Portland Kinus Torah Revived an Old 770 Tradition

During Chol Hamoed Pesach, a beautiful Kinus Torah was held at the Center for Jewish Life of Chabad SW Portland. Following an old practice at 770, a member of the Chabad House shared his experience with the Rebbe 35 years ago, and how it impacts him today.

During Chol Hamoed Pesach, a beautiful Kinus Torah was held at the Center for Jewish Life of Chabad SW Portland.

Inspired by the Rebbe’s instruction to hold Kinusei Torah and to use out the days of Chol Hamoed to add in Torah study the Kinus was organized by Rabbi Motti Wilhelm with the participation of local Yeshivah bocherim, Shluchim and a visiting Rosh Yeshivah.

The Kinus was held following a spirited Shachris on Erev Shvi’i Shel Pesach and was attended by local shluchim, members of the community, and visitors to Portland.

Hatomim Schneur Rivkin (Brunoy, France) shared a pilpul in the sugya of “Kom Lei Bdraba Minei” from Kesubos, the mesachta being learnt in Yeshivah’s Tomchei Tmimim this year.

Hatomim Mendel Mishulovin (Morristown, NJ) shared some novel explanations explaining the precise wording of the Rebbe’s Haggadah which discusses the special haftorah of Shabbos Hagodol when it falls out on Ereve Pesach like this year.

Hatomim Yossi Wilhelm (Coral Springs, FL) spoke about the Rebbe’s campaign to influence all Yidden to sell their chometz and explained the significance of this, even though there is a concern that some could chas vsholom partake from their chometz during Pesach. (see here: https://videos.jem.tv/video-player?clip=13342)

Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Dyce, shliach in Gresham, Oregon, spoke about the significance of the day in the life of the Rebbe being the third day to the Rebbe’s Bris and the day in 5701 (1941) that the Rebbe and Rebbetzin finally received visas to be able to immigrate to United States which lead to their arrival on American shores on Chof-Ches Sivan.

In connection with this, he shared about two occurrences that in different places in Chazal it is recorded that the same occurrence took place on different dates, and the Rebbe explains why it must be that it happened on one of those dates. 

Rabbi Laibel Kaplan, Rosh Yeshivah of Montreal, Canada, spoke about whether owning Chametz is an Isur Gavra or Cheftza and what to do when your chametz is in a different time zone than you are.

In addition to having family on shlichus in Oregon, Rabbi Kaplan also shares a personal connection to the area, having served as the Rosh Yeshivah of the Yeshivah of Talmidim Hashluchim in Seattle, Washington, for a number of years. In connection with this, he shared how during his years as Rosh Yeshivah, he flew to New York to be by the Rebbe for 11 Nissan and went to sell his chometz by Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin. Rabbi Dvorkin told him at that time that even though Pesach would go out in New York three hours before Pacific Standard Time it would not be a problem if him owning Chometz because he will decide not to acquire it back. 

Rabbi Kaplan said in conclusion that it seems like the isur of Chometz is an isur gavra as can be seen by the fact that on the night of Erev Pesach, the Rebbe would sell in his Mechiras Chametz form the Yeshivah Gedolah Zal of Melbourne, Australia, even though over there it was already after the time that one is allowed to have chometz in his possession. 

In the spirit of the Kinusim held in 770, when Reb Zalman Jaffe would share about his special experiences with the Rebbe at the end of the Kinusei Torah, a local Yid who was zoche to spend time by the Rebbe as a child shared about his experiences with the crowd. Mr. Moshe (Jack) Kiperman shared how as a child he was part of the Tzivos Hashem and its West Brighton Shomer Shabbos Baseball Team and was zoche to march by the Rebbe at Lag Baomer rallies and come to Crown Heights for Shabbatons and participate in the Rebbe’s farbrengens and receive Dollars on Sundays. 

Mr. Kiperman shared his feelings about the special way that the Rebbe would look at every person, connecting to them in a very deep way. “The experience was so strong that even though I experienced it thirty-five years ago, I recall it vividly as if it happened two minutes ago”, he said.

In recent years, Mr. Kiperman has reconnected with Yiddishkeit and Chabad through the efforts of his local shliach, Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Dyce, and puts on Tefillin and learns Torah daily, demonstrating the far-reaching effect of the Rebbe’s a kook.