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Kitzur Halachos

Rosh Hashanah KIPPUR & YOM K

KITZUR HALACHOS: ROSH HASHANAH & YOM KIPPUR, prefaced by HAGAON HARAV MATISYOHU SALOMON shlit”a, mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha, contains a thorough examination of all the halachos of the Yomim Noraim, based on the rulings of the Mishnah Berurah. The sefer clarifies hundreds of common and practical halachos in a clear and concise format.

AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Kitzur Halachos

SUKKA h

&DALED MINIM

KITZUR HALACHOS: SUKKAH & DALED MINIM, prefaced by HAGAON HARAV YERUCHEM OLSHIN shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, contains a thorough examination of all the halachos of Sukkah and Daled Minim, based on the rulings of the Mishnah Berurah. The intricate and complex details of each halachah are brought out in a clear and comprehensive manner. Kitzur Halachos includes detailed diagrams and illustrations, making the sefer accessible for all levels.

SOME OF THE TOPICS INCLUDE: > Halachos of Selichos > Minhagim of Rosh Hashanah and Aseres Yemei Teshuvah > When must a shofar blast be repeated, and when must the sequence be repeated?

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> When is a person exempt from eating or sleeping in the sukkah? > What makes daled minim “hadar” and what renders them invalid? > Halachos of Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah

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The Week In News

AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Dear Readers, What came first, the chicken or the egg? Is it the news industry that obsesses over headline grabbing bad news or is it that we consumers are looking for it? After all, would they sell a product that no one would buy? I suspect the reason many of us are disgusted with the media is that we mistakenly view them as leaders. And leaders are supposed to bring out the best in the people. We have both an impulse to read sensational stories under the guise of caring about what is going on around us - the grander the story the more it temporarily shleps us out of our own family life and corner of the world. But we also have a deep need for oneness. To know that all we see and experience comes from a single source, ultimately coming together in cohesiveness and purpose. The question is which will we pursue - that’s where leadership comes in. The head of a family, Shul or community can focus on the underlying beauty of individuals trying to better themselves. A reality for all interested to see; never has Klal Yisroel had such vast amounts of Torah being learned by Yidden the world over. Or the amount of Chessed being done individually, communally, organizationally. Or they can focus on the external attention-grabbing stories showing that human beings can still be selfish. The choice is up to the person. Many people will follow where they are led, it’s up to good old fashioned bold, and at times uncomfortable, leadership to take them to the right place. The general media, all of it, has failed miserably in this area. They’ve shown their cards to be simply for-profit conglomerates who get bigger the more they frighten and divide the people. Why do we still quote them? They should be ignored and removed from our reality. A touch of this is true on social media groups, even local whatsapp. The louder and more bombastic the story the more weight it carries. These cover over the silent beautiful goings-on in each of our communities. Authentic sensitivity doesn’t make headlines, but we need to spend the few seconds to discover it all around us. And once we do, it should be our reality and no one should convince us otherwise. The Gemara says that we went into Golus because of our baseless hatred for one another. It follows then that baseless love takes us out of it. If there is anyone in our life who we feel has no reason to be loved (ridiculous!) then we need to love them for no reason at all, simply because they are a Yid. If our Yetzer Hara can convince us to hate someone for simply existing, then surely our Yetzer Tov can empower us to love someone for exactly that. May our Father in heaven look down with much nachas, put an end to this golus and bring His children home very soon. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,

Shalom

T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly. FOR HOME DELIVERY, OR TO HAVE THE LATEST ISSUE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE, SEND A MESSAGE TO EDITOR@JEWISHHOMELA.COM

The WeekCorner In News Sarah's

AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Three Steps to Consistent Change Sarah Pachter

I’m part of a group that reads one paragraph of a Torah lesson each day. We’re supposed to keep going until we can make a siyum. Meanwhile, this lesson-a-day book has sat in my bedside dresser for the past six months. Granted, I’ve just had a baby, but it’s one small thing, and I can’t even do that? How many times do we make resolutions on Rosh Hashanah, only to arrive at the next Rosh Hashanah asking ourselves, When am I ever going to change? What’s the secret to true transformation? Below are three tools that work to create lasting change. HABIT STACKING James Clear, in his New York Times best selling book, Atomic Habits, shares a technique called “habit stacking.” He explains that newborns have 60% more neurons than adult brains. Babies are like blank canvases. They have plenty of neurons, but none have developed strong connections. They have tremendous potential, with every skill available for them to become proficient at, but no synapses have been strengthened. The adult brain has fewer neurons because we lose what we don’t use. Adults prune away neurons and synapses and strengthen those which are practiced and consistently wired together. For example, a professional basketball player is highly skilled in areas related to basketball, such as dribbling, shooting, and passing. Many of these drills could be performed with their eyes shut. Other synapses, such as the ones required for playing piano, may have shrunk or disappeared. As we age and develop some habits over others, certain areas of our brain become less sharp. The synapses between neurons in relation to these habits are so strong that we barely have to think when performing them. We can use this to our advantage by adding

what we would like to achieve but don’t yet do to what we already do easily. These concepts can be utilized when trying to develop and stick to new, consistent resolutions. Habit stacking requires identifying some small activity we already do habitually, such as brushing our teeth, buckling in, or washing our hands after the restroom. Our brains are quite efficient at remembering to perform these activities. Rather than connecting a habit to a particular time or place, we instead connect it to a pre-existing habit. These habits then “stack” upon each other and cue one another until they form one cohesive habit. This type of growth is a form of implementation intention.1 We may wonder, Should I meditate today? But we never wonder if we should wash our hands after using the restroom. We can use these moments to our advantage and start building new habits that can change our entire lives. Here are some examples of habit stacking: ● Right after I use the restroom in the morning, I will wash my hands ritually. ● Right after preparing my cup of coffee in the morning, I will say one tehillim. ● Right after I buckle my seatbelt, I’m going to tell my children why I think they are wonderful. The Torah has been promoting this concept for centuries. Judaism is constantly taking daily habits and rituals and turning them into a progression. Think about it: there is an order and progression to the Seder night, and similarly, we say kiddush Friday night, then we ritually wash our hands, and after which, we make a blessing on challah. IT MUST SERVE YOU I looked inward at the two resolutions I have stuck to in the past, and tried to understand why those took hold throughout the years. I have been writing in my grat1 jamesclear.com/habit-stacking

itude journal for 17 years, and have been thanking my husband for something specific each day for the past five years. What’s the common link? Drumroll, please… It’s not just gratitude. The common thread is that they both serve me. When I express gratitude, I feel happier. When I thank my husband, our relationship flourishes. I benefit. It’s as simple as that. My friend once complained about the fact that her chargers disappear into a black hole in her home. One evening, her hands were “elbow deep” in cooking, and her phone was dying. She asked her teenage son to locate her charger. He allegedly attempted to find it, but within seconds came up empty-handed. “Sorry Mom, I don’t see it.” She responded, “My problem is going to be your problem in about an hour when your phone dies, too. We only have one charger between us, so you need to find it! ” Later, she told me, “You better believe he found that cord fast!” This story may sound selfish, but it’s true to human nature. The only way we will commit consistently is if we see the benefit for us clearly. If we are honest with ourselves, every relationship we are in serves us in some way; otherwise, it would dissipate. The relationship may solve loneliness, or perhaps we are financially tied to or emotionally reliant upon the person. And so too it is with Hashem. Judaism is not just a religion; it’s a relationship. Our relationship with Hashem has to serve us. When we choose a goal to grow with, we need to make sure we can see the benefit. Eventually, we will come to realize that every mitzvah is for our benefit. But until then, picking something that clearly benefits us will enable us to stick to our goals most effectively. PRAYER A boy walked into his first grade classroom and shouted, “My mom is in the hospital! She’s having a baby!” He already had many sisters, so he pulled his best

friend aside and said, “We aren’t going to recess today. We have to pray for this baby to be a boy. I need a brother!” While all the other boys ran outside, these two stayed in and davened intensely. An hour later, the teacher received a phone call from the boy’s father. “We had a baby!” In unison, the class and teacher asked, “So…what is it?” “It’s a baby…girl!” The whole class groaned. The boy’s friend could not believe he missed his recess, and felt his prayers were wasted. Years later, the same friend started dating. He met a young woman named Naomi, and ended up marrying her. Naomi, it turned out, was none other than that little girl born to his friend’s mother many years before. He davened so strongly for a baby boy, but he actually married that baby girl! We often pray for the things in life we want, or the things we think we want. Hashem knows exactly what to do with our tefillot. We don’t know Hashem’s ways. We pray, and it may feel like it falls on deaf ears, but no prayer is ever wasted. Sometimes, Hashem answers us in the least expected way. My parents were not always as observant as they are today. They didn’t always keep Shabbat, because my father had to work on Saturdays. My mother used to pray with all her heart that one day our family should have Shabbat in our lives. It didn’t happen that year, or even a couple years later, but eventually Shabbat became a reality for us. Perhaps in the merit of her heartfelt prayers, today all of her children and grandchildren have Shabbat in their lives. This was something she never dreamed could happen. Prayer is like a magic vehicle that can take us where we want to go. Imagine you are standing at the bottom of a staircase, and your mission in life is to climb to the 100th floor. You wonder how you will ever manage it, but you start climbing anyway. You are standing on the 12th floor, huffing and puffing. You think, I can’t take another step. You start to pray out of desperation, “Help me reach my goal to become who I am meant to be!” Suddenly, an elevator appears. You walk in, and there is only one button, leading directly to the 100th floor. Prayer can take us anywhere, and it is the most powerful tool we have in our arsenal. Through habit stacking, finding goals that serve us, and utilizing prayer, we can polish ourselves into the magnificent individuals we already are deep down.

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AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Living with the The Week In Times News

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Hakoras Hatov

Publisher of the Yated Ne’eman Did you ever wonder from where we derive that Elul is the prime period during which to do teshuvah? The Vilna Gaon wrote that Elul is a month of rachamim. We can always repent for our sins, but during Elul Hashem is more forgiving and accepts our teshuvah easier. How do we know that? The Gaon’s mechutan, Rav Avrohom Danzig, writes in his sefer Chayei Adam that “these days of Elul have been yemei ratzon since the time we were chosen as Hashem’s nation.” When the Jewish people sinned with the Eigel and the Luchos were broken on Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, Moshe ascended the mountain and davened that Hashem forgive them. Hashem acquiesced and told Moshe, “Pesol lecha,” that He would deliver to Moshe a second set of Luchos. “Moshe went up on the mountain on Rosh Chodesh Elul and remained there until Yom Kippur, when their forgiveness was complete… And since those days were days of acceptance then, every year the mercy of Heaven is renewed for us on these days… And therefore, Yom Kippur was established as a day of forgiveness for all time.” It all goes back to the Eigel. Let us examine the sin of the Eigel and see how it applies to us. In Parshas Ki Sisa, we learn of the tragic downfall of the Bnei Yisroel as they sinned with the Eigel. Moshe Rabbeinu went up to Har Sinai to receive the Torah. When he failed to return at the time the people had calculated, the nation that had ascended to exalted levels descended to worshiping a calf that they had formed from their jewelry. We wonder how the people who stood at Har Sinai and proclaimed, “Na’aseh venishma,” fell so shamefully. How was it possible for this noble people to fall so far, so fast? What caused them to be led astray? Did they really think that an image they themselves created from a collection of golden jewelry was able to acquire Divine powers? Rashi (32:1) explains that Moshe told his people that he would return in forty days and they erred in their calculation. Rashi quotes the Gemara in Maseches Shabbos (89a), which explains that the Soton “confused the natural order,” creating a mirage of Moshe’s body being carried in heaven as if in a casket. And now we wonder: How can we blame the Bnei Yisroel? How were they supposed to know that what their eyes were seeing wasn’t real? Indeed, they erred in accepting those images at face value and not contemplating their veracity. Nowadays, we know

that every picture can be Photoshopped and changed, but even before the days of Photoshop, they should have known from previous experiences that there is often more than meets the eye and that something was wrong with their snap conclusion about Moshe Rabbeinu’s premature death. There is always another side to the story and an alternate explanation. When the image presented facts that were diametrically opposed to everything they had seen and experienced going back to their time in Mitzrayim, they should have sought to understand how it could be and not accept the image at face value. It wouldn’t have been too difficult to consider whether they misunderstood how long Moshe said he would be gone for. Instead of being misled to conclude that Moshe would never return, they should have trusted Moshe’s promise and

the Jews slid from the apex of spiritual achievement to the lowest rung possible. Such is the ability of the Soton to use tension to capitalize on human frailty. Upon Moshe’s return, he called for those loyal to Hashem to rally around him. Only shevet Levi responded to his call. The shevet that dedicated itself to the study of Torah and was free of Egyptian enslavement was the only one whose mind and heart weren’t clouded by the Soton’s devices and lined up behind their leader, Moshe. The others panicked in a time of perceived crisis. The people couldn’t wait until the next day, when they would perhaps be calmer and more level-headed about their predicament and better able to analyze the situation. Instead, they let themselves be fooled by the Soton and were convinced that

We need to turn the spotlight on ourselves during these days of introspection.

sought to figure out how it could remain viable and consistent with what they saw. They should have restrained the impulse to rush to invent an immediate substitute for Moshe. The urge to offer an instant response is one of the Soton’s ploys. The Soton achieves his goals by goading people facing a quandary or tragedy into making quick decisions, spurred on by tension as well as fear. No matter what is going on around us and how dire the situation is, it is vital to remain calm as we attempt to steer our way through. Once a person becomes ruffled, anxious and nervous, it becomes difficult to think clearly and make proper decisions. The worst thing to do in a crisis is to give an immediate response. It takes time to think through the proper course of action and how to proceed. If you answer on the spot without thought, your response will generally be mistaken. I have a rule: If a person proposes something to me and then says, “You have to give me an answer now or else the deal is off,” I always respond that the answer is no. You should never be forced to give a response without having the opportunity and time to think it through. The slope from holiness to depravity is so slippery that, in a few short hours,

Moshe wouldn’t return. Even when their worst fears were proven false when Moshe did in fact return when he said he would, they couldn’t bring themselves to accept the reality of their error. They were too far gone. Thus, when Moshe called out, “Mi laHaShem eilay,” they ignored him. Life often throws challenges. We lose ourselves, make wrong choices, and then continue to rationalize our actions even as we slide into self-destructive behavior. The Soton destroys overnight what took painstaking effort to construct simply by sowing insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. We can outsmart him by remaining calm enough to act rationally and thoughtfully. Rather than falling for his guises and disobeying the word of the Torah and Moshe, it is of course preferable not to sin to begin with. During this month of Elul, we learn from our past mistakes and seek to rectify them through contemplation of our thoughts and actions, resolving not to repeat those mistakes again. It is not enough to regret what we did wrong. We must also understand what was at the root of those misdeeds so that we can ensure that we will not transgress them again. We live in an age when politicians and leaders engage in demagoguery instead of offering real solutions to the many prob-

lems that confound their countries. In order to solve problems, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the issues. That doesn’t seem to happen anymore, when politicians demonize the opposing parties and play groups against each other, alternately calming and inciting the masses as they feel necessary to maintain popularity. They create one crisis after another, never solving them, utilizing the quagmire for political opportunism. Governing well and solving problems requires hiring the best people, hard work, a thorough understanding of the issues, and the ability to effectively negotiate solutions. It is simpler to demagogue and manipulate people’s thought processes, spreading fear and anxiety and polarizing the groups who don’t support you. “It’s all their fault,” they tell their supporters, setting up straw men to blame and knock down. “If we could only bring them into line and make them pay their fair share, the economy would improve and your life would be blissful,” they proclaim. The way the government is dealing with the Delta variant of the coronavirus is a case in point. The Afghan debacle removed the focus temporarily from the Democrats’ efforts to get the rich to pay their “fair share,” as if they don’t already pay a large enough portion of their income in taxes, so that they can begin to pump trillions of dollars into all types of boondoggles and socialist gambits. President Joe Biden doesn’t talk much. The most he does is read a statement that has been prepared for him, slowly and haltingly. He walks off the stage without answering any questions. On the rare occasion that he is forced to answer questions, such as last week, he invariably has a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face as he offers weak, lame and not necessarily truthful responses. He is not bright and is an awful decision-maker, and once he sets on a course of action, he continues along that course even as it is being proven to be wrong. Biden saw polls that indicated that the American people have tired of the war in Afghanistan and thought that it would help his poll numbers to pull out of there. Since he is unable to give issues much thought, he hastily set an arbitrary exit date, dismissing the advice of people who tried explaining to him that it wouldn’t work. He was in a big rush. He said that everyone would be gone and all operations would cease by September 11th. That sounded like a good date and had a ring to it that he envisioned using in campaign advertisements to demonstrate his resoluteness as leader of the free world. Because he acted without thinking, he ended up be-

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An Accredited BACHELORS DEGREE ing his own worst enemy. When it didn’t go as planned, he dug in his heels and lied. He did not have the capacity to own up to the truth and adjust his course of action. He had said that his departure from Afghanistan would not be a chaotic mess and would not resemble the U.S. retreat from Saigon. In a way, he was correct. This departure was not as bad as the one from Vietnam. It was worse. When asked about it last week, he said that he always knew that there would be chaos when it came time to leave Kabul. Just one month ago, he said that he had faith in the 300,000-man Afghan army and its billions of dollars’ worth of American equipment and training. Now he says that it didn’t work out because of Donald Trump, the Afghan army, and intelligence failures. While throughout his career Biden has shown exceedingly poor judgment, he was sold to the voting public as an accomplished statesman who would be a competent and steady leader. He hasn’t been either. Throughout this disaster, he has barely been seen or heard from. Neither the secretaries of state and defense nor the chairman of the army’s chief of staff or the national security advisor inspired any confidence or displayed intelligence in their comments on the situation. They projected weakness instead of strength, haphazardness instead of strategy, chaos instead of planning, yet they stand at the helm of the greatest country and armed forces in the world. A leader can either be loved or feared. Biden is neither. By now, he is an embarrassment. Reagan and Trump were feared and thus able to accomplish what they did. Although he said that he would return America’s respect on the world stage, Biden is now a laughingstock. His poll numbers are dropping, and it won’t take long until his Democrat colleagues pick up on that and begin distancing themselves from him lest they fall in next year’s election. From the president on down, it appears as if no one in his administration has the ability to make any decisions or fashion a policy of determination, strength and durability. The vice president, Kamala Harris, was the only one more closeted than the president. One could be forgiven for thinking that their aides are working feverishly to keep them away from microphones, lest the American people realize that their leaders have no understanding of strategy and tactics. The president committed America’s biggest foreign policy blunder, conducting the withdrawal backwards. Instead of first getting Americans and their allies out of the

country and then ferrying out the billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment, he first pulled out the soldiers to make an arbitrary deadline and then tried to do the other things. He created a humiliating situation of devastation, defeat and catastrophe. It is easy to laugh at Biden, but we need to turn the spotlight on ourselves during these days of Elul introspection as we approach Rosh Hashanah. How often do we act rashly, without thought and foresight, only to be embarrassed later? The Soton confuses us. He paints visions in our heads that are not consistent with the truth. In everything he does, the Soton has one motivation: to put us in a situation where we will behave in a way that will harm us. He makes us think that people are against us and betrayed us, when they did nothing of the sort. He convinces us that we are smart, and then that we are stupid, in order to get us to do what he wants us to do. Sometimes he pumps up our self-esteem and other times he lowers it like a boom - whatever it takes to get us to mess up, to sin, to act in a way that robs us of our share in the World to Come. And as he did at the time of the Eigel, he makes it appear as clear as day that the words of the Torah and Moshe are not relevant. We dare not fall for him, no matter how logical a pose he adopts. In this week’s parsha of Ki Savo, we learn of the mitzvah of bikkurim, which we bring as an acknowledgement of the many gifts Hashem has bestowed upon us. Hakoras hatov is at the root of being a Yid. It seems to me that we need to show our appreciation for the gift of these days of rachamim and ratzon that are the month of Elul. The way to express our appreciation is by engaging in teshuvah, asking forgiveness for not having properly followed the word of Hashem and seeking to return to him. We live in a time of great disturbances and terrible tragedies. Just last week, an 18-year-old bochur was killed inside a yeshiva. The news spread like wildfire, shaking every ehrliche Yid to the core. This is a reminder to us that nothing is guaranteed and nothing can be taken for granted. Hakadosh Boruch Hu sends us reminders that we must do teshuvah and that the yemei hadin are upon us. He sends us floods and fires, pandemics and collapses, and when that isn’t enough, he brings bullets and death into the most hallowed halls of Torah. We still have over a week left of the yemei harachamim of Elul. Let us take advantage of them and merit the kapparos we seek.

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AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

EXPANDING FOR OUR CHILDREN Expansion Campaign

On August 29th/30th, Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles will be raising $1M, every dollar is doubled for 30 hours.

Charidy.com/YKLA

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5,300+ sq feet more indoor space 9,000+ sq feet more outdoor space 5 more classrooms Dedicated Girls Multipurpose room Dedicated Girls play yard

Dedicated offices for the Girls Administration Room for an additional 120 students

More Breadth. More Depth. More Yeshiva Ketana.

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WEDNESDAY SEPT. 1ST, 2021 VIDEOCAST PREMIER ON THE FOLLOWING MOTZEI SHABBOS, SEPT. 4TH, 2021 9:30 PM EDT

Dirshu’s Seventh International Yom Limud and Teﬁlla, together with thousands of Jews from around the world on the yahrzeit of the Chofetz Chaim. with Yidden from across the globe, who will beseech Hakadosh Baruch Hu to spare us from any hardships, and bentch Klal Yisrael with a ‫שנת גאולה וישועה‬. Don’t pass up on this incredible opportunity! YOU have a chance to be a part of this day.

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‫ מתחילת סימן תרל‘‘ט עד סעיף ב‬:‫משנה ברורה‬ ‫ פרק י“ח מ“כללו של דבר‬:‫ספר זכור למרים‬ ‫עד תחילת פרק י“ט‬

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AUGUST 26, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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MOTZOEI SHABBOS, SEPT. 4TH, 2021 | 9:30 PM EDT AND WILL RUN FOR OTHER TIME ZONES THROUGHOUT SUNDAY AND BEYOND PRESENTATION IN ENGLISH

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Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Daas Aharon

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Taliban Takeover

Why the U.S. Withdrawal Spells Disaster for the World BY SHAMMAI SISKIND

N SEPTEMBER 21, 2001, Voice of America conducted an interview with the infamous Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. It was a mere ten days since the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., events that changed the world in unimaginable ways. During that short period, however, it became imminently clear who was responsible for the 9/11 assaults. The once obscure Osama bin Laden, who led what was thought to be a regionally focused, rag-tag team of former mujahideen known as Al-Qaeda, had orchestrated the most devastating terror attack in U.S. history. Bin Laden’s whereabouts, while yet to be pinpointed, were determined to be somewhere in the mountainous eastern border region of Afghanistan. The U.S. government quickly issued an ultimatum to the Taliban, the Islamist group that had ruled the country since its successful and bloody takeover ﬁve years earlier. Washington wanted bin Laden, and they wanted him immediately. The Voice of America interviewer put the question rather candidly to the Taliban commander: Do you intend to hand over bin Laden to the U.S.? “No,” replied Omar, “We cannot do that. If we did, it means we are not Muslims, that Islam is ﬁnished.” Omar went on to explain that his refusal was not an expression of support for Al-Qaeda’s actions but rather a point of principle. “Islam says that when a Muslim asks for shelter, give the shelter and never hand him over to enemy. And our Af-

ghan tradition says that, even if your enemy asks for shelter, forgive him and give him shelter. Osama has helped the jihad in Afghanistan, he was with us in bad days, and I am not going to give him to anyone.” Indeed, Omar was prepared to go all the way on the bin Laden issue. In a conversation around the same time with Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, Omar stated: “I don’t want to go down in history as someone who betrayed his guest. I am willing to give my life, my regime. Since we have given him refuge, I cannot throw him out now.” Despite Omar’s adamance, the question of whether or not to comply with the Americans’ demand was heavily contested within the Taliban leadership. Many of Omar’s own top aides were willing to acquiesce or at least be flexible on the issue. Several senior Taliban officials including the ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef, the foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, and Prime Minister Abdul Kabir were prepared to try bin Laden in an Islamic court or even hand him over to a third party. But it was not to be. In the end, Omar’s stance won the day. The decisive event came in late September when a special convention of nearly 1,000 clerics gathered in Kabul to debate the question. In an official statement, the assembly ruled they were forbidden to surrender bin Laden to the United States. The group concluded its statement expressing “sadness over American deaths” and expressed “hope America does not attack Afghanistan.” Fully aware of the potential consequences, the very same council urged bin Laden to leave Afghanistan of his own accord to avoid the potential “tumult” that might result. Omar reportedly abided by this advice and tried to convince bin Laden to flee the country. For his part, bin Laden refused to abandon the infrastructure of fighters and facilities he’d set up in Afghanistan. He understood that attempting to flee to a neighboring country would all but guarantee his capture. Shortly thereafter, American officials made the threat of war explicit. As then-Secretary of State Colin Powell put it, bin Laden will be in American custody “voluntarily, or involuntarily.” But Omar defiantly stuck to his ideo-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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logical guns. America then came looking for their enemy-number-one. THE 20-YEAR WAR For most Americans today, the origins of the Afghanistan War are somewhat ambiguous. Most know it was a direct outcome of the September 11th attacks. Yet few can articulate why the U.S. has invested so much blood and currency in the country. This fact is even further highlighted by the sheer length of time the U.S. has been active in Afghanistan. Two decades after the fact, the events of 9/11 seem rather distant even for many who experienced them. The most recent presidential election marked the first national ballot in which those born after 9/11 could participate. There were U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan this month who had not been alive at the time of the attacks. With this separation of time and relevance, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to fully fathom what the war was about and in turn what exactly the argument was for remaining or leaving. The Taliban, while a scourge to their own people and the world since their inception in the early ‘90s, never presented a reason for the United States to fight a war. What America’s twenty years of intervention were at least trying to accomplish can be understood best looking forward, not backward. The Americans may have come for bin Laden and to topple the Taliban, but that was not why they stayed. Viewing the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal, images of desperate Afghans trying to escape their country and looters walking off with advanced military hardware, it is easy to descend into a hindsight game: alas, the predictions of the pessimists proved true, and the U.S. was not able to create permanent, substantive change. Even advocates of America remaining in Afghanistan admit the achievements of the U.S. culminated in a sort of perpetual stalemate – one that has been the status quo for at least a decade. But this type of reflection does little for preparing the region and the world for what is to come. Much has been and will be written on the mistakes made during the war. What is critical at this point, however, is to understand what the fall of Afghanistan may bring.

DETERRENT AND ALLYSHIP On August 16, the Monday editorial of the Chinese newspaper Global Times featured an article on the “Lessons for Taiwan from the Afghanistan Abandonment.” Just looking at this title, one might be prodded to question what a conflict in Afghanistan has to do with the years-old China-Taiwan dispute. The answer is that it has everything to do with it. The conflict between Beijing and Taipei is one of the many international controversies in which the U.S. has a major vested interest and has committed, in a variety of ways, to maintaining a particular status quo. To put it bluntly, the only reason Taiwan has not been overrun by waves of Chinese soldiers and reverted back to a province of the People’s Republic is because the United States has declared itself the guarantor of Taiwanese independence. Hardly a month goes by without some demonstrative action on the part of the U.S. Navy – sailing an aircraft carrier through the South China Sea for instance – to remind the region of America’s commitment. The sudden and all but complete American pullout from Afghanistan has sent a powerful signal: the U.S. is not reliable to back up its geopolitical pledges. The Global Times, a widely read propaganda outlet fully controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, naturally sought to milk this for all its worth. The Monday article spun a very convincing narrative of how the U.S. is essentially a serial betrayer, a pattern that began during the Revolutionary War no less, when the fledgling country turned its back on France shortly after receiving vital assistance from the nation. Its historical accuracies aside, the article’s message was merely saying out loud what everyone else in the room is already thinking: in light of Afghanistan, how reliable are U.S. security guarantees? This drop in confidence can and likely will have serious fallout. Nations that may have naturally sought to ally with the United States on important issues may now have to think twice. At the very least, governments are going to be very hesitant to put all of their eggs in the American basket and will certainly seek out alternative partners – even countries who are declared adversaries of Washington. This trend, which has already been observed in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and in some areas in

Bin Laden in 1989 with anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan

Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar

The Americans may have come for bin Laden and to topple the Taliban, but that was not why they stayed.

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Hearing press conferences led by Taliban leaders is a lesson in political double-speak, pledging rights for women (as long as they comply with Shariah law) and declaring amnesty for those who had helped U.S. and foreign forces.

southeast Asia, will almost certainly be accelerated by the Afghanistan calamity. A NEW TERROR HAVEN The most important and immediate consequence of a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan will be the reestablishment of a state-haven for jihadists. This is more than a theoretical concern. The Taliban has long demonstrated its willingness to allow terror groups to operate freely within their territory. Two years before 9/11, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1267, creating the so-called Al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee. The resolution recognized the links between the two groups as essentially a terror conspiracy and imposed sanctions on their funding, travel, and arms shipments. Now that Taliban control over the country seems a foregone conclusion, this danger of a safe operating base for the world’s terror groups has resurfaced. Reports have emerged that groups ranging from Hamas to Tehrik-i-Taliban (commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban) are seeking meetings with the Taliban in hopes of receiving some form of accommodation from Afghanistan’s new leadership. Even without any active assistance from Taliban officials, the lawlessness and power vacuum created by the withdrawal presents substantial opportunities for jihadists and regional countries who support them. For instance, there have been credible reports that Iran has been organizing efforts to smuggle weapons and equipment left behind by the Americans through its eastern border for the benefit of its proxy groups in Iraq and Yemen. Also worthy to note in this context is the contribution of the Taliban’s opium enterprise, which even today remains a major supplier to the global heroin market. At one point, the U.N. estimated that a whopping 80 percent of all non-synthetic heroin originated in Afghanistan. Aside from the devastating health crisis this helps perpetuate, the Taliban’s opium profits have remained a significant source of illicit finance and terror funding despite the ongoing conflict. With the reemergence of a Taliban regime, this industry will undoubtedly grow to

Taliban leaders in the Afghan presidential palace

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even bigger proportions. Today’s Taliban has shown exceptional diplomatic savvy for a third-world militant group. Already in 2019 when the Trump administration began open negotiations with the group, Taliban officials showed an impressive aptitude for statesmanship and solidifying ties with foreign governments. Hearing press conferences led by Taliban leaders is a lesson in political double-speak, pledging rights for women (as long as they comply with Shariah law) and declaring amnesty for those who had helped U.S. and foreign forces. Undoubtedly, when the microphones are turned off, the Taliban will resort to their murderous ways. In recent months, as the Taliban advance picked up momentum, the group began dispatching emissaries to regional powers including China, Iran, and Russia. Beijing (allegedly) has already promised big investments in energy and infrastructure projects, including the building of a road network in Afghanistan. All of this is likely in order to secure rights to the country’s vast, untapped rare-earth mineral deposits, the market for which China has been trying to corner for years. THE ROAD AHEAD Of course, there are no clear conclusions as to what this regional shake-up will bring. The same entities that speak today of affinity for the Taliban could become foes with the group tomorrow. China, for instance, which is today eager to cooperate with the group, is also concerned that Afghanistan’s new jihadist overlords may stir unrest among its Muslim Uighur population. Similarly, Russia does not want the Taliban takeover to embolden uprisings in Central Asia. Iran, while at least somewhat delighted with the American failure and the immediate opportunities it presents, has traditionally been at odds with the Taliban. The one thing that remains certain, though, is that a resurgence of the Taliban regime opens a slew of complexities and threats for the entire region. It will have far-flung consequences, not just for Afghanistan, but for the world’s most important power contests and geopolitical rivalries for years to come.

A packed U.S. military plane filled with Afghanis fleeing the country

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The Week In News

Russia: Taliban are “Reasonable Guys”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has emphasized that Moscow is “in no rush” to recognize the Taliban’s control but noted that there are “encouraging signals” that the Taliban may allow other political groups to join its new government and allow girls into schools. Although Russia added the Taliban to its list of terror organizations in 2003, the country says its communication with the group is essential to efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Russia has also said that it will not evacuate its Kabul embassy and added that the country’s ambassador has already held “constructive” talks with the Taliban. The Taliban will be removed from Russia’s list of terror organizations only when the United Nations Security Council makes a similar move, Lavrov noted. Russia withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 1989, following a ten-year war. In the years since, Russia has worked to form ties with the Taliban, holding bilateral and multilateral meetings. Last week, Zamir Kabulov, the Kremlin’s envoy on Afghanistan, said, “We have maintained contacts with the Taliban for the last seven years, discussing many issues.” Kabulov also said that Russia’s recognition of the Taliban will depend on “whether they will govern the country in a responsible way in the near future, and proceeding from that, the Russian leadership will make the necessary conclusions. “We saw them as a force that will play a leading role in Afghanistan in the future even if it doesn’t take all power. All those factors, along with guarantees given to us by the Taliban’s top leaders, give us reason for a calm view of the latest developments, although we remain vigilant. “It’s premature to say that we would make any unilateral political steps.” During a visit to Moscow last month, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Sohail Shaheen promised, “We won’t allow anyone to use the Afghan territory to attack Russia or neighboring countries. “We have very good relations with Russia,” he added. Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, said the Taliban are “reasonable

guys” and that he had held a “positive and constructive meeting” with them. He also said that the Taliban would ensure the Embassy’s security.

Taliban Thwarts Departures to the Airport The Taliban on Thursday announced a curfew “for an indefinite time” over the city of Khost in southeastern Afghanistan. The curfew will include a ban on all kinds of movement “while joint forces of the Islamic Emirate carry out clearance operations” in the city, one source said.

Large Taliban convoys have been deployed through the streets, each consisting of two or three pickup trucks with at least six Taliban fighters each. The convoys circled around several areas of the city with their sirens blaring. Sporadic gunfire, more intense than previous days, was also heard. On Wednesday, Taliban fighters fired into a crowd and beat back protesters, witnesses said. Meanwhile, at the Kabul airport, large crowds have gathered, and the U.S. Embassy has warned that it cannot ensure safe passage to the airport. It added that only those told explicitly to make the journey should do so. As a result, U.S. troops are not currently being used to retrieve U.S. citizens trapped around Kabul, instead focusing on securing the airport. “We don’t have the capability to go out and collect the large numbers of people,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. He added that he would “draw a distinction between extracting someone in an extreme condition or circumstance versus going out and collecting up large numbers of American citizens.” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday that he had seen reports of people being unable to access the airport and told reporters that “every report of someone unable for whatever reason to reach the airport is something we take very seriously.” At the same time, Price emphasized that the U.S. does not “have the resources to go beyond the airport compound” to facilitate evacuations at this point. “You will be hard-pressed to find a country that has the capacity on the ground, if any such country exists, in a position to do that,” he

said. People on the ground have reported severe difficulties accessing the airport, with several saying they were turned away despite possessing the correct documents.

IDF Sniper Critically Afghanistan’s Last Holdout Against the Injured Nitza Shmueli, the mother of Border Taliban

Although the Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over and itself the victor, one remote region has still held out: the Panjshir province. But on Monday, CNN reported that the Taliban said it had captured three districts in the Panjshir Valley, located approximately 93 miles north of Kabul. With its defensible landscape, the Panjshir Valley withstood the British Empire’s army during the 19th-century attempt to conquer Afghanistan. It also withstood the Soviet takeover in the 1980s. While most of the Panjshir Valley’s residents are ethnic Tajiks, the Taliban would-be conquerors are mostly Pashtuns. Defending the Valley is the Northern Alliance, a coalition of Uzbek and Tajik forces. The group succeeded in keeping the Taliban out in 1996 and is now led by Ahmad Massoud, 32, who is the son of its former leader. Last week, in an editorial in the Washington Post, Massoud wrote, “We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my father’s time, because we knew this day might come. If Taliban warlords launch an assault, they will, of course, face staunch resistance from us.” Meanwhile, the Taliban has moved reinforcements into the area, calling on the Northern Alliance to surrender, with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying, “The Islamic Emirate seeks to resolve the crisis peacefully.” Another Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said, “Conquering Panjshir by force will be the last option as that’s against our policies. We will try our best not to go that way.” Massoud said he was open to negotiations so long as the Taliban promised an inclusive government but that his group was ready to fight if the Taliban attempted an invasion. “They want to defend, they want to fight, they want to resist against any totalitarian regime,” Massoud said.

Police sniper Barel Hadarya Shmueli, has demanded answers from the Israeli government regarding her son’s injuries. Barel, 21, was stationed on the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday, as Gazans violently rioted by throwing rocks, explosives, firebombs, and other items across the border fence. Barel, a First Sergeant with the Border Police and a sniper in an undercover Arab unit, was shot by a Gazan protester who fired three shots through a hole in the concrete border wall. Barel was evacuated to Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where he underwent an emergency operation on Saturday night, followed by more procedures on Sunday. He is currently in critical condition, unconscious, and on a respirator and fighting for his life. Nitza, Barel’s mother, told 103 FM Radio on Monday morning, “My son is fighting for his life, his blood, his breath, for nothing. The country isn’t worth it, and I’m not getting any answers. A 12-year-old terrorist shoots him point blank, and all this knowing that our fighters were not allowed to shoot and respond. Why did they send my son? Why? I want an answer. “He is not well. We need a lot of prayers. I’m asking and begging people to pray that our Barel will get back on his feet, will return to his family, to life.” Nitza also slammed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi for not visiting her son in the hospital, and Bennett for mixing her son’s name up with her husband’s. “Mr. Bennett called at 10:30 at night and asked Barel’s father, ‘How is Yossi? How is he feeling?’ [His father] answered him: ‘His name is Barel,’” she recalled. She added that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “called at midnight, with questions and well wishes. He cried on the phone – he cried. He knew every detail, asked about his surgeries. Mr. Bennett didn’t even know his name, asked which hospital he was in. What an embarrassment.” Netanyahu is currently in the U.S., on vacation with his family. Bennett has since apologized for his mistake, saying it was an honest error and that he supports the family and understands their anger towards him. He has also promised to “settle the score with anyone who harms our soldiers and civilians.” Yossi, Barel’s father, said, “I ask only that he lives, no more than that. Let all the people of Israel pray for his recovery.”

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Army Exemptions at 21 Ministers in the Israeli government on Sunday approved a plan to drop the age at which charedi yeshiva students can obtain an exemption from army service to 21. Under the new plan, the age of exemptions will be immediately dropped to 21, where it will remain for a period of two years. At the end of two years, exemptions will be granted only from age 22; one year later, it will rise to 23.

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the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is more than a position – it is a mission and one I take on with awe and reverence. Yad Vashem is not just a commemorative endeavor.” He added, “On our shoulders rests the responsibility to research and educate, to document and disseminate, to validate fact-based historical truths about the Holocaust and reject all forms of distortion, in order to safeguard the memory of the Shoah and to ensure that the Jewish people and humanity will forever continue to remember this event. As time passes, our work becomes more challenging, albeit more vital, than ever before.” In addition to his time as NY Consul-General, Dayan served as head of the Settlers Council and ran for Knesset earlier this year as part of the New Hope party headed by Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

IDF Soldier Collapses During Training The plan, drawn up by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White), and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), would see students enroll in occupational training programs or take up non-military National Service positions, in exchange for a near-automatic exemption. The plan would also allow charedi soldiers to end their service early once they reach the age of 21, so long as they join National Service or enroll in occupational training. Currently, yeshiva students must obtain annual deferments, which are valid only so long as they are actively studying in a yeshiva. If the Knesset approves the bill, it will go into effect immediately, solving the years-long crisis which threw Israel into turmoil when it led the government to break apart in late 2018.

Danny Dayan to Lead Yad Vashem

An IDF soldier undergoing basic training collapsed while running on his base in southern Israel, the IDF said in a statement. According to the Monday statement, the soldier was evacuated by helicopter to Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center. “The soldier’s condition is currently critical. The circumstances of the event are being investigated,” the IDF said in its statement. The soldier, a recruit for the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion, was attended to by other soldiers on the Har Keren Base, who provided him with first aid until first responders arrived. According to a Soroka spokesperson, the soldier seems to have suffered a heart-related issue. The spokesperson added that the soldier “is in serious condition, unconscious and on a respirator. He is being treated in the cardiac intensive care unit.”

PA Arrests Those Who Protested PA Danny Dayan, former Israeli Consul-General to New York, was appointed on Sunday to the position of Yad Vashem’s chairman. The position has been vacant since the Holocaust museum’s former chairman, Avner Shalev, resigned last June. In a statement following his appointment, Dayan said, “Leading Yad Vashem,

The Palestinian Authority on Saturday and Sunday arrested approximately 30 protesters who had gathered to demonstrate in memory of a well-known critic of the PA, the Times of Israel reported. The protest was held in memory of Nizar Banat, who was killed in June after PA officers raided his hideout. It was held in Ramallah’s al-Manara Square, but almost immediately after it

began, PA forces arrived to begin arresting the attendees, some of whom were later released, while others were still in custody as of Monday afternoon. According to PA police spokesperson Louay Irzeiqat, “There was no official permit from authorities to hold the gathering, and a group of the attendees refused to agree to the conditions for the gathering.” While some of those detained were anti-corruption activists, others were anti-PA activists, academics or artists.

According to Lawyers for Justice, which often defends Palestinian Authority Arabs arrested by the PA, some of those detained have been charged with “disparaging government institutions” and “insulting civil servants,” while others were suspected of “inciting sectarian hatred.” PA Arab human rights groups have called for the detainees’ release, claiming that they were arrested for holding “a peaceful gathering to call for accountability in the case of Nizar Banat.” In a statement, the Independent Commission for Human Rights said, “The organizers had submitted the required notifications for the gathering to the responsible authorities.”

for them to test their enterprises in a unique study environment, thereby contributing to international and Israeli research industries. In addition, the mission will make diversified educational activities accessible, to benefit all Israeli children. It will, in fact, be the first time that Israeli children and youth will have access to the International Space Station in Hebrew. Stibbe was presented with the coin during a visit to the Israel Antiquities Authority Dead Sea Scrolls laboratory in Jerusalem. Both sides of the coin bear Jewish symbols typical of the Second Temple period: a palm tree with the inscription “Shimon,” of which only the letters mem and nun are discernable, on one side; and a vine leaf with the inscription, “Year Two of the liberty of Israel.” “The coins of the Bar Kokhba Revolt were minted by the rebels between 132 and 136 CE,” said Dr. Gabriela Bijovsky, a coin specialist at the Israel Antiquities Authority. “These coins had first and foremost a symbolic meaning.” Stibbe said, “As part of Rakia mission to the International Space Station, I will be taking with me a bag filled with items that have a special meaning to me. It was clear to me that one of these items will be a symbol of Jewish history. I saw the coin, minted with the palm tree and vines leaves, that for me represent the connection to the Land, the love of the country, and the desire of the population of Israel in those years for independence.

Coin from Bar Kochba Revolt Space-Bound Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe will take a 1,900-year-old Jewish coin with him on his upcoming Rakia (firmament) mission into space, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, presented the second Israeli to head to space with a coin from the second Jewish revolt against the Romans, also known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt. The coin bears the name of its leader, or nasi, Shimon Bar Kokhba. Minted in Year Two of the revolt, the coin was recently uncovered in the Cave of Horror during the challenging Judean Desert Survey and Excavations Project carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority together with youth and volunteers. The Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology are sending Stibbe into space on a historic mission, with the purpose of inspiring the younger generation while advancing and expanding the Israel Aerospace Industry. The mission will enable Israeli entrepreneurs and researchers to advance innovative ideas and provide a rare opportunity

“The palm tree particularly touched me, as it is the symbol of the Agricultural Research Organization, at Volcani Center, where my father spent his life conducting research on the country’s soil. The Rakia mission, which focuses on innovation, advancement of technology, science, education, art, and culture, provides me with the unique opportunity to take a 1,900-yearold coin that represents the history of the Jewish people, to space.” Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said, “The Jewish rebels who struck this coin 1,800 years ago while fighting for their lives and independence could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that after many centuries this item will make its way to outer space with a Jewish astronaut who lives in an independent Jewish state! The leader of the revolt, or the Prince (nasi) of Israel, Shimon Bar Koziba, became memorialized as Bar Kokhba (“Son of a Star”), and today this name receives an added symbolic meaning.”

Dirshu The Week In News

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Leading Gedolei Yisroel Will Address Dirshu’s 7th International Yom Limud and Tefilla Hundreds of Thousands Throughout the World To Unite In Learning and Tefilla On Behalf of Klal Yisrael By Chaim Gold

If there was ever a time that Klal Yisrael needed to unite in a massive outpouring of tefilla and achdus; if there was ever a time when tens of thousands of tinokos shel beis rabban needed to come together to invoke rachmei shomayim, that time is now! That is why Dirshu’s 7th Annual International Yom Limud and Tefilla, to be held on 24 Elul/September 1, the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrtzeit, can’t come sooner. This year’s Yom Limud and Tefilla will subsequently present a special videocast which will premiere on Motzoei Shabbos, Parshas Nitzavim, 28 Elul/September 4, and will be featured throughout Sunday, September 5, where Klal Yisrael will be addressed by leading Gedolei Yisrael. They will include the venerated senior Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel of Yerushalayim; HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, shlita, well-known Mashpia and Rosh Kollel; HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Hillel, shlita, Rosh Yeshivat Hamekubalim, Ahavat Shalom; Hagaon HaRav Nissan Kaplan, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva Daas Aharon; and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi, Dirshu. The videocast will be chaired by Rav Zev Smith, wellknown Maggid Shiur in Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program and Irgun Shiurei Torah. The videocast will also feature musical interludes of chizuk with hartzig music by the renowned menagnim, Motti Steinmetz, Zanvil Weinberger, Shlomo Cohen, Aharle Samet and a special composition made for the event by popular writer, Rabbi Nachman Seltzer. During the videocast, exciting new details about the upcoming Dirshu World Siyum, marking the completion of the second machzor of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha will also be released. The Importance of Unified Learning and Tefilla Among All Yidden to Invoke Divine Mercy With Rosh Hashanah nearly upon us, we realize what a monumental Yom Hadin we are facing. The world is an extremely unstable place. There is, of course, the Corona Virus that has wreaked havoc and continues to wreak havoc worldwide. People are becoming ill, some seriously. The virus is also threatening the stability and viability of our shuls, schools, yeshivos and chadorim. In Eretz Yisroel, the new government presents a tremendous challenge for frum Yidden. In America, the new winds of “progressivism” and “wokeism” that are blowing similarly threaten our way of life. There is a rise in terror and lawlessness throughout the world, something which is harmful to society.

Boys reading Tehillim at a previous Yom Limud and Tefilla in Houston,Texas

We need tefillos! We need the zechus of the Chofetz Chaim to protect us! What is the Dirshu Yom Limud and Tefilla that has been held on the yahrzeit of the Chofetz Chaim for the last six years in six continents with hundreds of thousands of participants? The Yom Limud and Tefilla was established by Dirshu 7 years ago specifically to bring Klal Yisrael together on the auspicious occasion of the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrzeit right before Rosh Hashanah in unified tefilla on behalf of Klal Yisrael and to encourage the continued learning of the Chofetz Chaim’s sefarim that have such power to invoke rachmei shomayim. Organizers of the Yom Limud and Tefilla clearly tapped into the innate feeling of every Jewish neshama in these extraordinary times when Klal Yisrael is facing literally unprecedented challenges. This concentrated effort in tefilla and achdus was designed to arouse heavenly mercy in the zechus of the heiligeh Chofetz Chaim who was so moser nefesh to promote these ideals among Klal Yisrael. On the Yom Limud and Tefilla, Jews throughout the world will gather to recite specific perakim of Tehillim and learn segments from the sefarim written by the Chofetz Chaim, the Mishnah Berurah and the Sefer Zachor L’Miriam. The Tehillim being recited will be perakim kof and kuf-lamed, followed by the tefilla of Acheinu Beis Yisrael. The limud of the sifrei Chofetz Chaim will be from Dirshu’s super popular Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program that is currently learning the laws of Sukkos. It will comprise the first se’if in siman 639. The mussar limud from the sefarim of the Chofetz Chaim will be from Sefer Zachor L’Miriam, part of chapter 18. Riveting Programs Commemorating Chofetz Chaim in Many Hundreds of Schools World Over Simultaneously, a unique program will

take place in more than 300 cities across the world with many hundreds of yeshivos, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs participating. The remarkable, school-age program designed by Dirshu is sure to have a tremendous impact on tens of thousands of children both in major Jewish centers and in places far from Yiddishkeit hubs. The program was created with the singular goal of connecting children to the teachings and life of the Chofetz Chaim. Towards that goal, they have written some hilchos Rosh Hashana from the Chofetz Chaim’s sefer Zechor Miriam, together with hashkafa and mussar as taught by the Chofetz Chaim and compiled them into an age-appropriate, user-friendly, easy-to-understand booklet replete with magnificent illustrations, rare stories of the Chofetz Chaim and a brief history of the Chofetz Chaim’s yeshiva. Dirshu has made these extremely compelling, artfully designed booklets in both English and Yiddish for three different age groups: grades 1-3, 4-5 and 6-8. The captivating stories and graphics are sure to motivate the children in each age group to read and be inspired. In addition, the combination of riveting graphics and clarity of the lessons has been hailed by leading menahelim and mechanchim as a tremendously successful way of bringing alive the lessons of the Chofetz Chaim. In their effort to reach tinokos shel beis rabban from across the spectrum, Dirshu has vividly designed a tailormade Yiddish version of the booklet for Chassidishe chadorim with tailormade illustrations. Along with the booklet, all children will be gifted with a professionally produced CD replete with incredible sound effects. The English-speaking students will receive a CD by Rebbe Hill while the Yiddish speakers will be entertained by Rav Leibish Lish. Throughout the diverse communities

across the United States and Canada, a wide range of more than 150 boys’ and girls’ schools, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs that truly represent the entire panoply of Orthodox Jewry, has signed up for the Yom Limud and Tefilla school programs. They include schools from communities such as Monsey, NY; Lakewood, NJ; Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY; Toronto, Canada; Houston, TX; Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Waterbury, CN; Phoenix, AZ; Passaic, NJ; Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; and Providence, RI. In addition, countless Chassidishe schools in Brooklyn, Lakewood and Monsey will also be participating. This is aside from schools, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs throughout all of Eretz Yisrael and Europe who will also participate in the Yom Limud and Tefilla. According to Rabbi Gershon Kroizer of Dirshu, “Hundreds of schools in Eretz Yisrael, North America and Europe that together encompasses hundreds of thousands of children will participate in the Yom Limud and Tefilla utilizing the unique content provided to commemorate the auspicious day. The impact on young boys and girls learning about the Chofetz Chaim will be both huge and unparalleled,” he exclaimed.” There will also be tens of schools in the Former Soviet Union, schools in South Africa, Australia, South America participating in this momentous day, making it truly worldwide! Klal Yisrael Needs YOU and YOU Need to Hear the Words of the Gedolim! Without a doubt however, the riveting videocast slated to be shown on Sunday September 5, will be an event that any Yid who wants to connect and unite with Klal Yisrael k’ish echad b’lev echad while internalizing the message and chizuk from the Chofetz Chaim in advance of Rosh Hashanah, would not want to miss. To hear the roar of Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi as he arouses us to teshuva; To feel the heart of Rav Shimon Galei as he cries and begs, invoking rachamei shomayim; To absorb the deep, inspiring words of Rav Yaakov Hillel and the chizuk of Rav Nissan Kaplan, will provide you with a unique viewing experience replete with chizuk and inspiration. Klal Yisrael needs YOU to daven together with hundreds of thousands throughout the world on Dirshu’s Yom Limud and Tefilla, and YOU need the words of the Gedolim broadcast on the videocast for guidance and chizuk in advance of the New Year. Don’t miss it!