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24 Sivan, 5782 - June 23, 2022 | Mordecai Plaut, director | Vayishlach - 5782 Published Weekly
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The Vaad Mishmeres HaShabbos visits the Rosh Hayeshiva shlita

An impressive gathering designed to bolster and clarify the laws of Shabbos in our times took place in the home of the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Gershon Edelstein during which various poskim and rabbonim and heads of Mishmeres HaShabbos came and to deal with strengthening the fortifications of Shabbos.

The gathering was attended by HaRav Shimon Galai, HaRav Sariel Rosenberg, HaRav Yisroel Weisel, HaRav Shmuel Dovid Reisner and HaRav Elimelech Kornfeld.

The keynote address was delivered by Maran...

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Wages of a Shochet

The Yisrael Beiteinu party made a sensational claim: They said that the average salary of a skilled surgeon is about NIS 34,000 ($10,500) while the average salary of a shochet is NIS 100,000 ($30,000).

We went out to investigate. How much does a shochet actually earn?

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No One Even Thinks...

In a letter to the "Silent Zionist Majority," outgoing prime minister Bennett prides himself on the government's accomplishments through his leadership on all fronts. More than one article would be needed in order to rebut all his dubious points, and energetic columnists have done so, point by point. These cannot be said to be Netanyahu fans, which is not necessary in order to know that the improvement in the Israeli economy is actually a direct result of the Netanyahu government's policies during Corona pandemic which saved the country from an economic crisis. I am not the one stating this, but, rather, the analyses of economic pundits in newspapers who are far removed from sympathy with Netanyahu.

We will focus on one paragraph, the security related one...

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Dr. Nosson Birnbaum: The First Prominent Modern Baal Teshuvah

I>This year marks the eighty-fifth yahrtzeit of Dr. Nosson Birnbaum. One of the secular founders of the Zionist movement, but later a lay leader of the early Agudas Yisroel, Dr. Birnbaum also was one of the first to return from secularism to religion. His story and his thought are of gripping interest and even importance to us today.

This is the second part of a series on Dr. Birnbaum, including his biography, a selection from his writing and the writing of others about him.

This series was first published in 1992, thirty years ago.

Part III

We have learned of Nathan Birnbaum, a leading secular Jewish intellectual in Europe of the late nineteenth century, and one of the popularizers of the secular Zionist ideal.

VI. With Greater Genius, With Greater Enthusiasm

We cannot deal at length with how chareidi Jewry itself received Nosson Birnbaum's teshuva. The fact that the "Acher" of yesterday was now a sincere and fervent ma'amin, doing mitzvos, and even developing shits of his own (for example, his ideas about "da'as, rachamim vetiferes, for hiskadshus in avodas Hashem and for elevation in yiras shomayim), was hard to accept and there were many who did not believe him.

This hurt Birnbaum terribly. ...

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Outstanding Articles From Our Archives


In `Camp' Together With Maran R' Yaakov Kamenetsky ztvk'l

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

These days, the slopes of the Catskill mountains are dotted with typical vacationing spots populated by the chareidi public. With hardly a pause America, and especially New York City, relocates itself from the "foothills" of skyscrapers to the pleasant shade of oaks and pines and fresh mountain air. One such place is Camp Ohr Shraga, the summer learning camp associated with Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. A unique atmosphere of harmony creates the perek shira of the Catskill Mountains in the land of creature comforts and materialism.

The magnificent mountain vista preserves the isolation of each recreational summer camp respectively, creating for each the sensation of escaping from everything and dissociation from the world and its driving busy-ness. This is the underlying but pronounced reality of a yeshiva camp. The purified, rarefied atmosphere wafts upon the very breath of those who veritably sacrifice themselves over the controversies of Abaye and Rovo. And this Torah study is accorded here a green canopy of marvelous dimension, ensconced among primeval mountains which surround and encircle protectively.

This is the backdrop of Camp Ohr Shraga which occupies a prestigious position as a camp for Torah study in an atmosphere of relaxation and recreation. Many dozens of yeshiva students gratefully dedicate themselves to undivided Torah study. Centrally located in this camp is the beis midrash which includes a hall for prayer and study, and a spacious veranda open to the invigorating mountain air where the yeshivishe daily study sessions are held. The yeshiva students find themselves studying in the proximity of such venerable figures as HaRav Zelig Epstein, one of the elder roshei yeshiva in America. The camp atmosphere creates a special closeness, an uplifting sensation that cannot be matched. Vacation according to the American formula, spreads itself over eight to ten weeks (late June through August), the duration of which is considered a learning zman in its own right.

In the pastoral pathways and under the soothing shade of giant oaks, gurgles a stream with small fish flitting to and fro. The silence is broken by the flowing water tripping over rocks and the chattering of squirrels, all of which is overpowered by the vibrant sound of Torah discussion. Pairs of yeshiva students treading the smooth pebbles explore the intricacies of various sugyos of study.

HaRav Meir Hershkowitz was one of the camp residents from childhood on. Among his impressive memories of camp life, most outstanding is the period in which HaRav Yaakov Kamenetsky ztvk'l graced it with his presence.


Hashem's Torah is Perfect and Complete: The Vilna Gaon's Monumental Torah Edifice

by Rabbi Dov Eliach

This the last of three articles based closely on Chapter 21 of the work, HaGaon by Rabbi Eliach. The second part was in the issue of parshas Bamidbor, and the first was in the Pesach edition (5764).

Part Three: Blueprint of Creation

Further Wonders of the Written Torah

Thus far we have shown, based on the Gaon's writings and teachings, how the entire body of the Oral Torah, from the Mishnah and the Talmudim to the works of the latest poskim, as well as the Kabboloh in its entirety from Safra Detsni'usa (SD) and the Zohar to the teachings of the Arizal and Eitz Chaim -- are all contained within the Written Torah.

The Gaon also made other startling revelations about the Written Torah. For example, he maintained that every one of the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos is alluded to by one of the six hundred and thirteen words in the song of Ha'azinu (Aderes Eliyahu, Devorim 32:45, see box).




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