-ש- ק -יע- -ת- -ה- חמה

הרב ישראל מנדל, ירושלים

שנת תשפ"ה חולפת שמשה שוקעת,

מותירה אחריה אנושות דומעת,

אדומה ולוהטת מערבה צונחת,

שקיעתה האחרונה בשנה קודחת,

הימה דוהרת וכבר מתגעגעת,

למחרת שוב עולה וזורחת,

טלי עמך במטותא את סבלנו,

באוקיינוס הטביעי צרותינו ומבוכותינו,

התחדשי ותאירי ליבותנו,

השתדלי והרבי תחינה בפני בוראינו,

שירחם עלינו ועל צאצאינו,

יברך עוללנו וטפינו,

כאב רחמן ינתב מסילותנו,

מאוצרו הטוב ישפיע על אסמינו,

יטה ברכה אל משאלות ליבנו,

שנה מתוקה ינחיל במעוננו,

אושר נחת ובריאות,

ממצוקות נשוחרר לחירות,

בשפתינו נבטא שבח והודיה,

בליבנו נביע תקוה והודאה,

נחווה כולנו שנה מדהימה,

מראשיתה לאחריתה מתוקה ושפויה,

עוד רבות וטובות בשנים,

כן יהי רצון מלפני בורא העולמים,

כתיבה וחתימה טובה!

Message for the High Holy Days 5786

Message for the High Holy Days ("Yamim Nora-im") from the Shul Rabbi:

With the help from Hashem, Erev Rosh Hashana 5786

This year, like the previous year was a very challenging one for the Jewish community, both in the holy land and in the diaspora.

The harrowing events on Simchat Torah (October 7^th) caused worldwide upheaval, with antisemitism and antizionism coming to the fore as never before.

It is well-known that human beings are creatures of habit, we do not like change.  How are we to respond to this outpouring of unbridled, unchecked and pervasive hatred?

We could ignore everything by preverbally burying our heads in the sand, or we could fight it head on, by going on a march, a vigil or a protest.

Is there another way? 

In the High Holiday prayers, we say the famous phrase: "Tefilla (Prayer), Teshuvah (Penitence) and Tzedakah (Charity) avert evil of the decree.

This is the recipe on how to engender change in our outlook. 

• Prayer (Tefilla) is our relationship with Hashem.  The Jewish community needs our prayers now more than ever before, so please give it a try and say a prayer - even in your own language.  Our Father in Heaven listens to our prayers wherever we may be in our spiritual journey.  
• Penitence (Teshuvah) is our relationship with ourselves.  Every year anew - Hashem gives us another chance to try and improve our ways, so that when look ourselves in the mirror, we see a new, rejuvenated "Me".  Since October 7^thmore people have begun to identify with Judaism. There is a feeling of "we need to do something, we need to strengthen ourselves". 
• Tzedakah (Charity) is our relationship with others; we need to help those who may be in difficult situations, whether they suffer a lack of money, time, or friends - just being there for another person is also a form of charity! 

Despite the difficulties here in the UK, our small community has become stronger.  We have increased our social, cultural and educational programmes. 

I owe a vote of thanks to all those who make it their business to attend the services (Tefilla), those who try to improve (Teshuva) and all who lend a helping hand in the myriad ways that present themself (Tzedaka).

Special thanks to to our team of volunteers for their dedication to help keep the Shul ticking and for the crew who prepare kiddushim on a weekly basis.  I hope more people will join in our activities and step forward to volunteer, even for one hour a month (every little helps).

I wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year 5786. 

May Hashem accept our heartfelt prayers for this coming year to be one of peace, and that we merit the final redemption, very speedily indeed.

Yours sincerely,

Menasche Scharf

Reverend at Finsbury Park United Synagogue, LONDON, UK

P.S. A special "Thank You" goes to my dear friend and mentor, Rabbi Yitzchok Austin of the Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue, for providing me with the material for this New Year message.

For the Hakomas Matzevo (stone setting) for Mrs Hadassah Beck (Schachter) O”H הדסה בת קלונמוס קלמן

 Hakomas Matzeivo

It says in Megillas Esther: והוא אומן את הדסה

She was a huge Baal emunah and Bitachon: Whenever the doctor told her the results, she always pointed upwards saying "He’s the biggest Doctor and He’ll decide!".

She was always davening and saying tehilim, competing the whole sefer every day.  

She made a deal with the Rebbe of Sadiger ZT"L: She is Davening for him and he should Daven for Yochonon.

She would religiously attend Shiurim - even after she became quite ill and even when she was completely washed out after a chemo session - she would not miss any of them !

אל תטוש תורת אמך

She was well known for her staunch adherence to Yiddishkeit , without giving up on Tznius as befitting a true Eshes Chayil

נושא בעול עם חברו

Always participating in simches from others.  She would travel to St Hill for any simche and even travel the world just to be able to participate and be mesameach others.

By the Barmitzvah in her extended family she would always come and help with her whole heart preparing the food with her expertise and balebuste talents.

הכנסת אורחים

Was always besimche and מקבל כל אדם בסבר פנים יפות

Whenever we came to visit she would accompany us to the door and waited to wave goodbye.

For her to drive all the way to far away places, just to give someone a lift was a no-brainer

The yearly Chanukah parties hosted by uncle Yochenen O”H and Tante Hadassah O”H are remembered by many in the family

On the last Shabbos of her life, the neighbours made Havdoloh for her and uncharacteristically she did not wish them Gut Voch, which became clear a couple of hours later . . .

מליץ יושר

The next generation is going in her ways and she with Yochonon should derive much Nachas!

As a granddaughter of the Chavas Da'as - time to put it to good use for her family and for klal Yisroel, to reach the point of:

ובלע המות לנצח – יקיצו וירננו שוכני עפר במהרה בימינו אמן

Fifteen years for Torah Way in South Tottenham

Fifteen years for Torah Way in South Tottenham

1st September 2020

A nice gathering formed at the Biala Beis Midrash on Castlewood Road, South Tottenham to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Start Your Day the Torah Way – North London.

Rabbi Yitzchok Young Shlita, of the Tzanz Beis Midrash in Stamford Hill delivered the daily Shiur, during which he explained the deeper meaning of the Tekiyos and its ramifications (excuse the pun) on our day-to-day servitude to the Creator: the Teroo’oh symbolises fear, which should be mixed with joy – as represented in the triumphant blast of the Teki’oh.

This second part of the event was the annual report, presented by Rabbi Elimelech Levy, Rabbi of the Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue.  In his detailed account, he enumerated the diverse range of topics that some of North London’s best speakers covered in this unique learning programme.  Rabbi Levy also highlighted the fact that unlike other Shiurim, TorahWay has been running uninterrupted throughout the pandemic, including Erev Pesach, Tishah beAv – when we had a live broadcast by Rabbi Pesach Krohn – all the way from his home in the United States.  He finished with a heartfelt thanks to the speakers, who have clocked up 4388 Shiurim on a voluntary basis.

The organisers took full advantage of the fact that today is Bank holiday in the UK, to celebrate this happy milestone, by adding another Shiur to the regular one. Rabbi Alexander Grossnas Shlita expounded on the theme of “sticking to your guns”, no matter what.  Using the dedicated TorahWay team as an example to follow, he elaborated on the merits of working on one’s goals – day in day out.

Menasche Scharf extended a heartfelt vote of thanks to Rabbi Moshe Glausiusz, the Gabbai of the Biala Beis Midrash, who has graciously lent his hand to TorahWay-North-London since its inception, as well as to Rabbi Moshe Margulies and Hechover Moshe Milner, who also read three chapters of Tehilim.

Published in The Jewish Weekly, 1st September 2020

Reference: Fifteen years for TorahWay in South Tottenham

Twenty Years of Torah Learning: Elul 5765 to Elul 5785 (September 2005 to September 2025)

For immediate release

London, 01/09/2025

By Menasche Scharf

Twenty Years of Torah Learning - 5765 to 5785 (2005 - 2025)

Start Your Day the Torah Way - North London is celebrating twenty years since its inception.

On a bright Sunday morning in the month of Elul, 5765 / 2005, something new happened in North London: dozens of participants filled the Beis Hamedrash DeChasidei Biala “Chelkas Yehoishua”, to hear a Drosho in English on How to Prepare for Rosh Hashana.  The Start Your Day the Torah Way programme was a novel idea, based on a similar programme that was running in North Manchester: a morning Shiur given by Rabbonim and others to enhance the busy worker's life - before setting out to his business day.

Twenty years later, the North London branch of Start Your Day the Torah Way has garnered over 5,300(!) Shiurim, which are safely stored on the Kol HaLoshon system, where one can listen by telephone or by internet.

Over the years, Torah Way - North London had the privilege of hosting some famous and many lesser-famous speakers.  Not long after we started running SYDTTW, the Beis HaMedrash DeChasidei Biala “Chelkas Yehoishua” was packed solid, when Rabbi Matisyohu Salomon ztz"l came to speak.  

As dozens of young Avreichim will testify (little me incluced), they started out as speakers on our programme and have gone on to become sought-after Maggidei Shiur in Stamford Hill and beyond.  

Many guest speakers appeared at SYDTTW-NL from all over England, Eretz Yisroel, America and even from far-flung Australia.

As one of our regular contributors, Rabbi Imanual Levy of Palmers Green United Synagogue reported at one of our annual meetings: "Topics taught at SYDTTW range from Chumash to Novi, Mishna and Gemorro, Aggodo and Halocho, Haftoroh and History, Mussar and Chassidus, Tefilloh and Minhag - covering the gamut of Torah shebichsav and shebe'al peh. 

For the past twenty years there have been many instances when Start Your Day the Torah Way could have ceased operations, if not for the indefatigable team of dedicated volunteers who - Beisyatta diShmaya - kept it going - even throughout the dreaded pandemic, when Shiurim were recorded from the Rabbis' homes and were stored on the Kol HaLoshon system for posterity.  

Here is the place to mention one of our unforgettable Shiur coordinators, by inserting a few lines of appreciation, written by one of the many lecturers, in memory of  our beloved co-ordinator, who left us in the prime of his life, Rabbi Moshe Margulies OB”M:

“On the day that I was delivering a Shiur at Start Your Day the Torah Way, he only spoke to me in English.  This is because – being that I came from a Yiddish-speaking home - my English was passable at best…  This was his way of forcing me to learn the language, so that over time, my Shiurim would become better and better.

Whenever he was mentoring a new lecturer, he did it with so much sensitivity, only giving compliments – with some constructive comments thrown in for good measure – so that the young Rabbi could learn from the present and improve for the future.

Reb Moshe Ztz”l made sure that the lecturer was given encouragement from the broader public, by asking people to compliment him for his latest Drosho.

When he was hospitalised for yet another ailment, he told a visitor: “Start Your Day the Torah Way is my life” – at a time when the medical staff could not ascertain what food he was allowed – still, Start Your Day the Torah Way was his sustenance!" (written by a SYDTTW speaker, who started out as a novice and is now a veteran Maggid Shiur all over town)

Another impression of Reb Moshe (written not long after he was Niftar), by Mr Aharon Factor, who was our "anchor" when we started out:

"Aharon, hold the speaker for another minute, I am nearly there...".  These were often the words spoken to me by my good and dear friend, Reb Moshe Margulies ztz"l, when I was the announcer for "Start Your Day, the Torah Way", based at the Beis HaMedrash DeChasidei Biala “Chelkas Yehoishua”, on Castlewood Road.  Reb Moshe was always busy with community projects, but wanted to be there in person to hear, as he called it: "my Welsh tones"!  While I was involved with this great learning platform, Reb Moshe was always an encouragement to me and I enjoyed our interaction.  Sadly, Stamford Hill has lost a very active and accomplished member of our community.  Fondly remembered by Aharon Factor."

A vote of thanks is due to all those who made Start Your Day the Torah Way - North London a reality.  As there are so many - from the founders in Manchester to the local organisers, esteemed Maggidei Shiur (lecturers) and listeners - both who listen on site and those who tune in to Kol HaLoshon, it is nearly impossible to list them all; our apologies to everyone whose name was left out.  

Special mention though is owed to Reb Moshe Glausiusz, long-standing Gabbai of the Beis Hamedrash Dechasidei Biala “Chelkas Yehoishua”, who graciously offered the Shteeble to serve as an Achsanya shel Torah for SYDTTW.  Our final accolades go to our very own MC, heChover Reb Moshe (Morris) Milner, who faithfully announces the Shiur, day in day out and Reb Avrohom (Avrumi) Lipschitz, who for the past couple of years has helped with programming. 

About:

Start Your Day the Torah Way is an Adult Learning Programme. Shiurim are delivered in English by a different Rabbi every weekday from 9:10-10:00am and Sunday from 9:20-10:00am at Beis HaMedrash DeChasidei Biala “Chelkas Yehoishua”, 110 Castlewood Road corner Craven Park Road, South Tottenham, London, N15 6BE.  By Public Transport: Bus 318.  By car: plenty of free parking until 10:00AM.  Listen to live Shiurim on Kol HaLoshon, recorded Shiurim can also be heard on the Torah Way channel of Kol HaLoshon: 00443305517777; choose 1 (for English), 9 (for “Derech HaTorah”) and 4 (for Start Your Day the Torah Way - North London) and downloaded from Kol haloshon.com (search for "Start Your Day the Torah Way, London - South Tottenham").

Photo attached: SYDTTW in its early years, showing the late Reb Yisroel  Chaim (Geoffrey) Niman (his Hakoams Matzeva is on 07/09/2025 at the Beis HaChayim in Enfield, LONDON), lhbc"l HeChover Moshe (Morris) Milner, and the writer.

Menasche Scharf, founder of SYDTTW - North London is since May 2025 Reverend at Finsbury Park United Synagogue and can be reached at menasche.scharf@gmail.com