One of the most important tzedukah causes today:

Kol Demama is a newsletter that seeks to educate the Charedi public about the Israeli government's interference in Charedi education and its highly manipulative efforts to draft Charedim into their military. If you know anybody looking for a good charity, their budget is $500 a week and obviously any amount is appreciated.

Kol Demama Parshas Emor 5779 Vol. 2 Issue 24

Please note that Kol Demama is entirely non-profit; reporters, writers, editors, and distributors - all volunteers. Our sole expense is the weekly printing of thousands of color-copies which are distributed in shuls and yeshivos in Lakewood, Brooklyn, Monsey, Upstate N.Y., England and Eretz Yisroel (and an occasional graphics fee). This amounts to approximately $500 per week (which until now has been shouldered by the Kol Demama staff and volunteers). Donations of any amount will be very much appreciated. 

To donate:

MAIL: 925 Forest Ave apt. 12A Lakewood, NJ 08701. Checks should be made out to Agudas Bnei Torah of America.

EMAIL: koldemama1@gmail.com 

PHONE: 732 360 6177 (leave a message) 

We have also set up a link through which you can donate using a credit card. CLICK HERE to donate. 

Agudas Bnei Torah of America is a 501(c)3 Tax Deductible org.

Please feel free to request previous issues

Attack on Chinuch Update

Several weeks have already passed since the Israeli elections, but the coalition negotiations are still ongoing. These negotiations offer the smaller political parties the opportunity to capitalize on their electoral power, and the chareidi parties are no exception. 

Therefore, in an open letter to the chareidi parties and the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Harav Leizerson, head of Chinuch Atzmai for the past half-century, wrote: 

“This is a fitting time, offered to us by Hashgachah Elyonah, with the increase in our representation [with 16 chareidi MKs] and influence after the recent elections, to block the continual attempts of the Ministry of Education to meddle with pedagogical matters and even our values, that were protected until recently...” 

“Until recently” refers to what happened five years ago, when the chareidi parties sat in the opposition. The Minister of Education, Shai Piron (of the Yesh Atid party), established a special “Chareidi Department” within the Ministry, and openly declared his intention to transform the chareidi educational system. 

The “Chareidi Department,” or “mechoz chareidei” as it is known, was staffed with people from the fringes of chareidi society who had the “benefit” of a secular education. They were proud of their “open-mindedness,” and were determined to impose that benefit on the rest of the community. 

Gedolei Torah were quick to see the dangers posed by the Mechoz and ruled that the Mechoz should be boycotted – none of the mosdos should cooperate with it in any way. 

When the chareidei parties entered the Netanyahu government four years ago, they were promised that the “Mechoz” would be dismantled. However, this promise was never kept. Now, Harav Leizerson wrote the chareidei representatives, is the time to use their newfound clout. They should make it clear to the Likud that this time the government will be held accountable to keep its promise. 

In his letter, Harav Leizerson writes: Chinuch Atzmai (Independent Torah Schools) “has more than a hundred thousand students, learning in close to 300 mosdos... I turn to you to make this demand an ultimatum in the coalition negotiations: to restore complete and total independence to Chinuch Atzmai, the way things were from the time of the founding of the State... The rabbanim have instructed us to fight against [the Mechoz] which currently has dozens of inspectors, whereas for decades, they only had two or three, and those focused solely on administrative matters, and never dared to interfere in the way we educate our children...” 

Even worse, it appears that the Mechoz has plans to increase its meddling in Chinuch Atzmai schools and even in the regular chadorim. A few weeks ago, menahelim of all schools received a letter from the Ministry of Education, informing them of its intention to enhance the inspections that are already a regular occurrence. 

Tchaikovksy

Although Russian, Tchaikovksy wrote in the German classical style. As a blend of German and Russian it sort of captures the mood of a person with Chassidic leanings who keeps minhag Ashkenaz. It is possible to do both. The original Chasidei Ashkenaz (Yehuda HaChosid and the Rokayach) were something like that.

Tchaikovsky' Nutcracker Soundtrack

Rabbi Miller's yahrzeit

Rabbi Avigdor Miller's yahrzeit (27 Nissan) Wed. night Q: What should a person do if he feels like he’s going through a lot of difficulties raising his children? A: If a person is bringing up children בדרך התורה, only that it turns out that it’s a difficult job to do, he should know that his reward is tremendous. The Gemara says that if a person has צער גידול בנים, if he has difficulties in raising his children, then אינו רואה פתחה של גהינים – “he won’t even have to walk past the door of Gehenim.” So when you pass out of this world, you will go straight to Olam Habah. The mitzvah of גידול בנים, raising up children, is one of the biggest mitzvos of the Torah! You know what it means to make Jews?! You suffer from them. But the more you suffer, the greater is the reward. Now, if you have a good boy or a good girl, and they caused you no suffering because they themselves chose to do good all the time, you’ll still get reward. But not a reward like that one who suffers. צער גידול בנים makes you a wealthy person. You should know that the reward in Gan Eden is to sit on a golden throne just because you suffered in this great cause of raising up children for the service of Hashem. Because that’s the true success of a Jew in this world, to raise up a family that will serve Hashem and remain after him forever and ever. Tape # E-218 (January 2000) Avigdor ben Yisroel HaCohen Please learn a Mishnah for his neshamah. Here's one: מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית. מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן, עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבָּאוּ בָנָיו מִבֵּית הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא קָרִינוּ אֶת שְׁמַע. אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם לֹא עָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר, חַיָּבִין אַתֶּם לִקְרוֹת. וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. הֶקְטֵר חֲלָבִים וְאֵבָרִים, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. וְכָל הַנֶּאֱכָלִים לְיוֹם אֶחָד, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. אִם כֵּן, לָמָּה אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיק אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעֲבֵרָה: (1) From which time are we to recite the shema in the evening? From the time when the priests return home [i.e., priests who have become impure and have immersed themselves in a mikvah, must wait until the stars have appeared in order to be considered, once again, ritually pure, enabling them to return home] to partake of the terumah [i.e., the priestly dues and one may recite the shema] up until the end of the first watch [the night is divided into three shifts, referred to by the Mishnah as “watches;” (during each watch different groups of Angels sing shirah — praise to God, Rashi 3a) thus the conclusion of the first watch would be the end of the first third of the night]. This is the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, but the Sages say, [One may recite the shema] until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says, Until dawn [since it states “and speak of them ... when you lie down” (Deuteronomy 6:7) the intent being all night]. It once occurred that his sons returned [late] from a feast and said to him, “We have not yet recited the shema.” He told them, “If dawn has not yet broken it is your duty to recite it [even according to the view of the Sages].” And not only in this case, but in all cases [of obligations] where the Sages say, “Until midnight,” the obligation referred to may be carried out until dawn; [for instance,] the burning of fat and limbs may be performed until dawn, and all [the sacrifices] which must be eaten on the same day have their deadlines until dawn. If this is so, why then did the Sages say, “Until midnight?” In order to prevent a person from transgressing [since he may procrastinate in the fulfillment of his obligation, which may cause him to miss its deadline.