News

This “Musings” is dedicated in loving memory of Rabbi Avi Oberlander zt”l – Rabbi Avraham Zechariah Menachem ben Tzvi Yehudah – a colleague, mentor, and friend, in honor of his second yahrzeit on 16 Sivan.

I distinctly remember two of my high school rebbeim rattling off the starting five players of the championship-winning 1973 New York Knicks. It surprised me because neither of them seemed like the type to know much about sports. But I guess that two decades earlier, they had other interests. Of course, right after recounting the starting five, my rebbi quipped, “If only I remembered my Gemara as well as I remembered that nonsense.”

A few years ago, I had the great honor and privilege to publish Nostalgia for Eternity, a collection of lectures from my rebbi, Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l. Produced by Feldheim Publishers, it contained lectures I heard over many years from Rabbi Wein. Some of those lectures dated back to when I was a high school student in Yeshiva Shaarei Torah, where Rabbi Wein was our Rosh Yeshivah.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, it behooves us, the Torah faithful, to contemplate our standing in the country that has been a haven for our people and a place where we have enjoyed unprecedented freedom and religious growth.

Though I can’t verify this anecdote, I can imagine that this really happened:

One of the modern wonders of Israel is its transportation system. Who would believe that in a Jewish state that has no shortage of bureaucracy, transportation would be on time, well-maintained, and dependable? With an app like Moovit, you can know when your bus or train will arrive down to the minute.