The crowd’s attention shifted to a large screen displaying the Rosh Yeshivah wishing a heartfelt brachah to the chassan and kallah 

Living Higher

There’s no tallying the number of chuppahs Rav Elya Brudny, rosh yeshivah of the Mirrer Yeshivah in Brooklyn, has attended over the years. But from the hundreds, or possibly thousands, one will forever stand out for its singular poignancy.

And the irony is that Rav Brudny wasn’t physically present.

The background to the story is as follows: Miriam is a young woman who shares an exceptionally close relationship with the Brudny family. Five months ago, she got engaged to Ron, an Israeli with a high-level position in the IDF, and the couple was scheduled to get married last Thursday. But when Ron was hastened from shul on Shemini Atzeres to join the war effort, the plans were disrupted. Ron was granted a furlough just long enough for the chasunah, which was pushed up to Wednesday.

While Rav Brudny had planned to fly to Eretz Yisrael for the simchah, the security situation prevented him from doing so in person. But determined to share in the simchah nonetheless, a virtual connection was set up, and at the chuppah, the crowd’s attention shifted to a large screen displaying the Rosh Yeshivah wishing a heartfelt brachah to the chassan and kallah — a blessing for their future, as well as for the immediate present.

Please daven for the safety and security of Ron ben Rus, who left the day after his wedding to return to the military. May he and his new wife merit to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisrael, in fulfillment of the brachah delivered by a rosh yeshivah 5,000 miles away in body, but directly beside them in spirit.

Amen, kein yehi ratzon.

What Made Maran Beloved

Gimmel Cheshvan marks the tenth yahrtzeit of Rav Ovadiah Yosef, known lovingly as “Maran” to the hundreds of thousands who viewed him as their cherished leader. Rav Ovadiah’s genius in Torah is indescribable — works that he wrote as a young teenager demonstrate a complete mastery over all of Shas — yet his brilliance isn’t what won over the masses.

Reb Tzvi Chakak, who served as Rav Ovadiah’s assistant for 25 years, describes how Maran would address the dozens of letters that crossed his desk each day. “He would insist on responding to those of the common folk first,” he says. “He would explain that talmidei chachamim writing to him were typically looking for an approbation to their sefer, or for approval on a certain custom of theirs. It wouldn’t hurt them to wait. But a simple person might be insulted if he didn’t respond to him quickly.”

Rav Ovadiah knew everything but he cared even more. And that’s what made Maran so beloved.

The Little Kinderlach

The children may not comprehend the severity of the ongoing crisis but the one thing they know is that their brothers and sisters are in need of help. They can’t send large shipments of supplies, but they contribute in their own way.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 982)