pdf available - Multiple Choices

192 LUBOML
ported when he climbed with his impaired foot
on the drozhke [horsedrawn coach].
He was also a big anti-Semite. In addition,
the people were not able to find a common
language with this doctor, due to their unfamiliarity
with the Polish language. Many times the
Jews would go to one of the nearby towns of
Kovel, Chelm, or Lublin.
During the horrendous days of the Germanimposed
ghetto in Libivne, Itche worked with his
last strength to save the sick, until the time of the
ultimate liquidation of the Libivner community,
in which he perished together with all the other
Jews in the town.
The melamed Reb Notl Faigen
We had many melamdim [Hebrew teachers] in
our town: R. Moyshe Yoseles (who also taught
writing), R. Nosn Hamnetser, R. Hersh Borsht, R.
Moyshe Kagan (from the Talmud Torah), R. Mendl
Frechter, R. Elye Lisnaker, R. Yakov Noytshiches,
R. Moyshe Povroznik, R. Shamay (Gemara
teacher), R. Avrom, der Poylisher, (real name,
Goldhacker), and others.
One of the most colorful of all the melamdim
was R. Notl Melamed (Faigen). He was a Step enyer
Chasid, and he believed with perfect faith that
not the Zionists but the Messiah would bring
deliverance to the Jewish people.
Reb Notl was an excellent artist. He would
paint flowers from a model, which were then
embroidered on tfilin-zeklach [bags in which
phylacteries are kept], and he wrote a beautiful,
perfect Rashi script.
R. Notl also had another occupation. Every
season before Pesach he would become a matzo
baker, the best in town. At that time, his helpers
or his sons would teach the children in his
cheder.
R. Notl maintained his cheder for a very long
time, teaching about 30 children per term. This
was his manner of teaching: he taught individual
children. A child would approach his desk and he
would teach the child according to his grade level.
He would start with the alef-beys [alphabet] and
lead him through the Hebrew studies, until
Chumash and Rashi. If a child had a "good head,"
he would begin with the alef-beys and begin to
learn Chumash in one term.
The melamed Reb Notl Faigen
The students who had reached the Chumash
stage would then sit at the same table with those
who were studying Chumash and read the text
out loud, interpreting it as they went. He also
taught them to read the weekly Torah portion; the
older pupils, who were studying Rashi, were also
taught to write.
This is the traditional style with which he
began to teach a child Chumash:
"What are you learning now?"
"Chumash."
"What does `Chumash' mean?"
"Chumash means 'five'."
"What five?"
"Our Holy Torah has five books."
"What are their names?"
"Bereshis [Genesis] is one; Shmos [Exodus] is
two; Vayikra [Leviticus] is three; Bamidbar [Numbers]
is four; and Devarim [Deuteronomy] is five."
"And which book are you studying now?"
"Vayikra."
"What does `Vayikra' mean?"
"It means, 'And they were called': God called
Moyshe Rabeynu [Moses our Teacher] and told
him the Law."