The Wildfires and the Universal Reverberations of Harbatzas Hatorah

Okay, welcome everyone to our special CM and this CM will launch the 2026 Tofshin Peyvav campaign for Machon Maggid Rakia. This is one of the best investments in the Jewish world today. You say, why is that? For two very important reasons. First of all, usually when you invest in a shul, you don't know if it's a long-term investment because a shul has a certain lifespan. Most shuls last 20 to 25 years, sometimes longer. But do they have eternal value? Depends on how people accord themselves in the Beis HaKnesses. Mishna Berurah says, only if in a shul they don't speak by the davening, does the shul have an eternal value. So, in this shul, it's a long-term investment. Whatever you do to support Machon Maggid Rakia, it will be l'netzach netzachim. Very proud that from these humble quarters, many batei knesios, I know of a number of batei knesios that they took upon themselves to get the cell phone lockers and they don't bring their phone in because of what we do over here. What we've been able to do over here has tremendous ripple effects. If you go outside right now, the air quality is extremely uh poor. You smell heavy smoke. There's an advisory not to spend time outdoors today because hundreds of miles away, thousands of miles away, there are massive fires and the fires, the burning of the wood, sends out these particles of ash and these small particles of ash, they're blocking the sun. You saw what the sun looks like today? Today is supposed to be a completely sunny day and it's hazy. It's dark outside. Because what happens a thousand miles away has ripple effects. So, these tiny little particles affect the climate and the weather and the air quality in New York City. Now, let's make a simple equation. If something bad that's happening thousands of miles away has repercussions, has ripple effects all the way to New York. If what's happening in Canada affects the physical air quality of New York City. So, imagine if what ha- imagine what happens when we come together for t'filah, when we come together for Torah. It affects the entire world. So, investing here is elevating the level of kedusha in the tri-state area, in the United States of America, in the northern hemisphere, in North America, South America, and b'chol ha'olam kulai. Chofetz Chaim writes, we'll talk about it more on Sunday. The main thing is to have a pure quarters where things are done properly and from there it brings kiddush Hashem shamayim. So, for you who are here tonight and you're strengthening our efforts, Hashem will never forget it and Hashem should repay you y'varech etchem ka'asher diber lachem elef pa'amim. I want to thank everyone who's listening, who's mishtatef in our campaign, charity.com/mmh2026. I'm going to let Reb Binyamin uh share how to sign up for a team page and we have many world-class eminent medabrim uh coming up. >> Thank you, Rav. Um so, fifth fifth annual campaign that the shul has been doing now, b'chas Hashem, it has been tremendously successful over the years. The shul has grown. We have plans to implement bigger growth, bigger opportunities. Uh baruch Hashem, it's been uh wonderful to be a part of the shul um since its inception. Uh the best way to help the shul right now is signing up a team page, sending out links, putting on your status. Believe it or not, people check those. They get I don't know why they do, but we're happy that people check statuses. Uh and go to rabbidg.com. There's a link there to create a team page. You can also uh donate to the campaign at that point. Um b'ezrat Hashem, it should be a tremendously successful campaign. >> Hey, put that on. Put it on. Test it. Set? Okay. >> Very good. >> How does this go? How does this work? Oh, this is the real thing. >> Very good. >> Hello. My name is Yaakov. Um I moved to Cedarhurst about a year and a half ago. And um I have to tell you this is an amazing shul, Rabbi Gladstein's shul, Maginei Mordechai, Tiferes Mordechai. It's an incredible place to daven and learn Torah. Rabbi Gladstein is extremely welcoming to the point where if you're a first time in the shul, if you've never stepped foot in the shul and you come in on a Shabbos, probably a 99% chance you're going to get an aliyah. And I'll tell you that's my experience before I moved here about a year before I moved in, I stayed by my my sister-in-law and I came to shul. I really wanted to spend time with Rabbi Glatstein and experience the shul and hear his divrei Torah. And I got an aliyah and but more than that, when I walked in, there wasn't a seat in the back. It was packed and you know, everybody was here and I was like, I mean, I did find a seat but Rabbi Glatstein actually saw me. He never met me before and I don't know if he remembers this but he came to the from the front of the shul during davening and he came to the back and he took out some folding chairs and he opened them up and I remember that and it made a big impression on me. So, Rabbi Glatstein's chesed and you know, his his attitude towards everyone in the shul is amazing, it's tremendous and you know, that that has to be mentioned. Um two things about this shul that I'm sure everyone already knows, there's no talking. So, there's it's feelers on a very high level and there's a lot of Torah and that's really the big attraction. You know, I mean, everyone talks about the feeler and no cell phones but at the end of the day, it's the it's the Torah that Rabbi Glatstein teaches. This shul is the fountainhead of the Rabbi's Torah and this is where it all stems from and we all benefit from it and you know, whether he gives shiurim here or different places, this is his this is the epicenter of of the Torah. And you know, it's it's all the shem shamayim. It's giving nachas ruach to Kodesh Baruchu and to really be marbitz Torah and everybody everybody really benefits from it. So, I urge everybody to give generously and uh really support this institution. The Rabbi gave a speech, uh he gave a shiur actually last year on talking about the menorah and the chatzotzros and I remember that and the menorah I believe represents Torah and the chatzotzros represents Villa and I would say this rule represents both equally and you know a lot of rules it's more one than the other but this rule is both and you know it's it's just an amazing place to dive in and learn. So I urge everybody again to give generously and support this this institution and with your help the rule will reach new heights. >> There are six ways not to start a speech. The first thing is that I was not planning on speaking but I was planning on speaking. So I actually prepared a full draft and it may be obvious you may have heard it before but certainly now I'm joking. I'm going to be a little bit frank. I was told there's some editing ability so use it at your discussion. I had the opportunity to dive in at Rabbi Kahn's rule in in Brooklyn when I first got married on Avenue J and this beautiful rule. And one of the main messages that they had there is a seriousness to diving and cover the Villa. And there's no talking. But the best part is is that it's not your job to stop the guy next to you from talking. The rub does it. He goes over and he says be quiet. Which is like beautiful. I can enjoy the diving. I don't have to put myself out there. And and so when I came here I remember speaking to my wife about it. I'm like "I'm a little bit spoiled there, you know? I don't know if I'm going to come here and it's going to be a little bit, you know, if I'm davening and the you know, guy's talking to me or guy's on his phone, whatever it may be. I may be But then, baruch Hashem, I uh I have to thank Rabbi Weinberg. Thank you, Rabbi. Told me about shul and the halacha of the rav. And I saw the forthright courage that that it that that happens to you know, during tefillah, if necessary, to redirect that it happens. And it takes a lot of courage. And for me, I find that I am really just following the path of the derech of of the rav in the shul in the importance of tefillah. And it allows me to hold on to uh What is it? The uh What is that called? The uh the the the jacket tails, the the of of the rav through this path. Now, it has been miraculous in the development from the living room until here we are. Never missed one davening here in the shul. We never missed a a uh a uh a uh Shabbos davening here in the shul. Now, I believe that the plans are are are set to construct while we're here. So, if you want to see a miracle, I don't know how it's going to happen, but if you want to be part of the miracle that the shul will have its minyan here, you just got to you got to you got to see it to believe it. And I'm waiting. Um So, mit Hashem, please, I had the courage to get up here. And so, I had the courage to ask you to donate to my page. My goal is very high this year. So, I was asking you out there Page? It's a Yachnes team. Yachnes team Please donate and help me reach my full goal make your own page first donate to my page and then make your own page but join us as we see the fruits of the labor of the the of the show and the direction in which it's taking Thank you. Okay introducing the launch Right now T minus 1 minute Right now Go on to MMS that no sorry Charity.com Slash MMH Go on Donate generously now is the time Who knows how long we're going to be able to stay in this country anyways if they take it you might as well give it now And if my money's going to get to it I mean I hope I hope it doesn't go too public but then he just he's going to tax it away so you might as well put it into charity like the the kind story the guy who said I wish I would have given it away you know I'm I'm glad you begged me to give it because that's all I had I have left Right the teeth the the teeth story anyways Donate join us and together we will succeed