Tzirl stood motionless in the dark street. She was holding
her baby tightly in her arms. The infant looked at his mother
with huge bewildered eyes, whimpering and crying. Hearing the
baby's cries, Tzirl looked down at him and then around her,
and realized she was not alone. Her husband, R' Tuvia, stood
nearby in this dark alley. Though it was midday, darkness
enveloped them. The Felsher family, R' Tuvia, Tzirl and
their children, were now heading to the Kosel, and all along
the long way, Tzirl felt this walk was not what she had
expected. She felt an oppression settling on her...
The Felsher family had landed in the port of Jaffa only a few
days before, and had been eager to reach Yerusholayim,
wishing to see the Kosel, but they had not really known what
to expect. Though they were prepared to find neglect and
destruction, in their hearts they felt it must look holy. In
the Diaspora, visitors who came back from Eretz Yisroel told
about the poor living conditions of the Jews living in
Yerusholayim, and about the roughness of the Arab neighbors,
but in their darkest dreams they could not imagine so many
dark streets and such narrow crowded alleys on the way to the
holy Kosel.
Tzirl swallowed hard, cradled the crying baby, and, in this
darkness tried to look at the faces of her family. She saw
that her husband, R' Tuvia, stood looking at the
surroundings. He seemed to recall all the years of his
expectations to make aliya. The moment he was forcefully
enlisted into the Russian army, he had vowed to make aliya
and settle in Yerusholayim. As soon as he had, Boruch
Hashem, returned safely home to his dear family, he
started preparing for that goal, eager to fulfill his vow.
Now, as they walked down the dark, smelly, narrow, muddy and
unpaved road, it seemed more like a bad dream, rather than a
happy conclusion of his vow. This didn't meet his
expectations of settling in the Holy City of
Yerusholayim...
He was awakened from his reverie by the rough call of an Arab
leading a loaded donkey up the narrow alley. Both Tzirl and
Tuvia moved forward with great speed, trying to reach the
Kosel as fast as possible. Their little children rushed
along, and trying to keep up, were forced to run all the way
with their speeding parents.
At last they reached the Kosel. Here, too, they could see the
destruction immediately. The rows of large stones stared
blankly in their faces, accusing them of a lack of
appreciation. However, hard as they wished, Tzirl and R'
Tuvia could not see in the large stones any of the beauty and
magnificence of the holy Beis Hamikdosh, and could not
imagine the Holy of Holies in this place...
Falling to the ground while tearing his garment, R' Tuvia
started to pray fervently, reciting in a broken voice,
"Shir Hamaalos, mimaamakim..." His voice was loud and
tearful. The entire family recited along with him, and their
tears flowed profusely, as they recalled the dark roads and
their oppressive feelings and the rampant sacrilege.
Somehow, the cries and the recitation of the psalms brought
about a change. New feelings flooded them, of wishes for
redemption, and of expectations for a better future... They
stood by the Kosel and felt that in this holy place they must
now separate: the boys stayed on one side, the womenfolk
walked to the other corner. Prayers and tears flowed freely
down their cheeks, and with the mercy of Hashem, they were
eventually freed of their earlier depression.
A while later, the Felsher family was reunited, and they
headed back to the Hachnossas Orchim hostel, where they had
left all their belongings. Soon they were fed, and later, the
children rested. R' Tuvia and his wife Tzirl walked briskly
to the house of the great and beloved Rov of Yerusholayim,
Maran Hagaon Reb Shmuel Salant, who was noted for his great
Talmudic knowledge, his righteousness and his wisdom. At his
house, they met their friend R' Yona Tabbak.
R' Tuvia and his wife Tzirl had encountered R' Yona Tabbak on
the boat coming to Eretz Yisroel. He had approached them and
suggested a partnership deal of Yissochor and Zevulun, in
which R' Tuvia would learn Torah, and R' Yona would support
them financially, with both sharing equally in the rewards of
the study.
Tzirl had voiced an objection, and it was decided to bring
this halachic question to the Rov of Yerusholayim. Now both
sides met in the rabbi's small abode. R' Yona explained his
lack of abilty to sit all day and learn. He told his amazing
story, "I grew up in Paris, in an irreligious family.
Recently, I met the Gaon R' Yisroel Salanter, who came to
reside in Paris. I learned from him to appreciate and value
Torah study.
"He advised me to find a partner, and to make a `Yissochor-
Zevulun' agreement, and so I headed to Eretz Yisroel, hoping
to find such a partner.
"I met R' Tuvia on the boat, and I felt that he was the right
one for the deal, but it seems that his wife objects to
it..."
Tzirl explained that she felt it degrading to study Torah
"just for the sake of money." In addition, she didn't want
her husband to lose any of the value and rewards of his
learning, and therefore she was opposed to the
arrangement.
"Who said he was going to lose any of the credit or reward of
his Torah study?" asked the Rov, rhetorically. "It is just
like lighting candles: One candle can light many, and they
all burn fully, while none of the candles lack any of the
light. So it is with learning and a Yissochor-Zevulun
arrangement. All sides benefit, and none loses anything. If
you wish, you can add a clause in the contract, in which you
state that your husband R' Tuvia, will get his full reward
for his learning..."
A suitable contract was soon drawn, and another dear family
settled in Yerusholayim to dedicate themselves to pure Torah
study.
