Jewish Action Fall 2014

FALL 5775/2014

VOLUME 75, NO. 1 • $5.50

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ORTHODOX UNION

NEW YORK

LONDON

MINCHAH

TOKYO

THE NEW ORTHODOX ENTREPRENEUR

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JEWISH ACTION

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50 Book Review

FEATURES 8 Doing Time with the Rabbi

A Day in the Life of a Prison Chaplain

By Bayla Sheva Brenner TRIBUTE 14 My Abba, Rav Ovadia

By Adina Bar Shalom With Toby Klein Greenwald

THE CHEF’S TABLE

L’Chaim: 18 Chapters to Live By

By Shmuel Shields, PhD Reviewed by Shira Isenberg HISTORY

Q&A with Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau

By Toby Klein Greenwald

Pioneer of Jewish Activism

By Rafael Medoff

2 LETTERS 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

22 RABBI’S DIARY

A Summer of Change

By Martin Nachimson

A Yom Kippur Guest

By Akiva Males

6 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

Gerald M. Schreck

COVER STORY 24 The New Entrepreneurs: Why the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Alive and Well and Booming in the Orthodox Community

By Bayla Sheva Brenner

60 Da’at Torah: The Missing Chapter

32 A Business of her Own

64 On and Off the Beaten Track

in the Shulchan Aruch

By Julius Berman

A Gallery of Shana Tovas

By David Olivestone

78 Everything You Need to Know

About Shemittah

By Y. Dov Krakowski 82 The Spiritual Significance

of Shemittah

By Tzvi Hersh Weinreb BOOKS 84 Preparing for Yamim Noraim: What

Are Your Favorite Books and Why?

By Charlie Harary, Allison Josephs, Yitzchok Adlerstein, Rachel Cohen, Daniel Lapin, Leah Kohn 90 A Glimpse At Greatness

By Daniel Mann Reviewed by Gidon Rothstein LEGAL-EASE

in . . . Neot Kedumim

By Peter Abelow

38 JUDAICA

Economical Meals

By Norene Gilletz

JUST BETWEEN US

ISRAEL

By Avigayil Perry

74 Back To School: Easy,

KOSHERKOPY

52 Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan: Forgotten

DEPARTMENTS

20 The True Rav Ovadia:

VOL. 75, NO. 1

66 INSIDE THE OU

92 What’s the Truth About . . .

the Arba Minim?

By Ari Z. Zivotofsky LASTING IMPRESSIONS 96 Remembering Marty

By Steve Lipman SPECIAL SECTION: Health 42 Is Healthy Eating the Latest Craze?

By Naomi Ross 47 Becoming Heart Healthy:

page 8

page 14

page 24

Make A New Year’s Resolution that Could Save Your Life

By Charles and Elie Traube

Jewish Action seeks to provide a forum for a diversity of legitimate opinions within the spectrum of Orthodox Judaism.

Therefore, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy or opinion of the Orthodox Union.

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 1

Letters

Jewish Action

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ORTHODOX UNION www.ou.org/jewish_action

Editor Nechama Carmel carmeln@ou.org

Assistant Editor Rashel Zywica Literary Editor Emeritus Matis Greenblatt Book Editor Rabbi Gil Student

Revisiting Pew g

I take issue with the notion that the Pew report is an indictment of the Orthodox community, as expressed by a number of contributors to your recent symposium (“After Pew: What Will it Take to Save American Jewry?,” summer 2014). Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the enormous pressures in this country to assimilate and acculturate, as demonstrated by the woeful intermarriage statistics in the Pew report, we have managed to thrive. With all the problems that face our community, be it “kids at risk,” the growing number of singles and a skyrocketing divorce rate, we still have much in which to take great pride, including outreach to the unaffiliated. Be it NCSY, Chabad, college campus programs or the plethora of online Torah sites, we are reaching out. But look at what we are competing against!

The average Orthodox “balabus” or “balabusta” is busy with work, family, mortgages, tuition payments, et cetera and is not preoccupied with global Jewish issues. Nevertheless, such people are the bedrock of our community.

I find it ironic that Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, expressed concern over issues raised in the Pew report. In fact, Federation is part of the problem. When the focus of Jewish life is the “civil religion” of fundraising, the average Jewish young adult can easily feel that

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fundraising for the environment or any other cause that is not as parochial is just as worthy.

Engaging in triumphalism is shortsighted and foolhardy. But the Pew report demonstrates that it is either the real deal or no deal when it comes to authentic Jewish continuity.

RABBI DAVID FRIEDMAN Oceanside, New York g

There is an ongoing theme in many of the essays that appeared in your symposium on the Pew report that if only people knew about the joys of observance, they would be more attached to their Jewish heritage. I think the reality of attrition is different. Over the past generation, people did not drift away because of ignorance any more than off-the-derech youth today drift away due to unfamiliarity. People who are now secular but were raised Jewishly attended shul, went to Hebrew school, joined USY or NIFTY or Hillel. More than anyone would like to admit, they were pushed away in the process, demeaned by their Hebrew teacher or some other form of leadership. They have been to Sedarim and Shabbat dinners. They light Shabbat candles or display other trappings of Jewish life, including giving generous amounts of tzedakah. But the negative imprint never quite goes away and can be a daunting project to reverse.

DR. RICHARD M. PLOTZKER Wilmington, Delaware

Contributing Editors Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein • Dr. Judith Bleich Rabbi Emanuel Feldman • Rabbi Hillel Goldberg Rabbi Sol Roth • Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter Rabbi Berel Wein Editorial Committee Rabbi David Bashevkin • Rabbi Binyamin Ehrenkranz Mayer Fertig • David Olivestone • Gerald M. Schreck Rabbi Gil Student • Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Advertising Sales Joseph Jacobs Advertising • 212.787.9400 arosenfeld@josephjacobs.org Advertising Coordinator Eli Lebowicz Subscriptions 212.613.8146 Design KZ Creative

ORTHODOX UNION Executive Vice President/Chief Professional Officer Allen I. Fagin Executive Vice President, Emeritus Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Senior Managing Director Rabbi Steven Weil Chief Communications Officer Mayer Fertig Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer Shlomo Schwartz Chief Human Resources Officer Lenny Bessler Chief Information Officer Samuel Davidovics President Martin Nachimson Chairman of the Board Stephen J. Savitsky Chairman, Board of Governors Mark Bane Communications Commission Gerald M. Schreck, Chairman Joel M. Schreiber, Chairman Emeritus Barbara Lehmann Siegel; Dr. Herbert Schlager; Rabbi Gil Student; Michael C. Wimpfheimer © Copyright 2014 by the Orthodox Union.

Eleven Broadway, New York, NY, 10004.

Telephone 212.563.4000 • www.ou.org Periodicals Postage Paid, New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices.

Childless in the Orthodox Community g

I want to thank Jewish Action for the beautiful article on childlessness (“A Life Unexpected: Frum and Childless,” summer 2014). Writer Bayla Sheva Brenner captured the pain and made it personal without sounding subjective. It was a masterful piece.

I will never forget a woman who participated in a support group I led sponsored by A TIME [an organization that assists Jewish men and women coping with infertility]. She was married seventeen years and did not have children, but she said she never found davening difficult. We were amazed and somewhat skeptical. She explained, “I know that no tefillah goes to waste and that all of our neshamos are connected and affect one another. So, before I daven, I close my eyes and imagine all the babies created as a result of my prayers . . . and that I will meet them and hear their thanks after one hundred and twenty years. I still hope one will make its way to me, but I don’t question the power I yield.”

Thanks so much for sharing such important insights.

CHANI JURAVEL Spring Valley, New York g A big yasher koach for the article about the pain of infertility that persists long past the childbearing years.

As a stepmother to a large family, I expend a tremendous amount of time and energy taking care of (now-adult) children and grandchildren who are not mine and whose loyalties lie elsewhere. I often find myself yearning for my own children. I also fully understand the sadness of knowing that my family line ends with me.

I once asked Rabbi Ezriel Tauber what is the purpose of pain. He said that as long as we feel pain, we should use it as an inspiration to daven.

ANONYMOUS

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President’sMessage

By Martin Nachimson

Summer of Change

I

write these words at the end of July, in the midst of a tumultuous summer—a summer unlike any I can recall in recent years. During these days and weeks of turmoil in which Jews the world over check the news from Israel every hour, the four simple words “Acheinu kol Beit Yisrael” have taken on a whole new meaning for me.

So many have noted the overwhelming sense of unity and togetherness felt from all corners of the Jewish world. But I want to recount the achdut that I, as president of the OU, have been privileged to see.

I saw achdut in a solidarity mission pulled together by the OU—remarkably, in a mere twenty-four hours. To the credit of some of our incredible staff members, including Rabbi Avi Berman, executive director of OU Israel, and Rabbi Judah Isaacs, OU director of community engagement, some fifty participants including prominent men and women as well as rabbis from OU shuls across the United States dropped everything at a moment’s notice to fly to Israel. They left their responsibilities—their families and their jobs—for four frenzied days for one reason only: to show the people of Israel that we have not forsaken them, that we are with them one hundred, one thousand, percent.

I saw achdut in the memorable Shabbat the mission members, led by Rabbi Steven Weil, OU senior managing director, and Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU executive vice president, emeritus, spent with the brave and inspiring people of Sderot, the embattled city that bears the brunt of Hamas brutality. Housed for Shabbat at Yeshivat Hesder of Sderot, under the guidance of the indefatigable Rabbi David Fendel who insists on not leaving the city in 4

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the face of ongoing attacks, participants experienced a three-hour-long, deeply meaningful Kabbalat Shabbat service. Along with hundreds of yeshivah boys and soldiers, the latter of which was comprised of both religious and non-religious young men mostly from the Gefen Brigade, the visitors sang and danced against the background noise of war in an extraordinary atmosphere of ahavat Yisrael and togetherness.

I saw achdut in the endless stream of packages sent to the makeshift army bases located throughout southern Israel. Jews from across the spectrum— from Gerrer Chassidim to secular hipsters—kept up a constant flow of food packages and clothing for the grateful but exhausted soldiers.

Who in these trying times does not feel a strong bond of brotherhood, a deep sense of shared destiny?

I saw achdut when 20,000 Jews attended the levayah of IDF soldier Nissim Sean Carmeli, a lone soldier from South Padre Island, Texas. A heartfelt plea posted on Facebook called upon Maccabi Haifa soccer club fans to “do a mitzvah and attend the funeral of fallen IDF soldier Nissim Sean Carmeli, so that his funeral will not be empty.”

Who could have imagined that so many would respond?

That same terrible day, Max Steinberg, a lone soldier from California, gave his life for his country, for his people. Inspired by Birthright, Max made aliyah two years ago. He found his place in Israel, his mission in the IDF, though he had no family in Israel.

But in truth, he did have family— 30,000 of his family members came to honor and say goodbye to Max, a soldier they never knew but whom they loved nonetheless.

I saw achdut in the aftermath of the devastating kidnapping of three young innocent boys, when religious and secular came together to pray at bus stations, at prayer rallies, and even in the Knesset.

Months prior to the kidnapping, Israeli society was in the throes of internal conflict. In this atmosphere of ahavat Yisrael that permeates the Jewish people nowadays, it is difficult to recall the bitter strife that threatened to divide the Jewish nation.

Are we a changed people? Have the events of the past few months changed us in a profound way?

Sukkot, known as a holiday of unity, is approaching. One of the central rituals of the holiday is taking the arba minim, the Four Species, together in one bundle and making a blessing over them. What is the meaning behind this ritual? The midrash explains that the Four Species represent four kinds of Jews. The etrog, which has both a wonderful taste and aroma, represents the ideal Jew who possesses both Torah and good deeds. The lulav, whose fruit (dates) have taste but no aroma, represents one who has Torah knowledge but lacks good deeds. The hadas, which possesses scent but lacks taste, represents the individual with good deeds but whose Torah education is deficient.

Finally, the tasteless, scentless aravah represents the Jew who lacks both Torah and good deeds.

What is the message of the arba minim? That all Jews—despite our differences—comprise the whole.

I hope and pray that we can internalize the message of Sukkot, that this chaotic summer will have irrevocably changed us. I hope and pray that achdut will remain the eternal legacy of Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Fraenkel and GilAd Shaar, H”yd, who unknowingly set all of this in motion. Despite the fact that their lives ended almost before they began, they left us a precious gift that we barely knew we had—the knowledge that we can achieve extraordinary levels of unity, that we can be k’ish echad, b’lev echad once again.

Am Yisrael chai. g

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Chairman’sMessage

By Gerald M. Schreck

I

grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust. Williamsburg in the 1950s and 60s, as I have written about in this column many times, was comprised of mostly survivors—men and women with numbers on their arms but a fire in their souls. These were Jews who drew upon their vast reservoirs of faith to build families and businesses, to look forward, not backward, to rebuild and to persevere.

But despite my intimate connection with the Holocaust—most of our neighbors and acquaintances were Holocaust survivors—I personally did not experience anti-Semitism.

But while anti-Semitism was outside of my experience, fear was not.

I was in grade school during the Cold War, and every now and then, the school would run air raid drills where we would have to get down on the floor and crouch under our desks, our hands over our heads. I was probably six or seven years old when the drills started.

Incapable of fully grasping what was going on, my fear grew in intensity. I would first taste the fear in my mouth, and by the time it descended into the pit of my stomach, it was no longer fear; it was full-blown terror. Then the sirens would stop and class would resume as if nothing had happened.

Now as I read the alarming reports about growing anti-Semitism in Europe, and I hear the virulently antiSemitic chants “Death to Jews” and “Hitler was right!” from anti-Israel protesters on the news, I taste that same fear again. Fueled by the war in Gaza, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Gerald M. Schreck is the chairman of the OU Communications Commission.

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one European country after another. In the suburb of Sarcelles, in France, a kosher grocery and a Jewish-owned pharmacy were torched. In Paris, a veritable scene from the Nazi era took place a week earlier: on July 13, a shul in the center of the city came under attack by pro-Palestinian protesters while Jewish members huddled inside.

Not surprisingly, it is estimated that 5,000 to 6,000 Jews are expected to leave France this year because of antiSemitism. In Germany, which boasts the fastest-growing Jewish community in the world, some Jews have begun taking down their mezuzahs and not wearing yarmulkes in public.

Anti-Semitism is not a new “ism.”

Our literature is full of references to “nations who try to destroy us,” to the various incarnations of Amalek. AntiSemitism is not rational, nor is it meant to be. The religious Jew always understood there was a theological purpose to anti-Semitism. Writing in a 2002 issue of Commentary (“The Return of Anti-Semitism”), Hillel

Halkin summed it up beautifully: “[The Jews] understood not only that [antiSemitism] existed but that it must exist; that hatred of them was hatred of the God Who chose them.”

This understanding should help us cope with the ever-present phenomenon of anti-Semitism, but it by no means offers a license to the anti-Semites. It is our responsibility to speak out against the rising anti-Semitism in Europe. We must protest it loudly and clearly. I am proud to say that top OU leaders recently visited with congressional leaders at the White House where they expressed their dismay over the rising anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world. Their concerns were heard. We must ensure that our Jewish brothers and sisters around the world do not feel forsaken. We must ensure that we never make the mistake of remaining silent again.

Now onto the content of this superb issue: one of the highlights is the littleknown story of Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan, a man who, seventy years ago, refused to remain silent in the face of deafening silence. At a time when no Jewish lobby existed in Washington, Rabbi Bar-Ilan, one of the founding fathers of the Religious Zionist movement, launched a one-man crusade on Capitol Hill to protest the extermination of Europe’s Jews. The son of the Netziv, Rabbi Bar-Ilan was a remarkable figure whose story has much to teach us.

We are also privileged to present the personal reminiscences of Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom, the daughter of Rav Ovadia Yosef. In this unique article on one of the greatest gedolei hador of modern times, Rabbanit Bar Shalom recalls what it was like to grow up as the

daughter of a leading Torah sage. Journalist Toby Klein Greenwald did a magnificent job transcribing, translating and editing the article. I am also indebted to Shira Schmidt, another longtime contributor to Jewish Action, for all the time and effort she put into preparing this article for publication.

In this jam-packed issue, we also focus on the rising number of Orthodox entrepreneurs—men and women—who are motivated to pursue their passions and be their own

bosses. With her usual in-depth reporting, Bayla Sheva Brenner informs us that nowadays it’s easier than ever to enter the world of entrepreneurship. With interest-free loans, free mentoring and support services of all kinds available to aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s no surprise that more and more Orthodox Jews are taking the plunge into business ownership.

Finally, we offer a section on healthy living, with an essay by food writer Naomi Ross on healthy trends

in the kosher food industry and a critical article by father and son cardiologists Drs. Charles and Elie Traube, who remind us that one of the most important resolutions we can make this year is a resolution to be good to ourselves. As the article explains, abusing our bodies by eating a highfat, cholesterol-rich diet and living a sedentary lifestyle is not just bad for our bodies, it’s bad for our souls.

Wishing all of our readers a kesivah vachasimah tovah. g

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 7

PROFILE

he sky hung low as I drove upstate to the Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York, this past May. I had never been to a prison before. Yet, here I was, traveling to the edge of the Catskills to visit a maximum-security prison. I came to observe Rabbi Moshe Frank at work as a prison chaplain. You could say I was a little nervous.

Rabbi Frank agreed to let me accompany him on his regular Tuesday visit. I pick him up at his modest cottage in nearby Ellenville, where even the main thoroughfare looks like a side street, and take him to the job he’s loved doing for close to thirty years. A strapping man in his late fifties, as suited for football as he is for semichah, he surely

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Bayla Sheva Brenner is senior writer in the OU Communications and Marketing Department.

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shatters the inmates’ image of a rabbi. “I’m not a big believer in the correctional system,” he tells me. “Recidivism is high. They have to revisit how they could do this better.”

Nonetheless, he does what he can to help the Jewish prisoners rebuild their lives, from “the inside.”

As we turn into the long driveway off Institution Road, I notice the barbed wire fence. Built at the end of the nineteenth century, the prison resembles a medieval fortress, with stone castle-like steeples and a pyramid roof. Its 900 occupants committed serious crimes—murder, assault, grand theft and other felonies. Their sentences number ten, twenty, thirty years. Some are here for life.

We enter an enclosed vestibule with steel doors and barred windows and are buzzed into the reception area.

Rabbi Frank greets a stocky woman with closely cropped blonde hair standing behind a high counter, munching on

an apple. “The inmates are just about done with ‘count,’ rabbi,” she says. (Inmates are counted three times daily.)

“I’ll need your ID,” she says, looking at me. She instructs me to walk through the metal detector and begins rummaging through my pocketbook. My cell phone and MP3 player are placed in a steel locker.

She stamps my hand—my ticket to the visiting area. I walk into the room and notice a few inmates, fortunate enough to have visiting family and friends, sitting with their guests at small tables. All eyes are on the rabbi and me as we pass through visiting room A to B, a more private area.

Rabbi Frank’s regulars are already there, standing at attention, waiting for us. He smiles at them. “You’re dressed so nicely—white shirts and all,” he says, impressed.

As of June 2014, a total of forty-six inmates at Eastern were listed as Jewish, though not all are halachic Jews.

Only a handful of them identified themselves as Jewish when they were incarcerated; the others opted for an official “change of religion” during their imprisonment.

Rabbi Frank holds prayer services and Torah classes at the prison chapel on Sundays and Tuesdays. His prayer service is interactive; he stops at various points to discuss what the words mean. “They love it; it grabs them,” he says.

“They have such a thirst. I show them that every word has a unique nuance.”

On Tuesdays Rabbi Frank teaches Chumash, Gemara and about the holidays. He also reserves time for private counseling. Inmates discuss their painful estrangement from their wives and children. He does what he can to facilitate contact. Sometimes he’s successful.

“I hope to teach them basic values—menschlichkeit.

[Some of them] come in when they’re twenty-five and leave at forty; [do they leave] in a better place than when they came in? Yes, if they utilize their time.”

Rabbi Frank’s classes offer a window into the world of Jewish thought and faith. “We have something to look forward to,” says an inmate named Chanan, “hearing about

Hashem and what He expects of us.” An average of five to ten inmates participate in the learning sessions.

The rabbi offers them a link to life on the outside. “I share what goes on in the community, the shul, with my own family,” says Rabbi Frank. “They hunger to be part of all of it in absentia.”

We settle down to speak and I ask the handful of men to share their stories.

In 2004, Chanan was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Thus far, he’s served ten—seven-and-a-half years at Clinton Correctional Facility near the Canadian border, two years at Rikers Island in Queens and, at the time of our interview, one year and three weeks at Eastern. His good behavior cut his sentence down to seventeen years.

Prior to his incarceration, Chanan, a gifted musician, played the saxophone, clarinet, trombone, bass and flute.

To makes ends meet, he did accounting work by day and played saxophone in a band at night. Many of his gigs were at clubs and Catskill hotels. Eventually, the hedonistic club scene got to him, leading to a serious alcohol and drug addiction. He began attending AA meetings, where he found solace, sobriety and God. “I kept hearing all this talk about a ‘Higher Power,’” says Chanan. “I wanted to find my Jewish one.” Despite his efforts to reconstruct his life, at fortysix, a tragic confrontation put him behind bars.

With his long salt-and-pepper beard, yarmulke and gentle self-effacing manner, Chanan—who loves learning Torah—defies the image of a convict doing hard time. He studied more than 150 seforim in the past year, including Gemara as well as works on musar and halachah. Now fiftysix, he actually sees incarceration as “the greatest thing” that could have happened to him. “When I got arrested . . .

I accepted it as if God was saying, ‘You want to spend twenty years with me? Okay.’

“I know Hashem is running the show and everything He does is good. If it weren’t for Hashem, the rabbi’s encouragement and Judaism, I would have given up a long time ago.”

Eastern Correctional Facility in Upstate New York.

Photos: Esther Chill www.estherchill.com

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The fact that he was a criminal didn’t stop them from helping him perform mitzvot.

Determined to use his time in prison constructively, Chanan pushes himself to grow in his Yiddishkeit. “If I have any hope of being an integral part of the community, I have to have something to offer.”

He devours books on Judaism. If he spots an intriguing sefer advertised in one of the Jewish newspapers or magazines he regularly receives, he writes to the authors, requesting they send him copies. Over the years, he’s amassed an impressive library, and has contacted writers in Israel, England, Canada and America, among other countries. “I’m the post office’s best customer,” he says.

Whenever Chanan encounters a Hebrew word he is unfamiliar with, he consults with Ran, a fellow inmate originally from Israel. In his mid-thirties, Ran was sentenced in 2005 to eighteen years.

Both inmates speak of their love and respect for Rabbi Frank. “We can talk to him about anything,” says Ran. “Religion, food, something that's bothering us. Look at us, talking and laughing right now; who would believe we’re in jail? But inside we have a lot of issues to deal with. I have a son I can’t see . . . . It’s very hard. “[Ordinarily,] I have no patience for religious material,” says Ran. “But the rabbi explains it in a clear way.

He doesn’t push us.” Even while downplaying his growth in Judaism, Ran, who sports a sefirah beard, admits that he observed every fast this past year.

Ran’s parents divorced when he was young. A troubled youth, he was kicked out of yeshivah and wound up living on the streets. He moved to the United States in the mid-1990s and began to build a life. He got married, had a job, even started keeping kosher again and going to shul. Unfortunately, he stumbled. In prison almost nine years, he accepts his punishment. “If you do something wrong, even if it’s by mistake, you have to pay for it,” says Ran. “I have family and friends who support me. When I get out, I can build a life again.”

After his arrest, he dropped whatever advances he had made in Yiddishkeit. However, nine months after his incarceration, he began retracing his steps. “I’ve been up and down in my life. I try to keep moving up. I get up in the morning. I pray three times a day. Baruch Hashem, I keep going. I still have a lot of work to do.”

Rabbi Frank never reads the inmates’ criminal case histories. “There’s no reason for me to know [about their pasts]. I don’t think it would benefit my relationship with them. It might color my feelings toward them. [This way, I can] treat them as my equals.”

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A native of Brooklyn, Rabbi Frank, who earned a master’s degree from Yeshiva University in classical Jewish history, prefers the peace and quiet of country life to the tumult of the city. “I open the window in the morning and breathe the fresh mountain air and I hear the creek nearby. I can accomplish my errands on erev Shabbos in a matter of minutes—post office, haircut, cleaners, lastminute shopping.” His children made different choices.

They live in Manhattan, Kew Gardens Hills, Lakewood and Ramat Eshkol, Israel. “Nobody stays in Ellenville,” he says. But the chaplain remains.

Rabbi Frank began his prison visits in 1985, as the assistant to Rabbi Herman Eisner, the then-rabbi of Ezrath Israel in Ellenville, New York. When Rabbi Eisner, a concentration camp survivor who had led the congregation since 1949, retired in 1988, Rabbi Frank took over as rav of the shul. Although he left the position in 2011, he continues his chaplaincy work at both Eastern and Ulster Correctional Facility, a medium-security facility in the area.

Viewing himself more as a friend than a teacher, Rabbi Frank imparts Judaism with an easy smile and discernible respect for everyone, affording each inmate the inspiration and time he needs to grow. Time is a commodity the inmates have plenty of.

“My motive is not to make them frum,” Rabbi Frank says. “I try to be very direct in a loving way. One young Jewish inmate told me, ‘I dated a Jewish girl before and she never stood by me; she dropped me like a hot potato when she knew I was in trouble.’ I told him, ‘You can’t maintain your Judaism and be dating a non-Jewish girl, no matter how much money she sends you.’ He hasn’t come back to services.”

“If you don’t have belief in a Higher Power, you’re going to really be at a loss,” says Rabbi Frank. “God becomes very present in their lives.”

“Being more observant makes me feel better,” says Ran. “When I read Tehillim, I’m in a different world. I didn’t used to read it on the outside, only when I was in ‘the box’ [twenty-four-hour period of solitary confinement]. Because of the rabbi, I made Kiddush for the first time in my cell this past Friday. I tried to do a treaty transfer [the transferring of a prisoner from the country in which he was convicted of a crime to his home country], to do the rest of my prison time in Israel. It was denied and I got down. I try not to break in jail. It’s very easy to get broken here.”

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I ask Rabbi Frank about his most memorable prison experience. He shares the following: A group of Satmar Chassidim approached him for help. They wanted to provide an inmate in solitary confinement with what he needed to make Pesach Sedarim. Since those in solitary confinement have little or no human contact, food and ritual items have to be passed through a tiny hatch in the cell door. Rabbi Frank measured the opening and gave the precise measurements to the Chassidic volunteers. They then arranged for the delivery of two custom-size Seder trays containing hermetically sealed Pesach victuals, replete with miniature matzot.

“I was taken by the fact that they would go to such lengths . . . [they] upset the routine in a matzah bakery in order to produce matzot of an unusual size,” says Rabbi Frank. “A man from Williamsburg, who had his own family, delivered it all on erev Pesach.” After the inmate serving a life sentence died in prison, the Satmar community arranged a burial plot for him in Israel. “The fact that he was a criminal didn’t stop them from helping him perform mitzvot.”

Choosing to Change Soft-spoken and unassuming, Rabbi Frank forms deep bonds with some of the Jewish prisoners. Recently, a superintendent called him for feedback about an inmate who was transferred to a medium-security prison and is now up for parole after twenty-five years of incarceration. “You have to be careful; you’re putting your reputation on the line if you say you know for sure the inmate will not be a further risk to society,” says Rabbi Frank. “You could speak about the good things he did and advances he made to overcome his anger, confirm that he was properly utilizing programs, helping other inmates with their education, was involved in charity drives. They want to see that the inmate has remorse for the crime he committed; that’s teshuvah from the state’s perspective.”

How does Rabbi Frank determine when teshuvah is genuine?

“You could tell by the inmates’ attitudes. I see inmates becoming resigned to the fact that they can’t continue to be belligerent or arrogant. Being locked up in a maximum-security prison could motivate one to change. One is reminded every day of his compromised state.”

The relationships Rabbi Frank forges with the inmates last long after they leave prison and reenter society. Some continue to call and write to him; the rabbi invites them to celebrate at his semachot, and they invite him to theirs.

When Chanan leaves the barbed wire behind, he’ll be sixty-four. He wants to live in a frum community, learn in a yeshivah and work as a mashgiach. He also looks forward to a “geulah meal” of corned beef, pastrami and tongue on club bread with Russian dressing and coleslaw. Until then, he hopes to continue to “feed himself spiritually” every day. g

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TRIBUTE

MY ABBA, RAV OVADIA

BY ADINA BAR SHALOM WITH TOBY KLEIN GREENWALD I F I RST MET RABBANIT ADI NA BAR SH ALOM, the daughter of

Rav Ovadia Yosef, z”l, in the spring of 2007, on a visit to the Haredi College of Jerusalem, founded in 2001, which was housed in a community center in a decrepit part of the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Today the college takes up several floors in Jerusalem’s upscale Malcha complex. This past year, on Israel’s Independence Day, the Rabbanit was one of fourteen women chosen to light a torch during the traditional lighting of the torches ceremony at Mount Herzl. Each of the women selected contributed to Israeli society in various ways. The Rabbanit said emphatically that she was lighting in honor of her father, in honor of the women of valor who help bring about and support a world of Torah study and in honor of the thousands of Chareidim who have entered the workforce, as it says, “For thou shalt eat the labour of thy hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee” (Tehillim 128:2) (The Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem: Koren Publishers, 2000]).

The following evening, she was one of ten individuals, among them Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, to receive the prestigious Israel Prize.

The stories and details about life with Rav Ovadia Yosef, described here, are from a lecture which I have translated, excerpted and summarized. The Rabbanit delivered the lecture “The Legacy of Hakham Ovadia” in Hebrew this past November at Yeshiva University (lecture available at www.yutorah.org).

Toby Klein Greenwald

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The author with her father, Rav Ovadia, at an event for the Haredi College of Jerusalem.

Rabbanit Bar Shalom opened the college thirteen years ago in response to the need for higher education in the Chareidi community.

The college offers separate gender classes and the degrees are awarded by Bar-Ilan and BenGurion universities. Rav Ovadia was a great supporter of the college.

Photo courtesy of Rabbanit Bar Shalom

Toby Klein Greenwald is a journalist, educator and community theater director who lives in Efrat, Israel with her family. Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom is the eldest daughter of Rav Ovadia Yosef. Special thanks to Shira Leibowitz Schmidt for assisting in the preparation of this article.

It is difficult to find the words to describe the extent of the ahavat Yisrael with which my father, Rav Ovadia, was blessed. My father and his brother were born into a poor family in Iraq. He was four years old when his family came to Israel, where six more children were born.

From childhood on, he loved to learn Torah more than anything else; he didn’t play with other children. At age six he knew scores of mishnayot by heart, and at nine he started to learn Gemara.

I S E A R LY L I F E His Hphenomenal, photographic memory was apparent at a

young age. When he couldn’t afford to buy seforim, he

would stand in a bookstore for half a day, look over the sefer and commit it to memory.

At twenty-four, he married [my mother] Margalit Fattal and at the age of twenty-six, in 1947, he was elected deputy chief rabbi of Egypt, sent there by Rabbi Ezra Attiya, rosh yeshivah of Porat Yosef Yeshiva, and Harav Ben-Zion Uziel, the Sephardic chief rabbi of then-British-ruled Palestine. It was a struggle in Egypt to observe the laws of kashrut and the mitzvot. But my father persevered and strengthened the whole community in limud Torah [Torah study].

My father understood the principle of “chanoch lana’ar al pi darko” [“Teach a child according to his or her own way”]. So to draw the community close, he went on day

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Rabbi Ovadia Yosef learning in his home (October 18, 1972). Photo: Israel Sun

trips [with his students] and joined them on picnics. I remember when I was four years old, together with Abba’s students we visited the pyramids and boated on the Nile.

He would laugh and joke with his students, and in the midst of this, intertwine the study of Torah. He acted like one of his students, not like a rav who came to educate them. Many [of his students] were older than he was, and this was his way of bringing them closer.

Three years later, my father and his family returned to [the newly established State of ] Israel. In Egypt, my parents had been comfortable, but they arrived in Israel with four children during the tzena [a time of austerity and rationing], and their financial situation was very difficult.

Abba did whatever was necessary in order to earn a livelihood. He gave shiurim in Porat Yosef Yeshiva, taught halachah to ba’alei batim in the evenings and served as a chazzan on Shabbat.

Our home was a home of Torah. In between the shiurim that Abba gave, he learned Torah at home. We children tiptoed, and that’s not metaphoric; we really did. We played quietly; you could hardly hear us. Even if we cried, it was quietly; and when we laughed, it was in total silence.

On Shabbat, my father, like other fathers, would teach us the songs that he loved, both Chassidic songs and songs from Egypt . . . He would also ask us what we were studying in school, which teachers we like, which subjects we enjoy learning. Shabbat was wonderful for us. He would tell stories, and all his stories had a musar haskel, a lesson.

On weekday afternoons, we would spend a half hour with Abba during lunchtime. The radio would be on, and we would listen to Professor Nechama Leibowitz, z”l, explain the Tanach. He would say, “Learn from her, children; see what a wise woman she is. Learn the Tanach well, so that in twenty or thirty years from now, I will be privileged to hear you on the radio explaining the Tanach.” Indeed, today several of my brothers deliver regular shiurim on Israeli radio.

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In 1957, my father began serving as a dayan, rabbinical court judge, in Petah Tikva. His heart was filled with compassion for the couples who came to him. After all, who comes to a beit din? People who are in pain and have difficulties. He tried his best to alleviate people’s suffering.

Once, close to Pesach, he convened the beit din for an urgent case. His colleagues arrived and asked, “What is so urgent? We aren’t doctors!” He replied, “We are much more [than doctors].

There is a man who refuses to give his wife a get, and he’s sitting in prison.”

The man believed that because he wasn’t a criminal—he didn’t steal or commit murder, he “just” refused to give his wife a get—he would be allowed to go home for the chag. [But once he realized that was not the case,] he called my father and said he couldn’t stay in jail because there was no shmurah matzah, et cetera. He promised to give his wife a get right after Pesach. Abba said, “No, you won’t leave prison until you give her a get.”

He finally said, “Bring the dayanim now, and I’ll give her a get.” So Abba called the dayanim together quickly. On the eve of bedikat chametz, Abba came home late, after the get was given. He said that he wanted us, his children, to understand how important it was to him to have this woman receive her get. “Now that she is a free woman,” he said, “I can conduct the Seder.”

In 1958, we moved back to Jerusalem when my father was appointed to serve as a justice in the rabbinical court in Jerusalem. Subsequently, he began serving in the rabbinical high court. In 1968, he became Sephardic chief rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Prior to this, he had written Chazon Ovadia and the first few volumes of Yabia Omer. He received awards for these seforim, including the Rav Kook Prize for Torah Scholarship, the Rabbi Uziel Prize and the Israel Prize for his rabbinic writings and bold halachic decisions.

In 1972, he was elected the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. After the Yom Kippur War, Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan asked him to examine the possibility of declaring the wives of soldiers who were missing in action and presumed dead as halachic widows. These women would remain agunot otherwise. When Dayan was asked why he went to [Rav Ovadia] and not to another rav, he said, “Because I have absolute faith in him and, just as I trust him, so do all of Am Yisrael; they will accept his halachic decision . . . If [Rav Ovadia] investigates the issue and he [declares them widows,] nobody will disagree with that decision.”

He questioned the soldiers who served with the men missing in action. With each testimony, he cried. He couldn’t eat during those days, didn’t drink, didn’t sleep, could not close his eyes, until he gave a heter to every one of the wives whose husbands were missing. There were nearly 960 widows resulting from the Yom Kippur War. For many, the bodies of their husbands were found and identified.

But [in those cases] where the bodies could either not be found or identified, as a result of my father’s pesak and thorough investigation of each and every case, not one woman was left an agunah.

ACHER OF TORAH AbbaA wasT Eknown for having the ability to rub shoulders

with kings and rulers of countries but also with the common man. He never refused an invitation; whether it was to visit the kibbutzim of Hashomer Hatzair [the secular Communist kibbutz movement] or the king of Spain, he went with the same enthusiasm. He was especially happy to go [teach Torah at] the secular kibbutzim because he said this was their only opportunity to hear divrei Torah. In the beginning [of his rabbinic career], he went everywhere by bus. He never complained that it was difficult for him, and he never felt that he should stay home and learn Torah instead. He thought that learning Torah and teaching others were both important and that he had to do both.

On one of his trips to the States, he visited a school in Los Angeles. A seven-year-old boy from the well-known Syrian Jewish Falas family was so inspired by his visit that when he reached the age of sixteen he went to Jerusalem to study in a yeshivah for two years. Soon after, this young man met my daughter and [became my son-in-law]. He

was recently chosen to be the Sephardic chief rabbi of London. At the age of seven, he saw the joy of Torah and it brought him to a place where he yearned to learn Torah.

Abba always supported my son-in-law’s pesakim. Abba told him, “Go with strength and save Am Yisrael. You have the ability to speak English; I wish I could.”

After serving as chief rabbi of Israel for ten years, Abba founded the Shas party. He wanted to finish what he started. He wanted to serve Am Yisrael, to take care of the underprivileged, to work for the glorification of Torah. He knew that in order to execute ideas, one needs political power. He wasn’t naïve. He knew that [without Shas,] he would not be able to implement his vision.

We, the family, were unhappy with this decision and asked him to reconsider. We were afraid that [his involvement in politics] would cast a shadow over his greatness in Torah, chas vechalilah, and his prestige would suffer. Abba drew his answer, as usual, from the sources. “Yechezkel the Prophet was called Yechezkel ben Buzi. Why? Because he embarrassed himself for the Torah . . . in order to spread the Torah, he had to dirty himself more than once. [He had to] go into the mud, to ask people to come and listen to divrei Torah. This is the reason why he was privileged to have God reveal Himself to him and call him ‘Ben Adam.’

Prophecy was given to prophets who did not have the designation of ‘Ben Adam.’ But God wanted to uplift Yechezkel due to the fact that he had shamed himself for the Torah.”

My father then turned to my mother and said, “Can I stand on the side? Is this what I will say to Hakadosh Baruch Hu? That I cared more for my honor?”

Indeed, what we feared came to pass. People got angry or mocked Abba for things he said. His divrei Torah were

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef speaking to religious students before their induction into the IDF (1973).

Photo: Israel Sun

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not always properly understood, and such misunderstandings also took place when he would broadcast shiurim via satellite. We urged him to cancel the broadcasts. We told him that journalists are listening and they don’t understand. He was very distressed after he spoke about the reincarnation of souls connected to the Shoah and survivors misunderstood what he said [and assumed he had referred to them as evil]. He didn’t mean that they were evil, chalilah v’chas, but many survivors were shattered and demonstrated outside of our home. That was the only demonstration during which he went out to the people and said, “I apologize. I was misunderstood; no one on Earth went through what you did.” That was the only time he cried with the demonstrators because they did not understand him. After that incident, we once again urged him to stop the broadcasts. And he said, “No, I’ve learned

What can we do to provide Chareidim with education, with the knowledge to participate in the twenty-first-century world?

I thought about this issue because I was raised in Abba’s home. People came to him seeking his advice. I knew that hearing about all their difficulties caused him to feel deeply distressed. They didn’t have money to feed their children, to buy them clothes, to support their families. They were working, but the salaries didn’t cover their monthly expenses. I thought: we have to bring academic studies to Am Yisrael, to the Chareidim. Not to send the Chareidim to university, but to bring the university to us.

Abba immediately agreed with me. He asked that things be done in the proper way, in the way of the Torah. I opened the Haredi College of Jerusalem thirteen years ago with twenty-three women. Today, more than 1,000 stu-

Pre-election rally in Tel Aviv where Rabbi Ovadia Yosef encouraged voters to vote for Shas (February, 2006).

Photo: Leon Kahane/Israel Sun

what is not understood. And I’ll make more mistakes. There is no individual who is immune to making mistakes.

How can I otherwise reach 30,000 people?” They heard him in Morocco, in France; they heard him everywhere.

So he continued, in spite of the fact that there were things that hurt him and hurt us.

U N “I VB RE IRNSGI TI NY GT TO HUES ” My father introduced me to my husband. I was eighteen years old. I wanted to work, to support my family. Abba said, “Ezer kenegdo, not alone; he will help you and you will help him. You will build a home together. May Hashem make it successful.” So my husband, like my father, worked as a chazzan and gave classes in the evening, and I clothed the daughters of Israel. I had a bridal gown salon.

Later, my husband became a dayan. We have three children and thirteen grandchildren, baruch Hashem. When our youngest daughter got married seventeen years ago, I thought, how can I contribute, to leave my mark, as the daughter of Rav Ovadia?

I realized that higher education was the answer. Two hundred years ago, academic study had caused [many among] Am Yisrael to become secular and this led to much intermarriage; it was known as “hashmadat dat,” the destruction of religion [the Enlightenment]. Therefore, the Chareidim in Israel boycotted university studies.

However, academic study helps develop the world, as it is written in the Torah, “Wisdom among the non-Jews should be believed.”

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dents—men and women—study in the college. The degrees are awarded by Bar-Ilan and Ben-Gurion universities.

Five years ago, when Abba came to visit the college, he asked me, “Where are the men?” I said, “Abba, I only teach women, because I am afraid that the Ashkenazic rabbanim, who were very opposed to the college in the beginning, will claim that I’m taking the men out of the yeshivot.” He said, “You’re afraid of the Ashkenazic rabbis and not of me? If I’m saying [to bring the men,] then obviously I know that those who will come to the college [will do so because they] need to support their families. They are people who will not become rabbanim.”

Working with the academic world was a challenge, and Bar-Ilan University was concerned about opening new degree programs for Chareidim. I wanted to offer a lot of academic options. I wanted Chareidim to study computer science and guidance counseling—everything students could learn elsewhere. The [course work is] the same, but I wanted to give Chareidim the opportunity to study among other Chareidim in separate-gender classes.

One day, Abba said, “I will go to Bar-Ilan and I’ll talk to the president.” And he did. He met with the university

president, after which, the president promised that he would open the door to all of the degree programs in the university.

Abba went to see the university’s Torah library, and was amazed at the Responsa Project. He said, in jest, “Let’s have a contest. One of you ask a question, and I want to see how many answers the computer will give, and how many I’ll give.” A question was asked. He answered way before the computer did.

DIP ‘EM.

FOLLOWER OF BEIT HILLEL AbbaA was very well respected. Tremendous rabbanim,

like Rav [Yosef Shalom] Elyashiv, who did not always approve of his halachic opinions, agreed that he was a genius in Torah, and that his pesak was clear-cut and solid. Many also appreciated his lenient approach. Abba never hesitated to quote posekim who did not rule the way he did.

At one point, he was questioned about his decision regarding the status of the several thousand IDF converts who were converted [outside of the framework of the Chief Rabbinate] in special IDF conversion courts.

Abba said, “I checked it out [and decided that] whoever converted, converted. We don’t posel a person after he has converted.”

Abba left an ethical will to my brother, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the new Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. He is a genius in Torah, head and shoulders above others. In his ethical will, my father said to him: “Go according to Beit Hillel. And don’t make it burdensome for the tzibbur [public]. If you want to take something more difficult upon yourself, I won’t tell you not to. But don’t be machmir [stringent] with the tzibbur, because it will just distance them. You have to draw the tzibbur close. Take that as a will that I am leaving you. Continue in this way, because I know you are filled with Torah; you know how to make halachic decisions. You have courage, but choose always to go in the way of Beit Hillel and not Beit Shammai.”

We lost a leader who was a giant, a leader whose head reached the stars and whose feet were planted in the ground. I want to conclude with a verse from Tehillim: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scorners. But his delight is in the Tora of the Lord; and in his Tora he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and in whatever he does he shall prosper (Tehillim 1:1-4) (The Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem: Koren Publishers, 2000]).

So was Abba, who planted trees that bring forth fruits in season, the fruits being the talmidei chachamim of our generation. And then there are the books. There is nothing Abba cherished more. He used to bring home a new sefer and hug and kiss it as if it were a human being. Abba left the scores of books he wrote as an inheritance for us and for all of the generations to come. g

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THE T RU E RAV OVAD IA

Journalist Toby Klein Greenwald speaks with Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau, one of the foremost experts on Rav Ovadia Yosef.

TG: What was Rav Ovadia’s true opinion about the religious significance of the State of Israel?

BL: He wasn’t different from most of the Jerusalem rabbis who were the talmidim of the Vilna Gaon, such as Rav Eliezer Waldenberg and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

Rav Ovadia believed as the other rabbis did. They were not anti-Zionists but they were certainly not part of the Zionist movement. They were subscribers to the belief that [the establishment of the State] was yad Hashem—the hand of God—working, but they believed that it was forbidden to support the Zionist movement politically. They didn’t think Israel was the Diaspora. They were far from Satmar but they were not part of the Religious Zionist movement.

TG: What was Rav Ovadia’s opinion about the obligation to serve in the army?

BL: He believed that anyone who was able to learn Torah should do so; anyone who was capable of sitting seriously in the tent of Torah, about whom it could be said “Torato umanuto, Torah is his vocation,” should not serve in the army.

TG: What were Rav Ovadia’s thoughts about secular education?

BL: He thought that studying for a profession is important in order for an individual to earn a livelihood, assuming that he cannot learn. In other words, the ideal is to become a talmid chacham, but he recognized that it was not the derech, the way, for everyone, but rather for a select group of people, and that there are others who would need the ability to make a living.

TG: What will be Rav Ovadia’s main legacy?

BL: That’s a difficult question because everyone takes Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau wrote his doctoral dissertation on Rav Ovadia, which subsequently evolved into the book From “Maran” to “Maran”: The Halachic Philosophy of Rav Ovadia Yosef. The book opens with a letter from Rav Ovadia to Rabbi Lau in which he writes that he reviewed the book and he saw that it was written in “haderech hanechonah”; in other words, that Rabbi Lau understood him. Rabbi Lau is the rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue in Jerusalem and is the director of the Center for Judaism and Society as well as the Institute for Social Justice at Beit Morasha of Jerusalem.

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something different from him. He has the status of one who achieved gadlut, greatness in Torah. He became one of the poskei halachah, halachic decisors, of the generation and [the idea of ] a yerushah, inheritance, is that it does not end. Every generation includes those people who work at the yetzirah, the creation of the Torah. When we say the blessings on the Torah, we say, “noten haTorah” [in the present tense] and Rav Ovadia is one of the proofs that in our generation the Torah continues to renew itself.

He dealt with the entire Torah so it is hard to say that one major area would be his legacy.

TG: Whom did Rav Ovadia consider to be his teachers?

BL: That’s an interesting question. He was “raised” by Rav Ezra Attiya, the rosh yeshivah of Porat Yosef Yeshiva. But he was an autodidact. That’s what’s important to know about him.

TG: Whom among his contemporaries did he consider to be “gedolei hador”?

BL: There is no question that Rav Auerbach is one of the gedolim whom Rav Ovadia regarded very highly, but he had a chavurah, a group of rabbanim [who were his colleagues], all Ashkenazim. They were known as rabbanei Yerushalayim. They stayed connected to each other for sixty years; they were a close-knit group. It included Rav Elyashiv and Rav Waldenberg, and their teacher had been Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank.

When Rav Ovadia came back from Egypt in 1950, he became a part of that chavurah and was the only Sephardi member.

For ten years he studied in Porat Yosef, but he always learned alone, aside from one friend to whose house he would travel back and forth. That was Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul, who became one of the rashei yeshivah of Porat Yosef. The families are still very much in touch; the connection was very strong.

TG : What were Rav Ovadia’s thoughts regarding prospects of peace with Palestinians and the Arab world in general?

BL: He thought that if there is a chance, one has to give it [a chance], but he absolutely did not believe the Arabs. He thought that there was no one to talk to. g

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Rabbi'sDiary

By Akiva Males

A Yom Kippur Guest “Hi Rabbi, while we’re Orthodox, our cousins belong to the Reform Temple in your neighborhood. They’ll be celebrating their son’s bar mitzvah in a few months. Would a family in your shul be willing to host my wife and me so we can stop in and wish our cousins mazal tov?”

“Hi Rabbi, I was offered a job in your area and my family would like to spend a Shabbat with your shul before we consider relocating. Can you help arrange this?”

“Rabbi, our family of six looks forward to vacationing at Hershey Park next week. We’d love to stay and spend Shabbat in your community. Can you accommodate us?”

As the rabbi of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Orthodox shul, throughout the year I receive many requests such as the ones above. While a wonderful woman in our community runs a small Rabbi Akiva Males is the rabbi of Kesher Israel Congregation, an OU shul in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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kosher bed and breakfast, there is no hotel or motel located within our eruv (or within a forty-minute walk of our shul). As such, accommodating visitors who would like to spend a Shabbat in our community means asking one of the shul’s families to host them.

I only seek Shabbat accommodations for those who have a good reason to spend Shabbat in our community.

(Extending a Hershey Park vacation just does not qualify.) Accommodating even the most wonderful family for Shabbat means asking a great deal from hosts who do not know them; requests for Shabbat accommodations are not infrequent (especially when Hershey Park is open for business) and our community has a limited number

of families able to serve as hosts.

However, even when people have excellent reasons for requesting Shabbat hospitality, I find myself plagued by the following: When I ask one of our families if they can host people for Shabbat, I am asking them to welcome complete strangers into their home. In this day and age, is it safe for Jewish communities to remain naïve and continue with our open-door policy? What if someone contacted me with a request for Shabbat accommodations with the most legitimate of reasons and this individual turned out to be a dangerous person? What if this individual would then harm (God forbid) one of the members of the family who kindly welcomed him or her into their home?

While nothing of this sort has happened on my watch (thank God), could I be so confident that it never would?

Then I had a revelation. It was a week or two before Yom Kippur, and as I prepared for that solemn day, I received the following e-mail: My name is _____, and I live in _____.

My firm has me scheduled to make a presentation on one of our top-selling products to a company in your area.

However, they are only able to see me on Erev Yom Kippur. There’s no way I can make it home after the presentation prior to Yom Kippur. Would you be able to accommodate me so that I could spend Yom Kippur with you and your shul?

A discussion in the Talmud immediately came to mind: The mishnah in Yoma (1:5) teaches that prior to Yom Kippur, the elder Kohanim compelled the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) who would perform that year’s Yom Kippur service to take an oath of allegiance.

With this oath, the Kohen Gadol swore that he would perform that day’s sacred service in full accordance with the Oral Law’s understanding of it. This version of the Temple service significantly differed with that espoused by the Sadducees—a powerful heretical sect of the era who based themselves on a purely literal reading of the Torah.

The mishnah concludes by telling us that following this oath, both parties would turn from one another and weep.

What was it about this oath that made the participants cry?

The Talmud explains (Yoma 19b) that the Kohen Gadol cried for having been suspected of being a Sadducee. The elder Kohanim wept for having suspected that a potentially innocent person was, in fact, a Sadducee.

As uncomfortable as this oath-taking ceremony was for all parties involved, it was instituted because reality necessitated it. In that era, Sadducee teachings posed a significant threat to the traditional Yom Kippur service. As such, the times demanded the Kohen Gadol’s oath of allegiance to rabbinic tradition. Both parties wept over the fact that the Jewish community had arrived at such a juncture.

Although it took too many painful incidents, it seems that the Jewish world has come to realize that, unfortunately, our community also has its share of abusers and dangerous individuals. Can we afford to ignore this reality?

Doesn’t it make sense for us to do our due diligence before inviting strangers into our homes?

I sent the following reply: Thanks so much for your e-mail. I’ll be happy to help, but first, can you send me the contact information of your rabbi who can serve as a reference?

When I received the information, I e-mailed the rabbi: I hope you’re well. You know how the mishnah in Yoma states that prior to Yom Kippur, the Kohanim would ask the Kohen Gadol to take an oath to make sure he was not a Sadducee? The mishnah says that both parties would cry—the Kohen Gadol because he had been suspected, and the Kohanim for having suspected a potentially innocent person.

I feel the same way in sending you this e-mail. I’d love to help ______ with his Yom Kippur hospitality request. Before doing so, however, can you please vouch for him? I need to feel secure in asking a family to welcome him into their home.

I soon received a reply: I totally understand you—and would do exactly the same.

I know ______ and his family very well. They are shomrei Torah u’mitzvot and highly respected members of our community. I would certainly put them up in my own home if need be.

Confident in the rabbi’s assessment, my wife and I welcomed this traveling businessman to stay with us for Yom Kippur. He proved to be a charming and wonderful guest.

Since that Yom Kippur, I handle all (legitimate) Shabbat hospitality requests in the same manner. While this method is far from fool-proof (and not practical in emergency cases, i.e., someone is stranded in the area before Shabbat and I do not have the time to contact his or her hometown rabbi), it is quite effective. Keeping our homes—and those of our community members—safe and secure is a responsibility none of us should ever take lightly. g

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COVERSTORY

THE NEW ENT WHY THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND WELL, AND BOOMING IN THE ORTHODOX COMMUNITY

BY BAYLA SHEVA BRENNER

THE RECESSION OF 2008 MAY HAVE LEFT THOUSANDS OF ORTHODOX JEWS OUT OF WORK, BUT APPARENTLY NOT OUT OF HOPE. RATHER THAN SETTLE FOR JOBS FAR BELOW THEIR SKILL SETS AND FINANCIAL NEEDS, A GROWING NUMBER ARE LAUNCHING SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES OF THEIR OWN.

Bayla Sheva Brenner is senior writer in the OU Communications and Marketing Department.

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TREPRENEUR

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hile exact statistics of Orthodox entrepreneurs in the country are not available, thanks to a growing number of Jewish organizations offering interest-free loans to new businesses, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and booming in the Orthodox community.

“If you want to start your own business, now is the time to do it,” says Srulie Rosner, international director of the OU Job Board, an employment program that provides a plethora of services including an online job board, e-learning classes, job fairs, résumé and cover letter critiques, networking events and career counseling.

“Today, you can not only get a substantial interest-free loan but also mentorship to make sure you will succeed.”

Who are these new Orthodox entrepreneurs? They are middle-aged men and women who lost their longtime jobs to downsizing. They are struggling fathers and mothers who realize their day jobs can no longer support the high costs of frum life.

They are young, energetic go-getters who prefer the satisfaction of being

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their own boss. They range from shop owners to high-tech developers, from Modern Orthodox to Chassidic, and they all have one thing in common: they possess a creative idea and a dream to strike out on their own.

Baby “Boomer”ang – Back to What You Love When Chaim Friedman, forty-eight, owner of 3 to 5 Aquatics, lost his job at a brokerage firm, he immediately began job hunting. For two years, he pounded the pavement—to no avail.

The bills piled high; his confidence plummeted. Residing in an affluent section of Woodmere, New York, he went from supporting several kollels in Israel to wondering how to put food on the table. While fishing for a viable way to support his family, he “caught a big one.” With the help of a loan from Emergency Parnassa Initiative (EPI), a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting the unemployed, Friedman took his fascination with marine aquatics and began selling saltwater fish and live coral on eBay and Craigslist. He regularly imports live fish from Africa, Indonesia, Bali and Hawaii and ships them to customers

across the country in special bags containing saltwater and pumped-in oxygen. For local walk-in customers, he keeps a stock of fish in the twenty fish tanks that occupy his basement.

“I realized that my personality wouldn’t have allowed me to have a regular job,” says Friedman, who is an avid scuba diver. He’s thrilled to have turned a longtime hobby and passion into a growing parnassah (source of income).

Ageism compelled many Baby Boomers to switch gears and open businesses. “A guy who’s forty-five plus who doesn’t know the latest computer software can’t even get a job in an office or warehouse,” says Rosner. “He could try to catch up with classes for six months, but then he’s six months older and when he goes for a job interview, a competent guy in his twenties or thirties is also applying for the job. Whom are you going to hire? Entrepreneurship offers a viable way out for this population. “[The middle-aged unemployed] are pushed into entrepreneurship. It’s similar to the turn of the century when [Eastern European Jewish] immigrants came to America,” says Ros-

Tips for a Strong Start 1 Offer what people

want to buy, not what you want to sell

2 Understand your target audience

3 Find new ways to

keep costs as low as possible

4 When planning, always Rabbi Zisha Novoseller, CEO/executive director of EPI, has helped fund more than 160 businesses. Currently, EPI has many millions of dollars out on loan.

involved in making such a decision.”

At the same time, a group of prominent businessmen who were aware of the problem thought it was imperative to do something. They approached Rabbi Novoseller and asked him to organize a program to assist the unemployed.

In 2009, he became CEO of EPI (the OU provides office space to EPI in its Manhattan headquarters). At the outset, Rabbi Novoseller realized that entrepreneurship was a realistic option for many of the unemployed or underemployed and launched a business gemach. Providing $25,000 to $50,000 interest-free loans to entrepreneurs, the EPI business gemach has funded more than 160 businesses and currently has many millions of dollars out on loan. The companies span a range of industries, from hightech and e-commerce to beauty products and clothing.

EPI, which partners with the OU Job Board on many programs and services, provides mentors—essentially successful businessmen—to help guide aspiring entrepreneurs.

“Whatever they need to be matzliach,” says Rabbi Novoseller. Currently, there are EPI branches in New Jersey, New York and Baltimore, and one is set to open in Los Angeles.

overestimate expenses and underestimate revenue

5 Focus on sales

and marketing

6 Evaluate your progress 7 Learning more about your business equals earning more

8 Get a mentor

Courtesy of EPI

ner. “They couldn’t find jobs because they couldn’t speak the language and they wanted to remain shomer Shabbat. So they went into business—the push cart, the grocery store, the clothing store.” The same dynamic is at play here, insists Rosner. “Necessity is the mother of entrepreneurship.” But while he endorses the idea of starting one’s own business, he offers the aspiring entrepreneur a piece of advice: start small.

Rosner tells of a “genius programmer” in his late forties who came to him in the middle of the recession for help. “He couldn’t find a job with his [outdated] knowledge of technology,” says Rosner. “He took software classes and attended business seminars and still found himself hardpressed to land a position.” With nowhere to turn, he procured a loan from a family member and opened a kosher gluten-free bakery. Eight months later, he called Rosner to thank him for his support and to let him know he was doing well. “He came to the realization that [even] if you can’t get a job, there’s something you can do.”

Chaya Fishman, in her mid-twenties, founder and executive director of The Jewish Woman Entrepreneur (JWE), a national organization aimed at supporting Jewish businesswomen, reports seeing a “huge influx” of Baby Boomers at the organization’s annual conferences. (See profile of Fishman on p. 32.)

Ironically, Rabbi Zisha Novoseller, CEO/executive director of EPI, a Baby Boomer from Lakewood, was himself the victim of downsizing.

After receiving a pink slip in 2008 from a company where he had been supervising dozens of employees, he soon realized that unemployment was not just his personal problem; it was a community-wide problem. “Unemployment was rippling through the frum community,” he says. “I saw the difficult circumstances people found themselves in. What does one do?

Does he re-educate himself? Does he switch careers? Should he become an entrepreneur? And how does he morph from one career to another? A person has to consider all the factors

The New Wave of Young Entrepreneurs Baby Boomers are not the only ones taking advantage of the interest-free loans.

When the Rosens married in 2006, they agreed that Mordechai would learn in kollel and, to supplement his stipend, Elisheva would do what she did best: sell clothes.

Elisheva cultivated her fashion and sales skills while single since she had friends in the industry and would accompany them to fashion trade shows.

As a young wife, she sold women’s clothing from her small apartment in Far Rockaway, New York. When the merchandise and customer traffic began taking over the couple’s living space, they moved to larger living quarters. At that point, the Rosens, in their thirties, came up with an idea.

They noticed that Central Avenue, a major shopping thoroughfare in the

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Five Towns, lacked a store for “middle-priced” clothing. It was time to open a store.

They heard about EPI’s loan gemach from a friend. “We were warned that they would grill us,” says Mordechai. “They asked us why we thought the store could make it on Central Avenue when so many stores on the avenue stood vacant. We told them that our clientele say that there’s nothing like [our merchandise] on Central Avenue.” When EPI asked for their [sales and expenditures] projections for the year, the Rosens realized they had left out some key numbers. Nonetheless, they received a callback. EPI went over the plan with them to make sure it made sense, then approved a loan. In 2010, the Rosens opened Fame, a trendy women’s clothing boutique. As it turns out, the Rosens were on the mark. Having outgrown their first store, they recently moved to a new space triple the size.

For young people trying to establish themselves in a career, entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly popular option. “Entrepreneurship has always been something very Jewish, especially in the Orthodox community where there are many [who are] not interested in pursuing a college education,” says Rabbi Yehoshua Werde, founder and director of Crown Heights Young Entrepreneur (CHYE), a business resource center that supports entrepreneurship in the neighborhood.

Rabbi Werde, who launched the year-old initiative, runs a variety of programs that raise the entrepreneurial consciousness in the community.

“Not every young man goes into rabbanus or shlichus. We want to make sure that if someone wants to start a business, he’ll have the opportunity to do it right,” says Rabbi Werde. The organization, which offers lectures, mentoring, credit counseling, as well as local workspace and a lounge equipped with a business resource library, recently ran a “Shark Tank” inspired event, inviting prominent business professionals to connect with the community’s aspiring entrepreneurs. “So many [of our] young

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Elisheva and Mordechai Rosen opened Fame, a trendy women’s clothing store on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, New York, with the help of EPI. Photo courtesy of Elisheva Rosen

people are asking, ‘Should I go into business? Should I go to college?’

There was nothing here to help them,” says Rabbi Werde. While CHYE is currently focused on the Crown Heights community, it hopes to spread out to other communities in the future.

Rising Costs Another major factor contributing to the rise in Orthodox entrepreneurship is the high cost of Orthodox life.

“Even if you choose to live in an area with a lower cost of living, tuition would still amount to about eight thousand per child,” says Rabbi Judah Isaacs, director of community engagement at the OU. “If you have four children, you’re talking about thirty-two thousand dollars annually just for tuition. Add housing, shul membership, food, clothing . . . regardless of community, the costs associated with living an Orthodox lifestyle are much greater. And the costs keep rising; people’s incomes aren’t keeping up.”

In a recent article in Tablet, an online Jewish magazine, Rabbi Ilan Feldman, rav of Beth Jacob Atlanta, bemoaned the rising costs of the Orthodox lifestyle for Jews in his community where costs are significantly lower than in the major Jewish centers.

“For someone making sixty thousand dollars a year in America, that’s middle class,” Rabbi Feldman is quoted as saying. “But in this Orthodox community, sixty thousand dollars means you aren’t going to make it.”

“Passover alone is usually a threethousand-dollar holiday,” says Rabbi Feldman.

Fishman of the JWE says that entrepreneurship appeals to so many in the frum world because of simple economics. She cites an IZA study (IZA is an independent institute that conducts labor market research) indicating that the average entrepreneur’s income is 50 percent higher than that of the traditional employee, providing that he had sufficient education with which to conduct his business.

“Yeshivah tuition and kosher food are things you just can’t cut back on,” says Esty Margaretten, a thirty-sixyear-old graphic artist from Brooklyn who procured a start-up loan from EPI to create the Rina and Dina Collection, the frum world’s alternative to Hello Kitty. “Working for a salary has its upside—you get your weekly paycheck—but then you are limited by how much income you can generate. If you are an entrepreneur, there’s a possibility of [making a lot] more money.”

The Rina and Dina collection features two modestly dressed little girls who promote mitzvot and good middot and includes stickers, crafts, games, puzzles, stationary, pencil cases, key rings and a beautifully illustrated coloring book.

In response to mounting requests, Margaretten recently introduced a boys’ version—the Pinny and Shimmy collection. Currently, the collections can be found in Judaica stores in New York, Baltimore, Florida, Los Angeles, Toronto, Israel and Europe.

A Dose of Realism As successful Orthodox entrepreneurs will attest, it takes more than a loan to launch a profitable business; it takes a lot of siyata d’Shmaya (Heavenly assistance).

Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that less than twothirds of all start-ups make it to their third year and only 35 percent survive their first decade.

Rabbi Novoseller agrees that making a business profitable is no simple feat. “The fact that someone is driven and smart is not enough.” The most common mistake new entrepreneurs make: not understanding money management. Since most of those who come to Rabbi Novoseller have not attended business school, they often don’t realize how much money they realistically need to start and maintain the business, how they will collect outstanding debts, et cetera.

“All of this comes from experience,” says Rabbi Novoseller, who connects new entrepreneurs with mentors in the appropriate fields. But he will only make the connection if he feels the business has a realistic chance of success. Due to his careful screening process, only five percent of the businesses that EPI has funded have either failed or are experiencing difficulties. Out of the 160 businesses that EPI has helped fund, it rejected dozens that were not viewed as “viable.”

Sell What You Know riting teachers always tell their students: write what you know. In business, the same principle applies. When starting a business, try to stick to something you are very familiar with. When Rabbi Shlomo Goldman, a middle-aged Boro Park resident, lost his longtime job in the jewelry district in 2008, his wife, Zlaty, turned her sewing hobby into Gold Laibel, a school uniform business. She started with one school. Today, the Brooklyn-based business supplies uniforms to thirty-two schools in Brooklyn, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Rockland County, even the UK and Belgium.

EPI got them started. In order to outshine the competition, Zlaty purchases high quality fabric and offers personalized fitting. “A school has three hundred girls and they come in all shapes and sizes; I make sure to fit the uniform to the individual,” she says. She refuses to go the “made-in-China” route; all her uniforms are sewn in Manhattan. “A lot of money [was] invested,” says Zlaty. “We borrowed from EPI three times. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

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“Oftentimes, people ask me, ‘how could you start a business with only fifty or one hundred thousand dollars?’” says Rabbi Novoseller. “The answer is we tend to fund businesses that are not just ‘good ideas,’ but that have a competitive advantage. For example, a family member who is a manufacturer and able to give the prospective entrepreneur a drastic discount.”

Fishman says that while entrepreneurship is a great path, “it’s not for everyone.”

Her advice to those just starting out: do your market research—is your service or product already out there?

If it is, how

will yours be different? Most importantly, crunch your numbers. She recalls meeting more than a few women who did not spend enough time working on a business plan.

They borrowed money from family and friends and got into trouble because they didn’t figure out when they will break even or how they will cover certain expenses. She’s also seen women get overly excited when investors express interest in their ideas and end up ceding too much control of their company.

Oftentimes, Fishman says, the very qualities that make people effective entrepreneurs—what she refers to as “the go-getter, shaker, mover personality”—also causes them to fail because they lack the patience to do

Shmuel Goldman (left), former COO of Intrasphere Technologies Inc, mentors Bentzion Plotkin as part of CHYE’s mentoring program.

Photo courtesy of Rabbi Yehoshua Werde of CHYE

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1. Do what you enjoy 2. Manage money wisely 3. Remember, it’s all about the customer 4. Become a shameless self-promoter—without being obnoxious 5. Build a top-notch business team 6. Become known as an expert 7. Invest in yourself 8. Master the art of negotiation 9. Wear one or two hats, not ten

Courtesy of EPI

Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur

their homework. “The thrill of entrepreneurship should be balanced with thinking about the details.”

Ultimately all new entrepreneurs require the same core characteristics: perseverance, stamina and—a backup plan.

Women in Business Despite the discouraging statistics, more and more frum women are drawn to entrepreneurship. “We have a lot of single moms in our network and they can’t work a traditional job,” says Fishman. “Having control over your schedule is a powerful thing.”

For Chassidic women especially, most of whom do not have a college education and who have large families and need the flexibility, entrepreneurship makes a lot of sense.

Noticing this trend, the Manhattan-based Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS) began offering an entrepreneurial course geared toward Chareidi women three years ago.

Since then, some 200 Chareidi women have taken the microenterprise course, offered in Boro Park and Williamsburg, which covers topics including market analysis, cash flow

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reports, writing a business plan, defining your product and service, knowing your competitive advantage and your target market, profit and loss statements and many other aspects of running a successful business.

Shana Novick, executive director of the HFLS, said the course was inspired by similar programs in Israel.

Many students in the microenterprise course qualify for an HFLS interest-free loan up to $25,000.

Via its Orthodox Microenterprise Program, which also includes entrepreneur classes for men, HFLS has given more than 100 loans to members of the Orthodox community since its inception in 2008, totaling more than two million dollars.

Students are not admitted into the course unless they have a concrete business idea. “If you have what it takes—the entrepreneurial spirit, a certain temperament—then our job is to position you for success,” says Novick.

“The nice thing about loan capital is that it revolves; you give it out and get it back,” says Novick. “The businesses are on solid ground, and will bring [more money] into the Jewish community. It’s a good investment.”

Born to be Boss Then there are those who become

entrepreneurs simply because they can’t imagine doing anything else.

Joel Gottehrer, twenty-six, owner of Better Health Studios in Brooklyn, loves to work out. At fifteen, his family hired a personal trainer for him.

By the time he was nineteen, he was a certified personal trainer and started working for a high-end gym in Manhattan, where he soon ranked as one of the top trainers. He decided to try freelancing in Brooklyn, going to clients’ homes. “I see a lot of people in the community huffing and puffing, overweight, not exercising, with diabetes, at risk of a heart attack,” he says. “I thought it was time to help.” He ran a fledgling business out of a rented basement. After a year, he moved to a larger facility and bought more equipment. But he still wasn’t making money.

His wife pitched in and took the women’s HFLS course. “She saw the chaos. I didn’t know about the numbers, how to make a business plan,” says Gottehrer. “I thought, ‘I know how to train, so I’ll just do it.’” Armed with the business fundamentals and an HFLS loan, he now operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in Boro Park with a health shake station, locker room, showers, bathrooms, new equipment and a steady clientele ranging from eight to eighty-nine years of age. He travels across the US

Joel Gottehrer (left), owner of Better Health Studios in Brooklyn, with a client.

Photo courtesy of Joel Gottehrer

for business workshops and fitness conventions. He’s happy to report that the gym is more than breaking even.

Gottehrer believes success is as much a state of mind as it is know-how. He stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive, positive people. “You have to make sure that every area of your life is thriving, primarily your family and your health—physically and spiritually. Knowing I can’t do this without Hashem’s constant help has strengthened my connection with Him.” The Fulfillment Factor Technology has also made entry into the entrepreneurial world somewhat easier for the tech-savvy. “The whole technology revolution has changed things dramatically,” says Rabbi Werde. “The Amazon/eBay phenomenon has leveled the playing field. If someone has a unique product and price, [he can] market [it in a way he] could never have done before. There’s a platform out there where you have a potential market of millions. Everyone looking for a good deal goes to Amazon and eBay.” Young entrepreneurs are into creating apps and games, says Rosner of the OU Job Board. One such creative mind is Adam Lewis, a Modern Orthodox thirty-one-year-old living in Teaneck, New Jersey, who created an app that could render the resume obsolete. Reinventing the job application process, Lewis launched Apploi via his New York-based company Innovative CV. Apploi is a mobile recruiting app enabling job candidates to respond to questions from an em-

even on Shabbat and Yom Tov?

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RESOURCES Emergency Parnassa Initiative 646-459-5192 The Hebrew Free Loan Society 212-687-0188, ext. 213 Participants at a recent Jewish Woman Entrepreneur (JWE) conference.

Photo courtesy of Janet Century

ployer using text, video or audio. This new interactive format—which is highly attractive to both job seekers and employers—boasts roughly 50,000 new candidates a month and 1,400 companies that post jobs with Apploi. “[Opening] clothing stores and coffee shops are creating businesses that already exist,” says Lewis. “What I’m doing is creating new technology that actually defines a market.”

Any discussion about the steady stream of entrepreneurs cropping up in the frum world cannot overlook the fulfillment factor. Many are driven to be their own bosses simply because to them, it is way more satisfying to work for oneself. “If you hope to afford tuition and live a comfortable life, there’s no such thing anymore as a nine-to-five job,” says Lewis. “If you’re going to be working crazy hours, you want do something fulfilling.”

Jewish Woman Entrepreneur 410-205-6599

A former attorney at a top consulting firm, Lewis admits transitioning to being on his own was difficult. “I came from a company with an annual revenue of about twenty billion dollars; [I was on] a very solid career path, where you go all the way up the chain to become a partner. But if you get it right, entrepreneurship can be much more rewarding,” he says.

Whether it is due to the aging of the Baby Boomers, the need for flexibility and independence or the technological revolution, the upsurge in entrepreneurship in our community speaks of the creative spirit, drive and desire to contribute that continue to define Orthodox life. g

To hear tips on becoming a successful entrepreneur from Rabbi Zisha Novoseller, visit www.ou.org/life/community/savitsky-novoseller.

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A Business of Her Own Growing numbers of Orthodox women from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy are using their ambition, ingenuity and creativity to launch successful businesses of their own.

Building a Community of Women:

Chaya Fishman B Y A V I G AY I L P E R R Y he seeds of entrepreneurship were implanted in twentyfive-year-old Chaya Fishman at a young age. After a teacher challenged her to fill the need for a creative arts summer program for girls in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Fishman chose to act on it.

For four consecutive summers, Fishman, as the founder and executive director of Appel Adventures, LLC, managed a budget of approximately $250,000, hired and supervised a staff of seventeen individuals and coordinated all technical and legal aspects of the program.

She was all of sixteen at the time.

Adventures was only the beginning. Fishman describes her mother as “creative” and her father as a “nononsense, let’s-get-the-job-done” kind of person. While Fishman was growing up, her parents ensured that she and her seven siblings each had a personal bank account, and stressed the importance of working hard.

As she grew older, Fishman noticed the rising number of frum female entrepreneurs. She also noticed the lack of support available to them.

Where are the mentors and resources

T

Avigayil Perry lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with her family and writes for various Jewish publications.

In 2010, Chaya Fishman founded the Jewish Woman Entrepreneur (JWE), an organization that supports Jewish women as they launch and sustain successful businesses and careers.

training and financial support. The JWE offers an online learning program, educating women on specific skills necessary to run a business; its mentoring program has matched 120 women to date. This past spring, the organization held its second annual conference in New Jersey, attracting more than 600 women from all over the United States for a day of learning, networking and collaboration.

Most important, the JWE helps women navigate the challenges that are unique to Orthodox Jewish women in business. Orthodox Jews tend to have larger families, and women usually take charge of the majority of family responsibilities. “I am a bad example of how to balance work and family because I only have

“What goes around comes around,” comments Fishman. “When you support others, you get support back.” catering exclusively to Jewish businesswomen? she wondered. So, in 2010, she founded the Jewish Woman Entrepreneur (JWE), an organization that supports Jewish women as they launch and sustain successful businesses and careers.

JWE seeks to assist frum women looking to get involved in entrepreneurship “from the start to the finish line,” explains Fishman. It also serves as the “go-to” organization for those who need to take their businesses to the next level and take advantage of the JWE’s services and programs in business education, professional

one child,” Fishman says. “The worklife balance is a lot more complex with ten children.”

Currently, JWE boasts six city chapters, including Baltimore, Monsey and Lakewood and plans for rolling out six more are in the works.

In addition to serving as the founding executive director of the JWE, Fishman is also a fourth-year law school student at University of Maryland and mother to a two-yearold son. How does she do it all on a daily basis? “It’s all about strategy,” she explains. One needs to decide Continued on p. 36

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Making Your Dream House Come True:

Chaya Ruchi Gross B Y A V I G AY I L P E R R Y

for sales meetings. With much determination and siyata d’Shmaya, she landed a huge deal with one of the largest contractors in New York City.

But Gross soon realized that conducting visits to job sites and interacting with men in “hard hats” did not suit her. She took courses with the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and SEN Design Group.

Then she launched Dynamic Kitchen Design & Interiors, hoping to design and manage projects for local cus-

customers a great deal in order to establish herself. From there, it did not take long for customers to recognize her integrity and work ethic. In those early years, Gross also struggled with learning from her mistakes. “Most cost me money,” she says. “Some lessons can only be learned through trial and error.”

A few years later, after remarrying, Gross took a two-year sabbatical, and upon returning to the business, it immediately blossomed. Involved in the

“CHOOSE A JOB YOU LOVE, AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.” Such is the atti-

tude of forty-eight-year-old Chaya Ruchi Gross, a Satmar wife, mother and grandmother. Gross is also the founder and CEO of Dynamic Kitchen Design & Interiors, a company with annual sales reaching seven digits located in Spring Valley, New York.

Gross, who usually takes on around fifty projects a year, designs kitchens and bathrooms. Her house, which she moved into two years ago, “functions as a ‘virtual showroom,’” where she presents different types of custom cabinetry and other items that she designs and sells.

For nearly a decade prior to starting her business, Gross taught high school as a single mom, raising five children alone. Her success in the classroom led the principal to promote her to curriculum advisor. The administration, however, did not feel comfortable with an unmarried woman taking the position. As a result, her contract was revoked, leaving Gross unemployed and humiliated. “It was quite a blow,” says Gross. “I looked forward to the promotion, and was excited about implementing some ideas I had for the school. But I took a very short time [to deal with the disappointment]. I turned to God and embraced the decree . . . I knew that this too shall pass.”

In order to help his daughter, her father “created” some work for her in the family’s wholesale cabinet company, soliciting calls to general contractors and securing appointments

Chaya Ruchi Gross’ house, which she moved into two years ago, “functions as a virtual showroom,” where she presents different types of custom cabinetry and other items that she designs and sells. Photo courtesy of Chaya Ruchi Gross

“Instead of spending money on marketing to bring in new customers, I spend it on my old ones and they pitch for me,” says Gross. “It’s a win-win situation.” tomers. With her family’s support, Gross gained access to many areas of the industry, enabling her to use her talent, hard work and resolve to make the business work.

Gross stated that the biggest challenge in getting started was “gaining customers’ trust and belief in my capabilities, and managing as a single parent.” As the sole supporter of her children, Gross says, “God was my partner.” She offered her first three

business, Gross’ husband handles deliveries, deals with installers and serves as an “all-around incredible support.”

Before completing a job, Gross ensures that the customer gets at least one item that he or she wants but can’t afford. She attributes her lack of a need to advertise to this practice.

“Instead of spending money on marketing to bring in new customers, I spend it on my old ones and they Continued on p. 36

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Dappling in Cleaning Formulas

Tamar Rosenthal & Dana Rubinstein B Y A V I G AY I L P E R R Y hy am I using fluorescent green products to clean my baby’s bottle? Dana Rubinstein, a mother and attorney, asked herself this question five years ago. Aware that her friend Tamar Rosenthal had a threeyear-old daughter who was allergic to conventional cleaning products, Rubinstein called her friend and inquired about safer alternative cleaning products for baby bottles.

Shortly thereafter, Dapple Baby was born. At the time, Rosenthal, now thirty-four, was in school for nonprofit management. She and Rubin-

W

Dana Rubinstein (right) and Tamar Rosenthal launched Dapple Baby, now available nationwide in stores including Babies “R” Us and Buy Buy Baby.

Photo courtesy of Dapple Baby

born to three, Dapple products use natural-based ingredients that are environmentally safe and free of synthetic dyes or fragrances. Dapple products include a hypoallergenic baby-safe bathtub cleaner and a natural bottle cleaner. The women learned certain skills on the job, such as how to work with manufacturers, decipher chemical formulas and guide chemists to create products that met their satisfaction. Rosenthal states that “breaking into the retail world” proved to be the biggest challenge. At

The Dapple mothers learned, “not to take no for an answer,” says Rosenthal. “Persistence is key.” stein, now thirty-five, fell upon “a white space that needed to be filled.”

“We got involved in something that we never imagined we would do,” explains Rosenthal. The women decided to create new cleaning products that are safe for babies.

In 2008, the two women got to work creating formulas from scratch, and consulted with pediatricians and chemists. They stored the equipment in their apartments, and drove around to various retailers marketing their product. Targeting parents of children between the ages of new-

first, some retailers were not persuaded to carry Dapple Baby. But within six months of launching into retail, they scored a meeting at Babies “R” Us, and a short time later, at Buy Buy Baby.

The timing was right. Parents were becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of chemicals, leading a healthier lifestyle and making healthier choices. “We got really lucky,” comments Rubinstein. “Parents had started looking for the type of products that we create and market.” Today, Dapple Baby is available

nationwide, and its products can be purchased from the Dapple site (dapplebaby.com) or at a number of major retailers like diapers.com, Walgreens and Duane Reade. The Dapple mothers learned, “not to take no for an answer,” says Rosenthal. “Persistence is key.”

“Everything is easier if you have the right business partner to share it with,” says Rosenthal. As Orthodox Jews, the two possess a deep understanding of each other’s priorities— particularly when it comes to family.

Rubinstein and Rosenthal both feel that they have found the right match.

“We share our ups and downs, excitements and encourage each other,” explains Rubinstein. “We also jump in for each other when the other has outside commitments.”

Rosenthal describes running a business as a “constant rollercoaster with a lot of unknowns.” As a “perfectionist,” she finds it challenging to achieve a balance between work and family. The Dapple mothers have an intense work schedule, both of them commuting from the Upper West Side in Manhattan to their office on Long Island at 9 AM, and leave at 4:30 PM to pick their children up from school. In the evenings, after the kids have gone to bed, the women usually continue working. On Fridays, they work from home. “Aside from ShabContinued on p. 36

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Growing a Tree of Knowledge:

Nechama Salfer B Y A V I G AY I L P E R R Y ying in her hospital bed while recovering from a life-threatening emergency C-section, Nechama (Nicki) Salfer gazed at a tree outside the window. Her then-five-year-old daughter and twoyear-old son would not be welcoming a new sibling home. Having just given birth to a stillborn baby, Salfer could have easily decided to wallow in grief.

But rather than focus on her own pain, there in her hospital bed Salfer decided to channel her agony into something constructive—she would do something to help children. And so, as she gazed at the tree outside the hospital window, the seeds were sown for A Tree of Knowledge, Inc (TOK).

Having earned degrees in education and special education, Salfer is also a licensed intervention specialist and has completed post-graduate work in psychology. Her husband, Rabbi Mordechai Salfer, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist. In 1999, the couple combined their expertise to establish TOK. Beginning as an educational home program for children in and out of hospitals, today the program serves charter and private schools in Ohio, New Jersey, New York and Florida, as well as development centers and homeschooled children, with a wide range of tutoring options according to individual need. TOK has helped thousands of learning-challenged children of all races and backgrounds.

From there, Salfer expanded into Virtual Schoolhouse, a mix of online curriculum and in-home education designed to address the needs of children with various challenges who are at risk of dropping out of school; Tree of Knowledge Learning Academy (TOKLA), a home/hospital charter school and Learning Concepts, an ed-

L

In 1999, Nechama Salfer and her husband combined their expertise to establish TOK, Tree of Knowledge. Today, TOK helps thousands of learning-challenged children of all races and backgrounds.

Photo courtesy of Nechama Salfer

ucational management organization that provides leadership expertise in various areas. The programs boast a combined 200 employees and a budget of six million dollars.

Salfer’s husband also founded Yeshivas Doresh, a yeshivah for learning-challenged high school-aged boys.

At forty-two, Salfer, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, describes balancing her work and familial responsibilities as a “seesaw that is never actually even.” She exercises every morning, tries to make time for Torah learning and every once in a while has a date night with her husband. She also outsources as much as possible. “A cleaning lady is cheaper than therapy,” says Salfer. “You cannot be in control and do everything alone.”

Her family, including her husband and three children, ages fifteen, nineteen and twenty-one, have been an “incredible support” to her work.

Salfer continuously emphasizes that in order to succeed at entrepreneurship, one cannot be afraid of making mistakes, even big mistakes. One also needs to realize that experiencing a failure does not mean that he himself is a failure.

Salfer, who did not grow up in a financially comfortable home, has been

working since she’s eight years old.

Needing to support her family, she learned the value of hard work and perseverance, qualities which continue to help her with her business today. Even while her business went through trying times, with the support of her dedicated staff, she persisted. “You cannot be an entrepreneur on an island,” explains Salfer.

Unfortunately, Salfer has found that some people are critical of successful frum women. People often assume if you are a successful frum woman, you must not be a dedicated wife and mother.

Many also assume her life is so easy because she is running a successful business. “There is a lack of real honesty about the difficulty [involved in entrepreneurship],” she commented. But “nasty and mean comments are not exclusive to entrepreneurs,” Salfer says. “We all have to deal with it. It’s best not to respond and rise above it.”

Salfer also believes that in Bais Yaakov schools, girls should be taught the same business-related halachot as men, such as laws regarding cheating, lying, contracts, interest, et cetera.

Becoming a successful entrepreneur is often accompanied by loneliness. When her children were younger, Salfer felt greater isolation.

However, “today it’s amazing how many young women are creating their own businesses,” remarks Salfer. Salfer has “a great group of friends who run their own businesses,” and finds that talking to them and hearing their stories of both successes and failures gives her chizuk. Additionally, every year from Yom Kippur through Sukkot she travels to Israel. “Just being there gives me strength,” Salfer says.

Entrepreneurship has brought Salfer closer to God, as He is her only boss. Success, she admits, solely depends on God. A successful entrepreneur needs to be humble. “If you take yourself too seriously, you’re not going to make it,” Salfer explains.

“Entrepreneurship is a partnership with God.” g

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Chaya Fishman Continued from p. 32

what is most important, and figure out what it takes to achieve it. “You can kvetch or get creative,” Fishman says. For instance, even with her hectic schedule, she wants to serve her family nutritious home-cooked meals. A problem-solver by nature, she devised a plan to achieve this. Every two months, she spends one Sunday cooking for several hours.

Fishman chooses recipes that can freeze easily; her freezer is packed with dozens of suppers secured in tightly sealed aluminum pans. She even lists each frozen dish in a spreadsheet, enabling her to effectively plan each night’s dinner.

Fishman’s husband has been a tremendous source of support and encouragement. Fishman explains that when husband and wife view their marriage as a partnership and support each other’s goals, the mentality becomes, “we’re in this together, [so] we both win.” Fishman also stresses the

Chaya Ruchi Gross Continued from p. 33

pitch for me,” says Gross. All of her customers approach her purely through word of mouth. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Gross realized her success “when customers would still smile and greet me on the street after I finished a project for them,” she says.

In managing a business, burnout is inevitable. Sometimes Gross struggles with finding the stamina to keep going when work gets tough. “I talk to God when I am feeling overwhelmed, including asking the Almighty for help with a design, an installation issue, et cetera,” she confides. “I have also come to realize that it’s okay to turn down a customer or ask

Tamar Rosenthal & Dana Rubinstein Continued from p. 34

bos, we are always on,” explains Rosenthal. “It helps being one’s own boss. If we need to take time for important family events or one of our kids’ events in school, we can almost always adjust our schedules to accommodate.” They each have four children. Rubinstein’s children range between the ages of two and eight and Rosenthal’s range between two and ten.

Rosenthal finds it helps to stay organized and, when necessary, asks for help from friends, neighbors and her mother.

On Sunday evenings, Rosenthal plans for the week ahead, preparing menus for the upcoming week and ordering all

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importance of a support system. For example, her apartment complex in Baltimore is home to many students. During stressful finals week, she and her neighbors host each other for Shabbat meals. “What goes around comes around,” comments Fishman. “When you support others, you get support back.”

Fishman did not create the JWE with the intention of telling women whether or not to work. In the frum community, sometimes women who work full time are regarded critically. “It’s a trap; if you do anything else [outside the home], you’re not putting your family first,” Fishman says. In essence, each woman has to ask herself, “How do I reconcile my role in business without compromising my family and communal obligations?,” explains Fishman. “Sometimes feelings of guilt come from the community, but they can also be self-imposed.”

Fishman believes that it’s a mitzvah to utilize one’s Godgiven strengths. “Women often become better mothers and community leaders because of their work.” g

someone to call back in two weeks if I feel that in my [current] state I cannot fully be there for him or her.”

She credits the JWE for motivating her to keep going.

Prior to the first conference in 2013, Gross was feeling burned out from all the pressure she was experiencing at work. After being coerced by friends to attend the conference, she returned feeling empowered. Now she serves as a JWE city leader, supporting other women entrepreneurs and getting supported in return.

Recently, Gross’ youngest child got engaged. “With tremendous siyata d’Shmaya, I have more nachas than I could have ever hoped for,” she says. “I thank God every day for my little successes and pitfalls. Whatever success I have is never truly my own.” g

necessary ingredients either online or over the phone. She creates a master schedule for all her kids’ playdates and coordinates her meeting and travel schedules.

Rubinstein struggles with feelings of guilt on a daily basis both at home and work. While she constantly works at it, Rubinstein feels that she is “never over it.” A family-friendly work environment makes a difference. She keeps a supply of kid-friendly activities in her office so that when her kids have off from school, they can come to work with her and not be bored.

Both women strive to be wonderful partners to their husbands and great role models to their children. “It’s nice for kids to see their moms do something they’re excited about, and love what they do,” says Rubinstein. g

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 37

Judaica

By David Olivestone

Rosh Hashanah cards from the collection of David Olivestone.

Photography by Yaal Herman

DURING THE 1800S, THE SENDING OF G R E E T I N G C A R D S for all sorts of occasions, mostly

in the form of postcards, became hugely popular in Europe, including among Jews. Toward the end of the century, the waves of Jewish immigrants to North America brought with them this practice and began importing a wide variety of Rosh Hashanah cards. Known as “Shana Tovas,” they depicted nostalgic scenes ranging across the entire spectrum of Jewish life.1 The custom of adding good wishes for the New Year when writing to relatives and acquaintances seems to have originated in Germany in the Middle Ages and did not spread to other communities until much later on. It is noted for the first time in rabbinic literature by Maharil, while Rema in the Shulchan Aruch, quoting the Tur, mentions only the minhag to verbally wish one another “May you be inscribed for a good year” on Rosh Hashanah itself (Orach Chaim 582:9). In the nineteenth century, the author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, said that when writing a letter from Rosh Chodesh Elul until after Yom Kippur, one should add the wish that the recipient be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.

Shown here are examples of a series of elaborately produced cards imported from Germany, primarily by the Hebrew Publishing Company, in the early decades of the twentieth century. Constructed with multiple layers, these are three-dimensional “pop-ups,” with hinges that enable them to stand upright for display in the home. Multi-colored, intricately die-cut and hot stamped with gilt highDavid Olivestone, a member of the Jewish Action editorial committee, lives in Jerusalem.

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lights, they are festooned with accordion-paper pleats and garlands of embossed flowers and birds. The greeting for “A Happy New Year,” in both Hebrew and English, was usually printed on the base of the card, so that it is seen when the card is flat as it is pulled out of its envelope.

As has been noted,2 the backgrounds and decorative elements of these fanciful Shana Tovas were mostly originally intended for cards for Valentine’s Day and other non-Jewish holidays. For example, a scene of a grandfather learning Torah with his grandson was inserted into what is surely an Easter basket. With the addition of a small plaque saying LeShanah Tovah Tikatevu, a gorgeous and empathetic Jewish New Year’s card was created. In the background of a smaller card, a Valentine’s Day heart can be seen behind a somewhat gruesome depiction of Avraham raising his knife at the Akeidah.

Any Jewish ceremony, yom tov observance, mitzvah or symbol might be used. Multi-generational scenes were popular, as were depictions of rabbis preaching and other shul moments, from the reading of the Torah to the blowing of the shofar. To the modern eye, they may seem incongruous when viewed against their over-elaborate settings. Yet no one can deny the charm these cards possess, and the part they played in reminding millions of Jews, torn from their roots, of the Yiddishkeit of their forbears.

Notes 1. I am indebted to Dr. Shalom Sabar, professor of Jewish art and folklore at the Hebrew University, for sharing so much of his expertise and knowledge of this topic with me.

2. See the article by Jenna Weissman Joselit at www.yiddishbookcenter.org/pakn-treger/03-10/holiday-cheer.

A magnificent four-layer pop-up card measuring 11” high by 9½” wide. At the top, two men flank an aron kodesh as one of them pulls the cord to open the parochet (ark curtain). Below, three “rabbis” enjoy wine and some yom tov treats, perhaps including a Shehecheyanu fruit for the new year.

A side-on view showing the hinges.

A view of the card on an angle, showing its layers.

Before it is pulled open, the greeting “A Happy New Year” in Hebrew and English can be seen on the base.

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Sometimes the same background, perhaps with different colored paper inserts or other embellishments, was used with various scenes in order to give the purchaser numerous themes from which to choose: Larger card (9” high by 7½” wide):

The sefer Torah is raised aloft for hagbah.

The chazzan and his choir sing Kol Nidre on the eve of Yom Kippur.

A mother blesses her daughter after lighting the Shabbat candles.

Smaller card (6” high by 3½”wide)

Teaching a bar mitzvah boy how to lay tefillin.

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The same card, closed, displaying the greeting.

Avraham Avinu holds the knife, ready to slay his son Yitzchak, in a scene from the Akeidah (Bereishit 19:10), which is read on Rosh Hashanah.

A pasted construction, 8½” high by 9” wide, depicting a grandfather teaching Torah to his grandson with two onlookers, perhaps the father and a younger brother. When the base is pulled open so that the card can stand, an attached string activates the large red accordion pleat at the front. The elaborate frame may well have been originally designed for an Easter card, but with the addition of a Magen David at the top, and a small plaque with a greeting for the New Year, it becomes a beautiful Shana Tova.

Colorful postcards, with a hopeful message for Rosh Hashanah, or featuring a heartwarming poem or tender message of friendship in Yiddish, were a more economical alternative to the lavish pop-up cards. The original staged photographs were enhanced with highlights in gold ink.

“Nu, forgive already, our Father and King.

Nu, please stir Yourself, – It’s taking too long to see the spark that embodies Your shofar of Moshiach! –”

“Oh, a bright new year! Everything shimmers and shines, The table is resplendent; friends sit around it.

The guest of honor is the choson.

The kallah beams with joy and good fortune.

And everyone’s gaze is filled with compassion.

We are happy! It’s a time for joy and delight . . . . ”

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HealthyLiving

By Naomi Ross

Is healthy eating the latest craze?

Naomi Ross is a cooking instructor and food writer. She teaches classes throughout the tri-state area and writes articles connecting good cooking and Jewish inspiration.

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Mmmm M

Hot H

Good Ta n g y

Spicy

Good

Family of Fine Products Pungent Wishes You & Your Family a

GOOD

Good Spicy S picy Mmm

Traraditional radditional

Original & Sweet New Year.

pure p ure

Eat Your Greens!

If Popeye were around today, he wouldn’t be eating spinach. He’d be eating kale, and lots of it.

Considered one of the “superfoods,” kale boasts an enormous cadre of nutritional benefits including vitamin K, lutein and calcium. It also provides a more complex flavor than standard greens like lettuce, offering salads a heartier, earthier feel—all integral factors in the spike of kale sales over the past seven years. Still, the trend took time to catch on in the kosher world. This is partly due to the challenges and time involved in removing insects from the leaves.

Like lettuce, kale comes in a variety of forms. Unlike the traditional salad green, however, kale can be prepared in many ways: kale chips (best to use curly kale), sautéed kale (try richly flavored Toscano kale) or tender baby kale salads, garnished with lemon and parmesan.

GOOD GO OOD

Good

Buchsbaum believes the biggest trend of the year is that kosher consumers want quality—and are willing to pay for it. This rings true when examining this past year’s top kosher trends.

The

Spiicyy Spicy

Hot

Whether born out of a desire to feel better and improve health or even for weight-loss purposes, the “healthy” trend has begun to shift the way the Jewish community is eating and cooking.

Traditional T radi radition nal T Tangy angy y

Good Original O rriiginal G

They’re just too high in fats and sugars and my family doesn’t even want them anymore.” This is a familiar sentiment echoed in many of the cooking classes I’ve taught in recent years. But if traditional Ashkenazic Jewish cuisine is becoming passé and often considered unhealthy or unimaginative, then what steers our food and dining choices?

Like fashion and art, the food we eat is a reflection of cultural tides and social mores. This idea has never resonated more deeply than it does today. The Food Network and Whole Foods Market have opened the door to new tastes, techniques and healthy options for the general public. But this effect is not limited to the secular world.

Keeping kosher, it seems, can be subject to trends too.

“The kosher consumer of today is more sophisticated and informed about food, wine and ingredients,” explains Jay Buchsbaum, vice president of marketing at the Royal Wine Corp. and organizer of the annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience. “They know what goes into [the food they eat].”

Good G d Pungent Pu un u ngent

“I’m trying to stay away from kugels these days.

Hot H oot

Strong St rong g

Original Origin inall I

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John Hues, a head grocer at Gourmet Glatt Emporium in Cedarhurst, New York, said the store started offering pre-checked containers of kale about a year-anda-half ago. “We had already been selling pre-checked baby spinach and arugula for a few years, but people were asking for kale . . . I have a customer who buys six or eight containers at a time—she likes to make kale chips for her grandchildren.”

Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher, has recognized this trend as well. For the private consumer, who reaps the taste and health benefits of kale, the time invested in preparation is considered time well spent. For institutions and restaurants, however, it can be hard to balance the demand for kale with the economics of providing it. The demand for greens in kosher dining has dramatically impacted the job and training of today’s mashgichim (kosher supervisors), explains Rabbi Genack. “In some places, because checking is so time intensive, we are encouraging institutions to purchase pre-checked greens [to lower costs].

Restaurants have mashgichim there anyway, so it’s more economical to have them use light boxes to check the leaves properly.”

To keep up with today’s kosher diet, the OU trains mashgichim about new and different types of greens, including kale. Despite the demand, the profit margin on leafy greens is not assured in the kosher industry. “If the mashgiach finds an infestation, the whole lot has got to go,” Hues explains.

“You just never know.”

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The Common Cure If you’ve ever had a hot dog or a hot pastrami on rye, then you’ve had “charcuterie”—foods that have been salted, smoked or cured. Historically, however, meat-curing experts primarily utilized non-kosher meats to produce hand-crafted delicacies like salumi, bresaola and prosciutto. As such, Jews came to associate cured meats with non-kosher food. Other than the hard salami that hung in the Jewish delicatessens of yesteryear, high-quality kosher charcuterie was difficult, if not impossible, to come by.

And what was available became synonymous with unhealthy eating: a moderately tasty yet unrefined mix of processed meat products, fillers and flavor enhancers such as MSG. Not anymore. Walk into any Costco and you will find Jack’s Gourmet Kosher high-quality hand-crafted sausages, all OU certified, like Mexican Chorizo and Sweet Italian, in addition to deli meats (without the artificial additives and fillers) now available in a mainstream market.

It is a trend that took off in 2012, when Jack’s Gourmet Kosher released facon, a smoky bacon substitute made

from beef plate. The product was an immediate hit; company sales tripled in 2013.

“Consumers recognized the quality and consistency and taste and loved it,” says cofounder Jack Silberstein. “Some consumers even made the jump to keeping kosher because they finally felt they had a substitute they could live with.” And although cured meats are not known to be healthy in large consumption, the popularity of these products is in line with a growing general consciousness of healthful meat options. Grow & Behold, an upand-coming company, sells OU-certified pastured meats and poultry without antibiotics or growth hormones. High-quality, all-natural charcuterie was a logical extension of this trend, trading in soy protein (a filler), hydrolyzed soy protein (a flavor enhancer) and smoke flavor for good quality beef, spices and aromatics and a real smoking. Health-conscious Jews are not turning toward vegetarianism, but rather toward meat choices they can feel good about eating and whose quality shows in the taste.

As a result of the upswing in demand, classically trained chefs like Executive Chef David Kolotkin of The Prime Grill, an upscale kosher steakhouse in Manhattan, have learned to apply their skills to the kosher table, incorporating an explosion of flavors and textures into many of the restaurant’s signature dishes. He acknowledged this as “trend of the year,” and crafts some of their exclusive housemade charcuterie, a spicy-smoky sa-

Spicy S piicy

Good d Satisfying Satisfy i ing

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Drink Your Greens?

The bright grassy green and somewhat sludgy mixture at the bottom of my friend’s glass mason jar looked a bit primordial. Yet a smile came to her lips as she finished slurping it up quickly. She is a big believer in “juicing,” extracting the juices from fruits and vegetables—the greener, the better. The FDA recommends consuming five to six servings of vegetables daily; but if you are an average burger-and-fries-eating American, it might be unrealistic to down piles of kale. If that is the case, then juicing is an easy way of incorporating essential nutrients into one’s diet in addition to cleansing the body of toxins.

In the past several years, the juicing trend has gone from fringe lifestyle obsession to nouveau-chic nutrition.

Juice manufacturer BluePrintCleanse made it fashionable by placing its products at runway shows six years ago, touting the weight loss possibilities associated with a liquid diet cleanse. When BluePrintCleanse and Suja Juice— both OU certified—started offering their organic cold-pressed juices at retail locations like Whole Foods, the growth was exponential—despite the whopping $8.99 each bottle commands. Suja Juice offers twenty different flavors, each using a unique blend of ingredients like apple, pineapple, banana, mango, kale, spinach, chia seed, flax seed, spirulina and alfalfa. According to Forbes, Suja Juice reported revenues of $18 million in 2013, its first full year of operation.

Julie Maleh, a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, was known in the Syrian Jewish community for making all-natural juices at home and giving them out to friends. Two years ago, she took her passion to the next level and opened Jus by Julie in Brooklyn.

Three stores (two in Brooklyn and one in Cedarhurst, New York) and many Groupons later, her hobby-turnedbusiness has exposed and educated these bustling Orthodox communities about the health benefits of juicing.

“About 90 percent of the stores’ business is Orthodox,” says her son Elliot, manager at the Cedarhurst location.

“Business picks up dramatically post-holiday and postShabbat,” he explains, alluding to people’s desire to cleanse after indulging. “And also before a vacation like winter break—when people want to look their best.” Since opening, their revenue has nearly tripled.

Unlike its mainstream competitors, Jus by Julie juices are blended, not cold-pressed. Simply put, this means the fiber stays in the juice and you will feel fuller and more nourished afterward. Cold-pressed juices exert pressure to emit the juices, but the fiber is held back. The theory: less fiber means less bodily exertion for digestion and more readily absorbed nutrients into your bloodstream.

Whichever way you juice, fresh juices will only last three to four days, so drink up!

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lumi that is aged for nine months and is deeply satisfying all by itself.

“The future of kosher food,” says Silberstein, “is that these will become staples, with customers demanding a wider array of quality items.”

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Helpful tips for cooking and eating in the coming year: • Eat lots of greens— the darker, the better; cooked or raw. Kale is great, but so is Swiss chard and escarole. Temper the bitterness with something acidic (like lemon juice or wine vinegar) and sweet.

• Green juices can be bitter if only using dark greens. Balance with the sweetness of 1 to 2 fruits.

• Learn to read ingredient labels. Try to avoid ingredients you don’t understand and can’t pronounce. The more natural and simple the product, the better.

• Short on time? Wash, check and dry a bunch of greens at the beginning of the week. Wrap in paper towels and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Will last up to one week.

The New Healthy When my daughter Talia was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2009, it meant a shift to a gluten-free diet (no wheat, rye, barley or spelt). Though a considerable amount of resource material was already available online, shopping for basic items like cereal, bread and pasta became challenging. Frequent trips to the health food store and Trader Joe’s and ordering products online quickly became routine.

In the last two years, the demand for gluten-free products—not only for celiac- and gluten-intolerant individuals, but also for people who believe the diet is healthier for everyone—reached a tipping point. Gluten-free products and healthy alternative grains (like millet) are now readily available in mainstream stores. Popular cereals now boast their “gluten-free” status on the box in bold capital letters. Menachem Lubinsky, president and CEO of Lubicom Marketing Consulting, founding publisher of Kosher Today and creator and developer of the Kosherfest trade show, said that there were just a handful of booths at Kosherfest showcasing gluten-free foods five years ago; last year, there were thirty-five.

The spike in recent years in celiac or gluten-intolerance diagnoses has

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been the subject of much speculation.

Historically, the condition has been common among Jews of Eastern European descent, but some argue that increased awareness among doctors and better diagnostic tools account for the increased numbers today. Many observers also believe that the nature of modern-day grain production is a major contributing factor. Whatever the cause, the impact has been felt within the kosher industry as well.

Kosher manufacturers have had to accommodate the demand for glutenfree and healthier options. “People are looking for products that are better for their health. Many people who think ‘kosher’ think ‘healthy,’” explained Mitchell Halpert, CFO of Kedem Food Products International, which produces a line of gluten-free products.

“Years ago, it was cholesterol free. Now everyone is looking for gluten free, ‘all natural’ and non-GMO [genetically modified organism].”

Meeting this demand has not been as straightforward as with other manufactured products. To be labeled gluten free, a product must be officially certified by gluten-free organizations like the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO).

While there is much debate over whether non-GMO foods are really

• Try alternative whole grains for your side dishes: spelt berries, wheat berries, buckwheat, et cetera.

healthier, it is clear that consumers are demanding these products.

Whether born out of a desire to feel better and improve their health or even for weight-loss purposes, the “healthy” trend has begun to shift the way the Jewish community is eating and cooking. Halpert says, “People are looking for healthy options. If something came kosher in one variety but was unhealthy, they would use it anyway because they had no choice. Now they want the option of something healthier. Substitutions [are available], so it can be done.”

New Year’s Resolutions This past year’s trends were a movement toward eating and cooking more healthfully, more thoughtfully. Many trends are a passing fad, but reforming and improving our eating habits (and by extension our cooking) is never a bad thing. Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook writes about many kinds of teshuvah (repentance) in Orot HaTeshuvah, one of which is a physical form of teshuvah. Taking care of and delivering real nourishment to the body can also be part of our Jewish New Year’s resolutions. Move over lokshen kugel, make room for kale salad with roasted squash . . . and maybe some facon bits too. g

By Charles and Elie Traube

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Drs. Charles and Elie Traube, a father and son, share a cardiology practice with Dr. Sidney Plawes, Dr. Arthur Marush and Dr. Denise Dogonay in Brooklyn, New York.

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eart disease is the number-one cause of death in the United States.

While data on the incidence of heart disease in the frum community does not currently exist, there is no question that our cholesterol-rich, kugel-laden diets and sedentary lifestyle put us at a greater risk of developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack.

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In our Brooklyn cardiology practice, close to 50 percent of our patients are Orthodox. In fact, one of our patients actually served as the inspiration for this article.

At age fifty, the patient weighed over 350 pounds, ate huge amounts of unhealthy foods, didn’t exercise and rarely saw a doctor. Then one day he developed chest pain, which traveled down his left arm; he had an acute heart attack and subsequently required bypass surgery.

QUIT SMOKING.

Smoking may be the most significant risk factor for developing heart disease. Chemicals such as carbon monoxide and nicotine in tobacco often lead to narrowing of the arteries and heart attacks. No amount of smoking is safe, and second-hand smoke should also be avoided. Unfortunately, smoking is prevalent in many boys’ yeshivot. It is especially sad to pass by a yeshivah and see teens smoking outside, in full view of their rebbeim. I am truly puzzled by the lackadaisical attitude many Orthodox Jews have toward smoking when it is clear that smoking causes death. At the same time, I want to point out that even if one smoked as a young yeshivah bochur, all is not lost.

As soon as one stops smoking, the risk of heart disease declines rapidly.

LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL. Do you know your cholesterol number? Do you know how much money you have in your bank account? Just as one knows his account balance, he should know his cholesterol level.

Remember, high levels of “bad cho-

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I remember him telling me prior to his bypass, “How could I have let this happen? What have I done to myself and my family?” After the bypass surgery, he changed his whole way of life.

He lost over 150 pounds, began to exercise on a regular basis and changed his eating habits—not by adopting the latest diet fad, but by adhering to a heart-healthy diet. He now plays tennis three times a week and has never been healthier. Hopefully, this article will encourage people to live a health-

ier life, before they need surgery.

The heart is the main pumping organ and the most important muscle in the body. Unfortunately, many people have a predisposition to developing fatty plaque, which can block one’s arteries and cause a heart attack. The good news is that heart disease is frequently preventable and sometimes reversible. True, we cannot change certain risk factors, such as age, sex or family history, but we can take certain proactive steps to avoid the disease.

lesterol” (LDL) increase the risk of heart disease. High levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL) protect against heart disease.

Approximately 80 to 85 percent of a person’s cholesterol consists of what the body produces and only 15 to 20 percent comes from what we eat. Therefore, many people may have high cholesterol through no fault of their own.

In recent years, statin drugs have revolutionized the treatment of high cholesterol. They are able to block the action of a chemical in the liver that is necessary for making cholesterol. (As a general rule, statins are safe, but they do have certain side effects.)

Nevertheless, when it comes to watching one’s cholesterol, diet should not be overlooked. Is it really necessary to eat kugel every Shabbat at the shul kiddush? Is kishke a worthwhile staple at the Shabbat meal? If you are at risk for heart disease, rethinking your diet is not just a good thing to do; it is an absolute necessity.

it is best to first attempt to lower blood pressure through lifestyle changes, such as decreasing salt intake, losing weight and exercising.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a blood pressure above 140/90. A physician has numerous medications at his disposal to lower an elevated blood pressure. However,

DIABETES. A major risk factor for heart disease is diabetes. Nearly 10 percent of the American population suffers from diabetes, including more than 25 percent of seniors.

Obesity, of course, is one of the main culprits responsible for the rise in diabetes in American society; and, with all the emphasis placed on food in frum life, it should come as no surprise that obesity and diabetes are common in Orthodox circles. We have holidays every few months where we serve elaborate meals laden with carbohydrates and other fatty foods (e.g., blintzes, latkes, et cetera).

Think about what we eat weekly at our Shabbat tables!

A great way to overhaul one’s eating habits is to stick to the “Mediterranean diet,” which consists mostly of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, red wine, nuts and good fats such as those found in fish. Studies have shown that such a diet lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Please note that cholent and flanken are not part of this diet regimen!)

We rarely hear about the Torah’s mandate of “Venishmartem me'od lenafshoseichem” in the Shabbat derashah; why is health not a rabbinic concern?

Exercising regularly can also prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.

One should exercise for thirty minutes, three to four times per week. Unfortunately, the frum community in general does not emphasize exercise enough. Certainly the obligation to learn Torah in one’s spare time is critical, but maintaining good health—especially when one is sitting all day in front of either a Gemara or a computer screen—is also a Torah imperative. Moreover, in many right-wing yeshivot, sports are regarded as bittul zeman and gym classes are virtually nonexistent. As parents and grandparents, we should demand that yeshivot make physical activity more of a priority. This is especially necessary as our kids become hooked on technology. Instead of rollerblading or shooting hoops, they spend hours fixated on screens with only their fingers getting exercise.

We’ve heard plenty of rabbis at the bimah speak about the importance of including more Torah study in one’s daily and weekly schedule, which is, of course, fair and reasonable. However, shouldn’t our religious leaders also discuss maintaining a healthy lifestyle— specifically, the importance of exercise and moderation of food intake? I rarely hear about the Torah’s mandate of “Venishmartem me'od lenafshoseichem” in the Shabbat derashah; why is health not a rabbinic concern?

As cardiologists, we have witnessed far too many painful stories; too many patients who refuse to exercise self-control, who refuse to make their own health a priority and end up succumbing to devastating diseases.

Heart disease doesn’t have to happen. You—the patient—can play a more active role in the prevention and protection of your body. With a little knowledge, a good physician and some self-control, we can all strive to remove heart disease from its current distinction as being the number-one killer in the US today. g

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L’Chaim: 18 Chapters to Live By Brand Name Publishing Jerusalem, 2012 228 pages

By Shmuel Shields, PhD Reviewed by Shira Isenberg

F

ew nutrition and health books are written for a frum audience, factoring in the unique aspects of our lifestyle, like Shabbat and yom tov foods—and not for lack of need.

With L’Chaim: 18 Chapters to Live By, Dr. Shmuel Shields, a nutritionist with twenty-five years of experience and a health educator trained in both Eastern and Western health modalities, fills this void with an overview of healthy frum living in a well-organized, easy-to-read format. Opening with fundamental principles that apply to the overall diet—like the benefits of eating colorful foods and how to eat balanced meals— the book then goes on to cover specific topics in each chapter, such as fats, protein and exercise.

Some of the basic material covered is well-known, especially if you have a working knowledge of nutrition, but Dr. Shields also highlights problems that readers may not be aware of, such as the relationship between insufficient sleep and weight gain. (People who sleep less are more likely to be obese, struggle with hunger and engage in late-night snacking.) In addition, he poses questions to which some readers may think they know the answer but don’t, such as “What is a Balanced Meal?” (a meal that is half vegetables, a quarter whole-grain carbs and a quarter lean protein) or “What is a Whole Shira Isenberg is a registered dietitian and writer with a private nutrition practice in Nashville, Tennessee. She has a master’s degree in public health nutrition from Hunter College in New York.

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Food?” (a minimally processed food). Additionally, he bursts some established nutrition myths, such as viewing eggs as a “cholesterolraising villain.” Despite its high cholesterol content, one egg only contains about 1.5 grams of saturated fat and can be safely consumed by most people on a daily basis.

Readers will find the menu plan and recipes—including a Mediterraneanstyle cholent made with turkey, plenty of beans and eggplant and zucchini— useful for meal planning. In addition, a number of chapters end with practical takeaway tips. The book would be more valuable still if there were takeaway tips after every chapter.

I was especially pleased to see the author’s tips on choosing vitamin and mineral supplements (end of Chapter 12), which provide much-needed guidance on a subject matter that is riddled with misinformation. Another bonus is the chapter on immunity, a topic not usually addressed in nutrition books.

What may attract frum readers in particular is the way Dr. Shields interweaves lore from the Torah and Chazal into the book. For example, in discussing the connection between heart function and emotional health, Dr. Shields warns, “In particular, do all you can to refrain from anger. As it says in Kohelet (11:10), ‘Rather, banish anger from your heart.’ This threatening emotion raises blood pressure, thickens the blood and constricts blood vessels, all of which raise the chances of clot formation and heart attack.” Dr. Shields appeals not only to the medical or rational argument, but he also offers a spiritual or religious obligation to be healthy.

To motivate readers, Dr. Shields intersperses stories amidst the facts and

research, though one may marvel at the amazing compliance of his patients!

They always seem to do exactly what he tells them without a struggle. (Obviously all stories are anonymous.) It might have been helpful (and more realistic) to include a story or two about a non-compliant patient or one who experienced a setback or didn’t see the desired results. Nonetheless, Dr. Shields’ judicious “slow-and-steady” approach to making lifestyle changes, which he advocates throughout the book, is quite realistic.

In the chapter on heart health, Dr. Shields briefly mentions an alternative remedy for cardiac problems called ionized water. He goes on to share a worrisome story in which the protagonist, a rabbi with a heart condition, secretly takes himself off medication without telling his doctor and switches to ionized water. Aside from the fact that I was unable to find solid evidence in mainstream health literature of ionized water’s benefits, stopping to take medication without the advice of one’s doctor can be life-threatening.

This book is not a heavy read, but because of the dense information included, you might want to break it down and read one chapter at a time.

For instance, the weight management chapter covers portion sizes, whole grains, goal setting, the importance of breakfast and emotional eating, among other topics, all very briefly. It would have been great to see more development of each of these vital components of the weight management picture, with perhaps some hands-on tools, but we cannot expect an exhaustive treatment of every topic. As a result, L’Chaim may be more useful as a reference tool or as a way to identify areas for improvement.

I applaud Dr. Shields’ call-to-action for community-wide changes toward a healthier lifestyle, especially as they pertain to communal affairs like shul kiddushim on Shabbat. The publication of this book is indeed a step in the right direction. g

THE ISRAEL YOU LOVE. EVERY DAY.

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HISTORY

RABBI MEIR BAR-ILAN: FORGOTTEN PIONEER OF JEWISH ACTIVISM Photo courtesy of Professor Meir Bar-Ilan (grandson of Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan)

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With the recent celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Mizrachi Religious Zionists of America, we highlight the life of Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan, the founder of the movement.

BY RAFAEL MEDOFF

IN 1 9 43, AT A T I ME W H E N N O ORGAN I Z E D JE WISH LOB BY I N WAS HI N GTO N EXI STE D, RAB B I M EI R BARI LA N U ND ERTOO K A N EXTRAOR D I N ARY ON E - MA N LO B BY IN G MI SS I O N TO CA PI TOL H I L L IN AN ATT E M PT TO SAV E EU ROP EA N J EW RY.

ics in the Talmud, thirty-three volumes of which have been published to date. He also served in the leadership of a number of Zionist bodies, including the Zionist Executive, the presidium of multiple Zionist Congresses and the Executive Committee of the Jewish National Fund.

His name is not found in most books about American Zionism. Nor will you find his name mentioned in most works about American Jewry’s response to the Holocaust.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan (Berlin), one of the founding fathers of the Religious Zionist movement, played a critical role in galvanizing US Jewry to respond to the slaughtering of Jews in the 1940s.

The youngest son of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, the famed Netziv, Meir Bar-Ilan studied at his father’s yeshivah in Volozhin, Lithuania, earning rabbinical ordination at age twenty-two. While pursuing his university education in Germany, Rabbi Bar-Ilan joined Mizrachi, the fledgling Religious Zionist movement. He rose quickly in its ranks and served as a Mizrachi delegate to the Seventh Zionist Congress in 1905. By 1911, Rabbi Bar-Ilan was secretary of the Mizrachi movement and editor of its weekly publication, Ha-Ivri. Soon he was on his way to the United States to organize its American wing. The founding convention of the Mizrachi Religious Zionists of America was held in Cincinnati in May 1914.

By 1916, the American branch of Mizrachi boasted more than one hundred local chapters, a national office in New York City and, perhaps most important, the Mizrachi Teachers’ Institute. (Known as the Teachers’ Institute of Yeshiva University, TI trained the educators who instilled the values of Religious Zionism and Modern Orthodoxy in several generations of young American Jews.)

Rabbi Bar-Ilan settled in Jerusalem in 1923. In the years following, he rose to the presidency of the World Mizrachi Organization, founded the daily Religious Zionist newspaper Hatzofeh and initiated the Encyclopedia Talmudit, a Hebrew encyclopedia that summarizes halachic top-

RETURN TO AMERICA

At the beginning of 1943, Rabbi Bar-Ilan returned to the United States, arriving after six arduous days of flights from Cairo, across North Africa, then Brazil and finally, to America.

Just a few weeks earlier, the Allies had confirmed that the mass murder of Europe’s Jews was underway. American Jewish leaders proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer, and memorial rallies were held in Jewish communities around the country. But by late December and early January, American Jews had largely lapsed into inactivity. “We have fasted, but is that all we can do for the Jews in Hitlerland as they walk in the Valley of Shadows?,” a columnist for the New York Yiddish daily Der Tog asked.

Rabbi Bar-Ilan answered with a resounding “no.”

In February 1943, he undertook a remarkable one-man lobbying mission to Capitol Hill. Rabbi Bar-Ilan managed to secure meetings with Vice President Henry Wallace, leading congressmen and foreign ambassadors to make the case for rescuing Jewish refugees and establishing a Jewish state. His unpublished report of his mission, which he circulated among other Jewish leaders, is a rich source of information about the mood on Capitol Hill as the Jewish tragedy was unfolding.

Rabbi Bar-Ilan’s three days in Washington began with a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Alben Barkley (DKy), who was to serve as vice president under Harry Truman. The rabbi quickly discovered that he had his work cut out for him.

Rabbi Bar-Ilan began by raising the question of what he called “the amazing and utter silence of the United States

Dr. Rafael Medoff is founding director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies in Washington, D.C., and author of fourteen books about Jewish history, Zionism and the Holocaust, including the Historical Dictionary of Zionism (with Chaim I. Waxman [2008]).

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“IF HORSES WERE BEING SLAUGHTERED AS ARE THE JEWS OF POLAND, THERE WOULD BY NOW BE A LOUD DEMAND F O R O R G A N I Z E D A C T I O N A G A I N S T S U C H C R U E LT Y T O A N I M A L S . S O M E H O W, W H E N I T C O N C E R N S J E W S , E V E R Y B O D Y R E M A I N S S I L E N T, I N C L U D I N G T H E I N T E L L E C T U A L S A N D H U M A N I TA R I A N S O F F R E E A N D E N L I G H T E N E D A M E R I C A .”

government in regard to the terrible situation of the Jews in Nazi-occupied lands,” pointing out that in England, by contrast, numerous members of Parliament had spoken out regarding the plight of the Jews. He cited a recent New York Times report that the Romanian government would permit the emigration of 70,000 Jews in exchange for the equivalent of $50 per person to cover transportation expenses. But Rabbi Bar-Ilan was disappointed to discover that Senator Barkley “had no knowledge at all of the above article.” Moreover, the senate majority leader was “quite unfamiliar with many essential facts and occurrences in Jewish life.”

Indeed, when Rabbi Bar-Ilan asked about “the possibility of the United States absorbing a number of refugees,” Senator Barkley responded that “with the present set-up in Congress there is no possibility of ‘opening the doors’ of this country.” Barkley’s claim that anti-immigration sentiment in Congress made it impossible to bring in more refugees was mistaken.

The real problem was that the Roosevelt administration had created thick layers of bureaucratic obstacles to reduce immigration far below what the quota system allowed.

During the previous year (1942), for example, the quota for immigrants from Germany and Austria was 82 percent unfilled, and the quota for Poland was 66 percent unfilled.

Many lives could have been saved simply by permitting immigration up to the maximum allowed by law. Yet even the majority leader of the US Senate was unaware of these basic facts.

Rabbi Bar-Ilan concluded his meeting with Senator Barkley on a spiritual note: “The Jewish people is permeated by an ancient and historically confirmed belief that nations who subject it to torture and persecution sooner or later feel the full measure of God’s punishing wrath,” he told the senator. “At the same time, God Almighty sends his blessing to those peoples who stand by the Jews in their time of peril.”

IF THEY WERE KILLING HORSES

Next on Rabbi Bar-Ilan’s agenda was a meeting with Senator Robert Wagner (D-NY). “I again expressed my astonishment that nothing practical has so far been done to help the Jews in their great despair,” the rabbi later recalled. “If horses were being slaughtered as are the Jews

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THE YOUNGEST SON OF RABBI NAFTALI ZVI YEHUDA BERLIN, THE FAMED NETZIV, MEIR BAR-ILAN STUDIED AT HIS FATHER’S YESHIVAH IN VOLOZHIN, LITHUANIA, EARNING RABBINICAL ORDINATION AT AGE TWENTY-TWO. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN CIRCA 1900, WHEN HE WAS TWENTY YEARS OLD. PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR MEIR BAR-ILAN, GRANDSON OF RABBI MEIR BAR-ILAN

of Poland, there would by now be a loud demand for organized action against such cruelty to animals. Somehow, when it concerns Jews, everybody remains silent, including the intellectuals and humanitarians of free and enlightened America.”

Two years later, in a sad fulfillment of Rabbi Bar-Ilan’s dire prediction, US General George Patton diverted US troops to rescue 150 prized Lipizzaner dancing horses

is consistency boring?

BARON HERZOG T H E MO S T AWA R DE D KO S H E R W I N E RY I N T H E WOR L D.

which were caught between Allied and Axis forces along the German-Czech border.

Although he was a senator from the state with the single-largest concentration of Jewish voters, Wagner was remarkably “lukewarm” on matters of Jewish concern, Rabbi Bar-Ilan found. Wagner blamed Congress for blocking immigration, insisted he had “no influence” regarding the British closure of Palestine to Jewish refugees and tried to change the subject to the status of Jews in the Soviet Union, whom he claimed were “well situated.”

A SECOND CYRUS?

IN THE 1940S, PETER BERGSON, A YOUNG ZIONIST, AND HIS FOLLOWERS BEGAN USING UNORTHODOX METHODS TO AROUSE THE PUBLIC TO THE ATROCITIES IN EUROPE. IN RESPONSE TO A REPORT THAT THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO SHIP 70,000 JEWS TO A SAFE HAVEN AS LONG AS THE ALLIES PAID TO COVER THE EXPENSES, THE BERGSON GROUP TOOK OUT AN AD WITH A SHOCKING HEADLINE: “FOR SALE TO HUMANITY 70,000 JEWS, GUARANTEED HUMAN BEINGS AT $50 A PIECE.” THE AD DEMANDED THAT ALLIES RESPOND TO END THE EXTERMINATION OF EUROPEAN JEWRY. THE ESTABLISHED AMERICAN JEWISH LEADERSHIP WAS HORRIFIED, AND ATTACKED THE BERGSON GROUP. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS CONTROVERSIAL, RABBI MEIR BAR-ILAN PUBLICLY PRAISED BERGSON FOR HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE EUROPEAN JEWRY. COURTESY OF THE DAVID S. WYMAN INSTITUTE FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES

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Rabbi Bar-Ilan’s “most disappointing” meeting was with Vice President Henry Wallace. The rabbi began by pleading for US intervention to help create a Jewish state: “Jews are now hoping for the revelation of a second Cyrus, who . . . would be of even greater historic importance than his predecessor [since] according to our ancient mystic tradition, the third resurrection of Jewish nationhood is to be everlasting.”

A Jewish homeland was an urgent necessity, Rabbi Bar-Ilan explained, because the Jews were “threatened with total extinction.” But the vice president responded by “inject[ing] the curt remark, ‘I cannot agree with you on that.’” Wallace even refused to clearly endorse Zionism, citing the fact that many Jewish groups in America were totally against Zionism and he had no right to consider the opinion of one group in preference to another.

Although most American Jews were in favor of Zionism, the American Jewish Committee, some segments of the Reform rabbinate and the recently established American Council for Judaism were opposed to creating a Jewish state.

Rabbi Bar-Ilan tried a different tack: the United States, he pointed out, was acting as “the God-appointed liberator” of France from the Nazis, even though there were many pro-Nazi Frenchmen “who are diametrically opposed” to America’s war against Hitler. But the vice president did not budge.

Wallace’s own diary entry about the meeting was not especially pleasant. “Rabbi Bar-Ilan asked me pointblank for a message which he could take to the Jews in Palestine concerning what I would do for them after the war,” the vice president wrote. “I told him with equal frankness that I would not give them any such message . . . He was very

MANY OF RABBI BAR-ILAN’S MIZRACHI COLLEAGUES TOOK PART IN THE RABBIS’ MARCH ON WASHINGTON, D.C., ON OCTOBER 6, 1943, A DEMONSTRATION TO STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF EUROPEAN JEWRY. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DAVID S. WYMAN INSTITUTE FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES

much disappointed. I must confess that there are certain types of religious leaders who have a very poor sense of time and place.”

Later that day, Wallace mentioned his conversation with Rabbi Bar-Ilan to Congressman Sol Bloom, a Jewish Democrat from New York who strongly supported the Roosevelt administration’s position on Zionism and refugees. Bloom told Wallace, as recorded in the latter’s diary, that “the Zionists were troublemakers” and if there was any more trouble with fellows like Rabbi Bar-Ilan to send them over to him.

A REPUBLICAN’S PERSPECTIVE

Rabbi Bar-Ilan received a different response from the one Republican congressman with whom he met, House Minority Leader Joseph Martin of Massachusetts. “With tears in my eyes and uncontrolled emotions,” the rabbi described the plight of Jews in Hitler Europe. “The congressman was apparently touched by my words . . . . ‘That is surely wrong,’ [Martin] exclaimed,” when Rabbi Bar-Ilan described the British policy of keeping Jews out of Palestine. The congressman promised to “do whatever possible” to facilitate a congressional resolution about European Jewry, and would “try to do his very best” to press the British on Palestine.

The problem, Rabbi Bar-Ilan later wrote, was that “Congressman Martin has, until now, not been approached at all about Zionism or general Jewish matters and it is truly a pity that we are neglecting people of this caliber . . .

These men must be furnished with proper material which will bring home to them some knowledge of our situation.”

Although Rabbi Bar-Ilan did not quite spell it out, the American Jewish leadership’s failure to build ties to the House Minority Leader was motivated largely by political

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considerations. Most Jewish leaders strongly supported President Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal and the Democratic Party, and confined their Capitol Hill contacts to those with whom they had the most in common. Today, of course, Jewish activists carefully cultivate relationships on both sides of the aisle. But in the 1940s, Jewish lobbying was far less sophisticated, as Rabbi Bar-Ilan discovered to his sorrow.

G A LVA N I Z I N G T H E E S TA B L I S H M E N T

During the spring and summer of 1943, Rabbi Bar-Ilan assumed a different role: gadfly to the Jewish establishment. As a representative of Mizrachi, he took part in a number of meetings of two major Jewish coalition groups, the Joint Emergency Committee for European Jewish Affairs and the Emergency Committee for Zionist Affairs. There he repeatedly pressed for greater activism by the Jewish leadership.

RABBI BAR-ILAN IS STANDING SECOND FROM THE RIGHT. HIS MOTHER, BATYA MIRIAM, THE DAUGHTER OF RABBI YECHIEL HALEVI EPSTEIN, IS SITTING BELOW. PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR MEIR BAR-ILAN

The transcript of one meeting, for example, records: “Rabbi Bar-Ilan complained bitterly about the indifference, inadequate action and lack of feeling [regarding European Jewry] on the part of American Jews compared with the Palestine Jews.” The Jews of the yishuv “engage in street demonstrations, sign huge petitions [and] close shops,” he said. “They are discouraged by the silence of the American Jews.” The rabbi proposed a general shutdown of Jewishowned stores “for a day or half a day, or an hour or half an hour, including such shops as Macy’s, Saks and others, to show to the Jews as well as to non-Jews their sympathy for the Jewish victims of Nazi barbarism . . .”

At another meeting of the Joint Emergency Committee for European Jewish Affairs, he pressed for a concerted public campaign against the White Paper. He pointed out—perhaps having in mind his experiences in Washington—that many people in political life in America were ignorant of the significance of the White Paper and that plans should be made to provide the necessary information. He also urged that the issue “be brought to the attention of the President.”

A T H R E AT T O “ Z I O N I S T D I S C I P L I N E ”

The rabbi unexpectedly found himself on the defensive after Mizrachi decided to open its own lobbying office in Washington, D.C., in May 1943. Rabbi Bar-Ilan explained to Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the leading Reform and Zionist leader in America, that prior to his recent arrival in the US, he was “under the impression that there is in this country an effective and constant political bureau in Washington which is devoting itself to political Zionist influence exclusively and uninterruptedly . . . I was amazed to find, however, that there is no such bureau or institute in existence.”

Thus a Mizrachi office in the capital would pose no competition to the existing Jewish groups but would simply help fill the void, he contended.

Wise and his colleagues vehemently disagreed. At a meeting of the Emergency Committee for Zionist Affairs, they adopted a resolution condemning Mizrachi for “threatening the entire disciplinary structure of the World Zionist Organization” by acting “without any authorization” from the Zionist movement. The resolution demanded that Mizrachi “discontinue [its] office.” After further debate, the participants accepted a compromise: Mizrachi would “suspend its activities in Washington for the next few weeks to give the Emergency Committee an opportunity to open a Washington office” of its own.

In principle, Rabbi Bar-Ilan had scored a significant victory: his plan had forced the establishment to do something it otherwise may not have done. In the end, it took six months, rather than “a few weeks,” but the office that the Emergency Committee finally opened that autumn did important work in educating Congress and the administration about the need for a Jewish state.

AWAKENING CONSCIENCES

In early 1944, Rabbi Bar-Ilan returned to Eretz Yisrael (which is when he Hebraicized his name). Not surpris-

DURING HIS STAY IN THE UNITED STATES, RABBI BAR- ILAN TRIED TO INSPIRE AMERICAN JEWS TO PUSH FOR THE RESCUE OF JEWS IN NAZI EUROPE. THE MARCH 4, 1943 ISSUE OF THE YESHIVA UNIVERSITY STUDENT NEWSPAPER THE COMMENTATOR WAS DEVOTED TO THE PLIGHT OF EUROPE'S JEWS. COURTESY OF THE DAVID S. WYMAN INSTITUTE FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES

ingly, he harbored bitter feelings about some of his experiences in the United States. At a press conference in Jerusalem in June of that year, he spoke warmly of the dissident Bergson Group for organizing rallies for rescue, mobilizing 400 rabbis to march to the White House and placing ads in US newspapers about the plight of European Jewry. While the Bergsonites had done much to “awaken the conscience of the American people,” Jewish establishment groups had worked to “undermine the prestige” of the activists, the rabbi charged.

Although Rabbi Bar-Ilan reserved his praise for the Bergson Group and said nothing about his own activities in the United States, the fact is that he too, in his own way, helped raise awareness of Jewish suffering and galvanized American Jewish leaders.

While Rabbi Bar-Ilan was taken from this world too soon at age sixty-nine, his legacy lives on in the university that bears his name, and in the model of humanitarianism and civic engagement that he provided for future generations of Orthodox Jewish activists to emulate. g

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 59

JustBetweenUs

By Julius Berman

Da’at Torah: The Missing Chapter in the Shulchan Aruch

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he passing of Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, last year marked the end of a remarkable life, brilliant mind and revolutionary posek. As others have noted, Rav Ovadia reinstated the Sephardic tradition of following Rav Yosef Karo’s Shulchan Aruch, which had previously been surpassed by the Ben Ish Chai. Rav Yosef accomplished this through encyclopedic knowledge, exhaustive analysis and unshakable confidence in the power of traditional halachic methodology. In his well over a dozen volumes of responsa, he quotes every available source on the topics he addresses and explains in detail how he reaches his conclusions.

The type of analysis in which Rav Ovadia engaged could only have been accomplished because the posekim he quoted and with whom he engaged followed the age-old tradition of including within their responsa not only the bottom line—the conclusion—but a detailed exposition of the halachic basis for their rulings. This enabled other posekim, both contemporaneous and subsequent, to tackle the issue and agree or disagree with the analysis contained in the responsum.

On the other hand, had the posekim of yesteryear adopted the increasingly popular style of da’at Torah rulings without explanations, Rav Ovadia could not have accomplished his analyses. The only data that would be available to posekim would be the question and answer, leaving later rabbis guessing the underlying reasoning and textual interpretations. In his Mishneh Torah, Rambam provided only rulings and no sources. He was roundly criticized for this, Julius Berman, a former president of the OU (1974-1984), is past chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and president of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. He is former chairman of the OU Kashrut Commission and chairman of OU Press. Additionally, he is a board member of the Toras HoRav Foundation, dedicated to the publication of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s unpublished manuscripts.

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and he later expressed regret for this failure. Rambam recognized that the omission of sources and arguments yields confusion, as proven by the many debates over Rambam’s true intentions, still ongoing centuries after his death.

Despite this, some rabbis today persist in issuing brief rulings without providing sources or explanations. Consequently, there is no way to intelligently discuss the ruling, understand its basis or engage in any meaningful dialogue about it. The end result: the colloquial two, three or even four ships passing in the night. The lack of support for da’at Torah rulings undermines their very usefulness and acceptability beyond their immediate context.

I do not oppose the concept of da’at Torah, the invocation of intuitive, unexplained rabbinic authority that must be followed regarding non-halachic issues. Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt”l, in his eulogy for Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the foremost halachic authority of the first half of the twentieth century, extolled the intuition and insight of the Torah giant in all areas. While Rav Soloveitchik later modified his view of da’at Torah significantly, I cannot dismiss someone who follows the early Soloveitchikian approach to da’at Torah. What I question here is the undisciplined use of this method. The centuries-old manner of formulating a halachic commentary or responsum, i.e., including citation of authorities relied upon and the analysis that led to the ruling, is indispensable to the appropriate search for Torah truth.

What is lacking in these da’at Torah proclamations is what I call “the missing chapter in Shulchan Aruch.” The Shulchan Aruch itself is a compendium of rulings that is accompanied by lengthy explanations of all its rulings in the Beit Yosef, in which Rav Yosef Karo expertly surveys the extant halachic literature of his day. I imagine that a chapter in Shulchan Aruch on da’at Torah would enumerate what is lacking in some of the contemporary halachic discourse. I suggest that this proposed chapter would contain at least

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When posekim offer their public support to specific political parties, are they issuing halachic rulings, da’at Torah pronouncements or strong personal views? the following three paragraphs describing da’at Torah requirements: 1. qualifications of the posek making the ruling; 2. a declaration that one is issuing a da’at Torah ruling and 3. the structure of the ruling itself.

1. Qualifications—It goes without saying that only someone fully knowledgeable in a subject may rule on it.

The posek must not only be fully versed in the specific subject under discussion but must also be accepted by the community as an expert. For example, only someone who is both a master of the halachot of eruvin and has practical experience in building and checking them should rule on an eruv. Similarly, the Talmud emphasizes that only someone who is an expert in the laws of marriage and divorce should pasken on them.

Returning to the world of da’at Torah, we can find similar examples.

When the movement developed decades ago to pressure the Kremlin to allow Soviet Jews to emigrate to the West and permit those who stayed to practice their religion, a disagreement arose among the activists whether to protest publicly or lobby privately. A number of leading rabbis opted for the latter, decrying public protests. When this question was posed to Rav Soloveitchik, he first acknowledged the historical approach of private shtadlanut but went on to point out that the ultimate determinant must be what is most effective in dealing with the current leaders of Russia. Thus, he consulted with Kremlinologists—the leading experts on the subject.

Rav Moshe Bick, zt”l, took a similar approach in connection with a proposed amendment to the New York autopsy law. The law mandated that an autopsy be performed when the precise cause of death is unknown or when there is suspicion of foul play.

Laws like this often run counter to the halachic mandate of preserving the

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body of a deceased and have continued to bedevil the observant Jewish community. Over the years, efforts to resolve the conflict have met with varying degrees of success.

The challenges facing the draftsmen of the proposed New York law were formidable. A proposed law seeking to protect our religious rights must also accommodate, to some extent, the needs of the medical examiners in meeting their responsibilities under general autopsy laws. The question arose as to which autopsies would not be contested, and who would decide.

At the time, COLPA (the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs) was saddled with the problem. On the advice of leading rabbinic advisors, a meeting was arranged with the COLPA representatives and renowned posek Rav Moshe Bick and the Voideslover Rav, at the time the Satmar dayan. When the proposed compromises were raised with Rav Bick and the Voideslover Rav, Rav Bick immediately responded, “You are certainly welcome in my home, but why are you here? I am satisfied with your integrity and desire to achieve as much protection as possible. But let me ask, do you think more is possible?” The COLPA representatives responded in the negative. Rav Bick then said, “How could I possibly know more than you on this issue; of course we have to rely on your judgment.”

It is evident from the above incidents and simple logic that even a recognized posek, an expert in all areas of Torah, is ill-equipped to render a da’at Torah ruling without complete knowledge of the issues involved. I write this by way of introduction, not accusation, because I assume that everyone agrees with this sentiment and abides by it in principle, if not always in practice.

2. Declaring that one is issuing a da’at Torah ruling—Expanding the concept of da’at Torah to include virtu-

ally every difficult decision in life would certainly make life much easier for those who prefer to avoid the burden and fear of choosing among alternatives. However, bechirah chofshit, the free will afforded to each individual, demands each individual make his own choices. Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, shlit”a, once set forth, in his inimitable fashion, the appropriate principle to non-halachic areas as follows: We respond to the prospect of total Halakhah with reservation, if not recoil. The thought that everything has been programmed, all eventualities anticipated, so that we can rest assured that if only we mine long enough and deep enough we will discover the definitive right solution, is staggering, in one sense, and stifling, in another. It emasculates us intellectually and—in some respects, religiously—because it effectively denies genuine spiritual choice and this severely limits responsibility. We are reduced to deciphering possibly encoded messages and to implementation of detailed orders.

Jewishly and humanly, we yearn for more. We have been nurtured on the centrality of free will in the Torah life; and we instinctively assume that the creative impulse finds expression not only in the elucidation and explication of concepts and texts but in the process of the application as well.

A committed Jew obviously does not arrogate autonomy. He regards behirah hofshit as the capacity to accept or reject Halakhah, but not as the right to do so. He does, however, presume that, in addition to being charged with navigating his ship, he has some latitude in charting its course (Varieties of Jewish Experience [New Jersey, 2011], 64).

However, even accepting—as I do—Rav Lichtenstein’s analysis of the limitations of da’at Torah, applying it to daily issues does not come easily. I ex-

pect that the expansion or limitation of da’at Torah will continue to be debated.

However, all agree that in the absence of da’at Torah, a person may freely make choices. Therefore, I strongly encourage posekim to explicitly state that a ruling is predicated on da’at Torah.

This will prevent public confusion over statements that are grounded in neither halachah nor da’at Torah.

For example, when posekim offer their public support to specific political parties, are they issuing halachic rulings, da’at Torah pronouncements or strong personal views? Confusion about such statements is rampant.

The public needs to be able to differentiate between pesak, da’at Torah and opinion.

3. The structure of the ruling—If a posek feels obligated to set forth the basis for his ruling—his sources and detailed reasoning—we will find the following benefits: The mere fact that the posek follows the traditional format of explaining his ruling will constrain him to

ensure that his position can withstand critique. He will engage the sources, marshall his arguments and provide a rigorous analysis. Rav Ovadia’s encyclopedic style of responsa is not the only type. Some responsa build from the primary texts, constructing an original approach that comprehensively addresses the topic. Others adduce debates among earlier authorities, explaining the different views and then applying them to the question at hand. There are many ways to write a responsum. What is important is that it provide a rationale and textual basis for the conclusion.

Putting this explanation in writing ensures, to a great degree, that the posek is confident that his analysis can withstand scholarly scrutiny.

The format will allow for giveand-take among posekim, generating a vibrant and healthy Torah literature.

Even in the times of the Sanhedrin, the authoritative court in Jerusalem, decisions were reached by majority vote.

Implied in this process is the inevitability of disagreement among even

the greatest Torah scholars. Indeed, in capital cases, when the Sanhedrin was authorized to adjudicate them, a lack of even minimal disagreement among judges invalidated a guilty verdict. Debate is natural and healthy. A published literature allows for a meeting of the minds as well as further clarifying the issues and significantly advancing the search for Torah truth.

What I call for here is not a blurring of the communal lines between different segments of Orthodoxy, nor an imposition of my personal views on others. I ask the leaders of halachah, the Torah giants of our generation and those who influence and interact with them, for help. I need help in understanding them and help in ensuring that the Torah conversation continues as a discussion across the ages. We live in a time of unprecedented magnitude of yeshivah education and Torah publications, yet we risk becoming a dark age of halachah, lost to the future because of our failure to connect our conclusions to the breadth and depth of tradition. g

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 63

Israel

By Peter Abelow

On and Off the Beaten Track in. . .

NEOT KEDUMIM A springtime view of Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve, in Central Israel.

Photos: Yehoshua HaLevi

“Renew our days as of old” ave you ever imagined what Avraham and Sarah or the generation of Joshua that entered the Land of Israel after forty years in the desert saw here? Was it the barren hills that still characterize so much of Israel today? Or perhaps, based on many references to the richness of agricultural life in both the Tanach and the rabbinic texts, they saw something very different?

There are many exciting dimensions to the fulfillment of 2,000 years of yearning to “return” (hashiveinu) and “renew our days as of old.” In the early 1920s, Ephraim and Hannah Hareuveni, recent olim (immigrants) to Israel from Russia, established the Museum of Biblical and Talmudic Botany at the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus. But their dream was to establish a “Garden of the Prophets and Sages.” In 1927, Ephraim wrote a proposal in which he stated: “If we can no longer hear the ringing words of the prophets, but we can see what they saw and smell what they smelled, let us therefore arrange a plant garden of our ancient literature, and learn to write in it

H

Peter Abelow is a licensed tour guide and the associate director of Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel. Keshet specializes in creating and running inspiring family and group tours that make Israel come alive “Jewishly.” He can be reached at 011.972.2.671.3518 or at peter@keshetisrael.co.il.

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and to read there from the Book of Books (the Torah) and the Song of Songs in the letters and the colors which were used for writing the Book of Books and was the source for all of the Psalms” (www.neotkedumim.org.il).

The museum was unfortunately destroyed in the battles for Jerusalem in 1948, when access to Mt. Scopus fell into Jordanian hands. But the dream of a Biblical nature reserve remained very much alive in the Hareuvenis’ son, Nogah, who dedicated his life to the fulfillment of his parents’ vision. In 1964, 625 acres in the Ben Shemen Forest area were allocated for the project, with the help and encouragement of then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Tons of topsoil were trucked in, ancient terraces, wine presses, olive presses, mikvaot and dwelling structures were restored and thousands of plants were rooted into the soil so that twenty-first-century visitors can get a visual sense of what the land looked like in Biblical times.

But more than that, seeing the vegetation as our forefathers saw it gives glimpses into understanding the metaphors and moral lessons of the Bible in a way that only people who are personally familiar with the vegetation can fully grasp. Neot Kedumim (Oasis of Antiquity), the Biblical Landscape Reserve, located halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, has invested in

thousands of signs along every trail on which are written verses, quotes from the Mishnah and Talmud or midrashim. All of a sudden, the text takes on a new life with the plants right before your eyes. There are so many examples that it would be possible to fill not only pages but volumes! Below are just a few.

Psalm 128 refers to the blessing of being fruitful and having many children (“Your children will be like olive shoots surrounding your table,” 128:3).

Find an olive tree and look at its base.

You will understand what every ancient familiar with the olive tree instinctively understood when he read this pasuk.

On a more esoteric level, look at Psalm 92, the psalm that we are most familiar with because of its inclusion in the Shabbat tefillot. It was also recited in the Beit Hamikdash. One of the verses states: “A righteous man will flourish like a date palm, like a cedar in the Lebanon he will grow tall” (92:13).

On one of the trails, a palm tree stands next to a cedar. Look at the two trees and see if the pasuk takes on new significance. There are many midrashim about the palm tree and its usefulness to mankind, and numerous signs all over the park highlight Biblical and rabbinic insights into the palm tree, called dekel in Hebrew.

One of my favorite spots in Neot

Kedumim is the sheep and goat Mishna, the Talmud, the Midrashim and the pen where visitors are invited to Mesora. It brings together Jews of Israel move the animals from point A to and Jews of the Diaspora to the Land of Ispoint B (must be arranged in adrael and her plants by connecting the days of vance). One quickly discovers that the Bible and the Mishna with the present shepherding is not simple! In the day . . . Past, present and future converge ancient world, being a shepherd with ancient landscapes to create a continuwas evidently the ideal training ous web expressing the essence of our lives, ground for leadership, as Avrain which the roots of the past are the growth ham, Moshe and David were all of the future. shepherds. And inevitably, one The root (shoresh) kuf, dalet, mem in walks away with a renewed sense Hebrew can be used to mean past (kedem) of understanding and awe with reor future (as in kadimahâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;forward). Neot gard to the Shepherd of all Kedumim brings the past to life with a mankind (Psalm 23). glimpse into the future of a thriving, viThere are four marked trails (A, brant and restored Eretz Yisrael.

B, C and D) with various themes The main entrance to Neot Kedumim is singled out in each of them. A delocated on Route 443, just west of Modiin. scriptive brochure of the trails can If you are traveling from Jerusalem or A model sukkah at Neot Kedumim, the Bibbe downloaded from the Neot KeModiin on 443, keep your eyes open for a lical Landscape Reserve, illustrating the indumim web site (www.neot-keduright turn off the main road. If you are comvalidity of a sukkah that is too tall. mim.org.il) or purchased at the gift ing from the west, you will have to drive shop. Trails range in length from past Neot Kedumim for a few extra kilome2.5 kilometers (about a mile and a half ) to 5 kilometers ters and return on the westbound lanes. Look for the signs (three miles). Be sure to bring a hat and plenty of water and that indicate the place to make the required 180-degree turn. allow ample time to look, smell, read, think and simply enjoy! Be prepared for a delightful and insightful visit into the landAnd finally, something very special for this time of year. scape of Eretz Yisrael as it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;kedem.â&#x20AC;? g In addition to groves of etrogim, dekel trees (lulavim), myrtle and willow (all of which are accompanied by numerous insightful signage), Neot Kedumim has constructed a trail of STILL JEWISH FAMILY OWNED AND sukkot based on the first perek of Masechet Sukkah enumerINDEPENDENTLY OPERATED ating kosher and non-kosher sukkot. The mishnah (1:1) tells us that a sukkah that is too tall is not valid; Neot Kedumim features such a sukkah. Likewise, a sukkah that is too short is invalid. Continue a few feet down the trail to one which your children will have to crawl into because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so close to the ground!

PROVIDER OF THE OU What does a sukkah on top of another sukkah look like (1:2)? There is an example of that too. What does a sukkah with a grapevine for schach look like (1:4)? How about a sukkah on a boat (2:3)? Take a look at the lake! For older chilFUNERAL dren, take a copy of the mishnah along with you. For younger PROGRAM children, there are many picture books and posters based on IN NEW YORK the mishnah. If you are at Neot Kedumim around Sukkot time, this is a trail not to be missed!

Designated picnic groves are on the grounds, so you might want to bring lunch with you. Of course, during the holiday of Sukkot there are also numerous kosher sukkot where you can eat.

In 1994, Dr. Nogah Hareuveni, who was a physicist, was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for his efforts in creatGRAVES AND INTERMENTS IN ISRAEL ing Neot Kedumim. The judges wrote: Neot Kedumim, the national Biblical Nature Reserve in Israel, near Ben Shemen Forest, is a unique phenomenon which fills a top priority national goal. It has created a framework which shows the nature and agriculture of the Land of Israel ([HFXWLYH 2IILFHV 4XHHQV %RXOHYDUG )RUHVW +LOOV 1< as it has been interwoven within our heritage: in the Bible, the

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 65

Standing with Israel at War How the Orthodox Union is helping our brethren in the Jewish State OU Israel Emergency Fund Provides Much-Needed Support and Relief

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ith war still being fought in Gaza at this writing, OU Israel is delivering urgently needed support to the traumatized children of Sderot, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Ofakim, Dimona, Yerucham and Beit Shemesh. OU Israel, which runs the yearround Oraita and Makom BaLev programs for disadvantaged youth, has been providing services 24/7 for children and adolescents in these communities since the war began. In addition to offering trauma workshops led by trained social workers, OU Israel sends teams of mental-health professionals to make home visits; offers respite to children with two-day retreats to the north and center of the country and offers ongoing activities and fun programming in its youth clubs, many of which double as shelters.

These initiatives, overseen by OU Israel Executive Director Rabbi Avi Berman, are being funded directly by the OU Israel Emergency Fund. Given more resources, the OU could expand its services, reaching even more children in need of post-trauma counseling. To support the OU Israel Emergency Fund, go to www.ou.org or visit www.ou.org/israel-emergency.

OU Mission to Israel

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n July, the OU brought over forty members of the American Jewish community to Israel on a four-day solidarity mission led by Executive Vice President, Emeritus Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb and Senior Managing Director Rabbi Steven Weil.

Participants spent Shabbat in Sderot with more than 250 Hesder yeshivah boys and 500 soldiers, officers and members of the counterintelligence unit. The mission met with the IDF’s engineering team that destroyed the tunnels in Gaza and with members of the elite Golani Brigade that lost seven soldiers to a rocket-propelled grenade attack days before.

Participants visited and even danced with wounded soldiers in Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva and Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. “The morale was extremely high,” Rabbi Weil said. “Soldiers were running out of the hospitals to rejoin their units as soon as they were able.”

When the mission participants arrived in Dimona and brought duffle bags full of toys and treats for the children and teens at the OU Israel youth clubs, it was as if the war had paused for two hours. The adolescents forgot about the endless missiles bombarding their city as their American guests received all of their attention.

Rabbi Weil, senior managing director of the OU, shaking hands with Rabbi Rafi Peretz, chief rabbi of the IDF, in Sderot. Photos by Abba Richman, unless indicated otherwise.

Inside the OU

OU mission participants at an army base near the Gaza border where the OU donated generators, supplies, clothing and food to soldiers.

“Fun Days” for Teens Part of the many OU Israel “Fun Days” for teens from the South, seventy teens from Sderot and Kiryat Gat visited Amuka and went horseback riding in the Birya Forest and kayaking on the Jordan River.

NCSY Rallies for Kidnapped Teens Initially, in the wake of the horrific kidnapping of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, NY NCSY quickly organized a rally on their behalf. More than 400 people attended.

Photo: Eli Gol

For more about the OU’s ongoing initiatives to support Israel, visit www.ou.org.

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After the News Cycle Moves On

By Steven Weil

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Rabbi Steven Weil is senior managing director of the Orthodox Union.

loved ones. They were survivors, but they suffered from a depression so bleak that they could not rebuild their lives.

We pay such meaningful tribute to victims who were killed, but this story reminds us that we cannot ignore the victims who survived but who suffer nonetheless.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating condition on the rise in the United States among veterans of the Vietnam War who are now entering retirement age. As long as these former soldiers worked, the ghosts and scars they carried within were kept at bay; they were busy and distracted. Now that they are retiring and have more time on their hands, they are finding it harder and harder to suppress the demons. What we are now beginning to see is the toll survivors of trauma must pay for the duration of their lives.

In our own communities, we deeply admire Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives, their families and communities. What we tend to overlook is that one-third of all survivors live below the poverty line and many still suffer from incapacitating nightmares seventy years later. They are the forgotten survivors, who, like the son and daughter of Rabbi Yishmael, found life post-Holocaust too great a burden to bear. It is our responsibility to make sure they are remembered and cared for.

We as a people were consumed with helping the victims of terror during the Intifada when each suicide attack made headlines. Now, thank God, the suicide bombs have been mostly prevented, and our attention has turned to more current crises. But there are still victims of terror who are quietly living with the aftermath; the families who have to wake up each morning and re-experience the pain of realizing that their loved one is gone; the injured who lost limbs, eyesight, hearing or who still carry ball bearings in their bodies; those who survived but are haunted by the fear, the blasts, the screams, the trauma that we can’t fathom. They survived, but their lives are no longer the same. It is our responsibility to make sure they are remembered and cared for.

Today we are focused on the families of the soldiers who have given their lives defending our people. We are there for them now with financial, political, emotional and spiritual support. Will we be there after the news cycle moves on, and another story captures the headlines? I hope and pray that we will.

Inside the OU

s I write this message at the end of July, our people are mourning the senseless loss of three innocent teenagers kidnapped and murdered by vicious terrorists. As of today, sixty-four of our brave soldiers have been killed defending Israel against Hamas’s endless barrage of rocket attacks. We do not have to recount tragedies of the past to mourn during these three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av. The pain is raw, the graves are fresh and the names, faces and stories of these young men whose lives have been cut short are our constant preoccupation. We have Tehillim gatherings, learn Torah in their memory, attend rallies, write checks and desperately attempt to raise awareness in a world that, at best, turns a deaf ear and at worst condemns Israel for the crimes committed by our sworn enemies.

I am fairly confident that a cease-fire will be negotiated.

I am concerned, however, about what will happen after the news cycle moves on. It is human nature that when the need is not as pressing, the prayer is not as fervent, the dollars are not as forthcoming, and we tend to ease out of crisis mode and forget that there are victims who can’t simply resume living life as they did before. Many are left, alone and forgotten, carrying the weight of the tragedy.

Consider the story told by the gemara in Gittin and the twenty-third Kinah about the son and daughter of Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol. These two young adults survived the Churban and were sold into captivity by the Romans.

Since they inherited their father’s good looks, their owners conspired to mate the two of them together and split the profits that would come from selling the beautiful offspring they would produce. All night long, locked in the same room together, each bemoaned his fate and the loss of dignity, purity and respect that once belonged to the family.

When the sun rose and they recognized each other, they embraced and cried until their souls left them.

Why do we recall a story of survivors on Tisha B’Av when we are supposed to be grieving those who perished?

This young man and woman did not die “al Kiddush Hashem”; they survived. But we tell their story so that we can remember that they were victims too. Yes, they did survive the Churban, but it was an unimaginable war and they witnessed the death, destruction and suffering of their

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Celebrating a Decade of Inspiration at UCLA

By Michael Orbach

T

Inside the OU

en years is a lifetime in college, but Rabbi Aryeh and Sharona Kaplan aren’t going anywhere.

The Kaplans, the longest-serving couple at the Heshe & Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC), have been at University of California, Los Angeles, for a decade and their achievement was celebrated at the OU West Coast Annual Awards Banquet this past June.

“Someone once told me that staying in college keeps you sharp—intellectually, socially and physically—and we’re trying to buy into that theory,” laughs Sharona.

The Kaplans, who arrived back in 2004, are part of the Orthodox Union’s JLIC program. Founded in 2001, the program places Orthodox couples on secular college campuses to help Orthodox students navigate college life while balancing their Jewish commitments.

Aryeh had been studying for semichah at Yeshiva University and Sharona had just received her degree in social work when they became the new JLIC couple at UCLA, which has a relatively large Jewish population.

The first thing the Kaplans did when they got to UCLA was institute Shabbat and holiday lunches, which allowed them to build a core group of dedicated college students.

The importance of that small group was something the couple had learned during their time with New Jersey NCSY, where they first met.

“We had a solid group of friends and we were doing worthwhile things,” Sharona explains. “It shaped us. I credit NCSY and its summer programs. They were a part of our lives

Michael Orbach is a staff writer at the OU.

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Rabbi Aryeh and Sharona Kaplan celebrate ten years as the JLIC couple at UCLA. From left to right: Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, director of OU West Coast; Rabbi Menachem Schrader, founding director of JLIC; Sharona Kaplan; Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, executive director of UCLA-Hillel; Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan; Dr. Steven Tabak, president of OU West Coast; Martin Nachimson, OU president.

Photo: Lew Groner Photography

and shaped our career choices. They invested in us and empowered us.”

From Shabbat meals, the couple gradually expanded into other programming, including a dizzying array of lectures and activities for students on campus. (Their most popular activity is still “Pizza and Parsha,” which brings in speakers from the larger L.A. Jewish community.) Along the way, Sharona and Aryeh witnessed their first students graduate and marry and a new crop of students take their place.

The Kaplans have four children: Shalva, nine; Barak, seven; Rivky, five and Yakir, four. “[The Kaplans] capture the quintessence of what the program is about, with their passion, sincerity, overwhelming warmth and concern for the students and substantive approach to Jewish ideas and values,” says Rabbi Ilan Haber, national director of JLIC. “In the Modern Orthodox community, the mantra is ‘I hope they survive’ secular college,” explains Aryeh.

“We’re trying to change that. It’s not about surviving; it’s about thriving.”

JLIC Campuses Binghamton University Brandeis University Brooklyn College Columbia University /Barnard College Cornell University Drexel University Johns Hopkins University McGill University New York University Princeton University Queens College Rutgers University UCLA University of Guelph University of Illinois University of Maryland University of Massachusetts University of Pennsylvania University of Wisconsin Yale University York/University of Toronto

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Assembly members Phil Goldfeder and Helene Weinstein ( front, center) meet with a delegation of students with special needs and parents during the OU Advocacy-Yachad Mission to Albany.

Yachad Joins OU Advocacy in Fight for Special Education

By Michael Orbach

A

Inside the OU

fter years of lawsuits, emotional strain and financial hardship, things are finally going to change for parents of special-needs children in New York.

In June, Yachad/The National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD) partnered with OU Advocacy-Teach NYS to launch the first-ever Jewish special-needs mission to New York’s capital. Yachad is the only Jewish organization promoting Inclusion for children and adults with disabilities in the broader Jewish community. The mission, part of a coordinated push between OU Advocacy-Teach NYS, Agudath Israel of America and the New York Catholic Conference, was an attempt to show legislators the plight of Jewish special-needs students in the New York area.

According to federal law, if parents of special-needs children believe that a child’s needs are not being met, they are entitled to enroll their children in a nonpublic school at the cost of the school district. However, according to activists, the Department of Education has fought the law tooth and nail.

“The New York City Department of Education has, in recent years, hired armies of attorneys in order to challenge every single Individualized Education Program that recommended placement in nonpublic schools,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, international director of Yachad/NJCD. “The city set its sights on our children’s Michael Orbach is a staff writer at the OU.

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placements and diagnoses simply because we, as parents, chose to educate our children in private schools.”

This changed in June thanks to OU Advocacy’s lobbying efforts with New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing changes to the current system.

“Every child in this city deserves a quality education,” Mayor de Blasio said during the press conference. “But for years, parents of children with special needs have had to wait for the city

to settle legitimate claims for tuition reimbursement. Today, we are turning the page, making changes that will ease the burden on these parents.”

Key changes include expediting decisions about settling cases within fifteen days, making tuition payments to parents on a monthly basis, providing a payment schedule to parents, reducing paperwork by only requiring parents to submit full documentation every three years and refraining from relitigating settled or decided cases, unless there is a change in the student’s Individualized Education Program.

“We learn two lessons from this successful advocacy effort,” says Jeff Leb, New York State director of political affairs for OU Advocacy-Teach NYS. “The first is that change can happen, even if it takes longer than expected. The second is that change occurs when allies unite. The agreement is a lesson in cooperative government combined with passionate and unwavering advocacy. And the result is a win for the New York City specialneeds community.”

High-Level OU Advocacy in Washington Since assuming the post of the Orthodox Union’s executive vice president in April, Allen Fagin traveled to Washington, D.C., four times for high-level OU Advocacy meetings.

In early June, Allen joined OU Advocacy Executive Director Nathan Diament for meetings with key congressional leaders including then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va), House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (Md), Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo) as well as key White House officials.

Just a few weeks later, Allen returned to the White House to join fellow Jewish organizational leaders in a joint meeting with President Barack Obama and Israel’s former President Shimon Peres in honor of President Peres’ final visit to Washington before the conclusion of his term in office.

In late July, Allen made two visits to Washington with OU President Marty Nachimson for another round of meetings with national policymakers. Taking place in the midst of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, the meetings provided a critical opportunity for the OU leaders to voice strong support for Israel’s efforts to neutralize Hamas’ rockets.

The OU leaders joined other Jewish leaders for a meeting with more than twenty Democratic members of the U.S. Senate. They discussed the resurgence of global anti-Semitism, and were assured of the senators’ commitment to help combat this ancient scourge. They then met privately with key U.S. Senators including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and Senators Ted Cruz (R-Tx) and Ben Cardin (D-Md). Afterward, the OU leaders had a lengthy meeting with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.

Looking Back at a Year of Advocacy For Jewish Families Across the Nation, OU Advocacy Made a Difference

By Roslyn Singer

F

In New York, OU Advocacy-Teach NYS’ missions to Albany and the “Schools in Session” program, bringing state senators and assembly members to visit local Jewish day schools, showed policymakers the importance of Jewish education and the challenges of tuition affordability.

When New York’s budget was approved, it included an unprecedented amount of funding for nonpublic schools.

In addition, a joint OU Advocacy-Teach NYS and Yachad Mission to Albany for the special education bill helped shepherd through sweeping changes at the New York City Department of Education for families of children with special needs.

In Pennsylvania, an OU Advocacy-organized lobbying day brought 300 Jewish community members from across the Commonwealth to Harrisburg to advocate for crucial security legislation and tax credit programs for nonpublic schools. For some Pennsylvania Jewish day schools, the tax credit programs provide as many as 40 percent of their students with scholarships. The bills were approved in early July.

“Having access to the security grant will allow us to sleep a little easier at night knowing that we are doing our best to keep our children safe,” says Besie Katz, principal of Politz Hebrew Academy in Philadelphia.

OU Advocacy efforts in Florida and Maryland saw simiRoslyn Singer is the director of communications, OU Advocacy. lar success. A joint mission to Tallahassee organized by OU Advocacy and the Jewish Leadership Coalition (JLC) led to an expanded school choice bill that included features proposed by the OU and the JLC. In June, more than 500 members of Maryland’s Jewish community attended OU Advocacy’s inaugural legislative breakfast to discuss educational affordability with fifty elected officials and candidates running for office. This activism led to the first-ever busing program for Jewish day schools in Montgomery County, Maryland.

On the federal level, OU Advocacy works to ensure the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grants Program remains funded. Spearheaded by the OU eight years ago, the program has delivered more than $110 million to Jewish and other nonprofit organizations.

“Wherever we advocate, the big takeaway we get from elected officials is that they need our voices,” explains Maury Litwack, director of OU Advocacy’s state OU Executive Vice President Allen Fagin ( front row, fourth from the right) joined other political affairs. “We can make a difference Jewish community leaders for a meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House this for Jewish day schools.” or Rena Klein, of Edison, New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie’s approval of the state budget—which included increased funding for technology and nursing aid for nonpublic schools—was a lesson in how advocacy has impact.

Klein participated in one of several missions to Trenton arranged by OU Advocacy’s New Jersey team.

Klein’s daughter, who has diabetes, attends a school without a full-time nurse. Additional state funding would allow many nonpublic schools to employ full-time nurses.

“It was so important to express to my legislators that having full-time nursing in every school—public or private—is really an issue of fairness,” Klein says.

“The state legislature’s approval of increased nursing aid for nonpublic schools demonstrated how my voice and the voice of the Jewish day school community can influence our legislators and make an impact on our lives,” she adds.

OU Advocacy has pursued similar opportunities for Jewish communities in several other states as well. Each of these states passed legislation providing millions of dollars of funding for Jewish education.

“Whether in state capitals or in Washington DC, we are proud of our track record of tangible successes for our community,” says Nathan Diament, executive director of OU Advocacy.

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Inside the OU

past June with President Barack Obama and Israel’s former President Shimon Peres.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza

War in Israel, But NCSY Summer Programs Carry On NCSY SUMMER PROGRAMS IN THE US, Israel and abroad have consistently promised and delivered the “best summer ever” for thousands of grateful teens. This year was no exception—despite the fact that eight out of our twelve summer programs were based in Israel when the war in Gaza broke out.

Thanks to the Herculean efforts of David Cutler, director of NCSY summer programs and finances, and the rest of the incredible NCSY summer program staff, programs were relocated to Israel’s north. Itineraries Girls participating in NCSY’s GIVE program, a five-week Israel summer program where changed, literally overnight, to ensure high-school girls experience hands-on Judaism through chesed. Photo: Benji Cheirif that the 535 teens were safe and secure while still getting the “Israel experishivah calls to families of those who fell in battle. “They ence.” Virtually all participants remained with their procreated stronger bonds with each other because of the difgrams, despite parents’ understandable concerns. Two ficult situation,” said one mother with two teens in the programs canceled plans to travel to Israel, for logistical programs. reasons—The Anne Samson The Jerusalem Journey (TJJ) Yachad’s flagship Yad B’Yad program, which takes was rerouted to a tour of the West Coast, and Europe ICE mainstream high school students together with young extended its stay in Europe. But eight programs already in adults with special needs on a tour of Israel, also made alIsrael or traveling from Europe, including NCSY Kollel ternate plans for logistical reasons. In a matter of days, its and Michlelet, relocated to the north. Some of the dediremarkable staff pulled together a phenomenal West Coast cated rebbeim and faculty periodically traveled three-andtour, replete with Salt River tubing and a visit to the Grand a-half hours, each way! Even with the war in the Canyon. Yachad/NJCD, the largest provider of Jewish background, teens kept up a full touring schedule: boating camping opportunities for individuals with disabilities, ofon the Kineret, visiting waterparks and hiking in Ein Gedi, fers seventeen camping programs. but they also made camouflage tzitzit for the chayalim, The OU’s Israel Free Spirit Taglit-Birthright Israel ran dedicated their learning to individual soldiers and made its full range of trips, most with few cancellations.

Strengthening Marriages — One Weekend at a Time

By Adina Schwarzbaum

S

Inside the OU

everal years ago, the leadership of the Orthodox Union asked: how could the OU help strengthen Orthodox marriages in the face of rising divorce rates?

In response, the OU’s Marriage Enrichment Retreat was born. Designed to be, in a sense, “preventative care,” the weekend, held annually in June, helps couples gain the necessary skills to make a good marriage even better. This approach clearly works; every year the retreat fills up quickly and waiting lists are getting longer and longer.

More than 100 couples attended this year’s retreat, held at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton in New Jersey.

Adina Schwarzbaum is the administrative assistant in the OU Department of Community Engagement.

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It is easy to spot the repeat customers. They are the couples who know what’s in store and are excited about the weekend ahead. They come with high expectations, as they remember the outstanding speakers, fantastic food and sense of camaraderie among the group at previous retreats.

“We have been to three retreats already, but each time our expectations are exceeded,” wrote one couple about the retreat.

Topics addressed include parenting, conflict resolution, intimacy and navigating in-law relationships.

The marriage retreat has now become a staple for many couples who see the weekend as a unique opportunity to relax, reconnect and reinvigorate their marriage.

NEW BOOKS FROM Headlines: A Halachic Debate of Current Events

By Dovid Lichtenstein OU Press

Letters from Mir: A Torah World in the Shadow of the Shoah

By Ernest Gugenheim Edited by Claude-Annie Gugenheim and Martine Bendavid OU Press In 1938, Ernest Gugenheim, a young French rabbi, arrived in the shtetl of Mir, coming from across a continent and a cultural barrier to study in the Mir Yeshiva.

This book, comprised of the letters Rabbi Gugenheim wrote home to his family and friends, allows us a rare glimpse of a world that was.

Rabbi Gugenheim’s letters are spellbinding; engaging and humorous, they bring the readers into his experiences with the warmth, intimacy and honesty of family correspondence. The book is filled with vignettes which capture the perspective of a Westerner newly confronting the Eastern European world. In his first letter home, he describes his initial encounter with the Mir beit midrash:

Now, make a small effort of imagination to conjure up what is to follow: It is ten-thirty in the evening, and we approach the yeshiva. We first hear from outside a chanting sound, or rather it is louder than chanting, but really this is nothing as yet. We enter, and, lo, an immense room, truly immense, and inside there are let us say fifty to a hundred fellows, masmidim, who sing, who shout, who move and shake in a frenzy that delights and frightens you at the same time. [This] was only a small portion of the students present because it was not the time of the lehrnen; what will it be like when everyone is here?

In addition to his lyrical descriptions of yeshivah life, the letters contain accounts of daily life in Mir, where the poverty of the residents stood in stark contrast to the living conditions of the relatively affluent foreign students.

Life was not totally gloomy, however. One letter describes the efforts of the local girls to be noticed by the yeshivah boys: Every day, and especially on Shabbos, the “Jewlettes” stroll along the “main street” in the latest fashions (of Mir, to be sure), but in colors altogether exotic, yellow, green, red, and that can be seen from a distance. They are capable of strolling in this way 50 or 100 or 1000 times on a Shabbos afternoon.

Rabbi Gugenheim served as a chaplain in the French army during World War II, was captured, and spent the war in a P.O.W. camp. He went on to become a prominent rabbinical leader of the French Jewish community.

Letters from Mir is a unique portrait of a fascinating individual and his times.

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Inside the OU

Orthodox Jews are no strangers to controversy.

Media attention, welcome or otherwise, is a regular feature of life for our community and provides rich material for debate and discussion, both in our real-life interactions as well as in our virtual ones. In these debates— whether the topic is a new technology previously unimagined or the proper course of action in a difficult situation—the question is often what halachah has to say about a given issue.

In Headlines, Dovid Lichtenstein, a successful businessman who is also an accomplished talmid chacham, uses these news items as a starting point for impressively researched halachic analyses of contemporary questions that have come to the forefront of discussion in our community and beyond.

Employing the classical yeshivah method of learning, combined with clear language and a broad range of sources, he finds relevant halachic analogues for new situations, often discovering original parallels to cases discussed in classic sources. The author’s approach moves us away from the pitfall of deciding contentious issues on the basis of passion alone. Instead, this book provides halachic sources and arguments as the basis for its conclusions. The reader may agree or disagree with the author’s conclusions, but the discussions will surely provide a helpful halachic framework for further consideration of the issues.

A small sample of issues discussed in this wide-ranging book: Is there an obligation to rescue people who ignored evacuation warnings during Hurricane

Sandy? Is one forbidden or obligated to report suspected child molesters?

How can we solve the problem of recalcitrant husbands and agunot?

What is the halachic status of lab-created beef?

In discussing these and many other issues, the author fulfills the vision he sets forth in his introduction for Torah Judaism which does not separate from the world but makes use of its wisdom to engage with it.

TheChef’sTable

By Norene Gilletz

It’s back-to-school time and harried parents everywhere are short on time! Easy, economical meals are ideal for time-starved families.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATLOAF Yields 8 servings Instead of rolling ground meat into meatballs, make meatloaf!

Same terrific taste, but half the work! Leftover meatloaf can be used in sandwiches and makes a perfect lunchbox addition.

2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground veal, chicken or turkey) 1 egg 1/4 cup bread crumbs or matzo meal 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon soy sauce Norene Gilletz is the author of nine cookbooks and divides her time between work as a food writer, culinary consultant, spokesperson, cooking instructor, lecturer and editor. Norene lives in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit her web site at www.gourmania.com or e-mail her at goodfood@gourmania.com.

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Spray an oblong ovenproof baking dish with nonstick spray.

Combine ground meat, egg, crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Mix lightly to combine.

Combine brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, water and soy sauce in another bowl and mix until blended.

Add 3/4 of sauce to meat mixture and mix until combined.

Divide meat mixture in half and shape into two loaves, about 8 x 3 inches each. Place loaves in prepared baking dish, not touching each other. Pour remaining sauce over and around loaves.

Bake uncovered at 400°F for 45 minutes, basting occasionally.

Slice and serve.

Note: Reheats and/or freezes well.

Variation: Top meat loaves with 1 sliced red bell pepper and 2 cups sliced mushrooms. Pour remaining sauce over and around loaves. Bake as directed above.

Short-Cut Spuds: Bake a batch of potatoes at the same time that you put the meat loaves in the oven. To ensure that the potatoes are ready at the same time, insert metal skewers through each potato; they’ll be done in half the time! Leftover spuds can be sliced and pan-fried.

SWEET POTATO SHEPHERD’S PIE Yields 8 servings This is sure to be a family favorite! You can make it with ground chicken, beef or veal—it’s truly versatile. If your family doesn’t like sweet potatoes, top the meat mixture with mashed potatoes mixed with well-browned onions. Serve with salad and green beans or peas.

Topping: 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Paprika, for garnish Meat Mixture: 2 medium onions, cut in chunks 1 cup baby carrots (about 12) 2 to 3 cloves garlic (1 to 2 teaspoons minced) 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 pounds lean ground chicken, beef or veal (or a combination) 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 egg 1/4 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce 1/3 cup matzo meal or dried bread crumbs Place sweet potatoes and water in a large microwaveable bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 18 to 20 minutes or until tender. (Or cook the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan on top of the stove for 20 minutes over high heat.)

Drain well. Add oil, salt and pepper and mash until very smooth. Set aside.

Sweet potato shepherd's pie Photos: Doug Gilletz

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a food processor using a steel blade, process onions, carrots and garlic until finely chopped, about 6 to 8 seconds.

Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add ground chicken and brown for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, basil, oregano, egg white, ketchup and matzo meal; mix well.

Spread meat mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.

Top with sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with paprika.

(Can be prepared in advance up to this point and refrigerated overnight.)

Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden. Cut into squares and serve.

Note: Reheats and/or freezes well.

GLAZED SESAME SALMON Yields 6 servings This fast and fabulous salmon dish is delicious either hot or cold. Leftovers can be used to make a casserole.

6 salmon fillets, with skin (6 to 8 ounces each) Glaze: 1/4 cup apricot jam 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon) 1 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 cup sesame seeds

Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Arrange salmon fillets in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

Combine jam, soy sauce, honey, mustard, sesame oil, garlic and basil in a small bowl. Mix well.

Spread glaze evenly on top of salmon. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Marinate salmon at room temperature for 30 minutes (or cover and refrigerate overnight).

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, until glazed and golden.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: Reheats and/or freezes well.

GLAZED SALMON WITH ROASTED PEPPERS Arrange salmon fillets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Scatter 2 sliced red bell peppers and 1 sliced red onion around salmon.

Make a double batch of glaze. Coat the salmon, onions and peppers with glaze.

Bake uncovered at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes.

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Wishing you and your family a healthy, happy, prosperous and sweet new year.

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and applesauce until light, about 2 to 3 minutes. (You can do this in an electric mixer or in your food processor using a steel blade.) Add grated carrots and mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and wheat germ, if using. Add to batter and mix just until flour disappears. Do not overmix.

Stir in raisins or chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool completely. If desired, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting (below).

CARROT MUFFINS Yields 18 muffins Prepare batter as directed above. Pour batter into sprayed or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

MINI MUFFINS Yields 4 dozen mini muffins Prepare batter as directed above. Pour into sprayed or paperlined mini muffin tins. Bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes.

SUPERMARKETS Stores located in CT, MA, NH, NY, PA & VT. To find a location near you, please visit www.pricechopper.com.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING Yields enough to frost a 9 x 13-inch cake (18 servings) This scrumptious frosting is a perfect partner for carrot cake.

For a dairy-free version, use Tofutti imitation cream cheese and pareve margarine.

MOIST AND LUSCIOUS CARROT CAKE

1/4 teaspoon salt

Yields 18 servings

1/2 cup (4 ounces) softened cream cheese (regular or light) or

This scrumptious, dairy-free carrot cake is low in fat and can also be made with half whole wheat flour or spelt. With applesauce as an ingredient, it is ideal for the High Holidays.

1/4 cup soft butter or pareve margarine

2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar

Tofutti imitation cream cheese

3 cups grated carrots (6 to 8 carrots) 2 eggs 1/4 cup oil 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 1/2 cups flour (I use half whole-wheat flour) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons wheat germ (optional) 1/2 cup raisins or miniature chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

Grate carrots, measure 3 cups and set aside. (A food processor does the job quickly, or you can buy packaged grated carrots to save time.)

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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process all ingredients until smooth, about 10 seconds.

Note: Freezes well.

Copyright ©Norene Gilletz, June 12, 2014.

Moist and luscious carrot muffins

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KosherKopy

By Y. Dov Krakowski

While shemittah (the Sabbatical year of the land) has unfortunately become a hot political topic in modern-day Israel, it is important to remember that shemittah is actually a mitzvah with its own set of halachot. It is especially vital for the American tourist or student who will be spending the year in Israel learning in yeshivah or seminary to get a firm grasp of the mitzvah and its practical applications.

Rabbi Y. Dov Krakowski is rabbinic coordinator for OU Kosher, Israel. He served as rabbi of Kehillas Torah Veâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Chessed in Nachlaot Yerushalayim and currently serves as an official posek in Shaarei Chessed, a neighborhood in Jerusalem.

Photos courtesy of Keren Hashviis

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Which activities are forbidden during the shemittah year?

During shemittah, it is Biblically prohibited for a Jew to sow, plant or prune the produce of the Land as well as to harvest it. The rabbis went a step further and forbade any working of the land as well (such as fertilizing, et cetera). In order to enforce the prohibition against sowing and planting, Chazal forbade the consumption of anything that was sown or planted in the shemittah year. To avoid false claims of incidental sprouting, Chazal also forbade the consumption of all annual plants (i.e., plants that must be planted each year, such as most vegetables) that sprouted during the Sabbatical year, even if they sprouted on their own. Plants that are forbidden to be eaten during shemittah are called sfichin.

Plants that need not be replanted every year (known as perennials), such as trees, take time to mature and do not bear fruit for some time after planting.

They therefore are not suspected of having been planted during shemittah.

Thus, fruits that grow during the shemittah year can be consumed as they are not considered sfichin.

Interestingly, while shemittah is a Biblical commandment, nowadays (according to most opinions, including that of the Shulchan Aruch), it is considered a rabbinic mitzvah. The Biblical obligation is only in effect when a majority of the Jewish people live in the Land of Israel. Additionally, some authorities are of the opinion that shemittah only has the status of a Biblical commandment when there is a functioning Sanhedrin, authoritative court in Jerusalem.

The reward for allowing the land to lie fallow is abundance. God promises that if we allow the Land to rest, then the sixth year will produce enough food for three years—the sixth year itself, the seventh year (which is shemittah) and the eighth year, while waiting for the newly planted crops to grow (Leviticus 25:20-22).

Information in boxes provided by Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, Torah content editor for the OU.

Which activities are permitted during shemittah?

As mentioned above, the rabbis prohibited any working of the land. Nonetheless, it is permissible to perform activities to save a plant or tree from dying. Therefore, one is permitted to water his lawn. In order to make it obvious that one is watering just to ensure that the grass doesn’t die, he shouldn’t water it frequently. When one does water it, he can use as much water as he would like. One should not, however, use fertilizer, as the purpose of fertilizer is not to keep the grass from dying but to enhance its growth.

While one cannot prune his plants, he can trim them so that they don’t get in the way. One can also mow one’s lawn when the grass gets overly long.

What is kedushat shevi’it?

The Torah mandates that all produce that grows by itself, that is, produce that grows without cultivation during the shemittah year, must be declared ownerless. (This produce is known as “shemittah produce.”) Moreover, anyone can take what he or she needs from another’s shemittah produce.

Produce grown on Jewish-owned

The Torah specifically links our dwelling securely in the Land to the observance of shemittah (Leviticus 25:18).

land during shemittah, intentionally or not, has kedushah (holiness) and is considered kedushat shevi’it. This is because the shemittah year is sanctified to Hashem.

The Torah prohibits harvesting produce during shemittah. Nonetheless, since the Torah tells us that the shemittah produce that we are permitted to consume (the products of perennial plants such as fruits) is l’achlah—to be eaten—one is permitted to harvest enough for oneself and one’s family to eat in the near future. In ancient times, Jews who lived in Eretz Yisrael would actually take advantage of shemittah, and take produce from all the fields and vineyards. Nowadays, however, this benefit of shemittah is nearly obsolete, primarily because most of us live in cities where we rely on retailers to obtain fruits and vegetables. As mentioned, the Torah states that the shemittah produce is to be eaten. The rabbis understood this to mean that we cannot do anything with shemittah produce other than consume it.

How should one obtain fruits and vegetables during the shemittah year?

Since for the modern consumer in Israel going from field to field and picking fruits and vegetables isn’t a realistic option, there are various halachically approved ways to buy produce during the shemittah year. In this article, we will concentrate on the more popular options.

What is heter mechirah?

In the nineteenth century, when Jews began resettling the land in significant numbers, the population was on the verge of starving. Due to the dire situation, many prominent rabbinic leaders endorsed what is known as heter mechirah, which permits the sale of Jewish-owned land to non-Jews for

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the duration of the shemittah year. According to many opinions, produce grown on land owned by a nonJew does not have kedushat shevi’it. While this system bypasses many of the hardships posed by shemittah, executing a valid land sale to a non-Jew for a year is no simple matter from a halachic standpoint. Many rabbinic authorities feel that heter mechirah should only be used if there are no other options.

Another concern raised by the heter mechirah is that Jews are not supposed to sell land in Eretz Yisrael to non-Jews (Avodah Zarah 20a). Various heteirim can be applied here. Many believe that while one is not permitted to sell land in Eretz Yisrael to a non-Jew, if the sale ultimately helps yishuv Eretz Yisrael—Jewish settlement in Israel—it is permissible. Another solution endorsed by many rabbinic figures, including Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, is leasing, instead of selling, the land for a year. It is somewhat unclear, however, if produce grown on land leased to a non-Jew but owned by a Jew has kedushat shevi’it.

Yet another complication is that the farmer not only has to sell the land, he also needs to hire nonJewish workers to perform the prohibited activities.

However, some rabbinic authorities permit Jewish farmers to engage in rabbinically prohibited activities on non-Jewish owned land. Since there are various problems associated with the heter mechirah, many prefer not to rely on it.

What is the otzar beit din system?

While many of the approaches to circumventing the difficulties posed by shemittah are convenient, the majority of them do not afford us the opportunity to eat shemittah produce, which, as we mentioned earlier, is sanctified with kedushat shevi’it. (One should actually relish consuming shemittah produce because it is holy.) What’s unique about the otzar beit din option is that it does provide the opportunity to eat shemittah produce.

Essentially, otzar beit din is a distribution system run by a rabbinic court. Here’s how it works: the beit din hires the farmers themselves as its agents to tend to and harvest the crops. Farmers are hired to engage only in activities that are permitted during the shemittah year, as explained earlier. (Hence, they are allowed to water the trees to ensure that they don’t die and they can pick the fruit. But they cannot fertilize the tree to enhance its growth, for example.)

The beit din appoints middle men to distribute the produce. While the beit din is not permitted to make a profit off these fruit, it can set a price that will cover the expenses involved in executing the aforementioned, paying the farmers and the middle men a fee.

This system is an excellent option when properly organized and supervised. Since produce sold in the otzar beit din systems have kedushat shevi’it, special care must be taken to ensure that the farmers do not perform any of the prohibited activities in the fields in order to reap a bountiful harvest. Additionally,

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The Smart Shemittah Shopper • Try to buy fruits and vegetables that have a reliable hechsher (kosher certification).

• For Sukkot 5776 (2015), bear in mind that it is best not to buy etrogim from Israel because most of them will have kedushat shevi’it. If one does purchase an Israeli etrog, he should send it back to Eretz Yisrael after shemittah. (Etrogim are only subject to the shemittah laws in 2015 because most fruit, especially citrus fruits, grow primarily a year before they are harvested. Thus, etrogim used this year—2014—grew for the most part last year, prior to shemittah.)

• Shemittah sanctification starts at different points in time for different fruits and vegetables.

Bear in mind that from the beginning of shemittah until two-thirds of a year has passed after shemittah, certain fruits and vegetables may still be subject to the laws of shemittah.

• When eating out, know the particular approach to shemittah adhered to by the establishment. A food service establishment cannot use shemittah-sanctified produce as 1. It is not permitted to make a profit off kedushat shevi’it; 2. It is very difficult for such establishments to deal with leftovers, et cetera.

• Wine lovers take note: 2015 vintage will be affected by shemittah. If the wine was produced with grapes grown under the heter mechirah, one can purchase it if he abides by the heter. If the wine is shemittah produce distributed via the otzar beit din certification, better not to buy it. If one ends up with either wine accidentally, according to many opinions there is no problem consuming it.

• The OU does not certify produce grown under the heter mechirah. The OU does not use any ingredients in its products that are sanctified as kedushat shevi’it because such products cannot be exported. All OU-certified products use either pre-shemittah produce, produce grown outside of the halachic boundaries of Israel or produce grown by non-Jews, known as yevul nochri (Gentile produce).

The OU does not view produce grown by non-Jews on non-Jewish owned land in Israel as having kedushat shevi’it.

• It is worthwhile to consult with a rav before making a decision not to eat in the home of an individual who may have different shemittah standards than you. Most likely, that approach is halachically sound, but you may simply have chosen to be more stringent. In general, one should not adhere to stringencies if it results in insulting or hurting another person.

prices and selling conditions must be tightly controlled by the beit din.

What is matza menutak?

Kedushat shevi’it and shemittah prohibitions don’t apply to plants that are grown indoors (in pots or containers without holes in the bottom). Consequently, various techniques of mass growing in specially made greenhouses have become another popular way to circumvent the laws of shemittah.

Known as matza menutak, literally, detached platform, this technique entails growing produce detached from the ground—such as in hot houses with thick plastic sheeting separating the vegetables from the soil. As this heter is somewhat more complex, it is very important that it be supervised by a reliable rabbi.

Where do the laws of shemittah apply?

The laws of shemittah only apply in halachic Israel. Thus, shemittah isn’t necessarily applicable to all parts of modern-day Israel. Eilat, for example, isn’t part of halachic Israel and therefore one may plant, grow and harvest produce there during shemittah.

Is all produce grown in Eretz Yisrael during the shemittah year regarded as kedushat shevi’it?

Depends. All produce grown on Jewishowned land in Eretz Yisrael during shemittah qualifies as shemittah produce. Whether or not produce grown on land owned by a non-Jew in Eretz Yisrael has the status of kedushat shevi’it is a matter of controversy. Since many halachic authorities maintain that non-Jewish produce doesn’t have kedushat shevi’it, purchasing non-Jewish produce is another option.

How is one supposed to treat fruit with the status of kedushat shevi’it?

Because of its special status, shemittah produce must be treated with respect.

Such produce cannot be wasted. Edible leftovers, including the edible peels of produce such as apples and cucumbers, cannot be discarded. Avocado and kiwi peels, on the other hand, which are inedible, may be discarded. Leftovers that cannot be discarded should be left to rot first and only afterward may they be thrown away. More lenient opinions state that such leftovers can be double wrapped and then thrown away.

Another restriction on shemittah produce is that one cannot cook an item that is usually eaten raw (an orange) or eat an item that is usually cooked in its raw form (a potato). Some halachic authorities allow produce that is often eaten raw but sometimes cooked, like an apple, to be consumed in either form.

It is important to remember that one may not purchase shemittah produce.

When shemittah produce is purchased, the money that was used in the transaction attains a sanctified status as well.

This “sanctified money” may not be used for any other purchases.

Moreover, shemittah produce cannot be taken out of Eretz Yisrael. That means that if you buy a bottle of otzar beit din wine, it will have the status of kedushat shevi’it. Make sure to drink it in Israel and not bring it home with you to Chutz La’Aretz. (However, if you mistakenly bring it to Chutz La’Aretz, you may still drink it.)

This year, after Rosh Hashanah 5775, try to visit Eretz Yisrael and partake of the privilege of eating kedushat shevi’it— sanctified food from the Land of Israel. g

Listen to Rabbi Dov Krakowski discuss the intricacies of shemittah at www.ou.org/life/food/savitskykrakowski.

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S PIRITUAL S IGNIF ICANCE of S HEMITTAH The

BY TZ VI HERS H WEINREB

W

hy would the Torah dictate such a challenging set of laws, requiring that landowners relinquish their land and neither plant nor reap for an entire year? Many great sages have asked this question and have offered a variety of answers.

The Rambam offers two very different reasons for shemittah. Firstly, that shemittah is but another manifestation of the Torah’s concern for the welfare of the poor. The farmer relinquishes ownership of his land, thereby allowing the destitute to freely partake of his crops. Secondly, the Rambam suggests that letting the land lie fallow is agriculturally beneficial, for it results in the land rejuvenating itself. Thus, to the Rambam, there is a pragmatic aspect to shemittah—the land itself benefits—but there is also a moral/ethical aspect as the needy benefit as well.

The medieval author of Sefer Hachinuch offers several reasons: by observing shemittah, one de-emphasizes his attachment to materialism, enabling one to eradicate within himself the negative character traits of stinginess, possessiveness and selfishness. The farmer

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is executive vice president, emeritus of the Orthodox Union.

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Six years shall you sow your land and gather in its produce. And in the seventh, you shall leave it untended and unharvested, and the destitute of your people shall eat, and the wildlife of the field shall eat what is left; so shall you do to your vineyard and your olive grove (Exodus 23:10-11).

Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: ‘When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall observe a Sabbath rest for Hashem. For six years you may sow your field and for six years you may prune your vineyard; and you may gather in its crop. But the seventh year shall be a complete rest for the land, a Sabbath for Hashem; your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune. The aftergrowth of your harvest you shall not reap and the grapes you had set aside for yourself you shall not pick; it shall be a year of rest for the land. The Sabbath produce of the land shall be yours to eat, for you, for your slave, and for your maidservant; and for your laborer and for your resident who dwell with you. And for your animal and for the beast that is in your land shall all its crop be to eat’” (Leviticus 25:1-7).

If you will say: What will we eat in the seventh year?—behold! we will not sow and not gather in our crops! I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop sufficient for the three-year period.

You will sow in the eighth year, but you will eat from the old crop; until the ninth year, until the arrival of its crop, you will eat the old (Leviticus 25:20-22).

(Translations from the ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach)

Rav Kook sees the shemittah year as a time when the Divine light can shine in all its glory, when society as a whole can experience a spiritual rejuvenation. comes to realize that God is the ultimate Master of the Universe, and that he is not even the master of his own land. Furthermore, when one observes the laws of shemittah, it helps cultivate bitachon, trust in God. Rav Kook, who lived well into the twentieth century, sees shemittah as an antidote to the ills of modern society.

He contends that just as an individual needs Shabbat to remove himself from mundane pursuits once in seven days, so too does the nation require a set time once in seven years to renew itself spiritually. In fact, many farmers today use the shemittah year for what it was originally intended—they return to the beit midrash. Rav Kook sees the shemittah year as a time when the Divine light can shine in all its glory, when so-

ciety as a whole can experience a spiritual rejuvenation. Indeed, shemittah and its lessons are no less germane today than they were 2,000 years ago.

Shemittah has many purposes, some of which are pragmatic, others that are profound. Perhaps the purpose of this mitzvah differs throughout different times in history, so that each generation requires shemittah for reasons specific to that age. Shemittah helps the earth renew and nourish itself, and amends the unfair distribution of wealth. It cultivates a spirit of generosity and prevents an attitude of self-sufficiency and arrogance, both of which are antithetical to spirituality. It encourages trust in God and brings one closer to Him. Finally, it provides a counterbalance to the struggles and

This year 3,000 farmers will be keeping shemittah, according to Keren Hashviis, a worldwide organization dedicated to promoting the observance of shemittah. Keren Havshviis provides a small stipend to these farmers. Even with the stipend, the farmers’ incomes are significantly lower than when they are operating their farms. Adhering to this mitzvah requires an extraordinary level of mesirut nefesh. Indeed, the midrash refers to those who give up a full year’s livelihood for the sake of shemittah as “giborei koach.”

anxieties that pervade modern economic societies.

Shemittah is not just a set of arbitrary laws and demands. It provides an opportunity for the improvement of society and improvement of the self. g

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Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 83

Books With Rosh Hashanah approaching, we asked leading thinkers and educators to share with us their favorite books or seforim they rely on to help prepare for the holiness and awe of the day.

Readings for the Yamim

Charlie Harary

Allison Josephs

As told to Bayla Sheva Brenner

As told to Bayla Sheva Brenner

W

hat inspires me the most are different pieces from modern-day ba’alei machshavah that focus on the greatness of man. They emphasize that the Yamim Noraim is less of a time for us to feel terrible about ourselves and more of a time to recognize the inner greatness that is within us and how to tap into that—less fear and more awe.

I read Nesivos Shalom by Rabbi Sholom Noach Berezovsky, the Slonimer Rebbe. I actually keep a quote from the sefer in my pocket throughout the holiday. It changes the way one views the three books that are opened at this time. There’s the Book of Life, into which the righteous are automatically entered; the Book of Death, into which the wicked are automatically entered and the book in which the beinonim (neither completely wicked nor completely righteous) are inscribed until they’re judged on Yom Kippur.

If the ultimate goal is just to be a beinoni, that’s not very motivating for me.

Continued on p. 86

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M

y youngest is three-and-a-half.

At this stage in my life, I don’t have the mindspace or time to work on a Ramban with a chavruta. For young moms, chronically chasing after children and lacking sleep doesn’t leave you much time [to learn]. You often wonder, “Where am I holding spiritually?” [One needs to remember that] this is a stage. You are doing what you need to be doing right now.

My favorite approach is when an author takes a lot of different sources and shows how there is an overriding unexpected theme, one that you hadn’t looked at before. A book that I’ve wanted to get to for a while—written by one of my teachers—is Rabbi Ari Kahn’s Emanations: In-depth analysis of the Jewish holidays through the prism of rabbinic perspective (Jerusalem, 2002). He brings in Midrashic, aggadic and mystical sources with deep and beautiful ideas on the holidays.

I also enjoy learning from AlephBeta.org, an innovative online JewContinued on p. 86

Yitzchok Adlerstein

I

f procrastination is a sin, then writing this piece is just going to increase my teshuvah debt by the time you read this. I can’t decide what to learn! Here’s my dilemma: I just don’t respond well to much of contemporary musar. That’s not a good thing. I’m jealous of those who can listen to presentations and walk away feeling genuinely inspired. My training, personality and history of encounters with giants of the previous generation all conspire against my reacting the same way. Unless a musar talk contains some creativity or genuine new insight, it leaves me flat. In self-defense, I will point to the introduction to Rav Kook’s Ein Ayah, which openly makes the claim that people really involved in learning are often dismissive of musar aimed solely at pulling on the heartstrings. Their cerebral nature demands that it engage and exercise the brain as well.

That leaves me with two choices.

I can go to classics of the Rishonim (medieval commentators), because the profundity, precision and brevity Continued on p. 86

Bayla Sheva Brenner is senior writer in the OU Communications and Marketing Department.

Noraim Leah Kohn As told to Bayla Sheva Brenner

Rachel Cohen

S

Daniel Lapin

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hortly before Rosh Hashanah last year, a friend showed me a bound volume and proudly exclaimed, “My son wrote this book!”

He did what? He was only eighteen when he wrote it. A family friend had passed away, and he decided to memorialize the man’s qualities.

Never mind that he had never published anything before; he had an idea and took action. He typed it up, had it edited and printed. I was impressed, and wondered what was stopping me from acting on some of my ambitions. If a teenager could write a book, what else could I accomplish?

During the Yamim Noraim, we focus intensely on defining our potential, but I’ve always found it difficult to concretize that vision once the holidays are over. On a deeper level, these are lofty days when we’re in the spiritual world of thought—we’re even compared to angels as Neilah closes—and the challenge is moving from the abstract “world of thought” into the physical “world of action.” So how

t is all too easy during the awefilled days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to become utterly overwhelmed with remorse. And this is surely how it should be. However, intense atonement and self-evaluation can evoke such profound embarrassment at one’s weaknesses and failures that self-improvement can tip over into self-loathing. Then, what should be an uplifting and positive experience deteriorates into an almost unbearable ordeal. Many who have abandoned Judaism recall their High Holiday experiences with revulsion.

Yet, there is more to this period.

During the forty days from the seventeenth of Tammuz until the end of Av, Moshe Rabbeinu interceded with Hashem for the Jewish people in the wake of the tragedy of the Golden Calf. During the subsequent forty days, from the start of Elul until the tenth day of Tishrei, Moshe Rabbeinu wrote the second set of tablets which were finally presented to us on Yom Kippur. This makes it a little easier to understand

Continued on p. 86

Continued on p. 88

A

s a teacher, I spend a lot of time preparing for classes; it’s also my private preparation for the Yamim Noraim. I have to go through many books until I find what I feel will be suitable for my students. I look for fundamental ideas that show the yom tov in a new light.

I usually go to Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch’s writings; Ohr Gedalyahu (Light of Gedalyahu) by Rabbi Gedalya Schorr; Rav Chaim Friedlander’s work Sifsei Chaim and Shem MiShmuel, by Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, the second Sochatchover Rebbe. These sources give insights into the holiday on a deep level that is inspiring, as well as practical and relevant. And they help you approach the holiday from a fresh angle.

Rav Hirsch, for example, speaks about the Jewish calendar, pointing out that there are two beginnings of the Jewish year. Tishrei marks the beginning of our natural reality [when the world came into existence], and Nisan marks the spiritual beginning, when the Jewish people came into being. A life that reflects Tishrei, the first beginning, is likened to one who concentrates Continued on p. 88

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Harary Continued from p. 84

The Nesivos Shalom speaks about how we can actually write ourselves into the book of our choice. It states: “If a person accepts upon himself that he wants to fulfill his mission here in this

Josephs Continued from p. 84

ish learning site run by Rabbi David Fohrman. The segments are short; you can do them in less than an hour. He brings out revelations from the text, patterns that you’ve never noticed be-

Adlerstein Continued from p. 84

with which they write inevitably turns reading any passage into a head trip, at least in part. That was the route I took last year, when I did a slow reading of “Sha’ar Cheshbon HaNefesh” in Chovos Halevavos, by Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Paquda. It has us take stock of ideas and arguments that we overlook too often in our relationship with Hashem. In a sense, that is the entire purpose of the Yamim Noraim, so it seemed like a good choice.

Or I can turn to more recent works,

Cohen Continued from p. 85

do we execute this and what can we read for inspiration?

I’ve learned that there’s a two-step process. First, when the fire of inspiration is under your feet, make a binding commitment that you might not make when you’re overthinking it. For me, biographies of no-nonsense people who made superhuman commit-

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world and fix what needs to be fixed, then he is writing himself into the Book of Life.” The purpose-driven life is the righteous life. Whether you’re a big rabbi or an attorney, you could look at your life and say, “This year is going to be filled with more purpose.” That awareness puts you in the good book.

Charlie Harary, Esq., is a prolific motivational speaker, CEO of H3 & Co, a private equity company based in New York, and associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business. He is also a senior lecturer for the Orthodox Union, Aish HaTorah and NCSY.

fore. It provides a fresh perspective that’s very meaningful.

The nice thing about Rabbi Kahn’s sefer and the Aleph Beta classes is that they don’t require huge time commitments, but are enough to fill yourself up with something to think about and share with others.

Founder of Jew in the City, a popular Jewish outreach site, Allison Josephs was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers in 2012 and has been quoted or written about in numerous publications and media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Yahoo News.

at least those that insist on looking at primary sources on a deeper level. Rav Hutner’s Pachad Yitzchak works for me on any yom tov. Increasingly, Asufas Ma’arachos by Rav Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht, the founding rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, does the same. The sichos of Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, former rav of the Old City of Jerusalem, have done the trick in the past. In a very different style—but having great impact at the time—are sections of Rabbi Chaim Friedlander’s Sifsei Chaim that parse the Yamim Noraim davening, line by line.

Chances are, however, that I will

succumb to the desire to feel something directly tugging at the heartstrings. If so, I will turn to the reliable sefer that marries heart to mind particularly successfully: Nesivos Shalom by the Slonimer Rebbe. Specifically I will look for topics in avodas Hashem from among the many offerings, and choose the ones I am most in need of shoring up.

It could be a long Elul.

ments are inspiring at this time of year; my favorites are Holy Woman: The Road to Greatness of Rebbetzin Chaya Sara Kramer by Sara Yoheved Rigler (Brooklyn, 2006) who, among other things, cared for several disabled children left at her doorstep, no questions asked and A Tzaddik in Our Time: The Life of Rabbi Aryeh Levin by Simcha Raz (Nanuet, NY, 2008), who worked tirelessly on behalf of Jewish prisoners and patients, always with a

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein is the director of interfaith affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He is also a contributing editor to Jewish Action, and a founding editor of Cross-Currents.com.

pleasant demeanor. When I’m feeling moved by the massive undertakings of great individuals, I sometimes take a step forward in an area where I previously hesitated.

Step two is acquiring the habits to follow through on our commitments— whether we’re aiming to improve our relationships or our character or to take on a new responsibility to conContinued on p. 88

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tribute to our community. But where do we find the time? Various educators have taught me that we don’t need to take time off from our daily busy routines to maximize our potential in the various spheres of our lives. Instead, we can aggregate small chunks of downtime over several weeks or months to produce big results. Although not your typical teshuvahthemed literature in preparation for the Yamim Noraim, a great book on this topic is The Slight Edge. The au-

thor, Jeff Olson, recommends “simple productive actions, repeated consistently over time,” demonstrating how “the things you do every day . . . that don’t look dramatic” can compound.

As I am an organizationally deficient person, these concepts help me convert five free minutes on my commute or before bedtime (when I might otherwise waste time on my smartphone) into a valuable resource, by using the time to learn something or connect to a friend.

P.S.: For those with limited time for reading, I’ve gained many practical tools for self-actualizing from evening teleconferences offered by Rabbi Adam Jacobs (internalachievement.com/courses, Elul prep course) and Rabbi Aryeh Nivin (newchabura.com).

Rachel Cohen is a tax attorney at an international law firm based in New York. She speaks periodically for various Jewish organizations including as host of a lunchtime learning program for women in Manhattan as part of the Aish Center’s Food for Thought network.

The purpose-driven life is the righteous life.

Lapin Continued from p. 85

the mishnah in the fourth chapter of Ta’anit describing what a joyful day Yom Kippur was and how young men and women contracted shidduchim that very day.

The High Holiday liturgy includes heart-rending passages that can literally bring one to tears. The very lengthy worship services, much of them chanted to stirring and serious tunes, impose their own gravitas upon the heart of the God-fearing Jew. So, I choose my Elul/Tishrei reading to

Kohn Continued from p. 85

only on physicality throughout his life.

He’ll have times of joy and pleasure (spring and summer), but when it comes to the end of his life, there’s only winter—there’s nothing left, only death; nothing eternal.

The other Jewish year, Nisan, starts

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make sure I don’t overlook the sheer incandescent joy of Judaism. I select books that remind me of how the arrival of the Torah utterly transformed all of human history, making it possible for civilization to displace barbarism.

This year I am rereading George Elliot’s great novel Daniel Deronda in which she so exquisitely captures the spirit of the meforshim, calling them “the great Jewish transmitters.” Along with that I will catch up on Niall Ferguson’s Civilization: The West and the Rest, which comes close (but not all the way) to identifying the role of the

Torah in sculpting the relative success of what we call Western civilization.

Finally, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum’s Divrei Yoel on Sefer Shemot, the Book of Exodus, will help me wrap my head around the momentous events during those 120 days at Sinai 3,327 years ago.

in the spring and ends in the spring.

This reflects the individual whose life is focused primarily on spirituality. Although he may experience difficulties (fall and winter), in the end his world blossoms again, bringing renewed life.

When you live a spiritual life, you are connecting to eternity.

I look for textual sources that are profound and change your way of

thinking, material that provides fresh, elevating insights. I seek seforim that offer a different outlook on the holiday—and on life.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, president of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, hosts the Rabbi Daniel Lapin Radio Show on San Francisco’s KSFO. Together with his wife, Susan, he hosts the Ancient Jewish Wisdom television show on the TCT network. He is the author of three best sellers and is a popular guest speaker for synagogues in Israel and in the United States.

Rebbetzin Leah Kohn is the director of the Jewish Renaissance Center, an adult learning center for women in Manhattan. She also heads Kivun, a curriculum building and teacher training program working with Jewish studies teachers in Canada, Israel and the US.

This year learn

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A Glimpse at Greatness

By Daniel Mann Eretz Hemdah Institute Jerusalem, 2013 262 pages Reviewed by Gidon Rothstein

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story about Murray GellMann and Richard Feynman, both Nobel Laureates in physics, captures some of the challenge presented by certain kinds of greatness.

A student once said to Gell-Mann about some physics problem, “Why don’t we apply the Feynman method?” Gell-Mann said, “You know what the Feynman method is to solve a problem? You write down the problem, you think very hard and then you write down the answer.”

Great thinking can seem so beyond us as to be incomprehensible. (A bit paradoxically, others define genius as having ideas that are, after the fact, so simple as to make it incomprehensible why we didn’t think of them on our own.) In the context of halachah, the distance between us and the greats who have walked among us can create a more distressing distance, where we come to think of halachah and halachic thought as some kind of mumbo-jumbo, a matter of saying whatever we want and then tossing off sources that seem to support it, malleable to any and all approaches.

One cure is to immerse ourselves in halachic discourse, disciplining ourselves to remember how carefully and rigorously halachic thinkers analyze a Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein, a shul rabbi and high school and adult educator, is the author of Murderer in the Mikdash (2005), a third Beit HaMikdash mystery and We’re Missing the Point: What’s Wrong with the Orthodox Jewish Community and How to Fix It (2012). He blogs at torahmusings.com and the Times of Israel.

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proposition before they come to a conclusion. Unfortunately, even that is beyond many of us.

Our Hebrew/Aramaic textual skills are too weak or our time is too pressed to drink deeply from the wells our greatest rabbis have left behind.

Rabbi Daniel Mann, a dayan (rabbinical court judge), respondent and editor for Eretz Hemdah, an Israeli institute devoted to preparing rabbinical court judges for the National Religious community in Israel and spiritual leaders for communities abroad, bridges some of that gap in his latest work, A Glimpse at Greatness.

By presenting samples of the halachic reasoning of four authors known for their contributions to lomdus, or lamdanut (halachic analysis), Rabbi Mann hopes to make their process—and, by extension, the larger halachic process— more accessible to those who might not otherwise experience it, either regularly or at all.

He had several hurdles to clear.

Translating the texts literally would not have worked, since that would bring the reader insufficiently closer to the discussion. Except for those who likely could have read the originals had they chosen to give them the time, the words and terms in translation, let alone the flow of the discussion, would be almost equally opaque.

To help readers, Rabbi Mann has penned a helpful introduction, defining lomdus and its goals, how it hopes to advance the cause of illuminating halachic discussions. Second, he offers a biography of each of the four thinkers—the Machaneh Ephraim

(Rabbi Ephraim Navon), the K’tzot HaChoshen (Rabbi Aryeh Leib Hakohen Heller), Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Minchat Chinuch (Rav Yosef Babad).

These introductory sections are the most broadly accessible and useful part of the book, since even people familiar with the works in question likely do not know about the lives their authors lived. Biographies enrich our experience of these authors’ content, enhancing our sense of connection to them and to their contributions to halachic literature.

The central part of the book, though, is Rabbi Mann’s presentations of their analyses. He writes from the perspective of each author as he addresses his readers and clarifies the particular issue at hand (occasionally he confusingly switches to writing in his own voice, but that is a relatively minor issue). Using footnotes and endnotes—the former to clarify terms or references in the piece he is translating, the latter to expand on an aspect of the discussion—Rabbi Mann helps the reader make his way through topics that range from the monetary, such as the Machaneh Ephraim’s analysis of taking someone else’s property with assumed permission, to the mixed monetary/ritualistic, such as the K’tzot HaChoshen’s discussion of stipulations to allow over- or undercharging, to the ritual/institutional, such as the Minchat Chinuch’s investigation of when formulating new rules violates the prohibition of adding to the Torah.

The careful reader will come away richer, having been introduced to important figures from the intellectual history of Torah study and key studies and ideas from the world of halachah, as well as becoming more acquainted with a contemporary Torah scholar positively contributing to our halachic world today.

The question I have is, how much insight into the minds of halachic thinkers has Rabbi Mann succeeded in providing us? Sixteen essays, four each from much longer works, is barely a glimpse—not to mention the many authors who did not make it into the current volume. Whom will this dip into the waters satisfy?

In an e-mail discussion with Rabbi Mann, he suggested he was trying to “provide an experience for the few percent who can say, ‘Wow, I never knew Torah learning could be so intellectually challenging and rewarding in this way.’” His target readers are those who have found their intellectual side after

their years of formal Jewish education were over, those never exposed to the Torah’s deep intellectual side, those who came to serious Torah study too late in life to build the textual skills necessary to access these works in the original and lawyers who might not realize that halachic thinking is as sophisticated as legal thinking and will enjoy discovering their error.

I agree that all of those audiences— and more—can benefit. As Rabbi Mann notes in his introduction, however, this is not a light read. The introduction and biographical essays are easy to enjoy, but the translated selections require a more rigorous approach. In the

introduction, Rabbi Mann suggests establishing a chavruta, a study session with a partner, to work one’s way through the book. Even with all of Rabbi Mann’s considerable help, securing that glimpse still requires more than a little effort on our part.

And it will still only be a glimpse.

Perhaps future volumes will give us more, but for now, for all that Rabbi Mann has opened a window separating us from these greats, and with such skill and clarity, we are left with the barest introduction of the wealth of Torah thought out there. For the rest, the solution remains what it always has been—to go and study. g

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Legal-Ease

By Ari Z. Zivotofsky

WHAT’S THE TRUTH ABOUT . . .

the Arba Minim?

Misconception: It is ideal to hold the lulav (along with the hadasim and aravot) and the etrog together in one hand.

Fact: It is preferable to hold them in separate hands.

Background: With all of the mitzvah objects that we use on Sukkot, balancing them while davening can be difficult. During Hallel, one often holds a siddur as well as the arba minim; reciting the daily Hoshanah prayer is even trickier as one circles the bimah holding the arba minim while chanting mostly unfamiliar text.

The mitzvah of the arba minim, the “Four Species,” is described in Vayikra (23:40): “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot]1 the fruit of the hadar tree, date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree and willows of the brook.”

“The fruit of the hadar tree” refers to the etrog (citron), the “palm fronds” is the lulav, the “branch of a braided tree” refers to the hadasim (myrtle) and the “willows of the brook” are the Rabbi Dr. Ari Z. Zivotofsky is on the faculty of the Brain Science Program at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

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aravot or hoshanot (Sukkah 35a). The Torah is not explicit regarding how many of each species should be used.

Chazal explain that one lulav is all that is needed (Sukkah 34b), and as suggested in the verse, one etrog is used.

The generally accepted halachah is that three hadasim and two aravot are used (SA, OC 651:1).2 Taking all four of these species constitutes one mitzvah; if one of the species is missing, one has not fulfilled the mitzvah (Menachot 27a; Rambam, Hilchot Lulav 7:5; SA, OC 651:12). One can also pick up all four species sequentially and fulfill the mitzvah, however, it is preferable to take all four at once. How is one supposed to hold all the flora at the same time? The Gemara debates whether there is a mitzvah to tie the lulav, hadasim and aravot together and concludes that while it is not obligatory, they should be tied together whenever possible because it beautifies the mitzvah. The mishnah (Sukkah 3:8) describes how the residents of Jerusalem used gold thread to tie the lulav together with the hadasim and aravot. Today most people accomplish the tying, as the Mishnah Berurah describes (651:8), with the woven holders made from lulav leaves (known as koshiklach).

Others, such as the Chatam Sofer (commentary to Sukkah 36b, s.v. “b’mino”), insist that in addition there should be a double knot tying them together, as mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch (651:1).3 Irrespective of whether or not they are tied, those three species are to be held together while the etrog is held separately.4 Rava (Sukkah 37b) explains that the lulav should be held in the right hand and the etrog in the left. There is a debate as to whether one has fulfilled the obligation if he reversed hands.5 The Beit Yosef (OC 651, end of section with s.v. “v’elu hadalet minim”) cites a gemara from the Yerushalmi that if one holds the etrog together with the lulav in one hand, he has not fulfilled the mitzvah. The Mishnah Berurah (651:15) cites both that opinion as well as the opposing one mentioned by the Taz (651:14) that it is acceptable to hold them all in one hand as long as they are not bound together. This is because, as Rashi explains (Sukkah 34b), the verse does not link the etrog with the other species. The Mishnah Berurah and Shoneh Halachot (651:11) conclude that when in doubt as to whether one has fulfilled a Biblical obligation, one should repeat the action without reciting a blessing. Since the command-

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ment to take a lulav is Biblical only on the first day of Sukkot, they seem to rule that if one held all of the minim in one hand on the other days of Sukkot, he need not repeat the mitzvah.6 The ideal way to perform the mitzvah is to hold the lulav, aravot and hadasim in the right hand and the etrog in the left. One should then bring the etrog close to the other three species (SA, OC 651:11). The four species will thus be near each other but with some space between them. The first Belzer Rebbe (Rav Shalom Rokeach) explains that we use koshiklach as they keep the aravot and hadasim near the lulav but with a separation.7 An interesting story is told by the thirteenth-century Rabbi Menahem Recanati in which he saw in a dream that his guest was writing the Four-Letter Name of God with a space before the final heh. He understood that each of the species represents one of the letters in God’s name (see “Yehi Ratzon” in Siddur HaGra). The next morning, he saw that the guest was not holding the etrog near the other species and concluded that just as in writing God’s Name the letters should have a little space between them, but not too large a space, the same applies to the arba minim.

Prior to davening, most people hold the lulav and etrog in two hands. The problem arises during Hallel, and even more so during Hoshanot. Shearim Metzuyanim B’Halachah by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Braun (to Sukkah 37b) notes the common practice of holding the lulav and etrog in one hand during Hallel and Hoshanot. He postulates that it is an old custom, and even though he does not have a strong halachic basis for it, he cites the fallback principle (Pesachim 61a) that if Jews are not prophets they are at least descendants of prophets and hence, their customs have a valid basis.

Yet others do not agree. The Ben Ish Chai (Ha’azinu: 14) writes: “There are those who, in error, hold the lulav and etrog in one hand and the siddur from which they read Hoshanot in the second hand and this is not correct.”

Indeed, the Yalkut Tehillim (cited by the Gra at the beginning of OC 660) describes the hakafot as “all Jews, old and young, take their lulavim in their right hands and etrogim in the left and encir94

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cle . . . .” Moadim U’Zemanim (2:121) offers a novel explanation: if the lulav is tied together with the other two species, then even if the etrog is held in the same hand, it is separate from them and one has fulfilled the mitzvah. If, however, the “binding” is accomplished by holding the three together, then if the etrog is in the same hand, the mitzvah was not performed properly. Despite the fact that most people tie the lulav and already fulfilled the mitzvah of taking the arba minim before reciting Hoshanot, he observes that people who are meticulous about performing mitzvot continue to hold them in separate hands.

It is reported8 that Rav Yitzchak Ze’ev Soloveitchik (the Griz) was careful to always hold the lulav and etrog in separate hands, and not only while reciting the berachah. Throughout Hallel and Hoshanot, he kept the lulav in his right hand and the etrog in his left.

When this was difficult, novel solutions were found. Thus, during the recitation and “parade” of Hoshanot, the shaliach tzibbur would hold the lulav in his right hand, the etrog in his left hand and one of the congregants would walk backward holding the siddur in front of him so that he could read. During Hoshanot, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach would be scrupulous about holding the lulav and etrog in two hands even in his old age when he was weak, and he held that this is the correct way to perform the mitzvah (Halichot Shlomo 11: n. 74). He would hold his siddur on his arm, and when he got tired, someone would hold it for him.

Recently, the use of a novel “Hoshanot text” card that slips onto one’s arm has become quite popular.

As noted, the preferred method, as per Rava’s statement (Sukkah 37b), is that the lulav be held in the right hand and the etrog in the left (OC 651:2),9 but they should be held next to each other (Beit Yosef, OC 651). Both the lulav and etrog should preferably have direct contact with one’s hand.10 The Rema (OC 651:7) says that although one is not obligated to remove one’s rings while holding the arba minim, the custom is to do so and to remove one’s tefillin.

The Mishnah Berurah (651:36) cites several opinions that state that rings must be removed.

Chazal have assigned various meanings to the Four Species and what they represent,11 such as the Avot plus Yosef Hatzaddik as well as the Imahot. Among the most famous12 is that the Four Species represent four types of Jews. The etrog, which has a pleasant aroma and taste, represents one who has Torah and good deeds.

The lulav, which produces a fruit with taste but no smell, represents a Jew with Torah but who lacks good deeds.

The hadas, with a pleasant aroma but no taste, symbolizes the Jew with good deeds but no Torah, while the aravah, which has neither smell nor taste, signifies the Jew who has neither Torah nor good deeds but nonetheless desires to be part of the Jewish people. The midrash continues that God does not want to punish any of His children, and He therefore instructs that we take the arba minim together in one bundle, symbolizing that all Jews must be united and atone for one other. The midrash does not specify what is meant by “together” and does not address the halachah discussed in this article. The Eitz Yosef picks up where the midrash leaves off, and explains that “together” means the lulav, hadas and aravah are to be tied together while the etrog is to be held near them but in the other hand.

The verse in Leviticus (23:40) that teaches us about the arba minim concludes with the command to rejoice: “. . . and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for a seven-day period.”

May it be that all types of Jews will rejoice before Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash this Sukkot, together with their arba minim. g Notes 1. Biblically, the mitzvah applies for seven days only “in the mikdash” (in the words of the mishnah) and on the first day of Sukkot outside of the mikdash. On the second day of yom tov in Chutz La’Aretz, the mitzvah to take the lulav and etrog is considered rabbinic in nature; on Chol Hamoed (in Israel, beginning on day two of the holiday, and in Chutz La’Aretz beginning on day three), the commandment has the status of “zecher l’mikdash,” a remembrance for the way things were done in the times of the Temple (Rambam, Hilchot Lulav 7:13-15). According to the Rambam (commentary on the mishnah), “mikdash” in this context includes all of ancient Jerusalem. Because of this opin-

ion, many make an effort to go to the Old City of Jerusalem on Chol Hamoed and shake the lulav again in order to possibly fulfill a mitzvah d’Oraita. For Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik’s opinion of this practice, see Harerei Kedem, sec. 139 and Nefesh HaRav (Rabbi Hershel Schachter [Jerusalem, 1994], 219).

2. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael. Rabbi Akiva maintains that just like there is only one lulav and one etrog, there is only one hadas and one aravah (mishnah Sukkah 3:4; Torat Kohanim to Vayikra 23:40). The Rambam, following most of the Geonim, rules like Rabbi Yishmael, as do the Tur and SA (OC 651:1). However, the Ramban rules like Rabbi Akiva (see Beit Yosef to OC 651). These are the minimum requirements for hadasim and aravot. Throughout the generations there has been a custom to add hadasim to beautify the mitzvah (see SA, OC 651:15 and Zohar Amar, The Four Species Anthology [Hebrew] [Tel Aviv, 2009], 60-68). This custom may go far back, as coins from the Bar Kochba era seem to indicate the use of many hadasim.

3. See Rabbi Yosef Lewy, Minhag Yisrael Torah, vol. 3 (Brooklyn, 5755), 155-157.

4. See Torat Kohanim and Malbim (HaTorah V’Hamitzvah) as well as Tosefet Berachah, all on Vayikra 23:40, for an explanation of how the verse alludes to grouping them.

5. Rabbeinu Chananel (Sukkah 42a), Rabbi Avraham Borenstein (Avnei Nezer 492:8) and Chazon Ish (OC 149) imply that if one reversed the hands, one has not, even post facto, fulfilled the mitzvah.

The Ritva (Sukkah 42a), Meiri (Sukkah 37b), Rema (651:3), Chatam Sofer (Sukkah 42a) and K’tav Sofer (Shu”t OC 107) disagree and rule that one has nonetheless fulfilled the mitzvah. The Taz (OC 651:4) is quite emphatic that one fulfills the obligation in either case (also see Har Tzvi 107). The Magen Avraham (651:9) and Mishnah Berurah (651:19) take Rabbeinu Chananel’s position into consideration while acknowledging that it is in the minority (see Sha’ar Hatziyun 651:23), and rule that one should retake the arba minim but not recite a berachah.

6. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (651:1) leans toward the view that if they are held in one hand, one has not fulfilled his obligation. The Sha’ar Hatziyun (651:16) deduces from the Taz’s statement that, according to him, if all four species were bound and held in one hand, one has not fulfilled his obligation, even post facto. The Sha’ar Hatziyun is troubled by this and argues that even in such a case, there is no need to perform the mitzvah again.

See Sha’arei Teshuvah (651:17) and Mishnah Berurah (651:23) for how a one-handed person should fulfill the mitzvah and Chayei Adam (148:8) and Shoneh Halachot (651:13) for how a person without arms can fulfill the mitzvah.

7. See Taz 651:14; Sefer Ta’amei Haminhagim, p. 347; Rav Dessler, Michtav Me’Eliyahu vol. 5 (5757), p. 418.

8. Shimon Yosef Miller, Uvdot Vehanhagot L’Beit Brisk, vol. 2 (5759), p. 85 and Nefesh HaRav, p. 218.

9. According to the Rema (OC 652:3; see MB 652:19 and Sha’ar Hatziyun 23), a lefty should reverse these instructions and hold the lulav in his left hand and the etrog in his right hand. The Shulchan Aruch, and in his footsteps, Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer 6:2:5), disagree (see Beit Yosef and Bach to Tur OC 651). The Kaf Hachaim (OC 651:38) says that a Sephardi should first perform the mitzvah according to the Rema’s specifications and then repeat it according to the Shulchan Aruch’s instructions. If a shul rabbi is a lefty, Rav Auerbach (Halichot Shlomo 11:16) states that irrespective of how he performs the ritual at home, in shul he should hold the arba minim as everyone else does.

The Aruch L’ner (Bikurei Yaakov [commentary to Hilchot Lulav] 651:9) discusses, inconclusively, whether a lefty should also reverse the position of the hadasim and aravot. The Mishnah Berurah (651:12) rules that he should not reverse them.

10. See, however, opinions in Sukkah 37a (e.g., Rava, Rabbah) that allow certain types of barriers. See Tosafot (Sukkah 37a) who suggest that they can even be held with a handkerchief.

11. See Vayikra Rabbah 30.

12. Vayikra Rabbah 30:11.

I

Fall 5775/2014 JEWISH ACTION 95

LastingImpressions

By Steve Lipman

Remembering Marty

I

n Brooklyn’s heavily Orthodox, increasingly Chassidic Boro Park neighborhood, the sound of the shofar, blaring out of open synagogue windows throughout both days of Rosh Hashanah, provides a soundtrack for passing drivers and pedestrians.

But, as in any area, especially in one filled with young mothers and aging Holocaust survivors, many people can’t make it to shul to hear the tekiahs.

Who knows how many people are homebound or hospitalized? Who knows how many of them can’t blow shofar themselves or don’t have anyone in the family who can? Who knows how many people need a shofar blower to come to them?

Marty always did.

A successful businessman who took early retirement after a serious accident, Marty immediately devoted his time to his community. For years, he had spent his Shabbat afternoons visiting people in the hospital. After his accident, he became a volunteer at Boro Park’s Bikur Cholim Chesed Organization. He was a daily presence, several hours a day, at the social service agency that runs a wide variety of programs for its specialized clientele.

“He gave his life for Bikur Cholim,” says Sara Preis, project coordinator for the Family Crisis Intervention Program of the Bikur Cholim Chesed Organization.

“He had tremendous simchas hachaim [love of life] . . . even though he was in tremendous pain all the years.”

He was always “Marty”—never Mr. Einhorn, or Elimelech, his Hebrew name.

At the Bikur Cholim, Marty concentrated on people’s medical and spiritual needs, arranging visitors for the infirm Steve Lipman, a staff writer for the Jewish Week in New York, is a frequent contributor to Jewish Action.

96

I JEWISH ACTION

Fall 5775/2014

and recommending physicians to people who lacked his connections in the medical community.

He also lined up shofar blowers.

In the weeks before Tishrei, he would make a list of people who couldn’t go to shul for the shofar blowing. He’d send volunteer ba’alei tokeah to them, to homes and hospitals. He’d call the volunteers until the day before yom tov, reminding them to call the people whose homes they would visit in the coming days, to put the homebound at ease.

I was one of Marty’s shofar blowers.

I had known him casually, seeing him at the Rosh Hashanah minyan at the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center, where he’d push residents’ wheelchairs or bring them a tallit or machzor, and I’d assist a friend who was doing the same thing.

I always sensed in Marty a quiet dignity, a regal but down-to-earth presence, a man due the respect of an elder though only a few years separated us.

In a neighborhood of men with long beards, he was clean-shaven with a well-trimmed moustache. In a neighborhood where shtieblach predominate, he kept going to Beth Israel, a large synagogue around the corner from his home. In a Yeshivish and Chassidic neighborhood, Marty, lifelong strictly Orthodox, called himself traditional.

One year, Marty heard that Heshy Friedman, a mutual friend of ours, had trained me how to blow shofar, how to conduct myself in the atmosphere of a hospital on Yom HaDin, what to say and what not to say. Marty sent me to Lutheran Hospital, a few miles from Boro Park. The experienced ba’alei tokeah, older men with families, didn’t want to make the trek. “You’re young,” Marty would tell me. “You can do it.”

Each year we’d speak for weeks before Rosh Hashanah. Marty gave me names and addresses of people in Boro Park who needed a shofar blower—be-

fore or after I’d go to Lutheran. Then he’d give me more names. After yom tov, he’d call to find out how it had gone.

I have no idea how many Jews heard the shofar on Rosh Hashanah over the years because of Marty. “In the hundreds, for sure,” Friedman estimates. Probably more. I’ve returned to Lutheran Hospital for nearly twenty years; each year, I encounter a few dozen Jews and hospital staffers, many of them nonobservant, who wouldn’t hear shofar had Marty not dispatched a volunteer.

Over the years, I became friends with Marty and his wife, Judy. They would invite me for dinner the first night of Rosh Hashanah.

Last year, I had the greatest merit of my life—I was able to blow shofar for Marty in Maimonides Hospital, next door to the Geriatric Center.

Marty was recuperating from surgery for a brain tumor.

Both days of yom tov, after finishing my rounds at Lutheran, I would go up to Marty’s room. Before I would blow, he’d ask how my tekiahs earlier that day had gone. How many people? What kind of people? Any good stories?

He was feeling better each day, he said.

We spoke over the phone in the weeks afterward.

“You’ll come for dinner,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be only on Rosh Hashanah.”

It wasn’t to be.

Marty’s health deteriorated. In the months after Tishrei, he passed away.

This year, as usual, the patients at Lutheran Hospital will hear the shofar, because of Marty’s chesed.

And Marty, I am sure, will hear the shofar blown by a choir of angels. g

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