Introductory Remarks from the Meeting of the Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah—Council of Torah Sages—of Degel
HaTorah, in Zichron Yaakov 5766
It's a great merit for me to have the opportunity to make the
opening remarks at this meeting of maranan and
rabbonon, shlita, who will inform us of the way we
should be heading.
For twenty years I have been resolute not to appear in
public, so I asked the organizers why they wanted
specifically me to speak, since it conflicts with my
principles. Their answer was that there is no one else today
who can tell the stories of gedolei Yisroel from the
last sixty, seventy years; there's no one else who can bridge
between the gedolim of yesteryear and those of today.
I asked a shailas chochom and was instructed to give
my consent.
I intend to review the history of the last seventy years in
the next few minutes.
Lately, when people speak about the decline of the
generations, we often hear that if only Maran HaChazon Ish,
Maran the Brisker Rav, or Maran HaRav Shach were with us
today we'd be in a much better situation.
The truth is that HaKodosh Boruch Hu makes sure that
each generation will have the leaders suitable for that
generation's needs.
The wisest of all men said in Koheles (7:10): "Do not
say, `How was it that the former days were better than
these?' For not out of wisdom have you asked concerning
this."
Before the leadership of Maran HaChazon Ish, "the world was
astoundingly empty," especially the fledgling chareidi
settlement, and there was certainly no godol beTorah
who was suitable to take the reins of leadership. What did
HaKodosh Boruch Hu do? He took the Chazon Ish out from
a beis midrash in Vilna, where he had been hidden for
decades, and brought him to Eretz Yisroel. Even after
this, though, no one would have believed that a man who
shunned public recognition and was naturally shy could be
capable of leading Klal Yisroel, and would be a leader
the likes of which we hadn't seen for many years.
It's sufficient to mention the example of how Maran the
Chazon Ish succeeded in bringing the mitzvos of Eretz
Yisroel back again into the mainstream practice. I have
no conception of how difficult it must have been to get the
Jewish settlement used to observing mitzvos that they hadn't
been accustomed to observing for many generations.
Implementing the mitzva of Shmittah presented a
particular problem, both on the part of the farmers and on
the part of the general populace who felt the lack of
kosher produce. Maran the Chazon Ish, in his great
wisdom, was lenient in every way possible according to
halochoh, in order that no one could say it was
impossible to keep the halochos of Shmittah in
our day and age. He wrote critically about those who wanted
to be stringent in all the chumros, and wasn't
satisfied until he proved that the intention of the
machmirim was actually an attempt to demonstrate the
impossibility of keeping Shmittah, so they could press
for the acceptance of the heter mechirah — the
'sale' of Eretz Yisroel.
After Maran HaChazon Ish passed away, we thought there was no
one who could lead and guide the generation. The directors of
Zeirei Agudas Yisroel decided, therefore, that the
organization should disband. As we understood it, since Maran
HaChazon Ish was no longer with us to guide us as a father
guides his child, and could no longer instruct us in our day-
to-day affairs about what was advisable to do and what was
not, it would be impossible — and even prohibited - -
to continue our activities.
We decided to go to Maran the Brisker Rov, HaGaon HaRav
Yitzchok Zeev Soloveitchik (the Griz) and ask for his
blessing for the move.
We were astounded when Maran HaGriz told us that if the
reason we wanted to cease our activities was because we no
longer had a moreh derech to show us the way, then:
"I'm prepared to be your moreh derech!"
We were truly astonished, because it was well-known that
Maran HaGriz was very worried about giving a psak
halochoh, even for an individual, in issur
veheter, and now here he was agreeing to give us psak
in all our public activities.
In fact, Maran HaGriz led the public with a strong hand and a
high profile, from the time Maran HaChazon Ish passed away
until he himself passed away.
I want to mention two incidents among many that demonstrate
the strong leadership of Maran HaGriz:
Before the Fourth Knessia Gedoloh in 5714/1954, he ruled that
if Poalei Agudas Yisroel participates in the Knessia Gedoloh
it would be osur to take part in it. And he asked me
to try to influence the public in this matter. I gathered my
courage and told him that I wasn't capable of influencing
anyone in such a sensitive matter, about which the majority
of the public would find very hard to accept this position,
unless the Rov would be willing to let me tell everyone the
psak in his name.
Maran HaGriz agreed to my condition and added: "You can send
here anyone who wants to hear it straight from me. Don't be
so surprised that I'm paskening in a grave public
matter, while at the same time I won't pasken for an
individual even in matters of issur veheter.
"I have a tradition from my father (HaRav Chaim Soloveitchik,
the Grach), who came out strongly against the Mizrachi. He
was asked how he could invalidate such a large group that
included famous rabbonim and Admorim, when he won't even
pasken about "bei'aso becutcha"— an egg
in milk (a plain case).
"My father answered: `That's the proof! When I'm not
absolutely certain I won't pasken. When I'm
paskening to invalidate the Mizrachi, it shows that
I'm absolutely certain.'"
*
The second incident concerns drafting women into the Israeli
army, and national service. I've written about the
unrelenting struggle the gedolim had with the idea of
army service for women and national service. One day, a group
of chareidi askonim told him they'd heard from a
reliable source that the Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion,
had decided that if the chareidi community continued in its
opposition to the national service, he'd force the yeshiva
bochurim to be drafted.
Maran HaGriz was not upset, and responded: "Let them draft
all the yeshiva students, but not one girl should go to
national service." He added: "Klal Yisroel has had
periods of Torah without yeshivos, but yeshivos without Torah
is an impossibility."
He meant that if we compromise on Torah values and agree to
national service for women in order to save the yeshivos,
then what will be left are no more than yeshivos without
Torah.
After Maran HaGriz passed away, people were worried again.
Who would there be to lead Klal Yisroel after Maran
HaChazon Ish and Maran HaGriz? Today we'd say: "What's the
problem? Maran HaRav Shach was there!"
I'll tell you: when Maran HaRav Shach was appointed to the
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in 5719/1959 and I told Maran HaGriz
about it, he smiled and said: "Reb Shlomo, tell me:
unzerer Reb Leizerel ken zayn a chaver Moetzes Gedolei
HaTorah? [Reb Shlomo, tell me, can our Reb Leizerel be a
member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah?] Besides learning, he
has nothing else in the world!"
Reality showed that Maran HaRav Shach developed into a leader
with Divine assistance, whose net was cast from one end of
the world to another.
All this teaches us that HaKodosh Boruch Hu makes sure
that each generation has suitable leadership.
Maran HaRav Shach not only paskened halachos in public
affairs; he often initiated and brought to fruition
takonos for the public. He gave special importance to
insuring the independent stature of bnei Torah. When
he saw the need for a special newspaper for bnei Torah
in order to achieve this end, he didn't hesitate and
established the Yated Ne'eman. When he saw that the
bnei Yeshivos needed an independent political
framework, he established the Degel HaTorah party. It's
impossible to understand and explain where Maran got the
strength to raise the funds to start a new paper and a new
political party, when he was over ninety years of age, and
all this was in addition to the yoke he already carried.
In fact, it is only thanks to Maran HaRav Shach that we have
this national meeting here today.
Chazal say (Sanhedrin 38b): "HaKodosh Boruch Hu
showed Odom Horishon each generation and its leaders;
each generation and its wise men." Similarly, Hashem showed
Moshe, "Each generation and its leaders; each generation and
its wise men" (Bamidbar, Midrash Rabbah, 23,4).
Why did Hashem create each generation's leadership at the
beginning of the Creation? And why did He show them to Odom
Horishon and Moshe Rabbenu?
This teaches us that the leadership of each generation comes
as no accident. HaKodosh Boruch Hu established from
the beginning of the world's creation which leader would be
suitable for each generation, so that the leader will be
exactly the one the generation needs.
Maybe it's brazen of me to think so, but I won't hesitate to
express my opinion, for I believe that each one of the
leaders I mentioned was suited precisely and exclusively for
the generation in which he led. In my opinion, Maran HaGriz
could never have been the leader of Maran HaChazon Ish's
generation. As I understand it, Maran HaGriz could never have
been lenient in the halochos of Shmittah as
Maran HaChazon Ish was where there's a halachic basis for
this.
On the other hand, Maran HaChazon Ish and Maran HaGriz could
never have been the leaders in the generation of Maran HaRav
Shach. It's difficult to imagine that Maran HaChazon Ish or
Maran HaGriz would be willing to contend with the
organizational struggles or with waging battles as Maran
HaRav Shach did. Therefore, HaKodosh Boruch Hu
prepared from the beginning of creation "each generation
and its leaders," so that each generation would have the
exactly appropriate leadership. This is what Shlomo Hamelech
said: "Do not say, `How was it that the former days were
better than these?' For not out of wisdom have you asked
concerning this."
For the sake of our generation, HaKodosh Boruch Hu has
established as our leaders the gedolei Torah sitting
here with us. "Ashreinu, ma tov chelkeinu uma no'im
goroleinu" — for we have been zoche to the
gedolei Torah seated here who are the leaders that our
generation needs. Unfortunately, people have a weakness, that
they only understand and appreciate gedolim after
they're gone.
In addition to what we've explained, that each generation has
the appropriate leaders, it's been said in the name of Maran
HaChofetz Chaim that each generation will be judged in the
Heavenly Court together with its leaders. Oy va'avoy
if we were to be judged by Maran HaChofetz Chaim for the
sin of loshon hora, for example, or by Rebbe Yisroel
Salanter for the mitzvos bein odom lechavero.
Therefore, they aren't the leaders of our generation.
Certainly, we long for the gedolim such as Maran
HaChazon Ish, Maran HaGriz or Maran HaRav Shach, especially
someone like me who merited to be close to them. Tears well
up in my eyes when I think about them. But we must know that
the success of each generation depends on clinging to the
leaders of that generation.
From my own personal experience of seventy years I can
testify that anyone who clung to the gedolei Torah of
his generation, and didn't say that the earlier days were
better than these, had special siyata deShmaya in his
work in the public realm and in his personal life. He merited
having a happy home, and sons and daughters who are occupied
with Torah and mitzvos.
On the other hand, some tried to be clever and nullified the
gedolei Torah of their day, because in their
estimation the gedolim of the previous generation
were greater. Despite the fact that these people were
personally of high stature, talmidei chachomim and
yirei Shomayim, yet they were not successful in
raising their children.
In conclusion, we have to strengthen ourselves and say to our
gedolei Torah the same thing that the generation of
Moshe Rabbeinu said to Yehoshua (and I emphasize that it was
to Yehoshua, about whom the Elders wept when they compared
him to Moshe Rabbeinu): "All that you command us we shall do,
and wherever you send us we shall go, just as we listened to
Moshe so shall we listen to you . . . only be strong and have
courage."
I call upon our gedolei Torah: Be strong and have
courage to lead our wonderful generation, and then, we will
also be strengthened.
Chazak, chazak, venischazeik.
