The Contest - Rabbi Elazar Meisels

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Elazar Meisels’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

I want to share with you a story >> [music] >> that took place in a bungalow colony 35 years ago, just a few days before Tisha B'Av. The bungalow colony was called Hemlocks Bungalows. Don't even know if it's around anymore. Things were simpler in those days. Very low entertainment level. Very little going on. But Hemlocks was a happening, an exciting place. And much of that was due to the presence of a certain rabbi. We'll call him Rabbi Katz. And Rabbi Katz made Hemlocks into a memorable [music] experience for all the residents there. One year, at the start of the nine days, >> [music] >> Rabbi Katz announced a special contest. He invited [music] everybody, all the children, to build a model of the Beis Hamikdash. And he promised [music] that the child who built the most beautiful model would get a valuable prize. And the kids got [music] into it. Boy, did they get into it. And each kid, they were competing, each one wanted to outdo the next one. And that one [music] was going to make one more beautiful than the other. One of the residents of Hemlocks Bungalows was an aunt of mine. She was there with her family. And she got into the action, too. She and her children decided they are going to make a beautiful, beautiful model. It's going to outshine everybody's. And my aunt explained to [music] me there were very few stores, very few places to buy anything, very little to buy. She said, "I drove all over the mountains, miles in every direction, to find the right arts and crafts pieces to make the most stunning, beautiful replica of the Beis Hamikdash." [music] She had material and fake gemstones and lace and ribbon and markers [music] and glue and paint and you name it. And she said,

Jump to a moment

1. 0:02I want to share with you a story >> [music] >> that took place in a…
2. 0:32And Rabbi Katz made Hemlocks into a memorable [music] experience for all the residents there. One…
3. 1:03were competing, each one wanted to outdo the next one. And that one [music] was going…
4. 1:33were very few stores, very few places to buy anything, very little to buy. She said,…
5. 2:35other one. We took the grand prize, [music] hands down, easily. Everybody crowded around, ignored the…
6. 3:05our prize. And my children were so excited and I was so excited. It was so…
7. 3:36children were screaming, crying. The people around were either they lost their voices or [music] they…
8. 4:39Why you cry? You're crying because of how much work went [music] into it. You're crying…
9. 5:09Hakadosh Baruchu waited thousands of years to build that house. [music] It was the most magnificent…
10. 5:40It was a contest. It was a little miniature. For that you cry? Cry? Sure you…

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