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Reb Aaron & Raayatz 

▪ Lakewood Today
 ▪ Reb Shneur
▪ BMG & Lubavitch
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▪ Vaad Hatzalah
 ▪ Legacy

Lakewood Township Committee Meeting - December 1st, 2016

Gets really hot at 35 minutes and on.

Even "Jay Bee" annerkenned that Lakewood is the Real derech...

All you יפי נפש that are so excited about this letter and check and see this as proof of the Rav's great middos and support of Torah are getting this all wrong. This isn't him showing that he can support a mosad whose leaders so disrespect him. All this shows is that in his advanced age, seeing what had become of YU, he realized, much like Shlomo Carlebach, that the only true place is the Olam HaYeshivos. SO he made sure to support them in their time of need and made sure to tell the world that they are one of the most prominent Torah institutions in this country. Like the header says: he annerkenned that Lakewood was the emes'e mesorah of Brisk and of Torah bichlal.

(Overheard in the coffee room)

Wednesday Links (sometimes it takes 12 days to put together links...)

Walmart's $10 Smartphone
Marrying a Soloveitchik (old)
Satmar Bus Achdus
Lakewood עיר התורה produces votes like no other district
JTS Book Sale (שטיקל שאלה)
Montreal has Monsey-like issues

Summer Chizuk - Reprinted with permission from Yated Ne'eman

Summer is a time we can use to be mechazeik people in a way we can’t during the year. For example, on Monday, Rav Yeruchim Olshin, rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, used the opportunity presented by bein hazemanim to visit Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin in prison. But it wasn’t that simple. Reb Yossi Ostreicher, who accompanied the rosh yeshiva and drove him to the jail, worked hard to arrange this visit. Shalom Mordechai was so excited that the rosh yeshiva would be coming to visit him. Imagine this Yid sitting alone in jail, cut off from the outside world. Imagine when he hears that the Lakewood rosh yeshiva is coming to visit him. He couldn’t contain himself. The rosh yeshiva was equally happy that he would be able to be mesameiach the locked-away, humble Yid. I spoke to each of them on Sunday and was happy that the visit was going to come about. Then, Sunday evening, Rav Yisroel Meir Yagen zt”l, a Lakewood kollel yungerman and son-in-law of Rav Gershon Ribner shlit”a, was tragically niftar. Rav Olshin would have to forgo the visit to Shalom Mordechai. He would be devastated, but how could the rosh yeshiva not be at the levayah? How surprised I was when Shalom Mordechai called me Monday afternoon. I learned a serious lesson in middos and in mesirus nefesh for another Yid. I learned a lesson in gadlus ha’adam more potent than a mussar shmuess. Rav Yeruchim woke up pre-dawn, davened vosikin, got into the car for the 2-½ drive to Otisville, NY, stayed with Shalom Mordechai for twenty minutes and then headed back to Lakewood to attend the levayah. He had the best excuse not to go. Who would not understand that he couldn’t make the visit? He had to be at the levayah. Anyone could accept that. Shalom Mordechai, the Lubavitcher Yid he had never met before, would surely understand. But instead of forgoing the five-hour trip on a difficult day, the rosh yeshiva chose to be moser nefesh to raise the spirits of a Yid. They only spent a few minutes together, but every time Shalom Mordechai ponders his fate, he will be emboldened because of the gadlus of a person who used the opportunity presented by summer to lift up a fellow Jew.

Guest Post - Being Menachem Avel משפחת קטלר - by Rabbi Isser Z. Weisberg

I went to be menachem ovel the Kotler family today at the modest home of their mother Rebbetzin Rishel a"h at 515 5th St. in Lakewood. Incidentally the Rebbetzin would always mention to members of my wife's family, the Schochets, that they were related and the families were close (exactly how, I could not ascertain). I came together with Reb Nochum Kaplan, who now serves as the head of the "Central Office of Education" of Chabad in Crown Heights. R' Kaplan started his career as the principal of the Bezalel Hebrew Day School in Lakewood almost 40 years ago. He was reminiscing with the Kotler family about the early years of Lakewood and his close and warm relationship with Reb Shneur and the Rebbetzin z"l. (They were also related somehow). Incidentally R' Nochum was one of the first to introduce me to the world of Chabad while I was learning in Lakewood. While there in the Rebbetzin's home I snapped a picture of the famous list of the founding 13 talmidim which was hanging on her kitchen wall for over 50 years. (The number 15 quoted from the NYT in Wikipedia is incorrect). The Yeshiva opened its doors for the Pesach zman of 5703, hence, the list indicates summer 1943. This list was created for the Draft Board, and lists in which yeshiva each talmid obtained their 4D status. (which is the exemption for ministers & divinity students.

(See Here).

The first on the list is Reb Yisroel Kanarek z"l founder of Peekskill Yeshiva and the last is my father z"l, Reb Yaakov Weisberg. If I am not mistaken my father is the only one of the group born in America. From the book "The Legacy of Moran Rav Aharon Kotler (Dershowitz)" p. 74: "Rabbi Yaakov Weisberg was the very first American bochur to "hear" the Rosh Yeshiva's public call to Bnei Torah to "forge a new link" in the chain of Oskim BaTorah Lishmoh and join the fledgling Lakewood Yeshiva. He was a Talmid Chochem of note who loved and built Torah. Loved and did countless Chassodim (with devotion, Simcha, and true modesty) for countless individuals."

How Lakewood פראוועט ליל שישי

The truth is that it's mamesh heartwarming to see the קירוב לבבות between Lubavitch and Lakewood. Only music can bring hearts and minds together. Not only music, kugel & chulent help too. I hear they sell, like, heaps and mounds of that stuff every week in Lakewood. Not what the original Kletzkers had in mind, that's for sure. Chassidus can bring people together too, but we'll take what we can...

Thursday Morning Links

a Trip to Kletzk and Volozhin
Maybe we can start sending some bachurim back to Kletzk? Start the freezer there, make them be there for 6 months. There it's REALLY cold, so it would actually be a freezer. Maybe at the same time do some community service, help out old Jews in Belarus. Like on Friday afternoons and such, not cholileh during seder.
How Satmarish is Haredi Satmar Yiddish?
עלייה להר הבית בימינו במשנתו של הגר"מ אליהו זצ"ל
Was Prof. Saul Lieberman Orthodox?
Montreal: Outrage to put time limits on Sukkahs, critics say

עיה"ת איז "מקבל מרות" פונעם גדול הדור ושר התורה... צי ר' מלכיאל וויל צי ער וויל נישט

I've been made to understand that the visit this week of Reb Aryeh Finkel, son חז"פ, grandson of Reb Lazer Yudel, and Roshiveh of Mir-Brachfeld is not so poshut. Despite the grapes and glass of tea it wasn't what Reb Malkiel had in mind to be doing that day. And it wasn't his choice in guest speaker. But he too had to bow to the folks at Hazon Ish 5 --- not that RALS actually is at the helm of this באנדע, they just use him. But what I don't understand is why they sent a B-list (excuse the expression) gadol over here. Yes, he's elderly, but still. No REAL star power. Then again, Reb Moshe Hillel Hirsh is there every second week. Reb Berel Povarski is not welcome there, (הערה לאח"ז  - at least he wasn't until this week...) and Reb Aron Leib is too old. That leaves whom? Reb Dov Yaffe? nah. So RAF was the only choice. They already used the Satmar Rebbe... LOL.

New! Chaim Dalfin's "Habad Portraits" vol. 2 - an excerpt: Shlomo Carlebach: Lakewood, Chabad, the REAL story!

The book is in "pre-order" mode now. E-mail: info@rabbidalfin.com or call 212-444-9102. Thirty dollars ($30.00) including S&H and it's yours!

Habad Portaits Excerpt

הרב שלמה לייפער מנדבורנא כעת בגלות קלעצק

Same wedding. No disrespect.

 תודה להמשלח

Credit:Ivelt

did we just witness the biggest זיוף of all time in RAK's new biography by א. סורסקי?

"ב"ה

 היינט איז אנגעקומען צו מיינע הענט דעם נייעם בוך "אש התורה" באשריבן הג"ר אהרן קאטלער זצ"ל. אזוי בלעטערנדיג (אין חלק שני) האב איך מיר אנגעשטויסן (עמוד קעט) אין א בילד וואס האט אויסגערופן פארדאכטיגקייט. א בילד פון ר' אהרן מיטן סאטמארער רב זי"ע. א חידוש, קיינמאל נישט געזעהן דאס בילד און אייך אלע אויך נישט. דאס אז די צוויי גדולים האבן זיך געטראפן איז קיין חידוש. דאס אז דער סאטמארער רבי האט איהם מספיד געווען דאס ווייסן מיר אלע. אבער נעמען א (באקאנט) בילד וואו דער רבי נעמט אויף דעם מעיאר לינזי וואגנער ביי זיך אין שטוב, און פארטוישן דעם מעיאר מיט אט דעם אויבן דערמאנטער גדול, איז לדעתי א פארברעך. איצטער איז דער פראגע ווער איז דער זייפן. צו אהרן סורסקי צו גאר די לעיקוואודער מכון וואס האבן צוגעשטעלט די חומר, און געזעהן פארנייטיגקייט צו צוזאם שטעלן דאס בילד. די ערשטע צו וועם איך שרייב, איז צו אייך חברי מורשת (מורשת חכמי אמעריקע) וואס איז געשטעלט אויף 'אמת'ע יסודות, און פון דא וועט דאס גיין ווייטער.

. ובזה אשקיט סערת רוחי"

Read it and weep, folks. The best we can hope for is that Suresky didn't bother to vet his photos. Otherwise the business is bankrupt. We can just close up shop. I guess the need to win the approval of Satmar is what did them in. It wasn't enough that the SR admired RAK, they needed to create a picture of a supposed meeting that never happened, ala Stalin in Poland, for those of you who know that joke. Goes to show you.

The doctored picture

the original picture

POTD

h/t Babruisker

מילא בימי סדרי הישיבה איז דא א תירוץ אז ס'איז "ביטול תורה," אבער חול המועד אד"ג? וואו היילט מען זיך? איין ג-ט ווייסט

...א קלוגער איד וואלט געמעגט זיין רואה את הנולד

Photo source

I might have known when I saw this story last week on VIN that it would come to something like this. From their very modest beginnings in 1943 they sure have come a long way. Surely Aron Kotler didn't think it would go unnoticed? $10.6 Million is nothing to sneeze at, and in this day and age, when we're constantly under the microscope, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll hoot and holler about it. And that $10.6 mil is just for the library! Now don't get me wrong, I don't for a second think that the comments on that news site are justified. Those people are either anti-Semites or self-hating Jews who are just miffed that the Ultra-Orthodox are getting funded by the Government. But it's one thing to sit back and take it on the chin from the towns and counties that שינד די הויט when it comes to property taxes and give you nothing in return, and it's another to use political influence to get such a direct grant. I don't begrudge them the money, but please, let's not do it at the expense of the rest of us. BMG has enough donors that would want a library on their name.

דער קלעצקער ראש ישיבה'ס לויה (אין ניו יארק?) - תשכ"ג

Being maspid the Rosh Yeshiva on this part of the recording were
 הגאון ר' משה פיינשטיין
הרב ר' אברהם קאלמאנאוויטש at 21:15
הרב ר' מרדכי פנחס טייטץ at 33:39
אדמו"ר מבאסטאן בארא פארק at 49:47

not on this recording: Reb Irving Bunim and the Satmar Rebbe.

א "סוד" פאר גאנץ לייקוואוד

Interesting how there are no "40-year old מילא כרסו בש"ס ופוסקים" prerequisites in the announcement. I thought they were careful about matters like that. Also, is that a put down of those who only learn גליא דתורה in the end?

  Hat tip: Chakira

4 months of הכנה - Chassidim have nothing on them...

4 months of preparation for RAK's 50th Yohrtzeit. Wow! Even in Lubavitch they do 2 months, tops. כל הכבוד to the folks at BMG, they're firing on all cylinders. Every week every publication has ads and advertorials, ad salesman are seeing green! The man standing in the 3rd page next to RAK is obviously NOT his son Reb Schneur, it's Neuberger or Kramer from NIRC. Even I know that. They should have knowledgeable people identifying Rabbonim at newspapers and magazines, not נשות חיל.

My favorite "asifa" picture - on the boat from Lakewood

........ווי זאגט דער וועלט? ביז'ן קרעטשמע דארף מען אויך א שנעפסעלע

הריני מוסר מודעה... An apology to HaRav Malkiel Kotler שליט"א

I see now that several Chabad sites have picked up on the story that we broke here. Some of them totally got the story wrong, as is to be expected, and some of them just made this whole story into a Kotler bashfest. This was not the point of the story. I did not intend for every person with a grudge against RMK or his father or zeide to spew out hateful comments. What I meant to show and to "expose" was the fact that the intentions of the organizers was lacking and that a terrible עולה was done to an עדה קדושה בישראל. RMK unfortunately brought that point to light. I don't know him personally, but I have watched him speak, etc. and I also can see that he's simply an eideler Yid, his other qualities aside, and you're right; I don't think he even meant what he said, it's just the way that it came out of his mouth. I don't think they ever dreamed that the Satmar Rebbe would ever ask them about Lubavitch, so they were ill-prepared, and these are the results. So I'm not saying that he's a "hater." And so I apologize for what this story has become. I did not send it around to any of the sites and I intentionally did not put a picture or title that would bring attention to him or RMS. -  Many in Lubavitch don't care, because "זיי שטייען העכער," and that's very noble of them, but that could be because they live in their own little world. The fact is that the name of the Rebbe and all previous Rabbeyim gets dragged through the mud, and I don't like for that to continue.

The fact that an esteemed Lubavitcher representative approached many, if not all, of the organizers and asked for a shred of decency to happen here, and that they'd like to participate in this gathering shows us one thing: that all of the "taynes" that some of you have about Lubavitch not caring about the dangers of the internet  - is baloney. Who cares what a BRHS Principal said on Zev Brenner? Maybe they're just a bit more realistic and truthful than some of the other schools who think that by "banning" that their kids are safe.... But I digress. Don't tell me about bearing grudges against "Misnagdim" if you do the same, and to their faces yet. If you're here to save the Jews from the 5Towns from the dangers then why not Lubavitch? They too need it. They're not as smart as you and need to be educated. They've some very respectfully and asked to be part of it, they did not sit around and wait for RMS and RMK to come to them. A little common courtesy would be nice. And that's what we asked for. I say this with all earnestness -  I think I've earned that little bit of trust from you. I say this all to clear my very guilty conscience, seeing as to how this got out of hand. AGAIN. And if Rav Matisyahu was somehow also attacked by me then I ask his forgiveness as well.

Now let those who need to apologize to the Rebbe and Lubavitch.

על דאטפת אטפוך - Poetic Justice!

My dear friends;

I'm sorry for doing this, for airing our "dirty laundry" here in public, and in English yet! but this charade has to stop. This week's meeting with the Satmar Rebbe is only one example of the exclusionary tactics being used by the organizers of the Internet event on כ"ח אייר, הבעל"ט. You can choose not to believe what I write here, if it makes you feel good, but I know it to be 1000% true. Many efforts were made to get the organizers to include Lubavitch in this asifa. They were all rejected. For all kinds of supposed reasons. All people involved got the run-around, and the end result was that we got the message. Even the Skulener Rebbe said it has nothing to do with him;  "איך בין אן אלטער איד און מען שלעפט מיר ארום". Those were his words. Even supposed friends of Lubavitch that are involved could do nothing. Lubavitch was not wanted here. Apparently some of the organizers, or do we say "THE" organizer from Gateshead/Lakewood, thinks that it's his klal yisroel and he decides who's in and who's not. And this week they made it perfectly clear to the Satmar Rebbe of KJ that they don't want Lubavitch there. That they're not part of Klal Yisroel, to paraphrase R' Malkiel Kotler. This is a kinus for part of klal yisroel, not klal yisroel. Not even all of the Ultra-Orthodox.

In case I wasn't clear enough, here's what happened:

A delegation that included the Skulener Rebbe, one of his sons, R' Matisyahu Salomon, R' Malkiel Kotler and the Viener Rov/Rebbe of Williamsburg went to the see the Satmar Rebbe of KJ this week. I think it was Monday night. They went there to convince him to sign on to the big Internet gathering. They need him, because if he doesn't sign on then his people won't go, and that means thousands of empty seats at Citifield. (which is normal there, from what I understand...) He doesn't want to go or send his people because he deals with the issue in his own way, he doesn't need some darshan for ladies (no offense) tell him what he should do to keep his kids safe. And most of all, if he doesn't call the gathering, he's not going. He doesn't play second fiddle to nobody. So he comes up with a lame excuse about 1866 Hungary, which everybody knows he doesn't believe, but they can't tell him that, because, you know, it isn't respectful. But how does he make that point? He asks them why one segment of klal yisroel, several thousand Jews with black hats, Lubavitch, namely, why they're not invited, why they haven't been asked to sign on to the kol korehs and get their students and fathers to come? So supposedly RMK said something like "they're not part of Klal Yisroel; that even though you daven in Chabad in Palm Springs I would rather daven B'Yechidus if I was in that situation."  So the SR used that to tell them, that just like he does that because he has a mesorah from his zeide and from the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshivah, so too does he have a mesorah from his zeides.  And his mesorah goes back to 1866 Hungary, not 1946 Brooklyn. (could we have expected him to stand up and condemn that statement?...) And this is what we call "poetic justice." You Litvaks thought you were the ultimate guardians of Jewry? the Satmar Rebbe turned the tables on you and told you what he really thinks of your clean-shaven, sheitel wearing, Agudah-voting sorry selves.

I know, I know, it's Chabad's fault. They isolated themselves. Whatever.


And they're wondering if they should attend...

And they speak about Achdus?!

........מחרימים עדה קדושה

אלע, אלע, אלע