"Why should I sacrifice my advancement in Torah study and
mussar to devote my life to kiruv work in the
virtual spiritual desert of Paris? Isn't the ruchniyus
of my children also in danger? Why must they suffer? Should I
even try it out for a while?"
HaRav Aharon Westheim asked himself these and many other
questions of similarly great portent, after being approached
by Dr. Charles Merzbach o'h of Paris, who had come to
England especially to seek the right person to head a new
Torah center called G.R.Y.P. (Groupe Rabbeinu Yechiel de
Paris).
HaRav Aharon Westheim, born in Frankfurt, Germany, joined the
Gateshead Yeshiva at age sixteen, and later continued his
Torah education in Yeshivas Toras Emes of London, headed by
HaRav Moshe Schneider zt'l. After studying with
incredible hasmodoh and notable success for some
eleven years, which included the tumultuous period of WWII,
in the renowned Gateshead Kollel, and becoming exceptionally
close to HaRav Eliyahu Dessler, the widely-known and esteemed
mussar giant, he was being asked to engage in zikui
horabbim that involved tremendous self-sacrifice. Was it
worthwhile? Should he also give up his spiritually profitable
contact with such good friends as HaRav Leib Lopian, later
rosh yeshiva of Gateshead, HaRav Moshe Schwab, later
mashgiach of that yeshiva, HaRav Leib Grossnas, a
dayan in London, and many other gedolei Torah
veyirah?
To resolve this dilemma he, together with his confidant,
HaRav Yitzchok Tuviah Weiss (who today serves as Gavad
of the Eida HaChareidis), performed the goral of the
Vilna Gaon. The goral fell on the posuk
(Tehillim 65:6), "With awesome deed in righteousness You
will answer us, O Elokim of our salvation; security of all
who live in the ends of the earth and those far off at sea."
This was interpreted as a clear message to accept the offered
position and travel overseas to France, and also to mean that
his harbotzas Torah will surely be a "security" for
his family to protect them from lowering their spiritual
standards.
Indeed, his tireless disseminating of Torah in Paris brought
the word of Hashem to the masses and changed the lives of
many, who remain eternally grateful to him. HaRav Westheim
delivered daily shiurim on diverse levels in
Gemora, halocho and mussar to students, laymen,
women and even elementary school children, from the afternoon
until late at night, and on Sundays from dawn to dusk,
stopping only for a short break. In addition, the Rov
organized seudos shelishis and melaveh malkehs
in order to better influence those lacking knowledge of what
practicing Torah is.
During his last six years, HaRav Westheim lived in Eretz
Yisroel and, together with his son-in-law, HaRav Yehoshua
Chaim ylct'a, established the Kollel Rabbeinu Yechiel
of Bnei Brak in which he presented a weekly shiur in
depth to the Kollel students and often enriched them with his
instructive and profound droshos about assorted
subjects based on the mussar principles on which he
had worked his whole life.
The first part of this 286-page sefer presents the
reader with a wealth of eye-opening shiurim on various
Talmudic sugyos such as psik reisha, mitzvas
tashbisu, migo bemokom chazokoh, stamon lishmon, and many
others. In addition, it includes a letter of historic and
practical interest from his mentor, HaRav E. Dessler,
addressed to the author about zikui horabbim, written
eight months before HaRav Dessler's petiroh.
The second part of Yeshuos Aharon contains fourteen
discourses with scholarly insights into many Torah axioms
such as Shabbos being a mei'ein Olam Habo, the
significance of receiving the Torah, the essence of Torah
study, our Divine test during this period before the advent
of the Moshiach Tzidkeinu, and various other subjects that
will surely interest and enrich the readers.
The third part, of thirty-three pages, details HaRav
Westheim's life and achievements and presents short essays
portraying the author's refined character and fruitful
accomplishments for Klal Yisroel both in France and in
Eretz Yisroel.
Doubtlessly, the narrative of HaRav Westheim's laboring over
Torah, and his harbotzas Torah and mussar that
extended to "the ends of the earth and those far off at sea,"
as is so well-expressed in this sefer, will serve as a
beacon of light for others directing them how to correctly
learn Torah, what is true yiras Shomayim and middos
tovos, and how a ben Torah should devote himself
to bringing others closer to Hashem.
