די מומע צילא

Tzila Schneersohn, wife of R' Ben-Zion, who was the brother-in-law of the Frierdige Rebbe passed away Thursday night. Who she was from home I do not know, but her husband's Yichus is simple.

He was the son of HaRav Avrohom Schneersohn of Kishinev, son of HaRaHa"K R' Yisroel Noach of Niezhin, son of the Tzemach Tzedek, N"E, who wrote the Tshuves of his father. RAS attended the Rebbe's wedding in Warsaw, in 5689.

RBZS was a Talmid of YTT in Lubavitch and lived in Tel Aviv after the WWII, working as a bookkeeper. He passed away in 5736. He's pictured here a BarMitzvah celebration in Israel.

(RBZphoto courtesy of ליובאוויטש וחייליה TS photo courtesy of shturem)

Gap Closing?

No, don't panic, it's not The Gap that's closing, you'll be able to shop there as long as you wish. It's this Chasidic-Misnagdic gap that's closing, at least according to David Of Lakewood. He must be a real teddy bear.

"Alte Mirrers"

For blogger "Board of Directors", who had this to say on the Uriel Zimmer post:

"FYI: Not all of them were clean shaven, although MOST of them were.
But I can tell you that 99% of them grew beards and Peyos later on."

"THE biggest Alter Mirrer, Harav Hagoen R' Shmuel Berenbaum Shlita (Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva) has peyos.

BIG peyos."


(Photo - courtesy OORAH.org)




(Reb Shmuel Berenbaum today - CREDIT Mirrer Yeshiva News)


Can't argue that.



...............אבער אמאל




Rabbi Nachum Zev Dessler of Cleveland's "Hebrew Academy", aka Nochum Velvel, son of REED.






Summer Camp (L-R)Joshua Chinn, R. Moshe Shein, Harry Horowitz, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?,R. Simcha Weissman, Pinchas Berliner, R. Shmuel Birnbaum. Mottel Jaffe

One for the road.....



Yeshiva students and women in Mir family
(Pinchas Berliner top-left)

(Old Mirrer photos courtesy of darkwing.uoregon.edu)

and the most famous Mirrer of them all:



Schneur Zalman Rubashov, aka Zalman Shazar 3rd President of Israel, born Mir, 1885

(Photo courtesy of Shazar Center)

Would the opposite happen?

A story from "הרב מבריסק " [The life and times of HaRav IZ Soloveitchik of Brisk] edited for brevity:

בערבו של חג שלחו להודיע למרן זצ"ל כי מונח עבורו אתרוג תחת ידיו של האדמו"ר הריי"צ שניאורסון מליובאוויטש, שהתגורר בקצה מרוחק של העיר, מרחק כמה שעות הליכה מאכסנייתו של מרן זצ"ל. הדרך הייתה בחזקת סכנה, כאשר כל העת חגים מפציצים כבדים בשמיה של וורשה ומטילים טונות של פצצות, שיצרו עם הגיעם אל הארץ עיי חרבות, וזרעו הרס רב. בחור בעל לב חם לתורה ומצוותיה, מחסידי גור, נדבה אותו רוחו והוא הציע חרף הסיכון הרב, שהוא ילך אל ביתו של האדמו"ר הריי"צ על מנת להביא את האתרוג. מרן זצ"ל הרהר קימעא, ולאחר שהפך בהצעה נטה להסכים לה, בהטעימו כי אם בעת צרה כזו ליעקב ישנו יהודי המוכן למסור את נפשו עבור קיום מצווה, אין הוא רשאי למנוע בעדו מלעשות כן. השעה הייתה תשע בערב, כאשר אותו בחור אכן יצא אל הרחוב המסוכן על מנת להביא את האתרוג. אולם, רק בסביבות השעה ארבע לפנות בוקר שב לאכסנייתו של מרן זצ"ל כשבחיקו טמון האתרוג היקר. הבחור סיפר כי האיזור בו התגורר אז הרבי הריי"צ ספג אותו לילה פצצות רבות, והרבי נאלץ לברוח ממקום למקום מאימת ההפגזות. כך יצא שרק בתום חיפושים מייגעים מהכא להתם ומהתם להכא, הצליח לפגוש באדמו"ר הריי"צ שנטל עמו את האתרוג היקר לכל מקום שאליו הגיע במנוסתו ממטוסי המלחמה. עם האוצר יקר-הערך שקיבל מידיו של הרבי, שב הבחור הנמרץ עם שחר לאכסנייתו של הרב מבריסק

"In short, they say, that a Gerrer Bochur ran around Warsaw on the night before Succos in October 1939 dodging German bombs looking for the Esrog that the Frierdige Rebbe N"E was guarding with his life for the Brisker Rov. The Rebbe had to run from place to place to avoid the bombardment. To highlight to the reader how rare an Esrog was that year, a line of thousands of people waited outside where the Rebbe stayed in order to fulfill the Mitzvah on the first day of Succos!

In actuality it was Rabbi Yosef Wineberg לאויוש"ט who was sent by the FR to deliver the Esrog to the BR.

Why the Rebbe chose to give this Esrog to the BR, although there were many, many other Rabbonim and Tzaddikim in Warsaw, many more friendly to Lubavitch than the BR, who would've gladly been the recipient of this prized esrog is not something I'll venture to answer. The Rebbe had his reasons, I'm sure.

My question is: Would the BR have risked his life and the life of a Talmid to do the same for the Rebbe?

The Rebbe's קנאי

9 Kislev marks 44 years since the passing of Reb Uriel Zimmer z"l.

Some of his life's accomplishments:

Spoke 17 (!) languages



(at a UN function)

wrote for Lubavitch and "Der Yid" at the same time!


(Booklet on Mezuzah)

Translated the Tanya into Yiddish.



l-r: Unknown, Reb Uriel, Reb Pinye Althoyz, Reb Yaakov Yosef Raskin


RUZ was a devoted Chossid of the Rebbe despite being so anti-State, and maybe because of that.

Read an Article in The Israeli weekly "פנים אל פנים" after his passing.




(Photos courtesy of Shturem-Chabadnik and other sources)

חנוכה תש"י

כ"ק אדמו"ר מהריי"צ נ"ע

The Menayreh of HirshelTzig

Small, yet respectable.

Big, yet not ostentacious.

Just like it should be.

Thank You Shver and Shvigger.

Reb Shimon Shept Nachas

Seeing his townspeople participating in a public Menorah-lighting in Grodno, proud to be Jewish after all these years. These people are probably descendants of Reb Shimon Shkop's Talmidim and Ba'alei Batim, or maybe people who arrived after the war. It's good to see that both their physical and spiritual needs are attended to.


(Photo courtesy of Shturem)

גרויסע רבי קליינע מנורה

(Photo courtesy of Shturem)

A simple aluminum (!) Menorah which the Rebbe had in his posession still from his days in Europe, and which he used until the last Chanukah in New York.

I thought of comparing that to the monstrosities used by the Other Tzaddikim of our generation, but I reconsidered....

Rebbe

Charcoal on paper by Chasidic artist Refoel Eisenberg ( I know he has a website, I just can't remember the URL.)

Thanks to a reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

Who says we don't do אתכפיא ?

This is what I had to listen to in the car tonight on the way back from Manhattan, and it was a 2 hour trip!

"Chabadskers"

"Yat Kislev"

"I don't know how to say this; but when the Rebbe was alive" etc.

"They don't know how to sing Niggunim"

Son: "Totty, what does Lubavitch do today on Yat Kislev"?

Father: "eh, who cares"!

Man in back seat: The shluchim are in all far-flung places and they struggle BeRuchnius and BeGashmius, it's mamesh a pele! They have such Koyches!

Father: "Yeeees, but they do a lot of harm in Russia to other groups who work there."

MIBS: "why is that"?

Father: "They're Amiratzim".........

And all this from a man in his 60's, a scion of many Chasidishe dynasties, although his education came from -------------------


You guessed it, Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin!

Go speak to such people...............

And all the while the Tzig sat there and didn't say a word!

Confessions of a Tzig

I need to get this off my chest, the pressure is just too much.



(Chazan Itche Meir Helfg-tt of the Park East Synagogue, NYC)

I attended a um, um, um, ahem, CHAZZONUS CONCERT Sunday night, and I loved it. The singing was wonderful, with the heights he reached something out-of-this-world. The crowd loved every second of it.

You see, I've been deprived my whole life, never having been to any musical concert before, and I had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the absolute best. Orchestra seats 15 rows behind the stage, one row ahead of Norman Lamm and Charlie Besser, son of you-know-who. It was something special.

My question is as follows:

The Rabbeyim and Chassidim in general were not fond of Chazzonim, period. The reasons abound, especially when the Chazzen is the one leading the davenen, not just performing at a concert. Their lack of basic Yiras Shomayim was legendary, with a few exceptions, and the davenen was considered superficial, staged, and lip-synched. While I was sitting there, watching and listening to Itche Meir Helfg-tt sing, and sing he did, I couldn't help but think about the Rabbeyim, and about how they would feel about my sitting there, not to mention the other Anash sitting there.

A story that crept into my mind during the event is when the Rebbe Rashab and the FR נ"ע visited the Altneu Shul in Prague. The RR commented about the pillars of the old Shul being אנגעשטאפט מיט תפלות , (stuffed with prayers) of the Jews who prayed there over the centuries. At first it was thought to be a compliment, commenting on the fact that so many pious Jews had prayed there, but the Rebbe had something else in mind. "The pillars here are stuffed with Tefillos because of dishonest and insincere (non-erlich) Chazzonim that were supposed to elevate our prayers but did not. I am not accusing Itche Meir Helfg-tt of being non-erlich, we were actually quite impressed that he sings with his Chassidic dress, which in his case includes his pants being tucked into his socks, albeit quite neatly, but still. I guess Chazzonim have to live with that stereotype, much like accountants and lawyers.

Should I have felt bad about my attending the concert, especially on Erev Yud Tes Kislev?

[That feels better already....]

Our man in London - on his Yohrtzeit

הרה"ח ר' התמים מרדכי זאב בהרה"ח ר' שניאור חיים הכהן גוטניק משלוחי רביה"ק בעיר טיפליס
בגרוזיא. אח"כ רב בלונדון נולד תרנ"ז בעיר פריאסלאב ונפטר בשנת ה'תרצ"ב מנ"כ לונדון

This is how COL describes HaRav Mordechai Zev Gutnick z"l, father of Chaim, whose Yohrtzeit is Yud Tes Kislev. They have a few lines in which to describe the Nifter/es so they are limited. We'll try to expand on that, and with your help, will get a clearer picture.


More, from another website which shall remain nameless:

"Rabbi Mordechai Zev Gutnick, who was a talmid of Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch, and a shliach of the Rebbe Rashab and Rebbe Rayatz to Tbilisi in Georgia."

"RMZG miraculously received exit visas from the U.S.S.R. and the family moved to Eretz Yisroel and settled in Tel Aviv. In 5687 (1927), he received an offer of a rabbinic position in England. He wrote to the Rebbe Rayatz about it and the Rebbe not only agreed to it, he did everything in his power to make sure he got the position. The Rebbe sent letters to rabbanim and chassidim urging them to put the offer into action. The Rebbe’s efforts were successful and the Gutnick family left for England."

"R’ Mordechai’s hiskashrus was so strong that in the summer of 5689 (1929) he traveled to Riga in order to spend time with the Rebbe Rayatz after the latter had left Russia."

"R’ Mordechai died at the age of 34 on Yud-Tes Kislev 5692 (1932). This tragedy was devastating for Chaim, who was only ten years old. His mother then entrusted his education to the Telz rosh ha’yeshiva, who was visiting London at the time."

I took out most of the references to RCG simply because I wanted to focus on his father, a largely forgotten figure in Lubavitch history. There will be time for RCG later on. What I seem to remember is reading that RMZG contracted pneumonia by walking up and down the streets of London's East End on a cold and rainy day trying to keep Yidden from opening their shops on Shabbos. The fact that they saw the Rabbi is what kept them from doing business. Without anti-biotics to fight the illness he soon died at the young age of 34.

Yehi Zichro Boruch.

[Please excuse some of the below-level grammar here, it was copied and pasted for the most part.]

.

Wish I could be there

A long-overdue symposium on Chassidus and Chassidim during the Holocaust will take place in Jerusalem's Michlalah next week.

Check the poster for topics discussed, it can be enlarged by clicking. It should be interesting. Lets hear what Berger (The Lubavitcher) will say about Chabad.

Summit at Vizhnitz

The Tzig met his counterpart last night. It was very informative. More to come soon, iy"h.

A Shabbos in Kletzk

(The "Chorev" school in Kletzk)

They've known for a while that ביי די אונגארישע בעליבתים ליגט די געלט, so they decided to come and get it where it's at. This Shabbos Boro Park will merit the visit of Rabbi Dovid Schustal, Rosh Yeshiva BMG of Lakewood, and Rabbi Matisyohu Solomon, Mashgiach par excellence. (Flatbush will have to suffice with Neuman, Olshin, and Kotler.)

Not to be outdone by their Chasidishe counterparts, they too will have תפלות and עריכת שלחנות , just not exactly that way, after all, they must maintain their "Litvishe" identity. So the PR guy said: "don't name it Arichas Hashulchon, call it "Oneg Shabbos" and everybody's happy. Each guest will daven and "farbreng" separately, I'm not quite sure why, or maybe I am....

Most of the Tefillos will take place at "Parve" to Litvishe Shuls, like Novominsk, and Dayan Brode's shul, but there will be a Tefilloh at the Nitra Shul, and the parties will take place in prominent BP mansions. I expect to find many of our friends there......

The Zeide?

BPUnbound, what do you think?

..............הקרירות של אנ"ש אין לשער

Speaking of Reb Itche Masmid, see what Chabadnik/Shturem brings, a letter bemoaning the situation at the time. The situation in Russia had begun to be unbearable after the Rebbe Rashab's passing; not to mention the fact that the Frierdige Rebbe and his family were על סף המות. The FR also has some very strong letters to Anash, but that's not what I'd like to bring now. From Reb Itche's letter it's tough to tell when it was written, but maybe if we know when he started to travel as a בא-כח we can deduce the time of the letter.

One line jumped out at me, especially knowing who it came from.

?איך נוכל לישב בחיבוק ידים כאשר עט"ר שליט"א שרוי בצער נורא
How can we stand by and refrain from acting when our Rebbe is in pain?

and then the kicker :

?מה אנו ומה חיינו אם לא נעסוק לטובת בית חיינו האמתיים
what are we and what is our life worth if we do not act on behalf of the Rebbe's house, the true house of our lives?

For Reb Itche, a Yid a Chossid, a Yerei Shomayim B'Tachlis who was afraid to eat anything for fear of putting something impure in his mouth, and a Lamden Otzum, what was his life?

!רבי

From the mailbag

Here's what some of you may have thought if you went out and bought the book after The Besser Post.....

A reader writes:

I recently finished, on your recommendation "The Rabbi of 84th Street" about Rabbi Chaskel Besser, and it highlighted a question that has troubled me for many years.

From the book we see different attitudes than those of frum society today. Rabbi Besser's father was an important and respected loyal chossid of the Radomsker Rebbe, yet the family was very cultured. They attended symphonies, were what you might call "broad minded", and befriended Jew and non-Jew alike. All of these things are seldom found among today's religious Jewish population. To be sure, this was not true in all areas and in all families, but do we all have to emulate Rumanian peasants?

It seems to me that throughout history numerous religious Jews were knowledgeable and participated in creative art, music, or writing. For whatever reason, these pursuits have been deleted from our education or value systems. If there is a creative soul among us, they are either stifled or forced to the fringe (or worse).

Oddly, however, this seems to be a recent creation; but why should it be that way?


עכ"ל

Anybody care to take a crack at it? I know I do.

His Finest Hour

I wish I could find a better picture, meaning not one that appeared on the cover of the Artscroll version of his life, but that's what Google offered, so there. (What little I know about Yonason Rosenblum, that is from reading his articles, I can't believe he was the best candidate to write THE BOOK about Rav Dessler). The revision that they have done to so many Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshivah are probably some of the greatest literary crimes committed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

In the case of HaRav Dessler, I can say this much : While learning in a non-Lubavitch Yehivah, the Maggid Shiur, may he be well, learned Michtav Me'Eliyahu with us every day, reading from the Sefer while we listened. That was no conincidence. He was not what you'd call a "Misnaged" but rather a Talmid of Beis Medrish Elyon in it's early years, who appreciated all Erliche Yidden, and Tanya and Chabad were part of that. Rumor has it when the venerable Mashgiach "Reb Chatzkel", (Chatzkel Warshaver) came to Ponovezh after Rav Dessler's untimely passing, he commented: "It'll take years to "undo" the Churban that he did to the Yeshivah". That's right, to the radical Mussarites, anyone who even "noshed" from Chassidus was bad, even a grandson of the Salanter.

Some of you may know by now, that in 5713, a year before his passing, Rav Dessler began to work on organizing a Yeshivah that was not heard of until then. Namely, a Yeshivah that would combine the Liyvishe style of learning with the Chassidic style of everything else. A Rosh Yeshivah was found, HaRav Gedalia Hertz of Yeshivas Chidushei HaRim in Tel Aviv, but it went no further. Before it could be started HaRav Dessler passed away, and with him died his dream. Today there are Yeshivas that claim to have that combination, but without a true Litvishe Mashgiach like RD their claims are worthless.

There is much more to write, but now is not the time. Maybe for the Yohrtzeit in Teves.



What brought HaRav Dessler to mind was the fact that today was the Yohrtzeit of Reb Yitzchok (Itche Der Masmid) Gurevitz , who was burned al Kiddush Hashem together with Reb Chatshe Feigin and Reb Eli Chaim Althaus in Riga in 5702 (hy"d). These were the Chassidim closest to the Rebbe. They had the necessary papers arranged by the Rebbe in New York, but the Nazis had already entered Riga and no one could leave.

His son-in-law HaRav Geldzahler in his sefer "Kodshei Yehoshua" recounts how Reb Itche was the Dessler's guest in England in the '30s when Reb Itche was there to collect money for Yidden in the Soviet Union. He spent every available minute with Reb Itche and called those days הימים הכי מאושרים בחיי (his most pleasing days) He never stopped speaking about those days. This from a Yid who saw all the Litvishe "greats", and was a descendant of Rav Yisroel Lipkin of Salant. Tells you something about Chassidus, Rav Dessler, and Reb Itche.

Even more so it tells you about how some of us have become so square and boxed in.

Vote for the goat

This:



or this:



The latter is a GENUINE Ukranian goat from Sudilkov, the home of the "Degel Machne Efrayim", the Baal shem Tov's grandson, and was submitted by A Simple Jew.


The former looks better, more noble.

Snubbed by the Prez

Boo-hoo they cry. Chabad yes, און מיר נישט? How dare he!!!

Read all about it in the Forward

Ya Gotta love Lautenberg's aide's attempt to speak Yiddish, it's a shandige shindig.

That's Rabbi Zelig Rivkin of "Nawlins" with the President.

New at Circus Tent

The picture. I hope you all like it.

Although technically the animal pictured may not be a goat (Tzig=Goat) after all....

Also, the part of the profile visible on the front page has changed, signifying my daily venture into the mundane.

I've also added a new blog to my links.

G-d's Lawyers, כביכול

The situation as far as religious observance in pre-WWII Europe is no secret. The vast majority of Jews, although Yiddish-speaking, were non-observant for the most part. Cities that we think were centers of Torah were actually centers of "culture", "enlightenment", and every social movement known to man. Chassidic centers were enclaves, havens from the outside secular world, and a Chassidic young man had a difficult time finding a match. As far as a human being could tell the situation was grave, Judaism was going to bankrupt soon.

So, the "thinkers" would tell you, G-d had "no choice but to bring the holocaust". The uprooting of Jewry from Europe to North America and Israel saved Religious Jewry from total extinction and allowed the few Religious ones to rebuild. Others will say that it was punishment for our sins, especially the cardinal sin of Zionism. (Was Socialism, Bundism, and Communism not as grave a sin as far as taking Jews off the path?)

So, my question is, couldn't G-d find some other way of "rebuilding", according to those people? Did the pride and joy of European Jewry have to be taken down with the rebuilding project? Those that say that it was a punishment will say that the good go down with the bad when G-d brings death and destruction, but to "rebuild" Jewry it had to happen too?

I read and watch anything I can get my hands on about the holocaust and the Pre-war situation as far as Jews are concerned. The loss is unimaginable, irreplaceable. I cannot believe that anybody who suffered and lost family speaks this way, it comes from those who managed to evade the suffering, but it has become "chic" to speak this way even amongst descendants of survivors. They say that it does not show a lack of concern or love for Jews, but what do I know, I don't see it that way.

Simpler times, simpler times........

Updated Bug Sitch

It seems like the main culprit in "Bug-Gate" is the esteemed Rabbi Moshe Heineman of the Star-K. He has been so kind as to announce that the salads that were deemed Verboten bore his supervision until now. There was also a relative newcomer to the supervision business, Rabbi YM Moshkovitsh, of "Shatz-Drohvitch", who had his name affixed as another Rabbinic supervisor, seemingly for the more savvy consumer who will accept only the best and most religious supervision. (If you'd see him you'd know what I mean) I would assume that Rabbi Moshkovitsh relied on the knowledge and reputation of the Star-K, just as the other "holy hechsherim" rely on the O-U and O-K for their needs.

So the question is: What was the good Rabbi Heineman thinking when he put his name on the bags? Was he relying, as do most others, on leniencies that would allow it to be certified as Kosher, or was it a good old fashioned pull-the-wool-over-the-eyes of the consumer who thinks he may be overpaying but at least he's getting Super-Kosher? I won't venture to guess, but something's very wrong either way.

Why was the Bug-Rabbi from Israel even allowed to open this - no pun intended - bag of worms anyway? Do American Rabbonim go and check the Kashrus of Israeli products?And if needed to be done why do it in the way it was done, i.e. publicly proclaiming them to be insect-riddled, they could've just removed it from the shelves without the public-announcements that hurt reputations and lead to incessant finger-pointing?!

More importantly: will BODEK ever be scrutinized as was Fresh Express, or will the findings there take down too many "more important" people and break the public's trust completely?

Stay tuned boys and girls....

It don't smell fresh

Anyone else out there see the posters all over the frum NY neighborhoods concerning the prohibition on produce from "Fresh Express"? Do you see a problem with it? I do.

1) One day a gentleman in Israel, who purports to be an "expert on insects in food" decides that the insect-removing process is not to his satisfaction. The fact that these products have Rabbinic supervision and are deemed to be insect-free by the supervising Rabbi did not concern him. He decided it isn't to his liking, and that's final. According to my sources he has written many books on this matter, and he basically prohibits the consumption of most fruits and vegetables because of insects.

2) The next thing we know, there are posters up with tens of Rabbonim signed on, that these products are no good. All Rabbis probably based their words on the testimony of the afore-mentioned "expert". I doubt that most of these Rabbonim have any knowledge of the insect-removing process, and I'm sure that most of them would not take him seriously due to his outward appearance and background, וד"ל

3) Interestingly enough, days later a little poster from the makers of "Bodek" appears claiming that their product is not included in the "ban' since they do not use lettuce and some other veggie. You might say that they're just trying to save their own collective hides, or you might not.

Is that the way to go about it? is it OK to destroy somebody's livelihood and lots of jobs due to shaky research and questionable Rabbinics?

DO THE SUPERVISORS LOSE THEIR CREDIBILITY NOW?!

Overheard

Yossi Jacobson told a story last night that he heard from his Mechutan Reb Binyomin Wulliger, a confidant of the late Klausenberger Rebbe zt"l.

The periodical "צאנז", Published by Klausenberg, would be delivered to the Rebbe, and he would read it. One night in 5751-5752 as Leibel Groner was about to leave, he entered the Rebbe's room to say that he was leaving for the night. As he enters the room he sees the Rebbe sitting at his desk deeply engrossed in an article printed in צאנז, and is somewhat "troubled". The Rebbe asks him someting to this effect "דו ווייסט וואס דא שטייט"? They had reprinted a דרשה by the K'ber Rebbe in the '50's that was full of שארפע מוסר, and the Rebbe did not approve of the reprint. He said: היינטיגע צייטען דארף מען אויפהייבען און ניט רעדן אזעלכע שארפע רייד ( In Today's age we must tell the people uplifting words, rather than strong reprimand.)

The Rebbe told him : רוף ר' בנימין וויליגער און זאג אים אז היינטיגע צייטען דארף מען אויפהייבען און ניט רעדן אזעלכע שארפע רייד . Leibel Groner thought that since it's a periodical that comes out every few months, and it had been printed already, and the next one is due out in a few months, that there's no reason to do this today at midnight. However, the Rebbe had other ideas. The Rebbe told him "call him now, this calls for him to be woken even at this late hour".

Groner did as he was told and calls Wulliger, who was already asleep, and tells him the Rebbe's message. Wulliger is incredulous, he can't believe his ears. He asks: The Rebbe told you to call me now? "yes" was the answer. He says that today we must speak in an uplifting manner. "This is a true Manhig Yisroel" he says, He sits late at night and thinks about people that are not in his immediate circle who are Yereim VeShleimim and can "take" such talk. Yet, he still sees it as being too harsh for today's times and makes a point of letting them know immediately.

Such love for a people is usually reciprocated with love shown towards the Rebbe.

Can you understand this?

...............כמים הפנים אל פנים כן

Blacklisting

Look at the picture, click on it for a larger image, and see who stands out a bit.

See if you can figure it who it is.

Hint: he's not wearing a Shtreimel.

Are you surprised?

Discussion to follow, iy"h.

What's thy name?

Due to popular demand, and to an impending nervous breakdown fom a reader whose sharp mind I'd like to retain, there will henceforth be no more "anonymous" posting.

I WILL NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND I CANNOT BLOCK YOU FROM POSTING, SO YOUR IDENTITY IS SAFE. JUST PICK A NAME, ANY NAME. PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF G-D!

I understand that the signup process may take 2 minutes, but if you can post on the blog you can find those 2 minutes somewhere.

I would prefer that you sign up with blogger, and choose a username and a password. That, however, is not mandatory, you can choose a screenname without signing up and divulging any personal information. Just choose it and stick to it.

Sounds confusing? maybe, but I've got faith in y'all.

Napoleon's Soothsayer?

(Napoleon and his Staff 1868, Oil on panel 17 x 18 cm, Wallace Collection, London)


Here's the story:

During the war of 1812 The Alter Rebbe was again on the other side of the equation. Sounds Familiar, no? He and the Ropshitzer Rov were the only ones to "root" for Czar Alexander I.

My son was reading this Yiddish book called : רבי מענדעלע רימנובער, which is published by מוסד זכר נפתלי בהנהלת הרב אלי חיים קרליבך, but that's totally not part of the issue here, it's just a coincidence. When they speak of the battle of the Talmidei HaMagid as to who should be victorious, Napoleon or the Russians, one paragraph really caught my eye, on page 187,It goes as follows:

אין יענע צייטן האט נאפאליאן כסדר מצליח געווען שלא כדרך הטבע. מ'האט געוואוסט אז דאס האט ער צו דאנקען דעם רבי'ן ר' מענדעלע, ווייל אין דער נאפאליאנישער מלחמה-כראניק ווערט דערציילט, אז פונקט ווי ביי אלכסנדר מוקדון איז פאראויסגעגאנגען דאס געשטאלט פון שמעון הצדיק, אזוי האט נאפאליאן געזעהן אין זיינע מלחמות דאס געשטאלט פון א נידריק אידל מיט א רויט געזיכט, און אדאנק דעם דאזיגען אידל האט ער מנצח געווען. און ביי דער לעצטער שלאכט ביי וואטערלאה האט ער דאס אידל נישט געזעהן....
דאס דאזיגע אידל איז געווען נישט קיין אנדערע ווי דער הייליקער רבי ר' מענדעלע

In short: The holy Reb Mendelle of Rimanov would appear to Napoleon and tell him of his forthcoming victory. Until the battle of Waterloo, where he did not.

Most other stories have sources such as The Munkatcher Rov zt"l in Darkei Chaim V'Sholom, yet this story has no source. Rather the source is the "Napoleon's Chronicles", whatever they may be.

Your thoughts, whatever they may be, would be appreciated.

A whole lot of Neckties :)

כינוס השלוחים תשס"ו

די מצב אמאל

(די אלטע זיצען אין שול, נאר קיין יוגנט איז ניט דא)

As described in the words of Yom Tov Erlich, z"l.

שווארצע וואלקנס זענען אנגעקומען,
און פארשטעלט פון זוהן די שיין,
און א טרויער האט ארומגענומען,
אט דער קליינער שטעטל מיין,

וואס געבליבן איז דער ליבער חדר,
א מאדערענע שולע איז דארט,
אין די שולן דאווענט מען כסדר,
נאר קיין יוגנט איז ניט דא,

און עס טראגט זיך איין הילכיגער געלעכטער,
פון די קלוגן טאג און נאכט,
און זיי די ערליכע זוהן און טעכטער,
פון דער השכלה אריינגענארט,

אלעס איז צינויפגעמישט צוזאמען,
אלעס טאנצט און זינגט מיט פרייד,
נישט איין טאטע נישט איין מאמע,
פון וועלכע געגאנגען יונגערהייט,

עס ברענט די הויז עס ברענט אויך די ישיבה,
אין יעדן הויז א גרויסער בראך,
מען רייסט קריעה און מען זיצט שבעה,
אויף קינדער וועלכע לעבן נאך,

א גריס פון די שטעטאלאך, די ווינקאלאך די שיינינקע,
א גריס אייך פון דער ליבער אלטער היים,
א גריס אייך פון די געסאלאך, די הייזאלאך די קליינינקע,
א גריס פון יעדן גערטנדל און בוים,

די ישיבאלאך פארלאזענע, די שכנדלאך פארשלאסענע,
די הייזער פול מיט טומל און מיט שרעק,
די הערצאלאך צוריסענע, די ליפאלאך צוביסענע,
די קינדער וועלכע זענען ווייט אוועק.

I see that for some reason he blames the Haskoloh only, why no introspection?

Why only sitting Shivah and tearing Kriah?

כ' מרחשון תשס"ו

BeHemshech to what was said earlier about Avigdor, and the titles bestowed upon him, I feel it's appropriate to quote the Rebbe Rashab N"E,



משיחת י"ט כסלו תרס"ד תורת שלום עמוד 44

האב איך פריער געזאגט אז היינט איז נתגלה געווארען חסידות, היינט איז חסידות יצא זכאי בדין ...... און אזוי ווי ביי חנוכה איז געווען להשכיחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחקי רצוניך, אזוי איז דא אויך געווען ..... און דא איז דאס געווען דורך א אידען, דער ס"ם האט זיך מתלבש געווען אין א אידען.... טאקע אביגדור וואס אין אים האט זיך דער ס"ם מתלבש געווען אויף צו פירען דעם קיטרוג.....

It's worth a look.......

Kovner Rov, א חסיד ?

Take a look at this picture.

I don't believe I've seen other Litvishe Rabbonim with a Gartel like that.

Maybe it's just a belt.

Taken at an אסיפת הרבנים in Petersburg.

Photo courtesy of USHMM

Who killed Stalin?

was it:



or:



Actually, he died from illness, but I mean in a spiritual sense.

Towards the conclusion of the Farbrengen of Purim 5713, the Rebbe said as follows:

[כהקדמה ובסמיכות לאמירת המאמר, כאשר רצינות ודביקות מיוחדת נראתה על פני קדשו - פתח כ"ק אדמו"ר שליט"א וסיפר:

בתקופת המהפיכה ברוסיא לאחרי מפלתו של הקיסר, הורה כ"ק אדמו"ר (מהורש"ב) נ"ע להחסידים להשתתף בבחירות שנערכו במדינה. ובהתאם לכך הגיע למקום שבו התקיימו הבחירות גם אחד החסידים שהי' מופשט לגמרי מהוויות העולם, ולא ידע כלל מה מתרחש במדינה - שהרי צריך הוא לקיים את ההוראה של הרבי, וכמובן, לאחרי הקדמת טבילה במקוה וחגירת אבנט, כראוי לקיום הוראה של הרבי. לאחר שעשה מה שצריך לעשות בשביל הבחירות, כפי שהורו לו חבריו - ראה אנשים עומדים ומכריזים "הורה", ועמד גם הוא והכריז: "הורע, הורע, הורע"...

(כל המסובים עמדו והכריזו בהתרגשות: "הורע, הורע, הורע". ומיד לאח"ז פתח כ"ק אדמו"ר שליט"א ואמר את המאמר[167])].

Man, I wish there was a tape of that Farbrengen, but alas!

Chassidim zenen klug, and they saw that this was an extraordinary event happening in front of their eyes, they seized the opportunity.

The same or next day Stalin died. The news was only publicized days later, with the reports only being at first that he was "ill", and only later that he died.

In Chabad they say the Rebbe "killed him".

Meanwhile, only minutes away in Williamsburg:

The singer/composer Reb Yom Tov Erlich z"l, had a custom of burning effigies on Purim, something I don't see the point of, but neverthless, that's what he did. He would always ask permission of the Stoliner Rebbe, Reb Yochanon z"l. On Erev Purim 5713 he asked if he
can burn Stalin's effigy, the Rebbe replied:

"מיר האבען אנדערע וועגן ווי דאס צו טאן"

So, according to RYTE his Rebbe "killed" him.

So who gets the credit here?

Same old psychobabble

It seems like no matter how hard they try not to sound the same they all do.

Take A CERTAIN KID for instance, his main beef is that he was told דו ביסט א גארנישט, something that for some reason doesn't bother most other people. Then again he's not just "other people", he's an "anarchist", brrr.

(listen to the pearls of wisdom pouring forth)

When is some פרייאק going to come up with an original line, an original reason for leaving the fold?

And of all communities CH is the least of your problems if you're in the mood of a good time.

Please don't tell me that I don't understand either.

To each his own

Photo courtesy of Carlebach Shul



Reb Eli Chaim z"l at the Kosel. Notice the Atoroh. The Tallis and Tefillin are still Chabad, though.

The Lithuanian connection

Photo coutesy of USHMM

Pursuant to the anonymous comment about the Lithuanian side of RIH z"l:

הרב נפתלי מנחם (הערץ מענדל) הוטנער פון איישישאק ומשפחתו

I guess it doesn't get any more Litvish than that!