Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Distinction of Slonim - Introducing Rabbi Yaacov Yisroel Bar-Chaiim

The Slonimer Rebbe shlit"a and R' Yaacov


I'd like to introduce you to a new friend, a Slonimer Chossid – Rabbi Yaacov Yisroel Bar-Chaiim.

R' Yaacov was born and raised in the Mojave Desert, California. Nearly thirty years ago he studied Comparative Religion at U.C. Berkeley and then came to Israel "to learn at least as much about my own religion as I knew about others." He never went back.

R' Yaacov became a close talmid of HaRav Nachman Bulman, zts"l, learning and living in his community in Migdal HaEmek for six years, picking up his breadth-and-depth approach to Yiddishkeit as well as his great love for the sefer Nesivos Sholom, by the previous Slonimer Rebbe, ztsvk"l. He went on to Bar-Ilan University to study Educational Counseling and Jewish Philosophy, began working in various high schools and became progressively enraptured by the Nesivos.

Thirteen years ago he moved to the Jerusalem satellite of Telz Stone where the Rebbe often visited. Somehow he managed to meet with the Rebbe, within one of the last meetings he'd have with "outsiders". His life has never been the same. Over the next few years he traveled to Tischim in Jerusalem, sent his sons to the Jerusalem cheider and five years ago brought the entire family to join the community.

R' Yaacov has lectured frequently at the OU Jerusalem center and written a book about Rav Bulman (not yet published). He is presently completing a book called "The Unbelievable G-d: A Discovery of the PROCESS of Belief", based largely on Slonimer Chossidus, and is in urgent need of a sponsor for this book. (any ideas of how to help?)

Over the next three days, I will be featuring R' Yaacov's response to my question regarding the Slonim approach to Chassidus.

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Continued here

3 Comments:

At February 16, 2009 at 12:17:00 AM EST, Blogger Long Beach Chasid said...

Im very excited to hear about Slonim Chassidus. Nesivas Shalom seems, is learned more by the Litvish around me then the Chassidim, which in a way is very powerful. I recently found out that Rabbi Weinberg zt"l of Aish Hatorah was the son of a Slonimer Chasid.

I know nothing of them besides this one book, and am slightly sad to read that "outsiders" are not able to meet with the Rebbe.

 
At February 16, 2009 at 10:25:00 AM EST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I know nothing of them besides this one book, and am slightly sad to read that "outsiders" are not able to meet with the Rebbe."

I recently had the zchus to share a shalosh seudos with a chasid of the Nesivos Shalom. I got the impression that "outsiders" did meet with the Rebbe shlita, but that in general even younger chassidim have difficulty doing so for pragmatic/time reasons

 
At February 18, 2009 at 8:15:00 AM EST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nesivos Hachinuch had been translated and out by Feldheim as nesivos sholom http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=1-58330-495-9

Here is an internet translation: http://us.share.geocities.com/ravjglass/netivotshalom.htm

 

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