"ספר "חודש לשנה

Flatbush Jewish Journal Seforim Review by Rabbi Yaakov Levitz

The welfare and livelihood of our brethren is something that is, and should be, of utmost importance to us. In that vein, R’ Moshe Feinstien zt”l ruled that when one is dismissed from his position,his former employer must pay a pension of Chodesh L’shana, one month of pay in return for every year the position was held. Sefer Chodesh L’shana is based on this Psak of R’ Moshe. It discusses the background of the Shaila and explains what R’ Moshe based his Psak on. An important element of the Shaila is what accepted practice is, since we assume that an employer accepts on himself the standard pension in the Jewish world. To show that the accepted norm is indeed a month for a year, Chodesh L’shana includes in it dozens of letters from Batei Din and Rabbonim from all over the world attesting to the fact that they in fact follow the arrangement of a month for a year. The arrangement of Chodesh L’shana, though seemingly new, has its precedent in the Rishonim.The Chinuch (Mitzvah 482) when discussing the Mitzvah of giving gifts to an Eved Ivri who is leaving his servitude, encourages any employer to furnish a worker who is leaving his service with an appropriate send off. Nothing less could be expected of the Jewish people whose Simanim include the Middos of Rachmanim and Gomlei chasadim.

R’ Yaakov Levitz is the owner of Im HaSefer Publishers and Distributors: 718-377-0047 - Or buy it here

BOOK REVIEW - "THE REBBE" (part II)

Part I Here

I find it odd that the Rebbe who opposed all sorts of undocumented Mayses about Rebbeim (even about the BESH"T and his students) related his own rescue to a supposed dream that happened to a Zionist leader who was not even an Orthodox Jew! The author attempts to obfuscate this fact by writing that Mrs. Fischer wore a sheitel and that they were related to the late Rosh beth Din of the Eda HaCh'redis in Jerusalem R. Yaakov Y. Fisher. (whose father himself served a "Status-Quo" Kehillo) Of course this does not change the hard facts on the ground that the Rebbe, his wife, daughter and son in law, and gabbe Reb Yosef Ashkenazi were rescued by the Zionist leaders in Hungary. (I'm informed that the daughter and son-in-law were NOT on the Sondertransport. - HT) I must admit that I found this book very interesting, enough so that I read it from cover to cover twice. Yet what it lacks is any tone of objectivity. Compared to this ArtScroll works are honest treatments of their subject matter.

Rabbi Meisels discusses the Rebbe's rabbinic career in Rumania and Hungary prior to the War. We do learn that he was Rav in Orshiva, Krole and finally in the large community of Satmar. We learn that he was both Rav and Rebbe. Yet his status as leader of the Sighet dynasty after his brother's death ( The "Atzei Chaim" of Sighet - HT) is left a tad cloudy. But what the author fails to mention is that in most places RJT lived in major disputes broke out. After deciding to leave Krole for Satmar a massive machlokes broke out between 2 rival rabbinic candidates, one a cousin of the Rebbe, another a son in law of the Spinker Rebbe, (Reb Abish Horowitz, HY"D, father of Reb Hershelle Spinker - HT) who was the leader of the 3rd largest Chasidic grouping in Hungary-Rumania. This was a violent struggle which has been documented and involved many other Rabbis. RJT first arrived in Satmar in 1934, years after he was supposedly elected as chief rabbi of this large mainly Ashkenazi community. Here too there were any number of serious opponents to his rabbinate grouped about the Tashnader Rav, and it was only after several years of violent struggle that he finally was able to assume the rabbinate there.

In Satmar itself the Rebbe was invovled in wars against rival chassidic dynasties. For example he demanded that the Zaddik Rav Aren Roth leave Satmar as he was opposed to his derech. R. Roth relocated to Beregsaz. I must note that today we identify the Toldos Aron Chassidic communtiy with Satmar , but that only came about because Rav Arele was followed by his son-in-law Reb Abraham Itzhak Kohn who was a disciple of RJT. It was only Rabbi Kohn who emphasized anti Zionism in this community. It is clear that RJT embarked on a path to acheive hegemony over the rabbinic community in Northern Transylvania, inserting relatives in many key rabbinic slots such as the appointment of his nephew in law Rav YY Halberstam as Rav of the new Chasidic community in the large city of Klausenberg. Althought he book does not discuss it, it seems that following the death of the Munkatcher Rav in the late 1930's RJT became the dominant local Chasidic Rebbe in Hungary. Of course men like the Belzer Rav exerted much influence from their seats in Poland over the Hungarian Chasidic community as well.

The book also presents misleading information about the attitudes of various gedolim to the policies of RJT. While the volume discusses the Satmar demonstrations in NYC in the early 1950's it fails to note that these demonstratons were attacked by among others Rabbi Eliezer Silver (who called for the Cherem on RJT) the President of the Agudath Ho-Rabbonim and Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin the head of Ezrath Torah and the posek for most of American Jewry. Even Rav Aaron Kolter was upset by the tone of some of these public demonstrations. Both were livid and outraged by the Satmar tactics and neither was ever identified with Zionism themselves. This chapter in Satmar history receives a more objective treatment in a small Yiddish book written DER REBBE UND DER SATAN by the late Chaim Lieberman (not to be confused with the secretary of the Rayatz).On page 508-509 we are presented with evidence "ke'illu" Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky was so influenced by RJT's books that he changed his mind after reading them. . Well as far as I can recall Reb Yankev remained a member of the Agudas Israel his whole life and was a member of it's Council of Torah sages. Even more so we are told in a obituary for the same Mr. Lieberman that Reb Yankev considered him one of Americ's most erliche yidden! Clearly Rav Yaakov knew about Lieberman's works.

Even more outrageous is a depiction on page 506 about the attitude of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to RJT. Its states " You must know that since the Satmar Rebbe came to America every Jew has become more religious, myself included" It takes real chutzpah to write this. The footnote for this note is self referential no source less than Rabbi Dovid Meisels. Now that is truly unusual an author using himself as a source! As far as I can tell the Rav was religious prior to the coming of RJT, and that men like his father, uncle, and grandfather were more profound influences of his religious personality than a Rebbe he probably never met. I doubt the Rav ever mentions the Rebbe or even the Yetev Lev or Yismach Moshe. On page 508 we are treated to a story that the Skulener Rebbe, Rabbi Eliezer Zishe Portugal went blind because he disregarded the position of RJT about praying at the Kossel Maaravi. Can anyone believe that Hashem would do such a thing to such a tzaddik for such an action? It boggles the mind especially in regards the posotion of RJT to mofsim by Rebbes in our day.


On page 268 the author treats us to a new unfounded accusation that the leader of the Palestinian Aguda Rabbi Moshe Blau was poisoned. Again, if the author has evidence he ought to present it in detail, but I doubt the Chofetz Chaim would approve of such unfounded charges. On pages 462-464 the author discusses RJT's position as to the formal education of Jewish girls in regards Jewish studies In Europe the Rebbe was strictly opposed to such, yet in the US he opened up his own girl's school. The author writes "It was not a change of position but a change of situation." The sub headings in this chapter include such titles as "changing times" and " The New Reality." This is all very interesting, as the Rebbe used this sort of thinking to justify girls' schools and drop his opposition to sheitlech. Yet when it came to Israel and Zionism he failed to see that after 1945 times had changed and there was a new reality. 6 million Jews had been killed, The thousand-year Jewish civilization in Europe was destroyed. Close to 1 million homeless Jews were stranded in Eastern Europe. Yet the Rebbe did not see the change of situation and insisted on no change of position. One wonders what the Rebbe's position was as to regarsd the future of the close to half million Hungarain-Rumanian survivors in 1945. Where were they supposed to renew their lives in Communist Rumania? in Chile? in Denmark? or were they supposed to smuggle themselves into Meah Shearim despite British White papers? Let me note that America had strict quotas concerning the number of DP Jews admitted from Eastern Europe right after the war, and in fact hundreds of thousands of survviors from Northern Rumania made their way to Israel from 1950-1965, and many resumed their Orthodox lifestyle.

I must note that while the Kluizenberger Rav and others were actually in the DP camps trying to revive Jewish life, The Rebbe left Israel to the US, (and made - HT) no stop in the DP camps. Among the Rabbinic figures who visited the DP camps were Chief Rabbi Herzog, Rav Eliezer Silver, Kriniker Rav Rabbi Mishikovsky, Rabbi Pinchos Wohlgelernter and last but not least the shliach meyuchad of the Rebbe Rayatz, his son in law Rabbi S. Gourary. Although Rav M. Schneerson was in Paris after the war on a private matter, he too used the opportunity to address the survivors of the Lubavitch community then stranded in France. Without doubt the (Satmar - HT) Rebbe was a great Jewish leader and he played a major role - if not the dominant role - in transplanting Eastern European Jewish life to the US. He stressed the need to retain the clothing, the food , the language and the complete east European Jewish personality. In this manner he set the gold standard, by which other Chasidic and ultra- Orthodox groups viewed their own identities. And yes, he accomplished much and did influence the religious attitudes of many American Jews. Yet his opposition to the new reality of the State of Israel, to the fact that its creation and existence was an endless succession of miracles and that as emphasized by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Israel was a makom miklat for millions of Jews; and their safety could not be placed in danger by demonstrations, newspaper ads and prayers for a so called peaceful end to Israel. (how so by a mass emigration to Monroe or Antwerp?).

After years of following the career of RJT and reading much by him and about him , I sense that RJT's chief interest was the transmission of Eastern European Jewish life and the only manner he thought he could do this is by being completely negative about Israel. Thus he adopted a hard line against Hebrew, and this did in fact enable 3 Yiddish weeklies to thrive in New York. He was against Israel, hence his followers lived in the golah where diaspora type Jewish culture had more of a chance. This book deserves to be read, as it depicts one of the most important Jewish religious personalities of the 20th centuries. But it must be read in conjunction with other volumes giving a more multi dimensional portrait of RJT as well as a more objective treatment of the manner gedolim viewed Zionism and Israel after the Holocaust.

BOOK REVIEW - "THE REBBE" (part I)

Review : The Rebbe by Rabbi Dovid Meisels , Lakewood ; Israel Book Shop, 2010.

Reviewed by Schneur. Welcome Back, Schneur. We hope to hear lots more from you.


This book represents another first in Orthodox publications in the U.S. An English language biography of the Satmarer Rebbe, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum who died in 1979 (I will refer to him as RJT ). Although the late Yosef Weisshaus published a book called "The Rebbe" in English about the Satmarer Rebbe in 2008, it was more of a compilation of Minhagim and hashkafos of the Rebbe , rather than an attempt at a full scale biography of the Rebbe. There have also been several academic articles about the Rebbe in English, including an important one by Rabbi Alan Nadler in Judaism Magazine. What makes an English language biography of RJT unusual is the fact that he was a vocal opponent of the use of the English language by his followers and insisted that they speak Yiddish, thus one is left with the impression that this book is not aimed at the Satmarer community nor at those Hungarian kehilloth in orbit around Satmar like Kashau, Pupa or Krasna. They too have adopted a hard line against the use of the English language. Hence the biography is aimed at those sectors of the Orthodox community who use English and are capable of reading a long English book, most likely the book is aimed at the so-called "Yeshivishe" community, which in recent years has a shown a new sympathy to the Satmarer Rebbe's position on Zionism and Israel, (probably based on the sympathy the Brisker school has to anti-Zionism) although they continue to reject his positions on Yiddish, Derech Halimmud (Talmudic methodology) and issues of Tzeniuth, (Modesty) as these would necessitate life style changes and a different course of religious studies. which obviously they are not interested in doing.

The author Rabbi Meisels has published any number of pamphlets in English about various Jewish holidays and customs which have in general been ignored by the Orthodox Jewish community. His grandfather was the alte Vaitzener Rov of Chicago who was a cousin of the Satmar Rebbe. The title pages informs us that the book was not actually written by the author in English but was translated by Reb Yirmiyahu Cohen who has been identified as an American Neturei Karta ("Natruna," actually - HT) activist. As most historically important personalities RJT was a complex character. This volume emphasizes his war against Zionism and the State of Israel and his role in creating a powerful and strong Chasidic community in the US. The volume also depicts his early life and family background as well as his life in Rumania (Satmar changed political designations in the 20th century going between Hungary and Rumania) prior to World War 2. The most interesting part of the book is the depiction of the efforts of RJT in building the Satmar community in the US after his arrival here in 1947. With a fair amount of detail the author depicts the Satmar schools, summer camps, kashruth organization, Yeshivoth, girls schools and the community of Kiryath Joel, all created by RJT We are introduced to the problems the Rebbe faced such as the loss of religious behavior by many of the Concentration Camp survivors even those from Hungary. Rabbi Meisels does not refrain from mentioning that the Rebbe, whose motto was the refrain of the Chasam Sopher "Chodosh Assur Min haTorah," (New innovations are forbidden by the Torah) actually himself introduced significant modifications in the communal structure. thus he introduced secular studies in the Satmar elementary schools and later even in high schools. More importantly he created schools for girls , something that not only did not exist in greater Hungary prior to 1944, but was fought by the Rebbe and other Chasidic gedolim like the Belzer Rav in Galicia. Yet the Rebbe was adept enough to sense that America was different than Rumania or Hungary and secular studies were required here an dwomen needed some form of formal Jewish education.

Of course he faced opposition here , but his personality was so dominant that he overwhelmed men like the the Krasner Rav, Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein, and other kanoim who opposed anything new except for modern technology. The author also introduces us to the Rebbe's key assistants, men like R. Lippa Friedman , Sender Deutsch (I i wish he discussed his role in more detail) Mr. Hertz Frankel, and R. Yudel Rosenberg, who ran the Satmar summer camps and Matzo bakeries. R. Meisels also details the Rebbe's opposition to Zionism and to the state of Israel in detail. By now we all know about RJT's attitude agaisnt Zionism and Israel, so there is little new here. While Meisels stresses the role the Gimmel Shevuoth played in forming the Rebbe's ideological basis for this policy, he does not really detail the theoretical aspects of this thinking. Nor does he present an even handed depiction of a very lively debate concerning the halachic status of the Gimmel Shevuoth with gedolim taking various positions. He seems to be unaware that the chozer Rav Yoel Kahan wrote a refuation of the position of RJT. What is clear though is that the position of the Satmarer Rebbe and his Hungarain Rabbinic associates was not the universally accepted position at any time and certainly was a Daas Yachid after the brutal destruction of European Jewry by the Germans between 1939- 1945. Clearly after 1945 the Belzer Rav, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Gerrer Rebbe and others dropped their opposition to the idea of Israel and sought to work to create a Jewish basis for the state. [I was looking at the new biography of Rav Lopian called REB ELAH, and it states that Rav Lopian held those who did not vote in municipal elections responsible for the decress of Mixed swimming pools in Jerusalem.] R. Meisels does discuss the Rebbe's rescue in 1944 . On page 114 he attributes the Rebbe's rescue to the fact that the mother of the Zionist leader, Dr. Fischer,, appeared to to him in a dream and ordered him to rescue the Rebbe, which meant including him on the list of those to be included in the Kasztner transport. It ought to be noted that this whole project was a Zionist sponsored project and Fischer, Kasztner and other were all Zionist leaders.

MORE SHORTLY, אי"ה

Book Review (Pt. II)

Reb Avrohom as a younger man

See Part I

(I started the first part of the review because I felt that I owed it to the author, since he had sent me the book as soon as I agreed to review it, and several days had gone by since I finished reading it. Which is why all that you saw was a general, one-paragraph review, without any clear references to the actual content. )

As was mentioned before much effort went into attaining as much information about Reb Avrohom and his family as is possible. The same goes for his wife's family, the HaYitzchokis from Nevel, who traced their lineage back to Rashi HaKodosh. In the spirit of full disclosure all family pictures are displayed, even those that aren't very flattering for the family of a famed chossid and mashpia. Many of you "truthers" out there will be pleased by that. We're all adults here, we know what the matzav HaYahadus was like in Russia post WW1, and we ca take the fact that this brother didn't grow a beard or that aunt didn't cover her hair. I may have misunderstood one picture in the book, but IIRC there's a picture where Reb Avrohom and his family went to visit relatives of his on Rechov HaYarkon in TA, who seemed to be on the modern side, and the caption reads something like "Reb Avrohom and family with relatives that he called only "di kroyvim fun rechov haYarkon," which would seem to indicate that he wanted to shield his children from these "kroyvim," I guess because of their lax religious observance.

But here I am, getting way ahead of myself again. Let's get back to the review, shall we?

The book reads like a regular mussar sefer, you'll excuse the term. We're used to chassidim being medakdek b'mitzvos to the extreme, and we're used to them being nizhar from any chashash issur like it was a roaring inferno, but in this case there's more. Reb Avrohom managed to raise a chassidishe family - a very large one - in the USSR under those conditions, as did hundreds of others, but there's more to that than just that fact. There's the fact that for well over a decade he was a wanted man, plain and simple. They were looking to arrest him just like all the others that were sent away and never came back or came back after years in the gulags. Yet, somehow, they never got to him. And all that time he managed to help others that were less fortunate, hide other wanted people, and raise and have a connection with his family. I realize that we haven't spoken about his earlier life very much, whether it be pre or post Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch days, but right now, looking back at what I read a several weeks ago, that's what stays fresh in my mind. Besides, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Yid like Reb Avrohom talk about himself and about what he accomplished. If anything, he'd talk about the Rebbe, his chaverim and mashpiyim in Yeshiva, and about what he saw and heard. There are no "we finished gantz shas together waiting on the lunch line" stories here like you may find elsewhere...



Reb Avrohom being osek in avodas hatfilloh in zibben zibetzig.

I'm not an official book reviewer, so I still have a hard time figuring out exactly what it is that I need to do when it comes to a review, but I assume that a review shouldn't (just) repeat nice stories or anectodes that he sees in the book. I speak to the general body of work. I'd like to thank Moshe Rubin for taking the high road when it came to he style of writing he uses in his zeide's story. Unfortunately, in the world of Chabad English literature today it's commonplace to cater to the unaffiliated and to forget about those that don't need a glossary and all Hebrew words in havara sefaradit. Rubin manages to keep the original old world flavor without alienating those that have no connection to the old world. (come to think of it, I may have made that point last time as well. In any case, it's worth repeating.) The style of writing ensures that you continue and finish the book. Every chapter in RAM's life, even the relative menucha here in the US, is interesting, if not riveting. You're no less intrerested in his keeping the KGB at bay than the fact that later in life he would travel all across the US collecting funds for Lubavitcher Yeshivos without knowledge of English - and we're talking towns that many of us Yankees would be very uncomfortable in, small American cities, not just Chicago and L.A. And of course, his farbrengens here in the US - or at the least the descriptions thereof, make for very good reading material as well.

[I'd like to highlight some of the stories in the book in the next segment of the review. B'ezras hashem and if time allows for it. I hear that the book is selling very well, in all Jewish neighborhoods in NYC, and that makes the Tzig happy, seeing that Rubin's hard work is being rewarded by good sales.]

[Many of the books were that were written about the difficult times in Russia were written by the people involved. In this case Reb Avrohom had long since passed on, but most of his children are alive and well, so a very clear picture can be presented about their life in the USSR, as well as life in the Holy Land and in America.]

With Teimaner Kinder that he taught in Tomchei Tmimim in Lod


In his final years, receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

Book Review: R' Avrohom Mayorer (Pt. I)

One of the few perks of maintaining this blog - other than interacting and meeting with so many fascinating people, of course - is that every once in a while somebody appreciates what you do, values your opinion, and wants to hear what you think about a certain subject/matter. If that weren't enough, an author or publisher will want you to read what he wrote and share it with the readers! Which is what happened here. We got the book so that we review it here on the blog. After several days of reading I finished, and can now share my humble opinion with you all.

For starters, Rubin did a very thorough job, going back several generations to find the roots of the Drizin family. Father, father's father, brothers, sisters, cousin, town Rov, and so on are all described in as much detail as possible, not much is often known. Mayore's Rov (which is why he was named Mayorer - from Mayore) was also an Oylimisher, as was the case in Chassidishe shtetlach all over Russia. Reb DovBer Pianko, HY"D was loved and respected by all, and considerable attention is given to the details of his death at the hands of the local goyim, who made him and example, as well as the mesiras nefesh - literally - that Reb Avrohom's uncle had to bring the Rov and a family member (I forget which) to kever yisroel. Even before getting to the story, much effort is made to credit absolutely anybody and everybody who helped make the book possible - from Zalman Alpert to parents and spouse, which tells you right off the bat that this work was one of thoroughness, and that what we have here is something that can be Oleh al shulchan melochim. I also think that the fact that the book was written by a rechter eynikel of Reb Avrohom makes it so much worthwhile; the love for the protagonist, the respect, even the longing for him, is evident in every page.



New York, 1950s. Reb Meir Itkin standing, left. Is that Zelig Levin sitting in the middle?!

I'll leave it for now and post this as part I, since I'd like to get this review going and not wait for the whole thing to be done before I post any of it. It makes it better for all parties involved.