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The gaon and tzaddik HaRav Zerach Braverman, zt'l:
Without Boundaries<
by Yated Staff
HaRav Yehoshua Leib Diskin zt"l, rebbe of HaRav Braverman
For Part II of this series click here.
HaRav Zerach Braverman: a gaon for whom boundaries were nonexistent. He made no distinction between his family and the recipients of chesed who entered his home. There was no border between Torah, avoda, and gemilus chassodim. No differentiation was made between his own talmidim and others, his yeshiva and others, his city of Yerushalaim and the lowland settlements. He devoted himself equally to them all, with unlimited time and energy.
Part 1
This was originally published in 1993.
The carriage was pulled by a team of weak and weary horses. Its wheels had been battered by the rocky road. It had absorbed the shock of many bumps and potholes, and had been beaten by the tall weeds that grew wildly by the roadside. The twelve men who were crammed into this vehicle made for an unusual sight on the rocky landscape. These typical Yerushalmi figures, sporting beards and black clothing which made them seem incongruous in the setting, were roughly jolted back and forth with every lurch of the carriage.
As the sun began to set, the passengers looked around, hoping to find some sign indicating the presence of a nearby village or settlement, where they could spend the night. Their efforts, however, were in vain. According to their calculations, they should have already arrived at their destination. They looked at the driver, who returned their glance. Clearly perplexed, he remarked, "It seems to me that we are lost..."
HaRav Zerach Braverman
Awaken
The characters in the above scenario were members of the Shomrei Torah association, which had been founded by HaRav Zerach Braverman, Ish Yerushalaim. They were travelling to the Ekron settlement, to participate in the inauguration of the newly built Talmud Torah there. These men, however, were not merely guests: They were the ones responsible for this achievement!
The Shomrei Torah association had been founded a few years earlier. Outraged and agitated, HaRav Braverman had trudged futilely from one godol to the next. Colonies and farming settlements had been established throughout Eretz Yisroel by Jewish settlers under the auspices of Baron Rothschild.
The Baron had sent commissioners to oversee the settlements. These commissioners forcefully imposed their ideology and mindset on the people. Organs were placed in the batei knesset, and the buildings were locked up during the week. Teachers were imported from France, and the settlers were forbidden to rent apartments for a Talmud Torah.
There were Yerushalmim who went to the settlements to become farmers, intending to support themselves thereby. However, the religious suppression sent them fleeing homeward, filled with horror stories about the relations between the overseers and the settlers.
"Awaken," cried Rav Zerach. "Help our brothers on the settlements!"
Letter written by HaRav Zerach Braverman as the rosh yeshiva of Meah Shearim
The Preparation
HaRav Braverman had a special relationship with the farming settlements. In order to understand it, we must go backward many years. At that time, the Rav was a young man seeking to imbibe the middos of two great men: The Netziv of Volozhin and Rebbe Nahumka of Horodna, whom the Chofetz Chaim also considered his rebbe. He was born in Dubrova in 5617 (1857).
The former enlightened his eyes in Torah, the latter in acts of chesed and tzedaka. Later on, he married and set up home in Lomza. With his colleague, the gaon HaRav Eliezer Shulevitz, he established the illustrious Lomza yeshiva.
At the same time, he decided to acquire a rav who would direct him on the proper path, and whose authority he would accept unquestionably. In those days, Lithuania was filled with gedolei Torah and men of renown. The Rav, however, set his sights on the greatest of them all: The Mahari"l Diskin, the luminary who lived in Brisk, and HaRav Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the mussar movement who dwelled in Kovno.
HaRav Zerach was still in the process of deciding which of these to follow, when the Mahari"l Diskin moved to Eretz Yisroel. HaRav Zerach consequently decided to join Rabbi Yisroel Salanter's group.
Before doing so, however, he had to prepare himself properly by reviewing all of Shas in depth. Rabbi Yisroel had both written and discoursed at length on the definitions of issurei mammon, paying particular attention to the great care one must exercise when dealing with someone else's wealth.
HaRav Zerach similarly sought to acquire a broad knowledge of mussar works. He learned these in order to absorb their values, so that his heart would be capable of receiving the Rav's light. HaRav Braverman was in the midst of these preparations when the news of R' Yisroel's death reached him.
To Serve Talmidei Chachamim
Although he didn't merit to meet HaRav Yisroel Salanter, he retained the spiritual achievements which he had gained in preparation for the meeting. Since R' Yisroel was gone, Rav Braverman decided to pursue his second option: He moved to Eretz Yisroel, so as to bask in the shade of the Mahari"l Diskin, the fiery seraph from Brisk. This was in 5647 (1887) when he was thirty years old.
The Mahari"l Diskin was surrounded by Torah giants. Among his talmidim were Rav Leib Chafetz, Rav Eliezer Dan Ralbag, Rav Yaakov Orenstein, Rav Moshe Shochet, Rav Shlomo Yitzchok Blau and Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. His shiurim were known for their profundity and depth. In fact, at times his students' heads would ache so badly from the strain of trying to understand them, that they were compelled to tie damp cloths around their temples in order to find relief.
The Mahari"l Diskin would analyze a sugya in thirty-six different ways, without any overlap between them. At times, he would dwell on one Tosafos for three days. He would spend forty days on one daf, two months on a sugya, until it was completely clear.
Rav Zerach joined this group, in the capacity of ... the shamash. He would prepare cups of tea, bring them to the table, and stand unobtrusively at the side, listening. His eyes were constantly focused on the great Rav, taking note of his every gesture and action. Rav Zerach was the embodiment of humility, ready to perform any service, happy to serve talmidei chachamim.
The Meah Shearim yeshiva
Preparing The Way
It required the sharp eye of the Mahari"l Diskin to take this shamash and raise him above all the other talmidim. Rav Diskin began to learn privately with R' Zerach on a nightly basis. They would begin immediately after ma'ariv, and continue until midnight. After shacharis, they once again learned together until noon. Thus, for a long period of time, the two learned together for half the day and half the night.
They studied the halachos hateluyos ba'aretz. In his usual fashion, the Mahari"l spent many days on a single mishnah. Over the course of a full month they completed a perek. There wasn't a single shitas rishonim that they didn't delve into deeply. No sugya remained obscure.
At that time, the first settlements were being built, and railroad tracks were constructed from Yaffo to Yerushalaim. One night, while they were still immersed in learning, a shrieking whistle pierced the silent night. The Rav looked up and asked, "What's the meaning of that whistle?"
"The train has arrived in Yerushalaim," answered his talmid.
"They are preparing the way for Moshiach," responded the Mahari"l. "In Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer it says that before the coming of Moshiach, 'they will clear the ways.' They are already clearing the ways, and we are still not ready..."
When the settlements were built and the fields blossomed, R' Zerach rejoiced: All of the sugyos which he had studied so diligently under his Rebbe's tutelage — kilayim and peah, terumos and ma'asros, orlah and shevi'is, — would now have practical application!
Then came the disappointment. Word of religious suppression by the Baron's overseers spread. Stories abounded about the settlements' abandonment of Torah. R' Zerach cried out bitterly:
"Gevald! They are building settlements on foundations of sand, for there is no permanence without Torah!"
Without The Slightest Admixture
Thus, R' Zerach went from one gaon to the next, crying out bitterly in warning. Everyone agreed with him, but what could they do? The Baron's overseers had sole authority over the settlements. They, meanwhile, had neither money nor activists. R' Zerach, who heard the same excuses again and again, nevertheless refused to give up.
A few days later, all of the gedolim received an invitation to a meeting. On the agenda: the establishment of the Shomrei Torah association. Since everyone concurred with him from the start, and since he was known and highly respected by all, they unanimously agreed to support him in this endeavor. The association's mission was eloquently expressed in the letter of support received from the gaon HaRav Chaim of Brisk, zt'l:
"A spirit from above has appeared to you, implanting in your minds the idea of founding an association whose purpose is to strengthen Torah observance in the educational system. In this way, children will grow and be educated in the ways of Torah as it was given to us. You will thereby foil the plans of our enemies, who wish to undermine the foundation of religion, destroying and uprooting the seedlings of emunah..."
The gaon had only one question: "Please don't be angry with me for asking this: Are the Talmudei Torah which you are establishing in the settlements of our holy land being run according to the traditional framework, without any admixture of the new Haskalah? For experience has taught us that even a drop of this poisonous element is sufficient to uproot everything we hold dear, and to cause the hearts of the young to rot."
And No One Knew
The association was established and received the blessings of the gedolei hador. Among its members were the greatest and most esteemed residents of Yerushalaim. R' Zerach, however, was the moving force behind the organization. R' Ben Zion Yadler, the Yerushalmi Maggid, describes this in his memoirs:
"At that time of meetings and activities, he didn't eat, drink or rest. All of his time was devoted to this cause. He founded the organization and enlisted others into its service. He called the meetings, acting as shamash and gabbai. He found the necessary means, and made the association's goals a reality. There were nights when the meetings continued until dawn. Many of the participants were afraid to return home at that hour, but R' Zerach himself accompanied them.
"At times, he was overcome with fatigue as a result of his great exertions. When that happened, he entered any courtyard he happened to chance upon, placed his coat beneath his head, and slept a bit. He then continued his work, and no one knew when he lay down or arose."
His Accepted Custom
Anyone who presumes that R' Zerach simply found a worthy cause to which he could devote his time and energy is laboring under a misconception. The Rav was a dynamic individual whose schedule was packed. First of all, there was his own learning. That he was a talmid of the Mahari"l Diskin says it all.
Once, R' Moshe Karelitz, R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, and R' Dov Ber Epstein went to the beis medrash to consult with him regarding a matter pertaining to the community. However, it was R' Braverman's accepted custom to learn without any break until mincha. The three rabbonim therefore took seforim from the closet and learned, until R' Zerach was free to speak with them.
It once happened that one of R' Zerach's talmidim came to him after mincha with a question. The Rav preceded the talmid's question with one of his own: "Tell me, have you learned yet today?"
When the talmid responded in the negative, R' Zerach insisted that he sit and learn for a few hours before asking his question.
During the last years of his life, R' Zerach suffered greatly, and was bedridden. An endless procession of people came to him throughout the day in order to ask for advice. The Rav would listen, contemplate, counsel, and bless. Yet, amazingly, from the moment the questioner turned to go, he was already immersed once again in his sefer.
Amazing Salvation
Perhaps you will say that since limud Torah is put aside for a mitzvah which can't be performed by another, it was incumbent on R' Zerach to postpone his learning and involve himself in mitzvos. There is truth to this. However, the Rav had numerous mitzvos to his credit even without the Shomrei Torah association.
At that time, Yerushalaim was filled with Russian refugees who lacked both a roof over their heads and food. The refugees found both in R' Zerach's home. His house, like all others at that time, consisted of one room and a tiny kitchen. At times, close to eighty people ate around his table!
Entire families of men, women, and children lived in his home for many weeks. They were never once told that there wasn't enough room. This large scale hospitality cost money. Of course, R' Zerach himself mobilized the necessary funds. The gaon R' Michel Moshkin, zt'l, related:
"Once, when I stopped by R' Zerach's home, I found him distressed. His was distress over a mitzvah: He had run out of money, and would be forced to close his "guest house" immediately after Shabbos for lack of food. His sorrow pained my heart, and when he realized this, he quickly calmed me, saying, 'Don't worry, R' Michel. The salvation of Hashem comes in the blink of an eye.'
"After Shabbos, I returned to his home. To my amazement, I saw large numbers of people sitting around his table eating a meal, as usual. I asked R' Zerach to tell me how this `salvation' had come about.
'Come, and I'll tell you something amazing,' he responded. 'On motzei Shabbos Kodesh, I davened ma'ariv at the Kosel, as usual. As I was passing Shaar Yaffo on the way home, I heard someone call my name. It was a gloomy night, and I couldn't make out who it was that called me. I think he was a stranger. He asked after my welfare, and casually remarked, 'I have a bundle of small coins, which I am supposed to deliver to you.' He gave me the bundle and was quickly swallowed by the darkness. When I arrived home and opened it, I found thirteen gold napoleon. This was our relief!'"
R' Michel commented, "Here we see the fulfillment of the gemara's dictum: 'HaKodosh Boruch Hu will provide the means for anyone who pursues tzedaka. (So that he can continue to perform this mitzvah.) Whoever pursues tzedaka and chesed will find life, charity and honor." (Bava Basra 15)
End of Part 1
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