Yated Ne'Eman, 11 Tamuz, 5759 (June 25, 1999)

THE RUSSIAN MIRACLE OF RETURN IN BROOKLYN

By Solomon Klein

On June 11, 1999, Flatbush witnessed the fourth annual parlor meeting for Kehilas Moreshes Yaakov, the Russian Chula. This group of bale yeshiva serves as a magnet for the Flatbush Russian Jewish community.

Speaking at the gathering on behalf of Kehilas Moreshes Yaakov, Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg, Rosh Kollel Yeshivas Mir, described this Russian Kehilla as a modern day miracle. Rabbi Ginsburg pointed to the fact that the Torah does not allow a slave to serve his master more than 50 years. The Torah does not want the slave to lose his "self" by being under the dominance of his owner for too long. So, asked the Rav, after 70 years of Communist domination behind the "Iron Curtain," how can there be frum Russians? The only answer is – it’s a miracle. It’s a miracle to see Russian men learning b’chavrusa, or to have Russian women in sheitlach bring their children by chadurim. Can you believe, cried Rabbi Ginsburg, that there is a Russian Kollel in the Mirrer Yeshiva? Can you believe that Rabbi Binsky shlita, the rav of K.M.Y., a native of Communist Vilna, gives, a shmuez in the Mirrer Yeshiva to these Russian yungerleit?

The big question is can this miracle continue to grow? Rabbi Ginsburg said that the Torah prescribes us the formula for allowing a miracle to keep happening. We see that Kalev ben Yephuna encouraged the Bnei Yisroel to conquer Eretz Yisroel by saying the following "if Moshe Rabeinu will tell us to go up we will be able to." Rashi explains, we can go up to the very heavens if Moshe Rabeinu tells us to build ladders and ascend the heights. The Rav asked why do we need ladders – the point is that whatever Moshe Rabeinu tells us we can do – even without ladders? Rav Moshe Feinstein z"tl answers that the Torah is teaching us that in order to accomplish our goal we must first try our hardest. To go up to heaven we first make the effort of building a ladder. Afterwards we must begin climbing – and then, only then, Hashem will help us.

This Russian Kehilla, concluded Rav Ginzburg, will continue to grow if we put in it all our strength. If we give our heart and soul to this tremendous organization, then B’ezras Hashem this miracle will continue to grow.