A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R A B B I N I C A L U M N I O F T H E R A B B I I S A A C E L C H A N A N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A RY • A N A F F I L I AT E O F Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T Y

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

an affiliate of Yeshiva University

Max Stern Division of Communal Service

500 West 185th Street
New York, NY 10033

CHAVRUSA
MARCH 2006 • ADAR 5766 VOLUME 40 • NUMBER 2

CHAVRUSA is a publication of the

Rabbinic Alumni of the
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary an
affiliate of Yeshiva University
Honoring Our
Richard M. Joel 40th and 50th
President, Yeshiva University
Anniversary Classes:
Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm
Chancellor, Yeshiva University
Rosh HaYeshiva, RIETS As the Rabbi Isaac
Rabbi Kenneth Brander
Dean, Center for the
Jewish Future

Rabbi Solomon Ryback

President, Rabbinic Alumni

Rabbi Ronald L. Schwarzberg

Director, Jewish Career Development
Chag Hasemikah 5766:
A Elchanan Theological
Seminary celebrates the
ordination of more than
170 new musmakhim, it
also honors the careers, callings, and
contributions of its rabbonim who have
spent the past 40 and 50 years in the
and Placement
Rabbi Elly Krimsky Celebrating a Glorious Past and a Bright Future service of the Jewish community.
Assistant Director, Jewish Career How would the Jewish world look
Development and Placement RIETS WILL PROUDLY FETE cation included such a number of without the rabbis from our semikhah
Editor, Chavrusa ITS LATEST 170 MUSMACHIM Torah Umadda role models. This semi- classes of 1953-1956 and 1963-1966?
Many thanks to June Glazer khah class includes those who entered While the contributions of some are well
RIETS who contributed to this article. the semikhah program while in the midst known and acclaimed, others bare the

M
ore than 170 young of careers in business, academia, law, mantle of leadership below the radar.
Rabbi Zevulun Charlop
Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS talmidei chachamim and medicine. Inspired by what they Institutionally, the Yeshiva family has
will descend upon Yeshiva learned at RIETS, many of them have continued on page 4
Rabbi Chaim Bronstein
Administrator, RIETS University’s Wilf Campus decided to now embark on careers in
on March 26, 2006, to Avodat HaKodesh…In addition to the
Rabbi Julius Berman
celebrate their Chag Hasemikhah. This many who serve with great distinction in
Chairman of the Board of Trustees,
RIETS is one of the largest Chag Hasemikhah synagogues and educational institutions
Highlights
classes our yeshiva has produced. RIETS of large metropolitan Jewish communities,
CJF Kicks Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
now claims more than 2,700 musmakhim the current semikhah class includes rabbis
since the Yeshiva’s first three students serving in Nashville, Omaha, Rochester, New Faces in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Rabbinic Placement
received semikha in 1906 by a tribunal England, and Switzerland…Of course,
Divrei Chizuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
of three acclaimed rabbis representing Yeshiva University takes great pride in
the Agudas Harabbonim. The musmakhim the dozens of musmakhim who have Musmakhim in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
the Limelight
from the 2002 to 2006 graduating classes made aliyah and are bringing the wis-
Chomer L’Drush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
have already made an impact on our com- dom of life to Israel.”
munity in all areas of Jewish leadership. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, celebrat- Back to the Beit Midrash . . . . . . . . 10
In a message to the new musmakhim, ing his 30th year as Rosh HaYeshiva of Life Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
President Joel commented that, “Never RIETS, points out that, “There was a New Roshei Yeshiva. . . . . . . . . . . . 15
before has a Chag Hasemikhah convo- continued on page 4
Divrei Chizuk From Our Leaders
Rabbi Solomon F. Rybak, PhD
Harbei Lamadti Meirabotai
Umeichaverirai yoter meirabotai
Umitalimidai yoter miculam
(Ta’anit 7a)
R. Chanina’s remark is
meant to teach us that one’s
education is achieved in stages
with each one complementing
the other.
As I look back on the past
forty years since I was granted
smikhah at RIETS, I realize
how much I am indebted to
our beloved Yeshiva. I have
had the privilege of joining with those who have not only studied
at Yeshiva but who have also had the opportunity to continue
their association with their illustrious rabbeiim and colleagues
by teaching here. After teaching in our high school for 27 years,
then at Touro College for over a decade and serving all along in
the pulpit rabbinate since 1970, I am now more deserving of
the title bestowed upon me in 1966 by the revered “Rov” and
Dr. Belkin zt”l.
Rabbi Zevulun Charlop
I remember one of my last
visits to Rabbi Binyamin
Arnest zt’l shortly before his
petira – nearly a quarter of a
century ago. Rabbi Arnest was
one of the great iluyim of the
Telshe yeshiva who Dr. Revel
zt’l brought to Yeshiva upon
the strong recommendation of
the Kovno Rav, Reb Avraham
Shapira zt’l, author of the
classic Dvar Avrohom. Dr.
Revel, himself from Kovno,
was wont to look for roshei
yeshiva from that part of the world. Rabbi Arnest who served as
Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS for nearly four decades, was reminiscing
with me about the different rebbeim he had studied under and
mentioned, among other things, his involvement in a bitter reli-
2 3
As editor of Chavrusa from the late 1980’s until the beginning
of the present decade, I have enjoyed and benefited immensely
from the close contact that I maintained with the members of the
Rabbinical Alumni. Now as president, I value your friendships
even more. I can confidently tell you that we are ordaining more
and better prepared musmakhim than ever before in our hundred
years since the first Chag HaSemikhah in 1906. My older son is
a member of our ranks and younger one will join us iy”h as well.
Please join me in celebrating the Chag HaSmikhah on
March 26th—the next milestone in our glorious history as we
enter our second century of service. Your presence will enhance
the simcha and will be the greatest demonstration of your hakarat
hatov to RIETS.
May you and your families be blessed for all of your efforts in
haramat keren haTorah.
RABBI DR. SOLOMON K. RYBAK ‘66R
serves as President of Rabbinic Alumni.
(973) 473-3191
gious controversy which found its platform in the volatile
Yiddish press in Poland/Lithuania of that time.
Rabbi Arnest’s role in this controversy very much surprised
me as it revealed another side of him of which I was entirely
unaware. He told me about a Letter to the Editor that was pub-
lished in one of these papers sharply critical of Reb Baruch Ber
Leibowitz zt’l, the Kaminetzer Rosh Yeshiva. The writer’s chief
complaint was that Reb Baruch Ber was too easy and gentle
with his talmidim; and this explained the apparently serious
defection of talmidim who left Kaminetz for the new ‘isms’ that
were making deep inroads in the European Jewish community
after the Great War, as the First World War was known, and
made invidious comparison between Reb Baruch Ber and Rabbi
Yosef Leib Bloch, the Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe, who ruled with
an iron hand. In response to the harsh letter against Reb Baruch
Ber and its contrastingly positive evaluation of Reb Yosef Leib
Bloch of Telshe, it wasn’t long before a ‘no holes barred’ letter
emerged, taking to task Rabbi Bloch and pointing to the many
Telshe talmidim who were pulled from the Beis
Medrash by the enticements of the ‘new world.’ It was this
unseemly exchange that provoked Rabbi Arnest to respond to
what he considered to be a rank chillul Hashem. In sum, he
said, on the contrary; the success of Reb Baruch Ber was owing
to his soft approach even as the success of Rabbi Bloch was
owing to his strict and unyielding sway over his yeshiva. If Reb
Baruch Ber, he wrote, would rule with a heavy hand against his
gentle nature, he would not be Reb Baruch Ber; and if rabbi
Bloch would have adopted the easy approach of Reb Baruch
Ber, he would not be Rabbi Bloch and could not have estab-
lished the distinctive imperious regime which made Telshe one
of the great centers of Torah that it was. I had remarked then,
even as we affirm ‘chanoch hanaar al pi darko,’ apparently it is
no less true ‘yelamed haRebbe al pi tivo.’ A rebbe has to follow
his essential nature and instincts to see whether that nature is
in the end soft and gentle or
firm and unbending.
And suddenly, a Gemara which seemed to me to illustrate
uncannily this paradox, came to mind. The Gemara (Ketubot
62:-63a) recounts two astonishing episodes which I think speak
to the question of yachas between rebbe and talmid and no less
relevantly, between child and parent. Rebbe Yehudah HaNasi,
father of the Mishna, arranged a marriage between his son and
the daughter of Rebbe Yosef ben Zimra. Among the stipulations
of this match was that Rebbe’s son would first have to study at
the Beit Midrash for twelve years before the wedding could take
place. Just as the young man was ready to take his leave and
start out fo the House of Study, they passed his bride-to-be
before him so that he’d at least have a glimpse of her before
going off to learn. He was so taken by her beauty that he said:
‘Maybe we can cut the twelve years to six!’ When they passed
her before him a second time, he succumbed entirely, insisting
that they get married right away, and that the twelve years at the
yeshiva could follow.
It wasn’t too long before he felt an overwhelming embarrass-
ment. Here he was, the scion of the greatest sage of the age,
much was expected of him, and he had proven to be so thor-
oughly fickle. Rebbe, however, perceiving his son’s discomfiture,
said to him in words and tone calculated to put him at ease and
remove the sense of shame that filled him: “You think along the
same lines as your Maker.”
(u”y ,una) ch,f trehgn/ lc ah lbue ,gs whbc k”t
uagu” (v”f ,una) ch,f ;uxcku u“ ngy,u unthc,”
o
“ fu,c h,bfau asen hk
Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s original intention was first to bring
Israel to the land and then have them build a sanctuary in
which He could dwell. Yet, because of His boundless love for
Israel, He would not wait until they possessed the land. He
wanted to dwell in their midst at once, and commanded them
instead to build the tabernacle in the wilderness before they
entered Canaan. “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may
dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8).
Contrast this benign, even uplifting, response to a son’s frivo-
lousness with another reaction recorded in the Talmud in this
selfsame ????? which is of a different stripe entirely.
Rava made an arrangement for his son, Rav Yosef, not dissim-
ilar to the one Rebbe effected for his son, except that Rav Yosef
was to spend only six years in the Yeshiva before marrying. After
three years, however, the young man, not a little bit homesick,
left the Beit Hamidrash on Erev Yom Kippur, intending to visit
his family for a short while only, and to return immediately after
the Holy Day. We must remember that communication and
travel were primitive then. There was no telephone, car or
plane, and hardly a mail delivery system. Long range contact
was at best minimal and more often non-existent.
So it was not unnatural for Rava’s son to want to come home
and see the mishpacha. Nonetheless, when Rava heard about
his son’s return, he literally took himself a weapon to do battle
with him. “You can’t keep your mind off your bride!” he roared.
crs vhnek cr hck hvuct vhrsa tcrs vhrc ;xuh cr
hkgn tyn hba ,k, vuv hf/ hba ,ha vhk uexpw ;xuh
gna /h,hc habhtk uvbhzjhtu lhzht :rnt whrupfs tnuh
?,rfzb l,buz :vhk rnt wvhptk epbu tbn kea whvuct
rn tk wsuryht ?,rfzb l,buh :vhk rnt whrnts tfht
/ehxpht rn tku ehxpht
The argument became so heated that they both forgot to eat
their seudat Hamafseket.
To fully appreciate this incident, one must realize that above
and beyond the significance Erev Yom Kippur has for all Jews, it
was particularly overriding in Rava’s case. The Gemara tells us
(Ta’anit 21b-22a) that Erev Yom Kippur was a very special time
for Rava. For the mesivta d’rakia, the Academy on High, greeted
him only once a year, and that was on Erev Yom Kippur. Indeed,
he was miffed because his famed colleague and controversialist,
Abaya, was greeted by that Heavenly Academy every Erev
Shabbat.
Moreover, the Gemara (Rosh Hashana 21a) tells us
that Rava used to fast two days of Yom Kippur because
Chag Hasemikah 5766:
continued from page 1
time when we were importing Talmudic
scholars from Europe, then from Israel,
to supplement the faculty. There simply
were not enough American-born and
American-educated talmidei hakhamim
sufficiently competent in Talmud and
Codes to be colleagues to our own
European-born scholars. That phase has
fortunately passed. We are now exporting
first-rate roshei yeshiva to yeshivot and
institutions in Israel and elsewhere. It is
a tribute to the success of our endeavors,
and a blessed sign of the growth of Torah
learning and hence the health of the
Orthodox Jewish community in America.
What once was denigrated as a Treie
Medinah has now become a historical
mekom Torah – and our yeshiva is proud of
its major role in this singular achievement…”
This year’s Chag Hasemikhah not only
represents the 120th anniversary of our
yeshiva but also celebrates the 100th
anniversary of RIETS students receiving
semikhah. It celebrates the academic,
communal and outreach accomplishments
of our fine and talented musmakhim.
Among the class are counted: five MDs;
four attorneys; three PhDs; two professors
at prestigious universities; two recipients of
Yadin Yadin semikha; two Sephardic rabbis;
a psychologist; a dentist; a former sailor; a
retired insurance agent who began semikhah
studies at age 70; a chaplain at Oxford
University; a son whose father, a prominent
attorney, is among the 50th anniversary
class being honored at the convocation .
A CENTURY
OF RABBINIC LEADERSHIP
The ordination of the first three RIETS
rabbis (“and perhaps the first young men
to be ordained on American soil in full
keeping with Orthodox tradition”) took
place at the “spacious new Kalvarier
Synagogue a month after the tests were
given during Chanukah of 1906”
[Klapperman, Rabbi Gilbert; The Story of
Yeshiva University, pp. 88-89]. Dr. Jeffrey
Gurock writes that in 1906,”Ties between
the school and the rabbinical association
were further cemented when a semikhah
board was formed under Agudath
Harabbanim control. Men ordained at
RIETS would have the same training,
qualifications and orientation as candi-
dates educated in Europe. These gradu-
ates would join hands with their elders in
leading a renaissance of traditional Jewish
practice” [Gurock, Jeffrey S. Amercan
Jewish Orthodoxy in Historical
Perspective, pp. 214]. Thirteen years and
3 musmakhim later, Rabbi Dr. Bernard
Revel zt’l led the first RIETS Chag
Hasemikhah convocation at the Spanish
and Portuguese Synagogue in New York
City on March 23, 1919- the 23rd
yahrtzeit of Rav Yitzchak Elchanan
Spektor of Kovno. At this seminal and
historical event, the first five graduates
who were trained entirely at RIETS were
granted semikhah (Rabbis Judah
Damasek, Sol B. Friedman, Morris
Fuhrman, Avraham Hirmes, Mordechai
Hirschprung and Joseph Ralbag, all of
blessed memory). The initial Chag
Hasemikhah heard addresses from Rabbi
Moshe Margolies, Rabbi Shalom Jaffe,
Rabbi Dr. Phillip Klein — spiritual leader
of New York’s Hungarian Ohab Zedek
Congregation — Dr. Henry Pereira
Mendes of the host synagogue, and a talk
by Mordechai Hirschprung, the valedicto-
rian [Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Rabbi Dr. Aaron;
Bernard Revel; Builder of American
Jewish Orthodoxy, pp. 51]. Rabbi Revel’s
charge to his five musmakhim rings as
true today as it did 87 years ago.
4 5
HONORS
RIETS proudly announces that Rabbi
Zevulun Charlop, the Max and Marion
Grill Dean of RIETS, will receive the
Harav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zt’l
Aluf Torah award. A 1951 graduate of
Yeshiva College, Rabbi Charlop is the
scion of a family with a tradition of rab-
binic leadership and Jewish scholarship.
He was ordained at RIETS in 1954 and
has been with the university and the sem-
inary for more than three decades. Since
his ordination, he also serves as spiritual
leader of the Young Israel of Mosholu
Parkway, in his native Bronx, NY.
Philanthropist Marcos D. Katz will
accept the Eitz Chaim award. Born in
Krakow, Poland, he has devoted himself
to strengthening educational and com-
mercial ties between Mexico and Israel.
Through his support of RIETS, the semi-
nary offers resources for an intense
course of study for prospective teachers
and rabbinic scholars wishing to pursue
advanced Talmudic scholarship.
Events throughout the month of
March will celebrate the newly minted
rabbis and the accomplishments of
RIETS. Rashei Yeshiva will keynote alum-
ni breakfasts in the New York area; a Yom
Iyun for musmakhim will be held on the
West Coast, along with the OU and the
RCA; the literary accomplishments of our
musmakhim will be highlighted at the
annual SOY Seforim Book Sale; before
the Convocation will feature a different
shiur available through our website
(www.chaghasemikhah.org); Rabbi Dr.
Norman Lamm, our Rosh HaYeshiva, will
deliver annual Rav Yitzchak Elchanan
Memorial Shiur. .Finally, we will highlight
and offer hakarat hotov to our beloved
Yeshiva in shuls across America. ◆
Yeshiva Students
Bring Warmth
To The Winter
For some students, winter break is a
time for relaxing after a tough semester.
But many Yeshiva University and RIETS
students spent their time off by helping
people and teaching Torah in the United
States, Central America and Israel.
Students representing Yeshiva College,
Stern College for Women, and RIETS
learned about themselves, their lot, their
people, their country, and their world.
BRINGING TORAH TO THE SOUTH
The Aaron and Blanche Schreiber Torah
Tours usually sends students to commu-
nities during such holidays as Simchat
Torah, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom
Kippur to teach and spread ruach.
However, the end of the holiday also ends
the students’ relationship with their host
community. The congregations who bene-
fit from these visits have to watch the cal-
endar until YU students return the fol-
lowing year. Rabbi Ari Sytner in
Charleston, South Carolina, bucked this
trend. Seven YU students will visit the
city every two weeks to “educate and
inspire the greater Jewish community of
Charleston,” said Rabbi Brander. “It is an
extension of the Aaron and Blanche
Schreiber Torah Tours program, but with
one unique twist,” noted Rabbi Kenneth
Brander. “The model is ideal for commu-
nities that cannot afford a full-time kollel,
but nonetheless crave a vibrant, youthful
Torah presence in their homes, syna-
gogues, and day schools,” said Adrianne
Eichen, the New York-based co-coordina-
tor. While in Charleston, the students
were hosted by Brith Sholom Beth Israel,
which has welcomed past Torah Tours
and was eager for this return visit. The
group highlighted the synagogue’s 26th
annual Shabbaton in Myrtle Beach. “We
have special warmth, a special closeness
here in Charleston,” said spiritual leader
Rabbi Ari Sytner. “We envision the kollel
Rabbi Adir Posy in the Gulf Coast
being the glue that will bring different
segments of the Charleston community
even closer together.”
Torah Tours teams also visited Beit
David Highland Lakes Synagogue and
Hillel community day school in South
Florida; The Westwood Kehilla, Links
Kollel, and the UCLA community in Los
Angeles
EXPERIENCING DEVASTATION
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
“One of the most difficult challenges fac-
ing modern educators is how to instill
middos and the values of chesed within
our youth,” said fourth-year RIETS
smikhah student and Wexner Smikhah
Honors fellow, Adir Posy. “We need to
teach our students to be proactive mem-
bers of their communities and remind
them that even as teenagers, they can
truly make a difference.”
Together, Adir and his wife, Hindi, a
graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine and
current student at the Bernard Revel
Graduate School, organized a volunteer
mission to New Orleans, LA and Biloxi,
MS for 14 Yeshiva high school girls over
the girls’ winter break. Under the aus-
pices of CJEP (Community Jewish
Enhancement Project) of Congregation
Ahavath Torah in Englewood, NJ, the
girls traveled to several Jewish communi-
ties within the devastated gulf coast
region with a genuine, common mission:
to lend a helping hand.
While much attention has been devot-
ed to the heavy-duty clean-up work —
gutting of homes, re-roofing, or demoli-
tion — little mention has been made of
the simple, yet powerful, connections
people can make to improve the quality-
of-life of survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
It is these interpersonal connections,
connections forged through a friendly
smile, a lending ear, or a helping hand, on
which these girls focused. The partici-
pants of Project Rebuild—as the girls’
mission was called—hailed from four dif-
ferent schools and seven communities in
New York, New Jersey and even as far
away as California. Although none of
them had ever met any of the community
members in New Orleans or Biloxi, when
they learned of a fellow Jew (well, actual-
ly, an entire city of fellow Jews) in need,
they jumped to help in any way they
could.
From early Sunday morning, January
22 through late evening on Thursday,
January 26, the girls of Project Rebuild
helped the Jews of New Orleans and
Biloxi continue to put their communities
back together. The girls helped with the
clean-up but, perhaps more importantly,
they helped bring energy, youth, and
inspiration back into a desolate and often
Chomer L’Drush
Parshat Vayakhel–
Pekudei
Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter
To be a part of or apart from? This is the
central challenge that confronts human
beings throughout life. It applies to us as
individual members of a family or com-
munity, focusing on the issue of when we
need to be a part of the larger group and
when we need to assert our own individu-
ality. It applies to us as Orthodox Jews
within the larger Jewish community,
sharpening the question of where and
when we can join forces with others in
the community and where and when we
need to assert our unique identity. It
applies to countries or governments deal-
ing with the question of when it is appro-
priate for them to be part of the commu-
nity of nations and when they need to
assert their own parochial interests. And,
finally, it applies to the Jewish people as a
whole in a non-Jewish world.
The central theme of the Torah read-
ings these last few weeks has been the
mishkan—exactly how it was to be con-
structed and exactly what sort of vessels
it was to contain. After the entire descrip-
tion had been presented and everything
discussed in great detail, the Torah states:
“And Moshe was not able to come to the
Tent of Meeting for the cloud (he-anan)
rested upon it” (Exodus 40:35). Moshe
was not permitted to enter this carefully
constructed tabernacle because God’s
anan was present there. The impression
given here is that anan and Moshe are
mutually exclusive; one could not be in
the same place as the other. It would
seem that the anan was so special and
holy that no human being, even the great
Moshe Rabbenu, was allowed in its pres-
ence.
The Talmud (Yoma 4b) records that R.
Zerika (or, some say, R. Elazar) pointed to
a contradiction between this verse and an
earlier one in Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus
24:18). There the Torah writes that,
“Moshe came in the midst of the cloud
(be-tokh he-anan).” Apparently, not only
was the anan not off limits to Moshe, he
actually penetrated its very depths.
In answer, the Talmud cites a com-
ment of the School of R. Yishmael:
It is stated here “In the midst
(bi-tokh)” and it is stated there
(in the context of the splitting of
the sea) “And the children of Israel
came into the midst (bi-tokh) of the
sea.” Just as there (it means that) a
path (was made for them through
the water)… so too here (it means
that) a path (was made for Moshe
through the cloud).
In fact, then, the anan is indeed too holy
for any human being to stand in close
proximityto it but the only reason Moshe
was able to do so in the previous case
was because there, similar to the experi-
ence of the Jews in crossing the sea, he
was surrounded by some kind of a special
protective force which made a path for
him. In effect, then, when the Jews
crossed the Red Sea they were both bi-
tokh the sea and separate from it; Moshe
was both bi-tokh the cloud and separate
from it; a part of and apart from, and
both at the same time.
6 7
This dialectic concept serves as a para-
digm for individuals within families, the
Orthodox community within the larger
Jewish people, countries within the
world, and the Jewish people in contem-
porary society. Surely we are very much a
part of the world around us. We function
regularly in that world and participate
actively in it, in the cultural, social, politi-
cal, intellectual, academic and economic
life of the societies in whose midst we
live. We pray for the welfare of our
respective governments and in ancient
times we reflected our concern for the
world-at-large by sacrificing animals on
Sukkot on their behalf. We live very
much bi-tokh the world—and, at the
same time, are also removed from it. We
follow our own religion, with our own
laws, customs and practices, and we are
different from all the other nations. Our
history has consistently borne out the
contention of Bil‘am that we are “a nation
that will dwell alone” (Numbers 23:9).
This dialectic is particularly reflected
in the motto of our beloved yeshiva,
Torah u-Madda. As a yeshiva, we have
always stressed that which makes us
unique, special and distinctive as Jews,
our commitment to our mesorah as has
been taught to us by our illustrious rashei
yeshiva over the past many decades. And
we have also appreciated what we have in
common with other Jews and with the
world at large.
Are we a part of the world or are we
apart from it? The answer is that we are
both, like Moshe in the cloud and the
Jewish people in the sea, and we are both
at the very same time. ◆
RABBI DR. JACOB J. SCHACTER
Senior Scholar at the Center of the Jewish Future
University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish
Thought,Yeshiva University.
Back to The Beit Midrash
. food) as well, in order to instill a habit
The Laws of
Netilas Yadayim
(part 1)
Rabbi Baruch Simon
The Gemara tells us that the Chachomim
decreed that a person’s hands are considered
ritually unclean. As a result, if unwashed
hands touch terumah, the terumah is ren-
dered impure1. The Gemara continues
and explains that the reason for deeming
a person’s unwashed hands to be ritually
unclean is that people are not conscious
of the activity of their hands2. Rashi elab-
orates further: the items which a person
unconsciously may touch with his hands
in the course of a day include various
types of filthy or ritually unclean items3.
Since any impurity transmitted to the
hands unknowingly would subsequently
be transferred by touch to terumah, the
Chachomim declared unwashed hands to
have a definite tumah rendered on them.
On a rabbinic level, then, touching terumah
with unwashed hands renders the terumah
ritually unclean. However, the Chachomim
said that this tumah could be removed by
netilas yadayim4.
The Gemara in Chulin tells us that after
decreeing netilas yadayim for terumah, the
Chachomim enacted a requirement of
netilas yadayim for chulin (unsanctified
and ensure that people would not forget
to wash their hands for terumahv.
FOOD ITEMS REQUIRING NETILA
The requirement of netilas yadayim is
limited to pas (bread stuffs) and food
items which are normally dipped in liq-
uids.
BREAD
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that Chazal
enacted netilas yadayim for chulin princi-
pally before one eats bread because eat-
ing bread is similar to eating terumah
(the original netilas yadayim requirement)
in two ways. First, people typically hold
bread in their hands when eating it. Since
Chazal enacted netilas yadayim for
terumah to prevent a person from trans-
ferring impurity from his hands to the
terumah, they enacted netilas yadayim
principally for foods that are touched by
the hands. Second, most biblical terumah
exists mainly in the form of bread.
Therefore, although an apple might nor-
mally have contact with one’s hand dur-
ing consumption, since its obligation in
terumah is only rabbinical according to
most opinions, Chazal did not require
netilas yadayim. On the other hand,
drinking liquids such as wine and oil
whose obligation for terumah is biblical,
does not create a netilas yadayim obliga-
tion since they are normally not held
directly in one’s bare hand during drink-
ing6. The Beis Yosef cites the Rokeach,
who questions whether one who con-
sumes bread less than the quantity of a
beitza is obligated to wash. Since there is
a doubt, the Rokeach advises washing
without reciting the bracha. The Beis
Yosef explains that the Rokeach’s uncer-
tainty stems from a question as to how
closely the laws of netilas yadayim mirror
the laws of tumah on which they were
based. On one hand, a food item which is
less than a beitza is not susceptible to
tumah7, suggesting that the Chachomim
did not enact the obligation for netila in
such a situation. On the other hand, one
could claim that the Chachamim institut-
ed a blanket obligation without differenti-
ating between more than a beitza or less8.
While the Mishna Berura concurs with
the Beis Yosef ’s opinion9, the Vilna Gaon
holds that the obligation of netilas yaday-
im is dependent on the obligation to
recite birkas hamazon; since one recites
birkas hamazon even on a kezayis of
bread, which is less than a beitza, he is
also obligated to wash with a bracha
before eating a kezayis of bread10. The
Chazon Ish is quoted to have followed
this opinion11. If, however, one eats less
that a kezayis of bread, the poskim dis-
pute whether he is required to wash at
all12. The Mishna Berura recommends
washing without a bracha, in accordance
with the stringent opinion13.
PAS HABA B’KISNIN
The Chachamim also required netilas
yadayim with a bracha for pas haba b’k-
isnin (i.e. cake or cookies) if one eats a
sufficient amount to create kevias
seuda14. If a person began to eat cake
with intent not to eat an amount suffi-
cient for kevias seudah, and then changes
his mind, he is not required to wash his
hands or to recite hamotzee on the addi-
tional cake unless the additional amount
he now intends to begin eating is itself
sufficient for kevias seuda15. (There is
however, a requirement to recite a second
borei minei mezonos on the additional
cake to be consumed since the person
did not intend to eat this cake when he
recited the original bracha of borei minei
mezonos16). The person must recite
birkas hamazon after finishing all the
cake since all together he ate the amount
of kevias seudah17.
The requirement of netilas yadayim
extends to consuming food that remains
wet from having come into contact with
any of these seven liquids18: wine, honey,
oil, milk, dew, blood, and water.
(Although as the Magen Avraham points
out, it is forbidden, barring a life-threat-
ening situation to eat food wet with
blood19). This Halacha applies only to
food that is normally dipped in one of the
above liquids20. This Halacha applies as
well to a food item which was rinsed in
water in order to clean it off21.
Rashi explains that netila is required
for food dipped in liquids for the same
reason that it is required for bread – lest
one would come to eat terumah without
washing his hands22. Rabbeinu Yonah
elaborates: Since liquids are more suscep-
tible to receiving ritual impurity, the
Chachamim expanded the obligation of
netila to include foods dipped in
liquids23.
Tosfos, however, disagrees with Rashi’s
approach and maintains that the enact-
ment of netilas yadayim for wet food
items, unlike the reason for the enact-
ment for bread, is to protect one’s own
body from tumah. If a person touches the
wet food with ritually unclean hands,
transfers the impurity to the liquid and
then the food item, eating the now
impure item renders the person himself
ritually impure. As a consequence to his
view that washing for wet foods differs
from the standard netilas yadayim, Tosfos
holds that no bracha should be recited
upon this netila. Tosfos further suggests
that since in our times we are not gener-
ally careful about coming into contact
with tumah, the netila may not be
required at all24. The Divrei Chamudos
writes that many people rely on the opin-
ion of Tosfos and do not wash for a wet
food item25. The Mishna Brurah rules
that one should wash before eating wet
foods in deference to the many Rishonim
who agree with Rashi, but that a bracha
should not be recited26.
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OBLIGATED
Netilas yadayim is required even if the
person does not physically touch the food
(i.e he is being fed by somebody else, is
using a fork or wearing gloves), lest the
person’s hands touch the food27.
However, an individual who is touching
the food with his bare hands in order to
feed others is not required to wash his
hands so long as he does not himself eat
any of the food28.
USE OF A VESSEL
The Gemara in Maseches Chulin teaches
that a valid netila requires the water to be
poured onto the hands from a vessel
(kli)29. The Rashba explains in the name
of the Halachos Gedolos that the rabbini-
cal enactment of using a vessel for netilas
yadayim is patterned after the Torah law
of requiring a vessel for purifying a per-
son who came in contact with a dead
body or from the kiyor found in the
Mikdash30. In fact, the Rashba notes, the
words netilas yadayim derive from the
Aramaic word ‘natla,’ meaning vessel31.
One must keep in mind several hala-
chos governing the vessel which he plans
to use for netilas yadayim.
a. It must be large enough to hold a revi-
is of water32 (approximately 3.3
ounces)33.
b. If the vessel would hold a reviis of
water, if not for a puncture in the
lower portion of the vessel that
enables water to constantly drip out,
the vessel is considered one which
cannot hold a reviis and is thus invalid
for netila34. However, if the puncture
at the bottom is so small that water
does not constantly drip, the vessel
may be used for netila if no other ves-
sel is available35.
c. If the problematic puncture is suffi-
ciently high to permit the vessel to
hold a reviis below the hold, the
Shulchan Aruch permits one to use
this vessel for netila, but only by pour-
ing the water onto one’s hand via the
hole36. One may not pour from the lip
of the vessel because the part of the
vessel above the hole is not considered
a valid part of the vessel for netila
(since it cannot hold water). However,
the Magen Avraham quotes Rishonim
who disagree with the Shulchan Aruch
8 9
and maintain that even if the hole is
above the reviis line one may not use
this vessel, even by pouring through
the hole37 if the hole is large enough
to render the vessel as ‘broken’ for pur-
poses of ritual purity laws38. Pouring
through the hole raises another prob-
lem since the hole is so small, the
water dripping through the hole will
not cover the entire hand in one pour-
ing39. For this reason the Mishna
Brurah concludes that it is preferable
to use a vessel that is completely
whole and rely on the above leniencies
only in a situation where no other ves-
sel is available. Similar, to the above
Halacha, the poskim note that if a ves-
sel contains a spout that protrudes
above the rim of the vessel, one should
pour via the lip of the vessel and not
the spout, since the spout cannot hold
water. If, however, the spout is lower
than the rest of the vessel, one should
specifically pour via the spout since
any part of the vessel above the spout
cannot contain water40.
d. The vessel must be an object which is
made to hold water41 (i.e. pouring
water from a hat would be invalid.)
e. The vessel must be able to hold the
reviis of water without the support of
another object42. However, if the ves-
sel was made initially to be supported
by another object, it is valid for neti-
la43.
f. Many poskim permit the use of paper
or plastic cups for netilas yadayim44.
HALACHOS REGARDING
THE WATER USED FOR NETILA
Although the Raavad holds that only
water may be used for netilas yadaym,
similar to a mikveh that must consist of
water45, other Rishonim permit the use
of fruit juices since they are referred to as
‘mei peros’ – water of the fruit46. The
Mishna Brurah concludes that one may
follow the view permitting fruit juices
only in dire need47. The Rosh explains
that although water whose color has
changed (i.e. as a result of ink falling in)
is invalid for netilas yadayim48, mei peros
may be used for netilas yadayim (but not
for mikveh) since its natural color
remains49. The Poskim debate a further
leniency; may water whose color was
changed as the result of an improvement
in the water (i.e. beer or soda) be used
for netilas yadayim. The Rama quotes the
Haghos Ashre, who takes the lenient
view50, while the Biur HaGra argues the
more stringent position, distinguishing
fruit juices that have their color naturally
from beer or soda51.
WATER THAT MAY NOT BE USED
If the water was used for another pur-
pose, ‘naases bo melacha,’ the water is
invalid for netila. For example, if one
washed dirty dishes in a basin of water,
this water can no longer be used for neti-
la52. The water is also invalid for netila if
it is too salty or dirty to be suitable for
animal consumption53. Although the
Shulchan Aruch permits using hot water
for netila (even yad soledes bo)54, the
Yam Shel Shlomo permits only hot water
that is not yad soledes bo55. The Mishna
Brurah recommends that one wait until
the water cools off to below yad soledes
bo in order to fulfill all opinions56.
PREPARATIONS FOR NETILA
No chatzitza (obstructions) may remain
on the hands during netilas yadayim. A
chatzitza is a foreign object that a person
would seek to remove at least for certain
activities or at certain times and that
blocks the water from reaching the
skin57. The Poskim note that one should
remove a ring before the netila since it is
a chatzitza58. Even though a person nor-
mally wants the ring to remain on the fin-
ger, a person kneading dough or engaged
in certain other activities would probably
remove the ring so as not to soil it. As a
result, the ring is a chatzitza at all
times59.
The Mishna Brurah rules that a for-
eign object covering the hand is a chatz-
itza if either the majority of people would
seek to remove the object at times or the
person himself would remove it at times,
even if most people would not care.
Accordingly, dirt underneath the finger-
nail parallel to the skin is not a chatzitza
because most people do not care enough
to clean that area, while dirt under the
fingernail above the skin is a chatzitza
because most people clean this area.
However, the Mishna Brurah holds that if
a person at times cleans the lower portion
of the fingernail (parallel to the skin),
then the dirt would constitute a chatzitza
for that particular individual60.
A person wearing a bandage must con-
sider several halachos. If the wound that
the bandage covers is minor and the
bandage can be easily removed, the indi-
vidual must remove the bandage before
washing. The Chachomim required
removal of the bandage because they
feared that the person may remove it dur-
ing the meal and then touch the food
with the unwashed part of his hand.
However, if the wound is significant, and
thus the bandage will not be removed,
the part of the hand underneath the cast
does not require netila61. In such a situa-
tion, one should be careful to pour a revi-
is of water on the remainder of the hand
that remains obligated62 (this will be
explained later in the article).
DRYING ONE’S HANDS PRIOR TO
THE NETILA
The Rama quotes the Terumas
Hadeshen, who holds that touching water
in a basin before the netila process does
not contaminate the water, and one may
subsequently use this water for netila63.
The Terumas Hadeshen explains that
only water (less than a reviis) poured on
the hand during netilas yadayim becomes
unclean as a result of contact with the
unclean hand64. Based on this Halacha
the Chazon Ish maintains that if one’s
hand were wet prior to the netila, this
water remaining on the hand during neti-
la becomes ritually unclean. This impure
water cannot be purified by any subse-
quent pouring because the water did not
receive its tumah through netila.
Therefore, according to the Chazon Ish,
one is required to dry his hands prior to
the netila65. However, the Mishna Brurah
holds that only the water that was poured
on the hand as part of the netila becomes
unclean. Wetness on the hand prior to
the netila does not become unclean.
Accordingly, one is not required to dry his
hands before the netila66.
DRYING THE CUP
Some Poskim require drying the cup
before netila because of a concern that
somebody who previously used the cup
did not wash properly and transferred
impure water from his hands to the han-
dle of the cup (the water on the person’s
hands became impure through the first
netila and was not subsequently purified
through the second netila when he subse-
quently touched the handle, to which the
impurity was transferred)67. However,
perhaps one can find room to be lenient
regarding drying the cup based on the
words of the Chazon Ish. The Chazon Ish
writes that if an individual washed
improperly the water on his hand does
not become unclean, since as we have
seen, only water poured on the hand dur-
ing the netila becomes unclean. By defi-
nition, if the netila was improper, the
water was not poured during the time of
netila and therefore it remains ritually
clean. In addition, the Chazon Ish writes
that hands which were already washed
properly cannot become contaminated by
unclean waters68.
RABBI BARUCH SIMON,
the Colonel Jehiel R. Elyachar Professor of Talmud
at the Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic
Studies, received his semikhah from Rabbi Isaac
Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) in 1988.
Rabbi Simon earned his BA, magna cum laude, in
Judaic studies from Yeshiva College where he was
the Yeshiva Program valedictorian. Rabbi Simon was
a fellow of the prestigious Caroline and Joseph
Gruss Kollel Elyon and a fellow of the Katz Kollel.
He is the author of two volumes of Imrei Baruch
END NOTES

1 Shabbat 13b. 24 Tosafot on Pesachim 115a, ‘kol shetivulo’ . 46 Position of Rashi. See Brachos 50b, ‘vnotlin.’
See also M’harsha, ‘kol shetivulo.’
2 Ibid. 14a. 47 Mishna Brurah 160:64.
25 Divrei Chamudot ch. 8 to Chulin number 41
3 Ibid askaniyot. See also Pri M’gadim at the end 48 Mishna Yadayim 1:3 and Shulchan Aruch
brought in Magen Avraham Orach Chayim
of the introduction to hilchot ntilas yadayim. Orach Chayim 160:1.
158:8.
4 Shabbos 14b. 49 Rosh on Brachos 87 siman 31.
26 Mishna Brurah 158:20.
5 Chulin 106a. See Rashi, ntilas yadayim mipnei 50 Rama Orach Chayim 160:12 and Haghos Ashre
27 Chulin 107b. Also, Shulchan Aruch Orach
srach haterumah. on Brachos 82 siman 11 in the Rosh.
Chayim 163:2.
6 Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah l’masekhet Brachot 51 Biur HaGra siman 160 s’if 12, ‘v’kol sheken
28 Shulchan Aruch Orakh Chayim 163:2.
pp. 41a in the pages of the Rif, ‘kol shetivulo’. d’mutar.’
29
7 See R. Mordechai Rabinowitz, who brings
positions of the rishonim if foods less than a 30
Chulin 107a.

Chidushei HaRashba on Maseches Chulin 107,

52 Mishna Midos 1:4. Shulchan Aruch Orach
Chayim 160:2. See also Magen Avraham s’if
Charges
k’beitzah are susceptible to tumah as per the ‘m’gufas chavit.’ Cited in Beit Yosef Orach katan 5, Shut Shevet Levi volume 1 siman 205.
opinion of Rashi Pesachim 33b and Tosafot Chayim 159, ‘ein notlin.’ Can also be seen in May I address to you my young friends, who ual, about the orphan, the widow, to tion are simply admirable. I can tell you
53 Mishna Yadayim 1:3. Shulchan Aruch Orach
l’eimat. Magen Avraham Orach Chayim 159:1. are about to enter your sacred calling as teach Torah one by one.’” that sometimes I sit up studying days and
Chayim 160:8 and 9.
8 Beit Yosef Orach Chayim 158 ‘katav harokeyach.’ 31 Rashba in Torat Habayit on the laws of netilas ‘rabbanim’ in Israel, a word of advice. You [Rabbi Menachem Genack– nights. Many a time my son comes into
54 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 160:6.
9
yadayim, sha’ar 2. have been ‘raised on the knees of the Torah’ as told in YU Review Winter 2003] my room and finds me asleep over the
Mishnah Brurah158:9.
32 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 159:1.
55 See Magen Avraham Ibid s’if katan 8. and you are worthy sons of the yeshiva. Gemara. It is late in the evening. Why? It
10 Biur HaGRA Orach Chayim158:6-7.
33
56 Mishna Brurah 160:27. You have studied our holy Torah day by The Yeshiva has accomplished something is not so much my diligence, but I am
See R. Shimon Eider’s , ‘Hilchos Pesach’
11 Sefer Orchot Rabbeinu l’haGRA Halevi Horvitz
volume 2 pp. 229. 57 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 161:1.
day and night by night for many a year which has been unknown in Jewish afraid of my pupils. If I come into the
pp. 77.
34 See also Mishna Brurah Ibid s’if katan 1. and you know well your duties as spiritual annals since the Golden Age of Spain. class unprepared, they will tear me apart.
Chulin 107a. See also Mishnah Brurah s’if
12 Beit Yosef citing Rokeach 158, ‘katav haRokeach’.
katan 7 quoting in the name of the Bach and 58 Beit Yosef Orach Chayim 161, ‘v’chashuv od…’
leaders in Israel. You know the fathomless This accomplishment is the combination This happens quite often. At the same
See also Magen Avraham Orach Chayim 158:4,
the Elya Rabba. depth of our holy Torah and its signifi- of talmid hakham with academician, a time, as far as modern education is con-
who writes that Beit Yosef’s citation is flawed. 59 Rosh, hilchos Mikva’os siman 26 in the name
35 Beit Yosef Orach Chayim . of the Raavad.
cance to Israel. You are aware that you person trained scientifically in all the cerned, they are academically well
13 Mishnah Brurah 158:10.
See also Mishna Brurah 159:8. are appointed today servants of the Torah. technological skills. …However, what the trained, on a par with any boys from
60 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 161:1 and
14 Beit Yosef Orach Chayim 158. He writes that 36 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 159:2 citing the Mishna Brurah s’ifei katan 9-10.
You are dedicating today your hearts and Yeshiva is doing is something else. The Harvard, Yale, or Columbia. In addition to
at first he was in doubt if washing is needed for
Rosh in Chulin. minds and wills to the cause of our holy Yeshiva has been more ambitious and their scholarship and knowledge, they
pas haba. b’kisnin even if kevias seudah was 61 Magen Avraham Orach Chayim 162 s’if katan
established. At the end he obligated it based 37 Magen Avraham on Shulchan Aruch Orach 18 in the name of the Bach. See also Mishna
faith. Yours will be the labor with little of more bold. It has proclaimed a higher possess a sense of commitment to Klal
on the Rashba. Chayim 159:3. Brurah 161 s’if katan 5. the recompense in worldly goods. Divine goal, the combination of academic mod- Yisrael the likes of which is hard to
15 Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim168:21 and 38 See tractate Kelim 3:1. See also Kelim 17:1. 62 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 162:10.
will be your work, for you will need the ern training with lomdus, with rigorous find… [The Yeshiva] is responsible for
Mishnah Brurah 168:26.
39
divine aid – verily as we all need – in the rabbinic scholarship at the highest level. the renaissance of Orthodoxy, and I am
Mishna Brurah 159:10. 63 Rama Orach Chayim 160:11.
16 Shaar Hatziyun Ibid 21. decision of the many complex religious The alumnus of the Yeshiva, whether he not exaggerating. For the Yeshiva is not
40 See Magen Avraham Orach Chayim 159:4. See 64 Trumos Hadeshen #259. problems that will come before you… is a rabbi or a merchant, a lawyer or a just an institution or a school; it is a
17 Shulchan Aruch 168:6. also L’vushei Srad, Chasam Sofer on Shulchan
Aruch. 345 and Mishna Brurah s’if katan 24.
65 Chazon Ish laws of Netilas Yadayim #24:20. Our holy Torah has given light and doctor, is also a talmid hakham… The movement, an idea, a challenge, it is a
18 Pesachim 115a. Shulchan Aruch Orach See also Kovetz b’Oholei Yaakov #16. warmth to mankind during untold genera- criteria of a scholar are commitment, faith and an assurance that Torah can
Chayim 158:4. 41 Shulchan Aruch 159:4.
66 Shaar Hatziyun Orach Chayim 162 s’if katan tions. And even this day, humanity, upon curiosity, inquisitiveness, restlessness, blossom and flourish in the Western
19 Magen Avraham Orach Chayim 158:8. 42 Ibid s’if 3. 41. the threshold of a new life, draws its exploration, and steady questing. This is Hemisphere, close to the skycscrapers of
20 Ibid. 5. 43 Ibid s’if 5. 67 See Shut Eretz Tzvi siman 35. See also inspiration and hope from our holy Torah, exactly what all musmakhei haYeshiva New York. The Torah can be cultivated,
21 44 Machtzis HaShekel #162 s’if katan 16. and the idealism of our prophets is the have. I can testify that the level of the taught, and propagated in all societies
Shaarei Teshuva 158:4. See Rachav Yadit by Rabbi Mordechai Blyer
22 Rashi on Pesachim 115a, ‘kol shetivulo’ and
pages 146-147 and 247. He cites Rabbi Tzvi 68 Chazon Ish laws of Netilas Yadayim #25 s’if leaven that is now working in the regener- shiurim delivered at the Yeshiva have and eras, no matter how powerful the
Kohen’s Tevilos Keilim pp. 57. See also Shraga katan 12.
Tosafot, ‘Kol shetivulo.’ ation of humanity. Only in the knowledge reached great heights. No other yeshiva opposition, and no matter how unfriendly
HaMeir siman 55:2.
23 Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah Maseches Brachos
of our holy Torah and the observance of here in America or in Eretz Yisrael has the circumstances.
45 Toras Habayis, bayis 6 sha’ar 2 in the name of
41a in the pages of the Rif, ‘kol shetivulo.’ its precept, is Israel’s strength and hope. attained this level… There are boys in The Rav–April 12, 1970 2
the Raavad.
Rabbi Dr. Bernard Revel– our institution who are committed to
March 23, 1919 1 Torah, bekol libam u-vekol nafsham; with You are a group of intelligent and bright
a fire and a passion unmatched in the young men who could have become doc-
“Once at a Chag Hasemikhah, [the Rav] history of yeshivot. When I see them, I tors and lawyers, businessmen and scien-
told the new musmakhim ‘Don’t think am sometimes reminded of Bialik’s ‘Ha- tists, psychologists and computer experts,
you’re going to change all of Jewry. Your Matmid’. They are bright and sharp, and as easily as your colleagues who graduat-
job as a rav is to care about the individ- their precision and skill in text interpreta- ed with you from Yeshiva College. You do

10 11
 RABBI RABBI
DR. DR. NORMAN
NORMAN LAMM LAM
have the blessing of abundant ‘bina v’daat,’ ing followers. ‘Ein melekh b’li am’, there tinue to learn in it; that you always test
intelligence and knowledge. But you can be no king without a country. And this yourself by the loyalty you maintain to Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm
chose to use it for Torah, which is “in task will demand of you new talents, largely your yeshiva. RIETS
Riets Rsh HaYeshiva and Rosh RIETS Rosh
HaYeshiva
Chancellor HaYeshiva
and and Chancellor,
Chancellor,
your mouth and in your heart in order to untried during your student days—talents Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm– Yeshiva University Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
do it.”… Your task is a psychologically of motivation and organization and personal March 18, 1990
difficult one, but one that is a sacred and vigor and communal relationships… To

inescapable obligation: to choose the right
theme at the right time, to shun both
arrogance and humility in their extremes,
to know when to be more humble and
when to be more proud. Such moral
moderation requires an abundant intelli-
gence and a high degree of wisdom. But
without a sense of balance, without that
dynamic equilibrium, you will have failed
in your mission… Never lose that healthy
consciousness of shyness, diffidence, and
apprehension about taking on too much
responsibility: it is an excellent antidote
for ga’avah. And never be without a sensi-
tive and historical awareness that, “for this
you were chosen,” that you are entering a
“calling,” a great and noble and historic
mission – that of the rabbinate and the
teaching of Torah.
Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm–
March 29, 1981
Dr. Belkin taught us by example that to
be a talmid chacham you need lomdus; to
be a yarei shamayim, you need emunah; to
be a teacher you need love of your pupils
as well as your subject matter. But to be a
rav, a rabbi in the classic Jewish sense, you
need all these and much more: you need
the gift of leadership… We can learn from
him [Dr. Belkin], each in his own way and
in accordance with his own personality, to
exercise leadership in our careers as rabbis;
to bear in mind that the rabbinate is neither
a service profession nor a life-long kollel
at the expense of a congregation, but a
challenge to take the initiative to dream
dreams for the greater glory of God and
Torah and Israel—and implement them;
to teach, but also to direct and orient and
mold and build and create. Do not take
this charge lightly. Leadership is not for
the faint of heart, but neither is it for the
light-hearted and the frivolous… Leadership
means creating, encouraging, and inspir-
SHIUR
SHIUR KLALIKLALI
be a talmid chacham you need a head. To When the Torah describes the building
be a yareh shamayim you need a heart. of the Mishkan in the desert, it speaks of
To be a gomel chasadim you need hands
and feet. To be a darshen you need a
mouth. But to be a leader—you need a
chut hashidra, a spine, a backbone. And
the different parts of the structure and its
furnishings—the Altar, the Ark, the Table,
etc., in great detail. A variety of sources—
Talmudic, Midrashic, Kabbalistic—expand
Shiur Klali
Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin
in an age when, as we are told, the major- on the symbolism of these sacred vessels. Dedicated in Dedicated
memory ofin
and on the memory
Rabbi Dr.
occasion of Rabbi
Samuel
of the Dr.
Belkin
Yahrzeit Samuel
of Rabbi IsaacBelkin
Elchanan
ity of the population suffers from back For instance: the Ark signifies the wisdom and onof
and on the occasion thethe
occasion ofof
Yahrzeit the Yahrzeit
Rabbi IsaacofElchanan
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
pain, that is no simple matter. of Torah; the Menorah—worldly wisdom;
Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm–
April 6, 1986
the Mizbeiach, self-sacrifice for all that is
holy, etc. But the conclusion is very much ʭʩʰʩʰʲ ʸʠʹʡʭʩʰʩʰʲ ʸʠʹʡ
ʺʥʠʣʥʤʥ ʺʥʠʣʥʤʥ
ʺʥʰʥʮʮʡ ʯʩʣ ʺʥʰʥʮʮʡ ʯʩʣ ʬʲʡ ʺʠʣʥʤ
ʬʲʡ ʺʠʣʥʤ
to the point: ve’hayah ha-mshkan echad,
Rabbanut demands of you that you live “the Mishkan shall be one,” unified and :ʺʥʸʥʷʮʤ :ʺʥʸʥʷʮʤ
on two levels: inside and outside, as an cohesive. All parts must meld together as
individual and as a public personal. Your one sanctuary. (ʩʮʣ
(ʩʮʣ ʭʩʣʲ ʤʠʮʫ ʯʩʣ ʭʩʣʲ
ʬʲʡ ʤʠʮʫ
ʺʠʣʥʤ) :ʤʯʩʣ
"ʱ ʬʲʡ ʺʠʣʥʤ) 'ʮʢ
ʳʣ ʯʩʹʥʣʩʷ :ʤ"ʱ ʳʣ ʯʩʹʥʣʩʷ 'ʮʢ
seyter, your inner, private, personal life, Yeshiva is our contemporary Mishkan.
was fashioned in our Bet Midrash. Your It consists of many varied parts, each quite
(ʥʮʶʲʡ
(ʥʮʶʲʡ ʬʡʧʬ ʭʣʠʬ ʩʠʹʸ ʬʡʧʬ ʭʣʠʬʷʸʴ
ʩʠ) ʬʡʥʧʤ ʩʠʹʸʳʥʱʩʠʠʮʷ
) ʬʡʥʧʤ
ʠʡʡʷʸʴ
'ʮʢ ʳʥʱ ʠʮʷ ʠʡʡ 'ʮʢ
galuy will be molded as you encounter an distinguished — medicine and law, psy- (ʱʰʥʫʤ ʬʲ ʸʥʴʩʱʤ()ʱʰʥʫʤ ʬʲ ʸʥʴʩʱʤ
:ʢ"ʷ ʺʥʡʥʺʫ 'ʮʢ ) :ʢ"ʷ ʺʥʡʥʺʫ 'ʮʢ
often hostile world and seek to apply the chology and social work, Jewish education
norms of Torah and the values of our and the undergraduate schools and, of ʥ"ʴʷ 'ʩʱ ʹʠʢʩʮ ʩ"ʥʸʤ
"ʴʷʺ"'ʩʱ
ʥʹʹʠʢʩʮ ʩ"ʸʤ ʺ"ʥʹ
sacred tradition in a world that is usually course, our Judaic schools: MYP, SBMP,
reluctant to learn and impervious to your IBC, JSS, and RIETS —all of which must
ʭʹ ʦ"ʡʣʸʥ – ʥ"ʤ ʭʹ ʦ"ʡʣʸʥ
ʯʩʸʣʤʰʱ – ʥʧ""ʤʴʯʩʸʣʤʰʱ
'ʬʤʮ ʭ"ʡʮʸ 'ʬʤʮ ʧ"ʴ ʭ"ʡʮʸ
teaching. The public galuy world, unlike coordinate, each fulfilling its own distinct ʠ"ʤʤʷʩʦʮʥ
ʠ"ʤ ʷʩʦʮʥ ʬʡʥʧ 'ʬʤʮ "ʴ ʭ"ʬʡʥʧ
ʡʮʸ 'ʬʤʮ ʤ"ʴ ʭ"ʡʮʸ
the private seter one, is an arena of more and immanent assignment, but all ultimate-
questions than answers, more problems ly blending in the ultimate mission of our ʦ"ʤ ʭʩʸʮʮ 'ʬʤʮ ʤʦ""ʴʤ ʭʭʩʸʮʮ
"ʡʮʸ 'ʬʤʮ ʤ"ʴ ʭ"ʡʮʸ
than solutions, and of tormenting incon- Mishkan as a whole: the perpetuation of
sistency, where you must make decisions the Jewish people and its sacred culture
and take stands, where the issues are via the ideal of Torah Umadda, so that : Wednesday, Wednesday,
March• 29,March
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2006
2006 • 29, 2006
ʥ"ʱʹʺ ʸʣʠ• ʥʨ""ʱʹʺ
ʫ ʸʣʠ ʨ"ʫ
11:00 a.m.11:00
-12:15a.m. -12:15 p.m.
p.m.
messy and murky and distasteful. ve’hayah ha-mshkan echad, “the Mishkan
But face it you must – and do so with shall be one.”
11 am – 12:15 pm
gusto, with brio, with zeal and enthusiasm Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm–
and a bright and lustrous love for Torah Chag Hasemikhah 2002 ◆
Harry Fischel Main Beit Midrash HARRY FISCHEL HARRY FISCHEL
Zysman Hall • 2540 Amsterdam Avenue • New York,MAIN BEIT MIDRASH
and for Israel. And don’t let anyone intim- MAIN BEIT MIDRASH NY 10033
idate you! How will you know that you Zysman Hall Zysman Hall
are on the right path? And if you can’t 2540 Amsterdam 2540
Ave. Amsterdam Ave.
know for a certainty, then at least are New York, NY 10033
New York, NY 10033
there any precautions that you can take
so that even an error will be an honest
one? Only one way: by making sure that END NOTES
1 Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Rabbi Dr. Aaron. Bernard
your b’galuy is added to but does not dis-
place your ba-seter; that you turn to the Revel: Builder of American Jewish Orthodoxy
outside world without ever turning your 2 Rakeffet Rothkoff, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakkeffet.
back on the inside one; that you always The Rav: The World of Rabbi Joseph B.
maintain contact with the Bet Midrash Soloveitchik
and the Torah you learned and will con-

12
 out, and I had no support from any and in many ways are our friends but
oref zbhnh arj Orthodox institutions. The Orthodox Jews
stayed to themselves and did not interact
there is always a gap in age, experience,
and commitment. We have some very tal-
“Renew our days as of old” (Eichah 5:21). Although the source difficult. Today’s rabbi faces the expectation of responding to with anyone else. ’ They felt that the ented students and often learn from
for this phrase is found in the saddest of the kitvei kodesh, we every query within five minutes, due to the plethora of commu- campus was ‘no place for an Orthodox these special individuals… but at the end
recite these words every time we return the Torah to her Holy nication devices. The musmakhim from 40 and 50 years ago rabbi.’ I refused to accept that. Orthodox Jacobovitz experienced. I still feel in the of the day we’re not peers. Additionally,
Ark. The words resonate in our souls. We remind ourselves that experienced the personality, gadlus and inspiration of the Rav rabbis in those days were not prepared minority (of RIETS musmachim) as when they leave, we finally resume some
the more we move forward, the more we need to look behind zt’l. Today’s musmakhim were not even 10 years old when the for dealing with anything outside the someone who heads off to campus work- degree of normal family life but it eventu-
us. Rabbi Pinchas Gelb, one of those interviewed for this fea- Rav delivered his last shiur in the yeshiva but they draw their ‘Orthodox shtiebel.’ It was really rough. I ing in a pluralist environment, isolated ally becomes isolating during the long
ture, cited Winston Churchill as the author of the aphorism inspiration from the Rav’s talmidim—our Roshei Yeshiva—who had to learn everything myself. They sim- community, and a setting where Jewish vacation. We find that we need to leave
that those who can see the furthest forward can also see the live and breathe the Rav’s Torah and hashkafah. ply could not understand the issues fac- people are on the whole leaving their her- campus between academic terms to
furthest behind them. Every Jew and certainly Jewish leaders We also observed some other points. We found that the ini- ing the students on campus and how our itage. I live in a very fortunate generation regain sanity, sense of community, family,
must have one eye on the future and the other eye entrenched tial breeding ground for many rabbonim are the life-changing traditions were being challenged. I suc- compared to Rabbi Jacobovitz. I receive a and basically recharge our own yid-
in the conventions, traditions, and events of the past. programs outside the kotlei beis haMedrash such as Camp cessfully turned around the students. great degree of kavod and hakarat hatov dishkeit.
We have the privilege to see this very verse come to life in HASC, NCSY, Panim on Campus, Yeshiva Seminar and TLS, When they polled them at the end of the from RIETS, my peers, and the commu- Having said all of this, we’re still very
the next pages. Our Yeshiva continues to produce quality YUSSR, Camp Morasha, Torah Tours and the like. We found year, all but two wanted me to remain. nity at large… even if they’re not pre- driven by the things that brought us to
talmidei Chachamim and professionals of note. “A Glorious Past that for decades, Yeshiva has proven that no contradiction exists At one point, another Orthodox rabbi pared to join me in this line of work. campus in the first place. Students are at
, A Bright Future,” a motto used for this Chag Hasemikhah, between providing Torah education on the highest level while came to campus. The first week that this I believe there are certain challenges a stage of life where they are exploring
says it all. In honor of the Chag Hasemikhah, we endeavored to also offering programs for novices who were not exposed to rabbi set up classes, I saw my classes go that are central to campus outreach, everything they come across and deciding
pair together rabbis in similar areas of rabbanut: rabbis from the serious Torah study until their matriculation into college. The from fifty students to ten. One day a few which existed in Rabbi Jacobovitz’s time what path to take in life. It’s an incredible
current Chag Hasemikhah class (’02 – ’06) with those from the experts in these interviews all made it clear that the study and weeks later I saw fifty students or sixty and still do today (to greater and lesser opportunity to present Judaism as a rele-
anniversary classes (’53-’56 and ’63-’66). teaching of Torah is the backbone of any rabbinate or any com- students back in class. These were PhD degrees). I would identify the key chal- vant and driving factor that they all
The exercise of interviewing these rabbis together yielded munity. candidates in physics and math. I asked lenge as Isolation: seclusion from Jewish should be engaging in. The potential
both predictable and unpredictable results. We found that the Yeshiva has much nachas to shep from the accomplishments them what happened. One student told resources, community, peers and family. influence at this seeking stage seems
more things change, the more they remain similar. We found of our musmakhim. We also have faith that the rabbis currently me that they asked the rabbi what he Campuses are often designed to create much greater than any other time in life.
that both groups of musmakhim face and overcome challenges, emerging from RIETS will continue in the tradition of excel- knew about the elements. He told them their own community so living near the Baruch Hashem, we’ve found great suc-
but different types of trials for different eras. Forty and 50 lence in both limud and ma’aseh. “A Glorious Past – A Bright that he knew about the four elements: students means being without other frum cess and are inspired by our first few
years ago, communication to the Yeshiva and to its poskim was Future.” Indeed! ◆ earth, water, fire and air. “When a person families, Jewish schools, serious shuls, years in the job. ◆
answers me that,” said the student, “I regular minyanim, and others that think,
have to return to your class.” People did believe, and practice like you. The critical
not know how to address Torah issues for method applied to university studies also RABBI ARTHUR JACOBOVITZ ‘55R

College Outreach using a clamp for milah. I spoke to Rabbi

juc vz ohcr. ktrah kf
(.y”k ,uguca)
HELPING KLAL YISRAEL ACHIEVE
OLAM HABAH
C H AV R U S A paired Rabbi Arthur Jacobovitz
( R A J ) with Rabbi Yoni Sherizan ( RY S ) .
C H AV R U S A : W H AT O R W H O I N Y E S H I VA
I N S P I R E D Y O U T O E N T E R AV O D AT H A K O D E S H ?
RAJ: One of the rabbis at Yeshiva, Rabbi
Gershonfeld, befriended me and we
began learning together in the evenings.
He was an elderly rav who did not have a
shiur at the time but he had tremendous
wisdom. I learned milah while at Yeshiva,
and this was during the time when much
of the Orthodox community forbade
Gershonfeld about this. He told me,
“Jacobovitz, you have to ask yourself why
you want to become a rabbi. Is it because
you don’t have to worry about being
shomer Shabbos and you can achieve
Olam Habah, or do you want to help klal
Yisrael achieve Olam Habah? If you want
to use the clamp, use it because I was on
the committee that investigated it and I
tell you that it’s no problem halachically.”
A Rav should be someone who’s willing to
put his olam habah in jeopardy for klal
Yisrael. My heroes were the rabbis who
tried desperately to find solutions.
My inspiration to embark on a career
RY S :
in more isolated communities came while
in college—before RIETS—particularly
with YUSSR. When in RIETS, I found
Rav Dovid Miller ‘72R at the Gruss Kollel
not only to be a source of inspiration, but
perhaps more importantly, a tremendous
support. He was someone that was there
for me when I needed to discuss chal-
lenges I would face. Even today, when I
feel that no one else can help me with
certain professional challenges, I feel that
Rav Miller would have a moment of
insight and know who I am and where
I’m at.
C H AV R U S A : D I S C U S S T H E U N I Q U E C H A L L E N G E S
OF COLLEGE OUTREACH?
RAJ:When I arrived in Seattle, Reform
Judaism completely owned the city in
terms of its Jewish political structure.
Approximately 50 percent of the Jews in
Seattle belonged to the large Reform
Temple. The Reform rabbis wanted me
a 20th century audience such as ‘the age
of the universe’ and ‘korbanos.’ We have
to provide appropriate answers to these
highly educated people. This won’t
destroy the Torah; it will enhance it.
Speaking of ‘korbanos,’ I underwent a
social sacrifice as well. I was ostracized
by the Orthodox community and found
that the Orthodox women were unwilling
to date a rabbi who worked with the
Reform and Conservative Jews. It was a
very depressing situation for me personally.
Baruch HASHEM I live in a very
RY S :
different generation; YU strongly
embraces and supports the work that I
do. The tension I felt in terms of working
on campus with a pluralistic community
and working with non-Orthodox students,
can not compare to what Rabbi
means that many people have difficulty
with tradition and often fade from com-
mitment. There are times when much of
our work seems like ‘damage control’.
Working on campus also means that
your social life is likely to be stifled. My
wife and I work the ridiculous hours that
students live and find little time outside
of caring for our children and work when
the students are around. In fact, we find
that our community is really the students
we teach. They bring an incredibly
dynamic energy to everything Jewish here
joined the United States Air Force after receiving
his semikhah at RIETS. Following his military
service and a year of study in Israel, he decided to
work on campus. He embarked on his career in
September 1959, after accepting an offer from the
University of Washington in Seattle and then sub-
sequently a position at Seattle University.
RABBI YONI SHERIZEN ‘05R
attended Yeshiva College where he graduated
with a BA in History. While at YU he was very
involved in YUSSR, PANIM campus outreach,
PeaceGames (teaching conflict resolution to inner-
city children), Chai Lifeline, Camp Simcha, and
various other chessed projects. In September
'03, he and his wife Dalia became the first full-
time couple devoted solely to the Jewish students’
needs at Oxford University through the Jewish
Learning Initiative and joined the Chief Rabbi’s
‘Jewish Chaplaincy’ team.

14

Institutional Prowess
juc vz ohcr. ktrah kf
(.y”k ,uguca)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO YESHIVA
C H AV R U S A paired Rabbi Benjamin Blech
( R B B ) with Rabbi Yehuda Willig ( RY W ) .
C H AV R U S A : B O T H O F Y O U H AV E S P E N T T H E
M A J O R I T Y O F Y O U R L I V E S H E R E AT Y E S H I VA .
HOW HAS YESHIVA CHANGED OVER THE DECADES?
RBB: One of the most fascinating differ-
ences relates to how I am connected to
Yeshiva right now—being involved with
JSS, IBC and the Mechina program. The
idea of starting a school for baalei teshuva
was first broached when I was a student.
I wasn’t a political demonstrator, but we
were inspired by a certain rebbe to protest.
I will never forget that; I protested bringing
non-religious students to Yeshiva. How
ironic! I end up dedicating most of my
life teaching these students. There was a
different mindset at the time. When I
requested my records to be sent from my
yeshiva to RIETS for college, the mash-
giach came to me and said, “Blech, I hear
you’re going to convert.” You can’t blame
anyone then, because no one could have
imagined the reality of the baal teshuva
movement and the viability of working
with people who are not yet religious.
What most people do not understand is
that the whole baal teshuva movement
actually began here in Yeshiva. In those
days, it was hard enough to keep people
religious in ‘treife America.’ The immigrant
generation saw so many people throwing
out their tallis and tefillin when they
came here. Some people said that the
goal was to say kaddish for Yiddishkeit
but there needed to be a minyan of
educated Jews to recite kaddish.
Baruch Hashem our protest failed. We
saw that not only could the baalei teshu-
va learn, but they were an inspiration to
the rest of the school because they com-
mitted willingly and voluntarily. In those
days, there were no Jewish studies pro-
grams in universities, except for
17
Holocaust programs, Jewish art etc…If
people were interested in growing in their
Torah learning, they went to Israel. Today,
we are an indicator of trouble zones
around the world. One year I struggled
taking attendance because of all of the
Russian names on the attendance list.
Then it was Iranians, and then
Iraqis;Today it’s the French. A JSS roster
is a geopolitical indicator.
Also, today I find that the Yeshiva is
very polarized. We find either very right
wing or unfortunately -- something I find
hard to believe -- students without
yarmulkes. We find that those who are
committed are very committed and others
who are barely committed at all.
RY W: When I was a young kid, my father
used to bring me here. I used to be able
to see what was going on in the beis
medrash. As I entered high school there
was a very vibrant beis medrash. But in
no way did that match what we see now.
In those days there was only one beis
medrash; as I’ve been here, the institu-
tion has been expanding. They created an
annex to the beis medrash; Muss Hall
study hall; the Morgenstern Hall batei
medrash; the BMP beis medrash in the
Shenk Synagogue; and we are about to
build a new 450-seat beis medrash on
campus. Just in my own life span, there
has been tremendous growth, both in
quantity and quality, which I would
attribute to the year(s) people spend
learning in Israel, which has become
more popular.
CHAVRUSA: RABBI BLECH, YOU WERE A STUDENT
O F T H E R AV. R A B B I W I L L I G , Y O U A R R I V E D AT
Y E S H I VA A F T E R T H E R AV WA S N O L O N G E R
H E R E . H O W H A S T H E A B S E N C E O F T H E R AV
A F F E C T E D Y E S H I VA ? T H E R AV WA S T H E
H A S H K A FA O F Y U .
RBB: I was here when the Rav was in full
power. We were in awe and in fear of
him. But we knew that he was a tremen-
dous gadol and recognized the zechus
that we had. Today we have great Rashei
Yeshiva, but we don’t have one superstar.
My father used to tell me that when he
was a young boy, there was a convention
of gedolei hador in Vienna. My father’s
rosh yeshiva appointed my father to be
the m’shares of the Chofetz Chaim for
two weeks. My father lived with the
Chofetz Chaim, scheduled his appoint-
ments and was with him for everything.
My father told me many years later that
his whole hashkafa was altered in those
two weeks. I often said to myself, “I had
the zechus to be inspired by someone
who was inspired by the Chofetz Chaim.”
My students have to be inspired by some-
one who was inspired by the Rav. I can
only feel badly for the students because
they will never know true greatness. I say
this respectfully, knowing the gedolim
that we have today. When we speak of
the diminution of Modern Orthodoxy
today, it is because we don’t have a hero
figure to look up to.
RY W: I never met the Rav personally, but
he was a magical figure. My father, my
grandfathers, uncles and every rebbe I
have had since entering ninth grade was a
talmid of the Rav in some form. Everyone
was able to take a piece of the Rav and
make it his own. In a certain way, learn-
ing from these different rabbeim gave me
an appreciation of different styles. Today,
YU attracts many different types of peo-
ple, not just one type. If you walk into
the beis midrash, you will find people
who learned in Gush, in Kerem b’Yavneh,
Shaalvim etc…All very different, yet all
learning in the same beis midrash.
RBB: Rav Yisrael Salanter once said that
if you have a sugya where a rishon gave
an opinion based on a proof and another
rishon offered an opinion based on a
nireh li, the latter is greater because nireh
li means that he thought through this
issue with his entire hashkafa. The Rav
for me was a nireh li. We didn’t need
proofs from him; if he said it, that was
enough for us. He was a gadol who knew
everything in Torah and in general knowl-
edge. I would have followed him any-
where because I would say, “I might have
disagreed with you but your nireh li
encompassed everything.”
C H AV R U S A : A S Y O U B O T H L O O K B A C K AT Y O U R
Y E A R S I N R I E T S , W H O A N D W H AT I N S P I R E D
Y O U T O D O W H AT Y O U D O T O D AY ?
RBB: For me, it worked in the reverse. I
was a rav at the Young Israel for close to a
decade when I received a call that some-
one fell sick and Yeshiva needed me to
substitute for him. When I took over, I
realized what it meant to teach. I would
now make a policy recommendation that
every shul should pay their rabbi to go
teach somewhere. I got a lot out of it,
and so did the shul. In order to reach his
potential, a rabbi has to teach at a high
level. If a rabbi can’t teach, he has to be
connected to Yeshiva to maintain his level
of learning. That has changed my life. I
retired from the pulpit, but I hope never
to retire from teaching. I was never in
doubt that I would first give up the shul.
Nicholas Butler, the president of
Columbia University, once said, “For
many people, the tombstone should read
‘died at 30; buried at 80.’” You die when
you stop growing. Being part of YU fulfills
me every day.
RY W: I have always been connected to
Yeshiva; RIETS’ milk was practically in
my baby bottle. Yeshiva needs to be the
rabbi’s second home. This is my second
home. Right now I am very happy being
in the same place I have been my whole
life. Everyone should try to feel that way
about Yeshiva.
C H AV R U S A : W H AT A D V I S E W O U L D Y O U G I V E
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE INSTITUTION FOR
THE FUTURE?
RBB: Provide opportunities for musmakhim
to continue to remain connected to their
learning and to Yeshiva. We need to find a
way for all musmakhim all over the world
to continue their learning on a high level.
RY W: In addition to what Rabbi Blech
said, we also need to create that connect-
18
edness to Yeshiva when we are still here.
This is our family. An older musmakh
once approached me asking me if I was
Jerry Willig’s grandson. He told me that
he came off the boat from Germany and
ended up at Yeshiva. Dr. Revel suggested
that he meet Jerry Willig. My grandfather
took him to a side room and provided him
with clothing and other essentials. This
story illustrates to me how we should all
see Yeshiva. If you want to cultivate these
relationships with rabbonim around the
country, they have to feel connected.
RBB: Today, people just can’t understand
what poverty really means. In my day, we
received stipend cards to eat, and there
were times when we needed to find cre-
ative ways to eat regularly. Yeshiva gave
me life and food. Shouldn’t we develop a
hakaras hatov not only for feeding us
physically, but for feeding our minds with
Torah? Students don’t need stipend cards
today, but they are equally impoverished
spiritually and we are feeding them. ◆
RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH ‘56R
holds a masters degree in psychology from
Columbia University and has written nine books
on Judaism, including three as part of the highly
popular Idiot's Guide series. A tenth-generation
rabbi, he has taught at Yeshiva University since
1966. Blech is a frequent lecturer in Jewish
communities around the world, appears on
national television, and writes regularly for
major newspapers and journals.
RABBI YEHUDA WILLIG ‘04R
attended the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/
Yeshiva University High School for Boys, Yeshiva
College, RIETS and now studies in our Kollel
Elyon. His father, Rabbi Mordechai Willig ’71R,
two grandfathers—Rabbi Jerome Willig z’l ’40R
and Rabbi Jacob Heisler z’l ’43R—three brothers
and one brother-in-law have semikhah from RIETS.

Jewish Education
juc vz ohcr. ktrah kf
(.y”k ,uguca)
ICH BIN A M’LAMED
C H AV R U S A paired Rabbi Meyer Berglas
( R M B ) with Rabbi Yaakov Wagner ( RY W ) .
C H AV R U S A : WA S T H E R E A N Y P E R S O N O R
EVENT WHICH INSPIRED YOU TO ENTER THE
FIELD OF CHINUCH?
RMB: In general, the total YU experience
encouraged me and gave me chizuk to go
into rabbonus. To me, chinuch was the
major part of my rabbonus. I didn’t enter
chinuch per se. People felt that the rab-
binate was not a place for a nice Jewish
boy. YU dispelled that and demonstrated
how it is possible to be very successful in
the rabbinate. The Rav taught us that a
rav needs to be a m’lamed. When I was
in a pulpit in Toronto, a major part of my
time was devoted to preparing and deliv-
ering shiurim. I had a hand in starting
the Men’s and Women’s Bnei Akiva
yeshivot in Toronto and taught there
myself. I didn’t go into chinuch as
opposed to rabbanut; it was part of my
rabbanut. When I made aliyah, I served
as Rav of the Young Israel of Petach
Tikvah and was dean of Michlelet Orot
which I helped found. Now I am the
dean of Midreshet Moriah, but at the
same time, helped set up a community in
Neve Aliza, where I live and served as the
rabbi there for more than fourteen years.
The role model par excellence for all
of us was the Rav himself. I was zoche to
learn with the Rav for a number of years
and that really set my hashkfa for life.
Any shiur that I give, quotes him or com-
municates ideas I heard from the Rav.
From time to time I had occasion to dis-
cuss specific issues with him, but more
often, as part of a group. When I was in
Yeshiva, the Rav would make himself
available at night in the dormitory. He sat
around speaking to us; it was more infor-
mal. It was the sichat chullin shel
talmidei chachamim. Some of the ideas
about which he spoke addressed those
issues. Even things the Rav said in shiur
were helpful. I remember he used to tell
us that he learned to daven by standing
alongside his father and looking at him.
He was telling us that in addition to cov-
ering pages in a text, a rabbi needs to
teach by davening with kavana; that can
make the greatest impact.
RY W: This is my first year in fifteen years
off the YU campus, excluding a year of
study at Kerem B’Yavneh. What led me
on this road are my role models. Family
members who received semikhah at
RIETS, camp counselors, NCSY Kollel,
my high school rebbeim and my rebbeim
in RIETS all had a tremendous influence
on me. It is often said that a pulpit rabbi
19
spends much time talking about ruchniyus;
m’chanchim spend a significant amount
of time about logistics, such as meetings,
bus schedules and assignments. I must
say that on a day-to-day basis, I find
tremendous sipuk haNefesh.
The rabbonim at YU taught me well. I
gained a tremendous amount from them.
I also gained a lot from a pastoral psy-
chology class in RIETS given by Dr.
David Pelcovitz, even before he occupied
the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair
in Jewish Education. This awe inspiring
seminar opened my eyes to the practical
aspects of the rabbinate -- dealing with
children, families, and the general Jewish
populace on a daily basis. When I found
out later on that Dr. Pelcovitz would
come to YU full time, I merited enrolling
in additional classes with him.
C H AV R U S A : W H AT A R E Y O U R T H O U G H T S A B O U T
E D U C AT O R S B E C O M I N G A D M I N I S T R AT O R S ?
RMB: I think of YU as my Yad Hachazakah:
I studied four years in the high school
then four years in college. I graduated
college in 1961, which was the first year
of the kollel. After semikhah I taught for
three years at J.S.P (Jewish Studies
Program) under Rabbi Besdin z’l. YU
asked me to become the rabbi of Lido
Beach, Long Island, so I was commuting
every day into Manhattan. Rabbi Besdin
was the teacher par excellence. Although
he directed the BMP program, he never
stopped teaching. His model made it
clear that you can’t run an educational
program if you are not teaching in a pro-
gram. During my years in the active rab-
binate in America and in Israel, I never
stopped teaching. It’s clear to me that
you can’t do one without the other. To
head a school you need to be in there
with the students.
RY W: Recently I became an administrator
at Yeshivat Rambam in Baltimore. Prior to
this, I taught for five years at Yeshiva
University’s Marsha Stern Talmudical
Academy/Yeshiva University High School
for Boys. During the interviewing process
I came to Baltimore to interview, conduct
a model lesson and see if the school was
for me. What surprised me was that
Yeshivat Rambam’s head of school, Dr.
Rita Shloush, took off a few days from
her busy schedule to travel to New York
and to observe me in my classroom. I
couldn’t understand why she would need
to see how an administrator teaches.
Now I see the wisdom of her investiga-
tion. There’s no way you can be an
administrative figure without truly devel-
oped the skills of a teacher. You can only
move into an administrative position after
succeeding in the classroom. Only the
model teacher can lead others as an
administrator. I feel very strongly that
unfortunately, teachers are not given their
due.
R M B : Let me share one slice from my own
experience. When we started the yeshiva
in Toronto, I decided not to give a regular
shiur because of my time constraints; I
chose to teach a class in Navi, so I would
at least have a teaching relationship with
the students. Apparently it worked since
several students from those classes have
positions in rabbonus and leadership in
the Jewish community.
C H AV R U S A : W H AT C H A N G E S H AV E Y O U S E E N
O V E R T H E PA S T F O R T Y Y E A R S I N T H E F I E L D O F
J E W I S H E D U C AT I O N ?
RMB: It’s hard for me to say because I
have lived in Israel for the last 26 years. I are only nine. Where is the tenth? This
have, however, seen the products of the elderly man had an answer he wanted to
American day schools come to Orot and share with me. He told me that the first
Midreshet. On the one hand, there’s a statement appears in the verse prior to
tremendous amount being done in chin- the creation of light. The verse states that
uch; on the other hand, today we live in a the land was tohu vavohu, with darkness
world of quick fixes and sound bytes. I everywhere. Everyone assumes that this
wonder what happened to the trait of verse describes the world before the cre-
ameilut baTorah? ation, but they are wrong. The elderly
gentleman told me that this verse was the
C H AV R U S A : W H AT A D V I C E W O U L D Y O U G I V E T O beginning of the creation. God taught us
M U S M A K H I M W H O WA N T T O E N T E R T H E F I E L D that when creating, we first experience
O F J E W I S H E D U C AT I O N ? tohu vavohu with the light coming later.
R M B : I think it would be a wise move for We have to remember that beginnings are
musmakhim of the yeshiva to stay in often characterized as tohu vavohu. I
close touch with Yeshiva, its rebbeim, thought of this vort when my family made
administrators and teachers. Obviously, aliyah and when I began my rabbinic ven-
everyone from YU wants the musmakhim tures. If the first step is tohu vavohu, it’s
to succeed and they will do everything probably best if I experience it when I’m
they can to help us succeed. If you put younger, not when I’m older.
together all the forces in YU with their
tremendous talent, I’m sure anyone who Rabbi Berglas ‘64R
stays in close touch will find the answers Rabbi Wagner R
and the direction that they need.
RY W: I would make sure that all the
musmakhim going out into the field
understand the need to manage time
between career and family. Going from
learning in kollel to being a public figure
can be traumatic. The important segue
from student to professional needs to be
stressed.
R M B : Speaking of families, let me say that
anything I have accomplished is due to
my wife Vicky (Schonfeld) Berglas
‘68SCW. One of my mentors is my
father-in-law Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld
’52R. I am blessed that many of my fami-
ly members are associated with YU.
I would like to share a nice vort with
which we can conclude. In every commu-
nity there is always an elderly Jew who
walks up to you and asks you a question
because he wants to share with you his
answer. When I was young, an elderly
man approached me and asked me the
following famous question. The Mishna
states that God created the world via ten
utterances. However, if one counts, there
20