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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
"My Grasp of this Maseches is More
Childish"
The first years of Torah study of Rav Hutner were in special,
private sessions. His father conveyed a great deal of his
original approach to chinuch to his son in his first
years of childhood.
The first maseches that he studied was Bava
Kammo. Over fifty years later, he remarked: "I feel that
this maseches gave me an advantage in the power of my
memory. I remember this maseches more. However, in
regard to understanding, my grasp of this maseches is
more childish compared to other masechtos."
He added a pearl of wisdom: "This is the reason that we
repeat with a child "Shema Yisroel" specifically when
he is very young. This is the way something penetrates the
memory. The more someone is accustomed to hearing something
in his early years, the more he will remember it."
His parents were in financial difficulty. His father once
traveled for business purposes, and after a while sent money
to his wife for a new dress, with the instruction that she
should wait for a certain special occasion to wear it for the
first time. This special occasion was the siyum of
Bava Kammo by their firstborn, beloved son!
In Slobodka
In Tishrei, 5682 (1922), Rav Hutner arrived in Yeshivas
Slobodka. Soon after he arrived, the Alter of Slobodka, Maran
HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt'l, sent HaRav Yechezkel
Borstein zt'l, the author of the Divrei
Yechezkel, during the Yom Kippur prayers to ask Rebbe
Yitzchok for his mother's name so that he could pray for him.
Rav Hutner went up to the Alter himself to give him his
mother's name, which earned him affection from his Rebbe.
Rav Hutner wrote in a letter (5682): "Almost six months have
passed since I arrived in Slobodka. I have changed a lot in
this short amount of time. When I came to Slobodka I had
various questions and problems. As long as I lack a complete,
orderly world perspective I cannot be mussari (a
person of high morals and ethics)."
Rebbe Yitzchok's life's aspiration was complete, broad-based
shleimus (character perfection), and he educated
others to this aspiration as well.
A year after his arrival in yeshiva he wrote: "It is common
here in Slobodka to use the word hispa'alus instead of
regesh (feeling). This is a new understanding in the
concept of regesh. Regesh, as we understood before, is
not compatible with clear, lucid understanding. The essence
of regesh is only faint longing for unspecified,
unclear things.
"But here in Slobodka, the aspiration is for life based on
the foundations of clear, lucid knowledge. They define the
concept of regesh as `tangible intellect,' which means
that one is able to grasp a particular comprehension with all
the warmth of his heart and soul. That someone can be
completely changed and elevated by one thought, and even to
be `elevated above all other creatures.' Such a person is
called here a `baal regesh.' Someone who can only
grasp something with his understanding is called a person
with cold understanding. This caused them to use the word
hispa'alus instead of regesh." [Editor's Note:
It would seem that it is the reflexive nature of the former
term, and the fact that it contains the notion of
affectation, that is being alluded to here.]
Rav Hutner added: "I heard these words from the Alter
shlita myself."
The Move to Eretz Yisroel
In 5684 (1924), Yeshivas Slobodka founded a branch in Eretz
Yisroel, in the holy city of Chevron. Rebbe Yitzchok
immigrated to Yeshivas Chevron in Nisan, 5685. He wrote upon
his arrival: "I now await the Alter's arrival. It seems that
with his arrival a period of growth in mussar will
begin for me."
And in fact, he had a period of toil and striving in Torah.
He learnt with his contemporary Rebbe Yitzchok Meir ben
Menachem (Patchiner) zt'l, the son-in-law of Maran
HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt'l.
Rav Hutner constantly mentioned the importance of review in
Torah study, and said once: "A man becomes great in learning
only through review. Nothing can become of someone who does
not have the patience to review!"
In addition to learning in yeshiva, Rav Hutner absorbed from
the great Torah leaders of Eretz Yisroel of that
period, including HaRav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, HaRav Isser
Zalman Meltzer, and HaRav Shlomo Eliezer Alfandri,
ztvk'l. When Rav Hutner decided he had obtained the
desired benefit from Yeshivas Chevron he returned to chutz
la'Aretz. He noted in his notebook: "Strengthen yourself
in mussar; do not desist in guarding it, for it is
your life — opposite the chair of our teacher and
Rebbe."
He returned to his parents' home in Warsaw, and in summer
5690 (1930) he returned to Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim
for one year, and then went to Kovno.
The Sefer Toras HaNozir
When he returned to Kovno, he decided to publish a
sefer of chidushei Torah in halochoh. He saw
the sefer as a means of summarizing a period of a
derech in chidushei Torah from which he would
rise to a new stage. He decided to study maseches
Nozir, and in half a year wrote the sefer Toras
HaNozir, on the Rambam's Hilchos Nezirus. He sent
the proofs to the rov of Kovno, the Dvar Avrohom
ztvk'l.
He also sent proofs of his sefer with a request for
haskomoh to Vilna, to HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky
ztvk'l. The haskomoh arrived a month later: "I
rejoiced to see that Yisroel is not orphaned. Also in our day
young men, gedolei Torah, write chidushei Torah
in deep matters."
The preface of his sefer bears the banner in pride:
"To my parents R. Chaim Yoel and Moras Channah Hutner
n'y, this is presented in love and appreciation."
His parents' hearts melted when they received the sefer.
His mother wrote: "Our happiness is beyond description.
Father cried for entire days, and every time he opens the
sefer he sheds more tears."
The sefer earned a wave of compliments from his
rebbeim in the yeshiva. HaRav Yitzchok Isaac Sher
zt'l wrote: "How is it that a young man as you teaches
Torah in public by means of this wonderful sefer? And
even in deep sugyos that the world is not accustomed
to study, and even elders who acquired wisdom are drawn to
it!"
HaRav Yechezkel Sarno zt'l wrote: "Correct words in
the spirit of true understanding, not cleverness or made-up,
sharpness that is far away from distant pilpul, words
of content without empty chatter."
In fact, a period of his life was sealed with the publishing
of his sefer, for in 5693 (1933) he married, and two
weeks later he went to Eretz Yisroel. In a letter from
that period he wrote: "I can almost say that besides a few
people who come to see me and bother me sometimes, I do not
waste even a moment from Torah study." During that period he
gave chaburos in his home.
Teaching Torah to Talmidim
After a period he decided to travel to the United States. He
wrote on the ship: "If the day arrives that I see that my
dwelling in America cannot be considered fruitful in
creativity compared to life in Eretz Yisroel I will
direct the reins to Eretz Yisroel."
In the beginning, he did not accept any position or official
role. He worked on the commentary of Rabbeinu Hillel to the
Tosefta. He was a magnet for people in his
neighborhood already at that time, and after a while he began
to teach in Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yaakov Yosef (RJJ). However,
this was only a temporary stage.
In 5698 (1938), he founded Mesivta Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in
America, wherein he left an impression on thousands of
students and applied his special approach in chinuch.
He paved his path and approach to the halachic portions of
the Torah, together with his approach to matters of
hilchos dei'os and chovos halevovos (as is
written on the title page of his seforim), since both
of them are portions of Hashem's perfect Torah.
For this reason he was careful that he said a gemora
shiur before delivering a ma'amar (mussar
discourse) at the beginning of a new zman. (See the
introduction to Pachad Yitzchok, Shavuos, where Rav
Hutner explains the source of the difference between a
shiur and a shmuess — B. R.). His years
of original creativity in forming personalities of Torah and
fear of G-d began at this time.
Guiding the Community
In 5716 (1956) he was appointed to the Moetzes Gedolei
HaTorah in the United States. There was hardly any major
community problem in which they did not turn to him for his
opinion, and to receive his advice and help, even from
Eretz Yisroel.
One of the questions was: Is it permitted to sail on an
Israeli ship that desecrates Shabbos as it sets sail? HaRav
Hutner prohibited it absolutely, and not because of Shabbos
desecration, or even because of placing a stumbling block
(lifnei iveir). He said that it was a chillul
Hashem. "This is an action of raising one's hand against
the Torah of Moshe, and any individual who joins this matter
in any way at all becomes an automatic partner in a process
of public chillul Hashem!"
From his desk at home, Rav Hutner influenced world events,
cut off and distant from the international media. He rarely
went to conferences and avoided newspaper photographers. He
always made sure to receive a daily paper. He said that it
was necessary to know what was happening with the Jews, and
not because he would necessarily find the truth in there, but
because he even had to know what lies the media was feeding
the world.
In addition to his occupation with public affairs, he was
concerned about his own community. In association with his
yeshiva, he founded the kollel Gur Aryeh, named after
the Maharal. On the day of the chanukas habayis he
went to the kollel wearing tallis and
tefillin to daven mincha and say
Tehillim, carrying the sefer Gur Aryeh inside
his tallis bag.
He revealed to his talmidim a private reason he had
for establishing the Kollel. He opened the Kollel at the age
of 50, and the Torah says with regard to the shnas
hayoveil (the Jubilee Year): "And a man shall return to
his ancestral portion." He meant that the Maharal was his
portion.
He never forgot the private individual; he gave of his soul
to others and not just his time. Once, someone asked him for
a decision in a complicated personal matter, and after a long
while Rav Hutner told him he still did not have an answer. He
explained: "In my Chumash it says, `Love your neighbor
as yourself.' This commandment requires a man to relate to a
question from another as if it were his own question, and how
he would behave in such a situation. True advice comes only
from such empathy. You turned to me in your time of trouble,
but it takes time until I can bring myself to live in your
situation."
Once, an avreich came to ask advice for a cure for the
despair that bothered him in his avodas Hashem. Rav
Hutner explained the difference between pain and despair:
"Despair is being tired of living. Become alive and
automatically there will be no place for despair! You can
either emphasize the recognition of despair, or arouse the
vitality that comes from faith in the holiness of a Jew in
any situation that might be. If you live with this foundation
of faith you will become living person!"
Anyone who visited him in a state of pain or worry left
feeling strengthened, and even optimistic. If a person came
with a lukewarm aspiration for life, he left with a
measurement of the fire of life and its meaning. His
enthusiasm in life was truly contagious.
Once, a Torah observant doctor asked for advice on how to
prevent becoming despondent because he encountered suffering
and troubles every day when he treated his patients. Rav
Hutner strengthened him and encouraged him, and among other
things said: "Do you not see how much those suffering
patients cling stubbornly to life, and do not want to die?
You have to admit that [you see from this that] life itself
constitutes a great pleasure despite whatever may happen.
This is because the foundation of existence is chesed,
`He built the world from chesed.' Chesed
creates the pleasure of life!"
The doctor left Rav Hutner weeping profusely from his
emotional reaction to hearing of his attachment to life.
He was invited to be the sandek at a talmid's
bris. A few hours later there was to be a funeral for one
of his important disciples. The student who was making the
bris was worried that Rav Hutner would not come, but
Rav Hutner sent him a message: "If you really want me to
come, I will come! The world is divided between Eliyahu
Hanovi and the Angel of Death — where the one is in
control the other has no domain. That is the way of the
world."
"When the Cloud Lifted"
In Marcheshvan, 5741 (1981) he came to Eretz Yisroel
to his beis midrash in Yerushalayim. There, he
suffered partial paralysis. Many bnei Torah and great
talmidei chachomim in Eretz Yisroel volunteered
to take shifts to stay with him. In those days they merited
to hear hours of elevated talks. He never complained about
his situation, and only requested that the prayer for him
should always be "among all the sick of Yisroel," and if not,
he did not want them to pray for him.
The night of 20 Kislev, 5741, the light was extinguished. The
next day, erev Shabbos, tens of thousands accompanied
him to Har HaZeisim, and he went to Heaven, to the day that
is entirely Shabbos. It was not for nothing that in the last
weeks of his life he longed for his Shabbos garments, and
when they put the shtreimel on his head his
countenance changed. He used to say about himself: "Ich
bein be'etzem a Shabbosdiger Yid—I am in essence a
Shabbos Jew!" He merited to enter the World to Come with the
entrance of Shabbos Kodesh.
It has been more than half-a-yoveil, 26 years, since
the lifting of the cloud, and his great spirit moves between
the beis midrash of Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in the
United States and the beis midrash of Pachad Yitzchok
in Yerushalayim, and in his great works.
In special ways he taught and instilled into his students
the value of honoring Torah and its scholars. In his
tremendous self-sacrifice for teaching Torah and educating
students, he always emphasized uplifting the status of the
Torah and of those who labor in its study. Recognizing the
Torah's importance and the value of its high level were
foundations of his divrei Torah and his approach to
chinuch. These boxes will attempt to convey a bit of
the honor that he bequeathed us.
Yeshiva Customs and Kovod HaTorah
"Generally, no custom was established for yeshivos as a whole
in matters where there is a dispute and in matters of
halochoh. Every yeshiva conducts itself according to its
tradition. However an exception to this rule is matters of
kovod, in which all the yeshivos conduct themselves
lechumroh, such as standing during the Torah reading.
This is because a place of Torah is based on kovod
haTorah and `in His sanctuary all should proclaim honor.'
" With these words the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Yitzchok Hutner
zt'l inaugurated his beis midrash in its
Flatbush location in 5727 (1967).
What a person values determines and defines the essence of
his character. If we wish to test a person's character the
central question is to where his movements of self-
abnegation incline. In fact, there lies great opposition to
the recognition of the importance of something else within a
man's soul. A man's soul has a strong inclination to scorn.
In opposition to the faculty of recognizing importance there
is a process that does not want to suffer any importance, and
is comfortable only in demeaning all values. This force is
called leitzonus (Pachad Yitzchok, Purim, Inyan
1:3).
When he saw that a certain Torah scholar valued a person with
a high level in avodoh above a godol in Torah
study who did not occupy himself with avodoh, he
distanced that scholar with the statement that he was a
leitz. "A leitz is not just someone who mocks,"
he said, "A leitz is someone who does not have
chashivus HaTorah."
A group of his disciples were about to travel to found a
yeshiva, and they had gathered before him to hear words of
encouragement and guidance. He said: "One can tell the
difference between two men with regard to which one has a
greater inclination to the fear of Heaven by noting their
reaction to a story: There was once a general of a great army
who was defeated in battle. It became known that the reason
for the defeat was because the general ate rancid butter the
morning of the battle, and as a result he did not direct the
battle strategy properly.
"Some people will hear this story and react with scorn, and
some will see in it the importance of even the smallest
detail in the world, which has important consequences in
fateful matters. The first is lightheaded; the second is
serious and is capable of attaining fear of Heaven. In
founding a yeshiva, the necessity is for seriousness, which
means to say a recognition of the meaning that every detail
can have."
One of his talmidim once asked whether he should grow
a beard or not (as is known, he would encourage people about
this). In those days, wearing a beard was considered unusual
and not accepted in society. He answered that if a man were
to spend $10,000 on an esrog we would praise him, but if he
spent money for mayim acharonim he would be considered
silly. "You should know that growing a beard will cost you
more than $10,000, and you have to clarify for yourself: If
the beard is like an esrog to you—grow it. But if it is
like mayim acharonim to you—forget it."
How much he honored his students! Whenever he sat with a
talmid he gave him the clear feeling that he was
turning away from all his affairs to focus on guiding him and
helping him grow, and he arranged that there be no
disturbances while he was so occupied. It was not possible to
speak with him without scheduling it ahead of time, and every
appointment was set for a certain amount of time and no more.
He educated each talmid according to his way.
Once, he gave a shiur in Perek Klal Godol for
young students. After the shiur, a bochur
approached him to comment that there was a piece in the
Talmud Yerushalmi that was a proof for his
chiddush. To the bochur's surprise, Rav Hutner
immediately quoted the entire piece by heart, word for word.
The astonished bochur asked him why he did not cite it
in the shiur, and he answered that he would not
mention a Yerushalmi to the bochurim unless the
Rishonim quoted it.
All of his private conversations with the talmidim
were calibrated according to the abilities of the recipient
to actually receive content. He never spoke about himself
unless it would provide a benefit to the talmid. Also,
he only spoke about gedolei Yisroel if the
talmid could accept what he had to say and it would be
beneficial for him. He only spoke divrei Torah to
someone who requested and sought them. He lowered his entire
essence to understand the needs of his talmidim and
raise their level.
One of his talmidim told how he went to the beis
midrash to learn after the Rosh Hashonoh meal, and when
he entered, the Rosh Yeshiva met him and told him that there
was a despondent bochur upstairs in the dormitory, and
it would be worthwhile to go up and spend some time with him
to encourage him. The talmid claimed that since it was
Rosh Hashonoh he really wanted to learn. The Rosh Yeshiva
looked at him and said, "A satiated man cannot understand the
hunger of a starving man." The talmid added that Rav
Hutner was certainly very satiated and yet he understood how
hungry we were.
One of his demands in chinuch was that a student must
be capable of learning alone, without a chavrusa. He
said that it was possible to eat with company, but the person
must digest it alone. Those whose Torah is at the level of
eating, learn only with a chavrusa. But those whose
Torah is digested learn alone. All his life he grew among
Torah scholars, he said, and he never saw someone who grew
exceptionally and yet learned only with chavrusas.
He once told a bochur that his need for a
chavrusa was because he lost his desire for learning
gemora without a chavrusa, and the presence of
a chavrusa brought him closer to the desire to learn.
As a result, he was someone who depended on the graces of
others. "When you tell me that you are learning by yourself
I'll make a `Yom Tov for the Rabbonon.' "
He educated his students to appreciate the high level of
those who study Torah. He said in the name of Maran HaRav
Elchonon Wasserman ztvk'l that there is a difference
between the apikorsim in the time of Chazal and those
of our day and age. The earlier ones said: "What benefit do
we have from the rabbonon? They read and learn only
for their own sake!" At least, they recognized that the
rabbonon benefited themselves by learning Torah.
However, today the apikorsim deny even this, and say
the rabbonon do not even help themselves by
learning.
Today bnei Torah lack appreciation even for their own
toil in Torah study, Rav Hutner added. He wrote to young
students: "The purpose of your growth in Torah study is to
create Torah scholars on behalf of Knesses Yisroel.
Any action that assists in creating Torah scholars in
Yisroel has immeasurable value."
Incidentally, he once spoke about the difference between the
apikorsus of our generation, which wants to uproot the
Torah and leave `Jewish culture,' and the apikorsus of
old that was a rebellion that allowed no place for Judaism at
all. The difference between the two is comparable to the
difference between the Russian Revolution and the English
Revolution. The Russians threw the Czar into prison, whereas
the British built the Queen a beautiful royal palace but left
her without any power whatsoever.
He would show honor and love for even young Torah students in
public, and stand up for them. He instituted the custom in
his yeshiva of calling up outstanding avreichim and
talmidim for Chosson Torah and Chosson
Bereishis on Simchas Torah. He told one Chosson
Torah that he should love the Torah as himself, and honor
her more than himself, just as we are told to relate to our
wives.
This was his approach and in this way he changed the view of
Torah supporters. HaRav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt'l told
how there once was a meeting of roshei yeshivos and a very
wealthy man was expected to attend. After they arrived at the
meeting place, the wealthy man called and informed them that
he could not attend the meeting, but asked if they could come
after the meeting to his office and tell him what
happened.
Rav Hutner called back and told him: "I am not a math genius,
but it seems to me that the distance from where we are to
where you are is the same as the distance from where you are
to where we are. If you wish to speak to us we will be here
for another hour."
He did not tolerate any disrespect even at the hands of those
who supported Torah.
His refined feelings towards kovod haTorah can be seen
in the answer he wrote when asked if a periodical that
contained the words of Torah mixed together with other
subjects needed to put into genizah, or could it be
thrown into the trash? He answered: "The one who turned his
words of Torah over to the periodical has already thrown them
into the trash."
The sight of his love and honor for the Torah as he said his
criticism in a voice full of emotion was wonder to behold.
At one point he described in writing how he saw the
delivering a ma'amar: "I stand quaking, afraid,
bewildered, and astonished opposite the wave of light that
overwhelms me like a wild growth of the seedling from last
Tishrei . . . I do not wish to break up the power of the wave
into distinct points . . . Only sometimes, a few points
become detached from the wave [of themselves as it were], and
then a full measure of words of Torah are revealed within
them, full of joy."
Every ma'amar, he said, was an ois-shrei'en, a
scream, of the vision that was before him.
Every subject engrossed him; he labored on it, and insisted
on exact definitions. He was engrossed in the fact, for
example, that the eternal sefer of the Jewish people,
the Shulchan Oruch, was woven of threads from partners
so distant, the Beis Yosef of Tzfas, and the Rema of
Krakow.
He was bothered by the question of why the Jewish people do
not set aside special shoes for Shabbos, and he built an
entire systematic arrangement of Torah ideas on this
question. He clarified and defined whether the days of
chol hamoed are one unit with their associated
chag or not.
One of the central parts of his life and writings is the
soul's greatness, and its potential to live in loftiness or
pettiness. "It is better to live a short life and squeeze the
most out of it than to live a long time and be as if half-
dead," he once said.
Another saying: "Every moment that your heart beats has to be
so full of life that if you were to cut it, it would
bleed!"
In his view, greatness is the prescription that ferments all
portions of life, and all his work with the public was to
elevate them and make them great. He taught that the feeling
of importance is the complete opposite of seeking honor. This
is how he defined in his writings the sickness of seeking
honor: "A man's imagination counterfeits and places approval
from others in the place that should be occupied by the
actual feeling of true importance. This counterfeit can be so
successful that it becomes impossible for a person to have a
personal feeling of celebration if he will not be able to
endorse it with the approval of others."
To the extent that he delved so incredibly deep into the
words of Torah, and was worthy of much honor for it, to this
extent he taught in wondrous words of Torah that modesty in
Torah was the honor of Torah. He was very concerned not to
breach this fence. He spoke with great feeling and
hispa'alus about Dovid Hamelech who was successful at
both humbling others and humbling himself at the same time.
"In the depths of my soul there dwells a picture of
perfection that contradicts every shade of appointment to a
position and every color of authority . . . Believe me! If I
could do my work in teaching Torah and educating
talmidim without the seal of added authority, I would
see the world in it!"
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