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NEWS
South African Jews Mourn Passing Of HaRav Shach
by D. Saks
Hundreds of members of Johannesburg's Torah community,
including many of the youth, crowded into the beis
hamedrash of the Kollel Yad Shaul to hear hespedim
for the godol hador, Maran HaRav Shach zt"l
at the end of the sheloshim. Speakers included
HaRav Tzvi Kushelevsky, Dayan Boruch Rapoport and the rosh
kollel, HaRav Boruch Dov Grossnass. HaRav Kushelevsky, the
rosh yeshiva of Heichal Hatorah in Jerusalem, was especially
brought out for the occasion.
HaRav Boruch Grossnass, who delivered the opening eulogy,
began by asking why a figure so obviously great as HaRav
Shach and having lived so long, should even need a hesped.
He answered by recounting how the Mabul was
delayed for seven days so as to allow for a period of
mourning for the great tzaddik Mesushelach. As
important, perhaps more so, than honoring the dead was the
need for those remaining to realize that there was something
to be maspid about. When Rabbi Akiva lacerated his
flesh in grief on the passing of his rebbe, it was not to
mourn the loss of the individual but because the Torah he
represented was no longer present.
"We are eulogizing the void, the great chasm that has been
left here by his passing," Rabbi Grossnass said. "When such
an individual is taken away, a hesped is mandatory; we
are in need of it, as much as it is in honor of the
departed."
Rabbi Grossnass said that even in the era of globalization,
where modern technology had brought Jews all over the world
in touch with the multiple hespedim that had already
been delivered for the Rosh Yeshiva, it was necessary to have
a hesped in Johannesburg. This provided an opportunity
for Jews to come together to mutually express their sorrow at
this great loss to the Torah world, rather than mourning
solely as individuals.
HaRav Kushelevsky commented that Rebbe had on his deathbed
specifically asked to be eulogized, and not in the small
towns, after he had left the world. This was certainly not
out of pride, since Rebbe was known throughout his life to be
the epitome of humility and as someone who had always gone to
great lengths to avoid receiving kovod. What Rebbe
wanted was for the Torah to be elevated through him, since
once people saw how much a talmid chochom was honored,
they would be awakened to a realization of how important the
Torah was. During his lifetime, Rebbe had not dared to
receive honor since he was afraid of the possible negative
effect this might have on him. Once he had left the world,
however, being given kovod could no longer harm him
and therefore he could wholeheartedly ask to be eulogized for
the Torah's sake.
HaRav Kushelevsky said that this was also the case with Rav
Shach. In his great humility, he too would not have been
interested in being eulogized for his own sake, but he would
certainly have been interested in any means of ensuring there
was more Torah in the world. The Rav had epitomized someone
who learned Torah lishma, and the whole of creation
was worthwhile just for one such person.
Dayan Rapoport said that during the times of the Beis
Hamikdash, a sefer Torah was kept in the Aron Hakodesh
together with the luchos. This was, in effect, a
"master copy," an eternal guarantee that the Torah would
never be changed. Similarly, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had, like
the Aron Hakodesh, been a receptacle for Torah truth.
Just as the Aron was the container of pure,
unadulterated Torah Shebichsav, so was he a
"container" for true Torah Shebe'al Peh. In the modern
era, HaRav Shach zt"l had played the same role.
"The niftar was the Aron Hakodesh of Klal
Yisrael of the last few decades," Dayan Rapoport said, "The
Torah he embodied he received, totally unchanged and
undoctored, from the yeshivas of Europe. This is what he gave
over to his talmidim, exactly as he received it."
Hespedim were also given at the two chareidi boys high
schools, Yeshivas Toras Emes and Mesivta Darkei Noam, with
Rabbi Chanan Coblentz, Rabbi Moshe Shirkin (mashgiach
of Yeshivas HaNegev) and Rabbi Yitzchok Lewenstein
speaking at the first, and Rabbi Tuvia Goldschmidt at the
second. Rabbi Coblentz also delivered a hesped at the
Vilna Gaon Torah center in the once heavily Jewish suburb of
Yeoville. The kehilla was founded in the early 1980s
by HaRav Moshe Sternbuch.
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