המעין
English
Table of Contents
As a Shepherd Seeketh Out His Flock [ ['כבקרת רועה עדרו' / The Editor 3
Hineni [Here I Am] / Rav Mallen Galinsky Z.T.L. 5
A Talk by the Author of Netivot Shalom in the Wake of the
Yom Kippur War / Dr. Mordechai Meir 9
What Gd is 'Forced' to Do When Rosh Hashana Occurs on Shabbat /
Rav Yaakov Yisrael Stal 22
A New Letter from the Ramhal Controversy: The Venetian Rabbis to
Rav Moshe Hagiz / Prof. Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel 29
Enumerations from the Creation of the World and the Order of
Intercalation of Months / Rahamim Sar Shalom 41
L'shon HaRa [Derogatory Information] in the Media on Public Officials /
Rav Yaakov Epstein 51
Can a Visitor from Abroad Become a `Halakhic Resident' of the Land
of Israel in the Midst of the Second Day of a Festival?/
Rav Dr. Michael Avraham 60
Memorials
My Father and Teacher Rav Mallen Galinsky Z.T.L. – Biography and
Activities / Rav Eliezer Shmuel Galinsky 69
Memorial Remarks on Rav Mallen Galinsky Z.T.L. / Rav Meir Schlesinger 77
'The Righteous Shall Flourish Like a Palm' / Rav Ari Waxman 79
Rav Gershom Harpanas Z.T.L. / Shmuel Emanuel 82
Delineating the Character of Our Teacher Rav Yehoshua Yeshaya
Neuwirth Z.T.L. / Rav Mordechai Emanuel 85
Rav Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth Z.T.L. – Words He Said and Practices
He Practiced / Eli Kellerman 95
The Aliyah [immigration] of Rav Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth Z.T.L.
to the Land of Israel on a Ma`apilim [Blockade-Running] Boat /
Shmuel Emanuel 97
Editorial Review of Recent Torani Publications / Rav Yoel Catane 105
Abstracts
Rav Yoel Catane (The Editor): As a Shepherd Seeketh Out His Flock [ 'כבקרת רועה עדרו' ]
The editor opens the first issue of the year 5774 with brief remarks concerning events in the observant community in the land of Israel during the past year, and his hopes and anticipations that the coming year will be better in all areas, and that rifts will be healed within the observant community in all its various hues. The Jewish people is like a flock which has a shepherd, and the Shepherd – Gd – seeks out and inspects and considers us and our individual and communal progress, and every contention put forward to enhance the name of heaven will be perpetuated.
Rav Mallen Galinsky Z.T.L.: Hineni [Here I Am]
In this stirring Drasha [oration] originally delivered before T’kiat Shofar of the year 5760 [1999] at Yeshivat Shaalvim, Rav Galinsky z”l defines for us the central theme of Rosh Hashana: declaring and accepting Hashem’s kingship. Rav Galinsky z”l clarifies the unique role of Man in crowning Hashem and outlines how this theme is played out in many aspects of the Rosh Hashana prayer. Drawing on the prayer Hineni He’ani Mima’as [the cantor's supplication beforethe Additional Service], Rav Galinsky enjoins us to respond with our own personal Hineni ['Here I am'] as did our forefathers – Avraham, Yaakov, Yosef and Moshe Rabbeinu. Each forfeited his personal comfort, safety and needs in order to respond to the call from on High. They were Mamlich [they enthroned] Hashem by their willingness to take on His Shlichut [mission]. So too we are inspired to respond with our own Hineni to the challenges of our time, taking responsibility and initiative, whether it be for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, or Torat Yisrael. Rabbi Galinsky’s words so clearly emanated from his heart. May they enter ours as well.
Dr. Mordechai Meir : A Talk by the Author of Netivot Shalom in the Wake of the Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War which took place forty years ago shook the country, and many public figures took part in the discussions of the condition of the army, the government, and Jewish society in general. The rabbinic world also dealt with the topic – even if not many of the remarks made were published. This article presents the first of four talks given by the Admor (Hasidic leader) of Slonim, Rav Shalom Noach Berezovsky ZTL, author of Netivot Shalom, in the wake of the Yom Kippur War. In his remarks, the Admor took note of the feeling of "my power and the might of mine hand" which pervaded not only society at large but even – and this was his principal interest – haredi (pious) society. In the course of his remarks, the Admor treated the standing of Jewish leaders in taking state decisions, the special status of the land of Israel, and principally the topic of trust in Gd. The Admor presented his understanding of the concept of trust in Gd, contrasting it with that of the Chazon Ish (Rav Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz) as it appears in his work Emuna uVitahon [Faith and Trust]. In his opinion, trust in Gd includes faith in the promised assistance of Gd and not solely – as in the opinion of the Chazon Ish – trust that we are given into the hand of Gd.
Rav Yaakov Yisrael Stal: What Gd is 'Forced' to do When Rosh Hashana Occurs on Shabbat
The Tzadik Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev famously claimed that when Rosh Hashana occurs on Shabbat the Almighty is 'forced' to inscribe His people in the book of life, since writing on the Sabbath is forbidden if it is not to save a life. Our author finds that one of the baalei hatosafot (glossators of the Talmud) had already noted the problematic nature of the Holy One writing on Shabbat, drawing therefrom the conclusion that He is not obligated in mitsvot (directives). On the other hand, it is surprising to find an amazingly similar idea in a piyut (liturgical poem) of Kallir: theAlmighty is forbidden to judge and evaluate sins on the Sabbath. The poet even adds a clever claim: just as Israel refrains from sounding the shofar (ram's horn) on Shabbat, so should the indictment of the accuser be silenced, for it is also forbidden on the Sabbath. The tzadik of Poland and the poet of the land of Israel arrived at a similar idea one thousand three hundred years apart, out of a single purpose: to inscribe the Jewish people for a good and happy year
Prof. Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel: A New Letter from the Ramhal Controversy: The Venetian Rabbis to Rav Moshe Hagiz
Most of our knowledge of the learned controversy surrounding the actions and writings of the Ramhal [Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto] is based upon the large collection of correspondence and documents published by Dr. Simon Ginsburg from manuscripts written by the various scholars who took part in the controversy, both those who opposed the Ramhal and those who supported him. The controversy arose when Rav Moshe Hagiz approached the scholars of Venice requesting that they investigate rumors about the "strange" activities of the Ramhal. They turned to Rav Yeshaya [Isaiah] Bassan, who had been the Ramhal's teacher when he was in Padua, and Rav Bassan answered them in an amazing letter that the Ramhal is 'just and upright' and all his activities are pure. We would expect on the basis of this response that the aforesaid collection would contain a letter of reply from the scholars of Venice to Rav Moshe Hagiz, but surprisingly no such letter is to be found there. On the other hand, there is a lengthy additional letter from Rav Moshe Hagiz to the scholars of Venice in which he sharply attacks the Ramhal, as well as the Venetian scholars for not taking action against him. This article publishes for the first time from manuscript the missing answer of the scholars of Venice, from which it turns out that they answered Rav Moshe Hagiz in the spirit of the letter of Rav Isaiah Bassan, i.e. that the Ramhal is 'just and upright'. This letter, which should have brought an end to the controversy, surprisingly brought Rav Hagiz to pen his above-mentioned lengthy letter, and it itself was the cause of the continuation of the controversy in full force, and of the Ramhal's leaving Italy.
Rahamim Sar Shalom: Enumerations from the Creation of the World and the Order of Intercalation of Months
Mr. Sar Shalom, an experienced educator from the city of Netanya, and a well-known researcher and author in the field of the Hebrew calendar, describes (in the wake of Rav Dr. Shai Walter's article in a previous issue of HaMa'yan) the braita [work from the mishnaic period] Seder Olam, composed by the Tanna Rabbi Yose ben Halafta – and the later work Seder Olam Zuta – and its method of establishing the accepted enumeration from the creation of the world. He describes the three enumerations from creation that were widespread among the Jewish people and compares them to the minyan sh'tarot [Seleucid era] which was used by the Jewish people for centuries. He further deals with the order of setting leap years, and the way in which the accepted enumeration from creation was established as the exclusive legal count in Israel.
Rav Yaakov Epstein: L'shon HaRa [Derogatory Information] in the Media on Public Officials
In the Tehumin collection, an article was recently published which in practice allows publicizing in the media derogatory information about public figures which in the opinion of the author is correct and verified (otherwise it would constitute hotzaat shem ra [slander], which is prohibited by all), under the assumption that any public personage accepts upon himself as part of the 'rules of democracy' that anyone who discovers any taint in him will make it public. Rav Epstein, among the rabbinic staff of the Institute for Torah and the Land of Israel, in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip (currently in the village of Shomriya in the Lachish region), forcefully takes issue with this assertion. In his opinion, writing in - and reading - most of the media involves completely prohibited activities; no person, in most views, may 'waive' his dignity and prestige; and even if the defenders of democracy emphasize the 'right of the public to know' above and beyond all personal rights – that is not the view of the Torah. In practice, Rav Epstein claims that only under exceptional circumstances, where publication in the media is the only remaining option to save the oppressed from his oppressor, only then is there room to use this means, to the least extent possible; but in no way, in his opinion, is there sweeping license to publish derogatory information about public figures, and certainly no automatic waiver of the dignity of anyone who enters communal service, even if no direct harm is caused.
Rav Dr. Michael Avraham: Can a Visitor from Abroad Become a `Halakhic Resident' of the Land of Israel in the Midst of the Second Day of a Festival?
We discuss a problem raised by Rabbi Avraham Genachowski Z.T.L., about a tourist visiting Israel from abroad who decides in the middle of yom tov sheni [the 'second day' of festivals originally for those far from the court in Israel where the calendar was set] to reside in Israel. There are some poskim [halakhic authorities] who state that he can at that moment cease observing yom tov, and Rav M. Avraham, Ra"m [teacher] in the Kollel of Bar Ilan University, explains the safek [point in question] and the psak halakha lema'aseh [practical decision]. He demonstrates that it depends on the halakhic character of the obligation to observe yamim tovim: whether there is a single moment defining the entire day's obligation, or rather every minute stands on its own. He presents some disputes of the rishonim [early authorities]about the question (especially in the context of migo deitkatsaey [since an object was not considered usable at the moment the festival began] principle of isur muktseh [objects unusable on a festival since they were not prepared beforehand]). The author leaves the reader with an illustrative Torah puzzle, in memory of Rabbi Avraham Genachowski Z.T.L.
Memorials
Rabbi Eliezer Galinsky leads us down the path of the life of his father z”l Rav Mallen Galinsky, highlighting his major contributions to Klal Yisrael [the Jewish community]. Rav Eliezer identifies a common motivating force throughout his father’s life – that of serving the Klal: First alongside his father Rav Yehuda Dov z”l , and later at the young age of 19 taking his Father’s place at the helm of Congregation Sha’arei Tzedek. To mention some of Rav Galinsky’s numerous activities for the Klal: Rav Galinsky accompanied from its birth the creation of the Tochniyot Chul [educational programs in Israel for foreign students] - first with the Jewish agency and later enhancing the program at Yeshivat Shaalvim; he saw to the establishment of the Teachers College at Shaalvim as well as the Sha’al program for communities in the diaspora. Not one to let Iron Curtains stand in his way, Rav Galinsky encountered the Refuseniks, and found yet another outlet for his Avodat Haklal [communal work] when years later he helped to establish the Charkov program together with the O.U. Rav Galinsky found great satisfaction in assisting the establishment of the Gar`inim Toraniyim [seed groups promoting a Torah lifestyle]: Shaalei Torah - another offspring of Yeshivat Shaalvim and finally, the establishment of Sha’alvim for Women in Jerusalem. In addition, he was for many years an active member of the administration of the Shlomo Aumann Institute and of the Editorial Board of HaMa'yan – he would even proofread these English abstracts – and his absence will be keenly felt. Rav Meir Schlesinger, the founder of Yeshivat Shaalvim and its head for many years, who was the one who invited Rav Galinsky to join the staff of the administration of the yeshiva, poignantly reveals for us the secret of his dear friend’s unique persona. As a Rav, leader, educator, friend and family man, Rav Galinsky embodied an unusual combination of traits. These traits were commingled into a marvelous new “compound” - that of Lamdanut Litait ['Lithuanian' scholarship], Chassidic passion, Religious Zionism, Ahavat Yisrael [love of the Jewish people] and Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel], all emanating from his inherent middat ha-emet [truth and integrity]. Rav Ari Waxman, who in recent years took upon himself the care of foreign students at the yeshiva alongside Rav Galinsky, draws a portrait of Rav Galinsky in his capacity as director of the bnei chul [foreign student] program at Shaalvim. For the students in the yeshiva, the Rav was like a father: he was happy with their success and was with them in their sorrow. His activities included shiurim [classes], sichot [talks], education, countless acts of chessed [kindness] as well as maintaining the Yeshiva through his involvement with fundraising. All this he accomplished with his unique combination of strength, leadership, practicality and warmth. It was this quality of imbuing all his far-flung activities with human warmth, humility and care for every individual, which made Rav Galinsky Z.T.L. so outstanding an individual.
Shmuel Emanuel, long a contributor to HaMa'yan and a senior member of Kibbutz Sha'alvim, writes parting words about his friend Rav Gershom Harpanas, a person dedicated to education and to Torah, among the outstanding activists of the Poalei Agudat Yisrael movement in Israel, who was involved in saving lives during the shoah [holocaust] of Hungarian Jewry, and continued in education, aliyah, and spreading written and oral Torah in the land of Israel until his dying day.
Further on, Rav Mordechai Emanuel delineates the rabbinic persona of Rav Neuwirth Z.T.L. as a halakhic authority and mentor of rabbis, and Eli Kellerman, a resident of the Rav Z.T.L.'s neighborhood of Bayit Vegan in Jerusalem, relates things he said and practices he practiced. Shmuel Emanuel again writes about Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth Z.T.L.'s aliyah [immigration] to the land of Israel on a ma'apilim [blockade-running] boat. In the introduction to the third edition of his work Shemirat Shabbat k'Hilkhatah [Shemirath Shabbath :a guide to the practical observance of the Sabbath] the Rav Z.T.L. wrote about his rescue from the shoah and his aliyah to Israel, and how much it troubled him that boarding the ma'apilim boat took place intentionally on the holy Sabbath. Shmuel Emanuel, with the help of documentation he received from the archives of the Museum of Illegal Immigration in Atlit and of memoirs of the period, describes how things were done on the ma'apilim transport in which Rav Neuwirth traveled and other such boats, and that in general 'violating' the Sabbath in these instances was vital and permissible.
The issue closes with reviews by the editor of new Torani books.
לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים!