Posts by Rabbi Harvey Belovski

How the rabbis made history

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:36:41 +0100

The second of Rabbi Dr Benny Lau's monumental Chachamim series to be translated into English, this work, like its companion three volumes (three so far), looks at the development and challenges of the Jewish people through the lives and teachings of rabbinical leaders.

Subtitled From Yavneh to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, this volume covers the tumultuous period after the destruction of the second Temple. It focuses on the struggle to develop a sustainable Judaism in a post-destruction milieu, the challenges posed by the Roman occupation of the Land and the development of rabbinic authority and education systems in Yavneh.

He draws on an impressive range of contemporary rabbinic sources, medieval and other classic commentaries, as well as more academic scholarship. Of note are his references to Professor A.J. Heschel's approach to the seminal debates between Rabbis Akiva and Ishmael and his extensive use of scholarly historical works to support his understanding of the Bar Kochba revolt.

The style is serious yet accessible, and Lau's text (expertly translated) reads less like a collection of discrete studies than a novel-like coherent whole. One way in which he achieves this is by segueing from one section to another using a particular rabbinic figure; the study of Rabbi Akiva's personal contribution to Torah study is followed by a study of his redemptive aspirations which partial fuelled the Bar Kochba revolt. An erudite and informative work, one I recommend.

Harvey Belovski is rabbi of Golders Green Synagogue

Angels at the Table: a Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:40:56 +0000

Yvette Alt Miller
Continuum, £22.99

This ambitious and unusual work combines a step-by-step guide to Shabbat observance, with recipes, song-lyrics and ideas for 'fostering meaningful conversations'. Harvard-graduate Miller's work dispels myths about the value and practicalities of Shabbat observance for modern suburban families.

I confess to having been bemused by some of her Americanisms ("Some people link arms and sway... at this point"). And the melody selections (singing Ani Ma'amin, I believe with perfect faith, to California Dreaming) I found silly. But the book is well-written, carefully planned and packed with sensible information about the wonders and physical and spiritual benefits of Shabbat. The sections on "Torah questions" for the table and guides to preparing and hosting Shabbat meals are particularly helpful.

A clever and original aspect is her attempt to show how Shabbat offers a window into many other areas of Jewish life: she convincingly asserts that once one has created a "religious space" in one's life, it can easily grow to accommodate kashrut, Torah study and prayer.

Inevitably, a book of this grand scope is somewhat shallow in places. It errs by decentralising the religious functions of Shabbat - recognising and emulating God as creator and celebrating the Exodus - in favour of an instrumental approach which focuses on "what Shabbat can do for you". And remarkably, it fails to cite Heschel's masterpiece "The Sabbath", perhaps the greatest English-language monograph on the topic.

Yet overall, Miller's project is successful, ably weaving her own experiences and excitement about Shabbat with a down-to-earth programme that will surely inspire young families to give full, traditional Shabbat observance a try.

Festivals of Faith: Reflections on the Jewish Holidays

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:36:32 +0100

Norman Lamm
Edited by David Shatz, OU Press, $45

This is an edited collection of sermons delivered over a 50-year period by Rabbi Norman Lamm, Chancellor of Yeshiva University and a well-known voice of modern Orthodoxy. It consists of some 55 essays on the festival cycle from Rosh Hashanah to Tishah b'Av, as well as a number of thoughtful pieces on Yom Ha'atzmaut.

They reflect Rabbi Lamm's eloquence and erudition, blending a huge array of Torah sources with contemporary cultural and political references. While in some cases quite chatty, they are also highly-structured homiletical masterpieces, packed with pithy and challenging observations.

I was struck by his ability to extract powerful lessons from phenomena that are often overlooked. His piece on the prohibition of wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur illustrates this: he attributes it to the affirmation of all life on the holiest of days and the realisation that "we must not trample the sensitivities of others underfoot".

Other examples include fascinating essays on the difference between "haste" and "hurry" - rushing towards life or away from it (Pesach); the limits of practicality and the seminal role of unsophisticated visionaries in bringing Jewish history to fruition (Yom Yerushalayim); Jewish identity and the centrality of Torah literacy (Shavuot).

For the pulpit rabbi, the collection is a terrific goldmine of ideas; for the layperson, a sophisticated companion for every festival. Highly recommended, if rather expensive.

A Torah haven in the Geordie heartlands

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:13:47 +0000

I have just spent a week in Gateshead, a yeshivah town in the north of England, where my wife and I lived when we were first married and I was a student at the Gateshead Yeshivah. I remain eternally indebted to Gateshead for the outstanding Torah education I received there, and particularly for the encouragement I received to develop into an independent rabbi and halachist. Yet it was the first time since my departure for the rabbinate some 13 years ago that I'd spent more than the odd day there.

On the surface, very little has changed in Gateshead: the same spiritually-striving and hospitable Torah families hidden behind gloomy Coronation Street terraces; the same economic challenges. Yet the community has doubled in size since the early 90s, to 450 families, necessitating expansion into areas that were once exclusively Geordie; there is a greatly enhanced infrastructure including a community health centre (in our former home).

But the most significant news has been the appointment of Rabbi Shraga Faivel Zimmerman as town Rav, following the passing of the esteemed Rabbi Rakow. A brilliant, articulate and thoughtful American, he seems to have struck just the right balance between preserving Gateshead's conservative character and instigating changes vital for the community's development. These include modernising the education system by providing alternatives to long-term Torah study for adults and encouraging working families to settle and start businesses in Gateshead, fostering greater religious and social diversity and increasing local prosperity.

I was royally hosted by dear friends, sat in my former seat in the yeshivah for shacharit and enjoyed a visit to the colossal Lehmann's bookshop, where I picked up a couple of hard-to-come-by medieval commentaries on Rashi. I also had the privilege of private meetings with the Rav, the rosh yeshivah and the yeshivah's spiritual supervisor. Of course, much of this is nostalgia: it felt good to retrace familiar steps and to show the children where Daddy used to learn.

I was especially struck by the mature attitude of many of the people I met when confronted with someone (me) whose outlook and objectives differ considerably from theirs. I recall that this had always been my experience in Gateshead, especially at the yeshivah. When I joined in 1990, I was several years older than my classmates; they had strong backgrounds in Torah learning, I did not; whereas my wife and I had recently graduated from Oxford, most of them had no intention of attending university; they wore the sombre "yeshivah kit", and I was none too keen on the dress-code. But from the very first day, I was welcomed as a full member by staff and students alike.

Those contrasts of 20 years ago are now more manifest. I spent the entire week in Gateshead working on my doctoral dissertation. It is well-known that the yeshivah world tends to view academic Jewish studies with distrust, and the potential holder of a "Rabbi Dr" moniker with suspicion. Yet everyone, without exception, from the people I met casually to the Rav, was interested in what I am doing, and genuinely enthusiastic about my achievements.

My experience was repeated in conversations with old friends, some of whom have children of the same ages as ours. I was asked a number of times what our eldest daughter Michali, who is now in school-year 11, will be doing next. Here, the differences could not be more pronounced: it is the norm in Gateshead for children to leave school after GCSEs to go to yeshivah or seminary, whereas Michali is choosing her A-level subjects in preparation for university. Again, the people with whom I spoke were supportive and encouraging, even though Michali's plans diverge so greatly from what they would consider appropriate for their children.

I think that this phenomenon reflects the fact that the Gateshead community contains many people who are not just thoroughly decent, but happy and secure with their own life-choices. I have noticed that unhappy and insecure people within our religious world feel a need to run down others in order to validate their own positions; those who are secure can celebrate the choices of others, even when they strongly disagree with them, without feeling threatened.

And while I am sure that that there are those in Gateshead who do not behave like this, I have realised that this is why I have continued to feel comfortable with the people there, despite the considerable gulf between our aspirations.

Thinking more broadly, this is a good working model for cross-communal cohesion. Even those individuals and communities with radically different styles and understandings of the world can peacefully co-exist, but this is unlikely to happen unless their leaders are happy and secure with their own identities, and make this manifest in the message they preach.

Regrettably, this is uncommon; in many places, religious life thrives on delegitimisation. Much rests on our ability to convey a sense of contentment and joy to our children and students.

I was encouraged by my visit to Gateshead: for all its pious insularity, it is a community of people who appear to be secure in their choices, something that can only contribute to harmony in an otherwise fragmented religious world.

The Relationship of Orthodox Jews with Believing Jews of Other Religious Ideologies and Non-Believing Jews

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:41:01 +0000

Edited Adam Mintz, Ktav $30

As suggested by its rather unwieldy title, this volume tackles some of the thornier aspects of inter-denominational interaction from modern Orthodox perspectives. It is a sequence of papers, originally presented at one of Yeshiva University's Orthodox Forums by a distinguished group of educators, professors and yeshivah heads.

While some essays deal with circumstances unique to the United States, many of them have parallels in British Jewry. There is an excellent historical study of the changes in inter-denominational relationships in America, studies of the challenges of Orthodox professionals working in non-Orthodox educational and communal settings and a comparison of the religious-secular divides in Israel and America.

The book contains some memorable sections about the changing American attitudes towards the personal and communal pain caused by intermarriage and the often unacknowledged reliance of the non-Orthodox communities on their Orthodox counterparts for direction in creating communal vibrancy. It also includes an important non-Orthodox contribution by Ahuva Halberstam, the high-school head of the "pluralistic, progressive" Heschel School in Manhattan. Her piece, as well as Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein's balanced approach to pan-denominational educational enterprises, while not quite addressing British scenarios, gave me food for thought.

The final section covers topics such as civil marriage in Israel and relations between religious and non-religious IDF troops. In a thoughtful postscript, Rabbi Lichtenstein notes that when a religious and secular soldier "have sat in a tank jointly, their common safety and respective futures often inextricably intertwined, there is a commonality that may just not exist in the diaspora".

Exodus: The Book of Redemption

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:05:56 +0000

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
OU/Maggid, £16.99

This second volume of Chief Rabbi Sacks's essays on the weekly parashiyot, containing articles adapted from his popular electronic Covenant and Conversation series, will find a broad and receptive audience.

Attractively produced, the book includes a powerful thematic introduction to Shemot and four essays for each of the 11 parashiyot. As ever, Rabbi Sacks blends literary and philosophical references with classic rabbinical sources to create a sophisticated, thought-provoking, yet readable, collection.

A typical set of essays is those on Terumah, the parashah which provides instructions how to build the desert Tabernacle. In a varied and interesting treatment, Rabbi Sacks discusses the portability of the "Tabernacle of the heart", which, he asserts, gave rise to the notion of the synagogue; tackles the failure of King Solomon to complete the "last chapter in the long story" of the Exodus; and extracts from the instructions to build the Ark of the Covenant the "profoundly egalitarian" approach of a Judaism whose genius is to make knowledge "accessible to all". And in a piece with the unmistakably Sacksesque title of "The home we make for God", he considers the cosmic importance of the Tabernacle, which represents the notion that human beings can create a space for God.

I was particularly taken with the introduction, where Rabbi Sacks offers an articulate approach to the transition from Genesis to Exodus, discusses whether the Sinaitic covenant may truly be considered reciprocal, and delivers a persuasive account of the revolutionary nature of the liberation of a nation of slaves and its inspirational impact on later oppressed minorities. It ends with a hopeful spin on a favourite theme: while Shemot describes a "realistic utopia", in which God's aspirations for the Israelites is constantly challenged by their wayward behaviour, they will one day reach their destination.

An Orthodox American revolutionary

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:55:55 +0000

Rabbi Sherer: the paramount Torah spokesman of our era
Yonoson Rosenblum
ArtScroll Mesorah, £21.25

This book is a biography of Rabbi Moshe (Morris) Sherer, the visionary leader of American (and latterly of World) Agudath Israel from the 1960s until his death. Its author, Yale-educated Rabbi Yonason Rosenblum, is perhaps the most eloquent English-language spokesman for Charedi Jewry.

In a thoroughly-researched and readable study, Rosenblum shows how under Sherer's guidance, "the Agudah" (the advocacy organisation of strictly-Orthodox Ashkenazic Jewry) became a powerful and coherent vehicle for promoting and attaining the political objectives of its constituents. Sherer was a handsome and charismatic man, an inspirational speaker and a lucid writer, who was comfortable in many worlds. Rosenblum shows how Sherer exploited his brilliant organisational skills, ability to speak with Jews and gentiles of every persuasion, and passionate convictions to put Agudath Israel "on the map of Jewish America". But above all, Rosenblum succeeds in conveying the image of a man who loved people deeply and had the poise to disagree with others, sometimes vehemently, yet stick to the issues at hand without straying into ad hominem rhetoric.

The book is also the account of an important historical phenomenon: the transformation of American Orthodoxy in a few decades from a weak, imperilled "minority within a minority" into a powerful, influential and scene-changing body. Rosenblum was the chief architect of that revolution, promoting Daas Torah (rabbinic authority as the deciding factor in all matters) .

Sherer emerges as a likable, somewhat avuncular figure. The book is overly long and, inevitably, uncritical and hagiographic in places. Yet it provides a unique window into a 20th-century American Jewish transformation and the man behind it.

A trip to Israel is the best batmitzvah gift

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:44:40 +0100

A couple of months ago, I had the great pleasure of spending eight days in Israel with my second daughter Tehilloh, who is due to celebrate her batmitzvah at the end of June. The trip, her first to Israel, was her batmitzvah present from my wife and me.

Like other parents, my wife and I are keen to devise meaningful ways for our children to mark their transition into Jewish adulthood. Our primary concern is that Tehilloh understands that her batmitzvah is a key opportunity for her to deepen her connection with God and Judaism, strengthen her identification with and love for the Jewish people, and start to form mature and sensitive Jewish aspirations of her own.

We are certain that developing keen Israel-awareness is an important objective for Tehilloh and our other children. I have the privilege of visiting Israel often, but my wife gets there only periodically and our children not at all. And since my children are blessed to have grown up in the comfort of Golders Green, where every aspect of their religious lives is catered for, it is a challenge to ensure that our children remain aware that Israel is the locus of all Jewish religious, national and political ambitions.

How does one convey to children living in a malchut shel chessed - a country that is mostly peaceful and sensitive to their religion and culture - that Jewish life is meant to be lived in Israel? How does one communicate the sense that the heart of the Jewish people beats not in Golders Green or Brooklyn, but in the Holy City of Jerusalem? And how does one excite happy, settled, diaspora children about the modern miracle of the return to the Land, or teach them to identify with Israel's failings and celebrate her successes?

We try to encourage each of our children to sense the importance of the transition into Jewish adulthood by taking them on a private, serious tour of Israel as the focal part of their celebration. There is nothing especially creative or innovative here - just a low-budget, intensive Israel-experience. I took my eldest daughter on a similar trip three years ago and in due course, God (and finances) willing, either my wife or I plan to take each of our other children on a similar special tour.

During the trip (guided by Tehilloh's interests), we explored Jerusalem, culminating with Shabbat in the Old City, headed north to the Kinneret, Tiberias and Safed, drove south to discover Ein Gedi and climb Masada, visited friends, sampled restaurants, shopped in the shuk, visited a world-famous rabbi and devoted a morning to volunteering at a soup kitchen.

But apart from seeing key places of religious and historical interest, I was keen that Tehilloh should have a fantastic time absorbing the unique atmosphere of Israel, its sounds, odours, diversity of people and its deep, incomparable Jewishness.

And judging by her enthusiastic response, her display of photos and her list of favourites (the winner: floating in the Dead Sea; second: kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel), Tehilloh is gradually getting the "Israel bug", that will influence her dreams and aspirations, just as my wife and I did years ago. It is probably obvious that I was as excited as Tehilloh about the trip, not least for the unprecedented opportunity to spend eight whole days of private time together, allowing us to talk and share ideas in an unpressured environment.

The Israel trip is the "big" experience, and as such, the rest of the simchah will be modest, a dinner at home for family and friends at which Tehilloh will speak, and a se'udah shlishit graciously hosted by our community.

I feel that a degree of creativity would greatly enhance many bar- and batmitzvah celebrations. While some innovative educational programmes have developed over the last few years, especially for young women, the semachot themselves are often extravagant and empty.

In some circles, sumptuous parties, barely distinguishable from weddings, have become de rigueur, and while I am not in the business of telling people how to spend their money, I have noticed that there is often an inverse correlation between expenditure and meaning. And despite difficult financial times, social pressure may mean that some feel compelled to host a lavish affair, even when they cannot actually afford it.

In a privileged world in which numerous young people have already been exposed to the wonders of international travel and the riches of world culture, many families are struggling to find a meaningful way to mark their children's transition into adulthood. I advise my congregants that however they choose to mark the occasion, it is vital that the celebration reflects and empowers the fulfilment of their Jewish aspirations for their children. By these criteria, most semachot miss the mark by a long way.

As the proud parents of Tehilloh (and several other beautiful Belovskis), my wife and I feel that the inspirational power of a private trip to Israel, followed by a small-scale celebration at home, strikes the right balance.

When you next plan a simchah, please ignore societal norms and devote your energies to creating a lasting and meaningful experience that will transform your child's life and expand their Jewish horizons.

So why isn't our meat good enough, rabbi?

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:22:09 +0000

A rabbi goes to heaven and is invited to sit at a banquet attended by Moses himself. He makes a discreet enquiry and discovers that the food is under Divine supervision. The rabbi whispers in a waiter’s ear, “I’ll take the fish!”

Many people are puzzled by the suggestion that a rabbi might endorse some area of religious life but be reluctant to partake in it himself. For example, it troubles people that some rabbis won’t eat from certain kosher butchers; others still won’t carry on Shabbat inside an eruv. One hears the obvious concerns about inconsistency expressed in blunt terms: “Is it kosher or not? If it’s kosher why won’t you eat it, and if it’s not kosher, why should I?”

It is not possible to make sense of this phenomenon without examining some of the underlying principles of halachah. Jewish law is fascinating and complex. Even the word “halachah” (literally, a way to go) indicates a process rather than a ruling. It is a complete system that regulates every area of life, from the mundane to the most profound.

Halachah cares not only how we act, but also how we think and feel about ourselves, other human beings, the world itself, and, of course, God. As such, it is all-encompassing in its scope and the opportunity that it gives us to maximise every instant, imbuing it with meaning and purpose. From cradle to grave, boardroom to bedroom, halachah is ever-present, allowing every moment to be experienced through the lens of the Divine.

Yet the comprehensive nature of halachah should not be confused with the desire to create a monolithic society in which everyone behaves identically. Indeed, disagreeing is the halachists’ favourite pursuit: unresolved arguments appear on each page of the Talmud and halachic code; in fact, there is only one chapter (in over 500) in the entire Mishnah that doesn’t contain a disagreement.

While there are, naturally, established processes by which practical decisions are made, halachah might best be described as “organised disorder”, a vast array of disagreements built on earlier disagreements. Some view this as an insanely unworkable system; others, me included, consider it to be one of Judaism’s greatest strengths. Disorder and multiplicity indicate range and diversity and are actually powerful tools that allow halachah to be applied in a responsive and case-driven manner, rather than as a blunt, insensitive instrument.

For example, there is an ancient dispute between major kashrut authorities concerning the pulmonary condition of cattle. While some overlook certain lesions of the lung, others (notably Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch) are of the opinion that animals with such lesions are forbidden. This unresolved disagreement broadly manifests itself in a disparity of practice between Ashkenazim (lenient) and Sephardim (stringent). Yet, understandably, many Ashkenazim choose to be stringent.

Another example of this phenomenon is the medieval dispute about the distinction between a private domain, where one may construct an eruv, and a public domain, where one may not. This disagreement resurfaces throughout halachic literature and influences the approaches of modern experts as to where and how one may create an eruv.

Although there are well-established community norms in almost every area of law, halachah does not offer a single answer to any legal issue, but an array of possibilities within a carefully defined framework. Because of this, halachah is able to deal not just with regular circumstances, but is flexible enough to accommodate emergency shortages, unexpected financial hardship and the needs of the spiritually sensitive. Despite the intricacies involved, Jewish life is greatly enriched by this multiplicity.

Talmudic sources conflict about whether the halachist should incline to leniency or stringency: “the power of leniency is preferable” (Berachot 60a) appears to be contradicted by any number of talmudic statements. Yet there really is no argument, as it is a given that the rabbi is to be lenient when ruling for others, yet stringent for himself and those striving for spiritual perfection.

After all, his job is to make Jewish life as manageable, enjoyable and uplifting as possible. This demands leniency, where possible, especially when nurturing the spiritual needs of a disparate community. While there are many complex factors, inclusivism seems to me to be critical: given the constituents of a community, a ruling (certainly always based on proper sources and expert advice) must enable as many people as possible to observe their Judaism and feel comfortable within it.

This doesn’t always mean being lenient: a stricter ruling will sometimes be more inclusive, but responsible rabbinical leadership must always incline to leniency when regulating public religious services such as butchers’ shops. Ill-conceived stringency could result in price increases, restricted availability and fewer people observing kashrut.

The same applies to building an eruv: the advantages of a community eruv are so clear that they outweigh the need to accommodate every halachic view, which might result in not building it at all.

Well-founded leniencies are squarely within the boundaries of halachah; yet this does not mean that everyone will want to rely on them. Halachah accommodates (and even celebrates) a range of practices for different circumstances and there have always been individuals who have elected to follow stringent practices. Yet while it is entirely reasonable for rabbis to adopt personal stringencies, they certainly ought to explain what they are doing and why.

Review: An Introduction to medieval Jewish philosophy

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:17:12 +0100

By Daniel Rynhold
IB Tauris, £16.99

In this erudite, yet accessible, work, Daniel Rynhold of Yeshiva University (and previously of King’s College London and the London School of Jewish Studies), introduces the primary medieval Jewish philosophers and their main ideas.

Early Jewish thinkers such as Sa’adia Gaon, Yehudah Halevi (author of the Kuzari), Maimonides and Gersonides, wrote extensively on such fundamental issues as the existence of God, freewill, good and evil and the purpose of Judaism. But they often disagreed about basic beliefs: the function of mitzvot, how to understand the suffering of the righteous and even the nature of God were matters of dispute.

Following an introduction to the subject, Dr Rynhold covers eight key topics, including prophecy, divine omniscience and creation. He excels at selecting representative excerpts from the original texts and using them to explain cogently the delicate distinctions between diverse opinions. His writing also conveys an infectious and Maimonidean enthusiasm for combining religious commitment with “an unyielding commitment to the pursuit of truth”.

Despite the complexity of many of its ideas, the book moves at a good pace: it succeeded in maintaining my interest throughout. I particularly liked the balance between the relaxed and chatty style of the prose and the excerpts of the texts under discussion, which are presented in a more formal, slightly distant translation.

He also cleverly bridges the gap between academic literature and more popular works by assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge, but is capable of progressing quickly to a sophisticated appreciation of philosophical subtleties. Another impressive touch is the way in which the author avoids digression within the main text, yet balances this with a further reading list at the end of each chapter. This is destined to become a standard reference work.

JCoSS is non-Orthodox, not ‘cross-communal’

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:20:43 +0100

The scheduled opening of JCoSS (the Jewish Community Secondary School) next year has generated unprecedented interest. Adorned with the slogan “excellence, choice, openness, inclusion”, its website describes it as “the first cross-communal Jewish secondary school in the UK”. JCoSS takes pride in its admissions policy, which “will treat on an equal basis all pupils recognised as Jewish by any of the UK’s mainstream movements” and its intention to deliver Jewish studies “while being non-judgemental between the various mainstream Jewish traditions”.

JC readers may not have been surprised last month to discover that “JCoSS worries Orthodox [United Synagogue] rabbis”, or to have been told by Miriam Shaviv, in a spurious comparison with Limmud, that rather than fighting a war already lost, the rabbinate should “face facts” and “embrace JCoSS”. The battle-lines seem drawn already.

I am sure that numerous children from US-type homes will attend JCoSS. However the Orthodox rabbinate might prefer the world to look, we will support and nurture the Jewish lives of our communities’ children, irrespective of the educational choices made for them by their parents.

But it is no secret that in a rare display of virtual unanimity, US rabbis have strongly opposed formal involvement with JCoSS. Yet this has no bearing on our commitment to our children in the school. There is a spirited and evolving debate about how to achieve this: some will run out-of-school programming; others are grappling with alternatives to support JCoSS pupils. And it is with deep sadness that we currently feel unable to work within JCoSS: this painful decision is informed by real concern for our children expressed in the context of legitimate anxieties about its identity.

Unfortunately, behind the happy “cross-communal” picture painted by JCoSS’s website and cautiously worded literature, there lies a confused ideology that conflicts squarely with basic Orthodox principles.

I am certain that JCoSS will indeed try to teach its pupils “to understand and respect all the mainstream Jewish traditions”. This inclusivism may even succeed at a practical level: the school intends its kitchens to be kosher and its weekend programmes to be Shabbat-observant, even if it cannot commit to closing on second-day Yomtov.

But ideologically this descends into pluralistic incoherence. Presumably, pupils will be taught that some believe the Torah to be the unmediated word of God, while others think that it was authored by human beings; that some consider traditional Shabbat restrictions to be optional, but others consider them absolutely binding; that while the Torah itself expressly forbids certain types of relationships, some movements consider them to be valid life-options.

And while this dissent is simply a statement of fact, the ethos of JCoSS demands that each of these contradictory options is taught as equally legitimate. Apart from the obvious fact that children need certainty, a sense of imperative and firm ideas to help them build a meaningful connection to their faith, this type of pluralism is theologically untenable from an Orthodox perspective.

In a seminal 1990 essay, later developed into his book One People?, the Chief Rabbi masterfully explains the “incoherence of pluralism” by obseving that it “presupposes the absence of absolute or normative truth and hence the falsehood of Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy stakes its being on the existence of some truth that transcends the relativities of time. This is the rock on which pluralism founders… Where truth and falsity are at stake, the idea that both sides of a contradiction are true is itself a contradiction.”

A school whose raison d’être is the validation of conflicting stances on key issues of belief and practice must be considered at best non-Orthodox; in reality it is, theologically, completely and irreconcilably at odds with Orthodoxy. The somewhat clumsy phrase “pan-non-Orthodox” is a more theologically accurate description of JCoSS than “cross-communal”.

I understand the motivation of JCoSS’s founders. The educational world is dominated by Orthodoxy: in varying degrees, the non-Orthodox denominations disagree with Orthodox beliefs and practices, and most acutely with its definition of Jewishness. Why shouldn’t they create a school that incorporates their brands of Judaism? Actually, JCoSS acknowledges that in the event of over-subscription, it will prioritise those “who are not considered to be halachically Jewish by… all other Jewish schools” ie children considered Jewish only by the non-Orthodox.

I respect their objectives, albeit tempered by genuine concern for the children of US communities, but I challenge the founders of JCoSS to reciprocate that respect by abandoning the term “cross-communal” in favour of a more candid representation of their school’s ideology. Potential parents should recognise that they may be inadvertently depriving their children of their Torah heritage.

Unsurprisingly, JCoSS has provoked an identity crisis for the United Synagogue. The US has always been good at asserting what it isn’t (too frum, too Zionist etc), but imprecise when stating what it actually stands for. Are we too afraid of the consequences to admit that even the welcoming, inclusivist version of Orthodoxy that we champion has hard edges? Sometimes it is necessary to state the obvious: pluralism and Orthodoxy are antithetical. As the Chief Rabbi wrote: “Pluralism is no more tolerant than Orthodoxy… Each represents a way of viewing the relationship between belief and truth, and each excludes the other.”

We need not be scared of this truth, nor be anything other than respectful of others, such as the founders of JCoSS, who advocate pluralism. But failing to articulate the unbridgeable gulf between Orthodoxy and pluralism misrepresents both ideologies and creates false hope for a unified Jewry. In fact, I believe that it hinders cross-communal co-operation in those areas where it is possible.

There’s plenty of colour among the black hats

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:11 +0000

The students of a prominent Eastern European rabbi were about to join him to light the Chanucah candles. The rabbi noticed a broom near the window next to his menorah and asked for it to be removed; apparently he was concerned that in their zeal to emulate him, his followers would place a broom by the window before lighting their menorahs too. There is a humorous (and definitely fictitious) end to the story: having visited the rabbi, each of his students went home, placed a broom by the window and then removed it before lighting his candles.

A common perception of a significant part of the Orthodox world is that it is narrow, monolithic and stifles individual expression. Detractors often point to the restrictive nature of Jewish law, conformity in dress-style (this criticism is levelled especially at those communities with visible and distinctive garb) and the seemingly limited range of educational and other life-choices available to its adherents. There is a sense that the “men in black” all think the same way and live cloned, indistinguishable lives.

There is some truth to this: traditional Judaism is predicated on a belief in the historical truth of the Sinaitic revelation and the eternal imperative of halachah, Jewish law. Its followers will create communities that share religious aspirations, educate their children in a certain way and where religious and social needs can be met. This may create a certain narrowness of experience, but devoting one’s life to a complete system of belief and practice involves accepting that some of the wider experiences of an unfettered life must be surrendered to a higher ideal.

The intensity of experience that the religious crave may also lead them to form tightly-knit groups with their own exacting standards and social norms and look to charismatic leaders for guidance in their quest for individual perfection and constant communion with the Divine.

The modern-Orthodox world has attempted to combine serious commitment to mitzvah observance and Torah study with aspects of contemporary scholarship, culture and engagement with modernity. But for the rest of the Orthodox world, must fervour and spiritual ambition lead inexorably to conformity and the crushing of individuality, or is there room for personal expression and creative thought?

There will always be those who take refuge in the crowd, preferring to follow rather than to think for themselves; choosing to evade personal responsibility by relying on others. The Orthodox community harbours no fewer such people than any other group, but surely no more.

One can certainly observe those within the community who fear individual expression to the extent that they try to suppress it in others. There have been a number of unfortunate high-profile examples of this. They include banning of books that deviate from a narrow ideological line, attempting to limit higher education, abolishing concerts and other forms of entertainment and restricting access to even the unobjectionable parts of the internet. Is it possible that some feel threatened by the very individual expression that is one of Judaism’s greatest strengths?

Yet despite these regrettable attempts to recast Judaism as a system requiring all its adherents to think and behave identically, most Jews are pretty resilient in their individual expression. Despite the superficial appearance of conformity and group behaviour that delegitimises individuality, one readily finds a vast range of ideas, aspirations, ideologies and modes of religious expression.

These differences are evident both between and with Orthodox groups. In traditional Jewish teaching, there is a spectrum of opinion on nearly every subject: the nature of God, Man’s free will, how to understand human suffering, the appropriate attitude to art and music, secular studies and even modernity itself, as well as about virtually every area of Jewish observance.

This multiplicity translates into diversity of lifestyle and belief. Even in the most Orthodox of circles, there are those who visit art galleries, love classical music, tour China, learn Arabic and even consider these essential to their religious experience. Others prefer to incorporate “secular” modes of expression into Jewish contexts; in recent years, some highly professional and innovative music, art and literature have emerged.

Among the ostensibly monolithic Orthodox, there are staunch Zionists, political lefties, recycling macrobiotics, DIY enthusiasts, aficionados of Kabbalah and those who reject it as mumbo-jumbo. In my own experience, I have come across a Chasidic university chancellor and a number of Charedi avant garde musicians.

The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5) observes that God makes each human being different from every other; as such, everyone should be able to say with confidence, “the world was created just for me”. A great Chasidic thinker understood this to mean that each of us has strengths and weaknesses that distinguish us from every other person; consequently, each of us has a unique spiritual task.

Indeed, wrestling with one’s own relationship with God is a biblical role of the Jew. When Jacob was attacked by an unknown assailant, his name was changed to Israel, “because you struggled with God and with man and you prevailed” (Genesis 32:29). “Struggling with God” to forge a religious identity that is individualistic, yet firmly within the portals of tradition, is intrinsic to Judaism. The paraphernalia of Jewish life exist to facilitate this lofty goal, rather than stifle it. On its own terms, Judaism thrives on and celebrates individuality.
Fusing staunch commitment to a specific version of traditional Torah life with a tolerant attitude to the range of valid alternative views is a challenge which has its successes and disappointments. Yet respect for the multiplicity of views and lifestyles that the Torah accommodates is central to its system. We fail the Torah itself by stifling genuine creativity and individuality; but when we validate the legitimate religious choices and ideas of others, we not only create a harmonious and tolerant Orthodox society, but confirm the beauty and breadth of the Torah.

Is it ethical to ‘hijack’ an Internet connection?

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

We look at piggy-backing - using someone else's wireless web connection without their knowledge

In 2005, a West London man, Gregory Straszkiewicz, was fined £500 and given a 12-month conditional discharge for "hijacking a broadband connection". Using a laptop while sitting in his car, Straszkiewicz had connected to the Internet by piggy-backing on the wireless network of a local resident.

Today, many people access the Internet using Wi-Fi wireless technology, which allows a computer to connect to the web via a router, for which service the subscriber pays a monthly fee to an internet service provider (ISP). Although most such connections are secure, and accessible only via a password, some people leave their service unsecured, allowing free Internet access to anyone with a computer to hand. While breaking a security code to access a network is clearly dishonest, how might Jewish law view the unauthorised use of an unsecured connection, as in the case of Gregory Straszkiewicz?

At first glance, this looks like a simple application of the principle "one gains without loss to another": there seems to be no apparent loss to the subscriber (who has, after all, left the connection unsecured and therefore open to access by others) through unauthorised use of his wireless connection.

However, this may be swiftly discounted, since some financial loss is likely. Many domestic subscribers have capped services: if they download more than a fixed amount of data each month, they are billed extra for it. Additional usage by an outsider may push the monthly total data download over that limit, generating additional cost to the subscriber.

Another consideration is bandwidth, the quantity of data that can be transferred per second via the connection. This equates to the speed at which the connection works: the higher the bandwidth rating, the faster the connection. Unauthorised use of the connection will reduce the quality of the subscriber's use, as it will operate more slowly. So the piggy-backer's activities may result in a more expensive and/or slower Internet experience for the subscriber.

But even with an uncapped provision, where the piggy-backer uses the connection so little that the subscriber detects no deterioration in service (or the intruder uses it at a time when the subscriber is not online), piggy-backing may still be problematic.

The Talmud records a disagreement over whether "borrowing" an item without permission constitutes theft; the Shulchan Aruch rules stringently, which might seem to outlaw piggy-backing. However, the Ritva (Rabbi Yom Tov ben Abraham Ashvilli, died 1330) restricts this ruling to a case where "borrowing" an item could potentially lead to its damage. This clearly excludes piggy-backing, which causes no tangible harm to any material possession of the subscriber.

One might argue that when the subscriber leaves a connection unsecured, he is indicating that he doesn't mind if outsiders "borrow" it. This could be supported by the rule allowing one to borrow a tallit left in a public place, even without the owner's permission. However, the Bach (Rabbi Joel Sirkes, died 1640) assumes that this applies only where a mitzvah can be performed, and when the use is occasional; even when the piggy-backing is infrequent, it is unreasonable to suggest that it is a mitzvah!

Even if Jewish law theoretically allows piggy-backing, it may still be an act of piety to refrain from it. The Talmud refers to Rabbi Lazar's refusal to take a tiny splinter from a fence for use as a toothpick. Although the loss to the fence's owner was insignificant, and therefore taking the splinter technically permitted, Rabbi Lazar realised that if everyone were to adopt this view, the fence would cease to exist.

Similarly, although one piggy-backer may make little difference to a subscriber, the presence of many freeloaders will drastically reduce the quality of his service, perhaps even bringing it down altogether.

A further point is that the subscriber is also bound by the terms of his agreement with the ISP: by accessing a connection from outside the premises where the router is located, the piggy-backer may cause the subscriber to be in breach of contract.

In conclusion, we can imagine a limited range of circumstances in which piggy-backing might be allowed, but even so, it is meritorious to avoid it.

Harvey Belovski is rabbi of Golders Green Synagogue

What the sources say

A squatter need not pay rent, provided that the owner has not served him notice and the dwelling is not normally rented out. It is a case of "one gains without loss to another" Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 364:6, paraphrased

Rabbi Shimon bar Kahana walked past a vineyard with Rabbi Lazar and asked him to take a splinter for him from the fence to use as a toothpick. He refused, reasoning that if everyone were to do so, the fence would disappear. Talmud Yerushalmi Damai 3:2,

l There is a dispute about one who "borrows" without the permission of the owner. One rabbi says that he is a legal borrower; another says that he is a thief. Talmud Bava Batra 88a

Unauthorised "borrowing" of an item that cannot be damaged by handling is never considered to be theft. Ritva, Bava Metzia 41a

It is permitted to take a tallit and make the blessing over it... Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 14:4
This only applies to occasional [use] when performing a mitzvah. Bach to Tur, Orach Chaim 14:4

It is forbidden to steal even the slightest amount. Yet if it is something that no-one is bothered about, it is permitted... But the Yerushalmi forbids this, as an act of piety. Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 369:1

How rabbis take on the software pirates

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Is it permitted to copy software for personal use?

In February of last year, at an event in Bucharest attended by Bill Gates of Microsoft, the Romanian president, Traian Basescu, apparently made an astounding statement. He reportedly claimed that software piracy (unauthorised duplication of software, such as Microsoft Office products) helps the younger generation discover computers and that it is an investment in Romania’s friendship with Microsoft. It is unlikely that either Mr Gates or those software pirates languishing in jail for infringement of copyright were especially sympathetic to Mr Basescu’s views.

Piracy of this sort has a long history in Jewish sources. Some 450 years ago, Rabbi Meir of Padua published a new version of the Rambam’s halachic work Mishneh Torah. Subsequently, a Venetian nobleman, Marco Antonio Justinian, also published an edition of the Rambam, which his detractors claimed would leave Rabbi Meir with many unsold copies.

Rabbi Moshe Isserlis of Cracow (died 1572) upheld Rabbi Meir’s right to sell his stock before the other edition reached the market; meanwhile, he forbade his followers from buying the Venice printing. In 18th-century Livorno, a dispute arose between the author of an edition of the Mishnah and his printer. After publication, the printer removed the author’s commentary from the plates and reused them! Rabbi Yechezkel Landau of Prague (died 1793) ruled that the printer must compensate the author for his loss.

Legislating rights and responsibilities towards such non-tangible entities as copyright is complex: these landmark rulings were vital steps in the development of halachic attitudes towards intellectual property. We see application of this to the problem of software piracy in legislation nowadays.

It is tricky to identify early Jewish sources that discuss title to intangibles — one that establishes a legal right to a concept or other kinds of non-monetary commodities, the development of which required the investment of expertise, resources or time. Such a source could be used to derive a Jewish view of software piracy.

The Talmud (Kiddushin 59a) records the case of a hungry pauper who discovers a cake; before he picks it up, however, someone else snatches it. The rabbis describe the snatcher as “evil”, since he has exploited the pauper’s efforts; however, he is not a “thief”, nor is the case actionable.

We see that effort alone (which equates in our study to intellectual property) does not confer title, an idea supported by the maxim, “One who quotes a statement in the name of its originator brings redemption to the world,” (Megillah 15a). Using someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement is not actually a crime, just bad manners.

Another permissive view of intellectual property could be based on the rules governing squatters. If a squatter continues to live in a property that is usually rented, he must pay rent after the landlord has served notice. This is because financial benefit accrued by one person, even if there is only a potential loss to another, is claimable. This has ramifications for software piracy. One argument advanced to justify copying is that if one has no intention of buying the product, the manufacturer incurs no loss. If the software is duplicated exclusively for private use and none of those who use it — or secondary copies made from it — would have bought it (all highly improbable) there might be room for a lenient ruling.

Others adopt a less accommodating position. Following the law that someone entrusted with a manuscript may not copy even one letter from it without authorisation, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (died 1986) prohibits translating book segments without the author’s permission. Accordingly, it would be forbidden to duplicate software without consent.

Furthermore, the Talmud asserts that whenever a purchaser breaks the conditions of a contract, compensation is payable; indeed, someone who ignores the wishes of the “owner” is termed a “thief”. In a responsum about copying music, the contemporary halachist Rabbi Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg notes that even after the sale, the original owner is entitled to retain some aspects of ownership.

Halachah would thus recognise a software developer’s right to withhold permission to copy the product, and duplication would qualify as theft. Additionally, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson (died 1875) argues that “logic” asserts authors’ halachic rights to their works. Many responsa suggest that halachah forbids software piracy. In any case, Jewish law asserts dina demalchuta dina: in financial matters at least, one must defer to the law of the land. As software copyright is certainly regulated by English law, halachah obliges one to adhere to the terms of the purchase agreement.

Harvey Belovski is rabbi of Golders Green United Synagogue

What the sources say

“In conclusion, the rabbi wins the case and he has the right to sell his books first, and the only newly-printed edition of Maimonides that one may purchase is the one published by the rabbi.”
Responsa Rama Isserlis 10

“The printer has caused the author great loss, for if it were not for this new edition, he would have had many more purchasers.”
Responsa Noda BiYehudah, Choshen Mishpat 2:24

“Someone who lives in a courtyard without permission must pay rent, whenever the owner intended to rent the courtyard.”
Talmud, Bava Kama 20a, paraphrased; Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 364:6

“Just as one may not read a (deposited) manuscript, one may not copy even one letter from it.”
Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 292:20

“It is forbidden to translate laws from my works… Some already asked me permission, which I refused.” Responsa Igrot Moshe Feinstein, Yoreh Deah 3:91

“Anyone who ignores the wishes of the ‘owner’ is called a ‘thief’… If one gives a pauper a coin to buy a shirt, he may not use the money to buy a cloak, since he ignores the wishes of the donor.”
Talmud, Bava Metzia 78a-b

“When one sells an item, one may retain certain rights over it… A cassette vendor may retain sole rights of duplication… Ignoring this is like theft, for with respect to duplication, the cassette is not his property.”
Rabbi Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, Techumin 6

Welcome to techno -Torah

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The people of the book now have a vast online resource to aid their study

A Jewish child is thinking of Moses about to receive the Torah. Moses ascends the mountain, and God’s hand reaches through the cloud and hands him not tablets of stone, but a laptop, a CD and some Hebrew keyboard stickers.

It may seem ridiculous, but these are indeed today’s Torah tools.With Shavuot, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, falling next week, now is a perfect opportunity to survey them. A plethora of websites, searchable databases and desk-top publication tools have sprung up to service every Jewish interest. Computer resources for Torah study are among the most advanced of any field and have transformed the way that traditional Jewish sources are accessed.

Hebrew Desktop publishing
Not many years ago, even typing in Hebrew was a nuisance: one needed to install a special font, type the letters backwards, and avoid spilling on to the next line to prevent the text from coming out as gibberish. Next came specialist Hebrew word-processors, such as Dagesh and Davka, which made bi-directional typing easier. While these remain available, standard program suites such as Microsoft Office now come with built-in features that make left-to-right typing straightforward.

One need only enable the software (a very simple task) and acquire a keyboard with Hebrew letters or stick some labels on to an existing one, and the most powerful publishing, spreadsheet and internet software become available to the bilingual user. Searches can be performed on Hebrew texts and the contents of tables ordered according to the aleph bet. A mouse-click is all that is required to toggle between typing Hebrew and English characters, which align automatically to produce a seamless document.

Torah websites
There is a vast number of internet sites offering Torah ideas and programmes. As with everything on the web, these vary widely in quality, although many are excellent. They service every shade of observance and knowledge, from the rudimentary to the most advanced, and deal with matters as diverse as making a Seder or obtaining a get (Jewish divorce). There is fun material for children, serious monographs for academics and everything in between. One can download guides to every aspect of Jewish life, prayer services, halachic rulings and, even, would you believe, study for the rabbinate.

Even those in the most observant sector of the Jewish world have caught on to the power of the web as a tool for Torah dissemination. One will find many yeshivot, outreach organisations and even Chasidic sects represented: Aish, Breslov and Chabad, for example, are known for their extensive use of the internet. There are Hebrew-calendar calculators and sites offering extensive libraries of audio files (shiurim and the like) for listening online or downloading to one’s MP3 player. The extent of these resources is quite mind-blowing.

Blogs
There has been a recent explosion of Torah weblogs or blogs — web diaries that opine on anything from Jewish law to political issues and modern challenges. Some are simply platforms for people’s unhappiness with the world; but one can also easily identify other excellent blogs that are thought-provoking and refreshing: many important halachic and contemporary Torah issue have been flagged first by the bloggers.

Torah libraries
The biggest revolution, however, has been in the development of tools for the manipulation of research and manipulation of Torah texts. These come in the shape of libraries of Torah materials, available either across the internet or to buy as disks. The aim is to make the vast literature of Torah accessible for study and research or for creating materials for lectures, religious rulings and academic presentations. A page of text is scanned and stored on some computer medium, either as a picture (where the page appears in its original format but cannot be edited) or is converted into text to be copied and manipulated, but losing the original layout.

However the material is stored, sections can be pasted into word-processing and other documents to develop sophisticated archives and class handouts. With a little practice, it is possible to prepare first-rate source-sheets in a fraction of the time that it would have taken to drag a pile of books to a photocopier (assuming one even has all the texts to hand), cut the copies into fragments and paste them into a single document. The result is easier to read, produces no waste and can easily be improved at a later date.

The range of texts available is astonishing. It includes Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, classic commentaries from all eras, Rambam, standard halachic works, responsa, mysticism, Chasidut, prayer, festivals, Jewish philosophy, encyclopaedias and periodicals.

Looking first at free resources, try Daat or Mechon-Mamre for a selection of basic texts, including the entire JPS English translation of the Bible. Hebrewbooks.org has over 15,000 classic texts for free download, mostly of old editions or out-of-print books, many quite obscure; it also offers an excellent selection of digitised commentaries on the Rambam and some unusual material published during the nascent years of the American Jewish community. Some Chasidic websites also allow downloads of specialist Hebrew texts.

Two types of purchasable resources are available: those accessed across the internet for a monthly or annual fee, and those bought outright on disk. The advantages of the web versions are that the cost is spread, they may be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, and never need upgrading. The versions bought outright generally work faster, deliver higher functionality and can be used even when no internet connection is available, but must be carried around and may be expensive to purchase.

There is a good range of disks available at the lower end of the market. They supply fundamental texts, such as Bible, Talmud and basic commentaries on CD. Some contain English texts, such as translations of the Bible, Talmud and Midrash. In the middle range, also on CD, there is DBS, offering a huge range of commentaries on the Bible and Talmud and a good range of Chasidic literature, and the Bar Ilan Responsa project, which contains a plethora of rabbinical responsa from across the ages.

For the most serious scholars, Otzar HaChochma contains over 28,000 searchable books and periodicals in their original format. Available across the internet or on a 500MB hard drive, it comes with a price to match its power.

Shavuot celebrates the giving of Torah more than 3,200 years ago. While the message of the revelation remains vibrant and exciting, the medium has changed beyond recognition. Using the amazing techno-Torah tools at our disposal is a real way to connect the past, present and future.

Harvey Belovski is rabbi of Golders Green Synagogue in North-West London

A rabbi's guide to Torah and Jewish study sources online

A rabbi’s guide to torah and jewish study sources online

Rabbi Harvey Belovski — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:15:17 +0100

Bi-directional word-processors, keyboards and keyboard stickers:
Jewish Software

Selected Torah websites:
MiBereshit
Breslov
Chabad
Jewish Law
Aish
YUTorah
Virtual Beit Midrash
WebYeshiva
613

Selected blogs
Hirhurim
Cross-Currents
The Seforim Blog
Eruv Online
Belogski

Hebrew calendar and Shabbat-time calculators
Hebrew calendar
Shabbat times

Index of Torah and Jewish academic articles
RAMBI

Free Torah libraries
Mechon-Mamre
Daat
Mikranet
Hebrewbooks.org

Purchasable Torah libraries
Basic libraries
Bar Ilan Responsa project: Online access; To buy
DBS
Otzar HaChochma (Online access or to buy)