Thank you to all who participated last week in a most memorable and musical Shabbat experience, featuring R’ Pdaya Halperin and my brother Ori Rackovsky, as well as the many who attended the event on Motzei Shabbat featuring singing belatedly in honor of Tu Bishvat. A special thank you as well to the Blasniks for hosting, and a thank you as well to Shanni and Rabbi Yakov Majesky who joined us to talk about their kidney donation experience.
Yahrtzeits
Today, the 22 of Shvat, marks the yahrtzeits of three unique personalities.
1. Rav Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (1787-1859), the legendary Kotzker Rebbe. The Rebbe was known for his uncompromising commitment to truth, his sharp wit and quips; among his most famous statements is the following, commenting on the falsity of seeking the approval of others:
If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because you are you and you are you because I am I, then I am not I and you are not you!
He lived as a hermit in the forest for the last 25 years of his life, and prior to that, had a public falling out with his foremost disciple, Rav Mordechai Yosef Leiner, the Izhbitzer Rebbe. For a great summary of the Rebbe’s life and legacy, see this article . For more on the falling out between Kotzk and Izhbitz, see here for a talk by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger and here for a post by Rabbi Gavin Michal.
2. Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson (1901-1988) - wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l. The Rebbetzin was the second of three daughters of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe (the “Friediker Rebbe”), Rav Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, whom the Rebbe succeeded in 1951. She married the Rebbe in 1928 in Warsaw, and then the couple moved to Berlin, followed by Paris in 1933. In 1940, they moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where many Chabad chassidim already lived (at the time, it was not exclusively a Chabad neighborhood as it is today; other Chassidic groups, as well as many Modern Orthodox Jews lived there).
The Rebbe and Rebbetzin were sadly never blessed with children, and the Rebbetzin lived an extremely private life. She shunned all forms of public recognition, though she did have relationships with a small number of chassidim, especially women. For a comprehensive biography of the Rebbetzin, see here.
Every year, the annual Kinus Hashluchos, the gathering of women Chabad emissaries, takes place on the Shabbos closest to her yahrtzeit, as it is this weekend in Crown Heights.
3. Rav Yaakov (Yankel) Galinsky (1920-2013) - A student of the famed Novhardok Yeshiva in Belarus, the Yeshiva system that taught self-deprecation as a way to achieving spiritual greatness, Rav Yaakov was a Talmid Chochom of considerable abilities, but instead of delivering shiur in a Yeshiva, he dedicated himself to being an old-school Maggid, one of that last in his, or any generation. A man of tiny stature but an outsize personality, he traveled widely, using his keen insight into the human condition and his oratorical skills to raise money for worthy causes. Rav Galinsky was known for his ability to bring a smile to the faces of even those who were usually dour or austere. Among this group was the Stepler Gaon, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985), who loved Rav Yankel and his ability to make the Steipler laugh.
May their memories be for a blessing!
Last week’s MSOTW
This one occasioned more participation than usual! Kudos to all those who weighed in. Many thought this was a shul in Yerushalaim - some guessed other locations as well. It does look like some other shuls throughout Israel, but there is only one correct answer. Special mention to Harel Rush and Nilaya Magidish, both of whom correctly identified it as Ohel Ari in Raanana, named after IDF Sgt. Ari Weiss H"YD, the son of Rabbi Stewart and Susie Weiss, who fell in battle in 2002 against Hamas terrorists. Many of you remember the Weisses from when they lived in Dallas, and remember Ari as a child (the Weisses are also close friends of my in-laws from when they lived in Buffalo Grove, Illinois).
An honorable mention goes to Benji Zoller for attempting a guess while on active duty in the IDF! However, the standards of MSOTW are extremely high, and heroism and bravery on behalf of the Jewish people provide no immunity against wrong answers (after a helpful hint, he did get the right answer).
This Week's MSOTW
This week’s MSOTW is a shul that doesn’t rest, with a name connected to this week’s Parsha. Name the shul and its location.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
