Shevet Mussar (1:13) teaches, "I will now tell you an idea that you should chase. It is life for your soul and a necklace around your neck: Your primary study in Torah should always be what your heart desires. If it is Gemara, let it be Gemara. If it is drush, let it be drush. If it is the path of remez or kabbalah, follow your desire. As it states that hints This .כי אם בתורת ה' חפצו ,(1:2 Tehillim( Torah study is dependent on חפצו, what the individual wants to study. As the Arizal (Shaar HaGilgulim 3) teaches, 'There are people who desire the realm of pshat in Torah. Some prefer drush or remez. Some like to study gematriyos or kabbalah. [These desires are] dependent on why he came to the world this time as a gilgul. In his previous lives, he completed his soul with the other parts of Torah. It isn't necessary to study all parts of Torah in every gilgul.'" The Shevet Mussar concludes, "Don’t pay attention to those who will oppose you when they see your desire to study pshat, or drash, etc., and they will ask you, 'Why are you spending all your days in this section of Torah? Why don't you study other sections?' Because you came to the world to focus on the parts of Torah you enjoy studying." In Rabbi Biderman
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Monday, March 17, 2025
The New Charedi Brigade ‘Chashmonaim’ Dismisses Chabad Soldiers Over Mikvah Dispute- https://chabadinfo.com
Several soldiers approached their commanders requesting the establishment of a kosher mikveh (ritual bath) on the base, allowing them to continue the Chabad custom of immersion before prayer. They were assured during recruitment that their Charedi way of life would be respected, with promises to “leave the army the same as they entered.” Despite persistent appeals, the soldiers were met with a firm rejection.
To their dismay, the brigade’s leadership took further action, summoning the soldiers to a disciplinary hearing for their insistence on maintaining the practice, potentially leading to their removal from the unit. The soldiers pleaded for at least temporary permission to leave the base and use a mikveh in a nearby settlement, but this request was also denied.
One soldier expressed his frustration:
“It’s unreasonable that the Air Force provides swimming pools for pilots on their bases, and other units allow soldiers to use mikvehs. Yet, in a brigade that champions Charedi identity, our basic religious needs are dismissed.”
