Assorted blogbits

Several items of note:

1. A great interview with Rav Aharon Lichtenstein shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion (aka “Gush”).

2. I highly recommend Rabbi Dr. Aharon Rakeffet’s fascinating autobiography (he calls it a “scholarly memoir”), From Washington Avenue to Washington Street.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that a close family member is currently one of Rav Rakeffet’s talmidim at the Gruss Kollel in Yerushalayim and that YZG is a huge fan of Rav Rakeffet’s recorded shiurim.)

A talmid of both Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Rakeffet talks about his childhood in the Bronx, his time in YU and Lakewood, his work as a pulpit rabbi and a magid shiur in YU, and his various activities here in Israel – including his considerable efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry.

On a related note, I had the privilege of attending an event at Gruss - held in honor of Natan Sharansky, soon after he was finally released from the USSR and arrived in Israel:

Sharansky is up on the dais, on the left

3. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Susan B. for including my most recent Heblish post.

4. You can now receive Our Shiputzim updates on Facebook. Simply head on over to the Our Shiputzim FB page and click “Like”.