Attending a hachnasas Sefer Torah in the Holon Hesder Yeshiva, the city’s chief rabbi, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Yosef Shlita was a special guest at the event.
This hesder yeshiva is somewhat unique, working in the community a great deal, seeking to place an emphasis on Jewish identity among many Yidden who simply have lost the tradition of their fathers. The event was well-attended, with many local residents coming out to observe, kiss the Torah and take part in the special happening. It was obvious that for many participants, community residents, the hachnasas Sefer Torah took them back to good memories, perhaps from their childhood or grandparents.
Rabbi Yosef has warm words of praise for the yeshiva, especially “the fruits of the tree”, those students who after getting married move into the community and continue spreading their influence throughout the city.
“I grew up in secular cities” explained the Rav, “and I raised my children in secular cities. Baruch Hashem, all of my children are Yirei Shomayim and Lomdei Torah – I believe on the merit that we remained in secular cities!” He went on to explain he understood the special challenge, as did his children, and they accepted the challenge of living in such a special environment, giving spiritual nourishment to neighbors throughout the city.
The Rav gave his bracha to the yeshiva and the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Aaronson. He concluded by pointing out the uniqueness of Holon, a city in which people of all walks of life live side-by-side in harmony, cooperating with one-another.
Also in attendance was Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, rosh yeshiva of the nation’s Bnei Akiva Yeshivot, who spoke of his first visit to Holon sixty years ago, when the city was barren, but today, one can easily see an oasis, part of which was created by the hesder yeshiva.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
a city in which people of all walks of life live side-by-side in harmony, cooperating with one-another.
Gd willing, it should continue for many years – harmony among all residents of the city..
to number one, zionflag:
I am certain that we all agree: Harmony is a tremendous virtue.
But let’s keep in mind that this is true only when we are in harmony about SERVING Hashem, not only in living peaceably with each other while going against His most basic principles, such as Shabbos and tzenius.
Chazal tell us that harmony is a blessing for Tzaddikim, but not for resho’im. For them, dissension is a blessing. (May we be zocheh to see our enemies continue to be plagued with dissension!}
Of course, the overwhelming majority of these people are tinokos shenishbu; may we be zocheh to help them come back.
But when we praise the harmony among them, perhaps we should also give a sigh for Hashem’s suffering in seeing how far they are from Him; so far, that most of them do not even realize that they have cut themselves off from their Av Harachaman, or that they even have one.
Let’s not forget the need for harmony not only between fellow-Jews, but no less, betweeen us and the R’tzon Hashem, as He expressed it to us in Torah.
May we be zocheh during the coming year not only in making life pleasant for each other, but also in giving Nachas to the Ribono shel Olam!
COLTUV – WHAT ABOUT THIS:
כפי שאמרו חז”ל והובא ברש”י (בראשית פרק יא פסוק ט):
“ומשם הפיצם – למד שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא. וכי אי זו קשה, של דור המבול או של דור הפלגה, אלו לא פשטו יד בעיקר, ואלו פשטו יד בעיקר כביכול להלחם בו, ואלו נשטפו, ואלו לא נאבדו מן העולם. אלא שדור המבול היו גזלנים והיתה מריבה ביניהם לכך נאבדו, ואלו היו נוהגים אהבה וריעות ביניהם, שנאמר שפה אחת ודברים אחדים. למדת ששנוי המחלוקת וגדול השלום”.