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HELPING HANDS

Generating Merit for Our Forebears Chevrah Lomdei Fills a Crucial Need

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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 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.

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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, , 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 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 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. 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 Mishnayos commemorating the tenth yahrtzeit of 9/11 at the Bialystoker . At right are Rabbi Zvi Romm, 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 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 , 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 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.

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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 ’s 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, , 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. A book called The performance of deeds that offer the Texas. His son, who was learning in a Neshamah Should Have an Aliyah by Rabbi spiritual means for a neshamah to become in Yerushalayim, desired to do something Tzvi Hebel was published in 2009 by elevated in the World of Truth. in conjunction with his father’s first Judaica Press in conjunction with the There are a number of activities yahrtzeit. He had presented the idea of a Chevrah. It discusses the concept of that achieve this goal. Among them are siyum haShas to several family members providing merit for the departed and prayer-related involvements such as who agreed to help sponsor the project provides practical direction about various reciting Kaddish and leading prayers as a

Dancing at a siyum haShas conducted under the auspices of Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah that took place recently in Lakewood.

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Learning as a Source of Merit

IT IS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED THAT THE BEST WAY to letter in the name Avraham. (A table of chapters of the generate merit for the departed is to study Torah in their entire Mishnayos listing their initial letters for this purpose name. It is also known that there are some Torah topics can be found in the Yachin U’Boaz sets of Mishnayos.) that have special potency in benefiting the neshamah. The During shivah, the learning is not done by the mourner, study of Mishnayos stands out in this respect. The Aruch who is prohibited from studying Torah at that time, but by Hashulchan and others write that the learning of others. Mishnayos causes a “tikkun ,” great rectification, for There is a well-accepted custom to have entire Shishah the neshamah, alluded to by the fact that when the letters Sidrei Mishnah completed by the end of the first thirty days of the word Mishnah —mem, shin, nun, hey — are of mourning, the sheloshim, by the end of the first year of transposed, they spell neshamah. (See also the sefer Pnei mourning, or in subsequent years on the occasion of the Baruch 39:13, with note 25.) Mishnayos study has the yahrtzeit. power to cleanse the soul of sin, as the Chida and others Study of the entire Talmud is also sometimes attest. undertaken, to be finished on the yahrtzeit. Relatives, There are various customs for how to conduct the friends, and acquaintances are asked to commit to learning learning of Mishnayos. One way is to select chapters of one or more tractates whose study will culminate in a Mishnayos that begin with the letters of the name of the siyum. When relatives of the niftar are unable to study due niftar. For example, if his name was Avraham, one would to inability, time constraints, or other reasons, they often first select a chapter that begins with the letter alef, choose to have someone else do so. Regarding the perhaps the fifth chapter of maseches Brachos, which begins remuneration that is proffered for such learning, poskim with the words “Ein omdim.” One could then learn the fifth have said that if the learner is a talmid chacham, the merit chapter in maseches Shabbos, whose opening words are is magnified since the deceased is also credited with “Bameh beheimah yotz’ah,” which starts with a beis, the next helping to support a Torah scholar.

shaliach tzibbur, donating , project for a woman who he was told performing acts of chessed, and had been in four Nazi concentration studying Torah. The consensus of camps. For him, it was especially halachic authorities is that Torah meaningful since he had grandparents study, which is considered primary who had also been incarcerated under among the mitzvos, is the most effective the Nazis, ym”s. “It’s a tremendous means to bring merit to the deceased. zechus and hischayvus [sense of It is empowering to know that the obligation] for me, and I feel connected impact and potential of our avodas to these people,” he said. In accepting Hashem is so broad in scope that the this commitment, he felt a renewed learning and mitzvos we perform in this desire for growth in Torah and world have the capacity to be credited ruchniyus. Such is the power of this to the departed in the World of Truth. connection one can forge with Jews of previous generations. Connecting to the Past In times of tragedy or in times of Earlier we mentioned that assisting difficulty, people seek meaning. It is a niftar is a chessed shel emes, an act of an immeasurable source of comfort kindness the recipient can never repay. to know that the Torah we study and Yet such acts do redound to the one the mitzvos we perform provide who performs them in the sense that invaluable merit, both for the they constitute a valuable opportunity departed and for those they have left to connect to the past. behind. In doing so, we are inspired One of the Chevrah scholars, Rabbi by their legacy to strive to emulate Avrohom Yitzchok Ausband, recalls their worthy deeds and to sanctify that he once undertook a learning Dancing at the Chevrah siyum haShas in Teaneck. Hashem’s Name in this world. ❚I

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