A Torah shiur on the value of every individual and the importance of standing up for others.
Read the notes on this shiur: outline, sources, and more from Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer →
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What’s said in this shiur
The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.
It was the last week of high school. I was about to graduate from Adelphia Yeshiva. I was really excited to start the next chapter of my life, I was going to go to Passaic the next year, when suddenly, R’ Dovid Trenk, my Rebbi, walks into the Beis Medrash, sits down next to me, and he says, Yoeli, I want you to stay next year in Adelphia to help build the Beis Medrash. And my heart dropped. At that time, the Beis Medrash consisted of three guys. If I would stay, I'd be the fourth. Wasn't much of a Beis Medrash. And I said: Rebbi, you know I'm going to Passaic next year. I can't stay. He said: Yoeli, please. It's very hard to say no to Rabbi Trenk, so I told him: Rebbi, let me sleep on it. The next day, Rabbi Trenk comes back into the Beis Medrash and he says: Yoeli, get into the car. I said: Rebbi, where are we going? He says: I'll tell you on the way. I get into his station wagon and we start driving down Route 9. As we get onto the Staten Island Expressway, he said: Yoeli, I'm taking you to a Din Torah. I said: What? A Din Torah? He said: I'm taking you to R’ Shmuel Berenbaum, the זקן ראשי הישיבות. We're going to ask him if you should stay next year.
Jump to a moment
- 0:06It was the last week of high school. I was about to graduate from Adelphia Yeshiva.…
- 0:37I can't stay. He said: Yoeli, please. It's very hard to say no to Rabbi Trenk,…
- 1:09Half an hour later, we pull up to R’ Shmuel’s house. R’ Shmuel invites us into…
- 1:39I'm going to learn better in Passaic. He says: You'll be able to learn better over…
- 2:10and she tells me the sad news that Rebbi had passed away. I flew from L.A.…
- 2:41You do not owe my husband an apology. He knew that it was time for you…
- 3:11that subconsciously, any time I struggled with something, I kept fighting, because Rabbi Trenk put it…
- 3:41Keep fighting. Because like Rabbi Trenk says, You are worth fighting for.…
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