By Levi Hazan & Chaim Levertov

This week we learned that the word “אסור” means that you can’t do this and this thing because it’s forbidden, so just like when someone tells their mother/father that they want to do something that is “אסור“and they say no because it’s forbidden, so too we shell not do anything that is forbidden.

A story:

Chof Cheshvon is the birthday of the Rebbe Rashab.  When the Rebbe Rashab was 4 or 5 years old, he went into Yechidus with his Zaidy the Tzemach Tzedek.

When the Rebbe Rashab entered he was crying, and the Tzemach Tzedek asked him why he was crying.

He replied “I learnt in Cheder this week that Hashem showed himself to Avrohom Avinu.  So why does Hashem not appear to me?”

The Tzemach Tzedek answered him “When a Jew a Tzaddik decides to have a Bris when he is 99 years old, then he is entitled to have Hashem appear to him.

There Rebbe says that we can learn a lesson from this story.  Both from the Rebbe Rashabs question and from his zaidy the Tzemach Tzedeks answer.

From the Question we learn:

There are two kinds of children.  One child is young in years and therefore did not have enough time to learn much Torah.

The other child may be a lot older in years but for whatever reason he is a “child” in regard to Torah knowledge.

Yet, both these children, just like the Rebbe Rashab, are entitled to call out and ask for Hashem to appear to them.

From the answer we learn:

True everyone can ask for Hashem to appear to them.  But first they must be like Avrohom Avinu and have a Bris.  Avrohom Avinu was 99 years old and still when Hashem told him to have a Bris he did it without question.  So too us we must cut away from ourselves, all our Yeshus and Gaiva and then we can ask Hashem to appear to us.

 

By Yosef Abramson and Levi Kehati

Y.A.: As a young boy did you ever see yourself being in Hatzala?

Rabbi  Slavin: As a young boy I was impressed by the devotion of the Hatzalah members I would see in 770.

YA: How old were you when you joined Hatzala ?

Rabbi Slavin: It was one year after I was married.

YA. Is it true that you must be married to be in Hatzala?

Rabbi Slavin. That was a rule for many years, but two summers ago there was a need for extra paramedics so they invited a Bochur to join. He was a wonderful Bochur with a lot of experience – and in fact he is Tova’s Chosson!

YA: Did you ever take Hatzala calls outside of crown heights?

Rabbi Slavin. Personally no, but there are times when there is an emergency in another community that requires our help and we gladly go to help out.

YA: Did you ever take a Hatzala call and the person that needed help was a non-Jew?

Rabbi Slavin. Yes it happens. And it is our responsibility to treat them like everyone else.

YA: How fast does the Hatzala van drive when its lights and sirens are on?

Rabbi Slavin. Depends who is driving it; usually very fast! But we must still be very careful.

YA: Why did you join hatzala instead of shomrim or shmira?

Rabbi Slavin: I enjoy the medical aspect of Hatzalah.

YA: What is the coolest machinery you have?

Rabbi Slavin: A Portable EKG machine, it picks up electrical activity in the heart and lets us know how it is working. It can also shock the patient’s heart if it is chas vashalom necessary.

YA: How many calls did you get during Yom Kippur and Simchas Torah?

Rabbi Slavin: On Yom Kippur about ten, Simchas Torah was surprisingly quiet.

YA: When you drop off the patient at the hospital do you have to stay at the hospital and help the doctor?

Rabbi Slavin. Usually I stay for ten minutes and make sure the patient is in a room and being seen by a doctor.  On Shabbas, we also provide them with a care packet with food.

 YA. Did you ever get a call while you were in bed and have to go in your PJs?

Rabbi Slavin. I quickly change into my cloths, but sometimes I forget my socks, it amazes me how certain members show up in suits and ties!

YA. What’s the average speed of a hatzala member to get to a patient?

Rabbi Slavin. In a real emergency, within one minute or two.

YA. Do you hear feedback from the patients?

Rabbi Slavin. People are usually very thankful and send in donations to Hatzala.  One mother, after Hatzalah helped her give birth, sent each member a nice Haggadah before Pessach.

YA. Have you ever got a flat tire while driving a patient?

Rabbi Slavin. Yes!!!  2 summers ago while going to a call the tire of my old car popped, but I  kept on going to the call- making a lot of noise on the way.  A different member told me how after a call late one night he went back to his car to find his two front tires missing.

YA. Thank You for your time Rabbi Slavin.

Rabbi Slavin. You’re welcome boys. You seemed very well prepared with interesting questions.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yeshiva Darchei Menachem has a school Tzadaka Fund that donates part of the money to a different community organization every month, this month Hatzalah is the selected Tzadaka.            

Dear Parents and students, שיחיו

  Welcome to our first newsletter written by our own students.

  The Frierdiker Rebbe related that one of the most important things his father, the Rebbe Rashab, taught him was how to write. Indeed we have many manuscripts, letters and Seforim that reveal the Frierdiker Rebbe’s extraordinary talents in writing.

  Our staff was proud to observe our students involvement and participation in the making of this Newsletter. Please encourage your son to be involved.

   It is our hope that this Newsletter will not only keep its readers informed of school progress and activities but also be the window of expression that will foster Achdus in our school and bring out our love for Hashem, the Torah and every Jew.

  Rabbi E. Bension

By Zevy Blokh

Name: Menachem Mendel Wagshul

Year story began: about 1975, 33 years ago

Year born: 1930

Location born: Brooklyn

Getting a renting space in Holland Park is really hard to get. It all happened one night I woke up to the sound of crackling, I got out of bed to see what it was, and it was the shul!! I got on my slippers and rushed outside to see if I could help. When I got there, people were awestruck; I pushed by the crowed to see what I could do. I heard people yelling ‘The Sefer Torah’; I gathered all my strength and ran in!

 In side it was as smoky as anything, I couldn’t see where I was going, believe it or not there were some more people but we were all looking for the ‘Aron Kodesh’. All of a sudden I bumped right into it, I opened the ‘Aron’, took out one ‘Sefer Tora’, I yelled to everyone who was in the burning building telling them that I found the ‘Aron’, everyone came and we took every ‘Sefer Tora’ and we jumped out the first floor window and landed softly on the trampoline that the fireman brought. Thank Hashem I only had a first degree burn. Thanks for listening to my story.

‘What Happened in School This Week’

                    By Levi Gourarie

  On Sunday, the 16th, of November, 2008, Rabbi and Mrs. Bension celebrated the Bris of their 4thson, Shalom DovBer. The Bris started at around 12:40. The Mesivta division had come to the shul a few minutes earlier. A huge array of food greeted the students’ eyes as they came downstairs. It ranged from cake and soda, to bagels, rye bread, egg salad, tuna salad, lox and vegetable salad. “ I thought it [the Bris] was very good, considering it’s a shul most of the time and they have to change the entire format to fit all the people” commented Yosef Abramson. The Bris was performed by Rabbi Shein.

  After the actual Bris, the students, along with a few parents, joined Rabbi Bension and his friends, and family in partaking in the Seudah. “I thought it [the Bris] was very nice and I really enjoyed the chocolate cake” remarked Mendy Gelber. The Seudah lasted until about 2:00, which is when the school usually Davvens Mincha. This time the school had a much larger Minyan, as participants of the Bris joined the students for Mincha.

  One student mentioned that “it was so helpful that everybody cleaned up”. Another, Chaim Levertov, said “I think it was a very nice Bris”. The Bris was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by all.

Every night we will have another drawing in another location.

For more information or to purchase your tickets click

http://www.darchaimenachem.com/auction/