Kashrut Alert

The following Israeli kashrus alert is from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, Jerusalem Kosher News with additional information from the London Beth Din posted on January 27, 2012

Dr Pepper available in the UK has been approved by the LBD based on detailed correspondence with the manufacturers but the syrup used is not kosher certified. Dr Pepper bought overseas could have different formulations even if manufactured in the UK so we cannot advise on its kosher status. Dr Pepper in Israel bears an unauthorized KLBD logo and it is neither kosher certified nor kosher approved by the LBD. The soda was also not approved by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate.

The previous alert can be cited with the URL: http://www.kashrut.com/Alerts/?alert=A3774

Hesped Delivered by Rav Shach zt”l On Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l

This is a translation of a hesped delivered by Rav Elazar Schach zt”l upon the passing of Rav Aharon Kotler on 2 Kislev 5723-1963.

In recent years we have lost many of the Torah giants that we had with us-Rav Issar Zalman Meltzer, the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, zichronom livrachah. Although we have had no consolation, nevertheless, as long as Rav Aharon was with us we still had something to hold on to. He was the last, and now he too is no longer with us.
The Talmud tells us in Berachos that when Rav passed away his students accompanied his body to burial in another city. On their way back they decided to eat along the banks of the Danak River. After they had finished their meal, they wondered whether they should say Birkas HaMazon as a group, with one person leading, or whether each one should recite it on his own. On the one hand, they had not “reclined” to eat, as is mentioned in the Mishnah. But on the other hand, they had purposely joined together for the meal, so perhaps this was sufficient? They were unable to resolve the issue.
At that point Rav Ada bar Ahavah got up, turned the garment which he had already rent over Rav’s death, front to back, and rent it again, crying, “Rav has passed away and we do not even know how to say bentching!”
The act of rending a garment over the death of one’s mentor is an expression of the feeling of loss at his absence. The more one learned from his teacher, the greater the significance of the rending. Rav Ada realized that at the time of the first rending he had not fully appreciated the extent of their loss. They had supposed that Rav’s absence would be felt only when it came to solving complicated issues. Surely they would still be able to resolve simple matters for themselves!
But when they were unable to resolve even so simple an issue as whether to join together to bentch, they realized that they had needed their teacher even for so simple a matter. With new insight into the depth of their loss, Rav Ada arose and rent his garment once again.
We are incapable of comprehending the extent of our loss; we are such an orphaned generation. Nevertheless we must try to grasp what we can of what has happened to us.
In Melachim there is a description of the final parting between Eliyahu Hanovi and his disciple Elisha. Eliyahu asked: “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha replied: Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” Eliyahu answered: “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me being taken from you, then it will come to pass, and if not, not.” The obvious question is, how could Eliyahu give his disciple more than he had himself? Furthermore, if such a thing is possible, then why limit it to merely a double portion?
We know that in reality it is “the blessing of Hashem which brings one wealth.” The Novi merely asks Hashem to give His blessing. But in order for that blessing to come to fruition one must have a proper vessel to receive it. We learn in Berachos that in spiritual matters a full vessel can always contain more, but an empty vessel can hold nothing. This idea is expressed in the Sefer Daniel: “he gives wisdom to the wise,” upon which Chazal comment: “Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives wisdom only to one who already has wisdom.”
The measure that Hashem gives a person depends upon the extent that he has prepared himself to be capable of receiving, which is why Eliyahu answered Elisha, “You have asked for something difficult.” In order to receive a double portion, one must first have prepared a vessel fit to receive it. If not, it is impossible to bestow such a gift.
Eliyahu told Elisha that his request would be granted “if you see me being taken from you.” In other words, Elisha must not be like the ignorant peasant, who stares in admiration at a gold watch without having any concept of its value. If that were to be his attitude at his teacher’s departure, he would receive nothing. But if he would watch and reflect on the significance of his loss, then he would be considered a worthy disciple; because of his full appreciation of his mentor Elisha would merit the double portion that he had requested. He would have prepared the necessary vessel to receive it.
As we attempt to gain some notion of Rav Aharon’s greatness-in order to appreciate the extent of our loss-we are reminded of a passage in Baba Metzi’a: Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Chiya were having a dispute. Eventually Rabbi Chanina said to Rabbi Chiya, “How can you dare to disagree with me? If, Heaven forbid, the Torah should be forgotten from Israel, I could restore it with my logic!” Rabbi Chiya responded, “How can you dare to disagree with me? I saw to it that the Torah would not be forgotten in the first place! What did I do? I went and planted flax, wove flaxen nets, trapped deer, fed their flesh to orphans, prepared scrolls from their skins, and wrote upon them the Chamisha Chumshei Torah. Then I went into town and taught the Torah to five children, and so it went on; and in this way I saw to it that the Torah would never be forgotten from Israel!”
The commentaries explain that Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Chiya disagreed how to guarantee the continuity of Torah. Was it more important for the community to have one, single outstanding scholar, whose scholarship and stature would elevate all those around him, or to produce as many disciples as possible and to insure our continuity in that way?
On the one hand, throughout the exile, wherever there was a scholar of stature, Torah survived and the Torah community remained strong. On the other hand, if one works to increase the number of yeshivos, one is guaranteeing that the Torah will never be forgotten!
We all know that Rav Aharon fulfilled both Rabbi Chanina’s ideal and that of Rabbi Chiya. Through his own brilliance and awesome scholarship he restored the clarity of the Torah, while at the same time raising legions of talmidim. He established new yeshivos and spread Torah in an incredible fashion.
At the beginning of Parshas Noach we read: “Noach walked with Hashem.” By contrast, in Parshas Chayei Sarah we are told that Avraham walked before Hashem. Rashi notes the change of wording and explains its significance. On a simple level the idea is as follows: Every person who would like to “walk with Hashem” needs His help if he is to succeed. We learn in Sukkah that “a man’s evil impulse overwhelms him daily, and were it not for the help of the Holy One, blessed be He, he would not be able to withstand it.”
Avraham, however, went beyond the level of walking with Hashem, and became a catalyst to draw others close to Hashem. Thus the Torah makes reference to the souls which Avraham and Sarah “made” in Charan, which Rashi explains, as an allusion to their disciples. This is why it is said that he walked before Hashem. In other words, he went ahead calling others to walk with Hashem, and when they did so, it was at his instigation.
This quality, too, was present in Rav Aharon. When he came to America he found a world which was very remote from the ideals of the Torah. Who had ever heard of such a thing as a kollel yungermahn, a person for whom Torah study was his full-time occupation?
With the intensity of his own scholarship, Rav Aharon was able to serve as a catalyst for others, whom he guided along the Torah way, presenting them with a comprehensive vision that was beyond compare.
At the beginning of Parshas Vayishlach we learn that to battle evil, one must employ three strategies: prayer, bribery and readiness for battle. Anyone can pursue the first two methods, prayer and bribery. As for the bribe, which Yaakov sent to his brother, we are told that “he took a gift from that which he had brought along with him.”
But it is not easy to prepare for war. It is not sufficient to use whatever one happened to bring along. One must have a great deal of knowledge and a solid understanding of the situation. One must know what to foster and what to avoid, what to accept and what to reject.
Rav Aharon knew. And when the times required it, he was the only one on the scene whose genius and understanding were comprehensive enough to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no” and to tell us what we might accept and what we must reject. Thus whenever a question arose, Rav Aharon was called upon to resolve it.
Today, having lost him, we are orphans without a father. Sometimes orphans have a father, but we are orphans who have no father. We will no longer know the satisfaction we felt when we received Rav Aharon’s responses to our queries-responses that emanated from his toil in Torah.
The Talmud Yerushalmi tells us that in his hesped for Rav Simon bar Zavid, Rav Hili quoted from the book of Iyov: “Silver has a mine, and there is a place from which gold is refinedÉbut where can wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding?” “If silver and gold are lost they can be replaced, but when a Torah scholar passes away, who can find us a replacement for him?”
When a scholar toils over the Torah, it becomes a part of him. Thus each scholar has a unique possession which cannot be passed on to another, his own personal portion of Torah. Hashem has arranged it this way in order for us better to appreciate His greatness: for every individual scholar He has designated a unique portion of the Torah which no other scholar is able to reveal. Baruch Hashem, we have not been abandoned. It has been orphaned!
In Bereishis Rabbah Chazal quote the posuk “the sun rises and the sun sets.” They explain that before the “sun” of Moshe had set, the “sun” of Yehoshua had already risen. Nevertheless, they also tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu’s face resembled the sun, whereas Yehoshua’s face resembled only the moon. Rav Aharon’s portion has been orphaned. His clarity and brilliance are gone. The superhuman strength, which he invested in his studies twenty-four hours a day, is gone. His service of Hashem, in which he invested all of his resources, and from which he never rested, is no longer with us. Gone is the man who was so awesomely engrossed in his studies, who never rested from his labors; the man whose father-in-law, Rav IssarZalman Meltzer zt”l, testified of him that he had the mind of a genius of five hundred years ago.
All of this we have lost. Our only comfort is that, as the Rambam tells us, “every person has the freedom to direct himself onto the path of goodness andÉto become as righteous as Moshe Rabbeinu.” In the natural course of things this may not seem possible, but a ben Torah knows what heights a person can achieve through dedication and determination to improve himself. Even if one does not succeed in perfecting himself in every area, he can at least perfect himself in a few areas. All that is necessary is that one fully appreciate the resources with which he has been blessed, and use them properly-especially Torah study, and that he look to Heaven for the assistance which Hashem grants to all those who turn to Him.
Let us consider what the Sages said about hidden facets of the human personality. In Bereishis Rabbah they note that in the verse “and Kayin said to his brother HevelÉ” we are never told what Kayin actually said.
The Midrash presents two opinions. According to the first opinion, the brothers had decided to divide up the world; one would take possession of all of the land, and the other would receive all of the movable property. Then one brother said: “The land that you are standing upon is mine!” The other responded: “The clothes you are wearing are mine!” One said: “Take off the clothes!” and the other said: “Hover in the air!” In the course of this debate Kayin arose and murdered his brother.
According to the second opinion, they divided both the land and the movable property between them. What, then, was there to argue about?
One of them declared: “The Temple should be built in my portion!” The other insisted: “The Temple should be built in my portion!” The other insisted: “The Temple should be built in my portion!” It was in the course of this debate that Kayin rose up and murdered his brother.
Both opinions are valid; there is no contradiction between them. They merely illustrate different facets of human behavior. Here were two brothers, who possessed every piece of land and every object in the world. They had decided to apportion their property; one would take all of the land, and the other all of the movable property. Yet neither was satisfied with his lot. Neither one was willing to tolerate his brother and to allow him to use his property. Why was this so hard for them? After all, human beings were made in the image of Hashem! They had unlimited spiritual resources at their disposal. Man can aspire to attain the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, of whom it was said: “You have made him slightly less than an angel”!
The answer is that “the impulse of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.” His impulses threaten to overwhelm him daily, striving to destroy him spiritually. This is what causes a person to feel that although he might possess every object in the world, he cannot be satisfied so long as someone else is using them. And even if that other person be his own brother, his own flesh and blood, he can find no rest until he blurts out in his rage, “Take off those clothes; they belong to me!”
His brother shares the same feeling of deprivation. Though he owns all the land in the world-the entire globe-he cannot be happy so long as there is someone else in the world that is treading upon his property! In the end, he cannot refrain from ordering his brother to “Hover in the air!” He cannot bear the fact that there is another individual in his world! This is one facet of the man’s innate character.
However, when a person reaches a higher level, an additional facet comes into play. He argues with his fellow, who will merit to have the Beis HaMikdash built in his portion. The two brothers had still not received the Torah. The special significance of Eretz Yisrael had not yet been revealed. They had neither a Beis HaMikdash nor the korbanos. Nevertheless, they were able to appreciate how great an honor it would be to have the Temple built in their portion. And yet, despite their spiritual greatness, they were capable of making such a tragic mistake in judgment that they could sink to the level of murder!
These are two aspects of the human being. On the one hand, he is made in “the image of Hashem.” On the other hand, his impulses are “evil from his youth.” Both forces are at work in him every day, every moment, unceasingly. On force urges him to behave one way, the other, just the opposite.
There is only one way for the Jew to anchor himself squarely where he belongs: by dedicating himself to Torah study and the fear of Heaven-by using the resources we have inherited from our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov Avoseinu, who successfully passed the various tests which Hashem gave them. In the merit of the great deeds of the Patriarchs, their grandchildren were able to stand at the foot of Mt. Sinai and receive the Torah.
When we listen to a hesped, the benefit that we hope to take away with us is this: A person must never say: “Who am I? Of what importance am I?” Each and every one of us has the ability to blossom and grow into a Torah personality of stature, through his own unique portion of the Torah, which Hashem has planted within him.
This article originally appeared in Yated Neeman, Monsey NY.
Posted By Matzav Editor On November 28, 2011

Reb Elyah and the transistor radio

Reb Elyah one stopped to talk to a man who was listening to a small, black transistor radio. Loud music was booming from it. Reb Elyah asked with feigned astonishment, “What, this machine plays music and is not connected to an electric plug?” the fellow nodded affirmatively.

Reb Elyah then added, “But if a screw inside is missing the radio won’t play, right?” The man gave another affirmative nod.

Reb Elyah then cried out in a loud voice, “If so, why is it so hard to believe that by means of a small black box placed on our foreheads (Tefillin), we receive Kedusha from Heaven, without any visible lines of connections!

“How do they work? Only because of what is inside them, the parchments that have verses of Torah written on them. Every verse has to be written as prescribed, and if even one small detail is lacking, even the point of the letter Yud, the Tefillin cannot work anymore and the flow of Kedusha stops!” 

Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel - Mir Yerushalayim Rosh Yeshiva and Starbucks

The following story was told over at an awards ceremony for Howard Schultz, chairman and chief global strategist of the famed coffee company, Starbucks Corp. Schultz received the Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics from Columbia Business School in 2000, and during his acceptance speech, he related a fascinating insight into how he became a better person.

“When I was in Israel,” Schultz related, “I went to Meah Shearim, the ultra-Orthodox enclave within Jerusalem. Along with a group of businessmen I was with, I had the opportunity to meet with the head of the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel. I had never heard of him before and didn’t know anything about him. We were ushered into his study and waited for close to fifteen minutes before the Rabbi came in. What we did not know was that Rabbi Finkel was severely afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. He sat down at the head of the table, and immediately we looked away. We didn’t want to embarrass him. Suddenly, the Rabbi banged on the table and said, ‘Gentlemen, look at me, and look at me right now!’

“His speech affliction was worse than his shaking. It was really hard to listen and look at him at the same time. He said, ‘I have only a few minutes for you because I know you’re all busy American businessmen!’ You know, just a little dig there.

“Then he asked, ‘Can anyone tell me what the lesson of the Holocaust is?’ He called on one guy - it was like being called on in the fifth grade - and not knowing the answer. The guy said something benign like, ‘We will never forget?’ “The Rabbi completely dismissed him. Rabbi Finkel was looking around the table to call on someone else. We were all sort of under the table, looking away, hoping he would not call on any one of us. Personally, I was sweating. He called on another guy, who I thought had such a fantastic answer. ‘We will never, ever again be a victim or bystander.’ “But the Rabbi said, ‘You guys just don’t get it. Okay, let me tell you the essence of the human spirit. As you know, during the Holocaust, the people were transported in the worst most inhumane ways imaginable. The people thought they were going to a work camp but we know they were sent to concentration camps. After hours and days in this horrific corral with no light, no bathroom and extreme cold, they arrived at the camps. The doors were swung wide open, and they were blinded by the light. Men and women were separated, mothers from daughters, fathers from sons. Eventually, they were sent to the barracks. “As they went into the sleeping area, only one person was given a blanket for every six. The person who received the blanket had to decide before going to sleep, ‘Am I going to push the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull it towards myself to stay warm?’ These are the types of questions they asked themselves. “Rabbi Finkel paused for a moment. Then he said, ‘Gentlemen, it was during this defining moment that we learned the power of the human spirit, because we pushed the blanket to five others. That is the lesson of the Holocaust!’ “With that, he stood up and said, ‘Take your blanket. Take it back to America - and push it to five other people!’”

There is a follow-up to this story. Apparently Mr. Schultz later returned to Israel and visited Rabbi Nosson Tzvi again. This time, he pulled out a blank check, signed it and told Rabbi Finkel to fill it out for whatever he wants. Rabbi Nosson Tzvi asked him, “I can fill out this check for whatever I want?” Mr. Schultz answered in the affirmative. Rabbi Nosson Tzvi picked up his pen and wrote out the check for $1400. Then, he handed the check to Howard Schultz, and told him to take it across the street to the scribe (Sofer), use it to buy a pair of Tefillin, and promise to put it on every day. His Yeshiva was millions of dollars in debt, and Rabbi Nosson Tzvi worked very hard to raise money for the Yeshiva, but he thought about his fellow Jew first.

Mishenichnas Adar

Maran HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv Shlita: “A Medical Miracle”

According to doctors at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, the situation surrounding the condition of Maran Posek HaDor HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv Shlita is nothing short of a “medical miracle”. They are now talking about a timetable surrounding the rav’s possible return home.

Yehuda Schlesinger of Yisrael HaYom reports the rav has returned to speaking with those around him and all assisted breathing adjuncts have been removed. One must remember that the posek hador, who is almost 102, davened korbanos on erev Shabbos by heart, not to himself but audible, for others to hear, to the astonishment of all those around him. He is very weak, but speaking with those around him and the rav is questioning what is planned for a Purim seuda.

The doctors report “no one expected the rav to return home but now, this appears to be a realistic possibility”.

The rav was in cardiac arrest, revived, and has undergone a number of life-saving procedures. Doctors are simply astounded, including the frum members of the medical team who understand the power of tefilla and the unique stature of the patient as a gadol b’torah.

The tzibur is urged to continue davening for R’ Yosef Sholom ben Chaya Musha b’soch kol cholei am yisrael.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita: Hashem Will Fight the War

Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita addressed the High Court decision declaring the Tal Law illegal last week in his motzei Shabbos drasha on the eve of 3 Adar 5772. The rav stated “Hashem will wage the war… (ה’ ילחם לכם ואתם תחרישון).

The rav stated there is no other nation comparable to Am Yisrael, the thousands upon thousands engaged in Torah study, from all age groups, which he explained brings tremendous joy to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

The rav addressed avreichim and yeshiva students, explaining “you do not have to attack” regarding the nullification of the Tal Law – Hashem will fight on our behalf.

The rav also address mounting tensions regarding Iran’s determination to achieve nuclear independence, citing the posuk (בכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו, והקדוש ברוך הוא מצילנו מידם) In every generation they rise up to destroy us… Rav Ovadia spoke of the Haman of each generation, and there are gilguls of Haman. He added that we only have Hashem to rely upon… (אין לנו על מי להישען אלא על אבינו שבשמיים, אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו).

The rav instructed those in attendance to simply continue adhering to Torah and Mitzvos and rely on Hashem.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

A Jewish Star 2012 - The judges decide

"Cry No More" by Yaakov Shwekey Music Video

Areivim by Yoel Falkowitz

Rav Wolfson: Why Are We Silent?

Rav Moshe Wolfson spoke Tuesday night in a rare mid-week assembly for his kehillah, Emunas Yisroel in Boro Park, asking bluntly why there is no greater uproar within the community over the potential for war over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Why are we quiet? Where is the awakening? Why is everyone so apathetic?” asked Rav Wolfson, who is also mashgiach of Yeshivah Torah Vodaath. “Everyone is busy with narishkeiten, we don’t hear the alarm? We don’t know that we have to pierce the heavens for rachamim from the Ribbono Shel Olam?”
Rav Wolfson told the packed beis medrash of nearly 1,000 people that the potential for a war encompassing Iran, Israel, Europe and the United States over the next few weeks is a real one, and Klal Yisrael must prepare itself spiritually.
“Everyone knows that there is currently a growing danger from Iran - and it is a great error for whoever does not know this,” Rav Wolfson said. “Why should a Yid not know what is happening to [other] Yidden? Everyone must know what is happening in regard to other Yidden. Everyone must know what is happening in Eretz Yisrael.”
Rav Wolfson began talking this past Shabbos about the dangers from the Iran crisis, when he stopped and said that it was not a subject to discuss on Shabbos. He said he would continue the topic during the week. The last time he called for a special asifah during the week to discuss current events was in 1991, prior to the Gulf War.
Rav Wolfson started his address, which was carried live by Kol Halashon, with the famous Rambam, who writes that it is a mitzvah to daven during troubled times. “If you don’t daven,” the Rambam says, “then it is a cruelty, since it will get worse.”
“The leader in Iran says clearly - he repeated it this week - that he wants to kill, Rachmana litzlan, every Yid in the world, just like Haman,” Rav Wolfson said. “If he will be successful, chas v’shalom, in getting the nuclear bomb - and experts says he will have it by the summer - it will be a great danger for Klal Yisrael.”
“A good part of the world’s Jews live in Israel, and the government there says that they will attack Iran first, before they could get the nuclear bomb. If that happens, everyone knows that that will cause a world war.”
Rav Wolfson said that he heard that Harav Yosef Rosenblum, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivah Shaarei Yosher, spoke recently about the crisis with Iran - he said that during this eis tzarah, “Hashem is judging us on every klal and on every prat.”
Rav Wolfson quoted the Pesikta, who says that the year when Moshiach will come all nations will battle each other. The spark that will set it off, according to the Medrash, will be when the king of Paras - which is modern-day Iran - will threaten “Arabia,” presumably Saudi Arabia, such as is happening today.
Arabia will go for an alliance with Edom - the culture of Edom is today’s Western world, Europe and United States. Paras will then destroy the world and the Yidden will be thrown into turmoil. Hashem will then say: “Do not fear, the time for your Geulah has come.”
Rav Wolfson noted how eerily similar this Medrash is to what is occurring today.
“We don’t have to be in a panic,” Rav Wolfson said, “Hashem will perform miracles for us. But efsher takeh. Maybe the time for the Geulah has arrived. We must prepare for the Geulah.”
Rav Wolfson said that since the Holocaust, Hashem has performed great miracles for the Yidden. Eretz Yisrael, which today hosts most of the world’s Yidden and most of the Torah world, merited supernatural siyatta diShmaya during its wars. When the Palestinians shoot missiles from Gaza, they land mostly in empty areas and cause little damage.
When then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein shot 39 Scud missiles during the Gulf War, only one Yid was killed - that man had previously received a klalah from the Chazon Ish.
“This a hashgachah niflaah that is reserved only for Yidden who learn Torah, who keep the mitzvos and who will ultimately do teshuvah,” Rav Wolfson said. “Hashem wants to do nissim for us. Israel is surrounded by 300 million Arabs and we are still there; that means Hashem wants to do yeshuos. We must prepare for yeshuos.”
But just like Eliyahu had to daven on Har Hacarmel even though Hashem had already promised to bring rain, Hashem still wants the tefillos of Klal Yisrael today, even though He had promised to bring yeshuos.
In order to qualify for these miracles, Rav Wolfson said, we must strengthen in Torah, tefillah and chessed.
He specifically suggested saying Tehillim 46 every day, adding that he is asking his own kehillah to have the kapitel printed out and stuck to the back of every siddur. During the Suez campaign in 1956, the Belzer Rebbe asked that people say that particular kapitel, since it is a segulah to prevent warfare.
“Everyone has to be mispallel that Klal Yisrael should be saved from chevlei Moshiach, that he and his family should be saved,” he said.
Rav Wolfson also spoke about kevias ittim for Torah, not interrupting even “if the cell phone rings.”
“I heard from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, that when a Yid sits down to learn it should be like Shabbos,” Rav Wolfson said. “That is the only time that one is pattur from work.”
“In a beis medrash it is Shabbos. … If someone interrupts his learning and he picks up the phone, he brings the marketplace, he brings the office into Shabbos. He is mechallel the Shabbos.”
But above all, Rav Wolfson said, Yidden should keep in mind that we live in momentous times, and we should prepare for the upcoming era with emunah and bitachon.
“In the next couple of weeks there will be news,” Rav Wolfson said, “and with the help of Hashem, it will be good news for Yidden.”
{By Yochonon Donn-Hamodia 
{Matzav.com Newscenter}

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