HaRav Shteinman made an inspiring visit last year to Ramat
HaSharon when he came to strengthen the Torah chinuch
institutions founded many years ago and developed by the
moro de'asra HaRav Yaakov Edelstein, who carries the
responsibility for the expansion of Torah study in the
capital of the Sharon.
*
Today is the eve of Chanukah, and everyone probably knows
that there were many things that happened on Chanukah: The
victory of a few individuals, the five sons of Mattisyahu
Kohein Godol who battled tens of thousands of soldiers, and
the miracle of the flask of oil that was only enough to burn
for one day but burned for eight days.
Chazal always call a festival a name that captures the
essence of the festival in one word. Otherwise, they would
have to express it at length. They would have to say about
Chanukah, for example, that there were Greeks and they
vanquished them, the miracle of the flask of oil, and that
Chazal fixed a day of praise and thanksgiving. It is
impossible to say all these details. Rather, one word is
needed that expresses the essence of the festival.
What is it called? "Chanukah!"
And what is Chanukah? The inauguration of the Altar
(chanukas hamizbeiach)!
This raises a difficulty. Was this so important compared to
the other things? The miracle that a few people won against
tens of thousands of Greeks was seemingly a much greater
miracle. The miracle of the flask of oil was even greater
still. It seems they should have called the festival's main
name after one of these things — either after the flask
of oil or after the victory of the Jews over the Greeks.
But what did they call it in the end? Chanukah—after
the chanukas hamizbeiach. And the chanukas
hamizbeiach was not so great a miracle in comparison to
these other things. How can we compare the matter of
chanukas hamizbeiach to the miracle of the flask of
oil, or to the fact that a handful of people could overcome
tens of thousands of soldiers? These miracles are truly
wondrous! How could there be a thing like this, a miracle
like this?
And yet it is still called "Chanukah," which is
chinuch. And even though the chinuch of people
is not the same as the chinuch of the
mizbeiach, nevertheless, this is something that
reminds us that every matter needs chinuch. This comes
to teach us that a human being is rooted on
chinuch.
We find that it is written regarding Avrohom Ovinu
(Bereishis 18:19): "For I have known him because he
commands his sons and his household after him, that they
should keep the way of Hashem to perform righteousness and
justice, in order that Hashem bring upon Avrohom that which
He spoke concerning him."
It is well known how Avrohom Ovinu sacrificed himself
throughout his entire life in going from place to place. At
that time, the entire world was full of idol worship. No one
believed in Hashem. They did not know there was HaKodosh
Boruch Hu. They knew only idol worship—each and
every one.
Even Avrohom Ovinu himself sold idols in his father's store
when he was a child. He sold these disgusting things, for
everyone believed in them. But later Avrohom made a
revolution; he traveled from place to place, from country to
country, and cried out that all these idols are worthless! He
taught that HaKodosh Boruch Hu created the entire
world.
Avrohom became so famous that Nimrod commanded to throw him
into a fiery furnace. If so, the verse should have emphasized
that HaKodosh Boruch Hu loved him so much because he
was willing to sacrifice his life to spread the belief in
Hashem, and that there is nothing besides the Master of the
Universe, and all the idols are worthless!
And yet the Torah says, "I knew him," which means I love him,
"because he will command his sons and his household after
him, that they should keep the way of Hashem to perform
righteousness and justice." [Avrohom is commended for his
chinuch and] this implies that chinuch is
greater than everything else.
Unfortunately, in our day and age a large portion of the
Jewish people have abandoned the Torah chinuch, the
chinuch of yiras Shomayim, which is to perform
righteousness and justice. They have left the path of Torah
to learn completely different things. Nowadays, however, just
about everyone sees that they did not succeed in their path,
which was not the path of the Torah, the path that Avrohom
Ovinu bequeathed to us.
Avrohom was in a generation of so many people who could be
called `primitive,' as they are known today. They only knew
their idol worship and their getshkes, and nothing
else. And yet Avrohom succeeded. And from him came Yitzchok,
Yaakov, and the shevotim, until later came Yetzias
Mitzrayim and they accepted the Torah.
The creation exists only in the merit of the Torah.
HaKodosh Boruch Hu did not create the world for
regular people who just eat, drink, and sleep. Is this the
purpose of existence? Did HaKodosh Boruch Hu need to
create such an enormous world for the sake of people who just
act like animals? They eat and drink, and that is it.
Did HaKodosh Boruch Hu create his world for
this—for animals? Or just for people who are so much
like animals? HaKodosh Boruch Hu created the world for
people to learn Torah! This was the purpose.
In truth, Avrohom Ovinu educated his descendents to the point
where they could reach Matan Torah. Matan Torah resulted from
of the greatness of Avrohom Ovinu; he created the possibility
with chinuch. If Avrohom Ovinu had acted like all the
other people and only brought those other people close to
Hashem, there would have been nothing in the end. Things
would have ended up just as they did with those tens of
thousands of people. Nothing at all remains from of all of
them. And why is that? Because they did not know the secret
of chinuch as did Avrohom Ovinu.
We need to know first of all that HaKodosh Boruch Hu
loves every Jew of Klal Yisroel. It is impossible to describe
how much Klal Yisroel is loved by Hashem, how it is
written in all the poskim and midroshim! And
the children are loved even more. Every child is very beloved
to HaKodosh Boruch Hu!
This is because a child has not yet sinned. When we see a
small child, we see how much chein the Jewish child
has. He is really entirely chein, full of
chein. However, the yetzer hora comes and
eventually seals off his heart, and he becomes something else
— we no longer see the chein.
But you are all children, still young. You have the ability
to accept the yoke of Heaven, to go in the path of the Torah.
Then you would be very beloved and HaKodosh Boruch Hu
will rejoice over you. You can give joy to your parents and
to HaKodosh Boruch Hu, for you have the possibility of
growing up to be good.
And then, the entire creation will exist in your merit. There
is a midrash that says that HaKodosh Boruch Hu
asks, "Who will be the guarantors that Klal Yisroel
will last?" They answered, "Our sons, our children."
These are the children that you could be.
HaKodosh Boruch Hu has immeasurable love for you!
There is no way to measure what you can merit if you will go
in the good path. For everyone knows that the purpose of life
is Torah and yiras Shomayim, and besides this there is
nothing else. In truth, there are many who have already come
to this conclusion but still do the deeds of Zimri . . . They
still do not do what they know they need to do.
You should know that chinuch is the first thing; it is
relevant to parents and teachers, but also to children. They
need to know that chinuch is the first thing, and that
Klal Yisroel is built on it. This is the purpose.
Without chinuch it is impossible to reach anything,
and the first thing is to try to educate the children.
Avrohom Ovinu alone merited to what he did despite that there
was no one to educate him. Nonetheless, not everyone is on
the level that he can merit as Avrohom Ovinu did. However,
what he can do is to go in the way of the Torah to educate
his children. "For I have known him because he commands his
sons and his household after him, that they should keep the
way of Hashem to perform righteousness and justice."
Then, every person will merit to be happy, and HaKodosh
Boruch Hu will rejoice that Klal Yisroel has
become uplifted and influenced with a bounty of wisdom like
water covers the sea. And the redeemer shall come to Tzion
speedily in our days. Omen Seloh.
This is based on a talk by HaRav Aharon Y. Leib Shteinman
in the Beis Knesses Hagodol of Ramat HaSharon, with the
participation of the chareidi community and in the presence
of the secular public school children, last year before
Chanukah.
