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| The Vision |
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| The Dream |
It was sometime before Succos in 1992 that two of our founders began to discuss their mutual dream to create a Makom Tefilah (a place of worship) that would also be a center of Torah study and Kiruv (Jewish outreach). They were driven by their yearning to infuse more spirituality and a new energy into their davening (prayer) and learning, and they were confident that others in the Woodmere community shared this desire. To some, this might have been an "impossible dream". In addition to the fact that no congregation or facility yet existed, let alone the funds to pay for them, they knew that a Rav, a spiritual leader and Talmid Chacham (learned Torah scholar) was absolutely essential if their plan was to succeed. They believed, however, that they knew just the right person for the task - an inspired and inspiring young Rav, named Moshe Weinberger.
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| The Seeds That Had Already Been Planted |
| Little did Aish Kodesh Institute's founders know that the seeds of their success had already been planted a few years earlier by a most remarkable man - truly a messenger of the Almighty - in a most remarkable meeting. This man was Rav Shlomo Freifeld zt"l, the charismatic and extraordinary Rosh Yeshiva (head of academy) of Yeshiva Sho'or Yashuv. The fateful meeting took place during one of Rav Weinberger's visits to be mevaker the choleh (visit the sick). Rav Shlomo, now in the final stages of his grave illness, mustered up the strength to say to his young visitor, "Go to Woodmere, Woodmere needs you."
While Rav Weinberger often reflected on this unusual but impassioned instruction, he was at a loss to know how to comply. Part of him knew precisely what needed to be done, but how, and when, and exactly where? He had no immediate answers.
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| Rav Weinberger Meets His Founding Congregants |
| The first meeting between Rav Weinberger and the founders confirmed to them that Rav was, indeed, the young Torah leader who could make their dream a reality. In a word, they were enchanted. Rav Weinberger, in turn, knew that the time had come for Rav Shlomo's vision to be fulfilled. There was no question in his mind that the Divine Shadchan (matchmaker) had engineered this union. The new congregation had two members, no place to meet and no name but, baruch Hashem, it did have a Rav!
On December 4, 1992 (Shabbos Parshas Vayetzei) the founders and a few individuals who responded warmly to the description of plans for the new congregation, met for Shabbos davening (prayers) at their temporary home at Woodmere Academy.
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| The Name |
Rav Weinberger chose the name Aish Kodesh to honor the memory of the holy Rebbe of Piazeczna, Harav Kalonymous Kalman Shapiro, zt"l, who wrote the inspirational sefer, "Aish Kodesh" during his all too brief tenure as the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Shortly before he was murdered by the Nazis and the Ghetto was liquidated, the Rebbe buried his writings beneath the Ghetto's ruins with the hopeful plea that, after the war, the manuscript be taken to Eretz Yisrael. Congregation Aish Kodesh exists, therefore, to carry on the work of a generation whose lives were extinguished, but whose holy flame will never die.
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| Rav Weinberger's First Defining Words |
| Between Kaballas Shabbos (prayer to welcome Shabbos) and Maariv (the evening service), on Shabbos Parshas Vayeitzei, Rav Weinberger rose to address his new congregation for the first time. His unforgettable words were:
"It is the natural tendency of a Jewish soul to yearn to cling to Hashem. Life, however, places many obstacles in our paths. Our task will be to remove these obstacles one by one. In doing so we will be emulating Yakov Avinu (Jacob, our forefather) who (in this week's Torah reading) removed the stone from the be'er (well). You should know that the word be'er, in Chassidus, is very significant. Its letters correspond to the roshei teivos (initial letters) of "B'yodcho A-fkid R-uchi" - "In Hashem's hand I will entrust my soul." May Hashem help us remove all of the obstacles so that our souls can grow closer to Him."
These words define the raison d'être of Aish Kodesh Institute and the thrust of its activities under the passionate leadership of its Rav.
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