Following a High Court ruling that eateries may not advertise or present themselves as kosher even indirectly unless they have a rabbinate hechsher, the rabbinate began issuing final warnings to offending restaurants. Some had certificates from the Hashgachah Pratis organization which tried to circumvent an existing law against alternative hechsheirim by issuing businesses a Bris Ne’emonus document. By testifying that the place was under the auspices of Hashgachah Pratis but not mentioning anything about kashrus, the organization claimed that “a business does not contravene the law.”

The High Court ruling blocked this loophole by agreeing with the Chief Rabbinate that the correct interpretation of the Law Prohibiting Kashrus Fraud is “that any written declaration of kashrus was illegal, whether or not it actually mentioned words like ‘kosher.'”

“A national kashrus body exists with the duty to set the official standard for kosher food,” Chief Rabbi Rav Dovid Lau said. “Any decision which enabled the granting of alternative kashrus certificates, some of which are even fictitious, would lead to severe misleading of the public at large and I am glad that this has been prevented.”

Despite the ruling, CEO of Hashgachah Pratis Ayala Falk said the organization would continue issuing hechsheirim to its twenty-seven customers and that it was expecting a 28th restaurant to join soon.

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

During a recent shiur that he delivered in Cholon, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, rov of Ramat Elchonon, shared the following shailah that was presented to his brother-in-law, Rav Chaim Kanievsky.

A man who was not blessed with offspring for five years went to daven at the kever of Rav Shimon bar Yochai, where he vowed, “If my wife gives birth to a son, I will name him Shimon.”

Sometime later, amidst great joy, the couple celebrated the birth of a son. The father intended to fulfill his vow, but his wife insisted that the child be called Yechezkel, the name of a tzaddik with whom the family had been close. The couple failed to reach common ground, and, at the bris, while reciting the krias sheim, the husband announced the baby’s name as Shimon.

After the bris, the avi haben’s father-in-law approached him and said, “What you have done is against the halachah, which says that the naming of a baby goes to the mother. I forbid you from crossing the threshold of my home until you make a change to the name of the child.”

The confused father went to Rav Zilberstein with this quandary.

“Even if you’re right, you’re not smart,” Rav Zilberstein admonished the man, directing him to present the question to his brother-in-law, Rav Chaim Kaneivsky.

Rav Chaim’s answer surprised some. “Change the name to Yechezkel,” he ruled decisively.

And what about the vow of the father to name his son Shimon?

“You already fulfilled your neder by naming him Simon,” said Rav Chaim. “You did not promise for how long he will be named that way. So now that you already named him that, change the name to the one your wife desires, Yechezkel. Once you have kept your neder, you may change the name for the sake of shalom bayis.”

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

Unfortunately, there are Israeli children – hopefully a rare breed – who curse at chareidi soldiers in Israel. There are some who cross red lines.

This is what happened when two children shouted “Chardak” at an Israeli soldier who had his little daughter by his side.

In a clip of the incident, one can hear the little girl, standing next to her father, reply softly, “He’s not a chardak. He’s my father!”

WATCH:

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

In the following video, Avraham Fried sings “Aleh Katan Sheli” at a bar mitzvah for a special needs child in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

On Thursday, July 14, over 80 riders joined together to ride the SCHI Challenge 2016. After months of training, they were all well prepared to cycle 120 miles from the SCHI campus on Oak Street in Lakewood to Camp SCHI.

It was a scenic and enjoyable ride, but it was also a tough trip, with many uphill miles. But, as difficult as the ride was, the smiles on the Camp SCHI campers’ faces upon their arrival made it all worthwhile.

The SCHI Challenge cyclists truly challenged themselves, but they all accepted the challenge to benefit the challenged children of Camp SCHI, who challenge themselves every day of the year.

One cyclist, commenting on the SCHI Challenge 2016, said, “I just can’t wait another 364 days until SCHI Challenge 2017.”

VIDEO:

PHOTOS:

{Matzav.com}

Tonight, Hatzolah of Lakewood’s auction will be broadcast live here on MATZAV.COM at 6:30 p.m. EST.

The live stream will feature an exciting program, including interviews with members of Hatzolah, a talk with new Lakewood Police Chief Greg Meyer, music with Uri Davidi and Dovid Gabay, a conversation with Dr. Howard Lebowitz and Dr. Neil Gittleman, insights with Rabbi Mordechai Sultan, who was featured in the recently-released Yoel Gold video, and an incredible auction with great prizes.

To donate, visit Lakewoodhatzolah.com or call 732.363.5600.

And make sure to tune in and log on right here on MATZAV.COM for an exclusive live stream of this exciting event at 6:30 p.m. EST.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}

A traditional farbrengen was held this week in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, with the senior Chabad chossid, Rabbi Mendel Morozov, in honor of what is known as the “chag hageulah” in Chabad.

Rabbi Morozov, who just celebrated his 100^th birthday, farbrenged for hours with the Chassidim, who crowded around him to hear his story of imprisonment and release, and his encounters with the rebbes Rashab and Rayatz.

PHOTOS:

{Matzav.com}

A little more than a year after her daughter passed away, Adele Biton’s mother, Mrs. Adva Biton, has given birth to a baby boy.

Adele was a four-year-old girl who was critically wounded in a terror attack three years ago. She died last winter of lung infection-related complications.

The attack in which Adele was hurt occurred on March 14, 2013 near Ariel, when a truck driver suddenly hit the brakes after his vehicle was struck by stones hurled by Palestinians. The car behind him, carrying Adele, her two sisters and their mother, lost control and collided with the truck. The two other sisters, Avigail and Naama – aged four and five – sustained moderate injuries.

When recounting the night of the accident, Adva noted that immediately after the crash she had looked at the back seat and “saw Adele with her head dropped to the side. I put out my hand to make sure the head was attached and to open the airway. She had a very slow pulse.”

Following the attack, Adele was hospitalized at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center and was later transferred to the Beit Levinstein rehabilitation center in Ra’anana. Adele later returned to her home in Yakir after a prolonged period of treatment.

Last winter, Adele began to feel ill and suffered from a cough. Her condition deteriorated and she passed away after a two-year battle.

Her mother said that she felt Adele’s presence at the birth of her new baby. “Those were moments of siyata diShmaya, and Adele was there to make sure everything would be okay. She came to help me.”

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

Tonight, Hatzolah of Lakewood’s auction will be broadcast live here on MATZAV.COM at 6:30 p.m. EST.

WATCH LIVE:


The live stream will feature an exciting program, including interviews with members of Hatzolah, a talk with new Lakewood Police Chief Greg Meyer, music with Uri Davidi and Dovid Gabay, a conversation with Dr. Howard Lebowitz and Dr. Neil Gittleman, insights with Rabbi Mordechai Sultan, who was featured in the recently-released Yoel Gold video, and an incredible auction with great prizes.

To donate, visit Lakewoodhatzolah.com or call 732.363.5600.

And make sure to tune in and log on right here on MATZAV.COM for an exclusive live stream of this exciting event at 6:30 p.m. EST.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}

For the first time in many years, Rav Boruch Shmuel Deutch this week paid a visit to Rav Chaim Kaniesky on Rechov Rashbam in Bnei Brak.

Rav Deutsch, one of the leaders of the Yerushalmi faction, reportedly asked for forgiveness from Rav Chaim during the visit for some of the goings-on related to the divisions within the Torah world.

Rav Deutsch, it was reported, is currently writing chiddushim and shiurim prepared over the last year, and he came across some Torah thoughts from Rav Chaim Kanievsky that he heard a while back. He went to discuss these Torah inyanim with Rav Chaim.

The visit, it is said, was known to very few people beforehand.

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of the Rav Shmuel Yerachmiel Kaufman zt”l, legendary mechanech from Detroit, Michigan, who impacted thousands of talmidim over many decades.

He was 82 years old.

Born in New York, Rav Kaufman was a son of Rabbi and Mrs. Fishel and Fraida Kaufman. Fraida, Rav Kaufman’s mother, was a daughter of the great tzaddik, Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman zt”l, Torah pioneer of All for the Boss fame.

In his younger years, Rav Kaufman learned at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and then at Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, where he was impacted for life by the roshei yeshiva, Rav Elya Meir Bloch and Rav Mottel Katz, and by the derech of Telshe in Torah and avodah.

As a bochur, Rav Kaufman moved to Detroit, where he began his remarkable chinuch career, teaching locally.

Rav Kaufman subsequently went to Los Angeles, where he taught and was a counselor in a summer camp under the auspices of Rav Simcha Wasserman zt”l. That summer was an eye-opener for Rav Kaufman. It was the first time that he observed that there are so many Jewish children who weren’t frum. Most of the children in that camp came from homes that were not Shabbos observant. They knew very little about Yiddishkeit, but were very receptive to the messages and lessons imparted by Rav Kaufman.

Rav Kaufman was very successful that summer, and Rav Wasserman was so impressed that he offered Rav Kaufman a teaching job in Los Angeles for the coming year. Not knowing what to do, Rav Kaufman called his uncle, Rav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg, and asked for an eitzah. He said not take the job. As a child, Rav Kaufman had been inflicted with polio and suffered from a limp. Rav Scheinberg felt that it would be too difficult for the parsha of shidduchim to be in Los Angeles, so Rav Kaufman declined the job.

Rav Yosef Elias, who was then the principal in Yeshiva Bais Yehuda, visited Telshe in Cleveland at the time, and Rav Kaufman went to talk with him, seeking a job in chinuch. Rav Kaufman had no formal experience, so Rabbi Elias asked him, “What makes you think you are cut out for chinuch and that you will be a good rebbi?”

“I’ll tell you the truth,” Rav Kaufman answered. “I love children and I love being mashpiah!”

Upon hearing that, Rabbi Elias exclaimed, “You are hired!”

After his marriage, Rav Kaufman taught for four years in Elizabeth, NJ, where he settled so that he could be near his wife’s mother, who lived in New York City. His influence in Elizabeth was strongly felt, as he instilled Torah haskafah in the young charges under his tutelage.

In 1956, Rav Kaufman moved back to Detroit, where he would spend the rest of his life teaching at Yeshiva Bais Yehuda. His career in chinuch there is difficult to encapsulate. The hashpaah he had on so many people rendered Rav Kaufman one of the most outstanding mechanchim in the country. Untold numbers of talmidim are indebted to Rav Kaufman for inspiring them, teaching them, and serving as a role model for them to emulate.

Rav Kaufman transformed the lives of the numerous Jewish children entrusted to his care, and because of the positive exposure to Yiddishkeit that they encountered in his classes, they went on to build exemplary Torah families. In addition, many of his talmidim themselves became mechanchim, mechanchos, menahelim and menahalos who have in turn taken the opportunity to transmit the love of Yiddishkeit that they received from Rav Kaufman to future generations of talmidim.

Bais Yehuda had an afternoon school, catering to children in public schools whose parents wanted them to have a minimal Jewish education. Some of Rav Kaufman’s greatest success stories came from those afternoon students.

Rav Kaufman once asked the Ponovezher Rov on one of his visits to Detroit, “I am a rebbi. What is the best way to reach American children?” The Rov replied emphatically, “Nohr mit gutskeit, nohr mit gutskeit, nohr mit gutskeit!” These words made such an impression on Rav Kaufman and became his motto: “Nohr mit gutskeit – only with goodness” with positive reinforcement and simcha.

As mentioned, as a child, Rav Kaufman contracted polio, a disease that returned later in his life, ravaging his body. Despite being a tremendous baal yissurim, Rav Kaufman possessed unbridled simchas hachaim. He lived his lived amidst immense simcha, never allowing his physical ailments to impact his mission in life to inspire youth and to radiate the joy that comes from living purely for the Ribono Shel Olam. During the last years, he had difficult sleeping and was forced to ingest dozens of pills a day to address his various medical issues, yet his face shone with pure happiness and gratitude to Hashem, and he vibrantly went about teaching, influencing and uplifting all those who were blessed to enter his orbit and bask in his presence.

Rav Kaufman is survived by his devoted wife, Mrs. Risha (nee Ostrov) Kaufman; his siblings, Rav Yosef (Soroh) Kaufman of Brooklyn, Mrs. Mina Valdsheim of Yerushalayim, and Mrs. Sarah (Yitzchok) Cohen of Brooklyn; his children, Rabbi Yonah (Dina) Kaufman (Monsey), Mrs. Fraidel (Moshe) Goldberg (Montreal), Rabbi Meir (Esther) Kaufman (Toronto), Rabbi Dovid (Bassi) Kaufman (Monsey), Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (Liba Yehudis) Kaufman (Switzerland), Rabbi Boruch (Shira) Kaufman (Far Rockaway), and Mrs. Nechama (Shimshon) Jonas (Detroit); and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren following in his path.

The levayah will be held today, at 7 p.m., at the Hebrew Memorial Chapel, located at 26640 Greenfield Road in Oak Park, Michigan. The aron will then be flown to to the tri-state area, where a levayah will be held tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Lakewood Cheder, located at 725 Vassar Avenue in Lakewood, NJ. Kevurah will take place in Eretz Yisroel after Shabbos at the Eretz Hachaim Bais Hachaim in Bet Shemesh.

Shivah will take place at the home of Rabbi and Mrs. Shimshon and Nechama Jonas, located at 15620 Arbor Place in Southfield, Michigan, until Thursday morning. Shacharis will be at 8 a.m., Minchah at 8 p.m., and Maariv at 10 p.m.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Gavriel Sitrit – Matzav.com Newscenter}

Dear Editor@Matzav.com,

Sometimes the best intentions are the most damaging. Recently, there has been publicity about creating a yeshiva in the USA catering to Eretz Yisroel-age bochurim. Those working on this say that the yeshiva is needed because an online survey shows that there is interest in such a yeshiva.

As a side point, the data from online surveys are unscientific and unreliable, as anyone, including this author or the creator of the survey, could have entered multiple responses. However, there is a much more fundamental problem here.

Who ever heard of building yeshivos based on statistics? Nothing is further from Toradike thinking, and it is not a way to build a mosad that will produce talmidei chachomim or bnei Torah.

Did Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel of Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim take a survey before he expanded the Mir? Not only did he not take a survey, but he was opposed on many sides and was told that it would never work. Imagine what the results would have been if Rav Aharon Kotler would have taken a survey before he invested himself in BMG. Imagine what kind of yeshiva he would have started if he had followed the results of a survey. Imagine what would be the state of Torah if Rav Aharon or Rav Nosson Tzvi would have taken a survey about the yeshiva they wanted to build. Imagine if Rav Yisroel Salanter had taken a survey about the idea of a mussar movement.

Yeshivos and Torah are built by talmidei chachomim who believe that they are acting for the sake of kavod Shomayim, and they daven for siyata diShmaya in their endeavor. They don’t take public opinion polls or organize focus groups.

Image what the products of a yeshiva build on statistics will be. Image homes built on the Torah learned in a yeshiva built on statistics.

It is painful that this must be said. However, it is more painful that people are planning to build a mosad on ideas so foreign to Torah.

May we be zocheh to haramas keren haTorah.

Sincerely,

A Pained Ben Torah

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Education Ministry has hired the A. Chaimowitz Investigative Company of Ramat Gan for a year at the cost of 358,000 shekels to scrutinize Israel’s educational institutions, including yeshivos, for fraud. The company’s duties include examining the financial activities and assets of institutions and their staffs and ascertaining that not a cent of government funding is siphoned off for private or unauthorized use.

Other activities of the detective agency include verifying that student are actually studying at the places where they are registered and that institutions are not padding the prices of textbooks to garner illicit profits.

General Secretary of the Teachers’ Union Yossi Wasserman protested the new policy. He attacked the Education Ministry for operating under the assumption that directors and teachers are thieves whose objective is to cheat the system and threatened, “Unless there is a clarification which satisfies us, we will announce a labor dispute.”

The ministry wrote in reply that the hiring of a detective agency was an old policy in new clothing.

“The Ministry has maintained ongoing investigations of a number of issues for years and even broadened the inspection to include additional matters in the past few years…,” the ministry said.

“Throughout the years, these inspections were carried out by various bodies… Eight months ago, we decided to issue a tender and concentrate the inspections implemented by the various bodies under one organization.”

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

Torah Connections, a Flatbush-based group will offer a series of four chizuk lectures to the public on the fast day of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, this coming Sunday, July 24^th at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn (Boys Division), 1200 Ocean Parkway on the corner of Avenue L.

The program will focus on the challenge of “Finding Meaning in the Three Weeks” from Shiva Asar B’Tammuz through Tisha B’Av when the Jewish nation mourns the destruction of our Batei Mikdash and other related national tragedies such as the Crusades and Churban Europe.

The Kinos will begin with a talk at 3 P.M. by Rabbi Avrohom Schorr, the Rav of Beis Medrash Nezer Gedalyahu in Flatbush. Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky, internationally renowned speaker from Yerushalayim will offer his insights at 4 P.M. At 5 P.M. Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Senior Lecturer at Gateways will address the audience on how to make the Three Weeks more meaningful. Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, Rav of Congregation Ahavas Yisroel in Passaic will deliver divrei chizuk at 6 P.M. The program will conclude with Mincha and participants are requested to bring their own siddurim.

The program is open to men and women with separate seating. An elevator is available and admission is $10 per person regardless of how many lectures one comes for. There will be a maximum charge of $25 per any one family. Torah Connections will also be organizing its Annual Tisha B’Av Program also at the same Yeshiva of Brooklyn location on Motzei Shabbos, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.

The program will be broadcast live here on Matzav.com. The online broadcast is sponsored in part by Hindy and Kevin Chorney and Mr. and Mrs. Simcha Ezra Valberg.

For more information please visit TorahProgram.com.

This program and the upcoming Tisha B’av program are made possible by generous sponsorships and donations. To become a partner in these endeavors, please call (718) 998-5822 or visit the donation page at TorahPrograms.com.

{Matzav.com}