STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
VAYELECH – SHABBOS SHUVA 5777
“FACING
WHICH DIRECTION”
[1]“There was a
wonderful Jew I knew named Reb Moshe Chaim Berkowitz z’l, who passed away on
Succos 1997. He was a Holocaust survivor and as an incredible ba’al tzedakah.[2]
His brother, Reb Elya Berkowitz, is 92 years old ka’h and lives in Monroe, NY.
“I once heard that when Moshe Chaim was
on the infamous Nazi death march with his brother Elya, at one point he dropped
to the floor. He had no energy to go on and he resigned himself to the bitter
fate of anyone who stopped moving.
“Elya bent down and quickly whispered
in his brother’s ear “Before you die, let’s learn one more mishna together.”
They learned the mishna quickly. After they did so, Moshe Chaim felt
revitalized and arose to continue marching. He survived the war and built a
family of Torah observant Jews.
“I once asked Moshe Chaim’s son, Abby
Berkowitz, if the story is true. He replied that, not only was it true, but
there were other instances during the war when his father’s life was saved
because his uncle learned ‘one last mishna’ with him.
“When I related this story to Rabbi
Eitan Feiner[3],
he immediately replied that I should check up the Ohr Gedalyahu on Yom Kippur,
page 28.
“Rav Gedalyah Schorr there explains
that one can feel an incredible chiyus (vitalization) from a mitzvah
commensurate with how much chiyus he invests in performing that mitzvah.
Rav Schorr explains that Nadav and
Avihu died when they offered a fire in the Mishkan on the day of its
inauguration, because they had not been commanded to offer that fire. Normally
when one invests their complete selves into the performance of a mitzvah, the
mitzvah returns the favor, and infuses the doer with an infusion of
vivaciousness and life. But in this situation when Nadav and Avihu brought the
fire on their own volition and there was no mitzvah, their actions caused their
own death.
“When one invests in a mitzvah, he is
the greatest beneficiary of that mitzvah!”
Every morning when we recite birchas haTorah we bless Hashem
as the "מלמד תורה לעמו
ישראל" -
the one who teaches Torah to His nation, Yisroel. The truth is that Hashem gave
us the Torah at Sinai, and since then it’s been transmitted by the sages of
each generation. How can we still declare that Hashem is still teaching us
Torah?
Reb
Aryeh Kastenbaum[4]
offered the following explanation: The beracha begins with us beseeching Hashem,
"והערב נא", that Hashem allow us to feel and appreciate the sweetness of
Torah. The one who shows someone the sweetness of Torah, which in turn instills
within that person a desire to continue learning, he is responsible for all of
that person’s Torah learning! Therefore, because Hashem makes the Torah sweet
for us, He is our ultimate teacher of Torah!
It’s
an amazing concept! The implication of this idea is that a Rebbe who inspires
students, is not only meritoriously accountable for all of the Torah he
actually taught those students, but he is also responsible for all of the Torah
that the student learns, due to that Rebbe’s helping him recognize the geshmak
of Torah. A fifty-year-old man with children and grandchildren who doesn’t miss
a day of learning with a chavrusa, may attribute his love and passion for
learning to one particular elementary school rebbe who kindled that love through
his own passionate love of Torah. That elementary school rebbe isn’t just a
past memory. On a certain level he continues to be the rebbe of that
fifty-year-old man, and may well continue to be for all of his life.
A
few years ago, I had the opportunity to have a discussion with my rebbe and
Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Berel Wein, various issues regarding chinuch in
contemporary society. During that discussion I noted how challenging it is to
try to teach students in a world of so many competing interests and
distractions. In passing I said something about ‘inspiring my students”. At
that point Rabbi Wein stopped me and said “That’s it! That’s our main objective
today; to inspire!” That has to be our main goal – if we can inspire our
students then we have a chance.
These
days we have a proliferation of inspiration and there’s no dearth of
captivating speakers and inspirational messages, with beautiful graphics and
pictures. There’s more inspiration readily available for us today than there
was even a few years ago. And yet we seem to need so much more chizuk.
The
reason is because inspiration will only carry a person so far. The only way
inspiration can have any lasting effect is if we put in the effort to
contemplate and review the idea. But if we hear the ideas, enjoy them, and then
move on, they will be like an illuminating candle, which casts its light and
then melts into the shadows.
On
the day of his death, Moshe Rabbeinu instructed Klal Yisroel with the final of
the 613 mitzvos:
“Now,
write this song for yourselves, and teach it to B’nei Yisroel, place it in
their mouth…”[5]
Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt’l[6] relates
that if a world-renown professor or doctor comes to visit a town, and it’s
announced that he will be delivering a lecture on the intricate workings of his
area of greatest expertise, most laymen would have little interest in
attending. The common person realizes that without much background in that area
he will probably have no idea what the lecturer is talking about.
However,
if a great musician or conductor would arrive in a city to perform, even those
who do not know the fine intricacies of music, may come to enjoy the music.
They may not appreciate the depth and intricacy of the symphony, but they can
still enjoy the music on their own level.
Hashem
instructed Moshe to teach Torah to B’nei Yisroel as a song which can be ‘placed
in their mouths’. The Torah should not be taught as a scholarly work which can
only be studied by scholars. Rather, the Torah can and must be appreciated on
all levels, like a melodious song which can move everyone. The Torah must be
taught and transmitted in a manner in which it touches and reaches the heart of
every Jew, whatever level he or she is on.
The
Torah is our ultimate treasure and the greatest conduit of our ability to
connect with G-d, as it were. That itself is sufficient reason to cherish its
every word.
“Write this song… place it in their mouths”
“Please
make it sweet – Hashem, our G-d, the words of Your Torah, in our mouths…”
Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance
Counselor – ASHAR
Principal
– Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
Sign
up to receive Stam Torah via email each week at:
[1] This story and
the subsequent idea about Hashem being considered our teacher of Torah, I heard
from my friend,
Rabbi Yechiel Weberman -
Erev Shabbos
Kodesh Parshas Ki Setzei 5775
[4] Rabbi Weberman
related that Aryeh
(Leonard) Kastenbaum lives in his neaighborhood. Aside from the fact that he is
respected as a tremendous ba’al tzedakah, his davening is a sight to behold. He
doesn’t daven, he literally speaks to Hashem. Davening starts at 7:30 and he
continues his ‘conversation with Hashem’ until 9:00. In Rabbi Weberman’s words,
“He is the sincerest person you will ever meet”.
[5] Devorim 31:19
0 comments:
Post a Comment