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Learning on Friday Night and Shabbos
Last Erev Shabbos, a letter of chizuk was printed on the first page of Yated Ne'eman written by HaRav Dov Lando, as follows:
"As we find ourselves now at the beginning of the winter months, we each have the merit and obligation to utilize the long Shabbos and Motzei Shabbos evenings for Torah study, each according to whatever he prefers and wherever he desires, be it in one's home or in the beis medrash. It is important that all communities provide shiurim during these times. Similarly, yeshiva students should also exploit these hours for study in their yeshivos."
His letter goes on:
"Certainly, at this time when Klal Yisroel here needs merits so desperately to protect us from enemies who rise against us from all sides, the most effective action is Torah study, for its merit and the merit of supplementary study shall spare us from persecution and harm, both from within and from the outside. Only goodness shall protect Jewry and impose peace and security from every side."
The letter already evoked much positive reaction in all study halls this past Shabbos...
When we see so much hatred of Jews in the campuses throughout the world, many cannot help but be bewildered. How can it be that in the enclaves of enlightenment and academic rectitude there are dynamics of benightedness, racism and supporters of murder and crime, which ostensibly should be distanced from such human society?
Wherefore do distinguished professors in England and Moslem imams vociferously call for the destruction of Western culture? Wherefore do eminent campus deans of liberal academies equally support crime against humanity together with Moslems?
This is a stark reminder that there is no connection between education, culture and ethical distortion. The world saw this clearly in 'progressive' Germany, which was the epicenter of Western culture in the first part of the 20th century, yet from which emanated the arch murderers in history, many of whom boasted distinguished academic degrees.
But why go so far when here, in this tiny province, in our local academies, there exist such wild weeds?
Part I
This article was published in the print edition in 1993.
The great gaon, R' Rafael Boruch Toledano would sign his letters with the words: "eved Hashem." This simple description defined his worldly mission and marked his every deed. The members of his community also viewed him in this light, for he devoted himself to their spiritual and physical needs so selflessly.
He resided in Eretz Yisroel for only six years, yet in that brief time her inhabitants learned to recognize and appreciate his great worth.
He did not wait for people to come to hear his rebukes. He would go out to them, to their cities, villages and settlement. He utilized every opportunity to arouse the people, and at assemblies and election rallies, he would spread Torah. His sweet and heartfelt words penetrated the hearts of his listeners and drew them closer to Torah.
At his funeral, R' Adas of Bnei Brak said: "It is written, `For six years you shall sow your fields, for six years you shall prune your vineyards, and on the seventh, the land shall lay fallow.' We are your vineyards, your fields. The numerous bereavement announcements placed on bulletin boards throughout the city testify that you were beloved and revered by Jews from all communities. The weeping and wailing heard at your funeral prove how great is our loss."
Ish Haeshkolos
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Opinion & Comment
Like its predecessors, it contains hundreds of fascinating facts and vignettes about Gedolei Yisroel, and at the end, a comprehensive index of all the six volumes of the series, which has been received most enthusiastically by the Torah- true public.
Noted educators testify to the great benefit which this series has brought, primarily because of its unique makeup of mussar messages presented in a most readable style, well adapted to this particular generation.
We present here more selected stories and facts from the sixth and final volume of Oleinu Leshabeiach.
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Maran HaGaon R' Leib Chasman Pointed to One Sefer
How moving it is to read the following story we heard from HaRav Yosef Buxbaum, which vividly illustrates that even gedolei Yisroel who emulate the ways of Hashem - all their ways are righteous. Even when beset by terrible times, at the apex of suffering and hardship, they stood steadfast in their ways, not budging from halachic strictures, refusing to benefit from property that was not theirs.
Opinion & Comment
Part 2
In our previous article we discussed the significance of the order in which the letters of the Aleph Beis appear. When they appear in an ascending order then they represent a natural progression and the attribute of chesed, kindness. When they appear in the reverse, descending order then they represent the attribute of din, strict judgment.
There is another type of Aleph Beis structure which combines both the ascending and descending orders together, and is commonly known as the At Bash alphabetic structure. Here the final letter Tov is transformed to the initial letter Aleph. The penultimate letter Shin, is transformed to the second letter Beis, and so on. The first two examples of Aleph and Beis combine to produce the acronym At Bash.
In mathematical terms this alphabet could be classified as a transformation of the letters. In this structure the first half follows an ascending order, and the second half a descending one.
This At Bash alphabetic structure is referred to as the Alphabet of Repentance for the following reason: The Rambam in Hilchos Dei'os advises a person who wants to improve a bad character trait from which he suffers, to follow the following method. As an example, assume that the person wants to control his bad temper. The Rambam advises him to go to the other extreme and never to become angry, even if circumstances arise that would normally justify a degree of anger.
After he manages to control himself to this extreme degree, he can then slowly make his way towards the golden middle, and learn to control his anger and only use it when justified. This pattern can be followed to help improve any bad character trait. This is represented in the At Bash structure since it moves from the extreme ends towards the center.
NEWS
HaRav Shmuel Wagner, with no media background or political experience whatsoever, is convinced that he knows at least one of the reasons behind Donald Trump's stunning victory in the recent US presidential elections: the good deeds of his father, Fred Trump.
In a special interview which he gave to Yated Hashavua the weekly news magazine of Yated Ne'eman in Israel (no relation to the paper of the same name published in America), HaRav Shmuel Wagner, Mashgiach of Ohr Yerushalayim in Beis Meir for American students, unfolded an amazing story about Donald Trump's father, Frederick-Fred, who donated a shul to his father HaRav Yisroel Wagner, continued to support it over many years and also helped poor Jewish families in his father's community.
Pictures have appeared in the media showing Fred Trump in a shul in Flatbush. Few details were given, but they are revealed here.
HaRav Wagner: "In order to receive some background to Fred Trump's noble donation and the unusual bond which was forged between him and my late father, let me go back several years: My father was born in Galicia. He was an outstanding genius, one of the yoshvim in Belz and amongst the chosen few close to the Belzer Rebbe, the Admor R' Aharon who showed him particular favor. The war broke out when he was eighteen. My father was already engaged to the daughter of R' Shraga Feivel Willig, Rav of Butchatch, Galicia. [Note: The "yoshvim" were a group of special chassidim who were supported by the community to sit in the beis medrash and to be an example to the community.]
When the war broke out, my parents went separate ways, but they were both saved through miraculous events. My father and his fiance were reunited after the Holocaust, again through literal miracles. Amazingly, they met in a D.P. camp and were married in Salzburg, Austria.
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