The rising sun and brightening sky exuded a warm calm air over Volozhin. But the morning's tranquility was only a delusion, belying what was to come.

A loud whooshing sound, followed by a deafening bang, broke the stillness all at once. Chaos reigned as all the townspeople alternated between running for shelter and swarming to the source of the sound to check it out.

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Features The Vilna Gaon: A Man of Piety by Rav Dov Eliach In his three-volume work HaGaon (that was put together under the supervision of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky) Rav Dov Eliach brought together an enormous amount of material to try to give us some concept of what the Vilna Gaon was. The Gaon was outstanding in many aspects of human development. Our concepts do not do justice to what the Gaon really was. The section printed here is taken from Chapter Six, and is centered around the piety of the Gaon. When reading it, one should keep in mind that this is just one of many areas in which the Gaon lived at a such an outstanding level.

Features The Sefas Emes by HaRav Refoel Berlson Yahrtzeit: 5 Shvat, 5765 Kotsk 5616 (1856). The thief made his way toward the rebbe's house. Here perhaps he would find something worth stealing. He was unafraid to break into the home of the Seraph of Kotsk, zechuso yogen oleinu, whose whisper was the hiss of a snake. The thief spotted a silver goblet, stashed it in his sack and left. When the burglary was discovered one of the shamashim said, "Why should it come as a surprise if a theft takes place? Here everything is hefker!"

Doing Something by M. Zonnefeld FICTION When rumors started that Shmuel Dovid, the son of Necha the cook, was about to leave home, all were surprised. "Impossible," many said with raised eyebrows. "He's such a ben yochidel (`only child' with all that implies)."