18 October 2026
Rav Yehuda Meir Shapiro of Lublin zt"l
Rav Yehuda Meir Shapiro of Lublin zt"l
הרב יהודה מאיר בן יעקב שמשון שפירא זצ"ל
Cheshvan 7 , 5694
Known As: founder of Daf Yomi , Rosh Yeshivah Chachmei Lublin
Father's Name: Yaakov Shimshon Shapira
Rav Yehuda Meir Shapiro of Lublin’s father, Rav Yaakov Shimshon Katz of Shatz, Romania, was a descendant of Rav Pinchas Koretz, a talmid of the Ba’al Shem Tov.
His mother, Margala, was the daughter of Rav Shmuel Yitzchok Shor, mechaber of Minchas Shai, and a descendant of the Tevu’as Shor.
He was also a descendant of Rav Bechor Shor of Orleans, one of the Ba’alei Tosafos.
He was married in 1906 and took his first appointment, Rav of Galina, in 1911. In 1921, he became Rav of Sanok, then in 1924 Rav of Piotrkov. It was while there that he wrote his sefer Or HaMeir.
Also in 1923, he began the first cycle of Daf Yomi, having shared this idea at the first Knessia Gedola of Agudas Yisrael the previous year. That first cycle began on Rosh HaShana in 1923 and was completed 2702 days later on Tu Bishvat in 1931.
His other major project was to found the Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin in 1930.
״אתם לא יודעים מה קורה מאחורי הפרגוד בעניין הצבא!״ | מנהיג הדור הגרמ"ה הירש ⚡
בכינוס חירום סגור של 'דגל התורה' בהשתתפות חברי מועצת גדולי התורה ועשרות ראשי ישיבות, נשא מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הגאון רבי משה הלל הירש שליט"א, נאום מנהיגותי מכונן ויוצא דופן בכנותו ובעוצמתו. בצעד נדיר, מניח מנהיג הדור הגרמ"ה הירש שליט"א את האצבע על הפצע הפתוח ומתייחס ישירות לתסכול ולספקות של בני הישיבות: "אי אפשר להכחיש את העובדה שיש התעוררות ושואלים: מה העניין? הרי שום דבר לא יצא!". מיד לאחר מכן, מטיל מרן ראש הישיבה פצצה וחושף לראשונה: "הם לא יודעים מה שהולך מאחורי הקלעים, מאחורי הפרגוד! יש מהלכים ודרכים לעכב בידם שאי אפשר לדבר עליהם בגלוי – ודאי יהיו שינויים שלא נעשו קודם, שיעזרו גם לעניין הצבא!". בדבריו הבהיר כי כל המהלכים הללו תלויים בכוח שיינתן לנציגות התורנית, וקרא לראשי הישיבות להנחיל לבחורים את חובת הציות לזקני הדור כדי להציל את עולם התורה. צפו בתיעוד המלא והבלעדי, עם כיתוביות! A dramatic and historic address by the Leader of the Generation, Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Shlit"a, before the Council of Torah Sages and dozens of Roshei Yeshiva. Addressing the frustrations among Yeshiva students regarding the ongoing draft crisis and political stalemates, Rabbi Hirsch reveals that critical, unprecedented moves are happening behind closed doors that cannot be discussed publicly. He urges Yeshiva students to trust the wisdom of the elders to ensure the victory and protection of the Torah world. 📢 אנחנו בשליחות להפיץ את אורם של גדולי הדור לכל יהודי בעולם! 🌍 בקרוב נעלה תיעוד היסטורי גנוז ומצמרר שמעולם לא פורסם!
THE TRUE POWER OF UNITY .......
.....with the Sages:
These
(and many more missing faces)
are United against the Chareidim
the Haredi lifestyle of adherence to Halacha,
our Torah, and the bnei yeshivos.
Unity is a great thing! But it depends who says it. And all
these beautiful words, we have to watch out who is saying them
and why he’s saying them.
Don’t join unless you know that tzaddikim are at the head of it.
Otherwise, union is the greatest disaster.
Shalom Pollack: Second Bird Migration Tour
Tuesday, November 10
"Agmon Hachula" bird sanctuary in the Hula Valley.
Because the November 3 tour is full, I am offering the same tour on Tuesday, November 10.
Each year at this time, vast numbers of birds migrate from Russia to Africa. The lush Hula Valley, with its shallow ponds and grasslands, provides resting and feeding grounds to continue their flight.
Birds and nature lovers near and far come to witness this amazing phenomenon, which lasts only a very short time.
The bird sanctuary authorities advise me this is the perfect time of year and
the best time is just before sundown.
It is reserved for us.
I have hired their local expert to guide us in their special vehicle that will allow us to visit restricted parts of the preserve.
Departure from the Inbal Hotel at 12:30 pm
and return approx. 8 pm
We will stop along the way for toilet breaks and snacks, but not full meals
You should be "after lunch" by departure time.
We will daven mincha and maariv.
Once again, seats are limited by the park authorities.
There will not be a third tour this season.
350 shekels
Rebbetzen Tziporah: A Light For The Teiva
Dear friends,
If you are at all like me, there are a lot of things that you forget. They range from where you put your glasses to who the woman sitting next to you on the bus, and who greeted you so warmly, actually is. Then there are things you never forget. They are ingrained so deeply in your identity that even if you tried, the memory would still surface. One of them is that you are a human being and what that really means.
THE WORLD BEFORE THE MABUL: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FORGET WHAT A HUMAN BEING IS
The corruption that brought the Mabul was not merely a matter of breaking rules. It reflected a profound distortion of how human beings saw one another. When people lose sight of the spiritual dimension of human life, they begin to treat others as objects to be used. Rav Dessler taught: the contrast between taking and giving relates to whether your identity is primarily your body or your soul. The body loves to take, while the soul needs to contribute and give. Your nekudas habechirah in this area is not simply whether you perform a particular good deed, but what kind of human being you are in the midst of becoming. A world built around taking eventually destroys the relationships and structures that make human life possible.
As human life spiraled downward, the generation of the flood were described with the word chamas, which is translated by Targum Onkelos as “grabbers”. Against this background, Noach stands out. He remains righteous in a world that has lost its human identity.
NOACH: PRESERVING A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIFE
The Torah introduces Noach as “אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו” – “A righteous man, wholehearted in his generations” (Bereishis 6:9).
Noach's righteousness matters because he does not simply absorb the values of the society around him. He preserves a different way of seeing the world and living in it. The teivah becomes the place where that life is protected. But how can life be sustained in a world covered by darkness?
THE TZOHAR: A LIGHT WITHIN THE TEIVAH
Hashem commands Noach: “צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה” – “Make a tzohar for the teivah” (Bereishis 6:16).
Rashi offers two interpretations for what a ‘tzohar’ is: a window, or a precious stone that provides light. The teivah was more than a shelter from destruction. It is a place in which life can continue, sustained by a light that the darkness outside cannot extinguish.
The Torah is a tzohar – a place where a particular vision of human life remains visible and alive, even when the surrounding world does not share it. It is the world’s blueprint and its light, the light created on the first day remains in the collective heart of Am Yisrael.
My wonderful daughter in law, Judith (now Heller, but originally Ehrenreich) came from a home in which the tzohar was alive and touched the vision of reality of everyone who lived there. Her father, Reb Kalman, was a baal teshuvah. As far as we know, Atlanta was the first place where he began his journey toward Torah observance; later, he lived in Detroit. The organized frameworks and support systems available to baalei teshuvah today were not what they are now. No Ohr Samayach and no Aish. He was building a Torah life in a different setting, without necessarily having the ready-made structures that later generations might take for granted. He had to make Torah not merely an ideal he believed in, but a way of living: the rhythm of a home, the standards by which decisions were made, the values absorbed by children, and the assumptions that shaped everyday life.
When he raised a frum family in Detroit, something important had happened. What may have begun as an individual search had become the shared world of a family. That is a different achievement from personal religious growth alone. He helped make it possible for the next generation to grow up inside a world that he had to build for himself.
A child raised in a Torah home may not always recognize how much had to happen for that home to exist. What is difficult and extraordinary for one generation can become ordinary for the next. That is one of the blessings of a successful spiritual legacy. The children inherit more than practices and beliefs. They inherit a framework for understanding people, responsibility, family, suffering, joy, and the purpose of life. They grow up genuinely human. They may not have to make the same journey their parent made. But they inherit the responsibility of deciding what to do with the light that has been given to them.
The teivah was essential, but it was not meant to become Noach's permanent world. When the Flood ends, Noach must leave the place in which life was protected and begin the work of rebuilding life on earth. The purpose of preserving life is not simply preservation as an end goal. Life must continue, develop, and bring its values into the world.
The same is true of a Torah home. It must be a place of protection and nourishment, but its light is not meant to remain confined within its walls.
THE CONNECTION TO THE FAMILY:
Judith's father built a Torah home. The next generations receive that home as a gift, but also as a responsibility. They are not required to repeat his journey in precisely the same way. They are called to carry forward what he made possible, each in the circumstances of their own lives.
No two people express the same legacy in exactly the same way.
One generation gives the next a foundation, not a script for every detail of life.
The contrast between taking and giving returns here. A legacy is not fully received merely by possessing it. It is received when we allow it to shape what we give to others.
Each generation has its own tzohar. Learning from those who built families, and those who built the Am are both part of becoming a person who can find their own light. My daughter Devorah also makes it her task to take that light and bring it to others. She is organizing a trip to Bnei Brak, to the home of the Chazon Ish and other gedolim. You can reach her at Time4yid@gmail.com or by going to All About "A Time For Yiddishkeit" to find out more about trips, shiurim, and more.
The greatest tribute we can offer someone who built a Torah home is not merely to remember how much he accomplished. It is to recognize the light he placed in our hands –and to make sure that it continues to illuminate the lives of those who come after us.
Love,
Tziporah
Toras Avigdor - Noach - Elections - Unity - Floods
Toras Avigdor on Noach read like the news we are experiencing on a day to day basis. Some of it was eerily similiar to certain events unfolding. Included are some excerpts that capture this.
First, here is a copy of the 70 Nations that came from Noach and his Family after the Mabul:
Notice the numerous clans/offshoot from Noach's son Ham. Is this not the majority of the UN that walked out on PM Netanyahu? Does this not look like the majority of Nations on planet Earth?
All this came after the Flood (the Al-Aqsa Flood).
First by Water (more than 40 days from before Rosh HaShana), Now by Fire: Many nations/countries have been experiencing outlandish flooding by raging waters and landslides. Now some are also experiencing Fire and Earthquakes.
Now from Toras Avigdor:
The Danger of Unity
Part II. The Danger of Unity
Words and Thoughts
“Now, the question is, what could be the evil here? It sounds
like something wonderful, to keep people united! So we have to
realize when the Torah reports a certain episode, it doesn’t
mean all of the things that are put in their mouths were said by
them. Some things they say for themselves but some things were
only thoughts. We have to try to discover which are the things
that they said, and which are the things that are attributed to
them. […]
“Now, Nimrod and his cohorts said why they wanted to do
this. And ostensibly the reason was– lest we scatter over
the face of the earth.” And we understand that they said those
words; they proclaimed it as a banner to rally around […]
“The Power Tower
Which means that they were promoting this scheme because
they wanted glory and power. They said, “Lest we scatter,” but
you have to put those words into his mouth – “we’ll
make for ourselves a name.” It means we’ll gain control.
******
The Mystery of Languages
I DIGRESS: Here I am inserting something I read in
“When The Stones Speak” by Doron Spielman:
Ch. Palestina, pg 118 it says “…the very word Palestinian
is of Latin origin, the language of Emperor Hadrian,
and it cannot be pronounced in Arabic, which lacks the
consonant “P”. One often hears Arabic speakers
refer to “Palestine” as “Balastine.”
From this I propose that in the “confusion of languages” that
came upon those at Bavel, maybe Hashem removed one letter
from each of several groups of “builders” from their Hebrew tongue
(because they all spoke Hebrew) eventually becoming “scattered”
into groups/nations (70).
Back to Toras Avigdor
******
Scattering Begins
And at that time a squabble arose, and there became a disunity,
and the plan broke up.
Part III. The Power of Disunity
The True Name of Bavel
Now, how important was this confusion of languages for the
future of mankind? How important was it to break up the unity
of irresponsible people? So it’s interesting to note that the end
of this story, it says,– And therefore — because of this confusion,
the fight over languages — they called the place Bavel (Bereishis 11:9).
Bavel is from balal, to “mix up” the language.
Now, everyone knows that it’s not that simple because Bavel
is not balal — Bavel is one word and balal, to confuse and mix up,
is something else. But listen now to this important rule: When
the Torah says,– and therefore,” the Torah is telling us it’s not
like you think. The academicians and the historians think
they know: Bavel means “Bav-Bel”; they had an idol called Bel
and they called that place Bav-Bel, the gateway of Bel. That’s
why they gave it a name.
So along comes the Torah and says, “You thought at that time
that’s the reason you’re giving it a name. But actually you were
prophesying what’s going to happen […] – it’s because of this.
It’s of the greatest importance to know that when wicked people
get together, it’s a danger for the world and it’s vital to
frustrate that union.
Scattered Jews
And that’s the reason why we are scattered in exile today. In
Eretz Yisroel, under the righteous kings, everybody kept the
Torah. But when we were together in Eretz Yisroel and wrong
people gained power and they had power over the entire Jewish
nation, it was a disaster.
BEWARE THE ELECTION of
UNITED ENEMIES OF THE TORAH
To come together like the plan of the Zionists now — all Jews
should come to Israel — and who should be the president? An
atheist. A man who doesn’t put on tefillin, who doesn’t eat kosher,
he should be a leader of Jews. […]
It’s one of the great lessons of this ancient story of the
Dor Haflagah – When the wrong people get together,
it’s a terrible thing!
The kiyum, the existence of the Holy Nation depends
very much on being united only under the influence and
control of the Torah Sages – when good people come
together, it’s a benefit for them, and it’s also a benefit
for the world. And anything else, any other unity,
is dangerous for the future of the Am Yisroel.
****************
התראה מצמררת של המנהיג הרב לנדו: כוחות טומאה ורפיון מבקשים לחדור פנימה ולהחליש את כח התורה ואת יראיה
במעונו של מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א נפתח מטה יוצאי ברית המועצות בהשתתפות רבם של יוצאי ברית המועצות בישראל הגאון ר׳ בן ציון זילבר שליט"א למען יהדות התורה - ג'. וכן השתתפו: יו"ר יהדות התורה ח"כ הרב יעקב אשר הח"כ המיועד הרב דוד זלץ, מ"מ רה"ע ירושלים הרב אליעזר ראוכברגר פעילים ונציגי קהילות. במרכז המעמד האזינו לזעקת מנהיג הדור שליט"א: כבוד הרבנים הגאונים שליט"א והעסקנים הנכבדים שליט"א אנו עומדים כיום בארץ ישראל בשעה חמורה וגורלית מאוד, שעה של ניסיון גדול לכלל הציבור החרד לדבר ה׳ ולכל מי שכבוד התורה ועמליה יקרים ללבו. מחד גיסא, זכינו בדורנו לריבוי עצום ונפלא של בני תורה, אברכים ועמלי תורה, דבר אשר דורות קודמים היו יכולים רק להשתוקק אליו. עולם התורה גדל ונתרבה, קול התורה נשמע ברמה, ורבבות מקדישים את מיטב שנותיהם לתורה ולעבודת השם. ומאידך גיסא, דווקא בשעה זו אנו עדים להתגברות קשה של ההתנכלות לעולם התורה, ללומדיה ולכל אלו אשר מסרו את חייהם לעמלה של תורה. יש המבקשים להצר את צעדי בני התורה, להחליש את מעמדה של התורה בארץ הקודש ולפגוע בצורת החיים שנמסרה לנו מדור דור. בשעה כזאת אין לאדם הרשות לעמוד מן הצד. אין זו שעה של חשבונות פרטיים ואין זו שעה של אדישות. זוהי חובת השעה וחובת גברא על כל אחד ואחד אשר קדושת התורה, כבוד שמים ועתיד החינוך של ילדינו יקרים בעיניו — להרגיש את גודל האחריות המוטלת עליו ולעשות את המוטל עליו. ושמחה מיוחדת היא עבורי לראות את ידידי הוותיק, אשר זכיתי להכירו למעלה מחמישים שנה עוד מימי ישיבת סלבודקה, הגאון רבי בן ציון זילבר שליט״א, אשר במשך שנים רבות נשא על שכמו את הנהגת הציבור דובר הרוסית ואת מפעלי ״תולדות ישורון״, ועתה נטל על עצמו גם לעורר את הציבור דובר הרוסית בערים רבות בארץ לעמוד על משמר התורה ולהכיר בגודל האחריות המוטלת עלינו בשעה זו. בטוחני כי בני התורה דוברי הרוסית, וכן המשפחות הרבות והתלמידים אשר יראת שמים, קדושת התורה וחינוך הבנים בדרך התורה והמסורה עומדים אצלם בראש כל מעייניהם, יודעים ומבינים היטב שאין כאן עניין צדדי או שאלה חולפת, אלא עניין הנוגע לעצם קיומו וחיזוקו של עולם התורה בארץ ישראל. אנו חיים בדור המצפה לישועה, ובשעה שבה כוחות של טומאה ושל רפיון מבקשים לחדור פנימה ולהחליש את כח התורה ואת יראיה. דווקא משום כך חובתנו גדולה שבעתיים — להרבות כבוד התורה, לחזק את ידי עמלי התורה, לעמוד לימין מוסדות התורה ולהעמיד את הדת על תילה כפי אשר נמסר לנו מרבותינו. אין הדבר נוגע רק לנו. הוא נוגע לילדינו, למשפחותינו, לתלמידינו ולכל דמותו הרוחנית של הדור הבא. כל ויתור בהווה עלול חלילה חלילה להפוך לחולשה של מחר, וכל עמידה איתנה למען התורה מחזקת את עתידו של כלל ישראל בארץ הקודש. ועל כן, בעת הזאת עלינו לעמוד כולנו כאיש אחד, באחדות ובאחריות, ללא פירוד וללא רפיון, מתוך נאמנות גמורה לדרך התורה ולדעת גדולי התורה, ולעשות את כל אשר בידינו למען כבודה של תורה, למען קיומה ולמען עתידה בארץ ישראל. אני מסיים כאן את הדברים, אני מקוה שהבנתם טוב את הדברים, הם נוגעים מאד לליבכם, השם יעזור שיתן ה' לנו את הכוחות ואת המאמצים והפעולות המתאימות להרבות תורה בישראל, ונגד כל אלה שיוזמים נגד זה בצורה גדולה וחזקה מאד, שה' יעזור לנו למען כבוד התורה כבוד לימודה ולומדיה ואהלי משכנותיה, שהכל יהיה בצורה הטובה ביותר, אנחנו מקוים עד ביאת משיח צדקינו במהרה בימינו אמן סלה
Rav Shach zt"l 25th Yahrtzeit Falls on......Election Day 5786 [16 Cheshvan]
The Yahrzeit of Rav Shach is Tuesday, October 27, 2026 (beginning the evening before on Monday, October 26, 2026 which is the 16th of Cheshvan
there are no coincidences: The elections for the 26th Knesset are scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 2026, which corresponds exactly to the Hebrew date 16 Cheshvan 5787
On one particular capsule on page 91:
"If the government tries to draft the bnei hayeshivos, publicize in my name that this is a shaas shmad (time of religious persecution), and one must be moser nefesh according to the halachos of kiddush Hashem in Yoreh Dei'ah. "
"If the government tries to draft the bnei hayeshivos, publicize in my name that this is a shaas shmad (time of religious persecution), and one must be moser nefesh according to the halachos of kiddush Hashem in Yoreh Dei'ah. "
Subversion via Infiltration
A dispute over the location of a Religious Zionist school in Bnei Brak has intensified after the city’s rabbonim issued a letter opposing the school’s relocation into the predominantly Chareidi Kiryat Herzog neighborhood.
The controversy centers on the Afikim state religious school on Neufeld Street, which serves both boys and girls, including children with special educational needs. Local rabbonim have expressed concerns about the school’s proximity to Chareidi educational institutions and the interactions between students during arrival and dismissal times.
The latest letter follows a series of incidents that have heightened tensions in the neighborhood, including an episode in which the school’s entrance gate was welded shut overnight.
Parents and students arriving at the school discovered that the gate had been sealed, preventing children from entering the building. Police were called to the scene, and parents ultimately brought a cutting tool to remove the welded section and reopen the entrance.
Authorities suspected that extremists opposed to the school’s presence in the neighborhood were responsible for the incident, although the perpetrators were not identified in the report.
The episode drew attention to the longstanding opposition among some neighborhood residents to the school’s location.
The dispute had already prompted a letter from the neighborhood’s Rav, HaGaon HaRav Yehuda Aryeh Schwartz, addressed to the administrations of nearby Talmudei Torah.
In his letter, HaRav Schwartz described the encounters between students from the different educational institutions during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal as causing “terrible anguish” to yeshiva bochurim and younger students.
He explained that Bnei Brak’s municipal education department was working to find a solution, but that the matter had not yet been fully resolved.
The letter also revealed that, following instructions from HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, local Chareidi institutions were compelled to delay the beginning of their school day by half an hour to minimize contact between the students.
The newly published letter from Bnei Brak’s rabbonim renews the demand that the Religious Zionist school not be relocated into Kiryat Herzog and calls attention to the need for a permanent arrangement addressing the concerns of neighboring educational institutions.
The dispute dates back at least a decade.
In 2016, rabbonim in Kiryat Herzog protested plans to relocate a Religious Zionist girls’ school from central Bnei Brak into the Chareidi neighborhood.
At the time, the rabbonim met with then-Mayor Chanoch Zeibert to express their opposition and propose alternative locations, arguing that the move could affect the neighborhood’s established Chareidi character.
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