32 COMMUNITY10 Iyar 5776 // May 18, 2016Passaic

Bais Medrash Govoha Shabbos of Chizuk in Passaic-Clifton SHMUEL LANDESMAN

This past Shabbos, the Passa-ic-Clifton Jewish community was privileged to host the second annual Shabbos of Chizuk, in partnership with Bais Medrash Govoha of Lake-wood. Harav Dovid Schustal, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of BMG, came to par-ticipate.

For 15 years, since 2000, Reb Aharon Shmuel and Mrs. Sima Buchler hosted an annual Bais Medrash Govoha parlor meeting with Harav Schustal as the yeshi-

vah’s representative. Last year, the Passaic-Clifton

BMG Campaign Committee decid-ed to expand the annual event into a Shabbos of Chizuk. These Shab-bosos were very successful in other communities; the feeling was that it would benefit a larger segment of the Passaic-Clifton kehillah, and would also enhance the fundraising for the yeshivah. Indeed, the Shabbosos of Chizuk have been working out very well.

The Shabbos of Chizuk began with a kabbalas panim hosted by

the Buchlers in memory of Reb Ahron Shmuel’s mother, Mrs Esther Buchler, a”h, who passed away earli-er this year. The Rosh Yeshivah came accompanied by his Rebbetzin (a daughter of Harav Shneur Kotler, zt”l,) and the indefatigable Rabbi Shmuel Gilbert, director of devel-opment for Bais Medrash Govoha. There were a couple of dozen men and boys waiting to meet and greet the Rosh Yeshivah together with local Rabbanim. The Rosh Yeshivah exuded warmth and was available to give brachos and speak with the vis-itors.

Meanwhile, Rebbetzin Sarah Yehudis Schustal visited with the hostess, Mrs. Sima Buchler. Mrs Buchler told Hamodia, “It was the most uplifting, special visit. Reb-betzin Schustal is clearly a person of royalty and dignity. She also pos-sesses a real sense of tznius, yet was very approachable. I feel privileged that my children got to meet her.”

In what would exhaust men half his age, Harav Schustal delivered drashos, shiurim and divrei Torah at eight different locations in Passa-ic-Clifton over Shabbos. The Rosh Yeshivah spoke at Agudas Yisroel of Passaic, Khal Tiferes Baruch, Kol Yeshurun, K’hal Yeraim and Bais Torah U’Tefillah, in addition to speaking in the Gervis, Gejerman and Goldberg homes.

Rabbi Menachem Zupnik, Rav of Khal Beis Torah U’tefillah, intro-duced Harav Schustal in his shul by saying, “It is a great honor for our community to experience the level of purity and regard for Torah that the Rosh Yeshivah represents.”

Harav Schustal then shared a dvar Torah from Mishnas Rav Aharon on this week’s parashah. “Kedoshim tihiyu” is required to be read b’hakhel because all of Klal Yis-rael needs to hear this phrase, as it pertains to every single individual.

The path to our becoming kadosh is by our implementing and behav-ing within our chomer (physicality)

the level of ruchniyus that is nec-essary. The analogy is of a king that marries a woman who earns her majestic status as queen merely by being totally devoted to the king. Klal Yisrael is married, k’vayachol, to Hashem, and the way she retains her status of kedushah is by subjugating and attaching herself to Hashem through performing her daily rou-tine in a manner that is focused on excelling in the area of ruchniyus. That will create the necessary ele-ment of kedushah.

The mission of Harav Aharon Kotler, zt”l, founding Rosh Yeshi-vah of Bais Medrash Govoha, was to instill this kedushah into the Lake-wood Yeshivah, which he found-ed during Churban Europa. Every fiber of his essence was devoted to this uncompromising rebuilding of Torah.

Rabbi Shmuel Berkovicz, Rav of Khal Yereim where Rav Schustal delivered a shiur on hilchos gene-ivah, told Hamodia that the Rosh Yeshivah’s visit, “reminded us of the mission of Torah study, of the nitzchiyus (eternal quality) of Torah study, and that one should put his primary efforts into Torah study.”

Harav Baruch Bodenheim, Asso-ciate Rosh Yeshivah of Ner Baruch-PTI, who was privileged to join Harav Schustal for a Shabbos seu-dah, told Hamodia, “I gained a lot from the Lakewood Rosh Yeshivah. I learned new Torah insights, but more importantly, I felt connected to Har Sinai through him. Torah is con-nected to the very fiber of his being.”

Harv Schustal commented on Shabbos, “I came to give chizuk, but I ended up receiving chizuk. So many people approached me to give brachos to their children, asking for them to grow in Torah, yiras Sha-mayim, etc…, not with gashmiyus requests. This shows what kind of town Passaic is.”

Harav Schustal’s return is eagerly awaited by the Passaic-Clifton Jew-ish community.

Harav Dovid Schustal with Reb Ahron Shmuel Buchler, host, at the kabbalas panim preceding the Passaic-Clifton BMG Shabbos of Chizuk.

Harav Dovid Schustal greeting a child upon arrival at the kabbalas panim.

Partial view of the crowd at the kabbalas panim.