Israel of America unanimously re-elected Chaim Levin (Telshe/Chicago); Rabbi Shmar- a.. Rabbi Moshe Sherer as national president of yahu Karelitz (Far Rockaway); Rabbi Hillel the movement. A presidium of nine persons, David (Flatbush); Rabbi Israel Leiter (Ken including distinguished deans of rabbinic sington, Brooklyn); Rabbi Yechiel Perr (Ye seminaries and Chassidic rabbis was also shiva of Far Rockaway). elected. The presidium headed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein as honora,ry chairman and Hebrew AcodemyofClevelood pub Rabbi Moshe Horowitz (Bostoner Rebbe) as lishes over 50' Educotionol Items for honorary vice-chairman, includes Rabbi Hebrew Doy Schools. Chaskel Besser, Rabbi Shmuel Faivelson (Monsey), Rabbi Yitzchok Feigelstock, Rabbi Elya Fisher, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Horowitz Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levine. (Bostoner Rebbe), Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levin (Chicago), Rabbi Yaakov Perlow (Novominsker Rebbe), Rabbi Aaron Schech ter, and Rabbi Moshe Sherer. In addition, members were elected to other administrative bodies of the organization. The election session was chaired by Mr. Chaim Hertz and Mr. William K. Friedman. Resolutions on Lebanon, Shcharansky, Jewish Retarded Amongst the resolutions adopted at the Catalog sent upon request. convention was a call on the Reagan Admin Send $1.00 for handling to: istration to continue to support Israel's legit HEBREW ACADEMY imate security needs. The convention also 'PUBLICATIONS DEPT. called on the Administration "to help secure 1860 Sou1l1 Taylor P.d. Israel's northern border from a return of the O.....elond Heights, Ohio 4411 & chaos and instability of yesteryear." The Agudath Israel convention also called on the new Soviet government to show Rabbi Moshe Sherer. compassion and to release Anatoly Shcha MISHNA TAPES ransky. It urged Agudath Israel in Israel to ,~ counteract efforts of Conservative and Re Now available 284 Mishna Tapes. 0 Translated and explained by w form groups to make inroads in Israel and Rabbi A.C. Feuer ff' urged Orthodox groups to immediately leave w Partial List of Available Tapes I the Synagogue Council because their con 00 Berachos, 6 tapes 10.80 ,0 tinued affiliation with mixed religious agen Bikkurim, 3 tapes 5.40 0 cies in the U.S.A. encourages the growth of Shabbos, 12 rapes 21.60 :g Reform in Israel. The convention also estab Pesachim, 7 tapes 12.60 " lished a new Commission on Special Educa Kedushim, 5 tapes 9.00 tion, Developmental Disability and Foster Taharos, 9 tapes 16.20 Baba Kama, 11 tapes 19.80 Care. Learn the Mishna Yomls Mordechai Friedman served af> Conven Join the many throughout the world tion Chairman, Rabbi Pinchos Yurowitz as who learn 2 mishnayos daily and Convention Coordinate~. Program Coordi finish shas in 6% years. nators were Rabbi Eliyahu Abramczyk and Send for schedule-Pesachim Rabbi Abish Brodt. Another report on the starts Jan. 12th. Send your prepaid Convention will be forthcoming. orders and catalog requests to: Zev Dachs Memorial Tapes Reagan in New Tax Credit Pledge 5723 17th Avenue In a message greeting the 60th anniver ' Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204 Rabbi Besser holding plaque, for Rabbi Yaakov sary of the American Agudath Israel move 1, Telephone: (212) 837-2382 Kamenefzky, marking his complefion of Shas by Daf ment, President Ronald Reagan stressed __J Yomi. that he was still optimistic about his plan L--.~~------ 54 The Jewish Obseroer/Decernber, 1982 granting tuition tax credits to parents of pluralism, and build up our public schools N'shei Convention children in nonpublic schools. The President through the healthy forces of competition. At the same time and place, N'shei Agu said: "Although our efforts thus far to pass Tuition tax credits would enable parents to dath Israel, the Agudah Women's Organiza tuition tax credit legislation have been make a different educational choice if they tion, had its own convention, which the fol thwarted, we intend to press ahead in the wish. lowing people addressed·. Rabbi Mordechai 98th Congress and win enactment as early as I deeply believe that the fundamental Shapiro (Miami Beach), Rabbi Shlomo Man possible." authority over a child's education rests with del (Yeshiva of Brooklyn), Rabbi 0. Asher The President added: "Tuition tax credits his family. Parents have a right-indeed, a Reichel (Manhattan), Rabbi Nachman Bul would restore the effective authority of par responsibility-to have their children edu man (Migdal Haemek), and Rabbi Shlomo ents over their children's education, support cated in accordance with their own values." Lorincz (MK, Israel}. Im·.·GOYEARS'1tiJ"ll)IQ~ . ~ AGUDATH ISRAEl,AMERiCA TORAI! COAllTIDN ADV~cY SEl/i'ICf 60' NATIONAL CONVENTION ·:i Ut/J::i o·~;in ·~n:i "' "'~ 1' 1 ~ ~ z ,< 0 w ' ~ ~ w r 4 w ,0 0 0 c ~ , J ' j >j Rabbi 5. Kare/ifz de/ipering Oaf Yomi shiur. 1 The Jewish Observer/December, 1982 55