Rabbi David Etengoff
 
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Leah bat Shifra and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains two seemingly contradictory pasukim (verses). Initially we are taught, “However, there will be no needy (evyon) among you, for the L-rd will surely bless you in the land the L-rd, your G-d, is giving you for an inheritance to possess.” (Sefer Devarim 15:4) Seven verses later, however, we encounter, “For there will never cease to be needy (evyon) within the land. Therefore, I command you, saying, you shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor one, and to your needy one in your land.” (15:11, these and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The question is quite clear: “How can the first pasuk proclaim, ‘there will be no needy (evyon) among you’ while the second no less explicitly states, ‘For there will never cease to be needy (evyon) within the land?’” The second century Midrash Sifrei suggests the following answer: “When you (i.e. the Jewish people) perform the will of the Omnipresent, the poor will reside [solely] among the other nations; when, however, you fail to fulfill the will of the Omnipresent, then there will be poor among you.” (Section 118, translation and brackets my own)
 
Unfortunately, to paraphrase the Sifrei, we live at a time in history when there are many poor among us. As such, we are obligated to fulfill Hashem’s decree, as found in the second half of the latter verse: “You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor one, and to your needy one in your land.” This, of course, is the mitzvah of tzedakah. The word “tzedakah,” derived from the root word “tzedek” connoting justice, is used precisely in this sense in the well-known verse, “Justice (tzedek), justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land the L-rd, your G-d, is giving you.” (Sefer Devarim 16:20) Therefore, tzedakah is an authentic representation of distributive justice, in the Jewish community, since, in essence, it embodies the fair apportionment of resources among various members of a community.”
 
Tzedakah looms large in the collective mind and experience of our people. Little wonder, then, that the Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204) devoted an entire chapter of his Mishneh Torah to a discussion of the singular import of tzedakah. Moreover, even though the Mishnah teaches us that Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi declared, “Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot,” (Pirkei Avot 2:1) Maimonides, basing himself upon Talmud Bavli, Baba Batra 9b, unhesitatingly wrote: “We are obligated to be careful with regard to the mitzvah of charity (tzedakah) to a greater extent than all [other] positive commandments… (Sefer Zeraim, Matnot Aniyim, 10:1, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)  In other words, even though we are urged to treat all mitzvot as being equal to one another, tzedakah, in Maimonides’ view, is somehow different in kind and degree than all other positive commandments.
 
At this point, and in classic Jewish cadence, we may very well ask, “How and why is this mitzvah different than all other positive commandments?” The Rambam responds to our question in the following fashion: “… because charity (tzedakah) is an identifying mark for a righteous person, a descendant of Abraham, our Patriarch, as [the Torah] states: ‘I have known him, because he commands his children... to perform charity (tzedakah).’” (Sefer Bereishit 18:19) Congruent with Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 79a, Maimonides is teaching us that giving tzedakah and performing other acts of tzedek, embody one of the essential character traits of a member of the Jewish people, so much so that “whenever a person is cruel and does not show mercy, his lineage is suspect” (i.e. we question whether or not they are Jewish, Sefer Zeraim, Matnot Aniyim, 10:2, based upon Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 32b)
 
Given the fundamental nature of tzedakah within the collective consciousness of the Jewish people, the Rambam urges us to look upon all members of Klal Yisrael (the Congregation of the Jewish people) as being inextricably bound to and responsible for one another: “Kol Yisrael aravim zeh l’zeh.” As such Maimonides states:

The entire Jewish people and all those who attach themselves to them are as brothers, as [the Torah] states: “You are children unto G-d your L-rd.” (Sefer Devarim 14:1) And if a brother will not show mercy to a brother, who will show mercy to them? To whom [in this world] do the poor of Israel lift up their eyes? [Clearly, to one another.] (Sefer Zeraim, Matnot Aniyim, 10:2, brackets my own)
 
We have just entered Chodesh Elul, the month dedicated to introspection, self-analysis and authenticity in our mitzvot observance. It is equally the time, as well, to embrace new and better behaviors toward each other, and begin to live lives whereby tzedakah is truly the litmus test of who and what we are. With Hashem’s help may this be so. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Leah bat Shifra and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The expression, “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d” appears twice in the Torah, the first instance in Parashat Vaetchanan (Sefer Devarim 6:5), and the second in our parasha (Sefer Devarim 11:1). While both pasukim (verses) begin with this phrase, they conclude quite differently from one another:

And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means. (6:5)
 
And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d; keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments, all the days. (11:1, these and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
In broad terms, the first verse focuses upon what one needs to dedicate to Hashem in order to demonstrate love for Him, namely, one’s heart, soul and means. Rashi (1040-1105) explains each term in the following manner:

With all your heart: Love Him with your two inclinations [the good and the evil]. (Midrash Sifrei; Talmud Bavli Berachot 54a) Another explanation; “with all your heart,” is that your heart should not be divided [i.e., at variance] with the Omnipresent (Midrash Sifrei).
 
And with all your soul: Even if He takes your soul (Midrash Sifrei; Talmud Bavli, Berachot 54a, 61a).
 
And with all your means: There are people whose possessions are more precious to them than their own bodies. Therefore, it says, “and with all your means.” (Midrash Sifrei) Another explanation of this is: You shall love G-d with whatever measure He metes out to you, whether it be the measure of good or the measure of retribution.
 
In contrast, our parasha’s pasuk teaches us what we need to do in practice to express our love of Hashem, namely, “keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments;” in sum, fulfill the Torah throughout our entire lives.
 
The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) was very sensitive to every nuance of language that is found in Tanach. As such, he focuses upon our pasuk’s phrase “keep His charge” (“v’shamarta mishmarto”), since this is the sole time it appears in the Five Books of the Torah. He offers two interpretations of this expression; the first is verse-specific, whereas the second is holistic in nature:

Keep His charge: To have awe and fear before Him in order that you will guard yourself from sinning before Him. [This wording is utilized at this juncture,] since after He will command you through love [“And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d,”] He will command you through awe, and instruct you regarding the statutes, ordinances and mitzvot.
 
This analysis of “v’shamarta mishmarto” bespeaks a deep sensitivity to human nature. According to the Ramban, the Master of the Universe knew quite well that He first needed to create a love-based relationship between Himself and the Jewish people prior to mandating the awe and fear of Him that are essential to avoid sin. Moreover, I believe a careful examination of the first of the Aseret Hadibrot (10 Utterances) wherein G-d introduced Himself as, “I am the L-rd your G-d” (“Anochi Hashem Elokecha,” Sefer Shemot 20:2) strongly supports Nachmanides’ explication. Hashem (L-rd) represents the quality of love and mercy, and notably precedes “Elokecha,” the characteristic of strict and demanding judgment that, leads us, as human beings, to a sense of awe and fear. Thus, here, too, love comes before awe and fear.

The Ramban’s second elucidation of “v’shamarta mishmarto,” presents his well-known proclivity for revealing ethical-based meaning in the Torah text:

Keep His charge: [This means that] you must protect that which Hashem protects; for He protects the strangers (“hagareim”), shows favor to the poor and downtrodden, and seeks justice for the orphan and the widow. And we find a somewhat parallel text [to ours] in another location [in Tanach]: “And keep the charge of the L-rd your G-d to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn.” (Sefer Melachim I: 2:3) [Moreover, our Sages] said: “Just as He shows favor and is merciful, so, too, should you show favor and be merciful.” (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 133b; all Ramban translations, parentheses and brackets my own)
 
This exposition of the Ramban is nothing less than an intellectual and spiritual triumph, for he has taken the seemingly legalistic words, “v’shamarta mishmarto,” and discovered within them the language of the ultimate ethical gesture, namely, imitatio Dei, the emulation of Hashem’s actions. This principle is given extended voice in a celebrated passage in Talmud Bavli:

Just as Hashem clothed the naked [in the case of Adam and Chava]… so, too, should you clothe the naked. Just as Hashem visited the sick [in the case of Avraham after his brit milah]… so, too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He comforted the mourners [in the case of Yitzhak after Avraham’s passing]… so, too, should you comfort the mourners. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He buried the dead [in the case of Moshe]… so, too, should you bury the dead. (Sotah 14a, translation and brackets my own)
 
With the Torah as our guide, may we learn to love the Almighty, hold Him in awe, and emulate His actions. May we, thereby, grow closer to understanding what it truly means to serve Him and guard His holy Torah. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Leah bat Shifra and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The theme of the Chosen People (am hanivchar) is repeated in a number of places in the Siddur. Based upon the widespread dissemination of the prayer book, this idea has become one of the most universally accepted principles of Jewish thought:

• Habocher b’amo Yisrael b’ahavah (He who chose His people Israel in love; blessing before the recitation of the Shema)
• Ki banu bacharta v’otonu kidashta mikol ha’amim (…for He has chosen us and sanctified us above all other nations; Friday night Kiddush)
• Asher bachar banu mikol am v’romemanu mikol lashon (…Who has chosen us from all peoples and raised us above all nations; Festival Evening Kiddush)
• Asher bachar banu mikol ha’amim v’natan lanu et Torato (…Who has chosen us from all the nations and given us His Torah; blessing before the Reading of the Torah)

 
The concept of the am hanivchar is presented in our parasha as well: “For you are a holy people (am kadosh) to the L-rd, your G-d: the L-rd your G-d has chosen you to be His treasured people (am segulah) out of all the peoples upon the face of the earth.” (Sefer Devarim 19:5, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) A careful reading of this pasuk (verse) teaches us that am kadosh and am segulah are two distinct aspects of our people’s designation as Hashem’s chosen nation. Am kadosh signifies that we are differentiated from all other nations of the world in our singular dedication to the Master of the Universe and the precepts of His holy Torah. As such, we are the living embodiment of Moshe’s prayer to the Almighty following the Sin of the Golden Calf: “For how then will it be known that I have found favor in Your eyes, I and Your people? Is it not in that You will go with us? Then I and Your people will be distinguished from every [other] nation on the face of the earth.” (Sefer Shemot 3:16)
 
In contrast to am kadosh, am segulah focuses upon our special relationship with Hashem. This thought was clearly expressed by the 19th century German commentator, Rabbeinu Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), in his explication of our term:

Consequently, “segulah” is a singular possession to which no one else may lay claim. It, therefore, has no connection whatsoever to anyone other than it’s owner. A fundamental condition thus emerges in reference to “segulah;” namely, this concept demands of us [i.e. the Jewish people] in reference to our relationship with Hashem, that we will be His sole possession in a total and complete sense – in the very fiber of our spiritual being, in every aspect of our persona and with our entire volition and lives. Moreover, we must see ourselves as depending upon G-d alone, and never upon some other power or being – this principle must shape the trajectory of our lives and influence the essence and approach of all our actions. (Commentary to Sefer Shemot 19:5, translation from the Hebrew edition my own)
 
In Rav Hirsch’s view, therefore, the concept of am segulah emerges as the representation of our extraordinary devotion to Hashem, which encourages us to recognize that everything in our lives is “m’ate Hashem hayitah zot” (“comes directly from G-d,” Sefer Tehillim 118:23).
 
Now that we have analyzed two of the constitutive elements of am hanivchar, we are ready to define it in broad terms. I believe that the former Chief Rabbi of England, Sir Jonathan Sacks, offered one of the best modern presentations of this concept. He notes that many people are misled into believing that the idea of “choseness” is tantamount to G-d rejecting all the other nations and, consequently, connotes arrogance and elitism. Rabbi Sacks suggests, however, that nothing could be further from the truth: “Do not think that G-d choosing one people means He rejects every other people. Absolutely not! That was never our way. And that is why, again and again and again, G-d, the prophets say, is not our G-d only.” (Public lecture: “Jewish Identity - The Concept of a Chosen People,” May 8, 2001) Rav Sacks presents an entirely different approach to understanding our one-of-a kind role in Hashem’s grand plan for mankind. He maintains that our election enables us to bring Hashem’s message to the world: “… the Jewish story, in its unique particularity, is the human story in its universality. If we would have been everyone in general, we would never have been somebody in particular. And if we hadn't been somebody in particular, we would never have a message for humanity in general.”
 
In sum, our chosen stature allows us to spread G-d’s message of hope and everlasting peace to the nations of the world. Moreover, every nation has its unique role to play in the drama we call “life.” As such, each nation has its own intrinsic value and inherent worth. As such, it must be constantly emphasized and taught that everyone is created b’tzelem Elokim, in G-d’s Divine image. This idea was given powerful voice in a famous statement of Rabbi Akiva: “Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of G-d]; it is a sign of even greater love that it has been made known to him that he was created in the image, as it is says, ‘For in the image of G-d, He made man’” (Sefer Bereishit 9:6; Pirkei Avot 3:14, translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus) Thus, while we are the am kadosh, all nations have the potential to pursue holiness and thereby serve the Almighty in their own unique manner, for they, too, are beloved before Him.
 
May we be zocheh (merit) to witness the fulfillment of the prophet Zechariah’s stirring words: “And the L-rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one.” (14:9) May that time soon arrive and herald true peace for all mankind when we will stand shoulder to shoulder in the recognition of Hashem’s presence amongst us. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Leah bat Shifra and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
This Shabbat is known as “Shabbat Chazon,” based upon the opening words of our haftarah: “The vision (chazon) of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 1:1, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) In keeping with the themes of the Three Weeks and Tisha b’Av, much of this haftarah consists of dire statements of prophecy that bespeak Hashem’s rejection of our  behavior, and pronouncements of future disaster:

Woe to a sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, evildoing seed, corrupt children. They forsook the L-rd; they provoked the Holy One of Israel; they drew backwards. Your land is desolate; your cities burnt with fire. Your land - in your presence, strangers devour it; and it is desolate as that turned over to strangers. And the daughter of Zion shall be left like a hut in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city… Of what use are your many sacrifices to Me? says the L-rd. I am sated with the burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle; and the blood of bulls and sheep and male goats I do not want. When you come to appear before Me, who requested this of you, to trample My courts? … And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you, even when you pray at length, I do not hear… How has she [Jerusalem] become a harlot, a faithful city; full of justice, in which righteousness would lodge, but now [there are only] murderers (Sefer Yeshayahu 1:4, 7-8, 11-12, 15 and 21, brackets my own)
 
Yet, in the midst of these ominous predictions, Yeshayahu’s words of potential reconciliation burst forth as a beacon of hope:

Wash, cleanse yourselves [O’ Jewish people], remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes, cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us debate, says the L-rd. If your sins prove to be like crimson, they will become white as snow; if they prove to be as red as crimson dye, they shall become as wool… And I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning; afterwards you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City. Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent [ones] through righteousness. (1:16-18, 26-27, brackets my own)
 
Yeshayahu’s message thunders throughout the ages: All is not lost, there is always hope for the Jewish people – if we do teshuvah (return unto Hashem). According to Rashi (1040-1105), this is the meaning of the oblique phrase in our passage, “Come now, let us debate, says the L-rd,” which he explains as, “together, you and I, and we will know who offended whom, and if you offended Me, I still give you hope to repent.” Based upon the overall message of the haftarah, however, the clear connotation of Rashi’s explanation is that klal Yisrael (the Jewish people) affronted G-d through their failure to “seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, [and] plead the case of the widow.” As such, how are we to understand the expression, “Come now, let us debate?” After all, there appears to be little to discuss when we were so demonstrably guilty.
 
The second Bobover Rebbe, HaRav Ben-Zion Halberstam zatzal (1874-1941), known to posterity as the “Kedushat Tzion” after the name of his commentary on the Torah and Festivals, suggests that there was, indeed, an outright dispute between Hashem and the Jewish people regarding the relationship between geulah (Redemption) and teshuvah:

The Holy One blessed be He said that the Jewish people should undertake the complete teshuvah process, and then they would be rewarded with the ultimate and total Redemption. As the text states, “Return to Me [Jewish people], and I [Hashem] will return to you, said the L-rd of Hosts…” (Sefer Malachi 3:7, brackets my own) [In stark contrast,] the Jewish people declared that, “Hashem, You must first redeem us and then we will do teshuvah.” As the text states, “Cause us to return unto You Hashem [by first redeeming us,] and then we will return to You…” (Sefer Megillat Eicha 5:21, brackets my own)
 
Based upon his analysis of the disagreement that obtained between Hashem and the Jewish people, the Kedushat Tzion explains, “Come now, let us debate,” as referring to the proper order that must obtain regarding teshuvah and Redemption:

Perhaps you [the Jewish people] might say: “It is not within our ability to do teshuvah in this bitter galut (exile), therefore, we have cried out to You, Hashem, ‘Cause us to return unto You Hashem [by first redeeming us,] and then we will return to You…’” Regarding this assertion, one could easily respond, “Since the Holy One blessed be He has already said, ‘Return to Me [Jewish people], and I [Hashem] will return to you…,’” by definition, this expression has created an indelible impression in your hearts and minds. As such, it will be easy for you [the Jewish people] to do teshuvah, and perforce, [the Redemption will come] and, [therefore the text states;] “If your sins prove to be like crimson, they will become white as snow.”(All translations and brackets my own)
 
In sum, HaRav Ben-Zion Halberstam zatzal explains that it is quite understandable that we feel unable to do national teshuvah in the midst of the seemingly endless dark and bitter nights of galut, and, therefore, we invoke the words “Cause us to return unto You Hashem [by first redeeming us,] and then we will return to You…” Nevertheless, we should feel confident that this teshuvah is within our reach. As HaRav Halberstam notes, Hashem has guaranteed us that the geulah shlaimah (ultimate Redemption) will follow immediately in the wake of our teshuvah: “Return to Me [Jewish people], and I [Hashem] will return to you…” These are comforting and empowering words, indeed, for they foretell the coming of Mashiach Tzidkanu (our righteous Messiah).
 
With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may the Jewish people return to Him in complete teshuvah soon and in our days, so that the geulah shlaimah will be realized and our sins “become as white as snow.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.