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All Their Attempts Against Us Show the Power of Torah and Should Encourage Us
Masses of Jews flocked to participate in the Central Simchas Beis Hashoeva on Tues., Chol Hamoed Succos, which took place in the Beis Medrash of the Mashgiach, HaRav Don Segal.
By nine o'clock, thousands of people from all over the country already filled Rechov Givat Moshe. The event was to be broadcast alive in a close circuit system in the Beis Medrash and the surrounding packed area. Among the participants were distinguished Torah figures, many roshei yeshiva, noted Torah disseminators, honored supporters and organizers of the Keren Olam HaTorah and chessed organizations, alongside prominent public figures from the entire gamut of chareidi Jewry.
The event, enhanced by the accompaniment of Yissochor Beri's soulful music and song, and the public's emotional vocal participation, was initially scheduled to last an hour and a half, but actually flowed on for over two full hours as the crowd was moved to express their overwhelming praise, thanksgiving and arousal to Hashem.
The rousing decibels were suddenly hushed when the Mashgiach, HaRav Don Segal, began his timely message of guidance and spiritual reinforcement.
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MK Chairman of Yahadus HaTorah, Rabbi Yaakov Asher, demanded this past Monday, that a halt be made to all the harmful propaganda campaign against the chareidi public. These words were said during a tour of the ZAKA and Ichud Hatzolah logistic centers on the National Memorial Day of the Simchas Torah massacre.
Rabbi Yaakov Asher stressed in his words that it is the Torah that protects Jewry throughout the generations, and that chessed was a Divine commandment therein. "Leave the Torah community be free to study Torah!" he pleaded, while also demanding that the volunteers of the emergency organization be allowed to integrate with the national emergency forces in an organized manner.
In the course of the tour, Rabbi Asher met with the heads of the organizations and their member volunteers, and heard about their varied activities following that horrendous date and their successive operations which continue to this day.
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On Simchas Torah of 5784, the collapse of the idol of human might and strength became obvious to all. An entire range of airplanes, helicopters, including a sophisticated automatic defense barrier — hailed as impregnable — simply collapsed like a stolid, deadweight boulder, while an entire army wobbled blindly like a befuddled entity in a manner that to this day remains an inexplicable enigma.
And now, on the eve of Simchas Torah of 5787, a parallel balancing event took place when, like a writhing metal serpent aloft in the air, the world was shown a flying miracle in the skies of the Middle East, contrary to all natural expectations, when Hashem violated the enemy's diabolical scheme in a miraculous manner. A whole aircraft swept across the heavens with its human cargo, devoid of a leader or navigator. And thus, a novice in air conveyance actually succeeded in guiding the aircraft to a safe landing, rescuing its passengers from sure death.
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This was originally published in 1992.
"Distance yourselves from the tents of those evildoers, lest you become caught in their web of sin," cried Maharam Schick and the Ksav Sofer to the yirei Hashem. With that, Hungarian Jewry's great schism took effect — a schism which led to the establishment of many totally separate kehillos.
This ruling was issued as a result of the passage of new regulations of the Jewish community in 1869 (5629), giving control of the educational institutions of the Hungarian Jewish community to the reformers (see below).
The Maharam Schick did not issue the psak of his own authority. He made a point of stressing that he had received the directive not to associate or join hands with them from the Chasam Sofer, zt"l. That is why he ruled that they could not be relied on in matters of issur and heter, and could not be trusted to teach or educate Jewish children. Their shechita was treif. Anyone affiliated with them, could not serve as a witness in a beis din. They were to be regarded as non-Jews, whom the members of the chareidi community were forbidden to marry. Their children were possible mamzerim, who could not join the Jewish community through marriage, even if they repented!
Amendments of State
The Maharam Schick publicized these amendments on a massive basis, so that the vacillating amei ha'aretz would understand the severity of the matter, and disassociate from them. All understood that a schism that was not followed by the creation of new framework would not last. As a result, they regarded banding together against Torah's rebels, and uniting all yirei Hashem under one banner, as their foremost obligation.
As a result, on the third of Av, 5630 (1870), the representatives of the chareidi communities of Hungary, met in Pest, and laid the foundations of the separate Orthodox kehilla.
The Bad Angel Replied Amen
Although the government opposed the schism in the Jewish kehilla and the decisions of the Reform Congress were meant to include Jewry at large, local authorities were forced to approve the amendments of the Orthodox communities. The reason for this was a prior decision of the king that permitted members of the Jewish kehilla to form a new society called Chevra Shomrei HaDas. This decision was made before the issue of the Congress had come to the fore.
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Opinion & Comment
Who Created the Luminaries
by L. Jungerman
"And Elokim saw the light that it was good, and Elokim made a division between the light and the darkness."
Rashi: Here, too, we require the exegesis of Aggada: He saw that the light was not worth benefiting the wicked and so He set it aside for the righteous in the World to Come.
Is the light provided by the sun and the moon similar to the original light that was cached away, only less intense? Or is it of a different nature altogether? Another form of illumination? What was that special light hidden away for tzaddikim? Was it like the light of the sun, only of much greater magnitude, or was it spiritual, the likes of which we cannot even imagine?
We ourselves express the answer to these questions in our daily prayers, at the completion of yotzer hame'oros, which praises the Creator, Who formed light and created darkness. To Him do we pray, "May You illumine a new light upon Zion and may we all speedily merit its light."
In the Tur, Orach Chaim, siman 59, it is written, "And in Ashkenaz (Germany) it is customary to end this blessing with the text, `As it is written: To the One Who makes the great luminaries; for eternal is His kindness. A new light shall You illuminate upon Zion, and may we all merit its light speedily . . . Blessed . . . Who creates the luminaries.' We do not use this text in Spain. Rashi writes that one should not conclude the blessing with mention of the future light, since this does not relate to the body of the blessing. Chazal arranged this blessing over that light which is renewed every day [which serves mankind in this world] and not over the light of the future world. And my master the Rosh writes in a responsa that the end and the beginning of this blessing do relate to one another and to this present world."
The world proved unworthy of the light which Hashem created in the beginning and which illuminated the world during the first six days of Creation. And, therefore, it was cached away for the righteous in the world to Come. This is the light referred to in "And the nations will walk to your light" (Yeshaya 60). This is also that `new light' which was in-novated during the first week of Creation and which will be renewed for our benefit in the future.
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Opinion & Comment
The Yeshivos Hakedoshos -- The Nation's Lifeline
by HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum
This shmuess was delivered by HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum at Yeshivas Beis Hillel in Bnei Brak during a chizuk meeting before the beginning of the summer zman.
I am honored to say divrei chizuk to bnei Torah before the coming summer zman. Although it is always important to strengthen others in Torah study, the gemora (Erchin 16b, according to the reading of the Shitta Mekubetzes) teaches us, "R' Tarfon said, `I wonder if anyone living today can rebuke others. If one man says, "You must remove a splinter from between your eyes [a small sin -- see Rashi]," the other will rebut, "You must remove the plank from between your eyes [a major sin]." ' R' Eliezer ben Azaryah said: `I wonder if anyone living today accepts rebuke willingly.'"
HaRav Yisroel Salanter zt'l, the renowned founder of the mussar movement, once commented that even if a single person out of a large audience will take what the darshan says to heart, the darshan should go ahead and speak. Since I feel I am benefiting from what I am telling you, I feel justified in talking, and perhaps others will be motivated too.
Let us appraise the value of studying Torah. The gemora (Brochos 61b) tells us that "the wicked kingdom [Rome] once forbade Jews to study Torah. Papus ben Yehudah found R' Akiva disseminating Torah in public. Papus said to him: `Akiva! Why are you not afraid of what the government will do to you?' R' Akiva answered: `This can be compared to a fox that walked along the river-bank and saw fish darting from one place to the other. [The fox] asked them: "From what are you fleeing?" [The fish] answered: "We are fleeing from the nets that men cast [in the river]." [The fox] asked: "Perhaps you want to come up to the dry land, and we will live [together] just like our ancestors?" [The fish] answered him: "Why are you considered the most clever animal? You are stupid and not clever! If we live in fear in a habitat where we can survive, surely in a habitat where we cannot survive we will live in fear."'"
What exactly was the argument between Papus ben Yehudah and R' Akiva? Chazal (Taanis 18b, see Rashi, s.v. bekodkiyah) write that Papus gave up his life for am Yisroel. A princess was found murdered, and since it was unknown who committed the murder, the non-Jews accused the Jews. The king decreed that all Jews should be killed. To save all the Jews Papus accepted the blame. He was put to death and the decree was annulled. This was Papus ben Yehudah. [Editor's Note: In Taanis it refers only to "Papus" and not "Papus ben Yehudah," but they may have been the same person.]
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