A Better Place Building a Political Wall Around the Torah
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5TJT.COM “The idea that struck SERVING NASSAU COUNTY, BROOKLYN, QUEENS, MANHATTAN, most profoundly was BRONX, & STATEN ISLAND the recitation in that paragraph of the two names side by side…” PG. 4 VOL. 18 | NO. 38 | JUNE 22, 2018 FIVE TOWNS JEWISH TIMES 9 TAMMUZ 5778 | ´±¡ ´³²® | $1.00 See Page 3 See Page 32 Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz, pictured above with Rabbi Yosef Milstein, bestowing his blessing on Ozar Hatorah International in France. Page 55 FROM THE EDITOR Building A Political Wall A Better Place Around The Torah BY LARRY GORDON BY JAKE NOVAK t is not yet three months, though it seems like the tragedy that o be truly wise, a person fi rst needs to know what he doesn’t abbreviated the lives of Elisheva Kaplan and Yisroel Levin, a’h, is know. Isomething that we have been living with for a very long time. T But that would probably make Facebook really boring! The event that ended their lives took place on the morning of April 4, Sorry, Mark Zuckerberg, but we could all use a break from that chol ha’moed Pesach, and as the news became known, it rapidly devel- kind of behavior on social media. When every debate becomes an oped into one of those things that was seared into your psyche, and in excuse to shame people who may disagree with you, Jews and ev- all likelihood, you will always remember where you were and what you eryone else could really use a strong dose of rabbinic wisdom and were doing when you heard about it. patience instead. Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to sit for an hour or so with But this week, we saw too many of those rabbis wade right into Elisheva’s parents, Leah and Joel Kaplan, and Continued on Page 14 the debate over our government’s policy of Continued on Page 18 See Page 111 See Page 93 See Page 49 See Page 40 See Page 36 June 22 - 8:11 PM June 29 - 8:11 PM See Luach, Page 19 Features Index, See Page 8 See Pages 27 & 33 See Page 26 See Page 24 See Page 21 See Page 5 2 June 22, 2018 • 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES JEWISH TOWNS 2018 • 5 June 22, 3 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES • June 22, 2018 TIMES • June 22, JEWISH TOWNS 5 4 it will end in a positive way, and I do So this past Shabbos afternoon, at HEARD IN THE hope at some point over the summer about 5:00 p.m., this couple produced to report on the experience, but only, a baby girl who, on Monday, as I stat- of course, with the consent of the par- ed above, was named for my mother. BAGEL STORE ticipants. If they do not agree, then And no, it wasn’t a surprise, because dancing around the subject like I am as it turns out, of the four of us—my By Larry Gordon doing now will have to satisfy the in- daughter-in-law’s parents, my wife, formation seekers out there. and me—I’m the only one without a Then there is the matter of my son mom. Tradition being what it is, it was ALL IN A NAME and daughter-in-law who, as you may pretty clear that this child was going n Monday, I had the privi- like that—after all, what is not to like lege in shul to name a second about summer? It is arguably the best They are a combination Ograndchild for my mom, Sora and greatest season of all. And it has June 22, 2018 • 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES JEWISH TOWNS 2018 • 5 June 22, Rosa. This is the second grandchild been an especially long winter with of the past and future. born since her passing 15 months ago. the outdoor temperature seemingly Until just the other day, I thought this stuck somewhere between the 40- and was mostly a private event, and while 50-degree range until fairly recently. it was deeply meaningful, there real- In addition to that, I am currently recall, got married during the week to carry my mother’s name, though it ly wasn’t a compelling importance to in the midst of redding a shidduch that that I was sitting shivah for my mother is our personal practice not to insert share it in this space. I’m not free to expound on here—and just about 15 months ago. I will always ourselves into these things and to al- But as you can see, I’ve since I don’t know if I will ever be able to reflect upon those days with bemuse- low the young people to figure it out changed my mind and there are now say any more about it—but it will have ment, still unable to fully grasp the and do as they please. a few reasons why. But first, as long to be sufficient for now to say that it uniqueness and specialness of those Now, even though it was somewhat as I am free-associating, let me say is very fascinating in the twists and conflicting emotions playing them- obvious how this was going to turn that there are a number of things on turns it is presenting to a shidduch selves out almost simultaneously on out, for me it was still an event laden my mind. Firstly, once again, baruch novice like myself. I’m not exactly a dance floor and a low-to-the-ground with intense emotion that I cannot Hashem, summer is approaching. I sure where it is going, though I think leather shivah chair on the same day. say I was expecting. I was just explaining what was tak- ing place the other day to a friend and how the matter rushed me as I was standing at the bimah on Monday morning, having been given the op- portunity to formally name the child. The rabbi in the shul pointed to the rather simple paragraph I would re- cite that officially assigns a name to the newborn. My son, who was born in 1992, was named after my father, Nison, a’h. And now his child, his first, would carry my mother’s name, Sora Rosa. The idea that struck most profoundly was the recitation in that paragraph of the two names side by side; in this instance, it was Sora Rosa bas Nison. And all this was tak- ing place a day after what would have been their 74th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful sunny and already warm Monday morning here in New York. About an hour after we named the child in shul I received an unex- pected call from two of my cousins, Moshe and Kraindy, who were in Is- rael. They said that they were heading back to Jerusalem from up north, saw the sign to Bet Shemesh, and thought about stopping by to visit the kevarim of my parents high up on that moun- tain overlooking the impressive ter- rain of the Judean Hills. Moshe said to me over the phone that he was going to tell my mother that there was a new child carrying her name. I said to him that I appre- ciated that, but I had a feeling that she already knew in whatever realm that information is communicated from here to there. His response was that it is our obligation to transfer the infor- mation in the conventional fashion, the way we do those types of things here in this world. I heard what he had to say and I was intrigued by the idea. I felt particu- larly fortunate that they took it upon themselves to turn off the road and head for the cemetery in Bet Shemesh. On the matter of the new baby’s name, let me explain one more thing. About a half-year ago, my daughter, Continued on Page 7 5 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES • June 22, 2018 TIMES • June 22, JEWISH TOWNS 5 6 June 22, 2018 • 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES JEWISH TOWNS 2018 • 5 June 22, BAGEL STORE 7 Continued from Page 4 5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES • June 22, 2018 TIMES • June 22, JEWISH TOWNS 5 Malkie, gave birth to a baby girl who is named for my mom. At the time though, my son-in-law, Moshe, had ARE YOU FINDING a grandmother who had half of my mom’s name—Sora. So they named the baby Rosa (or DATING CHALLENGING? Roza, depending on the pro- Let’s talk. nunciation you prefer). The fact is that this was the name that my mom was known by Zvi Klein LCSW through all her years—Rozy 917.626.6625 · [email protected] or, more formally, Rosalind. Cedarhurst · Brooklyn That was a great and satisfy- ing day as it came just a few months after my mother’s passing at the age of 95. For a father and grand- father, the arrival of a new child, a representative of what will no doubt be a great and glorious future, the nam- ing of the child for a person who preceded us by perhaps as much as a century, is the connection or the creation of a circuit that links our per- sonal as well as national his- tory with the present and the future. Our sages say that the nam- ing of a child contains within it elements of Divine inspi- ration as the assignation of a name is not just for the pur- poses of identity but some- thing that speaks volumes about the nature and char- acter of the person.