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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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