September 5, ‘17 י"ד אלול תשע"ז KAJ NEWSLETTER A monthly publication of K’hal Adath Jeshurun Volume 48 Number 1 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD .כתיבה וחתימה טובה The Board of Trustees wishes all our members and friends a ,רב זכריה בן רבקה Please continue to be mispallel for Rav Gelley .רפואה שלמה for a WELCOME BACK The KAJ Newsletter welcomes back all its readers from what we hope was a pleasant and restful summer. At the same time, we wish a Tzeisechem LeSholom to our members’ children who have left, or will soon be leaving, for a year of study, whether in Eretz Yisroel, America or elsewhere. As we begin our 48th year of publication, we would like to remind you, our readership, that it is through your interest and participation that the Newsletter can reach its full potential as a vehicle for the communication of our Kehilla’s newsworthy events. Submissions, ideas and comments are most welcome, and will be reviewed. They can be emailed to [email protected]. Alternatively, letters and articles can be submitted to the Kehilla office. מראה מקומות לדרשת מוהר''ר ישראל נתן הלוי מנטל שליט''א שבת שובה תשע''ח לפ''ק בענין תוספת שבת ויו"ט ויום הכפורים ר"ה דף ט' ע"א רמב"ם פ"א שביתת עשור הל' א' ,ד', ו' טור או"ח סי' רס"א בב"י סוד"ה וזמנו, וטור סי' תר"ח תוס' פסחים צ"ט: ד"ה עד שתחשך, תוס' ר' יהודה חסיד ברכות כ"ז. ד"ה דרב תוס' כתובות מ"ז. ד"ה דמסר לה ביאור הגר"א או"ח סי' רס"א סעיף ב' בסוד"ה וי"א שצריך ביאור הגר"א או"ח סי' תרל"ט סעיף ג' בד"ה ולא יאכל ביאור הגר"א יו"ד סי' קצ"ו ס"ק ו' ד"ה י"א שמותר דברי יחזקאל (סלאבאדקה) סי' מ"ה ס"ק ה' כתבי הגר"ח בענין תוספת יו"ט לענין מצה CHOSON BEREISHIS The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Rabbi Yitzchok Israel will be our Choson Bereishis of Simchas Torah 5778. Vol. 48, No. 1 KAJ NEWSLETTER Page 2 THREE WEEKS The Kehilla, and Klal Yisroel, once again unfortunately experienced the days of 17 Tamuz through 9 Av as the Bein HaMetzorim, as opposed to the Moadim Tovim which we await. The somber mood of the Three Weeks was perceptible in the davening, through the melodies of Birkas Yerushalayim, the ends of Brochos, HaShem Elokei Yisroel, Shomer Yisroel, Keil Erech Apayim and, on Shabbosos, in Lecho Dodi. Likewise, the daily Divrei Halocho were devoted to timely laws. On Wednesday, July 26/3 Av, Rav Mantel spoke on Inyanei Tisha B’Av. The Rav focused on one aspect of the loss and lack we experience in our own lives, as a result of the Churban HaBayis: As Chazal state, from the time of the Churban and the cessation of the Korbonos onwards, Nital Taam HaPeiros, etc. Referring to explanations of the Chovos HaLevovos, the Seforno and the Maharal, the Rav illustrated how when Gashmiyus is not infused with Ruchniyus, its quality diminishes—resulting in an ever more increasing desire for quantity therein, as a poor substitution, something we see as never before in our days, and against which we must work. TISHA B’AV Tisha B’Av was observed in somber fashion in a darkened Beis HaKnesses. Chazon Lasdun davened Maariv and Chazon Ezra Hes led the Tzibbur in the reading of Megillas Eicho on Leil Tisha B’Av. Rav Mantel recited the special Kinno composed by Rav Schwab. Written at Rav Breuer’s request, this Kinno commemorates the Kedoshim of the Churban HoAcharon, the Holocaust, and has not only become a part of our Kehilla’s Tisha B’Av service, but in those of many other communities as well. Chazon Lasdun led the davening of Tisha B’Av morning, and Chazon Hes joined him in the saying of Kinnos. In the afternoon, our Kehilla hosted the local presentation of the annual Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation video. Our thanks go to Rabbi and Mrs. Raphael and Julia Weis, assisted by Mrs. Draizel Strauss, for organizing this most appropriate event in our Kehilla, as well as to Mr. and Mrs. Yosef and Sari Levi for arranging the showing of the CCHF’s children’s video presentation, earlier in the afternoon. CHODESH ELUL For Kehillla members, and all who daven in our Beis HaKnesses, the approach of the Yomim Noroim has been felt in increasingly perceptible ways, beginning from Shabbos Nachamu, with the insertion of the appropriate melodies at the end of the Friday night Kaddish, and the entire concluding Shabbos Musaf Kaddish; with the arrival of Chodesh Elul, Lefonnov Naavod was sung on Friday nights. Likewise, for the morning Divrei Halocho, Rav Mantel has continued learning the Orchos Chaim from where he had left off last year. The Rav will IYH deliver his annual Yomim Noroim lecture to the Sisterhood on Wednesday evening, September 13/23 Elul. Thanks go to Messrs. Ben Ettlinger, Jacob Lowenthal and Gavriel Strauss, Rabbi Kalman Strauss, and Rabbi Yisrael Strauss who provide the Kehilla with a twice- daily “wake up call”, by their Shofar blowing. DAF YOMI SIYUM ON MASSECHES BOVO BASRO מסכת On Sunday, July 16/23 Tammuz, the Kehilla’s Daf Yomi Chaburos celebrated their having concluded a day early. At the siyum, held in a classroom below the Shul, Mr. Alan Ettlinger introduced ,בבא בתרא Rabbi Dr. Johny Hellmann, who was mesayeim the Masechta. Mr. Ettlinger also noted that two longtime members of the Daf Yomi Chabura—Mr. Eugene Goldman and Mr. Samuel Taub z.l.— were niftar Vol. 48, No. 1 KAJ NEWSLETTER Page 3 during the months the Chaburos had been learning the Masechta. Rabbi Elchonon Stern began the next Masechta, Sanhedrin, after which Rav Mantel spoke. The Rav Mantel recounted a Devar Torah that he heard at a siyum on Bava Basra (culminating a four year learning program, not a 175 day Daf Yomi one!) .בראשית ברא אלוקים of ראשי תיבות a gate) are the) בבא in Belgium over 50 years ago. The 3 letters of -method (i.e. the first letter of the Aleph א''ת ב''ש via the בבא Furthermore, transposing the letters of also alludes to the ,ששת ימי בראשית which, besides for the ששת Beis with the last, etc.) yields the word .Thus the three Bavos are the “gates” to the entire Mishnayos and Gemara .ששה סדרי משנה YESHIVA BEIS MEDRASH YESHURUN The Yeshiva had a successful, as well as enjoyable, summer Zman up in Tannersville, NY. The Yeshiva has now begun the Elul Zman, back in Washington Heights, and IYH —together with the Kollel, Mesivta and other departments of our Yeshiva—looks forward to productive and inspiring months ahead, under the direction of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yehoshua Rubanowitz. Pictured below, the Beis Medrash in Elul, alive again with the Kol Torah of Rav Rubanowitz, Rabbi Yisrael Stein, and the Bochurim. RABBI AVROHOM FARBER The Kehilla/Yeshiva community was deeply saddened by the petira, this past summer, of Rabbi Avrohom Rabbi Farber, a master mechanech, taught in our pre-Mesivta and Mesivta for 40 years and .ז''ל Farber retained the love, respect and devotion of countless talmidim, as most recently witnessed at the Annual Dinner in 2011 when he received both the Keser Torah Award and the grateful adulation of scores of alumni who attended the event. In addition to being an outstanding Talmid Chochom, Rabbi Farber had a unique way of connecting to a broad range of students. He was famous for announcing on the first day of class, "If anyone did not eat Vol. 48, No. 1 KAJ NEWSLETTER Page 4 breakfast or forgot lunch, I will buy it for you." He took his students on skiing trips, housed them in his home in Tannersville, and took a personal interest in them which lasted well beyond their graduation from our Yeshiva. Many students became his friends and some even conceded that they remained frum solely due to Rabbi Farber's influence on them. Not only was Rabbi Farber a remarkable rebbe, he was an accomplished Baal Tefilla and Baal Menagen. he established and headed a day camp in Tannersville, NY known ,תבלח''ט Together with his wife, Esther as Camp Sharon, which also became an extension of his talents as a rebbe and guide. In his enthusiasm and love for children, he had a unique way of achieving a sense of Achdus amongst campers who came from different walks of Jewish life. יהי זכרו ברוך AHAVAS YISRAEL PAR EXCELLENCE Not content with merely the tremendous Harbotzas HaTorah and Gemilus Chasodim he does on a daily basis as a rebbi, teacher and Rabbi, this summer Rabbi Avrohom Hoffman undertook another, very extraordinary, act of Chessed, and donated a kidney. BH, the recipient—as well as Rabbi Hoffman—are doing well. “YEDIDYA’S SPECIAL REBBI” The following article is reprinted below with permission of Mishpacha Magazine (www.mishpacha.com), for the enjoyment of our readership. All content is copyrighted: © Mishpacha Magazine Inc. All rights reserved. Vol. 48, No. 1 KAJ NEWSLETTER Page 5 SISTERHOOD LECTURE The Rambam's Shemona Perokim, serve as an introduction to Pirkei Avos, a Masechta of the Mishna’s Seder Nezikin dealing with character refinement and the development of ethical behavior. On Tuesday, June 6/13 Sivan, Mrs. Sara Wiederblank, who teaches Limudei Kodesh to high school girls and lectures widely to adult women, gave the Sisterhood a fascinating lecture on this important work. (Mrs. Wiederblank is also a proud YRSRH parent and former YRSRH Beth Jacob high school teacher.) After identifying different levels of the Neshomo, Mrs.