Philanthropist Inaugurates Beis Medrash with Notable Sheva Brachos

A large and impressive gathering was held in Beit Shemesh to celebrate the Chanukas Habayis of the new permanent home of the Maayanei Yisrael Beis Medrash, located at 4 Rav Mari Street in Ramat Daled.

The event, attended by prominent Rebbes, rabbonim and mashpi’im, was held together with the sheva brachos of the son of philanthropist R’ Eliyahu Schlossberg, who contributed generously toward the construction of the large new center for Torah and Chassidus. The building was dedicated in memory of his father, R’ Avraham Yitzchak ben R’ Nosson a”h.

The evening opened with heartfelt Chassidishe niggunim, joined by dozens of children from the community, followed by the unveiling of the sign bearing the name of the new beis medrash, “Heichal Avraham Yitzchak,” in memory of R’ Schlossberg’s father.

Rabbi Yeshaya Yosef Beck, rav of the Maayanei Yisrael communities in Beit Shemesh, read a letter of the Rebbe containing brachos for participants at a Chanukas Habayis of a home dedicated to Torah and Chassidus.

Mezuzos were then affixed by Maayanei Yisrael’s head mashpia Reb Zalman Gopin, mashpia Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Wolberg, Rabbi Binyomin Schlossberg, and the chosson, Rabbi Zev Schlossberg.

Following Maariv, the crowd sat down for the seudas mitzvah. Rabbi Aharon Gross, director of Merkaz Maayanei Yisrael in Eretz Yisroel, spoke about the community’s growth and praised R’ Schlossberg for his support. He also thanked representatives of Shlomei Emunim who assisted in securing and establishing the new beis medrash, headed by MK Rabbi Meir Porush, as well as Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Shimon Goldberg and his aide Yehuda Shlome.

The Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe then entered the gathering and delivered brief divrei bracha. He then bentched the gathering with Birchas Kohanim, adding that the word “shalom” encompasses all brachos.

Reb Zalman Gopin, head mashpia of Maayanei Yisrael and mashpia in the central Tomchei Temimim in Kfar Chabad, delivered the keynote address, focusing on the unique vision behind Maayanei Yisrael’s batei medrash.

He shared a story of a town where the Chassidim wanted to build their own shul. The misnagdim initially opposed the idea, insisting that everyone daven together. Eventually, they agreed, but on one condition: the Chassidishe shul could not contain a “cheder sheini,” what in Chabad was known as a “Chabadnitze,” where Chassidim would contemplate Achdus Hashem before davening and then daven at length.

The Chassidim agreed. But when they actually built the shul, they included a “cheder sheini” anyway. The misnagdim summoned them to a din Torah, where the Chassidim admitted that they had indeed violated the agreement. But they had an explanation.

There were already two disagreements between Chassidim and misnagdim concerning the concept of “sheini,” they said. One concerned Achdus Hashem, that Hashem is One and there is no second, and the other concerned the “nefesh hasheinis,” as explained in Tanya, that every Yid possesses two souls.

“So nothing terrible will happen,” the Chassidim argued, “if we have one more machlokes about a ‘sheini,’ namely, the ‘cheder sheini.'”

Reb Zalman said that this is precisely the uniqueness of Maayanei Yisrael’s batei medrash: in a sense, the entire shul is a “cheder sheini.” They are places where Chassidus is learned properly, where people spend time contemplating Chassidus so that what they learn affects their middos, where they daven at length, and where they sit together for a genuine Chassidishe farbrengen.

The gathering was subsequently joined by the Lelover Rebbe, the Dzikov-Vizhnitz Rebbe, Vizhnitz dayan Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, and R’ Avraham Mordechai Alter, a grandson of the Pnei Menachem of Ger.

A number of local rabbonim and rabbonim and mashpi’im of Maayanei Yisrael communities across Eretz Yisroel also participated, including Rabbi Chaim Yosef Rubinstein, rav of Ramat Daled; the Kashau Rebbe; Rabbi Avraham Abish Katz, rav of the Brod community; Rabbi Yosef Sheinberger; and R’ Naftali Erlanger.

The Toldos Aharon Rebbe, who was unable to attend due to weakness, sent his bracha through his son Rabbi Nochum, the community’s dayan in Beit Shemesh.

The Vizhnitz Rebbe, who was celebrating the wedding of a grandson that evening, sent a letter of bracha through his son Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager. After reading his father’s letter, Rabbi Hager praised R’ Eliyahu Schlossberg’s extraordinary dedication to the Rebbe’s inyonim.

“I had the zechus to receive a dollar from the Rebbe, while R’ Eliyahu did not,” he said. “Yet he is devoted heart and soul to the Rebbe’s inyonim, far more than we are. That is his greatness.”

Speaking about Maayanei Yisrael’s work in spreading Chassidus, Rabbi Hager emphasized the significance of fulfilling the response of Moshiach to the Baal Shem Tov: “When will the Master come? When your wellsprings spread outward.”

The Dzikov-Vizhnitz Rebbe also delivered divrei bracha and praised R’ Schlossberg for assisting people of all backgrounds with a warm and welcoming manner.

“The entire Torah world, in all its different circles, owes him a debt of gratitude for his support of Torah,” the Rebbe said. “R’ Eliyahu embodies ‘say little and do a lot.’ He tells himself that he has still done very little, and then goes and does a great deal.”

MK Rabbi Meir Porush, chairman of Shlomei Emunim, was presented with a special certificate of appreciation for the assistance provided by Shlomei Emunim representatives around the country toward the development of Maayanei Yisrael communities. The certificate was presented by Reb Zalman Gopin and R’ Eliyahu Schlossberg.

Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Shimon Goldberg and his aide Yehuda Shlome were likewise presented with an award recognizing their assistance to Maayanei Yisrael in Beit Shemesh, particularly in securing the allocation for the permanent Ramat Daled beis medrash.

Other Shlomei Emunim representatives who have assisted Maayanei Yisrael also attended, among them Beitar Illit Mayor Rabbi Meir Rubinstein, Beit Shemesh councilmen Rabbi Avraham Nachman Frankel and Rabbi Yeshaya Weissman, and Rabbi Binyomin Hacker and Rabbi Shimon Bloi of Rabbi Porush’s office.

Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum, rav of the beis medrash, spoke about the joy of finally establishing a permanent home for the community. He briefly traced its development from its founding through a succession of temporary locations until reaching the milestone of its own spacious building, and thanked those who had given both their time and financial support to make it possible.

R’ Eliyahu Schlossberg then spoke about the special zechus of celebrating his son’s central sheva brachos together with the chanukas habayis of a beis medrash dedicated in memory of his father.

He related that seeing the children of the Maayanei Yisrael communities had deeply moved him, leading him to undertake support for the activities of the “Lichtelech” organization in his father’s memory. He also announced an initiative to double the number of Maayanei Yisrael branches across Eretz Yisroel.

Rabbi Aharon Weber, director of Maayanei Yisrael’s Ramat Daled branch, thanked R’ Schlossberg, the Shlomei Emunim representatives, Rabbi Aharon Gross and Rabbi Mordechai Yoel Schwartz of Merkaz Maayanei Yisrael, and especially the members of the local community who invested their resources and energy in establishing the new home for Torah and Chassidus.

The Machnovka-Belz Rebbe later joined the celebration and gave his brachos for the new beis medrash, the families of the chosson and kallah, and the chosson.

Concluding remarks were delivered by Rabbi Wolberg, who discussed the Rebbe’s sicha regarding the month of Elul and the addition of “L’Dovid Hashem Ori” to the daily davening. He concluded with brachos for the leadership of Maayanei Yisrael, the members of the new beis medrash, the chosson, and the families.

Following bentching and Sheva Brachos, the evening concluded with joyous dancing to Chassidishe niggunim.

Participants left with a sense of celebration and gratitude at seeing yet another Maayanei Yisrael community in Eretz Yisroel move into a permanent and beautiful home dedicated to Torah and Chassidus.

VIDEO