Question & Answer With Long Beach Chasid - Gerrer Chassidus

(courtesy of Wikipedia.org)

I have been reading A Simple Jew's Blog for sometime now. Ive read a lot of blogs and usually loose interest but there was something different about a simple Jew and what he wrote about. This was because almost every time I read his blog it is as if I am writing it myself, except I wouldn't be so eloquent. His blog many times relates to something I'm struggling with in my yiddishkite and we usually arrive to the same conclusion in our own way so its good to get that other perspective on how to arrive to the Emes. When he asked me to write about Ger Chassidus I was of course excited but also a little scared. I know that there are many learned people who read his blogs and I thought to myself who am I this Baal Teshuvah to be writing about what I think about Ger Chassidus. Then I realized as Jews we are searching for the Truth the Emes and so if I cant find the Emes, Baruch Hashem there are other Jews to help me find the Emes. This is a way I am trying to look at criticism and correction as bringing me closer to the Emes which is Hashem. After that the words flowed. I decided I would write my experience and my feelings and if others disagreed it might help me get a bigger picture of what Ger Chassidus and Chassidus in general is all about.

Here is the link to the interview between A Simple Jew & I.

Its also found here surprisingly on JewishBlogging.com

Check out Artscroll's Book: Rebbes of Ger found here

This is what the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh says of the Sfas Emes

"The great Sfas Emes had been made a Rebbe at age 26, and was asked how he managed to garner such great wisdom and insight at such a young age. He replied with a mashal. "It would be as if a mountain-climber who worked for years to gather a team together, to get in shape for the awesome ordeal, and to do everything he had to do for so long, then reached the mountaintop -- and came upon a kid there. 'How did you ever get here at your age?' asked the mountain-climber. 'It's simple,' said the child. 'While some have to expend the effort to reach the mountaintop, others are born and raised on it'."

Shavuos & Yartzeits

Baal Shem Tov

This Shavuos will be different for me. Ive been accustomed to spending it away from my parents usually somewhere far far away. This Shavuos I will be with my parents and my Kallah. It shall be most splendid as is every day, especially Shabbos & Yom Tovim with my new wife. We werent sure where we were going to be for Shavuos, our New York plans not working out after our Rav's Rebbe fell ill. Please pray for him his name is Chaskel Ben Frumet. May he have a refyah shleima and be able to share Torah with Klal Yisroel till one hundred and twenty. Unable to decide where to spend the Yom Tov, our decision was decided for us with the promise of cheesecake and ice cream. The 6th of Sivan is Shavuos as well as yartzeit to some amazing Tzaddikim. King David, the Baal Shem Tov, and the Imrei Emes the 3rd Rebbe of Ger. King Davids Yartzeit being on Shavuos interests me. HaKodesh Barachu blessed Dovid HaMelech with the knowledge that he would pass away on Shabbos. Knowing that no one can die while learning Torah with a full mind and void of interruption, King David spent his Shabbosim consumed in Torah Study, not even taking time for sleeping. On Shavuos it is a minhag of Klal Yisroel to stay up all night learning Torah to rectify the error of Klal Yisroel sleeping in. This makes it more interesting that King David who on his own accord learned Torah non stop all of Shabbos would pass away on the day when we are required to learn Torah Non Stop. How could this happen? There is a Midrash that Satan got the best of David and interrupted him with the sound of his 10 string lyre. Another that he climbed a ladder and the rungs broke. It would be good to learn Chassidus and say some extra Tehillim in honor of these 3 Tzaddikim and that they shall all have aliyot in Heaven.