Part II
In the first part of the discussion about success in Torah
learning, R' Michel Yehuda discussed the life of learning
Torah mitoch hadechak -- while living in a condition
of material deprivation. He explained that in this state, it
is as if one receives his wisdom directly from Hashem
yisborach. He talked of the difficult material
conditions that prevailed in yeshivos in the days when he was
young in Europe, but how such things as having no food on
Sundays had no effect on the level of Torah learning, and
such conditions produced true greatness in Torah.
Importantly, he suggested that today one can "simulate" that
condition by attaching no value to material pleasures and
setting Torah study as his main aim in life. He quoted the
Chofetz Chaim as saying that the seforim he owned were
acquired with money, that was time that is in turn life
itself.
Continuing , R' Michel Yehuda discussed the concept of
"being a talmid," and the extraordinary way that the
rebbei'im that he knew in his youth related to their
talmidim. He quoted R' Boruch Ber as saying that
producing talmidim today is one of the most basic
components of Torah learning itself, and gave examples from
the behavior of HaRav Sholom Heiman and HaRav Isser Zalman
Meltzer. He continues with more examples of the way that R'
Isser Zalman related to talmidim.
It so happened that once both Yeshivas Hebron
and Yeshivas Eitz Chaim studied the same gemoras of
Gittin and Pesochim. A chabura from
Yeshivas Hebron would go to HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer every
Shabbos afternoon to hear the shiur he had said during
the week in Eitz Chaim.
One Shabbos when we were about to go to Maran HaRav Isser
Zalman's house to hear the shiur it rained heavily and
we decided to remain in the yeshiva. Later when we apologized
to Maran, explaining why we could not come he answered
modestly: "It's very good you did not come. If you would have
come in such a storm I would not have had with what to pay
you for doing so" (meaning that the Torah he had to teach
them would not have been an ample reward for their
suffering). The humility with which this was said is
indescribable. People saw that Heaven helped him encourage
every individual exactly in his needs, and in such a way that
he could build that person's foundations of life and elevate
himself in ruchniyus.
Equally we saw the loving attitude of Maran the Chazon Ish
zt'l to each young man and even to fourteen and
fifteen-year olds. He took time and effort to write them
letters in which he would strengthen them, and his
encouragement had a lasting influence on them. This attribute
of deep love that a rav develops toward his talmidim
is required for the sacred task of producing talmidim.
When the rav is friendly toward the talmidim they
become connected with him, and with the power of this
relationship the talmidim absorb guidance and are
influenced by their rav.
We have learned this principle in
chinuch from Chazal (Taanis 8). "Rovo says: `If
you see a talmid who has not succeeded at all in his
studies, it is because his rav is not friendly toward him.'"
Similarly, "HaKodosh Boruch Hu said to Moshe Rabbenu
after the cheit ho'eigel: `Just like I was cordial to
you, so should you act cordially to Yisroel.' R' Avahu said:
`HaKodosh Boruch Hu said to Moshe: "People will now
say the Rav is angry and the talmid is angry, and what
will happen with Yisroel"' (Brochos 63)." When a bond
of friendship is missing, the transmission of Torah to
Yisroel is also missing.
Maran the Chazon Ish zt'l once told me privately that
the tanna in Ovos (1:12) who said we should
"love people and bring them nearer to Torah" is really
telling us that the way to encourage talmidim to exert
themselves in Torah must be through showing them love.
Through "loving people" one can eventually "bring them nearer
to Torah."
Though the rav devotes himself to help, the talmid
must be prepared to accept the rav's guidance. "Accept a
teacher upon yourselves" (Ovos 1:6)--someone can be a
rav only if another accepts him as a teacher of Torah. This
is the method of acquiring Torah knowledge, and this is how
Jews have studied Torah throughout the generations.
When we studied with our roshei yeshivos the
talmidim toiled to prepare the shiur, listened
to the shiur attentively, and afterwards we would
gather together in groups to review together what the rosh
yeshiva taught. Each talmid carefully wrote down
the shiur and if after the review we were still
unclear on any point we asked the rosh yeshiva to
repeat his shiur to us.
This is how all the mekomos HaTorah functioned. The
talmidim cherished each word of the roshei yeshivos
such as HaRav Elchonon Wassermann zt'l in Yeshivas
Baranowitz and HaRav Boruch Ber Lebowitz zt'l in
Yeshivas Kamenitz.
We were full of yiras hakovod when we had to approach
the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Rameiless, HaRav Simcha
Plotkin zt'l, and we put on a hat. It was considered
pritzus to go over to talk to him when just wearing a
yarmulke. This was not done out of fear; it was simply
yiras hakovod. It is difficult to describe the source
of this yiras hakovod.
I remember that once an eminent bochur came to visit
our yeshiva and spoke to the Mashgiach while his hand
was resting on a shtender. We were dumbfounded. Where
were his manners? This is how we regarded the Mashgiach
and the rosh yeshiva. Also in Eretz Yisroel in
Yeshivas Hebron the talmidim had a yiras
hakovod for each of the roshei yeshiva.
Unfortunately, we now lack the awareness of the need to
appoint a rav upon ourselves. We notice that even toward the
elderly roshei yeshivos, talmidim do not act with
yiras hakovod. This is because we have become
accustomed to being spoiled, and this causes us to be proud
and to presume that we already do not need a rav to show us
how to study Torah, how to develop a solid understanding in
the rishonim. Boys have therefore stopped reviewing
the shiurim of the roshei yeshivos or studying
them in depth. Talmidim peruse all sorts of
seforim without proper understanding of them or
capability of discernment between what is correct or not.
The kadmonim warned us: "We should study from
sofrim and not from seforim." We can find
mistakes in seforim and the rav can show the
talmidim what is the correct way of understanding
divrei Torah. If talmidim claim: "If we would
have had roshei yeshivos like R' Boruch Ber, R'
Shimon, we would have devoted ourselves to hearing their
teachings, but today is different . . .." We must be aware
that in every period HaKodosh Boruch Hu has appointed
those capable of being the transmitters of Torah, and we must
study the Torah from them since Torah study requires a
rav.
"He has implanted eternal life within us" (Bircas
HaTorah). Rabbenu Chaim of Volozhin explains that Torah
is like a plant that will eventually blossom, but like every
plant it needs supervision and care. To inherit Torah we must
prepare our hearts to be clean from undesirable
middos, from pride and desires.
This cleanliness of the heart is achieved through Torah
study. When we study with the intention and desire that
through our study the heart will be cleaned, HaKodosh
Boruch Hu helps us attain this level of spirituality. If,
however, we study for other reasons, such as for honor, or to
attain a higher stature in life, such Torah study is far from
the aim to which we should be aspiring.
The tanna (Ovos 6:6) enumerates among the forty-
eight ways in which Torah knowledge is acquired "sharing his
fellow's burden (nosei be'ol im chavero)." Through
good middos we can acquire all the sublime qualities
and depth of the Torah's wisdom.
I heard from a reliable source of an eminent rosh yeshiva
of the past generation, an ish kodosh and
gaon, who would toil over a sugya, preparing a
shiur to say to the talmidim, and when he saw
that the subject matter was deep and he wanted to clarify it
further and say a chidush in the sugya, what
would he do? He would walk into the beis midrash, and
if he would notice a boy without shoes or wearing torn shoes,
he would give him money to buy new shoes.
This was a real act of mesiras nefesh since poverty at
that time was unbelievable. People did not have bread to eat,
and roshei yeshivos were lacking bread even more than
the boys. The roshei yeshivos would wear torn
clothing, one patch upon the other. This was of no concern
when the rosh yeshiva wanted to clarify a
sugya. The way to accomplishment in Torah is dependent
on doing chesed with another Jew. This is the gateway
to succeed in understanding a profound section of the
gemora, through "sharing his fellow's burden."
But what connection does this have with acquiring Torah?
Sharing another's burden is apparently only connected to
gashmiyus. We see that this is what HaKodosh Boruch
Hu has implanted in the way He conducts the universe,
through virtuous traits of bein odom lechavero one can
attain the sublime heights and depth of the Torah's
wisdom.
For yeshiva students this can make a difference in many ways
and especially in spiritual matters. We must ensure that
others study in an orderly fashion, and we must pay attention
if his friend is pleased, if he is succeeding, what is his
frame of mind. If he sees that someone is in a bad mood, he
should find out the reason for it and try to solve the
problem. Sometimes you can help with a good word of advice,
and sometimes you can help by fixing up a chavrusa for
him. A ben Torah suffers in a yeshiva when he does not
have the right chavrusa, or has difficulty in
understanding the shiur or the sugya. Just as
one is interested in improving his own understanding so
should he help the other person too.
From experience we see clearly that the source of success is
according to a person's good character traits. Many times we
see talmidim who are not outstanding in their
intelligence but they succeed and elevate themselves in their
studies because of their outstanding middos. On the
other hand, we also distinctly see some who are quite
talented but decline in their studies since they cannot
overcome their desires and fall into the trap of the
yetzer. Although when they were young it seemed that
they would emerge gedolim, in reality they become
rotten and entirely declined in ruchniyus. It is
impossible to enumerate all of the details.
I once heard Maran the Chazon Ish zt'l say about one
young talented boy, a real illui: "Who knows how much
Klal Yisroel will suffer from him?" This is what
happened. The Chazon Ish saw his bad middos and it was
crystal-clear to him what the future of the boy would be.
Mori verabi Maran HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer
zt'l also told me about an extremely talented boy whom
we hoped would become a godol beTorah but that hope
never materialized. He said, "It stands to reason that when a
child is talented, talent alone is insufficient. We must
supervise the child, nurture him, and protect him."
People who have middos tovos live tranquil lives and
their heads are open to absorb knowledge, and are able to
ascend to greatness in Torah. They are not burdened by the
pride and pursuit of honor that always pressure people. They
live serenely and happily, and are therefore engrossed only
in iyun of the Torah and toiling to understand
it.
Our period is a thunderous one. The three types of
talmidim of Bilaam Horosho (see Ovos 5:19):
Those who have an ayin hora, an arrogant spirit, and a
greedy soul, rule over the world. Unfortunately many bnei
Torah, each age group according to its own particular
characteristics, have these middos controlling them
and guiding their lives. We need to try to uproot this from a
young age. All good virtues must be imbued from a young age
and continue until one reaches higher levels.
HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt'l said: "First a person
is a good child, afterward a good boy in yeshiva
ketana, and then after he has become a good child in
cheder and a good boy in yeshiva ketana, he
becomes a good boy in yeshiva gedola, and then he
becomes a good young man, and not just a good young man but
one with ma'alos, a young man full of virtues. He
continues in this way until he becomes a godol
beTorah. It all starts out from being a good child and a
good boy."
The Yeshiva is a Desert
The Rambam (Hilchos Dei'os 6:1) rules: "It is natural
for a person to be tempted to follow the ideology and acts of
his friends and act the way people in his country do."
HaKodosh Boruch Hu has implanted in a person an urge
to follow how his friends, to behave and think as they think.
In addition, not only does he imitate his friends, but he
follows his fellow citizens in the way they act. Every
country has its own particular characteristics, and the
differences between children from one country and another are
quite obvious.
"A person should therefore join with tzaddikim and
keep away from reshoim who walk in darkness, so as not
to learn from their ways . . . Similarly, if a person lives
in a country where people behave wickedly and the citizens do
not go in the righteous way, he should go to a place where
people are tzaddikim and act virtuously." Nowadays
many tax themselves and undertake financial burdens to live
in a mokom Torah.
"If in all the countries that he knows of he has heard about
improper behavior, as is the present situation (!), or if he
cannot go to a country where people behave virtuously because
of war or sickness, he should isolate himself, as it is
written: `Let him sit alone and keep quiet' (Eichah
3:26). If [the people] are wicked and sinful and do not allow
him to remain in the country unless he mixes with them and
behaves in their wicked fashion, he should go out to the
caves and forests and deserts and should not act the way
sinners do, as it is written: `O that I were in the
wilderness, in a lodging place of wayfaring men'
(Yirmiyahu 9:1)."
This is exactly how a ben Torah should feel about his
yeshiva. Every time he leaves the yeshiva building to walk in
the street, including the streets of the frummest
neighborhoods, he is spiritually damaged. Whatever the eye
catches enters deep within his heart and does almost
irreparable damage. HaRav Yosef Dinkeles zt'l said
that he once asked the author of the Leshem Shevo
Ve'Achlomoh to decide about the kashrus of a
certain item. He, however, refused to read what was written
there and remarked that no soap is strong enough to cleanse
the nefesh and the neshomo from reading matters
that are posul. This anecdote demonstrates how careful
we should be not to read questionable journals and
weeklies.
HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz is the rosh yeshiva
of the Yeshiva LeTze'irim of Yeshivas Ponevezh in Bnei Brak
and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel
HaTorah.
