Excerpts from the sefer of that name selected by R' A.
Chefetz — a book of stories and conversations of HaRav
Eliahu Mann with HaRav Chaim Kanievsky arranged according to
the parshas hashovu'a.
Derech Sicha is a very different kind of work from
what we are used to. It is not a halachic work. Rather, it is
based on divrei Torah uttered by HaRav Chaim
Kanievsky, mostly in "conversations," that is, verbal
responsa to the questions brought before him, flashes of
brilliance uttered by him or remarks and insights produced in
the perennial give- and-take of Torah discussion.
Derech Sicha is a veritable treasure trove, culled
from the notebooks of his beloved disciple HaRav Eliyahu
Mann, who recorded for himself what he heard over many years
and upon various occasions. These notes are replete with good
advice and mussar to teach and prove that there is
nothing that cannot be found alluded to in the Torah, when
the sages of Torah who guide us verbally or by their personal
example serve as our very eyes.
This prodigious work embodies a special pleasantness and
imparts a love and respect for Torah, since it is filled from
cover to cover with the fiery holiness of the Torah, fine-
point precision in halocho, insights in the traditions
transmitted from generation to generation in all aspects of
life, hashkofoh and general conduct to be learned and
taught.
The benefits of this work are so great that Maran HaGaon R'
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv shlita expressed his feelings
that it is vital for it to be printed for the good of the
public. Thus, even though its preparation was not easy, the
publishers of the Ohr HaChaim works undertook to ask
HaRav Mann to give us a generous glimpse from his notes, and
thanks to them, the impressions and insights were compiled
and presented in printed form through the capable editorial
efforts of R' Tzvi Yabrov, who toiled devotedly and
indefatigably, as is very evident throughout every line in
this marvelous work.
Theft of Sleep
QUESTION: A student who sat in the study room in yeshiva was
inadvertently locked up. When it was discovered, it also
became known that the student who had the key was taking his
usual afternoon nap bein hasedorim. Was it permissible
to wake him up, or was this considered gezel sheina
— theft of sleep (which can never be returned)?
ANSWER: The idea of theft-of-sleep is an innovation from the
beis medrash of the baalei mussar. It is only a
matter of kindness, of an exalted level of loving one's
neighbor. And since in this case, the one who is sleeping is
also obligated to perform a kindness and release the one who
is locked up — he must be wakened.
The Robbery by the Chazon Ish
The Rov told of a robbery that took place by the Chazon Ish.
R' Yaakov Shechter z'l had given him a gold watch and
Maran had accepted it, even though he generally refused to
accept presents. Sometimes, however, he felt that the donor
would be honored by his taking the gift, in which case he
accepted it. The watch was stolen and Maran was greatly
distressed by the fact of the theft, much more than by the
loss of the watch itself.
He considered the actual loss of the watch as a
kaporoh. What hurt him more was the fact that he had
been taken advantage of. He maintained an open house; anyone
could come and go as they pleased. Why then, had someone
misused that privilege?
"No good will come of that thief," he declared. Indeed, it
was later discovered who the thief was, and he was found dead
in some open courtyard.
He Did What Was Right According to the Halocho
I told the Rov what I had heard about a certain deceased
Torah scholar who once went to visit a rich man. In the
waiting room hung an immodest picture and he ripped it up
immediately. When he entered the rich man's study, the latter
said, "You should have asked me first."
"And when you hung up that picture, did you ask me?"
The Rov commented that he probably acted within the
parameters of the halochoh, since one must not put a
stumbling block before a blind person (figuratively
speaking). If the rich man were a non-Jew, however, he should
first have asked permission, since the latter is not
commanded to prevent another person from sinning.
The Prohibition of Yichud
I heard from the Rov: HaGaon R' Yechiel Mordechai Gordon
zt'l told me that his father-in-law, R' Eliezer from
Telz who studied under R' Yisroel Salanter, said in his
master's name that whenever he traveled by public
transportation, in a carriage, he was constantly preoccupied
with being cautious not to transgress the prohibition of
yichud. Had he devoted his thoughts to pure Torah
during these times, he could have printed an entire work of
Torah. He also noted that he was convinced that if such a
situation had arisen en route, he would have not hesitated a
moment but jumped off the coach immediately!
Regarding the Laws of Lying Prone
The Rov told that in the Lederman shul in Bnei Brak
there was an old man from Romania who had heard from his
grandfather, who had heard from his grandfather who had lived
in the times of the false messiah, Shabsai Tzvi, that when
the latter had come to his community for the Yomim Noraim, he
had been accorded great honor from all the congregants. His
great-great-grandfather was, however, the only exception. He
`smelled a rat,' so to speak.
This grandfather was supposed to lead the musaf
prayers, when suddenly he lost his voice and his family was
stricken with fever. People murmured that this happened
because he had not honored Shabsai Tzvi. Nonetheless,
immediately before musaf, he found the strength to go
up to the bimah and he announced, with effort: "Even
though you are all insinuating things about me, I will not
retract my position."
And thereupon, his voice was miraculously restored to him and
he was able to lead the service.
The Taz sent his son and son-in-law to determine what kind a
person Shabsai Tzvi was. They returned full of wonder. "How
did you find him?" the Taz asked them.
"He was lying asleep on his back," they replied. "
If that is the case, he cannot be Moshiach who would
not transgress a law of rabbonon."
Here arises the QUESTION: Is someone suffering from kidney
trouble allowed to lie on his back?
ANSWER: If he leans towards the side, it is permissible,
though it is not clear what angle is considered permissible.
We can be lenient if he leans to the side even if there is a
possibility that he might fall asleep.
QUESTION: If a person suffers from back trouble and is in
great pain unless he sleeps on his back, is he allowed to do
so?
ANSWER: We find in Niddah (13a) that if there is a
suffering involved, it is permissible. So this seems
similar.
QUESTION: The Rov wrote in his work, Shoneh Halochos
(239:3) in the name of the Chazon Ish that it is forbidden to
sleep prone, and this applies to lying down while one is
awake as well. What is the source to this?
ANSWER: In Brochos (13b). We find that R' Yehoshua ben
Levi cursed those who recited Krias Shema while lying
down, and they are surely not sleeping. Even though Rashi
there says that it refers to sleeping, the basis for the
issur is about doing so while sleeping but the
prohibition itself applies in any condition.
The term gani does not mean only sleeping, and it
means lying down as well. This can be shown from the
Targum Sheini of Megillas Esther, end of Chapter Four,
where it is not talking about sleeping but leaning. HaRav
Gedaliah Nadel said this in the name of the Chazon Ish. (See
also Oruch LaNer, Niddah, 14a.)
I underwent surgery and had to lie on my back during surgery.
I asked Maran what to do and he said that according to the
gemora in Niddah (13a) that if one is in fear
it is all right and it does not apply. Similarly, one who
lies on the operating table in fear.
How Deep is Gehennom?
The Rov said: I heard from HaGaon R' Eliyohu Dushnitzer
zt'l in a vaad he held in Petach Tikva: Come
and see how terrible is the depth of Gehennom. We find in
Talmud Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 10:4): "Korach and
his congregation kept on sinking lower and lower into
Gehennom until Channah (a descendant many generations later)
came along and prayed for them.
There was an interim of many centuries, and still they kept
on descending, deep, deep into the bowels of the earth, where
it grew hotter and hotter. And had she not prayed on their
behalf, they would have continued to sink deeper. We see how
terribly deep it must be. This is something awesome to
reflect upon!
Loshon Hora at a Funeral
QUESTION: I heard that HaRav Chaim Ozer ztvk'l once
stated at the funeral of a certain wicked person that now was
the chance to speak evil of him, for he was no longer alive
but neither was he buried, and the prohibition of speaking
ill of a dead person only applies to one who is buried. Does
this mean that without the ban, it is permissible?
ANSWER: He maintained that it was permitted to speak about
him in general. If the cheirem had applied however, it
would have been forbidden. In this case, since he was not
buried it was not yet in force.
A Person Should Be Aware of His Great Latent
Talents
"And we were in our eyes as grasshoppers, and so were we in
their eyes . . . "
I spoke at the aufruf of the Rov's grandson, praising
him lavishly. Later, when I accompanied the Rov to his home,
I asked him why it was a custom to praise the chosson.
This is not such a modest thing, after all. I offered an
explanation in the name of my father, HaRav Mordechai Mann
zt'l, that a person cannot reach his full potential if
he does not acknowledge his own strengths.
This is what R' Akiva said to his disciples, "Yours [your
Torah knowledge] and mine — is hers" (Kesuvos
63a). How had R' Akiva been able to attain such greatness
when he only started at the age of forty? The answer involves
his wife, Rochel. She was twenty and from a fine, wealthy
family. She could have married anyone of high station. Yet
she left behind everything and even chose to sever herself
from her father's home, because she was absolutely certain
that Akiva would become a great man. She imbued him with the
confidence that he could achieve greatness and that is why he
accomplished what he did.
That is what my father had said. I added that I had heard an
interpretation of the verse, "And we were in our eyes as
grasshoppers, and so were we in their eyes . . . " that first
asks how the spies knew that they were thus in the eyes of
the Canaanites. The answer is: because that is how `we saw
ourselves'! It was a reflection of their own self-image.
The Rov replied, "That is true. I can vouch for it from
experience. If a person does not hold of himself at all, then
he will not amount to anything. He will be a nothing.
"In Gittin 56a we find, `The humility of R' Zecharya
ben Avkulas destroyed our Beis Hamikdosh.' How does
this connect to humility? They explain it in the name of the
Rebbe R' Heshel ztvk'l that the Sages held differently
than R' Zecharya and thought that it was a matter of life-and-
death, but since he expressed his opinion first, they did not
want to say anything afterwards. R' Zecharya held himself as
the lowliest of the sages, and thought that his opinion was
being asked first as the law is that we go in ascending
order. But in truth he was the greatest among them, and so,
after he had had his say, they could not say anything against
him.
In Tosefta Shabbos, perek 17:4 we find that Beis
Hillel taught that one may remove the bones and peels from
the Shabbos table. Beis Shammai said differently but Zecharya
ben Avkulas did not practice either way. He was
machmir and would throw the bones and peels directly
behind his chair. Said R' Yossi: The modesty of R' Zecharya
ben Avkulas caused the burning of the Heichal.
We must examine both of these teachings in order to
understand them. [He was stringent in the case of Bar Kamtza
and ruled not to kill him, but Bar Kamtza went and informed
on the sages and this brought about the churban.] It
seems that one must not always be stringent. Sometimes, a
person is machmir because of misplaced weakness. We do
not say this, G-d forbid, of R' Zecharya, but this is a
corollary that can be derived therefrom in general.
