15th of Av - A Time to Start Building

This morning after davening the Rebbe, shlit"a, spoke about the 15th of Av, one of the happiest days in the year. The Mishna (Taanis 26b) tells how the young girls of Yerushalayim would go out to the vineyards and eligible young men would meet them there in hopes of finding prospective brides. The girls would say, “Young man, lift up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself. Do not set your eyes on beauty but set your eyes on [good] family. ‘Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised'.

Three Brothers About Their Father

This past week I wrote up some anecdotes and teachings of the Rebbe Reb Yaakov Yisroel, zy"a, instead of Drops of Rain. This short compilation received glowing haskama from the Rebbe, shlit"a. It includes some of the posts from last week, along with selections from what Reb Sheya, Reb Aharon and the Rebbe said at last year's "Azkarah". It is available HERE as a PDF.

From One Room To Another

Reb Yaakov Yisroel, ztz"l, told the Rebbe, shlit”a, that one morning when he woke up and while still laying in bed, he saw, standing in front of the bed, his father [Reb Leibele], the Zeide, Reb Motele and another man, whom he did not recognize. They just stood there. Finally, [Reb Leibele] said, “Don’t worry. It will be like going from one room to the next.” With that they faded away.

Reb Yaakov Yisroel said that at that time he did not yet know he was sick but was convinced that his time was approaching. Shortly thereafter he became ill, went to the hospital, and that’s when he was diagnosed with the liver cancer that ultimately brought him to Gan Eden.

The Rebbe concluded, “Divrei emes nikarin.” True words are recognizable as such.

(Thanks to Ely Weisz for pointing out some missing details to this story.)

Motzei Tisha B'Av Yahrtzeit Seudah in Yerushalayim

As every year, the einiklech and chevra in Eretz Yisroel got together at Reb Mordechai's house to make a seudah for the Rebbe Reb Yaakov Yisroel's yahrtzeit. Yankel (Reb Bentzion's) made a siyum on Bava Kama by the seudah.
Eliezer Kwass spoke about his and other Milwaukeans' connection with the Rebbe, ztz"l, and Twerski family.

Yud Menachem Av 5771 Highlights (with pictures and audio)

Last night, the Rebbe davened Maariv from the amud. He broke his fast at the home of his son, Rav Bentzion, with a fleishigeh seduah at which the Rebbe made a siyum on Masechtas Rosh Hashanah (l'ilui nishmas his father, ztz"l). Afterward the Rebbe sang Reb Sheya's "A Freilichen Tisha B'Av" and his own Lev Tahor.

Baruch Menachem Tzion

This nigun was composed by the Rebbe, shlit"a, the words written by Reb Sheya, shlit"a. The clip below was recorded on Motzei Tisha B'Av, 5765.

DOWNLOAD approx. 6 minutes, <1 MB

A Freilichen Tisha B'Av!

Here are two recordings of "A Freilichen Tisha B'Av", composed by Reb Sheya (Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.). There is no music - just singing - but you may want to wait till after Tisha B'Av to listen anyways.

The Rebbe, shlit"a, singing: DOWNLOAD 6.5 min., 6.21 MB 

Reb Sheya, shlit"a, singing: DOWNLOAD 4 .5 min., <1 MB

Medrash Shiur for 9th of Av 5771

Here is last week's Medrash Shiur (from 08/03), the day recording.
Thanks to Aryeh Leib Devorkin for sending the recording while I was out of town.

39 minutes, 17.7 MB

PLAY or DOWNLOAD

The Rebbe's Eicha

In lieu of a more current recording, here is the Rebbe, shlit"a, reading Eicha in 5765. At about 24 minutes on the time index, the Rebbe is saying the pesukim in the third perek that begin with "kuf" - "Koli shamatah, al taalem aznecha..."

DOWNLOAD "THE REBBE'S EICHA" (42 minutes, 9.8 MB)

Bobover Rebbe's Kinah

As in many kehillos, after we say all the kinnos, the Rebbe, shlit"a, says the Bobover Rebbe's kinah for the Holocaust.

From 5766:

PLAY or DOWNLOAD

From this year (5771):

PLAY or DOWNLOAD

The kinah sung to an appropriate Tisha B'Av Nigun from Bobov:

PLAY or DOWNLOAD

Send a Kvittel to Reb Yaakov Yisroel, zy"a

Anyone who wants to send a kvittel (written petition for a tzadik to daven on one's behalf) to the kever of the Rebbe Reb Yaakov Yisroel on his yahrtzeit (or any other time) may email his name and the name of his mother, along with the same for his spouse and names of his children, and include a short written request. This should all be done in Hebrew if possible, but any language is acceptable. If you wish to include a pidyon (monetary donation customarily given with a kvittel) for tzedaka, please indicate that desire in your email. Kvittelach are never turned away because of lack of funds!

זכותו יגן עלינו ועל כל ישראל אמן

May the merit of the tzadik protect us and all of Klal Yisroel!

"I Love Yidden!"

In addition to the previous vertlach in preparation of the upcoming yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Reb Yaakov Yisroel, here is a tidbit about his exceptional ahavas Yisroel.

Last year (5770), Reb Aharon Twerski, shlit"a, said that Reb Yaakov Yisroel's "ahavas Yisroel was indescribable. If ten portions of ahavas Yisroel were sent down to the world, my father took nine." Reb Aharon described how when the Rebbe, ztz"l, came to Milwaukee there was a certain Rav who "really had it in for my father, [but] my father never responded with any hate. They turned out to be the closest of friends because my father could only show people love. The fact that somebody else hated him, that was [the other person's] problem."

V'Haarev Na

I noticed in the weekly summary that the CBJ Halacha Program is currently dealing with the halachos of Birchas HaTorah. It mentions there the malchokes about saying "V'haarev na" with or without a "vav" and whether or not to answer "amen". Seemingly, the two should go together. If one holds that v'haarev is a continuation of the first berachah, then one should not answer amen and the nusach should be "haarev na" without a "vav". If we hold that v'haarev is its own berachah then we would say amen to the first berachah but then the next berachah shouldn't begin with the a "vav" (normally used to connect one thing to the next).

Words of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel Twerski, ztz"l

In honor of the upcoming yahrtzeit of the Rebbe's father on the 10th of Av, here a few kernels of his divrei Torah. After Shabbos, Reb Yaakov Yisroel would write down what he had said on Shabbos, and he had amassed quite a large quantity of hand-written maamarim. The unfortunate story is well-known. Somehow, the Rebbe's hundreds of kisvei yad were left behind in the old house during a move. By the time the Rebbe came back to retrieve them, all the boxes of papers had been destroyed by the new owners of the house. He never spoke about the incident.

Seder Hayom (6): Renewing Faith

In the First Thoughts post we mentioned that one of the main things we should be focusing on is the kabbalas ol malchus shomayim. See Seder Hayom (3): First Thoughts, from the Cherkasser and Reb Motele that a person should think about the fact that he was recreated in the morning for the sole purpose of revealing Hashem in every thing that we do, through acting in accordance with His will.

In another maamer in Pele Yoetz (Shelach, Reishis), Reb Motele, zy”a, quotes the Zohar Hakadosh (Behar, 108a) that one must accept the yoke of Heaven as does an ox when the yoke is placed upon it. Reb Motele explains, “Just like an ox cannot turn away from the yoke, not to the right nor the left, so too must a person accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven not to turn right or left from the will of Hashem.”