Opinion & Comment
Odom Le'omol haTorah Nivro

The new financial cutbacks jeopardize the existence of our holy yeshivos, they shake the very foundations of our children's education, they endanger the basis of kedushas haShabbos and the kedushoh of Jewish family life, and they threaten to ruin the image of Yiddishkeit in our Holy Land.

I feel it is our duty to approach Jews the world over and impress upon them the importance of the issues. I requested of HaGaon Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, shlita, rosh kollel Chazon Ish and rov of Ramat Aharon, and likewise of HaGaon Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, to look over this article and to give their opinion. They agreed that it is very well written ("se'is geshriben zayer gut") and they added, "It is emes le'amitoh."

In a similar vein, HaRav Yehuda Shapiro, one of the personalities of Kollel Chazon Ish, said: When the Chazon Ish was once asked about when we should continue hishtadlus and when we should refrain, he answered: It is like a person knocking a nail into the wall. As long as the nail continues to go in, we can keep knocking it in. But as soon as it starts to get crooked -- we must stop!"

When I repeated this to HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, he added: This is not a mere example; this teaches us a way of life: As long as our hishtadlus goes well, we can continue, but as soon as we feel it is becoming crooked, we should stop.

I recall an event more than forty years ago, at the first appeal in Eretz Yisroel for Chinuch Atzmai. I was one of the organizers. HaRav Zalman Sorotzkin zt"l, then head of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, stood up and said: "Several decades ago, when the governments of Poland and Russia threatened the olom hayeshivos, by threatening to require limudei chol in the curriculum, an urgent meeting of the gedolei hador was called, headed by HaRav Chaim Ozer zt"l of Vilna. The youngest participant was HaRav Meir Shapiro, rosh yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, who was then in his thirties. Generally, the gedolim spoke in order of their age, and the oldest spoke first. Surprisingly, HaRav Shapiro asked to speak first. He began:

We find in the Torah, that the posuk commands us to build all the klei haMishkon from pure gold. However if there is no money, they may be crafted of silver, copper or even a cheaper metal. There is, however, one exception: the Keruvim may be crafted only from pure gold (Rashi, Shemos 20,20).

This is really remarkable! Why should the Keruvim be an exception? Moreover, without the Keruvim, there can be no Oron, and with no Oron, there is no Beis Hamikdosh. Consequently, if the Keruvim cannot be crafted from pure gold, we have to forfeit the building of the Beis Hamikdosh!

However, continued Rabbi Shapiro, the Keruvim represent the tinokos shel beis rabbon, the lomdei Torah. The posuk wants to impress upon us that we may not tamper with the lomdei Torah. Not the slightest compromise is permitted. It is preferable to forego the entire Beis Hamikdosh than to change the Keruvim's original image. With this, Rabbi Meir Shapiro concluded his words -- and HaRav Chaim Ozer, the godol hador, announced the termination of the meeting.

Rabbi Menachem Porush, one of the founders of Chinuch Atzmai, was present at a meeting of Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah when HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt"l burst out in sobs and said: Let us rather arouse Heavenly Mercy in our tefillos of, "Asei lema'an tinokos shel beis rabbon," rather than chas vesholom to have to cry out, "Asei lema'an harugim al Sheim kodshecho!"

We are living through very difficult times. Let us state clearly: This Malchus Horesho'o is not the first one that has attempted to shake the foundations of the Torah world. However, whenever the situation looked bleak, the Heavenly promise continued to guard our mosdos haTorah in their original purity, proving that the Torah stands above all natural laws.

Rabbi E. E. Dessler zt"l writes in one of his essays, that the "natural" laws are the very opposite of the way of Torah: The Torah was purposely given in the desert, when Am Yisroel was living in supernatural circumstances. By giving us the Torah in the wilderness, we were told by Hashem clearly that Torah and nature are complete opposites! "Nature" is in itself nothing but a miracle.

"Nature" is one of the weapons of the Soton. A person cannot live a spiritual life without destroying his aspirations for material life. Rabbi Dessler continues: "We witness this phenomenon to this very day, each person according to his madreigoh. Whoever views shemiras Shabbos as a nisoyon, will see that the Shabbos ruins his parnossoh. The ba'al bitochon, however, will find that he is being helped by Hashem at every step. A person whose main goal is to build a strong material basis, will never become a true ben Torah. In contrast, one who clings to Torah under all circumstances, will be given siyata deShmaya to learn and will be sustained without any material basis!

I once heard in the name of the mashgiach, HaRav Y. Levenstein zt"l, that he never met a ben Torah who left the Kollel because he had nothing to eat on that very day. Those who decided to leave kollel- life feared today that they will have no food tomorrow . . .

These is the idea expressed by Rabbi Dessler: A person who is concerned first and foremost for his material well-being, will never become a true ben Torah!

Rabbi Dessler related in this connection: "I was once present at a large meeting, and one of the participants expressed his concern that the yeshivos will not be able to exist on a permanent basis, as they are always `hanging in the air.' To this HaRav Chaim Ozer replied: `Don't worry. On the contrary, Torah can only exist through miracles, it has no natural basis whatsoever.' "

Undoubtedly, we have to do our utmost to find the means to support Torah, but the future of the yeshivos is not in our hands. The Chofetz Chaim disagreed with people who wanted to set up an endowment to support Torah so that his yeshiva would benefit from its dividends, for he said: "Each generation needs the zchus of upholding the Torah."

Thus, when people ask nowadays: "What will be?" "How will be overcome the new situation?" -- we have to continuously stress these ideas, which are the real and strong foundation for kiyum haTorah.

But at the same time, we must continue our struggle against those who wish to uproot the Torah. They are not doing us a favor by throwing a few pennies in our direction. We pay taxes like all other citizens and deserve an equal share in the budget. Our mosdos haTorah were built mainly from funds which we raised! Any tampering with the monetary aid that is by right due to us, is outright robbery by a government dominated by arrogance and hatred of Yiddishkeit.

We must stress that the only merit for their existence is their support of Torah. Let us make no mistake. So long as they have a share in our Torah, they will benefit from it. Otherwise, they will cease to exist.

We cannot possibly survive as Jews, in Eretz Hakodesh, with a government whose main concern is to destroy our Jewish identity. Hardly a week goes by without a new anti-religious decree being passed. But we know the truth, "Lulei Torosecho sha'ashu'ai, oz ovadeti be'onyi."

Our gedolim will show us the way to counteract the harm to "Yavneh vechachomeho." Every ben Torah can overcome the nisoyon of parnossoh, while strengthening his Torah and yiras Shomayim.

Hashiveinu Hashem Eilecho venoshuvoh, chadeish yomeinu kekedem."

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz is Director Of Kollel Chazon Ish

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