Rabbi Eli Mansour Delivers National Daf Yomi Siyum Shiur in

Los Angeles Holds Shabbos
of Chizuk with Rav Ahron
Dovid Goldberg
By Rabbi Arye D. Gordon
On Thursday, 5 Teves/December 17, Rav
Ahron Dovid Goldberg, rosh yeshiva of Telshe
Yeshiva in Cleveland, arrived in Los Angeles
from Cleveland to spend Shabbos Parshas Vayigash with the community and former talmidim
of the yeshiva.
Los Angeles and spoke to the talmidim there on
the parshas hashovuah. From there, he went to
speak with the talmidim of the Tashbar Torat
Hayim Hebrew Academy in the Pico/Robertson neighborhood.
On Friday night, Rav Goldberg davened at
the Young Israel of Hancock Park. Later in the
Photos: Arye D. Gordon
Rav Ahron Dovid Goldberg addressing the
talmidim at Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles.
Rav Ahron Dovid Goldberg with Rav
Eliezer Gross, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva
Gedolah of Los Angeles.
The yeshiva has experienced significance
growth and changes over the last few years.
The yeshiva has embarked on a new, yet consistent, derech of harbotzas haTorah in the United
States and has achieved significant recognition.
Throughout the year, Rav Goldberg has
been spending Shabbos in many communities
with the purpose of reconnecting with the yeshiva’s former talmidim throughout the United
States and other countries around the world.
The rosh yeshiva’s visits have been a welcome
inspiration, not only for former talmidim, many
of whom have lost contact with the yeshiva
over the years, but also for baalei batim who
had no prior connection with the yeshiva.
Rav Goldberg davened with the talmidim of
Yeshivas Rav Isacsohn Toras Emes Academy
on Friday morning and offered words of chizuk
aftewards. He then went to Yeshiva Gedolah of
evening, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Gluck, a former
talmid of the yeshiva, hosted an oneg Shabbos
in honor of Rav Goldberg.
On Shabbos morning, Rav Goldberg davened and spoke at Shaarei Torah on La Brea
Avenue. Shabbos afternoon, he yeshiva delivered a shiur at Kollel Los Angeles. Seudah
shlishis was at Kehilas Yaakov and a melave
malka was co-hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Elazar
Shemtoob and Mr. and Mrs. Zevi Hertz.
On Sunday morning, Rav Goldberg davened Shacharis and spoke at the Calabasas
Yeshiva. He concluded his Los Angeles trip by
davening Minchah at Congregation Torat Hayim and speaking between Minchah and Maariv.
It was an uplifting Shabbos of chizuk for all
those who took advantage of the opportunity
to meet, greet and hear divrei chizuk from Rav
Goldberg.
Merkaz Torah V’Chesed
of Denver Holds
Chanukah Chagigah
On Tuesday, 26 Kislev/December 8,
the third night of Chanukah, Merkaz Torah
V’Chesed of Denver
held its eighth annual
Chanukah chagigah.
Over fifty people,
including
men,
women and children,
joined to celebrate
Chanukah in a most
meaningful way. The
evening included delicious food, sizzling
latkes, divrei Torah,
by describing how befitting it is for Merkaz,
whose entire goal is to spread Torah, to be
hosting a Chanukah
mesibah in celebration of Klal Yisroel’s
victory over the Yevonim, whose goal
was to destroy Torah
learning.
Rabbi
Yaakov
Meyer, rov of Aish
Denver, spoke about
the miracles of Chanukah, adding that
and singing and dancing.
Rabbi Menachem Zussman, longtime
member of Merkaz, introduced the evening
our job is to notice the myriad miracles we
experience in our everyday lives and to thank
Hakadosh Boruch Hu for them.
December 25, 2015 | 13 Teves 5776
Rabbi Eli Mansour Delivers
National Daf Yomi Siyum
Shiur in Atlanta
Kollel Ner Hamizrach in Atlanta welcomed Rabbi Eli Mansour, rov of Congregation Ohel Yaacob of Flatbush, on Tuesday, 3
Teves/December 15, for the Daf Yomi siyum
of Maseches Sotah. Over a hundred guests
attended the event locally, while more than a
thousand people from around the world participated through live streams in various cities. The event was organized and broadcast
by Agudath Israel of America.
“We are grateful to the Agudah for coordinating this magnificent event,” said Rabbi
Shmuel Khoshkerman, rov of Ner Hamizrach, “and for all the many ways that the
Agudah helps Klal Yisroel.”
“The rabbinical prohibition was so precious to Hashem that He helped the kohanim
locate the jug that had not been tainted and
could still be used for the menorah,” Rabbi
Mansour explained.
The Gemara (Sotah 22) clarifies what an
am haaretz is. Rabbi Mansour quoted Rav
Hai Gaon, who points out that although this
is commonly translated as an ignoramus, it
is clear from Rashi that an am haaretz is actually fluent in Tanach and Mishnah. Rashi
says that one is considered an am haaretz if
he does not access Torah scholars to clarify
his understanding of halachah. Rabbi Mansour explained that “tutelage from our revered rabbis is so essential that one can be
well-versed in Tanach and Mishnah and still
be considered an ignoramus.
“Chazal repeatedly said that the Greek
Photo: Dovid Kapenstein
Rabbi Eli Mansour addressing the Daf
Yomi siyum in Atlanta.
Rabbi Eli Mansour with the members of
Kollel Ner Hamizrach.
Rabbi Shmuel Khoshkerman addressing
the Daf Yomi siyum in Atlanta.
Rabbi Eliezer Cohen, rosh kollel of Ner
Hamizrach, speaking.
Rabbi Dovid Kapenstein, executive director of Kollel Ner Hamizrach, recited the
Hadran.
Rabbi Eliezer Cohen, rosh kollel,
stressed the importance of consistency in
one’s daily learning. “Daf Yomi created a
regimen for a person to ensure that each day
he is connected to Torah learning,” he noted.
Rabbi Mansour, in his keynote address,
spoke about appreciating the value in our Torah, even while the nations of the world try
to influence us to disregard it. He quoted the
posuk in Tehillim which states, “Mei’oyvai
techakmeini - From my enemies I have become wise.” The Chasam Sofer states that
when the Jews entered the Bais Hamikdosh,
they were presented with a dilemma. Could
they use the jugs of oil found with their seals
intact? On the one hand, the kohanim knew
that tumah hutra betzibbur, it was permissible according to the Torah to use oil that
was impure if the majority of Jews were also
impure. On the other hand, they also knew
of the rabbinical enactment that a jug of oil
moved by a non-Jew is impure.
“Their quandary,” Rabbi Mansour explained, “was to not light the menorah to
adhere to their own rabbinical prohibition or
use the oil in order to fulfill a Torah commandment.” The Chasam Sofer explains that this is
why Hashem showed them the one jug of
oil that had not been moved by the Greeks.
culture brought darkness to the world,” noted Rabbi Mansour, illustrating this with an
analogy of someone who never watched a
film in a theater. Having been plunged into
darkness as the film began, this newcomer
did not know what to do. He proceeded
to take out his flashlight to shine it at the
screen. His actions elicited much aggravation from the other watchers. They told him
that in order to see the film, you must remain
in darkness. When you shine a light at the
screen, the picture is no longer visible. Rabbi Mansour observed that this is precisely what the Greeks tried to accomplish
with the Jews. They wished to keep the
Jews in the canopy of darkness of the Greek
culture, namely the facade that Greece offered more for the Jews than the Torah does.
The menorah provides light that shows the
enormous fallacies of Greek philosophy. As
Chazal say, “Me’at min ha’or docheh harbeh min hachoshech. One small light pushes
away much darkness.” When you shine the
light of the menorah on the Greek culture,
you see that it is nothing more than a mirage. “This,” commented Rabbi Mansour, “is
the lesson that we must take away from
Chanukah.”
Stephen Filreis, who learns Daf Yomi,
was thrilled by the event. “It was a true kiddush Hashem and everyone walked away
quite inspired,” he said.
YatedNe’eman 91