vh,ukkeu vba vkf, vh,ufrcu vba kj, - shemayisrael.com September… · vh,ukkeu vba vkf, vh,ufrcu vba kj, In this issue ... Rabbi Leib Kelemen ... impact of Reb Nachman’s Torah,his

OBSERVEROBSERVERJewishJewishTHE

Elul 5762 • September 2002U.S.A. $3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXV/NO. 7

THE

vh,ukkeu vba vkf,vh,ufrcu vba kj,

In this issueREMEMBERING

RABBI NACHMAN BULMAN k’’mzRabbi Mendel Weinbach • Rabbi Hillel GoldbergRabbi Leonard Oppenheimer • Rabbi Zev Kahn

Also

The Torah Map of America– Revisited

Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller

Yamim Noraim Reflections

vh,ukkeu vba vkf,vh,ufrcu vba kj,

In this issueREMEMBERING

RABBI NACHMAN BULMAN k’’mzRabbi Mendel Weinbach • Rabbi Hillel GoldbergRabbi Leonard Oppenheimer • Rabbi Zev Kahn

Also

The Torah Map of America– Revisited

Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller

Yamim Noraim Reflections

THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN)0021-6615 is published monthly exceptJuly and August by the Agudath Israelof America, 42 Broadway, New York,NY10004.Periodicals postage paid in NewYork, NY. Subscription $24.00 per year;two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00.Outside of the United States (US fundsdrawn on a US bank only) $12.00 sur-charge per year. Single copy $3.50; for-eign $4.50.POSTMASTER: Send address changesto:The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway,NY., NY. 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000,Fax: 646-254-1600.Printed in the U.S.A.

RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR

EDITORIAL BOARD

RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Chairman

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Elul 5762 • September 2002U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXV/NO. 7

1088 10 3535

8 Yahrzeit: September 11 / 23 Elul, Nisson Wolpin

RABBI NACHMAN BULMAN l”xz

10 Biographical Notes

11 Rabbi Nachman Bulman l”xz – An Appreciation,Rabbi Mendel Weinbach

15 Unfinished Symphony, Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

17 A Vestige of Earlier Times, Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer

19 A Talmid Remembers, Rabbi Zev Kahn

READER’S FORUM:

23 “Redrawing the Torah Map of America,” Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller

YAMIM NORAIM REFLECTIONS

28 The Secret of the Truah Gedola, Rabbi Fyvel Shuster

31 Bein Adam L’chaveiro …At All Times,Rabbi Dov Berish Ganz

35 “All Vows,” Dr. Aaron Twerski

39 Rethinking “Kosher” Videos and Computer Games,Rabbi Leib Kelemen

40 Digressing on the Internet, Dr. Bernard Fryshman

VOICES FROM ERETZ YISROEL

43 When Grown-Ups Are Helpless, Sarah Shapiro

45 A Few Thoughts on a Motza’ei Shabbos, Debbie Shapiro

47 “Yaakov Avinu Lo Meis – Our Father Jacob Did Not Die,” Rabbi Benzion Twerski

49 In Search of the Ehrliche Yid, a review essay of Chafetz Chaim: Lessons in Truth, by Rabbi Moshe Eisemann

52 The Bostoner Rebbetzin, Raichel Horowitz h”i,Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

54 Letters to the Editor

56 Way Beyond Us, a poem by Bracha Goetz

This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the Jewish Observer.The web edition contains only a selection of articles (indicated in color). Click on the title to go to thebeginning of that article. Click on the box at the end of eacharticle to come back to this page. Or navigate using your browser’s menu and other options.

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Anniversaries are ripe with mean-ing and charged with emotion-al resonance – with joy or sorrow,

with hope or sense of loss, dependingon the event they mark. A prime exam-ple is September 11, the day that in amatter of ninety minutes the Twin Tow-ers, icon of America’s financial preem-inence, and a section of the PentagonBuilding, the nerve-center of America’sunrivaled military might, came crash-ing down. With them came the loss ofour country’s sense of invulnerability.

A first Yahrzeit brings the initial yearto a close and ends a period of mourn-ing – mourning for loss of innocentlives, mourning for precious brothersand sisters who were caught in the infer-no and left behind bereaved families andstricken communities, mourning theloss of America’s imperviousness tophysical attack. And then there is theshock from the loss of a symbol thatproclaimed for all the world that eventhe sky is no limit to American growthand unchallenged superiority.

On a personal level, a Yahrzeit is anencounter of sorts on a spiritual plane,

with the essence of the departed. Theirneshamos are summoned for a review ofthe Divine judgment. And the survivorsexperience a closeness, as they evaluate

their loss once again, and draw lessons,and find inspiration and instruction,from each person’s contributions andachievements. Even as the wounds areopen afresh, there is a concomitant heal-ing and a growth of sorts, as well.

In the case of the World Trade Cen-ter, we cringe in horror at the brutalityof those who perpetrated the atrocity.At the same time, we become awe-struckonce again at the fullest measure ofdevotion expressed by New York City’sfire-fighters, police and rescue person-nel, as well as countless volunteers –valiant Hatzolah members prominentamong them – who risked all… and, attimes, gave all – to save others.

As we pause, we also experience aprofound appreciation for the kinshipwe feel with all of our fellow Americans– not just for a sense of shared victim-ization, but for all the blessings of liv-ing in a country that not only toleratesour path of worship and avodas Hashem(service to G-d), but welcomes itsflourishing. Indeed, we are all in thistogether, and perhaps we can draw astraight line between shared blessings

8 The Jewish Observer, September 2002

An event of suchmagnitude that

took place on theeve of RoshHashana surelycarries a compellingmessage to us asJews.

September 11 / 23 Elul

YAHRZEITYAHRZEIT

and shared suffering. As Jews, and asAmericans, we were – and are – targetsof the destructive hatred of those whodo not see room on this planet for ourchosen ways of life.

There are a number of lessons thatwe would do well to review andreinforce on this Yahrzeit and con-

tinue to reflect on even after it passes. If,indeed, in the wake of September 11,Americans in general and New Yorkersin particular have felt a need to devotemore time and attention to the spiritu-al dimensions of their lives, how muchmore so should we Jews, the People ofthe Torah, do the same. Suffering a hum-bling blow in terms of physical mightand material glory can in its way be animpetus for dedicated spiritual growth.

Those who mark the passage oftime by the civil calendar think in termsof “9/11.” We Jews live by the rhythmsof the lunar year, and to us, 23 Elul isthe Yahrzeit of that cataclysm. An eventof such magnitude that took placeduring the days of Selichos, on the eveof Rosh Hashana – and now is beingrevisited during the same season ofintrospection – surely carries a com-pelling message to us as Jews. The callof the hour – and the year, for that mat-ter – issued by political leaders was oneof “Let us continue our lives as usual.We will show the enemy that we havenot surrendered!” It is a call worth lis-tening to. Our teachers of Torah, how-ever, issued another call, as well, sum-moning us to respond to an alarm thatechoes the shofar’s cry,“Wake up! Wakeup from your slumbering!” On thisYahrzeit, we should review the wordsspoken by Gedolei Yisroel1 in the after-math of 23 Elul, and follow their direc-tives – their remarks, reflections, and rec-ommendations – as we prepare tocontinue to build on the deep impres-sion of what is commonly referred to asGround Zero.

Yes, it is a time to build – in realmsof the spirit. After all, aren’t we Jews well-versed in finding paths through moun-tains of ashes, and building impressiveedifices on tragedy-scarred terrain?Isn’t translating prophetic visions and

timeless hopes into thriving realities –especially with the approach of the NewYear – our People’s sacred mission? Isn’tthis a most appropriate time to respondto this call?

N.W.

Rav Bulman zt”l Had One Last Dream…

Rav Nachman Bulman zt"l gave all he had to the Jewish people.He gave his time. He gave his health. He gave himself.

Even in his passing, he gave. He gave us the tremendous opportunity tocomplete his last masterpiece: Beis Midrash Nachliel the Rav’s centerfor Torah and Prayer in Neve Ya’akov, Yerushalayim.

Beis Midrash Nachliel is in the midst of a building campaign to erect apermanent house of learning to study and spread the unique Torahwisdom that the Rav zt"l left behind.

You, too, can have a portion in Rav Bulman’s legacy while creating avibrant center for Torah and Prayer in Eretz Yisrael.

To partake in this special project, or for information regardingdedication opportunities, please contact Rabbi Yehudah Bulman at972-2-585-9686 or fax: 972-2-585-5778

You Can Make It A Reality.Tax-deductible checks can be made payable to:

Friends of Nachliel Inc.1055 N.E. 174th St.

N. Miami Beach, FL 33162U.S. Tax # 22-2418389

The Jewish Observer, September 2002 9

1 We refer the reader, for example, to essays basedon addresses by Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon (theMashgiach of Bais Medrash Gavoha in Lakewood)and Rabbi Yaakov Perlow (Novominsker Rebbeand Rosh Agudas Yisroel) among others, publishedin this journal last October and November.


“Father, father, chariot of Israel and itshorsemen.”

There were two occasions whenthis painful outcry was recordedin sacred writings – uttered by

someone who mourned the passing ofa leader of his generation, expressing asense of inadequacy to take up the man-tle of responsibility bequeathed to him.

The first was when the ProphetElisha saw his master, Eliyahu Hanavi,taken up to heaven in a storm. The sec-ond was when Rabbi Akiva encounteredthe funeral procession of his mentor,Rabbi Eliezer, on its way from Kesari toLod on a Motza’ei Shabbos. And it hasbeen echoed again and again in similarcircumstances.

It was on Motza’ei Shabbos, ParshasMattos-Massei (July 6), that this cry washeard from a huge crowd of talmidimand admirers who gathered at oneo’clock in the morning in the BeisHamidrash of Yeshivas Ohr Somayachin Yerushalayim for the funeral ofRabbi Nachman Bulman l”xz.

The cry of “Father, father” trulyexpresses the grief felt not only by thoseat the late night funeral but by count-less thousands in Eretz Yisroel, theUnited States and throughout the world

whose lives were transformed by theimpact of Reb Nachman’s Torah, his per-sonality and his love for every Jew.

“Father, father,” says the Midrash,means “Father and mother.” Reb Nach-man, like Eliyahu Hanavi and RabbiEliezer, was both father and mother to

his talmidim in Ohr Somayach and hiscongregants in the communities inAmerica and Eretz Yisroel whom heserved as Rav for many decades. He wasthe wise father sharing his wealth ofTorah with his beloved children andguiding them with his profound Torah

Rabbi Mendel Weinbach

Rabbi Weinbach, Rosh Hayeshiva of Ohr Somay-ach in Jerusalem, is author of several books onthe teachings of the Chofetz Chaim as well as 127Lessons From Megillas Esther, and Turnabout,based on the Malbim’s commentary on Esther(Feldheim).

Rabbi Nachman Bulman l”xz

– An Appreciation

Rabbi Bulman at dedication of new Torah scroll, Beis Midrash Nachliel in Neve Yaakov.


hashkafa. But he was also the caring andcompassionate mother to whom menand woman of all ages came with theirpersonal problems, and left his presencewith lighter hearts and clearer minds.

“Chariot of Israel and its horsemen”is explained by Targum Yonasan benUziel as “Your tefillos were more valu-able to Israel than chariots and riders.”

All of these aspects – father, moth-er, and the praying protector of his peo-ple – found such poignant expressionon that Yom Kippur eve in OhrSomayach a quarter of a century agowhen our beloved Mashgiach, havinglifted our souls with his Kol Nidrei,ascended to the Aron Kodesh platformto speak words of chizuk.

“It is traditional,” he said to thehundreds of talmidim, “for parents tobless their children at the outset of YomKippur. Since your parents are not hereto do so, I will act as their shaliach,their proxy.”

And there he stood in his kittel, withtears in his eyes, reciting the blessingof the Chaye Adam to his “children,”who suddenly realized that for themhe was a father, a mother and a pro-tective shield.Reb Nachman was the true ish

eshkalos…the man of many diverse tal-ents, which he dedicated to avodasHashem. His articulate tongue broughtthe truth and beauty of the Torah to

audiences throughout the world. Hisbrilliant pen and literary geniuslaunched The Jewish Observer, and cre-ated the English version of the Torahclassic Book of Our Heritage. He set astandard for the rabbinate in Americawith his courageous championing ofdaas Torah, and emerged as aspokesman for genuine Orthodoxy. Hemade his secular knowledge a tool forcommunicating Torah values to amodern generation.

AS SEVERE A LOSS AS THEDESTRUCTION OF THE BEIS

HAMIKDASH

The death of a tzaddik, say Chaz-al, is as severe a blow as thedestruction of the Beis Hamik-

dash (Rosh Hashana 18a). This com-parison, as it relates to the passing ofReb Nachman, is illuminated by an

insight offered by the Iyun Yaakov:A tzaddik does not leave this

world, say Chazal (Yoma 38), untilanother tzaddik appears to replacehim. Why, then, are we so distraughtby the passing of a tzaddik?

The answer lies in the mourningwe express till this very day for thedestruction of the First Beis Hamid-kash. Why cry for the destruction ofthat Temple when it was replaced bya second one? Hashem indeed gave usthe opportunity to build that SecondBeis Hamikdash, but it lacked fiveelements that distinguished the firstone – there was no aron kodesh withits kapores and keruvim to serve as arepository for the Luchos Habris(Tablets of the Law) and Sefer Torah;fire from heaven in the form of a liondid not descend to the altar; theShechina, which invested the firstMikdash with such sanctity, was miss-ing; the Ruach Hakodesh, whichimbued men with prophecy, was notthere; and the Urim v’Tumim, whichlit up the breastplate of the KoheinGadol, no longer functioned as thetransmitter of a Divine response forguidance.Just as the Second Beis Hamikdash

served as a replacement but was notquite the same as the first, so, too, thenovice leader who replaces the tzad-dik of a previous generation is neverquite the same, for each generationis one step further removed from thesource.

How can we replace the role of RebNachman as an aron hakodesh who wassuch a great repository of Torah,whether in his role as founder of Yeshi-va Derech Ayson of Far Rockaway, of aTalmud Torah in a remote communi-ty in Virginia, or as Mashgiach in OhrSomayach? Where will we find that leo-nine fire with which he waged battlesagainst compromise in American Jew-ish life and which helped win the bat-tle against a stadium (planned in 1978for Shuafat, on the edge of Jerusalem,today the location of thriving RamatShlomo) that threatened chareidineighborhoods in Yerushalayim? Wherewill we be able to have that sense of

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Shechina, which one felt listening to hismoving tefillos or his words of privatecounsel? Where can we seek that ruachhakodesh anticipation of the futureneeds of Torah Jews arriving in EretzYisroel from the Western world, whichmade Reb Nachman the father orguide of such communities as Betar,Migdal Ha’emek, Telz Stone, NeveYaakov and many others? And, finally,who will supply us with the unflinch-ing, unequivocal responses to queries onpublic and private issues which char-acterized the Urim VeTumim?

These have all been lost with the pass-ing of Reb Nachman.

A LINK IN THE GENERATIONAL CHAIN OF MESORAH

But there is yet another perspectiveof his passing as comparable toChurban Beis Hamikdash. In our

Shemoneh Esrei, we pray for the welfareof pleitas sofreihem – the remnants ofour scholars. This is a reference to thosespiritual giants who serve as a link fromone generation to another, creating agolden chain which connects us to theBeis Hamikdash and Sinai. When sucha generation-bridging figure passes, wesense the trauma of that chain beingbroken and our links to the Beis Hamik-dash suffering destruction.

Reb Nachman served his talmidimand all who heard him as a link toanother generation, another world. Hisapproach to Gemara echoed the derechof the sacred Lithuanian yeshivos, whichhe had received from his great teachers.His stories about the colorful Chassidimin the Poilishe Shteibel on the Lower EastSide of Manhattan, where he grew up,introduced talmidim to a hithertounknown world of Chassidus. He blend-ed the wisdom of the Chassidic writingswith that of the masters of Mussar,inspiring his listeners to strive for themoral perfection of past generations.When he taught the talmidim in our OhrLagola Leadership Training Program,preparing them for careers in rab-banus, chinuch and kiruv, he connectedthem to the Chasam Sofer, RabbiShamshon Rephael Hirsch and Rabbi

Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, and madethem feel as if they were fighting thesame battles against Reform, Haskala,secular nationalism and compromisethat these giants had waged in theircountries, and that Reb Nachman hadwaged in America. When he explainedthe world views of the Chazon Ish, theBrisker Rav, Rabbi Aaron Kotler andRabbi Elazar Shach, he brought homethe depth of daas Torah of the previousgeneration as it applied to our own.

But it was not only in regard to the

spiritual wealth of these generations thathe served as a link. The golden chainwent back to the Neviim who wouldcome alive in his incomparable shiurimin Chumash and Nach, to the Tannaimand Amoraim whose superhuman wis-dom and impeccable character seemedto jump off the pages of the Gemara orMidrash he explained. He enabled us tovirtually hear what the Rambam,Chovos Halevavos, Mabit, MesillasYesharim, the Vilna Gaon and RebTzaddok Hakohein had to say about our


THE VORT

• The Vort celebration is to bediscontinued. The L’chaim (held at the time that the engagement isannounced) should also not turn into aVort.

THE WEDDING

• Only 400 invited guests may be seated at the chassuna seuda.

• The kabbolas panim smorgasbordshould be limited to basic cakes, fruit plat-ters, a modest buffet, and the caterer’sstandard chicken or meat hot dishes.

• The menu for the seuda is limited to 3courses followed by a regular dessert.

• No Viennese table and no bar.

THE MUSIC• A band may consist of a maximum of5 musicians (one of the musicians may actas a vocalist) or four musicians and oneadditional vocalist.

• A one-man band is recommended.

FLOWERS & CHUPA DECOR

• The total cost of these items for the entirewedding should not exceed $1,800.

FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THE SIMCHA GUIDELINESAND THE ACCOMPANYING KOL KOREH,

please email [email protected] or call 212-612-2300

Simcha GuidelinesSimcha Guidelines

Rabbi Shmuel BirnbaumRosh Hayeshiva, Mirer Yeshiva

Rabbi Elya SveiRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia

Rabbi Shmuel KaminetzkyRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia

Rabbi Yaakov PerlowNovominsker Rebbe

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak FeigelstockRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of Long Beach

Rabbi Moshe WolfsonMashgiach, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas

Rabbi Aron Moshe SchechterRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Chaim Berlin

Rabbi Yosef RosenblumRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Shaarei Yosher

Rabbi Eli Simcha SchustalRosh Hayeshiva, Bais Binyomin, Stamford

Rabbi Yisroel RokowskyRabbi Yisroel Simcha SchorrRoshei HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Ohr Somayach

Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel KotlerRosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Yisroel Tzvi NeumanRosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Dovid Tzvi SchustalRosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Yeruchem OlshinRosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Mattisyahu SalamonMashgiach, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood

Rabbi Elya Ber WachtfogelRosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Gedolah of

South Fallsburg

Rabbi Chaim Boruch WolpinRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Karlin Stolin

Rabbi Zecharia GelleyRav, Khal Adas Jeshurun

Rabbi Lipa MarguliesRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva & Mesifta Torah Temimah

Rabbi Dovid KviatChairman, Conference of Synagogue Rabbonimof Agudath Israel

Rabbi Shlomo MandelRosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of Brooklyn

Rabbi Ephraim WachsmanRosh Hayeshiva, Mesivta Meor Yitzchok

We the rabbinical signatories — barring familial obligations — and unusual andextraordinary circumstances — will not participate in or attend a wedding celebration thatdisregards these guidelines. (Rabbinical Listing in formation)

own lives and aspirations. And when hespoke with such pathos about Jews whochose to be burned at the stake ratherthan embrace the cross, our eyes welledup with tears as if we were ourselves wit-nesses to their heroic martyrdom al Kid-dush Hashem.

He had a brilliant historical per-spective of every movement in theJewish world and every segment. Hetaught us to understand the ideology ofeach, to criticize when necessary, but todo so out of compassion and love for afellow Jew.

HIS LEGACY

Reb Nachman’s passing indeedleaves us an orphaned generation,like the children who have lost

their father who connected them to theglorious past. For half a century, hetaught Torah and Torah values to somany talmidim and congregants. But healso taught those of us who were priv-ileged to work with him some power-ful lessons: To dedicate every talent and

every experience to harbotzas Torah(Torah dissemination) and avodasHashem (service of G-d). To striveconstantly to reach higher goals and toset higher standards for our owntalmidim.

Most of all, he taught an entire worldthe meaning of mesiras nefesh. An intel-lectual giant who would have been lion-ized in the secular world chose insteadto serve in far-flung rabbinical positions,to deal with youngsters as one of thefounding fathers of NCSY, and to ded-icate so many years to helping alienat-ed Jews find their way back to theirTorah and their people. His remarkableRebbetzin and outstanding childrenearned a significant share in his self-sac-rifice for having made it possible for RebNachman to achieve so much in his life-time. Their example of mesiras nefeshwill serve as a standard that all of us willstrive to live up to. While we may feelinadequate to fill his giant footprints,whatever we succeed in achieving willbe to his credit and shall serve as a liv-ing monument to his memory. ■


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His words, his intonations, hisemotion, his resounding andcaptivating voice, his soft whis-

pers, his smooth, ceaseless unraveling ofthe most complex Torah texts, his ges-tures, his hammering the table, his sub-tlest nod – and my tears – stand beforeme, alive, burning, pulsating. Neverbefore has the saying of Chazal, “Therighteous, in their deaths, are calledalive,” been so alive. Hundreds of con-versations, lectures, dynamic inter-changes with others in mypresence…they condense, distill, andproclaim: unfinished symphony.

Sympathetic observers commentedover the years: Notwithstanding the obvi-ous – Rabbi Nachman Bulman’s extraor-dinary talents, stature, deeds – he was notalways justly recognized for his gifts. Hisvision of the depths of the Torah, of theintegrity of the Torah community, of theconnection with the giants in the Torahpast, was too fertile to be fully appreci-ated. His insight was so sharp, so cutting,as to recall the Prophets of old. Did Jere-miah realize his vision of a repentantJewish people? Rabbi Bulman sawthrough things, within individual livesand within the community. With his

piercing vision came a magnitude ofaspiration and a certain inevitable pain,and frustration. Things cannot be putright just because the right is seen andthe solution is conceivable.

Ah! The scope of his “shortfall.”Rabbi Bulman revolutionized families,seekers, simple people, sophisticated

people. His stopping points were officialpositions in official institutions, but noless in chance encounters, on countlesstravels, and over Shabbos meals.

Rabbi Bulman built institutions. Hehad a major hand in founding onekehilla, two girls’ seminaries, one yeshi-va, one synagogue, The Jewish Observ-er, all of which continue to this day.Rabbi Bulman delivered masterful lec-tures in yeshivos and seminaries, andmesmerizing orations at conventions.Quietly, behind the scenes, he delivered

shrewd advice that helped sustain Torahinstitutions in cities across four conti-nents. Rabbi Bulman translated EliyahuKitov’s classic works, setting a standardfor accuracy and elegance, and led theprayers for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kip-pur, setting a standard for emotion andinspiration. Rabbi Bulman coerced, byunrelenting force of intellect and emo-tion, countless people to see beyond theirlimited vision. His vision, he did not fullyrealize; others’ vision, he nurtured,expanded, deepened, layered – individ-ually, literarily, institutionally.

Who mourned his passing?Lithuanian roshei yeshiva,Chassidic rebbes, modern

Orthodox neighbors, ex-hippie types,chareidim, non-religious Jews, scholars,despairing divorcees whose get – aftercountless previous failures – he had suc-cessfully secured, penniless orphanswhose shidduchim he had made, and thefamilies of people who died premature-ly, whom he had counseled: the list, in allits variety, is not the final point.Rabbi Bul-man never wrote his overarching, dis-cursive masterpiece of Jewish thought,integrating Mussar, Chassidus, philosophyand Midrash. He never wrote it: on paper.He wrote it on the human heart. Peopleconnected to him, not as they might con-nect vicariously to a public figure, or pro-fessionally to a counselor, or pedagogicallyto a learned rabbi, or lovingly to a fam-

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg is executive editor of Den-ver’s Intermountain Jewish News and active in awide variety of outreach efforts, including themikveh team of Torah Community Project. A fre-quent contributor to these pages, he was repre-sented by “Is Reform Jewry Coming Home?” inthe June ’99 JO.

UnfinishedSymphony

Rabbi Bulman neverwrote his overarching,

discursive masterpieceof Jewish thought. Henever wrote it: on paper.He wrote it on thehuman heart.


ily patriarch, though he was a public fig-ure, counselor, rabbi, and patriarch.They connected to him because he did notstand apart. For all his presence andcharisma, he was, like he once said of thegreat Polish talmid chacham Rav Men-achem Ziemba, a simple Jew, accessible,direct. Who mourned his passing? Sure-ly not least, his students and disciples.

Riveting, humbling: the way heunfolded a text of Torah, even so muchas a single line or phrase, unveiling oth-erwise unseen layers, nuances, made soample, so striking, under his probing eye

– unfolded which such ease, passion, andprecision.

Who is the paradigm? The BaalShem Tov, who transformedindividuals in spiritually

charged encounters? It fits: Anyoneever buttonholed by Rabbi Bulmanknows the transforming emotion, pun-gency and kedusha of his teaching. RabbiIsrael Salanter, who gave visibility to theTorah’s stress on character? It fits: RabbiBulman’s visceral recoil at lapses inintegrity was part of his essence. RabbiSamson R. Hirsch, who wove tapestriesof thought, and who rejected any tac-tical compromise with non-OrthodoxJudaism and secular Zionism – andsome of whose descendants settled inIsrael? It fits in every particular. RabbiBulman would cringe at being includ-ed in this esteemed company, but heembodied all of their legacies – but theyare not his model. American born, sub-ject to realities they never knew, RabbiBulman was his own paradigm, refract-ing his multifaceted inheritance throughhis own lens.

An eloquent expositor of all threadsof Torah thought, Rabbi Bulman wasshaped by the severity of his father, theGerrer remnants of his childhood, thelomdus of Rabbi Joseph B.Soloveitchik, the person of RabbiYitzchak Hutner, the ideology of Agu-das Yisroel, the thirst for Torah evincedby ba’alei teshuva, and the breakdownof the Jewish family. He was both tel-escope and microscope, reflector ofvast knowledge, and acute focus onindividual quest.

The wonder is not that Rabbi Bulmanleft much undone. The wonder is theway he improved on the saying of theLomzer Yeshiva’s Mashgiach, RabbiMoshe Rosenstein: “It takes five hoursof thinking to achieve five minutes ofpure thought.” In Rabbi Bulman’s case,every word and gesture seemed to be apure thought. A concentrated essence.His symphony, if unfinished, was botha kaleidoscope and an unflagging thirstfor the absolute simplicity of the mostconcentrated essence of all, the onenessof Hakadosh Baruch Hu. ■

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It is relatively easy to act gracious-ly with others (1) when those otherpeople are themselves gracious and

charming, and (2) when personally, oneis feeling happy and content. Whenfeeling irritable, however, acting with

exemplary bein adam l’chaveiro is a fargreater challenge. It is even more dif-ficult when dealing with an annoyingor unpleasant individual. Another dif-ficult scenario is when one mustexpress words of dissatisfaction or

YAMIM NORAIM REFLECTIONS Rabbi Dov Berish Ganz

Rabbi Ganz is a former talmid and a musmachof Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim of Forest Hills, NY. Hisrecently published book, Defining Humanity –Exploring Torah Insights into Man and Morality(Feldheim,) contains a series of Mussar-styleinsights into Sefer Bereishis. This article is basedon the ninth chapter of that volume.

Rabbi Yisroel Salanter left a profound and enduring impact uponthe world of Torah when he founded what became known as theMussar Movement. One event that reputedly motivated a very youngReb Yisroel was an incident that occurred on the eve of Yom Kip-pur. It is recounted in Nesivos Ohr by Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer (a dis-ciple of Reb Yisroel).

Reb Yisroel noted a very devout Jew coming toward him. Reb Yis-roel asked him something he needed to know (i.e. the time). The manwas so overwhelmed with his own teshuva process that he did not answer.

Why, asked Reb Yisroel to himself, should that man’s involve-ment with teshuva have the effect of impeding his required atten-tion to the precepts of bein adam l’chaveiro (of interpersonal nature)?

In truth, teshuva and the consequent greater frumkeit shouldstrengthen one’s observance of all mitzvos. Accordingly, the sincereteshuva of the Yamim Noraim should inspire a heightened sensi-tivity to bein adam l’chavero rather than have the opposite effect.

Reb Yisroel apparently saw that man’s type of inconsistency aspart of a pattern common to many others. He went on to promul-gate the Mussar Movement which stressed (among other things) theidea that Jews should direct a special focus on the Torah’s preceptsof bein adam l’chaveiro.

Based on the Torah reading of the first day of Rosh Hashana,this article focuses on one of the daunting challenges faced whenseeking to refine one’s bein adam l’chaveiro.

BBEEIINN AADDAAMM LL’’CCHHAAVVEEIIRROO

rebuke, perhaps to a child, a spouse, astudent or an employee. Typically,there has already been a buildup ofresentment, hurt, or conflict. So con-fronting the person and situationwith good will and equanimity isexceptionally difficult.

The conduct of Avraham, asdescribed in the Torah reading ofthe first day of Rosh Hashana, isrevealing.

Sarah became convinced that bothHagar and her son Yishmael had to bebanished from their household. TheS’forno explains that this was becausethe conduct of Yishmael was intoler-able and detrimental, and that Hagar

was largely responsible. Avraham wasat first reluctant, but then Hashemadvised him to heed Sarah’s counsel.

Avraham was told to evict bothHagar and Yishmael and send theminto the desert on a life-threateningjourney. Furthermore, according to theS’forno, Avraham had to then desig-nate that forever after, the descendantsof Yishmael would be subservient tothe descendants of Yitzchak.

Yet, the S’forno explains that Avra-ham accompanied them from hishome with the same “abundant kind-ness” that he lavished upon the threeguests who had visited him. Avraham’streatment of those guests (described

in Bereishis 18) is the Torah’s exemplarof how one person should lavishkindness, graciousness and good willupon another.

Avraham loved his son Yishmael ashe loved his son Yitzchak (Bereishis22, 2 – Rashi). One can easily imag-ine that with his unequalled kindnessand sensitivity, Avraham could havefelt distraught over being required tobreak up his family, relegate his sonand wife to eternal subservience,and then send them off into real dan-ger. He could have also perhaps feltbitterness and anger towards Hagarfor causing this to happen.

But he was Avraham, the paradigmof chessed. Although he enacted theharsh response that was required byHashem, in every other respect hemaintained his superlative goodnessand gentleness toward Hagar.

Avraham’s conduct represents theTorah’s ideal. No situation shouldcause a letdown of one’s outpouringof kindness and respect toward oth-


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Avraham’s conduct represents the Torah’s ideal.

No situation should cause a letdown of one’s

outpouring of kindness and respect toward others.

ers. Even when a word of reproof ora punishment is called for, all otheraspects of one’s bein adam l’chaveirotoward that person must remain at themost exalted of levels.

(It could perhaps be compared tosomeone who seeks to rid his lawn ofsome scattered weeds. It would be dis-astrous if the material used killed allof the grass as well. The objective is toeliminate the weeds while maintain-ing every bit of the grass’s vitality.)

Rabbi Avraham Trop l”z (a son ofRabbi Naftali Trop of Radin)developed a somewhat similar

point from Rashi in Bereishis, 21, 25(which is also read on of the first dayof Rosh Hashana). That pasukdescribes how Avraham rebukedAvimelech over a well that was stolen.Rashi “adds” that he called him to taskover “this matter” (the well). But thepasuk clearly states that Avrahamrebuked Avimelech over “this matter”(the well). What did Rashi add to whatwas clearly stated in the pasuk?

Rabbi Trop answered that Rashi’swords were meant to be exclusionary.Rashi was pointing out that Avraham’srebuke concerned “this matter” – thatof the well, and that only. This is animportant lesson, because criticizingsomeone face-to-face can easily giverise to a dredging up of numerousother past grievances, totally uncon-nected to the subject at hand (in mod-ern terms, “kitchen sinking”). Avra-ham, in his greatness, was above thispractice, and thus, Rashi’s point is thathis reprimand of Avimelech was lim-

ited to that one matter only.We learn from this Rashi that

rebuke should be issue-specific, and itshould not evolve and disintegrate intoaccusations and condemnations onmany different fronts.

The S’forno quoted above expandsthis concept and teaches that at difficultmoments, it is not sufficient to merelyavoid an escalation into broad-basedconflict. Rather, what is required is thatthe entire interaction should otherwiseremain in step with the Torah’s loftiestprinciples of bein adam l’chaveiro.

People may disagree with eachother — at times, fairly intense-ly. (As a rule, machlokes – feuding

– is almost always antithetical to Torah.)Very often, the greatest damage does notemanate from the disagreement itself,but from the overall breakdown in civil-ity and consideration that can accom-pany strife. Two people arguing over aspecific matter may soon find themselvesembroiled in an extensive multilevelconflict that can include out-and-outpersonal defamation and characterassassination.



The Torah calls upon people tostrive to refine themselves (this is alifetime process) to the extent that theywill naturally and instinctively act asAvraham did. Then, even in the midstof a difficult situation with anotherperson, the prevailing attitude ofkindness, respect and love that char-acterized the relationship will continueunabated. This will enormously limitthe harm that can ensue from an ini-tially circumscribed disagreement.

There are numerous examples ofthis dynamic in the everyday interac-tions between friends, spouses, fam-ily, business associates, etc. For exam-ple, a husband and wife are at thebeginning of a dispute. Accusationsare exchanged, and tempers begin torise. At this critical point, the “frum”response is to hear Rashi and theS’forno speaking. Rashi would be say-ing to them, “If necessary, you maydiscuss your one point of grievance,but do not dredge up anything else.”The S’forno would then say, “Excuseme, Rashi! I agree with what you said.However, that is not enough. Not onlymust they avoid additional com-plaints, but also, like Avraham, theyshould act with the greatest consid-

eration imaginable; they must bespeaking to each other as affection-ately as they did on the day of theirmarriage. Then they may proceed totheir issue.” If people would hearkento these voices at such moments,almost anything in the world wouldimprove – except perhaps for the ther-apy business.

The discipline of children posesa similar challenge. Chastise-ment over a finite issue should

not evolve into a sweeping denuncia-tion of the child as a person. The habitof sending a unilaterally negative anddisapproving message at suchmoments can cause lasting harm.The ethic of the S’forno calls upon theparent or teacher in the midst ofrebuke or discipline to maintain thenormally warm and supportive atti-tude toward the child.1

(And if the parent or teacher doesnot have a “normally warm and sup-portive attitude toward the child” -then that would seem to be a fargreater problem.)

This also relates to the first pointraised regarding one’s conduct whenfeeling irritable or when dealing withdifficult people. Avraham’s exempla-ry conduct toward Hagar remainedunchanged, despite the terrible thingsthat were then transpiring – things forwhich she was to blame. Certainly,then, one’s level of bein adaml’chaveiro should never falter simplybecause at certain times it is more dif-ficult to act graciously. ■

1 After considering the ideas of this article, onecan better appreciate the words of Rabbi YaakovKaminetsky. A recently published work men-tioned that Reb Yaakov was asked about theadvisability of spanking children as discipline.He responded that a young grandson of RabbiBaruch Ber Leibowitz once turned on the lightson a Motza’ei Shabbos before Havdala. RebBaruch Ber called the boy over, and with com-plete calm, he lovingly said to the child, “You arevery dear to my heart, and I bless you with longand good years. However, you just violated anissur d’rabannan, and for that you deserve apotch.”

Reb Yaakov continued that if a parent wouldgive the child a potch with the calm and love thatReb Baruch Ber did, then it could be permitted.

One of the standard hallmarks ofchildhood is a sense of power-lessness, both in relation to

one’s family and to the world at large.To be a small person surrounded bygiants is an experience all humansshare – one which we fully expect toescape one day by turning into adults.

But when, eventually, we do find our-selves disguised as those odd-lookingcreatures called grown-ups, we discov-er that “being in control” remains, infact, a pleasure rarely to be savored.Adulthood offers endless opportunitiesto feel as helpless as a child.

Thanks to Arab terrorism, life inIsrael has never been less than unstint-ingly generous in this respect. If it’s exis-tential truths you’re after – insights intothe transient nature of our sojourn onthe planet and the unpredictability ofthe universe – then get on an Egged busto downtown Jerusalem. Walking alongthe sidewalk, your mind will of itself beattuned keenly not only to each andevery passerby (alert to the possibilitythat the woman coming your way in herchador may be large not with child but

with an explosive belt, and that theIsraeli soldier with a kipa on his headmay not be an Israeli soldier with a kipaon his head), but exquisitely attuned, aswell, to the gloriously soft breeze uponyour face. That’s how it works. The pro-found emotional recognition that youare unceasingly, helplessly vulnerable tothe world around you heightens notonly your anxiety but all your othersenses, too. The capacity for joy is deep-ened. and broadened — a capacity forpleasure in all things large and small.The sky is bluer than blue. Little girlsjumping rope – a sudden vision, some-times, of unearthly loveliness. Simplekindnesses in the course of normalinteractions between strangers can beinvested with extraordinary poignancy.A Friday night meal in your home, withShabbat candles flickering and the peo-ple you love safely around your table,can induce such a mighty celebration ofthe heart as to rival the roaring of ahappy crowd.

Since human helplessness is obvi-ously one of the main things that life isdesigned to teach us, one way or anoth-er, before we slide off the mortal coil,then getting a crash course such as thiscan only be to our ultimate advantage.Although we who are fortunate enoughto live here cannot claim a corner on the

world market when it comes to suffer-ing — the most cursory reading of anydaily newspaper will remind us of tor-nados in Tennessee, earthquakes inIran, ongoing brutality against civiliansin Sierra Leona, a daughter who disap-pears in Washington D.C., a daughterkidnapped in Utah — we can indeedboast of being star pupils with front rowseats when it comes to learning aboutthe limits of human power. We’re beingforcibly indoctrinated.

And since as individuals we’d have toabsorb the knowledge of our weaknesssooner or later, no matter where we wereliving, it is a great privilege to get themessage in a uniquely meaningful fash-ion, in this setting, under these cir-cumstances, all together as a people. We


Mrs. Shapiro of Jerusalem is a frequent contrib-utor to these pages, most recently with “LivingWhere Everything is Ground Zero”(Feb. ’02). Hermost recent book is A Gift Passed Along: A WomanLooks at the World Around Her – ArtScroll.

VOICES FROM ERETZ YISROEL Sarah Shapiro

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When Grown-Ups are

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watch ourselves up on center stage, asprophesied history unfolds.

* * *

In a taxi on the way downtown anhour ago, the 4 p.m. news reportedthat a warning is out in America that

terrorists might be planning an attackon nuclear facilities.

“What was that?” I asked the driv-er sharply from the backseat. Suspi-ciousness has become second nature.In a most unwelcome fashion, this bul-letin had managed in an instant tounearth that ancient childhood senseof being utterly, maddeningly at themercy of strangers toying dangerous-

ly with my world.The driver, an Ethiopian in his early

twenties, said “Oh, it’s America, geveret.Nothing here. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry? How can I not worry?My relatives are in America! And thatwould start a whole new era, andbesides, any nuclear radiation overthere will get here, too! Don’t you knowthat?”

“Here?” His eyes met mine in hisrear-view mirror. He seemed skeptical.

“Yes! Of course, here! Radiationgoes everywhere!”

“We are in G-d’s hands, geveret.”

* * *

I’m in the quiet upstairs atrium of acafé on Ben Yehuda Street, the pedes-trian mall in the center of town where

many suicide bombers have detonatedthemselves over the years, where somany, many Jews have lost their eyes,their hearing, their faces, their hands,

their feet, their children, their parents,their friends, their health, their peace ofmind.

We thank You for our souls that areentrusted to You.

An hour ago when I emerged fromthe taxi, it was a toss-up. Should I comehere, to my favorite café, or to the otherone, with security guards at theentrance? …in Whose hand is the spiritof every human being. Given the situa-tion not only on this street but in theworld, I’m glad to have opted for thegreater comfort. From this small cozycorner table that I favor, I glance downwatchfully from time to time at the door.

Two ambulances flash by, shrill sirensscreaming, and instantly, in anadmirable demonstration of Jewishunity, all the coffee-drinkers stiffen, alert.Did something happen? In Your hand arethe souls of the living and the dead.

Will there be more sirens? Into Yourhand I entrust my spirit.

We wait. ■


KARKA IN ERETZ YISROEL

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Last Motza’ei Shabbos, as usual, Itook a long walk with a closefriend. After briskly circling the

neighborhood, and sighing over the dif-ficulties of life, we hurriedly returnedhome to our families.

It was then that I noticed Avi.Avi is not religious. His family is, but

he is not. Until very recently, he wasaddicted to hard drugs. Today he isstruggling to rebuild his life – and hisrelationship with Hashem – after hav-ing freed himself of his abusive habit.

Avi was perched on the bench out-side of his parents’ apartment house,staring into nothingness. A cigarettedangled from his mouth.

I greeted Avi with a warm smile andasked him how he’s doing.

“Terrible,” he replies.“Something’s the matter?”“Yes.”It was obvious that Avi could barely

continue. “My close friend just died –tonight. He was critically wounded inthe bombing last week.”

I have known Avi since he was aninfant, and felt myself almost over-whelmed by my desire to hold this childand protect him from the cruel worldthat surrounds us. But that, of course,was not possible.

I can only stand and share in his sor-row.

“When did you find out?” I ask.“I was with him…tonight… when he

died.”There are times that words can only

be superfluous. There was nothing thatI could possibly say. I stood for a fewmore minutes near the entrance to ourbuilding and shared in Avi’s pain.

We probably seemed an odd pair. Me,an ultra-Orthodox grandmother, busyraising a large family. Avi, a recovereddrug addict, dressed in cut-off blue jeansand a ragged t-shirt.

But we were joined together in our

pain for Am Yisroel.As I turn away to enter my apartment

building, I found myself silently askingHashem to give Avi – and all of Klal Yis-roel, for that matter - the strength togrow from these challenging days. ■

VOICES FROM ERETZ YISROEL Debbie Shapiro


Debbie Shapiro, a professional writer inJerusalem whose byline appears weekly in theAmerican Yated Ne’eman, has had articles pub-lished in these pages, most recently, “Food ForThe Soldiers,” (April ’02).

A FEW THOUGHTS ON AMOTZA’EI SHABBOS

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We were perfect strangers. Yet,the Bostoner Rebbe invited usfor Shabbos right over the

phone. We were newly married, check-ing out housing possibilities in theBoston area. We didn’t give it a secondthought: the Rebbe invited us for Shab-bos and so we went. Years later, havinghad many children and hundreds ofShabbos guests of our own, I realizedwhat it meant for a husband to inviteguests without first checking with hiswife. It meant: His wife agrees. In theRebbetzin’s case it meant: Invite asmany as you want. It even meant: Themore you invite, the more I accomplishin life.

The passing of the Bostoner Rebbe’swife, Rebbetzin Raichel Horowtiz, was apenetrating loss for the countless thou-sands who had been the recipient of herunreserved chessed. The Rebbetzin wasthe utterly reliable provider of meals,beds, advice, comfort, cheer and hopefor the entire spectrum of humanity. Itis difficult to describe this credibly; if youdid not witness it, you will think I exag-gerate.

We went to the Rebbe’s for Shabbosthat hot summer weekend over 30years ago. We noticed: Many otherswent, too. The Rebbe and the Rebbetzinran what they called an “open house.”Open to the charity collectors fromIsrael. Open to very ill people seekingmajor cures. Open to students fromBrandeis, Harvard, MIT and other uni-

versities in the area. Open to friends inBoston and outside Boston. Open to rel-atives – and open to all of these people’schildren.

The home of Bostoner Chassidim hadthree floors just for guests. After a while,a separate building (with eight apart-ments) was secured just for the medicalpatients. Week in and week out, year inand year out – for decades – RebbetzinRaichel Horowitz prepared Shabbosmeals for 10 to 40 people. Some of themedical patients willingly pitched in forthe Shabbos preparations. Compared tothe advice, warmth, prayers and hopethat the Rebbe and Rebbetzin supplied,it seemed very little to help the Rebbet-zin prepare for the huge Shabbos crowd.

The unstated message was this: Youwere not repaying a favor. You weren’tactually helping out the Rebbetzin or theRebbe – because they were not helpingeach other. This was not a model of amarriage in which spouses respected andcared for each other. This was muchmore. When the Rebbe invited us forShabbos, it was not because he wantedto and knew his wife would go along; itwas because they both wanted to comecloser to G-d. They were working for ahigher cause. They both believed thatchessed – reaching out to and caring forother people – was a major path to G-d. Their marriage was not in service ofeach other, but in service of G-d. Thisis why so many gladly rolled up theirsleeves for the Rebbetzin.

Rebbetzin Horowitz invited couplesinto her home for months at a time. One

of our most beautiful memories cameat a Beth Jacob High School of Denvergraduation some years ago. A studentfrom out of town had been friends withone of our daughters for four years. Itwas not until graduation that we met herparents. They looked familiar. Finally, weput it together. Some 19 years earlier,they were the couple that the Rebbetzinhad taken in so that they could under-go fertility treatment in Boston. Theyhad endured countless disappoint-ments. My wife and I remembered theRebbetzin encouraging them, monthafter month. They stayed at her homemore than a year! Now, 19 years later,we realized that this friend of our owndaughter – this graduate – was the fruitof that medical treatment.

In 1996, the Rebbetzin published TheBoston Rebbetzin Remembers: Reb-betzin Raichel Horowitz of Boston /

Har Nof Recalls Jewish Life in Poland,America and Israel (ArtScroll).

Violence marked the Rebbetzin’searly years. She came to the US in the1920’s, but her sister remained behind.So did countless relatives – all killed inthe Holocaust. Their murder was hard-ly a distant happening. RaichelHorowitz had returned to Poland forlong visits twice. She knew her familywell; with eloquence and pain sheexpresses her ache over their absence.Then there were the pogroms, illness-es, and premature deaths she witnessed.Through it all, she remained an optimist,giving her the fortitude for the life she

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

The BostonerRebbetzin

Raichel Horowitz h”i

Rabbi Goldberg is executive editor of Denver’sIntermountain Jewish News.


eventually chose with the Rebbe.Her parents divorced when she was

four; her mother and stepfather,“Cleve-lander-Nadvorna Rebbe,” ran an openhouse – also preparation for her marriedlife. She grew up with meshullachim(charity fundraisers) and other visitors,some of whom were mentally ill. Herexposure to Chassidic Rebbes, Polish anti-Semites, ne’er-do-wells, tzaddikim andAmerican, non-Jewish public schoolclassmates gave the Rebbetzin an inex-haustible pool of wisdom even before shemet the Rebbe. Then, through exposureto countless Shabbos guests, medical spe-cialists, brilliant students, impoverisheddrifters and religious seekers – not tomention her own, five accomplished chil-dren – the Rebbetzin knew exactly whatshe stood for and what she wanted to do:chessed. Aptly, her memoir had twounintended consequences. It revealed thatshe was older than the Rebbe, which gavehope to older, unmarried girls; and itrevealed that for years she had been raisedby a single mother, which gave hope tosingle parents. Chessed.

By the time the Rebbe and Rebbetzinmoved to Israel half-time in the mid-1980’s, their children were following intheir footsteps. For example, inJerusalem, the Rebbetzin could spreadthe wealth – the guests – among twochildren who lived in the Har Nof neigh-borhood. Even so, the Rebbe and Reb-betzin still invited guests; their apart-ment was packed for Kiddush andHavdalah.

At these events I looked aroundand saw young people, just as wehad been many years before. The

Rebbe and Rebbetzin had not reached outto us because this is what they weredoing at that stage of their lives. Singles,newlyweds, students, Chassidim, med-ical cases, friends, relatives: the Rebbeand Rebbetzin were reaching out to thesepeople their entire lives.

The diversity of people whom theRebbetzin could relate to in Boston wasdazzling. In Jerusalem, the rangewidened still more, with even the mosttraditional denizens of Me’ah She’arimadded to the mix. Secular students

rubbed shoulders with people deckedout in Yerushalmi garb, utterly removedfrom the secular world of Boston. Butthe Rebbetzin made everyone feel com-

fortable together. Age did not slow herschedule or commitment. Only her finalillness did that. May her example con-tinue to inspire us. ■

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vh,ukkeu vba vkf, vh,ufrcu vba kj, - shemayisrael.com September… · vh,ukkeu vba vkf, vh,ufrcu vba kj, In this issue ... Rabbi Leib Kelemen ... impact of Reb Nachman’s Torah,his