Meet Rabbi Kanievsky's 'successor

 

Following the death of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the Lithuanian public is hinting at the president of the Council of Torah Scholars of Degel HaTorah and the head of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, the 98-year-old Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, as the natural heir to take over the reins of leadership.

Since the death of Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, the Lithuanian community has adopted a two-part leadership in the persons of Rabbi Kanievsky and Rabbi Edelstein.

In practice, however, even though he escaped from the leadership positions all his life, Rabbi Kanievsky was behind many decisions concerning the conduct of the Lithuanian public in Israel. Now, it seems, Rabbi Edelstein will become the leader of the Lithuanian public.

The leadership of the two Rabbis has been characterized by marked differences over the years. While Rabbi Edelstein focused mainly on decisions in the Lithuanian-educational field, Rabbi Kanievsky was required to decide on political issues concerning the entire haredi public.

Although both identified with the Lithuanian idea of ​​diminishing the admor/rebbe title etiquette in issues related to blessings and rebbe-chassid relations, over the years Rabbi Kanievsky's home has become a focal point for Jews of all walks of life to visit for blessings and advice, while Rabbi Edelstein remains less known to the secular public.

There are also characteristic distinctions between them: While Rabbi Kanievsky used to shorten his answers up to only a few words, both in his answers of Halachic responsa and in his responses to all aspects of life, Rabbi Edelstein tends to give lessons that are characterized by length and deal mainly with education and encouraging Torah study and moral laws.

The differences in leadership were also evident during the Coronavirus pandemic. While Rabbi Kanievsky refused to leave the boys' schools closed for extended periods of time, Rabbi Edelstein believed that extra care should be taken to maintain health in all that it entails.

The dominant feature of both leaders has been that both adopted Rabbi Shteinman's decisions in matters of religion and state, unlike the 'Jerusalem Faction' which adopted a much stricter approach which included going out to the streets to protest government reforms on issues related to the status quo.

What will Rabbi Edelstein's leadership be like? Will it be even more pragmatic than Rabbi Kanievsky's leadership was concerning the Lithuanian rabbinical attitude toward the current government? It's too early to tell. What is certain though, is that the longer his leadership will be, the greater his popularity will grow within the haredi community, and especially within the Lithuanian street.

During Rabbi Kanevsky's funeral, Rabbi Edelstein was the first of the eulogizers.

In his remarks, he said that Rabbi Kanievsky "was a great man. There is a lack of leadership in Israel when such a great man passes from the world... The whole world was affected by him, the whole public, the whole world owes him."

Rabbi Edelstein added: "We are a poor generation, an orphaned generation, we lack men of profound wisdom. We lack the influence of a great man like him."

How the Secular Israeli Media Reported the Passing of R' Chaim z"l

 

Zionist Police Escort the "mita" of R' Chaim z"l

 

Buses from Beit Shemesh

R' Chaim z"l a short bio

 

The largest funeral in the history of the country, took place for a great rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who died on Friday at the age of 94. He was at home, collapsed and died.

Estimates of up to one million people were expected to "attend" the funeral, or at least, attempt to get somewhere near it. Already major roads and highways are closed and will be used for immense parking lots for buses bringing in the mourners from all over the country. Our local Health Care provider just called and with a recorded message informed us that no testing will take place today since they will be unable to get samples to the laboratory. Police have cautioned people to avoid the metropolitan Tel Aviv area entirely.

This was massive.

And so, who was this rabbi that few outside of the Orthodox Jewish world knew or even heard about? What did he do to warrant such a huge funeral?

To begin with, you should know who Rabbi Kanievsky was not. He was not involved in politics, he was not a great speaker (he rarely spoke in public), he may never have ever been interviewed on radio or television or by a newspaper. He was not the head of a yeshiva (higher rabbinical academy) or a some Chassidic sect or the like. He was not the appointed rabbi of a community or city. He held no official position of any type, whatsoever.

Rather, he was acknowledged as the supreme Talmudic scholar whose rulings were considered absolutely authoritative. He was noted for his unusually extensive knowledge of every important Jewish text in our vast library of more than two thousand years of rabbinic writings including the Torah, the Mishna, Talmud, Codes of Jewish Law and all the major commentaries. He was noted for his extreme diligence in what is known as "learning", meaning his exceptional ability to sit and study for hours each day, late into the night, sleeping very little, and his ability to retain to memory all  that he learned.

He did, however, publish exceptionally lucid books on Jewish Law, and more. I have one of his sets in my library.

He was the scholar's scholar to whom all questions of Jewish theology and Law were addressed and whose answers were considered "final". He rarely, if ever, was challenged or questioned.  (If you want to know who is at the top of a specific profession, ask people in that profession who they consider "the best" and then ask those "best ones", who they think is on top.)

As a person, he was soft-spoken and never argumentative. He lived in small, modest apartment crammed with holy texts. His table was always piled with books which he pored over every minute he could. He received visitors from all over the world who came to him with questions, asking for advice, and requests for help. He would respond, by mail, to inquiries about Jewish Law from rabbis and individuals everywhere. Typically, his responses were surprisingly brief, such as "Yes", "No", "Maybe" or "Check this source for your answer".

He had the good fortune of being the son, the son-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew of other extremely well-known and important rabbis. These things tend to run in families. But, independent of his family connections, he earned his reputation on his own by his dedication to learning and his angelic personality. He had a sense of humor, too, and there are video clips of him enjoying a good joke or story.

What I find interesting, was his response to whomever came to him for a "blessing", something that Jews ask for from great sages and religious leaders. He would simple say, "Blessing and Success". (In the Hebrew, he would abbreviate this even further with "Bu-ha".) Short and sweet. Straight to the point.

You see, what matters at the end of the day is scholarly erudition and modesty. Reb Chaim (as he was fondly known) lived a simple, honest, respectful life. He was a scholar supreme and what we call a "Mensch", i.e. a truly good and honorable person. He served G-d by his Torah wisdom and piety.

It is because he personified these character traits the Jewish world respected him more than any other public figure or celebrity could. He showed us how to behave and how to prioritize our values.

Kol Korah Prohibits "work" during Funeral of R' Kanievski z"l but to whom is this directed to? Who works?

 

Guy Ranked 462 When He competed Against Other Guys, But Now that he says that he is a "Girl" (with his milah) Ranks #1 Against Girls?

 

This CNN Amanpour Interview Didn't Age Well

 

Hey @amanpour still stand by this

pic.twitter.com/ZSzoNXaKN0

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 19, 2022

Biden’s Priority is Appeasing Iran, NOT Helping Ukraine

 

If you listen to Biden administration spokespeople and the talking heads that form their mainstream media cheering section, you may think you know what is its foreign-policy priority: to do anything short of war to aid Ukraine in its brave fight against Russia.

But as news broke this week about the administration’s success in reviving the disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal, that assumption is being called into question. If, as appears to be the case, the United States is giving Russia “written guarantees” that nothing in the new, even weaker accord with Tehran will interfere with Russia’s activities in Iran, then it’s clear that not only is Washington signing off on Moscow’s ability to evade sanctions, but clearly signaling that nothing—not even an act of aggression that created a humanitarian disaster—is more important to President Joe Biden and his team then their quest to appease the Islamist regime.

WATCH: Rav Chaim ZT”L and His Rebbetzin Recite Amen to Each Other’s Birchos Hashachar

 

The 51 CIA Agents That Lied and Misled the Media to Get Biden Elected

 

They are the supposed nonpartisan group of top spies looking out for the best interest of the nation.

But the 51 former “intelligence” officials who cast doubt on The Post’s Hunter Biden laptop stories in a public letter really were just desperate to get Joe Biden elected president. And more than a year later, even after their Deep State sabotage has been shown again and again to be a lie, they refuse to own up to how they undermined an election.

The officials, including CNN pundit and professional fabricator James Clapper — a man who was nearly charged for perjury for lying to Congress — signed a letter saying that the laptop “has the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

What proof did they have? By their own admission, none. “We do not know if the emails . . . are genuine or not,” the letter said. They’re just “suspicious.” Why? Because they hurt Biden’s campaign, that’s evidence enough.

Keep in mind this was written Oct. 19, 2020, five days after The Post published its first story. Neither Joe Biden nor Hunter Biden had denied the story, they simply deflected questions. Didn’t these security experts think that if this was disinformation, the Biden campaign would have yelled to the heavens that the story was false?

Meanwhile, though the letter was advertised as being signed by people who worked “for presidents of both political parties,” a majority of the officials were Democrats.

Politico picked up the letter and ran the false headline “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say.” That headline is still online today, even though the letter clearly says they don’t know if it’s Russian disinformation.

That headline was tweeted out by legions of Democrats, including current White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, as proof that it was all a con. That tweet also is still up despite being proven false.

Thus pure speculation by a group of biased officials became gospel among the media. This was “fake news,” and could be safely ignored.

UN report: Israelis among happiest people in the world

 

Israel is the ninth happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report, a project of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Israel has moved slowly up the rankings in recent years, going from No. 14 in 2020 to No. 11 in 2021. The report, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, says it factors a country’s GDP, social support, life expectancy, “freedom to make life choices,” citizen generosity, and perceptions of corruption into its ranking.

The UN is known as a harsh critic of Israel, singling it out with continual condemnations and more critical resolutions than any other nation. Its Sustainable Development Solutions Network was founded in 2012 to advance UN sustainability, anti-poverty, and industry goals around the world.

Each country’s response to COVID-19 was also a factor in the ranking, the report noted. Israel was one of the first countries to successfully vaccinate a large percentage of its population.

“Deaths from COVID-19 during 2020 and 2021 have been markedly lower in those countries with higher trust in public institutions and where inequality is lower,” the report reads.

As usual, the Nordic countries held their spots at the top of the list, with Finland ranking as the happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row. Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland placed in the top four, with the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Norway the only others ahead of Israel.

Police Estimate One million will attend Rabbi Kanievsky's funeral

 

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leading Lithuanian-haredi rabbi, will be laid to rest on Sunday.

Rabbi Kaniesvky passed away just before the start of Shabbat (Sabbath) on Friday afternoon. He was 94.

The funeral will begin at 11:00a.m. Sunday morning. The exact hour will be decided Saturday evening by the family.

Israel Police estimate that between 700,000 and one million people will attend the funeral in Bnei Brak.

How a guy became a "Grandfather" to Himself ...You will never see "Yevamois" in the same way

 

Waiting in line to use the bathroom Isn't always fun

 

Learning "Pshat" On Dr Seuss

 

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A post shared by Modi Rosenfeld (@modi_live)

Senate unanimously passes bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent

 

Could changing the clocks twice a year become a thing of the past?

The Senate unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent, making the House all that stands between longer winter days and later sunrises in summer.

The bipartisan legislation – known as the Sunshine Protection Act – was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in March 2019. It was quickly backed by two of his Democratic colleagues, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

As the measure passed, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) let out an audible “Yes!” on the Senate floor. 

If the House approves the measure and President Biden signs it, the legislation would not take effect until the fall of 2023 since airlines, railroads and other mass transit operators have built out schedules based on the current timekeeping system.

The US will enter Standard Time in November of this year, when Americans in every state except Hawaii and non-Navajo areas of Arizona turn their clocks back one hour. This past Sunday marked the start of Daylight Saving Time.

USA Today Names Women Of The Year. Here’s One Of Them.

 

USA TODAY announced its “Women of the Year,” and one of their choices was the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, Rachel Levine, a biological man.

It's Not a Purim Joke, Unfortunately

USA TODAY boasted:

Every day across our country, USA TODAY’s Women of the Year lead and inspire, promote and fight for equity, give others a place to seek help and find hope.

They are strong and resilient women who have been champions of change and courage, often quietly, but with powerful results. And often despite their own challenges.

Some of the women may be familiar names. Others may be new to you. Each has an inspiring and powerful story.

Of Levine, USA TODAY noted, “Levine, 64, a trained pediatrician, became the nation’s highest-ranking openly transgender official last March when the Senate confirmed her as assistant secretary of health.”

Levine told USA TODAY, “I really feel that everything I’ve ever done, whether it was in academic medicine, in education, in clinical research, seeing my patients in my role in public health, in Pennsylvania and now my role nationally…has all led to this moment in terms of helping the nation through this greatest public health crisis that we have faced in over a hundred years.”

Israel destroyed fleet of UAV aircraft inside Iran

 

Iran’s fleet of UAVs was largely destroyed during an alleged Israeli airstrike on a military base near Kermanshah in western Iran in February 2022, and the incident was reportedly one of the triggers for Iran to fire at least 12 ballistic missiles at the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Iraq.

According to a report from Hebrew-language daily Haaretz, Israel took the unusual step of conducting an airstrike inside of Iran.Hundreds of drones were either completely destroyed or severely damaged, though the Iranian government at the time blamed the loss of the UAVs on a fire at the base.

Although Israel regularly bombs Iranian assets in Syria, an attack on an Iranian base inside of Iran would be an extremely rare, even unprecedented, move.

Early on Sunday morning, Iran launched missile strikes on the unoccupied American consulate building in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. An Iranian government statement said that the strike was aimed at “secret Israeli bases” in the region.

Although the building and others nearby were damaged, no casualties were reported.

Hezbollah-linked Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen, however, reported that “four Israeli officers were killed, in addition to seven wounded, four of whom are in a critical condition.”

The station did not present any evidence to support that claim.

Al Mayadeen said that the Israeli army had used the U.S. Consulate as an operative base, and that the attack on Iranian drones in February had originated from that location.

“The same headquarters [targeted by Iran] was responsible for an intelligence and aggressive operation against Iran in recent times,” the report read.

The Kurdish government has vehemently denied that the Consulate compound was being utilized by Israel for military or intelligence-gathering purposes.

Earlier in March, a Channel 12 report revealed that Israel has thwarted attempts to launch armed aircraft and drones from Iran.

An IDF spokesman said that in recent months, Israeli F-35s shot down two enemy aircraft in an air-to-air missile strike, adding that as far as he knew, this was the first time in world military history that such a maneuver had been used successfully.

DIN Criticizes Government of Israel

Israel bringing in Non-Jewish Ukrainians...

Well, seems to be a done deal. I don't mean that our gov't is composed of spineless weasels - that ship has sailed.

But now we can expect an unlimited influx of non-Jewish Ukrainians who don't even pass the required Jewish grandfather clause to make aliyah. As long as they have some kind of relative living in Israel, the doors are opened to them. And no, having a relative in israel does not make one jewish.

Plus, don't think for one moment that if they want to come to Israel that it means they are not Jew-haters. Seriously? That's almost funny.

Life is good in Israel, and those people know that it's a paradise here, especially when compared to the eastern European muck they come from.

In any case, we have enough experience from non Jewish immigrants over the decades who are Jew-hating thorns in our side. What will happen with this new wave is one further step in Dejudaizing the "Jewish" State of Israel. With Ukrainians no less!

Because sending our medical personnel wasn't enough. Building state of the art medical emergency centers there wasn't enough. Sending tons upon tons of humanitarian aid wasn't enough. We have to now open our borders. And to what??

The mental midgets in our country who determine policy can't bend over low enough to please a country that not only has never supported Israel on any international level, but names streets and builds memorials to their home-grown butchers of Jews.

And this Zelenskyy character, a character so foul as to cynically use the Holocaust, distorting the historical account of the Holocaust, in order to manipulate us, while his henchmen, at the same time, threaten us, plan to initiate legal proceedings against our sovereign rule of law, is nothing less than diabolical. Don't tell me how Zelenskyy was born Jewish. Because that just makes him a unique kind of evil. His Ukrainian flag fits him well.

No, nothing has changed with Ukrainians with regard to Jews.

And meanwhile, what does our saintly gov't do for our Holocaust survivors in Israel suffering and living below poverty level?

איזה בושה וחרפה!

I am beyond disgusted.

Charity begins at home! We must first care for our own people with dignity and respect. You don't disregard your own who are in need, while running to curry favor especially from those whose  record against Israel and Jews stand well on its own, and slap a "humanitarian" banner over it.

We have so many people, so many groups, so many communities here in Israel who need gov't assistance, so many issues that require gov't attention that must be resolved and little or nothing is done. We question the validity of Jewishness among the rest of the Ethiopian Jews that need to be saved, and we put a hold on their entry until it can be straightened out. But hey, let's bring in thousands of the non Jewish Ukrainians! Let's bend over further because we clearly haven't been butt-f***ed enough!!!

WHEN will we as a nation find our backbone?!" 

By Zahava Englard Shapiro

Listen to this Israeli tell the truth about Ukraine