this is a promotional piece, published in Hamodia

TO BE AMONG THE FOUNDING FATHERS

By Debbie Levine

It was a real surprise. No one expected it. But then again, most miracles don't come with advanced notice.

"Everyone's heard about Israeli bureaucracy; it's notorious. So the closer we came to completing all the necessary prerequisites and approving all the necessary permits, the more we realized just how far away we really were from attaining our goal: construction of Kollel Chatzos' Bais Medrash." Rabbi Yehoshua Meir Deutsch, shlita, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Chatzos Nachalas Yehoshua, spoke in disbelief as he described the numerous obstacles he faced, from a building freeze to the authorities changing construction plans. All this before construction could even begin for the Kollel Chatzos Bais Medrash in Beitar Illit, a Torah center that addition to housing three kollels -- including the unique Kollel Chatzos – that would provide the community with around-the-clock Torah activities.

"Then, as if by magic," he continued, "the obstacles just disappeared. Late one afternoon, without any warning, the contractor phoned to let us know that everything had been taken care of and that he would be coming to pour the foundations the following morning. I can't even begin to describe our excitement. Finally, after three and a half years, three and a half years of davening and yearning and running from one government office to the next, our dream of a Torah center was about to become a reality! And then I looked at the calendar."

It was 10 Cheshvan in the late afternoon. The following day, 11 Cheshvan, was Mama Rochel's yehrtzeit.

"Mama Rochel! Mama Rochel’s yehrtzeit! Do you understand the siyata d'Shemaya here?" Rabbi Deutsch paused for a few moments. It was obvious that he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could barely continue. "At Kollel Chatzos, we recite Tikkun Rochel every single night – it's part of Tikkun Chatzos. We sit on the floor and cry as we beseech Hashem to return His children to their Land and end the Shechina's suffering. Our town, Beitar Illit, is just a few minutes drive from Mama Rochel's gravesite. Every week, our entire Kollel travels there to beseech Hashem to heed Mama Rochel's cries and put an end to this bitter galus.  And then – suddenly – our dream of creating a Torah center in Beitar was actualizing davka on her yehrtzeit. We felt as if she, herself, was intervening on our behalf."

@Kollel Chatzos

To appreciate the true significance of this occasion, it's important to understand the uniqueness of Kollel Chatzos.

Rabbi Deutsch continues, "Our holy seforim are replete with praise to those anshei g'vura who fight their natural tendency to sleep, and arise at chatzos to recite Tikkun Chatzos and learn Torah. These hours are an eis ratzon, when the gates of Heaven are flung open and Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so to speak, comes down to Gan Eden to see what is happening in This World (Zohar Vayikra). Our holy seforim speak about how, at that auspicious hour, the powers of evil, strict judgment and darkness that govern the night are revoked. Impurity disappears, and Hashem in all His Glory is revealed.

"In 5761 (2001) a group of five young Torah scholars from Beitar Illit, a small town in the Judean Hills decided to do something revolutionary, to follow our Sages' advice and arise at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzos and study Torah. Slowly but surely, other young men, craving the spiritual elevation of learning Torah at such an auspicious time, joined them. Today, ten years later, some sixty avreichim devote their nights to Torah learning at Kollel Chatzos. One scholar, a young man with a large family, who holds down a job during the day, once told me, 'When the entire world is sleeping, my mind is fresh. Without anything to distract me, it's davka then that I can completely devote myself to my studies.'

"Visitors to the Kollel are always amazed at the electrifying atmosphere in the bais medrash," Rabbi Deutsch continues. "It's not everyday that one sees people actually crying as they recite Tikkun Chatzos and mourn the destruction. Men from far-flung neighborhoods regularly join our inspirational vasikin minyan. But then again," Rabbi Deutsch's face crinkles into a smile as he continues, "our rigorous schedule is not for everyone. Every single one of our scholars is really striving toward spiritual greatness, otherwise he wouldn't be able to continue coming, night after night after night…."

Hamodia: But why do you need your own building? How have you been managing until now?

Rabbi Deutsch: "We haven't. In the last ten years our Kollel's moved over a dozen times, from one dilapidated, caravan to another. We've learned in buildings without sanitary facilities, without air conditioning, and without heating. Yes, our scholars are dedicated to learning and striving to grow spiritually, but what can I tell you? They're also human beings. They too need a normal, comfortable place to learn.

"For the last three and a half years we've been actively working toward finding a permanent solution to our housing problem. While we worked on the physical plane, taking all the necessary steps to get the permits and draw up the architectural plans. We also tore open the Heavens with our prayers, begging Hashem to help us find a home where we could learn in peace. Often our Torah scholars would go up to the future building site to learn or daven, with the hope that in the zechus of their learning and prayers, they would hasten the moment when we would begin construction. And then, suddenly – as if by magic – it happened. We laid the cornerstone and began construction – and it all took place on Mama Rochel's yehrtzeit."

@A Day of Rejoicing

Rabbi Deutsch continues describing the incredible events that took place on the eleventh of Cheshvan. "I couldn't allow such a momentous occasion to pass without a proper ceremony, which was quite a challenge considering that I only found out about it on Monday afternoon!"

"The morning of Mama Rochel's yehrtzeit," continues Rabbi Deutsch, "we all arrived at the Kollel as usual to recite Tikkun Chatzos and study Torah until three o'clock in the morning, the hour we all travel to Kever Rochel. There, we literally tore open the heavens with our tears as we davened for Am Yisrael and for our supporters and their loved ones. Of course we recited all the names of our supporters and their loved ones as written in the Kollel's kvittel and davened wholeheartedly for their welfare. Then we prayed for the success of our new building. We were extremely emotional; the Kollel had waited so long for a home of its own, and now, finally, it was becoming a reality!"

Rabbi Deutsch continues, "From Kever Rochel, we returned to Beitar where we immersed in the mikveh and prayed Shacharis at the site of our future Bais Medrash. Many men from the surrounding buildings came to join our uplifting davening. Afterwards, several prominent rabbis from Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Beitar joined us for a festive seudos mitzvah."

At the seudos mitzvah, Rabbi Deutsch read the words of the Zohar, which state that upon laying the foundation for a shul, one must express his desire that it becomes a center of Torah, kedusha and achdus. Afterwards, he publicly thanked the Kollel members for having prayed at Chatzos for the success of constructing the new building, and for having gone daily to the construction site to pray and learn with the hope that they will eventually merit to see the realization of their dream.

He then recalled the first donation that he received for the building fund, which was contributed over half a year ago from a person who had gotten into such a mess with the IRS that he was in danger of losing his entire livelihood. After donating $5000 to the building fund, the unheard of happened – the IRS closed the file against him!

Rabbi Deutsch could barely speak from emotion as he told the audience that that very morning after Shacharis, one of the members of the Kollel, the head of a large family who had to struggle just to put bread on the table, presented him with a 1000 NIS donation toward the new building. When Rabbi Deutsch asked him how he was able to contribute such a relatively large sum, he responded that for the last two years he had been putting money aside each month toward the zechus of helping to build the new shul.

The moment Rabbi Deutsch finished speaking, the band started playing and the entire audience – as well as many curious onlookers burst into exuberant song and dance.  It was only when the cement truck arrived and the workers wanted to begin pouring the foundations that the audience finally calmed down!

Just before beginning construction, Rabbi Deutsch placed copies of the founding charter and the Kollel's kvittel inside the beam that will support the Aron Kodesh. As the cement truck poured the foundations, the entire tzibur recited Tehillim for both the building and the Kollel's – success. The moment the foundations were complete, the entire audience erupted in joyous dancing. "We felt as if Mama Rochel was there, guiding us – and schepping nachas from us." Rabbi Deutsch said as he recalled the events of that day with tremendous emotion. "What could be greater than building a mikdash me'at, a center of Torah and avoda, where the light of Torah will always shine bright?! What could bring more nachas ruach to the Eibershter than building a home for the Shechina?"

@The New Building

Rabbi Deutsch's dream is to build a three story complex that will include a spacious bais medrash, a lobby, a mikveh, several smaller classrooms, an auditorium and a kitchen.  "The building will be a beacon of light to the surrounding community, where the light of Torah will burn bright twenty four hours a day. Shiurei Torah, outreach, women's classes and minyanim; the building will pulse with activity," he explains.

Construction is planned to take place in three stages. The first stage is construction of the building's first floor. Although compact in size, just 224 square meters (2411 square feet) it will contain a spacious bais medrash, a roomy lobby, a classroom which will double as a women's section and a kitchen.  The second stage will consist of a men's mikveh, while the third stage is completion of the entire building, b'ezras Hashem yisborach. Hopefully the first stage will be completed in the next few months so that the Kollel can move into its permanent abode.

[graphic artist, please note: THE BUILDING FREEZE IS OVER, BUT FOR HOW LONG? Pull out caption!]

Now, however, it is of utmost importance that the first stage be completed quickly. "The building freeze is over, but no one knows for how long," Rabbi Deutsch explains. "Everyone's trying to get as much construction done before the government puts a stop to all construction. We need to move into our building, but if we don't construct it quickly, there's a strong possibility that it will take much longer than we'd like to think about. We don't have time to wait." 

Dedication opportunities are still available. "The public has an opportunity to become full partners in our Torah learning," Rabbi Deutsch adds. "Every prayer, every word of Torah that is spoken in our new building will be an eternal zechus for those people who merited to contribute to our building fund."

TEXT BOX

For Details and to Contribute

Rabbi Yehoshua Meir Deutsch

Rosh Kollel Chatzos Nachalas Yehoshua

POB 30067 Beitar Illit

Tel + 972-2-580-3535

Fax + 972-2-580-5123

Tel USA 646-403-3750

Email: info@kollelchatzot.com

Contributions can be made by credit card at the Kollel's secure website www.kollelchatzot.com or by sending a check to the US address:

Kollel Chatzot

c/o Friedman Family

1540 40^th Street

Brooklyn, Ny 11218

All donations are tax deductable in the US

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Dedicate one square meter of building area for just $1800!

Yissaschar-Zevulon partnerships and night or week dedications are also available.

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In memory of Doris, published on the OU website

To Give – with a flourish

In memory of Doris Levine

By Debbie Shapiro

My father's second wife, Doris Levine, passed away this morning. She was ninety years young. Although she entered my life after I was already married and busy raising my own children, during the over thirty five years that she was part of our family, I grew to love her and yes, admire her.

Doris grew up during the Depression. Her family was part of the very close knit Sefardi community in New York, where everyone was related to each other and the only question was, how?

The last time I spoke with her, she was extremely weak and in a lot of pain. Yet, her voice was warm and full of life. When I asked her how she was doing, she gave a short laugh and responded, "All right," and then turned the discussion to me and my family. "After all," she explained, "it always makes me happy to hear about people I love."

During that last conversation I reminded her of a story that she had told me years ago, one that I often tell to my own children and grandchildren. Doris and I were sitting opposite each other in the two off-white recliners that dominated her living room. As she spoke, her hands were busy organizing one of the desk drawers.

She had been telling me about a man who always showed up at synagogue just in time for the oneg Shabbos. The other members of the synagogue were upset; this guy was obviously a schnorrer. But Doris always went out of her way to make sure that he received a heaping full plate of the best delicacies, "After all," she explained, "that might be the only real meal he eats all week, and the rest of us certainly don't need all that high calorie food," she added with a laugh, looking down at her more than ample figure.

"During the depression," she began, "everyone – or at least almost everyone—struggled to make ends meet, including, of course my parents. Originally from Egypt, they had moved to Manchester before I was born, and eventually immigrated to New York where there was a large, established Sefardi community. The stock market crashed just as they were beginning to get on their feet financially, and they, together with millions of other Americans, were plunged into poverty. But although our family was very poor, we always had food to eat. In those days, before refrigerators and freezers, my mother would shop each morning for that day's food. Without all the modern appliances and convenience foods that we have today, it took several hours for her to prepare our family's supper.

"Early one afternoon," Doris continued, "my mother and I were alone in the house when our upstairs neighbor stopped in to borrow something and then stayed to schmooze. She confided that her husband was out of work, and that they barely managed to pay the rent each week. 'It's been weeks since I cooked my family a real meal,' she said, her eyes brimming with tears. 'For the last two weeks we've had nothing but day old bread and jam for supper.'

"Later on that afternoon, my mother sent me on a special errand -- to deliver a hot cooked meal – our hot cooked meal--to the upstairs neighbor. That night, we were the ones who ate bread and jam for supper.

"None of my siblings ever realized why we didn't eat a proper meal that night. My mother served the bread and jam with a flourish. With a huge smile on her face – and a wink to me – she announced in a big, booming voice, 'Look everyone! We're having a real treat tonight. Bread and jam for supper! Nothing could be more delicious.' And they believed her.

"And that," she concluded, "is the way we're supposed to help our fellow Jew."

Written in memory of Salha bat Eliyahu 

Welcome

This is my blog. I'll be posting my latest writings, and perhaps, eventually, I'll even succeed in posting previous material. Enjoy.