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7 Nissan 5760 - April 12, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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BOOK REVIEW:
"Tuvcha Yabiyu"

We continually encourage our readers to become more fluent in the Hebrew language. The Jewish world has shrunk, and Eretz Yisroel, as always, is at the hub of all Jewish activities, the focus of our lives, even for those living abroad. Who, after all, does not have a relative or friend living here? Or has not yet visited Eretz Yisroel? So aside from the spiritual benefits definitely to be gained from becoming conversant in the spoken and written language, there is the element of being comfortable with Hebrew.

And so, we present an excerpt of a new book in Hebrew, written in simple enough language, in compact stories that will enrich the reader in many areas, including linguistic ones. A book for the entire family.

Short pieces on chizuk, hashkofa, mussar intertwined with hundreds of stories, practices and customs of our latter day gedolim as excerpted from the work, "Tuvcha Yabiyu" from the `treasuries' of Hagaon R' Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita, rabbi of Ramat Elchanan, Bnei Brak, written and arranged by R' Moshe Michoel Tzoren. These stories dwell on aspects of the Jewish home, family, chinuch, focusing in particular on love for Torah and prayer, set up according to the weekly portion, in a very clear, forthright manner.

Each story is highlighted by insights of Mussar and application to be learnt from it. This is not a mere compilation of tales but living lessons specially tailored to our times.

THE RUACH HAKODESH OF THE CHAZON ISH (ztzvk'l)

Those people who were privileged to bask in the proximity of the Chazon Ish, were privy to profound original insights in Torah and active Torah leadership which were the product of his deep Torah wisdom. He rarely, however, expressed anything in the area of personal emotions or hidden feelings. This is the reason why the following story which Hagaon R' Chaim Kanievsky shlita related, is so valuable a gem.

"I once accompanied my uncle, Maran the Chazon Ish, on an evening walk along the street which now bears his name, since his doctors had prescribed this daily outing for his health. As we approached the Shomrei Shabbos cemetery, a site that was then still surrounded by orchards, he suddenly stopped and said,

"`Torah students once passed by here and conversed `in Torah'. I can feel an intense holiness on this very spot.'"

We cannot help being amazed at the tremendous potency of Torah study and the measure of holiness which it generates in the very atmosphere to the extent that one who is totally immersed in Torah can actually hear the reverberations, even after considerable time has passed from when they were uttered.

Upon that same occasion, R' Chaim Kanievsky explained how the phenomenon works in reverse as well, that is, how the future Torah study of a location can have a retroactive impact upon the people in a previous time setting. There is a Tosefta on the Targum which tells of the angel's visit to Yehoshua. He said, "I have come now," and commands him to rise to his feet since the site which Yehoshua presently occupies is a holy one: in the future, Elisha will disseminate Torah to the masses and it already has sanctity in the present.

If the first story regarding the Chazon Ish taught us that Torah learned in the past leaves its mark for the future, we also learn the very opposite from Yehoshua, that Torah taught in the future creates an impact before-the-fact, eight hundred years previous to that occurence.

A `RESERVE' IN YIDDISHKEIT

It is told of two good friends whose history ran parallel for many years. They grew up together and, in time, got married and raised their respective families. One man boasted fine, upright children to do him proud, while the second suffered all his life from children who went astray from the righteous path.

The Steipler Gaon was aware of these circumstances and wondered why the paths of the children had diverged so widely. It must be, he concluded, that something went awry when both young men made the difficult decision to leave Eretz Yisroel and seek their livelihoods in America. One man related that when he had packed his belongings, he had taken, among all of his other personal things, religious articles such as tefillin, tzitzis and so on.

The second one recalled that he had made sure to take along a reserve item for each of his sons. He had explained to his children that he did not know where he would find the same high quality of kashrus in these items, and since they would soon become obligated in mitzvos, he had wanted to be sure that he would have the best that could be had. The children noted their father's foresight, which made a strong impression upon them. He virtually showed them that this is what mattered to him. This very fact, the author of Kehillos Yaakov was convinced, is what made the essential difference between the two sets of children - those who turned out exemplary, G-d-fearing Jews, and those who, nebich, went astray.

There is an additional aspect to be learned from this story: raising children is not an incidental matter. A child must see a good example set by his parents and know that Torah values are supreme in their eyes. If a father does not show that practicing mitzvos is more important than money, no amount of preaching will convince the child that this is so. The children will grasp the other latent message and act accordingly. When they grow up, they will say that they need not be holier than their parents.

This was one small example of an act that made a mighty impression upon a child. What, after all, can be the major difference between one set of tefillin and another, in an innocent child's mind? The difference lies in the perspective that is revealed before the child, the glimpse of truth, the focus on what matters to a parent and what is secondary.

POST MIDNIGHT WITH A GLASS OF WARM MILK

I personally know a young man who, at an early age, was fluent in all of shas. His diligence and application to study were legendary. I once approached his father and asked for the `recipe' for producing such a prodigy. Without hesitation, the father replied, "The credit is not mine at all; it belongs to my wife." He went on to relate what she had done to deserve such a precious child.

"My son had a tremendous thirst for Torah knowledge, so much so that he used to return home from yeshiva each night after midnight. Never once did he open the door and not find his mother waiting up for him, with a cup of warm milk ready on the table, together with a plate of cake, to refresh and nourish her beloved young masmid.

"This did not come easy to my wife, who was preoccupied all day long with running a busy household and inculcating Torah values in the younger children. She kept a strict vigil on them lest they go down to play unattended and consort with children of whom she disapproved. By nighttime, she was drained of all energy. Nevertheless, came midnight, she made sure to be awake and to have refreshments and a warm greeting for her returning son.

"Her self sacrifice did not go unnoticed, nor her joy and satisfaction at his study efforts. He grew to love Torah intensely, and to sacrifice himself in diligence, as a result of her encouragement. Thanks to it, he has already completed the entire Talmud, and has a firm grasp upon all of it," concluded the father.

In his introduction to the work Mishne Sochir, Maran R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld ztzvk'l praises the author's mother for all she did for the sake of her son. He used to get up at dawn for a long day of arduous toil in Torah. She and her daughters would often bake delicacies which the entire family knew were designated for him alone - because he studied Torah.

"IF YOU LOVE THE STUDENTS - YOU ARE EXCUSED FROM STUDYING PEDAGOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY"

When Hagaon R' Moshe Tikochinsky zt'l, who was to become the menahel ruchani of Yeshivas Slobodka in Bnei Brak, founded Yeshivas Mekor Chaim in Jerusalem, he had reservations about his dealings with his students. How could he succeed in giving the proper foundation for their future life? What a tremendous responsibility!

In later years, he shared those difficult deliberations with his students in Yeshivas Slobodka, saying, "I thought that my lack of secular credentials, that is, knowledge of pedagogy, would doom me to failure."

One day, Maran R' Yechezkel Sarna zt'l, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron, visited the yeshiva and R' Tikochinsky seized the opportunity to discuss his dilemma with this great man.

"Tell me," asked R' Yechezkel, "do you love your students?"

"Certainly!" replied the Mashgiach emphatically. This answer was, indeed, superfluous, for his affection and concern for each and every student was well known to all.

"Nu, if that is so, you are absolved of all the `ologies' and the modern approaches to education. You don't need their likes! Someone who loves his students is guaranteed that he and they will together reach the pinnacle of success."

"IF YOU WANT A BLESSING FROM ME, STOP SMOKING"

Studying the daily conduct of the roshei yeshiva of our people teaches us how to serve Hashem through adherence and holiness. Of the hundreds of stories and facts publicized lately about Maran R' Eliezer Shach shlita, there is one singular episode that teaches us to what extent a true Torah leader is actively concerned about the future of a simple Jew. The following story was related to R' Zilberstein shlita from a most reliable source:

Maran was required to undergo medical care on his eyes several years ago, for which he had to be hospitalized. One of the nurses on his ward was especially devoted to his needs and saw to it that he got the best treatment possible.

At the end of his stay, R' Shach was approached by this nurse, who asked him for a blessing. All those present listened closely to what he said:

"You want a blessing from me? Fine, but I have a request to make of you, too, which I am sure will, in of itself, bring you much blessing. You must stop smoking!"

Satisfied, the nurse thanked him and went back to her department. When she was gone, R' Shach turned to those around him and explained, "This nurse went out of her way to make sure that I was comfortable and got the best medical care. I wanted to thank her for everything and to bless her, but one thing disturbed me. She smoked, and on Shabbos, too. I wanted to spare her the terrible punishment that awaited her in gehinnom. But had I told her to stop smoking on Shabbos, I can assume that it would not have made enough of an impression on her. I therefore asked her to stop smoking altogether, as if for health reasons. This way, there is a much better chance that she will listen to me. And if she stops smoking altogether, she will surely not violate the Shabbos in this way."

This is how gedolei Yisroel show their love and concern for simple, secular Jews. A lesson in ahavas Yisroel...

 

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