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A Taste of Torah Emor 5775 May 8, 2015 A Taste of Torah Stories For The Soul A World That Was; A World That Is That’s What I Was Taught By Rabbi Yossi Kaplan Private Yissochor “Rudy” Meyer Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953) “Forty years passed. Imminent was a Jewish infantryman for the US wrote a letter to his son, describing a world danger now faced the Jews, and so entire Armed Forces during WWII. After the that was before the destruction wrought families gathered in their beloved Bais fighting in Germany ended, he was in a displaced persons camp, where he had by World War II. The following is a free Medrash, to entreat Hashem, the One the opportunity to help his fellow Jews translation of that letter: G-d of eternal compassion, to have pity who had survived the horrors of the “There was once a city. Its name was on them. But then behold… there in the Holocaust. Kelm… And there was once a house in entryway stood the Nazis. They removed One day, Private Meyer was the city; a house of Torah study. That man, woman, and child and had them distributing candy to the children in the Bais Medrash was full of the holy and run through the streets, under blows, DP camp. In an effort to bring them the humble; the greatness of their Torah without letup. closer to the Judaism of their parents’ hidden in humility. homes, he told the children that they’d “Now they stood in the valley of be given the sweet after reciting a “And there was one thing people death. And what do you think they blessing. The children eagerly complied, knew: This holy house would stand did... those holy ones… at that moment? except for one little girl who stubbornly forever! But alas, it didn’t stand forever… They sang! The Torah commands us refused. it wasn’t spared the destruction of in this week’s parsha (Emor 22:32): ‘I The soldier, surprised that a child WWII. And yet, there is death, and shall be sanctified among the children would be so stubborn, pried the girl there is death. There is the death of the of Israel…’; as you give up your life, you to explain why she refused to make a living dead man, for whom life eludes shall sanctify the name of Hashem. And blessing. him, even as he lives. One who carries filled with joy to live the word of G-d, “I was taught,” said the little child, about living in a fantasy world, pursuing even in death, they danced with all their “that one only makes a blessing once all emptiness, but not that which will strength. And they sang… ‘Ashreinu... the food is held in the hand.” (This is indeed the law.) bring him to eternal life, the living word fortunate are we...’ fortunate are we to Overawed that a small child, after of G-d. And then, there is the death of be the nation of G-d… to be Jews. And the live man… having gone through such suffering, the singing intensified as their souls could so tenaciously hold onto the “The Bais Medrash of Kelm shed its departed.” education of her formative years, Private body, its skeleton. But even as its broken A world that was. Meyer handed the child the candy, and beams lay among the ashes and dying she made the blessing. embers, its soul rose through the smoke, But there is also a world that is. Our world. And we live with the same In this week’s parsha, the Kohanim untouched, heavenward; the wooden (Priests) are told to teach their precepts of sanctifying the name of structure was never more than a body children the special laws that pertain housing holiness, anyway. Hashem. Perhaps we may never merit to Kohanim. Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin to attain the lofty levels of holiness the “I remember days long gone. It was (1881-1966) states that the Torah the night of Simchas Torah, a time of Jews of Kelm have attained. But in our makes a special point of educating the children of Kohanim because those intense joy for the Jewish People, the own small way, we can sanctify the name around them, fellow Jews, do not keep culmination of an entire year of reading of Hashem through our actions. When someone says, “There walks a Jew, look the same strictures; a special emphasis is the Torah. And the great inhabitants of needed to ensure the young Kohanim how beautiful is his conduct” - that’s a that house in Kelm went forth into the absorb their special responsibility. But street, dancing through the city with all world alive. A new world built upon the the lesson applies for all Jews - we must their strength... singing, ‘Ashreinu… how shattered, blackened wood of Kelm. A strive to inculcate our children with an fortunate are we... how beautiful is our world that is. attachment to Judaism so that they cling inheritance.’ to it through thick and thin. Kollel Happenings Increase Your Jewish IQ THE M.B. GLASSMAN By: Rabbi Yaakov Zions FOUNDATION GOLD ADOPT-A- Last week we asked: Sometimes the same Birchas Kohanim, the blessing of ritzei BUBBY PROGRAM blessing will contain a different ending during the chazzan’s repetition of Shemone depending on the circumstances or time Esrei differs from the normal text of the Do you know of a senior – a parent, of year. How many can you think of? blessing. 5) Some have a custom, during grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, the Ten Days or Repentance, to end the fellow congregant – who would A: 1) When Yom Tov and Shabbos final blessing of Shemoneh Esrei with “oseh benefit from a weekly phone call coincide, the endings of the Yom Tov hashalom” instead of the standard text. to schmooze, share a thought on blessings in kiddush and Shemone Esrei will the parsha or Jewish calendar, or change due to the addition of Shabbos. This week’s question: Most of the just say hello? Do you have a few 2) On Tisha B’Av at mincha, the prayer blessing we recite have their origins in the minutes a week to call a senior in the of nacheim is added to the blessing of Talmud or other Tannaitic or Amoraic community and make a difference Vilirushalayim, and the ending changes, sources. There are several exceptions; in the life of another? Contact as well. 3) On Shabbos and Yom Tov at what are they? the Denver Community Kollel’s ma’ariv, the blessing of Hashkiveinu has a M.B. Glassman Foundation GOLD different ending than it does during the To submit an answer to Rabbi Zions, email Adopt-A-Bubby program! Call Joyce weekdays. 4) When the Kohanim recite [email protected] Litzman at the Denver Community Kollel, at 303-820-2855, or email Ask the Rabbi [email protected]. All Night Long Sam in Chicago wrote: of Tanach mentioned above are referred INSIDE THE NUMBERS to as 24 bridal ornaments with which Dear Rabbi, In Judaism, numbers are not simply the Jewish people decorate themselves in a way to count things. Every number This is my first time experiencing Shavuos preparation to receive the Torah, their in a yeshiva environment. I’m told that has a special significance. From wedding document, from the Groom. everybody stays up all night studying gematria to Who Knows One? Another explanation for staying up all Torah, which sounds interesting, but at night is that the Jews at Mount Sinai recited at the end of the Passover the same time I’m a little wary of doing overslept on that historic Shavuos Seder, discover the world of numbers so. In school I once had a paper due the morning! G-d had to “wake them up” to with Rabbi Moshe Heyman of the next day that I stayed up the entire night teach them the Torah (sound familiar?). Denver Community Kollel. Every writing; in the morning my brain felt like We rectify this by staying up all night, to other Thursday from 2-3 pm at fried tofu and I could hardly function. ensure that we won’t sleep late on this day. Marathon Investments, 6565 South How important is it to stay up all night Dayton St., #1200. For more info, on Shavuos and why? Is it perhaps more Staying up all night is not a halacha nor a contact [email protected]. important to get a good night’s sleep to Jewish law, but rather a custom for those fulfill the mitzvos of the day? who feel they are physically up to it. If A DEEPER LOOK AT THE PARSHA staying up all night may cause one to sleep Dear Sam, late, what was intended to rectify would WITH RABBI SHACHNE SOMMERS Many, especially in the Yeshiva world, be ruined. Even if one was able to stay up, Join Rabbi Shachne Sommers as he have the custom to stay awake and study but wouldn’t be able to concentrate and discusses a number of difficulties Torah the entire night of Shavuos. Many enjoy the prayers, the Torah readings, and encountered in the weekly Sefaradim and Chasidim follow a special the other mitzvos of the day such as the Torah portion, and develops a order of study initiated by the Arizal holiday meal and making one’s family comprehensive approach to resolve (based on a passage in the introduction happy, he should not stay up the whole the issue, simultaneously conveying to the Zohar) whereby they read selected night.
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