Jewish History Soundbites

The Siyum! From Feldafing To The World’s Most Famous Arena: The History of Daf Yomi Part III

The movement spread around Europe and even across the world. Upon each completion of a cycle, the custom began of celebrating the occasion with a communal Siyum Hashas. The association of the Daf Yomi as well as the personality of Rav Meir Shapiro with the Agudas Yisroel led to limited opposition in some circles. Rav Meir Shapiro envisioned however, that the Daf Yomi would rise above politics and be a unifier among the factions of the Jewish community. Each successive Siyum Hashas brought more innovation, ever larger numbers of participants and new venues. Tracing the development of the various Siyum Hashas's over the 20th century is a window into the growth of the Torah community over the century. From the early and modest Siyum Hashas celebrations, following the destruction of the majority of the participants in the Holocaust, to the massive gatherings in the last quarter of the 20th Century and early part of the 21st, the story of the Siyum Hashas is a chapter in the story of the Eternal People.

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A Visionary and a Dreamer: The History of Daf Yomi Part II

Commencing with his dramatic announcement in Vienna in the summer of 1923, Rav Meir Shapiro (1887-1933) dedicated vast energies to spreading the idea of the Daf Yomi program. He was a man of many talents, an innovator with boundless energy, charismatic, a fine and entertaining public speaker, an accomplished Talmudic scholar, a visionary, and most of all a relentless doer. Incredibly, his vision and action on behalf of the Daf Yomi was just one of a myriad of projects he initiated and carried out in his short life. Perhaps it was his most long lasting contribution though, and in the collective memory of the Jewish People, this is arguably his most enduring legacy.

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Old World Values in the Home of the Brave: Transplanting Chassidus on American Shores

Recorded LIVE at the historic Ridinker Shteibel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on the 2nd Night of Chanukah, Jewish Historian Yehuda Geberer delves into the incredible rebirth of the Chassidic movement in North America. Learn about the great leaders and holy tzadikim who helped revive Chassidic life in a new world.

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Whose Idea Was It Anyways? The History of Daf Yomi Part I

The worldwide study of the Daf Yomi, culminating in the Siyum Hashas celebration, is synonymous with the name of the founder of the movement - Rav Meir Shapiro. After conceiving the idea as a young communal Rabbi, he presented it to the assembled delegates at the first Knessia of Agudas Yisroel in Vienna, in the summer of 1923. Was he the first - and only - one to have the idea? Was there precedent of such a study format in Jewish History? Were there others who promoted the study of the daily daf? If yes, what makes Rav Meir Shapiro's program unique? And why is he truly the originator of the Daf Yomi?

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A Rebbishe Rosh Yeshiva: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part II

Commencing at Yeshivas Chaim Berlin while it was still in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, Rav Hutner embarked on an illustrious career in Torah education. As the demographics of the neighborhood changed, the Yeshiva had brief stint in Far Rockaway before settling down in Flatbush, back in Brooklyn. Over the first couple of decades at the Yeshiva's helm, Rav Hutner solidified control over the Yeshiva, while imbuing it with his own unique flavor. Active in the public sphere as well, Rav Hutner took a leading role on many of the hot issues of the day. In his later years, he fulfilled his dream of returning to Israel and founding a Yeshiva there as well.

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WWI & The Jews Part III: Yeshivas on the Run & Turning the Tide of the War

As the Yeshivas headed into exile deep into the Russian interior, they attempted to assume their pre war functions as citadels of Torah study. With greatly shrunken student bodies and a lack of funding, these Yeshivas found themselves in an increasingly precarious situation. The year 1917 brought with it three major developments in the War, each of which had a major and direct impact on the Jewish People. The two revolutions in Russia - in February and November - toppled the Czar and ultimately brought the Bolsheviks to power. In April, the US Congress declared war on Germany, thus paving the way for the entry of American troops to turn the tide on the battlefield. Finally, in November, Great Britain issued the Balfour Declaration promising a National Home for the Jewish People in Palestine.

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More Than Just A Gadol: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part I

 One of the most multifaceted individuals in Torah leadership of the last century was R' Yitzchak Hutner. Arriving from Warsaw to Slabodka in the wake of World War I, he eventually followed the Yeshiva on it's sojourn in Chevron. During this time he enjoyed a close relationship with Rav Kook. Following a stint in University in Germany, he eventually made it across the Atlantic, where he obtained a position in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin in Brownsville. As a charismatic leader and scholar with penetrating depth, the diversity of his thought and teachings is almost unmatched in contemporary Rabbinic writing.

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Warring Brothers: The Opposition to the Chassidic Movement

With the upcoming holiday of Yud Tes Kislev coming up, it's worth examining the early opposition that the Chassidic movement faced at the early stages of the movement. One of the ironies of the organized opposition, was it's role in enhancing the divergent groups of Chassidim into a movement with common identity. With sporadic opposition rising in the early years, the opposition was raised a notch in 1772 with the first official proclamations of excommunication. This commenced a period of more than three decades of very active and occasionally violent opposition of the misnaggdim. The misnaggdim were led by the Vilna Goan who spearheaded the opposition. In the first decade of the 19th century, the active stage had passed and the misnaggdim changed gears to a more passive ideological phase. The Chassidic movement emerged from the opposition stronger, larger and with a more cohesive sense of identity and mission.

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Holy Beggars: The Chaluka System in the Old Yishuv

From the first arrival of the Chassidic group to Tverya in 1777, through the Aliya of the students of the Vilna Gaon in the early years of the 19th century, and right up until modern times, the Chaluka system was the lifeline of support for the Old Yishuv. How were the funds collected and distributed? What constituted the "Old Yishuv"? Under which criteria was one eligible for this financial support, and were those conditions met? How long did it last? What were some of the long term societal effects on the community of recipients, as well as on the community of donors back in Europe? Exploring the context of these questions and others will give a clearer understanding of a financial support system whose echoes remain till this very day.

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A Rosh Yeshiva, A Kabbalist and A Nazir: The Inner Circle of Rav Kook

The Founding of the Merkaz Harav in the second decade of the twentieth century, brought together a group of some very talented individuals to the forefront of Torah education. Among others, we'll examine the life of the Rav Dovid Cohen, the Rav Hanazir (1887-1972), who's origins lay in the Rabbinic Lithuanian aristocracy and later became a modern day Nazir. Rav Yitzchok Arielli (1896-1974) was home grown talent in the Old City of Yerushalayim. Following his exposure to Rav Kook, he became a close student and subsequently one of the heads of Merkaz Harav, while also achieving distinction as one of the leading poskim in Yerushalayim. Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap (1882-1951) a mystic, thinker, Talmudist, community Rabbi, leader and Rosh Yeshiva, was one of the most diverse of this talented circle.

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