Summer Plans

Now that Tish'a B'av is behind us, it's hard not to look ahead to the rapidly approaching months of Elul and Tishrei just around the corner.

I have always found this to be the most difficult time of year in terms of raw preparation and review of halachot for these chagim. There are so many chagim in such close proximity to one another and so many halachot to review, that I usually end up with a late start, an even later attempt to make up for lost time and and not much to really show for it in the end.

That's why this year I've decided to try and be a little more organized and methodical. After (quickly) crunching a few numbers this is what I've come up with:

89 = Simanim contained in Shulchan Aruch O.C. Hilchot Rosh Hashana, Yom HaKippurim, Sukka and Lulav.

166 = Single side pages of the standard edition Mishna Berura contained in the aforementioned halachot.

62 = Days until Sukkot.

2.68 = Approximate number of single-side pages in the Mishna Berura that one would need to cover per day in order to review the aforementioned halachot before the beginning of Sukkot.

Keep in mind that the last several simanim of hilchot Sukka/Lulav pertain to chol hamoed, Hoshana Rabba and Shmini Atzeret so it is not critical to finish those before Sukkot Starts. If you recalculate the daily pace without these simanim included, it comes out to approximately 2.5 pages per day.

With a pace of 2.5 sides of a page per day you would to cover hilchot Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur in approximately 25 days (around the first week in Elul) with the rest of the time for Sukkot prep whose halachot are much longer in Shulchan Aruch. 


Hopefully this pace/schedule will prove to be more productive this time around.

Some Thoughts on Rav Elyashiv zt"l

Throughout the week of  shiva for Rav Elyashiv zt"l I have read several articles attempting to describe who this legendary person was and how he lived. Much of what I have read was expected and nonetheless inspiring - wonderful stories of piety, genius and total dedication to the Torah.

One of the themes that stands out for me is the unbelievable extent to which Rav Elyashiv tried to take advantage of his time. I have often heard stories of great people who utilize every minute, but Rav Elyashiv was someone who monitored his every second. Each moment was calculated and measured. There was literally no time to waste.

I merited meeting Rav Elyashiv in person several times, but approximately 11 years ago, I had the privilege to spend a few moments with Rav Elyashiv one on one in his home in Mea She'arim (how I got in is a story for another time). Because of the limited time allotted to each of his visitors, I intended to simply ask for his blessings and be on my way. When my turn came, I entered his study and sat at the table to his left. I immediately noticed that he had 2 sefarim on the table - A gemara (Zevachim/Menachot) and a Rambam (Sefer Avoda). I was told that this was his "seder" for learning during the free seconds he had between visitors (!). Although our meeting lasted only a few moments, I felt a sense of awe that this great man whose every moment was calculated and measured had dedicated a few of those moments to me. I still look back on that brief exchange as a very inspiring encounter.

The night of the levaya, I found a printed quote from Rav Elyashiv himself discussing this very theme - the importance of every moment of a person's life (in a sefer called "Asrei Ha'ish"):

The consensus among Jews from all over the political and religious spectrum is that Rav Elyashiv lived and breathed Torah and a pure dedication to it. We can debate his opinions and associations, but one thing that cannot be denied is that to him - Learning and living Torah reigned supreme. This is a message that crosses all party lines and doesn't fit into any of our polarized boxes - it is something that all Jews can relate to and strive for. 

It is no wonder then, that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children from every community packed the streets of Yerushalayim late on a hot summer night to bid him farewell. 

[The following is a video I took on my phone from the middle of the Bar-Ilan and Shmuel Hanavi intersection during the funeral. This was only a fraction of the crowds that attended]:

Juggling Priorities

A friend sent me the following thought from R' Shabtai Rappaport (for those of you who do not know who he his, you can read up on him here).

All of us face the challenge of balancing our time and our priorities in one way or another - learning, working, family, time for ourselves etc. etc. R' Shabtai's essay is a refreshing perspective on this issue and can be a great source of chizuk for those (like me) who (Thank G-d) face this challenge daily.