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Torat Eretz Yisrael: Celebrating Religious Zionist Personalities and Their Torah Thoughts

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Torat Eretz Yisrael: Celebrating Religious Zionist Personalities and Their Torah Thoughts Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • YU Center for the Jewish Future THE BENJAMIN AND ROSE BERGER TORAH TO-GO® Established by Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld MAY 2019 • YOM HAATZMAUT 5779 Torat Eretz Yisrael: Celebrating Religious Zionist Personalities and their Torah Thoughts on the ,דוד חיים ע”ה בן צבי עקיבא ע“ה ,Dedicated in memory of David Rottenstreich occasion of his 10th yahrtzeit by his friends and fellow talmidim at Yeshiva University We thank the following synagogues which have pledged to be Pillars of the Torah To-Go® project Beth David Synagogue Cong. Ohab Zedek Young Israel of West Hartford, CT New York, NY Lawrence-Cedarhurst Cedarhurst, NY Beth Jacob Congregation Cong. Shaarei Tefillah Beverly Hills, CA Newton Centre, MA Young Israel of New Hyde Park Beth Jacob Congregation Green Road Synagogue New Hyde Park, NY Oakland, CA Beachwood, OH Young Israel of Bnai Israel – Ohev Zedek The Jewish Center Philadelphia, PA New York, NY Scarsdale Scarsdale, NY Boca Raton Synagogue Jewish Center of Young Israel of Boca Raton, FL Brighton Beach Brooklyn, NY Toco Hills Cong. Ahavas Achim Atlanta, GA Highland Park, NJ Koenig Family Young Israel of Foundation Cong. Ahavath Torah Brooklyn, NY West Hartford Englewood, NJ West Hartford, CT Young Israel of Cong. Beth Sholom Young Israel of Providence, RI Century City Los Angeles, CA West Hempstead Cong. Bnai Yeshurun West Hempstead, NY Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Hollywood Ft Lauderdale Hollywood, FL Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President, Yeshiva University Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, David Mitzner Dean, Center for the Jewish Future Rabbi Menachem Penner, Max and Marion Grill Dean, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Robert Shur, Series Editor Rabbi Joshua Flug, General Editor Rabbi Michael Dubitsky, Content Editor Andrea Kahn, Copy Editor Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved by Yeshiva University Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future 500 West 185th Street, Suite 419, New York, NY 10033 • [email protected] • 212.960.0074 This publication contains words of Torah. Please treat it with appropriate respect. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rabbi David Eckstein at 212.960.0162 or [email protected] 2 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779 Table of Contents Yom Haatzmaut 5779 on the ,דוד חיים ע”ה בן צבי עקיבא ע“ה ,Dedicated in memory of David Rottenstreich occasion of his 10th yahrtzeit by his friends and fellow talmidim at Yeshiva University 5 Rabbi Reuven Brand: Rav Avraham Shapira zt”l: Torah and Eretz Yisrael 7 Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner: Rav Eitam Henkin: Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael 8 Rabbi Baruch Weintraub: Rav Aharon Lichtenstein: Zionism and Knesset Yisrael 9 Rabbi Elihu Abbe: Rav Yaakov Ariel: Torah as the Backbone of the Identity of the State of Israel 9 Rabbi Aaron Kraft: Nechama Leibowitz: Nothing Holy in the World 10 Ezer Diena: Rav Moshe Tzvi Neriyah: The Legacy of Rabbi Akiva 11 Rabbi Ari Zucker: Rav Shlomo Goren: Establishing the Jewish Army 12 Rabbi Michael Friedman: Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook: The Nation and the Individual 13 Rabbi Daniel Kanter: Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook: Waiting for Redemption 14 Rabbi Alex Hecht: Rav Shaul Yisraeli: The Imperative to Live in Eretz Yisrael 15 Rabbi Adam Friedmann: Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel: Restoring the Crown 16 Rabbi Jonathan Ziring: Rav Yitzchak Herzog: The Eternal Relevance of Torah 15 Rabbi Yehuda Meyers: Rav Yehuda Leib Fishman Maimon: Leaving His Mark Dedicate this space in memory or in honor of a loved one. For more information, please contact Rabbi David Eckstein at 212.960.0162 or [email protected] 3 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779 Dedication Rabbi J.Z. Spier Rebbe and Grade Dean, Yeshivat Frisch IN MEMORY OF DAVID ROTTENSTREICH A”H his year’s Benjamin and share an insight and dvar Torah on the Rose Berger Torah To Go is parsha. sponsored in loving memory We see a true testament to David’s Tof David Rottenstreich, Dovid Chaim passion and commitment to talmud a”h ben Tzvi Akiva a”h, whose 10th Torah from the numerous projects yahrtzeit will be commemorated on that have been produced in his the 13th of Nissan. memory. Annual yahrtzeit shiurim David grew up in Hillcrest, NY, inspire all who attend. A sefer Torah and attended YCQ, MTA, Yeshivat was dedicated by his family and Shaalvim, Camp Morasha and friends to perpetuate his memory. Yeshiva University. He was a loving Tzemach Dovid, a sefer written and son, brother, and friend to all who composed by David’s friends and knew him. While a student at Yeshiva rebbeim, conceptualize David’s knack University, he tragically passed for transmitting a “vort” for every away at the age of 20. Incredibly, his parsha and chag. struggles during his illness, to which The second half ofTzemach Dovid is a he eventually succumbed, galvanized compilation of David’s own notes and so many to learn Torah and perform ideas, which were first unveiled after acts of chesed on his behalf, and then his passing. In commemorating the While this idea may be unique to the in his memory. Seder night, David wrote about the Seder night, David lived every day of Ten years later, David (also known as differences between the daily mitzvah his life by this lesson. He took pride “Rotty”) is still sorely missed, and his of zechirat yetziyat Mitzrayim and the in his ability to serve Hashem daily, sterling personality and tremendous special mitzvah at the Seder of sippur taking full advantage of so many middot continue to impact all those yetziyat Mitzrayim: spiritual opportunities with a sense of who knew him and knew of him. simcha and fulfillment. Our obligation on every other night of David’s smile lit up a room. His the year is to remember the physical It is only appropriate that David’s lively and exuberant personality was redemption from slavery to freedom, yahrtzeit be commemorated through infectious. Most inspiring was David’s but on Pesach night we are obligated a Torah publication whose inspiring strong commitment to talmud Torah, to remember the spiritual redemption. words will be shared by so many, and tefillah and shemirat hamitzvot. I, The whole night is about realizing and which reflects David’s passion. May personally, will be forever inspired thanking Hashem for making us Ovdei the words of Torah published here by the weekly Friday morning phone Hashem and giving us the ability to do serve as a merit for David’s neshama, calls I received from David during Mitzvot. and continue to serve as a comfort for his year in Israel, made specifically to his wonderful family. 4 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779 Torat Eretz Yisrael: Celebrating Religious Essays from the members of the Zionists Personalities YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago and their Torah and YU Torah Mitzion Beit Midrash Thoughts Zichron Dov of Toronto RAV AVRAHAM SHAPIRA ZT”L: TORAH AND ERETZ YISRAEL BY RABBI REUVEN BRAND Rosh Kollel, YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago Rav Avraham Elkana Kahana Shapira shiurim in Yeshivat Mercaz Harav for being in the radiant glow of Rav zt”l, or simply Reb Avrum as he was over fifty years, serving as a posek and Shapira zt”l on many occasions, from known to his countless rabbinic and dayan for over thirty years, publishing davening and “duchening” with him lay disciples, was a central figure in innumerable articles and sefarim and in the Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Kiryat the 20th-century Torah community. leading Israel as Ashkenazi Chief Moshe neighborhood to experiencing Although diminutive in size he was Rabbi from 1983–1993. his shiurim on Achronim on Motzei a towering Torah giant, delivering I had the remarkable privilege of Shabbat in his modest nearby 5 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779 apartment. These moments gave an Rav Shapira’s emphasis on Torah American teenager the chance to learning was not limited to the appreciate a tiny glimpse of legendary confines of the Beit Midrash. In an greatness. interview while serving as Chief Born in 1913, Rav Shapira was a Rabbi, he noted that the main goal brilliant “Yerushalmi” talmid chacham of the religious community in Israel should be to expand Torah education who studied under and corresponded 2 with the gedolim of his generation, to all Jews in Israel. including Rav Yechezkel Sarna, Rav Rav Shapira emphasized that there Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Brisker Rav, is “no Torah like Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Rav Avraham Shapira zt”l the Chazon Ish, Rav Yaakov Moshe and he combined his passion for 1914–2007 Charlap and Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank. Torah with a passion for Eretz Yisrael. On a personal level, he was a warm, He was a colleague and successor of Shapira stood firm, maintaining this approachable person with an ebullient Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook zt”l at Mercaz position, which emanated from a sense of humor. He was a beloved Harav and shared Rav Zvi Yehuda’s longstanding view that rabbanim rebbe to generations of talmidim and religious insistence on settling all should be involved in public policy mentor to the entire Religious Zionist of Eretz Yisrael. On one occasion, a decisions regarding the Land of Israel. community. group of Mercaz Harav students were In an interview shortly after the Six- detained by police at a rally in support Although Rav Shapira served Day War, he invoked the Mishna in of new settlements in Yehuda and alongside Rav Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l Sanhedrin that a Jewish king may not Shomron.
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