10 May 2026
Shalom Pollack: Special Tiyul – Tuesday, June 16.
Tuesday, June 16.
The great return is underway, BH!
The biblical northern Shomron was declared "Judenrein" by the Israeli government in 2005 as four Jewish villages were razed to the ground.
The large, empty Northern Shomron, home to four flourishing Jewish villages, with few Arab neighbors, met the same fate at the time as the larger Jewish settlement area in Gaza.
Sharon never explained why he "threw it in " along with Gaza as a further gift to our enemies, but he was determined.
Chomesh saw the first heart-wrenching destruction and expulsion in 2005.
They were the first Jews to return last year, and once a thriving community
Our group had the honor of being one of the first visitors to that restored village in Shomron.
It is an experience not to be forgotten
Recently, its neighbor up the road is welcoming its people back, too.
The ruins of Sanur are being rebuilt by the enthusiastic pioneers who never stopped dreaming of a return.
We will, please God, be the first English-speaking group to visit these special Jews and celebrate with them in the midst of the rebuilding.
(Hopefully, we will do the same for the remaining two)
Not far from these villages is the biblical Mount Eval and the altar of Joshua overlooking Shechem.
The connection between Joshua's entrance into the promised land to reaffirm the covenant, and the pioneers of today in the same area is clear and enthralling.
There are plans to build a museum around this unique biblical site.
Hopefully, future VIPs will be brought there and not whisked off to "Yad Vashem" to gain pity.
Joshua will provide the original and correct understanding as to why we returned to our land and will never leave again.
We will have a local English-speaking guide from the Shomron field school.
We will travel to and from Yerushalayim in a (costly) bulletproof bus.
This tour requires military coordination and accompaniment, and so there is a theoretical chance for late cancellation due to security considerations on their part.
We will meet at the Inbal hotel at 9:00. Return approx 6:00
320 shekels
Bring lunch
Limited seating.
shalompollack613@gmail.com
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09 May 2026
We Love Israel - AKA: Aliyah Snob Syndrome
In this episode, we sat down with the Rosen family for a fun and honest conversation about life in Eretz Yisrael—why some people hate it, why others absolutely love it, why you should get involved, and why this is where it’s all going down. 🇮🇱
Rebbetzen Tziporah: Meron and Volozhin
Dear friends,
There used to be tzadik stickers. Kids collected them, pasted them into albums, and traded them. I once saw the Trade of the Century.
The kids were on the living room floor. The cards were scattered, and the intensity would have put Wall Street to shame. I heard one of them say, “Okay, I’ll give you 15.” There was awed silence as the little boy across from him slowly counted out 10 Chofetz Chaim stickers. “No!” “Chofetz Chaim is ‘pusht’ (ordinary).” “15 or no trade.” A slight nod was his answer as he held out the card that was the most “yakar” (expensive) of his whole collection. It was my dear brother-in-law, Rav Moshe Pindrus, a highly esteemed maggid shiur at… Ohr Sameach. The Chofetz Chaim was famous, so there were many pictures of this gadol. Moshe Pindrus is rare, the ultimate big ticket.
THIS YEAR’S LESSON: SMALL CAN BE BIGGER THAN BIG IF THAT’S WHAT HASHEM WANTS
This Lag’Omer was so different. The decision to try to get to Meiron or not was taken out of our hands. The security issue involved both fear of what could be done to adequately get 200,000 into shelters in less than 3 minutes, plus the pseudo secret that Mount Meiron (Israel’s highest mountain) is a military target, added salt to the stew.
My initial plans included walking around Har Nof and watching the 14-year-old pyromaniacs play with fire while singing Bar Yochai off tune, or watching Meiron of yesteryear online. Then the reports began to come in. There would be bonfires in Beit Shemesh, in Beitar, in the heart of the chassidic shopping paradise, Shefa. And more. At Shimon HaTzadik, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and still more. And yes, there were those who managed to go through the forest to Meiron, eluding the security authorities. Not the unmanageable hundreds of thousands, but about a thousand or two, enough to feel the intense joy. This made me think of the yeshiva of Volozhin.
This is a bit of a jump, since the heavy-duty Litvish are usually happy to leave Lag B’Omer to the chassidim, sefaradim, and Various Others (although in recent years there has been a bit of a defrost in that regard). Still, between Meiron and Volozhin was a common thread.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CLOSURE
In Meiron, it was the birth of many mini-Meirons. In Volozhin, the story was more complex. What was there before Volozhin?
Volozhin was the first time a yeshiva as we know it (3 sedarim, dormitory, financial responsibility for a building, and more) came into being. Around 1803 (some date it to 1802), Rav Chaim Volozhiner founded what came to be known as the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Volozhin (in present-day Belarus). This was something entirely new.
And most importantly, it was built on an idea: that Torah learning is not simply one value among many – it is the central, defining, occupation of life for those who enter it.
Rav Chaim himself was, of course, the first Rosh Yeshiva.
But more than that, he set a tone: depth, intellectual honesty, independence in thinking, and a certain seriousness about Torah that would shape generations.
AFTER RAV CHAIM
Rav Chaim passed away in 1821.
He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin (often called Rav Itzele), who led the yeshiva for many years. Under him, the yeshiva not only continued but expanded its influence.
After Rav Itzele, leadership eventually passed to his son-in-law, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv) – a figure of enormous depth, whose warmth and breadth gave the yeshiva a somewhat different tone. Alongside him, toward the later years, was also Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (the Beis HaLevi), who served as a Rosh Yeshiva there as well.
Already, you can begin to see something important: even within Volozhin, there was not one single expression. Different personalities, different emphases – but one core.
THE CLOSURE – EXACT AND PAINFUL
And then came the breaking point.
The Russian government, in its efforts to reshape and “modernize” Jewish life, demanded that the yeshiva introduce secular studies into its curriculum – not as an optional addition, but as a structured, enforced component, with government oversight.
For the Netziv, this was not a small adjustment. It was a change that would alter the very Neshama of the yeshiva.
He refused.
And so, in January 1892 (often given as January 21, 1892), the authorities forced the yeshiva to close.
Try to sit with that for a moment.
Nearly ninety years of uninterrupted Torah learning. Generations shaped. A world centered there.
Closed.
Not because it failed – but because it would not bend.
And then… what happened next?
If the story ended there, it would simply be tragic.
But it didn’t.
The talmidim did not disappear. The ruach did not disappear.
It spread.
In the decades that followed, the great yeshivot we think of as pillars began to rise – Mir, Grodno, Slabodka (which later gave rise to Chevron in Eretz Yisrael), Ponevezh, and others. Each one, in some way, a continuation – but not a copy.
Mir developed a certain expansiveness and warmth in its learning environment.
Grodno became known for depth and analytical sharpness.
Slabodka emphasized gadlus ha’adam – human greatness – and from it emerged Chevron, carrying that dignity into Eretz Yisrael.
Ponevezh, later, would embody rebuilding after destruction, almost carrying the memory of what had been lost in Europe.
Would they have emerged as they did if Volozhin had remained the singular center?
It is very hard to imagine.
The closing did not end the world of Torah – it multiplied it.
And the same pattern, again and again
When Chassidus emerged, it did not remain one derech.
There were paths of fiery joy and emotional closeness, paths of deep intellectual contemplation, paths of simple, unembellished sincerity. Different neshamos, different openings.
When Mussar developed, it too unfolded into distinct streams:
Kelm – structured, measured, almost architectural in its precision.
Slabodka – uplifting, focused on the greatness and dignity of the adam.
Novardok – intense, breaking illusions, demanding radical honesty.
All emes. All needed.
And all, in some sense, emerging from challenge – from moments where something had to be rethought, rebuilt, or rescued.
So what are we meant to hear this year?
Maybe something very quiet, but very demanding.
When one great fire is not accessible, we are not meant only to mourn it.
We are being asked: what will you build instead?
Love,
Tziporah
YERUSHALAYIM (2)
Walk from the Hurva Synagogue to Mount Zion and along the walls of the Old City to the Damascus Gate
Jerusalem Today! Experience the City’s Atmosphere Fully Immersed.
08 May 2026
Shalom Pollack: Spring Tiyul
At the peak of the beautiful Spring, we will get out and enjoy our lovely land.
May 12
Depart at 8 am and return approximately 6 pm
We will take the longer but rarely used, scenic route via Ein Kerem toward the coast through the blooming Jerusalem hills.
Our first stop will be the new "Eli Cohen" ("Our man in Damascus") museum in Herzliya, where we will have a guided tour.
We shall learn about the greatest Israeli spy and how he saved a country.
His life and that of the very young and vulnerable country come alive for us.
We shall proceed up the Mediterranean coast to enjoy the rehabilitated "Alexandra Stream" nature reserve, where flora and fauna have been restored and protected.
In particular, the famous indigenous "soft-shelled sea turtles " have been brought back from near extinction.
We will have a guided tour of the unique "National Turtle Rehabilitation Center."
We will have our (own) picnic lunch in the beautiful reserve that spills out into the Mediterranean.
250 shekels
This tour is limited to twenty participants
✨מרתק מאד: איך בונים תלמיד חכם? מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הרב לנדו שליט"א בשיחת הדרכה מכוננת
שיח של תורה הוראות הדרכות וניצוצי תורה מאת רשכבה"ג הגאון הגדול מרן רבי דוב לנדו שליט"א בשיחה מיוחדת בביתו עבור אברכי 'כולל עיון' שבביהמ"ד הגדול פני מנחם ירושלים עיה"ק בראשות הרה"ג ישראל לוין שליט"א איך חוזרים על לימוד העיון ואיך אפשר לזכור סוגיות שנלמדו בעיון? מה המטרה בלימוד הו"א בגמרא ודברים שלא נשארו למסקנה? איך אפשר לגדול תלמיד חכם כשחלק נכבד מהיום לומדים בעיון? האם ללמוד כל סוגיא על הדף או שיש מקום להרחיב לסוגיות אחרות בנידון? יו"ל לרגל שבת התאחדות לאברכי הכולל פר' אמור - הר שמואל י"ד - ט"ו אייר תשפ"ו
Reb Neuberger: Behar - Bechukotai
“I DON’T WANT THEM TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE”
Last week, I discussed double-meaning words in Hebrew and English. One other example stands out. Many years ago, when my wife and I were about to embark on our first trip to Israel, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis’ father, Ha Rav Avraham ha Levi Jungreis zt”l, saw our group off at Kennedy Airport. I clearly remember his words: “The name of the place to which you are going is ‘Israel.’ Why does it have that name? Because it ‘is real!’ Israel is real! All the events that you study in the Torah are real! And they occurred in the Land which Hashem gave us! When you go to the Land, you see that everything you learn in the Torah ‘is real!’”
In this week’s Parsha, we learn that we have one home. Throughout all the many years of our exiles, there is only one real home, and that is the Land of Israel, the place to which we are all going when our exiles come to an end. The entire Torah which we perform is to enable us to live a life of kedusha in the Land of Israel, as it says, “You shall perform My decrees and observe My ordinances and perform them. Then you shall dwell securely on the land.” (Vayikra 25:18) After every fifty years, all land in Israel reverts to its original owner. And so it is with us: at the end of our exile we will revert to our true existence, which can only be in the Land which Hashem gave us.
Recently, one of our dear acquaintances spoke about something which was troubling him deeply. He is very disturbed about the lies which are being spread publicly about Am Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel. High profile figures are spewing lies which are reminiscent of the “big lies” perpetrated against us throughout the centuries which have no basis in reality, but which have spawned anti-Jewish riots and pogroms because our enemies are looking for any provocation, whether or not it has any basis in truth.
For example, we read recently in Parshas Acharei Mos, “no person among you may consume blood.” (Vayikra 17:10) There is a direct, clear mitzvah not to eat blood. No observant Jew would consider consuming blood. We run away from this with all our strength. Yet it is precisely this which our enemies accuse us of! This is the most absurd accusation in the world! No normal person could accuse us of consuming blood! This demonstrates the utter emptiness of the lies which are being spewed forth about us.
Dovid ha Melech compares the voices of our enemies with the roar of rivers: “like rivers they raised their voice!” (Tehillim 93) The louder they scream, the emptier the words.
Our friend asked why our eloquent spokesmen and community activists don’t sue these slanderers for millions of dollars and bring them down in shame so they stop their lies?
My friends, I want to tell you where I believe we are in history.
There was a time when America seemed much more welcoming to Am Yisroel. Yes, there have always been slanderers, but America historically has been a “medina of chessed.” I remember hearing about a Yid who worked in the White House under President George W. Bush. One Friday afternoon, the President said to him, “Shlomo*, what are you doing here? It’s almost Shabbos! Go home!” Of course, President Trump is our good friend, but, outside the White House, a vicious wind is sweeping through the entire world.
Someone asked the Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l why he did not make his own village in America like other rebbes. “Indeed,” he answered, “I once contemplated establishing our own little town … but my memory brought me back to darker times. There are people who say … the Churban can never happen again. Sadly, they don’t know what they are saying…. Don’t think that, if someone comes after us, America will step in to save us. They won’t…. I remember when the accursed Germans came in. All the Yidden were gathered together in one place and all he had to do was take them and shecht them…. I will not gather all of us together in one town! I don’t want the goyim to know where we are!” (Klausenberger Rebbe, Artscroll/Mesorah)
In Germany, they never thought such a thing would happen. German Jews were extremely powerful just prior to the advent of the Third Reich. The same was true in Spain before the Inquisition. And the same was true in Mitzraim before a “new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef.” (Shemos 1:8)
“B’chol dor vador … in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us.” (Haggadah)
After the Tochacha in this week’s Parsha come the incredibly comforting words of Hashem: despite our sins, our infighting, our rebellions, our Father in Shomayim will never abandon us. And Hashem says, “Despite all this, while they will be in the land of their enemies, I will not have been revolted by them and nor will I have rejected them to obliterate them [nor will I] annul My covenant with them… I will remember for them the covenant of the ancients… to be G-d unto them. I am Hashem!” (Vayikra 26:44ff)
May we see the full revelation of the Great Promise soon in our days!
Rabbi Avraham ha Levi & Rebbetzin Miriam Jungreis
GLOSSARY
Chessed: kindness, charity
Churban: destruction
Kedusha: sanctity, holiness
Medina: land
Parsha: Torah Portion
Shecht: slaughter
Shomayim: heaven
Tochacha: words of rebuke
Tochacha: words of rebuke
Rabbi Wein: Behar-Becukotei
WEEKLY PARSHA FROM THE DESTINY ARCHIVES
Behar - Bechukotei 5770-2010
The double parsha of this week has, so to speak, bookends to it. It begins with the statement that the Torah was given to us at Sinai and that all of its commandments and not only the commandment of shemitta – the sabbatical year – are of Divine origin as given to Moshe on Mount Sinai.
The book of Vayikra concludes with the tochacha – the uncanny forecast of the troubles that will befall Israel as it strays away from its G–Dly mission and the values and standards of behavior of the Torah. The ways of the Lord are hidden from us and often we are unable to see the causes of our difficulties, troubles and persecutions.
The severity of the tochacha shocks and bewilders us. Any explanation, let alone justification, of such hideous events always fall short of the mark. And, therefore, we are left with the thought expressed at the beginning of the parsha that the decrees of Sinai somehow bind all of us throughout our existence. The ongoing mystery of Jewish survival and existence is part and parcel of the entire package of the Torah that was delivered to us at Sinai.
Both the microcosm and the macrocosm of Jewish life are derived from Sinai and from the Torah. There is no other logical way to view the story of the Jews and of Israel except through the prism of Torah and Sinai. We find ourselves unable to comprehend the causes of Jewish suffering but we can certainly testify to the fact that the Torah predicted all of this with minute detail and that it came to pass in our history.
The entire thrust of the debate and the difference between traditional Judaism and other groups of non-conforming Jews is regarding the divinity of the Torah from Sinai. This is the principle that all of traditional Judaism rests upon. Without it the entire jumble of laws, commandments, customs and traditions becomes almost meaningless.
All of the Sinai deniers have eventually caused assimilation, conversion, intermarriage and terrible difficulties for themselves and other Jews. A man-made Judaism will never be able to stand the challenges and overcome the vicissitudes of time and place that always arise.
I recall the famous quip that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch used in replying to the Bishop of Frankfurt as to why Hirsch’s Jews would not join so many other Jews in the nineteenth century in converting to C…..nity. Hirsch stated to the Bishop that the difference between us (C.....nity and Judaism) was that C.....nity was a man made religion used to describe G–D while Judaism was a G–Dly given religion used to describe humans.
In its most simplistic form, this statement really sums up the essence of Judaism - its commandments and goals. The revelation to Israel on Sinai, the granting of the Torah, the observance of its values and laws are the keys to Jewish survival. They enable us to overcome the dire tochacha and continue forward bearing the message and hope of Sinai to all of humanity at all times and in all places and situations.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
07 May 2026
Eliezer Meir Saidel: in Awe – Behar-Bechukotai
In Awe – Behar-Bechukotai
אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁי תִּירָאוּ אֲנִי ה' (ויקרא כו, ב)
We always begin our Beit HaMikdash baking workshops with a short video clip containing a 3-D simulation of the Mishkan, the First and Second Beit HaMikdash, to put everyone in the mood. The Beit HaMikdash was designed to inspire awe, the sheer size of the buildings, the opulence, the attention to the tiniest detail, the demeanor with which Am Yisrael entered and served in the Beit HaMikdash, etc.
The Rambam lists מוֹרָא מִקְדָּשׁ as one of the מִצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה דְּאוֹרָיְתָא and in הִלְכוֹת בִּיאַת הַמִּקְדָּשׁ goes into great detail regarding the rules of entering and performing Avodah in the Beit HaMikdash. The clearly delineated areas where men and women were allowed to go, those who were טָמֵא, how to enter, from which direction, how to leave, to not enter שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן, with your hair overly long, with unsuitable clothing, etc. etc. The punishments for contravening these laws of decorum are very severe, some warrant כָּרֵת, some מִיתָה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, etc.
The Sefer HaChinuch (רנד, [פרנקפורט]) says the purpose of this mitzva is–
לִירוֹא מִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ: כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁנַּעֲמִידֵהוּ בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ מְקוֹם הַפַּחַד וְהַיִּרְאָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְרַכְּכוּ לְבָבֵינוּ בְּבוֹאֵנוּ שָׁם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אוֹ לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּמִקְדָּשִׁי תִּירָאוּ".
The Beit HaMikdash should fill our spirit with fear and awe in order that our hearts will be softened when we come there to pray or sacrifice korbanot. The Chinuch then goes on to repeat the laws stated by the Rambam.
The Gemara (יבמות ו, ע"ב) clarifies לֹא מִמִּקְדָּשׁ אַתָּה מִתְיָירֵא אֶלָּא מִמִּי שֶׁהִזְהִיר עַל הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, the fear and awe are not for the Mikdash "building", but for He Who warned us to fear the Mikdash, i.e. HKB"H. We have to constantly remember why we are in the Beit HaMikdash. It is not to chas vechalila serve and bow down to the structures, but to HKB"H Himself.
There is a lot to talk about regarding this mitzva, for example the lively debate over whether one is permitted to go up to Har HaBayit today or not. In this shiur, however, I would like to explore a different aspect altogether, one much closer to home.
A few psukkim later, as part of the curses in Bechukotai, the Torah says וְנָתַתִּי אֶת עָרֵיכֶם חׇרְבָּה וַהֲשִׁמּוֹתִי אֶת מִקְדְּשֵׁיכֶם וְלֹא אָרִיחַ בְּרֵיחַ נִיחֹחֲכֶם (ויקרא כו, לא). The Sifra on this passuk says 'מִקְדְּשֵׁיכֶם' - לְרַבּוֹת בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת.
Now that we do not (yet) have the Beit Mikdash, the laws of fear and awe for the Beit HaMikdash apply equally to בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת, our shuls and batei midrash. It is actually a machloket rishonim whether the mitzva of מוֹרָא הַמִּקְדָּשׁ regarding a shul is דְּאוֹרָיְתָא or דְּרַבָּנַן. Most poskim say that the severe prohibitions (such as demolishing a shul), are דְּאוֹרָיְתָא, but the "lighter" prohibitions (such as talking in shul), are דְּרַבָּנַן (that does not mean we are permitted to contravene them in any way).
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa in a suburb called Yeoville. My family attended the Yeoville shul (Synagogue), which followed the style and tradition of most orthodox shuls in the Diaspora. It was an impressive building with lavish (by then aging) wood furnishings, an impressive בִּימָה, an equally impressive אֲרוֹן קֹדֶשׁ, flanked on one side by the Rabbi's seat and on the other by the president and vice president's seats, facing the community. The latter wore ceremonious top hats in shul and the Rabbi was robed in a black gown, with a special Rabbi's hat, as were the Chazan and the Shamash, each with their own style hats (I ended up later marrying the Shamash's granddaughter).
My young childhood memories of Yeoville shul were those of awe. Everything was larger than life, decorum was sacred – chas vechalila a child should make a "peep" in shul. I would like to think that nobody ever spoke there, not even the adults. That is how I remember it as a young child (although in reality there must have been a few "yappers" – there are in every shul, but they were definitely the exception).
If Yeoville shul was impressive, then עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה was the Wolmarans Street shul, the seat of the Chief Rabbi of South Africa (at the time Rabbi Casper zt"l). A spectacular shul, at least three times the size of Yeoville shul with incrementally more ornate furnishings and fittings. Besides being the shul of the Chief Rabbi, it was also home to many famous chazanim and the best shul choir in the country, then conducted by Oshy Tugendhaft (who later became the chief chazan). I had the privilege to lein there a few times when I was a teenager and the awe of the place was tangible.
The problem with Yeoville shul was that they did not encourage the youth to participate in the shul service in any way, not in the davening, the leining, the aliyot, etc. The only task any youngster (under the age of 18) was allowed to perform was to sing אַנְעִים זְמִירוֹת.
As a result, when I passed the age of bar mitzvah and became an avid leiner, my family decided to move to the Bnei Akiva shul, 1.5km down the road. The Bnei Akiva shul occupied the top floor of the Johannesburg Bet Din building, it was a small, respectable shul, the Rabbi (Kurtstag) was the Av Bet Din, but it had little of the pomp and ceremony of the Yeoville shul. It was a much more laid-back, informal shul. The youth were encouraged to actively participate in the services and the leining and I soon became one of the main leiners and ba'alei tefilla there. Despite the greater inclusion and active participation, something inside me still missed the "pomp" and especially the chazanut of Yeoville shul (I remain a fan of chazanut to this day). It always irked me when a ba'al tefilla got up and did not daven with the correct nusach and nigun.
Then at age twenty-one I made aliyah and in Israel discovered that the shuls were even more informal than the Bnei Akiva shul of my youth. With the exception of a small number of shuls around the country, like Heichal Shlomo and the Yeshurun shul in Yerushalayim, most of the shuls in Israel are very informal.
I cannot speak for other countries in the Diaspora, but I imagine that many others who made aliyah to Israel had a similarly hard time acclimatizing to the informality of the shuls here in Israel.
In truth, there is an inherent dilemma here. On the one hand, many of the decorum-rich, pomp & ceremony shuls in the Diaspora, including the Yeoville and Wolmarans shul in Johannesburg – no longer exist. Their communities advanced in age and passed away and because they did not invest in their youth, there was nobody to continue from where they left off. The buildings that once housed these shuls are no longer shuls - they were sold for other purposes. They are but a memory.
On the other hand, the vibrant, thriving shuls, both in the Diaspora and in Israel, are informal, laid-back shuls with almost zero awe. When people attend these shuls, it is more like a community center than a shul. It is a gathering of community members who use the opportunity to socialize and catch up on the goings on in the community. Much of this socializing and catching up, is often done in shul, often during the davening.
The question is one of balance. How do you balance a vibrant community life with the awe required in a shul?
In the Diaspora, I believe they found a workable formula by having a weekly "kiddush" on Shabat after Musaf in the adjoining hall. This gave everyone an opportunity to socialize and maintain community ties and also maintain the sanctity of the shul and the decorum.
Here in Israel, though, weekly "kiddushes" are not the norm. Kiddushes are reserved usually for special occasions only, which means that the shul doubles as a shul and a community center – at the same time, during tefilot.
Until Corona a few years ago, I was part and parcel of this community dynamic. When COVID hit us and we were all suddenly "banished" from our shuls because of health considerations, it got me to thinking. I consider myself a Mikdash "activist", someone who is highly involved in practically working to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. I was trying to figure out why HKB"H had prevented us from gathering in our shuls. It seemed as if HKB"H "didn't want us there", He was communicating something to us and I tried to understand what He was trying to tell us.
This is not chas vechalila a criticism on anyone else - except myself. I did a lot of personal introspection and came to the conclusion that I was living a glaring paradox. On the one hand I was investing much of my time and energy to rebuilding the Third Beit HaMikdash, but meanwhile my behavior in the Mikdash that we already have, our מִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט, the shul – was incongruent. I was treating the shul like a community center and not a Mikdash.
Since then, קִבַּלְתִּי עַל עַצְמִי that I was going to start treating the shul like a Beit Mikdash mamash. Entering it in awe, reciting מַה טוּבוֹ as I walked to my seat, like the Kohanim did in the Mikdash עָקֵב בְּצַד גּוּדָל, not running about or slouchingly, but respectfully and purposely. I resolved that I was going to reduce my שִׂיחַת חֻלִּין in shul down to a bare minimum. That I was not going to gaze at the clock after the tefilla began, until I had finished putting away my tefillin and tallit at the end. That I was going to arrive at shul 20 minutes before Shacharit and 10 minutes before Mincha to say korbanot properly. That I was going to use my time in shul to talk only to HKB"H and to nobody else. (If I would have owned a smartphone, which I don't [I don't like them], I would have resolved to leave it at home when I went to shul – but since I don't own one, that was irrelevant).
The transformation for me was remarkable. My experience in shul suddenly assumed that of actually being in the Beit HaMikdash mamash. However, it had one downside. The people around me could not understand why I suddenly stopped talking to them, as I had done before. Some of them were very offended by it. I noticed this and purposely approached them (outside shul) to explain that it had nothing to do with them in any way and that I was not being a snob. I am מַקְפִּיד to respond to and smile at anyone who greets me in shul, but when it digresses into שִׂיחַת חֻלִּין, I respectfully ask them to step outside a minute to discuss it further. If I see there is no way to get out of communicating with them in shul without offending them, I will respond to prevent offending them and causing machloket.
There is no question that a vibrant, lively shul that has less awe is preferable to a decorum-strict shul that minimizes community interaction and involvement. Silent shuls without the sounds of children and life become extinct. They simply do not survive. This is the מְצִיאוּת.
My neshama yearns for the beautiful chazanut and nigunim and awe that I experienced as a child in Yeoville shul, but the מְצִיאוּת is that Yeoville shul disappeared because it could not find the correct balance between awe and life.
There is such a balance. The Beit HaMikdash is such a balance. When we are inside the Beit HaMikdash, we have to be constantly conscious that we are standing on holy ground and לִפְנֵי מִי אָנוּ עוֹמְדִים. The awesome structural design of the Beit Hamikdash definitely contributes to that, but we have to be careful that we serve – not the building – but He Who resides there. If you have a magnificent structure, but zero understanding before Whom you are standing, יָצָא שְׂכָרוֹ בְּהֶפְסֵדוֹ, you are defeating the purpose.
A shul that cherishes life will work hard to balance "community" with "G-d". To allocate space and time to both. To clearly delineate boundaries between them and not blur the boundaries. Such a מִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט is our greatest saving grace and claim to HKB"H. Only when we can show HKB"H that we respect our מִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט, can we rightfully ask him to restore the מִקְדָּשׁ mamash.
The balance emanates from love, love for HKB"H, love for our fellow Jew, love for our children in shul. When we operate according to that mindset, we have a healthy dynamic that builds such a balance. When we alienate any of the above by improper behavior, by inappropriate remarks, by improper glances, etc. we are destroying that dynamic. When we can cultivate a reality of דָּן לְכַף זְכוּת and סֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת in our shuls, both in our relationship with HKB"H and with those together with us in shul, we will be on the right path.
According to the Gemara (יבמות סב, ע"ב), 24,000 of R' Akiva's students died מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא נָהֲגוּ כָּבוֹד זֶה לָזֶה. Accord to one opinion, R' Akiva's students looked at what happened with the first Beit Mikdash, that it was destroyed because of הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד, (which are the inner essence of שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים, עֲרָיוֹת וַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה). They said to themselves כָּבוֹד is a bad thing, so they eliminated it, they gave no כָּבוֹד to each other at all. This deteriorated into not even acknowledging each other and ultimately disrespecting one another. כָּבוֹד in excess is a negative thing, but you need to give you fellow Jew a minimum of כָּבוֹד otherwise society breaks down into שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם.
Parshat Behar-Bechukotai is all about balance. Balancing your hishtadlut with Emunah (working six years and resting on Shmita). Balancing blessings with curses.
What is the source of balance?
אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁי תִּירָאוּ, Shabbat precedes awe of the Mikdash because Shabbat is the fulcrum point that provides balance. We do hishtadlut by working six days, but we must observe Shabbat to reacquire balance. Shabbat blesses the upcoming week, it gives it a "battery recharge" until the next Shabbat, like the Lechem HaPanim are switched every Shabbat on the Shulchan, to recharge the blessing for the upcoming week.
The Gemara says that the miracle of the Lechem HaPanim was סִילּוּקוֹ כְּסִידּוּרוֹ (חגיגה כו, ע"ב), that the state of the Lechem HaPanim at the end of the week, when it was removed was the same as when it was first placed on the Shulchan the previous week (fresh as if it had just come out of the oven). The lesson this teaches us is that our week should end the way it begins. If the week begins with the blessing of Shabbat, it should end in the same way. The Bracha of Shabbat permeates the entire week and gives it balance.
This is the lesson of the proximity between the parsha of the Lechem HaPanim in Emor to the parsha of Shmita in Behar, to our passuk above at the end of Behar and to the parsha with the blessings and curses. It is all about balance – balancing awe and love.
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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