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An Emergency Meeting to Raise Money for the Israeli Torah Community
Roshei yeshivos and heads of central kollelim from all Torah-true circles and communities throughout Israel, alongside leaders of Torah-true cities, shepherds of the world of Torah and Chassidus, gathered together this past Sunday evening in response to the cry and outcry of the leaders of the generation, headed by HaRav Dov Lando shlita, in reply to the dire situation of the Torah world contending with the flood of harsh decrees plummeting down upon us from all sides by the sinners of our people and enemies of religion. These figures sought to rally an emergency protest gathering, expressing a huge outcry to shake up the entire country, to rouse up the entire diaspora in fire for the sake of the continued existence of Torah in Eretz Yisroel.
HaRav Dov Lando shlita
Many people are asking why Hashem is doing this to us? Why is the Torah world being so terribly persecuted by evil gangs whose actions garner so much vehement applause from the knights of democracy, who used to spout: "Each unto his own beliefs"?
An enlightening story is quoted in a weekly sheet "A Candle for the Shabbos Table" from the book Ish Eshkolos (a biography of HaRav Yisroel Zev Gustman):
Towards the end of the thirties of the previous century, the condition of European Jews was at a drastic low. Horrible, threatening decrees were being issued and the prognosis for the future was of things even worse to come.
Part III
This final part is a further discussion of studying Mishnayos to benefit deceased relatives.
True Merits For The Deceased
In a passage in Igeres Hateshuvah (Drush Shlishi, Yom Vav, Siman 79) Rabbenu Yonah discusses the great merits accredited to parents when their children learn Torah and keep the mitzvos.
"A woman should be careful to pray every evening, morning and noon. At the end of her prayers, her principle supplication to Hashem should be that her sons and daughters fear Him and that her sons be successful in their Torah studies, for a woman earns her principal merits in the world to come when her children serve Hashem, fulfill His will and fear Him. After she has reached her own world, having left behind children who carry the fear of Hashem in their hearts and who involve themselves with Torah and mitzvos, it is considered as though she were still alive and fulfilling all the mitzvos herself. She thus merits the highest levels in the World to Come."
The Chofetz Chaim zt'l, in Ahavas Chesed (chap.15 footnote) writes in very strong terms against people who erect tombstones of expensive marble engraved with gold lettering and other artwork, or plant trees or create some other type of picturesque scenery, because they wish to create an everlasting memorial to their parents. They spend vast sums of money, believing that they are bringing great pleasure to the souls of their deceased loved ones in this way.
Concerning this practice, the Chofetz Chaim comments: "How greatly mistaken these people are in this belief of theirs. The truth is that after its departure from this world and its arrival in the world of Truth, the soul of the deceased recognizes that Torah and mitzvos are the only things that are ultimately desired. It sees that they are considered there to be the finest "merchandise" that is valued in all the worlds... The soul then regrets having squandered away its days in this world in pursuing vain pleasures and imaginary honor, for which it must now give account.
"This being so, imagine what kind of pleasure the parent's soul gets to see his sons, to whom he devoted all his labors and upon whom he relied in his lifetime to save him from the Divine judgment through their correct and upright behavior, as they instead go and add further worthless pleasures over and above those which he collected in his lifetime.
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Opinion & Comment
The Key to Torah Success -- Ignore Material Pleasures
by HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt"l
In this shmuess, recorded by Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, the Rosh Yeshiva describes the difficulties, the temptations, and the struggles that bnei Torah once endured, and those that we encounter today. The shmuess includes instructive anecdotes about gedolei Torah, guidelines to a ben Torah on behavior, the correct relationship between a rav and a talmid, and how to acquire true and solid Torah knowledge.
Part I
I once paid a visit to the Gaon of Teplik, HaRav A. Polonsky zt'l who lived in a cellar in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood of Yerushalayim. Rain seeped into the apartment. The Gaon remarked that some people disguise olam hazeh luxuries, such as having a plush and spacious apartment, as kovod HaTorah.
"Some say that such things are kovod HaTorah. They equate a life of luxury with the definition of kovod HaTorah." I clearly remember how he categorically rejected such an approach: "This apartment as it is, with rain seeping in, is kovod HaTorah."
He cited the gemora (Sotah 49a) that "the tefillah of a person studying Torah mitoch hadechak, when in a state of material deprivation, is answered . . . and is satiated with the ziv haShechinah, as is written, `Your eyes shall see your teachers' (Yeshaya 30:20)."
What connection can there be between a poor person studying Torah and "Your eyes . . .."?
One who studies Torah despite suffering extreme financial difficulties does so purely lesheim Shomayim. Such a person has no personal benefits. His one and only concern is to toil over his studies, to understand and reveal its secrets and depth whose "measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea" (Iyov 11:9). Studying in such a way, without searching for additional gain, is the study accepted by HaKodosh Boruch Hu. When one studies that way, the Shechina is with him, "For Hashem gives wisdom; out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding" (Mishlei 2:6). He is zoche to "your eyes shall see your teachers," meaning that he gains wisdom, receiving it directly from the mouth of HaKodosh Boruch Hu as it were, and is satiated with His ziv haShechinah.
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Opinion & Comment
Between Yerushalayim and Yericho
by L. Jungerman
"And Moshe said to Chovav ben Re'uel the Midianite, Moshe's father-in-law: We are traveling to the place of which Hashem said, `I will give it to you'; come with us and we will do good with you, for Hashem has spoken good concerning Yisroel.
"And he said to him: I will not go, but I will depart to my own land to my kindred.
"And he said: Leave us not, I pray of you, since you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness and you may be to us as eyes. And it shall be if you go with us, that what good Hashem shall do to us, the same will we do to you" (Bamidbor 10:29-32).
Rashi notes: What is good he did to him? When the land was divided up, the richness of Yericho, 500 cubits by 500 cubits, was not distributed. And they said: The one in whose portion the Beis Hamikdosh will be built shall have it. In the meantime it was given to the descendants of Yisro, to Yonodov ben Reichov, as it is written, "And the sons of Keini, the father-in-law of Moshe, went up from the city of palms" (Shofetim 1).
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From here it appears that there is a connection, and there exists a certain tradition thereof, between Yerushalayim and Yericho. The one who relinquished his land for the site of the Beis Hamikdosh would receive Yericho in exchange. What is the special advantage of Yericho which claims a special affinity to Yerushalayim, the holy, sacred city?
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