1 CROWN HEIGHTS ~January 4, 2008 כאן צוה ה’ את הברכה CommunityNewspaper פרשת וארא | תשס”ח , כ”ו טבת | בס”ד wEEKLY VOL. I | NO 9 JANUARY 4, 2008 | TEVES 26, 5768 SYMPATHY IS NOT ENOUGH Gush Katif evacuees are still facing harsh difficulties in finding proper housing, employment, adjusting to their displacement and losses, and above all, deal- ing with their trauma from the infamous disengage- ment • Crown Heights comes to their aid, but is that enough? PAGE 10 European countries’ explosive aid Rabbi Segal Bedford and Dean on using a Mashpia Since childhood in the Secular Calendar Russian village of Lubavitch, Rabbi Eliyohu Moshe Liss PAGE 2 (1909-1988) inspired and educated countless stu- dents in Warsaw, Lođz, Vil- na, Japan, and Shanghai. New book serialized! We remember him at the From Shedlitz to Safety Lubavitcher Yeshiva in A Young Jew’s Story of Survival •PAGE 14 Brooklyn. PAGE 4 READER’S PLEA: READ RABBI TWERSKY’S “SHAME BORNE IN SILENCE” Candle Lighting Jan. 04 Lighting Jan. 11 Lighting Brooklyn 4 : 15 Brooklyn 4 : 12 Yerushalayim 4:08 Yerushalayim 4 :14 Brooklyn, NY 11225 NY Brooklyn, This Week: Wed:Chovos Halevavos Printed 1559 יחזקאל כ”ח ~ כה אמר ד’ Kingston Avenue Kingston 390 390 Shabbos: Passing of R. Samson R Hirsch 1888 Community Newspaper Shabbos Mevarchim chodesh Sh’vat, Tuesday 2 CROWN HEIGHTS ~January 4, 2008 The Vaad Hakohol By Moshe Rubashkin begging and pleading. When I saw that Beryl Sugar was able to bring in so many Rabbi Segal on using the Last week I people in 15 minutes, and it was such a attended an wide representation of the community, secular calendar important meet- we have to see that the issue in the front By Rabbi Segal ing at the 71st pre- of people’s minds is crime and security. secular date if it is done for people who cinct, a follow-up The people there were not involved in Member of the Bais Din of Crown Heights are more familiar with secular dates than from the end-of- the politics of the CHJCC etc. They were Hebrew dates. Question: In many documents, many the-year precinct regular community people with one issue people have the The Rebbe in his lettersI ( gros vol. 11 pg. meeting where so on their minds—security. We must make custom of writing 420) writes likewise: many community a meeting with them to discuss how to the the English members stormed out in outrage. Among address the situation. The concern was “Regarding what he wrote about the date. Should one those present were Rabbi Binyamin brought up of what will happen if they secular dates…this custom is in all our refrain from doing Klein, Chanina Sperlin, Batia Brandel, are disrespectful or walk out again. I countries where there is a justification this and rather Rabbi Shea Hecht, Rabbi Shalom Ber explained that the meeting should not or legitimate reason. use the Hebrew Baumgarten from Tzivos Hashem, be at the end of the week when people date only? But this is only when there is a justifica- Isaac Zellermaier, Yudi Eber, Yankel are tired from a long week of work, but tion or legitimate reason but without a Wice, Binyamin Lipschitz from Crown rather it should be held on a Motzei Answer: There reason, the Rebbe wrote in a letter [vol. Heights.info, 71st Precinct Inspector Shabbos or on a Sunday afternoon. Rabbi are great poskim 17 pg. 160]: “In response to his letter Vega, Sgt. Dave Wadler a representa- Shalom Ber Baumgarten suggested that (Rabbis) who are very strict with this from 5/22, it is a great wonder about a tive from Police Commissioner Kelly’s a person like Yossi Jacobson should run matter and advise not to mention the yungerman in Yeshiva from an Anash Office, Adam Barash, a representative the meeting with questions and answers English date. They write that this is a family of Tmimim that he refers in his from Chief Zieglers Community Affairs to the police. My suggestion went over transgression of an isur in the Torah. letter to a secular date in the same day Office, Councilwoman Letisha James, well, and they are working to put together In the Torah it says: “The name of other that he said in his prayer “Today is the and Sgts. John Cantwell, Bobby Troise, a meeting. idols you should not mention.” Since fifth day of the week” which is based and officer Vinny Martinos from the the non-Jews calculate their calendar on the commandment ‘Remember the 71st precinct. My father in-law said over an interesting not from the creation of the world as Shabbos to sanctify it’. sicha at the Shabbos table. Sefer Bereshis the Jewish nation does, but according to Inspector Vega explained why the ends describing the Bnei Yaacov as one the birth of oso ho’ish, therefore writing Therefore when there is no justification precinct meeting went on for such a long family. In the beginning of Parshas the secular date would be a mention of or legitimate reason, as letters that are time. It was the last meeting of the year, Shemos, we see how the Bnei Yaacov idolatry, G-d forbid. written amongst Anash, including also so he was summarizing various statistics turn into the Bnei Yisroel, one nation. letters from the mosdos (institutions), The Maharam Shik Y( oreh Deah chapt. and accomplishments for the year. He When Moshe went out to the fields and it is worthy to be cautious not to men- 171) was asked a question about a plaque conceded that it might have been a saw Dasan and Aviran arguing and their tion secular dates but only the Hebrew that the names of the months and good idea to mention in the mailing threat to turn Moshe over to Pharoh, he date, which is based on “Remember the the years of the secular calendar were that encouraged people to come that it thought to himself, “Now I see that they Shabbos to sanctify it”. The Ramban engraved on it, and the Maharam Shik was going to be an extra long meeting. are not worthy of Redemption because explains this in his commentary (Shmos advised to remove the plaque or to cover Our meeting really focused on how to they speak Loshon Hara.” It is known 12:2) that when we mention the days of the dates with cement. unite the community with the Police in that the Yidden in Mitzrayim served the week, it is a reminder for leaving the the aftermath of the 200 to 300 people idols, so why would Moshe focus on the We also find in the Drashas Chasam Egyptian exile. walking out of the Precinct meeting. sin of Loshon Hara as a reason why the Sofer (vol. II pg. 315): “And not like those The Chasam Sofer writes (in his com- Many people spoke their thoughts on Yidden didn’t deserve to be redeemed. new people who mention the date of the mentary Shemos 12:2): “This is a lesson the matter. Rabbi Hecht suggested that The answer is that to have the Redemp- Christian Messiah . woe to them, they that when writing letters, we need to that the police department should stay tion, we must be one nation. Loshon have done evil to their souls..” make mention the day of the week to connected to the community through Hara causes division and fragmentation, On the other hand, we find that the Ramo testify about the creation of heaven our paper, informing us of important the opposite of unity and the opposite of in his Tshuvos [responses] (chapt. 51) and earth that were created in six days, information and using the paper to being a nation. When there isn’t unity, mentions secular dates, and likewise mentioning Nissan as the first Hebrew create a dialogue with the community. the nation is not a nation and can not be we find this also in the [responses] of month, to testify our leaving the Egyp- He jokingly suggested that they inform redeemed. Maharam from Padua (chapt. 38. 76). tian exile and not G-d forbid as the other us of the corners and times they will be nations do.” stationed at during the week giving the Hearing this sicha from my father in-law Therefore, the poskim from our times cell phone tickets. When it was my turn and seeing how the Rebbe all the time write that it is not forbidden to write a to speak, I explained to the inspector stresses the need to mosif ohr to bring and his colleagues that if I would ask unity reinforced to me the idea of this members of the community to come out paper. This is our ninth edition, and I LAST WEEK AT NIGHTLIFE: to a meeting, it would take me more than am hearing from all walks of life in the Comedy Night -January 2, 2008 a week, and I would be lucky if I could community, all different perspectives. Esther Russel promised to make us laugh. Well, laugh we did! From the au- get 30 people to show up after a lot of Their statements are really the same--we dience interactive comedy to her staged belly laugh, she left us in stitches. By love the paper because it is only positive the end of the night we were exhausted and spent… Newspaper and only ohr. We take it to the Shabbos from watching…and Laughing! As the evening pro- Community table--the heroes, the d’var torah. We gressed, it only got better.