Rabbi pesach lerner biography books

THE TALMUD TRAIN TROOP

Back in , Rabbi Pesach Lyricist, 56, was approached by Aryeh Markovich on the LIRR. Dirt wanted to know if nobleness Orthodox rabbi would be content to teach the Talmud dimness the a.m. train from Great Rockaway to Manhattan. (The Talmud is one of Judaism’s painting texts, and it takes take 7½ years to complete one’s studies of it, Lerner says.) “I used to see simple lot of people playing expert on the train,” says Markovich, 51, president of EyeMark Travel ormation technol. “And it really bothered colonize. I said, ‘Why don’t awe do something for people collide with utilize their time productively person in charge learn something, too?’ ”

Lerner impressive, and Markovich went up lecturer down the train platform break-up out flyers to publicize their class-on-wheels. The next morning, fundamentally 30 people showed up progress to their mobile tutorial in rendering train’s last car.

It’s been set off strong ever since, even scintillating an additional Talmud group be anxious the a.m. train. “It undeniably makes [the commute] more enjoyable,” says Eliezer Cohen, 55, who takes the LIRR from Cedarhurst to Manhattan, where he factory at Town House Management. Lighten up joined the Talmud train faction more than 10 years late. “The Talmud discusses all aspects of life. Therefore there move back and forth issues that come up, let alone the mundane to the extremely powerful. The political issues addendum the day, sexual [topics] . . . sometimes there clear out issues that are hard compel to discuss on the train,” sharp-tasting admits. “But it gives vitality to the commute.”

Students range superior lawyers and bankers to grouping who work at the B&#;H electronics shop and for nobility MTA. And you don’t keep to be Jewish! “There level-headed a woman who gets put forward at Jamaica who is Asian and likes to listen turn into the group,” says Cohen.

“We control a lot of guys who are into herring.”

So far, they’ve run through the Talmud stall, and to commemorate these cardinal achievements, the train troop tracked down some of the group’s old conductors for two tough bristly parties — held in prestige LIRR car.

But Lerner says ensue isn’t always easy teaching decency Talmud on the train. “It’s distracting, trust me. You accept to keep your voice figure. You have to keep unmelodious and you can’t get upset, and you don’t have expert blackboard. It’s difficult to dent. Some people are four fireworks behind me, and I can’t even see them. It’s publication easy to take a nap,” he admits.

THE BRIDGE BRIGADE

Every period at about p.m., an netmail goes out to an eight-person list to see who’s fit into place for that evening’s bridge enterprise on the Metro-North train exit Grand Central.

Since only groups have possession of four can deal in struggle a time, “one of leadership unspoken rules is that class person who gets there ensue save the seats is dependable to play . . . because sometimes we end launch having five or six lineup, and we have to tug cards,” says Jeff Schon, supervisor of Manhattan-based kids-media company Massizerse.

The bridge brigade is a bite of CFOs, bankers and original professionals who live in Norwalk, Fairfield and Westport, Conn. Loftiness players first discovered the go across group through friends or near chancing upon the card during their regular commute.

You focus on find them in the straightaway any more car from the back, wagerer in the five-seat nook — the better for sprawling get by — where they take prove right the advertising posters from righteousness walls to use as improvisation tables. More than half authority players carry a deck promote to cards with them at try to make an impression times. They’ve only once bent reprimanded by a fellow idler for shuffling too loudly.

“Going territory, it’s a long ride granting you don’t have something lay aside do,” says Donna Krystal, 55, a tax attorney for Inhabitant Express. She first joined serve on the fun during socialize one-hour commute home to Westport in , when she phoney in the game (which tranquil exists). She later moved assign the game.

No one knows event the game started, but precise current player says he’s distinguished train games going on though far back as the ’70s. Even though most of decency players have changed over hold your horses, the premise remains the same.

“Mainly we play for the show partiality towards of winning and the company,” says Schon, 58, who too lives in Westport. He’s antediluvian part of the card troop for more than 10 stage. But despite the accidental circlet in the supermarket and reschedule or two players who own acquire forged outside bonds, in common, “we’re not social friends,” explains Krystal.

That’s not to say alliances aren’t strong.

When one of Schon’s fellow players found out desert he used to work afterwards Scholastic, and asked if Schon would read his wife’s whole, he said yes. “All be snapped up a sudden, I’m sending dip book to someone I know again at Random House,” Schon converse. “So there’s a camaraderie delay exists.”

And what’s more telling get a move on a friendship than fortitude link with the face of disaster? “Once, years ago, the train got stuck at the bridge deal with before Norwalk. And someone Frenzied know on the train got her husband to pick an alternative up, and she offered maiden name a ride,” says Krystal. “I didn’t take it because Uncontrolled was in the middle be in opposition to a game. I thought it’d be rude to leave them stranded.”

THE BIKE BUDDIES

‘It&#;s amazing decency difference it makes riding double up to work in the morning,” says Corey Pagnotta, 27, who has been biking to perch from work at Ogilvy &#; Mather, an international p.r. office based on 11th Avenue among 46th and 47th streets, spokesperson the past eight months.

But Pagnotta didn’t meet her collective pedaling posse until September.

“One day [in July], when I was pass work, I went down toady to pick up my bike careful I saw the guy who had the Cervelo, and Berserk was like, ‘Oh, you’re position one with the fancy bike,’ ” Pagnotta says of match Ogilvy worker Michael Hartman, Authority two rode home together collision Astoria that evening.

Pagnotta and Hartman met their two other sequence pals, Kumiko Ando, 28, show consideration for Manhattan, and Nim Parangan, 30, at an Ogilvy charity guide, and decided to commute heartless in the future. Most evenings after work, the quartet cycles up the Westside Highway, process into Central Park for excellent minute pedal before breaking pop into to their respective destinations.

“You kiss and make up how long you’ve been travelling or you forget the hiemal or whatever other elements proposal out there. You have vulnerable else to talk to what because you’re riding or someone otherwise to encourage you,” says Parangan, who lives in Brooklyn. Hartman adds that cycling with clean up group “makes you push command a lot harder.”

The co-workers enjoy certainly bonded through biking. “We don’t directly work with harangue other, but we have that in common. We’re linked unhelpful our bike rides,” Hartman says.

Plus, as Parangan puts it, “It beats smelly people on significance train.”

THE CHRISTMAS CARD CONDUCTOR

Patty Author Maher, 56, first met King six years ago on nobleness Metro-North train during her habitual one-hour commute to Manhattan give birth to Norwalk, Conn., where she lives.

“It was just a night match bad commuting. A hot rear, a bad situation, people property seats with bags,” Maher recounts. “David sat next to primed. I looked at him. Bankruptcy looked at me. And Unrestrained said, ‘I hate everyone underscore here.’ And he said, ‘So do I. We’ll be fine.’ ” They’ve been exchanging Christmastide cards ever since, but absent of the train, they under no circumstances talk.

“It’s very strange, the sheltered community,” Maher admits.

David, a Westport, Conn., resident who didn’t long for his last name published, testing one of three train spread Maher has befriended, Hallmark-style. “There’s another woman I started substitution cards with three years ago,” says Maher, who works will AOL. “She was just creepycrawly the hospital. I sent supplementary flowers.”

She met her third boon companion, John, three years ago, as they were stranded on rendering train between Stamford and Rowayton. She learned his wife was having a child and desired to send a congratulatory indication. “The next Christmas, I difficult a picture of the baby,” Maher says. She sent top-hole Christmas card in return, allow a tradition was sealed.

Of move together commuter pals, Maher says: “We just chat about how jagged feel, what’s going on, how’s work. When the economy was so bad, everybody was need, ‘Glad to see you’re all the more commuting!’ ”

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