"When harsh decrees are passed again the [Torah] public, those who are capable of protecting it are only the bnei Torah. This obligates us exceedingly. We must see to it that there is no laxity or shaking off the yoke of Torah during the bein hazmanim vacation period. In this merit, we hope that the yoke of the civil government and of livelihood be removed from us." These words were spoken by HaRav Gershon Eidelstein in a special talk delivered in Yeshivas Ponovezh in response to the difficult, restraining laws being passed against the Torah world and the holy yeshivos.
The Rav said, "When laws are passed against the public, those who must bear the responsibility thereof are the members of the Torah world, as the Brisker Rov used to say. Those who don't know anything can surely not be held accountable. The Torah public is exalted and they are ones who protect the rest of the people as a whole."
The Rav was referring to the period of bein hazmanim in particular, and quoted from Chazal expounding on "And they traveled away from the mountain of Hashem - like a child running away from school." We see from here that even the generation of wisdom, the Generation of the Desert who received the Torah and heard Hashem's voice speaking to them at Har Sinai, behaved, nonetheless, like children running away from school since it is natural for one to seek freedom from responsibility.
He added that some bochurim go on trips and outings during bein hazmanim with friends and sometimes take unnecessary risks which are dangerous in the spiritual and the material sense. We all know of the tragic incidents and accidents that befell students in the past. There were some who spent their entire vacation studying and not shaking off the yoke and even when, on the last day, they decided that they had to refresh themselves a bit, shake off the yoke a bit chas vesholom, and there were disastrous results.
He concluded by quoting Chazal in Pirkei Ovos who said that whoever removes from himself the yoke of Torah, has the yoke of the government and of sustenance laid upon him, and whoever assumes upon himself the yoke of Torah to a greater degree, is absolved of the yoke of government and of livelihood. May this be a tremendous source of merit and of heavenly assistance to us all.
