יום שישי י"ט באדר ב תשפ"ד 29/03/2024
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  • The Mission Continues

    As in the past so it remains today - we were and still are under the selfsame commitment to adhere to the directions of the Gedolei Yisrael, who stand guard against breaches of purity threatening our camp. When we were required to ask – we asked. When we were instructed to depart – we left. The moment we are summoned back to raise the flag, every other consideration is pushed to the side and we answer: We are ready!

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  • Harav Yisrael Friedman zy”a, the Rebbe of Husyatin

    מוטי, ויקיפדיה העברית

    The ancestral chain of Harav Yisrael Friedman, the founder of the Husyatin chassidic court, originates with the holy Baal Shem Tov. The Husyatin chassidus has its roots in Galicia and eventually came to Tel Aviv, during the turbulent years between the two World Wars.

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  • Maccabi'im Gravesite

    In honour of Chanukah, we will discuss a fascinating, ongoing investigation attempting to establish the place of burial of Mattisyahu Kohen Gadol and his family.

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Reflections

Harav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman – the Ponovezher Rav

The Rav of the town of Ponovezh in Lithuania, who founded a Torah empire in the Holy Land after the Churban of European Jewry – Harav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman was born in the town of Kuhel in Lithuania. He learned in the Telz yeshiva, and later in Novardok and Radin. He married the daughter of the Moidzer Rav, and was appointed as rav of that town when his father-in-law was appointed as rav of the town of Vilkomir.

Avi Lazar 09/09/2009 10:36

In the year 5659, after the petirah of Rebi Yitzchak Rabinovitch, the Ponovezher Rav, Rebi Yosef Shlomo was appointed as rav of Ponovezh. Immediately upon assuming his new position, Rebi Yosef Shlomo established a yeshiva called by the name ‘Ohel Yitzchak’ after the previous rav of the town. Between the years 5663 and 5665 Rebi Yosef Shlomo also served as a member of the Sejm, the Lithuanian parliament. Rebi Yosef Shlomo continued in his post as rav of Ponovezh until the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in the year 5670. At the time of the German invasion, Rebi Yosef Shlomo was outside the country, and in this way he was saved from almost certain death. Rebi Yosef Shlomo and his son Rebi Avraham were in fact the sole survivors both of their extended family and of their entire community.

One extremely significant factor that greatly impacted on Rebi Yosef Shlomo was the three years that he studied in the Radin yeshiva in close proximity to the holy Chofetz Chaim, in his ‘Kollel Kodshim’. There he learned the halachos of the sacrificial offerings and of the Beis haMikdash. Even after concluding this period of study in Radin, he maintained a close connection with the Chofetz Chaim. At one point in the Chofetz Chaim’s later years, he summoned Rebi Yosef Shlomo and spoke with him privately for many hours. Until today this meeting is regarded as an incredible occurrence, for such was the Chofetz Chaim, to whom the eyes of all klal Yisrael were uplifted – he would never waste a moment. The only matter that was revealed as to the contents of the meeting was that the Chofetz Chaim told Rebi Yosef Shlomo that dark clouds of impending war were hovering over Europe. Rebi Yosef Shlomo then asked him; “What will then be?” To which the Chofetz Chaim replied by quoting two verses; “And on Mount Zion there will be a refuge and a sanctity,” and “It will come to pass that the remnants in Zion and those who remain in Yerushalayim will sanctify Him.” This was in effect a prophecy of the Chofetz Chaim that the terrible destruction that would overturn Europe in the coming years would not reach Eretz Yisrael. And indeed, as is well known, the Nazi forces led by General Rommel advanced only as far as the border of Eretz Yisrael, and did not penetrate within.

In the year 5700 Rebi Yosef Shlomo ascended to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Yerushalayim. In the year 5704 he began, with the assistance of Rebi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, the Chazon Ish zy”a, the construction of a yeshiva in Bnei Brak that was to be named after his kehillah that had been destroyed in the Churban. During this period, Rebi Yosef Shlomo devoted himself entirely to this project, telling all those with whom he met that he was in the process of establishing a yeshiva for five hundred bochurim! (And this was at a time when the total number of bochurim learning in yeshivos in the entire country numbered only several hundred.) All those who heard his ambitious words showed sympathy for him, knowing that he had lost his entire family in the Churban, as well as his kehillah. Most people simply assumed that the tragedies had affected his mental stability. Yet as we know today, he eventually merited to establish not just one but several yeshivos, with many thousands of bochurim learning within their portals.

The first of these yeshivos was Yeshivas Ponovezh in Bnei Brak, which was intended as the flagship for all future litvishe yeshivos, with G-d’s help. Gedolei Torah stood at its helm, such as Rebi Shmuel Rozovsky ztz”l, Rebi Dovid Povarsky ztz”l and Rebi Elazar Menachem Man Shach ztz”l. And from this great institution emerged thousands of talmidei chachomim, great in their wisdom and dedicated to intensive, constant study of the Torah. A large proportion of the roshei yeshiva of the current generation are former talmidim of Ponovezh, and they pass on the great legacy of their former yeshiva.

 
Yeshiva where he learned[צלם]

A tremendous financial yoke now fell on the shoulders of Rebi Yosef Shlomo. The building of the yeshiva and its maintenance required huge sums of money, and as our Sages have informed us, “If there is no flour, there is no Torah.” With no other option, Rebi Yosef Shlomo decided to embark on a fundraising trip to the Jewish communities of the diaspora. He met with great success, with Hashem’s help, and with his own sharp mind which extracted him from potentially problematic situations. For instance, a particular wealthy Jew donated a large sum of money – with the condition attached that it not be used to finance any institution where those studying there wore tzitzis or yarmulkes. Rebi Yosef Shlomo took the money…and donated it to a girls’ school. A wealthy woman was willing to donate, but only if her picture would be displayed in the main hall of the yeshiva. Rebi Yosef Shlomo managed to convince her that it would be better that her picture was hung in his own office, and he took the picture and indeed hung it there…reversed.

Despite his success in raising funds, however, the general financial situation of the yeshiva was often shaky and the bochurim frequently found themselves lacking several of their basic needs. At one point, they had a crazy idea that when potential donors arrived at the yeshiva for a visit, they would go up to the womens’ gallery and learn there instead. Rebi Yosef Shlomo, who heard of their plan, summoned a few workers and armed them with pails of paint and brushes, and told them to paint the beis medrash a little. When the yeshiva’s supporters arrived, to be greeted by an empty beis medrash, Rebi Yosef Shlomo informed them that they were presently painting the beis medrash, and therefore the bochurim were learning in the womens’ gallery. And indeed, when the guests ascended there to see for themselves, they were confronted with a sight that attested to the extraordinary hasmadah of the bochurim, who were determined to continue learning no matter what…

The ability of Rebi Yosef Shlomo to extract money from even the most initially unwilling donors was legendary. This was illustrated by an particular incident in Bnei Brak. A small boy accidentally swallowed a coin, and the distraught father rushed to the Chazon Ish, asking what he should do. The Chazon Ish answered him that he should rather go to Rebi Yosef Shlomo, since he was an expert in extracting money…

Rebi Yosef Shlomo was forced on many occasions to travel abroad to raise money for his institutions. On one occasion, he was travelling alone on a train, and at one of the stops, non-Jewish youths got on board intending to corner him at the first opportunity and steal his belongings. Rebi Yosef Shlomo took out a piece of paper from his pocket with an address written on it, and asked them where he would have to alight in order to reach that address. The youths told him that the next stop was the correct one, and when the train pulled to a halt, they descended, intending to corner the ‘Jewish rabbi’ when he too would alight. Rebi Yosef Shlomo, however, remained seated his place on board the train, whose doors, meanwhile, had closed and which had started to pull away…

 
Rabbi Shimon Shkop,z"l,  [צלם]

After the conclusion of the Second World War, many Jewish children were left in monasteries where they had been placed by their parents for their physical protection. This matter pained Rebi Yosef Shlomo greatly, and he was determined to rescue as many of them as he possibly could. Was it not enough that the parents had been killed al kiddush Hashem – did there now have to exist such a situation that their sons would not be able to say Kaddish for them? And that their daughters would be brought up as goyim in every way? But how could one know which of the multitudes of children was a Jew? What could be done? Rebi Yosef Shlomo traveled to the monasteries and once granted admittance, would cry out “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad!” The Jewish children who heard these words, which had accompanied them from their earliest moments, realised that a Jew had arrived to save them and ran to him, to be redeemed.

Rebi Yosef Shlomo’s activities for the rescue of children of the Holocaust continued in Eretz Yisrael as well. He founded ‘Batei Avos’ for the unfortunate orphans, and he was also instrumental in the ‘Yaldei Teheran’ episode. (These were orphans from the Holocaust, who had arrived in Eretz Yisrael via Teheran. Officials of the State of Israel then did all in their power to gain ‘possession’ of these children, and cause them to forget their religious heritage and bring them up to lead secular lives.) Rebi Yosef Shlomo fought tirelessly against the government for at least a portion of these children to be given over into a religious framework.

The wounds inflicted by the Holocaust in fact never healed in Rebi Yosef Shlomo’s heart. Another of his projects was one to establish a museum dedicated to the destroyed communities of Lithuania. For this purpose, he began construction of a ‘Memorial building for the holy ones who had fallen’ (Ohel Kedoshim) which would stand next to the yeshiva. The Chazon Ish told him, however, that this was not the correct way in which to go about declaring our victory over the forces of evil – he should rather establish yet another yeshiva, yet another kollel. In the course of the construction, a Jewish building worker was killed and the project was halted. For decades the building stood empty and in a state of incompletion, until just a few years ago the kollel of Yeshivas Ponovezh moved into it and the request of the Chazon Ish was honoured.

One of the most widely known anecdotes relating to Rebi Yosef Shlomo had its setting in Rome. Rebi Yosef Shlomo had traveled there with somebody accompanying him, and for the entire journey he mumbled to himself; “I have to finish off matters with him, once and for all…” His companion was astounded – was this then the great Ponovezher Rav, who was renowned for his sterling middos? What did his words mean? When they reached the Arch of Titus, Rebi Yosef Shlomo told his companion to stop the car. He then got out, and stood and gazed at the arch, upon which is engraved the image of the holy Menorah, under which is written ‘Yehudah will not arise again.’ Rebi Yosef Shlomo then called out with a strong voice; “Titus, Titus, more than a thousand years ago you wished to totally destroy and obliterate the Jewish people, so that no trace would remain of us. Now consider this, Titus – who remembers your name today? If I would stop any of the passing children and ask them – Who is Titus? – not one child would be able to answer. What is left of your legacy? Who perpetuates it today? And I, who have arrived here from Bnei Brak in Eretz Yisrael – I, whom you wished to destroy – what can you answer me, confronted with the hundreds of bochurim studying in my yeshiva, and many other additional hundreds in other yeshivos? You said ‘Yehudah will not arise again’ – and I tell you ‘Yehudah will yet flourish even more’.
On the twentieth day of the month of Ellul in the year 5729 Rebi Yosef Shlomo went to his eternal rest. He was buried in the Zichron Meir cemetery in Bnei Brak, in the section of the Ponovezh Yeshiva. His Torah and his wisdom are partially preserved in the three volumes of ‘Divrei Harav’.

He was a man who saw the yeshivos of Lithuania in their glory – and he then saw them destroyed at the hands of the evil Nazis yimach shemam. And he was then the one who reestablished them on the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael.