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February 2004.Qxd the BialystokerFebruary/March Brief 2004—Shevat/Adar 5765 Issue # 6 RABBI’S MESSAGE food and entertainment notwithstanding. pipe dream, as the nay-sayers confidently By the Megilla's end, the Jews have predicted the imminent demise of Ortho- If one were asked to capture the essence "turned about." "Hodor kibluho bimei doxy. No one could have imagined how of Purim in a single phrase, no doubt the Achashverosh"—"In the days of wrong they truly were. two most expressive Hebrew words are Achashverosh the Jews re-accepted the Here in the Lower East Side, much of "VeNahafoch Hu"—"It was turned Torah upon themselves willingly." Just as that transformation was spearheaded by about" (Esther 9:1). The entire story of suddenly as they had been saved, the our own late Rav Yitzchok Aharon Singer Purim is about a sudden, and compre- Jews suddenly realized the central role Zt"l, who gently but effectively played a hensive, change of fortunes and events. that Torah must play in our individual and major role in instilling a love for Torah in One moment the Jews are at death's door; national existance. a generation which had yet to warm to the a moment later they have gained the This latter story of "VeNahafoch Hu" idea. When we recently commemorated upper hand. One moment Haman is is the story of Yiddishkeit in America. It Rav Singer's Yohrzeit in Shul, Yossie singing; soon thereafter he is, well, is hard to us to imagine the extent of the Singer recounted how his father discov- swinging. Our custom of dressing up for change. Torah Judaism has experienced ered that the minutes between the week- Purim— "turning ourselves about"—is a remarkable success story over the past day Mincha and Ma'ariv were spent in supposed to be a visual manifestation of forty years. The upcoming Siyum Daf conversation. "Why don't we learn some- the historical transformation. Yomi, at Madison Square Garden and thing?" he gently suggested—and so the The transformation of Purim is not countless other locations nationwide, will Ein Ya'akov shiur was born. That in turn limited, however, to the physical salva- demonstrate not only our strength of num- spawned a Chevra Mishnayos and a tion of the Jewish people. Our Sages bers but the power of our commitment. Chevra Shas, assidiously devoted, under comment that the Megilla opens with a One never ceases to marvel at the sheer Rav Singer's direct instruction, to shining depiction of a deeply assimilated Jewish number of makeshift office minyonim all the light of Torah for all those who society. The lavish feasts prepared by over Manhattan—and the constant flow yearned for it. "VeNahafoch Hu"— Achashverosh are unflichingly attended of committed daveners who fill them. Slowly but surely, Torah learning took its by the Jews of Persia, the non-kosher Just a few decades ago, all of this was a (continued on page 2) a wonderful opportunity for the guests to enjoy the gourmet Bialystoker’s Spectacular food presentations, greet friends and family and meet the many prominent rabbis, community lay leaders and govern- Dinner Celebration ment officials who came to honor our renowned historic By: Brief Staff Writer synagogue and its eclectic congregation, its scholarly rabbi and its nationally prominent guest of honor. On Sunday evening, December 5, 2004, at the luxurious Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, approximately 500 Serving as Master of Ceremonies, Honorary President members, friends and guests gath- Martin Shulman welcomed the ered to celebrate the Bialystoker assembled in the Sheraton Ball- Synagogue’s 125th anniversary as an room and began the dinner pro- established traditional Orthodox con- gram introducing Harav Reuven gregation. At this historic celebra- Feinstein, Rosh HaYeshiva of the tion, the congregation and Yeshiva of Staten Island. With community witnessed the formal in- warm words of encouragement stallation of Harav Zvi Dovid Romm and bracha, this world renowned as rabbi and spiritual leader of the Torah leader conducted the for- shul and paid tribute to its Guest of mal installation of Harav Romm, Honor, the Hon. Sheldon Silver, the Bialystoker’s youngest rabbi. NYS Assembly Speaker and a Vice- Rabbi Romm’s installation ad- President of the synagogue. dress focused on the Bialystoker’s Ably led by Honorary President 125 years of service to the Lower Norman Dawidowicz, Co-Chairperson, the 125th Anniver- East Side Jewish Community, the enormous contributions of sary Dinner Celebration Committee planned a memorable the late Bialystoker Rav, Harav Yitzchok Aharon Singer, evening of elegance that began with a gala reception. It was (continued on page 3 THE BIALYSTOKER BRIEF www.bialystoker.org Page 2 Bringing Torah Alive: Rabbi’s Message (continued from page 1) Rabbi Romm’s Women’s Shiur rightful place as the lynchpin of the Bialystoker Syna- gogue's activities. What would motivate 15 – 25 women to come to the Bialystoker It is only fitting, therefore, that Rav Singer's legacy be Synagogue every Monday night, in the rain, snow, freezing cold, eternally linked with Bialystoker Syangogue through the and at what at times feels like the middle of the night? They come to recharge their spiritual batteries and sate their medium of Torah study. With this in mind, we have been thirst for Jewish scholarship. They have cut out a tiny island of time zoche to formally establish the Rav Singer Chevra Mish- in their busy lives to reflect on, and grow in Judaism by attending nayos daily between Mincha and Ma'ariv. Learning Mish- Rabbi Zvi Romm’s weekly Women’s shiur. nayos each day, our goal is to finish a seder (order) of The participants are women of all ages, mothers and daughters, Mishna every year on or around Rav Singer's Yohrzeit. As Rebbitzins and baal teshuvas, from a spectrum of LES synagogues. of this writing, we have close to finishing our first tractate They are from all levels of observance and Jewish education, but -- Masechta Berochos. We are especially grateful to the they share one commonality – all participants feel comfortable and Singer family who have graciously provided us with beau- welcomed in his class. The women have an opportunity to discuss tiful new editions of the Mishnayos to facillitate our learn- Jewish issues in an environment that is intellectually challenging. They feel at ease asking questions, and bringing their own insights ing. Even if you are unable to attend the Shiur between to the topic at hand. Many times their comments and insights an- Mincha and Ma'ariv in Shul, please consider being part of ticipate those of the Biblical commentators. Sometimes the partic- our "Virtual Chevra." We study a Mishna or two each day; ipants contribute interpretations unmentioned by Chazal. Rabbi bring a Mishnayos to the office, learn a bit during the lunch Romm thoughtfully answers all questions so that everyone feels that break, and you can be part of this exciting Torah enterprise, they have come away from the class with an insight that is person- while honoring Rav Singer and enhancing your ally meaningful. neshoma—all at the same time. He brings in the original sources to illuminate the history, struc- We look forward to completing Seder Zero'im this com- ture, and meaning of the topic under study. He systematically trans- ing thirteenth of Teves. lates the sources from the original Hebrew and Aramaic. He presents and discusses the scholars and their commentaries in such Meanwhile, we invite you to join us in what will certainly a way that whether of recent vintage, or hundreds and thousands be a personal transformation. of years old, they appear fresh and relevant today. Topics have Rabbi Romm can be contacted at 212-475-0165; ranged from halachah, hashkafah, mussar and tefilla. We have dis- e-mail:[email protected]; home 212-539-1220 cussed the Jewish concept of the world to come, resuscitation of the dead, redemption from the Geula, the halachah governing the separation of the sexes in various social and religious setting, the Jewish holidays, and the structure of prayer. The class is currently systematically studying the tefillot of the Shacharis service. He brings primary sources from the Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, Mishna Bruah, Midrash, and the meforshim. The commentaries are from scholars including the Rama, Ramba”n, Ramba”m, Vilna Gaon, Maharal of Prague, Arbarbanel, R. Moshe Chaim Luzzato, R. Israel Salanter, The Sfas Emes, and Rabbinu Tam. Modern scholars include Rav Dressler, the Chazon Ish, the Chofetz Chaim, and Rav Soloveitchik. Chassidic, Ashkenazi, and Sephardi scholars and interpretations are given equal time. Kabbalistic sources and in- terpretations are brought in when appropriate. When asked how he prepares for these classes, he states there are not too many secondary sources that discuss the nature/struc- ture of Tefila. Therefore, he prepares for our class in the same way that he prepares for his Yeshiva classes – by reviewing in class the original sources in Hebrew/Aramaic. What are his goals? To reinforce central Jewish beliefs and promote growth in Yiddiskeit through enhanced understanding, awareness, and appreciation of the Torah. All of the women interviewed for this story commented on the Rabbi’s encyclopedic knowledge of the commentaries, and ap- preciated the comprehensive preparation that goes into each class. All were impressed by his encouragement of questions and the interactive nature of his teaching style. They all commented on how the class has been instrumental in enhancing their davening by revealing the deeper meaning of the tefillot. Some of the comments by the women include one by Leila Weil. She said: “Rabbi Romm gives us all the sources for his classes. Where else would I learn about the Maharal’s particular interpretation of a posuk in the Krias Shema, and have that impact on my davening.
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