Shabbot in Amshinov, by Daniel Rosenthal

Date: Sun, Dec 1, 2013 at 2:21 PM

Subject: Shabbot in Amshinov, by Daniel Rosenthal

this is one of those emails that you won’t read. It will be long. It will be a bit over-the-top. I will even try to describe the words "ste’ech" (pronounced like ‘stick’) and "ha’mesh" even though I don’t speak Yiddish. I will try to describe to you a lost world. A world where people sleep on dusty mattresses in the bowels of a run-down building in Beit’VaGan, Jerusalem, Israel. A world where hearing "gut shabbos" from the ‘rebbe’ makes people jump in excitement, travel from all over Israeli and abroad to see, be near, and experience ‘gut shabbos".

Sure, I could copy-paste a wiki-pedia link about Amshinov and about their rebbe, but what good would that do?

If I tried to tell you how I ended up this Shabbot at Amshinov, surely that would bore you to tears.

Here are few true stories about the Rebbe of Amshinov, that will not be included in the wiki-article about him.

A) He tells specific chassidim tojoin/enter the Israeli army. Yes, the ISRAELI army. Yes, stand on your head, it’s true.

Another true story I heard about the Rebbe of Amshinov: a few years back and on-going in Israel exists a extremely small group of people who dress ‘religious’ and spit on girls and call them whores for not wearing what they deem ‘snee’ut’ (modest) clothing. Here’s what the Rebbe said about those types of people "when Maschiach comes, he’s going to kick them all into Gehinnom (hell)" and… about women wearing denim jean skirts, "who did I ever tell what to wear?"

In other words, and there are literally thousands of examples, the Rebbe of Amshinov has managed to create an atmosphere that truly is "hemeish"

with the Rebbe there is no steech (pronounced ‘stick’)

not the heimeish that is sold to you by the OU on their vacation ad pages. Not the heimeish that is sold to you in Monsey, NY as a getaway. There is no getaway with the Rebbe.

The Rebbe claims to be a simple person who drinks tea. He wonders out loud to his followers "I don’t know why anyone pays any attention to me, I am a simple man who drinks tea"

yet, shabbot chanuka with the rebbe?

"gesmach elyon" (the highest pleasure).

so there I was … me, little ol’e Daniel, from El Paso, TX. Sitting around the main room watching everyone …. and it was 10:30am, Shabbot day, and the minyan I was in hadn’t even started yet… and there was even a ‘later’ shachrit minyan with the Rebbe….

you know, there was a person named Rabbanu Tam. That was not his real name, but anyway, he lived before Twitter – but also has a Wiki-page link.

One of the many things he ‘held’ was the idea of when the sun sets Friday night and after shabbot.

In short, I found out that there are least 3 different Rabbanu times possible: 54 minutes ; 72 and 90. Yes, 90 minutes. Since, I am no position to ‘argue’ with Rabbanu Tam (chas va’shalom) I will just say that ‘holding’ by one of those possibilities creates what can only be described as "amshinov time"

You see, because there are at least 3 opinions about what Rabbanu Tam held, there are within the small dusty confines of Amshinov Beit Knesset lots of men …seemingly all day long. Everywhere, in practically every nook and cranny, there are these men… just everywhere. And you can’t miss them, because invariably, they are dressed in Black. Not every single one of them the same outfit, but Black is the main color.

Then there is the fur.. again, not everyone Friday night wears fur… but g-d protect them from the outrage that is PETA!

I’m told that the cost for 1 fur hat (sputik) is around 4000 nis !

where do they get the money? Another big question that came to my mind, is when do they find time to have all those kids? Seriously! Every time I’ve ever been in that beit knesset, there are ALWAYS men there… ALL DAY. Some are awake, some are sleeping, some are doing a bit of both. Some are learning, some are praying, some are doing a bit of both. Some are in the mikva, some are … well you get the idea.

even the ones that travel from afar to see/hear/be near their Rebbe fall asleep in the same room as he is, or they talk while he is in tephila – – his being in tephila is the great subject of the Amshinov world.

and it is it’s own world. No, I am not ‘converting’ (LOL) to being an Amshinov(er) (follower of the style of Chassidut). That’s the thing with him specifically and why I truly can say, I love the Rebbe of Amshinov… and with Amshinov (which, as a system has it’s faults)….. there simply is no need to change your OUTSIDE appearance. The ‘secret’ (don’t tell anyone!) is that … with Amshinov, the secret (shhhhh… here it comes…)

is that you need to work on the inner you.

But don’t tell anyone that – it’s top secret.

If you ever need a dusty, moldy, stinky mattress with a chossid sleeping on it?

Welcome to Amshinov… Gut Shabbos….

gut shabbos….

Best regards,

Daniel Rosenthal

The Amshinov Rebbe