HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch
A chizuk rally took place this past week in Rechovot, commemorating three years since the establishment of the Kollel Taharos Mishne Moshe. This was designed to help start this winter session with zest and zeal. The Rechovot branch is one of the dozens of kollelim which has undertaken to study Taharos in Eretz Yisroel, as founded and encouraged by HaRav Michel Yehuda Lipkowitz zt"l. The rally took place on the yahrtzeit of HaRav Moshe ben R' Machluf, whose name the kollel bears.
The keynote address was delivered by HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rosh Yeshivas Slobodka and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. Among other things, he said, "In order to best utilize this coming zman, we must internalize the idea which the Torah teaches that in order to acquire good character traits, one cannot differentiate between interpersonal mitzvos and mitzvos between man and Hashem since both are closely intertwined and interdependent. Just as we know that we must toil to upgrade our performance of those mitzvos relating to Hashem, so must we be vigil and strive constantly to improve our relations with our fellow man, namely, to show respect to others and toil for their well-being.
"Furthermore, we must know that perfection in our conduct in fulfilling those mitzvos leads to enhanced reverence towards Hashem. We find, for example, that Klal Yisroel was privileged to receive the mitzvah of tzitzis through two acts: we gained the tallis in the merit of Shem ben Noach, who exerted himself more than Yefes, while we earned the mitzvah of the tzitzis fringes in the merit of Avrom who declared, after the war of the kings, that `I lift my hands to Hashem... not to accept as much as a string or shoelace, lest you say: I have enriched Avrom.'
"And both of these deeds were equal even though we would probably think that Avrom's act was much more of a sacrifice for the sake of Heaven, since he waived a fortune by his declaration that he did not want the king of Sodom to boast that he had made Avrom prosperous. Shem's act was very negligible in comparison, not requiring much effort. And yet, the Torah places them on equal standing vis a vis the eternal reward which they bequeathed to their descendants.
"This goes to teach us that even conduct towards one's fellow man is an integral part of the Torah and has importance and reward for all eternity."
