Mikdash Melech Impact Campaign - Full Event

Okay, good morning everybody. I'd like to welcome everybody to our home. We have the distinct honor of welcoming the Russia Shiva, Rabbi Liel, his son, and all the people that help and are involved with the organizations. The Rabbi asked me to host this wonderful event. I did it in honor of my son Abe, who was a student of the Yeshiva, and he did very, very, very well there. Was it 3 years or 7 years or 1? He was there for 2 years. And I was able to visit and to see the growth of the place. It's It's an amazing thing. Um That's it. It's really just welcome everybody, and we'll go The Rabbi The Russia Shiva is going to speak first. Standing? Wherever you want. You want to stand, you want to sit, whatever you want. Whatever you're comfortable with. >> Sit, sit, sit. Sit like this. >> Okay, then I should come. I'll sit. Baruchim haba'im. Shem Hashem u'fotchim b'chol achsania. Shalom bayit should always be a home of simcha and divrei Torah. >> Amen. >> Yesterday we learned Parshat Naso, we read about the Nesi'im. And um the Orach Chaim says that the their intention was to all come all 12 of them come in 1 day. Have Have 1 day of Chanukat Hamizbei'ach. Chanukat Kodesh Baruch Hu said, "No. Nasi echad layom, nasi echad layom." Each one will have their own day. Now, the the order the order of the Nesi'im is significant. Um Orach Chaim Hakadosh points out, of course, the first one was Nachshon ben Aminadav. And on Nachshon ben Aminadav, it doesn't even say the word nasi. It says that Nachshon is so great, his madregah is so in so extraordinary that even without a nasi, he doesn't he's not coming with a title. But the Sadiq Nachshon ben Aminadav he's first. Second comes Issachar. Issachar uh because he's Baal Torah. Baal Torah and he comes as his name is mentioned before the word nasi. Third is Zebulun. How does Zebulun come in there? Zebulun is the supporter of Torah. And that's inseparable. Once you have Issachar Baal Torah then Zebulun, that's the machzik of Torah, is inseparable. He he comes. So these three, Nachshon ben Aminadav and then the nasi of Issachar and Zebulun this would sort of summarize uh what we need in Mikdash Melech to keep going. We need the Nachshonim. We need the people that are ready to jump in and with mesirut nefesh and and baruch Hashem all these years we've had the siyata d'Shmaya of having the zechut of these Nachshonim, people that are pioneers. They jump in say we're going to do it even when it looks difficult. And of course the Issachar is the baalei Torah that we zocheh to produce in the yeshiva. People that boys that come and they they get a tom Torah and they go on to become tubnei Torah and askanim. And uh third but not least, we need the Zebulunim. The machzikei Torah. As as the pasuk says, "Simach Zebulun betzeitecha Issachar ba'ohalecha." Torah gives a special beracha that all the bnei bais medrash team and machzikim will will be successful because they're supporting this hard work of learning. So that's my my short derasha, but really just coming to thank you and to say that we we we we need continued help and continued besiyata dishmaya. I beg you all to say amen and amen. >> The boys who want to start their life >> Boys from the community who are looking to grow >> to institution that >> [music] >> gives you the foundation, gives you the tools to live your life [music] as a Torah Jew. >> One of the main things I felt that I gained was the hatmada and the consistency in growing in Torah and mitzvot, whether it's waking up every morning to pray or consistently learning. >> Coming into Midrash to now be on your own in Israel is somewhat frightening. When you get to Midrash, the rabbis are there, they're they're with open arms to welcome you, make you feel like you're at home with them. >> We gained a lot of tools maybe in our learning, but also in our personal development as people and as young men. >> So when I was in Midrash, you have these older boys also that they're they've been there already for a few years. So you're looking up to them and it's not just you're in a place with the rabbaim, where they have you're connecting with them, but you're also connecting with the boys that are older than you. >> I went more with the outlook that I'd probably go and have fun and maybe eventually, you know, start learning a little bit. Pretty early on, you know, I I got inspired by seeing some of the older boys learning very seriously throughout the day and really late into the night and I said, you know what? It must really be something here. >> Relationship with the rabbis and and the day-to-day life in Midrash [music] Menachem taught me what it means to live a life of Torah combined with Simchas Chaim. >> I don't know if I was going to go to college, I was going to go to work, I was going to go to Israel. >> [music] >> So, because of Midrash, I chose the way the path of learning. I will learn every day. >> I would say Midrash had a had a tremendous effect on the way I learn and how I learn and and how to how to approach learning. >> They give us tools for learning. They taught us how to manage time, taught us how to manage ourselves, be responsible. Things that I learned there, not just on [music] a knowledge level, but just affected me on a midos level, to see how the rabbis actually how they interacted with everybody, how they took time for themselves. >> I remember how my rabbi every day, day in day out, came with a fire, an electric passion that impacted me from day one. I saw him and it ignited me to learn, it ignited the the passion within me to be a better person. But, most distinctly, I saw that and I decided that I want to bring that passion and that energy into a room with students and I'm happy to say that for almost a decade now, I I try to bring that every single day to my secondary class in Yiddish. >> Till today, I'm >> still applying things I learned from there, from the rabbeim, from the from the experience that I had in Midrash. >> I went in one way, I came out another. Um, they definitely set me on the right trajectory. >> They gave me the tools, they gave me the way to learn how to learn in a way that my future, my family, future generations with Siyata Dishmaya can now grow in that way. >> Because I went to Midrash, my house is a different house. So, I send my kids to the right schools. Um my kids they value Torah, they value rabbis. >> Whatever you want to do, if you're going to go to education, you know that you're going to go to medical school, for example, you're not going to become a doctor today. You have to go through a few years of medical school before you do that. So, when you're starting your life, it only makes sense that you put aside time and develop the skills for life. And that place is Midrash Melech. >> I feel like anyone's thinking for themselves or for their children of what they should be doing the year or two after graduating high school, Midrash Melech is the place to go. >> If you want to have a place where Torah is the ikkad and they're going to give you the tools to to learn and also you can have fun on the way. >> Uh Rabbi Ben Aliyah is uh an incredible Rosh Yeshiva. All the rabbis there are uh really incredible. >> And no matter how long you go for, no matter how short it is, every day that you're there, you probably >> you'll probably gain about 100 times more than when you're here. >> I really have to say thank you to Midrash, not just on behalf of myself, on behalf of my kids, on behalf of my whole family. It's something that affects me, affects my children, because of the sham will affect my grandchildren. Uh it's not an exaggeration to say that they definitely had a significant impact in the lives of my friends and myself. >> A person can only grow for as strong as his foundation is. And that foundation, I can only say comes from Midrash Melech, my years there. >> I want to thank uh Midrash really, really from the bottom of my heart for for putting me on the right path. >> I really want to thank Midrash Melech personally for everything they've given me, from the rabbis to the hanhala, to the faculty, to the anyone that's involved in making things go over there. >> And there's so much that I I I learned. There's so much I've experienced. >> It didn't just end when I left. >> [music] >> Even afterwards, when I got back to Brooklyn, I was always keeping in touch, speaking to the rabbis. When I come back to Israel and I go visit, it's as if I never left. If I am anything today, tremendous [music] amount is is attributed and the credit of Midrash. >> [applause] >> Another thing I want to add is I always see when a child graduates high school, I always say you have to go to Israel. It's a It's a learning experience. It's an amazing thing. Midrash Melech is really probably, I would say definitely the place to go. Another thing that really struck me today is seeing all the young alumni here, the guys that went there. It's beautiful to see them come out and support the Yeshiva. And you're doing a great job, Rabbi, with all these young men. I think we're going to have Rabbi Joey Mizrahi, my rabbi, who I learn with every morning, who's a student of the Yeshiva. So, I guess I'm You know, his student also, I guess I am. You could say that. But we learn every single morning. And what I Rabbi, come on up. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Thank you, Morris, for hosting this wonderful event on behalf of this spectacular organization, Yeshiva Midrash Melech. It is not often that you get to speak and give a little bit back for an organization that set you on a path that you owe so much to. You know, an organization, the Yeshiva that I spent my formative years in. And as just echoing many of the great people who are associated with this Yeshiva that all of you have said that I would definitely would not be here today if it wasn't for Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah. It's a place I owe so much of my personal growth for. And Baruch Hashem, I get to spend time with my office every day and definitely definitely due to the to this great Yeshiva. You know, this week I don't know if I would use the word I was zocheh, but I had an experience this past week that I'd never had in my life. I was in Poland for 3 days. And you know, people asked me when I came back, you know, how was it? No one comes back and says Poland was unbelievable. It's a land that's saturated with a lot of Jewish blood. And the experience was very harrowing and very very intense. But one of the highlights of the trip, there's a lot of lowlights in the trip, but a lot to learn from. One of the highlights is seeing the Yeshiva, Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. This was a Yeshiva that was founded by the great Rabbi Rav Meir Shapiro, who was maybe better known for being the originator, the founder of the Daf Yomi in the late 1920s. Rav Meir Shapiro founded this Yeshiva in Lublin. I'm with there and I look at the picture right in front of the Yeshiva. There's a pasuk from Tehillim. The pasuk says as follows, "Lechu banim shim'u li, yir'at Adonai alamechem." Let's translate that pasuk. "Lechu banim shim'u li, go out my sons, listen, and I will teach you the fear of Hashem." And Rav Meir Shapiro has a fascinating shot on this pasuk. He asked, you know, "David HaMelech says in Tehillim, 'Lechu banim shim'u li, lechu, go out, go, and listen, I will teach you yir'at Hashem, I will teach you the fear of God.'" Rav Meir Shapiro asked, "Wouldn't it say instead of lechu banim, go out, I would say rather come, bo'u, come to me, and I will teach you yir'at Hashem, I will teach you fear of God?" Rav Meir Shapiro was a place of education. It was a place where to get in, you had to know 300 daf ba'al peh. Tell you how I introduced my speech in Hachmei Lublin. I got to speak to the boys there. 300 daf valed. My rebbe in Mikdash Melech, his name was Rabbi Mordechai Lamm. Someone who I owe a tremendous amount to. And one time my rebbe tells me, he says, "You know, my father My father was alive at the time." His name was Rabbi Meir Lamm. He learned in Yeshiva Hachmei Lublin. So, I remember telling Rabbi Lamm, I'm 19 years old. So, I'm a little bit maybe just either I would say either wise guy or naive. I don't know, maybe a combination of both. I said, "Rebbe, Rabbi, impossible your father learned in Hachmei Lublin. I thought you had to know 300 blatt to get in." So, he always looks at me. He's like, "Yeah, so?" I'm like, "Like, no. My father knew 300 blatt to get in." I couldn't believe that there are people in this generation who are still alive who were able to get into such a Yeshiva. But, as I'm speaking in Hachmei Lublin, I feel a bit of a connection there because my rebbe, his father learned there. And Rabbi Meir Shapiro asks this question, "What do you mean the churban in Shema'li?" You say "Bohu Shema'li." The rabbi answers it as follows. He says, "The power and the zechut or the benefit or how you would look at a Yeshiva is not how they do when the students are in the Yeshiva. You gauge and you grade a Yeshiva based on how they are when they leave chul. And Rabbi Meir Shapiro said something and he was so ahead of his time. You know, you look at the Yeshiva and you have students learning and students learning on such a high level. And you say, "Wow, this is a spectacular place. This is an amazing place." But, that's not how you gauge and that's not how you judge. You judge a Yeshiva by what happens when they leave the walls of the Yeshiva. >> [clears throat] >> Rabbi Meir Shapiro had a lot of accomplishments in his Yeshiva, but he probably had more outside of the Yeshiva by his talmidim. Amongst them was the great Rav Wozner who went out and built Torah to the next generation. Now, I had someone who I would learn with and he had this decision. He was one of these people was very serious about his child's chinuch. And he was going back and forth deciding which one of two schools should he send his child to. So, he decides, I'm going to go visit the kindergarten. He goes to see one kindergarten, goes to see the other kindergarten, comes back to me, he says, I decided to send my kid to that kindergarten. And I said, why? He says, [snorts] because I heard I go to the kindergarten of this school and the kids are singing pismonim like it was so beautiful and so unbelievable and I feel like the chinuch of that school is better than that school. So, I told this person, I said, I can't believe you're judging a school based on kindergarten. I said, really what you should do is you should take the data of the two institutions, see the graduates from 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, as much data as you can gather, and after you gather all that data, don't judge a school by the bo u, rather judge a school by the lechu. Don't judge what you see in the building, but judge what you see outside the building when they move on. If you go to Yeshiva Mechtash Melech and you would take the bo u test, the test of what happens inside the building, it would be spectacular. You would see hatmada on another level. You would see boys doing hazara. I remember my time in Mechtash Melech where my balance in would challenge us over a Shabbat to review and hazar 15 daf of gemara. How do you get 15 daf over a Shabbat? Very simple mathematical equation. Three daf on Thursday night, three daf on Friday day, three daf Friday night, three on Shabbos day, and three on motzei Shabbos. That's your weekend. 15 daf. And we would do it week after week after week. You know, sometimes when I go into a Shabbat now, so I'm very different now than I was then. Now, I work on Shabbat. So, it's a little more difficult. But, there's really no excuse and sometimes I go into a Shabbat and I look back to my days in Mechtash Melech and I say, I'm going to do my hazara this Shabbat like I did in Mikdash. Sometimes I hit some daf. I usually don't hit 15 daf. I'm probably not a good example of the test. Might have been [snorts] a little better in the boat while I was there. But I think if you want to gauge and judge Yeshiva Mikdash Melech, look at the graduates. Look not what happens in the Yeshiva, but look what happens when the boys leave the Yeshiva. And you'll see something spectacular. You will not find one institution in our community where you and your children are not being educated by Mikdash Melech graduates. You will not see those ba'alei batim who are learning day and night in our institutions, who are helping our Yeshivos. You know, I have to give a little bit of a shout-out to my good friend Isaac Hidary. You know, what what Isaac does for this community, for so many community organizations. He learns day and he learns night, and he gives a shiur every morning, and there are countless institutions that he's busy and he's helping. And that's you want to judge the test. You might have gone to Mikdash Melech 20 years ago and seen a nice boy learning with madah, but you had no idea what that kid was going to become. And look at the Torah, and look at the rabbis in the community, and look at the team in the community, and you could chase you could you could trace so much back to Mikdash Melech. And that was the wisdom of Shapiro. And I think maybe we should write on the walls of Mikdash Melech banim shemolim. Don't judge what you see in the building. If you judge what you see in the building, you will see things that are spectacular. But if you judge what you see outside of the building, it'll be a it'll be double. It'll be even more so. And Hashem, what Mikdash Melech has done with the leadership of my Rabbi Ben Eliahu, and the leadership of his Rabbi Avraham Ben Eliahu, and the staff and the ba'alim, you know, it's amazing to see when I followed the Yeshiva today and I'm in touch with so many of the ba'alim there today, some of the ba'alim were my contemporaries. And it's a Yeshiva that carries you and Baruch Hashem you could be there as a talmid and you're still there 30 years later. >> [clears throat] >> I forgive the Hashem my Yeshiva should continue its [snorts] spectacular track record of the past in the borough and also in the and should continue this to the future. It's definitely an institution [clears throat] that's worth investing in because when you're investing in you're investing in the future of our community. You're investing in your children, you're investing in your grandchildren and we should continue to grow and reach tremendous tremendous heights even more than they reached in the past and should be an organization where the is unbelievable but the is even better. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Our mission is to bring out the potential of every student in the development of what we call a Ben Torah. >> I remember my first year in put me on the fast track to success in religion in my life. >> It was an amazing [music] experience being at from the moment I walked into the doors I was glued to the Torah that they were teaching [music] there. >> My experience at was life changing. The Yeshiva was on fire. It was always learning and it was morning, afternoon, night. You you [music] came to the Yeshiva, the feeling was contagious. >> The team of rabbis [music] in is like no other. They've been there for over 20 years and they just give their life, their hearts, their souls, their blood to the Yeshiva. >> [music] >> We saw living examples of how to be a rabbi for and to somebody in our community. So it's a no-brainer once someone comes out of they're able to teach people in our community. It's >> It's imperative that this issue continues to grow [music] and expand. Because I remember when I was in Mikdash Melech, there were boys that were from Mexico, there were boys from Panama, there were boys from Gibraltar, there were boys from London. There was even boys from Australia. >> Mikdash is not only helping our community, but communities from all over the world. >> Our community is growing exponentially, and with that is more shuls, more schools every 6 months. Our community needs more rabbis, our community needs more teachers, and with Mikdash Melech, you are servicing the future of our community. >> Today, let's be honest, a rabbi is much more than a rabbi that teaches you halakha. Today, a rabbi is really a therapist. [music] A rabbi helps keep the peace in the family. Today, the rabbi is everything. If you don't have >> [music] >> a place that's teaching and training future rabbis, then there is no future. >> Without Mikdash Melech, without the donors that are really behind it, uh all the growth of Torah that we've seen in our community, all the Torah centers, all the rabbis of the schools, really many, many of them are coming from Mikdash Melech. >> One doesn't have to look far to see the impact that Mikdash Melech has done and is continuing to do and is well-positioned to be a leading force in the continued growth of Torah well into the future. >> It's a no-brainer that anyone who supports Mikdash Melech is guaranteed to have residuals in heaven, in this world, in the next world, by all the things that he's doing. >> Investing in Mikdash Melech is investing in the future leaders of our generation. >> In sum total, the goal of this campaign is to face the future with confidence in the growth that we're expecting. We're counting on your [music] support. Please help us. >> The Gemara says that after 120 years, the supporter of Torah will be in Shamayim, will be in the yeshiva up there, and will understand every word. They are investing in the Shamut, investing in souls. I believe that this is the most important and the wisest investment that anybody can make. Investing in Torah, in the future of Am Yisrael, amen. >> [applause] >> Uh before I introduce my uh my mentor Danny's going to speak for a few minutes, but I have to just uh correct something that the Rabbi said. I said, I could have told you that Isaac Kedem would be doing what he said because he learned from his father. Where is Bert? Is he still here? He's right here. My brother-in-law, so just need to let you know correction because he comes from such lineage, my father-in-law and Bert, so it's all good stuff. Um without further ado, we're going to have Danny come help raise a little funds here. Somebody I learned a lot from. >> [applause] >> Rabbi How many years are you here now? I know you're 56 years, 57 years here in the community? >> From 1968. >> Oh, that's I'm pretty good. Not too far off. So, the Rabbi spoke originally as usual, and I would a quiet machine. I remember probably about maybe close to 40 years. Could be 40 or 35 years ago when Mikdash Melech I don't remember where it was at that time. It wasn't in the place where it was. I remember I had a niece getting married in Israel. And my parents were very, very close with the Rabbi. Our family was very close. I believe they stayed there on the Shabbat. The place was something. And my in-laws, if I remember correctly. Rabbi David Azaria. Rabbi Vadish, if I remember. I'm just thinking things off my hand. My head. Who else? Let's see. [snorts] From there, Rabbi Moshe Shamah. All of these rabbis created gigantic teachings in our community. I grew up with David Azaria from the age of six. We met we were a year apart in grades, but we met every day in the principal's office. That's how close we stayed. That was his words that he said. I'm not Rabbi Moshe Kazuz. Okay, Rabbi David Cohen. Rabbi Jacky Memrad, Rabbi Yaakov Memrad, who was just lift off recently. >> Very first student. >> They're doing things quietly, and you just saw the second video, and I'm floored. I go to Israel, everybody thinks I go to Israel Rabbi Nachmanides I go to the graves cuz nobody answers me back. So, I have a good time when I go to have dinner with them for 9 hours. But, I visited all many yeshivas, and I always go to Mikdash Melech. And I spent Shabbats with the boys. That's why I go to Israel. And a big portion of boys that come, besides from Chevron, are from Mikdash Melech. And when you spend the Shabbat with boys, and I'm not talking about 10 or 20 boys, I'm talking about average between 15 and 100 boys every time that I'm there. And you see how they're developed, how they're building. The rabbi mentioned to me you have a They have a $4 million budget. So, it's teaching me about the stock market. You're too late. You should have told me about the stock market about 10 years ago. I wouldn't have lost as much money as I did. But, he mentioned the shaikh here is way down. And he told me he needs a 20% increase just to break out even as last year's numbers. Now, if he needs 20%, that means probably needs 30%. Anybody here go to the building? You probably need a separate campaign to fix up the place. >> Coming soon. >> Coming soon? Okay. I've been hearing about that for a long time. >> [laughter] >> It always ended up this way. I got it. They pay their rabbis on time. Right now he says he didn't pay for for mayor. >> The first time in 5 years. >> So, it's on our shoulders and maybe every person could get a friend to give some money. So, the rabbi told me about this 20% thing. I know what I committed to last year. I gave more than I committed to. And it was more than 20%. If everybody could go deep into their pockets, every Yeshiva needs help. I don't know what to tell anybody. I don't have an answer. But, I can tell you if you give, you're going to get a lot. You have pledges you want to mention? >> I think so. >> Okay. >> Can I read this? >> Yeah, I can't read. I only graduated third grade. >> So, do you >> Okay. >> Okay, here's some of the pledges they got leading into the campaign. >> Can I just say one thing? That yes, if you have startups, I know one thing. There's a marshal, a guy is going for the very first time a real hillbilly is going to mail a letter. So, he goes to the post office not a letter, a package. Goes to the post office. He's a very proud of himself. He He bound it up. He write it up. He tape pasted it up. He put a bunch of stamps on it. And he brings the package to the post office. And they weigh it and they tell him, "Sorry, it's too heavy. It needs more postage." So, he says, "Say that again?" "It's too heavy. You have to add more postage." He says, he says, "I don't understand. The postage is going to make it heavier. How is that going to help?" The man who says the person sees that he's that he needs a little help in his parnassah, what is he supposed to do? The man who teaches says, "Add more. Add more." That's my startup. That's all I know. >> Thank you, Rabbi. And I just want to say working with the Rabbi and being involved in the campaign this year and last year, it's amazing to see the Rabbi's drive and his commitment to the Yeshiva. He really works day and night to make sure everything is perfect and meticulous. So, very You know, people don't see that all the time, but the Rabbi really gives it his all and he's dedicated. You know, we get emails from him at 3:00 in the morning. And really, he deserves a lot of uh hakaras hatov for his uh tremendous dedication and commitment to the Yeshiva.