Part II
In the first part, the author makes clear that his
remarks are directed against those committed to the
leadership of HaRav Shach shlita. He then gives several
examples of HaRav Shach's activities including examples of
him standing up to the religious and near-religious efforts
to water down the real obligation. In the end, he quotes
Rabbenu Yonah about the strictness that cutting oneself off
from the community is not advised.
The second argument of Rabbenu Yonah, "they
are dissuading the hearts of those weak in their
acceptance," is particularly significant today. Every
society has its individualists and some although officially
belonging, really have only a secondary attachment and
ideologically disagree with its way. If they would be the
leaders they would surely act differently. Who safeguards
that these people will not, choliloh, deviate from
the way our mentors, the faithful transmitters of our
tradition, have passed down to us? Only the hidden power in
a solid alliance, their feeling of belonging to a certain
group, is what prevents them from wandering away.
Today when the enemy is not across the border but within
homes and disguised as an innocent radio, secular newspaper,
or cheap "religious" newspaper, our being part of a strong
organization is even much more important. Lately we must
even grapple with modern-day spiritual dangers such as CD
disks and video tapes, the Internet, and television.
Unfortunately also within our camp, among those who had the
privilege to recognize the value of toiling over the Torah,
secular society's influence has penetrated, and after their
sons finish cheder some parents send them to continue
in yeshivot tichoniyot (Israeli yeshiva high
schools).
Who can ensure that the attraction of the weak to
ruchniyus does not cool down, that the gush of ever-
present desires does not lure them away, that they are not
duped into believing secular and nationalist ideologies? We
need to set up deterrents to any decline in their Torah
observance or purity of hashkofoh. Actually all
mitzvos of our Oral Torah are safeguards that Chazal enacted
so that we would not, choliloh, mistakenly act not
according to halocho, and also to distance us from
society's deluge of desires and widespread bogus teachings.
Let us follow the way of our mentors. Surely the only way to
do this is through uniting together; only that can save us
from spiritual damage.
Rabbenu Yonah rebukes those who separate from the community
since they are mocking the community's unity. Through their
ridicule they weaken our safeguards since without a united
community no safeguards that can withhold the weak from
wandering away and from even, Rachmono litzlan,
severing off any contact at all, can be effective. Their
separating from the community was due to their lack of
considering the consequences that indifference and ridicule
can cause.
This is the meaning of what Rabbenu Yonah wrote in
Sha'arei Teshuvah: all who are not partners in
strengthening the tzibbur to unite eventually "cause
many to sin." Although in their daily behavior they
apparently act like tzaddikim, Rabbenu Yonah teaches
us what they really are.
For example: Those who scorn and constantly criticize the
Yated Ne'eman are the first ones who pore over all
the newspapers handed out for free and advertisements, and
also are those primarily influenced by anti-Torah
ideologies. Their greatest sin is that because of them
others do not value the newspaper, and those weak in
spiritual values do not feel a need to subscribe to this
newspaper. Instead of Yated Ne'eman, those people
subscribe to other newspapers, and the overflowing
yetzer to look at television can also take control of
them. Who caused all this? That person who derided our
newspaper and whose aim was always to find the slightest
imperfections, is at blame.
Likewise all those indifferent to Shearis
Yisroel, those who do not feel its being at all necessary,
weaken people's confidence in this unique kashrus
organization that follows faithfully the outlooks that the
gedolei Torah who lead them want to imbue within us.
Their deriding Shearis Yisroel causes the gedolei
Torah to lose their influence over the
tzibbur.
Instead of the voice of the gedolei Torah being heard
clearly and loudly, and obligating everyone to join ranks, a
feeble non-convincing voice is heard. Instead of attracting
more people, the opposite happens. Many do not feel they
belong to any strong body and therefore behave as their
common sense dictates to them. In other words they follow
ideas such as those they hear over the radio, in the office,
on the bus, and in the cheap newspapers. Whose fault is it?
Those who ridicule demanding Shearis Yisroel products (and
this does not matter whether their being a private
individual or some educational institution) are definitely
at fault.
In connection with the above it is only proper
to let the public know that the aspiration of Maran the Rosh
Yeshiva shlita was for Shearis Yisroel to be self-
reliant, supported through a monthly membership fee. In this
way it would not be dependent upon the opinion of others.
Each month Maran HaRav Shach shlita would send a
donation for Shearis Yisroel. Also until lately HaRav Chaim
Kanievsky would give a monthly donation for Shearis Yisroel
if and when its representatives would visit him.
And what about us? Can we, because of financial benefits and
pressure from the family, act as if it is a disgrace to
strengthen the mehudar kashrus organization of
Shearis Yisroel? This is a kashrus organization that is
always ready to hear any criticism, and asks guidance about
all the varied kashrus questions from the gedolei hador
shlita. All owners of factories, stores, and wedding
halls realize that when bnei Torah do not insist on
the Shearis Yisroel hechsher they are degrading the
explicit demand of the gedolei Torah vehoro'oh,
something that directly causes them to also degrade their
demands and act as they want.
How can we prefer products that are not of Shearis Yisroel
because of considerations that are positively improper for
bnei Torah? Why if that product is slightly more
expensive or we have not yet become accustomed to its taste,
do we childishly buy the product with the other
hechsher? We can absolutely find fault with those who
do not buy Shearis Yisroel products although even more
inexpensive and tastier, and those who refrain from buying
Shearis Yisroel products because of indifference, lack of
awareness in what they are doing, or to satisfy those guests
who do not eat Shearis Yisroel products.
Instead of members of our group demonstrating openly their
loyalty to our mentors, and our trust that this is surely
the way HaKodosh Boruch Hu wants us to act, we are
embarrassed and afraid that some guests will not appreciate
our preference. How disgraceful! Whose fault is it that
something like this should happen if not those mocking
Shearis Yisroel, those cracking jokes about them. Surely
about these people the posuk, "Our soul is overfilled
with the mockery of the complacent ones, and with the
contempt of the proud" (Tehillim 123:4) pertains.
Undoubtedly together with the growth of our buying power, so
grows the influence of our gedolei Torah shlita, and
so is strengthened Torah and kashrus observance. It is quite
natural that factories and businesses will then seek out
Shearis Yisroel and Shearis Yisroel can serve its consumers
with an even better quality of food products, and also lower
prices to satisfy the critics' demands.
What we write refers also to Torah-educational
institutions. Although we are unworthy to criticize
educational institutions, we cannot remain silent. In a case
of chillul Hashem we must disregard the honor of
mortals. It is amazing how some institutions can ignore the
appeal of Maran shlita in a letter from erev
Shabbos parshas Vayeitzei, 5749, that also Torah and
educational institutions should buy Shearis Yisroel
products. Later in the shmittah year of 5753 in a
public manifesto to all yirei Hashem, together with
Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv shlita, they again
called upon us to strengthen the Shearis Yisroel kashrus
organization.
Also this year before shmittah, the gedolei hador
shlita asked bnei Torah to purchase Shearis
Yisroel products, but we have the definite feeling that for
some reason, various institutions still do not care. It is
impossible to understand how can it be that these
institutions strictly follow the advice of the gedolei
Torah shlita about what way to study Torah or how to
analyze what was studied, regarding psak halocho,
chinuch, criteria for accepting or dismissing
students, and all life-and-death matters, but concerning
daas Torah on how to strengthen the Torah and
kashrus, they live with the feeling that they have some sort
of immunity, as if it does not concern them at all. This
causes also their talmidim to learn from them how to
ridicule their Torah mentors, chas vesholom, and who
knows what the results of such behavior will be. What value
does such a chinuch have if its primary component is
missing: obedience to the directives of gedolei Torah
shlita?
In the times of Rabbenu the Chazon Ish zt'l lived a
person popularly considered a talmid chochom but who
possessed "original" ideas and ideologies. That person
believed that he is obligated to humble himself only before
halachic rulings of the gedolim but is not required
to follow the safeguards these gedolim told him to
take. Maran zt'l wrote him (Kovetz Igros Chazon
Ish III:92): "The system of making the Torah into
different divisions is the old system of the minim
from the time of the decline of Judaism in Germany. Those
minim seduced am Yisroel until they mixed with
the non- Jews and nothing was left." The Chazon Ish
concludes by defining the essence of the sin of those who
differentiate between the two matters and what their
punishment is.
Another grievance can be voiced against these
institution heads. Many parents hand over to them the fate
of their children's education. These children are a
pikodon in their hands to educate according to the
spirit and course that our Torah mentors have outlined. If
they do not educate them properly they are not guarding
their pikodon properly. This neglect in guarding
their pikodon has a direct implication for the
generation educated by them. These talmidim
mistakenly understand that we must only follow gedolei
Torah when it "pays" and not when we get "involved" or
when it causes "needless" confrontations. When they
encounter difficulties in carrying out the demands of the
gedolim it is better to remain inactive.
Instead of proudly waging a respectable campaign for the
takonos and gezeiros of our Torah leaders, of
their "raising their hearts to go in the way of Hashem" (as
the Shulchan Oruch Orach Chaim 1 states, and the
Mishnah Berurah there writes at length), they create
an atmosphere dictating its being a disgrace to obey the
gedolei Torah shlita, to take part in their battles,
and to strengthen the ways intended to disseminate their
views throughout all levels of the tzibbur.
It is general knowledge how Maran HaRav Yitzchok Zeev
Soloveitchik zt'l explained why our errant brothers
arrive en masse to pray with us during Yom Kippur.
This occurrence is not because of the uniqueness of the day
as we usually think is the cause. Our strengthening
ourselves more during that day has a direct influence even
on those remote from the Torah. The same is true concerning
our topic. Our honoring properly the Torah and its
gedolim influences also those remote from the Torah,
and if we do not honor properly the Torah, is fulfilled
through us the posuk, "All that honored her despise
her" (Eichah 1:8), Rachmono litzlan.
Her filthiness was on her hems, she took no
thought of her end; therefore she came down astonishingly;
she has no comforter. O Hashem, behold my affliction for the
enemy has magnified itself" (Eichah 1:9). The Alshich
HaKodosh explains that the source of all harm is those empty-
headed people who have not perfected their behavior, those
prone to be seduced by their yetzer. "Filthiness was
on her hems" means that the tumah of avodoh
zorah started from people on the bottom level of
perfectness, the "hems" of society. However, if we initially
take the offensive against this dangerous condition we can
still change them for the better and prevent this
tumah from penetrating our camp. We must do this
before the leprosy spreads since before it spreads we can
easily protest against it and convert it. But if those who
understand what is happening decide to ignore it, do not
protest and do not stop the disgraceful happenings, each day
the curse is greater than the previous day and the leprosy
spreads to many and even to the respectable.
This is what the novi tells us: She took no thought
of her end -- meaning they did not want to understand that
through inactivity evil can spread greatly. Measure for
measure has been fulfilled by us and "She came down
astonishingly," that the spiritual decline was not gradual
as occurred throughout the generations, that the later
generations were somewhat lower than the previous ones, and
therefore its present misfortune was also not gradual. "She
has no comforter," Knesses Yisroel suffers
continuously and has no comfort, Hashem yerachem.
In the same vein as the above, the Bach
(beginning of Hilchos Chanukah) writes that the
gezeiros of the Greeks not to observe the Torah were
a punishment because the Jews in that generation neglected
the avodoh of the Beis Hamikdosh. Only after
the Chashmonaim endangered their lives for the avodoh
were they privileged to have overt miracles.
Rabbenu the Chofetz Chaim (cited in Kovetz Mamarim of
Maran HaRav Elchonon Wassermann zt'l Hy'd in
discourse Omer Ani Ma'asai LeMelech, par. 8-9, and
other places) explains that decrees on our "bodies" and
decrees on our "religion" are basically different.
Concerning decrees on our bodies the only way to be saved is
through teshuvah and tefillah since the aim of
all those gezeiros is to prompt us to do
teshuvah.
However, the aim of gezeiros against our "religion"
is not to prompt us to do teshuvah but, on the
contrary, to prevent us from properly following our goal in
life. We must realize that this is not a Heavenly
gezeiroh but one done through the power of the Satan.
The enemy is actually only lies and imagination and the only
way to annul these gezeiros is through waging a war
against it, though fighting courageously and proudly.
We must act this way also when it seems that we apparently
have no hope to succeed. The Chashmonaim fought against the
Hellenists although they were "few against many and weak
against the strong." Likewise, we must assemble together and
fight for our lives and that of our children with mesirus
nefesh. We will then retroactively see that all those
who fought against us were only "soap bubbles" and we were
zocheh to miraculous siyata deShmaya. If on
the other hand we sit idly, not doing anything, then,
chas vesholom, the gezeiros against the Torah
strengthen as a punishment for our inactivity.
Maran HaRav E. M. Shach shlita said on various
occasions that the day will come when we will understand why
we were forced to conduct an exhausting battle against the
Chabad Movement and such. He warned that if we do not
understand that we must completely shake ourselves free from
them and from those who follow them, and consider them
"outside our camp," then, chas vesholom, we will not
be able to properly teach Torah to Jewish children. He
emphasized that many times in the past complacency was the
cause that the Enlightened and secular Jews took over the
Jewish communities. Complacency in the topic which we are
discussing is a primary cause for the success of bogus
ideologies to penetrate within our camp.
Those who understand the above, know that
nothing can be accomplished without an arduous, resolute,
and persistent campaign. Rabbenu Yeruchom of Mir (in Daas
Torah, parshas Noach 8:21, 10:8) writes that the
Torah through calling Nimrod the rosho a gibor
and the Torah's (Bereishis 32:25) telling us that
Yaakov Ovinu wrestled with a man (the Heavenly Minister of
Esav) until the day broke, and at the end (v. 29) the
Torah's saying, "You have contended with G-d and with men
and have prevailed," teaches us the impossibility of
achieving anything without battles.
The concept of being neutral is always unacceptable. Either
a person helps and takes part in the campaign for building
kedushah or, chas vesholom, he takes part in
the campaign for those against kedushah. Today it is
not hard to understand how true this is. At any rate we
learn from R' Yeruchom that the name "Yisroel" is only
fitting for those following the path of our forefathers,
those prepared to fight even with the Minister of Esav and
not to give up until he blesses them.
We all know that one of the ways to awaken
Heavenly pity for us is through our mentioning the
zechus of Akeidas Yitzchok, and during the
yomim noraim the blowing of the shofar is especially
helpful for this purpose. The Kli Yakar writes that
the secret of blowing the shofar is not as we simply think,
that we remind HaKodosh Boruch Hu of the ram of
Yitzchok. It is unnecessary to remind Hashem since He never
forgets.
The real reason for the blowing of the shofar is that
through it we remember the Akeidas Yitzchok
and instill within ourselves the desire to go in the way of
Avrohom Ovinu who sacrificed himself for his love to Hashem.
At least we should decide to donate tzedokoh properly
without any excuses and heteirim. Also each person
should be especially careful when he says the
tefillos for kvod Shomayim, as cited also in
the name of R' Yisroel of Salant.
"Shall a shofar be sounded in the city and the people not be
frightened" (Amos 3:6). We must be full of fright
about fulfilling what Hashem has told us, as Avrohom Ovinu
was when he went to sacrifice his son Yitzchok. How can we
consider ourselves full of fright to do Hashem's mitzvos if
we are unwilling to spend even a little money for
ruchniyus?
At the end of the parshah (Bereishis 22:14) it
says, "Avrohom called the name of that place Hashem will
see, as it is said to this day, in the mount Hashem will
appear." The Ollelos Efraim and Ir Giborim
explain, "just as a Jew `sees' this great act with his
intellectual eye and agrees to go in the way of the
Patriarchs, so is he seen by the Shechinah (meaning
that in the same degree we are zocheh to spiritual
help from Hashem from our enemies), since `behold the eye of
Hashem is upon those who fear him, upon those who hope in
His steadfast love' " (Tehillim 33:18).
Today no one is thinking of asking for a monthly membership
fee for Shearis Yisroel, and we are only asking that bnei
Torah be aware that they should purchase and demand
products of Shearis Yisroel. When many people back a kashrus
body it is possible to safeguard against breaches in the
wall of kashrus observance. (The setting up of Degel HaTorah
itself was to prevent breaches in the wall of Torah
observance according to the guidance of our Torah leaders
shlita, and that is also the aim of Yated
Ne'eman). More people buying only Shearis Yisroel
products will bring more financial power allowing the
kashrus organization to be more efficient and satisfactory
for all. Without such financial assistance how can anyone
complain? At the present the organization is working with
barely the resources to uphold its current activities and
under substandard conditions. Many of those behind this
kashrus organization are working with mesirus nefesh,
and of course we cannot forget the mesirus nefesh of
the rabbonim who are devoting days and nights to solve all
the intricate halachic problems that arise.
We will conclude with the appeal of Dovid Hamelech
a'h to those of his shevet to return to his
kingdom after the failure of the attempted rebellion of his
son Avsholom: "All the people were at strife throughout all
the tribes of Yisroel saying, `The king saved us out of the
hand of our enemies and he delivered us out of the hand of
the Pelishtim and now he is fled out of the land from
Avsholom. And Avsholom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in
battle. Now therefore why do you not speak a word of
bringing the king back?' And King Dovid sent to Tzodok and
to Evyosor the Cohanim, saying, Speak to the elders of
Yehudah, saying, "Why are you the last to bring the king
back to his house? Seeing the speech of all Yisroel is
already come to the king, to his house. You are my brethren,
you are my bones and my flesh; why then are you the last to
bring back the king?"'" (II Shmuel 19:10-11).
Let us ask ourselves why should we, the talmidei
chachomim, be the last to bring back the king (and who
are kings? Rabbonon!) to place them as our heads through,
bli neder, accepting on ourselves to help make the
influence of the pure Torah penetrate to all levels of the
tzibbur. Let us be partners in the campaigns that the
gedolei Yisroel are waging for us and the coming
generations so that we will be zocheh to see the
raising of the Torah's honor.
R' Moshe Blau zt'l said before he was niftar
to HaRav Meir Karelitz zt'l that in his private life
he sinned, but not in his public life where the
responsibility is much greater and more is demanded from us.
Let us strengthen ourselves and keep in mind what is written
here so that we succeed in our ways, and may we be
zocheh that Hashem have pity on us and end all our
suffering.
