It's Here! Haggadah Companion for Pesach 5777

Once again, we are pleased to present a Haggadah Companion, full of original and insightful Divrei Torah sure to enhance your Seder. Thank you to Rabbis Adam Crystal and Uriel Gross for spearheading this project.

NEW for this year, we have some analytical Torah essays in Hebrew for the more advanced readers. You can download both below. As a bonus, we've added Haggadah companions from previous years as well. Enjoy!

This Year- English.

Click to Download

This Year- Hebrew.

Click to Download

5774- Complete.

Click to Download

Freedom Acheived at WPIT LIVE at SeilerSchindel, PLLC

On Tuesday Night, it was all about the butterfly...and freedom...and Pesach. a few dozen women gathered at the beautiful offices of SeilerSchindel, PLLC to enjoy fun and liberating workshops about freedom from stress, imprisoning thoughts, stale relationships, and the pre-Pesach crunch.

Thank you to our WPIT coordinators, Mrs. Crystal and my wife! Thanks to Scott Seiler and Carol for availing us of your awesome space! Thanks to Rabbi Dovid Fredman of Aish Minnesota for your informative and practical workshop. Thanks to Mrs. Esther Kutoff for your help both before and during the event!

Enjoy the pics!  

We Want You to Be Informed!

To be notified of future WPIT events and news please fill out the form below!

Announcing: Kollel Annual Event 2017

It's that time again! 

The time when I get to rack my brains to try to come up with something amazing, bold, classy, different, exciting, fun, glamorous, holy, inspirational, Jewish, ...(You get the idea) for the Kollel's annual event.

All kidding aside, this event is always an exciting and uplifting evening which is critical to our mission.

We're working hard to make this years event exciting and fresh, but consistent with the age-old Torah values that we all treasure...something, say...

TIMELESS & CONTEMPORARY!

Invitations will go out after Pesach. If you would like one and you're not sure if you're on our list fill out the form below.  

Spring Break in Costa Rica + PICS!!

The JWAY has gone to the jungle! Rabbi Cohen and Albert Miller are leading a spring break trip to spend Shabbos with the volcanos and monkeys. Did you know that Costa Rica is the hummingbird capital of the world?

As always, Rabbi Cohen has just the right message! Check it out! Then, check out the awesome pics.

Guys, hope y'all have a great time and come back with some new perspective- and a great tan!

Purim Highlights!!!! (Pics Below)

We had a great Purim here at the Kollel, and I hope you did as well! With all the costumes, drinks, and revelry, the spiritual side of Purim can sometimes get lost in the fray. This is why we place a special focus on finding some precious time amidst the bustle to learn a little Torah, which helps us focus on the wealth of opportunity of this very holy and special day contains.

On Purim night, the Purim Mesiba (gathering) at the home of Rabbi Yechezkel Greenberg kicked off with a chavrusa study session, followed by insights from Rabbi Greenberg. The mesiba then launched into lively Purim music and dancing. Thank you to Rabbi Yaakov Eliyahu Mandelbaum for spearheading this year's session.

On Purim day, the Kollel hosted a father-son learning session, known across the globe as "Yeshivas Mordechai HaTzaddik". The Kollel Bais Medrash was filled with the sweet sound of children learning Torah. Thank you to Rabbi Meyer Roberts for arranging this program and other children's programming throughout the year.

Check out the pics below! Thanks to all who came!

When You Think About It, Purim's An Odd Holiday

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As Jews, we're usually a pretty reserved bunch. We're not about wild parties and wanton revelry, yet in many Jewish homes and synagogues you'll find what seems to be exactly that; as Gus Brown, the custodian in the Philadelphia Yeshiva used to call it, Purim is the "Jewish Drunk Day!" How should we approach this holy day of Purim, and how can we use it to find meaning. Luckily, we have Rabbi Uriel Gross who will give us the Maharal's approach to this holiday. 

Lunch & Learn at Paster Properties

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Yesterday, Howard Paster of Paster Properties inc. hosted a Lunch and Learn at his brand new Saint Louis Park offices. Rabbi Gibber spoke about the Torah's Perspective on current events and lunch was catered by Prime Deli & Restaurant. Click below for audio of the event.

To host a Lunch & Learn in your workplace just email me! agoldberger@mnkollel.org

The Business Breakfast: Yichud in the Workplace

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As part of our ongoing Business Breakfast Series, Rabbi Ephraim Friedman, a Dayan in the CRC Beis Din, gave a shiur in the Kollel about Yichud in the workplace. If you missed it or just want a review, you can view pics or download the audio below. 

If you would like to email any specific questions to the Chicago Business Halacha Institute about this or any other topic, click HERE.

Kollel-Kenesseth Israel Yarchei Kallah is a Smashing Success

Yesterday, the Kollel held a Presidents' Day Weekend Yarchei Kallah at Kenesseth Israel. It was extremely heartwarming to see the almost 50 people that attended to enjoy a seudas hodaah (meal of thanks) sponsored by Avi Yardley and prepared by Peter Runge and then to learn with the Kollel Rabbis about the laws of Mezuzah. The event climaxed in a multimedia shiur I gave with some help from Torahlive.com, which added stunning visuals to the topic. The phenomenal outcome of yesterday's program is a tribute to Rabbi Yakov Skolnick of the Kollel and Rabbi Mordechai Kalatsky of KI, who worked tirelessly to make this event the success that it was. Rest assured there will be more events like this in the future!

See below for pictures and audio from the event.

140 Generous Donors Donate $50k to the JWAY in 24 Hours

Wow! What a day!!

What began as a crowd-funding campaign on Charidy.com at 1 PM yesterday turned into much more than we expected!

We started off with a goal of 24K in 24 Hours, thanks to our generous matchers: LTC Solutions, RM Management, S3 Inc. and the Kollel Board.

Success breeds success. 

When we reached our goal after just 5 hours, things got really exciting. One donor challenged us with 6K more in match money. Another donor then stepped up and pledged an additional 10K if we reached 36K before time ran out.

All told, thanks to the generosity of many and the extraordinary efforts or Rabbi Cohen and his crew (Thanks Ian ;)) the JWAY now has 50k more ways to- as one of of our JWAYers put it- "Create an atmosphere of warmth and a platform for genuine, organic exploration of Jewish ideas."