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The Lighter Side – April 2022

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April 2022

Doctor, Doctor

A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted his cardiologist, Dr. Simon Goldstein, in his shop. Dr. Goldstein was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the garage “Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?”

Goldstein, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, “So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new.

“So how come I make such a small salary – and you get the really big bucks? You and I are doing basically the same work!”

Dr. Goldstein paused, smiled, and leaned over, then whispered to the mechanic, “’Try doing it with the engine running.”

David S

Pesach Pun

Q: Why didn’t most Egyptians know about the Ninth Plague?

A: They were kept in the dark!

Victor G.

Yeshiva Food

David and Shlomo are older students at the yeshiva and they decided that they were fed up with living in the dorms and with the lousy yeshiva food. So, they decided to rent an apartment and cook food for themselves.

“Did you get us a cookbook?” David asked.

“I did, but I don’t like it,” Shlomo replied.

“Why, are the recipes too hard?” asked David.

“Exactly!” Shlomo replied. “Every recipe begins the same way, ‘Take a clean dish and…’”

Janet L.

Never Satisfied

Eighty-year-old Fishman went with a tour group to Israel. On his second day, he got separated and the bus left without him. So, he set out to find it.

After schlepping a mile in the boiling heat, he started murmuring, “Vater … vater …” The sun baked his skin; the sand caused him to stumble. Just as he was sure he was a goner, a small house appeared on the horizon. Fishman crawled over and scratched at the door. A woman opened it, and Fishman, on his knees, whispered, “… vater … vater!”

“Of course!” said the woman, who ran, returning with a glass. “Here!”

Brightening, Fishman stared, “Did you let it run a little?”

Jerry N.

Got Your Nose

John Robinson took up a new position as a pediatrician in Brooklyn. Originally from Wyoming, Dr. Robinson didn’t have much experience with the Jewish community. But what he did have was experience with kids, and he always liked to break the ice with his young patients by testing their knowledge of body parts.

On his first day, while pointing to little Shmueli Zimmerman’s ear, Dr. Robinson asked him, “Is this your nose?”

Immediately Shmueli turned to his mother and said, “Mommy, I think we’d better find a new doctor!”

Barbra D.

Selective Allergic Reaction

Because of an ear infection, little Maxie had to go see his pediatrician, Dr. Feldman. Dr. Feldman directed his comments and questions to little Maxie in a professional manner. When he asked little Maxie, “Is there anything you are allergic to?” little Maxie nodded and whispered in his ear. Smiling, Dr. Feldman wrote out a prescription and handed it to Maxie’s mother. She tucked it into her purse without looking at it.

As the pharmacist filled the order, he remarked on the unusual food-drug interaction Maxie must have. Little Maxie’s mother looked puzzled until he showed her the label on the bottle. As per the doctor’s instructions, it read, “Do not take with broccoli.”

Joyce T.

No Matzah for You!

It was Passover and two Jewish attorneys, Saul and Daniel, who worked downtown met at a food court to have lunch. Saul and Daniel proceeded to produce matzah sandwiches from their briefcases and began to eat.

One of the waiters in the food court marched over and told them, “You can’t eat your own food in here!”

Saul and Daniel looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and then exchanged matzah sandwiches.

Eddie W.

Dental Exam

Little Henry had a really bad cavity and that meant only one thing: a visit to the dentist. Henry was brought into the examining room by the dental hygienist and was made comfortable in the reclining dental chair. Dr. Rosen injected a numbing agent around Henry’s tooth, and left the room for a few minutes while the medication took hold.

When Dr. Rosen returned, Henry was standing next to a tray of dental equipment, “What are you doing by the surgical instruments, Henry?” asked Dr. Rosen, somewhat surprised.

Focused on his task, Henry replied, “I’m taking out the ones I don’t like.”

Carl D

New Father

Chaim Yankel was a new father! His wife Ruchie decided to leave the new baby with him for the day while she went out to do some shopping. When Ruchie returned, she went to check on the baby. The smell was overpowering. She found the disposable diaper full and leaking. She was furious!

She confronted her husband, “Chaim Yankel! What’s the matter with you? Didn’t you bother to check the baby’s diaper all day?”

Chaim Yankel responded, “Why you are so angry?! The box says it’s good for up to eight pounds!”

Ralph

College Is for the Dogs

A dog named Morris is so smart that his master, Mr. Caleb, decides to send him to college.

Home for vacation, Mr. Caleb asks him how college is going.

“Well,” says Morris, “I’m not doing too great in science and math, but I have made a lot of progress in foreign languages.”

“Really!” says Mr. Caleb. “Say something in a foreign language.”

Morris replies, “Meow!”

Martin B

Birthday Cake

Little Lilly was so proud of herself for making a birthday cake for her mother. Chocolate cake being her weakness, her mother gulped down almost the entire thing. When she was finished, Little Lilly happily exclaimed, “I’m so glad you like the cake I made you, Mommy. I’m sorry, there should have been 32 candles on the cake, but they were all gone when I took it out of the oven.”

Nancy K.

Mixed Signals

A Miami officer pulled over 86-year-old Mrs. Posner because her signals were confusing.

“First you put your hand up, like you’re turning left, then you wave your hand up and down, then you turn right?” said the officer.

“Sonny, I decided not to turn left,” she explained.

“Then why the up and down?” the officer asked.

“Mister Officer,” she sniffed, “I was erasing!”

Alice F

@HungryMom’s Food Diary – Garlic Roasted Chicken

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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@HungryMom’s Food Diary – Garlic Roasted Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It’s light, easy, and just so fresh tasting! The garlic cloves on the bottom get so soft and yummy, adding great flavor!

Chicken thighs

Garlic cloves

Salt

Garlic powder

Paprika

Onion powder

Black pepper

Lemons

Thyme

1. Put around 30 cloves of peeled garlic on the bottom of a roaster.

2. Make a spice mixture of 2 tbsp salt, 1.2 tbsp paprika, 1.5 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, and 1 tsp black pepper.

3. Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil, and then rub some of the spice mixtures all over. Try to get it under the skin. Lay the chicken legs over the garlic cloves.

4. Slice lemons thin and randomly scatter them over the chicken thighs. Do the same with some fresh sprigs of thyme.

5. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp olive oil over the chicken, and a freshly squeezed lemon.

6. Cover and bake on 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

The Power of Tradition

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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The holiday of Pesach, of course, celebrates our ancestors’ redemption from Egypt, where they were enslaved and persecuted for over two centuries. To properly understand the fundamental lesson of Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) and its relevance to our lives today, let us take a closer look at the origins of the Egyptian exile, the time when Yaakov Avinu journeyed with his family to Egypt for what would be a 210-year stay.

The Torah (Beresheet 46:2-4) relates that along the way, Yaakov made a stop in the city of Beersheba, when he offered sacrifices and lodged for the night. Gd appeared to him in a nocturnal vision, and assured the patriarch that He would accompany him throughout his exile and ensure the nation’s ultimate return to their homeland.

Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843-1926), in his work Meshech Hochmah, finds it noteworthy that this prophecy came to Yaakov “bemar’ot halayla” – in a nighttime vision. Why did Gd appear to Yaakov to deliver this message specifically during the night, as he slept? Rav Meir Simcha explains that Gd wanted to emphasize to Yaakov that the divine presence can rest upon the Jewish People even at “nighttime,” even in periods of darkness, when the Jews find themselves in exile, beset by troubles and crisis. We might have assumed that our relationship with Gd exists only during the “daytime,” when we enjoy the “light” of peace, health, success, prosperity, and joy. As the dark period of Egyptian exile was getting underway, Gd showed Yaakov that even during the long, dreary “night” that lay ahead, Gd would accompany him and his descendants.

Maintaining Our Link to Our Past

However, Rav Meir Simcha adds, there is one critical condition that must be met for this connection to be maintained even outside exile.

This condition is symbolically represented by an intriguing law that applies to the sacrifices offered in the Bet Hamikdash. As a general rule, all rituals performed in the Bet Hamikdash must take place during the daytime; rituals conducted at might are invalid. The single exception to this rule is haktarat emurin – placing on the altar animal sacrifices which were slaughtered during the day. As long as the slaughtering occurred during the daytime hours, the parts which are to be offered on the altar may be placed there at night.

Rav Meir Simcha explains this halachah by drawing a comparison to prophecy. The Talmud (Moed Katan 25a) teaches that generally, prophecy can be received only in the Land of Israel. However, the prophet Yehezkel received prophecy in Babylonia, because, the Gemara explains, he had already received prophecy in Eretz Yisrael. Having first established his connection to prophecy in the Holy Land, he was able to retain that connection even after being driven into exile, and so he continued receiving

prophecy in Babylonia. By the same token, Rav Meir Simcha writes, sacrificial offerings can proceed at night if the process had begun during the day. Since the sacrificing started during the day, it may continue at night on the basis of the link to the daytime sacrifice. This models prophecy, which requires the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael, but can draw from that sanctity even in the Diaspora once a link to the Holy Land has previously been created.

Rav Meir Simcha writes that this insight offers us a vitally important “musar haskel” – practical lesson for us to learn and apply. In order for us to survive through the long, dark “night” of exile, we must maintain a strong link to our past. Like Yehezkel in Babylonia, who received prophecy on the basis of his connection to the Land of Israel, we experience the Shechinah (divine presence) as long as we are linked to our spiritual roots, to our righteous patriarchs, to our ancient traditions.

Yaakov’s U-Turn

These remarks of Rav Meir Simcha likely shed light on a famous Talmudic passage describing Yaakov’s first departure into exile, decades earlier.

When Yaakov’s brother, Esav, threatened to kill him, Yaakov was forced to flee to his uncle’s home in Haran. The Torah tells that along his journey to Haran, “va-yifga ba-makom” – “he encountered the place” (Beresheet 28:11) and slept there. This “place,” as the Gemara teaches in Masechet Hulin, was the future site of the Bet Hamikdash – that is, Mount Moriah, where Avraham had bound Yaakov’s father, Yitzhak, upon the altar. The Gemara adds that Yaakov had actually journeyed all the way to Haran, and then made a U-turn. Upon reaching Haran, Yaakov realized that he had passed the sacred site without stopping to pray. He said to himself, “Is it possible that I would pass the site where my fathers prayed, and I would not pray?!” He immediately turned around to return to Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, so he could pray at this special site.

Significantly, the Gemara tells that Yaakov felt compelled to pray at this site not because of its sanctity, but rather because his father and grandfather – Avraham and Yitzhak – had prayed there. In Yaakov’s mind, the fact that his fathers prayed at Moriah obliged him to do the same.

In light of Rav Meir Simcha’s comments, we understand why. Yaakov was now going into exile, establishing the precedent of a Jew forced to leave his homeland and to live among gentiles. As our sages teach, “ma’aseh avot siman labanim” – our patriarchs’ actions set a model for their descendants. Yaakov wanted to demonstrate the importance of tradition in enabling us to spiritually survive in exile. Our survival hinges upon our drawing from the greatness of our patriarchs, by following their example. Yaakov found it imperative before departing into exile to do what his forefathers did, in order to teach us that we survive in exile only by following our predecessors’ example and acting as they did. This is how we bring the Shechinah with us into the long, dark night of exile.

Keeping Our “Names”

On this basis, we can also understand a famous – but puzzling – comment of the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 32:5), which lists several merits on account of which our ancestors were deemed worthy of redemption. These include the people’s refusal to “change their names” and “change their language.”

We can only wonder, why were these such valuable merits? There is no halachic prohibition against using non-Jewish names, and, in fact, many fervently observant Jews give their children non-Jewish names. (Rav Moshe Feinstein, in a responsum on this very subject, notes that there were a number of famous Torah sages with non-Jewish names, such as Rav Vidal of Tolosa, author of the classic Maggid Mishneh commentary to the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah.) And, certainly, there is no prohibition against using a non-Jewish language; in fact, the article you are now reading is written in English…

Why, then, were our ancestors considered worthy of miracles because of their refusal to change their names and language?

The answer might be that the Midrash here teaches us the key to survival in exile – attaching ourselves to our forebears. Maintaining our traditions and following our predecessors’ example are what allow us to draw from their sanctity and thereby be worthy of Gd’s presence and assistance amid our turbulent conditions in exile. During the Egyptians exile, before the Torah was given, the people maintained this connection by preserving their names and tongue. For us, this means preserving our customs and traditions, by ensuring not to deviate from the practices and lifestyles which has been transmitted from one generation to the next for millennia.

The Haggadah depicts four different kinds of sons, and instructs parents who to respond to each at the seder. The “wicked son” is described as rejecting and ridiculing the practices observed on Pesach, and the Haggadah says about such a child, “If he were there – he would not have been redeemed.” A person who scorns, rather than seeks to emulate, our sacred tradition cannot draw from the spiritual power of our righteous forebears, and is thus incapable of surviving exile. Our power to endure as a people stems from our righteous ancestors – and it is therefore only by maintaining our connection to them that we can survive and ultimately be worthy of redemption.

Other streams of Judaism preach that we must “update” our beliefs and lifestyle to accommodate rapidly changing societal norms. They argue that we cannot survive if we are different, if we stubbornly refuse to swim with the ideological current, if we do not follow in sync with the changes that are unfolding around us. We, however, believe that to the contrary, our source of strength during exile is precisely our preserving our “names,” our ancient traditions. Values and lifestyles are constantly changing; our anchor is our tradition, the beliefs and customs which we have received from our forebears, which have remained steady and constant for centuries.

One of the hallmarks of the Pesach celebration is the gathering of the generations around the table. Children sit together with their parents and grandparents to speak about and reflect upon our nation’s history. This aspect of Pesach is not at all coincidental. It touches upon one of the key messages of this Yom Tov – preserving our link to previous generations. The celebration of our nation’s redemption from

Egyptian exile is to teach and guide us how to achieve redemption from our current exile – and, as we have seen, the primary means of survival in the dark exile is drawing from the spiritual light of our forebears.

The society around us defines “progress” as moving away from our past, as continually rejecting our predecessors’ values and norms. For us, however, “progress” is achieved precisely through fortifying the bridges that connect us to our past, and striving to emulate our forefathers, learn from their example, and gain inspiration from their piety. The more we connect to, and draw from, our past, the brighter our present and our future will be.

Once Upon a Thyme – Loaded Sweet Potatoes

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Once Upon a Thyme – Loaded Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potato is one of my favorite vegetables. It caramelizes when baked, can be used for savory or sweet dishes, and its vivid orange color brightens up any dish. This recipe makes the sweet potato the star of the show, instead of a side, where it very well deserves. This recipe works for Passover if you use kitniyot like corn and black beans. If not, omit those and add more of the other toppings instead.

6 medium sweet potatoes

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz can of tomato sauce

½ cup red wine

½ cup canned black beans

½ cup corn niblets

½ red onion

2 cucumbers

1 avocado

1 red pepper

Garlic mayo

1 bunch cleaned Parsley

Lemon and lime wedges

1. Scrub sweet potato skins well and wrap each sweet potato in foil. Place on a lined tray and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1-2 hours until soft. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large sauté pan, heat oil and sauté onion for 5 to 10 minutes until golden.

3. Add ground beef and salt. Use a fork or masher tool to chop cooked beef into small bits.

4. Add tomato sauce, red wine, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Turn off the fire.

5. Unwrap sweet potatoes and make one large slit from one end to the other and press the ends towards the center to create a small well to place the toppings. Alternatively, you may scoop out 1-2 tablespoons from the middle of the sweet potato to maximize space for the toppings.

6. Finely dice the red onion, cucumber, avocado, and red pepper and place each into separate bowls. Place black beans and corn niblets into bowls as well.

7. Add the cooked ground beef to the center of the sweet potato and add toppings according to preference. Drizzle with garlic mayo and top with parsley. Serve with lime and lemon wedges

A Life of Giving Is a Life Worth Living

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Last month we celebrated Purim, wherein a day of potential grief and annihilation was transformed into a day of celebration and laughter. This turn-around was so miraculous, that our sages mandated that we increase joy during the entire month of Adar. In the finale of Megillat Esther we read that Mordechai was “highly regarded by the Jews and popular with most of his brethren. He sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his kindred.” David “Hurdle” Tawil, a”h, was a man who embodied the spirit of Purim – full of joy and laughter. Like Mordechai, Mr. Tawil was highly regarded by our community, sought the good of his people through his hesed efforts, interceded for the benefit of peace between business partners and spouses, and was a popular public speaker and mentor.

Family Background

Born in Brooklyn in 1936, David “Hurdle” was the third of six children and was a phenomenal athlete. At 6’3,” he was a natural on the basketball court, which he shared with players of all ages for many years. Married to Renee, a”h, for 55 years, the couple raised a beautiful family, with Ralph, Eddie, Eliot, Pauline Wahba, and Lena Waingort. The children were imbued with the values of work hard and don’t stop until the job is done. When the family moved to the Bedford area in 1972, Mr. Tawil worked to create the Kol Israel congregation, and was chosen to be the first President.

Six years ago, he married Joyce Tawil, who was, as one of the children related, “an angel of a woman who took such good care of our father and to whom we are so grateful.” Mr. Tawil was long ago dubbed the nickname “Hurdle” although no one seems to remember why.

Love of Laughter

Hurdle Tawil loved an audience. It provided him with the opportunity to mediate for shalom, teach a skill, such as public speaking, encourage others to do hesed, and most importantly to make people laugh. Rabbi Ralph Tawil, Mr. Tawil’s eldest son, recalls, “The two highest values my father taught us were to help others and to make them laugh. Laughter was such an important element of my father’s life. And he was very ‘machmir’ on telling a joke correctly.”

The old adage that “laughter is the best medicine” is actually a proven fact. Research shows that laughter gets rid of tension, strengthens the immune system, and like chocolate cake, helps the body release feel-good endorphins. Having a sense of humor is a sign of maturity because it demonstrates a sense of perspective about what is truly important. Mr. Tawil may have balked at all the clinical data, “too fussy” he might have said, because he knew instinctively that while a person is laughing, life seems easier. Ikey Ades, who considered Mr. Tawil his best friend, concurs. “I never saw David as a comedian. He really was a serious and intelligent person. The jokes and stories were for us. He knew how tough life could be so he took us away for a while – from all the stress and pressure and made us laugh. It was his way of giving tzedakah.”

Mr. Tawil’s son Eliot says, “Laughter was more important than money to my father.” Mr. Tawil said repeatedly that he “has never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse” to illustrate that the only thing you can take with you to the Next World are your good deeds. Eliot continues, “My father believed that success was not defined by the amount of money in your bank account, but by the amount of good deeds you can tally up. In this sense, my father was the most successful man in the world.”

Natural Sportsman

Mr. Tawil’s work hard/play hard ethic made him a major player in the leagues at the Sephardic Community Center and he was the first member inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Tawil’s athletic prowess extended to softball where he was, according to son Eddie, renowned as a quick pitch artist who confused many a batter. He played basketball until he was 65 and softball until he was 74. When his “knees and hips gave out” he played golf. His talents extended off the court and field as Mr. Tawil also played the violin. In all these arenas Mr. Tawil did what he did best – made connections, gave advice, and made people laugh (except for all the batters who couldn’t get a hit when he was on the pitcher’s mound).

Whether on or off the court, on stage, or in gemara class, one of Mr. Tawil’s greatest talents was bringing energy and excitement to everything he did. Rabbi Avi Harari credits Mr. Tawil with teaching him “how to live a life of meaning, purpose, and impact.” Rabbi Harari describes Mr. Tawil as “wise and well intentioned. He was confident enough to offer advice while being humble enough to laugh at himself while he did so. He understood people and used creative

thinking to problem solve. At the same time, he would say, ‘If my advice doesn’t make sense to you, don’t follow it.’ He gave people space to grow.” These qualities made Mr. Tawil a much sought-after mentor and advisor.

Dedication to Hesed

It was easy for Mr. Tawil to educate others in living a life of meaning because that is exactly how he chose to live his life. His daughter Paulie recalls that, from a young age she received the message to always be involved in hesed. “My father always believed that hesed is what makes you who you are.” From SAFE to the Mitzvah Man, almost every organization in our community benefitted from Mr. Tawil’s involvement. He considered men like Joe Beyda, Morris Bailey, and Michael Cohen visionaries, who created organizations that continue to serve our community. Mr. Tawil involved himself with these organizations, being fully present and on the front lines, wherever and whenever he was needed.

Mr. Tawil’s son Eddie remembers him saying, “I went out and sought people who needed help and didn’t think of the next day until I found a mission of who I could help.” Mr. Tawil used another one of his great talents, public speaking, le shem shamayim. “The rabbis are teaching Torah and they need to deliver a message, so I went to all the yeshivot and kollels to teach them public speaking.” In fact, Mr. Tawil spent two weeks at the Shehebar Sephardic Center in Yerushalayim teaching the rabbis how to grab the audience’s attention and keep it by using the proper inflection, pauses, and format for delivering the speech. Following the rules of good comedic delivery, which he applied to all his public speaking engagements, Mr. Tawil encouraged the rabbis to have a strong voice, read the room, and adjust the content based on the audience’s reaction.

Dedication to Learning Torah

Rabbi Edmund Nahum learned daf yomi with Mr. Tawil at 5:30am every day for 12 years. Rabbi Nahum recalls that Mr. Tawil accompanied him to pay shiva calls and visit people in the hospital. “Hurdle was very helpful to me in my work mediating financial disputes. He understood business and technology more than I did and would explain business concepts to me.” Mr. Tawil attended the morning class religiously and while he always had a funny joke to share, he took his learning very seriously, focusing on every word of the gemara and absorbing its meaning. “Hurdle came to our classes with what he called ‘western thinking,’ a secular mindset. But over the years he acknowledged that he had a new understanding of everything as seen through the teaching of the gemara.”

His commitment to learning continued during Covid with daily daf yomi classes via zoom with his son Rabbi Ralph Tawil. Son Eliot acknowledges that, “even while my dad was in the hospital he would say, ‘get Ralphie on the phone – I want to get started on the class.’ Those classes were his sustenance, his medicine. It was so vital that he had that time with Ralphie.”

A Laughing Good Time

Masechet Taanit relates the story of when Rabbi Beroka Hoza’a asked Eliyahu HaNavi if anyone in the marketplace would merit a place in the World-to-Come. Eliahu HaNavi pointed out two brothers who he claimed would be going straight to the World-to-Come. When asked their occupation they replied: “We are jesters, and we cheer up the depressed. Alternatively, when we see two people who have a quarrel between them, we strive to make peace.” It is said that for these deeds one enjoys the profits of his actions in this world, and yet his reward is not diminished in the World-to-Come. Mr. David “Hurdle” Tawil lived his life by these principles – cheering us up and resolving our quarrels. Rabbi Ralph Tawil quotes Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, “‘Anyone who people are pleased with – Hashem is pleased with him.’ When we live our lives to make people happy, resolve conflict, and do good for people, people are pleased with us and Hashem is pleased with us. In this way I know Hashem loves my father.”

While we have lost a man of indomitable spirit, resilience, dedication, and kindness, up in shamayim they must be having a laughing good time with “Hurdle” at the mike.

A Win-Win: Hesed Organizations Team Up with MSB Softball League

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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A Win-Win: Hesed Organizations Team Up with MSB Softball League

The MSB softball league is bringing up this season’s games to a whole new level. We all know what amazing work the hesed organizations of our community do for us all. Now MSB is giving back to them in a great new way. Each team in the league will be named after one charity, giving them major publicity.

The exposure will be multi-pronged. Each organization’s logo will be featured on MSB’s social media and website, which are highly trafficked by the Syrian community. MSB’s Instagram page alone has a few thousand followers. The charities will also be featured on all league shows, videos, and highlight reels. The league has multiple shows a week, which get four to five hundred views per show. The league’s broadcast list has about two hundred fifty people. They also have thousands of readers like you following our game articles right here in Community Magazine. To further advertise these organizations, MSB is working on a promotional video. This will encourage support for the incredible work the organizations do. And representatives will be welcomed down to the field to fundraise.

The Seven Featured Hesed Organizations and Their Team Captains

The organizations to be featured this season include seven amazing charities. One is SFF (Sephardic Food Fund), a charity that gives money for food to the needy. This enables them to sustain themselves and their families in a dignified manner, without any shame. The captain for team SFF is Mordechai Grazi.

Also featured is Bnei Melachim, an organization that supports widows and orphans with whatever they may need. The captain for this team is Ralph Shama.

CARE is an acronym for community, advocacy, resources, and encouragement. The team at CARE live up to their name as they help special needs children and their families with tremendous dedication. Team CARE is captained by Mordy Chrem.

The Safe foundation featured as well. This charity well known for their life saving work. They provide clients and their families with counseling and support in dealing with addiction. Their goal is to educate all members of our community on the dangers of addiction and its prevention. Leo Esses is captain of Team Safe.

Another group that will be publicized is the Community Assistance Fund. It is the first organization people call when in need. They comfort callers and help to stabilize the situation, making sure the callers get whatever they need for the moment. They then guide them to the organizations best suited to help them long term. This team will be captained by Yanky Itzkowitz.

Also included is the Maskeel El Dal Society, which helps the needy as well as helping brides that cannot afford to make a wedding. In addition, they have a full day Hacham Baruch Kollel and a Bet Hora’ah. Team Maskeel El Dal’s captain is Dan Braun.

Another group that will be featured is the one and only SBH (Sephardic Bikur Holim). SBH helps our community in countless ways. Their food pantry provides food for anyone struggling financially. These families can also receive financial counseling to get back on their feet. SBH also offers mental health services and has a medical line for anyone seeking help in finding a suitable doctor. To keep our seniors connected and active in an enjoyable atmosphere, SBH has fantastic senior programs as well. Of course, all of these services are offered free of charge. Edmund Beyda will be the captain of team SBH.

This new endeavor will help raise money and heighten awareness for the beautiful work of these organizations. Bezrat Hashem each of these charities will gain tremendously through this initiative. MSB is helping to build our community’s future in hesed – one game at a time.

Team sponsorships are available. For more information please email Samjsutton@gmail.com.

The Case – Dismiss the Board?

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Jonathan, an attorney at law, represented heirs of a family estate claiming criminal charges against a non-profit organization. The details of the claim included a misappropriation of funds that were assigned by the deceased to the organization. In Bet Din, Jonathan explained that the funds were transferred to the organization with explicit instructions to create an endowment fund. Such a fund typically invests the total amount of the grant received, with only a portion of the yearly income earned spent by the organization. The balance of the yearly income is added to the principal for growth. This method of gifting ensures that the money granted is perpetual. Instead of creating an endowment fund, the organization used all the funds to purchase a property to serve as their central location. Jonathan implied that suspicious activity transpired at the time of the property’s closing, including the possible embezzlement of funds by board members. He further claimed that the money granted was to assist the organization in maintaining stability of salary payment to their staff and not to purchase real estate. Quite the contrary, the purchase of real estate and the carrying of a mortgage is likely to increase the amount of monthly debt and further increase the risk of the timely paying of salaries to the staff. Jonathan called for the immediate firing of the board of directors. Additionally, he petitioned that the board of directors are responsible to financially reimburse the organization in order to fund the aforesaid endowment. The board of directors, in their entirety, responded, that although they deviated from instruction, they nevertheless only used the funds in the better interest of the organization. Hence, they believe that the Beit Din should be acquitted on all counts. In addition to signing on the standard binding of arbitration the parties expressed their willingness to comply with the ruling of our Bet Din on the matter.

How should the Bet Din rule and why?

Torah Law

According to the ruling of the Shulhan Aruch a person or committee that embezzles money entrusted to them instead of distributing the funds to charity, are not only required to return the money, but they are also publicly dismissed from their position.

This ruling applies if there is concrete evidence attesting to such behavior. Concrete evidence can include witnesses giving testimony, or even admission by one of the committee members to his wrongdoing. In the event a substantial financial

discrepancy is discovered in the accounting of an organization, a Bet Din will intervene and investigate the cause, and submit a decision based on the findings of their investigation.

If, however, a committee is acquitted of embezzlement, but rather is liable for distributing funds contrary to specific instructions, they are not required by law to forfeit their respected positions. Since the money was nevertheless distributed to another worthwhile cause, such behavior is not punishable by public dismissal and disgracing.

Leading halachic authorities debate whether a committee or individual are liable when they deviate from the specific instructions of a charity distribution. Some authorities explain that since the donor intended and directed his funds to a specific cause, it is viewed as a form of theft if the intended recipients do not receive those funds. In short, a committee does not have the right to damage the recipient’s position by reallocating the funds to another cause.

Other halachic authorities propose that a committee that redirects funds to another important function is not liable for such activity. The underlying reasoning behind this position is that once the charity is given, the donor is no longer in control of his money. The money, once transferred, is viewed as the property of the recipients. Subsequently, if the instructions of the donor did not include specific recipients, i.e., a list of names to receive the funds, then no one party can claim damages when the funds are redirected. This reasoning is further applicable when the intended recipients were not due their wages and have no present outstanding debt owed to them. Since at the time the organization received the funds from the donor the staff had no claim for collection, they are not entitled to claim damages so long as their wages are current. Additionally, in the instance of an endowment fund the recipients intended included future unknown staff members, making the claimant a completely unknown party.

It is important to note, that it is only by default that this latter ruling absolves the committee of liability for their actions. As mentioned, it is only because of the removal of the donor and the absence of a claimant is the committee absolved. Hence, if the committee acted in a defiant manner, deliberately damaging the position of the organization they represented, a Bet Din will take punitive measures against them and impose liability. If, however, the committee acted in good faith by redirecting the funds to a cause within the organization this latter opinion imposes no liability.

Unfortunately, too often attorneys representing their clients are primarily interested in their personal earnings and deliberately complicate a dispute when it can be peacefully resolved. In such instances, a Bet Din will do its best to dismiss the lawyer and resolve the matter peacefully directly with the litigants.

VERDICT: Dismiss the Lawyer!

Upon verification, it was apparent from the accounting records that the committee members did not embezzle funds of the organization. Quite the contrary, they serviced the organization as volunteers and were committed to its success and future. Hence,

according to all halachic opinions the claim to dismiss them from their respected positions was rejected. After inquiry, it was obvious that Jonathan, the lawyer, fabricated the claim of embezzlement in order to lure his clients into pressing charges in Bet Din instead of resolving the matter peacefully. He did so in order to earn and inflate his lawyer fees. Our Bet Din requested of the litigants to dismiss their attorneys and deal directly with our Bet Din. The parties complied and the following resolution was peacefully implemented.

As mentioned in the Torah law section of this essay, there is a halachic dispute regarding the liability of the committee members for their actions. Some halachic authorities view the conduct of the committee in a very severe light, while other commentators relax the liability since the committee acted purely in the best interests of the organization they represented. In light of these opposing views, our Bet Din proposed a settlement that satisfied both the claimant’s complaint and the organization’s needs. The committee members agreed to make every effort to collect the funds to create an endowment fund. For the period of the next three years, multiple modern available methods used to fundraise will serve as the source of income to reimburse the endowment fund. Matching campaigns, auctions, and the like were only some of the suggestions mentioned.

Interestingly, the parties requested of our Bet Din to immediately publish this article in order to promote peace within their community.

YOU BE THE JUDGE

A Domino Effect

Jack verbally agreed to sell his home to Sam for the sum of two million four hundred thousand dollars. In preparation for the purchase, Sam put his current home on the market and found a buyer ready to close at one million eight hundred thousand dollars. Both sales were steadily progressing when Bobby, a real estate agent, approached Jack and informed him that another buyer was interested in his property. Jack rejected the offer, explaining that he was already committed to Sam. Bobby and his client aggressively persisted, and repeatedly submitted higher offers for Jack’s home. Ultimately, Jack buckled under pressure and accepted an offer for an additional two hundred thousand dollars for his property. Sam was frustrated by the news, especially since he needed to renege on the sale of his own home. He did his best to convince Jack not to back out, but Bobby, Jack’s new agent, was simultaneously helping Jack to justify his two hundred-thousand-dollar decision. Sam was unwilling to pay more than his original offer, let alone create a price war. Sam turned to our Bet Din for assistance.

How should our Bet Din proceed and why?

Save Our Kotel

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Reform leaders are putting heavy pressure on the Bennett government to expedite the building of a massive new raised section of the Kotel plaza for Reform worship at a cost of millions of dollars. They are demanding control of “their half” of the area known as the plaza, removing this control from the Rav Hakotel and the Israeli rabbanut (rabbinate) and giving it to the Reform movement.

If the Reform movement gets this control, our unity will be in jeopardy, as there will be only one entrance to the Kotel plaza, and divisive signs will direct visitors to go left for “ultra-Orthodox prayers” or right to Reform prayer services.

The Reform movement could possibly implement the use of microphones, have female choirs, rock bands, and video screens, that are routinely used in Reform synagogues on Shabbat. These would be heard throughout the Kotel plaza, which would lead to disruptions in tefilla. The Reform services also include men and women holding hands and dancing together. Sometimes the sermons during prayer services condemn orthodox Jews, and action by Israeli soldiers and the State of Israel.

The goal of the Reform movement is also to take over control of conversions, marriages, and kashrut, and to destroy the role of the Chief Rabbinate.

What Can Be Done?

Mati Dan, chairman of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in the Old City of Jerusalem, works hand in hand with Libah Yehudit Organization, headed by Oren Hoenig. Litigation is coordinated to prevent the Reform movement from taking over control of the Kotel.

To show our unity in tefilla, busloads of seminary girls and yeshiva boys come to the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh every month. We show our strength in numbers in order to prevent desecration of the Kotel by members of the Reform movement.

Due to the coalition agreements signed by Bennet with the Reform Knesset members to expedite the Reform Kotel agenda, the situation is urgent.

Jews the world over must band together to support warriors like Libah Yehudit Organization and Mati Dan who are leading the charge.

Show your support before it is too late. For more info and to donate to this cause please go to: www.saveourkotel.org

WITH THE HASKAMA OF: Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Rav Edelstein, Rav Sholom Cohen, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbis Yitzchak Yosef, Rav Yisrael David Lau, and Rav Shlomo Amar.

Young Storyteller from Our Community Releases Third Album!

Young storyteller, Meir Ben-Dayan, already renowned for his albums “Saved from the Statue” and “Out of Seder” has recently released his third album entitled, “Shuey and the Self-Swapping Shoes.”

Teaming up with over 50 children and adults from our community and others, he has produced a side-splitting, yet thought provoking story-line that leaves children and adults alternating between understanding smiles and hysterical laughter.

Following in the footsteps of the legendary Rabbi Shmuel Kunda, Meir’s moral lessons are delivered through spellbinding stories, wrapped in clever humor and puns, coupled with lively music and sound effects that effectively leave listeners on the edge of their seats until the final track.

Magen David Yeshivah Pre-K Students Learn About Food Allergies

In honor of Purim, Magen David Yeshivah students in Pre-K made delicious gluten-free hamantaschen. They read the book Eating Gluten-Free with Emily by Bonnie J. Kruszka and their teacher explained to the students that there are children just like them that cannot eat certain foods. The children now understand that there are different ways to make the same delicious foods they love, but in an inclusive way! MDY invited Mrs.Yedid and her daughter to help make gluten-free hamantaschen. The children mixed all the gluten-free ingredients, filled them with their favorite fillings, and they placed them into the oven. They tasted just as delicious as regular hamantaschen! Ensuring

the inclusion of children with food allergies helps create a safe environment, and that can’t be done without a group effort.

Pesah FAQ

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Our Sages teach us, “In the merit of the righteous women, we were redeemed from Egypt.” It seems that the valiant women in every generation empower our reliving the experience of Pesah in how they prepare our homes in so many ways. Cleaning the house is just the beginning, as their noble efforts to bring together the joy of the holiday, with lavish meals and ambiance, set the backdrop for the story of our Exodus that we will retell to our children Pesah night.

Bedikat Hamets

What if I can’t make it home in time?

The time to do bedikat hamets, searching for hamets, is at around 7:55pm (Deal area) Thursday evening, April 14, 2022, the night of the fourteenth of Nissan. One should make every effort to do bedikah at the proper time. If one can’t make it home that night for bedikah, then his wife should search the house after she recites the berachah.

One may not eat two ounces of bread or cake, begin studying Torah, or involve himself in any project from a half-hour before the time to search.

Should I use a candle or a flashlight?

It is preferred to recite the berachah and begin to check with a candle, and then switch over to a flashlight. One can make a berachah and check with a flashlight. In either case, one should leave the light on in the room while searching.

Where do I have to check?

Any place into which you even occasionally bring hamets must be searched, such as bedrooms and the like. If no one ever brings hamets into a room, for example, a boiler room, one need not check that room. Knapsacks and coat pockets should be checked. One’s car must be checked; it can be done earlier that day or later that night. If one owns a boat or aircraft, he must check it as well. One’s office or store can be checked, either in the morning before the night of checking, or at the last time he leaves before the holiday. What one was not able to do in the night, can be done the next morning without a berachah.

What if I just cleaned my room?

The objective of cleaning is to enable smooth checking. So now that the room is cleaned, it is ready to be checked!

What am I looking for?

One should focus on trying to find anything that is edible, even something as small as Cheerios. Whatever is not found, will be nullified when saying kal hamirah.

Additionally, many seemingly innocent products in the house could have hamets ingredients. For example, if there is vinegar in the ingredients, it may be derived from grain that is hamets. Gluten-free products may also be bona fide hamets as oats can be gluten-free. Products such as flour, uncooked oatmeal, cake mixes, beer, scotch, and whiskey are hamets. Yeast that we commonly use these days is actually not hamets.

Read all product labels carefully as there are many look-alikes of non-kosher for Passover items. Additionally, not everything that was kosher last year is kosher this year. If a “P” is next to a hechsher, it always means kosher for Pesah (pareve is spelled out). Finally, not all kosher certifications are equal. One should do research and set a standard in his own home for which agencies he feels comfortable accepting.

What about pet food?

The benchmark of what is considered hamets is its suitability to be consumed by a dog. Therefore, pet foods also need to be hamets-free. If the pet food has actual hamets, one should look for a non-hamets substitute. If you go to the zoo and would like to buy food to feed the animals, be mindful of what you are purchasing.

Do I have to check the pockets of my clothing?

If the clothing went through the wash, it does not have to be checked. If one does not intend to use the garment on Pesah, he can check by patting the pockets to feel that there is no significant amount of hamets.

What should I do with the Birkat Hamazon books?

Ideally, they should be locked up, and Haggadot can be used throughout Pesah for Birkat Hamazon. Otherwise, they can be thoroughly cleaned by going through every page, ensuring no crumbs are there.

Do I have to check under the refrigerator or move the furniture?

The criteria of up to what point one is obligated to search for hamets is when it is beyond reach. It is very common to find wafers, candies, and other hamets that roll under furniture, refrigerators. or the like. So, when cleaning before Pesah, everything that can be reached or moved without exerting an inordinate amount of effort should be moved to access any hamets. One can have in mind then to be searching for hamets and on the night of bedikah just look with a flashlight to see if it was cleaned well.

What should I clean out from the children’s toys?

Playdough and children’s arts and crafts that include hamets, like colored macaroni, need not be thrown out, but should be locked up for Pesah.

What if I get a phone call in the middle of checking?

As soon as one recites the berachah to check, he may not interrupt at all until he begins to check; just like any berachah that one recites, he performs the mitzvah immediately. If he

starts to check, he should not engage in talking other than that which is relevant to the bedikah until he completes the checking and recites the bittul. If he did speak of other matters, he does not need to make another berachah. One should have other family members listen to the berachah so that he may appoint other members of the household to help with the checking.

Why do I hide ten pieces?

The berachah recited is al biur hamets―to destroy hamets. So the question arises, if one does not find any hamets, then on what is his blessing going? Therefore, it is customary to hide pieces of hamets to fulfill his blessing. The symbolism of ten is to encompass all aspects of impurity and sin that are present in the world that we seek to search out and destroy. Each piece should be smaller than the size of an olive, so if not found, you will not be in violation of owning hamets. Wrap each one in silver foil or plastic so it does not leave crumbs.

What if I can’t find all ten pieces?

If you cannot find them, look a little harder! If you still can’t find them, rely on the bittul you recite to nullify the hamets wherever it is. To avoid this, one person can be in charge of memorizing where all the pieces are hidden or write them down.

If I am traveling for Pesah, what should I do?

Your house must be cleaned and checked prior to departing. If you are leaving on or after the night of bedikat hamets, then check like you would usually do, with a berachah. If leaving before the night of bedikah, then check the night before you leave without a berachah.

If one rents and enters an apartment, house, hotel, car, etc., on or before the night of the fourteenth of Nissan, the obligation of bedikah is upon him. Therefore, check at the proper time with a berachah.

If one is checking into a hotel in the middle of Pesah, then upon arrival, he should check his hotel room without a berachah. If there is a minibar or snack closet, it should be removed or sealed off.

Do I have to burn the hamets?

Although one may dispose of his hamets in any manner, the custom is to burn the hamets with fire. Additionally, it is customary to use the lulav from the previous Sukkot for the firewood, thereby using the mitsvah of lulav for another mitsvah of burning the hamets. However, one may destroy the hamets in any other way he chooses. However, by just throwing it in the garbage, it is not necessarily destroyed and out of your property.

What if I forgot kal hamirah?

After burning the hamets before the eleventh hour, one should recite kal hamirah― “all hamets found in my possession…shall be considered like the dust of the earth.” This is found in many Haggadot. It is a declaration that all hamets currently owned shall be nullified and ownerless and not in one’s possession. After the time that hamets is already forbidden, it does not take effect; however, one can rely on the kal hamirah that he recited at night after the bedikah.

What if I found hamets?

If one finds hamets during yom tov, he should treat it as mukseh and cover it. After yom tov, he should destroy the hamets. If discovered on hol hamoed, it should be burned or flushed away immediately.

The Life of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, ZT”L

Community Magazine

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April 2022

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Why did close to a million people go to this rabbi’s funeral?

Imagine discovering at the earliest age a passion for an endeavor for which you have an abundance of natural talent and skill. Add to that the head start of growing up surrounded by the giants in your chosen field, who closely mentor your progress. For decades, thousands flock to your home seeking sagely advice, and you produce dozens of scholarly volumes on the entire breadth and depth of your chosen field.

Add to that a single-minded focus and unwavering devotion to the goal – day after day, year after year – for 94 years.

That was the life of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky – the undisputed Prince of Torah (Sar HaTorah) – who was buried March 20, 2022 in the city of Bnei Brak in central Israel, as hundreds of thousands converged to pay their last respects.

Early Years

Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky was born in 1928 in Pinsk, now Belarus. His father, Rabbi Yaakov Y. Kanievsky, was the widely revered Steipler Ga’on. When Chaim was six, the Kanievsky family moved to Israel. On the sea voyage, Chaim sat day after day with his father, absorbed in Torah study. As they neared the shores of the Holy Land, they were about to complete study of Exodus, when suddenly his father kissed the book and closed it. “Let’s wait until we arrive,” he explained, “so we can celebrate in the Holy Land.”

This gave young Chaim not only an appreciation for the preciousness of Torah study, but also love for the land of Israel. Since then, he never departed the borders of Israel, and became a lifetime advocate for aliyah, encouraging people to move to Israel.

Rav Chaim’s childhood home was the center of the Torah world, with people from around the world gathering there to confer with some of the greatest rabbis of the 20th century. Besides his revered father, Rav Chaim’s uncle was Rabbi Avraham Y. Karelitz (the Chazon Ish), the premier Torah leader during the critical years of Israeli independence. The Chazon Ish, himself childless, showered Rav Chaim with constant tutelage and individual attention, grooming him in the art of Torah scholarship.

Rav Chaim, a child prodigy with a photographic memory, elucidated complex talmudic teachings at a young age. As a boy, he studied at Yeshiva Tiferes Tzion in Bnei Brak, amusing himself during recess breaks – not with a ball or board game – but by counting the number of times

various sages are quoted in the Talmud. For his bar mitzvah, he completed the Babylonian Talmud (Shas), a feat that many do not manage to achieve in a lifetime. Rav Chaim married Batsheva, the daughter of Judaism’s leading legal decisor, Rabbi Yosef S. Elyashiv (and granddaughter of Rabbi Aryeh Levine, the beloved Tzaddik of Jerusalem). Rav Chaim’s illustrious lineage was unmatched, although that alone is insufficient to ensure success. Metaphorically, “nine zeros is not a billion” unless an actual number is added in front. So too, Rav Chaim was surrounded by Judaism’s leading sages, but what he added at the beginning made it all count.

Torah Study

Rav Chaim was a private citizen, leading no synagogue or yeshiva, and with no official teaching or rabbinic position. For years, he occupied a nondescript seat in Kollel Chazon Ish, conducting uninterrupted in-depth research and writing. Once, as a young man, he considered taking a paid position, but his father said: “Your contribution is to sit and learn. Period.” With commitment and diligence, Rav Chaim never wavered from that advice, becoming this generation’s paradigm of nonstop Torah study.

Inside Rav Chaim’s modest home on Rashbam Street, every room and hallway were lined with bookshelves, crammed with thousands of Torah books. On Shabbat, Rav Chaim would play a game with his children. One of them would name a book title, and Rav Chaim would entertain the children by immediately telling them its precise location among the volumes filling every inch of wall space.

Rav Chaim maintained a breathtaking schedule, waking at 2am for a rigorous 20-hour-a-day study of the entire biblical and rabbinic corpus including Tanach, Mishnah, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud, Midrashim, Zohar, and all the primary works of Jewish law: Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, Tur, Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), and Mishnah Berurah.

Rav Chaim toiled day and night, saying that the mental energy expended on Torah study is more physically taxing than digging ditches or laying bricks. Few people manage to study so many intricate works in a lifetime. Rav Chaim completed them all – every single year.

The Kanievsky’s had a small apartment, and the young children slept in a room filled to the brim with beds. When a wealthy visitor once offered to buy them a spacious house, they declined, explaining that it encourages people to see that economic hardship does not preclude devotion to Torah study.

Rav Chaim learned before dawn with a study partner and they wanted to be able to awaken and study right away. Despite the already over-crowded conditions, a spot was found for the study partner to sleep in the Kanievsky’s apartment on a regular basis.

Rav Chaim published dozens of volumes that are modern classics, including Derech Emunah, Derech Chochma, Shoneh Halachos, and Ta’ama D’kra. With unparalleled breadth of knowledge, Rav Chaim was uniquely qualified in obscure topics of Jewish law, such as lunar cycles, and agricultural laws in Israel. In his lectures, Rav Kanievsky delivered groundbreaking

commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud, which are the basis of a book by his son-in-law Rabbi Zelig Leib Braverman.

Additionally, Rav Chaim authored tens of thousands of rabbinic responsa on nearly every conceivable aspect of Torah. Each week he would sequester himself in a room with stacks of hundreds of letters, and patiently responded to every single one. Due to the sheer volume and to maximize his time, Rav Chaim’s responses were record-breakingly brief – typically a single line, and were often limited to one word in microscopic letters, occasionally adding a reference to the Jewish codes.

Rav Chaim made an art out of brevity. When delivering words of encouragement, to save precious seconds, he invented the word “Boo-ha,” an acronym for “blessings and success.”

Servant of the People

As the world’s most learned sage, Rav Chaim had insights into every possible dilemma – personal, communal, or global. Despite his reluctance to take a position of public leadership, tens of thousands of people from around the world – politicians, businesspeople, educators, and foreign dignitaries – flocked to Rav Chaim’s modest home on Rashbam Street.

At appointed times each day, the steep staircase outside Rav Chaim’s home would be lined with visitors waiting to enter, with lines often snaking around his house. Thousands would enter his inner chamber for blessings, inspiration, and sage advice from this humble human being, endowed with Divine guidance. Preferential treatment was given to little boys celebrating their third birthday, the day of their upsherin (first haircut), as Rav Chaim recognized the challenge of asking young children to wait in line.

For most of Rav Chaim’s life, he left decisions on communal matters to others. A few years ago, when I went to consult with Rav Chaim regarding a project of communal concern, he listened to my question and then, characteristically, sent me to consult with his Bnei Brak colleague, Rabbi A.Y.L. Shteinman. Rav Chaim often expressed tremendous gratitude to Rabbi Shteinman for shouldering that burden of responsibility, enabling Rav Chaim to continue his studies uninterrupted.

Wealth Is Not Limited to Money

Rav Chaim was renowned for being honored multiple times – every day – as sandek, holding the baby at a bris milah. Serving as sandek is considered a merit for becoming wealthy, and someone once asked Rav Chaim, “If you serve so often as sandek, why are you not wealthy?” He replied that “wealth” is not limited to money, and quoted his father that wealth is attained by publishing Torah commentaries. Rav Chaim added his own opinion that grandchildren are a source of tremendous wealth.

Rav Chaim’s time was highly structured, and keeping to such a rigorous schedule comes with intendant risks, particularly regarding one’s private life. Rebbetzin Kanievsky had every right to voice opposition to this hyper-focus on Torah study, which ostensibly came at her expense. Yet, she was his biggest supporter. Someone once made Rav Chaim a generous offer, which involved

him spending two minutes not related to Torah study or community matters. Rav Chaim presented the proposal to his wife, who nixed the idea, saying that two additional minutes of Torah study were worth more to her than anything else.

Battling Amalek

Fittingly, Rav Chaim passed away on Shushan Purim, a day when Haman – descendant of the biblical Amalek – fought to annihilate the Jewish people. Amalek represents ideologies antithetical to Torah; the best weapon we have against that is the study and practice of Torah. For 94 years, Rav Chaim Kanievsky fulfilled that mandate to the utmost.

Editor’s Note

Rav Chaim’s greatness, accomplishments, and contributions to the Jewish Nation could fill volumes. However, as his sudden passing occurred just a couple of days before our deadline, we were, unfortunately, unable to put together a proper tribute to this Torah giant in the current issue of Community. We will, please Gd, include a more extensive tribute in the next issue. We join the family, rabbis, and all world Jewry in mourning this great loss.

Rabbi Shraga Simmons is the co-founder of Aish.com, and co-author of “48 Ways to Wisdom” (ArtScroll). He is also the Founder and Director of Aish.com’s advanced learning site.

Reprinted with permission from Aish.com.