Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz spent Thursday afternoon at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn honoring the nine finalists of the annual Holocaust Memorial Scholarship Contest. The contest is a project of the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee and includes students from all of Brooklyn’s public high schools.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
Remembering a Crown Heights fixture who synthesized Jewish learning and secular knowledge in a singular way.
In the deepest early morning of March 7, on California’s Pacific Coast Highway, a gold Cadillac driven by a drunk ran a red light, hit a bus and then spun around until it smacked into a white rental car driven by a man named Gedaliah Shaffer. Shaffer had flown into California from Brooklyn that evening, and as an inveterate traveler began the journey to a professional conference with a little sightseeing on one of the country’s more scenic drives.
But when the Cadillac hit him, Shaffer was instantly killed.
The Midrash records the story of when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai lost his son. Upon hearing the news his students all came to comfort him. Each one cited another great individual who had lost a child. To each he responded, “You are not comforting me. You are, instead, giving me more to grieve about.” In the end, Rabbi Eliezer ben Azaryah was the one who comforted him. He presented the following analogy:
A king once deposited a very special object with a trusted subject. Every day, the man would anticipate the moment when he could return the precious object and no longer have to bear the responsibility. He was apprehensive that he might not return it to the king in perfect condition. How happy was he when the awaited day arrived, and he was able to return a perfect item to the king.
“So too,” said Rabbi Eliezer, “Hashem gave you a precious deposit. You nurtured it; you taught him Torah, and he left this world sinless, a pious scholar who took leave of his earthly abode much in the manner that he arrived – perfect. You should feel good that you returned the 'King's' deposit in such exceptional condition.”
The Midrash records the story of when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai lost his son. Upon hearing the news his students all came to comfort him. Each one cited another great individual who had lost a child. To each he responded, “You are not comforting me. You are, instead, giving me more to grieve about.” In the end, Rabbi Eliezer ben Azaryah was the one who comforted him. He presented the following analogy:
A king once deposited a very special object with a trusted subject. Every day, the man would anticipate the moment when he could return the precious object and no longer have to bear the responsibility. He was apprehensive that he might not return it to the king in perfect condition. How happy was he when the awaited day arrived, and he was able to return a perfect item to the king.
“So too,” said Rabbi Eliezer, “Hashem gave you a precious deposit. You nurtured it; you taught him Torah, and he left this world sinless, a pious scholar who took leave of his earthly abode much in the manner that he arrived – perfect. You should feel good that you returned the ‘King’s’ deposit in such exceptional condition.”
Fox Chapel, PA — A routine errand for Rabbi Ely Rosenfeld put him on a path he wasn’t anticipating: working in support of those who deal daily with the unanticipated.
Three months ago, Rabbi Rosenfeld became chaplain to the 35-member Guyasuta Fire Department, the largest of three firefighting units in O’Hara.
With sadness we inform you of the passing of R. Mendel Clapman OBM of Flatbush.
He is survived by his wife Bina and his children, R. Yehuda Clapman (Crown Heights), Chana Leah Chaifetz (Flatbush) and R. Binyomin Clapman (Far Rockaway, NY).
The Levaya will be Today, Friday, from Shomrei Hadaas at 12:00pm.
Baruch Dayan Haemes
This weeks living torah clip is from volume 34, episode 136, titled: A good Russian fire.
Also available with French, Hebrew and Russian subtitles in the Extended Article.
Westmount, Canada — She’s a Jewish U.S. naval reserve officer, she keeps kosher and Shabbat, and she has completed two tours of duty in Iraq.
In the 1940s and 50s, before the proliferation of Jewish day schools, most Jewish children went to public schools. Many of them in the New York area will recall those Wednesday afternoons when they along with their Jewish classmates, were excused from class for an hour of Jewish education and recreational activity.
Crown Heights, Brooklyn — Over the last two days of Yom Tov more then 5 cars had been broken into, CrownHeights.info received a few reports that there were three break-ins within our immediate neighborhood and a few further out.
One car was hit on Union St between Kingston and Albany while another was broken into on Clove Road between Malbone and Montgomery. These particular incidents the perpetrator used a flat head screwdriver to break the windows and in both incidents the contents of the glove box were emptied and rummaged through, yet nothing was taken. In one of the cars there was GPS device in the glove box and the perpetrator handled it, yet did not take it.
More in the Extended Article.
The Rebbe says:
1. The previous Torah portion (Parshas Tzav) told us about how the Jewish people inaugurated the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) for seven days. This weeks Torah portion starts off with telling us that “On the eighth day” Aaron the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest) and his sons the Kohanim (the Priests) were anointed to their positions (Leviticus, Chapter 9, Verse 1).
2. The Rebbe now asks a question which is asked by one of the commentaries called the “Kli Yakar”(Rabbi Shlomo Efraim of Luntchitz):
Question: The seven days of inaugurating the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) are one thing and the day of anointing Aaron and his sons is another, so why does the Torah call the day of their anointing the eighth day??
It is with immense sorrow we that we were informed of the passing of the venerable Chossid and Tomim Harav Shalom Dov Ber Kievman, z“l , a resident of Kfar Chabad. He passed away this passed Sunday, Chof Nissan.
Reb Berel Kievman was the son of the HaRav HaChossid R. Dovid Harodoker, zt”l, a renowned Chossid of the Rebbe Rashab, zy”a who it was said on him that he was a ‘Beinoni’. Reb Berel was known as a genius well versed in both ‘Nigleh’ and Chassidus. Those who spoke with him immediately were baffled by his phenomenal memory and brilliance. He was a walking encyclopedia.
Branford, CT — When it comes to Passover, Rabbi Yossi Yaffe knows how to get just about everyone in the spirit.
After distributing over 400 Passover gift bags to shoreline families for the seventh year in a row, Yaffe, director of Chabad of the Shoreline, has once again proved his commitment to helping others grow in their Jewish heritage.
“We’re based in Branford, but we serve all the shoreline towns,” says Yaffe. “It makes [Passover] real so we can live and experience it, so it is not just abstract.”
The marketers of Splenda have made millions by confusing consumers into thinking the yellow packets contain a natural product and not an artificial sweetener, its chief rival told a jury Tuesday in a trial that pits Splenda against its rivals in the $355 million market for sugar substitutes.
Splenda has cornered the $1.5 billion market for sugar substitutes since its 2000 debut through false advertising that implies Splenda contains sugar, the manufacturer of Equal says.
Brooklyn, NY — At around 6:45am this morning there was a three car accident in the intersection of Empire Blvd and Troy Ave. The incident began when a cabbie rear ended an Infinity sedan causing it to loose control and hit a parked SUV and bounce off it into a gate where the car came to rest.
More pictures in the Extended Article.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
In the picture: Shlomo Lehrer in Kingston Pizza is taking out a ready pie of pizza on Motzoai Yom Tov.
In the picture: Yossel Mochkin in the Kerchme Pizzah Shop is putting a pie of pizza in the oven on Motzoai Yom Tov.
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