HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch came to the halls of Yeshivas Ohr Yisroel in Petach Tikva to deliver an especially rousing talk to the yeshiva students, alongside the Roshei Yeshiva, the students and residents of the city.

He was cordially received by the Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Yigal Rosen and the staff of the yeshiva rabbonim, after which he delivered his talk, which contained a quote from the gemara which states, "Were it not for this great day (of Mattan Torah), how many [common] Yosefs would there be in the 'marketplace'"

He presented a series of questions, which he went on to reply with one comprehensive answer, proving that the sum of them create a reality of closeness to Hashem through the Torah.

"This is what Rashi says there: 'I have become elevated, as is defined by the Ramchal in Derech Hashem, that there is an impression and impact, greater than all of those found in the very Creation, a form of His representation and reality which are present when one is engrossed in Torah study through holiness and purity into which he can personally tap.'"

The world's largest Aron HaKodesh has been completed at the Yeshivas Ateret Shlomo campus in Rishon LeZion. This monumental project is entirely handcrafted.

Key Features of the Ark:

The ark spans an area of 120 square meters, measuring 20 meters in length and 6.5 meters in height.

Crafted from over two tons of pure silver, it has gold-plated sections adorned in 24-karat gold.

There is no limit to the cynicism of Hamas, and this is what the IDF spokesman is attempting to publicize throughout the world.

The headquarters of the military arm of Hamas was located seven or eight meters under the preemie nursery of the European Hospital in Khan Junes. Hamas heads used this nursery of day-old newborns as their human shield. The chief heads of the Hamas military arm felt that they were thus well protected against the IDF. Their secret hideout, in their eyes, was optimal.

They built a network of tunnels directly under the European Hospital, a huge and central hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. The control center of Hamas commanders was situated directly under the hospital's preemie nursery, with the war secrets precisely beneath the hospital surgery rooms at a depth of 7 to 8 meters underground.

The assumption of the Hamas commanders was that the IDF would surely not bomb a central hospital where hundreds of sick and wounded people lay.

Part IV

This essay first appeared in 1996, 29 years ago.

Part 1

The approach of R' Chaim of Volozhin, adapted from the Hebrew book, Avi haYeshivos.

The gaon, R' Yosef Zev Soloveitchik of Brisk, once enumerated the great sages of his time. When he mentioned the Chazon Ish, he said: "Among the great students of the Gaon of Vilna, two students with totally different personalities, were outstanding. One was R' Chaim of Volozhin who, despite his great stature, was able to descend to the level of the people in order to influence them. The second, R' Menashe of Iliya — a unique person — was reclusive, and very rarely came in contact with the public. The Chazon Ish is like Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin in this respect."

Torah is Engraved On the Tablets of His Heart

R' Chaim of Volozhin was the Gra's foremost student, and is considered the greatest transmitter of his legacy.

"His soul," the Gra once said, "derives from the `palace of wisdom.'"