2 ı HAMECHANECH 3131 HAMECHANECH MAGAZINE ı 3 MESSAGE FROM THE VOLUME 10 ISSUE 4 Hamechanech is published quarterly by Torah MENAHEL Umesorah Publications. © Copyright, 2012 “Hamechanech” is a trademark of Torah In our present circumstance (note this electronic Hamechanech!), we can more deeply appreciate Umesorah. Reproduction in whole or in part the enormous mesirus nefesh of our Mechanchim/os, as they continue to teach – remotely. You without permission is prohibited. have kept chinuch vibrant day in and day out, overcoming the difficulties of teremo teaching/ learning. Ashreichem! OUR MISSION The Ramban tells us esoterically, that the days between Pesach and Shavuos are days of kedusha. Torah Umesorah is committed to promoting Jewish continuity by fostering Torah, Jewish Just as the days between the first day of Sukkos and Shimini Atzeres, and days tweenbe the first and values and Jewish tradition. In particular last days of Pesach, are Chol Hamoed, days of holy festivity, so too are thesefirah days. That is why its goals are: to establish Torah schools in Shavuos is known as Atzeres: like Shmini Atzeres and Acharon Shel Pesach. Jewish communities across North America; to enhance the religious infrastructure of these This year we can deeply appreciate this, as Sefirah this year was akin to Chol Hamoed, with communities; to offer training, placement businesses and schools closed. One of the only things missing were Chol Hamoed trips! and mentoring of principals and teachers to staff these schools; and to provide them with There is more, however, to the Ramban’s comparison. teaching materials and resources. The days that the Ramban speaks of were ironically, days of tragedy, with the death of the 24,000 talmidim of Rabi Akiva in a mageifah. Ordinarily, keeping the halachos of sefirah by rote, we may INFORMATION: not appreciate the enormity of the tragedy. This year we cannot help but feel the enormous impact Please call 718-744-3800 ext. 4557 of sefirah as days of mourning due to a “mageifah” of profound proportions. Our “Chol Ham oed” has been filled with tragedy, with so many of acheinu Bnei Yisroel, including Gedolei Torah and MENAHEL: Mechanchim lost. Rabbi Dovid Nojowitz Yet, as my Rosh Yeshiva Horav Shneur Kotler, zt”l, would say, “A Yid tohr zich nit upshtelen, ehr EDITOR: muz gein veiter,” a Jew does not stand still: he must forge ahead. And, as the Novominsker Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein zt”l, whose sudden petirah leaves a tremendous void in our hearts and minds, once said, “A Yid is a Director of Publications and Communications, Torah Umesorah soldat fun der Eibeshter,” a Jew is a soldier of Hashem and must always march forward. With this thought we at Torah Umesorah salute our thousands of rebbeim and moros for shining RABBINICAL CONSULTANT: Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Lowy, through these past three unprecedented, tragic months with incredible efforts eaching… t remotely Rav, Agudath Israel of Toronto under difficult circumstances, looking after their own children at home, while dedicating mselvesthe to their students, without the use of their tried and true methods... constantly reinventing the EDITORIAL BOARD: wheel so that their students, who are not in a disciplined mode, should nevertheless feel engaged, Rabbi Joshua Levy inspired and invigorated every day in their remote “classroom.” Rabbi Yisroel M. Rubinfeld Rabbi Chaim Wein Through the annals of history, Klal Yisroel has always been moser nefesh for chinuch. The children during the time of the Chashmonaim hid in caves to learn Torah, prepared with the pretense of GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT: dreidel games to avoid detection by the Yevanim. The secret chadorim in Communist Russia, when S. Schapira 347.947.068 melamdim risked their lives to teach yingelach in basements with blackened out windows... bunkers in the ghettos in which the sounds of Torah, though muffled, were vibrant and resounding, d espite PRINTED BY: Atelier Ind. the perils of the Nazis y”s. 212.629.900 One particularly moving story comes to mind. The Bluzhever Rebbetzin, a”h, was in the Bergen Belsen Concentration camp with her two very young sons. Though they were starving, her primary SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. - $12.00 concern was that her sons should not be deprived of Torah… even there. She managed to obtain a Canada - $15.00 loaf of bread and bartered her portions as “payment” for someone in the camp to teach her sons International - $18.00 Chumash and Mishnayos. Group Subscription Rate (5 or more): Though we are b”H not oppressed, we are still living with adverse circumstances. A silent enemy U.S. - $10.00 abounds, and all societal norms have been stripped away. It is a time of mesirus nefesh for the Canada - $13.00 chinuch of our children, a time during which our dedicated Mechanchim/os are teaching Torah and International - $16.00 instilling Yiras Shamayim under the enormous stress of isolation at home, hearing of daily tragedies, living with uncertainty… yet performing at their very best. TO ADVERTISE OR TO SUBSCRIBE: Mrs. P. Bergman It is said in the name of Rav Yerucham Levovitz, zt”l, the Mirrer Mashgiach, that when someone 212.227.1000 ext. 4532 goes to learn and muddies his shoes to get to the bais medrash, after a 120 years those muddied 718-259-1223 , fax to 212-406-6934, shoes will testify about his mesirus nefesh for Torah. The mesirus nefesh that our mechanchim have Or email to: [email protected] shown during the past three months will, after 120 years, serve as strong testimony on their behalf. Note: Having an ad in Hamechanech does We should be zoche to return to our classrooms in good health; and may our rebbeim and moros NOT constitute an endorsement from Torah Umesorah. continue to lead our children and, together with them, greet Moshiach. H A good yomtov to all. POSTAL SERVICE MAILING ADDRESS: 620 Foster Avenue Brooklyn NY 11230 Rabbi Dovid Nojowitz 4 ı EDITORIAL CONTENT 3 MESSAGE FROM THE MENAHEL Rabbi Dovid Nojowitz 5 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein 6 THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY 7 THE NOVOMINSKER REBBE ZT”L Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein 10 AN IMPASSIONED PLEA Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky 12 NETZOR LESHONCHA FOR MECHANCHIM Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Lowy 14 TIDBITS OF TACHLIS PART XIII Rabbi Shnayer Weinberg 16 WHAT IS LESSON NUMBER 1 Rabbi Yosef Rennert 18 ASK THE TU PANEL Rabbi Yehoshua Levy 20 A MESSAGE TO OUR TALMIDIM Rabbi Moshe Dov Haber 22 PERFECT TIMING AFTER ALL Yaakov Fromowitz 24 SEE THE PAIN... Rebbetzin B. Kviat 26 FINISH THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH A BANG Mrs Etti Segal 28 WHY ARE WE NOT SLEEPING Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld 30 ASSUMPTIONS FOLLY Yudel Schick 16 HAMECHANECH MAGAZINE ı 5 LETTER FROM THE AND IT IS NO SECRET EDITOR THAT AMONG THE CHAMPIONS OF THIS Klal Yisrael has been living in fear for over DETERMINATION 33 centuries. While that sounds ominous, we AND THE REQUIRED need to realize that it is a good kind of fear. The Gemara (Shabbos, 88a) famously teaches us STRATEGIES HAS BEEN that just before we received the Torah, “kafah aleihem har ke’gigis,” Hashem suspended the TORAH UMESORAH mountain over the heads of the people like a lid and warned, If you accept the Torah, all is good, And rise we did… for this ability too did Hashem but if not, “sham tehei kevuraschem,” your grave infuse in us. The Navi Yirmiyahu has declared will be THERE. (5:5), “Lo almon Yisrael,” the Jewish nation is never bereft, that is, powerless or lacking in the The Baalei Musar wonder why Hashem said commitment and the ingenuity needed to remain “there” instead of “here”, warning that their steadfast in its ways. Regardless of the degree grave would be right here. Their explanation is to which we are challenged, we always emerge that “there” refers to a faraway culture. If Klal triumphant in our grasp of Torah and Yiddishkeit. Yisrael were not to accept the Torah, they would drift far away from Hashem and embrace foreign The drive, the burning desire for davening with ideals and values. If that happens, warned minyan, for attending our yeshivos and shuls…, Hashem, “your grave will be THERE,” for you will in my view has actually been strengthened by the cease to be a nation of Hashem. Pandemic. Klal Yisrael has been weathering the storm. Now, if, as the Bac”h teaches (Tur, siman 47), we constantly relive the giving of Torah, it And it is no secret that among the champions of is reasonable that we constantly relive the this determination and the required strategies preamble of “kafah aleihem har ke’gigis” too. has been Torah Umesorah, whose directors Hence the ongoing fear of the Jewish people and staff have marveled onlookers with the that we might stray. This fear safeguards Jewish extraordinary accomplishments it has facilitated loyalty to Torah u’Mitzvos. So it’s a good fear. in the area of limud ha’Torah for mosdos everywhere. As much as Torah Umesorah has As we approach Shavuos, we focus on that always done for Klal Yisrael, it has outdone itself preamble to kabolas ha’Torah, and we strengthen in this current – but temporary – reality. our resolve to learning and observance. This year, Hashem has chosen to create a situation which On the page following this one, see some of the is actually supremely conducive to that resolve. amazing statistics of what Torah Umesorah has While making learning, davening and even been able to achieve – and these figures are a shmiras ha’Mitzvos seem more “inconvenient” few weeks old! and downright difficult, Hashem has set us up Recognition is due all the stalwarts of Torah with the challenge of rising to the occasion.