Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
VAYESHEV 5776
“STILL FIGHTING”
In 1944, as the Nazi’s realized that their
defeat was imminent, they escalated their barbaric efforts to eradicate as many
Jews as they could. It was during that time that Hungarian Jewry was
systematically transported to the infamous Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp for destruction.
One of those Hungarian prisoners was a
sixty-year-old scholar named Rabbi Shraga Shmuel Schnitzler zt’l[1].
Reb Shmelke, as he was affectionately called, was an extremely pious man with a
fiery and zealous love for G-d. He was exceptionally friendly and offered encouragement
to everyone in the camps, especially the dispirited souls, inspiring them not
to lose faith.
Even in the Nazi inferno, Reb Shmelke retained
his faith and dignity. On Shabbos he would sit with the other inmates and
create some semblance of Shabbos by regaling them with words of Torah
and recounting stories of the Baal Shem Tov, as well as of his
great-grandfather, Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg zt’l. For those few moments each
week, the physically and spiritually starved inmates would be uplifted from
their despondency.
His amiable ways garnered Reb Shmelke ‘special
privileges’ from the ruthless Nazi commanders. Reb Shmelke used this rare
privilege to ensure the proper burial of his fallen comrades. He also kept a
record of the names of the deceased by scribbling them on small scraps of
paper, using the charred tips of discarded matches that he collected for this
purpose. In so doing he hoped to avert disastrous consequences to war widows
who would be spared the agony of having to endure an agunah status[2].
With the advent of Chanukah, Reb Shmelke
was determined to light a Menorah. However, he could not imagine how he would be
able to gather the necessary materials.
The dilemma weighed heavily on him, even as
he was in the process of burying a recently deceased inmate during the day
before Chanukah. Reb Shmelke found himself short a couple of stones to complete
the partitioning of the gravesite and scoured his immediate surroundings, to no
avail. But from a distance a pile of rocks caught his eye. As he removed some
of them, he was shocked to uncover a small bottle of oil. Shoving aside some
more of the stones, he discovered cups - and soon he unearthed a pack of wicks.
A stunned Reb Shmelke could hardly believe
his eyes. He recited a silent prayer of gratitude and quickly hid his newfound
treasure. Later that evening, after the guards had left, a crowd of inmates
stealthily gathered around as Reb Shmelke fervently and lovingly recited the
blessings and lit the candles. Needless to say that moment infused the battered
inmates with tremendous encouragement.
When the war ended, Reb Shmelke returned to
Hungary Israel and moved to Jerusalem
Upon a subsequent visit to America Bergen-Belsen
but was rescued on the twenty-first of Kislev, four days before Chanukah[3].
Obviously I was unaware that I was to be saved and during my final weeks in the
camp I expended tremendous effort, including bribing, to gather together oil,
cups, and wicks to use for the mitzvah of Menorah. When I was saved I buried my
Menorah materials in the ground. But I always felt badly that those materials
were never used.
Words failed the Tchaber Rav as tears
flooded his eyes. After a few moments he softly replied, “I assure you Rebbe,
those materials were put to very good use.”
The ‘Al Hanisim’ prayer inserted into
our prayers on Chanukah (and Purim) is our declaration of gratitude to G-d for
all the miracles our ancestors were privy to at the time of their salvation.
The introductory stanza is the same for Chanukah and Purim: “For the miracles,
and for the salvation, and for the mighty deeds, and for the victories, and
for the battles, which You performed for our forefathers, in those
days at this time.”
In addition, the universally recited
text after kindling the Chanukah candles begins, “These lights we
kindle upon the miracles, the wonders, the salvations, and the battles
which You performed for our forefathers in those days at this season through
Your holy priests…”
The
commentators question why we thank G-d for the battles. Why should we express
our gratitude for the source of our grief and distress? Furthermore, why are
the battles the final point that we mention; didn’t the battles occur before
the miracles[4]?
The
Ponovezher Rav, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kaheneman zt’l offered a novel and poignant
explanation. The Hasmonean battles were all wars between the forces of holiness
and impurity. The Hasmoneans went to battle the forces which sought to inhibit
their Service to G-d and their ability to study Torah. They were unwilling to
surrender their souls to an implacable foe who promised them untold glory and
wealth if they would succumb to their indulging physical lifestyles.
The Hasmoneans
obviously possessed indomitable will and an inextinguishable love for G-d and
His Torah, and it was that passion that drove them to a war in which they
merited many uncanny miracles. In other words, it was their obdurate
determination and refusal to surrender that was at the foundation of the
formation of the holiday of Chanukah.
Many
centuries have passed since the Chanukah miracles occurred. The ancient Greeks
are nothing more than an ancient dynasty relegated to the annals of history.
But their nefarious legacy vis-à-vis the Jewish people lives on. We are still
battered and plagued by external forces and a glitzy ostentatious culture which
stands antithetical to Torah values. We are still challenged by the luring
temptations of lifestyles which possess an exciting and inviting veneer. But
the fact that we have not yet succumbed is the greatest testament to our strength
and will. We may lose many a battle but we have not yet raised the white flag
of surrender. Our ability to sustain the perpetual battle is the legacy which
we have inherited from the Hasmoneans.
It
is in that sense that we thank G-d “for the battles”, because we continue to
fight those battles until this very day. We thank G-d for granting the
Hasmoneans the ability to fight those wars, in spite of the odds, and never
lose hope and courage, and simultaneously we thank G-d for giving us the
fortitude and inner conviction to stay the course and not capitulate despite
having been tripped up so many times.
There
was perhaps no greater symbol of this idea than Yosef hatzaddik. Yosef was a
seventeen year old handsome adolescent, abandoned by his family and sold into
slavery, who ended up in the home of a woman who badgered him constantly to
perform a sin with her. In fact, she was inhumanely relentless.
Truth be told,
Yosef could have performed the sin and no one would have been any the wiser.
But Yosef refused to succumb. As a reward for his incredible restraint he landed
in an Egyptian prison, with the crassest criminals of Egypt Egypt
The Torah’s
narrative of the saga of Yosef is always read prior to, and during Chanukah.
One of the many correlations between the two events is the uncanny devotion to
G-d and the ability to never lose sight of the cause. Yosef eventually
prevailed and his dreams came to fruition because he never gave up. The
Hasmoneans too, adapted that same mantra. Like Yosef they were plunged into
incredible darkness and bleakness, but they battled through the darkness and
their efforts bore fruit.
With this in
mind we can offer a novel interpretation of a passage we recite towards the
conclusion of Al Hanisim: “ולעמך ישראל עשית תשועה גדולה ופורקן כהיום
הזה - And to Your nation Yisroel, You made a great salvation and redemption as
this day.” What do we mean “as this day”?
The Master
Ethicists explain that throughout life a person is engaged in an internal
battle that rages within. It is the epic struggle between following one’s base
desires or exercising his moral conscience to overcome his whims and
inclinations. The most important component of that struggle is the courage,
patience, and conviction to stay the course and not give up… on oneself
The verse in
Proverbs (24:16) states, “The righteous falls seven times, and he gets up.” The
commentators note that the difference between the righteous and the wicked is
not in how often they fall, but in how quickly and resiliently they get up. We
must believe in ourselves and not allow ourselves to fall into the morass of
despair which our Evil Inclination lures us into so adeptly.
The key to our
success lies in our courage to never surrender. The Hasmoneans eventually
triumphed because they had the courage to fight on, even when things seemed
hopeless. The Chanukah candles symbolize that sense of will and courage and their
light reflects that sense of mission and ambition.
Thus we pray
that the salvation and redemption that G-d wrought in those days should be
“like this day”; that in our time too we too should merit salvation that
results from perseverance and resolve. We pray that G-d help us find the inner
conviction to never give up on ourselves, so that we can follow in the
footsteps of Yosef and the holy Priests who were the catalysts of the Chanukah
miracles.
The holiday of
Chanukah personifies the prophet’s beautiful words:
כי אשב בחושך ה' אור לי אל
תשמחי איבתי לי כי נפלתי קמתי - Let my enemies not rejoice over me, for when I fall I will
arise. When I sit in darkness, G-d is my light[5]”
As long as we never allow ourselves to surrender on the epic battle of life, we
will find the eternal light of G-d, reflected in the ethereal glow of the
Chanukah candles.
“And for the
battles”
“A great
salvation and redemption as this day”
[1] The
Nikolsberger Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Lebovits shlita, is a grandson of R’ Shmelke.
The Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Baruch Yehuda Lebovits zt’l, was R’ Shmelke’s
son-in-law.
[2] R’
Shmelke's selfless acts indeed proved invaluable after the war, when many
widows were enabled to substantiate claim of their husbands' demise to the
Jewish courts.
[3] The Satmar Rebbe was saved as part of the famous
“Kastner deal”. The Kastner train was a trainload of almost 1,700 Jews who, in the second
half of 1944, escaped from Nazi-controlled Hungary to safety
in Switzerland , while some
450,000 members of the Hungarian Jewish community were deported to the gas
chambers at Auschwitz.
The train was named after Rudolf
Kastner, one of the leaders of the Hungarian Aid and Rescue Committee, who negotiated
with senior SS officer Adolf Eichmann to allow a number of Jews to escape
in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. The train included passengers from
all social classes and from all over Hungary
[4] Even if we
are referring to the miracles that transpired during the battles we should not
mention the battles last on our list?
[5] Michah
7:6-7
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