A sefer Torah was ushered into the Anshei
Yerushalayim shul in Kiryat Sefer in an inspiring,
festive event. The sefer Torah was the generous
donation of HaRav Yitzchok Eliezer Miletsky, one of
Jerusalem's prominent citizens.
The Anshei Yerushalayim shul in Kiryat Sefer was
founded by HaRav Shmuel Segal some three years ago,
according to the old Yerushalmi Perushim minhag,
going back to the disciples of the Vilna Gaon. The
minyan grew steadily, but had to make use of borrowed
sifrei Torah until now.
The benefactor, HaRav Yitzchok Eliezer Miletsky, spoke of
his special joy on this particular day. On the same day 53
years ago, a mortar shell fell in his parent's courtyard in
the Beis Broide neighborhood in Jerusalem. Many lives were
lost and he himself was seriously wounded. Many thought that
his case was hopeless, but with Hashem's help he recovered
and merited to marry and have blessed offspring. The
sefer Torah is given in thanks to Hakodosh Boruch
Hu for all His miracles.
In his remarks, he elaborated on the idea that the whole
secret of the Jewish people's longevity is the keeping of
Torah and mitzvos even during difficult times. In
conclusion, he mentioned his father and father-in-law,
Hy"d, who had been lost during the Holocaust. The
sefer Torah is also in their memory.
The brother of the donor, HaRav Nochum Miletsky, described
how he had also been spared from the same mortar attack,
thanks to Hashem. He blessed his brother on this joyous day
that he merit to live a long life laden with happy
occasions, together with everyone present, and that he merit
to witness the consolation of Tzion and Yerushalayim.
HaRav Avrohom Yitzchok Barzel, head of the Kiryat Sefer
Chanichei Hayeshivos community and one of the heads of the
Brachfeld Mir Yeshiva, delivered the main address. He
captivated those present by explaining the words of the
Yalkut Shimoni that, "the Jewish people merited to
receive the Torah because they are descendants of their
forefathers; not merely because of the kinship, but because
they follow the ways of their forefathers throughout their
lives. How wonderful it is to relate this to the
hachnosas sefer Torah to the beis medrash of
Anshei Yerushalayim: this beautiful name testifies to their
essence and to their aim of clinging to the ways of their
forefathers without veering from their paths."
Speaking for the members of the shul, HaRav Moshe
Kamenetsky thanked the honored donor and his entire
illustrious family for the important, fine donation of a
sefer Torah of which they were in such dire need. He
gave his blessing that Hakodosh Boruch Hu compensate
them and that they merit to see nachas from their
offspring.
