Rav Weiss explained that the pens were his “siyum pens”

Living Higher

R

av Asher Weiss, av beis din of Darkei Hora’ah, one of our generations venerated poskim, and author of the multivolume classic, Minchas Asher, was visited by his talmid, Rabbi Shay Shachter, the current rabbi and rosh beis medrash of Young Israel of Woodmere, and Rabbi Sruly Bornstein, the popular Lakewood Daf Yomi maggid shiur.

At one point, Rav Weiss showed his distinguished guests two canisters, each filled with dozens of dry pens. Rav Weiss explained that the pens were his “siyum pens.” He had used them to write his voluminous notes of chiddushei Torah. Rav Weiss consistently used the same pen to write and in time, after penning approximately one and a half notebooks — which would eventually be published as Minchas Asher — the pen ran dry. When that happened, he would reverently place it back in its canister and take out the next one. After several dozen volumes of chiddushei Torah, the “siyum pens” — dry pens whose entire ink cartridge had been devoted exclusively to Torah — accumulated into an impressive collection.

Rav Weiss showed the unique Torah collection to his guests, encouraging the young talmidei chachamim to write down their own Torah thoughts — and showcasing the copious output that comes from years of devotion.

Happening in... Vienna

Avi Junger of Vienna, Austria, has contended with more in his 27 years than many do in a lifetime.  Avi has a rare nerve condition called familial dysautonomia (FD). His parents have been at his side every step of the way, supporting him through countless difficulties.

Just recently, their wisdom and resilience brought them to an astounding milestone. For two years, Avi worked hard to raise the funds to have his own sefer Torah. With tremendous siyata diShmaya, his goal was met. A beautiful hachnassas sefer Torah was held in Vienna, and the entire Jewish community joined to celebrate Avi’s accomplishment, making it a day of joy and unity.

The sefer Torah was given to the Agudas Yisrael shul, led by Rav Dovid Leib Grunfeld, where the Jungers are members. It was dedicated in memory of Avi’s grandparents.

At the dinner, friends and family reflected on Avi’s many hardships, marveling at the strength and courage of a single man — and his devotion and love for the Torah that was now being celebrated.

Call of Oneness

It was Thanksgiving afternoon when Gedalia Schatzkamer alighted from the train that took him from his Connecticut-based yeshivah to his hometown of New York. Almost immediately, he realized that he had forgotten one critical item — his tefillin were on the train.

He immediately notified his father, Mr. Dovid Schatzkamer. Because it was Thanksgiving, the Lost and Found was closed, and most of the relevant contacts were unavailable. It was 5:15 p.m. at this point. Not willing to concede so easily, Mr. Schatzkamer posted notifications on his LinkedIn account as well as his WhatsApp status, describing the dilemma.

“Within an hour,” he says, “I was bombarded with messages.”

At around 9:15 p.m., he received a message: “We have the tefillin.”

Someone with connections to the police department had asked for help. The police got ahold of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which was able to locate the tefillin. By 12 a.m., the tefillin were back in Gedalia Schatzkamer’s possession.

Our tefillin contain the parshah of Shema Yisrael, in which we declare Hashem’s Oneness.

Hashem is one. His People are one.

And stories like this one are the greatest attestation to this truth.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1041)