“I give you a brachah that you should never again have to leave Lakewood for Shabbos!”

Living Higher

L

ast week, Lakewood rosh yeshivah Rav Yeruchem Olshin participated in an Adirei HaTorah fundraising event hosted by the Clifton-Passaic community. Mr. Barry Lebovits, who chaired the event, recounted the now-familiar origins of the Adirei HaTorah movement: A small group of dedicated balabatim, led by Leizer Scheiner, were aghast at the paltry $300 monthly kollel stipend Lakewood’s kollel yungeleit were receiving. Determined to restore stability and dignity to lomdei Torah, they launched an ambitious initiative to raise the monthly kollel stipend to $1,000 (a goal that has since been surpassed, with the checks now standing at $1,140 a month), revolutionizing the model for hachzakas haTorah.

Yet there was a prelude to this story, Mr. Lebovits told his audience, one that took place right there in Passaic. In the years before Adirei HaTorah, Lakewood’s roshei yeshivah, who bore the responsibility to fundraise for the yeshivah, would frequently travel to communities across the country for Shabbosim of chizuk. Week after week, the papers carried ads for another such Shabbos: Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles… and Passaic.

On one such Shabbos in Passaic, Mr. Lebovits accompanied Rav Dovid Schustal to visit the Passaic rosh yeshivah, Rav Meir Stern. When Rav Meir heard that Rav Dovid was in town to raise funds for Lakewood, he was taken aback.

“What about the yeshivah?” asked Rav Meir. “If the roshei yeshivah are traveling all over the world to raise money, spending every Shabbos away from the yeshivah, what’s happening to the yeshivah itself?”

Quiet settled over the humble office, and then Rav Meir continued, “I give you a brachah that you should never again have to leave Lakewood for Shabbos!”

Six months later, the Adirei HaTorah movement was formally launched — and from that point forward, the Lakewood roshei yeshivah never left Lakewood for Shabbos to fundraise on behalf of the yeshivah. “Adirei HaTorah may have started in Lakewood,” said Mr. Lebovits, “but the koach habrachah came from Passaic.”

Happening in... Plano, Texas

For the past two months, the avreichim of the Dallas Community Kollel diligently studied the laws of borer. Upon finishing, they set out to share their knowledge with the broader community. Rabbi Ezzy Poupko, who oversees the kollel’s second seder and serves as the rav of Congregation Lev Yisrael of Plano, Texas, came up with a creative brainstorm: an exposition where each avreich would man a booth showcasing a scenario presenting potential borer issues.

The exposition’s attendees were treated to breakfast and encouraged to circulate among the various booths, where the avreichim gave quick tutorials of the laws of borer as pertaining to their subject. The booths showcased a wide variety of everyday items that could potentially involve a borer issue, including lemonade with ice; watermelon and a watermelon pitter; French Press and pour-over coffee; mixtures of toys, laundry, and cutlery; chicken soup; and fruit and a peeler.

Before leaving, the attendees received a written outline of the halachos, as well as souvenirs, including a chicken soup recipe, a pair of socks, and a cup of coffee.

The hour-long event reinforced the reality that even the most intricate areas of halachah can be enjoyed as living, relevant facets of our daily lives, and constant opportunities to observe Hashem’s mitzvos.

Not for Sale

After a new Jewish chaplain was assigned to the Pituffik Space Base, the United States Space Force base located on the northwest coast of Greenland, the Jewish chapel there got a bit of a facelift. The locale only sees approximately two hours of daylight, yet a Magen David stands bright and tall at all hours.

Greenland has been featuring prominently in the news recently, in light of President Trump’s vocal interest in the icy territory. But whichever earthly power ultimately comes to control the snowy mass, no governmental authority can overtake its spark of connection to the Ruler of the universe.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1096)