....שירבו כמותו בישרא-ל

Reb Avrum Banda (c) posing with Rabbis Berel (l) and Gedalia (r) Shemtov in Crown Heights today, where he and family inaugurated the new Pomegranate Shluchim Suites.  Gedalia founded  - together with his uncle Reb Mendel Shemtov, ע"ה, - and runs the Shluchim Office - a resource and assistance center for Shluchim - in Crown Heights, and his father Reb Berel is the Shliach to the State of Michigan, and has been since 1958. He is the son of Reb Bentche Shemtov whom we discussed in yesterday's post, and a somewhat controversial figure in Lubavitch due to his very unique style of doing mostly everything. That being said we're very proud of the fact that Reb Avrum, a Satmarer Yid, donated this beautiful facility in honor of the wonderful work that Lubavitcher Shluchim do. May Hashem bless him and his family and may they much continued success מתוך שמחה וטוב לבב עבג"צ בב"א.

Lubavitch Archives - a glimpse into a not so distant past

This may be one of the reasons why Facebook was created. Our good friend Dovid Zaklikowski has created a beautiful Facebook page/group where he features many never-before-seen pictures of happenings in the Lubavitcher הויף and other happenings within .כרם חב"ד These pictures are usually without captions, save for sometimes giving a general caption or idea that tells you the general date or time or place of the event. Visitors are then asked to identify the individuals in the pictures. Take for example this picture here, of the revered Chossid Reb Shmiel Duvid Raichik ע"ה of California; where else would you see such a picture? Nowhere. And where else would you have such a Chossid? only in Lubavitch. Elsewhere he'd be a Rebbe already.

l-r: Rav Shlomo Wolbe, Rav Yakov Yisroel הי"ד, Rav Mordechai Schulman of Slabodka.

איי, וועט איר דאך פרעגן, what's the Lubavitch angle in this picture? Are we now claiming Rav Wolbe, or perhaps the Slabodka Bnei Beraq Rosh Yeshiva as one of our own? No, silly, it's Rav Zuber that made this picture appear in the archives. He was a Lubavitcher Chossid. The picture is apparently from the time that RYYZ was Rov in Stockholm, or maybe not. Rav Wolbe was from Sweden, but we don't know if RMS was ever in Sweden. So maybe it's from a time that RYYZ traveled to Europe. There are pictures of him with Reb Lazer Yudel Finkel in the archive as well. He later immigrated to the United States and was killed by a drunk sheigetz around New Year's of 1953. See an interview with his daughter Mrs. Chana Sharfstein from Crown Heights in Mishpacha magazine.

 And here we have a wonderful picture of the Chossid Reb Bentche Shemtov at a family simcha. Those who know could tell you that at a certain point of the simcha/farbrengen Reb Bentche would get up and make himself heard. Here he was probably calling out some other chossid, telling him that he's a no-good bum, for one reason or another. That he wasn't mekusher to the Rebbe and is therefore not worthy of breathing the air on G-d's green earth. To his left was his brother-in-law, the unforgettable Reb Mendel Futerfas. They were married to 2 sisters. RBS was married to RMF's sister Esther Golda. Reb Mendel is sitting with kabolas Ol, but you might say that he doesn't look very happy. Simches were a whole lot heimisher back then.

You'd be shocked to see who liked PM Yitzchak Shamir and what he said about him!

And we always believed that the Degel HaTorah people didn't like Mr. Shamir and favored Shimon Peres and his liberal stance on peace - and that "no land for peace" was an exclusively Lubavitcher opinion. But now, upon the passing of PM Yitzchak Shamir, we're hearing all kinds of nice things that were said about him by people that we thought were not on the same page politically with him. [From the Chabad sites you'd think that one of the ziknei haChassidim passed on, but that's become normal already, although nobody knows when and how that happened...] One of those people is the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshiva, who was quoted by former Interior Minister Yitzchak Peretz as saying that he has ".דעת זקנים" Is it the Daas of זקני תלמידי חכמים or זקני עם הארץ? It seems to be a good thing from the article, judging from the fact that they say that he had הערכה towards him, meaning that it's a good thing. the Although there's no direct mention of his admiration of Shamir because of his stance on the peace negotiations in this article, there IS another one that makes mention of it and of the fact that the idea that the PR"Y was for giving land in return for peace is a MYTH. Here's that article.

Of course there are many that disagree, some of them Lubavitchers, and who remember many of the statements he made in regards to the Golan Heights, like "We've lived without the Golan for two thousand years, and we can go another 2,000 years without it," meaning if it's handed over to Syria וועט די וועלט ניט אונטערגיין. In short, a very Baalebatishe look at politics, clearly out of his league. Like most Rosheshives. But I believe that his opinion on this issue especially changed very often, that it was a very flexible opinion, based on the time and place, and based on the needs of the frum Jews at that time, so maybe both opinions are right... The same goes for others like Rav Ovadia. I mean no harm, it's just that some Rebbes have some sort of S'yata D'Shmaya that today's Rosheshives and Rabbonim don't have. Some sort of BaalShem'ske zechus that guides them to make the right decisions... But even that doesn't ALWAYS work...

That's my Daas Baalebatim.

1949 - Chassidishe Rebbes calling for a חזית דתית מאוחדת

It happened once and lasted 21/2 years, from Feb.1949 to Aug.1951. And I don't believe it ever happened again. Agudah, Poalei Agudah, Mizrachi and HaPoel HaMizrachi. Anybody know why? Do you notice anything about the signatures? That's right, there are only Chasidishe Rebbes on it. Not a single non-Hasid. No Litvishe Rabbonim nor Rosheshives.  Did Kol korehs work that way? separate but equal? Judging from the fact that The Agudah was not all Chassidish I would assume that the Litvishe Gedolim also supported this united front, so why did they not all sign together? And why did it never happen again? Who backed out? Who decided against it? What were the Brisker Rov and Chazon Ish's opinions about the bloc? Were they for it before they were against it? I cannot recall at the moment and am having a hard time finding it in the history books.

Read about the Religious Bloc that got 16 MKs in the 1949 elections

More on the חזית דתית מאוחדת of 1949

אידן רחמנים בני רחמנים! העלפט מיט פדיון שבויים - please help - Pidyon Shvuyim

A bochur from a chasidisher broken family is in prison for over a week and he has nobody doing anything, but since he is a Yid we are going to help him by raising the funds to get him out of prison and provide him with supervised housing and psychiatric care. He was drunk and resisted arrest, a common symptom of drunkenness. We are getting him the proper help which would include supervised housing and ongoing psychiatric care. The bail is $12,000, $1,000, but the supervised housing and psychiatric care will cost more. Pidyon shvuyim is the greatest of mitzvos. Let us show our brother that we are always with him and we will do all we can to help him.

***UPDATE***
Bail was reduced to $1,000, but we are also raising for ongoing supervised housing and psychiatric care.

Please click on the paypal button below to donate.
 

תזכו למצוות

when רבי חיים וואלאזשינער sent RebYitzchok Zev Solowejczyk הראשון to the Heiliger Rizhiner זצ"ל for help with a גזירה...

A very kind reader Upon reading about RAYS reading the תנאים at the Sadigerrer תנאים מאהל, took the time to send me links to the sefer זכרון יעקב by Reb Yaakov HaLevi Lipschutz which discuss a connection that Beis Brisk had to Rizhin, the fore bearer to Sadiger, back in the 19th century. Knowing Reb AvromYeshua and his knowledge of Brisker history I'm sure he knows this chapter of the family history as well, but I couldn't say if there was some kind of ongoing connection בין בריסק לסאדיגורא today as well. Although the fact that the Shapiras are somewhat affluent would help... A brief synopsis: The year 1826 was when the Czar Nikolai I decided to take Jews for military service. It seems from Rabbi Lipschutz that these rumors already started soon after the defeat of Napoleon over a decade before, but 1826 was when it was confirmed that the idea was being seriously considered in the halls of power in the Russian capital. What seems normal now - says RYL - was considered unjust in '26 and an effort was made to try and stop it. By "stop it" we mean that instead of paying with bodies the Jews would pay their share with a heavy tax, since long-term conscription into a Christian army was a death sentence to the Jewish future - which is why the Czar wanted to do it in the first place. But in the end the idea of a tax did not work and army service became mandatory, even for Jews.

As far as what hishtadlus was done; Being that Reb Yitzchok Zev was Reb Chaim Volozhiner's eynikel he was asked to travel to Rizhin to see Reb Yisroel, זצ"ל, who "had connections." He had gevirim who knew and had influence with the Russian ministers and could do something  about the decree. RYZS told Rabbi Lipschutz about his visit to the Rizhiner and how he would take "kvitlach" with pidyonos in his prave shtieb. But the tzaddik could do nothing for him. "I have done all that I can," were his words, "I can do no more. I have already sent two letters to the מומע לאה, what more can I do?"  Alas, the gates of heaven were closed and the decree would be carried out. Who? Mume Leah? Who was this, and how would she help? We've heard of the Mume Sarah, but who was the Mume Leah? Lipschutz tells us that the Mume Leah was the Jewish wife of the Russian Admiral of the Black Sea fleet of the Imperial Navy who lived in Nikolayev, Ukraine - [ birthplace of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע.] She was a very frume Yiddene, despite being married to a Russian admiral and was very active in Jewish causes, helping her brethren with parnosoh, as well as klal issues. She was a big chasidis'te of the Rizhiner, and would often send kvitlech to him. The greatest hishtadlus he could do was to send her two letters בכתב יד קדשו - you hear that David Assaf? - and since there was nothing she could do then the decree was sealed, אין להשיב.


 [ It seems like this was done several years before 1826, since Reb Chaim Volozhiner, RYZS's zeide, was the one who sent RYZS, and he passed away in 5581/1821, which would make the Rizhiner 25 years old at most!]




Brisk-Ruzhin From Y Lipschutz

Rav Ruderman's 25th Yohrtzeit

The (Chabadsker Yingel cum) Slabodker Talmid who founded and became the Rosh Yeshiva of  Ner Israel in Baltimore is seen right, with glasses, with Rav Moshe Feinstein left, [Rabbi Zakheim,?] the Kopycniczer Rebbe, Reb Moshe Mordche, holding the becher. Quite "malchus'dig," I might add. RYYR passed away on this day in 5747/1987. The picture is sometime between 1967, when the old Kopycniczer passed away, and 1975, when RMMH passed away בדמי ימיו, in 1975. The Rebbishe benkel has been vacant ever since.

תנצב"ה

Wiki page on RYYR

The Intimidators get intimidated

My good friend Josh Harrison from Chakira Blog sent me this email that he got from one Ari Weiss of Uri L'Tzedek: Tav HaYosher shnorr letter July 2012 It seems like the do-gooders can dish it out, they can harass you until you're out of business and worse, but when the going gets tough they run to their mommies to shnorr for money.

!העפי אינדעפענדענס דעי, אמעריקע

"י"ב-י"ג תמוז א גאולה פאר "כל אשר בשם ישראל יכונה

What we have here is a link to רשימת המאסר, where the Rebbe ריי"צ נ"ע writes about his arrest, the days he spent in jail and exile, as well as some of the history of Lubavitch. We often speak of the mesiras nefesh that Chassidim in the Soviet Union carried out, but seeing the Rebbe's words here is extra special and should be required reading for all those who are interested to see how a Manhig Yisroel speaks and thinks. Although you won't read much about the activities in Russia here, you can see how the connection to such a Tzaddik, Rebbe and Nosi is what inspired these baalei mesiras nefesh. דאס האט דער בעש"ט הק' געמיינט מיט חסידות ---- While in Kastroma, Russia in exile the Rebbe spoke the following powerful words, despite the fact that he had just been released from a death sentence and was still being watched by agents who understood his every word!

sicha Kastroma 5687

While on the topic of Russian Jewry; what do you make of what the Tendler family writes here about Reb Moshe's opinion about the Soviet Government - as if they were to be listened to even in matters of Torah, since דינא דמלכותא דינא....  Are they stam being מוציא לע"ז on their shver/zeide, just to be P.C.?

תמונת הלילה - בריסק אין סאדיגורא

Reb AvromYeshua Soloveitchik of Yeshivas Brisk in Yerushalayim reading the tnoyim at the תנאים for the grandson of the Sadigura Rebbe, שליט"א, a son of his son-in-law R' Pinchas Shapira (son of the late MK Munye Shapira of Agudath Israel.) Do the Briskers do T'noyims before a wedding, meaning by the close of the shidduch, or do they wait till the Kabbolas ponim? It would be interesting to know if he went against Brisker protocol. I would assume that the bochur learns in Brisk. Now, I may be mistaken, but as far as I know there is a Sadigerrer Yeshiva in Israel that caters to older bochurim as well. I believe it's known as ישיבת רוז'ין בני ברק. Which makes you wonder why the Rebbe's grandson would not attend. I guess inferiority complexes are common even amongst the Rebbishe, not just among Chassidim.

Here we see Reb AvromYeshua seated left, while Reb Mendel Ernster, a son-in-law of the old Vizhnitzer Rebbe, and a  grandson of the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, and thus a descendant of the holy Ruzhiner, זצ"ל, has his hand kissed by the Sadigerrer Rebbe after doing the honors himself previously. The Tzemach Tzaddik of Vizhnitz, רבי מנחם מענדיל, was married to מרים, a daughter of the Ruzhiner.

Left you can see Harav Chaim Feinstein, son of Reb Michel, and grandson of the Brisker Rov. Maybe the Sadigerrer has some kind of shtarke shaychus to Brisk, to all its descendants and branches. Or maybe he learned there too? We can speculate. I wonder what the Briskers think about the Sadigerrer and the whole Rizhiner family.

when did this become normal in the Litvishe world?

(Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

 I speak of this farkvetshtkeit, the show with the sack cloth, the funny - or weird - faces, almost like severe stomach pain. I don't think you see such expressions of the Litvishe Gedolim of yesteryear. I know that Chassidim like to have this picture of a Litvak in their minds, but I don't believe that's real. [Well, maybe real in the sense that there were SOME people like that - the town Porush, perhaps.] They're referring to American Yeshivishe guys who somehow picked this up from somewhere, but I don't think it was from the Litvaks. And come to think of it, it's not even farkvetshtkeit, it's more of a seriousness mixed with American temimus. Picture a Yid like Reb Berel Povarski, or Reb Baruch Mordche Ezrachi, do they seem farkvetsht to you? You always see them smiling. Reb Chaim Oyzer always seemed to have a smile on his face. OK, I'll grant you the Brisker Rov, and maybe Reb Elchonon too, but they seemed to be the exception to the rule. I would think that the average Litvishe Yiddel was happy, especially if he was a learned man - then he had a real geshmak in life! Today it seems like that in that world they think that in order to be an erlicher Yid you need to walk around as if your stomach is about to explode.

I'm not gonna pass judgement on this young fellow here. Maybe he's 100% earnest about the sackcloth. Maybe the fact that SOME bachurim who did make תורתם אומנתם will have to go work makes him cry out in pain. This is where this photo was taken, by the way. At the pre-dawn demonstration in Yerushalayim last week. Maybe he REALLY feels as if a dear loved one passed on, ח"ו. But I have my doubts... Something tells me he checked himself out in the mirror to make sure he has the look down pat. Meileh the אנשי ישוב הישן, I can see where that came from, although I don't think that it necessarily stems from their Litvishe background. It may be that Hungarian-Litvish hybrid that was created in Yerushalayim that caused the outcome which we see in the typical Yerushalmi. Although the very same conditions that created the sackcloth-wearing guy who yells at passing cars on Shabbos created the letz that laughs at everything that moves.... We may not know where it comes from and how it came about, but we've grown to know, and maybe even love it. But this guy with the kneitsh... מי ברא אלה?

"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

פיקטשער אוו זע דעי

הרה"ח ר' יוסף הלוי וויינבערג ע"ה

תצלום מהספר "תולדות חב"ד בפולין ליטא ולטביא" - באדיבות הספרן הרה"ח ר' שד"ב שי' לוין

נפטר געווארען הרה"ח ר' יוסף הלוי וויינבערג ע"ה

הרב וויינבערג  עומד רביעי משמאל  (Photo: COL)

Reb Yossel Weinberg was from a family of Trisker Chassidim ( I once heard from him that the Trisker Rebbe put tefillin on him for the first time) in Poland who joined the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Otwock and became a fiery and very devoted Chossid of the Frierdige Rebbe, and later the Rebbe. He was a fundraiser for the Yeshivos Tomchei Tmimim in New York who used his travels to spread Yiddishkeit wherever he went. His weekly shiur Tanya was listened to by thousands on the "Jewish" radio, and his shiurim were later compiled into שיעורים בספר התניא in Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as '"Lessons in Tanya" in English. He also took that opportunity to review a sicha of the Rebbe, זי"ע, and thus be עוסק אין הפצת מעיינות הבעש"ט ותלמידיו לקרב הגאולה שלימה. But most of all he was a varemer Chassidisher Yid who served Hashem with love and fear and helped his fellow Yid as much as he can. He left a family of Rabbonim, Talmidei Chachomim, Shluchim of the Rebbe who follow in his ways and the דרכי החסידות.
תנצב"ה

שד"ר פון אדמו"רי ליובאוויטש זצוק"ל אוועק אין עלטער פון 94 יאר

RYW speaks about שיעורים בספר התניא

חיים של שליחות ● תמונות מחייו של הרב יוסף ויינברג ע"ה

הרב ויינברג חושף את הגהות הרבי על שיעוריו ● וידאו בלעדי

אדמו"ר הריי"צ על הרב ויינברג: "עסקן חרוץ להרבצת תורה"

קראון הייטס: נפטר הרב יוסף הלוי ויינברג ע"ה

Rabbi Yosef Wineberg, 94, OBM

הרב וויינבערג - לינקס -מיט הרב ר' אברהם מאיארער אין די ישיבה תות"ל אין לוד, ארה"ק ת"ו

הרה"ק בעל מנח"א זצ"ל מכריז: "שלוחי ליובאוויטש לא יחשב להם אם יצא איזה עון!"

The (London) Jewish Tribune remembers Reb Bentche Shemtov, ע"ה

  On His Yohrtzeit, ה' תמוז - Here

(running for cover)

I expect to be branded a traitor and an אויסווארף who doesn't know how much pain this man caused the Rebbe by writing his now infamous article in the פארווערטס about the טעראר בריגאדע אין ליובאוויטש. But I cannot help myself, so I will publish it. Rabbi Shurin passed on like 2 weeks ago at a ripe old age. I will not defend what he did to Lubavitch with his infamous article, but I cannot say that I don't understand him. In any case this is not the most appropriate post 3 Tammuz article, but I'm not always in control of that, even if it seems like I may be. (No, I don't mean that I have "handlers," like many of you want to believe.)

 Here's the link to the sicha where the Rebbe addresses the article by Shurin. ר' אהרן בנציון Shurin

"ג' תמוז אין די "ד' אמות

.שבת שכולו תורה תפלה והתוועדות.אין מקום מתאים יותר ומעודד ומעורר יותר משם

א רחמנות אויף דער אזוי-גערופענע ליובאוויטשער חסיד וואס קען זיך נישט ערלויבען פארען אהינצו ווייל ער דארף זיין בעטאלע און זיין קאווע מיט מזונות שבת צופרי. (כאטש אז קאווע מיט מזונות איז פאראן דארט "לרחצה") אביסל זיך אוועק געבן פאר'ן רבי'ן איז אזוי שווער ביי אייך? איין מאל א יאר פאר 24 שעה איז צו פיל? נאר געבן דארף מען אייך, נאר נעמען קענט איר, אביסל געבן קענט איר נישט? מילא אז די טאג איז ביי אייך א געלעכטער אדער אן "אתחלתא דגאולה" פארשטיי .איך. ס'איז א רחמנות און אפשר נאך ארגער, אבער מ'קען עס פארשטיין אבער טאמער האלט איר אז אזא טאג מאנט א חשבון הנפש ווי קענט איר נישט זיין אין די ד' אמות, ובפרט שבת ???

אשרינו שזכינו

דער צענזור ארבעט שווער

  Link to full גליון

 פרעגט מיר נישט פון וואנעט איך ווייס, אבער אזוי איז די פאקט. מ'קען דאך נישט שרייבען אז ליובאוויטשער שלוחים בויען אויף אידישקייט אין אונגארן, ס'דאך א געפערליכע בזיון, מוז מען אויסרייסען דריי פערטל שמועס און איבערלאזען אן .אויסגעדארטע ביינדל מיט א ברעקעלע פלייש בקרוב וועו אריינקומען אין רעדאקציע די השמטה, און מיר וועלן דענסטמאל דרוקען לטובת כלל ישראל