פרסום ראשון ! - מצבת הגאון בעל "משנה הלכות" זצ"ל

Photos Credit: מח"ס שמחת  מלך

במרומי צפת sits the resting place of the one who made my bris, cut my hair and made me peyos, leined my Bar Mitzvah aliya, and who kissed me on di shteren after I said my Maamar at my leChaim/vort. (It was a maamar ד"ה שיר המעלות הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחד.) I believe these are the first published pictures of the newly erected Matzeivoh. When I went with my father zg"z to invite him to my wedding - nisht heint gedacht -  he apologized that he could not attend since it took place overseas and he was not feeling well at the time. He also has a very strong connection to my shver zg"z and his father, z'l, and he was overjoyed to see me join that family. [Needless to say I have much to say about Hagaon HaRav Reb Menashe Klein, zt"l, but I have yet to find the time to do it properly. There's his connection to Lubavitch, how he was treated in the general Olam HaTorah, as well as Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshivos and Tzaddikim.] RMK asked that he be buried there, next to the resting place of HaRav Amrom Chasida, zt"l, whose tziyun he restored. His wife, the Rebbetzin nee' Frankel, was a descendant of his, as well as the Beis Shearim, lineage that the Rov adopted as his own...I hope to find the time to write. It'll have to be done in parts, and even if I do start I hope I'll be able to carry it through.

(P.S. The OFFICIAL הקמת מציבה is Sunday 16 Cheshvan)

what a view!

another angle of the matzeivoh from the back.

אפילו די "גאס" אין וומסב"ג איז גאר אנדערש

 




















 פון די גאלדענע קייט תשכ"ג
זעה דא

Still waiting.... (Penn State, etc.)

(LA Times Photos)

It's been a week since the scandal broke at Penn State. In that span of days we've heard from a certain "crusading" blogger about Meal Mart Salmonella, battered Jewish women, Reb Shmuel Kamenetzky telling people not to go to the Police when they see abuse, more abuse in the Jewish Community, Israeli Haredis being male chauvinists, the Kletzky murder trial, Reb Nosson Tzvi, but only because his mother was from his neighborhood in S. Paul, and a host of non-issues. Including a very important story about a Ethiopian Jew being named Israeli Ambassador to ----- Ethiopia.  But not a word, not one single, solitary word, about the abuse that went on there for years, not just abuse but violation! of young children by the No. 2 man in the University's Athletic Dept. (as far as I'm concerned, as well as the rest f the world.) The fact that America's very bright, non-Haredi students rioted in support of old JoePa, even though he did nothing to stop the violation of young children, also gets no mention. NOT. ONE. WORD. I guess he cares only about Jewish children being abused. Gentiles mean nothing to him. They can all go to hell, huh? Are they not G-d's children, Scotty? Imagine, just imagine if we would do that, support a Rosh Yeshiva who was fired because he did nothing by rioting and flipping over cars. I've been very patient, Mr. Rosenberg. I shall wait no longer.

You are nothing but a two-bit hypocrite, liar, ingrate - yes, ingrate, and worse.

And most of all, you're an embarrassment to your people.

ר' דן'ס הכרת הטוב

"Anatomy of a Ban," by Rabbi Nosson Kamenetzky

In one of the obituaries last week they used Reb Dun's Hakoras HaTov as an example of his exemplary middos. The anecdote they used was a bit silly, but it seems like there was something we could learn from him. {the example was him flying to Florida to attend the levaya of a woman who did "a significant favor for the Yeshiva." I think we'd all do that... This would've been alot better, but we know they wouldn't use this...] I assume that it was because Reb Yaakov was his Rebbe at YTV, as well as took his side in the YTV and subsequently, the BME um, disagreements, he had with RGS and later, his family. {I could be wrong.} Reb Natan has less than stellar words for Reb Shlomo Wolbe, who he says owed just as much to his father...

Thanks to the anonymous reader who sent in these pages. Maybe he can send in some more... It seems like another page or two would clarify the picture alot

Rachmistrivker Lomdus

A new sefer/kuntres that transcribes the talk of the late Rachmistrivka Rebbe of Yerushalayim, Reb Yisroel Mordche Twersky, zt"l.  Some of what is discussed here, namely the idea that the Rachmistrivka Rebbe would give 6 hour shiurim in Nigleh seem a bit far-fetched. Also, I've yet to have it confirmed that the Lubavitcher Rebbe would attend these shiurim, but anything is possible. We learn new things about the Rebbe every day. The fact that they give Reb Meir Berlin the title "הגאון" tells us alot. I guess they didn't get the memo that RMB was אאוט. Why, all he got in "הרב מבריסק" was ",הרב" just like Rav Kook and Menachem Porush... and he was the Rov's uncle! Reb Noochem'tshe Rachmistrivker was known  as mamesh a fartzeitisher Rebbe, and the Frierdige Rebbe would be mazkir himself (and his family) by him, which he didn't do with many other Rebbes. I think Reb Aron Belzer was the other Rebbe he would send a kvittel to. Reb Menachem Nachum of Trisk-Brisk; Much of what is brought down here I've seen elsewhere, so it seems like הרבנים לבית בריסק had derech eretz for Rebbes, at least those וואס האבען געקענט לערנען.

The Shaar of the new booklet

הגאון ר' נטע הירש פינקל זצ"ל

See
הנסיך, ר' לייזר יודל
More
More coverage
There's more
קוקט אהער
עוד
נאך
זעה נאר
More and More
VIN Report
Levaya pics
A Meeting with the R"Y

A view of the crowd at the levaya (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

As a young high school student in Chicago

PicturesOfTheDay

 
Pictured: Shoproner Rov - Reb Shimon Yisroel Posen (r, with Rabbinic, flat Beaver Hat) & and (hidden) Rav Yisroel וועלץ (l) ראב"ד דקה"י בודאפעסט, and later in Yerushalayim. Center, with uniform - Rabbi Shenkelevsky from the Joint; Standing First on the left - Reb Shemtov Meyer - Mechutin to the Tosher Rebbe, father of the Lizhensker Rebbe of Monsey.. The Two young men Standing in the center wearing caps are children of the Shoproner Rov. We need to identify the man with the Platchiker Biber hat next to Rav Woltz.

 Seated right is the Shoproner Rov, left is Rav Yisroel Woltz of Budapest, zt"l. Child standing First to the left - Reb Avraham Chaim Spitzer. Seated second to the left is Reb Avraham Steinmetz, Sitting 2nd from the right is Reb Asher Zelig Steinmetz. Man sitting First left is also seen in the First picture, albeit without his hat. If you see other people in the picture that you can name, please do so in the comments. I should put a watermark on these never-before-seen pictures, but who has time? and why should I keep them from stealing it? let them enjoy.

?האלו? ווארשא?פארברענט

Aaron Zeitlin's masterpiece accompanied by vintage footage of pre-WW2 Warsaw, which is no more... Aaron was the son of Hillel Zeitlin, HaYaD, and came to America in March of 1939. The poem was penned in 1945.

Text of poem can be found here

בד"ה - הגאון האדיר ר' דובער (בערל) שווארצמאן ז"ל

Yeshiva World Calls him the "father of Rav Yaakov Eliezer Shlita, who is the eldest grandson of Hagoan Rav Aaron Kotler ZATZAL, and is presently the Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood East in Yerushalayim..." Berel Shvartzman was from Nevel. Yes, that Nevel. I was told that he was boki in Tanya and Likutei Torah. His mother was HaYitzchaki, a cousin to the famed Reb Zalman Moshe of Nevel. His family left the USSR during the 30s and Berel learned in Eitz Chaim, IIRC. [ I'm told now that he was a Chevroner.] Once during a visit by RAK to Israel he gave a shiur in his shver's (RebIsserZalmanMeltzer) Yeshiva Chevroner Yeshivah and Berel was not impressed by the shiur... And told him so... So RAK took him to America and married him off to his daughter. That marriage ended rather unfavorably, but his kids did manage to get pedigree that was more to their liking than a Neveler balagoleh... כאטש אז יעדער חסיד וואלט אנדערש געזאגט.  The frum webistes seem to not want to recognize that he had a wife and life after the divorce, and several children too... Reb Berel was married to a sister of Rav Uri Chountal's of Yerres, France, wife, who passed away a month ago.

I heard that he would say that he was Tinok Shenishbeh...

Not that I buy the Post...

Someone sent me this.

Made my day.

Pardon the helmeted footballer.

a magyarok csinálni!

If only they could package the baloney like Alle Processing does... They would be rich! Rich, I tell ya! Imagine if Lubavitch would say this, that the Litvishe Derech HaLimud, i.e. Reb Chaim Brisker and all other Litvishe Roshei Yeshiva, was wrong, and the only real Torah learned was in Russia! But the Satmorim get away with everything. The fact that they decided to go to Lita to acquire the derech haLimud because of a Halochoh Sefer(!) that was written decades before, no matter how "Lomdish" the Biur Halochoh is, Does that make sense to anyone out there?


?!וואס ליגט אין די קרית יואל'ער וואסער

Breslov - not for boys only!

Yoeli Roth expands into חינוך הבנות

The only difference between him and the SR, whom he hopes to imitate, is that the SR had thousands of potential children waiting to enroll in his schools. All they had to do was to be born... Roth has his work cut out for him if he wishes to have that many kids learn Sefer HaMidos by heart.

שועלים הלכו בו - סאדיגורא

Attached are pictures of the current state of the Ruzhiner/Sadigerrer Hoyf in סאדיגורא/Chernowitz, Bukovina, Ukraine. Apparently it has become a "crack house." Woe is to the eyes that see this, and woe is to the blogger whose hands have to type up this post. How did this happen? I definitely remember seeing just a few years ago how the Sadigerrer Rebbe came to Sadigora for a Chanukas HaBayis, and that it had been either bought from or returned by the Government and renovated.It was around 3 Cheshvan, the Yohrtzeit of the Heiliker Ruzhiner, and it was attended by many chassidim from around the world, including Lubavitcher shluchim from the Ukraine. It seems like it hasn't been used since then and this is the result of the lack of use. I was thinking that they probably should've leased the building to the local Chabad Shliach in Chernowitz, which Sadigora is part of. Like Karlin being part of Pinsk. That way everybody would be happy, especially the Heiliker Ruzhiner, upon seeing that Yiddishkeit lives in his hometown and in his palace. Rabbi Glitzenshtein is a fine young man who has accomplished much there, and recently dedicated a shul that he received from the Government. Maybe he could've done the same for the kloyz! I understand that the same has happened in places like Skvira, Ukraine, where they received the shul from the Government, but due to lack of use the place falls into total disarray.

.....על הר ציון ששמם

Its majesty all but gone!

....על זה הי' דוה לבנו

The glory is no more...

On these beams they clamored צו כאפען א בליק פונעם שפיץ שטריימל פון דער הייליגער רוז'ינער....

 












יודעי דבר tell me that this was the home of the Heiliker Ruzhiner...

Stop the Bombardment!!!

"Please buy my book!!!" 

You would think that this is WW2 and we're the German or Japanese people being told to give up and force their leaders to surrender. (pardon the inappropriate analogy) Or maybe we're the good people in Gaza being told that the F-16s are coming and that they get the heck outta there. Anywhere you turn you're told that you need to buy דרש דוד. That it's the new חידושי ר' חיים הלוי על הרמב"ם. That all Gedolim and Rabbonim and Rebbes told you so. That not since the times of Rabbeinu Hakodosh has there been תורה וגדולה like there is by Hofstedter. What did we do to deserve this? Is this part of the punishment for the Internet and Tznius issues? Is this one way that G-d punishes us? Why does DH feel like he needs to become the next Gadol as well as Gvir? Is Dirshu not enough? When will the madness end? Please, I beg of you, newspapers, magazines and poster printers, please decline his business just for one week. Stop with the Dirshu advertorials and דרש דוד ads for just one week. G-d has his ways, he'll send you other advertisers to fill the gap. I know he will. He'll do it because you made so many Jews happy by doing it.

דן ידין עמו

רבי דן

One thing's for certain. He has/had name recognition. You may have not known what he was doing at the moment, whether the Yeshiva was active or not, but you knew the name. It's tough not to with a name like that. Reb Dun showed us that if you try hard you can make it in the Olam HaTorah even if you're a Galitzyaner... " In the daily paper we were told that he was the "primary talmid of Reb Shlomo Heiman." I assume they mean living talmid. I'm sure some other talmidim in the past would take umbrage to that statement. The other things we learn are quite impressive; how he came here as a teenager and become a Ben Torah despite not having his parents here. We were also informed that "virtually the entire Monsey community attended the levaya." I wish they wouldn't do that. There was no need for that line. The obituary could've been just as good with out that line, with is totally baseless anyway. I'd be surprised if there were 1,000 people there. But that's "neither her nor there." How do we classify Reb Dun? where do we put him in the roster of American Gedolim or Litvishe Gedolim in general? You might say that the terrible machlokes that BM"E found itself entangled in, both back in the day and again a few years back, when it was an internal Ungarisher Machlokes,  hurt his reputation and the reputation of his Yeshiva for all eternity. The big ancient building on Main Street sits virtually empty. I think the minyan on Shabbos is alot bigger than the Yeshiva is.. I would say that it's not one of Hershy Friedman's better investments as far as donating to Mosdos goes.Even the "Beis Medrish Elyon hat," the bent-up hat with pinches, is almost no more. Besides for Reb Don and some old timers, nobody wears it anymore.

See Here

.....רעדן אין לערנען

Click on the player above for a conversation between the Rav, RYBS of Boston, and an unknown Rosh Yeshiva/Rov from Eretz Yisroel. Any information on this person would be greatly appreciated. About halfway through you can hear the Rosh Yeshiva speak about what the Lubavitcher Rebbe told him about learning "Kabbalah" in his Yeshiva...

תמונת מצב - חצה"ק "איירמאנט" - הושע"ר תשע"ב לפ"ק

 
It seems like Airmont (i.e. Lipa Schmeltzer) has made a hard left turn. We're used to his concerts pushing the envelope every time just a little bit more, but this surprised even a pretty Liberal guy like myself. If I didn't know better I'd say that this was a Purim Shpiel in the CCCP, circa 1926. I've defended Reb Lipa here several times, so you can trust that I have no agenda when it comes to Mr. Schmeltzer. I suppose he's trying to be the new Shlomo Carlebach, but even Shlomo didn't make a mockery of davenen. The things you saw were the natural sentiments of some of the people attending services, not some kind of joke. Yes,I don't think the pictures were taken during the actual davening,but it is supposed to DEPICT it. Shlomo would not allow any talking during tefillos in his shul, and he most definitely wouldn't have it turn into some kind of performance. I'm not sure what Mr. Berrry Weber is trying to show with that wrapped Esrog he's holding, but it's crass. Lipa: we appreciate what you do when it comes to helping Jews in need, both spiritual and physical, but you don't need to do this. Stick to what you do best, which is to make Jews happy. Stay out of the Rebbe business.

Please.

Mr. Berri Weber and his Esrog...

POTD

Click on Photo!!

Caption and story here

א רוף צו אקשן - דעת בעלי בתים

asifah-shabbos-blettel-8

שוין לאנג נישט געזעהן ווי דאס הארץ ווייטאג פון אחב"י, די א.ג. "עמך אידן", ווערט אזוי גוט אויסגעדרוקט ווי אין די פאר בלעטער. זעהט אויס אז מ'האלט שוין נאנט, זייער נאנט, צו "קריסת המערכת" ווי דאס איז ביז היינט. ווער ווייסט אבער ווי ווייט און ווי טיף דאס וועט גיין ווען די מערכת וועט אונטער גיין, ר"ל. ווייל א מערכת מיט אזעלכע שוואכע יסודות, און מיט לופט אונטער די שוואכע יסודות, קען זינקען גאר, גאר טיף, אזוי ווי מיר זעהן שוין היינט

who will be the Rebbetzin Kanievski of our children?

Reb Chaim's Rebbetzin passed away on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos in her home in Bnei Beraq. She was the daughter of Rav Elyashiv, a meyucheses in her own right. An eynikel of Reb Aryeh Levin. The Leshem! ניט שייכות צו זאגען! what more can you say. [מאמר המוסגר: what's with the "nifteres" shtick? all the "yeshivishe" sites write she was "nifteres" on Shabbos. No more "niftar." Is that even grammatically correct? She is a Nifteres, but she was Nifteres? Am I wrong on this one?] During the subsequent hespedim by the levaya and after YomTov she was dubbed the "mother of Klal Yisroel." I'm not here to bash that. וואס גייט מיר אהן what people say? זאל איר זייער וואויל באקומען. I'm just worried about the future. Who will be the Rebbetzin Kanievski of our children, screams this Circus Tent headline, and I could not have said it better myself. Who will bless Esrog Jelly from now on. Who will say Perek Shira at dawn with the Netz minyan at Lederman? Who will be mafrish challah for the rest of Klal Yisroel that cannot do it? If this what we make of frumme Yiddenes אך און וויי to us. What do we leave for the men? Maybe I'm jealous. Maybe it's because my Bubbe, who was a kaylichdig'e yesomeh at a young age in Hungary, didn't have a zeide like Reb Aryeh, could've very easily been not frum even before the war, was deported to Auschwitz, lost her siblings, nieces and nephews, made bombs for the Nazis in Leipzig - you get my drift. Bah-Bee also davened three times a day with a minyan, (she lived next to a shul) fasted on the Yohrtzeit of her husband, parents, siblings, said tehillim (Perek Shira wasn't a "thing" yet) every spare moment, took care of an Alzheimer's patient many years her junior, and best of all PASSED AWAY ON HER BIRTHDAY!!! She wore a white tichel and shirtzel on R"H and Y"K and cried to Hashem for a Gut Yohr. She cried to him because she loved him and wished only that she have to strength to serve him, not to לעבן א גוטען טאג, chas vesholom. Never have you seen a woman cook and bake with more lofty kavonos. Every poke of the fork into the Kokosh Cake dough was with the loftiest of intentions, no less than a Brisker rolling his rrrrreish during KrishMeh. And I say that in all seriousness. I'll show you her Hungarian צאינה וראינה one day. Halevai my Tanya should one day look like that, or your shas. Or any of our siddurim.

So if my Bubbe would be alive I'd say that she could very easily take the place of the lofty Rebbetzin BatSheva. Despite the fact that her husband was not the Sar Hatorah, nor was her father the Posek HaDor/Urim VeTumim. (He was a musmach of the Pressburger Yeshivah, though) Maybe BECAUSE of that she'd be a very good candidate. She was self-made, after all. (Yea, Yea, צדיק בן צדיק, I know what you'll say.) They say that Reb Chaim appointed his daughter Rabbanit Kuledtzki to replace his wife as mother of Klal Yisroel. I haven't seen her at all, but I saw her husband, and he's no Reb Chaim. Rebbetzin Batsheva had a old time Yerushalayimer charm that you can't just pass on to your children, necessarily. In the pictures Reb Chaim looks very, very distraught. Utterly devastated. May the Eybershter comfort him and his family בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים.

(I would go be menachem avel if I had the means.)