Another update on life.

My brother Zvi holding the Torah that was just dedicated and written for his Shul in Stavropol Russia.

Kovi looked spiff at the wedding in Toronto. His awesome mother bought him the really cute suit. The Kippah came off the shelf at Judaica world.

This is Kovi and Chayale, his first cousin at the wedding. One of my darlingestest photos.

One of the sponsor of the Torah did Hagbah and the sponsor of the new Shul did Glilah.

Look at Nachas. Zvi holding His Shul's Torah... There is absolute happiness in this picture.


Here is an article of the Siyum Sefer Torah in Stavropol written by Zvi's mother in law, Rebbetzin Greenberg:

In the center of the city of Stavropol, Russia, at the edge of Lenin Square, just opposite to Lenin's statue and the provincial government building, proudly stands the Museum of Stavropol. In its basement, hidden in a closet back behind a display of "significant" older books, lies an ancient Torah scroll, confiscated from the local Jewish synagogue close to 80 years ago and now wound up and tightly stored inside a cardboard tube. Ever since the communist regime relegated Judaism to an atavism, the Torah has been conceived as a museum piece, curious to look at, but nothing you could take home.
Until now. This past Sunday, on 21 September, 2008, the Jews of Stavropol, Russia were witness to a heart-stopping repudiation of this communist notion. Three hundred local Jews, along with guests from overseas, from Moscow and from other Russian cities, assembled to watch the completion of the writing of a new Torah scroll for the Jewish community of Stavropol and to celebrate bringing the scroll to its home in the newly established synagogue of the city.
The writing of the scroll and Sunday's celebration was arranged by Rabbi Zvi and Chayale Hershcovich; Chabad emissaries who arrived in Stavropol last November to teach local Jews about Torah and to inspire them to live a more Jewish life.
The program Rabbi and Mrs. Hershcovich provided for the day included many firsts. When local community members, the Solomonov’s donated the use and services of their restaurant for the occasion, the Rabbi was able to kosher and provide, for the first time in decades, a fully-catered kosher meal. Hakofos were danced in the synagogue while sweets were thrown by, and for, the delighted children of the community. But most significant of all firsts was the pride of the Stavropol Jews as they carried their new Torah proudly in the streets under the astonished gaze of by-standers.
The scroll was written by Rabbi Meir Nigberg and generously paid for by Moscow businessmen Eli Ginsberg and Zev Sherman. A new Aron (Torah ark) to house the Torah, was provided by the largesse of Peter Order, another Moscow businessman. Mr. Ginsberg and Mr. Order were on hand for the event, flying in from Moscow with the Sofer and Rabbi Yonatan Feldman who spoke at the event and emceed as dozens of guests and locals participated, each writing a letter in the Torah.
For the donors, Eli and Peter, it was coming around in a full circle, since they remembered Chayale (Mrs. Hershcovich) as a little girl when they were students of her father, Rabbi Rony Greenberg, himself a shaliach and their teacher when they were studying in England. Now, they are excited to participate by giving, by seeing that with their own hands they can help Jewish life take root and flower in new soil.
Rabbi and Mrs. Hershcovich have many plans for the near and the distant future. They are starting a new synagogue with weekly services, beginning right now with Rosh Hashanah prayers. They plan to establish a new kindergarten this year. They will be participating in the STARS program, for which a couple dozen young people have shown interest and half of whom have already committed themselves.
From the arrival of a new Torah scroll which brought joy and encouragement to Jews who, but for this, might have felt forgotten by the world.
One cannot help but imagine, that somewhere in the depths of the Stavropol city museum, there is an old Torah scroll, happy to have a friend in town, just around the corner and out and about meeting people.

...

I'm so proud of my brother. The lives that he is literally changing over there on a daily basis. Russia is one of the only places where you'll see the fruits of your labor overnight and for him to be taking such advantage of the opportunity given to him is incredible.
Crazy!
My brother, the kid who used to roll me up in my blanket and spin me around like a Dreidel.
My brother, the kid we used to play boat together in bed.
My brother, the kid who I perfomed Jumping jacks one night at the top of the stairs.

My brother, the one who is running a Chabad House and spreading Yiddishkeit at an alarming rate.


The wedding in Toronto was absolutely beautiful. Obviously the Rodal family get together's are off the wall. Major Chi Vuole's going on (if you wish to know what that means, you'll have to marry into the family. Sorry). Like a thoudans babies flying around the house... Kovi included.
Then to top it all off, the headquarters of the family was at some non-Lubavich Israeli cousin who totally did not expect the Rodal tornado to ransack her home for a couple of days and then just WUSH! - leave without a trace, except Leibeleh's suitcases, three hats and like seventeen pairs of shoes.
This lady was standing at the entrance flipping out every time the front door was left open (Like sixty times a minute).
She needed to make sure that everyone took their shoes off when they went upstairs (Like twelve times a minute).
She needed to make sure that everyone knew it was her home.

Man! It was entertaining.

The wedding was spectacular though. Really fancy and regal. But very Freilich as well.

Oh! A Josh of the week that I thought of this past Shabbos and really meant to post it, but I had no internet since I moved in and I just found a corner with some wireless internet usage: You know you're a facebook addict, when you see your friend and say "So, what's your status?"

Posting Farren Davvenen

This is a morning post. It's a morning post with a dedication if I may.

I would like to dedicate this morning post to the insanely crazy day that I'm about to have.

Woke up early (7:30am early). Went to rent the moving truck. A small 10 foot Budget truck. But hopefully it'll do the job.
The Tzorus begin when I need to find somewhere to park it at noon, due to the Parking hours on this quiet Carroll street.
I also need to empty out storage today and get all the furniture ready to bring up to the new apartment later on tonight.

What a crazy day this is going to be.

I can't stand facebook. I mean I could stand it and I actually think it's really cool. But there's one part about it that gets me so nervous which I just would like to mention on this blog.
The idea about facebook being available to any friend anywhere is so painful sometimes.
I signed on a few minutes ago. Just to see what's going on with facebook lately, since I haven't signed on in like two months.
Anyways, I'm looking at the updates from friends that I have and my heart felt like a knife was going through it over and over and over again. I mean, is it only the majority of MY friends, or do most people on facebook Frai out??!!
I am looking at some people whom I knew when I was younger and have them as buddy's on facebook. The pictures that they put up tell so much about them and the lives that they are pursuing. It's so sad. It's killing me emotionally.
I am looking at some pictures of one of the Ottawa Bochurim. A kid who just got himself a tattoo!!!! Can you believe this. The son of a Lubavicher getting himself a tattoo, putting pictures of it up online and have a whole bunch of other Lubavicher friends of his commenting on his picture, how good it looks.

Internet can cause psychological murder!!!

It's Elul in this world.

It takes a half a month for Elul'ization to Ersht sink inside. You sit down at a Farbrengen on a Tuesday night in the middle of Elul and you realize that the world is in middle of a Hurricane Elul storm. Gusty G-dly winds are tearing through this planet earth at incredibly powerful speeds, ripping Klippah to pieces and allowing us to tear ourselves away from all these mundane, wordly garbageous vanities which we became attached to during the entire past year. We realize that we have the opportunity to change everything now.
But then, it takes another half a month for the Elul realization sink'age inside to actually sink inside you. By then it's already Rosh Hashana and you are feeling so bad about the wasted month gone by, that you give up on the year ahead already.
So goes another year as a Lubavicher Chossid... At least my life of the Lubavicher Chossid.

It's so easy to change. But it's easier to sit here and type. Perhaps if I type long enough and think about what I'm typing about, it'll have some sort of affect and will move me to actually do something positive in the world.

Wouldn't it be beautiful, if one day I would receive a call from some lady and she would tell me the following words:
"Hi, I'm calling from Ploni organization, and we're just here to remind you to do one good deed to someone today. It'll make the world a better place!"

After all those automatic/live solicitation phone calls, asking you to donate to their senior citizens potato eating marathons, or telling you about their vacation packages to the Carribean for $3000, but you get a free night in some hotel... Whatever you get the point. I'm getting bored of typing.

Headed into Montreal now for Leibeleh's sons Bris tomorrow.
Life is tough.

The Hershcovich report... Back on track!

The latest Hershcovich report update. Please say Kein Ayin Hora... Blinahora!

I see this is getting busy Nochamol!

I honestly thought that my blogging days were over. Nobody checks out my blog anymore and I don't really have much time to write any silliness now that I'm officially a busy member of the D.A.D (Drousy all day*) club.
But, alas I see that there is a steady group of bored souls who actually check this blog.
So I hereby present to you the process of this blogs existence for the past couple of days.

Several days ago, some bored blogger out there thought to him/her/itself "Hey, Benny's blog hasn't been active in like... forever! Let me check out his blog to see if he updated anything yet!"
he/she/it was lucky, because lo and behold, I had in fact updated some stupidity onto this free website.
He/She/It read the content posted and was apparently entertained.
He/She/It commented on the post.
Not only was it one, but several bloggers who actually had nothing better to do with their lives, than to check out my blog, which has a Chazaka already of not being updated... Hence, there were several comments posted on the posts.
I looked at my blog and "Woah!! Several people commented on my post! This means that people are checking out m'blawg again. I'd better continue posting stuff."

And this is where we stand now. I will put up another post, for no other reason than the fact that I need to. There are so many out there who would have nothing better to look at, than a post from this blog. Alora, here it is.
The post that means nothing, yet it means everything.

...

Oy!

...

But onto the political scene...

I am not an American, but I wish I would be able to vote. I don't know why I love American politics so much.
Sonia has recently made me a die-hard fan of Rush Limbaugh (AM77.0: 12:00pm-3:00pm), Sean Hannity (AM77.0: 3:00pm-6:00pm), Mark Levine (AM77.0: 6:00pm-8:00pm), Bob Grant (AM77.0: 8:00pm-10:00pm), Laura Ingraham (AM77.0: 10:00pm-1:00am) and Michael Savage (AM71.0: I'm not sure.).
I think she regrets getting me into all of this garbage. I know I regret getting into all this garbage. But, this is American life.
Obama/Biden.
Mccain/Palin.

All the above talkshow hosts hate Obama and so do I.
...

Onto other news (You can call this the ADHD post. I can't stay on one subject):
Chanalleh, Oshi, Dovi and Bereleh came in just a couple of hours ago from South Africa for the wedding on Monday night in Toronto. They're staying over at my basement. Well, it's not really MY basement. It's sort of a furnished apartment/basement that we rented for several days while we await the big move into our new apartment home.
The story of our lives.

One lesson learned is never try and be Jewish to save a couple of dollars again. We have wasted so much money these past three weeks jumping from basement to basement waiting for our apartment to get ready, that it was totally not worth the whole Shlep.

Kovi is cute as heck. He's almost at the crawling stage. He laughs. He smiles. He cries. I love my son.

I mean that in all sincerety: I love my son. I'm not sure I've reached the level of Nachas yet. But I definitely feel something inside whenever I hold my son, whenever I see him smile at me. It's a feeling inside that I have never ever experienced before as a Bochur and as a newly married Yungerman.
It makes all the Tzorus in the world worthwhile, just to see my own son smile at me. OY!
Well, I would rather have no Tzorus at all. But... You know what I mean! Or maybe one day you will... METCHEMBADIR!

Sunday morn' in the city.

Spent Shabbos in the beautiful suburb of Howard Beach by the in law's Chabad house.
I noticed how the suburbs are not that beautiful when you're only staying there because you're homeless.
When you have your own home and you leave for the weekend, it's like taking a vacation and heading off to the quiet neighborhood of Howard Beach for Shabbos... You know, you're relaxed and refreshed when Shabbos is over.
But when you're staying in Howard Beach because that's the only roof over your head for the timebeing, the feeling is entirely different... Hard to explain.

In other news, I'm about to leave back to Crown Heights. We'll be staying in another furnished apartment for another couple of days until we go to Montreal for Leibeleh's sons Bris (Did I mention that Leibeleh had a baby boy last week??!).

The wife and the son are doing great Baruch Hashem (and I mean Baruch Hashem with complete sincereness)!!

I need to head off now!

Ciao!

Incredible article titled: Sarah Palin, Shliach!

This article was printed in The Jewish Week... Thanks to Brucy-pumpkin for emailing it to me. I'm proud!

Sarah Palin, Shliach

(Return to Jewish Week Homepage)

I’m getting a hunch the Republicans just might win for one reason alone, and it makes no sense, just like Chabad makes no sense to the Jewish elite.

That one reason is Sarah Palin. She reminds me of about a thousand different Chabad shluchot (the rebbe’s women representatives). She’s seems friendly, sexy (please forgive me) in an Orthodox way, with that indescribable magnetism and accessibility that has made Chabad shluchot successful in 5,000 different locales, even though they are often considerably more right-wing — religiously and politically — than their congregants and financial supporters.

Democrats don’t get it, anymore than Reform and Conservative and other Orthodox Jews don’t get it. How is Chabad is so successful in places where there are no Chasidim? Why do liberal on the Upper West Side want to send kids to Chabad pre-schools? Why do many hundreds of non-Chasidic, even non-Orthodox students at Harvard and SUNY Binghamton want to spend Friday night meals with these Chabad Sarah Palins rather than the more mainstream, liberal Jews down the road? It makes no sense.

Don’t get it, do you?

Who would you rather have a cup of coffee with on a bungalow porch, a cup that can turn into a three-hour conversation, Sarah Palin or Nancy Pelosi?

Sarah Palin is like those Chabad women who can get women from Riverdale to show up for anyone of a dozen different Chabad women’s programs. Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton seem like school marms of a school you don’t want to go to. Pelosi, in particular, seems like one of those Sisterhood program chairs from a suburban temple whose calls you don’t want to answer.

Sarah Palin seems like one of those Chabad women who don’t have enough chairs at her table for all the non-Chabad women, from Argentina and Casablanca, the Bronx and Los Angeles, who’d take a plane or a subway to attend the next shluchot convention in Crown Heights.

Something’s happening and you don’t know what it is, do you, Nancy Pelosi?

Rabbis who think a good speech only means repeating what Rashi said don’t get it. Rabbis who quote Heschel or Soloveitchik way too often don’t get it.

Americans and Jews don’t need another genius. We don’t need another Herr Rabbi Doctor. We have enough “scholars,” believe it or not.

We don’t have enough human beings who’d rather rock a Down Syndrome baby to sleep rather than abort it; human beings who can relate to a flunking child or the stuffiness of the sophisticates. There are plenty of logical, rational reasons to abort America’s relationship with Israel, also. Chabad doesn’t abort. Evangelicals don’t either.

We have too many of the best and the brightest, the wise and the brilliant, who can’t communicate (and who, in the end, aren’t really the best or all that brilliant.)

The genius of Chabad is delivering their message a down-home way, much as Sarah Palin did at the convention.

There are others outside of Chabad know how to do it, too. Blu Greenberg, for one, the godmother of Orthodox feminism, is as smart and wise as anyone I’ve ever met, but she doesn’t enter a room like she wants you to know what she got on her SATs (or BJEs). Her voice and manner are gentle, her visions for Judaism are prophetic and compelling, all the more so because her Judaism is poetic (she’s a published poet, after all), not like the Nancy Pelosi-types whose Judaism sounds like a term paper, all about “J,” “P,” Deutero-Isaiah; the kind who can’t look at any biblical verse with being “troubled” by it.

Chabad women know what really troubles people, and it ain’t Deutero-Isaiah.

It was 68 years ago this August that a group of black-clad Holocaust refugees, Chabad Chasidim, made a down payment on a house, 770 Eastern Parkway. In that summer of 1940, most American Jews heard of Reform, almost no one of Chabad.

Who would have figured that in 2008, men and women from Chabad would be all over the planet, raising fortunes (without charging shul membership fees), getting men to put on tefillin, getting women to go to mikvah — men and women who, if not for Chabad, wouldn’t. It makes no sense.

Chabad women, like Sarah Palin, don’t look at Judaism, or the United States, and then look at the world to worry “why do they hate us?” They don’t blame Judaism or America first. They don’t think “bitterness” is what motivates religious people. You come away feeling that these kind of women understand religion and love America like they love their kids, troubles and all, feeling blessed every step of the way.

The high-salaried great scholars of the other denominations, none of whom went to the University of Idaho, are very good at conducting studies, at going on high-priced retreats, at developing goalposts that can be moved to allow past failures to score.

Chabad women don’t conduct studies. They cook a chicken (or, Sarah Palin, a moose) and invite you over on Friday night. And everyone — from college students to middle-class families to billionaire businessmen — wants to be there. At the beginning of these successful relationships, theology and politics having little or nothing to do with it.

The other party and denominations are trying to figure it out. Maybe they can get a grant. Maybe they can dialogue.

Chabad women and Sarah Palin don’t dialogue. They talk. And they don’t talk down.

They win. Makes no sense, does it?

.....

The link is here

OOOhhh!! Ees' Alive!!

Yesiree, Shmesiree...

Just for all those democratic, Stalinist, Nagative thinkers out there who were under the impression that my blog was up for grabs and I was declaring Bloggy bankruptcy, This post is here to let the world know that The Mitzvah Man is still alive and well in Crown Heights (He wishes he was in Jerusalem, but - by Hashgocho Protis - that is unfortunately not the case).
I am back from a very intense summer to say the least.
I don't even want to elaborate on what's going on in my life now.
Nothing should ever be an Ayin Hora Chas Vesholom. But Dayeinu is not just a prayer that we say on Pesach in reference to crossing red seas and getting Torah's at mountains etc... Dayeinu is a prayer that we must direct to our dad in heaven every moment of every day with regard to all the personal blessings that he showers upon us.

Sure Hashem gives us a very hard summer, with not a moments rest for eight shot weeks.
Yet, he also gives us beautiful, fresh air to breathe in every day of the summer.

Sure Hashem makes us broke as anything, with debts extending all the way to the foot of his heavenly throne way up there.
Yet, he also gives us enough livelihood and 'seemingly coincidental' incomes that continuously allow us to be properly energized in serving him.

Sure Hashem makes us homeless, running from place to place every single night, waiting for the day that we can move into our newly rented apartment... Yet, it seems like we'll be doing this forever and ever until we have nothing left to us.
Yet, he also gives us such Nachas, happiness and health. I don't know how I can possible thank you Hashem for all that you give me. I only request from you that you don't stop showering all these blessings upon me.
Oh, also... that the little dirt which covers those diamonds you're throwing at me, please shake them off before they reach me. Sometimes I get frustrated at the little barriers you put before me. I'm sorry if I overreact. I don't mean what I say.

Gosh! I love you Hashem and Rebbe. Please help me.

...

In other news, I'm currently looking for a Mashpia. If anyone knows someone whom I'd respect and be able to pour out my heart to, please let me know. I don't even know where to begin.
...

Why do some people have such blessing, while others suffer so much?
If we're all the same, then maybe Hashem should treat us that way!

Eloh Maaaaaiiiiiii...

We're not all the same. Some of us are one way, while Hashem made others different. Very different.

...

And with that, I leave you with this cheesy composition that I just made up while sitting here at this lame keyboard...

Sometimes I feel like writing a song, but I don't know where to begin,
I start looking for the lyrics and the words that rhyme, but nothing seems to be coming in.

My brain goes blank, Expressions freeze, just want to forget all this pain.
But then I go to sleep while a new day arises, and the feeling's inside me again.

And so I yell "Have mercy! Make me worthwhile! Illuminate my darkened night!!"
"Show me the noise - your crashing thunder, and let me hear your lightning light."

"Remove from me your angels, your hosts and your servants, let them leave me to do what I do.
In fact I don't want them, their help or their service. The only thing that I want is you!"

...
Hashem, if this post isn't clear enough indication that I need you to come influence my life and shlep me out of this bucket of Obama'ness, then I don't know what is...