6 o o o oiao o o o lfl lfl lfl lfl lfl lfl lfl lfl FELDHEIM FOREVER MY PUBLISHERS J~ALE)\1 ~ ,s,WISHESe d YOU '.flteie'aste of Sltabbo~ A !Bl JHAPPY~ CHANUKAH 'I'<"""'' ~'"""'"''"'~w""'~"~""'' .d J<no'-'km•;OIJC<t~ '""'" v~~~.r ASCENT TO HARMONY EMETT •Mep-/>J'-<1'1'!/llf~f<> fmm""10I M..<orny Esrnl~i<llN Throogti TD"1il if you cannot be at the entire Agudath Israel convention. at least take part in one or more of its exciting sessions 65th National.Convention Agudafia. lsrael. qfAmerU:a. YISROEL BAIN HOAMIM: s--~::~;1 THE JEW IN GOLVS/GOLVS IN THE JEW NOVEMBER 26 - 29, 1987 5 - 8 KISLEV 5748 aremew~;!;,'!{f::;;;~~'fie';; ,1,-,!,1,J,J RoshHaYeshWa. Telshe-Chicago THE STEVENSVILLE HOTEL SWAN LAKE, NEW YORK Special. low-cost arrangements availoblefor meals and/or ~~~I overnight stay, roundtrip Rabbi~:h::~,:=:= ::1:1: transportanonThursday Meals: (lvilh convenlion) Thursday Lunch (November26J: $10 per person Thursday EL•ening Dinner (November 26): ~E~~I 815 per person Lodging: (at Hou1ardJohnson·s Motor Inn. Liberty. N_eto York} Overnight Thursday (Noven1ber 26): 825 per person. double occupancy reservations required. includes Friday brea~fast -y~;~~ISchool and Home Partners or Adve~ries? :;:;:;. To Speak or Not lo Speak f/alachic Guidelines)Or Daily ~t~ Transportation: Conversation :;:;:: Chartered bus will leave Bora Park (4511 -14th Avenue) Conflicts in flalacha and Health Care ls ii Safi' to Go to lhe ;:;:;: 9:30 a.m. Thursday and return 20 m1nutes . · Hospiral? :~:~;~ q_fier conclusion [!fThursday evening session. Prcsenxi.tion qf theJeu1ish Hert/age in Satellite Countries i:~;~; Poland. Cz.el'/10--;/ovalda. Hungary. Romania :!:i:! Round tn·p (Thursday only}: $25 per person One tvay. to convention center(Thursday a.m.J: 815 per person s~~~,!~2!!!=~~ !!!!!! One way._t'rom convention center (Thursday p.m}: 815 per person Yesh:::::,:::,:== i!Jlll Resen1ationsJOr lhese special arrangements ~HE::==ril5 :i!:,: should be made NOW. For registration iryformation call: Agudatfl Israel qfAnJE'rica. 84 Willian1 St reel. Neu1 York (2121 797-9000 For those wishing to reserve Melava Malka and/or overnight stay on Jtlotsoei Shabbos (November 28) and brealefast and/or lunch on Sunday, phone the above numberfor special rates. T11t•_,,, 011o"'f''lnt'1J!.' n1<' f<n '""fl'"'-'!.'. n11n«•11i<'11<<' A~ m 1/w iXl"t µk>•my scsswns <?I rhc rn<ll't'/l/1011 l!'ill be OPEN TO 1'Hf; Pf..JllUC. mclud1rig /110.'<' ,,,J,;, rnuk" Owu own ll(Wd 011(/ lx><ud rvrnnycm<'111" Furrwnnul <tJll!'en/1011 1t_1/omia1um a"d lmt•d dir1~·1w11!> call (2121797-9<XIO l'I<'(!."' 1101t: Ayridw/1 /,,l(w/ hn.~ '"' 1drwow-.lnp ro llwSl<H'"-'1'111<" fiord vtlwr 1/iw1,101 W< nmt'<'lll/011- For 1/t(,; U'et'ke11d only. all q/ 1heJacilirles qi Iii.· liuld u·1/l l:w EN'ri "" 1,._.,1n·l11 l"1 Ar11ff/01/1 1.~1m·/_ tdm 11 Im.~ l'ngag"!/ 11,., oa'n <'W<'I'<". Kashn,__~ s11;ie11·i,;ion lL'U/ be prodded by Cong~llon K"/ml Adar/i,)(o.,/u,nm. BETH MEDRASH GOVOHA OF LAKEWOOD is pleased to announce that its 45th ANNIVERSARY DINNER and JOURNAL Sunday, 22Kislev/December13 at the New York Hilton will be tendered in honor of Mr. and Mrs. DOVWOLOWITZ GUESTS OF HONOR Mr.and Mrs. Mr.and Mrs. Naftoli Silberberg Shlomo Klein PARENTS OF THE YEAR ALUMl\'US OF THE YEAR Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood is the largest Yeshiva Gedola and Kolle] in the world, with approximately 1,000 talmidim. Its alumni are the founders, staff and supporters of dozens of Torah institutions throughout the world, includingYeshivos, Kollelim, Shuls and Chesed institutions. Its founder, Moreinu I-lagaon I-!orav Aaron Kotler Zt"l, restored the concept oflimud haTorah lishmoh following the destruction of European Jewry. He inspired his students with his exem­ plary life of Torah study, piety and sense of responsibility for fellow Jews' spiritual and physical welfare. The Dinner and Journal will mark his 25th Yohrtzeit, which occurs on 2 Kislev. For dinner and journal ad reservations, please call the Yeshiva at (201) 367-1060 or the New York office at (718) 438-8300. Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood 617 6th Street, Lakewood, NJ 08701 (201) 367-1060 • N.Y. office, (718) 438-8300 THEOBSERVER THE JEWISH OBSERVER {ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly ex· ceptJulyand August, by the Agudath Israel of America, 84 William Street. New York, NY 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, NY Subscrip­ tion $18.00 peryear; two years, $30.00; three years, $40.00. Outside of the United States (US funds only) $10 sur­ charge per year. Single copy: $2.50; foreign: $3.00. Send address changes to The Jewish Observer, 84 William St., N.Y.. N.Y. 10038. TeL (212) 797 -9000. Printed in the U.S.A. In This Issue RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, Ed;toc Editorial Board 6 DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman '":Sl Chairman an appreciation based on reminiscences Qf talmidim RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON 25 RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not .•• RABBI MOSHE SHERER Rabbi Nasson Scherman Management Board NAFTOLI HIRSCH 31 ISAAC KIRZNER RABBI SHWMO LESIN Postscript NACHUM STEIN Shidduch Breaker or Family Maker RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Business Manager 33 Letters to the Editor THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service advertised in 41 its pages. Vienna Revisited Miriam Stark Zakon ©Copyright 1987 NOV. '87 VOLUME XX. NO. 8 The Late Rosh Hayeshiva of Ner Israel as remembered by his talmidim The list consists qf hundreds qf names, and all of them have two things in common-perhaps the two are really one: They are talmidim (disci­ ples) qf Ner Israel-married men who had studied under Rabbi Yaakov Yitz­ chok Ruderman '"~l.And each and every one cannot be reached by telephone for several hours every day. They are all keeping their appointed times for learning. * * * Retumingfrom a recent convention qf Torah Umesorah, the National Organi­ zation for Hebrew Day Schools, Rabbi Ruderman remarked that he was amazed and gratified to have met so many Ner Israel alumni involved in chinuch (Torah education}, virtuallyfrom border to border.from coast to coast, in other lands. ... * * * Unyielding dedication to studying and teaching Torah is a trait that is not easily learned. Yet somehow those who were in the immediate presence of the late Rosh Yeshiva qf Ner Israel, Rabbi Ruderman, were changed. They learned to love Leaming, and theyfeel compelled to educate others in that same love. The Jewish Obseroer, November 1987 7 Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Rudennan was among the pioneers who came to America before World War II to strivefor the impossible and achieve it: planting the seeds of Torah in the treife American soil. A Love So PrQfound than a half century living the life of deepening their interest, and broad­ Torah, treasuring the printed word ening their horizons. He constantly n the surface it may seem of Torah, absorbing it indelibly in focused their attention and aware­ strange. Rabbi Ruderman his mind, imprinting it permanently ness on tli.e depth and breadth and O was thought by many to be a onto his heart-he succeeded in interrelationship of all of Torah. He shy man. He was obviously in love transmitting his dedication through was always involved in a kushya with his seforim, scholarly In mien, his love for the young men who came (challenging question). He explained soft-spoken, not readily recognized to study under him: Five bachurim that he used questions as memory to be the type of man who could mold who joined him in Baltimore in 1933 keys with which to remember the hosts of others 'in his image, espe­ ... 600 talmidim of Yeshivas Ner details of the Gemora. Thus no mat­ cially when those others were young lsraeljoining thousands of alumni, ter which Gemora one mentioned, men who had been brought up in who wept at his passing In 1987. he always had a penetrating query or the permissive, fun-loving, self-cen­ His talmidim observed a Rebbe comment at his fingertips to lend an tered society of mid-twentieth cen­ whose encyclopedic knowledge of insight to the sugya (topic), citing tury America. Yet by example-more, Shas Bavli, Yerushalmi, Rishonim, one reference after another, often by contagion-having spent more Poskim, Acharonim and Teshuvos from obscure responsa and forgot­ (Talmud and its vast literature of ten commentaries. He lived with his This biographical appreciation is based primarily commentaries and halachic res­ questions.and was often observed on material furnished by Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger, Ram in the Beis HamidrashofYeshiva Ner Israel. ponsa) set a lofty standard to strive with his lips constantly moving as and a nephew of the late Rosh Hayeshlva. Addi­ for. He constantly challenged his he was consistently absorbed in tional sources of information Include Rabbi David talmidim to bring proof from one learning. This total immersion in Cohen (Cong. Gvul Yaavetz, Brooklyn), Yeruchem Lax, Moshe Asher Reines, and several articles that Gemora to a seemingly unrelated Talmud gave rise to many amusing appeared in Yated Ne'eman. issue, stimulating lively discussion, incidents of apparent absentminded 8 The Jewish Observer, November 1987 behavior. Rarely was his sleep at falo to also visit Rabbi Zuckerman. "I know," replied the doctor, "butit night not disturbed by an unans· They did, and remained overnight, was Kedushin that we brought to wered kushya. engrossed in Talmudic discussion you." One could readily believe the story until five in the morning. The last public function that he told how, as a bachur, Rabbi Rud· In 1986, the Rosh Hayeshiva un· attended was a Siyum that the resi· erman got hold of a copy of a just· derwent successful surgery to res· dent physician in Yeshiva Lane had published volume of Ohr Somayach tore vision in one of his eyes.