Dear Chovevei Family, 

As you may know, Rabbi Linzer and I are in Israel. The main purpose of our trip is to connect with students and institutions; to teach Torah and to build relationships with Torah leaders of Israel. Sadly, the tragic murders of the rabbis praying in Har Nof has tainted much of our visit. Every place we have gone has been colored by the tragedy. Still, the message everywhere we have been, whether at Maale Gilboa or Machanaiim, is one of solidarity of American Jews and Israeli Jews and the comfort from the Torah of Eretz Yisrael. We are committed to instilling that strength in our Torah at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.  

Perhaps the most powerful moment of this trip was at the shiva call that Rav Linzer and I paid to the Twersky Family at the home of Rabbi Twersky, zt"l, in Har Nof. We were prompted to introduce ourselves by Rav Twersky's children and brother, Rabbi Mayer Twersky of Riverdale. When we met the family, Rav Linzer described how our musmakh, Rav Nissan Antine (YCT '06), in response to the tragedy, had listened to one of the shiurim of Rav Twersky online and then taught that shiur just last night in Rav Twersky's memory. The shiur was on the subject of Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's name). The children of Rabbi Twersky were deeply comforted by knowing that their father's Torah was extending beyond his life and is still being taught around the world. In fact, the person who had put that shiur, along with all shiurim that Rav Twersky had taught, on the internet was in the room. He spoke at length about how meaningful it is to hear about other rebbeim teaching Rav Twersky's Torah. 

We were then prompted by the children to go to the women's section to see Rav Twersky's mother, Atara Twersky of Brookline, who was sitting with the rabbi's wife and family. Mrs. Atara Twersky, too, was comforted by hearing that her son's Torah was being taught and she mentioned, ironically, that she never thought her son would experience his own shiur by dying al Kiddush Hashem. One of the people visiting wondered out loud how such a tragic death could happen to such an amazing, wonderful family. Rabbi Twersky's wife responded to this, quoting Vayikra 10:3, "To those who are close to me; I will be sanctified." She said we can never know why, and, at the same time, she had full faith in God. Mrs. Twersky poignantly described her husband's death as "the death of a pure man: he went to the mikvah that morning, wore his tefillin, and was in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei when he died a holy man in holiness."

We came to comfort, yet we were comforted by the family's strength and majesty. Posters on the roads read "In regard to this tragedy, let us look inwards and do teshuva." Har Nof feels a tragedy, but is also a community that will recover and grow stronger.

Shalom and best wishes,

Rabbi Asher Lopatin