Even the most dedicated educators sometimes need to be
reminded of the importance of their work, especially when
theirs is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a- week job that extends far
beyond the 9-5 routine.
At a historic Melave Malka celebrating Shuvu's "Bar Mitzvah"
year, held motzei Shabbos parshas Vayigash, the
Gedolei Yisroel -- including HaRav Aharon Leib
Shteinman and HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz -- gathered to
give divrei chizuk to the more than 1,000 Shuvu staff
members who have brought thousands of Jewish Russian
immigrant children in Eretz Yisroel tachas kanfei
haShechina. [See Box.]
A Vision - and a Zchus
Even to those who are familiar with Shuvu's size and scope,
seeing the standing- room-only crowd of teachers and
yeshiva gedolah students who packed the Heichalei
Malchus Hall in Bnei Brak was a striking experience.
The evening began with opening remarks by Rabbi Chaim Michoel
Guttermann, Shuvu's Director in Eretz Yisroel, who shared his
own amazement over Shuvu's incredible growth pattern.
Rabbi Guttermann looked out at the audience, which included
Shuvu staff members of all backgrounds -- Litvish and
Chassidish, Ashkenazic and Sephardic -- and thanked them for
their mesiras nefesh to Shuvu's mission over the
years, and urged them to press forward with their lifesaving
work of bringing Torah to more than 14,000 Russian immigrant
children and their families.
In the course of the evening, speakers and participants
recalled how, with mesiras nefesh, the dream of Rav
Avrohom Pam to bring Russian Jewish children back tachas
kanfei haShechina has been realized.
Rabbi Guttermann recalled the intensity of Rav Pam's desire
to attend a Shuvu meeting shortly before his passing. Despite
his weakened condition, Rabbi Pam ended up coming to the
dinner -- arriving by ambulance. He tried to speak at the
event but was so ill that he could hardly talk.
Rabbi Guttermann said, "The next day I went to Rav Pam's
house and asked him what he had wanted to say, but all he
said to me was, `I'm leaving my message for the next
dinner.'
"But then Rav Pam passed away," continued Rav Guttermann as a
hush descended upon the hall. "After the levaya, I
asked Rebbetzin Pam what Rav Pam had wanted to tell us. She
said, `He wanted to say that he is getting older and weaker
and needs new kochos to assist in the work of
Shuvu.'
"By being here tonight, we are all giving support to Rav Pam.
Not only support, but also nachas ruach of a magnitude
unimaginable to mortal man."
Rav Yisroel Ganz, Rav of Mattersdorf and ram in
Yeshivas Kol Torah, elaborated on the meaning of a bar
mitzvah, and how it applies to Shuvu.
"When a person becomes a bar mitzvah, he adheres to the
mitzvos. He becomes attached out of a sense of love," said
Rav Ganz, adding that this is how Shuvu's students keep the
mitzvos -- with a special sense of attachment.
He recounted a story about a Shuvu student who wanted to wear
tzitzis, but his still nonobservant parents refused to buy
him a pair. One day he came to school wearing tzitzis. The
boy explained that he asked on Seder night for tzitzis
for the afikomen.
"These are the children of Shuvu," concluded Rav Ganz, his
voice thick with emotion. "Imagine that -- asking for
tzitzis for afikomen. This boy's request is Shuvu's
Bar Mitzvah gift."
Rav Pam's Legacy
Rav Avrohom Pam's son, Rav Dovid Pam of Toronto, gave over a
beautiful dvar Torah.
"The letter ayin from the word agolos," said
Rav Dovid Pam, making a reference to parshas Vayigash,
"symbolizes the seventy (the numeric value of the letter
ayin) nefoshos that went down to Mitzrayim; the
seventy years of golus Bovel; and, in this golus, the
seventy facets of the Torah that we learn, in the zchus of
which Hakodosh Boruch Hu keeps his ayin --
`eye,' on us."
This ayin also represents the work of Shuvu, Rav Dovid
Pam said.
"Shuvu is teaching this Torah to tens of thousands of
children who were deprived of Torah for seventy years under
Soviet rule," said Rav Pam.
Standing Up to the Challenge
Rav Simcha HaKohen Kook, Rechovot's Chief Rabbi and a strong
supporter of Shuvu, began with a dvar Torah but then
digressed from his set speech by remarking in mid-sentence on
the sheer size of the standing-room-only crowd.
"Many of the people who are here tonight," said Rav Kook,
upon further reflection, "are actually students of Shuvu.
It's an amazing thing!" he said as the realization sunk in.
To everyone's surprise, he then said: "Will the students of
the Shuvu yeshiva gedolah please stand up?"
Hesitantly, over 60 of black-hatted yeshiva bochurim
and avreichim from throughout the hall tentatively
stood up, and the audience broke out into a standing ovation.
As the waves of praise washed over them, their initial
surprise gave way to joy and pride -- and most of all, a deep
sense of gratitude to Shuvu for bringing them this far.
Comforting Rochel Imeinu
Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, a member of Rav Shmuel Wosner's
beis din and a moreh horo'oh in Bnei Brak,
spoke about how one can clearly see the difference between
children educated by the Shuvu network and those educated by
the public school system.
Citing the verse, "Rochel cries for her children and she
refuses to be comforted," he explained that it can be
understood to mean that Rochel Imeinu cries bitterly over the
Jewish children who are lost to Yiddishkeit.
"Shuvu," said Rav Stern, "hears the cry of Rochel Imeinu from
Dan to Beer Sheva and relieves her pain."
Rebuilding Yiddishkeit
The event's guest speaker, Rav Aharon Dovid Dunner, av
beis din of London, made a special trip to Eretz Yisroel
to visit Shuvu's schools and to address the Melave Malka.
Since it was held on the night before Asoroh BeTeves, Rav
Dunner spoke about the nature of ta'aneisim.
There are ta'aneisim of teshuva, such as Yom
Kippur, BaHaB and Shovevim, he said, and there are
ta'aneisim of aveilus, such as Tisha B'Av and
Asoroh BeTeves, which the gemora says will become days
of simcha in the future.
"How can these days, on which Am Yisroel witnessed the
churban, become days of simcha?" asked Rav
Dunner. "The answer it that our pain and affliction on these
days will cause the Beis Hamikdosh to be rebuilt. Thus
they will be days of great simcha.
"What Shuvu is doing," he said, "taking the churban of
Russian Jewry and rebuilding Yiddishkeit among them --
is like taking the days of aveilus like Asoroh BeTeves
and turning them into days of simcha."
Rav Yehuda Silman, av beis din in Rav Nissim
Karelitz's beis din and rav of Kehal Chassidei Ramat
Elchonon, then spoke about the "spiritual reawakening" among
Russians that has been triggered by Shuvu's work.
A Love of Mitzvos
The evening came to a close at 11:30, and as participants
headed home to cities throughout Eretz Yisroel, they knew
that in just a few hours, they would have to go back out to
the front lines of kiruv and continue their battle
against the spiritual repercussions of seventy years of
Communism.
But after receiving chizuk and guidance from Rav
Shteinman, Rav Lefkowitz, Rav Kook, Rav Dunner, Rav Ganz, and
the other gedolim, each went home more inspired and
determined to fulfill Rav Pam's dream of bringing the next
generation of Russian Jewry back to a Torah way of life.
|
HaRav Shteinman, HaRav Lefkowitz Praise and Inspire Shuvu
Staff
Highlights of the Melave Malka were the addresses by HaRav
Aharon Leib Shteinman and HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz.
HaRav Lefkowitz began by praising Shuvu for educating the
next generation of gedolei Torah.
Rav Lefkowitz remarked that Shuvu fulfills the words of
Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaar Gimmel, where he writes,
"There is an obligation on every person to go out of his way
to see to his fellow Jew's well-being."
"`Seeing to a fellow Jew's well-being,' says Rabbeinu Yonah,
means to engage in motivating a fellow Jew to distance
himself from aveiros. This is one of the most
important positive commandments. It is one of the most
essential responsibilities placed upon a Jew," Rav Lefkowitz
explained. "And this obligation is something that Shuvu is
fulfilling. Shuvu is coming to repair the churban that
the Russians perpetrated against our people for seventy
years."
HaRav Lefkowitz added that we learn from the confrontation
between Esav and Yaakov that danger can come to Am Yisroel in
different guises. It can come in the guise of warfare -- an
eventuality for which Yaakov was prepared. The other form of
danger can come in the guise of brotherhood, even in a show
of friendship -- like Esav's offer to travel with Yaakov.
"Yaakov refused this gesture of friendship because he was
aware of the dangers it entailed," said HaRav Lefkowitz. "We
see today a similar sakonoh coming from our own
brothers here in Eretz Yisroel: the persecution of the
chareidi community, the closing down of yeshivos. We have to
be aware of this and remember the lessons of Yaakov.
"Shuvu repairs some of the damage that was perpetrated by
Esav against Yaakov, being mekayeim doros of yirei
Hashem from those who were lost to Yiddishkeit.
"May they continue meichayil el choyil," HaRav
Lefkowitz continued, "and in the merit of their work, may we
be zoche to the geula shleimoh bimheiroh
beyomeinu."
HaRav Shteinman then elaborated further on what Shuvu's staff
must fight against: years of Communist efforts to uproot
Russian Jewry's emunoh.
HaRav Shteinman explained that in their effort to uproot that
emunoh, the Communists forbade the Jews also from
doing mitzvos, as keeping mitzvos leads to emunoh.
"That's why, when we try to be mekarev Russian Jews,
we can't start by teaching emunoh. We have to educate
them through the mitzvos, and then they'll develop that
emunoh on their own," said Rav Shteinman.
Specifically, said Rav Shteinman, it is important to focus on
such mitzvos as Shabbos, kashrus and taharas
hamishpochoh, which cause a person to develop
emunoh.
Other rabbonim who spoke at the Melave Malka were Rav Doniel
Chaim Alter, ram in Yeshivas Sefas Emes and Rav
Avrohom Yosef Leizerson of Chinuch Atzmai.
|
