WATCH VIDEO BELOW ARTICLE by Riki Goldstein The year which is drawing to a close, 5771, has brought a series of heartbreaking blows. We were shattered by the multiple tragedies Klal Yisrael endured in Meron, then just weeks later, the Surfside collapse brought us to a new low. Composer and producer Eli Gerstner shares how he felt. “Like many people, we knew of families who were in the Champlain towers building. And for the first two days, we still hoped and prayed they would be found alive. Coming on the heels of the Meron tragedy, we all felt that another disaster was just too much.” As Eli was davening for the rescue, the powerful words “Avinu Malkeinu kera ro’a gezar dineinu…[tear up the evil decree]” were going round and round in his mind. Just then, he received a text from a friend of his, who had been diagnosed with cancer. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he says. “It all just hit me.” And in the overwhelming pain of so much suffering, in the swirl of darkness, he began to sing and plead with Hashem. At the piano, he put the pain into music with the words “Avinu malkeinu, send a refuah sheleimah to the sick of Your people, tear up the evil decrees.” The melody that emerged from those tearful prayers, “AVINU,” was just released on Sunday August 29th, the first day of Selichos. One phrase which jumps out from that first night of Selichos is we ask Hashem to look at our misfortunes instead of our sins—“Penei nah el hat’laos, ve’al lachataos.” Instead of focusing on what we are doing wrong, please, Hashem, won’t You consider all our pain and troubles. Consider the pain of Your children who are sick, the families who are grieving and forever incomplete, the couples longing for children, the teenagers lost and broken. If You look at those, surely You will have mercy and bring an end to harsh decrees. Surely You will stop sending us tragedies. Eli had already planned the final two songs to be released as part of The Chizuk Project, but when he sent his new nigun to Jeremy Strauss of Strauss Music and the Chizuk Project, they decided to lay their original plans to the side, and work on this new song, which is so expressive of the pleas arising from all our hearts.  They both knew who would sing it: Benny Friedman, whose depth of emotion enriches his vocals and touches the listeners’ hearts. “When we sent the song to Benny, he immediately agreed to sing it,” Eli says. “And we all knew, as we worked on the track, who we were dedicating it to—the cholim of Klal Yisrael.” Benny loved the song, “it’s a song you could feel in your kishkes.” More than that, he loved the idea that singers and fellow Yidden were getting together to daven. “When a person is mispallel by himself, that’s a beautiful thing. But being mispallel with the community is an entirely different level. The Chizuk project is bringing people together, creating a tzibbur to daven for cholim across the world, and we all hope our united tefillos will be answered speedily.” Eli immediately began to work on the arrangements. Although he had composed the song on

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com It is one of the largest tragedies to have hit Eretz Yisroel in recent times, indeed, all of Klal Yisroel. So many injured.  And so many casualties r”l. Reb Dovid Krauss, 33, of Beit Shemesh – survived by a wife and 9 children.  A young man from Monsey, Yoseph Amram Taub, who was learning in Brisk in Yerushalayim. Reb Menachem Asher Zechback, 24, from Kiryas Sefer.. And 42 other Korbanos. And the injured? So many to be mispallel for.. a 12 year old girl, Esther Pessel bas Baila Chaya.. a niece of my sister’s neighbor.. injured in the horrible stampede.. And so many others.. What should we be feeling? All of this during Sefirah. During laG BaOmer. At times like this, we turn to our Gedolei Yisroel. The following words of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l were said during 1948, when huge numbers of Klal Yisroel were in a state of grave danger as six Arab nations attacked Eretz Yisroel.  No family was free of casualties – everyone had a relative who was killed. A nation that had just emerged and escaped from the fiery gehenom of Nazi-occupied Europe was now facing a second annihilation.  The maamar can be found in Mishna Rabbi Aharon Vol. IV page 76. Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l began: EMPATHIZING In Taanis (11a), the Rabbis taught: When the Jewish people is immersed in tzaar, and a person separates himself from them [not sharing in their suffering] the two ministering angels who accompany a person come and place their hands on his head, as though he was an offering, and say: This man, so-and-so, who has separated himself from the community, shall not see consolation of the community. Another b’raisa teaches: When the community is immersed in suffering, a person should not say: I will go to my house and I will eat and drink, and peace be upon my soul. And if he does so, the verse says about him: “And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die” (Isaiah 22:13). And the prophecy continues with what is written afterward, in the following verse: “And the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears: Surely this sin shall not be atoned by you until you die..” (Yishayahu 22:13). Rather, a person should be distressed together with the community. For so we find with Moshe Rabbeinu, who distressed himself together with the community, as it is stated during the war with Amalek: “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat upon it” (Shmos 17:12). But didn’t Moses have one pillow or one cushion to sit upon?  Rather, this is what Moshe said: Since the Jewish people are immersed in tzaar, I too will be with them in tzaar.” A DEFINITION One of the [48] methods through which Torah is acquired is Noseh b’ol chaveiro – carrying the yoke, or burden, of his friend.  What does Noseh b’ol chaveiro mean?  It means when your friend is in danger or in distress – you share that with him, you carry his burden with him.   TWO ASPECTS TO NOSEH B’OL CHAVEIRO There are two aspects to this sharing:

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com This is a chance for you to both review your Pesach knowledge and halachos and at the same time fulfill a Mitzvah d’oraisah! Oh yes, and at the same time, you can win $500 from the Five Towns Jewish Times, if you are the first person to correctly fill out the answers in the following Pesach Halachos-Reviewing Song.  There will also be a second prize and a third prize. One entry per household, make sure that you include your name, address, and email address. Just be the first to email the 54 correct answers to the author at [email protected] Parents – you can use this as a review at your Shabbos table! Teachers, please feel free to print out and use this to review Pesach halachos. Business owners, you can distribute this as an incentive to give your employees your own prize!  The answers will (hopefully) appear in the next Five Towns Jewish Times! Also, if you wish to help out a needy family to fulfill the mitzvah of maos chitin – you can use that address too. Just please at an extra .18 cents to whatever you wish to give for record-keeping purposes. The Pesach-Halachos-Reviewing Song By Rabbi Yair Hoffman   Pesach is a favorite holiday of mine.. At the Seder we drink four cups of_________________ (1) Now that’s only if a person can, But it applies to every educable child, woman, and ______________ (2).   There is another law about the wine that we shouldn’t hide, And that is when we drink it we should lean on our left _____ (3). If you forgot to lean on cups number one or two.. You’ve  got to drink them again to be a good ______(4).   To show our freedom and to adore it, The cups of wine – try to get someone else to _________(5). You MAY NOT drink them all together – immediately -one after another.. This is true for all kids, the father, and also the _______ (6).   The cup should hold many ounces – three point three.. This is a very important halacha, you must  ____ (7). When Pesach falls on Shabbos, though, for Kiddush it is even more.. On that first cup you’ll need more than four point ______(8).   There’s another Mitzvah that many people, unfortunately, do abhor And that is the requirement to eat  a kezayis ____(9). It’s to remind us of our very difficult chayim When we experienced those dark days in _____________(10).   Some people use horseradish which is also called, “chrain..” Others use a type of lettuce called, “____________”(11). When you use the lettuce you must really search and detect.. You got to look out for any type of  ____________(12). Even with the Romaine the Mitzvah is no cinch.. You’ve got to eat an amount equivalent of eight by ten ________(13). And the amount for real horseradish – This shiur you beg? You must consume about one half of an ______(14).   If you find this amount absurd, Than of an egg-size of it – try to consume just one ______(15). But the Mitzvah with which you should spend most of your tayim Is the Mitzvah of, “sippur yetzias ________________”(16).   You should include all the details both happy and gory.. As you

The great music keeps coming our way from the Chizuk Project, as philanthropist Jeremy Strauss’s Covid-era dream of bringing music to the community steams full speed ahead through this challenging winter. This past Sunday night, was chosen for the release of the most upbeat Chizuk Project song so far, a wordless “Chizuk Nigun” full of joy and optimism, sung by the effervescent Shmueli Ungar. Representing a fusion of Shmueli Ungar’s authentic chassidish warmth with Eli Gerstner’s up-to-date musical and production choices, the song offers a very 2021 way to get chizuk (through music) and get happy this Chanukah. “I was working hard on my own “Madreigos” album when Eli called to invite me to take part in the Chizuk Project,” recalls the singer, whose own long-awaited third album burst onto the scene this past Tuesday. “I was very excited, but with a full album to plan and sing, my time was packed. Then he sent me the nigun, which was really fresh and fun, full of guitar twanging and happiness, and of course I wanted to do it.” Ungar says that although he has never collaborated with Gerstner before, he’s been a longstanding fan of his music. “The first Yeshiva Boys Choir album, with “Kol Hamispallel,” came out when I was growing up, and I loved it. It was exciting to get a call from Eli Gerstner.” The Chizuk Nigun is fresh, lively, and totally on-trend, ready to bring simcha to everyone’s home on a Chanukah when many are still unable to enjoy family parties. It’s an interesting contrast to the Madreigos album, where Shmueli goes back to his Chassidish roots, and expresses himself in a more authentically chassidish musical style, but the singer pulls it off with grace and his trademark sense of fun. For a sneak peek ahead, the next Chizuk Project release, coming out in around two weeks, is an English single entitled “We are One” written and sung by Baruch Levine, with arrangements by Eli. Without giving away too much in advance, Eli promises it is a soulful ode to achdus which will just hit the spot for a People who is proud of how close they can stay while forced apart. RISE, Hodu Lo, and Avraham Fried’s Chesed, were the first three installments of the Chizuk Project.  Together with songs four and five, “Chizuk Nigun” , “We Are One,” and five incredible new songs, which will be released on a free album, sung by stars Avraham Fried, Baruch Levine, Shmueli Ungar, Eli Gerstner, and The Yeshiva Boys Choir. To round out the fun for everyone, there will also be another exciting music video, and an exclusive women’s only production of RISE, sung by Shaindy Plotzker. What sets the Chizuk Project apart is its purpose, Eli explains. “The planning process for the Chizuk Project has been so different and refreshing. Jeremy’s generosity has enabled us to approach the song selection with an open mind. The songs don’t have to be catered to a wedding; instead, they have to touch people’s hearts.” The feedback from listeners has shown how RISE, Hodu Lo, and Chesed have already brought so much encouragement and help to listeners the world over, offering them a ladder to climb up toward certainty and happiness. These gorgeous songs will play over and over, at

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com In the ever-fluctuating laws of COVID times, we may be back to that ten-man limit, unfortunately.  The fear of getting a summons causes the minyan attendees to spread out among mini-minyanim. All this, brings us back to studying the halachos of semi-Minyanim more carefully. The burning question is: What happens when not all of the ten people that have gathered for the minyan are davening now? Is it considered Tefilah b’Tzibbur?  One of the outdoor minyanim in Far Rockaway will sometimes have people that have already davened.  At times the speed of the minyan is not compatible with what that mispallel is used to and he will opt to daven later.  Is that considered full-fledged Tefilah b’Tzibbur? The answer: It is a very good question and a fascinating halachic debate. At the heart of the matter lies a controversially read Chayei Odom (Klal 19:1). Rabbi Avrohom Danziger (1748-1820) writes in his Chayei Odom: “And the essence of Tefilah b’Tzibbur is the prayer of Shmoneh Esreh, that is –  ten adult people who will pray together. And not like the masses think, that the essence of praying with ten is just so that one can hear kaddish and kedusha and Barchu. Therefore, they are not careful to pray together – they just ensure that there are ten people in shul, and it is a great error.” TWO WAYS TO READ THE CHAYEI ODOM Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l (1895-1986) addressed this issue in the years 1951 and 1952 in a series of Teshuvos.   In Igros Moshe OC I #28, Rav Moshe understands this Chayei Odom as actually saying that all ten must be davening together and that if even one is not davening it is not full-fledged Tfilah B’Tzibbur. In the very next Teshuvah in the Igros Moshe is addressed to Rabbi Mordechai Spielman (1923-2007). Rabbi Spielman argues that the Chayei Odom could be read to indicate that the majority is davening. A close reading of the Rambam in Hilchos Tefilah 8:4 also seems to indicate that it is considered Tefilah B’Tzibbur even if there were only a majority of the ten who are present actually have davened. Rav Moshe zt”l, in fact, addresses this Rambam in response #30 to Rabbi Noach Breier from Spring Valley. Rav Moshe attempts to avoid a contradiction between this Rambam and a responsum written by the Rambam and thus rereads the Mishne Torah Rambam in a manner that he himself says does not reflect the simple reading. THE OTHER READING Those that disagree with Rav Moshe aside from the two mentioned above are the following: Dayan Weiss zt”l (Minchas Yitzchok Vol. IX #6) Rav Ovadiah Yoseph according to this author’s recollection (but as yet have not found the reference). Rav Binyomin Zilber zt”l in Oz Nidberu (Vol. II #57) disagrees as well. Dayan Yisroel Yaakov Fisher zt”l (Even Yisroel Vol. VII #9), however, agrees with Rav Moshe’s reading and reasoning. These views are cited in the Psichas HaIgroa p.21. ROSH CHODESH DAVENING Another question that may depend upon this machlokes is when you have 10 but 1 of the 10 has to leave to drive his wife to work [which happened this morning].  What if the replacement tenth man did not daven Shacharis yet?  Normally, we say he should sit