Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Michtav Me'Eliyahu Kuntres HaChesed for Adults, part 9 and Yom Ha'Atzma'ut



The topic of Chapter 11 of the Kuntres HaChesed is Hakoras HaTov, and, as the shiur took place on 5 Iyar, thus the link to the inyana d'yoma of Yom Ha'Atzma'ut.

I forgot at the time the obvious source in the Torah's demand of us to possess Hakoras HaTov to the Egyptians, so I am mentioning it here.

Newly Published Photos Show 1939 Wedding of Rabbi Hodakov - Anash.org

Newly Published Photos Show 1939 Wedding of Rabbi Hodakov - Anash.org

Check out the high resolution pictures at the link. My great grandfather zt"l Hy"d is the one in the sunglasses, and my grandfather zt"l is in both pictures with the candles on the table, in the first one on the left of the picture and in the second one on the right of the picture.

I wonder who all the yeshivaleit are, but as my great uncle zt"l learned in Novardok, perhaps they are talmidim from Novardok.



Thursday, April 20, 2023

You can be in charge of the Heysa Donde


There is a joke I heard many years ago from Rabbi Shaul Gold. I recalled it today on account of two annoying emails I received, and searched for it, but couldn't find it. So, I share it here. It can be ramified as a mashal for several types of mussar haskel:

A wife complains to her husband: "Everyone in shul is in charge of something, you're in charge of nothing!"

The husband responds: "What should I do?"

The wife says: "Go to the rabbi and ask him to put you in charge of something!"

So, the husband goes to the rabbi and recounts his wife's demand.

The rabbi says: "No problem, we have an open position, you can be in charge of the Heysa Donde."

The husband goes home to his wife, who is overjoyed at his new importance in the community. But after she calms down a bit, she asks her husband what exactly is the Heysa Donde? So the husband goes back to the rabbi and asks him what, indeed, is the Heysa Donde.

The rabbi replies: "On Yom Kippur many people don't know when to stand and when to sit. Some people end up standing at the wrong times. Your job is, when you see someone like that, to call out to him, 'Hey! Sit down there!'"

ודוק

Monday, April 10, 2023

Ban Assault Weapons Now


I would like to state publicly that it is my firm conviction that the idolatrous fealty to the extreme interpretation of the Second Amendment that will not consent to a ban on assault rifles such as the AR-15 is a manifestation of a particularly heinous form of misanthropy, bigotry and discrimination: That which will not take the most simple steps to prevent wanton bloodshed and cares but little for the saving of human life. This is completely antithetical to the basic Jewish value expressed in the famous mishnah in Sanhedrin 4:5.

This was shared with me. It is attributed to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein זצ"ל זי"ע:



See several important notes and links in the comments.