[MULTIPLE VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS BELOW] That’s the feeling here on the morning of day two of the Yerushalayim Yarchei Kallah. Yesterday things began b’geder ness, with many of us barely adjusted from the trip. With all the ris’cha d’Oraisa, it was ashrei ba’ei beisecha, we were visitors shteiging in a new beis medrash. Some of us were even noflei beisecha, essentially crash landed from the airport, but today, we’re after a night’s sleep and on the ball. Nu…let’s prepare for Rav Asher [Arielli]’s shiur!
But a treat was in store, and a klapp on the podium brought our kol Torah to an abrupt halt to hear divrei chizuk from Harav Binyomin Finkel of Yeshivas Mir.
He lavished upon us sugar-coated words of mussar, making familiar Ma’amarei Chazal come alive with warmth and humor: Let us learn the value of just one minute of torah from R’ Elazar ben Durdaya, the extent of our accountability for bitul Torah despite poverty or wealth, from Hillel and Elazar Ben Charsom.
While chavrusos were filling the air with Torah in the main yarchei Kallah beis medrash, over 20 participants attended a lucid “hachana shiur” given by Rav Shlomo Gottesman, co-director of Agudas Yisroel’s Torah Projects Commission.
Rav Asher Arielli’s shiur went quickly to the core of the shitas ha’Oruch in the sugya of psik reisha, penetrating into the very depths of the differences between the shitos with the focus of an electron microscope. He highlighted the contrast between psik reisha of kol hatorah and psik reisha of Shabbos.
While men participants toiled on the sugya d’kallah, the over 60 women participants were in Bnei Brak, for visits with Rebbetzin Kanievsky, the Vizhnitzer Rebbetzin and the Gerrer Rebbetzin.
Later they were treated to a luncheon at the organization, Eim Va’yeled, where they were greeted by the Mayor of Bnei Brak Rav Yaakov Asher. Afterwards, they went on to the offices of Ginzach Kiddush Hashem for a special presentation on the organization’s critical work documenting kidush Hashem during the Holocaust.
The beis medrash filled up quickly after lunch (it had never emptied completely) and preparations began, this time for a halacha shiur by Harav Nisan Kaplan of Yeshivas Mir. Always lively, often heated—this was the give-and-take at Rav Kaplan’s shiur, which took participants into the warring svaros behind real-life questions of bris mila.
If an American family living in Eretz Yisrael has a son whose bris is postponed and can first be done on yom tov sheini, is it postponed until after the yom tov, or is a mohel ben Eretz Yisrael able to do it, and if so, is the mohel the father’s shaliach? To what extent is zerizin makdimin a factor? Was Avraham Avinu’s mila considered a mila bezmano? Ask participants to elaborate when they get home!
Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Slabodka, drew the afternoon seder to a close with inspirational message of chizuk and hisorerus, emphasizing that “we must be ‘orach chaim lamaala lemaskil,’ we must live with the knowledge that this world is not our permanent place, and keep our goal of the olam ha’emess in sight at all times.”
The Yarchei Kallah participants were then invited, one and all, to the annual Shuvu Dinner, which as always, was emotionally charged inspiring. This was a seudas hodaah celebrating the fact that 6 of its schools had been on the brink of closure, and yet remained open, meaning over 1,000 students being able to continue their studies in mosdos HaTorah.
Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, made it clear that the “seudas hodaah” was an expression of thanks for the ongoing, constant mesirus nefesh that allows Shuvu to continue its critical work.
Harav Shmuel Kaminetzky, Rosh Yeshivas Philadelphia praised Shuvu’s efforts, describing it as a type of hashavas aveida — returning lost neshamos to their Father in heaven, making this a mitzvah wherein one “deals directly with Hashem, the baal hapikadon.”
With the day almost behind us, sova semachos and packed with learning, chizuk, chidushim in pshat, halacha and hashkafa, the lomdim made their way back to the hall that has served as their beis medrash, to hear divrei chizuk and hisorerus from Harav Ahron Leib Steinman and Harav Nosson Tzvi Finkel.
As the lobby of the Ramada filled up, you could feel that something important was about to happen. Harav Finkel and Harav Steinman arrived, slowly making their way to the beis medrash, surrounded by scores of people seeking brachos and a moment in their presence.
Harav Nosson Tzvi Finkel began: “Pos’chim b’kvodo shel ach’sanya—our ach’sanya is the Torah. The Torah is the tachliss, it changes a person; a ben Torah is a different mitziyus…
“The Ohr Hachaim asks why the shibud only began in Mitzrayim after Yosef and the shevatim had passed away? Because they were nichbadim, honored, and a person who is honored cannot be enslaved.
“The Gemara states that one must not learn on Shabbos by the light of a candle, ‘but if he is an adam chashuv he may.’ It doesn’t state, ‘if he is a tzaddik,’ or ‘a talmid chacham,’ but rather chashuv—this is a ben Torah.
“Chazal state: ‘Who is honored? One who honors others.’ And who can honor others? A ben Torah, because he sees a tzelem Elokim; and all others, their ‘honor’ is only min hapeh chutz (lip service). …
“A ben Torah must be ameil in Torah, as it states bechukosai teleichu, to be ameilim b’Torah, and this is my bracha to you: that just as you came to Eretz Yisrael be osek in the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, so, may your children and children’s children continue to be osek b’Torah.”
Harav Steinman opened with the Gemara, that states “Each day is more cursed than the previous day, so how can the world survive? Rather, the world exists in the merit of kedusha d’sidra and the kadish said after learning Agdata. ..
“But this is for a tzibur. For an individual, though, if he would only say kedusha d’sidra and kadish he will remain a complete am haaretz!
“Rather, one must be osek in Torah yomam velayla, and become conversant in the entire Torah. And if one does not have the ability to learn, he should support Torah. Women,” he added, “should work on tzniyus, as it states in the Igeres Hagra…
“Everyone knows that today’s financial situation is very difficult; what is needed is bitachon. Yirmiyahu Hanavi states ‘blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem and cursed is the man who trusts in flesh and blood.’ We must be aware that Hashem runs the world.
“Once, a Jew complained bitterly to the Chofetz Chaim about hardships in the world, and the Chofetz Chaim answered with the pasuk from Koheles, ‘Do not be hasty with your mouth…for Elokim is in heaven and you are on the earth, therefore your words should be few.’ What does one thing have to do with the other? the Chofetz Chaim asked, and then explained with an analogy: When one looks at a rubber stamp, one only sees an inverted message. Only when the stamp is pressed against paper can its imprint be understood. So, too, what we see here on earth may seem unclear to us; however, in Shamayim, everything is clear…
“And so,” Harav Steinman concluded, “this is definitely the era of chevlei mashiach, and Chazal say, what can one do to save oneself from chevlei mashiach? Engage in Torah and gemilus chasadim. And that means only Torah and gemilus chasadim. Of course, he can say the whole sefer Tehillim, and he must do all the mitzvos, but he must always be osek in Torah and gemilus chasadim. We must have bitachon … because a man does not move his finger unless it is decreed form above, and with this knowledge may we quickly merit the true Geula.”
All photo and video credits below taken by: Yehuda Boltshauser / Refael Ovadia – Kuvien Images / YWN Israel
YWN VIDEO #1 (Rav Shteinman): http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/video_viewer.php?clip=qvqo1YDhPCc&player=y
YWN VIDEO #2 (Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel): http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/video_viewer.php?clip=TZolyfoR7Fg&player=y
YWN VIDEO #3 (Rav Naftoli Prizant, Rav Binyomin Finkel, Rav Asher Arieli, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Nissan Kaplan): http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/video_viewer.php?clip=BtrXhJIRDKI&player=y
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click on the following link for photos http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/photos.php?albumid=5428646529293625297
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
wow. from the kol torah heard in the video, you would think its a beis medrash full of young yeshiva guys! i dont think it would be an understatement to say that gantz klal yisroel is looking up to these so called ‘businesspeople’!
kol hakavod guys