Rav Avrohom Mordechai Isbee zt”l

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Avrohom Mordechai Isbee zt”l. He was 79 years old.

Rav Avrohom Mordechai was born in the United States, where his family lived in Detroit, Michigan. He was a son of Rav Tzvi Yaakov Isbee and a grandson of Rav Nechemia Isbee.

Reb Tzvi Yaakov’s daughters married noted talmidei chachomim, Rav Shalom Shapiro shlit”a and lhbcl”c Rav Asher Zelig Rubinsteinm zt”l.

Rav Avrohom Mordechai attended Telshe Yeshiva and later moved to Eretz Yisroel.

He became known as one of the greatest talmidei chachomim in the Gerer chassidus and was selected by the Lev Simcha of Ger to serve as a maggid shiur at the Gerer Yeshiva Bais Yisroel in Ashdod.

Over the years, hundreds of talmidim learned under Rav Avrohom Mordechai, who was known as a gaon of rare caliber.

Rav Avrohom Mordechai was a world-class genius and masmid, who was also an exceedingly humble man and a hidden tzaddik.

About a decade ago, Rav Avrohom Mordechai contracted Alzheimer’s. His family monitored his condition and supported him around the clock, but it was a source of overwhelming sorrow to them to see their brilliant father in this state, to have to answer his confused questions, and to see that he could not recognize even his closest family members.

The following is an astounding story about Rav Avrohom Mordechai, recorded in the book Food for Thought:

During the winter of 2015, his grandson got married, and the father of the chassan discovered, to his surprise, that there is a wonder drug that could bring about an amazing turnaround for a few hours; after taking it, the patient returns to himself to some extent, albeit only for a short amount of time. The drug’s side effects are too damaging for it to be taken regularly, but it can be taken once every few months. The family planned to give the pill to Rav Avrohom Mordechai on the day of the wedding, so he could partake in the simchah and speak to the guests. What could bring the family more joy than that?

Several hours before the wedding, Rav Avrohom Mordechai was given the pill, and he became more lucid than he had been in months. “Abba,” his son said, “I am marrying off my son. We are taking you to the wedding.” Rav Avrohom Mordechai, suddenly remembering his son and grandson, trembled with excitement and was happy to embrace them, but he announced that he did not intend to go to the wedding.

 “Why?” cried the disappointed family members. They presumed that his faculties were still impaired.

 “I have missed many hours of learning,” Rav Avrohom Mordechai replied.

He proceeded to sit and learn for 15 hours, taking notes in his notebook in his compact handwriting.

Only one of his sons was capable of deciphering his father’s handwriting, and he went to the house to determine whether the notes were sensible or if his father’s mind was impaired as before. Perusing the notes, the son was astonished: Rav Avrohom Mordechai had written many pages of notes on Maseches Bava Basra and a few on Maseches Pesachim. The notes on the previous pages in the book, which had been written several years earlier, were also mostly on Maseches Bava Basra, with a few pages on Maseches Pesachim!

Rav Avrohom Mordechai is survived by his dedicated wife and his wonderful family.

Yehi zichro boruch.

Matzav.com All Credit goes to them

Sanz-Gribover Rebbe, Zt”l

BD’E — Harav Naftuli Halberstam, Sanz-Gribover Rebbe, Zt”l

By Hamodia Staff

Saturday, July 4, 2020 at 11:26 pm | י"ב תמוז תש"פ

(JDN)

NEW YORK -

Hamodia is saddened to report the petirah of one of the zkan admorim, Harav Naftuli Halberstam, Sanz-Gribover Rebbe, zt”l, who was niftaron Friday night at the age of 96.

The Rebbe, who led the Machon Yuchsin, had a beis medrash in Boro Park on 48th Street between 15th and 16th Aves.

Through Machon Yuchsin, the Rebbe gathered and stored millions of pages and documents in order to preserve the information for those who wish to research and discover their own genealogy and lineage.

The levayah took place on Motzaei Shabbos at 1:00 AM in the Rebbe’s shul.

Yehi zichro baruch. The Article Credit And Picture Credit Goes to The Hamodia and JDN Respectively.

Dvar Torah Parshat Pichas By Rabbi Tzvi Wainstein of Derech Ohr Somayach

Parshas Chukas: Seeing the Crown

Wonderful to see you all.  Good Shabbos, rabbosai.  Parshas Pinchas, the parashah of the korbanos, of the yomim tovim, the whole story of Pinchas.  We find a fascinating Rashi which leaves so much food for thought.  In the korban of Rosh Chodesh, of the korbanos we bring, it says "u'se'ir izim echad l'chatas," we bring one goat offering as a sin offering, "la'Shem," to Hashem or for Hashem.  "Al olas hatamid ya'aseh v'nisko," in addition to the regular korban tamid. Says Rashi a fascinating thing.  What do we mean, "l'chatas la'Shem"?  "U'midrasho b'aggadah, amar Hakadosh Baruch Hu," says Hakadosh Baruch Hu, "havi'u kaparah alai," bring a kaparah for me, what we would translate as bring an atonement for me, "al sheme'ateti es hayarei'ach," that I made the moon smaller. Now, you and I, we all understand that if we do something wrong we need forgiveness, we need atonement.  But Hakadosh Baruch Huneeding atonement?  What is that all about? So first of all, what do we mean by Hashem making the moon smaller?  We all know, Chazal tell us, that originally the sun and the moon were created the same size.  The moon turned around the Hakadosh Baruch Hu, how can there be two kings sharing the same crown?  Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, you are quite right, and made the moon smaller.  So what is that all about? I once heard the following p'shat.  It's a deep p'shat, but you guys are smart.  The sun is the source of light.  The moon reflects the light it gets from the sun.  It's not its own source.  Symbolically, the sun is the emanation, is symbolic of the emanation of Hashem, going out from Hashem to the world.  The moon is symbolic of what is reflected back and visible. We are living in a world where Hakadosh Baruch Hu, in order to give us the opportunity to be masters of our own success, to be masters of our own good choice, He had to hide Himself to the point where there is room for a mistake.  That way, if we correctly choose, it's our choice.  It's something we accomplished. So the dilemma of hiding, as it were, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, making Himself less visible, that we can choose, that we can grow and that we, as we are the masters of what we accomplish in our growth and coming closer to Hashem.  But there's enough of the light coming through that somebody that is not biased and has a straight mind can see the emanation of Hashem in the world. L'asid lavo, we daven at kiddush halevanah that Hakadosh Baruch Hu should bring back the moon to its original size.  We are waiting for the grand revelation of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.  So Hakadosh Baruch Hu, as it were, is saying no, I sinned, bring an atonement.  But I had to leave room for mistake by hiding Myself.  Bring this korban to make up for this lack of clarity that you are having to keep yourselves on the straight and narrow. We should all be zocheh to see that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will be memaleh pegimas halevanah that will be a full revelation of Hashem and no longer just a small reflected life.  B'vias Mashiach tzidkeinu bimheira b'yameinu.  A very good Shabbos and uplifting Shabbos. All Credit goes to Rabbi Tzvi Wainstein and Yeshivat Derech Ohr Somayach

4 Reasons Teaching is a Sales Job

Gregory Wake

Teacher | Small Business Owner

 All credit goes to Gregory Wake

Sales people churn the economy no matter what the naysayers may think or what the political climate may be. Without sales people, products and services do not get moved. But who are the greatest sales people? If we are looking at sales people as the essential problem solver then the answer is easy: teachers. True sales people are not charlatans or men and women selling snake oil. The quintessential sales person is someone who finds out another person’s need and solves that need with a product or service. Teachers are the best at doing these things for the following reasons:

Give Presentations Daily

Sales people often are giving pitches and sales presentations that are filled with numbers and facts that will help display the advantages of his/her product. Sales people spend time on their presentations and often deliver it many times a week to perspective buyers. Teaches do all of this also, but they go a step beyond. Teachers must give presentations every day to students. Even as the country moves further and further to student orientated classrooms, the teacher still must facilitate the presentation. So as sales people may spend an hour or so talking about their products or services, teachers must present five to seven hours a day, every day.

Data Driven

Ask almost any teacher in this country what are the top five responsibilities that their school district expects them to uphold and you will most likely here raising test scores on their list. With PARCC testing and Common Core Standards in place in so many states, modern teachers are driven by the data. Sound familiar, of course it does, sales people are driven by the exact same thing. Just as teachers are toiling to raise scores, sales people are working to sell more products, gain more clients or retain more accounts.

Kings and Queens of the Hard Sale

It is no secret that students in this country must attend school by law. This means that whether students want to hear a lesson or not he/she must still attend class. The teacher in turn must be able to find a will and way to teach and provide services to students who may not be interested in what the teacher has to say. Educators in this way must work much harder than traditional sales people. The traditional sales person is meeting with people who are more open to a sale. For example, the car sales person is meeting people who are already coming into the dealership on their own free will. This is why educators at schools work so hard every day because they are giving a hard sale many times. Most of the time they have forty or so minutes in high school or middle school settings for the student to buy or not. Students may feel sleepy just thinking about the Pythagorean theorem, George Washington or William Shakespeare but the teacher must still perform the sales pitch nevertheless.

Team Leaders

Teachers must be team leaders. No teacher can be effective or efficient if they cannot lead their people. It is impossible for a teacher to teach six-year-old students math if they do not trust her and believe that she is a great coach and team leader. It would be just as likely that a teacher would fail at teaching ninth graders about Charles Dickens if he did not have the cooperation and respect of the fourteen-year-old kids that he is presenting to.

Teaching is the bedrock of sales. They lead, celebrate their team's success and communicate well. So do the best sales people in all industries of business.

Photo used from Cybrarian77.