This Women&#39;s class was presented&nbsp;on Tuesday, 25 Nissan, 5778,&nbsp;April 10, 2018, at Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

5488_clay_2.792d.jpg

21_yyj_why_no_jew_can_ever_become_impure.5193.mp4

21_yyj_why_no_jew_can_ever_become_impure.5193.mp3

tumah

purity

tahara

kli cheres

shmini

earthen vessels

earthen pottery

clay

The Spiritual & Psychological Laws of the Earthen Vessels: Why No Jew Can Ever Become Impure

Women's Shmini Class

Resolving the Struggle of Identity

This powerful tour de force on the meaning of Jewish identity in today&#39;s world was presented by Rabbi YY Jacobson in Cape Town, South Africa, June 18, 2011 (Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Shlach, 16 Sivan, 5771). The MC is Rabbi Osher Feldman, spiritual leader of Gardens Shul,&nbsp;Cape Town.

Who are we? Are we a parochial tribe&nbsp;or a universal people? Must we stand apart from the rest of the world, or should we integrate?&nbsp;Drawing on one of the most dramatic biblical stories about Jacob wrestling with a mysterious man in middle of the night, following which Jacob and his twin Esau, longtime rivals, embrace with love, we discover some of the profoundest truths about the drama,&nbsp;pain and blessing of Jewish existence.&nbsp;

The lecture draws on the kosher signs for fish, fins and scales, and how they represent the cosmic and parochial components of Jewish life.

2756_sinai_endaba_south_africa_24_june_2011_1_r02.0bb4.jpg

19_2756_rabbi_yy_jacobson_lecture_sinai_indaba_cape_town_2011_edited.91a6.mp3

yosef

vayishlach

esau

jewish identity

jewish pride

south africa

sinai indaba

yaakov eisav

kosher

self hating jews

fins

scales

Why do Many Jews Feel Uncomfortable with Themselves?

Lecture Sinai Indaba, Cape Town, South Africa

The Epic Struggle of Jewish Identity

This weekly women&#39;s class was&nbsp;presented on Tuesday, Parshas Shmini,&nbsp;19 Adar II, 5782, March 22, 2022, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

The class was dedicated to the recent passing of HaGaon Reb Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022), on Friday, Shushan Purim, 5782, March 18, 2022, at his home in Bnei Brak, at the age of 94. The funeral on Sunday brought together some 750,000 mourners from all over the Holy Land.

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22_women_class_shemini.f2db.pdf

21_8474_women_shemini_5782.a61e.mp4

21_8474_women_shemini_5782.a61e.mp3

reb chaim kanievsky

grasshoppers

learning torah

kosher animals

Why No Mention of Millions of Animals, Fish, Birds & Insects Swarming to Moshe's Class in the Desert?

Shmini Women's Class

Eulogy for Rav Chaim Kanievsky: The Power of Torah

<span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">One word-change in Shemini offers a new depth into understanding the error of the two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, which led to their sudden demise.
<span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">The Rogatchover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rozen (1858-1936) offers a novel and brilliant approach into their &ldquo;sin.&rdquo; They embraced the notion of &ldquo;transcendental providence,&rdquo; vs. &ldquo;individual, detailed providence.&rdquo; The two approached find their expression in philosophy, kabbalah, &nbsp;halacha, and daily life.

2745_depositphotos_7281941_original.jpg

22_ac shmini 5776 vayamtzeu.pdf

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_class_03272016.mp4

21_rabbi_yy_jacobson_sunday_class_03272016.mp3

nadav and avihu

shemini

holacha

time management

How Should I View the Annoying Details of Life? The Debate in Kabbalah, Philosophy, & Halacha

G-d Within Or Above? The Error of Nadav And Avihu

This women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Reah, 26 Av, 5778, August 7, 2018, at Ohr Chaim Shul, 20 Forshay Road, Monsey, New York.

5527_deer.c0cb.jpg

21_yyj_why_didnt_jews_become_suicide_bombers_8_9_18.c887.mp4

21_yyj_why_didnt_jews_become_suicide_bombers_8_9_18.c887.mp3

reah

yehuda

tamar

chewing cud

The Psychology of the Two Kosher Signs: Do You Have Split Hooves? Do You Chew Your Cud?

Women's Re'eh/Shmini Class

Why Did Jews Not Become Suicide Bombers?

This weekly women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Behar-Bechukosai, 22 Iyar, 5781, May 4, 2021, live from Rabbi YY Jacobson&#39;s home in Monsey, NY.

8066_meron.e4e4.jpg

21_8066_women_class_behar_bechukosai_5781.150b.mp4

21_8066_women_class_behar_bechukosai_5781.150b.mp3

adam

pain and suffering

meron

reb shimon ben yochaei

mendel bailis

silence

The Grief, the Silence, and the Unity

Women's Class with Q & A on Meron Tragedy

Where Was G-d in Meron? 

This is a text-based class on a talk delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in the year 5745 (1984), published in Likkutei Sichos&nbsp;vol. 27, Parshas Shemini.&nbsp;Rambam outlines three conditions under which food might become impure.&nbsp;1. It must be edible for human consumption.&nbsp;2. The food must come in contact with one of the seven liquids, water, dew, oil, wine, milk, blood, or honey.&nbsp;3. The food must be disconnected from its source in the ground.
Every law in Judaism is to be understood physically, but also spiritually, charting the emotional and spiritual path of the Jew.&nbsp;The class explores the spiritual significance of these three conditions as it reflects man's service of G-d.
&nbsp;
This class answers, among other ideas, these questions: Who is most prone to addiction, contamination and emotional and spiritual ruin? The more brute people or the more sensitive souls? Who are more vulnerable to fall prey? Dry people, or &ldquo;moist&rdquo; people, those who take or those who love giving? How do we protect ourselves in a complicated and overwhelming world?&nbsp;

2747_impure foood.jpg

20_toomah completet pdf.pdf

19_toomah food with additions.mp3

impurity

likkutei sichos shmini

lilkkutei sichos shemini

Are You Human? Are You a Giver? Are You Disconnected?

Three Conditions to Become Impure: Likkutei Sichos Shmini

On Tuesday, 3 Teves, 5780, December 31, 2019, Agudat Israel of America organized a pre-Siyum Hashas Yarchei Kallah and gala dinner for donors and supporters, prior to the grand Daf Yomi Siyum Hashas on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Rabbi YY Jacobson presented the keynote address.

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19_7299_rabbi_yy_jacobson_pre_siyum_hashas_yarchei_kallah.fd45.mp3

talmud

jewish survival

yosef neiman

siyum hashas

torah survival

daf yomi

forshay stabbing

metlife stadium

reb meir shapiro

monsey stabbing

reb chanina ben tradyon

rabbi rotenberg

At Last, an Answer to a Question Raised 1900 Years Ago

Siyum Hashas Daf Yomi/Shmini

When 900,000 Insects Showed Up at a Gemarah Class

In the mid-1980's researchers at Cleveland State University made a startling discovery.
They conducted an experiment by creating two fictitious job candidates David and John. The candidates had identical resumes and letters of reference. The only difference was that John's letter included the sentence "Sometimes, John can be difficult to get along with". They showed the resumes to a number of personnel directors. Which candidate did the personnel directors overwhelmingly prefer?&nbsp;The one who was difficult to get along with, John.
The researchers concluded that the criticism of John made praise of John more believable. Admitting John's wart actually helped sell John.
It is this lesson the Torah communicates in this portion in a brilliantly elegant way. Admitting flaws gives you more credibility. Psychological vulnerability is the key to a meaningful life.

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truth

honesty

Better an Ugly Truth than a Beautiful Lie

When Religion Is Based on Lies, It Becomes Meaningless

In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.—Martin Niemoller

As the Jewish world grieves for the heinous terror attack on Chaabd of Poway, last Shabbos, the final day of Passover, April 27, 2019; as we are alarmed and disgusted by the ugly display of antisemitism in the US and the world over; &nbsp;as many survivors and their families commemorate today&nbsp;Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, to remember the 6,000,000 who perished in the Holocaust; as Jews in Israel continue to be threatened by nations determined to destroy it; as abuse and injustice often take root in our own communities due to the silence of good people—let us reflect on a stirring Midrash on this week's Torah portion.

The Fateful Conversation

This week's Torah portion, Acharei Mos, relates (for the second time after the first time in Shmini) the tragic episode of the premature death of Aaron's two sons, Nadav and Avihu.

On the day that the Tabernacle in the desert was erected and Aaron's four sons were inaugurated as priests, the two oldest children entered into the tabernacle and did not come out alive<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.

The Talmud<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a> relates the following story to explain the cause of their death:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"It once happened that Moses and Aaron were walking along the road and Nadav and Avihu (Aaron's two sons) were walking behind them, and all Israel was walking behind them. Said Nadav to Avihu, 'When will these two old men die and you and I will lead the generation?' Thereupon G-d said to them: 'We shall see who will bury whom!'"

A Cryptic Midrash

Now, this story of Aaron's two sons, engendered a cryptic Midrash. It reads like this<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>:

"When Job heard about the death of the two sons of Aaron, he was seized bytremendous fear. It was this event that compelled Job's best friend, Elihu, to state<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>: "Because of this my heart trembles and jumps from its place."

This Midrash seems strange. Why did the Nadan-Avihu episode inspire such profound fear in the heart of Job's friend?

Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulaei, the 18th century Italian sage and mystic known in short as the Chida<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>, presents the basis of the following interpretation on this obscure Midrash. He quotes it<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref6')">[6]</a> "in the name of the Sages of Germany."

Three Advisors

The Talmud relates<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref7')">[7]</a> that Job served on the team of advisors to Pharaoh, the emperor of Egypt. The other members of the team were Balaam and Jethro. When the Jewish population in Egypt began to increase significantly, developing from a small family of seventy members into a large nation, Pharaoh, struck by the fear that this refugee group would ultimately pose a threat to his empire, consulted his three advisors on how to deal with the "Jewish problem."

Balaam chose a tyrannical approach. He suggested that Pharaoh drown all Jewish baby boys and force every adult Jewish male into slave labor.

Job remained silent. He neither condemned the Jews to exertion and death, nor defended their rights to life and liberty.

Jethro was the only one among the three who objected Balaam's plan of oppression. To escape the wrath of Pharaoh, who enthusiastically embraced Balaam's "final solution," Jethro fled from Egypt to Midian, where he lived for the remainder of his years.

The Talmud (7) relates the consequences of the advisors' respective behaviors. Balaam was slain many decades later during a Jewish military campaign in the Middle East<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref8')">[8]</a>. Job was afflicted by various maladies and personal tragedy<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn9" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref9')">[9]</a>, while Jethro, the exclusive voice of morality in the Egyptian palace, merited not only Moses as a son-in-law but also descendants who served as members of the Jewish Supreme Court (Sanhedrin) in Jerusalem, loyally representing the Jewish principles of justice and morality<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn10" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref10')">[10]</a>.

Job's Self-Righteousness

What went through Job's mind after this incident? Did Job consider himself morally inferior to his colleague Jethro who, in an act of enormous courage, stood up to a superpower king and protested his program of genocide? Did Job return home that evening and say to his wife, "I discovered today that I am a spineless and cowardly politician who will sell his soul to the devil just to retain his position in the government."

Job, like so many of us in similar situations, did not entertain that thought even for a moment. On the contrary, Job considered himself the pragmatist and Jethro the idiot.

"What did Jethro gain of speaking the full truth?" Job must have thought to himself. "He lost his position and was forced to flee. He acted as a fanatical zealot. I, Job, by employing my savvy diplomatic skills and remaining silent, continue to serve as Pharaoh's senior advisor and thus will be able to assist the Jewish people, subtly and unobtrusively, from within the governmental ranks of power." For decades, Job walked the corridors of the Egyptian palace saturated with a feeling of self-righteousness and contentment.

Till the day he heard of the death of the sons of Aaron.

Job's Shattering Discovery

When Job inquired as to what might have caused the premature death of these two esteemed men, he was answered with the famous Talmudic episode quoted in the beginning of this essay:

"It once happened that Moses and Aaron were walking along the road and Nadav and Avihu (Aaron's two sons) were walking behind them, and all Israel were walking behind them. Said Nadav to Avihu, 'When will these two old men die and you and I will lead the generation?' Thereupon G-d said to them: 'We shall see who will bury whom!'"

Job was astounded. "I can fully understand," Job said<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn11" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref11')">[11]</a>, "why Nadav was punished. It was he who uttered these disgusting words. But why was his brother Avihu punished? He did not say anything<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn12" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref12')">[12]</a>."

"Avihu?" came the reply. "He was punished because he remained silent<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn13" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref13')">[13]</a>."

Because when a crime is happening in front of your eyes, your silence is deafening<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn14" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref14')">[14]</a>.

No Time for Silence

In the face of despicable anti-Semitism, coming from white supremacists, or any other source from the Right or the Left—all good people who remain silent, become accomplices to the crime.

Ideas have power. It was the propaganda of the Nazi party eight decades ago which allowed millions of Germans to become active murders of millions. When Jew-hatred goes unchallenged and unprotested, the consequences can be horrific.

Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for evil to triumph.—Haile Selassie

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Leviticus 10:1-3; 16:1.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a> Sanhedrin 52a.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> The Midrash is quoted in Nachal Kedumim and Chomas Anach by the Chida Parshas Acharei Mos (see footnotes 5-6); in the book "Midrash Pliah," and in Pardas Yosef to Leviticus 16:1. - See Vayikrah Rabah 20:5 (and commentaries of Matnois Kehunah, Yefah Toar and Rashash).

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> Job 37:1.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> 1724-1806. The Chida, author of more than fifty volumes on Torah thought, was one of the great Torah luminaries of his day. He resided in Israel, Egypt and Italy.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref6" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn6')">[6]</a> In his book Chomas Anach (However, see there for his refutation of this interpretation). This answer is quoted also in Pardas Yosef ibid and in "Midrash Pliah - Chedah Upelpul."

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref7" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn7')">[7]</a> Soteh 11a.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref8" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn8')">[8]</a> Numbers 31:8.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref9" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn9')">[9]</a> See the biblical book of Job chapters 1-2.&nbsp;&nbsp;Job, just like Balaam, received a punishment measure for measure. One cries when he suffers even though he knows that doing so will not alleviate his suffering. Why? Because pain hurts. This keenly demonstrated to Job his state of moral apathy. For if he were truly perturbed by the plight of the Jewish victims, he would have voiced his objection to Balaam's plan even if he thought that protesting it wouldn't bear any results, just as one cries out in pain upon suffering though the cry will not help the situation (See Chidushei HaGriz by Rabbi Yitzchak Ze'av Soloveitchik to Soteh ibid.).

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref10" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn10')">[10]</a> Jethro, too, was rewarded measure for measure (see Toras HaKenaos to Soteh ibid.).

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref11" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn11')">[11]</a> It is unnecessary to assume that the Chida's intent is that Job actually heard of this Talmudic tradition and posed the following question. As is the case with many Midrashim, certain statements and episodes may be understood symbolically. Possibly, the Midrash is conveying to us its perspective on moral silence by employing the images of Job, and Aaron's two sons, as examples

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref12" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn12')">[12]</a> This question is raised (independently of this entire discussion) in Birchas Shmuel to Soteh ibid.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref13" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn13')">[13]</a> Cf. Eyoon Yaakov to Ein Yaakov Soteh ibid.

<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref14" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn14')">[14]</a> This essay is partially based on an address by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Purim 1971.&nbsp;Published in&nbsp;Sichos Kodesh 5731 vol. 1 pp. 560-568 and in Toras Menachem Purim 5731.

A Deafening Silence - In Tribute of Holocaust Remembrance Day

949_silence.jpg

22_ac_final-1.pdf

holocaust

acharei

iyov

The Holocaust Began with Propaganda 

Parshas Acharei Mos/Shmini

Don't Be Silent About the Antisemitism

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance. -- Saul Bellow

Light travels faster than sound. That's why most people seem bright until you hear them speak. -- Author Unknown

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." – Albert Einstein.

“Inquire He Inquired”

An interesting comment is inserted into the printed editions of the Chumash in this week’s Torah portion (Shmini). In between the words "inquire he inquired" ("darosh" and "derash" in the original Hebrew) it is written: "Half of the words of the Torah."

What this means is that these words—“inquire he inquired”—mark the halfway point of a word count of the Torah. The first “inquire” completes the first half of the five books of Moses; the second “inquire” begins the second half of the Torah<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')">[1]</a>.

What is the symbolism behind this? Why do these words mark the halfway point of Torah?&nbsp;One beautiful explanation is&nbsp;<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')">[2]</a>&nbsp;that the&nbsp;Torah is attempting to teach us that the entire Torah—both halves of it—revolve&nbsp;around inquiry, the quest and search (darosh darash) to learn, understand and internalize the truths and perspectives of the Torah. To be Jewish is to forever remain a student of Torah wisdom<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref3')">[3]</a>. So the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half of Torah -- and the mid-center of it -- are all about the quest for truth and wisdom.

“Inquire did he [Moses] inquire”—this is the center point of the entire Torah, because Moses himself, the greatest&nbsp;scholar and prophet, never ceased to inquire and search<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref4')">[4]</a>. Moses knew that the most essential component necessary to absorb Torah is our never-ending yearning and readiness to continuously explore and seek truth. Moses realized that after all of his discoveries, he had only reached the middle of the Torah, and there was much more ahead that he had not yet learned.

What is more, the written text of the Torah was given together with the oral tradition of the Torah transmitted and expounded by the sages in a continuous process of inquiry and study; together they constitute two halves of one whole. The Torah thus intimates that the written Torah itself without the expositions ("darosh darash") of the sages in the oral tradition is only one half of Torah tradition. In its absence, you are missing its full resonance and meaning; you are missing the second half of the picture.&nbsp;

Ignorant Spokesmen?

The&nbsp;message is vital for Jews today.

Some time ago I was invited to attend a symposium sponsored by the UJA Federation about Jewish continuity. One of the presenters suggested that we introduce a reformation in Jewish observance in order to make the religion more appealing to the youth.

When it came to my turn to address the audience, I begged to differ from the above presenter. His argument, I suggested, was refuted by the undisputed fact that the only ones who managed to maintain their Jewish numbers and even increase them dramatically were those who opposed reformation in Jewish observance. Perhaps our youth is searching not for reformation but for the Judaism taught and practiced by Rabbi Akiva, Rashi, Maimonidies, and the Baal Shem Tov? Perhaps what was necessary was not a diluted form of Judaism, but rather a more intense presentation of a Judaism saturated with spiritual passion, authentic idealism, profound scholarship, personal relevance, and emotional connection?

Later, in private conversation, I asked the presenter if he could name the 54 portions of the Five Books of Moses and the titles of the 63 tractates of the Talmud, the most basic body of Jewish law and literature. From memory, he could only name 10 of the biblical portions and not one of the Talmudic tractates.

“Imagine,” I said to him, “we would be attending a symposium on Shakespeare, and one of the lectures on how Shakespeare ought to be taught to youths today would be presented by an individual ignorant of the titles of Shakespeare’s 38 plays? Or imagine a symposium on the future of philosophy, where one of the speakers was not well versed in The Republic, the Critique of Pure Reason or Beyond Good and Evil? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing to the subject they are discussing?"

He said to me that in his opinion one did not need to be well versed in Torah in order to present an argument on the future of Judaism.

Why is Judaism seen as such an inferior discipline, that it does not demand rigorous mastery? Why is it that in the fields of biology, science, art, or history nobody would dare present strong opinions about their futures without intensely studying these subjects for years? Why do so many Jews think that Judaism—a tradition taught and developed over three millennia, consisting of tens of thousands of volumes, many of them written by some of the greatest human minds—is a set of archaic laws and cute rituals?

Perhaps the saddest commentary about Jewish life in America is that so many leaders of mainstream Jewish organizations and institutions did not send their own children to Jewish schools, depriving them of serious Jewish education.&nbsp;They see themselves as Jewish leaders and activists; yet they don’t even entertain the thought that Jewish tradition has anything truly valuable to teach them and their children about life, death, and everything in between. The greatest obstacle to discovery, a wise man once said, is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.

The Torah, the most profound blueprint for life ever articulated in the history of humanity, belongs to every single Jew<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_edn5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref5')">[5]</a>. It is about time, that every member of our people gives himself or herself the gift of discovering its beauty and wisdom.

This is the reason we created TheYeshiva.net, where various ongoing courses on Torah study are offered for free, both for advanced students as well as beginners. I hope you will seize the opportunity to challenge your mind and broaden your horizons. We stop living when we stop inquiring.

The late Rabbi Jonothan Sacks put it beautifully:&nbsp;

Imagine the following scene. The Lord Chief Justice, together with his senior judges, decide that law is a wonderful thing. They resolve to set aside a day each year to celebrate it. They write poems and compose songs in its honor. When the day comes, they each take a weighty tome —&nbsp;Halsbury’s Statutes&nbsp;would do nicely — and dance around the House of Lords, singing the songs and reciting the poems.

Whacky? Undoubtedly. Impossible? Probably. Yet this, more or less, is what Jews do on the festival called Simchat Torah, literally “rejoicing in the law.” We take the scrolls of the Torah&nbsp;(the Law) from the holy ark and dance around the synagogue, singing love songs to God for His gift, His holy words. If you want to see the majesty and dignity of the law, go to an English court. But if you want to see the joy and exuberance of the law, go to a synagogue on Simchat Torah.

A Torah scroll is the nearest thing Judaism has to a holy object. Still written today as it was thousands of years ago — on parchment, using a quill, by a master-scribe — it is our most cherished possession. We stand in its presence as if it were a king. We dance with it as if it were a bride. We kiss it as if it were a friend. If God forbid, one is damaged beyond repair, we mourn it as if it were a member of the family.

The Koran calls Jews a “people of the book”, but this is an understatement. We are a people only because of the book. It is our constitution as a holy nation under the sovereignty of God. It is God’s love letter to the children of Israel. We study it incessantly. We read it in the synagogue each week, completing it in a year. During the long centuries of Jewish exile, it was our ancestors’ memory of the past and hope for the future. It was, said the German poet Heinrich Heine, the “portable homeland” of the Jew.

"Let my people know," this was the motto of the late Rabbi Adin Even Yisroel (Steinsaltz), the first translator of the Talmud into Hebrew and other languages, and author of 60 books on Judaism. He once lamented&nbsp;that many Jews manage to study science, physics, business, medicine, math, or philosophy on a post-graduate level, yet their Jewish knowledge often remains on a second-grade level. So many of our people are unaware of the endless intellectual and spiritual richness of their heritage and the profound emotional healing it can bring.&nbsp;

Reb Chaim

Last Sunday, 17 Adar II, 5782, March 20, 2022, close to one million Jews attended the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022), who passed away last Friday, age 94, in the city of Bnei Brak, Israel. This was the largest funeral in the history of Israel and it reflected the unique Jewish approach to learning. For Reb Chaim sat for 85 years and studied Torah some 18 hours a day, becoming one of the greatest&nbsp;Torah scholars of the generation.

Rain or shine, on Shabbos or on holidays, during good or challenging times, he did not cease his studies, in a tiny, humble abode on 23 Rashbam Street in Bnei Brak. Here was a man whose&nbsp;love of learning the Torah was boundless. Each year he would complete all the major works of Judaism: The Tanach, the Mishnah, Tosefta, the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, Maimonides, Codes of Jewish law, the Midrashim, and the Zohar.&nbsp;Rabbi Israel Meir Lau called him this week “a walking Torah scroll” since, in his 94 years, he reached rare levels of Torah mastery and devotion.&nbsp;

At the funeral, his son, Rabbi Shlomo Kanievsky touched the crowd with stories of childhood games played with his father, the mastermind, and shared a little bit about the relationship with his deceased wife, Batsheva. For years, the two of them would get up much before sunrise and recite the morning blessings that open the day together. He would say one blessing after the next and she would answer amen to each. And then she would recite the blessings and, after each one, he would answer amen.

His son also related how when his father came home in the afternoon, he would never eat&nbsp;lunch without his wife by his side. If she was not home and sitting at the table, he would never begin eating. And if she was delayed, even by a few minutes, he would of course open a book and learn until she arrived. They never vacationed in a guest house and never went to a coffee shop, but this was their special quality time together.

Close to one million Jews showed up to bid farewell to a man who had no official position, no title, no political power, and no material affluence; but embodied with every fiber of his being the infinite passion of a people to study, internalize and live daily the truths and wisdom of Torah, G-d's blueprint for humanity.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref1" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')">[1]</a> Leviticus 10:16. See Talmud Kedushim 30a: The early [scholars] were called sofrim because they used to count all the letters of the Torah. Thus, they said, the vav in gachon (Leviticus 10:42) marks half the letters of the Torah; darosh darash (Leviticus 11:16) half the words. See Penei Yehousah to Talmud ibid.; Chasam Sofer and Torah Shlaimah to the verse in Leviticus, who discuss the apparent flaw in the count. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref2" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')">[2]</a>&nbsp;See Degel Machane Ephrayim to Leviticus 10:16. This book was composed in the 18th century by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov (1742-1800), who was the grandson of Baal Shem Tov. (It is arranged according to the weekly Torah readings and contains many teachings the author heard directly from his grandfather. It is thus considered one of the primary sources of the Baal Shem Tov's teachings. Also included are some of the lectures delivered by the author during his tenure as a teacher and preacher in Sudilkov). 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref3" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn3')">[3]</a> See Joshua 8:1: “You shall toil in it [in the study of Torah] during the day and the night.” 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref4" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn4')">[4]</a> See the commentary of Or HaChaim on the verse. 
<a href="javascript: void(0);" id="_ednref5" onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn5')">[5]</a> See Sanhedrin 59a. Rambam the Laws of Talmud Torah chapter 3.

Don&#39;t Celebrate Ignorance:&nbsp;The Value of Life-Long Inquiry and Study

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torah study

Don't Celebrate Ignorance: The Value of Life-Long Inquiry and Study  

Essay Shmini

Why Did 1 Million Show Up to the Funeral of a Man Without an Official Position?

This class was presented to women on Tuesday Parshas Emor, 13 Iyar 5777, May 9, 2017 at Ohr Chaim shul in Monsey, NY

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21_womens_class_5_9_17_parshas_emor_5777.4db9.mp4

21_womens_class_5_9_17_parshas_emor_5777.4db9.mp3

How Do You Know When You Are Hearing Real Wisdom? When You Feel that You Always Knew It

Three Myths About Education: Dealing with Angry, Addicted and Depressed Youth

How Do You Know When You Are Hearing Real Wisdom? When You Feel that You Always Knew It

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