Rabbi Melamed on the Dangers of Internet

Rav Zalman sent an interesting letter to the parents of students learning in his yeshiva. Here is my loose translation of the letter:

Chesvan 5768

Dear parents of the students learning in our yeshiva,
Peace and all the best.

We have been asked by the students of several yeshivot to turn to the parents and request of them that they should not have an internet connection in their home that is not filtered. The boys requested this because the stimuli are so strong that even good children, Heaven fearing and diligent in Torah study, it is hard for them to resist the temptation and they surf to sites that stimulate when they come home. They surf, regret, suffer and again they fail to stand up to temptation and they fall.

It is impossible to describe the psychological damage that this causes to these boys that feel that they are not able to stand up to temptation; this weakens all of the strengths, vigor, and happiness.

Therefore please do not interrogate your sons if they are among those that faltered, do not put them to the test; neither the yeshiva high school students nor those that are after high school. Do not have internet at home that is not reliably filtered.

Internet "Rimon" meets the very best criteria, and I recommend connecting to it.

I'll finish with a great blessing that the boys will ascend upwards in the levels of Torah and the fear of Heaven, with good and straight character traits, and that they will bring honor to you and to all Israel.

Zalman Baruch Melamed

Click on the image below to read the original:

Beit El celebrates 30th Year

I just got back from Beit El. They had a special event there marking 30 years for the town and the Yeshiva. Here is an exclusive pic from the celebration:



Rav Zalmen on the yeshiva: "I want the students to learn Talmud in depth like they do in the "Lithuanian" yeshivot, to be happy as the students in the Hassidic yeshivot, and to be able to decide halacha (lifsoq halacha) like the Sephardim."

The Joy Of Doing A Mitzvah

Most Jews never perform the Mitzvah of giving Reishit HaGeiz (wool shearings) to a Cohen because most Jews don't own sheep. The same is true with regards to giving the zeroa, lechayayim and keiva (foreleg, cheeks and stomach) to a Cohen.

Rav Zalman Melamed, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Beit El, decided that he wanted to perform these Mitzvot. Arutz 7 has the story:

The story began several years ago when Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, the rabbi of Beit El and the dean of the town's yeshiva, began to wonder when he might ever have the chance to fulfill the Biblical commandment (mitzvah) of Reishit HaGez - giving to the Cohen (the priest) the first cuttings of the fleece of sheep grown in the Land of Israel.

"After looking for a while," the rabbi told the assembled crowd of hundreds of adults and children at the joyous ceremony, "about 2-3 months ago, I finally found what I was looking for - right under my nose, here in Beit El." It turned out that a local resident with initiative, Chai Harush, had bought 20 sheep several months before.

Be sure to read the rest of the story.

The continuation of the Arutz 7 story took place in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav in Jerusalem. Cosmic X was there and here are some pics:

Can you see the joy of doing a mitzvah? Seated from left to right: Rav Yaakov Shapira, Rav Avraham Shapira, Rav Zalman Melamed, Rav Eliezer Melamed. In the foreground is a basket with "resihit hageiz" decorated with flowers:



On our left is a plate with the zeroa. The other plate contains the lechayayim and the keiva: