Wednesday nights - Rav Benzion's Tanya shiur..........Please continue to daven for the good health of the Rebbe (Yechiel Michel ben Devorah Leah) and Rebbetzin (Feiga bas Sarah).

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

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.

There are but a few small vertelach that are known. Some have been culled from letters or the memories of his children and grandchildren.

These are the offspring of Noach, Noach was a righteous man (B'reishis 6:9). The pasuk means to say that Noach made himself a tzadik, that the offspring of Noach was Noach himself. (Printed in Malchus Shlomo, as heard from Rav Shloime of Denver, ztz"l).

Go for yourself from your land (B'reishis 12:1). This pasuk corresponds to the three partners in man. "From your land", from your own earthiness. "From your birthplace" refers to the portion of one's mother. "And from your father's house" is the portion of the father. "To the land that I will show you", to the place and level that is befitting your own portion and soul. (ibid. from a letter by Rav Shloime of Denver, ztz"l).

More on the way, and as always, please comment or email with any other divrei Torah, sayings, stories, pictures, etc. of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel, ztz"l.

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