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What's New in Yeshiva? (Kayitz 5764)

Week of 7-13 Av / July 25-31
Parshat Va'etchanan

The Yeshiva was generally quiet, as bein hazmanim began.

Mazal Tov to R. Chaim and Eti Gottesdiener upon the birth of a daughter.

Week of 29 Tammuz - 6 Av / July 18-24
Parshat Devarim

Sof Zman Kayitz: The Yeshiva ended the zman with a special series of shiurim in Gemara, Halacha, Tanach, and Machshava relating to the nine days and Tisha B'Av. The Rosh Hayeshiva shlita delivered the concluding shiur, "Destruction and Redemption," on the closing passage of Masechet Makkot. He explained R. Akiva's perspective that the completion of the destruction heralds the beginning of the redemption.
The Yeshiva officially closed on Fri. morning. A small number of talmidim remained through Tisha B'Av and ate with the staff and Kollel families.

Many avreichim of the Rabbanut Kollel took a bechina on Yoreh De'ah (laws of Kashrut). The Kollel also held a farewell gathering for the families who will be leaving Yeshiva to assume various positions throughout the country.

Week of 22-28 Tammuz / July 11-17
Parshat Matot-Masei

Torah Camp for Israeli H.S. Students: Close to 100 high-school students gathered for the annual week-long machaneh Torani, under the direction of R. Ofer Anger. In addition to learning and shiurim, they played sports, swam in the nearby Givat Washington pool, and had other activities and trips.

Many of the talmidim-soldiers came together to the Yeshiva for Shabbat. The Rosh Hayeshiva hosted them for kiddush on Shabbat morning.

Week of 15-21 Tammuz / July 4-10
Parshat Pinchas

Congratulations to two members of the Dayanut Kollel, Rav Moshe Amsalem and Rav Michael Aharonav, upon achieving Yadin Yadin ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, culminating many years of intensive learning.

The Rosh Hayeshiva, with a group of talmidim, attended the swearing-in cermony of the Armored Corps soldiers at Latrun. Amongst the enlisted is the grandson of Director Eli Klein.

R. Zev and Ronya Friedlander made a kiddush in honor of the birth of their daughter, Ashira Leah.

Mazal Tov to Hamashgiach Rav and Rabbanit Rivlin upon the birth of grandchildren.

Week of 8-14 Tammuz / June 27 - July 3
Parshat Balak

Rav and Rabbanit Benzion Elgazi made a kiddush for the Yeshiva community in honor of the birth of their daughter, Tiferet Esther.

Mazal Tov to Chaim Zeidman upon his marriage to Hindi Hopfnung.

Week of 1-7 Tammuz / June 20-26
Parshat Chukat

Week of 24-30 Sivan / June 13-19
Parshat Korach

Annual Dinner: A lovely crowd of alumni and friends participated in the 34^th Annual Dinner, which took place in June at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Awardees were: Jay & Leora Fenster (Yavneh V‎Chachameha Award); Rabbi Baruch Simon (Rabbinic Alumnus Award); Rabbi Shaul Feldman (Rabbinic Community Service Award); Allan & Carolyn Lieberman (Ambassadors of Torah Award); and Ofer & Elizabeth Naor (Young Alumnus Award).

The lively and moving program included greetings by the Rosh Hayeshiva shlita; a presentation of the Rabbi Dr. David Applebaum and Naava Applebaum hy"d Memorial Endowment Fund at Kerem B'Yavneh by Carl M. Lerner, KBY alumnus and close friend of the Appelbaum and Spero families; a video presentation of the Yeshiva; and musical entertainment by the Aish orchestra.

In conjunction with the Dinner, the Rosh Hayeshiva spent Shabbat Parshat Korach in Queens, and spoke at the YI of Jamaica Estates and YI of Holliswood.

Melaveh Malka: A special melaveh malka was held in honor of the tenth yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l. Rav Yehuda Krinsky, the personal secretary of the Rebbe for many years, related of his experiences with the Rebbe, and Rav Sofer, who gives a weekly Tanya shiur at the Yeshiva, led some nigunim. A short video of a visit by Maran Rosh Hayeshiva Harav Goldvicht zt"l with the Rebbe was also screened.

Mazal Tov to Rav and Rabbanit Aryeh Stern upon the marriage of their daughter, Tzipi, to Avichail Greenwald (shana gimmel).
Mazal Tov to R. Aharon and Avishag Friedman upon the birth of a son, Eliyahu.

Week of 17-23 Sivan / June 6-12
Parshat Shelach

In honor of shavua hasefer haTorani, a special Seforim Sale was held in Beit Brainin, featuring a large selection of seforim for all ages, in both Hebrew and English, as well as many CD's of Jewish music.

Blood Drive: A successful blood drive, which yielded about 90 units of blood for Magen David Adom, was held in Beit Brainin. Yishar Koach to the organizers and to the all those who donated.

Overseas Shabbaton: On Erev Shabbat overseas talmidim went on a tiyul to Latrun, and then toured the Nachlaot neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where Rav Aryeh Levin zt"l lived. They spent Shabbat in Mevaseret Zion with the Rosh Hayeshiva shlita, accompanied by Rav Stav and R. Zvi Davidson. During seuda shlishit they heard from Rav Sinai Adler, the first Ram at KBY, who spoke about his Holocaust experiences. They had a melaveh malka at the Rosh Hayeshiva's house, where he mad a siyum on Masechet Chulin, and heard from Rav Lev-Zion, a KBY alumnus serving as Ram in Mevaseret.

Daf Yomi Siyum: The Daf Yomi shiur, led by R. Zevi Roness, celebrated a siyum on Masechet Chulin at a special melaveh malka. Hamashgiach Rav Rivlin, Rav Ber, and Rav Algazi, who are also learning the daf, graced the siyum with their presence, and shared divrei Torah.

Mazal Tov to R. Ze'ev and Ronya Friedlander upon the birth of a daughter.
Condolences to Director Mr. Eli Klein upon the loss of his sister, Mrs. Miriam Levy of Washington Heights. She often hosted Mr. Klein during his frequent visits to the States.

Week of 10-16 Sivan / May 30 - June 5
Parshat Beha'alotecha

Belechtecha Baderech: The Winter 5764 volume of Belechtecha Baderech is now available. The table of contents is posted on the Bulletin Board, and IY"H the articles will be made available online shortly in the Belechtecha index.

Mazal Tov to Rav and Rabbanit Ephraim Rubinstein upon the marriage of their daughter, Tamar, to Naftali Neugershal.
Mazal Tov to Rav and Rabbanit Benzion Elgazi upon the birth of a daughter, Tiferet Esther.
Mazal Tov to Rav and Rabbanit Yishai Buchris upon the bar-mitzvah of their son, Barak.

Week of 3-9 Sivan / May 23-29
Parshat Naso

Shavuot: As usual, the Yeshiva was overflowing for Shavuot, with the sweet sound of Torah resounding all night in the Batei Midrash, library, and classrooms. In addition to the talmidim and guests, many of the Israeli talmidim currently serving in the IDF were given vacation for the holiday and chose to spend it in the Yeshiva. The Rosh Hayeshiva shlita delivered a shiur, in which he discussed the authority of minhag and the dispute about reciting a bracha over a minhag. Additional shiurim were given during the course of the night in Beit Orfus by the Mashgiach shlita and Rav Algazi. (In the middle, there was a break for cake and soda.) A touch of exicitement took place during the shiur of the Rosh Hayeshiva, when the lights went out in the Beit Midrash (due to a mistake in setting the Shabbat clocks). As a result, the Dining Hall was set up as a large "shteibel" for davening "vatikin," and after Hallel, all returned to the Beit Midrash to continue laining and davening there. Outside of the Yeshiva, avreichim gave shiurim at nearby communities, and a number of talmidim joined their friends at the Palmachim army base.

The Yeshiva was honored with the presence of Rav Yeshayahu Hadari, former Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hakotel and Mashgiach of KBY, for Shabbat. The Yeshiva was privileged to hear divrei Torah from him a number of times through the course of Shabbat.

Mazal Tov to Rav and Rabbanit Shlomo Friedman upon the bar-mitzvah of their son, Aharon.
Mazal Tov to R. Shlomi and Meital Cohen of the Kollel upon the birth of a son, Dvir.
Mazal Tov to R. Gadi and Rachel Peretz of the Kollel upon the birth of a daughter, Ohr.

Week of 26 Iyar - 2 Sivan / May 16-22
Parshat Bamidbar

Yom Yerushalayim: The Tefillah chagigit was followed by a festive seuda in the Dining Hall for the entire community. At the seuda, General Ron-Tal spoke about the ethical values of the IDF, its absolute respect for human life, and the importance of remaining the "people's army," which unites all segments of the nation. At 4:00, two buses of talmidim, Ramim, and avreichim set out to daven Shacharit at the Kotel. Afterwards they walked the Kotel Tunnels Tour.

Mazal Tov to R. Victor and Yael Buchanik of the Kollel upon the birth of a son.

Week of 18-25 Iyar / May 9-15
Parshat Behar-Bechukotai

Lag Ba'omer: After Shabbat, the families gathered for singing and dancing around a large bonfire, at which Rav Tubi spoke about the uniqueness of R. Shimon b. Yochai. Afterwards, children enthusiastically held medurot for each of the age groups. Similarly, the various Israeli shiurim held medurot and barbecues with their Ramim, while the overseas talmidim joined together for a medurah at which many of them shared inspirational divrei Torah.

G'mach Bar Mitzvah: G'mach Yad Yissachar & Yitzchak, founded and run by KBY talmidim and avreichim, arranged a bar-mitzvah celebration for the son of a large, needy family from Ashdod. A beautiful meal was prepared in Beit Brainin sponsored by the G'mach and private donations, and talmidim from the Yeshiva provided the music. The family's great joy was clearly evident on their faces!

Mazal Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Urie Lieberman upon the marriage of their son, Moshe, to Hodaya Manteaux.
Mazal Tov to Shimon Solomon upon his marriage to Tamar Ostrovistky.

Week of 11-17 Iyar / May 2-8
Parshat Emor

YU at KBY: Dr. Hillel Davis, Vice President of Student Life at Y.U. and KBY alumnus, visited Kerem B'Yavneh during his recent visit to Israel. He discussed with the Rosh Hayeshiva shlita and members of the KBY overseas staff ways of strengthening the YU–KBY relationship.

The swearing-in ceremony of the tzanchanim (paratroopers) was held at the Kotel. Rav Yitzchak Levi led a group of talmidim to represent the Yeshiva.

Week of 4-10 Iyar / April 25 - May 1
Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

The Israeli Chief Rabbinate asked to postpone Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut one day to avoid chilul Shabbat in preparing for the major official ceremony of Yom Hazikaron, which would have taken place on Motzei Shabbat. Chief Rabbi Rav Yona Metzger, a KBY alumnus, wrote a responsa in which he explained the halachic basis for celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut on a different day, and addressed the question of when to recite the various tefillot.

Yom Hazikaron: On Yom Hazikaron, representatives from the Yeshiva participated in memorial services for KBY's 28 fallen soldiers at cemeteries around the country. (See the "Fallen Soldiers" section for biographies and photos of these martyrs.) In the afternoon, almost all of the students and the local Ramim of the Yeshiva went to recite Tehillim and Yizkor at the grave of Avraham Feldman hy"d, who was killed in the Yom Kippur War and is buried near the Yeshiva in the cemetery of Kibbutz Yavneh.

Yom Ha'atzmaut: At night, following a festive prayer and dancing, the entire Yeshiva ate together in the Dining Hall. Hamashgiach Rav Avraham Rivlin spoke about the connection between the splitting of the Red Sea and Yom Ha'atzmaut. Mr. Uri Bin-Nun, a KBY alumnus and former CEO of the Dead Sea Industries, spoke about his family's experiences and dedication to Judaism in Russia, and how his father miraculously managed to reach Israel. He also told of his experiences back to Russia later as CEO.

In the morning of Yom Ha'atzmaut, one group of overseas talmidim visited the air base at Tel Nof, where they observed the annual air show. Another group of talmidim and Rebbeim traveled to Gush Katif, where they marched in support of the settlements. Many other families set out in their own vehicles to the area, but were not able to get there due to the great volume of traffic. During the week before, talmidim and avreichim participated in the campaigning on behalf of the Katif settlement against the unilateral withdrawal plan.

Chicago Dinner: On Wednesday evening, April 28, Chicago KBY alumni and friends had their turn to officially celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Yeshiva. Almost 200 people turned out in the middle of the week to pay homage to KBY – a remarkable success, indeed. Highlights included a presentation to Eli Klein for forty years of dedicated service to the Yeshiva, and the formal establishment of the Rabbi Dr. David Applebaum and Naava Applebaum, h"yd, Memorial Endowment Fund at Kerem B'Yavneh, by Rabbi Eliyahu Prero, a KBY alumnus and close friend of Dr. Applebaum. Alumni Michael Margolies (1973), Rabbi Yirmiyahu Neuman (1986) and Michael Perl (1996) were also honored. Rosh Hayeshiva Rav Mordechai Greenberg shlita, was the guest speaker. He also spoke in several shuls during the Shabbat beforehand, and at YU on Yom Ha'atzmaut, where he was recieved most enthusiastically, and participated in the celebration and dancing (article and photo). The Rosh Hayeshiva also spoke at the home of Yehuda Willig, where a group of alumni enjoyed an informal gathering with him.

Four Kollel families: Meir and Rina Avraham, Yosi and Ani Cohen, Yehuda and Shoshi Lapian, and Shai and Vered Walter hosted a kiddush for the Yeshiva families in honor of the recent birth of daughters.

Week of 27 Nisan - 3 Iyar / April 18-24
Shabbat Tazria-Metzora

Tiyul to Golan: The overseas students spent three days in the Golan, accompanied by Hamashgiach Rav Rivlin and Rav Ari Katz. They were based in Chispin and enjoyed quite a varied program of activities, including: Rosh Hanikra, a water hike through Nachal Devorah, a visit to the Holocaust Museum at Lochamei Hagetot and the ancient Beit Knesset at Katzrin, and a movie about the Yom Kippur War. They also enjoyed rafting in the upper Jordan River. They returned from this educational and highly enjoyable tiyul to begin the new zman fresh and inspired!

IKHS Convention: About 200 people gathered at KBY for a convention sponsored by the Avraham and Ruth Drazin Institue of Kiddush Hachodesh Studies, dedicated to the theme, "The Rambam's impact on the field of Kiddush Hachodesh and Jewish astronomy." In addition to the lectures, there was a sale of books and computer programs related to the Jewish calendar and Kiddush Hachodesh. Among the seforim was Yodei Bina, vol. II, which was just put out by the IKHS. During the coming months, the IKHS will be holding a new lecture series dedicated to zmanei hayom.

During kayitz zman, the Yeshiva will learn Masechet Makkot in the morning (iyun). The afternoon (bekiut) seder will continue with Bava Kama to complete the Masechet, and then move on to Makkot.

The Melaveh Malka featured Rav Moshe Lichtman, translator of "Em Habanim Semeichah," and "An Angel among Men" (about Rav Kook zt"l). He spoke about the clear signs of redemption that we have witnessed during the past few decades, and cited powerful passages from Rav Teichtel and Rav Kook about the return to Zion.

Week of 20-26 Nisan / April 11-17
Shabbat Shemini

Many of the second year Israeli talmidim began their active army service in the IDF. We wish them a safe service and a safe return to their families and the Yeshiva.

Mazal Tov to Dayan and Rabbanit Be'eri and to Rav and Rabbanit Ephraim Rubinstein shlita upon the birth of a grandson to their children, Elimelech and Avigail.

Week of 13-19 Nisan / April 4-10
Shabbat Pesach

Many KBY families donated their unopened packages of chametz to be sold before Pesach, and then distributed to needy families immediately after Pesach through the Gmach Yad Itzchak Ve'Yisachar. Used clothes were also collected and brought to a distribution center in nearby Gedera.

Pesach Hotel: For the nineteenth year, the Yeshiva ran a "Pesach Hotel" for over 200 guests, including a number of KBY alumni, their parents and families. The extensive program includes daily shiurim, trips, and entertainment; activities and youth groups for the children; and, above all, a great sense of congenial togetherness of the guests, many of whom return annually. This year, the guests had the benefit of the new "King David" dormitory, and the privilege of hearing shiurim from Hagaon Rav Moshe Dimantman shlita.

Week of 6-12 Nisan / March 28 - April 3
Parshat Tzav

The two weeks prior to Pesach involved extensive preparations for the "Pesach Hotel": kashering the kitchen, painting the rooms, cleaning the Batei Midrash and classrooms, and organizing the program of activities, led by Rav Aryeh Stern. In addition, Rav Rubinstein led two groups of avreichim to the nearby matzah factory at Yad Binyamin to bake hand and machine matzot for use over Pesach.

Rav Dovid Kav shlita gave the Shabbat Hagadol drasha to the Yeshiva community.