“It is the best Yom Tov gift that I could have gotten!” That is the way one prominent talmid chacham expressed his joy at the release of Chelek Vav of the Dirshu Mishna Berurah. Indeed, the release of the new Chelek Vav of the Dirshu Mishna Berurah in the summer, before the onset of Rosh Chodesh Elul, the Yomim Noraim and the Sukkos season has been joyously greeted by the Torah community worldwide. Chelek Vav covers all of the Yomim Tovim including Chol Hamoed, in addition to Tisha B’Av and Chanukah and Purim as well. The completion of this sixth chelek is a true milestone affording lomdei Torah access to the special qualities of the Dirshu Mishna Berurah in all six volumes.

Another extremely important, groundbreaking addition to the Dirshu Mishna Berurah is the copious diagrams throughout hilchos lulav. One of the most difficult aspects of learning the sixth chelek has always been the laws of the four species. It was often difficult for even an accomplished learner to comprehend the varied scenarios regarding the kashrus of a lulav, esrog, haddasim or aravos. The Dirshu Mishna Berurah’s precise diagrams bring an entirely new dimension to learning these important halachos.

Contemporary Questions, Age-Old Rulings

That talmid chacham, who was gratified with his Yom Tov present of Chelek Vav, was in truth, expressing the collective sentiment of thousands of talmidei chachamim the world over – talmidei chachamim who have come to see the Dirshu Mishna Berurah as an absolutely indispensible sefer for modern-day halachic observance. In the Dirshu Mishna Berurah one can learn the hallowed words of the Mishna Berurah, absorb the foundations of halacha and simultaneously quickly reference all of the myriad, contemporary sh’eilos that have cropped up since the Chofetz Chaim wrote the Mishna Berurah more than 100 years ago. The Dirshu Biurim U’Musafim published opposite the Mishna Berurah enables the learner to learn the halacha and look at the opposite page to see all of the relevant halachic rulings from the great poskim that came after the Mishna Berurah, right through the poskim of our time.

Especially when it comes to the Yomim Tovim, there are so many new realities that have not specifically been discussed in the Mishna Berurah. In the more than 700 pages packed with fascinating she’ilos and cross-references one can find questions such as: “Can one wear Crocs on Yom Kippur? On the one hand they are more comfortable than most shoes, on the other hand they are not made of leather? What about fake leather shoes? Must one worry about the fact that people might mistakenly think you are wearing leather shoes?

“Are the gedolim pictures that people hang up in the sukkah muktzah?

Can one use Crazy Glue to glue together a lulav whose middle leaf has split?”

In addition, the new Dirshu Mishna Berurah has nuggets that can shed light on practical halacha in Eretz Yisrael in our time. “When the Chazon Ish and the Steipler Gaon came to Yerushalayim, at what point did they tear their clothing in mourning over the churban Bais Hamikdosh as proscribed by halacha?

“Why did the previous Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe close his eyes from the time he came to the Old City until he arrived at the Kosel?”

Two entire kollelim comprised of talmidei chachomim were established for the express purpose of compiling the “Biurim U’Musafim” section accompanying every page of the Mishna Berurah. One of the kollelim is headed by one of the Gedolei Horaah in Eretz Yisrael, HaGaon HaRav Nosson Kopschitz, shlita, Rav of the Kehillas Hacharedim of Beit Shemesh. The purpose of the copious, voluminous research was to give those learning Mishna Berurah the most comprehensive picture possible, of all the material pertaining to the applicable halachos.

Firstly the “Musafim” component adds the Mishna Berurah’s own additional words and rulings culled from other areas on the subject at hand. For example, if the Mishna Berurah, when expounding on the laws of Yom Kippur, discusses one topic at length and in the laws of Tisha B’Av discusses the same topic in a shorter, less elaborate way, the Dirshu edition will bring the Mishna Berurah’s words from the other location. This frequently sheds light on the halachic ruling and enables the learner to see how the Chofetz Chaim himself ruled on a similar matter in a different place.

Often, in the main body of the Mishna Berurah the Chofetz Chaim only writes the actual psak halacha – halachic ruling, without giving the reasons behind that ruling. It is not uncommon however, for the Chofetz Chaim to elaborate on the reasoning in his commentaries, Shaar Hatzion and Biur Halacha. These commentaries also present halachic rulings not contained in the Mishna Berurah which shed insight on the topic at hand. In a wonderfully cogent, concise manner, the Biurim part of the Dirshu Mishna Berurah cites these rulings, thereby offering the learner a quick, comprehensive listing of related halachic rulings and explanations from the Chofetz Chaim in his other seforim.

Likutei Teshuvos – Current Rulings Concurrently

Perhaps the most exciting component of the new Dirshu Mishna Berurah is the “Likutei Teshuvos” section of the Biurim U’Musafim. The Chofetz Chaim completed the Mishna Berurah in 1907. Over the past century, umpteen technological advances and countless questions relevant to today’s lifestyle have arisen. All of these rulings are of course rooted in the original words of the Shulchan Aruch and poskim. The Dirshu edition of the Mishna Berurah brings literally thousands of rulings from the gedolei haposkim of the previous generation as well as from contemporary poskim, each in its proper place in the Mishna Berurah. Therefore, while learning the words of the Mishna Berurah, the learner is empowered with the ability to know and understand the rulings of the great poskim on thousands of modern practical questions. Even more important, he can learn and understand how these modern day rulings have their source in the original words of the Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Berurah!

The rulings included in the Dirshu Mishna Berurah are from such revered poskim as HaGaon HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky, zt”l, the Tchebiner Rav, zt”l, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l, the Steipler Gaon, zt”l, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, zt”l, and even our current poskim, ybl”ch, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, and HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz, shlita.  In addition, all of the Chazon Ish’s rulings that pertain to the words of the Mishna Berurah are brought in the Dirshu Mishna Berurah.

It is thus no wonder that in the short few years since the Dirshu edition of the Mishna Berurah burst onto the Torah scene it has conquered the hearts of lomdei Torah throughout the world. With the completion of Chelek Vav of the Mishna Berurah, Dirshu has brought Yom Tov to Klal Yisrael early this year!

By Chaim Gold