Happy Lag B'omer

Dvar Torah Parshas Emor

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem.....

In perek chaf dalid posuk yud beis it says regarding the mekalel ''Vayanichuhu bamishmar lifrosh lahem al pi Hashem'' Rashi explains that the word 'livado' is telling us that he was put alone,and not with the mikosheish eitzim,because the mikosheish was vadai chayav misa and they were unsure of whether the mikalel was chayav misa or not. The sifsei Chachamim explains Rashi , that had they been put together the mikalel woud've assumed that he was chayav misa just like the mikosheish and therefore they were not put together because maybe the mikalel will end up not being chayav misa and will have been put through unecessary tzaar and fear based on his assumptions that he too was going to be killed.
The Rosh Yeshivah Ztl asks,why didn't they  put them together and just tell the mekalel that they weren't sure yet if he was chayav misa or not?He answers that you have to say that they were afraid that maybe he wouldn't believe them completely and would still have the fear of death that may end up being unnecessary. We see a tremendous chidush from here,how far not causing someone tzaar goes.The mekalel was a rasha gamur and as the Daas Zekainim explains that the only reason they weren't sure if he was chayav misa is because misa may not have been able to be mechaper.Furthermore,it wasn't a vadai that there would be unecessary tzaar because maybe he will be chayav misa,and even if he isn't maybe he would believe them when they told him that they were unsure of his din. Still they kept them seperate. We see how much we have to worry about the tzaar of someone and make sure that we don't
 cause him to be hurt in any way, for our friends and family deserve at least as much as the mekalel! 

Good Shabbos!

Mazal Tov R' Ritterman!!

Mazal tov to R' Fromowitz on the engagement of his daughter.

Dvar Torah Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim

 Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem.......In perek tes zayin posuk alef it says ''Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe acharei mos shnei bnei Aharon'' This is read on Yom Kippur and it is said  bsheim the Zohar and the Arizal that anyone who is pained by the death of the sons of Aharon and sheds tears over them on Yom Kippur, are zoiche to certain segulahs. Reb Chaim Shmulevitz ztl asks,how is it possible to be pained and cry over something that happened so many years ago? In meseches Chullin ayin alef amud alef the gemoroh says ''Chaval al Ben Azzai shlo shimush es Rabbi Yishmael, rashi says that the loss Ben Azzai endured was not just a loss to him,but a loss to the whole world. When someone has something that he could have gained and does not,its a loss to the whole world not just to him because an adam gadol is the channel of Hashpa'ah from shomayim and even the people as great as him draw some of their greatness from him, and when an oppurtunity is lost the channel is closed up and the dor can not gain what they would have. It is lost forever. Understanding this, R' Chaim explains, will help us understand why it should be easy for us to be mitztaer over the loss of Nadav and Avihu.Had they not died when they did they would have added so much more to the world. With their death the channel of Hashpa'ah from shomayim was closed and lost to the world forever. If you understand the loss that we have endured,the loss that can never be replaced,it should be easy to cry over the misas bnei Aharon.... Good Shabbos

d'var torah

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem...

In Tazria's Haftorah it says ''Vayomer chay Hashem asher amadity lifanav I'm ekach ,vaiftzar bo lakachas vayimaein'' After Naaman (the general of Aram) was cured of his tzaraas by listening to the instructions that Elisha gave him (bathing in the yardein seven times) he wanted to pay back Elisha and he refused. The Ralbag says that this teaches us that a navi can not take payment for any moifsim that he does because it will cause the recipient to believe that the moifes came from the navi and not from HKBH. We see from the Ralbag that Naaman realized that there is not other gd besides HKBH once he saw that Elisha refused the payment.However it is pashut that the ikur reason for Naaman recognizing Hashem is because he saw that he was cured from his tzaraas and he knew Elisha didn't use kishuf. If that's the case,what's the Ralbag's
pshat that only after Elisha refused payment did Naaman fully recognize that it was Hashem who healed him? The Rosh Yeshivah Ztl explains that the derech of the world is to pay someone who helped them and therefore if Naaman would have paid Elisha,it would seem as if Elisha himself was really the one who cured Naaman,and Naaman himself would feel as if Elisha was his healer. Even though Naaman knew bsichloi that Elisha himself was not capable of healin him and Elisha did not ask to be paid,still had Elisha accepted the matanah, Naaman would've felt that Elisha was taking it as payment. The reason for this would be because he would see himself paying Elisha and Elisha accepting it and it would have an affect on him even though in his mind he knew that Elisha didn't cure him. From this we can see the strength of Maraas Ayin and how important it is to make sure that we don't do things
that may look wrong,even if in truth they are not and if someone would stop and think about it may even realize that it was not wrong still what people see makes a difference..

Good Shabbos

Congradulations!!!

The blog has now 15 authors.
If you know someone who isn't on the blog yet, please contact me so I can send him an invitation.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, is hereby designated "Avrohom Vegh Appreciation Day." We will express our appreciation for his continuing efforts on behalf of the tzibur in the form of pats on the back and verbal thanks. Your participation is appreciated in advance.

Birkas Ha'Chamah by the Kosel

50,000 people!!

Dvar Torah Parshas Tzav

Liyluy Nishmas Elchono Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem and my cousin Zev Yehuda ben Reb Shmuel Mordechai(Yahrtzeit today).... In perek vav pasuk beis it says "Tzav es Aharon V'es banav leimor,zos Toras Ha'olah" Rashi says that the lashon of Tzav means to be mezareiz and also to make sure that it is continued throughout the generations.Chazal ask why davka by the olah does the Torah use a lashon of "Tzav" as oppose to "Daber" or "Omar" like all the other karbanos? Reb Shimon explains that the lashon of tzav is used in a case where there is a monetary loss that will occur by fulfilling the mitzvah.(What that loss is varies according to the Gur Aryeh,Ramban Ohr Hachaim,and others)The Rosh Yeshivah Ztl explains, that from here we can see the power money has on a person and how much people are machshiv it.Aharon Hakohen the Kohen Gadol of Klal Yisrael,a leader of the generation,the man who had chalishas hadaas at the chanukas Hamishkan because he and his sheivet didnt bring a karbon,could have caused Aharon to be a a tiny bit lazy when it came to bringing the karbon olah. Aharon with all his greatness could have on the smallest level lost love for a mitzvah because of a taayvah for money.We have to work on ourselves to make sure that we can control ourselves and not let money hold us back from doing the right thing and chas v'shalom bring us to do the wrong thing.Good Shabbos   

Happy Pesach

Please Note: Feeding your gorilla matzah could be extremily dangerous (even if it's shmurah), please check with your vetranarian before using.

The new building (and other random stuff)

Re: D'var Torah Parshas Vayikra

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem....In Perek Daled Posuk chaf beis it says ''Asher Nasi Yechetah v'asah achas mikal mitzvos Hashem eloikav asher lo sa'asena b'shgagah v'asheim'' Rashi explains that 'Asher' is from the lashon of 'Ashrei',fortunate is the generation that has a ruler that sets his heart to bring atonement for his sins.The Gur Aryeh explains that what the dor is fortunate for is that their ruler is not embarrassed to admit that he made a mistake,he doesn't say to himself ''im so great and chashuv,i can't admit I was wrong'' Because he is humble enough to admit his wrongdoing, his generation is fortunate,and because of this he will keep his kingdom. The Rosh Yeshivah Ztl says, that you would think that this special 'Ashrei' would only be in a generation such as ours which is further away from Har Sinai, and on a lower level, because the rulers are not as great as back then either,and therefore its a special zechus to have a leader who is enough of an anav to admit his wrongdoing.But back in the times of the Chumash of course the leaders would admit,because they're so great..However,Rashi makes it quiet apparent that even the rulers then who were tremendous yirei shomayim,anavim,chasidim,and talmidei chachamim would be embarrassed to admit that they did something wrong and repent.Even then it was a big zechus to admit your wrongdoing.. If even then it was hard to have the right anava to admit wrongdoing,how much more so now on the level that we are on.We should all be zoche to work on ourselves enough that we too can be on the madreiga to admit when we are wrong,we too can not allow gayvah to hold us back from becoming a dor that is taakah fortunate.... Good Shabbos

BORUCH DAYAN EMMES - MARAN HAGON RAV ELYA SVEI ZATZAL
March 26, 2009

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Maran Hagon Rav Elya Svei ZATZAL, the Philadelphia Rosh Yeshiva.

Rav Elya Svei was the Rosh Yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, and was internationally known for his incisive, brilliant and clear shiurim, and his ability to offer sage advice to thousands of Jews worldwide. He was a primary student of Hagon Rav Aharon Kotler.

Until his recent illness, he was regarded as one of the foremost leaders of Charedi Jewry, and was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

Rabbi Svei is a son-in-law of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanovitz, the founder of the Brooklyn branch of the Mir Yeshiva, and a brother-in-law of Maran Hagon Rav Shmuel Berenbaum ZATZAL.

The Levaya is scheduled for today, 12:15PM EST at the Philadelphia Yeshiva. The Aron will then be brought to JFK Airport for a 5:00PM Levaya, and will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel for Kevurah.

JFK LEVAYA INFO: Cargo area B, Building 208

[Take the Van Wick Expressway South, take Exit B, bear hard to the right to 130th Place. Make a left turn on to East Hanger Road. Building 208 Parking Lot is at the end of the road on the right.]

Boruch Dayan Emmes…

D'var Torah Parshas Vayakhel Pekudei

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R 'Yisroel Menachem..... In perek Lamed Heh
posuk Lamed the posuk says ''vayomer Moshe el bnei yisrael r'ooh karah
Hashem bsheim Betzalel ben Oori Ben Chur Lemateih Yehudah'' The Daas
Zekainim says from the baalei tosafos that Moshe himself thought that when
Hashem said ''V'asisa'', Hashem wanted him to make the whole thing,so Hashem
told him,no its not like you thought,rather the tzaddik who was killed
through the maaseh of the eigel,Chur,his grandson should do it.. And that's
why Hashem said ''Raah Kiraasi'' From Chazal it's mashma that Betzalel was
chosen to build the mishkan,because the mishkan was built because of the
eigel.. And since Chur was killed fighting against the eigel it's raauy for
his grandson to build it.. The Rosh Hayeshivah Ztl asked that lchoira it
should be the opposite,gufah because of this Betzalel should not build the
mishkan,because the mishkan was coming as a kaparah for the eigel, and he
probably had anger and hatred toward klal yisroel for killing his
grandfather and would not fully want them to have a kaparah... He answers
that we see from here how Betzalel was able to work on his natural feeling
of anger and was able to completely overcome that natural feeling in order
to build the mishkan bleiv shaleim with the full simcha to be mechaper on
klal yisroel... We see from here a tremendous yesoid, Betzalel was mamash
able to remove the anger completely... He worked on himself until he had
totally eradicated any negative feelings...wow!!! The lesson we can learn
from this is unimaginable,we have to work on ourselves,so that even if
someone wrongs us we can still feel the same ahavah towards them as we would
had they never done something wrong... It may seem impossible,but believe it
or not you can achieve just as much as Betzalel,because you have the maasim
of your fathers, you are riding on giants shoulders!!! Good shabbos!

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Mazal Tov to the Birnbaum Family!!!

Mazal tov Yosef Birnbaum on the birth of a nephew.

There will be a Shalom Zachor aka Bru Party at his house Friday Night.