Elul Zman Begins & Yom Iyun

The month of Elul has arrived, and that means the Kollel is back in session, with the extra intensity that Elul brings. The Bais Medrash is humming- come on down and get involved!

On Sunday, August 12th, Rosh Chodesh Elul, the Kollel hosted a Yom Iyun as an opportunity for the community to start Elul with solid Torah learning. The Rosh Kollel opened with words of inspiration for the upcoming Yamim Noraim. The participants then settled down for a full morning seder, as they explored the topic of Tekias Shofar, focusing on what type of shofar blasts should be blown to fulfill the mitzva properly. Rabbi Zev Sklare, rebbi in Yeshiva of Minneapolis, capped off the seder with an overview of the topic, while adding some of his own gems in the process.

Thank you to all who participated, and a special thank you to Rabbi Chaim Leib Rupp who conceived and spearheaded this very successful Yom Iyun. 

New Staff!

We are excited to announce that beginning in Elul, we will have three new couples joining us in the Kollel. 

Rabbi & Mrs. Dovid & Chaya Gitty Bodner: If you haven’t met him yet, Rabbi Dovid Bodner is a scholar of the highest caliber with an exuberant personality. Originally from Brooklyn, R’ Bodner studied in Yeshivas Heichal HaTorah (R’ Mottel Dick) and Yeshivas Brisk. Before Pesach, R’ Dovid, with his wife Mrs. Chaya Gitty Bodner (daughter of Rabbi and Mrs. Pinchas Idstein), came to Minneapolis for the birth of their first child. While Rabbi Bodner began studying with the Kollel then as a temporary arrangement, it quickly became apparent to both the Bodners and the Kollel that the Bodners’ involvement in the Kollel was meant to be more than temporary!

Rabbi & Mrs. Yaakov Nesanel & Elisheva Finkelman: The Finkelmans' move to Minneapolis has been in the works for a couple of years now, and is finally happening! R' Finkelman studied in Yeshivas Novominsk and Yagdil Torah in Yerushalayim, and was highly sought after for his scholarship and diligence. In addition, he is the son of noted author and teacher R' Shimon Finkelman of New York. Rabbi and Mrs. Finkelman (nee Brog) will be moving to Minneapolis with their two adorable children Leah and Shmuel Avigdor.

Rabbi & Mrs. Yehuda & Leah Wolin: It's easy to be won over by R' Yehuda's easygoing, L.A. charm. But beneath the relaxed exterior is a serious scholar. R' Yehuda studied in Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic, and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood and it seems that Minneapolis runs in the family as his brother-in-law's brother is R' J.J. Hutman. Mrs. Wolin (nee Seidman) is excited to be moving to Minneapolis as well together with her husband, two children (Hillel & Aidel), and her close childhood friend Mrs. Finkelman! 

On another note, we would like to wish Rabbi Tzvi Lichtman hatzlacha as he moves on to Torah Academy full-time this coming school year.
 
Thank you so much for making Minneapolis such a desirable place to live!

Independence Day Yarchei Kallah: True Blue

A Glimpse into the Techeiles Controversy

Once again, the Kollel and the community took time on the 4th of July to enjoy our national pastime- learning Torah! The seats were packed in the Bais Medrash, and the crowd got involved as chavrusas delved into the sources together. Rabbi Yakov Skolnick took it the distance with a comprehensive overview of the mitzva of wearing techeiles (blue)-dyed strings as part of the tzitzis. 

Topics discussed include:

• One mitzva or two?
• The power of the techeiles
• How can we wear tzitzis today without techeiles?
• The source of true techeiles - lost or hidden?
• Has authentic techeiles been rediscovered?
• and much more!

Missed the shiur, or want to hear it again? Audio below.

Follow along with the sources- click here.

Keeping Cool & Kosher

You've enjoyed a long hot summer day, and you just need something ice cold to cool down with. What's that familiar sound? An ice cream truck, coming slowly around the corner. Perfect! But wait, is it kosher? What about any of the other popular summer treats? If you've heard this shiur from Rabbi Eli Markowitz of CRC Kosher, you'll know just what to do.

Missed the shiur, or want to hear it again? Audio below.

The Business Breakfast: The Justice System

Our Business Breakfast program strives to create awareness of the laws of Choshen Mishpat, the Torah's monetary code. An essential component of that awareness has to be where to turn when a monetary dispute arises. Rabbi Ephraim Friedman of the Chicago Choshen Mishpat Kollel explained the importance of turning to a Beis Din, a Jewish court of law, for any dispute between Jews. At the same time, there are certain situations when it may be permissible to take a case to the secular court system. For more about these important guidelines, listen to the audio below.

Memorial Day Yarchei Kallah: One For the Road

We Jews have a prayer for everything, so why should travel be any different? When you set out on a trip, don't forget to say Tefilas HaDerech, the Traveler's Prayer. That being said, we at the Kollel are big believers that if you want to do things right, you've gotta study up on the relevant laws. The result? A Memorial Day Yarchei Kallah to be remembered. After a Bais Medrash packed with people plumbed the underlying sources, Rabbi Yaakov Kaufman laid it all out on the table with a precise, concise, and incisive shiur that clarified the when, where, and how; down to the details specific to us here in the Twin Cities.

Some of the topics discussed include:

• How long of a trip requires one to say Tefilas HaDerech?
• Does where you are going make a difference if you need to say it or not?
• At what point in the trip do you say it?
• When do you say Tefilas HaDerech when you are traveling by plane?
• And more... 

Missed the shiur, or want to hear it again? Listen to the audio below.

It's easier when you can follow along inside- click here for the sources.

Banquet Feedback

It was great seeing everyone last night! Thank you for all of your nice words and feedback! To help me remember everything you said, I ask you to please take a minute to answer these 3 quick questions. It'll make next year's event even better!

Oh, and before you leave the Kollel website, click here to see the videos from last night. 

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Thank you!

A special message from Rabbi Elie Lefkowitz

Reconnect with the Lefkowitzes and other founding families of the Kollel- register today for the 2018 Annual Banquet!

Early bird special ends today, May 11th.

Megillas Rus: A Lesson in Chesed

This past Tuesday, the Kollel was graced with a serendipitous visit from Dayan Yehoshua Posen of London, England. While he did not come all the way from London solely to speak in the Kollel, Dayan Posen graciously offered to give a shiur for women on Megillas Rus, which we will read during the upcoming Yom Tov of Shavuos. We had already learned of Dayan Posen's vast Torah knowledge and phenomenal delivery from previous visits to town, so we of course took him up on his offer. The Kollel Library was full that night as Dayan Posen delivered a masterful shiur, as anticipated. (The English accent is always a draw as well.) By know you're probably anxious to hear it for yourself, and I won't hold you back any longer. Enjoy!

What the Early Bird gets (besides the worm)

I don't particularly like worms. In fact, I'm pretty certain most people don't. Perhaps this is why many people fail to take advantage of early bird specials. So, I decided to come up with some other advantages that you can get with the early bird special.
You see, for a couple, the early bird special saves you $50. With that money, you can get:

1. A gift certificate for some lovely fabric from fabricworm.com
2. A full set of lures to prepare for the fishing opener (including plastic worms)
3. A set of beautiful metal bookmarks for that very special bookworm
4. Replacement parts for your commercial kitchen equipment

In short, the possibilities are endless!

Regardless, the early bird special ends on May 11th (next Friday) so take advantage by clicking HERE to register for the Kollel dinner.