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A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R A B B I N I C A L U M N I O F T H E R A B B I I S A A C E L C H A N A N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y • A N A F F I L I AT E O F Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T YCHAVRUSA May 2013 • Sivan 5773 (:‫אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה )ברכות סג‬ Volume 47 • Number 3 Remembering Rav Soloveitchik Page 5 Spotlight on: Denver Page 26 In This Issue Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary P R E S I D E N T, Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T Y Richard M. Joel Page 5 Remembering Rav Soloveitchik C H A N C E L L O R , Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T Y R O S H H AY E S H I VA , R I E T S Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm Joel M. Schrieber Yeshiva University marks the Rav’s 20th Yahrtzeit with a full day of lectures and presentations CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, RIETS Page 11 Personal Reflections on the Rav MAX AND MARION GRILL DEAN, RIETS Rabbi Yona Reiss Essays from Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, and Rabbi Dr. David Shatz D AV I D M I T Z N E R D E A N , C E N T E R F O R T H E J E W I S H F U T U R E Rabbi Kenneth Brander A S S O C I AT E D E A N O F O P E R AT I O N S , R I E T S Rabbi Menachem Penner Rabbi Zevulun Charlop Rabbi Robert Hirt Page 26 Special Feature DEAN EMERITUS, RIETS S P E C I A L A DV I S O R TO T H E P R E S I D E N T O N Y E S H I VA A F FA I R S The Centennial State’s Communal Rabbi An interview with Rabbi Daniel Alter VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS, RIETS Rabbi Chaim Bronstein A D M I N I S T R ATO R , R I E T S Page 3 Page 5 In Pictures In the News Standing at Sinai By Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman Rabbi Herbert W. Bomzer z”l By Binni Lewis, Aryeh Sklar and Faygie Hellman Page 33 Book Review Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T Y R A B B I N I C A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E Rabbi Adam Berner • Rabbi Binyamin Blau Rabbi Kenneth Hain • Rabbi Elazar Muskin Rabbi Moshe Neiss • Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Rybak Rabbi Shmuel Silber • Rabbi Perry Tirschwell Rabbi Elchanan Weinbach • Rabbi Howard Zack Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler Page 10 Divrei Chizuk Page 31 In Tribute Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash by Rabbi Cary Friedman Reviewed by Rabbi Avraham Gordimer Page 35 Life-Cycle Events A P U B L I C AT I O N O F R I E T S R A B B I N I C A L U M N I CHAVRUSA E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F, C H AV R U S A Rabbi Levi Mostofsky E D I T O R , C H AV R U S A Editorial Policies • • • • CHAVRUSA will consider articles and letters for publication. Books authored by musmakhim that are reviewed by musmakhim will be considered for publication as well. Obituaries about and authored by musmakhim will be considered for publication. CHAVRUSA aims to maintain the Hebrew pronunciation style of the author of the article. Transliterations follow the author’s preference i.e. academic, Ashkenazic, modern Hebrew or the like. While we will remain consistent within articles, each author will be afforded to transliterate within his comfort level. CHAVRUSA reserves the right to edit articles received for publication, and will make every effort to show a draft form to the author prior to publication. Contributions may be sent to [email protected]. In addition to CHAVRUSA magazine, articles and divrei Torah may also be submitted for publication in the weekly Rabbinic Alumni e-newsletter. Please e-mail them to [email protected]. Noson Waintman Ms. Keren Simon A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R , C H AV R U S A G R A P H I C S A N D L AYO U T, C H AV R U S A CHAVRUSA is published by the Rabbinic Alumni of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, through the office of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future. Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future serves as the community service arm of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). It continues the work of the Max Stern Division of Communal Services which, for over 60 years, has served as one of the premier service organizations for the Jewish community. 5 0 0 W e s t 1 8 5 t h S t . S u i t e 41 3 • N e w Yo r k , N Y 10 0 3 3 21 2 - 9 6 0 - 5 4 0 0 e x t . 6 014 c h a v r u s a m a g a z i n e @ y u . e d u • w w w. y u . e d u / c j f Editorial contributions and submissions to CHAVRUSA are welcome. This publication accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. All submissions are subject to editing and are used at the editor’s discretion. Opinions expressed in this publication do not reflect official Seminary and/or University policy. Rabbi Robert Shur • • • Dues-paying Rabbinic Alumni will now be receiving a printed copy of CHAVRUSA CHAVRUSA is back in print! C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 2 In Pictures Yom Ha’atzmaut Kinus and Se’udat Hodaah 5773 Purim 5773 in Yeshiva Yeshiva Student’s Siyum Hashas On March 10, Moshe Abrams, a first year RIETS student, made a siyum on the entire Talmud Bavli C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 3 In Pictures Program for CJF Yarchei Kallah Alumni 2013 in Baltimore, MD Rabbinic Marriage Course Yom Iyun on Divorce A recently completed six-month Continuing Rabbinic Education opportunity offered by Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future brought together 41 rabbis both online and in person to learn about the rabbi’s role in the counseling of couples throughout all stages of relationship—from dating and marriage to crisis, death and divorce. Using the models of common rabbinical situations and experiences “in the field,” the participants learned what the “rabbi’s role” is in each situation and how to effectively engage and partner with couples, families and mental health professionals in formulating and implementing a counseling plan. Throughout the course, participants benefitted hearing from Roshei Yeshiva of RIETS and leading mental health professionals in the field, in addition to the course coordinator, Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Schwartz Psy.D. (’99R) C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 4 News Yeshiva University Commemorates the Life and Legacy of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l RIETS and Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) commemorated the 20th yahrzeit of “the Rav,” Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l, Torah luminary and YU Rosh Yeshiva, with a full-day learning program that took place in the Lamport Auditorium on YU’s Wilf Campus. Thousands attended in-person or followed the event online to gain insight into the Rav’s life and legacy through lectures, discussions and presentations given by his family and closest students. “I experience a sense of déjà vu standing in this room today, for in this very room we waited with baited breath for the Rav to enter and deliver his famous shiurim on his father’s yahrtzeit each year,” said Joel Schreiber (’60R), chairman of the RIETS Board of Trustees, in his opening remarks to the participants. “In this room thousands of men and women had their hearts, minds and souls lifted to unimaginable heights by the Rav.” The program kicked off with “Multiple Faces of the Rav,” a panel that brought together Rabbi Soloveitchik’s daughter, Dr. Atarah Twersky, and several students of the Rav, including Rabbi Rabbi Mayer Twersky delivers the keynote lecture. Herschel Schachter (’67R), RIETS Rosh Yeshiva; Rabbi Dr. David Shatz (’73R), YU professor of philosophy; and Rabbi Kenneth Brander (’86R), David Mitzner Dean of the CJF, to examine the many and varied roles played by the Rav during his lifetime. Speaking about her father’s early career, after he arrived as a young man in Boston with limited English skills, no rabbinic experience and no knowledge of the American Jewish community, Dr. Twersky noted, “Many people— including my father himself—would later refer to the Rav as a melamed. While I would call him this too, if I had to find one word or phrase to describe him, it would be baal emunah—my father was a man of faith, and his faith inspired his role as a teacher.” While Rabbi Schachter and Rabbi Dr. Shatz explored the depth and reach of the Rav’s philosophy, Rabbi Brander, who served as his shamesh, touched on a more uncommon theme: the ideals of chessed Rabbi Soloveitchik inherited from his grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk. “When people think of Rav Soloveitchik, they describe his brilliance,” Rabbi Brander said. “The Rav not only inherited Reb Chaim’s intellect, he had internalized Reb Chaim’s ideals of chessed. He truly felt the pain of others and was happiest when he could solve their dilemmas, pained when he could not, sleepless and steadfast when he had the opportunity to marshal his C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 5 News intellectual arsenal to help another human being.” Rabbi Brander added: “There is no Jewish community in the world that has not been touched by the Rav, his students, or his writings.” Rabbi Mayer Twersky (’85R), RIETS Rosh Yeshiva and grandson of the Rav, delivered the day’s keynote lecture, “Mesorah & Modernity: The Role of the Rav.” Discussing the interaction of Western ideals and the Rav’s hashkafa, Rabbi Twersky argued that his self-identification as a teacher of Torah provided Rabbi Soloveitchik with the means to reconcile any conflict arising between the two—without compromising on his religious beliefs. “Torah is not always in sync with the tempo of the times,” Rabbi Twersky said. “The force of the Rav’s majestic, charismatic personality, his brilliant shiurim and his projection of the vitality and multidimensionality of halakha, the confidence which he represented and radiated in our mesorah, all distilled the message of this melamed par excellence into a simple phrase well known to all of us and a message that his and our generation very much needs to hear: ‘Moshe emes v’soraso emes—Moses is true and his Torah is the truth.’” Breakout sessions during the afternoon portion of the program (L-R) Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld (’52R), Rabbi Julius Berman (’59R) enabled audience members to join in the conversation. Sessions in the first time slot included a discussion of the Rav’s unique derech halimud led by Rabbi Schachter and RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Menachem Genack (’73R); exploration of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s thoughts and rulings on interfaith relations led by Rabbi Dr. Shatz and Dr. David Berger (’68R), dean and Ruth and I. Lewis Gordon Professor of Jewish History at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies; and the reflections of Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and senior scholar at the CJF, on the importance of the Rav’s teaching in modern society. In the second time slot, Rabbi Shalom Carmy (’84R), YU assistant professor of Jewish philosophy and Bible, and Rabbi Michael Taubes (’83R), head of school at Yeshiva University High School for Boys, delved into the Rav’s philosophy on prayer, while Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld (’52R), rabbi emeritus at Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills, and Rabbi Julius Berman (’59R), RIETS Board of Trustees chairman emeritus, took an in-depth look at the Rav’s policies on relating to and engaging with other denominations in the Jewish community. n C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 6 News RIETS Annual Evening of Tribute RIETS honored dedicated leaders and educators of the Jewish community at its annual Gala Evening of Tribute on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at The Grand Hyatt in New York City. Honorees included Rabbi Hyman (Hy) (’56R) and Ann Arbesfeld, Etz Chaim Award; Rabbi Hershel Schachter (’67R), Guest of Honor; and Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler (’01R), Distinguished Rabbinic Leadership Award. “I have always believed that RIETS is the heart and soul of Yeshiva University,” said Joel Schreiber (’60R), chairman of the RIETS Board of Trustees. “It is blessed with the finest Roshei Yeshiva who have produced outstanding scholars of Torah and Jewish thought. For over 100 years, it has embodied the philosophy of Torah Umadda and has been at the forefront of Modern Orthodoxy in America and beyond. This year, we are privileged to honor leaders in Torah, chesed and service to community.” Rabbi Arbesfeld attended Talmudical Academy, the earlier name of Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB), and went on to Yeshiva College, where he graduated summa cum laude. Rather than accept one of several fellowship offers following graduation, he went to RIETS, becoming a student of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, and received semicha in 1956. He joined the RIETS Board of Trustees in 1982 and became vice chairman in 2007. Ann served as national president of the Yeshiva University Women’s Organization for 10 years and is currently a member of its executive council. The Arbesfelds have endowed YU’s Sunday morning Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon and the Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon learning program in honor of Hy’s parents, and most recently, endowed the popular YU Torah To-Go series in memory of Ann’s parents, Benjamin and Rose Berger. Rabbi Hershel Schachter, one of the world’s most respected Talmudic scholars, has had a distinguished association and career with RIETS for more than 40 years. A graduate of Yeshiva College and Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Rabbi Schachter received semicha from RIETS in 1967. At age 22, he was appointed assistant to Rav Soloveitchik, with whom he formed a close relationship. Rabbi Schachter officially joined the RIETS faculty at the age of 26 in 1967, becoming one of the youngest Roshei Yeshiva in RIETS history. A renowned posek, he holds the Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud and lectures in communities around the world. Rabbi Schachter also serves as senior posek for the Orthodox Union and has authored more than 100 scholarly articles and numerous books. Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler is a graduate of YUHSB, Yeshiva College, Wurzweiler School of Social Work and Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. He received his semicha from RIETS in 2001 and currently serves as the senior rabbi of Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob & David in West Orange, NJ. Rabbi Zwickler was recently appointed as a public member of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s Israel Commission. n 7 Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld, Rabbi Hershel Schachter and Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler honored at May 1 Gala C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 News Hundreds Attend YU Jewish Job Fair Seeking Communal and Educational Careers Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) and Institute for UniversitySchool Partnership hosted their annual Jewish Job Fair on YU’s Wilf Campus on February 28. More than 50 Jewish day schools and 20 community organizations from across North America, including the Orthodox Union, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Repair the World and others participated in the event, which was free and open to the public, with YU students and alumni given one hour of priority access. “Our annual Jewish Job Fair is a natural outgrowth of our mission to support and strengthen Jewish communities and organizations around the world,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander (‘86R), David Mitzner Dean of the CJF. “It also provides a platform for talented Jewish leaders to connect with opportunities that will allow them to make their mark on the Jewish world and beyond. We consider it our responsibility to make sure that our graduates are given opportunities to share their unique talents in shaping the Jewish communal landscape.” More than 300 YU students, alumni and other job seekers gathered for the chance to meet so many employers in Jewish education and nonprofit in one place. But the event also attracted talent and employers from greater distances. Suzy Richman, director of operations at University Jewish Chaplaincy, traveled from the United Kingdom for the fair. “We place rabbinical couples around university campuses all over the United Kingdom and we’ve had great luck with Yeshiva University students, so it was important for us to be here,” she said. Jenn Baumstein, program coordinator at Eden Village Camp, an organic Jewish farm camp in Putnam, NY, decided to participate in the job fair because of its opportunity to tap a unique audience. “We think the folks at YU have a lot to bring to the table and we’re hiring for key positions that require a combination of Jewish knowledge and communal experience,” she said, noting that those positions range from camp nurse to assistant director. “With all the programs offered here, we thought we’d reach a high-range, high-caliber and mature crowd at the fair.” The job fair was especially notable for job seekers in the Jewish education field. “Schools had the chance to meet with the best and brightest educators, including promising new talent entering the field for the first time,” said Rabbi Maccabee Avishur, associate director for teaching and learning at the University-School Partnership and one of the event organizers. “Job seekers got face-to-face access to school leaders from outstanding institutions around the country. It’s a great way to advance the field of education by continuing to professionalize the candidate search and placement process.” Edith Koslowe, a Stern College for Women graduate and current student at YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education, agreed. “It’s great to be able to get a feel for schools and see if you match here instead of scrolling through job listings online or calling every school to see if they’re hiring,” she said. “Here, I can just walk into a room and see who’s looking.” n C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 8 Our graduates bring talent, drive and smarts. Yeshiva University brings a remarkable alumni network. Adam Lauer Associate, Asset Management Credit Suisse Sy Syms School of Business ’07 Moshe Orenbuch Managing Director, Equity Research Credit Suisse Yeshiva College ’84 Remarkable Journeys, Nowhere But Here. The only thing more remarkable about our students’ accomplishments is how connected they are to Yeshiva University’s distinguished alumni network. Graduates of Yeshiva College, Stern College and Sy Syms School of Business enjoy networking with a worldwide community of successful YU alumni that are ready to help them achieve their personal and professional goals—and even help them land their first job. Call our admissions o ce at 212.960.5277 and start your journey today. 9 500 West 185th Street | New York, NY 10033 | [email protected] C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Divrei Chizuk habris (Devarim 9:11), the tablets of the covenant. The Vilna Gaon explains that in a bris each party gives something of his own to the other, to create a bond between them. That is the physical representation of the bris. The luchos were of Divine manufacture, and were given to the Jewish People by Hashem as the physical representation of the bris that binds them. The aseres hadibros are part of the text of the Torah—but they are also the text of the luchos. And those are two different things. That’s why there are two sets of trop: When we read the aseres hadibros as the text of a particular passage in the Torah we follow the division of the verses, as we do whenever we read from the Torah; but when we read them as the text of the luchos habris we follow the division of the 10 Commandments, because the luchos are defined as containing aseres hadevarim (Shemos 34:28). In this light we can understand why we stand when we read aseres hadibros. Were we to read them with ta’am tachton, following the division of the verses, then Rambam’s objection would be very compelling: Why are these verses any more important than other verses in the Torah? But on Shavuos—and in most communities today even when we read the aseres hadibros in public at other times of the year—we adopt the ta’am elyon, meaning that we are reading, not verses in the Torah, but rather the text of the luchos habris. By so doing we are reenacting our entry into that bris. And entry into a bris with Hashem should be done standing, as the Torah indicates at the beginning of parshas Nitzavim: “Behold you are standing today … to enter into a bris with Hashem your God.” And therefore we, too, stand in order to enter into the bris that the luchos habris represent. n Standing at Sinai Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman Rosh Yeshiva RIETS, Rabbi Henry H. Guterman Chair in Talmud J ews are very scrupulous about minhagim; we stand by our minhagim even when they are enigmatic and difficult to understand. Interestingly, there is one minhag that is almost universally practiced even though the Rambam maintains that it borders on the heretical. I refer to the minhag of rising when the aseres hadibros are read in shul. The Rambam was asked about this minhag and responded that in his opinion it smacks of heresy, since it implies that the aseres hadibros are somehow more important than the rest of the Torah, whereas it is a fundamental belief that the entire Torah was given by Hashem and is, therefore, equally sacred. Nonetheless, the minhag persists and, over the years, many defenses of it have been put forward. What I would like to propose here is likewise a defense of this minhag against the Rambam’s strictures. I have been told that the same suggestion was advanced by R’ Eliezer Palczynski zt”l, one of the great Roshei Yeshiva of the last generation. Every verse in Chumash has its trop, the cantillation marks that show how it should be read. The aseres hadibros are unique in that they have two sets of trop, which are called ta’am elyon and ta’am tachton. On Shavuos we use ta’am elyon. The Sephardic custom is to use ta’am elyon whenever the aseres hadibros are read publically in shul. Ashkenazic custom was originally to reserve ta’am elyon for Shavuos, but later many Ashkenazic communities adopted the Sephardic practice in this regard. What is the reason for these two sets of trop? Trop is not just cantillation; it is punctuation. The trop divides the verse into halves and quarters and eighths and so on. The aseres hadibros can be punctuated in two ways: by verses, and by commandments. Ta’am elyon follows the division of the commandments; ta’am tachton follows the division of the verses. With this we can better understand the original minhag Ashkenaz to use ta’am elyon on Shavuos and ta’am tachton on all other occasions. We know that on Shavuos Hashem gave us the Torah. Along with the Torah, however, he gave us something else—the luchos, the tablets containing the aseres hadibros. The giving of the luchos is a thing apart from the giving of the Torah, as the language of the Torah itself makes clear: “And I will give you the stone tablets, and the Torah and the mitzvos” (Shemos 24:12). What is the significance of the giving of the luchos? The luchos are also called luchos C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 10 Remembering the Rav CHAVRUSA Marks 20 Years Since the Rav’s Passing with Three Personal Recollections indicating how much time had elapsed and slid them onto the Rav’s desk at the one-hour, hour-and-a-half and two-hour marks. That first day, my notes worked perfectly. To everyone’s astonishment, the Rav actually concluded our class after two hours. The next day, however, my notes were not as effective. After passing the Rav a note at the two-hour mark, he continued to teach. I found myself in a very difficult situation. How is a 20 year old to respond when the greatest Torah luminary of the generation ignores a medically prescribed limitation? All eyes were on me as everyone was curious to see how this dilemma would unfold. After an additional 45 minutes had elapsed, I stood up and announced that shiur was over. The Rav turned to me for a moment and then to the shiur and said, “Even the Satan does not have as good of an assistant as I do.” The boys laughed and class was adjourned. After class, I walked the Rav back to his apartment for lunch. The Rav noticed that I was very quiet during our walk and lunch together and asked me what was wrong. I explained that I was not acting on my own accord in the classroom, but that I was simply following instructions. He responded that he was often in pain in the mornings before class and in the afternoons following class, but that he was never in pain while teaching. His love for teaching eased the pain, and he was simply trying to extend that pain-free period. The next day in class, I decided not to remind the Rav when to stop. However, an hour and a half into class, the Rav turned to me and asked how much time was left. Many people still talk about the Rav’s reputation for being tough on his students. But they always add that it was abundantly clear that his demands were made out of love for his students and his commitment The Rav: Memories of a Giant Rabbi Kenneth Brander (’86R) David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future N o family, since that of Rashi in the 11th and 12th centuries, can boast as many influential Torah scholars as the Soloveitchik family. This unparalleled dynasty reimagined our approach to Jewish thought and redefined the way we study and understand Talmud. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, known to thousands of students around the world simply as “The Rav,” was a product of this great legacy, having acquired a deep understanding of Jewish texts and a love for learning from his father, Rav Moshe, his mother, Pesia Feinstein, and his revered grandfather, Rav Hayyim. The Rav’s clarity, charisma, excitement and intellectual integrity made his daily shiurim exciting, and attracted many different types of thinkers and scholars. Young rabbinic students and veteran Roshei Yeshiva alike hung on his every word. Talmudic scholars came from yeshivot and theological seminaries across the globe to learn from this great master. While his philosophy of Judaism was often articulated through the ideals of Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard and Cohen, it was predicated on the ideals of the Rambam, the Ramban and the Rav’s family tradition. Virtually every Jewish community in the world has been indelibly, positively impacted by the Rav, his students, or his writings. While I believe I lack the Torah knowledge or capacity to expound on the Rav’s greatness in learning, I can share a few observations from the time I was lucky enough to spend with him. In the Rav’s classroom, a student’s age, experience and family name were all but irrelevant. All that mattered was the truth. At times, the Rav would dismiss a veteran scholar’s thesis in favor of a young student’s suggestion. I will never forget the time the Rav responded to several questions at the end of a two-and-a-half hour lecture that was focused on presenting a specific idea. The Rav answered each question in a clear and precise manner. When the lecture was over, the Rav asked me to call over one of the boys who had asked a certain question. The Rav told him, “You were right and I was wrong. Tomorrow, we will restudy the topic based on the question you raised.” It was also clear that the Rav loved to teach. We were once informed that due to the Rav’s health, our classes would be limited to two hours. On the first day after we were informed of this medically imposed limit, I drew clock signs This article originally appeared in the Times of Israel 11 C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Remembering the Rav to helping them reach their personal bests. And outside of the classroom his demeanor was always welcoming, gentle and kindly. I remember how often people left the Rav’s apartment with a sense of comfort, either because the Rav had a solution to their problems or simply because he had listened so intently. He was unique in that he truly felt the pain of others and was genuinely happy when he could help solve their dilemmas. In fact, he would not sleep until he found a way to put his halakhic arsenal to work for those he was certain he could help. Whether it was a visiting Rosh Yeshiva, a head of state, or Ms. Oshea who cleaned his apartment (more due to the mess created by his students than the Rav himself), the Rav treated everyone like royalty, even when he was experiencing extreme physical pain and discomfort. Now, 20 years after his passing, I am still in awe of the fact that in his search for a personal romantic relationship with God, the Rav intellectually explored all aspects of our covenant with Him. Yet in the Rav’s existential journey, he concerned himself solely with the human condition. The Rav expressed this clearly through his personal interactions, the way he approached teaching, and in his writings, in which he professed that it was our responsibility as Torah Jews to care for and advance society at large. For the Rav, being a “Halakhic Man” also meant being a man of compassion and true loving kindness. May his wisdom and his great example continue to guide and inspire us for generations. n bi David Aaron, Jed H. Abraham, Professor Abraham S. Abraham, Rabbi Dov Ber Abramowitz, Ms. Malka Adatto, Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Rabbi Aharon Adler, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Judy Alkoby, Rab dechai Alon, Rabbi Avraham Eliezer Alperstein, Rabbi Nisson Lippa Alpert, Rabbi William Altshul, Zohar Amar, HaRav Shlomo Amar, Joshua Amaru, Claudia Esther Amzallag, Rabbi Elisha Ancselovits, Rabbi Hayyim Ang bi Howard Apfel, Shira Apfel, Dr. Maryln Applebaum, Rabbi Yosef Leib Arnest, Rabbi Binyomin Aronowitz, Dr. Shawn Zelig Aster, Abigail Atlas, Dr. Harvey Babich, Dean Karen Bacon, Mrs. Miriam Bak, Rabbi Hanan Ba a Barenboim, Rabbi Natan Bar-Haim, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh, Rabbi Shmuel Belkin, Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Chaim, Diana Benmergui, Rabbi David Berger, Rabbi Etan Moshe Berm bi Michael Bernstein, Dr. Moshe Bernstein, Rabbi Azarya Berzon, Rabbi Abraham Besdin, Mrs. Rachel Besser, Rabbi Ezra Bick, Rabbi Jack Bieler, Amanda Bier, Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun, Rabbi Elchanan Bin Nun, Rabbi Aaron Bi bi Josh Blass, Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, Rabbi Yosef Blau, Dr. Rivkah Blau, Rabbi Benjamin Blech, Rabbi Dr. J. 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The former chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, told me the following story to which he was a personal witness. When the Rav came to visit Israel, the one and only time during his life, in 1935, it was the last year of the life of the elder Rav Kook. The Rav spoke at several places—at Mercaz Harav, at the Harry Fischel Institute, and at several other yeshivot. At every shiur that he gave, Rav Kook’s son, R. Zvi Yehuda, attended and listened attentively. When Rabbi Shapira asked R. Zvi Yehuda why he was doing so, he answered as follows: His father received Rabbi Soloveitchik and they “talked in learning.” When Rabbi Soloveitchik left, the elder Rav Kook told his son that the experience of speaking with the young Rabbi Soloveitchik reminded him of his earliest years when he was a student at the Yeshiva of Volozhin, during the time that Rabbi Soloveitchik’s grandfather, Reb Hayyim Soloveitchik, first started to give shiurim. I believe, Rav Kook said, that the power of genius of the grandfather now resides with the grandson—and therefore, he said to his son, you should not miss a single shiur by Reb Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik. But if, unlike Dr. Belkin, the Rav was not a wandering Aramean, then we may say of him that he embodied another passage in the Hagadah: “Know full well that your seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own” (Gen. 15:13), that Avraham’s children will be strangers in another land. He was not a “wandering Aramean” but a “lonely Abrahamite,” a lonely Litvak, and this loneliness was one of the most painful and enduring characteristics of his inner life. This giant who was at home in every discipline, a master of an astounding variety of A Fallen Giant: The Rav Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (’53R) Rosh HaYeshiva, RIETS Chancellor, Yeshiva University A prince and giant has fallen this day in Israel –Samuel II, 3:38 Surely, such a prince and such a giant, who became a legend in his own lifetime, deserves an appropriate eulogy. I therefore begin with a confession: I feel uncomfortable and totally inadequate in the role of one delivering a eulogy for my rebbe, the Rav. Only one person could possibly have done justice to this task, and that is—the Rav himself; everyone and anyone else remains a maspid she’lo ke’halakhah—”one who eulogizes without authorization.” Nevertheless, we owe it to him to try our best. And so I ask your, and his, forgiveness at the very outset. The Rav departed from us on the exact same day that, 17 years ago, we lost Dr. Samuel Belkin z”l, the late president of Yeshiva University, and the Rav eulogized him from this very podium on the day that he himself would be interred, erev the last days of Pesach. He referred to him then in the words of the Haggadah, as arami oved, a “wandering Aramean,” and paraphrased that as a “wandering Litvak,” who as a youngster was forced from his native town and took the wanderer’s staff to these shores all by himself. Unlike Dr. Belkin, the Rav was not a wandering Aramean. He was not orphaned at an early age. On the contrary, he had the advantage of a stable, aristocratic home, of encouraging and even doting parents. He was heir, at birth, to a distinguished lineage—the bet Ha-Rav, that of R. Moshe, R. Hayyim Brisker, the Bet Halevi, the Netziv, back to R. Hayyim Volozhiner. His genius was recognized while he was still in the crib. At age 6, his father had hired a melamed to come to the house to teach him. The tutor was a Lubavitcher Hasid who taught him Tanya without asking leave of his parents. He learned it so well, that his Mitnagdic father was shocked and fired the melamed ... (His affection for Habad, however, would remain with him to the end.) He then became a disciple of his own father—demanding, challenging, and critical, yet approving and proud. At the age of 10 he presented his father with his written Torah chiddushim. His father was so impressed that he showed it to his father, R. Hayyim Brisker, who was so impressed that he sent it to his dayyan, R. Simcha Zelig. And, of course, he prophesied greatness for his precocious grandson. The Rav’s development continued unimpeded, and fulfilled and exceeded Editor’s note: This essay, originally given as a a eulogy for Rabbi Soloveitchik in 1993 by Rabbi Lamm, is reprinted from Seventy Faces: Articles of Faith, published by Ktav Publishing. 13 C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Remembering the Rav branches of wisdom, familiar with almost every significant area of human intellectual creativity, felt, ultimately, like a stranger dwelling in another’s land. He somehow did not fit into any of the conventional categories. His genius was such that the loneliness attendant upon it could not be avoided a fact which caused him no end of emotional anguish, yet gave us the gift of his phenomenal, creative originality. He was both destined and condemned to greatness and its consequences. This sense of loneliness, isolation, and differentness had a number of different sources, all of which reinforced each other. One of them was emotional and began quite early in his life. The Rav poignantly describes (in his Uvikashtem Misham) his early experiences of fear of the world and of social detachment, his feelings of being mocked and rejected and friendless. The only friend he had was the (12th century) Rambam and, as he grew older, all the other giants of the Talmudic tradition whom he encountered in his learning. The Rav identifies this as more than imagination and fantasy but as a profound experience—the experience of the tradition of the Oral Law. Yet the sense of social loneliness and emotional solitude was not dissipated. Indeed, that was the way he was brought up: he was taught to hide his emotions. He was never kissed by his father. He had no real friends in his childhood or youth and no truly intimate comrades in his adulthood. This sense of alienation was not only a psychological and social factor in the various roles the Rav played in life; it was also central to his whole conception of life. His most characteristic form of analysis in his philosophic essays and oral discourses was the setting up of typological conflicts, of theoretical antitheses: Adam I and Adam II; Ish ha-Halakhah and Ish ha-Elohim; the covenant of fate and the covenant of destiny; majesty and humility…and, ultimately, conflict and dissonance make not only for dynamism but also for alienation and loneliness. This philosophical approach stems from two sources. One was his attempt, probably developed in his days in Berlin, to defend Judaism from the encroachments of a self-confident and aggressive natural science and equally arrogant thenmodern philosophy. To counter them, he adopted the Neo-Kantian view in which there is a distinct chasm that separates the natural order of objectivity, quantification, and determinism (at least on a macro scale), from the internal human realm of the subjective, qualitative, and passionate where freedom reigns. The second source is, I believe, the hashkafah of his Mitnagdic forbear, R. Hayyim Volozhiner, who saw the world and all existence as multi-layered and plural, as reflected in the Halakhah with its multiple judgments as in the Mishna of Ten Degrees of Sanctity, as against the Hasidic view of a monistic and unified world, one which blurred distinctions and sought to overcome contraries. Thus, for instance, Rav Kook, strongly influenced by the Hasidic side of his lineage, saw underlying unity beyond all phenomena of fragmentation and opposition, while the Rav’s view C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 was anything but harmonistic. He saw not wholeness but conflict, chaos, and confrontation in the very warp and woof of life. Man was constantly beset by a torn soul and a shattered spirit, by painful paradoxes, bedeviled by dualities, and each day was forced to make choices, often fateful ones, in the confrontation of savage contraries, of the jarring clash of claims and counterclaims in both conception and conduct. Both these sources—the neoKantian and the thought of R. Hayyim Volozhin—see fundamental disunity and a fractionation of experience in the world. Such a vision of contradiction and incongruity leads inexorably to anxiety and tension and restlessness, to a denial of existential comfort and spiritual security. It results in loneliness—the Rav truly was “The Lonely Man of Faith”— and this philosophically articulated loneliness with its depth crises becomes enduring and especially poignant when superimposed on a natural tendency to solitude and feelings of being a stranger in a foreign land. Yet, paradoxically, in practice he made strenuous efforts to overcome these dichotomies, to heal the wounds of the sundering of experience and even of existence itself, to achieve the unity of man with himself, with nature, with 14 Remembering the Rav society, and with the divine Master of the Universe—even though he knew that such attempts were ultimately doomed to frustration. Hence, his efforts to bridge the worlds of emotion and reason, of Halakhah and Agadah, of Hasidism and Mitnagedism. Perhaps the very attempt to achieve unity and wholeness reflected his penchant for peace—a goal he valued and cherished—although he knew that in reality disharmony and the pain of inexorable conflict and contradiction controlled. Thus, for instance, in the area of Jewish thought, where his fertile mind reigned supreme, he was a stranger amongst those who worked in Jewish philosophy. For he came to it from another world-one of greatness in Torah and mastery of Halakhah as well as the classics of both general and Jewish philosophy; and his assumptions and aspirations and insights were derived from the Halakhah, rather than seeing Halakhah as irrelevant to Jewish philosophy. Hence, for example, the Rav’s reconciliation of the differing viewpoints of Maimonides and Nahmanides as regards the obligation to pray, whether its source was rabbinic or in Torah law, became the source of his teaching on the “depth crisis” of everyday life. Among such Jewish thinkers, he remained a ger, a stranger and alien in a foreign land. The Rav was a lonely Litvak. Similarly, he was a master darshan endowed with a richness of homiletic ingenuity combined with charismatic rhetorical prowess and stellar oratory— undoubtedly the greatest darshan of our, or even several, generations. Yet he had no peer, no companion, no friend even in this area. The kind of derush that even the best of them practiced was not his home, not his way. He could be as ingenious— and more so—than the cleverest of them, with a sense of timing and drama that was astounding, but his uniqueness lay in his synthesis of both Halakhah and Jewish thought in homiletic guise rather than the conventional derush. Here, too, he was a ger, and the world of the other baalei derush was for him “a land not their own.” It was not his home. Even in halakhah, where he was our generation’s undisputed master, he still was a stranger in a foreign land. Other great scholars were also gifted thinkers capable of incisive insights, but he alone—in addition to his cognitive supremacy, his dazzling halakhic definitions, and his brilliant formulations—had a broader scope by virtue of his wider knowledge and his exposure to other modes of reasoning, which helped him in his halakhic creativity, so that he was singular among the giants of Halakhah of our time. Thus, his quality as a “lonely Litvak” expressed itself as well in his defiance of convention in dress and demeanor. He simply refused to conform to standards imposed from without, whether intellectually or in the form of stylistic niceties. How did the Rav as a “lonely man of faith” overcome these bouts of loneliness, given his conception of dialectic and conflict as inscribed in human nature and existence itself? First of all, his early emotional and social loneliness became bearable when he found fulfillment in his domestic life. Anyone who was privileged to visit with him and the late Rebbitzen in their home in Roxbury could tell immediately that for the Rav, his home was a haven—and a heaven. Do we not recall the bitter tears he shed at his eulogy for her? The second way, in response to his existential loneliness, was spiritual. This man whose goal was never mere peace or happiness but truth, was able to assuage his feelings of being a stranger in a foreign land by his deep and unshakable faith. The “lonely Abrahamite” knew not only the anguish of alienation inflicted upon Abraham’s children, but he also knew the secret of our ancient forefather— that of “You found his heart faithful to You” (Neh. 9:8): a faithful heart, a heart of faith. How does faith overcome the loneliness of the stranger, the alien, the ger? Perhaps by understanding that none is more lonely, so to speak, than the One Who Is Without Peer Himself! Man’s loneliness and Israel’s loneliness as “a nation which dwells alone” (Nu. 23:9) are both reflections of the Divine loneliness. Even as He is One, the unsurpassably and ineffably One, so is He incomparably alone—He has no peer (Dt. 4:35); and does not such absolute and transcendent aloneness imply, from a human perspective, unparalleled and unimaginable loneliness? The Almighty reaches out to His human C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 15 Remembering the Rav creatures, seeking, as it were, the spiritual companionship of humans: the commandment of loving God can be understood by the talmudic dictum that “the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayers of the righteous”; and man eases his own pitiful terrestrial solitude by linking his loneliness to the majestic loneliness of the Divine. So does loneliness join loneliness, and out of this encounter is born the divine— human companionship, nourished by divine grace and human faith. Bonds of friendship are created, as man gratefully acknowledges God as “my Beloved,” and God regards the lonely Abrahamite as “Abraham my friend.” Such exultation came to the Rav during prayer. During these precious moments and hours, suffused with the purest faith, the Rav found both the truth and the peace to which he devoted his life, as his riven soul was healed and unified. Recall his moving description, in his article “Majesty and Humility” (in Tradition, v. 17 [1978], p.33), of his experience of prayer when his late wife, o.b.m, lay dying in the hospital. Reread so many other of his famous essays where he bares his soul and reveals the depths and heights of his pure faith as expressed in prayer and the companionship of the Master of the Universe. Here did the Rav, in his most intimate and private moments, reveal the true dimensions of his spiritual Gestalt by dint of his profound faith. He was no longer a stranger, no longer an alien, no longer the lonely Litvak. Finally, he was able to abolish or at least moderate both forms of his loneliness intellectually—and that, in a paradoxical manner: He found peace and tranquility—on the battlefield of Halakhah during his shiurim here at Yeshiva! Often, the Sages speak of halakhic debate as the “give and take” of Halakhah, massa umattan, which is also the term for business. It is a negotiation in the coin of ideas. But often they speak of a rougher kind of dialogue, as halakhic contention, esek ba-Halakhah, which refers not to a commercial analogy, but to strife, battles, as in Gen. 26:20, “they contended with him,” referring to a struggle over the wells. That was the Rav’s kind of shiur! That is what I think of when I recite the daily blessing, la-asok be’divrei Torah, to engage in the study of Torah.” Engaged in a war of wits with his own students, parrying ideas and interpretations, entering the fray between Rashi and Tosafot, between Rambam and Ramban- and Ramban with the Baal Hamaor-and trying to resolve their differences in a manner typical of the Brisker derekh which he inherited and then modified and perfected, he found his peace and his companionship. Permit me to relate a story that throws light on other aspects of the Rav’s character. It was my second year in his shiur, and I was intimidated and in awe of him as was every other talmid that is, almost everyone else. There was one student, the youngest and one of the brightest, who was clearly the least frightened or awed. The Rav had been developing one line of thought for two or three weeks, when this talmid casually said, “But Rebbe, the Hiddushei Ha-Ran says such-and-such, which contradicts your whole argument.” The Rav was stunned, held his head in his hands for three agonizingly long minutes while all of us were silent, then pulled out a sheaf of papers from his breast pocket, crossed out page after page, said that we should forget everything he had said, and announced that the shiur was over and he would see us the next day. I learned two things from this remarkable episode. First, we were overwhelmed by his astounding intellectual honesty. With his mind, he could easily have wormed his way out of the dilemma, manipulated a text here and an argument there, maybe insulted an obstreperous student, and rescued his theory and his ego. But the Rav did nothing of the sort! He taught, by example, that the overarching goal of all Torah study is the search for Truth. That search for Truth was the essence of his activity in Torah, and we witnessed it in action. He encouraged independent thinking by his pupils as a way to ensure his own search for the truth of Torah. The Rav was authoritative, but not authoritarian. No “musar shmuess”— no lecture in ethics—could have so successfully inculcated in us respect for the truth at all costs. The second lesson came with the C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 16 Remembering the Rav anti-climax to the story. The very next day, it was a Wednesday, the Rav walked into class with a broad, happy grin on his face, held out his copy of the Hiddushei Ha-Ran, and said to the talmid, “Here— now read it correctly!” The Rav had been right all along ... What we learned was a secret of his greatness and success as a teacher, namely, his attention to preparation. I always thought that there was a vast difference between his formal, public derashot and his shiurim in class. The former were finished, polished, conceptually and oratorically complete products, a joy to behold, each of them a marvel of architectonics. The shiurim he gave in class were of an altogether different genre. They were dynamic and stormy, as he formulated ideas, experimenting with a variety of arguments, testing, advocating and discarding, proving and disproving, as he brought us into his circle of creativity and forced us to think as he thinks and thus learn his methodology in practice. A shiur by the Rav was always a no-holds-barred contest, a halakhic free-for-all, an openended process instead of a predetermined lecture. Well, this incident proved otherwise. The Rav actually pulled out of his breast pocket his hand-written notes for this shiur! We were confounded: It was all prepared in advance! Yet his greatness was that, on the one hand, he prepared assiduously for every shiur, leaving as little as possible to chance. On the other hand, despite this thorough preparation, the shiur indeed was open-ended, because he listened carefully to any serious challenge by even the youngest of his students and was ready to concede an error. And all through this, so successful was he in engaging us in the act of creation, that we never realized that he had thought it all out ahead of time! Attending his class, I always felt, was like being present at the moment of genesis, like witnessing the act of Creation in all its raw and primordial drama, as conceptual galaxies emerged from the chaos of objections and difficulties, as mountains collided and separated, “as he uprooted mountains and crushed them together” (as the Talmudic phrase has it), until, finally, a clear and pellucid light shone upon us, bringing forth new and exciting worlds. He combined preparation and openness, determination and freedom, the fixed and the fluid. What a master pedagogue! So awesome was his performance as both a thinker and a teacher, that emerging from an encounter with the Rav, whether publicly or privately, in a class or in an article, in Halakhah or in Jewish thought, it was impossible to avoid feelings of grave inadequacy, a vast inferiority. Each of us would think: How could I ever attain such depths, such heights of content or style, of thought or language? In students, that usually resulted in hero worship; in colleagues and contemporaries—it often eventuated in envy and even enmity. It is a measure of the Rav’s character that he was not spoiled by our adulation, and he ignored the slurs against him; never, publicly or privately, did he mention them. Giants pay no attention to such slings and arrows. Whenever I think back to the Rav as a teacher I recall the fascinating tale recorded in Pirkei de’R. Eliezer (chap. 2): R. Eliezer comes to Jerusalem where he meets his rebbe, R. Yochanan b. Zakkai. The latter invites his pupil to “say Torah,” and he declines, explaining that he has derived all his Torah from R. Yochanan b. Zakkai and therefore has nothing to tell him. But, replies R. Yochanan b. Zakkai, you can do so; indeed, you can produce new Torah thoughts, such as were beyond what was received at Sinai! Sensitive to the fact that R. Eliezer is shy about displaying originality in the presence of his teacher, R. Yochanan b. Zakkai stands outside the study hall: R. Eliezer sat and expounded, his face as bright as the sun, with rays of light shining forth as they had from Moses’ face [after God had appeared to him]; no one knew whether it was day or night. [Finally,] R. Yochanan came up behind him and kissed him on his head, saying to him: “Happy are you, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that such a one as this one has issued from your loins.” Said Horkenos, R. Eliezer’s father: “ ... He ought not have said that, but rather: ‘Happy am I that such a one has issued from my loins.’” Similarly, the Rav’s Torah was a revelation of Torah in its own right. There was something radiant about him, his vigor, his dynamism, as the original analyses and pursuit of truth and creative gestures poured forth from him in such triumphant excitement. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 17 Remembering the Rav Moreover, as a rebbe or teacher, he was simply unsurpassed. His gift for explanation, for elucidating a difficult concept or controversy or text, was that of sheer genius; who could compare to him? Happy are the Patriarchs of our people, happy are his father and grandfather zikhronam liverakhah—and happiest of all are we, we who had the good fortune to study under him. How sad I am for our younger students who did not and will never be so privileged; at best they can get only a reflection of his greatness at second hand. What kind of person was the Rav? Despite his no-nonsense attitude while teaching, he was a man of sensitivity and graciousness. It would not be a mistake to say that he was, in the best sense of the word, a gentleman. He might have been a terror in the classroom, but he was attentive and polite and accepting and warm outside the shiur. Above all, he possessed great kindness and he was a baal tzedakah, a charitable person. He was also very vigorous. In the days of his strength, his yemei ha’aliyah, he never walked; he ran. It is almost as if his body was rushing to keep up with the flow of his ideas. Vigor, dynamism, vibrancy dominated his being, from his “lomdus” to his gait. Above all, the Rav was a man of independence. He was a true heir of his great-great-grandfather, R. Hayyim Volozhiner, who held that in Torah study you must go after the truth no matter who stands in your way; respect no person and accept no authotity but your own healthy reason. So, the Rav was his own man, and often went against the grain of accepted truths and conventional opinion. Once, after a particularly original shiur, a stranger who was not used to such unusual independent creativity, asked him, “But Rabbi Soloveitchik, what is your source?” He answered, “a clear and logical mind.” He was an independent thinker not only in his Halakhah and his philosophy but also in his communal leadership. He had great respect for some of his peers-eminent Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivot of the generation—but he did not allow that respect to intimidate him. He rejected fanaticism or zealotry as well as small-mindedness, even as he deplored lack of faith. He was not afraid to be in the minority, and refused to be cowed by pressure of the majority. He was horrified by extremism and overzealousness as well as superficiality and phoniness in communal policymaking almost as much as he contemptuously dismissed them in “learning.” And if he sometimes seemed to waver in setting policy or rendering a decision in communal matters, it was because he saw all sides of an argument and was loathe to offend or hurt even ideological opponents. Thus, for instance, almost alone amongst contemporary Gedolei Torah, he viewed the emergence of the State of Israel as evidence of Divine grace; he saw its appearance as opening a new chapter in Jewish history, one in which we enter the world stage once again. He was not afraid—despite the opinions of the majority of Roshei Yeshiva and his own distinguished family members—to identify with the goals and aspirations of Religious Zionism. Perhaps the most significant area where he diverged from other Gedolim and followed an independent way was with regard to secular studies, to Torah Umadda. The Rav was an intellectual Colossus astride the various continents of human intellectual achievement and all forms of Jewish thought. Culturally and psychologically as well as intellectually, this made him a loner amongst the halakhic authorities of this century. How many preeminent Halakhists in the world, after all, have read Greek philosophy in Greek, and German philosophy in German, and the Vatican’s document on the Jews in Latin? A PhD from the University of Berlin in mathematics and especially philosophy, he took these disciplines seriously, not as an inconsequential academic flirtation or a superficial cultural ornamentation, or as a way of impressing benighted and naive American Jewish students who did not know better. There is no doubt where his priorities lay—obviously, in Torah—but he did not regard Madda as a de facto compromise. The Rav believed that the great thinkers of mankind had truths to teach to all of us, truths which were not necessarily invalid or unimportant because they derived from non-sacred sources. Moreover, the language of C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 18 Remembering the Rav philosophy was for him the way that the ideas and ideals of Torah can best be communicated to cultured people, it is Torah expressed universally; and he held as well that his philosophic studies helped him enormously in the formulation of halakhic ideas. The Rav had no use for the currently popular transcendent parochialism that considers whole areas of human knowledge and creativity as outside the pale. We must guard, therefore, against any revisionism, any attempts to misinterpret the Rav’s work in both worlds, akin to the distortion that has been perpetrated on the ideas of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch. The Rav was not a lamdan who happened to have and use a smattering of general culture, and he was certainly not a philosopher who happened to be a talmid chakham, a Torah scholar. He was who he was, and he was not a simple man. We must accept him on his terms, as a highly complicated, profound, and broad-minded personality, and we must be thankful for him. Certain burgeoning revisionisms may well attempt to disguise and distort the Rav’s uniqueness by trivializing one or the other aspect of his rich personality and work, but they must be confronted at once. When the late R. Yehezkel Abramski eulogized R. Hayyim Brisker, he quoted the Tahnudic eulogy, “If a fire has blazed up among the cedars, what shall the hyssop do,” and interpreted that as: After the giants have been taken from us, who knows what the dwarfs who follow them will do to their teachings. The Rav was exceedingly loyal to Yeshiva University. Thus, when some 14-15 years ago we faced the threat of bankruptcy, I asked him to help rescue our Yeshiva, and he immediately accepted. At a critical meeting in the late Herbert Tenzer’s office in 1978 he appeared before our leaders and read to them his confession of gratitude to Yeshiva University. He spoke of how much Yeshiva meant to him, how it afforded him a platform, how critical it was to whatever he had attained in his life, how much it meant to his family. It was he who gave semikhah to some 2,000 rabbis and thus influenced hundreds of thousands of Jews in America and throughout the world. And he graciously allowed us to name the semikhah program the Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Center for Rabbinic Studies, because he knew it would help the Yeshiva. He was, indeed, the ruach chayyim of the Yeshiva. Additionally, the Rav refused to isolate himself in an ivory tower. He sought contact with ordinary Jews— whom he never disdained. This practical turn of mind and interest served him well. Thus, the Rav functioned not only as a Rosh Yeshiva but also as a Rav, as a Rabbi for ordinary Boston baalebatim. As such, he was in contact with the realities of American Jewish life, and as a result his halakhic decisions and communal policies were leavened by an intimate awareness of their lives and loves, their needs and limitations and aspirations, their strengths and their weaknesses. His rabbanut in Boston was the perfect counterpoint to his life as Rosh Yeshiva in Manhattan, and protected him from making decisions that were appropriate, perhaps, for the high ideals of a yeshiva but not for amkha, for ordinary laymen. He dominated the ivory tower; it did not dominate him. The Rav was deeply devoted to his family. Just as his father was his teacher, so did he teach his three children—and he treated his daughters the same as his son. He was fortunate to have brilliant children, illustrious sons-in-law, and gifted grandchildren; all are involved, in one way or another, in the world of Torah, many of them educated at Yeshiva and some teaching here. But most important to us—his students and their students and the thousands who came under his or his students’ influence—is what he meant to us as our Rebbe. 19 Despite the austere majesty and the irrepressible dynamism of his shiurim, and despite the fear of coming to a class of the Rav unprepared, we intuitively knew that we had a friend—a father, an older brother—in him. We invited him to our weddings, and later to our children’s weddings; and he came. We consulted him on our personal as well as rabbinic problems; and he listened and advised. We presented our halakhic inquiries; and he taught us “the way in which they shall follow,” as God said to Abraham regarding his descendants. He exerted a powerful emotional pull on his students: I know so many, each of whom secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) knows that he was the Rav’s favorite disciple! Who knows? Perhaps all were and, then again, perhaps none were. He so profoundly affected the lives of so many of us—in the thousands—and yet he remains somewhat remote, because not one of us fully encompasses all of his diverse areas of expertise, let alone the acuity of his intellect. Those who were his talmidim in Halakhah generally were not fully informed or sensitive to his philosophic thought, and those who considered themselves his disciples in philosophy hardly appreciated his genius in Halakhah. So he had many students, and no students ... But cannot the same be said of the Rambam—some of whose students followed his Halakhah, and some his philosophy, and very few, if any at all, both? The Rav never blurred the distinctions between the roles of Rosh Yeshiva and Hasidic Rebbe. He aspired to have talmidim, not hasidim— challenging, questioning, independentminded disciples, not fawning, accepting, unquestioning acolytes. That is why at the same time that he forced us into systematic thinking and molded our derekh, our methodology, he also gave us “space,” insisting that we think and decide certain halakhic questions on our own. He lived his interpretation of the C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Remembering the Rav injunction in Pirkei Avot to proliferate students—literally “set up many students” —as “make a great effort to have your students stand on their own” and not be permanently tied to your apron strings. But so great was his personal charisma that many of us ended up as both talmidim and hasidim. In 2 Kings 2 we read of the last moments in the life of the prophet Elijah as he is accompanied by his disciple Elisha. Elijah has been told that he must prepare to be swept up to Heaven in a whirlwind, and so he wishes to take leave of his talmid. But three times Elisha refuses to leave his rebbe. Elijah casually splits the waters of the Jordan, and teacher and pupil cross the river. Elijah and Elisha continue their conversation— an important one, but not relevant to my point—and then we read: “And it came to pass as they were walking, walking and talking, that there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two men, whereupon Elijah was swept up by a whirlwind to heaven.” I have often wondered about that last, fateful, conversation as the two walked, each to his own destiny, “walking and talking.” What did they talk about, that Rebbe and his talmid, during that somber but very brief period of time? How I would have wanted to be privy to that incredible conversation! Further, I was always troubled by the peripatetic nature of that conversation, walking and talking; why a walking discussion, why not seated or standing? In response, I put myself in Elisha’s position vis-a-vis my own Rebbe, and wonder: if I were granted but 10 minutes with the Rav, both of us certain that this was the last chance to talk before the winds bore him away what words would pass between us? I would not presume to suggest what he would say to me; but what would I say to him? What last message, last impression, would I want to leave with him? Two things: First, I would walk with him rather than sit or stand because when walking you do not look at each other; I would be too embarrassed to do that. For I would say to him: Rebbe, forgive us for taking you for granted. You were so much a part of our lives, so permanent a fixture of our intellectual and spiritual experience, that we too often failed to tell you how much you meant to us, as children often neglect to let their parents know how much they love them. We were so engrossed in our own growth that we ignored your feelings. I leave you with a feeling of shame. Second, we thank you. Our hearts overflow with gratitude to you, our master in Torah and in life itself. There is not one of us who does not owe you an undying debt of gratitude. You inspired us; we bathed in admiration of your genius, fought to be accepted as talmidim in your shiur, and were actually proud when you took note of us-even to be singled out for rebuke for a “krumer sevoro,” for our intellectual sloth or slovenliness. You were our ideal, our role model, even though we all knew that our natural limitations prevented us from ever reaching your level. We thrilled at the sheer virtuosity of your creativity and the brilliance of your originality in your shiurim in which you forced us to join you in bold experiments to dissect a sugya, understand a 20 machloket Rishonim, propose a solution to a puzzling Ramban, and—to be critical of you! You gave shape and direction to our lives. We knew we were in the presence of greatness, that our Rebbe was a unique historical phenomenon. And deep down we were secretly frightened at the prospect that some day we would no longer have you with us. What consolation can make up for our enormous loss now that his greatness is gone, hijacked from us by history? No more for us the exquisite intellectual delight of his incomparable shiurim, the esthetic pleasure of discerning the artistic architectonics of his masterful Yahrzeit derashot, the edification of his eulogies, the wise counsel we sought from him on matters private or public. The years of his decline have drained us of most of our tears. But with the finality of his passing, we utter a collective sigh to the very heavens, a composite sigh composed of one part of disconsolate avelut, of an endless and bottomless sadness; one part of pity for the world, “rachmones” for a world now denied the privilege of the presence of the master of Torah of this generation; and one part of a promise to him that neither he nor his derekh nor his hashkafah will leave our midst or ever be forgotten. And that is why I would walk with him, walk and C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Remembering the Rav talk, because sitting or standing imply an end, no future, stagnation, whereas walking implies something unfinished, a destination still beckoning, a sense of ongoing continuity. Our loyalty to the Rav and his teachings will live as long as we do, as long as our talmidim do, as long as this yeshiva exists; it will go on and on. Here, in this yeshiva where he presided as Rosh Yeshiva for half a century, his presence will always be palpable, his teachings will endure, and the memory of our master the Gaon, Rabbi Joseph Ber Halevi Soloveitchik, “will not cease from among us and our children forever,” in the words of the book of Esther. And finally, the sigh contains one part of love. Yes—to this scion of Litvaks for generations, those of emotional restraint who abjured any display of affection as unbecoming ostentation, to this commanding and self-disciplined intellect, we express openly and unabashedly our affection and our love. And so I would conclude my “walk and talk” session with him by saying: “We loved you, Rebbe, and if we felt inhibited and embarrassed to say it to your face, we profess it to you now. We feared you, we admired you, but we loved you as well.” How appropriate it would have been for the Rav, that living dynamo, to leave this world as Elijah did, carried off to heaven in a whirlwind ... But alas, that was not granted to him. When R. Avraham Shapira came here a few years ago to give a shiur and he met the Rav for the first time, he kissed him publicly, and whispered to me, as an aside, “it’s a mitzvah to kiss a sefer Torah.” Nothing lasts forever. Even a Torah scroll does not endure forever. Sometimes, we know of a Torah scroll which was burnt, such as the one consumed together with the martyred R. Hanina ben Teradyon. At other times, a Torah scroll does not have the fortune of such a dramatic end when the parchment burns but the letters fly away to their Source; instead, it is a Torah scroll that wears out, it suffers, withering away slowly, as letter by letter is painfully wrenched away from it, until it is no more. That, because of our sins, was the bitter end to the life of our very own Torah scroll. It was the very thing he feared most, and it happened to him. In the words of Job, “that which I feared has come to pass.” Alas! But we know that even if the Torah scroll is gone, the Torah teaching of the Rav will always live on with us. I recently heard of something that happened some years ago at the Brisker Yeshiva in Jerusalem, led by Rabbi Dovid Soloveitchik, son of R. Velvele Soloveitchik, zt”l. The details may be fuzzy, but the essential story, I am told, is true. A very, very old, bent-over man wandered into the yeshiva one day, and sat down and began to learn by himself. Reb Dovid came over and greeted him. The old man asked, “is this the Hebron Yeshiva?” No, answered Reb Dovid, this is the Brisker Yeshiva. At which the old man opened his eyes wide and, in disbelief, asked, Reb Hayyim lebt noch, “is then Reb Hayyim still alive?” It transpired that the old man had studied in Brisk when Reb Hayyim was still alive, and left in 1913. Caught up in the Russian Communist Revolution, he was exiled to a remote area in Georgia, completely cut off from any contact with fellow Jews, especially those from Lithuania. He continued his studies for some 75 years all by himself until the great Soviet emigrations to Israel began. He had just arrived, and that is why, upon encountering the Brisker Yeshiva, he thought that Reb Hayyim was still alive ... And, indeed, Reb Hayyim still lives ... And we are here to testify and promise that “moreinu verabbenu R. Yoshe Ber lebt noch,” our Rebbe still lives, and always will, in our midst! I read someplace that the Gaon of Vilna said that in the World of Truth they await the coming of a talmud hakham, who is accompanied to the Heavenly study hall in Gan Eden, so that he can deliver a shiur and expound his best chiddushim. He is given 180 days to prepare this public derashah. Farewell, Rebbe. You always prepared for us, well and meticulously, and you no doubt will do the same now. And when you give your shiur, your derashah, before the Heavenly Court, with all the great Gedolei Torah of the ages in attendance, those who were your closest companions and comrades during the years of your lonely sojourn, remember us—your family and your talmidim—even as we shall always remember you; and may your merit and the merit of your Torah and your chiddushim protect us and grant health of body and mind and soul, peace—peace above all! In every way, and love of God, love of Torah, love of the people of Israel, love of others and their love of us, to all of us—your family, your disciples and their disciples, and all of this Yeshiva to which you came half a century ago, which you graced with your greatness of mind and heart, and which was your home and our home together— and in which your presence will always be palpable and from which your memory will never fade. For you were a blessing to us in your lifetime. And zekher tzaddikim liverakhah, your memory will be a blessing to us forever, until the coming of the Messiah, may he come speedily in our time. n C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 21 Remembering the Rav Editor’s note: This essay by Dr. Shatz is reprinted, with minor modifications, from Memories of a Giant, a collection of eulogies for the Rav edited by Michael A. Bierman and originally published by the Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute and Urim Publications in 2003, in commemoration of the 10th yahrzeit of the Rav. It appeared as an “Afterword” to the book. We publish the essay to mark the 20th yahrzeit as well. Memories of a Giant is being republished by Maimonides School and Urim Publications in 2013 in commemoration of the 20th yahrzeit. We thank Maimonides School for permission to reprint the essay. my generation, what the Rav said and did was news. For the next generation, it will be history. It will be a generation “asher lo yada et yosef—who did not know Joseph” (Ex. 1: 8) in the personal, experiential sense. They will not have a memory of the living presence we knew. Can we convey to another generation what the great figures of our generation represent? This concern can only be exacerbated by the oft-heard claim that only those who knew the Rav on a personal level can understand what he stood for and how he thought. By stressing that the only way to understand him is through memories of his living presence, one implies that future generations cannot know him at all—surely a disheartening thought. Such pessimism can and must be combatted. To begin with a small point, audio, video tapes and vivid photographs will help future generations relate to the past. But there is something far more fundamental. In truth, making personal contact a condition for understanding, appreciating and relating to a great figure contradicts one of the foundations of the Rav’s understanding of time and of the masorah. The Rav distinguishes two ways a person can approach the past. One is to treat the past as dead and frozen, as no longer here. The other is to treat the past as something vital, flowing into the future, as a dimension that can come alive if we use it creatively. Time is not an insuperable barrier to knowing the sages of the tradition; with the right attitude, consciousness and sensibility, the past can be recovered. The Rav often emphasized that despite the Halakhah’s emphasis on precise measurements of time, as in, for example, constructing the calendar and setting Memorializing the Rav: Time and the Masorah Rabbi Dr. David Shatz (’73R) Professor of Philosophy, Yeshiva University Editor, Me-Otzar HoRav Series T he death of a great individual often leads to exaggerated expressions of his virtues and inflated assertions of irreplaceability. With time the sense of loss is lifted, as new leaders emerge to take the person’s place. Yet looking back at the eulogies delivered for the Rav zt”l with the benefit of much hindsight, what is striking is that if delivered today they would be expressed with the very same pathos and sense of irreplaceability. Today, a considerable time after the Rav’s death, our sense of loss is every bit as acute as it was then—maybe even more so. Orthodoxy in America, while in some respects stronger today than in the Rav’s time, suffers every day from his absence. Issue after issue inflames passions and divides the community, while no voice speaks as the final authority for his constituency. Over the years, different people proclaim what the Rav did or did not stand for, drawing from their perceptions various lessons for decisions confronting Orthodoxy today. There is thus an intense struggle to keep the Rav alive so that he may continue to be our guide. I offer here some reflections on that struggle. Whereas the eulogies in the book [Mentor of Generations—Ed.] are retrospective, focusing on what the Rav was, this essay is prospective, as it focuses on what the future holds. Many devotees of the Rav harbor a worry. To those who knew him or of him in his lifetime, the Rav, for all that he seemed larger than life, was a tangible, accessible and extraordinarily vivid presence. Memories of his voice, his dynamism, and the aura radiating from his shiurim are seared into our consciousness. It is very natural for us to wish that the next generation of students and leaders will maintain the same level of reverence, affection and attentiveness to the Rav as we do. But lacking the firsthand exposure we had, will they? A very short time ago, to present someone as a 20th-century figure was to confer an aura of contemporaneousness, of relevance, of vibrancy and vitality, even if (like Rav Kook) the thinker had died well before mid-century. But what happens in 2020 or 2050? At that point, saying that someone lived in the twentieth century will date him, freeze him in time, rendering him a figure of a bygone era. A person who was a vibrant force in the recent past may hold but marginal influence in the near future. In 22 C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Remembering the Rav zemannei tefillah (times for prayer), our concept of a masorah is of a legacy that bursts through barriers of time. The consciousness of halakhic man … embraces the entire company of the Sages of the masorah. He lives in their midst, discusses and argues questions of Halakhah with them, delves into and analyzes fundamental halakhic principles in their company. All of them merge into one time experience. He walks alongside Rambam, listens to R. Akiva, senses the presence of Abbayei and Rava. … ein mitah u-geviyyah be-haburat hakhmei ha-kabbalah, there can be no death and expiration among the company of the Sages of the tradition. … Both past and future become, in such circumstances, ever present realities.1 Who cannot learn from the Rav’s endearing memory in U-Vikkashtem miSham of his days as a little boy, hearing his father give shiur in his home, when the Rambam would be surrounded by “enemies,” rishonim wielding weapons of logic to refute him? R. Moshe Soloveitchik would come to the rescue with a powerful sevara, to the delight of young Yosef Dov: “Father saved the Rambam!!”2 Look how alive Rambam was for him then and in all his later years. “Now too we are friends. … All the Sages of the masorah from Moses till today became my close friends. …” We know next to nothing of the Rambam’s one-on-one conversations, but we live with him through his writings. How could we engage Hillel or R. Akiva or Ramban or Rashba or R. Akiva Eiger as we do, if first-hand physical acquaintance were a prerequisite? Which individual who learned in the Rav’s shiur can forget how he brought rishonim and aharonim alive, so they were sitting right there, in that world unto itself, his classroom? The concept that temporal and spatial distances can be overcome lies at the heart of our masorah. The choice to leap across those distances, to bring the past into the present, to engage the writings of past masters so as to keep them alive— that choice is in our hands and those of our descendants. Divreihem hen hen zikhronam—the words of the righteous are their memorial, says R. Shimon ben Gamliel (Yerushalmi Shekalim 2:5). If we keep the Rav’s teachings alive, both his halakhic thought and his philosophy, we keep him vibrant for centuries to come. And so, realizing the nature of masorah as bursting through time can dissipate pessimism and lead to an energetic vitalization of the Rav in both Halakhah and mahashavah. The passage of time poses another challenge to those of us who want to see the Rav’s legacy perpetuated. As I’ve already implied, the Rav has left us two legacies—his Halakhah and his mahashavah. (I hasten to add that these must not be separated— he did more than anyone to bring them into a dynamic interaction.) Talmudic and halakhic learning thrives today, but the world of mahashavah languishes. Already in his own time, the Rav felt that while his halakhic thought was being pursued passionately, his philosophy was largely ignored. It is obvious from the treasure trove of manuscripts that the Rav left at his death that philosophical works are an immense part of his legacy. He cared deeply that his students appreciate religious experience through philosophy.3 Rabbi Yitzhak Twersky z”l has made the point that the Rav used philosophy as part of his intellectual capital, as an interpretive tool, and that the philosophy is a tzurah, a form, in which he couched his homer (lit. matter), i.e., his ideas.4 But the nature of this interpretive process is clarified in The Lonely Man of Faith in a way that might lead us to pessimism: When the man of faith interprets his transcendental awareness in cultural categories, he takes advantage of modern interpretive methods and is selective in picking his categories. The cultural message of faith changes, indeed constantly, with the flow of time, the shifting of the spiritual climate, the fluctuations of axiological moods, and the rise of social needs.5 The separation proclaimed in this passage between the faith commitment and its cultural translation gives rise to an unsettling thought. The Rav’s philosophy plunges into intellectual controversies that raged during the 19th and early 20th century, but thereafter quieted, and it alludes often to philosophical schools C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 23 Remembering the Rav whose day has passed. Much of his philosophical vocabulary is no longer in vogue. In other words, precisely because the Rav’s philosophy is an act of “cultural translation,” precisely because it is so exquisitely sensitive to the spirit of his times, his more technical writings stand in danger of losing, over time, some of their vitality and relevance. This is a paradox inherent in the genre of Torah ve-hokhmah or Torah u-Madda. We want thinkers to speak the language of their age. Yet the more a particular thinker’s expressions of a Torah viewpoint are verbalized in the idioms and assumptions of his age, the more he takes account of his generation’s needs and circumstances, the more he presents a union of Torah and cutting edge madda—the greater the danger that these expressions will eventually become dated and their enduring message lost. Add to this the facts that the Rav himself occasionally stresses the personal, subjective nature of his thought, that he prefers phenomenology (the description of religious consciousness) to logical argumentation on behalf of faith, and that he presents ostensibly contradictory viewpoints in different places— and the task of extracting stable and enduring lessons becomes intimidating indeed. In response let me point out, first, that the concern with obsolescence is about the Rav’s more strictly philosophic works and not about those works that are relatively free of technical philosophical vocabulary. The oft-quoted remark of a non-Orthodox admirer that “if I am not mistaken, people will still be reading him in a thousand years,”6 is true of works like al ha-Teshuvah, even if there is a fear that other works may seem dated because of their less accessible vocabulary. More important, some rabbinic figures of the 19th century, for example, R. Samson Raphael Hirsch and R. Abraham Isaac Kook, flourished posthumously in the 20th, proving vibrant and influential even though they too reflected themes and approaches of their times. Rambam is the most enduring writer in Jewish history, yet Guide of the Perplexed, and even parts of Sefer ha-Madda in the Mishneh Torah, are shot through with Aristotelian and Neoplatonic jargon and formulations. If Rambam traversed the temporal gap, it is because people found in him elements that transcend the particular context in which he wrote, so that those elements could be applied creatively in later times. Just so, what we need to do to perpetuate the Rav’s thought is to find its timeless messages. We must feel the duty to expound his works in the idiom of contemporary men and women. Such themes as the dialectical character of religious existence, the need to combine intellect with emotion, the ongoing battle against evil, and the Halakhah as a source of Jewish philosophy—these and many more ideas can be framed in universal terms that give them ongoing relevance. Historical studies of the Rav can also be of great importance. But we should develop such studies with an awareness of how a good history may address needs of the present. When R. Yitzhak Twersky z”l wrote history about Rambam or about law and spirituality in the sixteenth century in his capacity as a Harvard professor, he excelled at making the history contribute to an ongoing discussion. When a historian is skilled and thoughtful, he can make his subject relevant. It is to be hoped that histories of the Rav will not be written for history’s sake alone, but with the larger objective of conveying his teachings and establishing their continuing relevance. In emphasizing the need for spreading the Rav’s teachings, I do not mean to minimize a very different way of memorializing him: stories. He himself often used stories of personalities in the thick of his own philosophical explorations.7 In the period after the Rav died, I was struck by how much of the eulogizing of the Rav took place through storytelling. There were wonderful anecdotes about his charming relationship with first-graders in Maimonides; his concern for one of his shamashim (aides) who was going out on a date but didn’t have the proper socks; his hesed toward the Irish Catholic housekeeper who had come on bad times; his hosting a party for a member of the YU housekeeping staff; and much more. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 24 Remembering the Rav Why stories? The reason, I suspect, is twofold. First, the Rav was such a towering figure that we needed to remind ourselves of his deep humanity. Second, storytelling does not seek to display everything at once, a task that is simply undoable. Faced with the difficulty of articulating what this prodigious man stood for, we turned to glimpses. I would stress that the stories are valuable, not only because of what they say about the Rav’s humility and R. Hayyim-like kindness (R. Hayyim Soloveitchik was— as his matzevah attests— rav ha-hesed), but also because of the way they illustrate motifs of his philosophy. The story about his helping a first-grader who had been expelled from class because she didn’t know the Humash assignment illustrates beautifully, and concretizes, his words describing the Torah community: “The teaching community is centered around an adult, the teacher, and a bunch of young vivacious children, with whom he communicates and communes… ‘Yesh lanu av zaken ve-yeled zekunim katan-We have an old father and a young child’ (Gen. 44:20).”8 Similarly, the many stories of the Rav’s own hesed reflect a theme that is utterly central to his thought concerning the Jewish value system, from his writings on Zionism to his endorsement of technology to his analysis of the nature of teaching. Hesed, he stated in an address to Maimonides school, is the password of the Jew. The stories bring out not only the person but the integrity, the unity, between the teacher and his teaching, ha-rav u-mishnato. Storytelling and philosophizing are not mutually exclusive; as the Rav did, we must bring these genres together. Indeed, precisely by fusing personal reminiscences with learned exposition, the eulogies for him brought out many dimensions of the Rav, and ultimately the wholeness of his thought and personality. The challenge of perpetuating the Rav’s legacy is great. But so is the opportunity to enrich the hearts and minds of generations to come. We need to engage his writings, extract the timeless messages in the time-bound parts of his oeuvre, and relate his biography to motifs of his thought. In this way we may see illustrated yet again that great principle of masorah: “There is no death and expiration among the company of the Sages of the tradition.”9 n 2. See “U-Vikkashtem Mi-sham,” in Ish haHalakhah: Galuy ve-Nistar ( Jerusalem, 1979), 230-32. 3. See “Religious Immaturity,” in Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, The Rav (Hoboken, NJ: Ktav Publishing, 1999), 2:238-41. 4. See Yitzhak Twersky, “The Rov,” Tradition 30, 4 (Summer 1996): 28-33. 5. “The Lonely Man of Faith,” Tradition 7, 2 (Summer 1965): 64. 6. Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf in Shema, September 9, 1975. 7. [Note added in 2013: For analyses of this trend and the reasons behind it, see Alex Sztuden, “Why Are There Stories in Halakhic Man?,” in Rav Shalom Banayikh: Essays Presented to Rabbi Shalom Carmy, ed. Hayyim Angel and Yitzchak Blau ( Jersey City, NJ: Ktav, 2012), 313-329. See also R. Reuven Ziegler, Majesty and Humility: The Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik ( Jerusalem and New York: Urim Publications, 2012), 96-103, 203-212, and his “Hidden Man, Revealed Man: The Role of Persional Experience in Rav Soloveitchik’s Thought,” Ha-Har HaTov: That Goodly Mountain, ed. Reuven Ziegler, Shira Schreier, and Yitzhak S. Recanati (Alon Shevut: Yeshivat Har Etzion, 2012), 48-56] 8. “The Community,” Tradition 17, 2 (Spring 1978): 23. 9. I thank Dr. Joel Wolowelsky and Rabbi Reuven Ziegler for their comments. Footnotes 1. Halakhic Man, trans. Lawrence J. Kaplan (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1983), 120. Join talmidim, Roshei Yeshiva and Hanhala for a Seudat Mitzvah Siyum Masechet Bava Metziah Rabbinic Alumni are invited to join a s Please email [email protected] for more information June 12th 2013 at 12pm C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 25 Feature The Centennial State’s Communal Rabbi An interview with Rabbi Daniel Alter (’98R) A native of Toronto, Rabbi Alter received his semicha from RIETS in 1998. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva College and a master’s degree in medieval Jewish history from the Bernard Revel Graduate School. Rabbi Alter is the Head of School at the Denver Academy of Torah (DAT), and the founding Rabbi at the DAT Minyan as well as one of the founders of the new DAT High School. Prior to this position, Rabbi Alter served as Rabbi at the East Denver Orthodox Synagogue. CHAVRUSA: How did Jews end up in Denver, Colorado? I always joke that if you look at a map, you will see that Colorado borders all the states that no one has ever heard of. Yet Colorado has had a Jewish community since 1859! Some of the Jews came to Colorado because of the gold rush. Others came because someone in the family had tuberculosis or asthma and Denver’s mountain air was supposed to be good for them. Golda Meir lived in Denver for a few years with her sister, whose family had moved out here for this reason. For a while, Denver was a major source of kosher meat, so many shochtim lived out here. We have families in our community whose ancestors date back to the 1880s. My favorite Denver resident of all time, however, is Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, who authored a number of incredible seforim which I would recommend as a great source for wonderful drashot: Yalkut Yehuda on Chumash, Mussar Haneviim on Neviim Rishonim, Mussar Hamishna on four sedarim of Mishna, and Keser Shabbos which has beautiful thoughts on Shabbos. CHAVRUSA: How did you end up in Denver? Following semicha at YU, I was an assistant rabbi in Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob and David (AABJ&D) in West Orange, NJ. My wife and I examined demographics in the United States and asked ourselves where Jewish communities seemed to have the most growth potential. Jews were moving in large numbers to communities in the west and the south of the country, so we began to explore those areas. We heard about a shul in Denver called East Denver Orthodox Synagogue (EDOS) that was looking for a rabbi. The shul was founded in 1962 with an “interesting” provision in its bylaws. The bylaws prohibited the hiring of a rabbi. Over the years, as more people joined the shul, the desire to hire a rabbi grew among a larger percentage of the membership until finally there was enough demand to garnish the 90 percent vote to amend the bylaws to allow hiring a rabbi. In 1999, we moved out to Denver so I could become the first rabbi at EDOS. CHAVRUSA: What were the “early days” like? C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Rabbi Daniel Alter (’98R) One of my passions is community building. When I first came to Denver, one of my primary goals was to grow our community by reaching out to the community at large and attracting more young families. At the time, there were only a handful of couples in their 30s in the community, and my wife and I, who were still in our 20s, instantly became the young couple in town. We therefore set out to design a number of initiatives to attract young families. One of these initiatives was to start a satellite minyan 26 Feature in an area that was more affordable and attractive to young families. In starting this satellite, location was naturally one of the factors, but we realized that even more important was creating an environment that would become a center of meaning and spirituality for young families. In the early days we spent a great deal of time, and many late nights, discussing the culture that would exist in this new satellite minyan. What should the nature of the tefilla experience feel like? What were our goals regarding the youth that we hoped to attract? How could we be different or unique? How could we learn about exciting innovative best practices from shuls across the country that we could adopt? CHAVRUSA: Can you give us some examples of lessons you learned from other shuls around the country? I once spent a Shabbat at Kemp Mill Synagogue (KMS) in Silver Spring, MD. I was really impressed with the level of decorum at the shul. What impressed me was not just that there was no talking during davening. There are many shuls where people don’t talk during davening. But what I had generally observed around the country was that shuls where there is no talking during davening tend to only exist in communities where there are numerous shuls and one of those shuls becomes the place where those who care about tefilla coalesce. So you end up with a self-selecting group who are passionate about tefilla while the majority davens elsewhere. The question that I kept asking myself was, how does one take a group of individuals and work to create a culture where everyone buys into the idea of a beautiful davening with minimum distractions? KMS was the first place I saw this happening. I attribute their success to strong leadership that was able to develop a sense of mission for the shul. Rabbi Jack Bieler (’74R) and the lay leadership there have accomplished some truly amazing things. So when a handful of us were sitting around a table asking what we wanted our minyan to look like, everyone agreed that a nice davening was most important. When we began to think about how one achieves this goal, it became obvious that decorum was a clear prerequisite to creation of a beautiful davening. (Of course, the fact that it is halachically forbidden to talk during much of davening was a factor as well.) Our goal was to attract a group of people, some of whom would have been talkers in other shuls, and get them to buy in to this culture. Creating a new culture always takes a great deal of work, as indeed was the case here as well. It meant lots of messaging and branding using multiple mediums, with a personal touch being the most important factor of all. In many shuls, the ritual committee meets once or twice a year and is given a relatively limited role, determining issues such as who will lead davening on Yamim Noraim. We tasked our ritual committee with meeting on a regular basis to talk about what can be done to ensure the beauty of our communal tefilla. What was exciting about this process was that over time the decorum became a matter of pride for many of our congregants, including those who had been real talkers during davening in the past. Another lesson or best practice is one that I learned from a non-Orthodox shul where they always refer to their congregants as partners instead of as members. Membership is something you buy at a place like a country club, and in return you receive certain benefits. A partner, however, is a stakeholder who feels a personal responsibility for the wellbeing of the shul. I tried to use this language at our shul, but was not fully successful. I have learned that one needs to be zealous in working to change a culture. Otherwise the changes don’t take hold. Because I became a zealot about the talking in shul issue, it was successful, but I was less zealous about the partner idea. CHAVRUSA: Why did your satellite minyan become a separate shul? I believe strongly in community collaboration. The original intent was to try to create a kehilla model, whereby we had one leadership running both minyanim. A unified community should be an ideal, and this is much easier to accomplish and much more efficient when there is a sharing of resources and direction. Thus, for example, one shul office instead of two, or a unified view and direction in creating adult education programs simply makes more sense. As the new satellite saw rapid success and growth, however, there was some tension. After a short period of time, there was a mutual agreement for this new entity to separate from the original shul. I agreed to become the rabbi of what was now a new shul, and the DAT Minyan was born. Thank God, the tension has subsided significantly over time. Our two shuls have now partnered a number of times in working with Yeshiva University to create a summer learning program, first as a kollel, and then as a scholarin-residence program. The partnership between the two shuls has allowed us to bring in some first-rate YU scholars. This past summer, Rabbi Daniel Rapp (’95R) and Rabbi Daniel Feldman (’98R) spent time in Denver as part of a joint program, coordinated by the Center for the Jewish Future, and sponsored by both shuls. This past Yamim Noraim, EDOS was between rabbis, so I was asked to come back and deliver some drashot. We regularly share scholars in residence. Most important, common goals related to other communal organizations unite us. Foremost is the need for a strong day school. It is clear that the fate and future of the entire community depends to a large extent on the strength and vibrancy of the Jewish schools in town. The satellite experiment was successful beyond our wildest dreams, and became a catalyst to attract young families from C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 27 Feature out of town as well as those in town who were becoming more observant, and who were looking for a welcoming friendly environment where they could grow spiritually. We are presently bursting at the seams, and this past Yamim Noraim had to hold two minyanim because there was not adequate space for one. The growth has been nothing short of astounding, as we welcome multiple new families to our shul community on a regular basis. CHAVRUSA: What motivated you to move on from the shul position? I am still involved in the shul, but it was time to take the next step in promoting communal growth. The success of the minyan was exciting but needed to be accompanied by success at the school for the sake of both. When we started the satellite we began to make progress in the area of community growth, but at the time the school was struggling. It felt like there was a revolving door of principals who came and left in rapid succession. A struggling school is incredibly frustrating for a community rabbi. What is more important to a community than ensuring that its children thrive religiously? So I agreed to become the interim head of school for a year while I was serving as rabbi at the new shul. This interim role extended to two and then three years. After my fourth interim year, the president of the board complained to me that I was still officially interim but was at that point the longest serving head of school. So we dropped the word interim. As the shul and school both grew rapidly, it became more difficult to spend adequate time on both. This was especially true since we recently opened a high school as an extension of our elementary school. Initially, we hired an assistant rabbi for a few years, but as the community continued to see rapid growth we decided to bring in a new full-time rabbi to take over the DAT Minyan a year and a half ago, so I could focus fully on the school. Rabbi Asher Klein ’09R is now the Rabbi and he is doing a wonderful job. Baruch Hashem, the school is now thriving in tandem with the minyan, and both are literally bursting at their seams. The school has almost doubled in size and outgrown our present facility! Lack of space due to growth in both the shul and school is a wonderful problem to have. CHAVRUSA: The DAT High School has created a real buzz in the last few years. What is unique about it? Development of the high school has been an incredible experience for all of us. From the start we wanted to create a school that would become a national model. Faculty at Yeshiva University have been helpful in supporting our dream as it becomes a reality. Dr. Scott Goldberg has been a trusted advisor to us, Dr. Moshe Krakowski has actually done research on the work we are doing, and many others have been helpful as well. To truly experience what is unique about the high school one has to come visit. We have tried to create a holistic experience that focuses on student success not just academically but in life. Students are taught to become independent learners and thinkers, and the curriculum reflects these goals. It is an experiential program, which regularly has experts in the arts, politics, Israel advocacy, community leadership and more come to the school to talk with the students. We call this process permeable walls, where we go out into the world and the world comes to us. Students are also immersed in a digital environment. CHAVRUSA: What was your career change from congregational rabbi to head of school like? Philosophically I never felt like this was a career change. The Denver community needed different things at different times and I see my evolving roles as a 28 continuum on the community growth process. That being said, the skill sets are clearly very different. As soon as I knew I was making the shift I ferociously started reading every leadership and management book I could get my hands on. The transition has been most interesting in learning how each skill set informs the other. So, for example, in some ways my trajectory was a more logical one than the typical career trajectory in most schools where the best teachers are taken out of the classroom and placed into administrative roles. Instead, I was able to bring the skills I had developed in the rabbinate such as building of culture, promotion of a mission and vision, and working with trustees and volunteers, to my role as head of school. My tenure as head of school has also impacted significantly on my view of the rabbinate. There are so many cogent examples, but I will give you one. In the school world we tend to be data driven. It is not enough to simply say that our students are learning. We need to show evidence of their learning, whether through summative or formative assessment. Assessment and data collection tend to be very weak in most shuls. To illustrate, imagine the Shabbos afternoon Gemara class given by the rabbi. The same seven people have been showing up for 20 years. First, have shuls considered their overall goals in a way that forces them to ask whether this shiur is the best use of the Rabbi’s time and of the Shabbos afternoon slot? Second, has consideration been given to what type of growth the participants are showing? If one was to assess their skills or content knowledge 20 years ago, and then assess again today, would the results be adequate? Are shuls looking at best practices of education in determining how to teach? Are they taking advantage of all the new research about cognitive brain development that is impacting on the world of education for both child and adult learning? C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Feature CHAVRUSA: Is there a relationship presently between the school and shul? Definitely. The shul is presently housed in the school and we plan to build a building in the near future that will continue to be a multi-use facility. The shul will daven there and the school will use the building as a beit midrash. We believe strongly in a kehillah mentality and model. Unfortunately, in most Jewish communities every institution is somewhat isolated, and focuses on their own agenda. There needs to be far more inter-institutional collaboration, and we hope that we can become a national model for this type of relationship. CHAVRUSA: Why do you think the collaboration is so important? There are some obvious benefits such as sharing resources, which provides financial advantages, or the opportunity to streamline services so we are not duplicating resources or programs. As an example, the rapid growth in our community is presenting space challenges. We desperately need to start multiple building campaigns, to provide more space for our shul, our elementary school and a space for our new high school. At the same time, we also need to ensure that we can continue to fund our annual campaign and basic needs. We are now talking about creating a long-range community financial plan so that our own institutions are not competing with each other. We can then ask donors to think about our community as a whole as we start a campaign. Even more critical is the ability to create a unified vision for community. I’ll give you an example. At school we have developed a philosophy of tefilla education. We now have a methodology that seems to be working well and is largely achieving our goals. We don’t teach Shabbat davening at school though. Wouldn’t it make sense for our staff to work with staff at the shul so that our philosophy of tefilla education manifests itself in the shul as well, which can then focus on teaching Shabbat davening in the same fashion and with the same goals as what we do during the week? CHAVRUSA: Can you tell us how being a rabbi in Denver, Colorado is different from being a rabbi on the East Coast? Are you involved in a wider array of roles? First off, my kids are definitely better skiers than they would be if we lived on the East Coast. Seriously though, I think Denver is probably similar to a lot of midsize Jewish communities in that the diversity of experience and opportunities is so broad. In areas of halacha, I am the local posek for the eruv and the Orthodox cemetery, and have been the posek for mikva shaylas and for other communal organizations like Tomchei Shabbos. In addition, in a midsize community, you often get some really wild and complex shaylas. In areas of communal involvement and engagement, I have served on the Federation board and numerous committees, the board of Colorado Agency For Jewish Education (our local board of Jewish education), the board of our Jewish Community Relations Council , and a whole array of committees and focus groups in the community. There is much more interaction between Jews of all religious persuasions. I feel this is very important. Jews who are less observant are looking for growth opportunities and often are afraid of Orthodox Jews. Relationships break down those barriers. I think there is a lot of kiruv taking place in midsize communities, to a large extent because those barriers don’t exist to the same extent. The diversity that exists in our school and shul is quite broad. We see this diversity, not as a challenge, but as an opportunity to be celebrated. On a typical Shabbat you can find bekishes, suits, sweaters and sandals (all in one room) in our shul. Our children learn that they can still have a strong religious identity and sense of self without feeling intimidated by being around people who are not exactly like them. These are experiences that are harder to find in large communities. CHAVRUSA: How has the Denver community’s relationship to Yeshiva University changed over the years? I think that for communities like ours, Yeshiva University plays an essential role, not just as an institution but also as a model toward which we can aspire. We have many baalei teshuva in our community who are looking for serious and deep engagement with Torah. They struggle to find a way to integrate a life of Torah and mitzvos with their present lives as professionals in the world at large. As they were becoming more observant, they were given an impression, often C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 29 Feature unintended, that there is a contrast between the two worlds and no way to integrate or assimilate these worlds. Yeshiva University offers them a new ideal. One can be involved in the world and steeped in Torah at the same time. In a place like Denver, which is still a relatively small community (and still will be for a few more years), we don’t have the same critical mass that enables us to show people the beauty of a lifestyle centered around the Torah that aspires to impact on the world and be impacted upon by the best of what the world has to offer. A trip to Yeshiva University, or a Yeshiva University student who comes to visit Denver through the myriad of programs that the University offers such as Torah Tours, does more to inspire a vision of who our own children can become than any class or program we could run. Additionally, Yeshiva University has become our primary source of talented klei kodesh over the last few years, as more YU alumni move out to Denver. Rabbi Leib Zalesch (’10R), a musmach of RIETS, is a star teacher in our middle school. Rabbi Asher Klein (’09R), the new rabbi at the DAT Minyan, has taken the shul to new, exciting heights. Mr. Eli Bilmes, a rising young star in the world of chinuch, came to us through a fellowship created by the Institute for University-School Partnership at Yeshiva University . Together, these individuals and others are having incredible impact on our community. CHAVRUSA: Do you continue to maintain a relationship with Yeshiva University? Yes, and its stronger than ever. YU has been supportive of me personally, in facilitating every job I have been at through the good services of the placement office. When I first moved to Denver, I often noted that I missed only one thing from the East Coast: the YU library. I still find myself spending time every summer at the YU library when I am back visiting family on the East Coast. Top: Rabbi Asher Klein (’09R) Bottom: Rabbi Leib Zalesch (‘10R) I also work with the YU admissions office in interviewing students who want to attend YU. In my leadership role, I am in constant communication with members of both the Center for Jewish Future and the Institute for YeshivaUniversity School Partnership. The litany of programs and opportunities that they have created is incredibly extensive and we make sure to take advantage of as many of their programs as we can. I am also in regular contact with many YU faculty and rebbeim, trying to take advantage of their expertise, whether for a shiur I am preparing, a difficult communal issue, or piskei halacha. Finally, the connection I am most excited 30 about is the fact that with the relatively new establishment of our high school, we will be sending more Denver students than ever before to learn in Israel after high school, and for many of them, after that to become students at Yeshiva University. Yeshiva University has played a central role in shaping the person I am today, and I feel obligated to continue to promote the same values that I learned at Yeshiva. I am exceptionally proud to be an alumnus of what is arguably the most important American institution in Jewish life in contemporary times, and I want to share the opportunities that exist at YU and the Torah values promoted by YU with as many people as possible. n C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 In Tribute Rabbi Herbert W. Bomzer z”l By Binni Lewis, Aryeh Sklar, and Faygie Hellman Our grandfather, Rabbi Herbert W. (Chaim Zev) Bomzer (’51R), was born on the Lower East Side on August 16, 1927. His parents were Philip and Yetta Bomzer, immigrants from Poland. Mr. Philip Bomzer was related to the Kopyczynitzer Rebbe zy”a, and traced his lineage to Harav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev zy”a. Philip was actively involved in strengthening religious Jewish life in America in the early 1900s, an era quite inhospitable to frumkeit. He helped start one of the first chevrah kaddisha organizations, and was involved in numerous landsmanshaften, organizations that sought to support new immigrants and ease their adjustment to life in America. The young Rabbi was often involved in his father’s projects, which impressed upon him the value of helping others, and left an indelible mark upon him. Rabbi Bomzer attended Yeshiva Toras Chaim for elementary school and for high school. In 1944 he was introduced to Rabbi Moshe Aharon Paleyeff z”l, whom he considered his rebbi muvhak. Rabbi Bomzer learned with him one-onone for three years, finishing masechtos Kiddushin and Beitzah 17 times: Gemara with Rashi and Tosafos. While at Yeshiva University Rabbi Bomzer received his semicha from Harav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l, and later encouraged his children and grandchildren to learn for semichah as well. His proudest moments were when his children and grandchildren achieved this goal. Rabbi Bomzer graduated YU, majoring in English, and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Jewish history and philosophy, as well as a doctoral degree in Jewish education and administration. An honorary doctorate was later bestowed upon him by Yeshiva University for exemplary communal service. While an undergraduate at YU he met Leona Abeles ‫תב”ל‬, who would become his life partner in building a family of rabbanim, bnos Yisrael and yerei Shamayim. He would often say to his wife, “I might not be able to give you very much, but I will always make you laugh,” a promise he constantly kept! Our grandfather and grandmother traveled the world together. While Russia was still under Soviet rule they were sent together to help the Jews there. They smuggled in tefillin, performed kiddushin, arranged for divorces, sanctified the mikvaos, and took care of many other important needs of the Jewish community. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Harav Menachem Mendel Schneerson zy”a—with whom Rabbi Bomzer maintained a very close relationship, and of whom Rabbi Bomzer eventually called himself a chassid—wrote a letter in which he personally thanked Rabbi Bomzer for his help on behalf of Soviet Jewry, declaring, “There was no trip so successful until Rabbi Bomzer went to Russia.” After receiving semichah Yoreh Yoreh from Harav Soloveitchik and RIETS, he went on to serve at two pulpits, the first at the Young Israel of Williamsburg from 1951–1954, and the second at the Young Israel of Ocean Parkway from 1954 to 1996, during which time he built a new shul and a new kehillah in Flatbush. As his shul was located next door to Yeshivas Mir, he was close to the roshei yeshivah, as well as the bachurim who davened with him. For years they joined together to march on Kings Highway to raise awareness of shmiras Shabbos, resulting in many stores subsequently closing for Shabbos. For many years at Young Israel Rabbi Bomzer was significantly involved in the tefillos on Yamim Nora’im, blowing the shofar, leining, serving as chazzan, and delivering drashos. He would meet with C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 other rabbis of nearby shuls to discuss their drashos. His own drashos were so well received, they were published in Rabbinical Council of America sermon manuals. For 35 years Rabbi Bozmer gave a shiur in Yiddish every Shabbos, serving as a true bridge between the old and new generations of American rabbis. His shiur style frequently involved asking the audience questions, to promote interest and participation. His endeavor was to teach, not merely to speak. Rabbi Bomzer was also a maggid shiur at Yeshiva University High School for Boys in Brooklyn. Rabbi Bomzer was deeply involved in the Jewish community and Torah institutions for many years. He served as president of the Vaad HaRabbonim of Flatbush three times and was the chairman of the Political Action Committee for the Vaad. He played an instrumental role in the founding of Yeshiva Torah Temimah, Yeshiva of Brooklyn—which, upon opening its Flatbush branch, initially held classes in the Young Israel building, before moving to its own building on Ocean Parkway. He was also involved with the founding of Bais Yaakov of Flatbush and the Sephardic Institute, and served as president of the Council of Young Israel Rabbis, the Vaad Harabonim of Flatbush and Mizrachi 31 In Tribute HaPoel Hamizrachi of New York. Rabbi Bomzer never considered himself a posek, although many Jews from all over, including Lubavitcher shlichim, would ask him their she’eilos. He loved to read halachic responsa. We recall how at many a Friday night meal he would open an Igros Moshe, read the question to the family, and ask them what they thought the answer would be. After fielding different responses, he would read Reb Moshe’s answer. Igros Moshe was one of the untold numbers of sefarim that he read cover to cover numerous times. Rabbi Bomzer became close to Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, and for a time was able to serve as Reb Moshe’s driver, which allowed him to personally ask Reb Moshe many halachic questions. One time, he mentioned to Reb Moshe that he had read through the entire Igros Moshe, and he would like to receive semichah Yadin Yadin from him. Reb Moshe replied, “If you read through it all, you don’t need my semichah; you already have it!” However, Reb Moshe indeed tested him, and granted him semichah Yadin Yadin. He had a terrific knack for making everyone around him feel as if each one was his favorite, and he was very close with all his grandchildren. One of the present authors, Aryeh Sklar, once had the merit to walk Rabbi Bomzer back from shul one Friday night, and asked him about the halachah of not davening directly next to one’s father, because it is not considered respectful. “Zeidy,” he asked, “do you think this applies to grandfathers too?” Rabbi Bomzer replied, “Not only doesn’t it apply to grandfathers, I believe it doesn’t even apply to fathers. Nowadays if a son davens next to his father, people look and say, ‘Look at how much honor he gives his father; he davens together with him.’” Rabbi Bomzer created such a relationship with his children and grandchildren that they all felt as if they were being honored by him. Indeed, many people felt it was a great honor to have known Rabbi Herbert W. Bomzer during the 85 years we were privileged to have him with us. By the time he passed away on Friday, February 8, 2013—two days after he and our grandmother celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary—he had enriched the lives of untold numbers of family, friends, rabbanim and ordinary Yidden. He took great joy in the growth of Torah and avodah in each and every one of us—growth that was largely thanks to his influence, and which will accompany him on his final journey to the Olam Ha’emes. n (Reprinted with permission from Hamodia) CHAVRUSA thanks the Bomzer family for this article. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 32 Book Review Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash By Rabbi Cary Friedman (’96R) Compass Books: Linden, NJ Kindle edition [available on Amazon] Reviewed by Rabbi Avraham Gordimer (’94R) Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, affectionately referred to by the Torah scholars and the common people of his time as “the Rebbe Rav Heschel” and “gaon of geonim,” was the rav of Cracow until his passing in 1663, and rebbe to the most influential early Acharonim of the 17th century, including the Shach, for whose commentary on Shulchan Aruch Rav Heschel wrote a haskamah. Among Rav Heschel’s many legacies is the famous sefer Chanukas HaTorah, originally compiled in the late 1800s by Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Erzohn. Rabbi Erzohn sifted through more than two hundred sefarim by Acharonim who quoted Rav Heschel’s insights in their own commentaries on the Torah. He published Chanukas HaTorah in Piotrkow in 1900. Now, Chanukas HaTorah on the Chumash has been made available in English in eBook format (for Amazon’s Kindle eBook Reader), translated and explicated by Rabbi Cary A. (Avraham Peretz) Friedman, (’96R). Presented in a clear and comprehensive format, Rabbi Friedman’s rendering of this timeless Torah classic captures the spirit of the original, making accessible Rav Heschel’s brilliant insights and his deep analyses of Tanach and Talmud. Rav Dovid Cohen, shlita, describes the translation thus: “Rabbi Friedman, shlita, has performed a public service by presenting to us the teachings of one of the titans of yesteryear, those of ‘the Rebbe Rav Heschel,’ as he was fondly called. The translation and elucidation of the masterwork Chanukas HaTorah is of the highest caliber; enjoyable to read and nourishment for the mind …” Rabbi Friedman’s translation is by no means a literal translation. Indeed, it would be meaningless to translate the divrei Torah as found in the original Hebrew Chanukas HaTorah literally and to try to remain faithful to the writing style of the Chanukas HaTorah, because there is no consistent writing style throughout the work. All the divrei Torah are secondhand, reproduced from many different sefarim and sources, each with its own writing style, none of which is Rav Heschel’s. Each dvar Torah reflects the style of the author from which Rav Erzohn took the dvar Torah. Instead, the translation is a conceptual one, and strives for absolute clarity on the conceptual plane. Each dvar Torah is translated in a way that strives to communicate Rav Heschel’s insight clearly, and presents extensive annotation and explication as well. All background information necessary to fully understand Rav Heschel’s divrei Torah, including midrashic, Talmudic and kabbalistic sources, is provided. The original Chanukas HaTorah does not identify most of the texts cited, and one of the major features of this translation is its accurate citations for the hundreds of sources cited in the book. Possible answers to Rav Heschel’s most probing and unresolved questions are also presented. In short, this translation offers the first-ever accessible and comprehensive English version of Rav Heschel’s timeless insights on the Chumash. Generally, the questions Rav Heschel asks are the classic questions based on solid diyukim in the verses posed by commentators throughout history. The questions are concrete and straightforward, but the answers tend to be mystical and esoteric. Except for rare instances, it would be hard to maintain that Rav Heschel’s explanation is the p’shat of the verse, midrash or Talmudic statement he is analyzing. Rather, this is the “yeinah shel Torah”—the technical and philosophical flourishes that hint at C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 other, deeper, half-glimpsed dimensions of Torah that are beyond our everyday experience and ordinary perception of the Torah. Some of these ideas are very mystical in nature, intended for advanced students of Jewish mysticism. Very often Rav Heschel invokes a Talmudic principle or debate in order to elucidate the verse or midrash under consideration. The serious student should first study the Talmudic principle cited in its original location and understand its classic, “literal” meaning before proceeding to consider the variation Rav Heschel invariably introduces. Talmudic principles are invoked not so much for their halachic use as much as for their hashkafic value. After studying the original Talmudic reference, the student of Rav Heschel’s ideas can better perceive multiple layers of unity and consistency in his insights. Rav Heschel’s divrei Torah are graceful and elegant. They have a certain poetic—almost lyrical—quality to them. Rabbi Friedman’s Chanukas HaTorah captures not only the intellectual ideas but also the literary poetry in a most lucid and readable fashion. Chanukas HaTorah is not only a testimony of Rav Heschel’s awesome scope of knowledge, his reverence for da’as Torah, and his infectious love for Torah study, but it is also an eternal legacy for generations to come, and Rabbi Friedman’s is a worthy translation. n Rabbi Avraham Peretz [Cary A.] Friedman is Associate Editor of the OU Press, a popular speaker, and a consultant to the law enforcement community on the topic of police stress and police ethics. The author of five books and numerous articles, he earned an MSEE from Columbia University and semicha from RIETS. 33 Yeshiva University-RIETS and CJF salute the inaugural members of the Elef L’Mateh Society Rabbi Elliot Aberbach Lakewood, NJ Denver, CO We are proud of the leadership role you are playing in helping our Yeshiva support the spread of Torah, in promoting the values and ideals of YU, and in helping inspire and educate the rabbinic and global Jewish community. Rabbi Tobias Feinerman Yonkers, NY Rabbi Robert Hirt New York, NY Rabbi Abraham Lieberman Los Angeles, CA Rabbi Yona Reiss Riverdale, NY Rabbi Andrew Sicklick Woodmere, NY Baltimore, MD Bergenfield, NJ Rabbi Daniel Alter Rabbi Hayyim Angel New York, NY Rabbi Arnold Feldman Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Shlomo Hochberg Jamaica Estates, NY Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Meir Lipschitz Stony Brook, NY New York, NY Chicago, IL Rabbi Ari Rockoff West Hempstead, NY Overland Park, KS Jerusalem, Israel Rabbi Shmuel Silber Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky Rabbi Chaim Strauchler Toronto, Canada Rabbi Jay Fenster Rabbi David Fine Modiin, Israel Rabbi Jacob Hoenig Rabbi Barry Holzer Woodmere, NY Flushing, NY Rabbi Haskel Lookstein Rabbi Asher Lopatin Rabbi Marc Mandel Newport, RI Rabbi Daniel Rockoff Rabbi Walter Rosenbaum Rabbi Yitzchak Rosenblum West Hempstead, NY Fair Lawn, NJ Rabbi Hyman Arbesfeld Kew Gardens, NY New Milford, NJ New Milford, NJ Cleveland, OH Teaneck, NJ Rabbi Shalom Baum Rabbi Adam Berner Rabbi Binyamin Blau Rabbi Kenneth Brander Rabbi Aaron Brody Flushing, NY Atlanta, GA Rabbi Joel Finkelstein Memphis, TN Rabbi Emanuel Holzer Rabbi Fred Hyman New Haven, CT Edison, NJ Rabbi Lawrence Teitelman New Hyde Park, NY Boca Raton, FL Rabbi Daniel Friedman Edmonton, Canada Belle Habor, NY Houston, TX Rabbi Abraham Mann New York, NY Rabbi Martin Rosenfeld Rabbi Azriel Rosner Rabbi Sol Roth New York, NY Passaic, NJ Rabbi Perry Tirschwell Rabbi Kalman Topp Beverly Hills, CA Rabbi Aaron Fruchter Rabbi Barry Gelman Rabbi Gershon C. 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Goldman Silver Spring, MD Mount Kisco, NY New York, NY New York, NY Omaha, NE Rabbi Mark Karasick Rabbi Zev Karpel Rabbi Aaron R. Katz Chicago, IL Rabbi Moshe Neiss Rabbi Asher Oser Rabbi Marvin B. Pachino Jerusalem, Israel Holliswood, NY Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Flushing, NY Rabbi Shimon Wolf Kew Gardens, NY Columbus, OH Rabbi Howard Zack Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler West Orange, NJ Rabbi Max N. Schreier Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Herbert Dobrinsky Rabbi Ira Ebbin Rabbi Simon Eckstein Hollywood, FL Skokie, IL Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Rabbi Sheldon Goldsmith Rabbi Meir Goldwicht Rabbi Jonathan Gross Rabbi Kenneth Hain Lawrence, NY Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier New York, NY Rabbi Marc Penner Rabbi Irwin Peyser z”l Atlantic Beach, NY Beverly Hills, CA Passaic, NJ Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg Highland Park, NJ Los Angeles, CA Newton, MA Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Rabbi Barry Kislowicz Cleveland, OH Flushing, NY Rabbi Ari Segal Rabbi Gershon Segal Rabbi Steven Segal New York, NY Dewitt, NY Rabbi Isaiah Koenigsberg Rabbi Norman Lamm New York, NY Austin, TX Rabbi Adir Posy Rabbi Daniel Price Rabbi Myron Rakowitz Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Zvi Engel Rabbi Reuven Escott Bergenfield, NJ Rabbi Eliezer Langer Rabbi Zalman Levine Teaneck, NJ Rabbi Evan Shore Rabbi Elie Farkas Sydney, Australia Rabbi Neil Hecht Brookline, MA www.yutorah.org/elef As of 5/8/2013 To join the Elef L’Mateh Society, please email [email protected] or call 212.960.5400 x 6014. Life-Cycle Events Books Published Rabbi Hayyim J. Angel ’95R on the publication of Vision from the Prophet and Counsel From the Elders (OU Press, 2013). Rabbi Hayyim J. Angel ’95R and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau ’94R edited Rav Shalom Banayikh: Essays Presented to Rabbi Shalom Carmy by Friends and Students in Celebration of Forty Years of Teaching (Ktav, 2012). Mazal Tov to Rabbi Shalom Carmy ’84R. Rabbi Abraham Cohen ’62R published an article in the JulySeptember 2012 edition of The Jewish Bible Quarterly entitled, “The Eschatological Meaning of the Book of Ruth: Blessed Be God: Asher Lo Hishbit Lakh Goel.” Rabbi Menachem Genack ’73R on the publication of Sefer Birkas Yitzchak, Chidushim U-ve ’urim al HaTorah (OU Press, 2012). Rabbi Raphael Hulkower ’09R, MD, and Rabbi David Shabtai ’09R, MD, co-edited Verapo Yerape IV: The Journal of Torah and Medicine of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Synagogue and RIETS (Yeshiva University Press, 2013) Rabbi Aryeh Klapper ’94R on the publication of The 2012 Aryeh Klapper Reader. Rabbi Dr. Gil S. Perl ’07R on the publication of The Pillar of Volozhin: Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and the World of 19th Century Lithuanian Torah Scholarship (Academic Studies Press, 2012). Rabbi Jacob Sasson ’08R compiled Shiurei HaRav on Maseches Sanhedrin (OU Press, 2013).Series co-editors are RIETS Roshei Yeshiva Rabbi Menachem Genack ’73R and Rabbi Hershel Schachter ’67R. Rabbi Eliezer Schnall ’03R, PhD, on the publication of “Satisfaction and Stressors in a Religious Minority: A National Study of Orthodox Jewish Marriage,” which appeared in the January 2013 issue of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. Rabbi Dr. Noam ’02R and P’nina Weinberg on the publication of White Angel, a children ’s Holocaust book. Rabbi Judah ’01R and Naomi Dardik on the birth of a son, Hillel Meir. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ’75 and Rock Davis on the birth of a grandson, Freddie, born to Ezra and Liora Blumenthal.  Rabbi Yaacov ’96R and Ariella Ellish on the birth of a daughter, Lea Tsiyon. Rabbi Josh ’01R and Penina Flug on their son, Shmulie, becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Rabbi Mallen z”l and Sonia Galinsky on the birth of a granddaughter, Rena, and on their granddaughter, Miriam, becoming a Bat Mitzvah. And to the parents, Rabbi Shimon and Yonat Galinsky. Rabbi Shaanan ’06R and Tzipporah Gelman on the birth of a son, Shalom Yosef. Rabbi Dr. Wallace ’69R and Ronni Greene on their grandson, Sam Sicklick, son of Tamar and Dr. Andrew Sicklick, becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Rabbi Jonathan ’04R and Miriam Gross on the birth of a son, Yosef Tzvi. Rabbi Joshua  ’55R and Claire Hertzberg on the birth of a great-grandson, Yechezkel. Rabbi Yair ’10R and Talia Hindin on the birth of a son, Gavriel Yaakov. Rabbi Ari ’84R and Esther Jacobs on their son, Tzvi, becoming a Bar Mitzvah and on the wedding of their son, Shmuel, to Leora Kotler. Rabbi Yosef ’03R and Elisheva Kalinsky on their daughter, Leah, becoming a Bat Mitzvah. And to the grandparents Rabbi Alan ’76R and Sandy Kalinsky and great-grandparents Isidore and Harriet Kalinsky. Former YUIA President Jay and Judy (Miller) Kalish on the birth of two grandsons, Avraham, to Leora and Yonatan Halperin of Arad, and Yosef Tuvia to Uri and Shira of from Mitzpe Ramon. Judy is the daughter of the late Rabbi Israel and Ruth Miller. Rabbi Joel ’71R and Penina Kutner on the birth of a grandson, Eitan Zvi. And to the great-grandmother, Chaya Reich. Rabbi Naphtali ’09R and Elana Lavenda on the birth of a daughter, Odelia Devora. And to grandparents Rabbi Stuart ’80R and Karen Lavenda. Rabbi Yosie ’06R and Rachel Levine on the birth of a son, Avi. Rabbi Elchanan ’76R and Ruth Lipshitz on the birth of granddaughters: Ma ’ayan Hallel, born to Leora and Yossi Barnett of Yerushalayim; and Kamah, born to Elana and Elyasaf Shweka. Rabbi Haskel Lookstein ’58R on receiving the Israel 65 Award from Israel Bonds. Rabbi Uriel ’01R and Shani Lubetski on the birth of a daughter, Rivka Bluma. Rabbi Sariel ’10R and Susan (Schanler) Malitzky on the birth of a son, Yehuda Meir. Rabbi Dovid ’02R and Meira Mintz on the birth of a son, Avraham. Rabbi Etan ’05 and Tammy Mintz on the birth of a son, Shlomo Avichai Simcha. Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Dr. Norman ’51R and Mindella Lamm on the birth of a greatgrandson, Erez Michael, born to Stu and Ahuva Halpern. Rabbi Meir ’90R and Esther Orlian on their son, Benzion, becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Rabbi Eli ’04R and Zemira Ozarowski on the birth of a son, Eli, and to the grandparents, Rabbi Joe and Ashira Ozarowski. Rabbi Joe and Ashira Ozarowski on the birth of a granddaughter, Serach Eliana, born to Yosef and Chani Newman. Rabbi Kenny ’09R and Ilana Pollack on the birth of a daughter, Chaviva Tzofia. Stanley Raskas ’69R on the marriage of his son, Jonah, to Rachel Gelles of Scarsdale, NY. Rabbi Yona ’91R and Mindy Reiss on their son, Yehuda Dov, becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Mazal Tov Rabbi Moshe ’70R and Cheryl Abramowitz on the birth of a granddaughter, Bina. Those honored at the RIETS Annual Dinner of Tribute: Rabbi Hyman ’56R and Ann Arbesfeld - Eitz Chaim Award; RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hershel Schachter ’67R Guest of Honor; Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler ’01R - Distinguished Rabbinic Leadership Award. Rabbi Kenneth ’78R and Joanne Auman on the birth of a grandson, born to Rabbi and Mrs. Avraham Yitzchak Braunstein. And to the great-grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. George Auman. Rabbi Simon ’10R and Batya Basalely on the birth of twin daughters Esther Ahuva and Miriam Atara. Rabbi Etan ’06R and Yonina Berman on the birth of a son, Dovid Akiva. Rabbi Michael ’12R and Yael Bleicher on the birth of a daughter, Tamar Shoshana. Rabbi Aaron ’59R and Pearl Borow on the marriage of their granddaughter, Shlomit, to Shmuel Schneider. Rosh Kollel YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago, Rabbi Reuven ’05R and Dr. Nechama Brand on the birth of a daughter, Hila Eliana. Rabbi Yitzchak ’12R and Adina Brand on the birth of a son, Akiva Nosson. Rabbi Kenneth ’86R and Ruchie Brander on the marriage of their son, Yoni, to Yehudit Goldberg of Cleveland, OH; and on the marriage of their son, Tuvia, to Miriam Apter of Fair Lawn, NJ. And to the grandparents, Rabbi Aaron ’59R and Ellen Brander. Rabbi Melvin ’74R and Pearl Burg were Guests of Honor at Yeshiva Derech HaTorah ’s thirtythird annual dinner on March 10th. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 35 Life-Cycle Events While Rachel Masters Science... 95% Rabbi Avi ’08R and Daniella (Halstuch) Robinson on the birth of twins, Avigayil Ora and Yehuda Simcha. Rabbi Nachum Rybak ’10R on his marriage to Devorah Miriam Cynamon of Brooklyn, NY. And to Rabbi Rybak ’s parents, Rabbi Dr. Solomon F. ’66R and Shoshana Rybak. Rabbi Benjamin ’060R and Liza Samson on their grandson, Natan Yaakov Samson, son of Dr. and Mrs Yisroel Samson, becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Rabbi Allen ’86R and Alisa Schwartz on the marriage of their son, Moshe, to Renee Kestenbaum of Fair Lawn, NJ; and on the birth of a granddaughter, Kamah, born to Elana and Elyasaf Shweka; and on being honored for 25 Years of Service to the Ohab Zedek community at the Ohab Zedek Annual Dinner. Rabbi Morey ’90R and Deena Schwartz on the birth of a granddaughter, Yuval Leah. Rabbi Simmy ’10R and Devora Shabtai on the birth of a daughter, Avigayil Shprintza. Rabbi Gideon ’97R and Bonnie Shloush on their son, Yair, becoming a Bar Mitzvah; and on being honored with the Leslie Nelkin Special Service Award at the NJOP Annual Dinner. Rabbi Yitzchak  ’56R and Fay Sladowsky on the birth of a greatgrandson. Rabbi Adam ’02R and Talya Starr on their daughter, Maayan, becoming a Bat Mitzvah. Rabbi Harold Tzvi ’80R and Kathy Stern on the marriage of their son, Ezra Shimon, to Ruchi Goldberg. Rabbi Maish ’92R and Atara (Fass) Taragin on the marriage of their daughter, Shoshi, to Dr. Ari Kupietzky, grandson of Rabbi Harris ’63R and Judi Guedalia. Rabbi Lawrence ’92R and Nehama Teitelman and the Young Israel of New Hyde Park on the Chanukas Habayis of Mikveh Yisrael of New Hyde Park. Rabbi Simcha ’01R and Sari Willig on the birth of a son, Azarya Yosef. And to grandparents RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Mordechai ’71R and Faygie Willig. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 Rabbi Ephraim ’61R and Esther Zimand on the birth of a greatgranddaughter, Yuval Leah. Condolences Rabbi Charles Abramchik on the passing of his wife, Harriet Abramchik. Rabbi Richard Auman ’71R on the loss of his father, Reiner Auman. Leona Bomzer on the loss of her husband, Rabbi Chaim Zev “Herbert” W. Bomzer ’51R, father of Rabbi Moshe Bomzer ’75R, Ettie Bloom, Gedaliah Bomzer, Tzipporah Rapps, Esther Sklar and Suri Lewis. Toby Katz, Shoshana Belsky, Heshy Bulman, Shabsi Bulman and Yehudah Bulman on the loss of their mother, Rebbetzin Shaindel Bulman z”l, wife of the late Rabbi Nachman Bulman ’50R z”l RIETS/YU Faculty member, Dr. David Pelcovitz, on the loss of his father-in-law, Donald Butler, the father of Dr. Giti Bendheim, David J. Butler, Rabbi Raphael Butler and Lani Pelcovitz. Rabbi Reuven Cohn ’74R on the passing of his mother, Mrs. Devora Cohn. Rabbi Jerome Dattelkramer ’63R on the loss of his mother, Ceil Dattelkramer. Marilyn Engel on the loss on September 27, 2012 of her husband, Rabbi Gerald (Gedalyah) Engel ’43R, the father of Mayer, Liba, Yehuda & Moshe; & grandchildren Max, Anna, Ari & Leah. Rabbi Howard Finkelstein ’76R on the passing of his mother, Adelaide Finkelstein. Rabbi Mordechai Dov ’68R and Rebbetzin Fine on the passing of their daugher; Rebbetzin Becky (Fine) Charlop, the daughter-in-law of RIETS Menahel Emeritus Rabbi Zevulun Charlop ’54R, and wife of Rabbi Alexander Charlop. Rabbi Hersh M. Galinsky ’58R on the loss of his brother, Rabbi Mallen Galinsky, the husband of Sonia Galinsky and father of Adina Gold, Judah Galinsky, Devora Rosenbaum, Ephraim Galinsky, Shimon Galinsky, Eliezer Galinsky, and Channa Gelfand; brother of Tovah Klahr, Rabbi Hersh M. Galinsky and the late Hadassah Wehl z”l. of our 2012 graduates were employed or in graduate school or both within 6 months of graduation remarkable journeys nowhere but here At Yeshiva University, we understand the cost of Jewish living and the value of Jewish life. We’re making Jewish life affordable. Just ask the 78% of undergraduates who received help with tuition in 2012-2013. Our exceptional Torah scholarship and academic excellence and our commitment to affordability delivers remarkable value to students and parents alike. See for yourself. Call our Office of Student Finance at 212.960.5399 or email [email protected] for a confidential consultation and start your remarkable journey today. *According to a YU Career Development Center survey with an 73% response rate 500 West 185th Street | NY, NY 10033 | 212.960.5277 36 Shirley Ganz on the loss of her husband , Rabbi Moshe (Morris) Life-Cycle Events Ganz ’55R, father of Simmy Orlofsky, Lisa Lichtman, Miriam Ganz and Nachum Ganz. Vivian (and Henry) Rosenberg on the loss of her father, Mr. Jacob Glueck, the husband of the late Dreizel Glueck z”l and donor of The Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Study. Rabbi Stanley Rosenberg ’59R on the loss of his sister, Eleanor Goldberg. Dvorah, Tova, Rabbi Donniel, Adina and Ra ’anan Hartman on the loss of their father, Rabbi Dr. David Hartman ’54R. Esther Heller on the loss of her husband, Honorary Trustee of RIETS, Jacob W. Heller, the father of Maury, Ira and Alan. Vice President Emeritus RIETS, Rabbi Robert S. Hirt ’62R on the loss of his mother, Rose Hirt Pitterman. Rabbi Marshall Korn ’59R on the passing of his wife Ethel Korn, the mother of Margie Glatt, Karen Zimilover and Ronny Korn. Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Dr. Norman ’51R and Mindy Lamm on the loss of their daughter, Sara Lamm Dratch, the wife of Rabbi Mark Dratch ’82R; niece of Rabbi Maurice ’54R and Shirley Lamm. Rabbi Jonathan Muskat ’97R on the loss of his mother, Miriam Muskat. Rabbi Moshe Neiss ’75R and Mrs. Deborah Horowitz on the passing of their father, Rabbi Dr. Edmund Neiss ’48R. Rabbi Meir Neuman ’07R on the loss of his mother, Penina Neuman. Beatrice Peyser on the loss of her husband, Rabbi Irwin Peyser ’54R, the father of Renee Singer, Miriam Goldberg, Ruth Kestenbaum and Joshua Peyser. Former YU Dean Rabbi Jacob ’48R and Toby Rabinowitz on the loss of their son, Rabbi Yosef Rabinowitz ’81R; the husband of Mrs. Chavi Rabinowitz; father of Rabbi Avigdor Rabinowitz and Rabbi Dovi Rabinowitz; and brother of Fayge Novogroder, Rabbi Boruch Rabinowitz, Dovid Rabinowitz, and Esti (and RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Eli Baruch) Shulman. AECOM Associate Professor, Rabbi Dr. Eddie Reichman ’97R on the loss of his father, Rabbi Baruch Reichman. Pnina Schacter on the loss of her husband Rabbi Hershel Schacter ’41R, the father of Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter and Miriam Schacter. CRC and RCA Av Beit Din, HaRav Gedalia Dov Schwartz ’49R on the loss of his brother, HaRav Shimon Yaakov Schwartz. Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller ’73R on the loss of his mother, Peppi Feller. Rabbi Moshe Stepansky ’90R, on the loss of his mother, Sarah Stepansky, the wife of Rabbi Nachum Stepansky. Rabbi Tzvi Stern ’80R on the passing of his mother, Mildred Stern. Eileen Strizower on the loss of her husband, Rabbi Norman Strizower ’46R, the father of Beth Weiss, Howard, Jonathan and Azriel. Rabbi Daniel Tropper ’68R on the loss of his father, Abraham Tropper. Nachum Tuchman and Ann Davidman on the loss of their father, Rabbi Louis Tuchman ’54R. Dr. Renee Rabinowitz on the loss of her husbamd, Rabbi Dr. Stanley M. Wagner ’56R, the father of Chaya and Frady. Rabbi Dr. Moshe Weiss ’51R on the loss of his wife, Shyrle Seidman Weiss, the mother of Dr. Bryna Levy, Rabbi Eli Seidman ’80R, David Seidman and Judah Seidman. Rabbi Dr. Eric Willner ’50R on the loss of his wife, Bronnie Willner, the mother of Eli Willner, Chaya Fruchthandler, Temi Goldgrab, and Faigie Neger. Rabbi Joel Yarmak ’73R on the loss of his father, Mr. Morris Yarmak. Rabbi Moshe Yeres ’78R, Rabbi Alexander Yeres ’80R, Joshua Yeres, Rabbi Chanoch Yeres ’91R, and Rabbi Herschel Yeres on the loss of their father, Rabbi Yitzhak (Irvin) Yeres. ...We’ll Help You Master the Math on College Expenses.* s Include d n room a ! board *A student from Illinois has two siblings in day school. The family has an adjusted gross income of $98,000 a year, and pays $6,900 a year for a YU education. Unlike other private universities, YU’s financial aid calculations consider K-12 tuition for siblings and do not consider the value of a family home and retirement savings. $6,900 *A student from New Jersey has four siblings—one in college and three in day school. The family has an adjusted gross income of $192,000 a year, and pays $18,250 a year for a YU education. Unlike other private universities, YU’s financial aid calculations consider K-12 tuition for siblings and do not consider the value of a family home and retirement savings. $18250 , Scenarios are based on the comprehensive cost of a YU undergraduate education for the 2012-2013 academic year, include all scholarships awarded, federal and state grants and loans received, and standard room and board. Additional fees are not included. Financial aid awards are based on many factors, are subject to funding availability and may vary significantly. This is not a guarantee of your actual cost to attend YU. C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 37 Life-Cycle Events The Gertrude & Morris Bienenfeld Department of Jewish Career Development and Placement, a division of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future, serving RIETS, Azrieli, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) and the Orthodox Union (OU), congratulates the following leaders on their newly obtained positions in avodat hakodesh. Gershon Albert (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern, Young Israel of Scarsdale Scarsdale, NY Joseph Albo (RIETS) Downtown Rabbi, Manhattan Jewish Experience New York, NY Avi Anderson (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Roslyn Synagogue Roslyn, NY Rabbi Chaim Axelrod ‘10R Assistant Rabbi, Young Israel of Long Beach Long Beach, NY Rabbi Eli Babich ‘02R Assistant Rabbi, Fifth Avenue Synagogue New York, NY Rabbi Eli Belizon ‘10R Rosh Kollel, Fair Lawn Community Kollel Fair Lawn, NJ Rabbi Dovi Bergman ‘11R Rebbe, Seattle Hebrew Academy Seattle, WA Reu Berman (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Ohr HaTorah Bergenfield, NJ Rabbi Moshe Bernstein ‘69R David A. and Fannie M. Denenberg Chair in Biblical Studies, Yeshiva University New York, NY Rabbi Binyamin Blau ‘89R Rabbi, Green Road Synagogue Cleveland, OH Rabbi Yitzchak Blau ‘94R Faculty, Yeshivat Orayta Jerusalem, Israel Rael Blumenthal (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Keter Torah Teaneck, NJ Rabbi Yitzchak Brand ‘12R Faculty, Yeshiva University High School for Boys New York, NY Rabbi Baruch Dov Braun ‘10R Rabbi, Young Israel of Avenue J Brooklyn, NY Rabbi Avraham Bronstein ‘09R Development Executive , Ohr Torah Stone Institutions New York, NY Program Director, Great Neck Synagogue Great Neck, NY Rabbi Steven Burg ‘06R Eastern Director , Simon Wiesenthal Center New York, NY Robert Charnoff (RIETS) JLIC Couple, Queens College Flushing, NY Yaakov (Andrew) Cohen (RIETS) Teacher, YULA Girls Los Angeles, CA Rabbi Mordechai Cohen ‘90R Adjunct Fellow, Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Rabbi Michael Davies ‘09R Rabbi, Congregation Dor Tikvah Charleston, SC Rabbi Moshe Davis ‘08R Rabbi, Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue Charleston, SC Rabbi Baruch Dov Braun ‘10R Rebbe, DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys Woodmere, NY Rabbi Mark Dratch ‘82R Executive Vice President , Rabbinical Council of America New York, NY Rabbi Adam Dubin ‘11R Development Associate, Manhattan Jewish Experience New York, NY Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn ‘04R Rabbi, Kehillat Yavneh Los Angeles, CA Rabbi Steven Eisenberg ‘05R Assistant Principal, Judaic Studies, Elementary Division, Yeshiva of Central Queens Flushing , NY Matt Feigin (RIETS) Teacher, Torah Academy of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Moshe Faigen (RIETS) Kiruv Rabbi, The Chevra Philadelphia, PA Rabbi Elie Farkas ‘07R Chief Minister, Kingsford Maroubra Hebrew Congregation Sydney , Australia Rabbi Yaacov Feit ‘06R Administrator , RCBC’s Beis Din For Geirus Teaneck, NJ Roy Feldman (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun New York, NY Rabbi Daniel Feldman ‘98R Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS, Yeshiva University New York, NY Shaya First (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Young Israel of Jamaica Estates Jamaica Estates, NY Aaron Fleksher (RIETS) Rebbe, DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys Woodmere, NY Rabbi Arie Folger ‘03R Rabbi, Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria Germany Daniel Fox (RIETS) Assistant Rabbi / Youth Director , Beth Jacob Congregation Oakland, CA Rabbi Yoni Fox ‘10R Kollel Fellow, Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago Chicago, IL Adam Frieberg (RIETS) Kollel Fellow, Yeshiva University-Torah MiTzion Beit Midrash Zichron Dov Toronto, Canada Elisha Friedman (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Adereth El New York, NY Rabbi Mordy Friedman ‘05R RA”M, Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi Jerusalem, Israel Rabbi Yitzchak Genack ‘13R Assistant Rabbi, Riverdale Jewish Center Bronx, NY Rabbi Yaakov Glasser ‘01R Director of Education, International NCSY New York, NY Rabbi Ezra Goldschmiedt ‘11R Rabbi, Congregation Sha’arei Torah Cincinnati, OH Rabbi Shmuel Goldstein ‘80R Director of Religious and Academic Studies, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey Paramus, NJ Rabbi Joshua Goller ‘09R Assistant Rabbi, Young Israel of West Hempstead West Hempstead, NY Rabbi Uri Gordon ‘86R Director of Content and Curriculum Development, Hebrew Charter School Center New York, NY Yosef Gottesman (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Beth Din of America New York, NY Rabbi Seth Grauer ‘04R Rosh Yeshiva/Head of School, Bnei Akiva Schools Toronto, Canada Rabbi Maury Grebenau ‘04R Head of School, South Peninsula Hebrew Day School Palo Alto, CA Rabbi Daniel Greenwald ‘86R Assistant to the Rabbi, Congregation Edmond J. Safra New York, NY Rabbi Ira Grussgott ‘79R Resident Chaplain , Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Elmhurst, IL Rabbi Moshe Grussgott Rabbi, Congregation Ramath Orah New York, NY Rabbi Shaye Guttenberg ‘10R Interim Rabbi, Adath Israel Congregation San Francisco, CA Rabbi Shmuel Hain ‘01R Rosh Beit Midrash, SAR High School Riverdale, NY David Hein (RIETS) Educational Staff, Manhattan Jewish Experience New York, NY Rabbi Basil Herring ‘73R Editor in Chief, RCA Press, and Editor of the RCA Siddur, Rabbinical Council of America New York, NY Adam Hertzberg (RIETS) Teacher, Ramaz Middle School New York, NY Rabbi Yair Hindin ‘10R Rabbi, Synagogue of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, NY Rabbi Peretz Hochbaum ‘94R Principal, Jewish Educational Center’s Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy Elizabeth, NJ Rabbi Evan Hoffman ‘06R Rabbi, Congregation Anshe Sholom New Rochelle, NY Rabbi Avery Joel ‘05R Head of High School , Fuchs Mizarach School Cleveland, OH Rabbi Michael Kaplan Rabbi, Congregation Ahavath Achim Portland, OR Yosef Kassorla (RIETS) Middle School Rebbe, Hillel Day School Boca Raton, FL Rabbi Avi Kilimnick ‘08R Assistant Rabbi, Congregation Beth Sholom Rochester, NY Rabbi Barry Kislowicz ‘03R Head of School , Fuchs Mizarach School Cleveland, OH Rabbi Effie Kleinberg ‘12R Rebbe, RAMAZ New York, NY Nuriel Klinger (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Ahavas Achim Highland Park, NJ C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 38 Life-Cycle Events Rabbi Eli Kohl ‘08R Rabbi, Mt. Kisco Hebrew Congregation Mt. Kisco, NY Joshua Koperwas (RIETS) Limudei Kodesh instructor., Yeshivat Bnei Akiva Or Chaim and Ulpanat Orot Girl’s Schools Toronto, Canada Rabbi Aaron Kraft ‘09R Rosh Chabura, Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago Chicago, IL Rabbi Binyamin Krohn ‘10R Assistant Rabbi, Congregation Rinat Yisrael Teaneck, NJ Rabbi Jonathan Kroll ‘96R Head of School, Weinbaum Yeshiva High School Boca Raton, FL Ari Lamm (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , The Jewish Center New York, NY Michael Langer (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future New York, NY Reuven Lebovitz (RIETS) Kollel Fellow, Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago Chicago, IL Rabbi Binyamin Lehrfield ‘11R Rabbi, Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob Albany, NY Darren Levin (RIETS) JLIC Couple, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Rabbi Aaron Levitt ‘05R Judaic Studies Principal , Beren Academy Houston, TX Rabbi Rafi Lipner ‘01R Rabbi, Shaarei Tefillah Congregation Toronto, Canada Rabbi Joshua Lookstein ‘98R Head of School, Westchester Hebew Academy Westchester, NY Rabbi Marc Mandel ‘88R Rabbi, Touro Synagogue Jeshuat Israel Congregation Newport, RI Alon Meltzer (RIETS) Youth Rabbi, Hebrew Institute of White Plains White Plains, NY Rabbi Etan Mintz ‘05R Rabbi, B’nai Israel Congregation Baltimore, MD Rabbi Eliezer Mischel ‘07R Rabbi, Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Orthodox Livingston, NJ Rabbi Duvie Nachbar ‘05R Rebbe, GPATS, Yeshiva University New York, NY Rabbi Ari Neuman ‘13R JLIC Rabbi, Orthodox Union, University of Maryland Baltimore, MD Rabbi David Pardo JLIC Rabbi, Orthodox Union, Brandeis University Boston, MA Rabbi Menachem Penner ‘95R Acting Dean of RIETS and undergraduate Torah studies , Yeshiva University New York, NY Dov Pianko (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Young Israel of New Hyde Park Queens, NY Rabbi Adir Posy ‘06R Associate Rabbi, Beth Jacob Congregation Beverly Hills, CA Rabbi Daniel Price ‘04R Head of School, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey Paramus, NJ Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky ‘06R Rabbi, Irving Place Minyan Woodmere, NY Sam Reinstein (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue Washington, DC Itamar Rosensweig (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Ahavath Torah Englewood, NJ Rabbi Avrumi Sacks ‘96R Head of School / Chief Academic Officer, Tiferet Academy / AJE Woodmere, NY Rabbi Mordechai Schiffman ‘12R Assistant Rabbi, Kingsway Jewish Center Brooklyn, NY Elliot Schrier (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Congregation Beth Sholom Lawrence, NY Rabbi Ezra Schwartz ‘01R Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS, Yeshiva University New York, NY Rabbi Tsvi Selengut ‘11R Rabbi, Congregation Ohab Zedek Belle Harbor Jewish Center Belle Harbor, NY Shoel Umeishiv , DRS Lev Shlomo College Program Woodmere, NY Yosef Sharbat (RIETS) Rebbe, Yeshivat Noam Paramus, NJ Daniel Sherman (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , West Side Institutional Synagogue New York, NY Rabbi Sandor Shulkes ‘11R Assistant Rabbi/Yachad Chapter Coordinator, Congregation Shaare Tefilla Dallas, TX Rabbi Eliyahu Baruch Shulman Rabbi Henry H. Guterman Chair in Talmud, Yeshiva University New York, NY Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky ‘07R Rosh Beit Midrash, Kohelet Hebrew High School Philadelphia, PA Rabbi Benjamin Skydell ‘05R Assistant Rabbi, Congregation Orach Chaim New York, NY Rabbi Mordechai Soskil Middle and Upper School Limudei Kodesh Principal, Maimonides School Boston, MA Zev Spitz (RIETS) Rabbi, Young Israel of Holliswood Holliswood, NY Rabbi Rami Strosberg ‘07R Head of School, Westchester Hebrew Academy Westchester, NY Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz ‘05R Rabbi, West Side Institutional Synagogue New York, NY Rabbi Michael Taubes ‘83R Rosh Kollel, Stamford YU Summer Kollel Stamford, CT Rabbi David Teller ‘12R Rebbe, Hamilton Hebrew Academy Hamilton, Canada Rabbi Perry Tirschwell ‘97R Executive Director, Robert M Beren Academy Houston, TX Rabbi Ya’akov Trump ‘11R Assistant Rabbi, Young Israel of LawrenceCedarhurst Cedarhurst, NY Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky ‘10R Rebbe, Yeshivat Sha’alvim Shaalvim, Israel Rabbi Ira Wallach ‘10R Rebbe, The Ramaz School New York, NY Rabbi David Warshaw ‘74R Executive Director, Young Israel of West Hempstead West Hempstead, NY Rabbi Chaim I. Waxman ‘66R Fellow, Oxford Centre for Jewish Studies London, England Rabbi Noam Weinberg ‘02R Director, Na’aleh- Camp Mesorah’s Summer Israel Program Rabbi Sam Weinberg Head of School, Hillel Academy Pittsburg, PA Rabbi Moshe Weinberger ‘93R Mashgiach Ruchani, Yeshiva University New York, NY Mordy Weisel (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) New York, NY David Weiss (RIETS) Rabbinic Intern , Mt. Sinai Jewish Center New York, NY Rabbi Zvi Weiss ‘11R Coordinator, National and Summer Programs, Yachad/ National Jewish Council for Disabilities New York, NY Rabbi Naphtali Weisz ‘06R Founding Member, Teach for Israel Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank ‘05R Rosh Kollel, YU / Bnai Yeshurun Beis Medrash Teaneck, NJ Rabbi Moshe Winograd Campus Rabbi, Aish Connections @ Brooklyn College, Aish Connections Brooklyn, NY Daniel Wolfe (RIETS) Campus Rabbi, Aish Connections @ University of Albany Albany, NY Rabbi Akiva Wolk ‘10R Summer Rabbi, Julian Krinsky Yesh Shabbat King of Prussia, PA Rabbi Benjamin Yasgur ‘80R Rabbi, Congregation Torah Ohr Century Village West, Boca Raton, FL Rabbi Michael Zauderer ‘09R Director of Educational Systems, The Frisch School Paramus, NJ Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Assistant Rabbi, The Jewish Center New York, NY C H AV R U S A • S I VA N 57 7 3 39 Yeshiva University Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Center for the Jewish Future 500 West 185 Street New York, NY 10033