kosher bookworm: alan jay gerber

Aish Kodesh Hilulas: Valued Jewish teachings for troubled times

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This past month marked what has become in Woodmere, over the past decade and a half, an annual yahrzeit commemorative, a Hilula, conducted by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger in memory of the sainted martyr, Reb Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro, h”yd, of Piaseczna, the Aish Kodesh. This annual Hilula now attracts over 1,000 participants in the Five Towns and beyond who come to pay tribute to one of the most prominent rabbinical martyrs of the Holocaust.

Recently, a new volume was published of all of the previous years’ texts of Rabbi Weinberger’s divrei Torah in tribute to the legacy and teachings of the Aish Kodesh. This work, titled, “Warmed By The Fire of the Aish Kodesh,” is published and adapted by Binyomin Wolf.

Jewish history is marked with persecution from time immemorial. Current events only further serve to confirm the fact that hatred of our people is a historic legacy that continues without letup. As current events in Eretz Yisrael continue to demonstrate, that historic edge to our legacy has much to teach the current generation.

Nov. 7, Shabbat Chayeh Sarah, Shabbat Chevron, marks the first anniversary of the murder of Rav Moshe Twersky, h”yd, and five others during the Har Nof massacre in Jerusalem (the fifth victim, Rabbi Haim Yehiel Rothman, died last Shabbat of injuries he sustained during the attack).

The following is based on sentiments shared to me by Binyomin Wolf that I am honored to share with you; it reflects upon the Aish Kodesh legacy and connects it thematically and historically with that of Rav Twersky:

“Why is a Jew who is killed because he is a Jew said to have died ‘al kiddush Hashem’ — sanctifying G-d’s name? This is difficult to understand. Shouldn’t we consider it a chillul Hashem — a desecration of G-d’s name — when a faithful Jew is killed? Doesn’t such an event lead people to question G-d’s justice? The truth is that dying for G-d’s sake is the greatest kiddush Hashem when one understands the definition of the term, which actually means revealing G-d’s presence in the world. And, what could demonstrate the reality of G-d’s existence more than a Jew’s willingness to give up that which is most precious to him — his own life — because of his awareness of G-d almighty?”

“In this month of Cheshvan, we mark the murder, al kiddush Hashem, of two great rabbis. Seventy-two years ago, on the fourth of Cheshvan, the Aish Kodesh was killed by the Nazis in the Trawniki work camp after the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto. In the Ghetto, he openly preached to and openly encouraged his fellow internees despite the fact that he had already lost his entire family.”

“And, just one year ago, on the 25th of Cheshvan, Rav Moshe Twersky was murdered by Arab terrorists as he was devening Shacharit at his shul in Har Nof, Jerusalem, Kehilas B’bei Torah. Rav Twersky was a talmid chacham in his own right and a grandson of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt’’l, as well as a scion of Tolner chassidus.

“While Rav Twersky’s murder was unexpected, unlike that of the Aish Kodesh, both were killed by merciless enemies of our people for only one reason — they were Jews. Their legacy was shared by this: their lives and deaths demonstrated that G-d’s existence is even more real than all of corporeal life. May their ultimate sacrifice for G-d almighty help us all to continue to be inspired to live ‘al kiddush Hashem’.”

Next week, iy”h, we will learn more about the teachings and the legacy of Rav Moshe Twersky from the writings of Rav Yehoshua Berman whose new website of weekly divrei Torah-related teachings from Rav Twersky can be obtained by email at vayigdalmoshe@gmail.com

FOR YOUR FURTHER STUDY

The following are three recent essays written by three very distinguished scholars that will surely give you a greater appreciation of current events. They should be read carefully and shared by all.

“Coping With Terrorism Through Faith,” by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, is an excellent halachik-based take on the matsav now engulfing our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael.

“Israel: The Blessing of Insecurity,” by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, is an eloquent and scholarly take on current events with hashkafa and chizuk woven together to help inspire all to have greater confidence in the many days ahead.

 

“Torah Mysteries Illuminatedm,” an excellent anthology of learned essays by Thomas Furst, especially his most timely essay,” The Meaning of ‘The Land of Milk and Honey’: The Kedusha of Eretz Yisrael and its Practical Relevance Today.”