An analysis of my conversation with Mr. Joseph Gruss, which resulted in Yeshiva University gaining a Jerusalem-based campus in Israel - Jun 3, 2026 -

Responsa Literature - May 31 - May 31, 2026 -

Novardok Yeshiva – How it Grew, Why & Where It Moved. Its Unique Aspects. How Mussar was Dealt With. R' Eliezer Kugel. Why Enmity to Mussar? R' Yosef Kahaneman's Ability in Fundraising & Importance of Children. R' Gustman Stories. R' Yozel Horowitz. - May 25, 2026 - Various ways they relate to mussar in Kelm Yeshiva, Slabodka Yeshiva, Mir Yeshiva — Yerushalayim, Chevron Yeshiva — Yerushalayim, and Slabodka of Bnei Brak. R' Eliezer Kugel. Why such enmity to mussar? Examples of enmity to other innovations related to Torah. R' Yosef Kahaneman: Ability in fundraising and, in Miami, the importance of children. R' Gustman stories showing his, to some extent, shiflut ha'adam nature. Under R' Yozel Horowitz (RYH) Novardok Yeshiva (NY) opens a number of branches. Its 3 levels of learning. Methodologies of teaching Gemara. NY: Don't only sit and learn, influence Klal Yisrael. Novardok Yeshiva (NY) moves to Homel. German soldiers with Jewish chaplains. Publishing RYH's Torah. His six tekufot. Persecution of the yeshivot and Torah in Soviet Union. Typhoid epidemic 1919-20. RYH dies. R' Avraham Yoffen takes over. Dealing with the paper shortage. Al Gionfriddo. The dog at Machon Gold compared to at BMT. Arrest of R' Yoffen by Soviet police. Novardok Yeshiva (NY) moves to Poland. How Chabad stayed, functioned, and suffered greatly in USSR. Putin and Chabad.

Rav Menashe Klein. Mishneh Halakhot. What Determines if One is Jewish? Is it Birth or Observing Torah and Mitzvot? That is, Does Lack of Observance Remove One's Jewish Status? The Unplanned Army Lecture. The Planned R' Theodore Friedman Debate. - May 24, 2026 - Jews in the galut in danger. Freud's explanation why children become frum. Cardinal Lustiger. Why R' Rakeffet wouldn't participate in Limmud program. R' Lamm differed. Beth Ephraim Synagogue, Maplewood NJ. Debate with R' T. Friedman. Catholic rabbi. Mishneh Halakhot 17:184 Netiv 10. Rabbis advocate not to say the word 'rasha' in Haggadah. Are non-believing Jews worse than religious Christians? Is Trinity avoda zarah for a non-Jew? Meiri's position. R' Sacks on religious non-Jews. R' Rakeffet's unplanned army lecture. Brit Avraham vs. Brit Sinai: Why they differ & are both necessary. Mishneh Lamelekh's two levels: The individual & the עם. Relate concept to Eretz Yisrael & to impact of sinners. Jewish soldier kills another Jewish soldier. Is being Jewish determined by birth or behavior? Are the non-observant considered Jews? Terumat Hadeshen 223: Yevamah: Dead husband's brother is now a believing Christian. Widow of brother is free. Rashi vs. Geonim. Ilya Essas – the phone call. Widow in Israel – Husband's brother is Communist in USSR. Is he considered a non-Jew, not an אח therefore no חליצה is needed? A chalitzah at YU. May one give charity to non-observant? R' Norman Amsel's book.

History of Eastern European Yeshivot - Novardok - May 18 - May 18, 2026 -

Rav Menashe Klein. Mishneh Halakhot. Relating to Those Who Are Apikorsim. Conservative & Reform Rabbis vs. Their Congregants. Rambam - Being Patient With Non-Observant. Two Appearances of Eliyahu Hanavi. Stories From the Remarkable 18 Rav Berlin St. - May 17, 2026 - 18 Rav Chaim Berlin St. Jerusalem: My failure. R' B. Wein's new book. Mishneh Halachot 17:184. Rambam Mamrim 3:3 go slowly & peacefully with תינוק שנשבה. Stories that demonstrate going slowly & being patient. Eliyahu Hanavi (EH) tells the man the shawarma is not kosher. EH gives R' Aryeh Levin money. The Chabad nigun that changed a life. R' Menashe agrees for the people: Be patient. Do not push away, but for the rabbi apikorsim, it's different. R' Rakeffet disagrees. Reform and Conservative rabbis 150 years ago versus today. They are now very ignorant. Examples: JTS students and President Herzog. Committee on Jewish Law and Standards versus Prof. Louis Finkelstein on שעון שבת - Time Switch. R' Menashe: They create mamzerim. Satmar great grandsons in IDF. Dispute with R' Sholom Gold on Satmar. R' Velvel, the Brisker Rav: בעש"ט saved Polish Jewry. Hungary saved by Chatam Sofer. Yerushalayim by R' Diskin (RD). No one saved Vilna. Story of RD's great granddaughter. The Rav on modernity and Torah. End of story of RD's great granddaughter. MH 17:184 pg. שסא: Impact of WW II refugees. They succeeded. Implicit criticism of YU. Several examples where patience worked. Ben Gurion's daughter.

Soviet Jewry in the 1960s. Slabodka Yeshiva Graduates. R' Avigdor Miller. R' Yaakov Moshe Hacohen Lessin. R' Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman. Novardok Yeshiva – Introduction. It's Founder R' Yosef Yozel Horwitz. His Early Life. His Seclusion. - May 11, 2026 - Lack of optimism about Russian Jews in the 1960s. Unpleasant stories about R' Avigdor Miller (RAM). The nasty term, schwartze. R' Rakeffet's brother in the US armed forces in Hawaii. The arresting KGB agent who was actually very nice. How to hire a receptionist as per RAM. Predictions in the 1973 Hamevaser article that failed. R' Lessin: No movies. Examples of successful teachers. Importance of studying Aggadah – the Rav. R' Lessin and RAM. R' Ruderman's travels at the beginning of WW I. His kidnapping. A unique aspect of Ner Israel Yeshiva, Baltimore. Shiflut ha'adam. The drug store. Wearing ties backward. Founding of Novardok Yeshiva. R' Yosef Yozel Horwitz (RYYH). His early life. He becomes a businessman to support his wife's family. He meets R' Salanter and changes directions. Hammurabi Code. He becomes a student in the Kovno Kollel. His seclusion. His teachers. The concept of nazir. R' Henkin's 2nd wife in his old age. Debate on RYYH's lengthy period of isolation.

Rav Menashe Klein. Mishneh Halakhot 17-184. How to Deal With and Relate to Those Who Are Apikorsim. Are They No Longer Our Brothers? Are They Apikorsim or Just Ignorant? Rav Rakeffet's Refutation of R' Menashe Based on Rambam & Rav Y. Soloveitchik. - May 10, 2026 - Jan Koum. Women front-line soldiers. Wine. Child holds siddur for minyan. Commuting Jerusalem-Germany Rabbi. Phraseology: Jewish State or Halakhic State? German newspaper article. Chabad gentiles. Mishneh Halakhot 17:184: In a democracy you can't do anything you want. In Torah, more so. Maharam Lublin: Execute moser. Pushing away apikorsim. R' Klein: Conservative & Reform (C&R) are not our brothers. Brother Daniel – Supreme Court Decision. Children of Polish Catholic mother & Israeli father. Wording of resulting law. Non-Jews are NOT safek Jewish. Yoreh Deah 251:1: Jew who abandons Torah gets no charity or loans. He is no longer your brother. Rema: Give charity to gentiles. Public not private desecration of Shabbat is determinant. Jews in USSR & matzah. Rambam: One who does not believe in Oral Torah: Cause him to die. Applicable to C&R? The Rav: No. Potato chips. R' Menashe: C&R rabbis are apikorsim, not ignorant. R' Rakeffet: Even their rabbis are very ignorant, not apikorsim. R' Rakeffet meeting female "rabbi" student from HUC is proof. How it worked out with Soviet Jewry - further proof. Neolog rabbi from Communist Hungary - further proof in his ultimate dedication to Torah.

The Experiences of Slabodka Yeshiva Graduates. R' Avigdor Miller. R' Yaakov Moshe Hacohen Lessin. - May 4, 2026 - R' Dovid Lifshitz & the golf cart. Kollel learning = MA degree at YU. Reb Areleh Rokeach laining. Yitz Greenberg. Importance of women. Visiting Russia in 1980. R' Mordechai Pogramansky & grape juice for Kiddush. Why R' Avigdor Miller (RAM), Mashgiach Ruchani, left Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Effect on young men of European Rabbis' fundraising trips to NY. Post-WWI. Arrival of R' Yitzchak Isaac Sher in NY. His shmues. RAM goes to Slabodka Yeshiva (SY). Mussar instead of Kabbalat Shabbat. YU today compared to the 1950s. R' Lessin on Tzelem Elokim. RAM on mussar. Closeness of NY yeshivot to each other in 1950s. RAM & Golda Meir (GM). GM in Moscow. RAM describes Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur in SY. Ta'anit dibbur. Will Durant on Jews. Krakow. Characteristics of Jewish girls in NY in 1920s-30s. R' Yitzchok Schmidman & R' Rakeffet's mother-in-law. 19 Letters by R' Hirsch. Special Yom Kippur minyan with R' Yaakov Moshe HaKohen Lessin (RL). R' Shmuel Elozor Volk's public criticism. RL's grandson. Derech Chaim, a book by RL. The loss of RL's family. Drush vs. Mussar. Mussar kloiz. RL on interpersonal relations. Malkah on going to USSR. The history of the R' Soloveitchik tapes.

Rav Menashe Klein. Mishneh Halakhot. How to Deal With and Relate to Those Who Are Working to Actually Change the Torah and are Doing More Than Just Sinning. Yitz Greenberg. David Hartman. Mordecai Kaplan. - May 3, 2026 - Chassidim davening late. The Rav: Was Chatam Sofer right in chadash assur min haTorah? Austritt. Synagogue Council. Israeli movers on Shabbat. Mechalelei Shabbat in winery. How YU is unique. Those close to the Rav who abandoned him. The giyoret who explained the issur of marrying a Kohen. Moshe Genauer in Seattle. Yitz Greenberg – Holocaust - Our covenant is cancelled. His children. Kovno Rav & handing over Jews to Nazis, justification is to save Klal Yisrael. There was sinning post WW I but not changing the Torah. BBC interview of 100 year old man. Permitting driving on Shabbat was a dramatic change. Mishneh Halakhot 17:184. Every word in Torah is from Moshe as a shaliach. Yitz Greenberg's ideology. His debates. Why R' Menashe Klein (RMK) decided to go public attacking changing the Torah. Mordecai Kaplan. Mesorati'im in Israel today. RMK's counterattack: Torah is divine & unchanging. Sinners as opposed to those who form a sinful movement, i.e. "new paths". Importance of belief in the entire Torah, including oral. Human Rights. Tinokot Shenishbu. No one today is perfect, nevertheless rebuke sinners but don't expel. Does God listen to prayers of reformers as opposed to sinners?