Rivash - Kabbala is not for everyone

Rivash(#157): You should know that my teacher and master R’ Peretz HaCohen never talked about Sefiros or concerned himself with them. I also heard from his mouth that R’ Shimshon of Keinon - who was the greatest scholar of his time and I also recall him even though I never saw him in person –said that “I pray with the thoughts of a child.” In other words he rejected the approach of the kabbalists who pray sometimes to one Sefira and on other occassions pray to a different Sefira – depending on what they want to accomplish with their prayers. The kabbalists in their own defense say that they are simply following the path of our Sages (Bava Basra 25b) who said, “One who wishes to become wise should turn to the south while wealth is obtained by turning to the north.” In other words the kabbalists say that one should direct one’s attention to the attribute of the right or the attribute of the left. Also when saying the Amida prayer they have particular concentration on a particular Sefira for each one of the berachos. However I - as a non-kabbalist - find all of this very strange and it seems like the heretical belief of secondary deities. I once heard a philosophically oriented person speaking in disparagement of the kabbalists, He said,” the Christians have their belief in the trinity and the kabbalists have their belief in the ten Sefiros.”… [However I also heard the kabbalistic view about Sefiros from] the elderly scholar Don Yosef Ibn Shushan… He was a great talmudic scholar and was familiar with philosophy and he was also a kabbalist. In addition he was very pious and careful in performing the mitzvos. Between us there was great love and affection. Once I asked him how he and the other kabbalists concentrated on one Sefira for a particular beracha and a different Sefira for another beracha? In addition I asked him whether the Sefiros were divinities that a person should pray to them? He replied, “G‑d forbid! Prayer should only be directed to G‑d.” He explained that it is comparable to a person who has a legal dispute and he asks the king to provide justice by asking the judge to hear his case. The person would not ask that the head of the treasury should be involved since that would obviously be a mistake. Similarly if the person was pleading that the king give him a present he would not request the involvement of the judge but one of the king’s attendants. If he was requesting wine from the king he would ask the involvement of the chief of the wine cellar. If he wanted bread he would ask for the involvement of the chief baker. Obviously he would only ask for the involvement of the minister or servant directly involved in what he needed. Prayer is exactly the same. It is obviously always directed to G‑d but there is also a direction of thought to obtain the required bounty from the Sefira which is connected with his needs. For the beracha of “Ahl hatzadikim” there is a direction of thought toward the Sefira which is called chesed (kindness) which is the attribute of mercy. On the other hand for the beracha of “Minim” (heretics) there is a concentration on the Sefira which is called gevura (strength) which is the attribute of strict justice. All of this was explained to me by this pious person concerning the intent of the kabbalists and it is a very good explanation. Nevertheless who should be involved in this approach? Isn’t it better to prayer with full concentration just to G‑d and He knows how to fulfill the requests? This is stated in Tehilim(37:5), “Commit your way to G‑d and trust in Him and He will do.” This is the view of the great master R’ Shimshon of Keinon whom I mentioned before. I also want to tell you in particular what said to me by my teacher and master Rabbeinu Nissim, “The Ramban was too much involved in the kabbalistic beliefs while I was not involved in that wisdom since I had not received knowledge of it from a kabbalistic teacher. Even if I see explanations based on the kabbalistic secrets of the Ramban but they don’t reveal the foundation principles of this wisdom. Thus they reveal a little but conceal even more. It is therefore highly likely that one would err in understanding these matters. Therefore I chose not to be involved in hidden matters”…

---

ריב"ש (סימן קנז): ...וגם הודעתיך, כי מורי הרב רבי פרץ הכהן ז"ל, לא היה כלל מדבר ולא מחשיב באותן הספירות. גם שמעתי מפיו, שהרב רבי שמשון מקינון ז"ל, שהיה רב גדול מכל בני דורו, וגם אני זכור ממנו ואם לא ראיתיו בעיני, והוא היה אומר: אני מתפלל לדעת זה התינוק; כלומר, להוציא מלב המקובלים, שהם מתפללים פעם לספירה אחת ופעם לספירה אחת, כפי ענין התפלה. והם אומרים, כי זה פי' מה שאז"ל (בבא בתרא כה:): הרוצה להתחכם, ידרים, להתעשר, יצפין; ר"ל, יכוין למדת ימין או למדת שמאל. גם בתפלת שמנה עשרה יש להם בכל אחת ואחת כונה לספירה ידועה. וכל זה הוא דבר זר מאד בעיני מי שאינו מקובל כמו הם; וחושבים, שזה אמונת שניות. וכבר שמעתי אחד מן המתפלספים מספר בגנות המקובלים, והיה אומר: הע"ג מאמיני השלוש, והמקובלים מאמיני העשיריות. וכבר קרה לי בהיותי בסרקסט"ה, שבא לשם החכם הישיש דון יוסף ן' שושאן ז"ל, אשר כבר ראיתי אותו בבלנסיא"ה, והוא היה חכם בתלמוד, וראה בפילוסופיא, והיה מקובל וחסיד גדול ומדקדק במצות, וביני ובינו היתה אהבה וחשק גדול. ופעם אחת שאלתי לו: איך אתם המקובלים, בברכה אחת מכוונים לספירה ידועה, ובברכה אחרת לספירה אחרת? ועוד, הכי יש אלהות לספירות, שיתפלל אדם להן? וענה לי: חלילה שתהיה התפלה כי אם לשם יתברך עלת העלות. אבל הדבר הזה כמו מי שיש לו ריב, ושואל מן המלך שיעשה לו דין, יבקש ממנו שיצוה אל היושב על המשפט שידין לו, לא שיצוה זה אל הסוכן הממונה על האוצרות, כי תהיה שאלתו בטעות. וכן אם ישאל מן המלך שיתן לו מתן, לא יאמר לו שיצוה אל השופט, אבל שיצוה אל הסוכן. וכן אם ישאל ממנו יין, יבקש שיצוה זה לשר המשקים; ואם ישאל לחם, יאמר לשר האופים; לא בהפך זה. כך הוא בענין התפלה, שהיא לעולם לעלת העלות, אלא שמכוין המחשבה להמשיך השפע לאותה ספירה המתיחסת לאותו דבר שהוא מבקש עליו. כמו שתאמר, שבברכת על הצדיקים יכוין לספירה הנקראת חסד, שהיא מדת רחמים, ובברכת המינין יכוין לספירה הנקראת גבורה, שהיא מדת הדין; והקש על זה. זה באר לי החסיד הנז' מכונת המקובלים, והנה טוב מאד. אמנם, מי מכניס אותנו בכל זה? הלא טוב להתפלל סתם לשם יתברך בכונה, והוא ידע באיזה דרך ישלים המבוקש; כמאמר הכתוב (תהילים לז:ה): גול על ה' דרכך, ובטח עליו והוא יעשה. וזה מה שאמר הרב הגדול רבי שמשון דקינון ז"ל, שהזכרתי למעלה. וכן הודעתיך מה שאמר אלי ביחוד מורי הרב רבינו נסים ז"ל, כי הרבה יותר מדאי תקע עצמו הרמב"ן ז"ל להאמין בענין הקבלה ההיא; ולזה איני תוקע עצמי באותה חכמה, אחר שלא קבלתיה מפי מקובל חכם. ואם ראיתי באורים על סודות הרמב"ן ז"ל, וגם הם אינם מגלי' שרשי החכמה ההיא, ומגלים טפח ומכסים כמה טפחים, וקרוב לטעות בדבר מהם; ולכן בחרתי לבל יהיה לי עסק בנסתרות...

Ben Shapiro Is Helping Elon Musk Fight a War on Freedom of Speech

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/ben-shapiro-is-helping-elon-musk-fight-a-war-on-freedom-of-speech?ref=home?ref=home

Shapiro correctly acknowledged that such defamation lawsuits have very little chance of success—thanks to First Amendment protections allowing for robust criticism of public figures—but insisted Musk was right about pretty much everything else.

“A lot of these progressive interest groups are very much interested in removing advertising revenue from sources where they can't control the speech,” Shapiro said on his show. He also said the ADL defends antisemites in Congress, as long as they’re Democrats, and claimed the group is essentially threatening, “Abide by left-wing standards of speech or watch your advertising dollars disappear.”

‘Offensive’: Georgia prosecutor excoriates Jordan for probe into Trump charges

 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/07/fani-willis-jim-jordan-offensive-00114583

In the blistering, nine-page response, Willis called Jordan’s actions “offensive,” accused him of being “misinformed” and said it’s “clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice, and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically.”

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, zt"l: Zealotry is necessary - but only if guided by a clear understanding of Torah

Emes L’Yaakov (Bereishis 49:7): ... Look at what I wrote previously in Bereishis (34:5). There I explained that it is certain that that this represents a punishment for Shimon and Levi, nevertheless Yaakov specifically appointed these tribes to these exalted responsibilities of educating the children and supervision of holy food. That is because only Shimon and Levi manifested the kano’as (zealotry) required for these jobs. This was seen by their response to Yaakov concerning the rape of their sister Dinah (Bereishis 34:5): “Is our sister to be a prostitute?” They alone were referred to as the brothers of Dinah because they were willing to sacrifice themselves for her welfare. Thus for these positions to be fulfilled successfully it is necessary to appoint people who have the attribute of kano’as (zealotry) and mesiras nefesh (total devotion) to serve G-d and His Torah. These positions require men who when they see something irregular, will immediately be aroused for the sake of G-d like an inferno and they will serve their position well. Therefore Yaakov specially appointed Shimon and Levi for this work.

However if we look carefully to see whether they in fact did these jobs according to their father’s expectations, we see that only the tribe of Levi actually did the work of education but not the tribe of Shimon. It was only the tribe of Levi that served as a strong barrier against those who arose to nullify the covenant with G-d. In contrast we don’t find that Shimon was involved in this work. The reason for this is clear. Only the tribe of Levi was exempt from working for Pharaoh during all the years of slavery. Thus only the tribe of Levi was able to sit and be immersed in Torah study. Only when kano’as (zealotry) is grounded and defined by Torah parameters - is it successful. That is why when the Leviim saw the terrible chilul HaShem that resulted from the sin of the Golden Calf they immediately expressed their zealotry for G‑d and killed even friends and relatives who were participating in the sin. Similarly when there were Jews in the Wilderness who wanted to return to Egypt, it was the Leviim who were in the vanguard against them. During the entire time that passed from the events concerning Dinah until the Redemption from Egypt they maintained their zealotry - but it was always bounded and guided by their deep knowledge of Torah.

In contrast, while the kano’as of Shimon was also strong it was not guided by Torah and thus did not have proper nature. When did his “kano’as" manifest itself? It was in the events of the worship of Baal Peor. It was Zimri who expressed this “kano’as” against the rule of Torah provided by Moshe. It was used to uproot the attribute of modesty which was then prevelant amongst the Jews. He expressed his zealotry by his open involvement in sexual immorality with the non‑Jewish woman. Therefore it was only the kano’as of Pinchus, from the tribe of Levi ,who was guided by the laws of the Torah who was able to attack Zimri and defeat him and stop the plague that was punishing the Jews. Kano’as which is not guided by halacha does not have the ability to be successful because it ultimately just destroys the kanoi. It is only the gedolim in each generation who have the proper intuition and sensitivity to know and decide when it is necessary to be a kanoi and to protest and when it is best to remain silent. This ability is only acquired by those who have the keys to Torah in their hands.

Yeshiva is an artificial institution - Rav Hutner

This is part of Rav Hutner's talk on why the yeshiva system was instituted. It is the last chapter in the Pachad Yitzhok for Shavuos. Basic idea is that the yeshiva system is comparable to the use of incubators. It works but is a not ideal - the true Torah system is for the father to teach his son.

Significance of having a yeshiva system [Part of last chapter in Pachad Yitzchok – Shavuos] 

In order to properly understand the Daas Torah concerning the unique characteristic of contemporary teachers, we must correct a deeply entrenched error concerning how the Jewish system of teaching originated. The undisputed fact is that the teaching system was initiated by the Tanna - Yehoshua ben Gamla. The gemora (Bava Basra 21a) says, "The name of that man should be remembered for the good - and Yehoshua ben Gamla was his name - that if it hadn't been for him - the Torah would have been forgotten from the Jews. Originally all those who had a father - his father would teach him Torah. He that did not have a father would not learn Torah... Then Yehoshua ben Gamla came and decreed that an educational system of teachers of children should be established." 

It is a standard refrain amongst those who write the history of Jewish education, that they take great pride in the fact that Jews were so progressive and had established their mandatory educational system already in ancient times. Let me state clearly and unambiguously that this whole idea is the opposite of the truth. Those who express this mistaken notion indicate that they have absolutely no understanding of the difference between Jews and non-Jews. 

Let's learn through this piece of gemora. The Gemora states that if it hadn't been for the decree of Yehoshua ben Gamla then, "The Torah would have been forgotten from Yisroel." This is an astounding assertion. From the Revelation at Sinai until the time of Yehoshua ben Gamla was a very large amount of time. And in all that time, the accepted view was, "Whoever had a father would be taught by him, while those who didn't have a father would not learn Torah." Nevertheless, in all those years there was never a danger that Torah should be forgotten from Yisroel. So therefore if there had never been such a problem, why should Yehoshua ben Gamla be praised so strongly in the gemora - that without his decree of establishing an educational system the Torah would have been forgotten from Yisroel? 

You have to know that in all the generations which were governed by the principle, "Whoever had a father he would teach him Torah" - this practice was built on the axiom that one must obtain Torah where one obtained life itself. And since he had obtained his life from his father he must of necessity obtain Torah from him. Let me explain this with an analogy. Let's say that we suddenly found ourselves in a particular country where we discovered that there was decree that all new born babies must be placed in an incubator. Of course we would immediately deduce that something must be wrong with the mothers in the whole country. 

This is exactly what the gemora is telling us when it says that until the time of Yehoshua ben Gamla, "Those who had a father - he would teach him Torah." A profession is definitely a blessing in life. However life itself can never be a profession. And Torah is identical with life itself. Just as one generation cannot give over life to the next generation through professionals, so is it impossible that one generation give the next generation Torah through professionals. Just like a mother must carry her children biologically, so must the fathers carry their children spiritually. The nature of an embryo is that it eats that which his mother eats and he drinks what his mother drinks. The best incubator is never anything more than a substitute. Consequently if the nature of chinuch is that no substitutes are utilized then one must have the condition that, "One who has a father - he will be taught Torah and one who doesn't will not learn Torah." 

However the existential reality is that the Jew and Torah form an identity. So just as it was Divinely decreed on Jews that they had to be subject to various types of degradation, so it was decreed on Torah itself to descend through various types degradations. And thus there came a time when there was a degradation in the nature of the father's house. The father's house lost is fundamental ability to provide a chinuch with genuine vitality. [When we say "lost" we only mean relatively. A millionaire can lose a lot of money and still remain a rich man.] When this degradation happened then Yehoshua ben Gamla came and created the educational system with teachers. In other words, he replaced the dynamic of education in the father house with the dynamic of education in schools. 

This is the true understanding of the circumstances of, "One who had a father he would teach him Torah, while one who didn't have a father would not learn Torah." And when this was the reality of the world - there was absolutely no danger that Torah would be forgotten. In fact the opposite of common understanding is true. This is truly the healthiest circumstance for Torah and Mesora for Jews, and even if a boy was orphaned in this environment of "One who had a father he would teach him Torah". In such a climate you will find no concern raised about Torah being forgotten. Yehoshua ben Gamla deserved praise in the gemora because he had anticipated the coming degradation and therefore had created the educational system before it was too late. 

Therefore when someone writes the history of Jewish education and boasts with pride that Jews had already had mandatory education in ancient times - we need reject this boasting with ridicule and the derogatory laughter reserved for idolatry. That which is being claimed as a point of pride for us should be viewed as the greatest shame and embarrassment - even if the age of mandatory education is old. However it is unquestionably true that for the goyim the institution of mandatory education constitutes progress and a movement to the ideal of "education." In contrast for Jews, however, it is merely an "adjustment." So if people sing our praises with how ancient our mandatory education is, then we need to reply that they don't even begin to understand the difference between Jews and non-Jews. 

However it is important to understand that when the Sanhedrin institutes a decree for all the subsequent generations until the end of days - the decree itself gives the Jewish people all the powers which are needed in order fulfill the decree properly. Therefore when a decree is made to transfer the chinuch from the father's house to the schools, the decree itself gives the power that through the teaching of Torah that a teacher acquires the various skills needed for the good of the student. Therefore a proper Jewish teacher never falls into the mentality of being a "professional." That is because deep inside his soul he realizes that he is only a "stand in." The teacher is merely substituting for the father. 

It is important to know that the many sources that say that the Mesora (tradition) of Torah is specifically from father to son - are in fact describing only an aspect of the Giving of the Torah. That is because the Torah itself speaks about the Giving of the Torah in two different ways. One aspect is that the Torah was given to 600,000 recipients. The verse concerning this says, "And you shall teach the Torah to your children to speak regarding it when they dwell in your house ... " and "You shall make the Torah known to your children and grandchildren - as the day which you stood before the L-rd Your G-d at Choreb." All the sources which are connected to, "He who has a father - he should teach his son", are only concerned with this aspect of the Giving of Torah."

However the second aspect of the Giving of the Torah is explicitly described in the Torah as not being a transmission from father to son. Rather it is addressed equally to the fathers, sons and grandsons. This is the Torah verse which states, "Those who are in fact standing with us today before the L-rd our G-d and those who are not here with us today." 

We typically describe the second aspect of the Giving of the Torah mentioned in the verse, "Those who are here today ... and those who are not here" as describing the Giving of the Torah to neshamos (souls). That is because our Sages stated that this verse teaches that all the souls were there at Sinai. And since it is referred to as the Giving of the Torah to souls, people think it has nothing at all to do with our world. This is simply not true. That is because if it weren't for the second aspect of the Giving of the Torah, and it was exclusively the transmission from father to son - then if there was break in the transmission for one generation there would be a break in the chain. And if there is a break in even one link in a long chain - then the integrity of the entire chain is destroyed - it is simply broken and ceases to be a chain. But since the Giving of the Torah has a second aspect which is actually much deeper than the first aspect and it addresses itself to fathers and sons equally - then even if a misfortune happens - chalilah - and one generation falls away - the next generation is not cut off from the Source. It can start anew. 

Now we will be able to understand that which is in the halachos of teaching a special description for a special case of chinuch. The case is that of teaching the son of an ignoramus Torah. The special description is that when someone teaches the son of an ignoramus Torah - the psak is that it as if the student is learning directly from the mouth of G-d. This described by the prophet Yermiyahu (15: 19), "If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth." [You should not be surprised how this psak was stated because a halacha is derived from this expression that the son of an ignoramus is given priority in chinuch.] 

In this lies the unique spirituality in this issue. We can only activate our souls through our bodies. Our natural path for Torah and the Mesora is only through the transmission of father to son. The Giving of the Torah to souls can only go from G-d's mouth alone. Therefore when someone is a teacher of Torah to the son of an ignoramus it is a case where the transmission of father and son has been broken and represents a failed generation. It is only then it necessary to utilize the alternative path of the Giving of Torah to the souls. This Giving of Torah to the souls is direct and is only relevant to the mouth of G-d. Therefore when a teacher is successful in bringing forth the "precious from the vile" and is successful in returning the lost ring in the chain - it is a sign that he is utilizing the Giving of the Torah of souls. Therefore we can say that one who teaches Torah to an ignoramus - his mouth is like the mouth of G-d. "If you bring forth the precious from the vile you shall be as My mouth." 

In first, leading kosher authority Orthodox Union certifies lab-grown meat

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-leading-kosher-authority-orthodox-union-certifies-lab-grown-meat/

The Orthodox Union has certified a strain of lab-grown meat as kosher for the first time, marking a significant step forward for the food technology’s acceptance under Jewish dietary law.

Orthodox Union Kosher, the world’s largest and most influential kosher certification authority, recognized poultry products from Israeli startup SuperMeat as kosher, the company announced on Wednesday.

SuperMeat’s chicken cell line products were recognized as kosher Mehadrin meat, meeting the most stringent qualification for kosher supervision.

Elon Musk Takes Aim at Anti-Defamation League, Threatens Lawsuit

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-blames-anti-defamation-league-for-falling-revenue-threatens-lawsuit?ref=home?ref=home

Musk has blamed the ADL and other groups for the exodus in advertisers that the platform formerly known as Twitter has experienced since Musk took charge last year. On Monday, he accused the ADL of “trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic,” adding that, “our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”

Jerusalem police collect testimonies of 32 women against 'Jake Segal'

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-757411

The arrest for Rabbi Yosef Paryzer was extended by five more days on Sunday as the police managed to collect 32 testimonies of women that he had deceived under the persona "Jake Segal," the police spokesperson said.

Halacha by committee - Mishna Berura

 Rav Bluth told me that Rav Moshe had said to him, that the Mishna Berura was composed by a committee of talmidei chochomim and therefore it is more binding than if composed by an individual

I am not aware of any recognized sefer that was composed by a committee. The Rambam, Shulchan Aruch, Aruch HaShulchan, Tur, Beis Yosef etc etc were all composed by individuals and their authority comes because they were widely accepted. So why was this different?

Rav Bulman told me that the Mishna Berura was written because many cities in Europe had government appointed Rabbis who were often maskilim and were therefore  largely ignored by the yeshiva world. If a bochur or avreich needed to know what the normative practice was he had no where to go. So the Chofetz Chaim created a source book listing various views and indicating normative practice

It was not immediately accepted and even in Radin they relied on the Aruch HaShulchan. Rabbi Heineman told me  that post world war II with the loss of many poskim it was decided that their needed to be a common reference and the Mishna Berura was chosen. His rebbe, Rav Kotler always went around carrying a volume of Mishna Berura in order to increase its importance.

Shor Yoshuv - Dedication of Hebrew Yad Yisroel

 'Thirty years ago I first met Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld and his wife Rebbetzin Sara Freifeld I am dedicating the Yad Yisroel sefer to their memory as well as the memories of a number of members of the Shor Yoshuv community. 

I once asked Rabbi Freifeld how he was able to provide proper guidance to so many people - all of whom. had a unique relationship with him. He answered, "'I do make mistakes. 'But: I am right more often than 'I am wrong. 'But more important than my judgment is the community that i have created. People grow more from this community than from me." 

His huge stature and his warm smile have not diminished with time. 'Nor has his powerful voice urging timid souls to greatness, or his ability to make the abstract - real Like the prophets of the past, he had the ability not only to be inspiring but also to perceive what each individual needed in order to progress. 

If Rabbi Freifeld can be described as the defining personality of Shor Yoshuv, the 'Rebbetzin can rightly be described as the spiritual force that energized the community. She was a full partner in ail that he did. I had the zechus of seeing how they inspired people in many different situations. 

Rabbi Freifeld told me the following story during Shiva. "When Shor Yoshuv started I was extremely busy My wife was even busier raising a large family, teaching and preparing night and day for our many guests. One day someone told us of two children who had been abandoned. I was upset but had no time. Her response was simply' 'They are Jewish children. and we must help them'. She met with social workers, raised money for their education and arranged foster care. Her deep compassion for everyone, made her oblivious to the impossible difficulties that  stopped others.  

'The Rebbitzin’s mother, Rebbetzin Leah Cohen was a remarkable Yerushalmi. She shared her perceptive insights with me while 'I enjoyed many meals in her home. :Her words of "'Yeshuas 'HaShem Ke'heref Aiyen" still echo when times become difficult. _ _ 

Rebbetzin Freifeld once asked me to visit a woman hospitalized with terminal cancer. Mrs. Alice Dukoff, whom she described as her spiritual twin, made an indelible impression on me the way she faced death. 

Mrs. Pauline Gingold was a tzadekes in her 90’s who was living in a nursing home. 'Rabbi Freifeld frequently commented that her conversations should be recorded. Her direct and intimate relationship with G-d, typical in 'Europe a century ago, is rare in the sophisticated and se(f conscious modern World.  Her observations made from the perspective of a century of Avodas :Hashem were valuable gems. We completed Tzena 'U’Rena and the Menoras HaMeor together. She was the magnet that attracted many to visit the nursing home where they learned how to do 'Bikur Cholim. · Slier accomplished more Mitzvos in the nursing home than others accomplish in a lifetime. 

Seffi Stefansky was another exceptional person of the Shor Yoshuv community. She was kept alive on(y by constant trips to the hospital for dialysis and many operations. She was a pure and natural personality who became excited when seeing a beautiful fIower or a golden sunset. A devoted student of Rebbitzen Freifeld, she had the same excitement when dealing Tehillim or a Malbim. 'This intense purity and pain existed side by side in the same remarkable  person. She was described by one Rav as a living Shulchan Aruch of how to deal with suffering.

Rabbi Aaron Dovid  Cohen was a distinguished member of Shor Yoshuv. His Hasmoda and love of learning were a natural part of him. He was a role model in his devotion to the Rebbeim his .Ahavas Yisroel and his enthusiasm in sharing everyone's Simchos. 

Yitzchok Tillem was propelled to discover tremendous energies within himself through the Freifeld's. He was an inspiring college instructor at Stern College, a lawyer who devoted much time to Jewish causes and a creative entrepreneur. His greatest concern was with helping others. His brief life ended in a plane crash on a mission of mercy in 'Ethiopia. 

They will not be forgotten 

ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

‘Everything is ahead of us’: Ukraine breaks Russian stronghold’s first line of defence

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/02/everything-is-ahead-of-us-ukraine-breaks-russias-first-line-of-defence-in-stronghold

Ukrainian forces have decisively breached Russia’s first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia after weeks of painstaking mine clearance, and expect faster gains as they press the weaker second line, the general leading the southern counteroffensive has said.

Jared Kushner Accusations Compared to Hunter Biden Allegations

https://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-accusations-compared-hunter-biden-allegations-1824096

"However, as I hope you would agree, we cannot 'set a line' without the critical facts giving rise to bipartisan concern. The Committee cannot conduct credible oversight without examining the plethora of actual and potential ethical violations of the previous Administration, including the fact that Mr. Kushner, a senior White House official, received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund shortly after leaving a position he used to reshape U.S. foreign policy toward Saudi Arabia."

Meditation and Kabbalah (Online Book)

 http://nleresources.com/kiruv-and-chinuch/online-books/chassidus-and-kabbalah/meditation-and-kabbalah/

Written by the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, this book explores the meditative methods of Kabbalah. In a clear English, the reader is exposed to a lucid presentation of the meditative methods, mantras, mandalas and other devices used, as well as a penetrating interpretation of their significance in the light of contemporary meditative research.

The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology Part I (Online Book)

 http://nleresources.com/kiruv-and-chinuch/online-books/jewish-outreach-kiruv/the-aryeh-kaplan-anthology-part-i/

In this volume published by the OU and NCSY, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan asks hard questions about Judaism and its commandments, and he gives compelling answers that have broadened the horizons of countless people. Includes: If you Were G-d, The Infinite Light: A Book About G-d, The Real Messiah? Maimonides Principles: The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith.