We had a beautiful 11 day trip to Toronto
People I met:
Rabbi Chaim Metzger
Rabbi Lescher of the BAYT
Rabbi Yitzchok Yagod
David Max Spiegel
Dr. Barry Levi
Allen and Ellen Siegel
David Woolf
Mr. Shiel – cousin to Gary Bajtner
Allen and Josh Gutterman and family
August Belmont and Naomi Maimon
Birnbaum and Kushner
Professor Sharon Green and Cantor Jonathan Green
Rabbi Sholom Gold – read his book, Touching History
Wednesday August 10, 2022
We drove to Toronto and arrived at 11:30 PM. Serka drove for 7 of the 10 hours. We ended up not taking a hotel room in Port Huron at 8:00 PM – we drove on.
Thursday August 11, 2022
Serka went to purchase 50 muffins from Amazing Muffins. After Maariv, I was speaking to Rabbi Chaim Metzger about the dating issue with 2 Kings 18. He told me that Rabbi Alex Israel discusses it in his book which is available online on the Gush Etzion website. Rabbi Metzger and his wife are making Aliyah in two weeks. His wife is a daughter of Moshe Lichtman, who translates Seforim into English. He translated Eim HaBanim Semeicha. I recently obtained a copy of his book. I was leafing through it and I was reading tragedy. He is in Hungary in 1943, with the Nazi menace growing daily, wanting to talk about the need to go to Israel and the people just shutting him down.
Eim HaBanim Semeicha was written by Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal, and published in 1943 in Budapest, Hungary.[2] The title is taken from Psalms and means “A Joyous Mother of Children”.
Teichtal grew up as a staunch anti-Zionist Chasid of the Munkatsher Rebbe. However, during the Holocaust, Rabbi Teichtal changed his position from the one he espoused in his youth. The physical product of that introspection is the book, Eim HaBanim Semeicha, in which he specifically retracts his previous viewpoints, and argues that the true redemption can only come if the Jewish people unite and rebuild the land of Israel. Many of his coreligionists viewed the book with skepticism, some going so far as to ban Rabbi Teichtal from their synagogues.
In the book, Rabbi Teichtal strongly criticizes the Haredim for not supporting the settlement of the Land of Israel. When it was written, it was a scathing criticism of the Jewish Orthodox establishment, and Agudat Israel in particular.
He writes:
It is clear that he who prepares prior to the Sabbath will eat on the Sabbath (Avodah Zarah, 3a), and since the Haredim did not toil, they have absolutely no influence in the Land (of Israel). Those who toil and build have the influence, and they are the masters of the Land. It is, therefore, no wonder that they are in control… Now, what will the Haredim say? I do not know if they will ever be able to vindicate themselves before the heavenly court for not participating in the movement to rebuild the Land. (p. 23)
Friday August 12, 2022
Shabbos Nachamu. Friday night davened at the Conservatory. It was outside. Just beautiful.
August 13, 2022 Shabbos Parshas Ve’eschanan and Shabbos Nachamu
Davened at the BAYT. Rabbi Korobkin’s speech was okay, not his normal dynamic speech.
Went back at 7:30 PM for the Pirkei Avos Shiur and for Mincha.
At Shalosh Suedas Rabbi Yitzchok Yagod spoke. He was excellent. Rabbi Yagod is Rabbi in three small communities: Rabbi of Congregation Tiferes Israel, Moncton, NB, Canada; Congregation Beth Avraham of Bethlehem, PA http://www.bethavraham.org/ and Congregation Beth Avrohom of Bangor, Maine http://koshertravelinfo.com/the-frum-jewish-community-of-bangor-maine/
He is the founder and head of the Vaad HaKashrus of East Canada and Maine. https://easternkosher.com/
He is in Toronto because his wife is sitting Shiva for her mother, Mrs. Sylvia Spiegel. About 18 months ago, Sylvia Spiegel got Parkinsons, so her daughter moved from the east coast into her apartment to take care of her mother. Syliva Spiegel was just shy of her 97th birthday when she passed away. Sylvia Spiegel’s sister was Gilda Spiegel-Nussbaum. Gilda was best friends with my mother-in-law Blanche Janowski. David (Max) Spiegel is her son and is sitting Shiva. He was my roommate in the Ner Israel Yeshiva in 1973 with Reb Yosef Spiro. The oldest brother, Dr. Shmuel Spiegel, is a radiologist and dated Serka. It was just one date. My wife could have been married to a doctor.
Sunday August 14, 2022
I walked into the Froom wedding at the BAYT and met my nephew.
Tuesday August 16, 2022
I was davening at the Conservatory and afterwards I was talking to David Woolf. I also mentioned to him the dating issues of Nach. He directed me to Dr. Barry Levy.
David Woolf gave me his book, newly publoshed:
Wednesday August 17, 2022
At 11:00 AM I met with Dr. Barry Levy. Dr. Barry Levy was a professor at McGill University, Montreal, CA in Jewish studies, He had a stroke 10 years ago and his left side has been impacted. I asked him my question about Chizkiyahu and he told me that there is no clear answer. I had a delightful conversation with him about Jewish history. Wow. I am in awe of him. He has a collection of Mikraos Gedolos going back hundreds of years and is writing a book on the historical progression of the Mikraos Gedolos on Chumach. He had finished his manuscript and the publisher, Tzvi Mauer of Urim Publications wanted a final chapter discussing, ‘What does the history of the Mikraos Gedolos mean to us today?’ He will send a copy of his final chapter to me.
B. Barry Levy
Emeritus Professor
Areas of Interest – Bible and the History of Jewish Interpretation of the Bible
Education- B.A., M.A., BRE (Yeshiva University), Ph.D. (New York University)
Publications:
Refereed books
LEVY, B. Barry. Jewish Masters of the Sacred Page (Jerusalem: Urim Publishers, forthcoming).
LEVY, B. Barry. Fixing God’s Torah: The Accuracy of the Hebrew Bible text in Jewish Law. Oxford University Press, 2001.
LEVY, B. Barry. Rabbinic Bible Interpretation after the Holocaust. Strange Fire: Reading the Bible After The Holocaust, edited by T. Linafelt, New York University and Sheffield Academic Press, May 2000.
Refereed journal articles
LEVY, B. Barry. Jewish, Christian and Muslim Responses to the Hebrew Bible. ARC, 27, 1999, pp. 161-205.
Dictionary entries, book reviews, commentaries
LEVY, B. Barry. Review: The Bible As It Was, by James Kugel, ARC, 27, 1999, pp. 220-221.
LEVY, B. Barry. Review: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible, Reviews in Religion and Theology, 7, 2000, pp. 118-119.
LEVY, B. Commentary: Decoding the Torah’s secrets: Why can we not accept what the text actually says? Canadian Jewish News, 1-2, 1998.
LEVY, B. Review: The context of scripture. Volume I: Canonical compositions from the Biblical World, edited by William Hallo, Arc, vol. 26, 1998, pp. 147-149.
LEVY, B. Review: Magic and divination in ancient Palestine and Syria, by Ann Jeffers, Arc, vol. 26, 1998, pp. 149-151.
Scholarly Activities:
LEVY, B. Jubilee. Ottawa-Montreal Synod of United Church of Canada, May 1998.
LEVY, B. The History of Jewish Interpretation of the Bible Since the Holocaust. Thirtieth Anniversary Conference of the Department of Jewish Studies, McGill University, May 1999.
LEVY, B. The Ethics of Educational Leadership. Conference on Ethics, Faculty of Management, McGill University, May 1999.
Department and University Information
Department of Jewish Studies
Leacock Building, 7th floor
855 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T7
Tel.: 514-398-6543
Afterwards I saw Ellen Siegel and she showed me the book about Jewish Kitchner. Kitchner is about one hour west of Toronto. Ellen Siegal is married to Allen Siegal. Allen Sigel’s family had a major produce company in Kitchener, Ontario from the 1920s through the 1970s. Ellen’s brother is a relative to Lynn Stone-Borlat’s husband. Aunt Rose Noble-Stone was Lynn’s mother, making her a first cousin to my wife. Rose and Blanche are sisters. Aunt Rose lived in the Conservatory and she would come over for Shabbos meals. Ellen told me that Lynn lives nearby. I called Lynn the next day to invite her over to our Shabbos meal. She is having a wedding in three weeks and her husband’s father is in Hospice at Sunnybrook Hospital.
Shimon Siegel opened a fruit stall which his sons, Louis, Norman and Gerald, expanded into a thriving fruit business located at 270 William Street. Gerald Siegel used to appear on a televised cooking show to discuss fruits and vegetables. Thursday August 18, 2022
I was sitting with my mother in law and my wife in the Conservatory garden. She received a wedding invitation to the Parshan and New wedding. The News are from Montreal. I dealt with Levi New, the older brother of the Chosen in April 2021. anny Levy’s mother in-law passed away, Tzipporah Bas Mordechai, and he arranged to have a Minyan at the funeral and Zoomed us in. It was a bchovidik funeral thanks to Levi New. I had to report the Chesed of Levi New to the Parshans and to his father, Rabbi Moshe New. At 6:30 PM I went over to the Parshans and had them call their Mechutan, Moshe New, in Montreal.. I had to tell his father, Rabbi Moshe New about what his son did for us and I found out I had not given them a donation. This was a sign from Hashem. I would normally not see a wedding invitation that my mother in law would receive and only because I was sitting in the garden with her and that she had her mail brought to her that I was able to thank the New family.
I davened Mincha and Maariv at the BAYT. I picked up the below Sefer that came out in 1981. It was published by “Zecher Naftali”, an institution set up by Naftali Carlebach’s son, Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Carlbach. Eliyahu Chaim Carelbach’s brother was Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim was a huge Torah Scholar and wrote Torah for the Bobover Rebbe. Reb Eliyahu Chaim passed away in 1995. I was fortunate to attend a wedding and Sheva Brachos of Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach’s grandson’s wedding right before Pesach 2021. The boy was a Citron, whose great – great grandmother was the daughter of Eliyahu Chaim. The Citron boy married the daughter of Rabbi and Nechama Dina Turk. The boy’s grandfather is Rabbi Chaim Citron who is a Rosh Yeshiva at Lubavitch Mesivta in LA and is the Rabbi of Ahavas Chesed, a Shul in LA on LaBrea just north of Melrose. In 2002 when we were cleaning out my father’s apartment in LA, we davened at Ahavas Chesed. Rabbi Citron spoke Friday night and Shabbos. Phenomenal. Shabbos he compared the wording in Parshas Ki Tatzeh Verses 25:13-16 of the laws of proper measures and a similar Parsha in Kedoshim 19:35-36. I remember him saying that in D’varim it says the word Toavah – abomination and not in Kedoshim.
The Choson’s father, Rabbi Naftali Citron is the Rabbi in the Carlebach Shul in the upper west side. I watched a video he did on the Kotzker Rebbe. Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim’s widow is still alive, Hadassah Carlebach and was a Schneerson. She came in for the wedding and gave my family a Bracha at the Sheva Brochos.
Ki Teitzei 25:13-16
לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ בְּכִֽיסְךָ֖ אֶ֣בֶן וָאָ֑בֶן גְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְטַנָּֽה׃ You shall not have in your pouch alternate weights, larger and smaller.
לֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה גְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְטַנָּֽה׃ You shall not have in your house alternate measures, a larger and a smaller.
אֶ֣בֶן שְׁלֵמָ֤ה וָצֶ֙דֶק֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֔ךְ אֵיפָ֧ה שְׁלֵמָ֛ה וָצֶ֖דֶק יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֑ךְ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִ֣יכוּ יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ You must have completely honest weights and completely honest measures, if you are to endure long on the soil that your God יהוה is giving you.
כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ כׇּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה כֹּ֖ל עֹ֥שֵׂה עָֽוֶל׃ {פ}
For everyone who does those things, everyone who deals dishonestly, is abhorrent to your God יהוה.
Kedoshim Verses 19:35-36
לֹא־תַעֲשׂ֥וּ עָ֖וֶל בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט בַּמִּדָּ֕ה בַּמִּשְׁקָ֖ל וּבַמְּשׂוּרָֽה׃ You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity.
מֹ֧אזְנֵי צֶ֣דֶק אַבְנֵי־צֶ֗דֶק אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין צֶ֖דֶק יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם אֲנִי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.I יהוה am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt.
Rabbi Chaim Citron, my Rebbe, and myself at the Citron-Turk wedding, April 2021.
The below are pictures: I showed it to Rabbi Lescher, the assistant Rov of the BAYT.
Friday, August 19, 2022
Went to Dr. Barry Levy’s unveiling for his wife, Cookie Levy, who passed away last year from cancer.
Debbi Krakowski-Janowski’s parents:
Shabbos Parshas Eikev – August 20, 2022
Aleasha and Mordy Rothman
Ateres Mordechai – Rabbi Bitterman’s Shul
Mr. Shiel – cousin to Gary Bajtner
Josh and Allen Gutterman
August and Naomi Maimon – Belmont
Birnbaum and Kushner
Professor Sharon Green and Cantor Jonathan Green
Rabbi Sholom Gold
Friday night:
On Friday night davened in the Conservatory Minyan at their Paleg Minyan. Ate a delicious meal at my mother-in-law’s house. At about 9:30 PM I went to visit Aleasha and Mordy Rothman and their kids. Hillel Janowski was there. Had a good time. Spoke over my Torah on Chizkiyahu. Shimmy listened to some of it. Egg Rolls were great. Went home at about 11:15 PM.
Shabbos Morning:
At 8:45 AM I walked onto Clark Street and it was magnificent. 75 degrees and sunshine. On the way to Shul I met Allan Fink who told me that he has never been to Boca Raton Synagogue, but listens to Rabbi Efreim Goldberg every day. I decided to daven at Ateres Mordechai, Rabbi Bitterman is the Rov. Rabbi Bitterman is the son-in-law of Aaron Grubner, a lawyer from Toronto that has studied with my brother, Pesach, for 40 years. There were only 20 Talisim and I was a little surprised because I thought the Shul is always packed. People must be away at the cottages up North.
The Rabbi first spoke about verse 10:12:
וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
The Gemora says that we learn from the word מָ֚ה that one must make 100 blessings every day. What is the purpose? Rabbi Bitterman answered, we should always say thank you Hashem and that should lead us to say thank you to everyone we meet. Today was a beautiful day, thank you Hashem, your wife served you breakfast, thank you. We cannot be complaining and complaining nonstop.
Verse 9:24 says מַמְרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם עִם־יְהֹוָ֑ה מִיּ֖וֹם דַּעְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶֽם׃
As long as I have known you, you have been defiant toward יהוה.
The Ba’al Haturim says that the Pasuk begins with a Mem and ends with a Mem to say that all forty years in the desert the Jews complained. Non Stop complaining for forty years. What did they have to complain about, yet they did. As human beings we have to condition ourselves to appreciate what we have and say thank you, whether to Hashem or the waiter or to our spouses, and to everyone. This is great rebuke and I decided that I will change my attitude.
Saw Jason Lapidus, the erstwhile South African and gave him a heartfelt hug. Davening was over at 11:30 AM. I talked to the Gabbai, whose last name is Shiel. He is about 62. His aunt is Paula Gassel who grew up in Winnipeg and is married to Arnold Gassel. Arnold’s first wife died of cancer about 25 years ago. Our family has known the Gassel family since the west side 90 years ago. Arnold Gassel is in the high 90s. He is the only person in Chicago that I knew that had Bubi Sklar as a kindergarten teacher. My mother was best friends with Arnold Gassel’s ex sister-in-law. In fact my mother got her a job at Kemper Insurance in the 1960s.
On the walk home met Allen Guttenberg and his son Josh Guttenberg. Two months ago Josh made a Bris that I crashed. I actually was looking for Josh. He spoke for a women’s group about Mechitzas in Shuls which in the 1930, 1940s, and 1950s was a major dividing line between Orthodox and non Orthodox. I told him what Rov said and my comments on it. Please see my blog post at https://kotzk.com/?s=eleff.
Then I met August Belmont and his wife Naomi, whose maiden name was Maimon. She grew up in the Bnei Torah area and knows Abie’s and Sarah’s kids. Belmont’s family name was Blumnekrantz, but his father came to Toronto in the 1930s and wanted to completely assimilate. He loved the Belmont race track and its founder, August Belmont, Jr., so he changed his last name to Belmont and named his son August.
Then I met a young couple in their 20s who had one child in a stroller. His last name is Birnbaum and she is a Kushner. He toldme that his grandfather, Nathan Birnbaum, was a Zionist with Herzel, etc., but became more Othordox, became disillusioned, and ultimately rejected Zionism.
From Wikepedia:
Nathan Birnbaum (Hebrew: נתן בירנבוים; pseudonyms: “Mathias Acher”, “Dr. N. Birner”, “Mathias Palme”, “Anton Skart”, “Theodor Schwarz”, and “Pantarhei”; 16 May 1864 – 2 April 1937) was an Austrian writer and journalist, Jewish thinker and nationalist.[1][2] His life had three main phases, representing a progression in his thinking: a Zionist phase (c. 1883 – c. 1900); a Jewish cultural autonomy phase (c. 1900 – c. 1914) which included the promotion of the Yiddish language; and religious phase (c. 1914–1937) when he turned to Orthodox Judaism and became staunchly anti-Zionist.
He married Rosa Korngut (1869–1934) and they had three sons: Solomon (Salomo) Birnbaum (1891–1989), Menachem Birnbaum (1893–1944), and Uriel Birnbaum (1894–1956).
The last people I met were Professor Sharon Green and her three children. Her son is Jonathan Green and is Cantor at the Manhattan Davening was over at 11:30 Jewish Center and is friendly with my own nephew, Matt Schwartz. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sharon-hart-green-764924a
Davening was over at 11:30 AM and I made it back to my mother-in-laws at 12:50 pm.
I read Sholom Gold’s autobiography most of Shabbos afternoon. Mendel Rubinoff lent it to me and I have to return it tomorrow on Sunday.
Went to the BAYT for Daf Yomi, Michas, and Maariv. Josh (?) Stein The speaker at the Shalosh Suedas
discussed Mishne 2:9 of Pirkei Avos:
אָמַר לָהֶם, צְאוּ וּרְאוּ אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיִּדְבַּק בָּהּ הָאָדָם. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, עַיִן טוֹבָה. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, חָבֵר טוֹב. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, שָׁכֵן טוֹב. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַנּוֹלָד. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, לֵב טוֹב. אָמַר לָהֶם, רוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דִּבְרֵי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ מִדִּבְרֵיכֶם, שֶׁבִּכְלָל דְּבָרָיו דִּבְרֵיכֶם.
He spoke over a Sfas Emes who says that Lev Tov doesn’t mean a good heart but rather someone who controls his heart and his desires to do good. It is about self control.
Exploring Kotzk 