Erev Shabbos, Parshas Ki Sisa, Bnei Brak: The city hustles and bustles, as
men, women and children prepare to greet the Shabbos Queen.
In the midst of this glorious tumult, a truck crane drives up to a busy corner.
Passersby stop to look. A crane? Now? Erev Shabbos? Right next to the
house of Maran Sar HaTorah?
They don’t have time to watch. It’s erev Shabbos. But they can see from the
corner of their eyes. Workers unload iron columns and construct a new
structure right next to Maran’s porch.
Amazement grows. Rav Chaim Kanievsky is weak. It has been a while since
he received visitors. Three times a day minyanim are held in his home and he
forges on with his unparalleled learning schedule, but his door is closed to the
public. What’s the purpose of this new structure?
The mystery is solved on Motzei Shabbos, when the staff of the Beit Shemesh
matzah bakery arrives to transform Maran’s study into a matzah bakery. The
oven is located in the new structure right outside his door.
Yes! Last year, Maran Sar HaTorah made time to bake matzah for the friends
and supporters of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo. This year, despite his weakness,
Maran is going to put forth the effort to bake matzos and to give a brachah to
yeshivah supporters.
The staff of yarei Shamayim wait for Maran Sar HaTorah to enter the study.
Despite the excitement and enthusiasm, uncertainty hovers. Will Maran be
able to pour the water, roll the matzos, supervise the staff and check each
and every matzah — like he did last year?
The door opens, and Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin enters. He returned from the
United States on erev Shabbos so that he could be present at this special
occasion.
He understands that this rare event may never happen again.
A clarinet is heard in the background. The musician who has been invited to
add ambiance to the event plays emotional tunes of Hallel and those present
continue waiting excitedly.
Slowly the door to Maran’s study opens. Rav Chaim Kanievsky enters the
room together with his son, Rav Yitzchak Shaul. Slowly he looks around,
taking in all the details of the quickly constructed matzah bakery.
Then he announces: Water, flour
Rav Chaim pours the water and then sits and watches, taking in every detail.
The dough is mixed, the matzah rolled out and then he slowly opens his hand
to grasp the “redler.” Rav Chaim himself makes the holes in the matzah.
Lively music plays in the background and the staff breaks out in song. They
sing as they work, rolling out dough and placing the matzah in the oven.
Lucky are those who merit to be part of this momentous occasion!
Excitement builds. A long row of thin, crispy matzah are lined up in the special
matzah holder. They are brought before Maran Sar HaTorah, who checks
them one by one. They receive his approval.
Then the clarinet stops. Silence. All strain to hear every word of the brachah
that Maran Sar HaTorah gives to those who receive these matzos, the
supporters of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo: Kol Tuv. Yeshuah and Cheirus
Olamim.
One more step remains before the matzos can be packaged. Another
important step, but one that is done privately. Rebbetzin Kanievsky, the wife
of Rav Yitzchak Shaul Kanievsky, is mafrish challah from these matzos.
Now the matzos, prepared and baked with mesirus nefesh by Rav Chaim
Kanievsky, are ready to be shipped.
But then, avel gadol. Mourning. On erev Shabbos, Parshas Tzav, Shushan
Purim 5782, Maran Sar HaTorah suddenly returns his neshamah to his
Creator.
We cannot comprehend the magnitude of our loss.
And these matzos? These matzos take on new significance. They were made
during the last event with Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s participation.
These matzos were one of the last things that Rav Chaim Kanievsky made
with his own hands.
And they were made for the supporters of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo. Ashreinu.
“They rise up against us to destroy us, Rachmana l’tzlan…Bnei Yeshivos, bnei Torah, must be mechazek themselves, and we are mechazek ourselves by learning Torah and learning Torah some more. There is nothing else.”
Maran Gaon Yisrael, Rav Dov Landau shlita delivered piercing words in the beis medrash, in the wake of the complex situation the yeshivah world finds itself in.
“Our chizuk is learning Torah. Don’t involve yourself in all the pointless goings-on … sit and learn and delve into Torah. There is nothing other than Torah. Only limud Torah and more limud Torah. This is what we have, this is the essence of our life and the essence of our existence.”
Hundreds of talmidim merited to listen to a shiur klali from Gaon Yisrael HaRav Dov Landau shlita who gave a shiur in the beis medrash in Kiryas HaYeshivah on the Yahrzeit of Maran Rosh Yeshivah HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein.
At the end of second seder, Rav Dov Landau shlita was greeted by Rosh Yeshivah HaGaon HaRav Chaim Feinstein shlita, Rosh Yeshivah HaGaon HaRav Chaim Mordechai Ausband shlita, and the Mashgiach HaGaon HaTzaddik Rav Yosef Davis shlita. Due to his travels on behalf of the yeshivah, Rabbeinu Rosh HaYeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin shlita was not able to be there. The bachurim waited excitedly in the beis medrash for the shiur.
Maran HaRav Landau shlita delivered a shiur on the sugya of dresh hamafkid. When he was finished, he gave piercing chizuk regarding the obligation that rests on each and every talmid in light of the difficult situation of the Jewish community, when the enemies of Yisrael are waiting to destroy us and Hashem saves us from their hands.
Maran shlita said, “We are in a very difficult situation. They stand up to destroy us Rachmana litzlan; they don’t want bnei yeshivos, bnei Torah. We must strengthen ourselves, and we must do so through Torah.
“They think up evil things about us and we must have bitachon in Hashem and daven to Him that everything will be okay. We don’t need to busy ourselves with all the silliness they say. We should only sit and learn and think in Torah. Learn more and more. There is nothing other than Torah. Only Torah. Only limud Torah and more limud Torah. This is what we have. This is the essence of our life and our existence.”
Maran shlita concluded his words, “I don’t need to speak at length to yeshivah talmidim who live the Torah, limud Torah, limud Torah and more limud Torah. We will strengthen ourselves in this. They aim to destroy us, but Hashem will help. He will save us from their hands and protect us. Hashem will help us and we will merit all and only good and the geulah…bimheira biyameinu.”
Later on, after the shiur, Maran shlita repeatedly mentioned that “He got a lot of geshmak and enjoyment from the shiur.” He sensed that the bachurim in the yeshivah have a special, exceptional passion for ritcha d’Oraysa.
**
After the shiur, one of the talmidim presented him with a letter with a comment on the shiur. Maran shlita enjoyed the question very much and even took the trouble to write an answer to the bachur, something he rarely does.
Thousands of families of avreichim and rabbanim of the Ateres Shlomo network throughout Eretz Yisroel received a unique Ateres Shlomo pre-Yov Tov chalukah this morning.
After weeks of careful planning of the complex logistics, the Yom Tov chalukah took place at fifteen different places throughout the country. Thousands of families were recipients of this unique distribution that the yeshivah runs annually.
Each family of avreichim and rabbanim received a package that included everything a family needs for Yom Tov: a carton of meat, carton of chicken, package of soda and a box of candies and chocolate L’Kavod Yom Tov and for v’samachta b’chagecha.
The meat and chicken were from a mehudar shechitah supervised by the Rabbanim of Yeshivah Ateres Shlomo along with the kashrus of Shearis Yisroel. The chocolate and snacks were also a special run for the distribution of Yeshivah Ateres Shlomo under the supervision of the Rabbanim of the yeshivah and with the Shearis Yisroel hechsher.
The distribution took place in fifteen different areas throughout the country. During the night, more than 4500 Yom Tov packages were transferred to the distribution areas, a project that required complex planning in and of itself. Distributions took place in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modiin Illit, Beitar Illit, Petach Tikvah, Achisamach, Ofakim, Elad, Telzstone and Charish. There were more than one distribution centers in somef the bigger cities.
The administration of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo and the yeshivah’s “Keren Tomchei Torah,”who spent nights and days over the last few weeks planning the distribution, expressed their satisfaction at the successful completion of the monumental chalukah for the families of avreichim and rabbanim. The operation achieved its goal of enabling the families of ameilim b’Torah to enjoy Yom Tov without worry, as befitting legyono shel Melech! In addition to the annual distribution, close to 1000 alumni of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo in the Kiryas HaYeshivah received a special Yom Tov gift, a 1000 NIS voucher to purchase jewelry at
the Noble jewelry stores as an expression of appreciation for eishes chaver.
