Happiness in our hall!

Last night--indeed, the very last night of 2024-- the Hanassi Beit Midrash, which doubles as a hall, resonated to some very happy sounds. The reason? We were hosting a special event--a batmitzvah celebration by 31 families of evacuees from Shlomi, close to the Lebanese border. 

Not everyone in Rechavia is familiar with Shlomi. Though the modern town of Shlomi was founded in 1950, it has ancient antecedents: on the road between Shlomi and Kibbutz Hanita, Israeli archaeologists found the remains of Pi Metzuba, This prosperous town got name-checks both in the Talmud Yerushalmi and in the Tosefta (Shevi'it 4:8). Pi Metzuba was destroyed in the early seventh century when Persia (yes, it was those Iranians again) invaded the region as part of its broader conflict with the Byzantine part of the Roman Empire.

Anyway, following targeted attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions based in Lebanon, Shlomi -- a border town of around 7,500 inhabitants -- was evacuated. Some of the town's residents are currently based locally in Jerusalem, many in hotels. As such, they do not have a natural focal point for their communal activities.

The families of the young ladies who were bat mitzvah said that, with all the upheavals they have experienced and dislocation in their regular lives, they were truly pleased just to be able to do something absolutely normal for a change -- to celebrate a family simcha in a real shul hall and with all the fun and fanfare that goes with an absolutely normal celebration. We may not have been there last night but we can still share their sense of simcha by enjoying the photos which they have shared with us. 

Rabbi Aharon Ziegler a.h.

Earlier this month we lost our dear member Rabbi Aharon Ziegler, a.h. We have now received from his family the following memorial and one of his divrei Torah, which we share with you now:

Rabbi Aharon Ben Tzvi Ziegler A”H was small in build but very large in stature. He influenced many people through his teachings, lectures, articles and personal interactions. He will surely be missed by family, friends and Klal Yisroel. May his memory be a blessing for all.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

We Jews are referred to as “Yehudim”, because most of us come from Shevet (tribe of) Yehudah. This is the most common reason given for our name, even though there are numerous other names that our people and religion could go by. Yet there is glaring reason for that choice of our name, which I heard from Rabbi Weiss based on our parasha.

In the narrative, Yosef takes Shimon as hostage and demands that the brothers bring Binyamin to Mitzrayim (Egypt), as a precondition for both Shimon’s release and then he will provide more food for Ya’akov’s family. Ya’akov Avinu is understandably hesitant. Having already lost Yosef, his favorite, he fears losing Binyamin his only remaining son from his beloved wife Rachel. It is here that Yehudah bravely rises to the occasion to declare that he would act as an orev, a surety, a guarantor for Binyamin. “If I don’t return him”, he says to his father Ya’akov, “I will bear the sin forever” (Bereishit 43:9).

Yehuda’s pledge is highly unusual. Normally when a debtor guarantees collateral, the collateral comes from a third party, other than the debtor himself. Here, Yehudah takes his obligation to a higher level. Yehudah himself is both the one who makes the commitment as well as is the guarantor. This indicates how seriously Yehudah takes the pledge or the areivut he is offering.According to Rav Soloveitchik, areivut means more than just another concern for a fellow Jew. It means that I am a surety—each and every Jew is a surety for every other Jew. Just as a surety is held responsible as if he had been the debtor, so also, every Jew is a surety for all the spiritual obligations of every other Jew.

The Mishnah in Shabbat (54b) states that a Jew in not permitted to have his animal work or carry things on Shabbat. However, the cow of Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya did go out in public carrying a ribbon on its horns, ( a practice of which the other Rabbis disapproved). Then the Gemara asks, “what do you mean by the cow of Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya. Did he have only one cow, that you identify it with him”? He had over 120,000 animals!”. So the Gemara responds, “No! We are not referring to an animal of his. We refer to an animal in his community—but  since Rabbi Elazar did not object, we hold him responsible!”

Our obligation to our fellow Jew is unique. As we are more connected to our inner family with whom we share a common tradition, history and destiny, so too concerning our larger family—the  people of Israel. Hence we are called Yehudim, as we are named after the person who so intensely exemplified Ahavat Yisrael.

Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi (1075-1141) noted that all Israel can be compared to a human body. When one limb hurts, the entire body is affected. All Jews are one body. When one Jew is in pain, Jews everywhere feel that pain. And when a Jew dances and experiences joy, we all dance and feel the joy. We pray that our community will be full of joy and Semachot.

The family add that, if anyone wishes to send a donation in his memory, can they please donate to the Almanot of Chayalim fund (English version here, Hebrew version here).

Concepts of Judaism, by Isaac Breuer (Book of the Month, Tevet 5785)

 Rabbi Isaac Breuer (1883-1946) was a major figure in twentieth century Neo-Orthodoxy, following

n the footsteps of his maternal grandfather Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. Though he both trained and practised as a lawyer, it is as a religious and political personality that he was best known, being the first President of Poalei Agudat Yisrael.

Rabbi Breuer was also a noted thinker and author, whose deep thought is well reflected in Concepts of Judaism, a selection of his writings selected and compiled by Jacob S; Levinger. Although the Neo-Orthodoxy movement had defined itself from the start largely as an opposition to the German Reform movement, Rabbi Breuer already regarded the Reform movement of his day as essentially the impotent and dying remnant of the Haskalah. For him, the real enemy of Orthodoxy was both political Zionism and Religious Zionism, which he considered especially dangerous because they possessed an authentic Jewish instinct and impulse. The goals of the Zionists paralleled the goals of his own Agudah organization in many areas ("reunification of land and nation"), but without the stress which Agudah laid on adherence to halachah and tradition. Indeed, he envisioned a Messianic Torah state in the land of Israel, and could not abide the idea of "reunification of land and nation" coming to pass through the agency of secular Zionist forces in the form of a secular state.

This work is part of the Marvin N. Hirschhorn library, which is housed in Beit Knesset Hanassi.

The meaning of 'Oz'

Last night, our Beit Knesset Hanassi community gathered for a deeply moving and meaningful Melave Malka, featuring Rabbi Doron Perez, Executive Chairman of World Mizrachi. The evening was more than just an opportunity to come together for song, learning, and good food. It also provided a timely opportunity to hear an extraordinary message of faith, resilience, and strength in the face of unimaginable loss.

Rabbi Perez (shown here addressing us) shared personal reflections on the tragic passing of his son, Daniel Perez Hy”d, who fell in battle on October 7th while defending Nahal Oz. Daniel’s heroic legacy is a source of strength for his family and Klal Yisrael, even as his body remains in captivity. In his remarks, Rabbi Perez illuminated the profound significance of the word "Oz" – the name of Daniel's tank battalion, the kibbutz he defended, and the numerical value of this year marking 77 years of the State of Israel.

Rabbi Perez connected "Oz" to its myriad appearances in our tefillot, weaving together its deeper meanings with lessons of Jewish courage and faith. He spoke about the contrast between the opening of the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, where one begins with gevurah and the other with oz, emphasizing that oz represents the strength to stand up for what we believe in. At this pivotal time in Jewish history, when Jews around the world face attacks for defending Israel, Rabbi Perez reminded us of the critical need for oz – the inner fortitude to act with conviction and unwavering belief.

The evening was enriched by a warm and delicious milky meal, including latkes that truly captured the festive spirit of Chanukah. We owe special thanks to Shirley March and Judy Gilbert for their tireless efforts in organizing every detail of the event and creating such a welcoming atmosphere. Our heartfelt gratitude also goes to John Graham, whose musical accompaniment added a soulful dimension to the evening.

As we lit up the night with Torah, music, and camaraderie, we left inspired to carry the message of oz into our lives. May we continue to draw strength from one another and from the example of heroes like Daniel Perez Hy”d as we stand tall in defense of Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael.

Thank you, Rabbi Kenigsberg, for providing us with this summary.

Chanukah in Jerusalem 2024

A special city, a special festival -- and here's a 20 minute video to record how Jerusalem, our eternal capital, has marked Chanukah this year. This is another production by our member Heshy Engelsberg (thanks, Heshy!) and it very much reflects his trademark style. You can enjoy it by clicking here. Warning: this is a highly calorific YouTube clip, with close-ups of some delicious-looking latkes and a number of spectacular full-frontal doughnut shots.

There is also a seasonal flavour to Heshy's Old City Chanukah Tour, which you can access here. This video is shorter (11 minutes 45 seconds) and considerably lower in calorific content. Enjoy!

What does your dream mean? It all depends: Miketz 5785

The Talmud teaches us that the meanings of dreams are all contingent upon the interpreter and interpretation of the dream. Yosef had told the butler and baker of Pharaoh’s court that “Dream interpretations are up to the Lord.” Yet he went ahead and interpreted those two dreams accurately and presciently. Apparently what he meant by “up to the Lord” was that the one who interprets dreams has to possess some sort of holy intuition, an inner sense of the person whose dream he is interpreting in order to be able to interpret the dream. This inner voice is a gift from the Lord.

This is true in medical matters where some physicians are master diagnosticians and their inner voice leads them to the correct conclusion regarding the nature of a person’s illness. It is also true for psychologists and mental health therapists. An inner voice must guide them as to how to help the troubled person that they see before them.

It is even true for the great decisors of halacha, who many times arrive at their decision after rigorous scholarship but also with unerring intuition as to what the correct solution is to the matter laid before them. Yosef has this intuition within him and therefore he is confident that his interpretation of the dreams of Pharaoh will be accurate and correct. It is this apparent self-confidence and certainty of spirit that so impresses Pharaoh and thus is the catalyst for Yosef’s meteoric rise to power in Egypt. Pharaoh recognizes this by stating that Yosef possesses God’s spirit within him. Without that spirit, Pharaoh is well aware that his dreams will never be interpreted in a proper light.

 We read in Psalms that when the Lord returns the captivity of Zion “we will be as dreamers.” The dream will require interpretation and that interpretation can only come from the returnees to Zion themselves. And in order for that dream to be interpreted correctly, the spirit of Godly holiness and purpose must reside within the interpreters – in this case the dreamers themselves.

 God provides the dream but the interpretation is up to us and our ability to fathom God’s wishes is the matter. Every dream – even the dream of Zion restored and rebuilt – is subject to varying interpretations. We who live in current day Israel are well aware that there are not only varying but even conflicting interpretations of what the dream of Zion and Jerusalem truly means.

 Holy spirit is required to make sense of the dream and to implement its promise. The Lord presents us with opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is the ultimate measure of our interpretation of the dream. Yosef not only interprets Pharaoh’s dream but he lays out a course of action in order to actualize its promise and opportunity. The healthy intuition born of Jewish experience and tradition can help us arrive at the correct and most meaningful realization or our age old dream of Zion and Jerusalem, peace and holiness. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein  

Oh, dreidl, dreidl, dreidl, I made it out of clay

Love it or loathe it, few of us will have missed The Dreidl Song.  If our children never sang it, our grandkids almost certainly did. What's more, it might even have been sung by our grandparents. Published in 1927, it was performed both in English and Yiddish: you can read all about its history here on Wikipedia.

Popularised by Chabad, parodied by South Park and promulgated by thousands of gananot from one end of this country to the other, it has drummed itself into the Chanukah-consciousness of our generation. 

Not to be outdone, our musically-minded member Max Stern has provided his own arrangement of this seasonal earworm. For 77 seconds of undiluted fun, just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJVfJWTMzeg