A profound sense of personal loss can be felt these days in
the offices of Yated Ne'eman. Although so many felt
that their relationship with the Rosh Yeshiva was special and
somehow unique -- and these feelings have been brought into
even sharper focus over the past weeks -- the Yated
staff were still aware of his having felt a particular
warmth for the paper which he brought into existence and for
whose survival he went to such lengths.
This is not a question of professional bias on our part. All
those involved in communal affairs knew very well that HaRav
Shach zt'l, had a special relationship with Yated
Ne'eman and some even expressed their surprise at the
standing that the paper enjoyed, among all the other
endeavors that he launched. This article will attempt to
explain why it was so and why, therefore, amid the general
sea of pain and bereavement, Yated's loss is so
prominent.
With His Own Hands
Yated Ne'eman began publication on the twenty-third of
Tammuz, 5745 (1985), with the blessings and encouragement of
the Steipler Rov and HaRav Shach zt'l. HaRav Kanievsky
was niftar a month later but he had long since
empowered HaRav Shach to carry the burden of the newspaper,
leading and guiding it in the desired direction.
It is hard, in the present context, to convey the full extent
of HaRav Shach's work and his dedication in getting the paper
founded and established. While he always girded himself with
superhuman energy in every communal matter, here he exceeded
even the usual dimensions of his dedication and fervor in
klal affairs.
He personally raised funds. He approached potential donors
and tried to get them to invest in the paper, either as
shareholders or by extending short or long term credit. He
despatched those close to him to make exhaustive inquiries
into the technical aspects of printing and publication and
into the assembly of an editorial board and a team of
workers, while firmly at the top of the organizational ladder
he placed a Vaada Ruchanit composed of marbitzei Torah
and rabbonim who make the policy decisions and review
everything that the paper prints. He was involved with every
detail and kept track of everything that was happening.
Looking back today, one might think that the venture's
success and popularity were assured. At the time however,
that seemed to be the most unlikely outcome. There were even
those who felt that every penny invested in the paper was as
good as lost and that the loan documents and share
certificates that the paper was giving would only have value
as collector's items!
Just before the paper was launched, one of Agudas Yisroel's
veteran and senior activists said quite frankly to the
present writer, "Do me a favor. Go to the Rosh Yeshiva and
tell him that, as someone with experience, I know how
difficult it was decades ago to set up Hamodia and to
keep it going, even though it had the backing of an
established party that united all of chareidi Jewry. Setting
up a newspaper is no simple matter, especially when its
readership will only be part of the chareidi community. It
doesn't have a chance! It'll last for a week or two, or a few
months at maximum, then it'll go bankrupt. Believe me, I'm
thinking of the Rosh Yeshiva's welfare and I'm offering
constructive advice. It's better to give up the whole idea
than have the embarrassment!"
Though one might have suspected the motivation of such advice
of having been less than objective, prompted perhaps by the
desire to prevent competition, its logic was nonetheless
apparent and it seemed a perfectly sensible professional
opinion. Moreover, many in our own camp were saying exactly
the same thing.
But HaRav Shach did not give in. He saw the establishment of
the paper as a priority, a lifesaver for the survival of
Torah hashkofoh in our times, and he therefore
continued working and spurring others to work. Those who
frequented his home saw daily how much the paper meant to
him.
Close to his Heart
One of the rabbonim who today works for the Vaada Ruchanit in
reviewing the material to be published (known as a
mevakeir) told me the following story: "When we, his
talmidim, saw how dedicated the Rosh Yeshiva was to
the venture, a group of us decided to raise money for a loan
to the paper. Each of us gave what he could and approached
friends, until we had gathered several thousand dollars. When
we brought the money to HaRav Shach, he brimmed with joy,
such as we only rarely saw him express over matters unrelated
to learning. He was like a man bowed down by debts for his
family's upkeep, who suddenly obtains a sum of money. Then he
explained to us, `When the Chofetz Chaim wanted to be
oleh to Eretz Yisroel, he decided to give money
towards something that would provide him with merit. Out of
all the possibilities he chose to make a well, because Chazal
say that a well is a communal need (tzorchei rabbim).
You should know that in our time, Yated Ne'eman is a
communal need.' "
Although he had established the paper with his own hands,
HaRav Shach refused to derive any benefit whatsoever from it,
neither for himself nor for his family. He was careful to pay
the monthly subscription fee for the paper that was delivered
to him each day, just like any other subscriber! Although we
of course never asked him to pay, at every meeting, before we
discussed anything else, he wanted to know, "How many months
do I owe for?"
We would try to avoid answering, saying that we didn't have
the exact calculation with us etc. but he wouldn't give in
and he took money from his pocket to pay. He was even upset
with us for trying to let him off of paying. He wanted us to
realize that he considered it a privilege to pay the monthly
subscription. (Incidentally, it is Yated Ne'eman's
policy that all editorial personnel and workers for the paper
pay for their own copies of the newspaper. There are no free
subscriptions!)
The only area in which he exercised his spiritual "ownership"
over the paper was in demanding that it live up to its
purpose: to promulgate the pure hashkofoh that he had
received from his own teachers and transmitted to our
generation. Here he was uncompromising because he saw the
paper as the mouthpiece of the Torah world, which should
never shirk its responsibility of taking a stand when the
fundamentals of our religion were threatened.
The Need for a Mouthpiece
In his discussions with the editors, HaRav Shach repeatedly
emphasized that the paper was a vital necessity, serving both
as a barrier -- preventing further spread of our generation's
shortcomings -- and as a wall -- keeping foreign ideas and
values from infiltrating our camp.
He attributed a great measure of the success of the
maskilim in Eastern Europe over a century ago to the
lack of any chareidi publication that could rebut the
slanders they spread against Yiddishkeit. Although
several discussions were held among the leaders of the time,
there were always doubts and concerns that kept the proposal
from being implemented. In the meantime, the newspapers run
by the maskilim were spreading their venom and
influencing simple minded Jews, ultimately leading to the
ruination of thousands of Jewish homes Rachmono
litzlan, because there was no medium through which to
respond to them.
In his opinion, the need today is even greater than it was,
in view of the media deluge in all its different forms, which
leads to befuddlement and ideological confusion. In a letter
from Shevat 5746 (1986), he writes that while most papers
inculcate heretical ideas about all that is holy to us, "in
some cases, the heresy is not quite so blatant yet the ideas
are absorbed because people read them superficially, without
deep thought."
In another letter he wrote that, "Human nature is not to have
an independent opinion but to absorb whatever is written or
printed, without examining whether or not things are really
so." He also stressed that often, even the best papers, which
are supposed to express a Torah viewpoint, do not write with
sufficient clarity or do not react to various issues (out of
the wish to avoid controversy and other such
considerations).
A parable used by the Chofetz Chaim in a different context
can afford a better understanding of the function that HaRav
Shach intended for Yated Ne'eman: When two countries
are at war, no single battle will decide the eventual
outcome. The side that loses one encounter may win the next
and so on. But this only holds true so long as both sides
possess ammunition. If one side manages to destroy the
enemy's ammunition stores however, the war is lost for there
is no longer any chance for an equal fight.
Many challenges face chareidi Jewry and in particular the
Torah world, which defends the pure ideal of full-time Torah
study. We may or may not be entirely successful in any given
campaign, but we only have a chance while we hold onto our
ammunition, namely, a publication through which we can
respond and provide immediate commentary on the issues of the
moment so that the community recognizes the justice of our
cause.
If we lose this means of expression, it becomes extremely
difficult to win anything. Any struggle, be it the most
justified and the most sensible in the world, will simply
crumble before an onslaught of venomous and false propaganda
that presents our side in a negative light and sows doubt and
uncertainty even among the very community on whose behalf it
is being waged.
This has happened in the past on various occasions, when
those struggling for the community felt that they had been
rendered powerless by arguments that had been cunningly put
into people's mouths and ambivalence that had infiltrated the
public mind, effectively removing any possibility of
confronting the issues face-on and dealing with them
logically.
Opening our Eyes
There are several circumstances where halochoh tells
us to, "Speak out for those who are dumb," and this
injunction can be borrowed to fit our context. This is why
publicity is so important. It is up to us to provide
explanation and demonstration, so that the public becomes
aware of things that it did not know about, or that had been
very cunningly concealed from it so that only one side of the
coin was showing.
Many feel that the paper's function is to enable the public
to "Know how to respond" to those who argue and quarrel with
us, but this is not the main point. The main point is for
ourselves. One of the mussar masters remarked that
"Know how to respond to an apikores," actually refers
to the little apikores that lurks inside each of us,
and leads us to subconsciously question the rectitude of our
path.
Over the years, we have often been astounded by readers'
reactions -- both verbal and written -- expressing profound
thanks for the paper's having "opened their eyes" on a range
of issues. One example of this was many people's initial
wonderment over the Rosh Yeshiva's objections to trends in
the Lubavitch movement which, assisted by massive and well
oiled propaganda machinery, always managed to present itself
as furthering worthy goals.
In the end, after various facts and proofs had been cited --
which would never have reached the public eye had it not been
for the paper -- everybody understood what was wrong with the
movement's leadership. Even then, HaRav Shach's views were
only accepted by some on the basis of his standing as
godol hador, who was telling us that "right" is
"left." After decades of brainwashing, some people still felt
that his antagonism was strange and inexplicable.
Ultimately the group's messianic fervor burst out in full
force and in retrospect, everybody understood what the fuss
had been about. Let's not forget though, that for many years,
the question of how to relate to the movement was bitterly
contested. This is just one example of the kind of
ideological issue that would never have been properly
understood had it not been for Yated Ne'eman.
Those who opposed the paper and fought against it, who longed
for the day when they would be able to eulogize its demise,
appreciated its power very well. They realized that it would
lead to a revolution in public opinion which had hitherto
been deliberately steered and controlled. Through Heaven's
kindness and in the merit of our great teacher's dedication,
we have been successful in bringing this about.
In the sixteen years since the paper began publication, those
whose aim is to remove barriers have known that they were no
longer able to do as they wished. Those who ask themselves
"What will Yated Ne'eman say?" or "How will Yated
Ne'eman react?" before they make any move or utterance.
There are many who open the paper each day nervously, who
know just how important it is to us, from the way that it
disturbs them from attaining their objectives.
There are many who dislike Yated Ne'eman. They dislike
seeing the truth, especially when it is presented clearly and
lucidly, respectably printed up in a paper that has a wide
circulation, and that enjoys the public's confidence.
A Dual Role
In the past, this writer has summed up the approach that
Yated has set for itself in the light of the
guidelines laid down by HaRav Shach at its inception, as the
emulation of what the Rambam calls "pleasant speech" (in his
commentary to Ovos perek 1, mishnah 17) meaning, to
praise good and to denounce bad. The Rambam explains that
this involves, "praising virtues of mind and of character and
decrying faults in both these areas; using prose and poetry
to provide inspiration to strive to reach higher and to avoid
shortcomings; praising men of worth and pointing out their
virtues so that people should look well upon their behavior
and emulate them, while denouncing wrongdoers and their bad
traits so that people view their actions and reputations with
disgrace, keep their distance from them and refrain from
copying them."
Both of these elements are vital and both guide our paper. On
the one hand, we honor those who are fulfilling their purpose
in the world, especially bnei Torah, who devote their
lives to Torah study. We encourage positive initiatives,
spiritual advancement and the strengthening of Torah.
On the other hand, it is our obligation to raise the alarm
about those who would lead the public astray, revealing them
for what they are and showing the dangers that they pose. We
must also warn against foreign influences that our leaders
view with disfavor.
There is no contradiction between these two fields of
operation. The first has no more intrinsic merit than the
second: just as the Rambam enjoins us to praise men of worth
so that they will be emulated, he also tells us to disparage
bad elements so that they and their practices will be
avoided.
In this connection, I recall once hearing criticism from
HaRav Shach, the main thrust of which was his concern that
our articles should not be too restrained!
"I don't know why you don't write in a more strident and
sharp manner," he told me. "Please, don't listen to all the
mah yofisniks who want you to write with moderation
and not attack any opinions or subjects because it leads to
machlokes. The opposite is true -- it is your duty to
give firm expression to the protest of the bnei Torah
against any distortion or straying from the path."
The present writer was very surprised by this particular
charge. It was the very first time anybody had found our line
too soft. In fact, we were used to hearing exactly the
opposite. HaRav Shach then explained that a number of
communal workers had been to see him in recent weeks and had
complained that they felt that the articles were too harsh
and had been dealing with issues that were not acceptable to
all groups and that it would be better if the paper wrote
about more general topics on which there was a consensus,
rather than matters of contention.
In order to show what he thought of their request that he
restrain the writer, he stressed his opinion, which was
exactly the reverse of theirs, that the only possible
reservation is if our line was too cautious. He said that we
had to be on our guard against writers taking too moderate a
stand, in what he used to call "the mah yofis
spirit."
It is worthwhile pointing out that at the same opportunity,
HaRav Shach made it clear that there is no difference in
outlook between the Torah world and the groups of
kano'im in everything connected with Zionism, the
State, haskoloh and all the other foreign influences
that have affected our nation in recent history. We
completely negate the ideas of the Nationalists and the
advocates of compromise just as emphatically as the zealots
do, and we maintain just as strongly that, "Whatever issues
from something unclean, is itself unclean."
The only difference between our groups is in our attitude to
participation in elections and the political process, which
is a tactical question not one of principle.
"You should know," he said, "that Yated Ne'eman's
approach to secular Jews, to secularism and to related
topics, should be exactly the same as that of [the `old
yishuv' periodicals] Ho'eidoh and
Hachomoh. There is no ideological difference; the only
change should be in the style of the writing. Others, in
expressing their zeal, sometimes slip into a wild and biting
way of writing. We must express the same views of opposition
to lawless individuals and distorters, but not in a coarse
manner but in a dignified and fitting way, as befits bnei
Torah."
Nucleus of a Quiet Revolution
Already in the paper's early days HaRav Shach, with his
characteristic foresight, saw the growing need for a strong
and independent association of the Torah world in all
communal and organizational spheres. He felt that an
influential, quality daily newspaper would serve as the
foundation for such an organizational entity. "Without a
newspaper," he wrote, "one has no influence whatsoever."
Yated was thus the forerunner of his later
achievements: Degel Hatorah, Shearis Yisroel and other
enterprises that followed. In a study of the Israeli press,
one media researcher wrote, "All over the world, the norm is
that a party starts a newspaper. The party comes first, and
the newspaper follows as a party publication. Yated
Ne'eman came along and turned everything upside down: the
paper started the party!"
There is no doubt that without a means of expression that
accompanied the campaigns, it would have been impossible to
recruit the multitudes of bnei Torah to following
HaRav Shach in the fight to preserve Torah and our outlook in
all their purity.
The campaigns that were waged over the years against specific
ideas would also have been impossible if not for Yated
Ne'eman.
When HaRav Shach wrote or spoke out against particular
things, or pointed out areas that required correction, he
often didn't stop with the delivery of his own general
comments. He would personally guide the Yated Ne'eman
staff as to how the campaign ought to be conducted and
how the case should be stated. What pleasure he got when an
entire article was read out to him, word for word, before
publication and he saw that its contents reflected his
opinion and expressed his views without any fear or
hesitation!
"What would we do without Yated?" was the rhetorical
question that many rabbonim, Torah disseminators and communal
workers became used to asking. They were all well aware of
Yated's pivotal role in HaRav Shach's struggle on
behalf of our religion and in his striving to bequeath a firm
Torah outlook to our generation.
The importance of this role lay at the heart of the two
conditions that HaRav Shach always made when trying, in every
possible way, to bring about peace and unity within the
chareidi camp, namely, that it was out of the question that
Yated would cease to exist as an independent body, and
that there was likewise no question whatsoever of preventing
Yated from expressing daas Torah on any given
issue.
A Matter of Survival
It may not be common knowledge that the "last straw" that led
to the foundation of Degel Hatorah was an attempt to impose
such a condition on Yated, stopping it from expressing
HaRav Shach's Torah opinion on one of the then- current
issues. This writer recalls that time, at the end of Elul
5748 (1988) and the beginning of Tishrei 5749, as though it
were just yesterday.
Until then, setting up an independent political party had not
been discussed as a practical step, only as an emergency
measure. Day after day, long and wearying negotiations were
going on over the demands of the faction [of Agudas Yisroel]
that represented the bnei Torah (this faction was then
called Hisachdus Bnei Hatorah.)
As is well known, the main bone of contention was the
difference in the approach to the Lubavitch movement, which
HaRav Shach had warned about and against whose actions he had
protested with all his strength. At one stage, some activists
proposed a "compromise," whereby a "cease-fire" would be
declared and both sides would adopt a passive stance
simultaneously: Agudas Yisroel and its publication would not
publish any of the Lubavitch movement's advertisements, while
Yated Ne'eman would undertake not to write articles
against the movement and its messianic activities.
Ever since HaRav Shach had empowered me to act as his
emissary on Yated Ne'eman, I had standing instructions
to report to him, "at any time of day or night," about any
development that affected the newspaper's functioning --
particularly where matters of principle were concerned. I
therefore hurried to his home to tell him about the agreement
that was taking shape.
It was late at night and HaRav Shach had already retired to
his room and was preparing for a short sleep. When I was told
this at the front door, I weighed up leaving and returning in
the morning. In the meantime, HaRav Shach heard that I was
waiting at the door and he called me into his room. I
reported the basic content of the proposed agreement and he
jumped from his bed and said, "Lo yokum velo yihiyeh!
Yated must write what it has to!"
His apartment, which had already been darkened for the night,
suddenly came to life. "Gib mir dem telefon (Give me
the telephone)," he instructed, asking that we get hold of
Rabbi Moshe Gafni (who was then serving as the general
secretary of Hisachdus Bnei Hatorah).
"Reb Moishe," he said, "I hear that they want to put in a
stipulation that Yated won't be able to write about
`them.' Lo yokum velo yihiyeh! Nobody in the world --
keiner nisht in der velt -- will prevent Yated
from writing the truth! If they won't let us write what
we have to in Yated, lomoh zeh onochi? (What are we
here for?) What is the paper for, if not for stating the
truth, even if people don't want to hear it?"
I had hardly ever seen HaRav Shach so agitated. One could
tell that this was something that affected his very being.
The end of the story is well known. This issue reached an
impasse, with the result that discussions on other matters
also stalled, to the point where HaRav Shach decided to
establish Degel Hatorah.
The comment which we quoted earlier, about Yated's
having been the first newspaper in this country's history
to set up a party, could be sharpened by saying that the
party was really set up in order to protect the paper's right
to express itself freely in matters of Torah
hashkofoh.
Sometime later, at a meeting for avreichim on the
campus of Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim during the
election campaign for Degel Hatorah, HaRav Dovid Cohen, one
of the roshei yeshiva, said that people had asked him,
"We don't understand what's happening. Is it worth making a
division in Am Yisroel just for the sake of a
newspaper's printing this or that hashkofoh?"
HaRav Cohen then spoke about HaRav Shach's views at length,
explaining that he saw the paper's ability to express the
correct outlook as a matter of survival. (His remarks appear
in Vezorach Hashemesh, the account of the founding of
Degel Hatorah.)
This scenario was replayed again and again, until all
involved with the paper came to realize the extent of his
insistence that the pure daas Torah which he
transmitted from those who had themselves transmitted it from
earlier generations should be expressed fully and clearly in
a newspaper, without any adulteration or beating about the
bush. This had the highest priority with him.
He paid no attention to those who claimed that stating such
determined opinions would lead to a division among the
people. The truth came first and it was Yated's role
to state the truth. He couldn't afford the luxury of
passivity and of keeping quiet out of other
considerations.
In Closing
In the hesped which he delivered at the
levayoh, HaRav Shach's son-in-law ylct'a HaRav
Meir Tzvi Bergman said, "Through his position in protection
of our religion and regarding the character of the yeshivos
and of Klal Yisroel, [which he maintained] with such
self sacrifice, he merited that the foundations of religion
in Klal Yisroel were laid at his behest. He raised
Torah's honor and the honor of those who learn Torah,
wonderfully. We are duty-bound to ensure that all that he
established and achieved in his lifetime, should continue
according in his spirit.
This remains our duty at Yated, the paper for which he
sacrificed himself to see it established and to see that it
fulfilled its function.
"Every single subscriber has a role in strengthening religion
in our Holy Land," he wrote, "and it is worthwhile your
making efforts to widen Yated Ne'eman's distribution
and you will see good [results]."
At the same time we, the writers for Yated, now have
the awesome responsibility of acting as faithful emissaries
in realizing his holy aim, to continue to produce a quality
publication of a high professional and a high spiritual
standard that gives expression to the pure hashkofoh
as we heard it from his lips -- without fear and without
hesitation.
