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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
Part II
Talmidim from Yeshivas Kol Yaakov Speak
The famous Yeshivas Kol Yaakov, headed by HaRav Yehuda Addes,
lost one of the jewels in its crown, HaRav Moshe Kopshitz
zt"l.
HaRav Addes was like a brother and a lifelong friend to HaRav
Kopshitz. Both brought many talmidim onto their path
of Torah and yiras Shomayim.
The talmidim too, gaze at the empty seat with
disbelief. Even the younger ones among them mourn his loss in
the most genuine, touching manner.
"Every time I went over to ask him a question on the
gemora or to consult with him, never did he fail to
say, `Sholom aleichem.' And every single moment he
seemed to be glad to be with me. `How are you feeling?' he
would ask. `Is everything going alright?' I didn't feel he
was like a father, but like a mother . . . "
Wiping away a big tear he went on. "Last Thursday, before he
passed away, I went up to ask him a question on the Tosefos.
He received me warmly, answering with his typical clarity and
simplicity.
"Afterwards he began to speak with me in an easy manner,
asking whether I remembered his visit to the yeshivoh
ketanoh two years ago and what he said during Shalosh
Seudos. He chatted with me amiably and we even laughed a
bit, and I'm just a bochur from Shiur Aleph who
he hardly saw or spoke with previously. We talked together
like old friends."
Another talmid said, "When I would see him on Shabbos
in the neighborhood I would turn to cross the street to say,
`Gut Shabbos,' but he had already begun walking toward
me even though he is the rov of the neighborhood and I'm just
a young talmid. Because for the sake of other people,
nothing else mattered to him."
Suicide Bombers from a Torah Perspective
"When I arrived at the holy yeshiva [from abroad] of course
at first I felt homesick and missed my family. `Go to R'
Moshe,' everybody said. `When you come out of there we'll see
a smile on your face.'
"I followed their suggestion. Stepping in I began to tell him
about my feelings. He gave me a lot of encouragement and then
asked, `Do you recite the passage on Akeidas Yitzchok
every morning?'
"`Sometimes, when I have the time,' I replied.
"`What lesson did you learn from the Akeidoh? That
Avrohom Ovinu was whole in serving Hashem? To learn that you
don't need to go as far as the Akeidoh. I agree this
was a stupendous act, but how can it be that after 4,000
years the merit of this act still remains and every morning
Am Yisroel asks for rachamim in the merit of the
Akeidoh, and every Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we
make entreaties in the merit of the Akeidoh?'
"He didn't leave me wondering. His face beaming, R' Moshe
continued. `The main point of the Akeidoh was the
mesirus shown by Avrohom and Yitzchok, to sacrifice to
HaKodosh Boruch Hu the most precious thing in their
world. Avrohom went to sacrifice his son and Yitzchok--
himself. This demonstrates that such mesirus can last
for thousands of years. It's as if this is the thing that
stirs zechus and rachamim before HaKodosh
Boruch Hu more than anything else.
"`How many siblings do you have?' I told him. `Your brothers
and sisters and your parents are probably what you love most
and you are sacrificing them to HaKodosh Boruch Hu to
do His Will, to learn Torah now. That's more than just one
Akeidoh. You have the ability to feel you have touched
on the point of the Akeidoh and even more: You have
done an Akeidoh with yourself, and this will stand by
you for the rest of your life and for your descendents as
well."
On the same matter he told another talmid, "How could
it be that the Ishmaelites commit terrorist attacks with such
mesirus nefesh? In the world there is a spiritual
aspect associated with mesirus nefesh. [It is one of
the fundamental forces of the world.] And he who is truly
dedicated to a cause succeeds. This is a fundamental rule. In
our day when positive mesirus nefesh, i.e. Torah and
chessed, has grown lax, then automatically there is
more aid for evil, and the Arabs are making use of mesirus
nefesh. They take the part of mesirus nefesh that
is meant to be and this is the reason why they succeed.
"If so you should know that in your homesickness and other
nisyonos you have the possibility to tap into the
positive mesirus nefesh in the world, which will make
the power of evil succeed less. You should know that whenever
you feel hardship and persist, you save lives."
His Approach to Learning
"When my chavruso and I asked him what to do if we
didn't have time to cover all of the Tosefos during the
bekius seder he said we should make every effort to
learn all of them. A few days later we went up to ask him a
question on the gemora. He told us it was a reference
to the kushiyos in the Tosefos. `If you two are
learning that way then it would be better to continue at your
own pace, because there are two kinds of people in this
matter. There are those who learn the gemora and think
they are doing the Tosefos a favor by glancing at it, and
there are those who encounter difficulties and the Tosefos
does them a favor by having written its commentary on the
gemora, and this is the correct way.'
"When the yeshiva learned Eizehu Neshech I went to him
to raise a few maskonos and dinim and nafka
minos that emerged from the Tosefos. `That's the way to
learn?' he said to me. `Just to read through the Tosefos--
ve'im tomar, veyeish lomar, etc. is nothing. The Gaon
says, "Im ein kemach ein Torah," means that if one
does not learn the Torah and grind it like flour then there
is no Torah.'"
One Has to Be Prepared
"About a week before he passed away I went up to HaRav Moshe
and asked him a question on the gemora. After giving
me a fabulous answer based on the Maharshoh, he said that's
how people should acquire Torah knowledge and more Torah
knowledge. He repeated this several times and told me this is
the purpose of This World--so that at the age of 120 when we
go Upstairs we'll have something to say, as is written,
`Ashrei mi shebo lekan vetalmudo beyodo.'
"Upon hearing this I grinned and HaRav Moshe said, `At your
age you don't understand what I'm trying to tell you, but you
should know in the end everybody goes there and one has to be
prepared.'"
His family members say he used to always ask, "Have you been
gathering mitzvahs?" He would always drive home to them the
awareness of the need to make good use of every moment, for
who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Shaving and Shidduchim
"While I was involved in shidduchim I asked him
whether it was permitted to shave with an electric shaver. At
the time I couldn't use powder twice a week since this was
while we were baking matzah as part of a chaburoh. `To
bake matzah in a chaburoh is a hiddur mitzvah,
but here you are playing with a d'Oraisoh,' he
replied."
Care in Mitzvos
"His practice was not to tie his shoes at all in the morning
until after nesi'as kapayim to avoid a sofek
brochoh regarding netilas yodayim (i.e. when
washing before nesi'as kapayim) and he told me to do
the same. He held that the Kohanim should raise their
hands after the brochoh and before
`Yevorechecho.' He learned this through a precise
reading of the Shulchon Oruch, which mentions raising
one's hands only after the halochos regarding the
brochoh, ` . . . asher kideshonu bekedushoso shel
Aharon.'"
A Setback is No Reason for Despair
"Once I went up to him during the seder to ask a
question that came up during the course of my learning and,
as always, he added a few words of mussar and
chizuk. `Imagine a certain thief who goes into a store
and steals a box of candies. The storeowner chases after him
and catches him. Meanwhile another thief goes into the store
and steals all the money in the cash register. The moral is
that the yetzer hora comes to a person and puts a bit
of despair into him. At that point one must beware for then,
chas vesholom, the despair can cause him to lose it
all.'
"On that same occasion he also said, `A child eats a cucumber
or drinks milk and, running up to his father, he asks, "Have
I grown up yet?" The child knows he's consuming something
healthy so he waits and waits, but to his great displeasure
he can't feel himself growing.
"The Torah is not something that is felt right away, only
after a period of time. A bochur leaves the
seder wondering, `If I learned well, why haven't I
become HaRav Shach?' Wait a bit and be patient. After many
years if you learn you will turn into HaRav Shach!'"
Gratitude
The bochur who would bring in his lunch periodically
said that sometimes (for various reasons) he would come in
late for the afternoon seder. When R' Moshe met him in
the foyer one day he made a remark about his tardiness
adding, "I'm only telling you this because I feel hakaras
hatov to you."
*
Once a bochur from Shiur Aleph went up to R'
Moshe to ask him a question on the gemora. R' Moshe
began to praise him for his question and then told him, "Your
question shows you have very straight thinking, for if you
anticipated the gemora's own question so precisely
this speaks well of your intelligence."
After he had left R' Moshe told another, older bochur
that in fact the question he had asked appeared in Rashi on
the Mishnoh, but one must give praise and
encouragement, especially in the case of a young
bochur.
*
"For a certain period I didn't go to the afternoon session
because I was sick and as a result I fell into a short period
of laxity during which I would not come to seder. One
day R' Moshe met me and said, `It seems to me I haven't seen
you during seder lately. Maybe you switched to a
different seat or you're learning in the kollel
downstairs? Tell me so I won't think you're not coming . . .
' Thus he gave me a good feeling and tried to explain not
seeing me, even though it wasn't correct."
Bein Odom Lechaveiro
A certain individual who was mentally ill would come to HaRav
Kopshitz. Several times he arrived during the middle of the
tefiloh at vosikin in the shteibel and
mumbled all sorts of nonsense. Everyone else would drive him
off. But when he came up talking nonsense to R' Moshe six or
seven times during the tefilloh R' Moshe pretended to
understand him. He couldn't reply because he was in the
middle of his tefilloh, but he would gesture with his
hand and head as if he understood, and flash him a broad
smile.
Mussar
"Every year before the Yomim Noro'im he would give [several
talks] at the yeshiva and his practice was to repeat almost
the same thing every year until it became source of
curiosity. When asked about this once he replied that the
yetzer hora remains the same yetzer hora, which
was a testimony to his integrity and cleverness."
*
"R' Moshe told me in a private conversation HaRav Eliyohu
Lopian once told him animals--and some people--act according
to their wants. What sets man apart from beast is his ability
to do what he does not want to do.
"R' Moshe told me he recalled a eulogy HaRav Lopian gave when
a bochur at Yeshivas Chevron passed away, saying he
could remember the two-hour hesped word for word."
*
"Once I had an important errand to do, but nevertheless I was
uncertain about going. Maybe it wasn't really important
enough to take precedent over my yeshiva studies. When I went
to R' Moshe to seek his advice he said, `Let me tell you a
general rule: Whenever you have doubts about whether to go to
a certain place or not, you should stay and learn. Because if
you go and you really didn't have to go you lose. Whereas if
you really should have gone and you stayed, you don't lose
since you learned during that time--ve'ein sofek motzi
miydei vadai."
*
"When I came to get tested first I went up to him to extend
greetings from the rosh yeshiva of my yeshivoh
ketanoh. He seized the opportunity to show an interest in
me, giving me a good feeling about myself. When I turned to
leave, since there was still some time left before the test
he said, `In the meantime you should read Tehillim.
With that everything will go just fine.' Then he said
several times, `There's nothing like tefilloh,
especially if you can shed two or three tears.'
*
"There's a saying attributed to the Gaon that if one does not
rise up he descends. 'Orech chaim lema'aloh lemaskil.
. . ' An avreich asked him about all his acquaintances
who remained at the same level. Said R' Moshe, `They're not
at the same level. The pshat is that they keep going
up and down from one day to the next, therefore they stay in
the middle, but one should always be headed up."
*
"One day, to relate what a rov beYisroel should be, he
told me a tale about a town that had appointed a new rov.
Soon afterwards the wealthiest man in town held a wedding and
had an animal shechted to mark the occasion. A
question arose and he came to ask the rov. After looking into
the matter, the rov proclaimed the meat kosher. The man was
very happy and set about preparing delicacies for the
seudoh.
"Later the rov took another look into the matter and found
the meat to be prohibited. What could he do? If he went back
and told the rich man all the food was prohibited the man
would not be able to show his face in town since the guests
would have nothing to eat. He would grow angry at the rov and
might even cast doubts on the rov for not having looked into
the matter properly from the start.
"This rov is required to forego all of his honor by
retracting his original ruling in order to avoid placing a
stumbling block before the people of the town."
*
"When an earthquake struck R' Moshe did not forget to recite
bircas Oseh Maaseh Bereishis despite the great alarm
in the beis medrash," said the talmid E. M.
A cedar tree is cut down. Beside the twelve orphans, whose
eyes tell the story of their pain, is a great talmid
chochom, marbitz Torah and rov of a kehilloh
kedoshoh. With a broken voice and tears welling in his
eyes he cries out, "Kol Hashem behodor--if one has the
merit. But if not--kol Hashem shover arozim!" And R'
Moshe's voice rose up from the depths of his heart,
overflowing into the streets near Beis Knesses Hagodol.
"Hashiveinu Hashem eleicho venoshuvoh!"
His cry was a demand, a warning to do what had to be done.
Kol Hashem beko'ach! Do teshuvoh and mend your
ways!" A short time later the blow was doubled.
HaRav Moshe Kopshitz was placed in the eye of the storm. He
was taken away from us with thunder and lightning so that his
voice would continue to resound. And even after his
histalkus, the voice continues to plead with us to
straighten our crooked hearts and to improve our conduct,
both bein odom lechaveiro and bein odom leMokom-
- then we will merit kol Hashem behodor.
Every stone placed on the matzeivoh of the gaon
from Yerushalayim at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery must help new
growth of yiras Elokim take root, following the path
of kol Hashem behadar he sounded in his private
life.
A Gust of Gan Eden
On the day of his passing he issued his final wishes on
several occasions. The shiur he gave, the
hesped, even the atmosphere in his home -- all
remained as a last will and testament.
Everyone needs a bit of encouragement or reassurance from
time to time. One person needs some extra admiration and
appreciation, another person needs a smile and a pat on the
back and a third needs assistance from a gemach for a
month or two. In these "simple" things R' Moshe became one of
the gedolim of our generation. He was an exemplar of
chessed--in word, deed and thought. Those who knew him
-- his family, thousands of talmidim and the members
of his kehilloh -- felt his acts of kindness in a
personal way and will never forget.
The talmid chochom put in charge of the Lag B'Omer
bonfire received a going-away present shortly before R'
Moshe's histalkus. After leaving the house of
mourning, R' Moshe met the gabai of the beis
knesses at the local community center. With a light smile
on his lips R' Moshe said, "I must say the big, beautiful
bonfire you arranged last night was big, fabulous and
praiseworthy."
Then he went to the levaya of Rebbitzen S. and was
maspid her. He then continued on his way and walked up
the staircase in exhaustion, stepping through the doorway
that had never been barred before any man, day or night.
Feeling not well, the Rov went into his room to lie down. He
made shehakol and had a drink. And his soul prepared
to leave his body.
At that moment an avreich talmid chochom knocked on
the door, asking to speak with the Rov regarding urgent
tzedokoh matters.
"The Rov is not feeling well, but why don't you wait in the
living room?" suggested the Rebbetzin. "Perhaps he'll feel
better in a little while."
A minute later the Rov's footsteps could be heard. "How can I
help?" he asked, walking toward the mitzvah. "Please sit down
and I'll hear what you have to say. The air here is
particularly fine."
A broad smile spread across R' Moshe's face and the two began
to speak about tzedokoh, both in terms of halochoh and
practical application. Then suddenly particularly fine air
rushed into the living room -- aviro deGan Eden.
These final moments were like the holy moments before Kol
Nidrei when R' Moshe would wrap himself in a
tallis, his every word filled with kovod and
kedushoh. And now he was wrapped in the tallis
of the World of Truth.
by Rav A. Chafetz
R' Moshe used to say . . .
If you stand at a distance he would speak to you from a
distance. If you drew a bit closer he would tell you more,
and if you stood very close then every moment you were in his
presence everything was there for the taking. And who wasn't
very close to him?
One of his great speeches was on the ramach evorim and
shasa gidim (the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the human
body). This talk expanded across the world around him, from
the days at Yeshivas Chevron through Kol Torah, talmudei
Torah, yeshivos ketanos, bein hazmanim yeshivas. From
Torah Ohr to Romema.
His Character
If you didn't know R' Moshe Kopshitz, you will not
understand.
There are people whose speech conveys what they have to say.
And there are great Jews whose silence conveys what they have
to say. And then there are certain people whose facial
expression conveys what they have to say.
R' Moshe Kopshitz' talmidim couldn't say how he
conveyed what he had to say--whether his voice spoke of
yiras Shomayim, whether his joy spoke of ahavas
haTorah or whether his face spoke of good middos--
they couldn't say how, but the message came across
clearly.
In common parlance people refer to this as a "radiant
personality," or tofeach al manas lehatpiach in the
language of the gemora. Baalei hamussar prefer to call
this "a brimming cup spilling cold water all around."
His being spoke with indescribable pleasantness.
The first time one met him his face seemed to say, "What can
I do for you? I'm ready to help."
And the clever smile, the witty joy were ever on his face.
Within moments he already knew what the person before him
needed; even before the inquirer got his bearings R' Moshe
had already grasped the matter and knew who the bochur
or avreich standing before him was all about.
And if he saw he really was in need of a kind word he would
hasten to envelope him with boundless kindness, even more
than the person received from his mother and father as an
infant. If a chossid came to him, R' Moshe would speak in his
own language. If a Litvak addressed him R' Moshe would
communicate using concepts he could relate to.
A Belzer chossid would hear a vort from the Admor of
Belz and a Gerrer chossid would hear a piercing remark by the
Sfas Emes. And the pat on the back at the end of the short
conversation would give him the encouragement and inspiration
to last a whole month.
If he saw lackluster eyes that had not been lit by intense
Torah learning for a long time he would spin the conversation
around and around, using a maxim or wise remark he would
devise ways to shatter the vanities or the bitterness
distancing the person before him from the Torah. Then
suddenly, while flashing a bright smile or at the climax of
an interesting anecdote, he would sweep him into a
sugyo like baalim metaplim beneveiloh. "It's
gevaldik," he would say, bending his head and waving
his hand about and laughing with his whole body. "What you
are asking me is just what the Tosefos asks. What a great
sheiloh! And the pshat is as sweet as honey. So
why do you say your Torah learning has no sweetness to
it?"
And as he parted from R' Moshe's dalet amos and the
final aspects of the sugya, he knew no love could
compare to the love of Torah.
And if R' Moshe looked at a person with his sharp eyes and
found him in need of a bit more yiras Shomayim, even a
Jew with a graying beard or an avreich in a long coat,
at that moment he might discover the big avenue or beis
medrash has not just four corners, but many corners. R'
Moshe would sit or stand beside him and find a way to seclude
himself with the individual hidden from sight and to move his
soul without saying even a single word of reproach . . . And
all this would take place discretely, but right in the middle
of the street. The two would seclude themselves and This
World would shrink beneath their feet while the world of
reward and punishment would open up all at once . . . The
world where there is no eating and drinking, but Gan Eden and
Gehinnom for the tzaddikim and the resho'im.
Tzaddikim yoshvim ve'atroseihem berosheihem venehenim
miziv haShechinoh.
R' Moshe's broad forehead was not furrowed with creases. One
moment the conversation was invigorating and sometimes almost
amusing, but then it would meander until a tear appeared in
the corner of his eye. After the brief conversation the
avreich or bochur understood how it was
possible to shed a flood of tears without any material
suffering, how it was possible to have a cry over Mussar
without any bitterness. Tears of Torah. Tears welling from
the mind in the heart.
He would say one should be good towards Shomayim and
good towards humanity. Happy is he who has studied Torah.
Happy is the father who taught him Torah. Happy is the
rebbe who taught him Torah. R' Moshe who had studied
Torah--how pleasant were his ways, how upright his deeds.
But if you never met R' Moshe face-to-face you may not
understand.
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