The Admor of Kapishnitz — HaRav Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel zt"l
In honor of his yahrtzeit, 16 Tammuz (5727-1967)

A while after World War II, my father shlita, as an expert mohel, was in Vienna for a bris. There he met a Jew who had a folder filled with various documents, manuscripts and even handwritten kisvei kodosh, including one of the Chasam Sofer zt"l. The package had belonged to my grandfather R' Shlomo Stern zt"l , and was mislaid due to the confusion of the war.

From Our Archives

Opinion and Comment Destruction and Redemption by HaRav Nachman Bulman Once again the Seventeenth of Tammuz has heralded the advent of our Three Weeks of mourning. Once again our remembrance of the destruction of Hashem's dwelling place on Earth will culminate in the soul searing tones of Tisha B'Av's lamentations. In some of us, the discomfort enjoined during this period, the restraints we practice, will awaken a glimmer of recollection for the historic tragedy which stands behind our customs of mourning. Some of us will even recall the blueprint of historic anguish which was drafted in the earliest days of our history during these very weeks.

Opinion and Comment Self Esteem by HaRav Yaakov Weinberg zt"l Who am I? What should I feel about myself? For many this presents a big problem. They are not at peace with the way they see themselves. There are two approaches to this topic. One is the modern problem of self esteem, which is very definitely a new problem and one that is not addressed as such anywhere in previous generations. We will deal with this later. The other is the question of how the Torah looks at the need of recognizing oneself and how one should see him or her self. There are two models.

Opinion and Comment A Golden Heart FICTION by Chaim Walde When this story was published on another site, it became one of their most commented stories of all time. Our wedding took place twenty years ago. The families of both of us did their utmost for our sakes. Each side gave what it could. We had a lovely wedding and our parents bought us a nice apartment. Life for us was a bed of roses. Two weeks before the wedding, my chosson took me to his grandmother's -- a visit, he explained, was a tradition in the family. As we sat on her porch, she handed me a beautifully wrapped box which contained a huge diamond ring. I didn't have to be a diamond expert in order to realize that this ring was very expensive. Everyone gasped, while Bubby Chava simply said: "This is my gift to you."

Opinion and Comment A Middos Workshop: Ahavas Yisroel -- the Oneness of the Jewish People Based on Shiurim of Rav Dovid Siegel Just a few weeks ago, we commemorated a monumental experience the likes of which never occurred before or since. Three million people stood at the foot of Har Sinai and heard the voice of Hashem, an event so astounding that their neshomos actually left them, and they had to be revived. The words of the posuk tell us, "Vayichan shom Yisroel negged hohor." Yisroel encamped there opposite the mountain. The singular vayichan indicates the complete unity that Bnei Yisroel displayed, in contrast to their other travels in which there was fighting. When Hashem saw their achdus, He said, "Now is the time to give the Torah!"