i€¦ · july and august by the agudath israel of america, 42 broadway, new york, ny10004....

>;!

. ~S~i .. I

I" o i

)• '

AHHlVERSARtJ TOGtTHtR!

All new orden will receive a

Z0°/o Discount!

Minimum Order of $10,000 required. 35% deposit required.

(Ofter ends February 28, 2003)

-

THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of America, 42 Broadway, New York, NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in New York, NY. Subscription $24.00 per year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside ol the United States (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single copy $3.50; foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to; The Jewish Observer, 42 a.roadway, NY. NY.10004. Tel:212-797-9000, Fax: 646-254-1600. Printed in the U.S.A.

RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR

EDITORIAL BOARD

RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Chairman

RABBI ABBA BRUONY JOSEPH FRIEOENSON RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN PROF. AARON TWEASKI

OR. ERNST L BODENHEIMER Z"l RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z"L Founders

MANAGEMENT BOARD

AVI FISHOF, NAFTOLI HIRSCH ISAAC KIRZNER, RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN

RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Managing Editor

Published by Agudath Israel of America

U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR Feldheim Publishers 200 Airport Executive Park Nanue!, NY 10954

BRITISH REPRESENTATIVE M.T. Bibe!man Grosvenor WorNs Mount Pleasant Hill London ES 9NE. ENGLAND

FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE Rabbi Bamberger 21 Boulevard Paixhans 57000 Metz FRANCE

SWISS REPRESENTATIVE Mr. S. Feldinger Leimanstrasse 36 4051 Basel, SWITZERLAND

JSAAEU REPRESENTATIVE Jnlnl. Media Placemen! POB 7195 I 5 Even Israel Jerusalem, ISRAEL

BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVE Mr. E. Apler Lange Kievitstr. 29 2018 Antwerp BELGIUM

SOUTH AFRICAN REPRESENTATIVE Mr. V. Taback PO Box51552. Raedene, Johannesburg 2124 SOUTH AFRICA

THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product, publication, or service advertised in its pages

© Copyright 2003

January 2003 VOLUME XXXVl/NO. 1

Shevat 5763 •January 2003 U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 ·VOL XXXVI/NO. I

KIRUV TODAY IN THE USA

4 Kiruv Today: Now or Never, Rabbi Yitzchok Lowenbraun

10 The Mashgiach Comes To Dallas, Kenneth Chaim Broodo

16 How Many Orthodox Jews Can There Be?

Chanan (Anthony) Gordon and Richard M. Horowitz

30 The Lonely Man of Kiruv, by Chaim Wolfson

ERETZ YISROEL: SHARING THE PAIN

18

23

27

31

35

Breaking Down the Walls, Mrs. Debbie Friedman

The Fifth Item On the List, Rabbi Baruch Leff

A Modest Proposal, Rabbi Avi Shafran

Letters-to-the-Editor

Index to Articles: Subjects and Authors

Volume XXXV, Nos. 1-10

Cover Photo: A J.E.P. volunteer from Queens escorts two Jewish public school children ta release-hour religious instruction. Photo Credit: Shimon Golding

KIRUV TODAY IN THE

A rep~rt from t'~~ front lines of the struggle to save the majority of American Jews

f~9Q1 being lost .~ll'.lsroel

MEET THE BERNSTEINS

I'd like to introduce you to a young Jewish family, circa 2003. This is the family of Jeff and Bonnie Bernstein,

and their two children. Jeff, forty years old, grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. Jeff's family belonged to a Conservative Temple, though they only attended services on Yorn Kippur, and usually on the first day of Rosh Hashana. Jeff's parents wanted him to be a proud Jew, so they sent him to Sunday school until he was eleven. The twice-a-week after-school Hebrew classes seemed to be more than what was necessary for a child's Jewish education, and besides, by the time sixth grade rolled around, Jeff had basketball practice after school. Jeff's father, Mort, is a successful attorney, an avid sports fan, and a voracious reader of the Wall Street Journal, who works out at the JCC. Jeff's parents hoped their son

Rabbi Lowenbraun is the National f)irector of The Association for jewish Outreach Programs (AJOP).

4

would excel in athletics, attend an Ivy League school, have a distinguished career, and raise a nice fa1nily. For the most part, Jeff followed the plan, and it was at Yale that Jeff met Bonnie, his future wife.

Bonnie was active at the Hillel house on the Yale campus, and came from a family with a strong Jewish identity. Her father was a Federation board member, and had once been the president of their Reform Temple. Her mother was active in the Sisterhood. Bonnie's father was converted by the Temple rabbi a year after he and his wife were married. Everyone in Bonnie's family held their rabbi in the highest regard; she was not only a scholar, but sorneone who was deeply devoted to her congregants. Bonnie was a well-educated, proud, and active Je\v-perhaps even a future communal leader.

Today, Jeff and Bonnie live in a beautiful home in the Cleveland suburb of Wandering Hills. They have two children - Adan1, who is fourteen, and Sarah who is twelve. The public school

they attend is about thirty percent Jewish, and of the Jewish kids in the school, about half have one non-Jewish parent. Both children attend Sunday school, and both are members of the Temple youth group. The Rabbi said that Adam did a beautiful job at his Bar Mitzva; the theme of his party was football heroes. Sarah is looking forward to her Bat Mitzva when she turns thirteen, and already knows her Haftora by heart. The theme of her Bat Mitzva party will be Harry Potter.

Without a doubt, Jeff and Bonnie's parents have all the nachas Jewish parents and grandparents could hope for, but here's the real question: Jeff and Bonnie's parents are thrilled. Are you? Ask yourself: what are the chances that Jeff and Bonnie will keep Shabbos- even once? For that matter, vvhat are the chances that they will ever be invited to a frum home for a Shabbos meal - even once? What are the chances that they will ever keep taharas hamishpacha, or fast on Tisha B' av? What are the chances their children will marry Jews?

The Jewish Observer, January 2003

HOW MANY JEWS WILL GREET MOSHIACIP.

We all believe in biyas haMoshiach - the ultimate coming of the Messiah - bringing an end

to this long, dark galus. The question is this: Of the Jews who are alive today, how many will have the privilege to still be a part of Kial Yisroel when the Geula comes, and how many will be left behind in the spiritual wasteland of history?

The word "crisis" has been used for some time now by people from various circles and perspectives when looking at American Jewry. As someone who is in touch with hundreds of people working in all areas of kiruv across America, there is no question in my mind that we are not dealing with a potential crisis, a looming crisis, or an imminent crisis, but rather, a tidal wave of crisis that has already crashed down all around us. l have little doubt that seven out of ten Jews who marry in America, marry nonJews, and that, b'derech ha-teva - in the normal course of events-the vast majority of American Jews will be forever lost to the oblivion of assimilation. Without a seismic change in the course of events, America is destined to become not only the final resting-place for millions of)ewish bodies, but also a vast spiritual graveyard for millions of Jewish neshamos. This is not what I think may happen, but this is exactly what is taking place at an ever-quickening pace, and with each passing day. And so, I believe that with regards to American Jewry, the all-toohorrific question has become: Must we just do whatever we can to grab a few life preservers for ourselves and our families while a huge ship filled with millions of fews goes under? Or is it still possible to right the vessel of American Jewry, and enable not just five or ten percent to be a part of the Jewish future, but sixty, seventy, or even a hundred percent?

KIRUV: A DECADE OF SUCCESS

Though there are no definitive statistics, one can safely say that since 1990, 20-30,000 Jews in America


who were not raised in Shomer Shabbos homes have become Shomer Shabbos. Beyond their own personal commitment to a life of mitzvos, it's hard to find an Orthodox shul or school today that does not have numerous baalei teshuva among its active congregants. Additionally, in day schools across the country, there are many wonderful rebbe'im and moros who were not raised in Orthodox homes, not to mention the dozens of baalei teshuva who are deeply

• If this were a state of the union

address, I would have to say, Baruch Hashem, the state of kiruv is strong. Unfortunately, the bigger and truer picture is one of a very dark cloud with just the slightest bit of silver lining.

• involved in kiruv. From national kiruv organizations like Ohr Somayach, Aish HaTorah, NCSY, JEP, NJOP, Gateways, and Partners in Torah, to numerous local organizations like the Jewish Learning Connection in Cleveland, Etz Chaim in Baltimore, Machon L'Torah in Detroit, )LE and Ashreinu in Los Angeles, the Jewish Renaissance Center in New York, and many, many others, a devoted cadre of kiruv-mechanchim are having a dramatic impact on thousands of lives.

In addition to those who have becon1e shomer mitzvos, 2-300,000 have been touched in various ways by these

devoted mekarvim (outreach activists). They have attended classes, Shabbatonim, beginners' minyanim, Hebrew-reading crash courses, seminars, and have been hosted by frum families for Shabbos meals. Many are now self-motivated to continue regular Torah learning, thousands have kashered their homes, many regularly have some type of a Friday night Shabbos meal in their homes-homes that had never before even heard of Kiddush-and many are now committed to only marrying a Jew, and to giving their children a Jewish education.

Today, in cities like Cincinnati, Memphis, Columbus, Dallas, Palo Alto, Houston, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Vancouver, and others, there are over forty kollelim that have kiruv as a significant aspect of their mandate. A decade or so ago, there were only a handful. In Denver, La Jolla, Toronto, Atlanta, Baltimore, Norfolk, and elsewhere, there are shuls that are structured specifically as kiruvoriented shuls. Even in Las Vegas, the board of Young Israel has made kiruv one of its central focuses. Gateways and Discovery regularly attract hundreds to their seminars that address ikkarim (basic principles of faith) like Torah Min Hashamayim. Over a hundred Lakewood avreichim (married scholars) are learning with non-frum Jews through the Gesher program, and Partners in Torah has over two thousand sets of chavrusa learning all across the country. In addition to all this, Ner L'eiefis training hundreds of kollel yungeleit in Bretz Yisroel to do kiruv in America and around the world, while Aish HaTorah is making its expertise available to outreach kolle/im, and others.

If this were a state of the union address, I would have to say, Baruch Hashem, the state of kiruv is strong. Kiruv has grown to the point where hundreds of devoted, and highly skilled and professional kiruv workers are reaching, and having impact on thousands and thousands of Acheinu Beis Yisroel who otherwise would have virtually no chance of being part of the ultimate destiny of Kial Yisroel.

5

AND NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS

Everything that I just said is true, and then some. Unfortunately, the bigger and truer picture is one of

a very dark cloud with just the slightest bit of silver lining. Consider the following: According to the recently released American Jewish Identity Survey, over the last decade, 775,000 Jews in America have converted, and adopted other religions.' Did that number register? Seven hundred and seventy- five thousand!! Also in the last decade, the

number of Jews who practice Buddhism, while at the same time maintaining "strong Jewish identities," has becon1e so large that a whole new term has been coined-Bu-Jews! In addition, there are 1,400,000 other Jews who identify themselves as Jewish, but who also say that they don't have any religion at all'.2 Not Catholicism, not Humanistic Judaism, not Bu-Jew Judaism. Nothing!

There is a story told about how the Chafetz Chaim fainted the first time he saw a Jew being mechallel Shabbos (desecrate the Sabbath). Today, we are vast-

6

Bais Yaakov Academy Seminary ff.ABBI SHLOMO TEICHMAN

1Jean

RABBI AVROHOM GREENBERG qJ,,,. MRS. fAIGIE SELENGUT

Cl)()rJinator

+FACULTY+ R' Na(tali Bruck R' Yosef Mitnick

R' E!iezer Sandler R' Shlorno Teichman

Mrs. Yehudit Davidowitz Mrs. Surle Dymchitz

Mrs. Miriam Eisenberger Mrs. Miri Kroize1 Miss Rochel Licht Mrs. Breindy Reiss

BYA HALF DAY SEMINARY OFFERS:

• Dual da.sspr";gl•attts for the Bais

Yaakov graduate who desires

continued \!rnp 't'1·:i1'J and devebpment o( a solid 11.()pvnfor heradultyears

• Honors da.55 with in depth \!rny 11~JJl'J for the motivated

student who wants a greater

intellectual challenge

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

* /n/eraclivc vit.ils wi1h 0•?1T~

* V.iried ;md mulli-f.iceterl ex/rd curricular progr,rn1.\

* Trips to Jewish communities and in.-;ti1utions outside Bruokl)'n

* Cues/ speakers on the European and immigrant experience>, the Baal ks/wvah movement and manr other topics

* Panel discussions on .\t1bjeus o{ Jewish concern

* Option.ii mid·\'l:inlt'r lrip tu '.7NIV' '(iN

* Job /'/,icemen!

* Cre!lit for c/,i_\swork can/)(' applied lo po.~/ high ;,chool d!'µrc(" programs and governm<'nt funding is available for lhe accredited sturienl

5'I v.1a1m, inv(l{vei at11l(lspfiere witli an emphasis 011 indiviiua{ attention.

1213 Elm Avenue• Brooklyn, New York 11230 • 718.339.4747 Ext. 115

ly outnumbered by Jews who have never even heard of Shabbos, and who go through their entire lives without ever sitting dowu to a kosher meal. What was once heartbreaking to so many ehrlicha (observant) Yidden has become accepted as a fact-of-life about which little can be done.

The same is now the case with intermarriage. The most accurate numbers we have 1neasuring intermarriage3 say that between five and six of every ten Jews who marry, marry a non-Jew. When you consider the fact that these numbers are almost fifteen years old, and that they don't consider a marriage in which one of the spouses had a nonhalachic conversion to be an intermarriage, then-as they say-you do the math. In Norfolk, Virginia, according to a Federation study, despite a 63% affiliation rate, intermarriage is 90°/o. This past June, a major study of incoming college freshman in America \Vas released.4 1 spoke with the author of the study, and she was confident that 40% of incoming Jewish college freshman in America today have only one Jewish parent. And again, that includes halachically non-Jewish "Jewish" parents.

This fall, the Baltimore Jewish Times ran a cover story that captured how completely norn1ative intern1arriage is today. The cover of the newspaper had a photo of a young couple with the caption, "Should a love of one's Judaism be shared \Vith a non-Jewish partner?" Think about those .words. They are saying that people today do not consider a love of Judaisn1 and intermarriage to be contradictory. "\>\,1at's the problem?" people genuinely ask. "Why can't you be married to a non-Jew and still have a strong Jewish identity, still love your Judaism?" Everyone in kiruv will tell you, most Jews today do not have the faintest idea why they should only consider Jews as potential spouses for themselves, or their children; even Jews who strongly identify as Jews do not see intermarriage as being at odds with their Judaism.

Bottom line? Though the men and women who have devoted themselves to kiruv across the country are getting 1nore and n1ore life preservers to more and


more individuals, whole decks of Jewish passengers are being washed away, while the ship seems to be listing hopelessly in the cold waters of a very warm galus called America.

KIRUV AND BOBOV

To my mind, the greatest mekarev (outreach activist) I have ever met was the previous Bobover Rebbe

7""1. I believe that he also provides us with a model for how Kial Yisroel is capable of confronting the ominous specter of a sinking ship.

The Bobov that I grew up in is part of the post-World War II American saga that grew out of the ashes of the European Churban. When I started first grade in the Bobover Yeshiva Bnai Tzion in Crown Heights, there were at most seventy students in the Yeshiva. That was a time when the viability of Torah Judaism on the shores of America seen1ed anything but a sure thing. The Zeitgeist was that of the great "melting pot"; cultural diversity and ethnic pride were considered antiAn1erican. "Fitting in" was the order of the day. Couple that with the unspoken, yet all-pervasive sense of catastrophic loss, along with the struggle to eke out a living in a strange new environment that was often hostile to Shomer Shabbos employees, and the prospects for a Torah community in America seemed unlikely indeed.

Yet, despite what seemed to be daunting odds-in fact, what many considered to be impossible odds-all you have to do is look at Bobov, or any other part of the Orthodox community today, to know that when it comes to Torah, and Kial Yisroel, there is no such thing as impossible odds. Samuel G. Freedman, an associate dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism and author of Jew vs. few: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry, recently wrote, "While the Orthodox comprise. less than one-tenth of the American Jewish population, they cast a disproportionate and largely positive influence on what is otherwise a community beset by intermarriage, assim-

The Mitzrayim Template Chazal tell us that the experience of Ga/us Mitzrayim (the exile in Egypt)

is a spiritual template for understanding both our current galus, and the geula (redemption) we all long for. In terms of American Jewry, still the largest community of Jews in the world, I believe that the Mitzrayim experience has a great deal to say to us about our current situation, and contains profound implications for how we relate to kiruv.

When Yaakov Avinu was on his way to Mitzrayim, Hashem appeared to him and said, "Do not be afraid of descending to Egypt for I will make you into a great nation there. I will descend with you into Egypt, and it is certain that I will also bring you up .... " The Netziv1 explains that Yaakov was afraid that his family would become assimilated into the Egyptian population. And so, Hashem promised Yaakov, "Ki /'go! gadol a'simcha sham," that the Jews would not only maintain their distinct identity, but they would become a great nation, and eventually leave Mitzrayim on an even loftier madreiga (stratum) than when they arrived''· Clearly, this reassuring havtacha (vow) addressed the heart of Yaakov's concern. There seems, however, to be a troubling dissonance between this promise, and what actually happened to the Jews in Mitzrayim.

In Mitzrayim, Jews could be found attending all the cultural events of the dayiii, stopped the practice of bris mil/a in order to be indistinguishable from their Egyptian neighbors1v, and fell as far as one ca\1 into the world of tuma (depravity) - to the "forty-ninth gate of tuma." Then, when the time for geu/a finally arrived, only twenty percent of the people were redeemedv while the remaining eighty-percent died during makkos choshech (the Plague of Darkness), and were severed from the future of Kial Yisroe/. As sweet as Yetzias Mitzrayim was, it was also bittersweet for so many Jewish neshamos; so many doros (generations) of Jewish children, and grandchildren; so many future tzaddikim and tzidkanios-so much potential-was lost forever.

In light of this bittersweet nature of Geulas tyfitzrayim, one can't help but ask, "What happened to Hashem's promises to Yaakov?" It is to this question that the Netziv" gives an answer that contains a chilling message for our time. Ha she m's promise that Kial Yisroel would not assimilate in Mitzrayim was ironclad; nonetheless, it still remained a matter of bechira (free choice) for each individual Jew whether or not to assimilate. Geula was a promise, but who and how many would ultimately be a part of that geula was an entirely different matter. Ill

i Ha'ernek Davar, Bereishis46,3 ii Ha~emek Davar~ Bereishis 46,4 iii Tanchunta, Shemos l,7

ilation, and the erosion of what was a once-vibrant style of secular, cultural Jewish identity. More than any other part of Judaism, Orthodoxy has met the challenge of modernity, sustaining meaningful communal life in an age of atomized individuality."5

The Bobover Rebbe 7··011, and those of his era, were zocheh to see their enormous hishtadlus (efforts), coupled with endless siyata d'Shmaya (Heavenly assistance), produce miraculous fruits.

iv Rashi, Shemos v Shefnos Rabba 81 vi Ha'emek Davar, Bereish£s 46,4 I Shemos 3) 14

KIRUV: TIME FOR ANOTHER MIRACLE

I believe that the Torah community in America possesses the potential for actualizing a second miracle on the

shores of this great land, and that the essential ingredients that drove the Bobover Rebbe, and others, are precisely the ingredients that are again required. They are: Ahavas (love of. .. ) Hashem, Ahavas HaTorah, and Ahavas Yisroel. My Rebbewas successful because

The Jewish Observer, January 2003 7

8

II IC

•

It hurts

It feels better just to talk about it, That's why we're here. Our staff is made up of

caring and sensitive individuals. Together, we can help you explore your options. We can refer you to recognized professionals

for counseling, legal advice or help in finding a safe environment. We can also put you in touch with some very special

Rabbis. But in order for us to reach out to you, you must first reach out to us.

r o.

Confidential Hotline 1 . 8 8 8. 8 8 3. 2 3 2 3 (Toll Free)

718.337.3700 Do it for yourself. (NYC Area)

Do it for your children. Shalom Task force •Sa 5G1(c)(3) (haritabie organ1zatior.

his Ahavas Hashem was what the Rambam describes in the Sefer Hamitzvos, namely, "Included in genuine Ahavas Hashem is the fact that such a person will call out to others to come and serve Hashem .... " There simply is no more meaningful '"'ay to express one's love of Hashem than to draw others to partake in that same relationship, that same love-which brings us to Ahavas Ha Torah.

Again, in the Sefer Hamitzvos on Ahavas Hashem, the Rambam brings the well-known Ghazal that Talmud Torah is the vehicle par excellence for bringing a Jew to Ahavas Hashem. Those who built the Torah community in America knew well that, for a Jew, Torah, and only Torah, is the sam ha' chayim, the elixir of life, and only Torah, has the ability to breathe life into a lifeless community.

And then there is Ahavas Yisroel. To me, the Bobover Rebbe was a Gaon in Ahavas Yisroel. Any and every Jew, regardless of background, affiliation, age, or level of observance knew that when he was with the Rebbe, he was with someone who genuinely, and unconditionally loved him. Ahavas Yisroel is both a driving force behind kiruv-it is why we so deeply want to share the rich beauty of Yiddishkeit with our fellow Jewsand it is also critical to success in kiruv. When people know that you are teaching them, and trying to reach them because you care about them-and love them like the brothers and sisters that they are-then they will naturally be open to what you have to say.

Today in America, it seems that we are

HAT PLUS Hats • Shirts • Ties •Accessories

WE ALSO ORY CLEAN & RESHAPE HATS

(All work done on premises)

Your#l Stop for

Quality Hats

LARGEST SELECTION OF CHOSONIM TIES IN

BROOKLYN

1368 Coney Island Avenue (718) 377-5050

Major credit cards accepted • We ship UPS


staring into a Mitzrayim-like galus, (see Sidebar on page seven) a galus that we know will eventually ntlminate in a magnificent geula, but that in all likelihood will end with only a tiny fraction of American Jews being a part of it. If things continue as they are in the Jewish world, at least 90% of Hashem's children will be lost.

There is, however, another possibility. If you ask people in kiruvwhy the great successes they are achieving pale in comparison to the numbers of Jews that are literally disappearing before our eyes, their answer will always be the same-manpower. Four or five or six hundred people in kiruv simply can not reach four or five or six million Jews. All of us in kiruv, however, are convinced that if the thousands, and tens of thousands of frum Jews would join in the battle to save the other 90% of American Jews, then we could actually save not only indi -viduals, but the whole sinking ship. This does not mean that everyone has to drop what they are doing and devote themselves full time to kiruv, but it does mean that each of us must resolve never to let

an opportunity for kiruv slip through our fingers. I would like to suggest that, at the very least, we view every encounter with a non-frum Jew as a moment of clear Hashgacha Prattis. We need to view our meetings with our fellow Jews, wherever they may occur, as meetings arranged by Hashem Himself. And we need to be prepared for those meetings. You may not be trained in kiruv per se, but that doesn't mean that you can't invite someone for a Shabbos meal, or for a Chol Hamoed visit to your Succa. It does not mean that you can't tell them about a kiruv organization in your area, or give them a kiruvoriented book as a kind gesture or volunteer for Partners in Torah. And it certainly does not mean that you cannot look at the Jews you meet as long-lost family members, and find a way-any way-to develop a genuine friendship.

Like Yaakov Avinu, we have a havtacha (assurance) from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. One day, Hashem will redeem the family of Israel; that's a promise. How many Jews will be left in that family when the day arrives? That's another question entirely.

n·~

Will there just be bits and pieces of the fam. ily left, or will it be all of us? If Caius Mitzrayim is the template for our galus, then we must know that while geula is in Hashem's hands, the question of who and how many will be left to experience the geula, that is very much in our hands. There is no way any one of us should sleep comfortably in view of this pending spiritual tragedy of colossal proportions, unless we - each of us - make reaching out to others a matter of personal priority.

May we be zocheh, together with allall--of Acheinu Bnai Yisroel, to be mekabel Moshiach tzidkaynu bimheira veyomeznu. •

1 The Ainerican Jewish Identity Survey was direct~ ed and authored by Egon Mayer, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the City University of Nevv York's Graduate Center. 2 The An1erican Jewish Identity Survey. 3 The 1990 National Jewish Population Study reported a 52o/o rate of intermarriage. 4 Atnerica's Jewish Fresh1nan: A study sponsored by Hillel: The Foundation for Je\vish Ca1npus Life, and conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA. 5 The fcrusale1n Report, Dec. 16, '02

THE NEW BAIS YAAKOV SEMINARY

Earn MAXIMUM

credit for Limudei Kodesh &"Professional" Courses

FINANCIAL AID:

PELL, TAP,

AND 5E!>HNAR1:

SCHOLARSHIPS

AVAILAllLE


-... ~pend the upcoming year ivithin <...::;;:::J" the right institution, ivith the right chevrah, with the right content.

M Chalfcngingprogratn ofLin1udei Kodesh ll«: Faculty of Exceptional Caliber l'4'. iveekly Guest Lecturer Series !!«: ()pportunity to earn full accreditation

as a Licensed and Certified Teacher

RE !lllf_TZIN SORA E Bur.K,\, n'::r;-oo

R:\11111 YESH.WA LEYY, '::rruo pt>

MRS. GITT!E NEL'FE!.D, ASST. PRl'.'<:IP,\i

CHINUCH:

!l«I: Outstanding content and quality of tra1n1ng !l«I: Prerequisites for training as a Speech/Language Pathologist

M Special Education - exceptional program in both Limudei Kodesh and General Studies

COMPUTERS:

s Cutting edge technology s:. Learn 4 (or more) Pro

gramming Languages

BUSINESS:

M: Accounting s Marketing s Finance s Halacha and Business Ethics

ic Fully networked M Assistance with

job placement

Classes held at our

Brooklyn and Monsey sites.

9

REDRAWING THE TORAH MAP OF AMERICA (CONT'D)

THE MASHGIACH COMES TO DALLAS

A New Chapter in the Growth of a Budding Torah

Community

In his article, "You're the Beracha," which appeared in JO May '02, Kenneth Chaim Broodo described how a Shabbos visit to Brooklyn, with a delegation from the Dallas Jewish community, helped him transform into a Shomer Shabbos Jew. In the article that follows, he portrays how, in a Shabbos visit to Dallas, Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon ,.. .. ,,,'n> helps transform the community into a suburb of Lakewood.

"WHY IS HE COMING TO DALLAS?"

From Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning, November 21-24, 2002, Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon

N""V"nl, Mashgiach of Lakewood, gave hisorerus (inspiration) to the Jews of Dallas, with his presence and with his divrei Torah. He was the featured guest in a Shabbos of chizuk with Congregation Ohr HaToral1 and its Rav, Rabbi Aryeh Feigenbaum.* The visit was a watershed event in the growth of the Dallas kehilla, helping it reach the next level on its way to becoming an established center of1orah.

On the Shabbos before the Mashgiach's arrival, the Rosh Kolle~ Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried, announced, "Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon, the Mashgiach of Lakewood, is coming to spend a Shabbos in Dallas. More appropriately, we're talking about someone who is the Mashgiach of America. The Mashgiach

Kenneth Chaiin Broodo is a partner in the Labor & Employn1ent section of the Dallas law finn of Gardere \Vynne Se\vell, LLP. He is a long-ti1ne student of the Dallas Kolle! and Vice President of Congregation Ohr Ha'IOrah,

10

does not normally pay such visits. Everyone wants to know, why is he coming to Dallas? This is our opportunity ... :'

In Dallas, where your average Shomer Shabbos was raised on Star Wars movies) fast food, public high school, and the secular college scene, where life as an adult can too easily be dominated by work, Palm Pilots, and the temptations of the popular media, and where most of the rabbis that we know and trust have barely made it out of their 20's, there was only so much we could appreciate about the Mashgiach without personally experiencing his great character.

SUCH A BIG KIPA

0 n a normal Friday night at Congregation Ohr HaTorah, there are rows of tables where

people can sit, with a few scattered shtenders at the back. For this Friday night, we took away most of the tables and brought in extra chairs. By the tin1e the chazzan's passionate voice reached the first stanzas of L'Cha Dodi, we were still bringing in extra chairs -

to wedge into the aisles. After an introduction by Ohr Torah's

Rabbi Feigenbaum, Rabbi Salomon responded with a story of a Yerushalmi boy who asked a secular Israeli tourist, "Where is your kipa?" Responded the clever tourist in Hebrew, "The whole of the heavens above is my kipa." And "this little kid,'' said the Mashgiach, "not to be outdone,'' answered, "Snch a big kipa for such a small head."

The Mashgiach protested that Rabbi Feigenbau1n's introduction was a kipa that was too large. But with his first talk, \Ve learned otherwise.

The Mashgiach spoke about Shabbos, Hashem, and the Jewish People, explaining that when we keep Shabbos-when we truly "get into" the meaning, the ruach, and the halachos ofShabbos-then for the Jewish people it becomes the m'kor habracha, the source of our blessings. How can that

------·--·--"·-·~-~--·-

*Congregation Ohr HaTorah was founded in 1999 as the only shul in Dallas affiliated with Agudath Israel of An1erica. The n1ajority of its founding fa1nilies were baalci teshuva educated by the Dallas Kollel.


be? The Mashgiach helped us see that as Shabbos is the sign of our connection with the Almighty, according to the way we keep Shabbos, the Jewish People and Shabbos testify about Hashem; and Hashem and Shabbos in turn, testify about the Jewish people. To ensure that the inspiration he

brought would be driven deeply into every heart, the Mashgiach brought heavy reinforcements, in the voice and personage of Reb Abish Brodt, who served as the shaliach tzibbur for the hundreds that packed the shul to daven and to welcome Shabbos with the Mashgiach. (When Reb Abish arrived, he mused confidentially, "Last week I was davening by Rav Eliyashiv, shlita, and now, here I am in Dallas.")

And again, that question rang in my ears, "Why did the Mashgiach come to Dallas?"

A GOOD L'CHAYIM

The tisch that Friday night was infused with the black fire of the Mashgiach's divrei Torah spoken

out over the white fire of Reb Abish's nigunnim. It created such a ruach, that there were those who were overcome with simultaneous tears and laughter, whose hearts could not contain the simcha. The memory of that night remains unfaded for those who were privileged to attend.

At the talk before Kabbolas Shabbos, the Mashgiach had made the stunning comment that, "When Hashem looks down at what's going on in Dallas, I don't think He's had so much nachas since maiseh Bereishis (creation)." Others heard what I heard, but we were convinced that we had not, that we could not, have heard the Mashgiach correctly. What in Dallas could give Hashem such nachas? The tisch took place at the beautiful

home of Oscar and Aviva Rosenberg, bttlwarks to the baa! teshuva community of Dallas. We were seated at a large, long table, adorned by many Shabbos candles, and filled with sweets and drinks lich'vod Shabbos Kodesh. Surrounding the table on all sides were rows of men


and boys sitting and standing wherever they could find a place in a hall filled to capacity, with the large open adjoining room equally filled with women, many with young children up past their usual bedtimes. With the cold night banished outdoors, and in the midst of the heartfelt notes of many, many voices singing Reb Abish's impassioned nigunnim, the Mashgiach spoke of the joy in doing the will of Hashem.

He spoke of the wonderful Shabbos table, in a wonderful home, M'ith won-

THEVORT

• The Vort celebration is to be discontinued. The L'chaim (held at the time that the engagement is announced) should also not turn into a Vo rt.

THE WEDDING

• Only 400 invited guests may be seated at the chassuna seuda.

• The kabbolas panim smorgasbord should be limited to basic cakes, fruit platters, a modest buffet, and the caterer's standard chicken or meat hot dishes.

derful friends, and to the laughter of all, he added, and "of course, there's nothing like a good l'chaim." "But," the Mashgiach added with great warmth, "it's only because it's Shabbos, and its only because of the simcha she! mitz· va in keeping Shabbos." Unlike a good meal, the Mashgiach explained, a person who feels real simcha in doing a mitzva can re-experience that simcha whenever he wants. This is because the simcha sh el mitzva is a spiritual pleasure unbounded by physical sensation,

• The menu for the seuda is limited to 3 courses followed by a regular dessert.

• No Viennese table and no bar.

THE MUSIC • A band may consist of a maximum of 5 musicians (one of the musicians may act as a vocalist) or four musicians and one additional vocalist.

• A one-man band is recommended.

FLOWERS & CHUPA DECOR

• The total cost of these items for the entire wedding should not exceed $1,800.

FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THE SIMCHA GUIDELINES AND THE ACCOMPANYING KOL KOREH,

please email [email protected] or call 212-612-2300

We the rabbinical signatories - barring familial obligations - and unusual and extraordinary circumstances - will not participate in or attend a wedding celebration that disregards these guidelines. (Rabbinical Usting in formation)

Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum Roih Haye1hiva, Mirer Yeshiva

Rabbi Elya Svei Rmh Haye1hiva, Yeshivo Gedo/a of Philadelphia

Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky Rmh Ha yeshiva, Yeshiva Gedo/a of Philadelphia

Rabbi Yaakov Perlow Novominsk€f Rebbe

Rabbi Eli Simcha Schustal Ro>ii Hil)'l:>hiva, Bai1 Bmyomin, Stamford

Rabbi Yisroel Rokowsky Rabbi Yisroel Simcha Schorr Roihei Ha Yeshiva, Yeshivc Ohr Somayach

Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medraih Govoha, lakewood

Rabbi Yisroel Tzvi Neuman Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Feigelstock RoshHayeihiva, Beth Medrash Govoho, Lakewood Rosh Haye>iiiva, Yeshiva of Long Beoch

Rabbi Moshe Wolfson MMhgiach, Yeshiva Torah Vodaa1

Rabbi Aron Moshe Schechter Roih Ha)'l:ihiva, Yeshiva Chaim Berlin

Rabbi Yosef Rosenblum Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Shaarei Yosher

Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Schustal Rmh Ha yeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Yeruchem Olshin Roih Ha)'l:lhiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Mattisyahu Salamon Mash1iarh Beth Medraih Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel Ro1h Ha Yeihiva, Yeihiva Gedo/ah of

South Failiburg

Rabbi Chaim Soruch Wolpin Rmh Ha yeshiva, Yeshiva Karlin Stolin

Rabbi Zecharia Gelley Rav, Kha! AdaiJeihurun

Rabbi Lipa Margulies Rmh HayeihiVa, Yeshiva & Mesilla Torah Temrmah

Rabbi Dovid Kviat Chairman, Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim of Agudath 1srae!

Rabbi Shlomo Mandel Roih Ha)'l:ihiva, Yeshiva of Brooklyn

Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman Rosh Hayeshiva, Mesivta Meor Yit<chok

71

and the extent of that pleasure is the extent that we do mitzvos with the focus and feeling Hashem wants from us. The Mashgiach's chavivus for the Jews

of Dallas was palpable. During the tisch, Kollel member (Rabbi) Yisroel Katz asked josh Bernstein, a local la;qer, whether the Mashgiach was speaking too much Hebrew for him. "It doesn't matter," smiled Mr. Bernstein, "I understand exactly what he's trying to say!'

WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE

When Rabbi Feigenbaum drafted n1e to write this article, I protested based on my lack of

notes and other necessary qualifications. "How am I supposed to write about it?"

"No notes? That's perfect;' replied the rabbi. "Now you can talk about what it was really like."

So, here's what it was really like: Sitting at the front of our shul was a gentle sage, who had the power to make you feel inspired with his smile, and who

12

knew how to help you change-really change from the inside-by handing you pieces of the puzzle until, in your own flash of insight, you realized the direction of growth for which he was calling.

Shabbos morning was a perfect example.

With the shul once again filled to capacity, the Mashgiach spoke about the Midrash on Parshas Vayishlach concerning Yaakov Avinu 's return trip across the river Yabok to recover some small vessels. Quoting what seemed like the counterintuitive concept that "a righteous person's vessel's are more important to him than his body," the Mashgiach explained that a tzaddik earns his material goods honestly, and knows as a consequence that every material possession he owns is a tool he needs in life, given to him directly from Hashem.

Illustrating the idea with a mashal (allegory), the Mashgiach pictured a poor man who does not even have a ves-

•"r,=~ .·2008

sel with which to wash his hands in the morning. He falls asleep crying because he wants to do the mitzva. He wakes up in the morning, receives a small vessel directly from Heaven, and rejoices in the gift and its source. Later in life he becomes wealthy, and happens to find aniong the stores of his mansion, the small vessel he once received from Shamayim. Among all his material possessions, the little vessel is the one he once again rejoices in having, because he is sure of the infinite source from which it directly emanated. The thought flashed in my mind that

to the degree that we are completely honest in our business dealings-to that degree-we can truly appreciate our material possessions, knowing that they came to us directly from Heaven, as tools for avodas Hashem.

ADDING THE LAST FEW STONES

Immediately following Kiddush, the Mashgiach spoke again. In making the introduction, Rabbi Yerachmiel

Fried, the Rosh Kolle/, offered a word about the Mashgiach's true role. "A mashgiach is an overseer," Rabbi Fried, explained, "and Rabbi Salomon is the overseer of the spiritual and ethical growth of the thousands of students learning in the Lakewood Yeshiva. To hear Rabbi Salomon in Dallas is to connect the Torah community here to the Mesora of our generation and the larger yeshiva world;' he added.

Perhaps out of a sense of what was needed in the spiritual growth of Dallas, the Mashgiach began by casting aside the pre-announced topic for this talk, turning instead to the subject of davening.

Peering inside the very mechanism of davening as it relates to suffering, the Mashgiach related that whenever a tzara (crisis) comes into the world, Hashem is permitting it to happen because he wants our tefillos. What good are our tefillos?Davening works, he explained, because it changes who we are, by virtue of bringing us closer to Hashem. 'When there is tzara in the world or in our personal lives, it is


Hashem calling us to come closer and to talk to Him. We thus change our character, so that we no longer need the tzara that was sent to us.

Showing how this idea pushes the envelope of our hopes and dreams, the Mashgiach pointed out that the Jewish people have been davening for the Moshiach to come for thousands of years, and that those generations who came before us were on an incomparably higher spiritual level than we find ourselves at today. If the tefillos of Rabbi Akiva and otherTannaim ( rabbis of the Mishnaic era), for example, failed to bring Moshiach, then how can we expect to be successful? The answer, said the Mashgiach, was to be found in the Kosel HaMaaravi. Comparing the large stones at the base of the Kosel to the tefillos of the likes of Rabbi Akiva, the tefillos we say today can be compared to the smaller stones near the top. Just as the Kosel is made up of every stone within it, so too, the geula that each of us yearns for is built from the tefillos of every generation. One could not hear these words in

Dallas without appreciating that the Mashgiach was telling us, with great love, that even we, at Ohr HaTorah in Dallas, Texas, can add a small stone. The shut has grown fast) and as a result, we have had our share of growing pains. What seems to be holding it together is the deal we made. We made a deal that the Rav could veto any decision of the Board on any matter, financial or otherwise, and that the Rav's decisions could not be overruled except by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America. The Mashgiach made me realize that by doing this, we bonded ourselves not just to our Rabbanim, but to those of previous generations as well.

STOREHOUSES IN HEAVEN

Szabbos Mincha often begins with a somewhat melancholy sense that Shabbos is beginning to wane. But

then, unexpectedly, Shabbos turns and actually goes to its peak, with the special tefillos of Mincha and the special nigunnim and divrei Torah of Shalash


Seudos. No, I know of no special divrei Torah reserved just for Shalash Seudas per se. But I have always foundwhether in packed Agudah conventions or in our own Ohr Ha Torah-that the divrei Torah spoken then are said in an atmosphere of special calm and intimacy that is not to be found at any other time. And so, by this Shalash Seudos, there was no preparedness for Shabbos to end.

The Mashgiach now focused on the role of learning Torah, bein adam I' chaveiro - from a human, interpersonal perspective. Usually, we think of davening as the way in which we speak to Hashem, and learning Torah as the way in which Hashem speaks to us, an exchange that seems to be entirely bein adam l'Makom - between man and G-d. But in the Mishna we say every morning, the Mashgiach explained, the study of Torah is placed at the end of a list of mitzvos that are between man and his fellow man. How can that be? The answer, said the Mashgiach, is that when we learn Torah we fill the storehouses ofberacha in Heaven. Then, when we daven, our tefillos bring those berachos back down to our fellow man, wherever Hashem directs them. Thus, the Jewish people, by being spread around the world in every time zone, sustain the world through our lomdei Torah, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In the part of the Central Standard

Time Zone occupied by Dallas, Texas, the Mashgiach's words of chizukechoed off the clock-face on the northern wall of the Ohr Ha Torah sanctuary. Running off its quartz crystal and batteries, the

hands turn each day, at 6:00 a.m., marking time for the gabbai rishon learning Gemora with the Rav; for the baalei battim learning halacha, Mishnayos, Gemora, and Mesillas Yesharim in chavrusas; and for the kollel Yungeleit preparing for another 8-10 hours in sedarim and shiurim, before heading out to teach their evening classes.

And again, at 6 p.m. and into the night, the clock hands turn, as the daily DafYomi shiur convenes, under the auspices of a kollel Yungerman, Rabbi Ranaan Broderick; and they turn again, as a father who became a baa! teshuva after his son was already in his middle childhood, conquers another chapter of Mishnayos with that same son.

THE DIVIDENDS PAID TO CHILDREN

If the Mashgiach had only come for Shabbos, we would have been so grateful just for that. But Shabbos

was not the limit of what the Mashgiach gave to this community.

Giving first priority to the center of our strength, on Thursday evening at the Kolle~ the Mashgiach met separately witb the men and women who make up the klei kodesh (spiritual leaders) who guide and serve Dallas.

In meeting with the men, the Mashgiach talked about the kedushas beis hamidrash (sanctity of a studyhall), focusing on the concept that "exiling" oneselftoamakom Torah (a Torah setting) does not mean a city, but a place where Torah is learned. Emphasizing the lasting effect created by the kedushas Beis Hamidrash, the Mashgiach related a story about the Charon !sh.

Applications now being accepted for Elul 5763 I August 2003

The Rabbi Naftali Riff Yeshiva

Rabbinical College - High School

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA For more information, contact Rabbi Yisrael Gettinger

Telephone (574) 291-4239 Fax (574) 291-9490

13

One Friday night, the Chazon !sh was walking with a yeshiva bachur through an orange grove near B'nei Brak He stopped at a certain point and exclaimed that that morning, two bachurim from the Ponevezh Yeshiva had been speaking in learning in that place. He knew this, he said, because the sweet fragrance of their learning still lingered there.

Standing in the Beis Midrash of DATA, the Dallas Kolle!, the Mashgiach added, "This room is a daled amos shel halacha." The reality is that the fragrances emanating from that Beis Midrash materialized into the Dallas

Global Cellphone Rental "The Name You Trust"

Torah community, and continue to spur its growth.

Meeting with the women, he discussed the encounter between Yaakov and Eisav, where Eisav inquired, upon seeing Yaakov's children, "Who are these to you?" The Mashgiach explained that Eisav was complaining that Yaakov was not honoring their "deal," that Eisav was to take Olam Hazeh (this world) and that Yaakov was to take Olam Habba (the world to come). What need did Yaakov have for

DOMESTIC CORPORATE

14

•Cellphone Rental for over]150 countries • Nationwide delivery avail~ble • Voice mail & text messaging • Guaranteed lowest rates I

I

• 24 hr. customer support • Fax & data service • Itemized bill • Call waiting •Caller ID I

877.CELL PH I

877.23 15.5746 www.traJ;1cell.com

wives and children? Said the Mashgiach, by teaching Torah to our children, we give them Olam Hazeh. The "peiros"-the dividends for mitzvos, which we receive in this world-which we refer to in the Mishna we say every morning, go to our children. In that sense, having children and endowing them with all sorts of benefits is a proposition of Olam Hazeh. But our children, by living lives of Torah ar.d ma,asim tovim (good deeds}, can give their parents Olam Habba. Thus, Yaakov, by having children and raising them with yiras Shamayim, was immersed in a proposition of Olam Habba. Friday morning, the Mashgiach took

into account our Olam Habba in Dallas, speaking in Mesorah High School/Bais Yaakov, and attending a siyyum in Chumash at Akiba Academy elementary school.

THE REBBETZIN'S FOOD PROCESSOR

Two hours after Shabbos ended, the entire con1munity was invited to a gala Melava Malka at a local

hotel, where Reb Abish, with musical accompaniment by Rabbi Eli Cohen, sang nigunnim to the crowd's delight. That Motza'ei Shabbos, the Mashgiach gave a resounding parting address, leaving a part of himself here with us, in Dallas.

Addressing the topic "The Joy of Being A Jew," the Mashgiach opened with a shmuess given by Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, where Rabbi Levenstein held up an electric food processor and proclaimed, "From here we know that Torah is Min Hashamayim." His Rebbetzin, living in B'nei Brak. had received a food processor as a gift, during a time when such devices were not yet common. The Rav came home to find the Rebbetzin in tears: She received this gift, and had no idea of its purpose. They retrieved the instructions from the trash can, and then the Rebbetzin cried again, because she could not read them. Finally, they found a bachur in the yeshiva who could read the instructions to the Rebbetzin, and


she danced with joy for the mere potential presented by this modern device.

This is the joy of being a Jew, the Mashgiach said - the joy of the elimination of doubt: the joy of knowing that Hashem gave us a world of design and purpose that came with instructionsa Torah-which is the absolute Emes; and the joy of having our Rabbanim, who know how to read the instructions and help us understand what they say.

How do we know this? The Mashgiach gave two proofs. First, based on a pasuk in Shir HaShirim, the Talmud made an audacious promise, over a thousand years ago, that the Kosel HaMaaravi would never be destroyed. The enemies of the Jewish people know well that the destruction of the Kosel would be the cruelest blow that they could deliver. More than that, he said, the Kosel has been in their hands for much of history, and has been at the epicenter of wars and conflicts for generations. And yet, it stands to this day. How are we to understand it? It makes no sense, unless the rabbis who made this promise were speaking with knowledge ofHashem 'swill.

Second, the Mashgiach looked to the Torah itself. We have a promise that the Torah will never die out from among the Jewish people. "In Dallas," said the Mashgiach, "people are returning to their roots, who didn't even know that they had roots." Seemingly, with the backgrounds that most of us have in common, the Torah should have no business in Dallas. But like Rebbetzin Levenstein, we are discovering that the world has a purpose, that it came with instructions, that there are people who know how to read us the instructions, and that we can rejoice just at the potential presented by our ability to learn how Hashem wants us to use this world. After such an address, there was only

one possible response. We danced. For the next two hours, we danced. (Much later, when everyone had

gone home to sleep, the Mashgiach stayed up until one o'clock in the morning with Yungeleit from the San Antonio kollel


who had come for Shabbos, and who were overwhehned at the vision the Mashgiach's visit to Dallas gave them of what could be in San Antonio.)

LOOK AGAIN

The Mashgiach delivered many key messages while he was here, any one of which would justify

the time he spent with us. But it wasn't until the Motza'ei Shabbos talk that I began to guess why the Mashgiach came to Dallas.

Or for that matter, why Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rabbi Nachman Bulman, Rabbi Aaron Schechter, and other gedolim have all made their ways to Dallas in the last decade.

There are many answers that would have been good, such as their willingness to be moser nefesh to be rnekarev other Yidden. Or perhaps Dallas earned the privilege because it is becoming a true Torah city, with the success of the kol/el, the proliferation of Orthodox shuls, the building of a five-star mikveh, the opening of Torah Day School of Dallas, and so on.

But it seen1s to 1ne, none of that is the answer.

Each of our lives is like an entire world, but too often, we view events only from the vantage points of our individual orbits. When we see others engaged

in efforts to serve Hashem, we can sometimes view their work as mundane, and the results they achieve, transient. Even when we do manage to recognize patterns and glimmers of n1eaning in the world around us, we can fail to recognize them for what they truly are.

The Mashgiach wants us to see that so1nething extraordinary is going on in Kial Yisroel. He came to Dallas because he \vants us to recognize it for what it is.

In Dallas, and baruch Hashem, in kehillos all over the world, there are hundreds and hundreds of Jews "who are returning to their roots, who didn't even know they had roots." Contrary to how we sometimes view this phenomenon from a [rum perspective, the Baal Teshuva Movement is not just a happening, and baalei teshuva themselves are not just quaint, or a source of nice stories.

No, no. Look again. Dance! Because in Dallas, Texas, something is

happening on the order of rna'aseh Bereishes.

Something from nothing. Techiyas hamaysim (Revival of the dead). Jews with no Torah, have found the Torah, and Rabbanim who can tell them

what it says. They have embraced them both, and refuse to let them go. B

You can.! Just: call The Yitti Leibel

Helpline. HOURS:

''r wish I could speak to a

frum therapist on 'the phone

without giving

my name.''

Monday-Friday ............................. 8arn -l 2pm Monday-Thursday ....................... 8pm -11 pn1 Sunday ..................... 9am -l2pm, 9pn1-llpn1

e11s<;~~4~~;~~w Chicago .................... ( 800) HELP-023 Lakewood ..................... (732) 363-1010 Cleveland ...................... (888) 209-8079 Baltimore ...................... (410) 578-1111 Detroit.. ........................ (877) 435-7611 San Diego ..................... (866) 385-0348

<!"ji 07';;-17'11 11-0 ~'IOV ., re N'Oi! ;"l'TI mvl ·&ft (n·~n "l"lt N°' n"1::l!lll

;i·v PN1,~n~~::'~J;}'l'W 'i Dedicated b Mr. & Mrs. Shmuel Baruch Wilhelm

15

POSTSCRIPT Chanan (Antony) Gordon and Richard M. Horowitz

How Many Orthodox Jews Can There Be?

The article by Rabbi Moredechai Plaut in the November edition of The Jewish Observer served as a

catalyst for us to highlight some important points relating to Jewish demographics generally, and specifically to what we, as Torah observant Jews, can do to have a positive impact in answering the question posed by Rabbi Plaut i.e. How Many American Jews Are There?

We all know the oft cited Gemora (Avoda Zora) that states, "Kol bi'yedei Shamayim chutz mitsinim u'pacham ... - Everything is in G-d's hands, except for colds and fevers." Among the many interpretations of this rabbinical statement, is a fundamental truisms that basically everything is controlled, monitored and overseen by the Almighty. Nevertheless, we can be blamed for our negligence or lack of common sense, and cannot vindicate our responsibilities by declaring the battle cry of the naysayer that "It's all up to Him anyway. What

Chanan (Antony) Gordon is a Sir Abe Bailey Scholar (1988), Fulbright Scholar (1989), and graduate of Harvard Law School (1990). Mr. Gordon has co-authored and authored several articles in the JO including "Nu1nbers Speak Lounder Than Words" (1997) and "From Harvard To Har Nof" (1998). Together with Richard M. Horowitz, Mr. Gordon co-authored, "Will Your Grandchild Be Jewish?," which included the oftcited demographic chart illustrating the consequences of people's affiliation to the various denominations, three generations henceforth. That article has been translated in whole/part into over five languages, and has appeared in numerous publications word wide. Mr. Gordon is involved in numerous outreach projects including being the co-founder of Partners In Torah (Los Angeles) and the producer of the annual Yorn Iyun in LA. He is a Managing Director of a boutique merchant and investment bank in Beverly Hills.

Richard M. Horowitz graduated with an MBA fron1 Pepperdine University. Mr. Horowitz is the President of Management Brokers Insurance Agency, Leviathan Computers and Dial 800 L.P. He is also President of Aish Hatorah for North America and is extensively involved with outreach and Jewish education. Together with Mr. Gordon, Mr. Horowitz co-authored "Will Your Grandchild Be Jewish?'' as well as "Numbers Speak Louder Than Words," which appeared in the JO (1997).

16

good can my little effort make?" Simply put, we are expected to use our common sense and make a pro-active hishtadlus (effort). Just as it would be scionable.t

T-shirt in sub-zero temperatures, and then look Heavenward when one finds oneself nursing a cold, similarly we cannot shrug our shoulders with inertia and then wonder why 49% of 5.5 million American Jews do not identify themselves as Jews religiously.'

FACTORS IN POPULATION GROWTH

Before translating this philosophic maxim into the demographic realities of contemporary Amer-

ica, a few preliminary comments should to be made:

The number of"card-carrying members" of the Orthodox denomination in America in the future will be dependent largely on four variables: (i) the percentage of those who marry, as well as

eir age at the time of the marriage, (ii) mily size, (iii) stemming the tied of

· emorrhaging in our own ranks, and (iv) . the success of the baa! teshuva movement.

As to point (i), our research has indicated that intermarriage amongst the Orthodox denomination is not statistically significant,' and even the rate of intermarriage of those raised Orthodox,

t who lo aleinu leave the fold, seems be less than 10%. On the other hand, fortunately, over the past 20 years, the

ber of Orthodox Jews who never get arried 7''1 has been slowly rising, as has e average category age of Orthodox uples at their time of marriage. Point ) falls largely into the category of kol

"'yedei Shamayim (in the Hands of aven)3. Regarding point (iii), there

ave been a plethora of articles from writers more qualified than the authors discussing the proverbial "kids at risk'' issues. Accordingly, we would like to focus the

; reader's attention on point (iv) above, i.e. ,, success of the baal teshuva 1novement.

According to the raw data gathered .om the National Jewish Population tudy of 19904, between 25% to 30% of

'1'the growth in the Orthodox denomi-~~~~~~~~~·--~--~-

l Center for Jewish Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, 2001. 2 Extrapolating from the raw data supplied by the North American Jewish Data Bank obtained during the NJPS 1990, we used a 3°/o intermarriage rate in the Orthodox denomination. 3 The fact that the average family size in the Orthodox community in Israel is higher than their counterparts in America would seem noteworthy.

4 At this time, detailed findings and the raw data of the NJPS 2000~ 200 l have not yet been released. Nevertheless, the information that has been released to date indicates that the facts out~ lined in this article will be borne out by the detailed findings of the NJPS 2000-2001.


nation in the core age cohort between 18 to 30 is directly attributed to baalei teshuva and children of baalei teshuva. The exponential "dividends" from a pure demographic point of view of a single Jew recommitting himself or herself to a Torah life is statistically significant. By virtue of the fact that the Orthodox denomination is the only group that has a negligible intermarriage rate and, in addition, is the only denomination that exceeds the ZPG (zero population growth) threshold', the compounding effect of introducing "new Orthodox neshamos" into the fold is profound.

There are many observations and "post publication" analyses that we have been involved in since our multigenerational chart, entitled "Will Your Grandchild Be Jewish?" was first published6. Couched in the negative, it is obviously shocking to note that of every 1000 non-Orthodox Jewish children today, there will be only 150 Jewish descendants in three generations. Tragically, this 15% survival rate is allowing for a non-halachic definition of "converts" as well as factoring in patrineal descent. On a more positive note for future projections is the ability to increase the so-called "interdenominational shift" through kiruv rechokim - outreach.

THE OUTREACH IMPERATIVE: ITS DIMENSIONS

The importance of prioritizing kiruv rechokim in these auspicious times has been underscored by

many of our Gedolim. So much so that the Rosh Agudath Israel, the Noviminsker Rebbe, has gone on record to note that "this (kiruv rechokim) is, I believe, the underlying mission of our generation."7 In a recent meeting with Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe ~""'~"" Vaad, Rabbi Wolbe noted that" ... reaching out to others who are not yet observant is very important ... it is a great obligation for all Jews! Clearly, not just avreichim learning in Kolle/ should be doing this. Working people who keep Torah and the commandments must also spend time bringing close people who


are more distant from observance."8

There are various divergent approaches to kiruv. We have both had interaction with many of the different kiruv movements ... Aish Ha to rah, Arachim, Lev L' achim, Ohr Soma ya ch, Mechon Shlomo, Shapell's, Dvar, Ner L'Elef etc. One of the clear conclusions that can be made is that "lost souls" are not of one genre. What works for one type of person may not work for another.

The purpose of this article is not to debate the approaches to kiruv but rather to underscore the demographic realities of facilitating a fellow Jew's journey back into the so-called Orthodox fold. All of our research points to one clear conclusion: Ensuring Jewish continuity can only be achieved by assisting a person to make the "interdenominational shift" into the Orthodox camp, which can, as a general rule, ensure that such a person will have not only Jewish great-grandchildren, but - chances are - Torah-observant Jewish great-grandchildren.

This truism does not hold for people who do make a shift closer to our heritage, but fall short of embracing a true Torah lifestyle. To be more specific, we have seen no research that would indicate that so-called secular Jews who become members of the Reform or Conservative denomination increase their odds in any real statistical way of having recognizable Jewish great-grandchildren three generations henceforth.

In other words, for one couple to embrace a true Torah lifestyle will likely have more profound dividends for the Jewish people demographically than twenty couples whose interdenomina-

5 Only the Orthodox denomination has an average family size greater than 2.2, the national zero population growth ("ZPG") rate. Amongst the non-Orthodox denominations, the average number of children per household is l. 72. 6 See JO, May '97. The article was first published in Jewish Spectator (Fall '96) and M01nent magazine (Dec. '96). 7 November 6, 'Ol, addressing an AJOP Confer-ence. 8 Notes from Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe N"vYn>'s Vaad, December 11, '02, Jerusalem.

tional shift stops at the so-called Conservative column.

The consequences of this observation is extremely important in terms of investing resources, both in terms of money and time, for the future of the Jewish people.

We would be remiss if we did not note that even amongst our own daled amos, kiruv

lekrovim programs that encourage the correct questions to be asked in hashkafa and the like, such Aish Hatorah's Project Chazon, has had tremendous success in 159 yeshivos and Beis Yaakovs over the past four years. Over 535 programs run by Project Chazon, which has been shown to reinforce students' commitments to Torah and mitzvos, have touched over 45,000 Orthodox high school children.

There are 24 pesukim in the Torah that explicitly state that the Jewish People will never disappear. The only question that remains is whether the reader wants to be part of the solution. •

VISITING NY? MIDWOOD

GUEST SUITES Ave. J, Brooklyn

718-253-9535

Digest of Meforshim

~v1p7 in:i. ~v1j77 .,, .. ~ ivv'::>N 7N101:1 l"i"ITIO

J\vailable at

LEKUTEI c!o Yitzchok Rosenberg

1445 54th Street Brooklyn, NY 11219-4228

718-854-6701

20 Volumes on Torah, Perek, Medrash, Megilos, Talmud, and Tehilim.

Proceeds of sales distributed among Yeshivas and used for reprinting of

volun1es out-of-print

PRICE: $8.00 PER VOLUME

17

BRETZ nsROEL: SHARING THE PAIN

0 n a hot June day in 1944, my mother dragged her starving and emaciated body toward

one of the many electrified fences in Auschwitz. A lifetime ago, it seemed, she and her family had stood face to face with Mengele, yemach sh'mo v'zichro le'olam. His cursed finger had pointed my mother's family to the left and to death. She had been sent to the right, to slave labor and, bechasdai Shamayim, to life. Now, on this hot and soul-numbing June day, she found herself near one of the fences dividing two parts of the Auschwitz camp, longing to be with her family, yet still clinging to life.

A girl standing on the other side of the fence noticed her and called out in Czech.

Turning her head, my mother sa\v a young girl of about 16 who stood shivering in fear and quaking from emotion. "Please, tell me, do you speak Czech or German?" the girl asked.

"l speak Czech," my mother answered.

"And are you Jewish?" the young girl asked.

"Yes, of course I am," my 1nother replied.

------Mrs. Friedman lives with her husband and ten children in Kiryat Kaininetz, which is in Neve Yaakov, Jerusalem. She teaches in the Bais Yaakov Tiferes Rivka High School, located in the same neighborhood. Her article, "Kiddush Hashem? That's Easy!" appeared in JO Dec. 'O 1.

18

"Do you, perhaps, also know how to pray?" the girl continued.

"Certainly, but why are you asking all these questions?" asked my mother.

Visibly relieved, the girl explained:"! heard that we are being taken to the gas chambers tonight. I'm Jewish but I was never taught how to pray. I am terrified. If this ca1np is en1pty tornorrow inorning, you will know that I'm no longer alive. If that happens, please pray for my soul. My name is Anichka:'

Her heart breaking for this child just three years younger than herself, my mother reassured her and promised that should Anichka's camp be empty, she would daven for her.

The next day, the camp on the other side of the fence was eerily, irrevocably silent. Not one person remained. My mother tearfully fulfilled young Anichka's last request. Though Anichka had no idea how to pray, she knew that a Jewish soul is eternally linked to the concept of tefilla, and perhaps she went somewhat "easier" to her death knowing that her Yiddishe neshama would indeed be prayed for.

In the "Peace for Galilee" campaign in 1980, Israel sent forces into Lebanon to destroy the terrorist

infrastructure there. One soldier from

Debby Friedman

the anti-religious Hashomer Hatzair movement found hin1self serving in a tank unit together with religious soldiers. War being war, one's likes, dislikes and religious affiliations become irrelevant in the body of a two-ton n1oving piece of n1etal - a prime target for enemy fire.

The soldier and his comrades-inarms n1oved deeper into enemy territory, encapsulated in their tank. Too late, it became obvious that they were sitting ducks for terrorists who were just waiting for an Israeli tank to approach their position. As the soldiers desperately attempted to avert the ambush, the religious crew members started davening and saying Tehillim out loud, begging Hashem for salvation. Terrorist shells flew at them from all sides. It would be only seconds before one would make a direct hit and finish off the tank and its crew.

In the midst of the deafening noise that resulted from the tank's mechanical apparatus, the shrieking shells and the crying soldiers, a soul-wrenching scream was heard: "Shem a Yisroel! I don't know the rest! Shema Yisroel! I don't kno\v the rest!"

And moments later, an enormous "hook" from the Israeli side caught the trapped tank and yanked it to safety.

I wasn't there, but I get the chills when I think of the helplessness of that


irreligious soldier vvhosc ideology prevented hi1n from kno\ving the words that should be etched in the heart of every Jevv. And I get even n1ore chills when I think of the power of the Yiddishe nesha1na latching onto tefilla when one's back is against the \Vall ... even if he doesn't knovv the vvords.

*' *

Colonel Dror Weinberg, ·,.-,~,

\vas one of the first casualties in the Friday-night I-Iebron

massacre that took place not long ago. As 1t1ispallelirn made their vvay hon1e after praying at the 1\1e'aras Hlunachpeila (Tomb of Patriarchs) Palestinian gunmen lured the guards \vho protected them into an ambush. Israeli ar1ny personnel and ho1ne guard civilians ran to return fire and \vere also trapped by terrorist fire.

Colonel \Vein berg, a 1nuch beloved and respected officer, \VJS one of the first to arrive and, sorro\vfnl!y, one of the first to be murdered. f\s other soldiers rushed to pull his body out of the firing range, his n1cdic, an irreligious Jc\v, cried bitterly to another n1an on the emergency staff: "You're religious! Let's say so111ething so that G-d won't take f)rorl 1Cll n1c \vhat to say! Please, tell 111e \vhat to say!"

1'he heart tvvists inside at the desperation of this soldier who loved his co1nn1anding officer so n1uch, but could only cry and beg another Je\v to tell him how to talk to Hashem because he didn't kno\v ho\v. And yet ... he did kno\v enough to ask.

--- -~------------

The Jewish Observer; January 2003

No 1natter ho\v far a Yiddishc nesharna strays from its Source, \Vhen push comes to

shove, a Je\v kno\vS that davening does son1ething. SomchO\V, a Je\V in desperate straits instinctively reaches out to his Father in I-leaven instead of looking for other avenues of salvation.

It is perhaps stories and thoughts like these that keep me calm as I live and raise n1y fan1ily in Yerushalayin1. Having lived in Eretz Yisroe{ for the past 25 years, through the c;ulf \Var, the constant terrorist threats, the suicide bombing attacks,., .. , and the very real possibility of yet another war, ch as v 'shalorn, I a1n calmed by the knowledge that not only do I know how to dave11 with all my heart and strength; n1y brothers and sisters \Vho have strayed very far from "home" also kno\v they must call out so our 'Jl-ateh (Father) \vill ans\ver: "£-Jere I arn, kindcrhu:h! c:on1e home!"

'ferrorism's threat is no longer confined to Eretz Yisroel. Around the vvorld, our people face dangers they have never kno\vn before. ()ur Father in Heaven is present in every place, in every crisis, \Vaiting for us to turn to Him with heartfelt tejllla. We who know the power of tcfilla must grab onto its ham111eri11g strength and break down the walls that separate us from Hashe1n and His loving en1brace, so that day n1ay con1e vvhen everyone acknovvledgcs that there is no one to rely on but Avinu She' baSharnayirn. B

19

11111 llll•IS 11 lhl lrlSCrlll JUdllSCIPI Sarles® are II

ArtScrol/ and The Jewish Observer present the most comprehensive biographical collection of Torah personalities ever assembled in recent times.

A veritable treasure trove of inspiration, profiling the lives and teachings of Rabbanim, Admorim, Roshei Yehivas, Sephardi Chachamim and seemingly ordinary men and women whose warmth and dedication to

Kial Yisroe/ helped shape today's Torah world.

With the recent publication of Torah Leaders, the newest addition to the Ar!Scroll/Jewish Observer Judaiscope Series, and with the re-release of several heretofore out-of-print volumes, we now present this six-volume collection of biographical sketches, vignettes, and essays as a complete, comprehensive addition to your library.

SOME OF THE TORAH GIANTS FEATURED IN THIS COLLECTION INCLUDE:

• THE TORAH PERSONALITY The Chofetz Chaim, The Rogatchover Gaon, Reb Chaim Ozer,

The Ben lsh Chai, The Rebbes of Satmar, Vizhnitz, Ger and Novominsk, Reb Chaim Brisker, and more.

• THE TORAH WORLD Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Reb Boruch Ber Lebowitz, The Lubliner Rav, The

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Breuer, Reb Elya Meir Bloch, The Tshebiner Rav, Rabbi Menachem

Ziemba, and others.

• THE TORAH PROFILE Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky, The Skulener Rebbe, Ribi

Ezra Attiah, Ribi Yaakov Abu-Hasira, the authors of Menoras HaMaor and the Aruch HaShulchan.

~ TORAH LUMINARIES Rabbi Yisroel Zev Gustman, Rabbi Nochum Partzovitz, Rabbi Binyamin

Beinush Finkel, Rabbi Simcha Wasserman, The Skolye Rebbe, The Bluzhever Rebbe, The Gerrer Rebbe,

Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz, Rabbi Yehuda Zev Segal.

• TORAH LIVES The Klausenberger Rebbe, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Shimon Schwab,

Reb Elchonon Wasserman, Reb Elimelech Tress, Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto, Rav Yehuda Aszod, etc.

• TORAH LEADERS Rabbi Avrohom Pam, Rabbi Mordechai Gitter, Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Rabbi

Binyomin Paler, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, Rabbi Moshe Kulefsky,

Rabbi Nosson Wachtfogel and Rabbi Moshe Sherer.

These stories wilt enrich your storehouse of knowledge, penetrate your heart, lift up your spirits and enhance your lives, inspiring you and your children to greater heights.

TIM Rais und• Edi

Ill nspired by the ill of dozens of . educators and a to nip problems Rich, provocati1 book will open E

OF Reflectio1

A collection for wome

A generation"

Ir aa1111111 dlreclll nm 1111 llllfllll llllltr1t• 11-21"11

1

tEss PARENTING !Children in Troubled Ttmes~nding, coping, succeeding jby: Rabbi Nissan Wotpin

r famous children-at-risk issue, a collection !es from great Torah leaders and effective :sts. They tell us about raising children, how !e bud, and deal with them when they fester. inspiring, informative, authoritative - this i- and may well repair lives.

THE ETHICAL IMPERATIVE Torah Perspectives on Ethics and Values

Edited by: Rabbi Nissan Wolpin

Articles on traditional values and undiluted ethics by many of Judaism's distinguished rabbinical and lay

leaders, collected from over a quarter of a century of gems from the pages of The Jewish Observer.

PME AND HEART In the World of the Jewish Woman yted by: Sarah Shapiro j

houghtful prose and poetry - by women, i from the pages of The Jewish Observer. lrth of ideas and ideals that is stimulating land provocative, witty and soulful. j

I I

A PATH THROUGH THE ASHES Penetrating Analyses and Inspiring Stories of

the Holocaust from a Torah Perspective

i I forty-nine gripping, inspiring, sobering and enlightening

I essays, collected from the pages of The Jewish Observer

I by Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, editor. I I

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

·-----------------------------------------------------~ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

SPECIAL REDUCED RATE JO I ARTSCROLL ORDER FORM

QTY EACH PRICE

JUDAISCOPE BIOGRAPHY SERIES _TORAH PERSONALITY .................. @ $20.99 __ _

TORAH WORLD ........................ @ $20.99 __ _

_ TORAH PROFILE ....................... @ $20.99 __ _

TORAH LUMINARIES ................... @ $20.99 __ _

TORAH LIVES ......................... @ $20.99 __ _

_TORAH LEADERS •:Jij~ij ............. @ $22.99 __ _

ENTIRE SIX-VOLUME BIOGRAPHY SERIES FOR ONLY . ....... @ $124.99 __ _

JUDAISCOPE FAMILY SERIES TIMELESS PARENTING ................. @ $22.99 __ _

ETHICAL IMPERATIVE .................. @ $22.99 __ _

_ OF HOME & HEART .................... @ $20.99 __ _

PATH THROUGH THE ASHES ............. @ $20.99 __ _

ENTIRE FOUR VOLUME

FAMILY SERIES FOR ONLY .. ............ @ $84.99

Subtotal

LESS 10% SPECIAL OFFER

EXTRA SPECIAL OFFER!! All 10 Volumes For Only .•.••.•...•......•. $ :!fil!.99 A SAVINGS OF OVER 20% OFF!

*Shipping and Handling $_$§,QQ_

Total Due $ __

CHARGE YOUR ORDER BY MAIL, FAX, OR PHONE D VISA D MASTERCARD

Account Number _______________ _

Exp. Date_/ __J_ Signature----------

or make U.S. check payable to: The Jewish Observer/Judaiscope

42 Broadway, 14th floor. New York, NY 10004 Info: 212·797-7394 •Fax: 646-254-1600

Name

Address

City. State, Zip

*to USA addresses only

THIS OFFER EXPIRES FEBRUARY 28, 2003

BRETZ DSROBL: S&RING THE PAIN

-~ .. The l'FTH

ITEM on the List

Israel's Crisis and Us: Avoiding a Devastating Acceptance

RESILIENT TO A FAULT

Something is terribly wrong with us. Yes, deep down, we are all worried and grief-stricken over the horri·

ble pain our brothers and sisters are experiencing in Israel. Yet, if you look around, we seen1 to be quite co1nfortable hearing news that tells us of the

Rabbi Leff, who is a Rebbe at RITSS High School in Cincinnati, was represented in these pages by "Passion, Purin1 and Snow" (Feb.'02).

r-------------I I I I I I I I

Send your membership dues for 5763 to: Agudath Israel of America 42 Broadway, 14th Floor New York, NY I 0004 Tel: 212-797-9000 • Fax: 646-254-1600 0 $36 Individual Membership -.:1 $54 Family Membership

constant terror killings of our brethren. We take comfort in knowing that "only four people" were killed. We get a little more upset when the casualties are higher, but our lives quickly return to normal.

This is not the first article to appear in JO or other Jewish periodicals that attempts to address the concept of try· ing to feel our brothers' pain in Israel. There have been many articles and speeches devoted to this subject. There

CJ $180 VIP Membership Q $720 Life Membership

For first-t•me members and non-current subscribers anly:

Please send me my free one-year introductory subscription to: Q The Jewish Observer U Dos Yiddishe Vort

NAME

!'g~~-~~~ - --- ------ ---- -- -

have been many tefilla and Tehillirn ral· lies. But it does seem that over the past few months those articles, speeches, and rallies have been few and far between.

In fact, as I write these words, Israel is still reeling from yet another heinous attack occurring on Shabbos Kodesh, the Friday night murder of four yeshiva students in the dining hall of the Otniel Yeshiva, in the Chevron Hills. 1 Strange·

1 This w;~vritten bef~;;the two s~i~ide bon1bings in Tel Aviv on January 5, '03.

CITY __ _ __________ ----------- _ ---------~-~!E _________ ~----·--------------- ----------

T_E_LJ.Dj\Y) _____ _ ____ --· _________ JEV_E)

J Check Enclosed 0 Charge my: CJ VISA J MasterCard

ACCOUNT NUMBER EXP. DATE SIGNATURE ----------------------~- --- -------- - ____ ,, _________ - - - ---------------------------------------------------------

··--------------- ----- ----The Jewish Observer, January 2003 23

ly, I didn't hear anyone talking about or discussing this horrific crime. No one seemed outwardly moved or deeply saddened. There was no sense of urgency in the davening or even in the Tehillim after daveningthat every shul around the world has said for over 28 months now. This was apparently viewed by most of us as "just another attack."

How could it be? How could it be that over 700 Jews have been killed by Arab terrorists over the past 2 1/2 years and we are not moved to cry, to daven better, to finally hear Hashem's call for repentance?

The answer is quite simple and quite frightening. We are resilient to a fault. We can get used to virtually anything. We are very much like the boiling lobsters.

In order to kill lobsters in the most efficient way so that they remain fresh, seafood sellers take live lobsters and drop them into water. Then they slowly increase the temperature of the water so that the lobster barely notices the water becoming hotter. Eventually, the lobster becomes used to a very hot temperature and then easily allows itself to be boiled. Had the lobster been placed initially in boiling water, the lobster would fight to jump or crawl out.

We, like the lobster, have become used to Jews getting "boiled" on a regular basis. Our brothers are getting murdered

24

FOR

THE FINEST

IN

11111111

in Israel and we hardly blink anymore.

THE SHOCK WHEN IT STARTED

We all remember Rosh Hashana 5761, when the Arab intifada had just begun and how

scared we were. The heightened kavana in our tefillos then was easily perceptible. Who doesn't recall the fright we all felt when the soldiers were lynched in Ramallah? And back then there were barely ten casualties in those first few weeks of the crisis. Remember the summer of 5761 when so many lectures and events were dedicated to the memory of'the 73 Jews murdered'? And now, we have close to 730 - a full ten times more! But the speeches) events, and prayer rallies seem to be a distant memory.

The question is: did we daven with more kavana and feeling then, at the beginning of this horrible ordeal, or now, after thousands of terror attacks? If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that we have virtually reached a stage of acceptance, which has largely removed any sense of mourning, grief, and emotion from us.

Many of us are familiar with the "Four Stages of Grief;' which psychotherapists use to help patients. They are: Denial, Depression, Anger, and Acceptance. Most of us have experienced

the first three of these stages in relating to the crisis in Israel. In the beginning we were in denial, we then became depressed at the gravity of the tragedies, and we were definitely angry at the Arab terrorists. Under regular circumstances, a normal and healthy grief process concludes with acceptance, which enables the mourner to continue and move on with his life. This is vital for any mourner. But for us to accept the sitnation in Israel and stop feeling the reality of the pain would be the biggest tragedy of all. Unfortnnately, we are showing some signs of reaching this dreaded state.

A MOST DANGEROUS TIME

We all sense that we are living in the most dangerous time period for Kial Yisroel since

the Holocaust. Hashem is allowing our Yishmaelite cousins to experience numerous successes in their terror can1-paign, and there is no end in sight. All the diplomatic and military solutions have failed to stop the attacks. Yes, we must be constantly appreciative and thankfnl to Hashem for the tens if not hundreds of attacks that were supposed to happen but were thwarted. But, as we are well aware, too often, the Ribbono Shel Olam has not stepped in to provide us with protection from the terror. He has allowed the killings to continue.

We also know that whenever the Ribbono Shel Olam allows tragedy to strike, He does it to inspire us to return to Him, to cry out to Him, to improve our Avodas Hashem - our spiritual growth. If we, chas veshalom, accept the crisis in Israel as the reality of our existence, and fail to let the continuing murders shake us to our core, we almost guarantee, ., .. , that the killings and the crisis will continue!

This creates a devastating cycle that we become stuck in. The more murders and tragedies, the more we become accustomed to them. The more we become accnstomed to them, the less they move us to change and improve. The less we change and improve, the more Hashem sees the need to allow


more horrifying tragedies to occur!2

So now, the reader is probably hopeful that I will provide a solution to this awful set of circumstances. I am glad to report that I do have a suggestion. Unfortunately, though, I am also confident that the reader will be disappointed with my suggestion. You see, there are no easy answers. There is no teshuva pill that we can take that will solve our problems. We would love for there to be a segula3, magical kapitel Tehillim, that we can say which would make all the problems disappear. But true gro'Wth, change, and repentance do not come easily. If the Ribbono Shel Olam has allowed tragedies of mammoth proportions to happen to us, we also must work toward making real and significant changes within ourselves.

What I will suggest is to add a fifth item to our list. Let me explain.

"IT WILL NOT HAPPEN BY ITSELF"

The Gemora in Berachos 32b says: "Four items require strengthening(chizuk): Torah study, good

deeds, prayer, and one's livelihood (derech eretz - see Rashi)." Ghazal are teaching us that in order to succeed in these four areas, we must always increase our intensity for them. But why are only these four items listed? Don't all mitzvos require strengthening and increased intensity?

The answer would appear to be the following. No Rav ever needs to give a shmuess or sermon to inspire his kehilla to come to shul for the reading of Megillas Esther on Purim. There isn't a rabbi who feels compelled to tell his shul about the importance of coming to hear the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana. Why not? The reason is obviously because mitzvos or events that only 2 ibi; is, in essen~e, a brief description ~·f the pesukim in the Tochacha in Bechukosai 26,27-28. Keri leads to chamas keri. Viewing tragedies with casualness leads Hashem to bring a "fury of casualness" upon us. 3 I am not, G-d forbid, diminishing the strong effect a recital of Tehillim can have. Every rnitzva matters and counts toward creating merits that help protect us. Still, it would appear that more significant and sustained improvements are warranted in our present crisis,


happen once a year have a dramatic, emotional, even sentimental appeal to us. Strengthening, chizuk, or increased intensity for such mitzvos is unnecessary. It comes naturally.

Torah study, good deeds, prayer, and proper performance of our livelihood (which includes working honestly and efficiently for our employers) are challenges we face each and every day. Anything that we do constantly will automatically and necessarily fail to carry a natural intensity. V\te know intellectually that Torah study keeps the

60

world alive and that every word of our prayers has the power to change decrees against us, but it's hard to maintain these ideas without growing very stale to them. We hear about the significance of righteous and kind deeds, and consistently performing our jobs properly, and this is the very reason why it becomes tedious and uninspiring for us. Anything that we do all the days of our lives, all the time, will always lose its drama and glory. We all can remember how accomplished and exhilarated we felt the first time we put on tefillin or read a Rashi

60

50

40

ON OUR FAMILY

50

40

30 A NEW RADIO PROGRAM BEGINNING JANUARY 9

30

20

15

10

7

4

PLAIN TALK, STRAIGHT ANSWERS, GOOD FUN

THURSDAYS 6 2 0 AM

9 10 PM RAD I 0

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE NACHUM SEGAL SHOW

HOSTED BY: DAVID MANDEL, MARCIA KESNER WITH WEEKLY SPECIAL GUEST PANELISTS RABBI OSCAR EHRENREICH, RABBI RONNIE GREENWALD, DR. JOSH LAMM, ADINA & CHESKY WERTMAN, ESO., SHLOIME DACHS

E-mail questions and comments to: [email protected] FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 718·431-0100

20

15

10

7

4

I I 25

Child Development Specialists serving inf ants/toddlers & their f amities

EARLY• INTERVENTION •MAKES •A• DIFFERENCE

Evaluation & Therapy at our center or in the privacy of your home

Free of Charge

Bi-lingual Services Available

Executive Offices 4228 Tenth Avenue,

Brooklyn, New York 11219

718•972•0880 S£WING BROO""-YN, QUEENS, STATlN ISlANO & MANHARAN

Fundc<! &; Repl"ed by :NYS P<:ji1, oflkali.h & NYC D<pt ofMtl)l.lll lf .. Jth, )\1!C111a\Rewdation&~.,.Scr<i""I

correctly, but those passionate feelings are no more.

This is exactly the issue the Gemora is trying to address. The only way- and it is difficult, there is no quick and easy method - is to constantly inspire oneself. As Rashi there explains: "A person must continuously strengthen himself with all his energy (koach)." There are two keys that Rashi mentions: continuity, and with all one's strength. In order to succeed in the four areas the Gen10-ra lists, there must be a daily, continuous, concerted, and energetic effort to inspire oneself. Chizuk will not happen by itself.

As explained, the reason why the Ge1nora n1entions only four items is because these four enco1npass the four inajor areas that \Ve are involved vvith on a daily basis. And the fact is that any experience that occurs constantly, makes us lose any dramatic and emotional pull we may have had for it.

WITH ENERGY AND EFFORT

Similarly, the constant deaths and killings in Israel have made us lose sensitivity to the dire and tragic

Erected in all Cemeteries Call Toll-Free: 866-851-1314

Rabbi M. Premock Reconimended by many Rabbonim

AGEMACH LOAN FUND •••

.. .In memory of a loved one merits them "eternal

pleasantness and light to the soul in Gan Eden. -

(Chafetz Chaim)

To establish a perpetual Memorial or Honorary Func1 at one of our 22 branches

across Eretz Yisroel, contact:

OZER DALIM

iii 1301 Avenue K, Brooklyn, NV 11230 (718) 434-2228

aspects of the crisis. We have become "used to" Jews dying on a constant basis. We therefore fail to become shocked nor do we react with proper emotion when we hear the news of the tragedies. Only through constant chizuk, as the Gemora suggests, can we n1aintain the feelings of grief for the horrors. Only through continual reminders, will we strive for improvement in our avodas Hashetn to help prevent the attacks.

So, in our tumultuous time period, it would seem that we are obligated to add a fifth item to the list mentioned in Berachos 32b: Remembering the Crisis in Israel. We must, on a daily basis, set aside time (even if only for a brief moment) to reflect upon the scope of the tragedies, on the over 700 dead, on the hundreds of serious and permanent injuries, on all the grieving families, and on ways we can improve in our avodas Hashern to create merits to earn Hashem's protection.

I have no doubt that every reader of this article has accepted some area of improvement (a kabbala) upon himself or herself as a result of the tragedies in Israel. Whether it is davening with inore kavana, a special daily chessed one performs, an extra learning session, a special shemiras halashon session, refraining from indulgences in food (see Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg's "Terrorism, Sugar Cubes and File! Mignon" in JO, June '02), we have accepted things upon ourselves in order to create zechusim. V\That we need to do nO\V is to 1nonitor ourselves and make sure we are continuously and consistently performing our kabbala and doing it with all of our energy and effort (as Ras hi Berachas 32b explained).

And if after all this, we still find that we cannot muster the strength to begin feeling the extent and depth of the tragedies, \Ve can)t give ourselves chizuk, nor can we cry, we run the terrible risk of accepting the crisis as nor111al and part of our reality. And if (G-d forbid) that were to occur, is that not the biggest reason to cry?

If we can't cry from the pain and can't be moved from the suffering, shouldn't we cry because we can't cry? •

26 The Jewish Observer, January 2003

-" .::; '-, -\ -,

-·._--,"' ·'-">, --_.., ".v._ • --, •• , > .... ~·-.2'_,.,, '·<, ",\·--.'>, "·

··,,, .Merit~GreahfndSmalf', ,, ,,, .\'> - . ...., '·. ·- .---- _, " -~ --.:· -., -- -'' ,

··Il~~~:~:!y~i~~:f :~£I~~~~t merit the safety of our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel and around the world, The scourge of hatred for Jews and the murderous determination of so many to prevent us from living in peace on our ancestral land have evoked an equal and opposite determination on the part of the Am Hashem to earn His protection.

Many of the efforts we can effectively make have been delineated by our Gedolim and Rabbanim who have addressed us over the past many months, And our tefillos can be more heartfelt, our Torah-study can be intensified) our acts of chessed increased; we can better demonstrate honor for our places of Torah and tefilla, and for each other; we can wean ourselves from our addictions to luxuries; and we can empathize with our fellow Jews in deeper, more heartfelt ways,

And then there are smaller zechuyos (sources of merit) that many have undertaken, fron1 special care in particular mitzvos to expressions of anguish in the form of personal acts of self-deprivation.

The path to a goal, though, is often multifaceted; and when it is, reaching the end-point entails what the Ramch"al, in Mesillas Yesharim, calls "kibbutz kol ha'emtzo'iyos- accessing all of the various means," the seemingly less signifi-

Rabbi Shafran serves as Agudath Israel of Ainerica's Director of Public Affairs and as the American director of Am Echad, the Agudath Israelinspired educational outreach effort and media resource.


'' .i::ant·one,S'ho less than those th

: ~more obvious. ,Itisi~ that spirit that I offer

idea for consideration by any whom it may happen to res

Appreciating The Words We Have

Rabbi Avi Shafran

Suggestions have been made to incorporate new tefillos or Mi Sheberachs into our seder haTefilla.

Some feel that a special acknowledgement of the Israel Defense Forces is proper; others, that those who are

immersed in Torah study should be recognized with special mention; others still, that Jews in particularly dangerous areas of Eretz Yisroel should be a particular focus during the course of our davening, not only in personal tefilloswhen we are always free to express what our hearts feel - but in some public way during tejillas tzibbur,

Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel, the Rav of Agudath Israel of Cedarhurst, told me that he responded to a request by some of his congregants for the institution of a special Mi Sheberach by pointing out

GEFEN »~

FI~Ao~9.AL~· Reg;stered Morlgage Beakers .....

NYS Dept. of Banking lil.W 800 Manor Road, Suite #1 W

Staten Island, New York 10314 Phone 718-983-9272 • 914-MORTGAGE

LoJns arranged through Jrd party providers

Jonah's Fashion Inc. Girls Yeshiva Uniform Manufacturers

• We make skirts and jumpers, solids and plaids, from size 5 thru junior and pre-teens

• Bais Yaacov blouses made from our own custom made (extra heavy) material

27

to them that it might be preferable to better utilize the tefillos we already have than to endeavor to add new ones. The Tachanun we recite on Mondays and Thursdays, he cited as an example, is replete with references to Eretz Yisroel and Jewish suffering, yet if there has been any campaign to embrace that tefilla with more deliberation or intensified kavvana, it has not been widely evident.

I thought it was a very worthy thought, and it led me to consider another neglected, and quite prominent, part of our seder hatefilla.

The Defense is Overruled

Until one of my daughters shared her personal exasperation over the fact, I had thought that I was

perhaps the only person who had found it impossible to complete "Aleinu" in shul in the time allotted by the ba' al tefilla. Granted, one can always complete the tefilla after the Kaddish that generally follows it, but what most often happens instead is that, at least for most people, "Aleinu" - or at least its second paragraph," Al Kein" - is effectively oblit-

YOUR CAR IN ISRAEL FROM-

FREE* SHABBAT

"' Minimum l ~ rental, exc.ins. subject to offer regulations.

15 *US$ e90 p~::AY

TYPE OF CAR PER WEEK $

A FIAT PUNTO l DR 112

B FIAT PUNTO 5 DR 126

c FORD FIESTA 147

Cl PEUGEOT306 182

MT MINIBUS 10 SEATS 518

D OPEL CORSA 189

E DAEWOO LANOS I 217

F SUZUKI BALENO 1.6 ! 245

U.S.A New-York XL PEUGEOT 406 2.0 357

1-800-938-5000 212-629-6090 www.eldan.co.il

vx EX

VOLVOS-70 630

MERCEDES E240 770

28

KX MAZDA MPV 651

* unlimited mileage, exc. ins. * Va1id low season only

e 6rowing Jewish Community Complete Family Resources •Healthy Job Market •Affordable Housing •Nurturing Community •Learning Opportunities •Shomer Shabbos Medical Residencies •Community Activities

Total Torah Environment •Cheder •Yeshiva Gedola

•Bois Yakov •Kolle!

• Mikveh • Eruv •Wisconsin School Tuition Vouchers

for Qualifying Families

The Torah Community of Rabbi Michel Twerski Invites your interest 1 ·800·226·3129

erated (or at least mercilessly shrunk). The problem seems to exist in a vari

ety of shuls and minyanim, both on weekdays and on Shabbos, and it seems to have no connection to any particular nusach or to the sort of headcovering the men present wear. For some reason, kavana in the words of"Al Kein" -indeed its very recitation, to a large degree - seems to have fallen into a beis haknesses black hole.

To be sure, like the problem of conversations during davening, the slurring of Aleinu might originate with the comfort Jews feel in shul. We are so "at home" there that we all too easily fall into treating our mekomos tefilla (houses of worship) as if they were our living rooms - and some of our tefillos as if they were simple conversations ... clipped, garbled, mumbled. But of course, that doesn't make it right; familiarity, in both instances, 1nay explain, but in neither is it a defense.

And so the thought occurs: Might we be able to access a special merit were more of us to endeavor to say Aleinu in its entirety, and with more kavana?

Holy Paragraphs ... Approaching Footsteps

Aleinu, after all, is no minor part of the seder tefilla. It was composed, according to many early

sources, by Yehoshua; its opening sentences, moreover, were the death-declaration of countless Jews throughout history, the words with which they defiantly refused to succumb to the tortures and threats of others bent on uprooting devotion to the Torah. It is even part of our Mussaf Amida on the Yam Radin (Day of Judgment, i.e. Rosh Hashana).

And the appended "Al Kein" paragraph is, according to our 1nesora1 the expression of teshuva composed by Achan (the first letter of each of its first three words spell his name), in the wake of his sin of misappropriating valuables from the spoils of the conquered city of Yericho, and his repentance thereon.

In a time of evil decrees against Jews, it would only seem appropriate that we make an effort to better connect to those words of sincere regret and recognition.


And the words themselves! They are powerfully pertinent to our times, times that have been reasonably portrayed by great men as the period of history Ghazal described as the Ikvesa d'Meshicha, the time when the "footsteps of Moshiach" can be heard in the distance.

The Jewish Plot

No one with any sense at all of history could possibly ignore the confluence of events in Bretz Yis

roe/ today with what is transpiring on the larger geopolitical scene. All of the pundits' nervous disassociation of Islamic terrorism from anti-Semitism might well be taken with a truckful of salt. Even were it true that Osama Bin Laden's ultimate enemy is really Western culture, and that he only hatefully harps on "Zionists" - read "Jews" - in order to enhance his credibility within the Arab world, is it not most disturbingly meaningful that credibility in that large, imposing and violent world is enhanced in that way? Or that a highranking official of the country from which nearly all the September 11 mass-murderers emerged has publicly blamed the attack on Jews?

Once again, and perhaps more than ever before, the small fraction of one percent of the world's population known as Kial Yisroel is, astoundingly, the focus of myriad forces of unbridled evil. Nations like Iran and Iraq, or like Saudi Arabia and Syria, that have in the past had only visceral hate for one another have found common cause in venting their accumulated animus in one familiar direction. The sound of footsteps is growing louder.

The haters like to say that there is a Jewish Plot. And they're right, of course. It's more of a plan, though, than a plot; there's only one- or, better, One - Planner. And His plan is unfolding

KARKA IN BRETZ YISROEL Call Rabbi Gavriel Beer for information

on obtaining cemetery plots in Beth Shemesh and other locations in Israel.

011-972-2-656-9427


• Once again, the

small fraction of one percent of the world's population known as Kial Yisroel is, astoundingly, the focus of myriad forces of unbridled evil.

• before our eyes. The fear is there, the threats are there.

On That Day

0 ur own role in the plan is to do what we have been charged to do: be better Jews in every way

we can. And to recognize that all the usual roads to hope - diplomatic, military, political - are absolute dead ends, by any logical measure. To recognize, in other words, that "there is no one on

For careful attention to your individual needs, call us today!

(845) 354-8445

whom to rely other than our Father in Heaven."

May we be zocheh to merit that this recognition serve to be a prelude to the ge'ula in our day, to the era of global recognition of Hashem and His truth that, our Nevi'im have told us, will follow, described in the words of"AI Kein":

'~nd therefore we put our hope in You, Hashem, that we may soon see Your mighty splendor, to remove detestable idolatry from the earth, and false gods will be utterly cut off, to perfect the universe through the Almighty's sovereignty.

"Then all humanity will call upon Your Name, to turn all the earth's wicked toward You. All the world's inhabitants will recognize and know that to You every knee should bend ... and to the glory of Your Name they will render homage, and they will all accept upon themselves the yoke of Your kingship ... on that day Hashem will be One and His name will be One." And then:

"Yisgadel v'yiskadesh rabba ... ~"

Sh'mei

• .,-:M~y-·Hi~ great name be exait~-·and sanctified ... "

Personal responsibility throughout service - NOT JUSf "PAPERWORK"

ORIGINATOR OF THE PRESENT RABBINICALLY APPROVED METHOD Highly recommended by Gedolai Hador- Here and in Eretz Ylsrael

1043-42ml Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219

Day &N'ight phone: (718) 851-8925 )))D'l:JN1~lJNj:> ))l"j:> - )'1::> 1Nl T11lJY)) 'll~

Kavod Haniftar with Mesiras Nelesh and compassion for the bereaved family. TAHA.RAS HANIFTAR SHOULD NEVER BE COMMERCIALIZED

29

P.S. KIRUV TODAY IN THE USA

0 ne evening, as I relaxed on my worn but comfortable couch, I began leafing through a tat

tered copy of Strive For Truth, and then closed my eyes and began to think about my day. One thought led to another and before I knew it, I had drifted off to a dream-filled slumber. In my dream, standing before me, patient, yet with pleading eyes, was a man not unlike myself. He began to talk as if we had arranged this meeting some time before, and it was time for him to make his point.

The nature of my dilemma can be stated in three words. I am lonely. Please don't misunderstand. I have a warm and loving family, and many friends and colleagues, but somehow, even with their companionship and love, loneliness continues to follow me wherever I go.

You see, I am a kiruv profession-al, an outreach worker, a melamed to the relatively uninitiated. My tools of trade are empathy, kind, ness, pedagogic skills and a work-ing knowledge of Torah and Torah-related subjects. I was trained in the. world of the Beis ;cS;;

Hamidrash, a~4§p.~~( t/lirty years~[; within its walls. J::am--mo~t at home>r there. I am nurtweqthe~~.Ift tenance there.,:J·ftnd companion~ and sometimes refuge there; But'YT{ lonely, because when I began to p Kiruv Rechokim, I focused my empath another culture, one that was outside-ihe walls of the Beis Hamidrash; and now I am not completely at home in either world. I could never consider "A1nerican Culture" a source of nourish1nent or co1nfort. To put it simply, it is neither Torah nor related to Torah. But because the culture of American Jews is so different it requires study and understanding if! am going to 1nake a genuine connection with another. And that is all I an1 concerned with, 1naking a genuine connection ivith another. I must understand hhn, the American Jew, where he comes from, what he needs from me.

I am no different from any good teacher, but for nie there is 1nore at stake.

Rabbi Wolfson who studied in yeshivas in Bretz Yisroel for a number of years, is now active in kiruv activities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.

30

If I don't make contact with the other, I have failed miserably. The condition of A1nerican Jewry is so precarious, so rife ivith Ignorance, so decimated by Intermarriage; yet so rnany are open to learning once a connection is 1nade. I am therefore intensely focused on making that connection. So much so, that the inhabitants of the sanctuary of the Beis

Hamidrash wrinkle their noses and declare that I reek of "American Culture." They find my odor offensive. Not all of them; surely, there are some who try to understand. But 1nany don't, and they insist that Kiruv Rechokim, when done correctly, can and should be a sanitary practice, a sort of traveling Beis Hamidrash.

"Why can't you just go forward like a child in a plastic bubble, a bubble that protects you from the 1nany strange viruses

Chaim Wol(son

that can so damage your fragile imn1une system?"

I try to explain that I can't help it, I don't kno1v any other way to make contact, to teach. My empathy tears through even the 1nost in1penetrable of materials, and I haven't found a way to practice empathy one way. They don't understand: "Surely you can be a one-way channel. After all, 'Aidi d'tarid liflot lo yivla (when involved in projecting, o.ne does not absorb')!"

But how c ~ teach and not tvant . u develop a relase to receive? Who

you, when they , repulsive, some hose disease you

e'not vigilantly pro-tive? "Don'ijUst rebuke me, show 111e

JV it's done!" I shout, frustrated. At is point they return to their seats, _ ·en up their sefarim and disap

,r. __ And I, I am once again alone. Cc,~]lad no words for my trou

friend. He sensed my ern for him and assured

at he just needed some-olisten.

loneliness eventually hen I realize that I do , because I believe that is

-he1n wants of nze. I do it ve Him and I love His ere-

· .. . en I remember that, sud,~1 realize I am no longer

truly alone."

start. Some of the -ook \vere avvkward-

IY o e liiid one of my arms tin, just shy of numb. As I stood shak

ing my arm so that the blood would return to its normal flow through my almost lifeless limb, I caught a glimpse of a reflection in the n1irror. It was the gentleman from the dream. He will be fine, I assured myself, as long as he holds on to Strive For Truth, and follows in its guidelines .... As long as he keeps returning to the Beis Hamidrash, and endeavors to feel at home there .... And as long as he touches base with his mentors who see things from the Beis Hamidrash perspective .... Yes, he will be just fine. •


A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE STANDARD LAVISH AFFAIR

To the Editor: Reading Rabbi Twerski's "Reflec

tions on 'Guidelines for Weddings'" ().0., June '02) brought back strong men1ories.

When our eldest son reached Bar Mitzva in 1993, my wife and I followed the community norn1s of the time: a nice invitation to all of our relatives and friends, a special Kiddush on Shabbos for the entire shul, and a Sunday event at a hall with a catered meal, music and dancing. While the weekend may have been less opulent than in other comn1unities, the affair was certainly well beyond modest in cost and presentation.

The custom of our community had not changed when the time came to plan the Bar Mitzva of our second child. Just as we were beginning to make our arrangements, we read Rabbi Twerski's first article, "The Time for Tikkun Has Arrived. Are We Ready?" (J.O., Feb. '96). Although we were financially able to make a similar simcha for this child, we were n1oved by what we read. A state1nent needed to be made. And it occurred to us that a family that had the wherewithal to finance extravagance was uniquely positioned to offer an alternative.

We spoke to our Rabbi, who was totally supportive. Most importantly, we spoke to our son. It was difficult to fully explain our n1otivations to him. He needed to understand why he would not have a simcha like that of his older brother and some of his older classmates. In the end he understood and agreed.

We decided that the entire simcha would take place in shul on Shabbos. We invited only close relatives and our son's class to the seuda at shul after Kiddush. The rest of the shul "family" received a 1nailed "announcement" invitation only.


The Kiddush would be extra special, but there would be no separate event that evening or on Sunday.

The Bar Mitzva was beautiful, and the thousands of dollars saved was certainly a nice byproduct. Our son was the focal point of this important day, and friends and relatives still showered him with gifts.

Shortly after the Bar Mitzva, other parents fro1n our community approached my wife and I. In every instance they told us how concerned they were about making an affordable Bar Mitzva. They did not want their sons to be embarrassed, bnt could not afford a simcha consistent with the "community standards." They thanked us for breaking the cycle.

This June we made our third Bar Mitzva. This one was the san1e as the second - a Shabbos-only affair. The only difference was that we did not have to explain anything to our son this time. You see, in the last six years, every community Bar Mitzva has followed the new "standard" we set.

We have been reluctant to publicize our role in changing how our community celebrates a Bar Mitzva. However, we now feel that people need to hear how one family can make a difference on an entire community. We thank Rabbi Twerski for his inspiration. And we hope that our experience will motivate others to do the same on behalf of their communities) and Kial Yisroel.

Scarr & SHELLEY ISRAEL

Mihvaukee

FOR MORE SANITY AND SENSIBILITY AND SIMCHOS

To the Editor: f commend both the Rabbanim who

have undertaken to exert their influence on baalei simcha and The Jewish Observ-

er for its efforts in bringing the problem of "simcha sprawI" to the fore. I wonld like to offer some additional suggestions on the topic of chassunas.

Invitees: You many help the baalei simcha limit the size of the affair by reconsidering the extent of your involven1ent.

Are you a friend of the chassan's or kalla's parent with otherwise little or no connection to the chassan or kalla? If so, it is nearly impossible to be me'same'ach the chassan or kalla when they are surrounded by a hundred or more close friends and family members. It might be argued that a kalla may feel greater sitncha at a "large" chassuna than at a "small" one, but all of our chassunas are at least "large."

Even if you do feel close enough to be me'same'ach the chassan and kalla, is it necessary that both you and your spouse attend? Perhaps you have children at home who are in need of your presence during dinner and the homework and bedtime periods.

The baa! simcha may be contribut-

If you deal with teenagers (they may be your own) & you would like some insight on how to be more successful with them, we will send you a free sample of the book "The ultimate win/win" To communicate love to your family. (While supplies last)

Yeshiva Fund, Box 82, S.I. NY 10309

28 Weaver Avenue, Newport, RI 02840 Tel.: (401) 849-0051 •Fax: (401) 847-5902

www.kosherbedandbreakfast.com

Enjoy the freedom and convenience of a kosher guesthouse, located

only minutes away from the Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue

in North America Group discount available for Simcho; ~nd Shabbos

For resenations call: 1-888-465-0051

------· ----·~---------31

AREIVIM HOTLINE From crisis to control.

Helping our boys and girls

Parents: 1·866·6AREIVIM Teens: 1·866-0URGUYS

Email: [email protected]

All calls are confidential.

1'>i>•'>M '>X 1~ ll'l! P ~·y'>

HELP FOR PARENTS OF TEENS IN CONFLICT

M_.~~~SK MOTHERS & FATH- ALIONED &AVl..0 KIDS

TEL: 718-758-0400 CONFIDENTIAL 10 AM - 10 PM

-'SUPPORT GROUPS -'REFERRALS .'HOTLINE.

Specializing in small batim for a perfect fit.

CHEVRA OSEH CHESED OFAGUDATH ISRAEL

BURIAL PLOTS IN ERETZ YISROEL

Interment in a Shomer Shabbos Beis Olam near Beis Shemesh

Please phone or write to: Chevra Oseh Chesed of Agudath Israel

42 Broadway, N.ew York. NY 10004

(212) 797-9000

--------32

ing to shalom in Kial Yisroel by inviting many to avoid the perception of insult· ing some. And it may be a chessed for you to unburden the baal simcha of the cost of your meal(s).

Caterers: Please offer reusable lam· inated bentchers, and candle centerpieces as part of your standard service, included in the price. Who in Kial Yisroel real· ly needs yet another bentcher in their home?

Baalei Simcha: Consider the approach taken by friends of ours when their daughter was engaged: invit· ing some people to the chupa only and including an invitation to Sheva Bera· chos on a specific evening. Such guests will feel very much included in the sim· cha. When we participate as guests like this, we enjoy ourselves more than at a chassuna, since Sheva Berachos is a more intimate affair, and does not include a lengthy wait for pictures, deaf· ening music, and late hour.

May Kial YisroeI's united efforts to refocus our priorities enable us to merit the redemption soon, in our days.

RACHEL Rus PH!:.LAN

Southfield, MI

RESPONSIBLE PLACEMENT, NOT "STIGMA OR SHAME"

To the Editor: The article, "Support, Stigma or

Shame;' by David Mandel (Oct. '02) was undoubtedly written with best intentions, to be supportive of those parents who are faced with children having Down Syndrome or other disabilities.

I unfortunately know quite a bit about this, and I found it grossly unfair for the author to use the ter· minology of "gives away" or abandoned regarding parents who cannot raise children with special needs. There are organizations as well as private people who arrange for these children to be raised and cared for by frum families (the ha lac ha is that these children are considered pikchim -functional and responsible - and not shotim and therefore must be raised by frum families).

The biological parents are finding stable, loving people who are emotionally detached and do a wonder· ful job raising these children. The bio· logical parents are not giving away these children, rather they are finding the best possible care for their child. Some parents place sick children in hospitals for medical care that they cannot provide, and these par· ents are placing their children in homes to care and provide for them because it is truly too taxing physi· cally and emotionally for some parents to handle the task. In no way are they opting for this choice because of

Counseling for

Depression - Anxiety - Stress Substance Abuse & At-Risk Youth

Jules Brotsky, A.C.S.W. 35 Years experience

908-289-041041 Licensed in NY & NJ Elizabeth, N. J. Endorsed by Rabbonim


shame and stigma. I am personally aware of several

prominent, respected Rabbanim who encourage this route. I myself spoke to Rabbi Yehuda Segal 7"lll, and heard this approach suggested by him to find a frum family if the mother thinks it would be too hard for her physically and emotionally. These were not cases involving shame and stigma or fear of shidduchim.

daas Torah after assessing the situation, projecting years of difficulty, day in day out, placing the family structure at risk, etc. This option was not included in the article and should have been. It is unfair to stigmatize those families who have made this choice.

NAME WITHHELD By REQUEST

VOUCHERS - THEIR TIME HAS INDEED COME

To the Editor: Each case is different - so please don't

generalize. There are options. Families should know about them, and consult I never believed I would read a few-

Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum Rav D'khal Nachlas Y1tzchoK

141-43 73rd Avenue, Kew Qirden Hills l"ti'1Jl'1 iwri-11) ~rnn

Dear Friend, . children who have suddenly found These are the cries of thirteen young

themselves lost and forlorn. . 11

She must be bedridden \n 7 Mommv 1s not we •

What can we say to them. . . . h He .15 struggling to overcome d. . And Tatty ism angu1s . d h ·s

order to treat her .con it1on. 1· ht at the end of the tunnel. An e I his mounting formidable debts. He sees no ig

too ashamed to ask for help. d To This Family?

What Has Hap~~:~t askan in his communi.ty. He was always Only recently, Tatty was a pro . eed But his life began to unravel

d ·st others who are inn · h t his the first to come out an assi

1 t . s to be both father and mot er 0

.11 Now he brave y ne when his wife became 1 · erin debts!! children while he strugg\es to pay stagg g I H. m I

we Must He P ' · . . Th need their father back again.

His little kinderlach are crying. ey D n And We Won't Let Them ow •

help to pay the overwhelming debts. Together, we can 1 •

b. gthisfatherbacktohisfamiyaga1n.

Together, we can nn h. stop the tears and !et these children t nve.

Together, we can t h Ip this family in distress. &Ex;,,;;~ ;::..::;-:-·-----l

It is our r~sponsibili1:'ne~ou: assistance, may you and ~::::::m the/etterotHag11011 And in the ment ~f your 9 !th happiness, and prosperity. -------------.!!!.'!.~~~!~11r:hShth11 yours be blessed With good hea s" re/y ).J) .J) L ---------------

rnce , J.J.J ·~lt:>:s ---- ,!'IJ.::lN.J ' ' J.::l '))'1

....--; I I . fl -----._,, 0 1C'J,; o,,,,, ~ l"'//Mfa fa:<1/ .-/ '"~,'.:·:' o':n1.:i1 .pJ~.J 1' tc::::::"' v ~ PJ.J;i1 0'lll'•;r

R:bbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum ):i.:i ~1.:i1.:i;1 1l""T;~ Rav D'khal Nach!as Y1tzchok · .J )-.J].J

KewGardenHi!ls ~Jt)1//{: t/ctJ\"'f i1t~il1'111 ~lt!l.!1!1

/ec%4J (~>ol l •7s 111 ""'~ "~11 ~,."',.i - ~~ This appeal is endorsed by the following Gedolei Hatorah Shlita &2

~~he~ Rabbi Dovid Schnstal kabbi Matisyahu Solomon Rabb OsefS. Elyashiv

Tax deductible checks payable to Zichron Mayer Special Fund

c/o Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum 141-43 73rd Avenue Kew Garden Hills NY 11367


ish Observer article discussing vouchers with no mention of the life long work and pioneering efforts of Rabbi Moshe Sherer 7"lll. In any event, both Avi Schick and Aaron Twerski are to be congratulated on an exchange which not only helps clarify the issue, but makes it likely that efforts to help yeshivas will be car-

• Each Daf is read, translated, and explained slowly and clearly in just 20 minutes

• $4 per tape (plus S&H) • Subscription rate: $3 per tape

(plus S&H)

>f<ti6/;fnteatreferen~ atiait!tli~ lfome: (718)338'-1765 P er: (917) 486-5655

Sack after its 1st Successful Year!

for the l 6~ 17 yr-old bochvr

Bethel Livestock farm

Farm & Wildnerness Summer Program

learn under Robbi 11)"!\IS Shmuel Brazil, renowned/ c..·--· 1

mechanech and mashpiah.

D Do genuine farm work: sheep, ~ cows & chickens, gardening, ".., construction, and more! *

845-425-4559

----------33

ried out in a structured and effective manner (Oct. '02).

Based on an involvement with the voucher issue going back to 1972, I would conclude with Professor Twerski that this is an issue driven by politics rather than law. Certainly the Supreme Court victory is attributable to the efforts over a period of decades, of citizen groups such as the Midwest-based Citizens for Educational Freedom.

There is another funding inequity that needs addressing. Many legislators-close to, representatives of, and even coming

from our own community - have been predictable supporters of additional aid to public education, even though the resulting increased taxes compro1nised our ability to support our own yeshivas.

Properly approached, these people can be powerful advocates of a public I non-public partnership in which support for non-public schools is an integral part of state support for education.

The Blaine Amendment is a problem, but not an insurmountable one. Once before, there was an (unsuccessful) effort to repeal it, and there will certainly

CUCUMBER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECT DIAL LONG DISTANCE PHONE SERVICE

Premium Quality Long Distance at Discounted Rates

SIGN UP NOW!

4.5~ State to State

SSC p~r ·e' -· ' min.

Israel

1.877.CUCUMBER

ln-;;tate rates vary_ Srnte to srnt~ call> are billed in 6-sccon<l mcrcmc1\b from bcginnin!,'. of call. lntemaiional call; arc billed in 6-scconJ incren1cms aflcr fiN 30 i;ewnd:;. lnteniational cell phone rates arc highe1. Bills tmJcr $15 will be charged a billing charge <lfS2-50. Ex1Stmg customers must call w rccciw new rates. NO\ available in all areas.

34

be another attempt. Should vouchers prove to be a success in states without this amendment, we will find ourselves inundated with allies seeking to abolish Blaine.

There are exciting times with a possible solution to the crushing burdens faced by our yeshivas, not too far over the horizon. The political process has proven to be extremely useful in the past, and to quote Professor Twerski: "Our community should be in the front line of the battle:'

BERNARD FRYSHMAN, PH.D.

Brooklyn, NY

CORRECTIONS

In the chart accompanying Ozer Alport's response to letters in the Reader's Forum (Dec. '02, p. 41), a decimal point was misplaced. The correct figures are:

US Stock Market Returns Since 1926 (annualized)

length of Investment (years)

1 5 10 20

Best 53.9% 23.9o/o 20. 1 o/o ! 16.9o/o

Worst -43.3o/o -12.5o/o -,9o/o 11%

Average 13.0o/o 10.So/o 10,9% I 10.9%

In Rabbi Leib Keleman's article, "Lessons I Learned From the Son of a Reform Rabbi" (Dec. '02), a statement that appears on page 14 should have read: "A study from [ 1972] ... found that 52% of Conservative Jews leave the n1ovement." As printed in n1agazine, the word "annually" was added to the sentence, which is incorrect. •

1537 50th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219

(718) 854-2911


INDEX TO ARTICLES THE JEWISH OBSERVER VOL. :XXXV Nos. 1-10

SUBJECTS

Baal TeshuvaA Fusion of Gifts/Chana Levin, Jan. '02; Almost Trashed (poem)/Bracha Druss Goetz, Feb. '02

Books In Review Chassan and Kalla During Their Engagement/Rabbi Mordechai Biser, Feb. '02; Nesivos Shalom - Nesivei Chinuch/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Feb. '02; No Different Than lliu: Shevi's Story/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, March '02; To Kindle a SouVRabbi Noach Orlowek, April '02; Reh Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz 7"'.llt/Rabbi Aaron Brafman, May '02; The Gift of Speech/Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, May '02; With Hearts Full of Faith: Insights into Trust and Emuna/Rabbi Zev Leff, June '02; A Rabbi's JournaVRebbetzin Tziporah Heller, June '02; Wellsprings of Faith: Perspectives on the Source ofEmuna!Yisroel Yehuda Pollak, June '02; Meaningflil Living/Rabbi Labish Becker, June '02; In Search of the Ehrliche Yid/Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, Sept. '02; 1\ Better Jew) A Better Parent, a review article on Chafetz Chainz: Lessons in Truth _'02; Raising Roses Among Thoms/Rabbi Shlomo Furst, Oct. '02; The Pleasant Way/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman) Dec. '02; The Torah Lifestyle: Finding Meaning and Purpose in a World Transformed/Rabbi Yosef C. Golding, Dec. '02

Bulman, Rabbi Nachman ':>"lit Biographical Notes/7":>1t/Rabbi Nissan Wolpin, Sept. '02; An Appreciation/Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Sept. '02; Unfinished Symphony/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02; A Vestige of Earlier Times/Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer, Sept. '02; A Talmid Remembers/Rabbi Zev Kahn, Sept. '02

Character Development (Middos) Best Wishes/Mrs. Faygie Borchardt, Dec. '02

Children Shalorn Bayis:A View Fron1 Your Child's Eyes/Rabbi Shmuel Gluck, Jan. '02; Heading a Large Family/Faiga Koenig, /an. '02; PostScript to "Children At Risk" /Debbie Brown, Feb. '02; New Problen1s, "fime-Tested Solutions /Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, March '02; Honoring One's Parents

/Rabbi Yoe! Chonon Wenger, March '02; Rethinking "Kosher" Videos and Computer Games/Rabbi Leib Kelemen, Sept. '02; Husbands, Wives and Children/adaptation of speech by Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, Oct. '02; Support, Stigma or Shame/David Mandel, Oct. '02; Rav Pam's Special Friend/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Oct. '02; The Price of "Just Joking"/Dr. jerry Lob, Oct. '02; A Better Jew, A Better Parent, a review article on Raising Roses Among Thorns/ Rabbi Shlomo Furst, Oct. '02; Let My People Know!/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, Nov. '02; Reaching Out to the Girls (Sidebar)/Rabbi Leib Keleman, Nov. '02; Redefining "Kids at Risk"/Mrs. Malky Lowinger, Nov. '02; A Matter of Inclusion - Not Rejection (P.S)/Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Dec. '02

Chinuch Nesivos Shalon1 - Nesivei Chinuch/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Feb. '02; New Problems, Time-Tested Solutions/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, March '02; "Yaakov Avinu Lo Meis-Our Father Jacob Did Not Die"/Rabbi Benzion Twerski, Sept. '02

Conservative Judaism 1\ Liberal Spin on a Conservative Purim (SL)/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, March. '02; Coming Home ... 'Jb Eitz Chain1?/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, April. '02; The Dangers of Dialogue/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Dec. '02; Lessons I learned Fro1n the Son of a Reform Rabbi /Rabbi Leib Keleman, Dec. '02

Demographics How Many American Jews Are There? 5,300,000? 2,300,000?/Rabbi Mordechai Plaut, Nov. '02

Dialogue The Dangers of Dialogue/Rabbi Leib Kelemen, Dec. '02

Disabilities Support, Stigma or Shame/David Mandel, Oct. '02; Rav Pam's Special Friend/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Oct. '02; A Matter of Inclusion - Not Rejection (P.S.)/Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Dec. '02

Eisenberg, Rabbi Ephraim 'r:ir: A Primary Conduit of Torah/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Oct. '02

. -·~--------·--·---The Jewish Observer, January 2003

Emuna The Realities of Emuna/Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Klugman, Dec. '02

European Jewry A Trip to the Living Mekomos Hakedoshim of Eretz Yisroel/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, April '02; The Quintessence of Mussar. Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan 7"~t/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, April '02

Families Husbands, Wives and Children/adaptation of speech by Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, Oct. '02

Festivals and Fast Days Passion, Purim & Snow/Rabbi Boruch Leff, Feb. '02; Pesach and the Jewish Mandate/Rabbi Ahron Rapps, March '02; The Secret of the Truah Gedo/a/Rabbi Fyvel Shuster, Sept. '02; "All Vows"/Dr. Aaron Twerski, Sept. '02; Chanuka: The Search for True Beauty/Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus, Nov. '02

Finances Reflections on "Guidelines for Weddings" /Professor Aaron Twerski, June '02; Can We Learn From Yoseif's Wisdom?/Ozer Alport, June '02; Vouchers ... and the Fiscal Viability of our Yeshivas/ Avi Schick, Oct. '02; Vouchers: An Idea Whose Time Has Come/Dr. Aaron 'J\verski, Oct. '02; The Price of "Just Joking"/Dr. jerry Lob, Oct. '02; A Call to Arms/Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginsberg, Oct. '02; Reader's Forum/Rabbi Ozer Alport, Dec. '02

Foods Living the Law/ Ari Z. ZivototSky and Ari Greenspan, Dec. '02

Ger The Valley of Dry Bones/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, June '02

Halacha Living the Law/ Ari Z. Zivotofsky and Ari Greenspan, Dec. '02

Halberstam Rabbi Shlomo 7"llt "Yaakov Avinu Lo Meis- Our Father Jacob Did Not Die"/Rabbi Benzion Twersky, Sept. '02

Hashkafa (Torah Philosophy) Passion, Purim & Snow/Rabbi Boruch Leff, Feb. '02; Pesach and the Jewish Mandate/Rabbi Ahron Rapps, March '02; Terrorism, Sugar Cubes & Filet Mignon/Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginsberg, June '02; A Rabbi's Journal (book review)/Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, June '02; Yahrzeit/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Sept. '02; The Secret of the Tnmh

35

Gedo/a/Rabbi Fyvel Shuster, Sept. '02; Bein Adam L'Chaveiro/Rabbi Dov Berish Ganz, Sept. '02; "All Vows" /Dr. Aaron Twerski, Sept. '02; We Are Different/Rabbi Aaron Brafman, Nov. '02; Chanuka: The Search for True Beauty /Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus, Nov. '02; The Realities of Emuna/Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Klugman, Dec. '02; Bringing Our Prayers to a Higher Level/Rabbi Hesby Kleinman, Dec. '02

Hatzala (Rescue) Her Children, a review article on These Children are Mine/by Rabbi Moshe M. Eisemann, Nov. '02

Health Redefining"Kids at Risk"/Mrs. Malky Lowinger, Nov. '02

Horowitz, Rebbetzin Raiche! n"V The Bostoner Rebbetzin/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02

Infertility A Different Kind of Baby/ Ariella Davidson, Jan. '02

Interpersonal Relations Terrorism, Sugar Cubes & Filet Mignon/Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginsberg, June '02; Bein Adam L'Chaveiro/Rabbi Dov Berish Ganz, Sept. '02; Best Wishes/Mrs. Faygie Borchardt, Dec. '02

Israel: Politics The Supreme Court and the State of Israel's Jewish Identity/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, March '02

Israel: Religion Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach ?··-;.r/ Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Feb. '02; The Roots of Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach 7'".J.t/Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Feb. '02; A Little Light/Miriam Zakon, Feb. '02; Those Hated Chareidim!Rabbi Yonoson Rosenblum, March. '02; The Supreme Court and the State of Israel's Jewish Identity/Rabbi Nissan Wolpin, March '02; Food For The Soldiers/Debbie Shapiro, April '02; A Trip to the Living Mekomos Hakedoshim of Eretz Yisroel/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, April. '02

Israel: Security Living Where Everything is Ground Zero/Mrs. Sarah Shapiro, Feb. '02; Terror/Debbie Shapiro, Feb. '02; Israel Fights For Her Existence/Rabbi Yonoson Rosenblum, April '02; Derech Chaim (poem)/Bracha Druss Goetz, June '02; When Grown-Ups Are Helpless/Mrs. Sarah Shapiro, Sept. '02; A Few Thoughts on a Motza'ei Shabbos/Debbie Shapiro, Sept. '02; That I Can Survive Until You Remen1ber/Mrs. Sarah Shapiro, Oct. '02

Jewish Peoplehood We Are Different /Rabbi Aaron Brafman, Nov. '02

Jews From Former USSR Let My People

36

Know!/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, Nov. '02; Reaching Out to the Girls (Sidebar )/Rabbi Leib Keleman, Nov. '02

Jews in Europe The Valley of Dry Bones/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, June '02

Jews in Israel Foundation of the World/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, May '02; Our Generation's Tzaddik of Jerusalem/Moshe Schapiro, May '02

Jews in USA ''.A Time to Build"/Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, May '02; "You're the Beracha" /Mr. Kenneth Broodo, May '02; Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz 7"Y.t(books)/Rabbi Aaron Brafman, May '02; Reader's Forum, Sept '02; Let Us Build Torah with Torah/Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, Sept. '02; The Bostoner Rebbetzin!Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02; Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg 7"Y.t: A Primary Conduit of Torah/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Oct. '02; How Many American Jews Are There? 5,300,000? 2,300,000?/Rabbi Mordechai Plaut, Nov. '02; Let My People Know!/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, Nov. '02

Kaplan, Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu ':r'Y.t The Quintessence of Mussar/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, April '02

Kashrus Living the Law/ Ari Z. Zivotofsky and Ari Greenspan, Dec. '02

Kiruv A Little Light/Miriam Zakon, Feb. '02; "A Time to Build" /Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, May '02; "You're the Beracha" /Mr. Kenneth Broodo, May '02; And the Rains Came/Mr. Alan Haber, May '02; Kol Yisroel Areivim: The Kiruv Imperative/Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz, May '02; ls It Time to Celebrate?/Robert J. Kurtz, May '02; A Talmid Remembers/Rabbi Zev Kahn, Sept. '02; Reader's Forum, Sept. '02; Let Us Build Torah With Torah/Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, Sept. '02; The Bostoner Rebbetzin il").)/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02; Letters-to-the-Editor, Oct. '02; Let My People Know!/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, Nov. '02

Kreiswirth, Rabbi Chaim Noted In Sorrow/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Jan. '02

Levin, Rabbi Refoel ?''lit Foundation of the World/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, May '02; Our Generation's Tzaddik of Jerusalem/Moshe Schapiro, May. '02

Marriage The Path to Happily Ever After/Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, Jan. '02; Shalom Bayis: A View From Your Child's Eyes/Rabbi Shmuel Gluck, Jan. '02; Disagreement & Harmonious

Growth/Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Jan. '02; A Fusion of Gifts/Chana Levin, Jan. '02; Heading a Large Family/Faiga Koenig, Jan. '02; Rachmanus, Rejection & Reality/Mrs. Seryl Sander, Jan. '02; A Different Kind of Baby/ Ariella Davidson, Jan. '02; Chassan and Kalla During Their Engagement (book review)/Rabbi Mordechai Biser, Feb. '02; Reader's Forum, June '02; The Ruchnius Approach to Finding One's Zivug/Zelda Cutler, June. '02

Media Those Hated Chareidim/Rabbi Yonoson Rosenblu1n, March. '02

Mitzvos The Gift of Speech (book review)/Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, May '02; Be a Better Baal Tefilla/Rabbi Pinchos Jung, Nov. '02; Living the Law/ Ari Z. Zivotofsky and Ari Greenspan, Dec. '02; Bringing Our Prayers to a Higher Level/Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, Dec. '02

Mussar The Quintessence of Mussar. Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan ?''Y.t/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, April '02; Defining Humanity, a review/Rabbi Gershon Brafman, Nov. '02

Narrative Living \Nhere Everything is Ground Zero/Sara Shapiro, Feb. '02; "You're the Beracha!Mr. Kenneth Broodo, May '02; And the Rains Came/Mr. Alan Haber, May '02; Foundation of the World/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, May '02; A Few Thoughts on a Matza' ei Shabbos/Debbie Shapiro, Sept. '02; That I Can Survive Until You Remember/Mrs. Sarah Shapiro, Oct. '02

Orthodoxy Bigotry for Polite Company/Rabbi Avi Shafran, Jan. '02

Pam Rabbi Avraham ':r'Y.t Rav Pam's Special Friend/Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Oct. '02

Parents Honoring One's Parents/Rabbi Yoe! Chonon Wenger, March '02

Personalities Noted In Sorrow (Rabi Chaim Kreiswirth ?"lit) /Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Jan. '02; Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach ?"lit/ Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Feb. '02; The Roots of Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach ?"lit/Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Feb. '02; A Ponevezher Talmid Remembers Rav Shach ?''Y.t/Rabbi Raphoel Wolpin, Feb. '02; The Quintessence of Mussar. Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan 7'".J.t/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, April '02; Foundation of the World (Rabbi Refoel Levin ?''Y.t)/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, May '02; Our Generation's Tzaddik of Jerusalem (Rabbi Refoel Levine


';r~ )/Moshe Schapiro, May '02; Rabbi Nachman Bulman 7"~- Biographical Notes/Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Sept. '02; Rabbi Nachman Bulman '7'0ll - an appreciation/Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Sept. '02; Unfinished Symphony (Rabbi Rephoel Levine ?"~!)/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02; Rabbi Bulman 7"~ - A Vestige of Earlier Times/Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer, Sept. '02; A Ta/mid Remembers (Rabbi Nachman Bulman ?''Yl)/Rabbi Zev Kahn, Sept. '02; "Yaakov Avinu Lo Meis - Our Father Jacob Did Not Die" (Bobover Rav ?"~)/Rabbi Benzion Twersky, Sept. '02; The Bostoner Rebbetzin/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Sept. '02; Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg?"~!: A Primary Conduit of Torah/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Oct. '02

Poetry Almost Trashed/Bracha Druss Goetz, Feb. '02; Blessings/Mina Friedler, Feb. '02; The Damage is Done/Mirian1 Kramer, June '02; Derech Chaim/Bracha Druss Goetz, June '02; Way Beyond Us/Bracha Druss Goetz, Sept. '02; Stringing Pearls/Bracha Druss Goetz, Nov. '02

Reflections Best Wishes/Mrs. Faygie Borchardt, Dec. '02

September II th Yahrzeit/Rabbi Nissen Wolpin, Sept. '02

Shach, Rabbi Elazar Menachem ?·~ Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach ?"YT/ Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Feb. '02; The Roots of Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach 7'Yl/Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Feb. '02; A Ponevezher Ta/mid Remembers Rav Shach ?"~!/Rabbi Raphael Wolpin, Feb. '02; Correction on Biographical Tribute to Rav Shach ?"~/Letters, March '02

Shalom Bayis Shalom Bayis: A View From Your Child's Eyes/Rabbi Shmuel Gluck, Jan. '02; Disagreement & Harmonious Growth/Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, /an. '02

Social Comment The Path to Happily Ever After/Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, /an. '02; Shalom Bayis: A View From Your Child's Eyes/Rabbi Shmuel Gluck, /an. '02; Disagreement & Harmonious Growth/Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, /an. '02; A Fusion of Gifts/Chana Levin, /an. '02; Heading a Large Family/Mrs. Faiga Koenig, Jan. '02; Rachmanus, Rejection & Reality/Mrs. Seryl Sander, /an. '02; A Different Kind of Baby/ Ariella Davidson, /an. '02; Bigotry for Polite Company/Rabbi Avi Shaftan, /an. '02; Those Hated Chareidim/Rabbi Yonoson


Rosenblun1, March. '02; Reflections on "Guidelines for Weddings"IProfessor Aaron Twerski, June '02; Reader's Forum, June '02; The Ruchnius Approach to Finding One's Zivug!Zelda Cutler, June '02; Rethinking "Kosher" Videos and Computer Games/Rabbi Leib Kelemen, Sept. '02; Husbands, Wives, and Children/Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Sheinberg, Oct. '02; Support, Stigma or Shame/David Mandel, Oct. '02; How Many American Jews Are There? 5,300,000? 2,300,000? /Rabbi Mordechai Plaut, Nov. '02

Speech ''All Vows"/Dr. Aaron Twerski, Sept. '02; In Search of the Ehrliche Yid (books)/Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, Sept. '02; The Price of"Just /oking"/Dr. Jerry Lob, Oct. '02

Suffering No Different Than You: Shevi's Story (books)/Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, March '02

Technology Rethinking "Kosher" Videos and Computer Games/Rabbi Leib Kelemen, Sept. '02

Tefilla (Prayer) Tefilla and Teshuva in Response to Today's Troubled Times/Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, April '02; Be a Better Baal Tefi/la/Rabbi Pinchos Jung, Nov. '02; Bringing Our Prayers to a Higher Level/Rabbi Hesby Kleinman, Dec. '02

Teshuva Tefilla and Teshuva in Response to Today's Troubled Times/Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, April '02; The Secret of the Truah Gedo/a/Rabbi Fyvel Shuster, Sept. '02

Vouchers Vouchers ... and the Fiscal Viability of our Yeshivas/ Avi Schick, Oct. '02; Vouchers: An Idea Whose Time Has Come/Dr. Aaron Twerski, Oct. '02

Weddings Reflections on "Guidelines for Weddings" /Professor Aaron Twerski, June '02

World War II Her Children, a review article of These Children are Mine/by Rabbi Moshe M. Eisemann, Nov. '02

Yeshivas Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach ?"~/Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Feb. '02; The Roots of Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach ?"~/Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Feb. '02; A Ponevezher Ta/mid Remembers Rav Shach ?"~/Rabbi Raphael Wolpin, Feb. '02; "A Time to Build"/Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, May '02; Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz ?"~ (books)/Rabbi Aaron Brafman, May '02; Vouchers ... and the Fiscal Viability of our leshivos/Avi Schick, Oct. '02; Vouchers: An Idea VVhose Time

Has Come/Dr. Aaron Twerski, Oct. '02; Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg?"~: A Primary Conduit of Torah/Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Oct. '02; Let My People Know!/Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum, Nov. '02; Reaching Out to the Girls (sidebar )/Rabbi Leib Keleman, Nov. '02; Thoughts From a Shelter/Yisroel M. Muller, Nov. '02

Youth Thoughts From a Shelter/Yisroel M. Muller, Nov. '02

AUTHORS

Alport, Ozer Can We Learn from Yoseif's Wisdom?, June '02; Reader's Forum, Dec. '02

Bechhofer, Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg '7'0ll, A Primary Conduit of Torah, Oct. '02; The Quintessence of Mussar. Rabbi Avroho1n Eliyahu Kaplan 7"~, April '02

Becker, Rabbi Labish Review of Meaningful Living, by Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss, June '02

Birnbaum, Rabbi Avrohom New Problems: Time-Tested Solutions, March '02; A Trip to the Living Mekomos Hakedoshim of Eretz Yisroe4 April '02; The Valley of Dry Bones, June '02; Let My People Know!, Nov. '02

Biser, Rabbi Mordechai Review of Chassan and Kalla During Their Engagement, by Rabbi Pesach Eliyahu Falk, Feb. '02

Borchardt, Mrs. Faygie Best Wishes, Dec. '02

Brafman, Rabbi Aaron review of Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz?"~, by Jonathan Rosenblum, May '02; We Are Different, Nov. '02

Brafman, Rabbi Gershon, review of Defining Humanity, by Rabbi Berish Ganz, Nov. '02

Broodo, Kenneth Report From Dallas:"You're the Beracha," May '02

Cutler, Zelda The Ruchnius Approach to Finding One's Zivug, June '02

Davidson, Ariella A Different Kind of Baby, /an. '02

Eisemann, Rabbi Moshe A Summons to Greatness - review article on The Gift of Speech, by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, May '02; In Search of The Ehrliche Yid, a review essay of Chafetz Chaim: lessons in Truth, by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Sept. '02; review of These Children Are Mine, by Rabbi Dov D. Lederman, Nov. '02

37

Finkelman, Rabbi Shimon review of Nesivos Shalom - Nesivei Chinuch: Essential Perspectives on Education, Feb. '02; Rav Pam's Special Friend, Oct. '02; review of The Pleasant Way, by Rabbi Sholom Smith, Dec. '02

Friedman, Rabbi Yisroel The Roots of the Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, ?"lit, (translated and adapted by Yonoson Rosenblum) Feb. '02

Furst, Rabbi Shlomo Husbands, Wives and Children, (adapted from a lecture by Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg) Oct. '02; review of Raising Roses A111ong Thorns, by Rabbi Noach Orlowek, Oct. '02

Ganz, Rabbi Dov Berish Bein Adam L'Chaveiro .. . At all Times, Sept. '02

Ginzberg, Rabbi Aryeh Z. Terrorism, Sugar Cubes & File! Mignon, June '02; A Call to Arms, Oct. '02

Gluck, Rabbi Shmuel Shalom Bayis. A View From Your Child's Eyes, Jan. '02

Goetz, Mrs. Bracha Almost Trashed, Feb. '02; Derech Chaim, Jw1e '02; Way Beyond Us, Sept. '02; Stringing Pearls, Nov. '02 (all poems)

Goldberg, Rabbi Hillel A review article on No Different Than You: Shevi's Story, by Yehudis Bogatz, March '02; Foundation of the World (Rabbi Refoel Levin ?":<r ), May '02; The Bostoner Reh· betzin, Sept. '02; Unfinished Sym· phony (Rabbi Nachman Bulman ?"lit), Sept. '02

Golding, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Review of 771e Torah Lifestyle: Finding Meaning and Purpose in a World Transfonned, by Rabbi B. Shafier, Dec. '02

Greenspan, Ari Living the Lav..r, Dec. '02 Haber, Alan And the Rains Came, May '02 Heller, Rebbetzin Tzipporah review of A

Rabbi's Journal, by Yitzchak Reuven Rubin, June '02

Jung, Rabbi Pincbos Be a Better Baal T efilla, Nov. '02

Kahn, Rabbi Zev A 1'aln1id Re1nembers (Rabbi Nachman Bulman ?"lll), Sept. '02

Kamenetzky, Rabbi Mordechai Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach ?"lll, Feb. '02

Kelemen, Rabbi Leib, Rethinking "Kosher" Videos and Computer Gaines, Sept. '02; The Dangers of Dialogue, Dec. '02

Keller, Rabbi Chaim Dov, "A Time to Build;' May '02; Let Us Build Torah With Torah, Sept. '02

Kleinman, Rabbi Heshy Tefi/la and Teshu· va in Response to Today's Troubled

38

Times, April '02; Bringing Our Prayers to a Higher Level, Dec. '02

Klugman, Rabbi Elya Meir The Realities of Emuna, Dec. '02

Koenig, Mrs. Faiga Heading a Large Family, Jan. '02

Kramer, Mrs. Miriam The Da1nage is Done (poem), June '02

Kurtz, Robert J. Is It Time to Celebrate?, May '02

Leff, Rabbi Boruch Passion, Purim & Sno\N, Feb. '02

Leff, Rabbi Zev review of With Hearts Full of Paith: Insights into Trust and Emuna, by Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon, June '02

Levin, Mrs. Chana A Fusion of Gifts, Jan. '02

Lob, Dr. Jerry The Price of "Just Joking;' Oct. '02

Lowinger, Mrs. Malky Redefining "Kids at Risk," Nov. '02

Mandel, David Support, Stigma or Shame, Oct: 02

Muller, Yisroel M. Thoughts From a Shelter, Nov. '02

Oppenheimer, Rabbi Leonard Rabbi Buln1an ?~:::lT: A Vestige of Earlier Times, Sept. '02

Orlowek, Rabbi Noach review of To Kindle a Soul, by Rabbi Leib Kelemen, April '02

Pinkus, Rabbi Shimshon Chanuka: The Search for 'frue Beauty, Nov. '02

Plaut, Rabbi Mordechai How Many An1erican Je\VS Are There? 5,300,000? 2,300,000? Nov. '02

Pollak, Yisroel Yehuda revie\v of Wellsprings of Faith: Perspectives on the Sources of Emuna, by Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, June '02

Rabbi Shlomo Furst A Better Jew, a Bet· ter Parent, Oct. '02

Rapps, Rabbi Ahron Pesa ch and the Jew· ish Mandate, March '02

Reisman, Rabbi Yisroel Shalom Bayis Reexa1nined:Disagree1nent & Harmonious Growth, Jan. '02

Rosenblum, Rabbi Yonoson The Roots of Greatness of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, bv Rabbi Yisroel Friedman (translati~n and adaptation), Feb. '02; Those Hated Charcidim, March '02; Israel Fights For Her Existence, April '02

Sander, Mrs. Seryl Rach1nanus, Rejection & Reality, Jan. '02

Schapiro, Moshe Our Generation's Tzaddik of Jerusalem: Rabbi Refoel Binyomin Levine ?··:.r, May '02

Scheinberg, Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Husbands, Wives, and Children, Oct. '02

Schick, Avi Vouchers ... and the Fiscal Viability of our Yeshivas, Oct. '02

Scholar, Rabbi Simcha A Matter oflnclusion - Not Rejection (PS), Dec. '02

Schwartz, Rabbi Yitzchak The Kiruv Imperative, May '02

Shafran, RabbiAvi Bigotry for Polite Com· pany, Jan. '02

Shapiro, Mrs. Debbie Terror, Feb. '02; Food for The Soldiers, April '02; A Few Thoughts on a Matza' ei Shabbos, Sept. '02

Shapiro, Mrs. Sarah Living Where Everything is Ground Zero, Feb. '02; When Grown-Ups Are Helpless, Sept. '02; That I Can Survive Until You Remember, Oct. '02

Shuster, Rabbi Fyvel The Secret of the Truah Gedo/a, Sept. '02

Twerski, Dr. Aaron Reflections on "Guidelines for Weddings;' June '02; ''All Vo\\1s," Sept. '02; Vouchers: An Idea \Nhose Time Has Corne, Oct. '02

Twerski Rabbi Benzi on" Yaakov Avinu Lo Meis- Our Father Jacob Did Not Die," Sept. '02

Wachsman, Rabbi Ephraim The Path to Happily Ever After, Jan. '02; Reader's Forum on "Path to Happily Ever After," June '02

Weinbach, Rabbi Mendel Rabbi Nachman Buhnan 7"Yt - An Appreciation, Sept. '02

VVenger, Rabbi Yoel Chonon llonoring One's Parents, March '02

Wolpin, Rabbi Nisson A Liberal Spin on a Conservative Purim (S.L.), March '02; Con1ing Home ... To Eitz Chai!n? (S.L.),Apr. '02; The Supreme Court and the State oflsrael's Jewish Identity, March '02; Yahrzeit September 11 I 23 Elul, Sept. '02; Rabbi Nachman Bulman ?''lll, Biographical Notes, Sept. '02; The Dangers of Dialogue, Dec. '02

Wolpin, Rabbi Raphoel A Ponevezher Ta/mid Remembers Rav Shach ?":<r, Feb. '02

Zakon, Miriam A Little Light, Feb. '02 Zivotovsky, Ari Z. Living the Law, Dec. '02

SL Second Looks

PS Postscript

For reprints or back-issues, write to

The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadv1.ray)

NYC 10004, or call 212·797·9000


It costs nothing to ensure your child has the best of everything.

ALL PROGRAMS ARE PERFORMED AT CLIENT'S HOME, FREE OF CHARGE ANO INCLUDE:

II CORE & SUPPLEMENTAL EVALUATIONS

l!ill SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY

!1111 PHYSICAL & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

ll FAMILY ANO/OR NUTRITIONAL TRAINING & COUNSELING

II SOCIAL WORK

II SPECIAL INSTRUCTION

II NURSING

Sii Bl-LINGUAL THERAPISTS (YIDDISH,

RUSSIAN, HEBREW AND OTHER LANGUAGES)

!Jill THE PEACE OF MIND THAT COMES FROM WORKING

WITH SHOMER SHABBOS, WARM AND CARING THERAPISTS

AND PROFESSIONALS

At Amerikids, our early intervention programs are more than

just among the best available in the state, they're also free.

That means you get the level of professionalism - and

performance that only one of the state's top healthcare

providers can deliver, and you get it with no out of pocket

cost to you.

Think about it, a program custom tailored to the unique

needs of your child and implemented with an eye towards

your child's future - all delivered in the comfort of your own

home ..• and all for free. And because we're part of the

Americare Family of Companies - a company with over two

decades of experience as a leader in healthcare services, you

know your child is getting the absolute best care possible.

If your child is between newborn and age three, and

needs help with talking, walking, feeding, paying attention

or getting along with others, you may be eligible for our free

Early Intervention Program.

Call us today to give your child the best of everything •..

today and tomorrow.

EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM

718-434-3600 ext.3510

NYC Regional Office: 1100 Coney Island Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11230 Corp. Office: 718-256-6000 Westchester Office: 914-696-3200 www.americareny.com. The ear!y intervention program is funded and regulated by the NY State Dept. of Health, and in NYC by the NYC Dept. of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholism Services.

THE TORAH TREASURY an antholoqy o~ ms14hts, comm€ntaRy anb

an€cbot€S on th€ W€€kly toRah R€abmq by Rabbi Moshe Lieber, Edited under the direction of Rabbi Nosson Scherman

Rabbi Moshe Lieber does for the Chumash what he has done so successfully for the Haggadah and Pirkei Avos. This is a work that will be an instant classic, that will grace your Shabbos table and reading desk -

and that will attract every member of your family. The hundreds of anecdotes alone make for lively reading, not to mention countless illuminating, readable

and thought-provoking comments. SW' x 11" Coffee-table size edition

SEARCHING FOR COMFORT Coping With Grief - Insights, Inspirational Stories anti letters of Consolation

t by Rabbi Meir Munk he loss of a loved one can be devastating. In this sensitively written volume, letters to a young man offer solace, strength and rare insight. The correspondence format allows Rabbi Meir Munk to offer the comfort provided by

classic sources in a conversational style that is easy to read and absorb. In addition, separate sections offer insights and stories on such topics as Consolation, Kaddish, Divine Justice

and the World to Come. Searching for Comfort is balm for those in need and an invaluable aid to rabbis and others who deal with them.

LIVING BEYOND TIME The Mystery and Meaning of the Jewish Festivals

by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper

Deepen your understanding of every special day on the Jewish calendar with this book of exqui~ite, ~riginal essays! A devoted ta/mid of Rav Yitzchok Hutner, '"~t. the author based several chapters of this stimulating

book on selections from Pachad Yitzchok. The result is a work that combines the brilliance of Jewish thought, the majesty of the Jewish holidays and eternal

aspirations of the Jewish People. It is a volume you will return to for inspiration again and again, year round.

NISHMAT AVRAHAM volume U: Yoreh Deah Medical Halachah for doctors, nurses, health-care personnel and ·~r;u'E

by Dr. Abraham S. Abraham ~ Dr. Abraham S. Abraham is a world~renowned physician who has lectured at medical conferences in many coun~

tries. He is also a leading expert on the halachic ramifications of modern med1c1ne. He was close to the great gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt''/, and is an intimate of Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth, author of Shemiras Shabbos KeHilchasah, among other works.

Among the many topics covered; • END OF LIFE ISSUES • CHAYEI SHA'AH AND CHAYEI OLAM • LAWS CONCERNING TATIOOING • SHOULD THE FATHER DO THE BRIS •THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILD • LAWS OF GERIM

Contains new and updated information not found in the original Hebrew sefer. Almost every family is forced at some point to make decisions that require the knowledge and judgment contained in this book. Based

on the Shulchan Aruch, this work is a necessity for every rabbi, physician, and library. Also available, volume I: Orach Chaim

C 0 MI G NOBLE LIVES NOBLE DEEDS II by Rabbi Dovid Silber

THE QUEST A new novel by Libby Lazewnik

S 0 0 N:

LOVING KINDNESS - Daily lessons in the power of giving. Based on the Chafetz Chaim's Ahavas Chessed.

~ Available at your local Hebrew bookstore or call: 1-800-MESORAH • In NYS: (718) 921-9000 • FAX: (718) 680-187 5 • www.artscroll.com

i€¦ · july and august by the agudath israel of america, 42 broadway, new york, ny10004....

Documents