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21 Kislev, 5782 - November 25, 2021 | Mordecai Plaut, director | Vayishlach - 5782 Published Weekly
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The Knesset Meron Committee Issued Recommendations for Next Lag B'Omer

Half a year after the most devastating civil tragedy in Israel at Meron where 45 people met their death, a tragedy which shakes and touches every community in the country and in the Diaspora, the national investigating committee of the causes of the tragedy publicized this Monday a report and recommendation which was conveyed to the Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, outlining its proposals for the future Lag B'Omer event of 5782.

It was suggested, among other things, that only one central kindling take place...

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Thoughts on Chanukah from the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Edelsteing shlita

At the conclusion of the shiur clali in the yeshiva, the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Gershon Edelstein shlita added words of reinforcement and arousal regarding our obligation at this time preceding Chanukah:

"What is Chanukah? There were decrees to 'make them forget Your Torah.' Then there was the miracle of the victory against the Greeks so that they could again study Torah. Namely, that on Chanukah, Heaven directed assistance, chessed, so that they could [again] devote themselves to Torah.

"It is known that this selfsame heavenly influence repeats itself each year at the same time. ...

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The Program of the Agudah Convention — Thursday-Sunday; November 25-28

Thursday night's keynote session will/did begin at 7:30 PM EST, the speakers will include Rabbi Shmuel Yehuda Levin, Rosh HaYeshiva, Telshe Yeshiva Chicago, Rabbi Yehoshua Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe, and Rabbi Sholom Kamenetsky, Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Gedolah of Philadelphia. The session will be chaired by Nechemia Hoch, a member of the Agudah's executive board.

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The Islamic "Heritage" of a Terrorist

The terrorist who murdered Eli Dovid Kay Hy"d was not an excited youth. Neither was he a bored unemployed person in tough economic circumstances, looking for a way to discharge his frustration about a system that ignored him. The lowlife murdered did not fit any of the descriptions that the Left usually uses to describe their image of a terrorist who is "understandable."

He did not set out to murder in response to cutting down Palestinian olive trees, as is the favorite excuse given by the current Defense Minister.

Mahdi Abu Shiham was a teacher and religious minister, married and a father of four.

 

 

 



R' Boruch Ber: A Sketch of Maran, our Master and Teacher zt'l

This was originally published in our print edition in 1994, 28 years ago.

Note that after the "Sketch" appear several sections that deal with the unique approach of R' Boruch Ber to several specific issues: Dealing with the Mundane, Kibbud Av, Kibbud Rav, Distancing Oneself From Reshoim in Deed and Thought, Opposition to Zionism, Bein Yisroel Lo'amim.

Part II

This "Sketch" of R' Boruch Ber appears as a preface to the second volume of Bircas Shmuel. It is not a biographical sketch since it does not deal with Reb Boruch Ber's life story. Rather it is an evaluation of his greatness, which has great relevance for us since, as Reb Reuven writes, "My father-in-law's z'l greatness did not lie in his giving up more for Torah than others did. It lay in his taking more from Torah than others took."

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From Our Archives


The Mitzvah of Chanukah Lights: Points to Ponder

by HaRav Chaim Charlap

The gemora in Shabbos (21b) states: "The essential commandment of the Chanukah lights is to light one candle each night for each man and his entire household. And those who pursue mitzvos (mehadrin) have one light each night, for each and every one in the household. And for those who most fervently pursue mitzvos (mehadrin min hamehadrin), one should add a light for each member on each succeeding night."

Why Did The Shulchan Oruch Omit The Basic Mitzvah?

However, the Shulchan Oruch (Orach Chaim 671:2) mentions only the practice of mehadrin min hamehadrin -- adding a light for each member on each succeeding night -- and makes no mention of the basic halochoh that it is sufficient to light one candle each night. Why does the Shulchan Oruch omit the basic halochoh?


"Hey, Brother!"

by Ruth Fogelman A heartwarming story of Hashgacha Pratis.

Yosef

"Hey, Brother, how ya doin?" That's how I first greeted him at the Central Bus Station. I'd never seen him before, but there was an immediate attraction to the tall, dark-haired youth, about my own age, who stood in front of me. I admired the thick curls of the neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. Was it really that much shorter than my own, or did it just look that way because of the curls? We were both taking the bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and we continued a lively conversation on the bus.

"See you around sometime," he said as we parted ways at our destination.

That first meeting was five years ago. I didn't even ask his name then, but I felt I'd known him all my life. He lived in a small town in the north of Israel; I lived at that time in a small town south of Jerusalem.

Two years after that initial meeting at the bus station, I became observant and I came to study at a small yeshiva in Jerusalem. I'd been studying for three months when Yonatan came to study there, too. Even though he had cut his long hair and grown a beard, I recognized him from our first meeting. I remembered his deep, searching black eyes and I could just about make out the shape of his lips under his full, black beard.


SomeOne is Helping You to Walk

a (true?) story by A. Lapid

Part One

Round the Latke Platter

Something very domestic hovered in the atmosphere of the tiny shared kitchenette.

Deganit was sitting by the wooden table, peeling potatoes. Sharon read the list of ingredients over and over again, including the directions for preparation written on the small notepaper which her upstairs neighbor, Rivka, had jotted down for her.

"Are you sure this is going to come out decent?" she asked doubtfully, frowning.

"What could go wrong?" answered Deganit, adding another peeled potato to the growing pile beside her. "My grandmother always made latkes for Chanuka. As a girl, I used to put a small stool next to her and would stand and watch her making them."

Ofra organized all the ingredients on the marble counter. "Does this dorm apartment perhaps have a grater to grate these or will we end up having a simple supper of mashed potatoes, after all?"

Drawer after drawer was opened. The contents of the kitchen cabinets were carefully examined and finally, Sharon ended up going to Rivka to borrow a suitable grater.


Windows on the World

by Y. Freund FICTION

Part I

Rocco knew Manhattan only from the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. He wasn't American-born and didn't really know his way around the large city, even though he had worked there for many years. He knew how to go from his home in the Bronx to Windows on the World in lower Manhattan only by following the arrows on the crumpled and stained map that Rick had drawn for him.

He didn't know how to read English either, except for the letters A-F. When he reached G, Rick would say, "It looks like a C. Now, point to it. No, that's a J!"

From the 107th floor, Rocco could see thousands of sparkling neon signs as well as grasshoppers with human forms seated in tiny boxes which raced along curvy snakes.

Sometimes, Rick visited Rocco at Windows on the World, a famous restaurant, and the two would peer out of its large windows and marvel at the magnificent scene below.




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