Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah Fills a Crucial Need
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Feature 101012 p26-31 Lomdei.FS.qxd 9/20/2012 9:49 AM Page 26 HELPING HANDS Generating Merit for Our Forebears Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah Fills a Crucial Need 26 Hamodia October 10, 2012 Feature 101012 p26-31 Lomdei.FS.qxd 9/20/2012 9:49 AM Page 27 BY YOSEF GESSER Loss of a loved one is a pain- filled experience. Yet it is comforting to know that it is possible to maintain a link with that individual and what he or she achieved in this world. Family members can strive to transcend the pain and send pekalach, “packages,” of the merits of learning Torah and performing mitzvos through which the neshamah is elevated in the next world. And often, arranging for these “packages” to be sent heavenward results in the unexpected. Inyan Magazine 24 Tishrei 5773 27 Feature 101012 p26-31 Lomdei.FS.qxd 9/20/2012 9:49 AM Page 28 pproximately two years ago, About a year later Rabbi Haikins was Lakewood’s Beis Medrash Govoha, was Arnold, a man from a secular invited to travel to Scottsdale to be the approached by an acquaintance to learn A family in Las Vegas, Nevada, sandak at the bris of her new son, Azriel Mishnayos on behalf of a relative who had passed away. The man’s children intended Mordechai, who was born on Shushan passed away shortly before. Rabbi to have his body cremated. However, his Purim, the day of her Uncle Arnold’s first Haikins, a graduate of the National observant niece in Scottsdale, Arizona, yahrtzeit. Mrs. Meyerson’s cousin, Valerie, Council of Young Israel’s rabbinic training Mrs. Robin Meyerson, aware that this awestruck by the turn of events, undertook program, was aware that many people decision was contrary to halachah, was to learn about the laws pertaining to were not familiar with the customs that understandably distraught over this Jewish funerals and has begun provide merit for their departed loved decision and tried to convince the relatives volunteering to sit with the Jewish ones. He realized that even among those in charge to change their plans and have deceased, as someone once sat with her knowledgeable in this area, many are not him buried. She contacted Rabbi Moshe deceased father. capable of studying Mishnayos, Gemara, or Haikins of Lakewood, founder and director Mrs. Meyerson said, “Rabbi Haikins other sefarim, and those who can often of Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah, for taught me the meaning of Kaddish and the don’t have the time, and wish to guidance. At the same time she requested study of Mishnayos for the departed; he commission a Torah scholar to undertake that Mishnayos be learned l’iluy nishmas her played an instrumental part in the burial a study commitment in their stead. uncle. of my uncle, of blessed memory. One of In 2006 Rabbi Haikins established That night Arnold appeared in a dream my primary missions in life has now Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah, The Society for to his astonished daughter Valerie, a become to share my newfound knowledge Mishnah Study, to enable Jews of various cousin of the observant niece and the of the beauty of a proper Jewish burial and levels of religious observance to access this executor of the will, and requested not to our timeless mourning customs and service by assembling a team of Torah be cremated. At that point Mrs. Meyerson’s halachos with Jews not yet connected to input was more seriously sought to change Torah.” the plans. Shemirah was arranged to fulfill the halachah not to leave a body Addressing a Need unattended between death and interment, Several years ago Rabbi Moshe Haikins, and ultimately the man was given a an alumnus of Yeshivah Ner Yisrael in Jewish burial. Baltimore and who is still learning in At the bris of Mrs. Meyerson's new son, Azriel Mordechai, who was born on the day of her uncle's first yahrtzeit. Her husband, Charles Meyerson, is facing the camera. Rabbi Haikins speaks at the siyum Mishnayos commemorating the tenth yahrtzeit of 9/11 at the Bialystoker Synagogue. At right are Rabbi Zvi Romm, Rav of the shul (left), and Harav Reuven Feinstein, Rosh Yeshivah of the Yeshivah of Staten Island. 28 Hamodia October 10, 2012 Feature 101012 p26-31 Lomdei.FS.qxd 9/20/2012 9:50 AM Page 29 scholars to study Torah and pray on their sacred mission. A certain benefactor once people also seek them as a zechus for behalf. sent in two contributions, one to sponsor Divine assistance in a variety of The Chevrah offers several basic study Talmud study in honor of his father’s challenging situations. Through the options. They can learn a set amount of yahrtzeit and a second to provide merit for Chevrah, people have received help in a Mishnayos or Gemara to be finished by a any other deceased Jews in need of variety of difficult situations, such as a particular date. Alternatively, they can zechuyos. refuah sheleimah for the ill, a shidduch, the complete a particular limud — perhaps a A few days later, the Chevrah learned blessing of children, or a livelihood. Rabbi masechta or even the entire Talmud — of the upcoming yahrtzeit of a young man Haikins recalls that there were several independent of a time frame. Yet another who had passed away a year earlier under instances of women who succeeded in possibility is to request the learning of a tragic circumstances. They applied the obtaining a Jewish divorce from specified amount of Gemara or Mishnayos extra contribution to provide Mishnah recalcitrant husbands after a concerned for forty days. Jewish tradition views the study l’iluy nishmas the young man. When party sponsored a learning program in period of forty days as significant since the Chevrah representative told the donor their merit. Moshe Rabbeinu mastered the entire how his extra contribution was to be used, In one such case, one forty-day Torah during his forty-day sojourn on he was clearly in awe. “That young man learning plan was requested, then a Mount Sinai. was my next-door neighbor,” he said. second. The woman received her get on the fortieth and final day of the second cycle. ! The Stories Abound In a second case, two consecutive forty-day Those involved in the Chevrah Lomdei Requests for the services of Chevrah- cycles took place on behalf of a woman Mishnah have seen indisputable affiliated scholars are not limited to whose chances of receiving a get were hashgachah pratis in carrying out their learning on behalf of departed loved ones; deemed remote since her former husband had abandoned Yiddishkeit. Toward the end of the second cycle the man started demonstrating interest in cooperating with those involved in arranging the divorce. A third cycle — this time of ten days — was arranged, at the completion of which he divorced his wife according to halachah. ! Inyan Magazine 24 Tishrei 5773 29 Feature 101012 p26-31 Lomdei.FS.qxd 9/20/2012 9:50 AM Page 30 In one of the Chevrah’s more under the Chevrah’s auspices. ways to bring about an aliyas neshamah unconventional stories, a non-Jew from a Besides serving as a tremendous zechus according to classical Torah sources. A foreign country requested that Torah be for the niftar, the siyum brought together second volume, Mishnas Chayim, consists learned as a merit for his success with his the talmidei chachamim who had of Torah thoughts and insights that livelihood. The individual related that for undertaken the learning with Jews from connect the weekly parashah with relevant the last decade he had been seriously across the spectrum of Yiddishkeit who Mishnayos. These insights are based upon studying the Bible and reading up on lived in Yerushalayim, Teaneck, El Paso, St. the Chevrah’s weekly newsletter of the Torah topics using English-language Louis, Lakewood and other cities, in an same name, which has been disseminated Judaica resources. impressive show of achdus and kevod in shuls for several years, as well as via e- Rabbi Haikins sought halachic haTorah. mail. guidance regarding the fulfillment of the man’s request. With rabbinical directives, On a Broader Scale Mitzvos That Elevate the Soul the Chevrah has arranged a number of On Tzom Gedaliah of 2011, the Yaakov Avinu requested that after his learning programs for him over a period Chevrah was involved in a siyum death, his son Yosef remove his body from of several years. Rabbi Haikins was Mishnayos at the Bialystoker Synagogue on Egypt and take it for burial to the Me’aras gratified to hear that the Chevrah’s Manhattan’s Lower East Side to Hamachpelah, the cave housing the initiatives have helped the man commemorate the tenth anniversary of tombs of the Patriarchs, in Eretz Yisrael strengthen his ability to support himself. the September 11th terrorist attack on the (Bereishis 47:29). He termed this act a Twin Towers, which was dedicated to the chessed shel emes, a completely altruistic ! memory of the victims. Several other shuls kindness of truth, since it was one he could As they carry out their study and individuals partnered with the never repay. Harav Eliyahu Guttmacher commitments, the scholars of Chevrah Bialystoker Synagogue and the East Side (1796-1874), zt”l, in his sefer Sukkas Lomdei Mishnah have an impact on those Torah Center to make this special event Shalom, extrapolates from this by saying they assist, as well as on others. possible. that if burying a person’s body, which is One of their most memorable events Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah is also merely the “garb” of the neshamah, was a siyum haShas that took place in involved in educating the public about the constitutes an extraordinary act of Teaneck, New Jersey, to mark the yahrtzeit fascinating yet esoteric topic of providing kindness, how much more so is the of the head of a family from El Paso, merits for the deceased.