Monday, March 29, 2010

Repost: The Three Matzos, the 7 Parts of the Seder Plate & the Ten Sefiros

If you use this diagram, please give credit.
Originally posted April 17, 2008:
My friend Reb Yerachmiel informed me that today is Rav Pincus, zt"l, and his wife and daughter's Yhortzeit today. May his Torah that people learn from this post be an ilui Neshoma for them.

A friend was kind enough to give me a Hagada for Pesach with the Commentary of Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus, zt"l, called the Tiferes Shimshon. I wanted to share his explanation of the 3 Matzos and the Seder Plate, according to the 10 Sefiros, which is really fascinating. I will use the Picture on top as a visual guide. And even though this post sounds esoteric, it is meant to be applicable in a practical way so try to read it in that light.

The Three Matzos - First of all, he says that the Three Matzos correspond to the Three Intellectual Sefiros, the Mochin, of Chochma, Bina and Daas, ChaBa"D. The 3 Matzos are called "Nahama D'meheimenusa," "Bread of Emunah/Faith." This is because they should be used to focus on incorporating one's intellectual Emunah into one's practical life through the intellectual faculties of Chochma, Bina and Daas. Chochma is the intellectual knowledge that there is a Creator of the world. Bina is understanding all of the implications of the fact of the existance of the Creator, and it also means understanding the obligations that this knowledge imposes upon me. And Daas implies chibur, connection, as in the phrase "V'Adam Yada Es Chava Ishto." So Daas means connecting the knowledge of the fact of G-d's existance and the implications of that fact into one's real way of living so that it affects the person in his daily life. It is through focusing on these ideas in the three matzos at the seder that matzah can live up to it's name, "The Bread of Emunah."

Now to summarize in advance, the seder plate (1) and its 6 contents comprise the other seven emotional midos that make up the other seven sefiros. The top row, as you can see in the picture, is Zroah, Beitza and Maror. On the top right, representing Chesed, is the Zroah. On the top left, representing Gevurah, is the Beitza. And in the middle, but below and drawing from the top two, is the Maror, representing Tiferes, which represents the pleasing combination of the top two midos, Chesed and Gevruah. The second row is the Charoses, Karpas and Chazeres. The Charoses, on the right, is Netzach. The Karpas, on the left, is the mida of Hod. And the Chazerez (the maror which is used in the rabbinically required "Hillel Sandwich"), in the center and below the other two, is the mida of Yesod. And the seder plate, its self, is the mida of Malchus.

Z'roah - Chesed - The Z'roah is the symbol we use on the Seder Plate today to represent the Korban Pesach. The Korban Pesach is the method through which we internalize the Intellectual Emunah of the Three Matzos. It is the Chesed, the generous giving of the spiritual gift of Emunah. Spiritual gifts are the embodiment of chesed, since chesed implies an unlimited, endless giving of good. And since the good that we are receiving is a spiritual gift, it is appropriate that chesed is the mida through which we receive this gift, since spirituality is an inherently unlimited, boundless gift as well, as opposed to physical gifts which are inherently bounded and limited by the finite-ness of physicality.

Beitza - Gevurah - The Beitza symbolizes the Korban Chagigah. An egg is round, and closed in on all sides, which implies limitation and finite-ness, which is the idea of Gevurah, which implies strictless and limitations. So it symbolizes physical gifts, which are finite and limited. The Beitza is on the plate to remind us that even physical gifts from Hashem must be connected in our mind to their source, which is also Hashem. And we cannot only look at spiritual gifts as having a spiritual source (i.e. Hashem), but we must look at those physical gifts as well as coming from Hashem.

I was also thinking that this breakdown is interesting in another way. The Z'roah is the right side, the side of Chesed, which is the "masculine" side. And its symbol on the seder plate is the Z'roah, which is a Kav, a line, which is similar to the letter zayin, which means "zachar," male. (V'hameivin yavin.) So that's an interesting correspondance. Also, the Beitza is on the left side, and symbolizes Gevurah, which is the "femenine" side. And the Beitza is similarly an appropriate symbol for the femenine side since an egg would certainly correspond to the femine side for obvious reasons.

Maror – Tiferes – Splendor - Maror is Tiferes because the ultimate expression of Splendor is the beauty that comes from the unification between two seemingly opposite characteristics. Chesed and Gevurah are two distinct traits with their own inherent beauty. But the awesome aspect of unifying Chesed and Gevruah. And why is Maror, bitterness, the best expression of connecting Chesed and Gevurah, kindness and strictness? This is because it is the bitter parts of life where one experiences the unified Chesed that is within Gevurah. When one thinks about the bitterness of the hard times and how, within the difficulty and Gevurah that one is experiencing, is hidden only love and Hashem’s desire to do chesed with us, then that is when one truly feels the splendorous beauty of the unification of the attributes of kindness and strictness. And by focusing on this idea when we eat the Maror at the seder, we can achieve the attribute of Tiferes, in it’s most beautiful form.

The bottom three items on the Seder plate, Charoses, Karpas and Chazeres (the Maror used in the “Hillel Sandwich”) are different from the top three in that they are not geared toward fulfilling any mitzvah d’oraisa, any biblical commandment. They are rabbinic mitzvos. The significance of this is that these items are more precious to Hashem than the higher level ones, which we were commanded to use, by Hashem in the Torah. This is because they are our own Jewish expressions of our desire to show our love and gratitude to Hashem. As such, they are a wonderful expression of the preciousness of the Jew. And, since they originate with us, the Jewish people, they are even more precious to Hashem, on a certain level, than the Mitzvos D’oraisa.

Charoses – Netzach – Eternity/Victory - Maror is not bitter for its own sake. Hashem sends us bitter things in life, not to cause us suffering for its own sake, but for a purpose. And often, that purpose is to induce us to leave behind our prior apathy and return to Hashem. We dip the bitter Maror in the sweet Charoses to sweeten the dinim of our suffering. Similarly, when we take the lesson of the Maror of our lives by returning to do good, we also sweeten the din that brought about the bitter suffering to begin with, and obviate the need for it to continue in the future.

Karpas – Hod – Glory – There are two levels of knowledge that Hashem exists. The higher level of understanding is that “Ein Ode Milvado,” that there is nothing in the universe other than Hashem and that He has the power at every moment to do good to us, or to do “bad,” and that if He would cease to will us to exist at any moment, then the whole universe would revert to nothingness. The more b asic level of knowledge is simply the point that there is, in fact, a Creator of the world and that we must therefore serve him with the faculties that we have. It is this simple understanding of faith that we must, as a first level, attain and instill in our children. It is this point that is brought about by Karpas, the mitzvah that we do “so that the children should ask.” It is through things like Karpas, which are there so that we have an opportunity to teach our children about this most basic level of Emunah that we have the mitzvah of Karpas.

Chazeres – Yesod – Foundation – This Maror, used in the “man-made” mitzvah d’rabanan of Koreich, the “Hillel Sandwich,” personifies the types of bitterness that a person brings upon himself. And what kind of bitterness does a person bring upon himself? These are the tests that a person brings upon himself. When the person overcomes those tests, that is when he has attained the level of Yesod. This was the trait of Yosef Hatzadik, who was promoted, through his hard work and Siyata Dishmaya, to the head of Potifar’s house. When the wife of Potifar tried to tempt Yosef, and he overcame this test by thinking of his father’s face, he thus unified the spiritual and physical worlds by giving spirituality dominion of the natural physical aspects of this world. This was why he personified the mida of Yesod. And by focusing on unifying our spiritual and physical sides, in those tests that we bring upon ourselves, when we eat the Koreich, the “Hillel Sandwich,” we internalize the mida of Yesod, the mida of Yosef Hatzadik.

The Ka’arah – Seder Plate – Malchus – Kingship - The seventh of the lower midos, Malchus, is the expression of all of the powers of the King. All of the other six midos have their own essence. However, Kingship means the King’s ability to channel all of the resources of the Kingdom into practical expression. A King has nothing of hid own. All he can do is tax and collect the resources of the Kingdom. However, his is the most important mida because only through unifying the resources of everyone in the Kingdom can those resources find any kind of powerful expression. So too, the Seder Plate facilitates and enables the expression of the other six midos by supporting them. Even though it does not have its own “unique” personality, it gives meaning and expression to all of the other aspects of the Seder Plate, whose meaning we try to inculcate into ourselves at the Seder.

May it be Hashem’s will that the 10 expressions of Hashem’s light be manifest in our own lives this Pesach through the 10 parts of the Seder!

P.S. For more on this topic, see what was posted at Revach. See also this article by R. Simon Jacobson, with a HT to Rabbi Brown at Divrei Chaim.

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Rav Judah Mischel on Bedikas Chometz & "The Torch" on Rav Kook's Hagada

Rav Judah Mischel of Reisheit Yerushalayim on Bedikas Chometz: LINK - HT Anon 4:31.

Rav Mordechai ("The Torch") Torczyner on Rav Kook's unique take on the Hagada. Great shiur! LINK - HT Hirhurim

Picture of Rabbi Mischel courtesy of Reishit Yerushalayim. Picture of Rabbi Torczyner courtesy of TorontoTorah.com.
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Burning Away the Chometz in Our Minds - Shalosh Sheudos Torah From R. Weinberger

Rav Weinberger taught an amazing Torah from the Nesivos Shalom at Shalosh Sheudos last night. He quoted the pasuk from the beginning of Parshas Tzav, Vayikra 6:2, which said:

"צַו אֶת-אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת-בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כָּל-הַלַּיְלָה עַד-הַבֹּקֶר וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ." Metzuda translation: "Command Aharon and his sons, saying; this is the law of the burnt-offering. It is the burnt-offering [which remains] on its pyre on the altar all night, until the morning, and the fire of the altar will be kept burning on it."

He asked why the pasuk has to say "זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה," this is the law of the Olah for the rule that the korban has to be burnt all night until it is fully consumed. After all, that is the rule for the burnt portion of all korbanos, not only the Olah.

He answered from the Nesivos Shalom that an Olah is different and a more difficult tikun than the other korbanos for two reasons. One is that it is mechaper, atones, for aveiros of thought, rather than action. Even when one can avoid bad actions, it is still difficult to control and stop all impure thoughts. So the Olah is coming to accomplish an especially difficult kapara. Second, the there is more of a yetzer hara not to bring an Olah because the korban costs money to bring but one can't eat any of it, and may feel that he gets less out of it because of that. Therefore, the Torah says "Tzav," "command" in this verse, which Rashi always says is a lashon "ziruz," indicating that we must work extra hard to fulfill this mitzvah because it's more difficult than other mitzvos.

In order to understand the Slonimer's first answer, that it is especially important to teach that the Olah is burned all night because it atones for aveiros of thought, he brought an amazing moshol from the Lechovitcher, from which the Slonimer dynasty comes.

The Lechovitcher brought a moshol of a man who wanted to cut down a forest in order to build a city. So he began by cutting down one tree, and then another tree, etc. But he soon realized that the forest was so large that he would probably die before he cut down all of the trees, much less built a city in their place. Therefore, he came up with an idea and set a large fire, which was successful in burning down the whole forest in one shot.

The Nesivos Shalom used that moshol here. When one is trying to drive away all impure thoughts, he may try to wage a battle against one evil thought. And then as soon as he's finished with that one, he realizes that there's another one. So he tries to get rid of that one next. By the time he finishes getting rid of that impure thought, he realizes that the first one has grown back even stronger. And then he realizes that he will die before he is ever successful in ridding himself of all of his impure thoughts.

But then the person realizes that if he can set one big fire, he can burn away all of the impure thoughts in one shot. The key is to set one's self on fire with Yiddishkeit. He has to daven mit ah bren, too learn with fire, to do his avodah with a fire. Then he'll be successful in burning all of his evil thoughts into oblivion.

That's why the pasuk says "Tzav," that he requires special alacrity to work on his thoughts. They are impure, but no one else can see them. They represent a "chisaron kis," a fault (chisaron) which is covered (lashon kisui) and that no one else can see. It is therefore a fault which is more difficult to work on, thus the lashon tzav, indicating that one needs an extra push to get working on it.

And because the Olah atones for impure thoughts, it is especially necessary to say that the korban must be burned all night, because it is only through the burning fire of passionate Yiddishkeit that that can burn away all of the impure thoughts.

Rav Weinberger lamented the fact that the schools just work on cutting down one tree and then another tree. They ban the ipods. Then the iphones, then Internet, then the iTouch, etc. etc. etc. But as soon as they ban one device, ten more take their place. We can never get rid of everything that will turn our minds and thoughts away from Hashem. There have always been things that turn people away. In one generation, it was Communism, in another generation, it was haskala, then reform, then Zionism, etc. We can never get rid of every temptation that threatens to take our and our children's minds away from Torah. The key is not to focus all of our attention on the trees. Instead, we have to do the only thing which can get rid of the whole forest of temptations, which is creating a fiery avodah that can burn them all down.

We have to create a fire within ourselves and our children. Passionate davening, passionate learning and fiery Yiddishkeit is the only thing which can burn away all of those temptations. While obviously we have to use common sense and not unnecessarily introduce temptations into our or our children's lives (see here), those things will not go anywhere near doing the job on their own.

May we be matzliach in burning away all of the chometz of our minds with the fire of biur chometz tomorrow morning!

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Preparing and Preserving Pesach With Prayer- Audio/Video Shiur

Below is the latest shiur from Reb Yerachmiel titled "Preparing and Preserving Pesach With Prayer"

Torah Anytime Video Link

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen to streaming audio or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the mp3 file.

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The Four Questions - Exceprt & Hebrew & English From R' Itchie Mayer

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayikra, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

Whenever a person has doubts about whether his prayers are effective or not, he must hold strong to pure and simple faith. In truth, the Jewish people have an innate azus d’kedushah because they know with certainty that their prayers act as they should to draw down Hashem’s mercy and kindness because they are invigorated by their knowledge of the Torah and Hashem’s Name. This is what gives us strength and courage—it makes us like Boaz, “strength is in him.”

This is the inner meaning of the children having all of their questions answered, “Here the son asks,” this is the time when all that we ask for is answered for the good. This is the night when we receive an infusion of azus d’kedushah from above so that we can ask for all that we require materially and spiritually, so that we can conquer every battle without getting confused on whether what we seek is lishmah or not. These are the tools we need to receive the light of the redemption, and each person has unique holy sparks that only he needs to repair in order to help bring the geulah.

From where do we get this azus d’kedushah so that we can redeem prayer? From the Torah itself, which is the aspect of Rachel and which shines brightly on Pesach night. It illuminates prayer, and then this confident and strong prayer empowers the person to contemplate the light of G-dliness and the Torah alone. It is forbidden for a person to allow himself to fall into doubts about the efficacy of his prayer, because that is a sure path to melancholy and sadness since one must avoid speculation and philosophizing in the world of Asiyah completely. If one just holds strongly to his azus d’kedushah and the knowledge that every single word of prayer is precious and accepted, he will be able, in the merit of the tzaddikim, to draw down the light of Da’as and understand that his driving off the doubts was itself the holy spark that he needed to repair. This allows him to re-enter Hashem’s service with freshness and energy. On Pesach night, he can sit confidently like a little child who trusts that his parents will give him all the gifts—he will know with certainty that Hashem will provide him with all of the salvation that he requires. This is how Yosef saves Yehudah/Dovid.

Shabbos HaGadol

The Chasam Sofer taught that Shabbos HaGadol is particularly auspicious for the arrival of Moshiach. The K’sav Sofer explained that even though the Arizal taught that Eliyahu HaNavi will not come on Shabbos, nevertheless Moshiach will come before Shabbos and remain hidden until he is revealed on Shabbos. This Shabbos [before Pesach] is especially suited to the revelation of the concept of, “His Name is sure”—that the Jewish people have the ability to bring the redemption provided that they do not fall into doubts about the worthiness or effectiveness of their prayers. “His Name is sure”—we certainly can bring about the required salvation. In the merit of this faith, the redemption is drawn down.

This is the meaning of the haftarah of Shabbos HaGadol: that Hashem derives pleasure when a person connects with the holiness of prayer and doesn’t fall into the doubts of the world of Asiyah. Rather, the night of Pesach empowers him to attain clear and pure faith that Hashem hears ours prayers. This is why the redemption really depends on achieving a yichud in the world of Asiyah, which in turn strengthens us to beg for the redemption just as they cried out in Egypt. “And we will cry out to Hashem our G-d, and Hashem will hear our voices and see our affliction.”

CLICK HERE to get Toras Chochom on Tzav
CLICK HERE to get Toras Chochom on Tzav in English

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Do We Conduct Our Seders More Robotically Than These Folks? - Video



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The Chernobyler Chosid's Misnaged Father-in-Law & Another Story from Rav Gartner's Melaveh Malka

The Melaveh Malka this past Motzoi Shabbos with Rav Baruch Gartner, Rav Moshe Weinberger, and Rav Spiegel of "The Shtieble" in Cedarhurst was really really nice. The Melaveh Malka was to benefit the Derech Hamelech Kollel. Rav Spiegel and Rav Gartner spoke and my friend Dr. David Shiller was able to record was able to record Rav Gartner's shiur. He was kind enough to share it with me so for your listening pleasure, please enjoy the shiur.

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen to streaming audio or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download. Please take note that the file is in w4a format (Quicktime/iTunes).

He told two really great ma'asim. One was the famous ma'aseh with the holy brothers Reb Elimelech of Lizensk and Reb Zusha of Anapoli. It was from the time they got put in jail because they were suspected of stealing something simply because they were visitors in town. The story illustrates a fundamental yesod of how to incorporate simcha and Emunah into your life no matter what Hashem throws at you.

I had never heard the second ma'aseh before. It was the story of a young Misnagdishe Avreich who was learning and being supported by his father in law. It happened one time that the Avreich was traveling and ended up davening the Shul in Chernobyl. He sensed something special there and was convinced to stay for Shabbos by the Rebbe Reb Nachum of Chernobyl. He was extremely impressed and decided to continue coming back. Over time, he became a real chosid of Reb Nachum both in the internal and external aspects of Chassidus.

His father in law was getting increasingly upset that his son wasn't learning as much as he had been before. He felt that he was traveling to Chernobyl too often and that his davening was longer, which shortened his sedorim afterwards. He asked his son in law for an explanation and the Avreich knew that he would never be able to get his father in law to understand by trying to explain it to him. He therefore convinced him to come spend a Shabbos with him in Chernobyl.

The Shabbos came and the Avreich kept looking at his father in law hoping to see some sign that he was happy with the davening or what he was seeing. He hoped that he would be inspired and that he would start to see what he had found there. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The father in law was getting more and more upset, seeing what his son in law had gotten himself into. After Shabbos, he was so angry that he decided that he would tell the rabbi exactly what he thought of what he was building there in Chernobyl.

He knocked on Reb Nochum's door after Shabbos. The Rebbe came out glowing after a beautiful Chernobyl Shabbos. The man began to give Reb Nachum an earful of everything that was on his mind.

The rebbe responded, "Let me tell you a story." He said that in the times of the Beis Hamikdash, there was a Yid in the Galil who was 60 years old. He had a long white beard, but he had never been to the Beis Hamikdash in his entire life. But at 60, he accidently broke Shabbos and now had to bring a Korban Chatas. He bought a keves and set out for Yerushalayim. But since he had had never been there, he had to ask directions several times along the way. People could not believe that someone his age, with a white beard, did not know the way to Yerushalayim and they even made fun of him. But eventually, he made it and came to the Beis Hamikdash.

When he got there, he couldn't believe what he saw. There was blood and guts everywhere. There were fires and people and animals all over the place. He couldn't believe that such a "balagan" could exist in the holiest place on earth! He complained to the Kohanim and asked to speak to their superior. The Kohen Gadol (who didn't even have a proper white beard; rather he had only a long black beard) came over wearing the eight holy garments. He told the Kohen Gadol what he thought of what was happpening and how it was not befitting at all for a Beis Hamikdash.

The Kohen asked him whether he had been to the Beis Hamikdash before. He answered that he had not, but that only now had he committed an aveira b'shogeg and had to come to bring a Chatas. The Kohen Gadol responded that he was honored to meet such a man who had never sinned in his entire life! The man ressponded in the affirmative that indeed he had never sinned except for that one time. At that moment, the lights started to go off in the Urim V'tumim. The Kohen pushed aside his beard so he could see and read the letters. He asked the man whether it was true that the previous year that he had sworn falsely in a business deal. The man stumbled and explained that he had really just stretched the truth a bit, but that besides that other time, he was clean.

The Urim V'tumim started lighting up again and then the Kohen Gadol proceeded to ask the man about one aveira after another. Finally, humbled, the man admitted that perhaps if he had come to the Beis Hamikdash more often, he might not have committed so many sins.

As the father in law heard this story, his mouth dropped open. It turned out that in a very very kind way, the Rebbe Reb Nachum Chernobyler was recounting all of the man's sins through the story. Over time, the father in law also became a chasid of Chernobyl "and they all lived happily ever after." :-)
But the Melaveh Malka was beautiful. We got to sing almost all of the Melaveh Malka zmiros and we had a nice little rikud as well. Again, it's definitely worthwhile to listen to Rav Gartner's short speech!

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Several Great Eitan Katz Songs - Video From Last Week

The video was made this past Thursay at a concert held to raise money for a young boy with a rare disease.

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Monday, March 22, 2010

The Seder Plate According to Likutei Moharan & Likutei Halachos - New Shiur

Here is the next in Rebbetzin Yehudis Golshevsky's series of shiurim on women's special mitzvos according to Breslov Chassidus.

The following shiur, for women only, reviews of all the elements of the seder plate based on Likutei Moharan and Likutei Halachos.

Click on the link below to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen online or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download:

Pesach 5770 Shiur

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Nachas Hashulchan Shiur - Bedikas Chometz & Excessive Stringencies

Here is the fifth shiur in a new series of shiurim by Rabbi Micha Golshevsky, on the sefer Nachas Hashulchan. This is the last shiur covering the introduction on Likutei Moharan I:1. It also covers the Pesach seder, leil bedikas chometz, and the negative effects of chumros yeseiros even regarding Pesach.

Click here for more information on the shiur and the sefer Nachas Hashulchan.

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen now or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the shiur.

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Rav Baruch Gartner Video/Audio Shiurim Now Available Online!


TorayAnytime Link!

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sample Video Shiurim by Rav Ozer Bergman

You can CLICK HERE to see Rav Bergman's YouTube chanel. He is a great Breslov teacher today so it is kedai to check these shiurim out. I also recomend his very practical English book on Hisbodedus, Where Heaven and Earth Kiss.

Here is a series of videos of a shiur he gave on Sichos Haran:









HT Exciting Judaism.com. Picture also courtesy of excitingjudaism.com. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Rav Nasan Maimon Speaking in Cedarhurst Tonight!


I am please to announce that Rav Nasan Maimon is back in NY for a short time. The Rav will be giving a shiur which will take place, iy’H tonight, Sunday night, at the Sephardic Shul in Cedarhurst which is located at 539 Oakland Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 (it is on the corner of Oakland Avenue and Peninsula Blvd). The shiur is scheduled to start right after mincha/maariv which begin at 6:40 PM. Hope to see you there.

Best,
Avi Weiss

For video shiurim by Rav Maimon, you can CLICK HERE.

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Friday, March 19, 2010

The Small Alef in Vayikra - Reb Itchie Mayer on the Parsha - Hebrew & English PDFs

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayikra, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

“And Hashem called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying...”[1]

The Small Alef

The Arizal revealed that he achieved all that he did by virtue of the joy he felt in fulfilling mitzvos.[2] He was as supremely happy with every single mitzvah that he fulfilled as a person would be if he had profited by a million golden dinars. In the merit of this joy, all of the worlds opened before him and he was privileged to ascend and travel through all of them, from level to level. In this way, his soul was completely incorporated within the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu.

Similarly, the holy Baal Shem Tov—about whom Rav Mendel of Vitebesk testified that he was absolutely unique, and there had never been nor ever would be another like him—rose to all of the limitless levels that he did by virtue of being completely at one with every single Jewish soul.

These traits—joy in mitzvos and unity with other Jews—are both expressed by the small alef of the initial word of Vayikra. The small alef symbolizes being small in one’s own estimation in comparison with every other Jew, no matter who he might be. One cannot just remember that there is a mitzvah of ahavas Yisrael when someone is ill or tragedy strikes, G-d forbid. Even though it is true that, at such times, the bond between Jews is sparked into life, nevertheless this is not true love of one’s fellow Jew. The Baal Shem Tov achieved all that he did because he honored every single Jew with total self-nullification, and it was this that brought him to complete incorporation within the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu to whom the little alef of Hashem’s call referred directly. He sought to embody the little alef absolutely. As the Zohar teaches, “He who is small is great [רב]”—by making oneself small before everyone, one becomes incorporated within the truly great, the true Rav.

For us this means that we must also strive to think little of ourselves in comparison with others and not to cause any kind of pain or suffering to any Jew. Quite the contrary; we must be willing to sacrifice ourselves for their sake, and this is the uppermost yechidah aspect of one’s soul—to suffuse the soul of every single Jew you meet with joy and vitality, no matter who he is. Although, on the surface, this might appear to be a level that everyone can easily reach, it is not so simple. The alef means to teach[3]—humility demands great study and is not a simple avodah at all. To really intensify one’s love of his fellow Jews every single day and unite with all of their souls is a very deep kind of learning, and it was this that opened all of the gateways of heaven before the Baal Shem Tov just as simchah shel mitzvah had for the Arizal. One must actively contemplate and delve into the good that is in every single Jew.

The Baal HaTanya teaches that all of the Torah’s secrets are a manifestation of Chochmah, and the light of dveikus and experiencing delight in Hashem’s presence is a manifestation of Kesser. We have a general principle in Kabbalah that when one reaches a higher level, one automatically attains all of the levels below it. For this reason, when a person really takes pleasure in Hashem’s presence in a holy way of dveikus, he naturally also experiences the light of Chochmah. In just this way did the Baal Shem Tov attain all of the levels—by binding himself to the light of Kesser which is a “lover of all of Yisrael.” This bound him to each and every Jew, and once he was attached to the root of everything, he also merited the light of all of the other sefiros.

Rav Avraham b’Rav Nachman taught that this is why Moshiach is called “Prince of Peace.” Ultimately, Hashem will open all of the heavenly gates before Moshiach by virtue of his being a tzaddik who constantly seeks to foster peace among all Jews. The Baal Shem Tov shared a soul-root with Moshe because his main focus was also the avodah of the “small alef,” and in its merit he was privileged to hear Hashem “call to Moshe.”

[1] Vayikra 1:1
[2] Mishnah Berurah 669:10
[3] Iyov 33:33

CLICK HERE to get Toras Chochom on Vayikra

CLICK HERE to get Toras Chochom on Vayikra in English

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Big Melave Malka in Cedarhurst

I'm very excited to tell you anout a BIG Melave Malka this coming Motsai Shabbos (3/20) at 830pm to benefit Yeshivas Derech Hamelech.

We will be joined by the Mashgiach and Rosh Kollel-R' Baruch Gartner, Shlita,
R' Moshe Weinberger Shlita,
R' Spiegel Shlita
and IY'H the Rebbeh Reb Motel Zilber Shlita!

There will be GEVALDIK divrei Torah and GESHMAK live Music/Kumsits, Melave Malka Zemiros, food etc.

Come to a Chashuvah Motsai Shabbos, have a great time and get tons of Erev Yom Tov Chizuk with Chaveirim!

The address is 405 Oak Avenue-Cedarhurst (near R Spiegels shul).

Please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested.
Sam Septimus
Picture is of Rav Motel Zilber

Berchas Modim: And to You It Is Fitting To Give Thanks! - Audio/Video Shiur

Below is the audio download links and the "Torah Anytime" video link to shiur from this past Sunday (3-14-10) by Reb Yerachmiel in which he concluded Berchas “Modim” in Shemoneh Esrei.

For those who have been following the previous ten (10) shiruim, as well as for first-time listeners, Reb Yerachmiel's grand finale on this amazing bracha will not disappoint!

The shiur is in two files. The first file is about 1.5 hours and the second file is about two minutes. Click on the links below to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen right away or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the shiur.

Part 1
Part 2

Torah Anytime Video links:

Part 1
Part 2

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Rav Machlis and the Matza Factory Video

HT Jawbone Valley

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Amazing Half-Hour Documentary on Rav Kook - A Must See! - Embeded Video

This is an amazing video. It has interviews with a number of Roshei Yeshiva and others who knew Rav Kook while he was alive. It has a lot of pictures and video clips of the Tzadik and a lot of really great quotes from several of the seforim. This is a must-see about this Tzadik who truly speaks to our generation. Awesome.

HT Dixie native R. Nathan Rossman. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Empty Spaces & Rav Mendele Vorker's Letter

Always when he (the Tzadik, Reb Areye Leib Levin) was asked for an opinion or a comment on something or someone controversial, where the topic involved friction or rancor, his answer was silence. Not a word would he utter. If he was pressed - "Nu, Reb Areye, what do you say?" - he would shrug his shoulders: "I have nothing to say."

Once a son of his asked him, "Father, what do you mean by these silences, when you refuse to speak?"

"I will tell you," the good rabbi replied. "You have studied the... Rif... What did that great scholar do? He merely copied out whole passages from the Talmud; but he omitted the parts are not to be followed in actual religious practice. That is the meaning of his silences..."

A Tzadik in Our Time by Simcha Raz, p. 97.

They say that ancient painters,
of Japanese silk screens,
considered empty spaces
as meaningful as lines

Character's shaped
as much (or more)
by what's missing from our makeup,
by what we don't say, hear,
think, do, believe...

"Spaces" from Memo to Self by Ruth Lewis, p. 103.

The better part of valor is discression.

Shakespeare, Henry, IV.

The following story is one of my favorite sipurei ma'asios from my rebbe. (CLICK HERE to listen to the shiur this story comes from for yourself.) I searched for it and I can't believe I hadn't already transcribed this amazing ma'aseh yet. If you know the ma'aseh and can correct any of the details, please let me know. (Note 3/19/10: Big yasher koach to David Solomon in the comments for correcting the names.) I'm writing this from memory after not having heard the story for close to 10 years...:

Reb Mendele Vorker, the son of the Chernobyler Magid, and Rav Avrem'l, the Trisker Magid, were the best of friends. Even after they became the rebbeim of different towns they still kept in touch because they had made a pact as children to write to each other every week. So every week, there was one special Jew, a chosid of Rav Mendel Vorker, whose job it was to deliver letters between the Trisker and Reb Mendele every Friday. He would start out at his rebbe's home Friday morning to pick up his letter for the Trisker Magid. Then he would walk for several hours through the forest to the Trisker. There, he would deliver the letter to Reb Avrem'l in Trisk who would go into his room, read the letter and then write a reply letter. The man would wait for him to finish and then bring the letter back to his rebbe, Rav Mendel Vorker.

This man felt privileged to do his job and carried it out faithfully every week for many years. During that whole time, he never dared to open one of the letters and violate the intimate bond between the two Tzadikim.

However, one Friday morning, after the man had left Vorkov with his rebbe's letter, his was struck with a bizzare yetzer hara. He felt compelled to open the letter and read what the Tzadik wrote to his lifelong friend...

He carefully opened the letter, so that he would be able to close it again without the Trisker being able to tell that it had been opened. When he did, he was shocked to see what was on the paper... Nothing! It was a completely blank piece of paper... At first he felt confused, and then he felt hurt and angry. Was this some sort of trick that his rebbe had been playing on him all of these years? Has he been sacrificing for his rebbe to walk dozens of miles every Friday in hot summers and cold winters all as part of some practical joke at his expense?

With a heavy heart, he closed the letter and continued his delivery to Trisk, wondering what would happen next. When he got there, he delivered the "letter" to the Magid as he always did and the Rebbe took the letter and went into his room. A little while later, the Trisker emerged from his room with a flushed face. He handed the man a letter and he headed out of town back to Vorkov to deliver the Trisker's letter to his rebbe and spend Shabbos in Vorkov.

He had barely left the border of Trisk when he quickly opened the Reb Avrem'l's letter to see what was inside. And sure enough, this letter was also blank! He was bewildered, hurt, and upset. He was now convinced that the two Tzadikim were playing some sort of terrible joke on him. With a broken heart, he walked back to Vorka and straight to his rebbe's house. He couldn't even bare to look his rebbe in the face as he delivered the Trisker's "letter."

He returned home and resolved that the Vorker would no longer be his rebbe. He was just too hurt. Delivering these letters was "his" mitzva. It had been what he took pride in and what he felt privileged to do for two great Tzadikim. If it was all for nothing, the pain was just too great. He didn't go to the Reb Mendele Vorker's Tish that night, and he didn't go to the rebbe's Shalosh Sheudos either. But by the time Shabbos was over, he just couldn't bear the pain any more and he knew that he could not go on living without his rebbe any more. He had to speak to him about what had happened.

He came to the rebbe's house Motzoi Shabbos and waited for the rebbe to see him. When he finally came in, he stood silently for a minute and then burst out crying. The rebbe saw that he was clearly very upset about something and asked the man to tell him what was bothering him. He told the rebbe that he was ashamed to admit what he had done, but that he had to confess. He had opened the rebbe's letter on the way to Trisk the previous morning. "And what," the rebbe asked him, "did you see?"

The man answered that of course, he had found a blank letter. "And what did you do then?" the Vorker asked him.

"I delievered the 'letter' to the Trisker Magid and waited for his return letter. "And what happened when the Trisker gave his letter to you?" his rebbe asked.

"I opened that letter too as soon as I left Trisk."

"And what did it say?"

He told the rebbe what he already knew. That the Trisker's letter was blank also. "And what did you think when you saw the two blank letters?"

"I didn't know what to think! I felt like I was delivering the rebbe's letter for nothing. Like it was all a waste."

"Let me explain something." the Vorker said. "Every one of the black letters written in a sefer Torah is an expression of Hashem's love for the Jewish people. But these letters only express Hashem's love which can be put into words. But the blank spaces between the letters... this is how Hashem expresses his love for us which is so great and which bursts forth to such an extent that it cannot possibly be expressed in words."

"Most of the time, I am able to express the feeling of love I have for my friend, the holy Trisker, with words. At those times, I am able to express that love with the words I write to him in the letters. But there are other times. Sometimes, the love I feel for the preciuos Reb Avrem'l is so great, so powerful, that it cannot be expressed in words. At those times, the only way I can tell him how much I love him is with blank spaces..."

My rebbe usually concluded this story with a follow-up personal epilogue. He said that he kept in touch with many of his former students from teaching at Ezra Academy, and that he exchanged letters with them very often when they went to Israel for the year. Unfortunately, he had so many letters that he could not keep them all though. However, he received one letter from a former student. When he opened it, he found that it was blank. At first he was perplexed, but then he remembered that he had told this story to that boy at school, and then realized why he had written him a blank letter. He said that this letter was so precious to him, and it was one of the only letters that he kept...
Click here to hear Rav Weinberger tell the story.

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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Wow - Matzos Are Baked in 30 Seconds! - Video

HT Avakesh. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Rabbis Moshe Weinberger, Chaim Kramer, and Jonathan Rietti at Breslov Dinner!

Click on this and the image below to enlarge.

On 4 Iyar 5570 (1810), Rebbe Nachman left Breslov and moved to Uman. Rebbe Nachman had hinted at this final journey many years before and this would prove to be one of the greatest historical journeys in modern day Jewish history. Fast forward 200 years and 25,000 + Jews make the annual pilgrimage to Rebbe Nachman’s Tzion every Rosh HaShanah. What secrets did Uman possess to initiate this change? What did he promise? And why is this so relevant today?

Join together with the Breslov Research Institute on April 25th, 2010 in Great Neck, NY – two hundred years after the Rebbe’s arrival in Uman for an awe inspiring evening and discover the answers to one of the most mysterious events in our times. The night will feature a Gala Dinner, speeches by Rabbis Moshe Weinberger, Jonathon Rietti and Chaim Kramer. There will be a video presentation: Uman, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow featuring never seen before video footage of “covert” Uman trips in the 60’s under the Communist watch.

Don’t miss this chance to be part of history!

All proceeds will go to Tzadaka benefiting the Breslov Research Institute, the primary publisher of Rebbe Nachman’s works in English, French, Modern Hebrew, Spanish and Russian.

For more information or to reserve, please CLICK HERE.

Also, to see a high quality video of Rabbi Chaim Kramer, founder and head of the Breslov Research Institute, giving a shiur, click on their home page HERE.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei - Heb. & English pdf

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

"אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל-פִּי מֹשֶׁה: עֲבֹדַת הַלְוִיִּם בְּיַד אִיתָמָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן... וַיְהִי מְאַת כִּכַּר הַכֶּסֶף לָצֶקֶת אֵת אַדְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֵת אַדְנֵי הַפָּרֹכֶת: מְאַת אֲדָנִים לִמְאַת הַכִּכָּר, כִּכָּר לָאָדֶן."

“These are the accounts of the Mishkan, even the Mishkan of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moshe, through the service of the Leviim, by the hand of Itamar, the son of Aharon HaKohen... And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the Mishkan, and the sockets of the veil: a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.”[1]

Rashi explains: “‘The sockets of the sanctuary’—[the sockets] of the forty-eight boards of the Mishkan, which had ninety-six sockets, together with the four sockets of the paroches makes a total of one hundred. The Torah says that all of the other sockets were of copper.”

Upholding the Mishkan

The main support of the Mishkan was from the placement of the boards within their sockets, which were donated by the Jewish people through the fixed rate of the half-shekel regardless of the wealth of the individual donor. It is this that the verse describes when it lists the measure of the hundred talents of silver, one talent for each socket. These were the sockets that upheld the boards which formed the structure of the Mishkan itself.

Reb Nosson of Breslov explains why it was necessary that the silver of the sockets come equally from every Jew: “They were commanded to each bring a half-shekel to teach us that no Jew is complete on his own; he has to join together with his fellow. The main rectification is achieved when everyone is brought together in love and unity, when each one is just a half until he is united with his friend, and that friend with yet another, until all of the varieties of opinions and personhoods become one within the absolute and simple unity of Hashem Himself. This process is most precious before Hashem. This is why, ‘The wealthy shall not add and the poor shall not give less’—so that there should be no division or difference among them.

It is necessary so that, ‘Each man’s wealth will atone for his soul, and the poor will not hear rebuke’[2]—so that the wealthy will not lord it over the poor and they will all achieve the rectification of tzedakah, which is to support the Torah in mutual love and respect. The main objective is to be united and subsumed within Hashem’s oneness, and this is only possible when a person is humble and self-effacing, when he nullifies his ego before his fellow Jews, when he, ‘Does not regard the wealthy above the poor.’[3] The giving of a uniform half-shekel demonstrates that all are equal before Hashem and everyone has a part to play in the establishment of the Mishkan, and through this Hashem’s absolute unity is revealed in the midst of variety and multiplicity. This is also why all the other offerings for the Mishkan were given in accordance with the person’s means, as Rashi explains at the beginning of Parshas Terumah. The unique nature of the half-shekel offering was to highlight to the wealthy that there is nothing to be prideful in their resources, because Hashem could just as easily build the Mishkan through the offerings of the poor, and He has the power to enrich the poor and impoverish the wealthy in any case. Although He does choose to give the merit of charity to those whom He has blessed with abundance, nevertheless the actual framework of the Mishkan is provided by each person equally. And the wealthy have no cause for pride, ‘For all is from You, and from Your hand do we give to You.’[4] The main act of tzedakah is in supporting Torah scholars who give birth to halachos, because this is a manifestation of the Mishkan built by Moshe Rabbeinu in every generation. And the main way in which we accomplish this is by revealing Hashem’s absolute oneness from among a multiplicity of actions.”[5]

This means that the basis of the integrity of the structure of the Mishkan derives from a relationship of equality between Torah scholars and those who support them, that they should be in a state of complete unity of the soul—that the silver sockets and the boards they support should be all of a piece. It is only when the supporters are unified with the talmidei chachamim and do not feel above them and the scholars do not feel superior in their scholarship that they are truly bound together and equal. Then the holiness of the boards also rests upon the sockets and the structure can stand securely, and the light of the yichud can shine brightly.

[1] Shemos 38:21,27
[2] Mishlei 13:8
[3] Iyov 34:19
[4] Divrei HaYamim I:29:14
[5] Likutei Halachos, Hilchos Apotropos #1

CLICK HERE for Toras Chochom on Vayakhel-Pikudei

CLICK HERE for Toras Chochom on Vayakhel-Pikudei in English

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New Nachas Hashulchan Shiur by Rabbi Micha Golshevsky!

Here is the next shiur in a new series of shiurim by Rabbi Micha Golshevsky, on the sefer Nachas Hashulchan. This shiur covers the sefer Nachas Hashulchan 1:4.

Click here for more information on the shiur and the sefer Nachas Hashulchan.

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen now or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the shiur.

Update 3/14/10: The link to the shiur is fixed. So if you tried to get the shiur before and couldn't, you can try again now.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Berchas "Modim": May Your Name Be Blessed and Exalted Forever - Audio/Vido Shiur

Below are Video and Audio links to this past Sunday's shiur by Reb Yerachmiel on Berchas “Modim” in Shemoneh Esrei in which he explains the deeper meanings of the phrase "Ve'Al Kulam, Yisbarach Viyisromam Shimcha Malkeinu Tamid Leolam Va'ed" ("And for all these things, may Your Name be blessed and exalted always, forever and ever") which we daven at least three (3) time each and every day. Both practical and inspiring, this shiur will be appreciated by all.

Torah Anytime Video Link

CLICK HERE to get the audio shiur by either left clicking to listen right now or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download.

Picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe circa Purim 5717 courtesy of Herschel Tzig. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Rav Moshe Weinberger Speaking at Melaveh Malka in L.A. - Video

Rav Moshe Weinberger March 6, 2010 .

There is music at the beginning and then Rebbe starts speaking at about the 18 minute mark. In order to skip to the part where Rav Weinberger speaks, hit "play," then "pause." Wait for the download bar to reach past about the 1/4 mark and then you can move the video to the 18 minute mark. Hit play again to start the video again from that point.

Rav Weinberger really touches on so many fundamentals of Yiddishkeit today. A must watch/listen!

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Four Songs By New Jewish Artist

A very nice bochur in my Shul, Emanuel Neuman, is also an extremely talented musician. You have got to check out these songs below. He has a beautiful voice and a very very nice sound. He has no CD out so he has given me permission to post these songs for free. They are very nice and I definitely recommend that you check them out.

Update (2/11/10): Thanks to Michael Kopinsky, these files are available in mp3 format as well:

Eilecha
The_Puzzle
Kanfei_Nesharim
Watching_Closely

All of the songs are good but I really love the words to Kanfei Nesharim. This music really comes from the heart and goes to the heart.

These songs are in m4a format, so if you need to download this software to convert the files to mp3 if your mp3 player or computer's music player aren't already to play the files, you are encouraged to do so.

HT to Raisin Soul, Emanuel's brother in law, for posting one of the songs too. Picture courtesy of zingerbug.com. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rebb. Yehudis Golshevsky Shiur - Breslov Chassidus on Women's Mitzvos

Rebbetzin Yehudis Golshevsky is back with her series of shiurim on women's special mitzvos according to Breslov Chassidus.

The following shiur, for women only, is on the mitzvah of Challah, Matzah and Pesach. Below is a shiur on the third halacha in Likutei Halachos on Challah. It is dedicated for the refuah shleimah of Chanah bas Golda, and l'ilui nishmas Freeda Liba bas Avraham, Rebbetzin Golshevsky's grandmother, whose yohrtzeit is today.

Click on the link below to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen online or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download:

Challah 3

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Snow Day Masmidim - Video


This is a very nice video. This Rebbe apparantly convened his class on a conference call to learn Chumash on a snow day.

Our son's school has an amazing program that is announced on the snow hotline whenever there's a snow day. It's called something like "Snow Day Masmidim." All boys grades 1-8 have the opportunity to earn one raffle ticket for a big prize the next day. For every fifteen minutes that the yingel learns, he will get one entry into a major raffle. He just has to bring in a note from his parents about how many fifteen minute blocks he learned for. It's so beautiful. And then afterward, they post a huge poster showing a graph of how many hours each class collectively learned to encourage the boys for the next time. It's awesome!

HT Gruntig's "Inspiration of the Week." Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

How Do We Know There Are 613 Mitzvos? - R. Reuven Boshnack at Brooklyn C

Shiur by Rabbi Reuven Boshnack to the guys at Brooklyn College: How Do We Know There are 613 Mitzvos?

CLICK HERE to listen.

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Shlomo Katz Singing "Keil B'nei" at DRS High School in Woodmere - Video

Nice video from DRS's Adar concert on 2/18/10. The Rosh Yeshiva of DRS that you see there is Rabbi Kaminetzky who seems like a great Rebbe, and has an amazing voice himself whenever he's Chazan in Shul. That's also Avi Feinberg on drums. The guys really get into it.

HT Gruntig. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Berchas "Modim": Explaining the Enigma of the words “Hatov” through “Kivinu Lach”

Below is the link to the latest (2-21-10) Video/Audio shiur by Reb Yerachmiel on Berchas “Modim” in Shemoneh Esrei in which he explains the enigmatic phrase “Hatov Ki Lo Chalu Rachamecha, Ve’Hamerachem, Ki Lo Samu Chasadecha, MayOlam Kivinu Lach” which we daven at least three (3) time each and every day. The p’shat of the “Siach Yitzchok” on these words is a vital piece of knowledge for every davener to learn and internalize.

Torah Anytime Video Link

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen right away or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download.

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Shiur #3 on Sefer Nachas Hashulchan by R' Micha Golshevsky

Here is the third in a new series of shiurim by Rabbi Micha Golshevsky, on the sefer Nachas Hashulchan. This shiur covers the sefer Nachas Hashulchan 1:3, as well as Likutei Moharan I:1.

Click here for more information on the shiur and the sefer Nachas Hashulchan.

CLICK HERE to get the shiur by either left clicking to listen now or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download the shiur.

Picture courtesy of Shoshana Bombacher c/o A Simple Jew. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.