There for the Taking

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

We don’t have to be too knowledgeable to recognize that the world is sinking to levels unparalleled since the days of Greek and Sedomite hedonism. You don’t have to be a student of history to be able to perceive how pathetically immoral and debased the world has become in just the past few years. The nosedive is driven by the culture elites, promoted by the media and codified by “progressive” lawmakers and government leaders.

We see people assuming power through lies and subterfuge. Take a look at the Israeli government. The prime minister heads a small party named “The Right.” He ran to the right of Netanyahu and promised not to partner with leftist anti-religious Yair Lapid or the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Raam party to form a coalition, which is exactly what he did.

With a small yarmulke pasted to his head, he has collaborated with other ostensibly religious ministers and rabid secularists to upturn religious Jewish influences and wreck the lives of chareidim through onerous laws and regulations. They have regularly capitulated to Arab blackmail, spending hundreds of millions of shekels to keep them in the coalition. They have connived, as well, to assist Raam’s constituents in every way conceivable to the detriment of the state.

Yet, the coalition remains in power and people wonder how and why.

Security is increasingly failing, and terror attacks and lawlessness mount. Iran and its allies in the region on Israel’s border lurk menacingly. President Biden is planning to visit in a few weeks and unleash a propaganda storm on behalf of the Palestinians.

In the United States, we aren’t doing much better. The president and his administration have been proven to be inept in foreign and domestic leadership. The economy is teetering, as the inflation caused by their wasteful spending is raising prices to historic levels and collapsing markets. With miniscule public support, the president and his gang press on with their progressive socialist agenda. The only hope of stopping their destructive policies is a Republican takeover of Congress in November.

People who claimed that elections have no consequences and all politicians are the same had a rude awakening and lessons we hope they will remember.

What are we to do? What can we do to help our brethren who fear for their safety and income? What can we do to make the world a better place and effect positive change?

The answer is in this week’s parsha of Bechukosai, laid out clearly for us and others to follow. The posuk states: When will you be blessed? “Im bechukosai teileichu v’es mitzvosai tishmeru va’asisem osam.” If you will follow the chukim and mitzvos of the Torah. It is right there for everyone to see and study. As they say, it’s there in black and white. Translated into many languages. Repeated for thousands of years. If you want a good life, follow the Torah.

Is there a drought? Are you afraid of global warming? Do you think the world is running out of water? The Torah promises that if you follow the chukim and mitzvos, “venosati gishmeichem b’itom,” you will have as much rain and water as you need.

Are you afraid of food shortages? Are you wondering what you can do to ensure that you have enough food for your family? Same answer. The Torah promises that if you follow the chukim and mitzvos, “vehisig lochem…va’achaltem lachmichem lesova,” you will have plenty to eat.

Do you want to be and feel safe? Do you want peace? Also the same answer. The Torah promises that if you follow the chukim and mitzvos, “vishavtem lovetach b’artzechem…venosati shalom ba’aretz ushechavtem v’ein macharid…v’cherev lo saavor b’artzechem,” you will live contently in your land, there will be peace in the land, and you will sleep with no fear.

Everything that is happening today is spelled out in this week’s parsha. The history of the Jewish people is all in Parshas Bechukosai. When we were good, life was good. And when the people sinned and strayed, then what the pesukim say will happen (26:14-44) happens.

And there is more.

Most everyone is familiar with the words of Rashi on the opening posuk of the parsha. His words are so often repeated in shmuessen and drashos that they have become marching orders to generations of bnei Torah of all ages. But it’s always good to review them.

The posuk states, “Im bechukosai teileichu v’es mitzvosai tishmeru va’asisem osam.” The Toras Kohanim states on the words, “Im bechukosai teileichu” that “Melameid sheHakadosh Boruch Hu misaveh sheyihiyu Yisroel ameilim baTorah…” From here we see that Hashem desires that the Jewish people be “ameil” in Torah.

How does the Toras Kohanim derive this lesson from the words “Im bechukosai teileichu,” which appear to indicate that Hashem wants us to follow His chukim? The posuk says nothing about studying Torah.

Apparently, this question was troubling Rashi, leading him to quote a different message from the Toras Kohanim: I would think that the words “Im bechukosai teileichu” refer to their literal meaning, namely observing the commandments known as chukim. But if that is the case, why does the Torah then repeat itself and say “v’es mitzvosai tishmeru,” referring once again to mitzvah observance?

Therefore, he writes those immortal words, that “Im bechukosai teileichu” doesn’t only mean that we will be blessed if we follow the chukim. Rather, they contain another message: “shetihiyu ameilim baTorah,” that you shall toil in Torah. Those who toil in Torah will be blessed.

When we study Torah, we are connecting with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. We study His word and it affects us, our neshamos, and our daily conduct. We become better people, more attached to our purpose in life, strengthening our very being.

The Rambam, in his introduction to the Yad Hachazokah, writes that the mitzvos were given to Moshe Rabbeinu at Har Sinai accompanied by their laws and explanations. He derives this from the posuk (Shemos 24:12) which states, “V’etna lochem es luchos ho’even, v’haTorah v’hamitzvah - And I gave you the Luchos, the Torah and the mitzvah.”

The Rambam explains: “Torah” refers to “Torah Shebiksav,” the Written Torah, “mitzvah” refers to the explanations, and “Torah Shebaal Peh,” the Oral Torah. He gave us Torah Shebiksav and commanded us to practice it according to the explanations of Torah Shebaal Peh.

From the Rambam, we see that when the word “mitzvah” appears in the Torah, although it usually refers to the commandments, it can also refer to Torah Shebaal Peh, which explains for us how to perform those commandments.

With this, we can understand the posuk in a new way. “Im bechukosai teileichu,” if you will toil in learning, “ve’es mitzvosai tishmoru,” and you will study Torah Shebaal Peh to correctly perform the mitzvos, “va’asisem osam,” and you will then perform the mitzvos properly, you will be blessed, as the brachos will flow.

The epitome of human achievement is to become bound with the Torah.

Klal Yisroel has always had special appreciation for ameilei Torah and views with special reverence those who study and excel in Torah.

Shetihiyu ameilim baTorah is the hymn of our yeshivos and kollelim, islands of intense limud haTorah to produce exalted people.

The person who sits at his shtender struggling to grasp a Tosafos, lost in a world inhabited by him and Hashem, is who we aim to emulate.

The Gemara in Chagigah (9) tells how Bar Hei Hei asked Hillel what is meant by the posuk that says (Malachi 3:18) that le’osid lavo, the difference between the “oveid Elokim,” who served Hashem, and “asher lo avado,” the one who did not, will be noted. Is it not obvious to us the difference between the two? The posuk must be referring to something else.

Hillel responded that it refers to the difference between the person who reviews what he studied 100 times and the one who reviews what he has studied 101 times.

“Is the fact that he didn’t review one more time a reason to call someone asher lo avado?” wondered Bar Hei Hei.

“Yes,” Hillel answered, bringing the example of the donkey-drivers in the market, where a journey of ten parsa’os costs one zuz, but a trip of eleven parsa’os cost two zuzim.

The Baal HaTanya explains the answer. A standard trip for a wagon driver is ten parsa’os. That is the normal. Requesting that he go eleven parsa’os is asking him to go out of his comfort zone, to stretch himself, to go beyond what he’s used to.

Hence, he charges double to go eleven parsa’os, because it isn’t just one more parsah. It is an entirely different trip.

Therein lies the secret of ameilus baTorah. The ultimate mitzvah is performed through serving Hashem via that one extra time. When people push themselves way beyond their comfort level, reaching into themselves and finding the strength for another blatt of Gemara, another few minutes in the bais medrash, or one more chazarah, they enter that exalted realm.

Each one of us has that gift. It’s there for the taking. With some spirit and determination, we can earn those blessings.

Shetihiyu ameilim baTorah. A mortal can brush the heavens and merit the brachos of Heaven.

Yisroel v’Oraisa v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu. Hashem and the Torah and Am Yisroel are one. When you plug into Torah, you are plugging into Hashem. When you connect to Torah, you are connecting to Hashem. You are having a relationship with the Borei. What could be better?

Our ambition and drive must be to excel in Torah and avodah. We have to value excellence and appreciate it in others. We should demand the best for ourselves when it comes to spiritual matters and not easily compromise on what is really important in life. In other words, we should all seek to become ameilim baTorah.

Studying Torah helps us confront the temptations society offers and withstand the ever-present pressures and enticements.

The Torah promises that if we are ameilim baTorah, if we work according to the Torah and concentrate our main efforts on Torah study and observance, we will be blessed and successful in all we do.

The Torah is what gives us our identity and what defines us. As we stand in the Sefirah period, we commemorate that we were freed from Mitzrayim so that we could accept the Torah on Har Sinai.

We count towards Shavuos and receiving the Torah to demonstrate that we are striving and reaching upward. Each day of the count, we seek to improve ourselves so that we better appreciate the gift that is the Torah.

There is an unprecedented explosion of Torah study in our day. Increasing numbers of Jews of all walks of life study Gemara daily, whether as part of Daf Yomi or some other program. It is no longer rare to travel on a plane and see people with a Gemara on their tray table. All across the country and around the world, there are more people dedicating themselves to full-time Torah study in kollel.

We are not economists. We can’t rectify the worsening inflation. We are not farmers. We can’t procure fertilizer and grow more crops. We don’t own factories in which we could produce baby formula. We are not generals or foreign policy experts who can end the war in Ukraine and contain China. And even if we could, nobody would listen to us.

What we can do is study more Torah, with deeper concentration. We can increase our diligence in the observance of mitzvos. We can be more careful with what we read, what we watch, what we bring into our homes, and where we go.

We can learn Parshas Bechukosai this week slowly and carefully, studying every Rashi and Ramban and the classic Meshech Chochmah until we understand and take to heart every word. By doing so, we will be motivated and inspired to do what it takes to improve our own lives and bring brocha to ourselves, our families, those around us, those who dedicate their lives to the study of Torah, and all of Klal Yisroel.

Hopeful

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

This week, we celebrate Lag Ba’omer and the legacy of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai. We celebrate the conclusion of the plague that affected the 24,000 students of Rabi Akiva, who were expected to transmit the Torah to future generations. Their loss was such an overwhelming tragedy that we mourn them until this day.

This year, we mark the first yahrtzeit of the 45 holy people who perished at the Lag Ba’omer celebration in Meron. We mourn the recent passing of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, who mastered the Torah and epitomized its greatness. And the pain of those who perished suddenly from Covid is fresh in our thoughts as we contemplate the enormity of losing 24,000 anoshim gedolim in one period.

This Shabbos, we lain Parshas Behar, which opens with the mitzvah of Shmittah. We are all familiar with the Rashi that questions why the mitzvah is introduced by the statement that the laws were given to Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai. All the laws of the Torah were given and taught to Moshe upon Har Sinai. Why, then, is it necessary to state that the laws of Shmittah were given then as well?

Rashi explains that this was done to demonstrate to us that just as all the intricate halachos pertaining to Shmittah were given to Moshe on Har Sinai at the time of Kabbolas HaTorah, so were all the halachos of all the mitzvos.

Why Shmittah is singled out as the mitzvah from which we derive this lesson is an oft-asked question. Various explanations are given, including that Shmittah is an extraordinary commandment in that its proper observance requires a person’s total belief in Hashem.

A person who doesn’t believe that Hashem controls the world and furnishes each person with his needs is unable to forgo a year of cultivating, planting and harvesting his field. Since the industrial revolution, we no longer live in an agrarian society and therefore view the main aspects of the mitzvah as something that affects people who happen to be farmers by profession.

We speak about them, highlight their heroism, and invite them into our homes, shuls and schools this year as we mark the Shmittah year. But outside of the obligations related to the fruits and produce grown in Eretz Yisroel this year, we in chutz la’aretz don’t view it as something relevant to us.

We couldn’t be more wrong.

With the mitzvah of Shmittah, it is as if Hakadosh Boruch Hu told us, modern-day people, that we should not work for one year. Whatever it is that we do for a living, we would not be allowed to do it for one year. From the past Rosh Hashanah to the coming Rosh Hashanah, we would have to stay home and count on Hashem to provide for us. We would spend the year studying Torah and pursuing mitzvos in a way we are not able to do the other six years when we are otherwise occupied.

The mitzvah would affect everyone, just as it did when everyone lived off the land, either as owners, workers or purveyors. How do we think we would fare? With what degree of fright would we enter the Shmittah year? Would we trust that Hashem would provide for us, or would we fear that we would suffer a year of hunger and worse?

Shmittah is thus a unique mitzvah that reinforces our belief in Hashem, as each person is witness to the fact that He cares for and provides for all of his needs. This buttresses our belief that everything that transpires with us is from Hashem. Nothing happens on its own. We have what the Ultimate Provider determined we should have, as do our friends, neighbors and competitors.

When we internalize that belief, we get along better with other people, as we are able to overcome bad traits brought upon by jealousy. We also become humble and are able to grow in Torah, as one of the requirements to master Torah is humility.

Perhaps that is another connection between Shmittah and Har Sinai. Chazal teach that the Torah was given on Har Sinai, the smallest and humblest of mountains, to teach us that for a person to grow in Torah, he must be humble. Shmittah, as well, brings humility to a person when he considers that his wealth and success are brought to him by Hashem and are not a result of his own ingenuity, creativity and prowess. This allows him to grow in Torah and middos tovos.

This is an added benefit of studying the halachos of Shmittah, as recommended for those who do not own fields or land in Eretz Yisroel. By doing so, we demonstrate our belief that all of Torah was given to us on Har Sinai, and as we continue to learn the halachos, the idea that Hashem provides for all is reinforced, even to those who are not agrarians or farmers.

Thus, Parshas Behar is studied in the lead-up to the Yom Tov of Shavuos, which commemorates our receiving of the Torah.

Therefore, Behar follows Emor, which contains the halachos of Sefirah. We count from the second day of Pesach until Shavuos, declaring that we acknowledge that we were freed from Mitzrayim so that we could accept the Torah at Har Sinai on Shavuos.

We count towards Shavuos, the day that marks our receipt of the Torah, to demonstrate that we are striving and reaching upward. Each day of the count, we seek to improve ourselves so that we can better study, observe and excel in Torah.

The Maharal teaches that the period of Sefirah is blessed with awesome light that is not present the rest of the year (Nesiv HaTorah 12). This ohr increases daily along with the levels of Torah, until it reaches a climax on Shavuos, when the Torah was given. In fact, as we count Sefirah, we say, “Hayom,” because yom, day, is an expression of light, and we make the brocha and thank Hashem for granting us the light of this specific day of the Omer, as every day more light is revealed as we proceed along the path to Torah (Derech Mitzvosecha).

Concurrent with the light and increased levels of Torah found between Pesach and Atzeres is our obligation to raise ourselves from the level of barley, basically an animal food, which comprises the Korban Omer, to the more refined wheat of the Shtei Halechem of Shavuos.

Chazal (Yoma 9b) teach that the second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of sinas chinom. Simply explained, the people looked down upon each other out of baseless hatred. Perhaps we can say that until the period during which the talmidim of Rabi Akiva died because of a lack of respect for each other, there was hope that the Jews would be able to repent for the sins that caused the churban Bais Hamikdosh. However, when the terrible plague struck the Jewish people and the 24,000 talmidim died, it became obvious that the people were overcome with sinas chinom and were lacking in ahavas Yisroel and achdus.

As we mourn the passing of the 24,000 giants, we are reminded of the punishment for not dealing with each other with the proper respect.

We are reminded that “ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha” is not only a nice undertaking and a good minhag, but a mitzvah mide’Oraisa incumbent upon us to observe in order to be connected to Hashem and worthy of Torah and geulah.

During Sefirah, we attempt each day to perfect another of the 48 kinyanim of Torah and engage in raising ourselves from the nefesh habehami levels of se’orim, animal food, to the nefesh haruchni at the 49^th level of kedusha. These attributes prepare us for Kabbolas HaTorah, when we stood united, k’ish echod beleiv echod, at Har Sinai.

Learning the lessons of Shmittah help us to arrive at that level.

During these days of Sefirah, it is incumbent upon us to end the hatred, spite, cynicism and second-guessing of each other, of people who look different or see things differently than us. It is time we adopt the message of Sefirah and the passing of Rabi Akiva’s talmidim so that we can return again to where and what we were and what we are meant to be.

The number of days in the Sefirah period is cited as connected to the 48 methods necessary to acquire Torah. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos teaches that in order to properly acquire Torah, we must excel in the 48 methods through which Torah is acquired. Most of them relate to the way we deal and interact with one another. One who has not perfected himself ethically and morally cannot properly excel in Torah. A person who is deficient in the way he deals with other people will also be lacking in Torah.

The mourning we engage in is directly tied to the introspection that this period obligates. The lessons of Shmittah encourage us to view ourselves properly as creatures of Hashem, and doing so helps us interact well with others and grow in Torah and mitzvah observance.

It also prompts us to have a positive outlook on whatever befalls us in life. When we know that all that happens is from Hashem, we do not become shattered at tragedy. Instead of being forlorn and hopeless, we accept what happened and look forward to the future with anticipation of being recipients of Hashem’s kindness.

Rabi Akiva was the greatest Tanna of his generation. It is said that he was the shoresh of Torah Shebaal Peh. While on Har Sinai, Hakadosh Boruch Hu revealed to Moshe Rabbeinu the halachos that Rabi Akiva would discover through his drashos. Rabi Akiva’s greatness was such that Moshe asked Hashem why he was chosen to deliver the Torah and not Rabi Akiva (Menachos 29b).

The line of transmission of the Torah from Har Sinai to future generations ran through him and his students. When his original students died, the Jewish world mourned. They worried about how the mesorah that ran through Rabi Akiva would continue. They worried about who would teach Torah to future generations. A grieving people on the run from Roman persecution, they cried and wondered if they could ever be consoled for the loss of so many great men crucial to the spiritual survival of the nation.

However, despite the tremendous loss, Rabi Akiva was not crushed. He immediately set about rebuilding that which was lost. He recharged the people’s faith and helped them recover from the devastating tragedy and proceeded to transmit the Torah to a new group of students.

On Lag Ba’omer, which marks the cessation of the deaths of Rabi Akiva’s talmidim, we commemorate the renewal. We celebrate the determination. We foresee the future bright with hopefulness and optimism. On this day, the talmidim stopped dying and Rabi Akiva’s talmid, Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai, revealed the secrets of Toras Hasod, which infused future generations with added dimensions of kedusha and Torah.

As the centuries pass, and as every generation faces enemies seeking their destruction and annihilation, we look to Rabi Akiva and Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai for inspiration. We note how they persevered, ensuring that our nation and Torah are alive and flourishing to this day. In the wake of a tragedy that would have felled a lesser people, Rabi Akiva strengthened himself and set about ensuring that the chain would remain unbroken.

In our day, as well, as we recuperate from a plague, from tremendous tragedy, from the loss of the man who was viewed as our light and Torah leader, we need to reject gloom and doom, overcome anguish and grief, and redouble our faith in Hashem and His promises to the faithful who don’t question and doubt.

The Torah rejects hopelessness. So does Shmittah. Sefirah says that we can always improve. The fires of Lag Ba’omer burn vibrantly, comforting us with their message that the future will be bright, the mesorah will continue, and our people will be great.

Let us learn the lessons of Shmittah, Sefirah, Rabi Akiva, and his talmid, Rabi Shimon. Let us learn the lesson of Lag Ba’omer. Let us rejoice with our faith in the Creator who cares for every one of us and let us all pray that we merit soon the great light that will benefit us all with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu speedily in our day.

Teach Them to Believe

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

This week’s parsha of Emor contains the various Yomim Tovim that we celebrate, as well as the obligation to count the days between when the korban ha’omer is brought on Pesach and the day which commemorates Kabbolas HaTorah. We refer to the obligation as Sefiras Ha’omer and the seven weeks when the count is conducted as the Yemei Sefirah, the period in which we currently find ourselves.

It was during the first half of this period until Lag Ba’omer that the 24,000 students of Rabi Akiva contracted illness and died. Chazal teach that they were punished because they did not treat each other with proper respect. And ever since then, people have been discussing why they deserved to die because they didn’t display proper respect for their colleagues.

Perhaps we can understand that by failing to treat their fellows with respect, they hampered their ability to grow and be as productive as they could have been. They robbed them of the self- respect and self-dignity every person needs in order to excel. And robbing a person of their pride and confidence is akin to killing him, for you have ruined their ability to do what they were brought to this world for.

Someone who publicly embarrasses another is referred to by Chazal as a rosha who does not merit a portion in the World to Come. The rabbis teach that it is preferable for a person to throw himself into a burning flame rather than cause another person embarrassment. This is because shaming a person is akin to murder.

It would seem that dealing with people in a less than respectful manner on a regular basis is more hurtful, and therefore the 24,000 talmidim of the great Rabi Akiva were punished so severely. These were the people who were to be charged with the responsibility of transferring the Torah to the future generations, but they impeded their fellows’ ability to reach their potential and to grow into the Torah giants they were meant to be in order to fulfill their specific missions. [See also Rashi Gemara Taanis 23a D”H oh chavrusah oh misusah.]

The Chazon Ish would say that every yeshiva bochur requires a spoonful of kavod every day in order for him to be able to grow in his Torah and avodah and not become disenchanted with himself. In order for bochurim to grow, they need to hear words of encouragement and kind comments about themselves. If they are treated that way, he said, they will be inspired to grow and excel. And while he made the statement about yeshiva bochurim, it refers to everybody.

Students of the Alter of Slabodka would repeat that he taught that if we would remove from a person all aspects of respect, he would either die or lose his mind and go insane. Without any feelings of respect, a person simply loses it.

Everyone needs to feel good about themselves in order to be happy, satisfied and productive. Especially in this time of Sefirah, we must all do what we can to help ourselves and others feel good about themselves and their abilities so that they will be motivated to be energetic and productive.

Sefirah is divided into two “halves.” There are thirty-two days and then there is the Lag Ba’omer break, followed by seventeen days. The thirty-two days leading up to Lag Ba’omer correspond to the word “kavod,” respect, whose numerical value is 32. It was during those days that the talmidei Rabi Akiva perished for not displaying proper respect, and correspondingly, it is a time when we should work on rectifying their sin by ensuring that we treat everyone with respect. Following Lag Ba’omer, there are seventeen days, corresponding to “tov.” Hopefully, by then, the sin has been rectified, as we continue to prepare ourselves for Kabbolas HaTorah.

Too often, we encounter people who lack motivation and drive. They have given up on themselves. They view themselves as failures because nobody respected them. They were labeled as dummies and slow learners when they were young and were never able to climb out from under that label.

I met a teenage boy over Yom Tov who wasn’t fitting in. He dressed differently than his peers, was making a big commotion, was using inappropriate words quite loudly, and was making a general nuisance of himself. I went over to him quietly and tried making conversation with him to calm him down and to see what his issue was. Perhaps I could help him. After some chit chat, he looked up at me and said, “Anyway, what do you want from me? I’m just a loser.” Feeling so bad for him, I said, “You’re just starting out. It’s way too early to be a loser. You have a long way to go.”

I hope he took my words to heart, but I doubt that he did. It’s been beaten into him ever since he was a young boy. Maybe he failed a test or two. Maybe he wasn’t able to read and was ashamed to ask for help. From there, it snowballed. It could have been anything, but by now, he has given up on himself, and it will take a lot of hard work to get him back to where he has some self-esteem and enough belief in himself to give himself another chance at climbing back up.

The great posek, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, served as rosh yeshiva of the famed Yeshiva Kol Torah in Yerushalayim. There was a boy who wasn’t doing well, and the hanhallah decided that he had to be sent away. Though he was quite intelligent, he was very lazy. Despite all their best efforts, they were not able to convince him to take his studies seriously. Finally, after exhausting all their attempts to get him to shape up and improve, they decided that it was not beneficial for him to remain in Kol Torah and it was detrimental to the others for him to stay there. The hanhallah convened a meeting to discuss the weighty issue, and it was agreed that he would be asked to leave. All present voted for his immediate expulsion – all except Rav Shlomo Zalman. He also agreed that the boy must go, but he asked for a two-week delay in carrying it out. The others agreed, though they didn’t anticipate any change. After all, they had tried everything, to no avail.

That evening, Rav Shlomo Zalman approached an older boy with a proposal. He said to him, “I want to hire you to teach this boy a certain Tosafos. I will pay you well, and I want you to teach him the Tosafos and the surrounding sugya. I want him to know this Tosafos inside and out, backwards and forwards. For two weeks, I want you to also teach him the commentators who discuss this Tosafos. I want him to know it all.

“It’s not going to be easy, and every day you will have to come up with different ways of getting his interest and holding it, but I have faith that you will be able to carry out this job for me.”

This older talmid got to work. First, he asked the boy for his help in studying the Tosafos with him, using the ingenuity his rebbi told him he would need to hold the younger boy’s interest and encourage his involvement. Each following day, he found a way to keep the conversation going, adding to the boy’s understanding of the entire topic and the words of Tosafos. By the time the two weeks ended, the boy who was struggling was energized. He was involved in the Tosafos and an expert in it.

Once a month, Rav Shlomo Zalman would go into each shiur room and give farhers, testing the talmidim’s knowledge and comprehension of what they were studying. He would ask them questions on the Gemara, Rashi, Tosafos, Rosh, Maharsha, and other commentaries connected to the sugya. On the last day of the two weeks, Rav Shlomo Zalman entered the shiur room that the boy who was to leave that day was in.

Everyone sat in their seats, tense for the moment the rosh yeshiva would call upon them. Everyone except that boy. It was his last day. He was leaving regardless, he was a loser anyway, and he had nothing more to lose. Besides, what were the chances that Rav Shlomo Zalman would call upon him? He leaned back in his seat, with his legs folded, waiting for the whole thing to end.

How surprised he was when, of all people, the world famous rosh yeshiva looked in his direction and called upon him. “Chaim Goldstein, let me ask you a question.” It was about that Tosafos that he had been studying the past two weeks. He sat straight in his seat, snapped out of his apathetic daydreaming, and proceeded to answer.

A broad smile spread across the beautiful angelic face of Rav Shlomo Zalman recognizable to so many. He shot back what’s known in yeshivish as “a bomb kasha” on the p’shat the boy said in Tosafos. “How can you say such a p’shat?!”

The boy was now almost standing on his feet with excitement. “Rebbi, the Rashba asks that question, but the Maharsha answers it, so I stand behind my p’shat.”

“Not so fast. Perhaps you are correct. Tell me please, what does the Maharsha say?”

And so it went back and forth for a while. The rest of the shiur sat in amazement at the boy’s brilliance. Rav Shlomo Zalman was overjoyed. He could barely contain his pride as the boy showed what he was capable of.

Finally, the boy finished his journey through the sugya. Rav Shlomo sat there transfixed. He looked at the boy with warm, holy, Yerushalmi eyes and said with all the kindness of his soul, “I see in front of me a gifted boy, an exemplar of this yeshiva. You are brilliant and able to learn so well. Why are you leaving the yeshiva? What a shame.”

The boy wanted to jump up and say that he wasn’t leaving by his own volition; he was shown the door. But before he could say anything, the angel in front of the class continued: “I understand that you are going to study in a yeshiva that is closer to the home of your widowed mother.”

Copious tears were flowing down the boy’s cheeks, and even if he wanted to say something, he couldn’t. There was a large lump in his throat. He began thinking to himself, “If only the rosh yeshiva knew the real reason I’m leaving…,” but he didn’t have much time to think, because Rav Shlomo Zalman continued speaking to him. “It is amazing that a baal kishron like you is leaving the yeshiva just so that you can be close to your mother. What astounding mesirus nefesh! What kibbud eim! Amazing. You made the right decision.”

He went over to the boy and shook his hand, while blessing him that he should see much success in the yeshiva he was going to so that he could be close to his mother, the almanah, and help her with her needs, bringing her comfort and nachas.

That evening, when he packed his bags to leave, he did so with his head held high, with much pride and self-esteem. He wasn’t a loser who had to sneak out of the yeshiva, hoping nobody would see him, fading into the darkness of returning home with no yeshiva to go to.

He was the guy Rav Shlomo Zalman praised for his mesirus nefesh. He was a baal kishron, who excelled in learning and had a bright future ahead of him.

Years went by, he got married, and he had a few children. One day, he went to a bris and the great rosh yeshiva and posek, Rav Shlomo Zalman, was the sandek. After the bris, everyone passed by Rav Shlomo Zalman to shake his hand and receive a brocha. Our friend was among the people on line, though he doubted Rav Shlomo Zalman would remember him.

When it was his turn, he stuck out his hand. The elderly rosh yeshiva shook it warmly and asked him his name. “My name is Chaim Goldstein,” he said.

Rav Shlomo Zalman’s eyes lit up. “Of course I remember you! You are the tremendous baal kishron who, with mesirus nefesh, gave up learning in Kol Torah to be near your mother, the almanah. Of course, I remember you. How could I forget someone who gave up so much for his mother?”

What an amazing story about an amazing person. I’ve heard and read many stories, but this one takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes as I think about it.

There is so much pain in our world, so many struggling kids and adults, so many people who had their innocence robbed from them, so many who everyone has given up on, including themselves. So much sadness, so much grief, so much difficulty coping with what life brings.

We can help them. Each one of us can. We don’t have to be as great as Rav Shlomo Zalman. All we have to do is care. Care enough about other people to show them respect. Show them that their life is worth living. That they have a future. That despite everything, they are not losers. Allow them to believe in themselves. It doesn’t cost anything to smile at someone. It’s not the end of the world to make up a little story that allows someone to believe in themself and get their life back on track.

It’s not that hard to treat other people the way you want to be treated. It will make a world of difference if you do. And it will prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach any day now.

The Rest of the Story

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Here we are into the third week of Sefirah, the second perek of Pirkei Avos, and studying Parshas Kedoshim, all intertwined and charged with the theme of the posuk found in this week’s parsha of “Ve’ahavta lerei’acha kamocha.”

The obligation to love our fellows as we love ourselves is fundamental to being an observant Jew. The story is often repeated about the man who came to Hillel Hazokein and asked to hear the entire Torah while standing on one leg. Hillel told him, “Mah de’aloch senei lechavroch lo sa’avid, v’idoch zil gemor - Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you, and the rest go learn.” Basically, he told him, “Ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha,” to treat others the way he would want to be treated.

I never really understood Hillel’s response. What does he mean that the entire Torah is wrapped up in the command of “Ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha”? There really is much more to the Torah than one mitzvah. The Torah is, as the posuk states (Iyov 11:9), “Arucha m’eretz middah urechova mini yom.” It is “longer than the earth and wider than the sea.” What, then, is the understanding of Hillel’s response to the man?

I saw an anecdote involving Rav Chaim Soloveitchik that answers the question. It happened that in his city of Brisk the community was searching for a chazzan to lead the Yomim Noraim davening. They interviewed many candidates as they sought to find someone who fulfilled the conditions usually sought, namely that the chazzan preferably be virtuous, excel in Torah, be over 30 years of age, be married, possess a nice voice, and be acceptable to the people in the shul etc.

In the end, they hired the person who filled the most criteria. The only box he didn’t check was that his voice was not all that great. When Rav Chaim was informed of the decision, he said that he would not have chosen the person they chose. The committee didn’t understand his objection. The man was a fine person, an outstanding talmid chochom, and had every condition the job required except one. That was a lot more than the other candidates.

Rav Chaim explained that the other attributes sought for in a chazzan are advantages for a chazzan. But a person who doesn’t have a good voice is not a chazzan at all. Once you find a candidate with a good voice who knows how to lead the davening, then you check to see if he has the other attributes, but without the voice, he is simply not a chazzan.

That was what Hillel was teaching the impatient man who wanted to convert. To be a Yid, you have to love the other Yidden. That is the Alef-Bais. Everything else is commentary.

As we count down towards Shavuos and Kabbolas HaTorah, we not only need to engage in introspection to prepare ourselves for the great day, but we also have to consider our lives as Jews. We are all no doubt proud bnei Avrohom, Yitzchok, v’Yaakov, but sometimes we forget what it is all about. We become engaged in pursuits that take over our lives and fail to remain dedicated to Torah study and behavior. We become consumed with ourselves, our families and our immediate buddies, and are apathetic to other people’s needs and desires.

Everybody wants to be appreciated. Everyone wants to be noticed. Nobody minds a compliment every now and then. People want friends. They want to be included in things. And sometimes, people need help. They need someone to talk to, someone to understand them, someone to lend them money, or time, or a shoulder to cry on.

There is much more to being a Yid, but being thoughtful and caring and treating other people the way you like to be treated is where it starts. And it should become our second nature.

The Alter of Kelm would say that included in the mitzvah of Ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha is that we care about the other person not because we are commanded to do so, but because we really love him. He would explain that the mitzvah is to love the other guy as you love yourself, and just as you love yourself because that is your nature and not because anybody told you to, we are to love others as part of our nature.

And just as there is no limit to how much people love themselves - it’s not as if they love a certain amount and with that they have fulfilled their obligation of self-love - so too, when it comes to loving other people, the same applies. We need to be preemptive in anticipating the needs of others, caring about them, celebrating with them, grieving with them, assisting them, and helping them achieve a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

It is something we can all do, or else it wouldn’t be a mitzvah in the Torah. Let no one say, “This isn’t for me. I’m not that guy. I don’t have patience or I’m too busy or I can’t be bothered going to other people’s simchos or, lo aleinu, shivahs. I can’t be nice to everyone.”

It is who we are meant to be and what our essence should be.

The great gaon, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, was an uncle to three roshei yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, Rav Aharon Cohen, Rav Yechezkel Sarna, and Rav Moshe Chevroni. At the levayah of Rav Isser Zalman in Yerushalayim in 1953, Rav Moshe Chevroni was maspid and told a fascinating story about his uncle’s love of Torah. This is the story he told.

During the period of British control of Eretz Yisroel in the lead-up to the founding of the State of Israel, a bitter guerilla war was ongoing between the British occupiers and the Jewish underground. In an attempt to curtail the activities of the underground, the British imposed strict overnight curfews, forbidding anyone to be out of their homes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. British soldiers would patrol the streets, and anyone who was found disobeying the curfew was taken to jail and locked up, no questions asked. If the person looked suspicious to them, they would shoot him on the spot.

During one of these curfews, Rav Moshe Chevroni was learning in the yeshiva at 2 a.m. when he heard knocks on the door. He became frightened, afraid that British soldiers were looking for weapons or suspects. He did not understand English and had no way of communicating with them. He feared that they would take him away. As the knocking continued, he said a tefillah, asking Hashem to protect him, and approached the door. He stood by the door and, in a shaking voice, asked who was there.

“Der feter. It is your uncle,” said the voice on the other side in Yiddish.

He opened the door, and there, at 2:00 in the morning, was his uncle, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer. Relieved, he let him in and began asking questions. “What are you doing here at this hour? Why would you leave your house in middle of a curfew and put your life in jeopardy to walk here? It is dangerous to be seen outside on the street.”

Rav Isser Zalman explained that he was learning at home and arrived at a difficulty in understanding a ruling of the Rambam. As hard as he tried, he could not come up with a solution to his question, and he knew that he would not be able to sleep until he understood the Rambam. “I was wondering who I could ask my question to at this late hour. I told my wife, ‘Our nephew, Rav Moshe Chevroni, is certainly awake. He must be in the yeshiva learning now. I will go to him, and together we will review the sugya and the Rambam. We will figure it out and arrive at an understanding. Then I will return home.’ So here I am.”

As he was delivering the hesped and recounting this, Rav Chevroni said in amazement that he was astonished by Rav Isser Zalman’s love for Torah. How at 2 a.m., he left his house, during a curfew no less, to walk to the Chevron Yeshiva in pursuit of an answer to his question on the Rambam. Then he continued with the story.

“He told me his brilliant question and looked at me. I asked Hashem to enlighten me and help me offer an explanation. A thought came to my mind. I shared it with him and he was satisfied that he now had the proper understanding of the Rambam.

“He got up to leave and return home. I said to him, ‘Where are you going? You can’t go back home. It is too dangerous. Stay here with me and rest until 6 a.m. Then you can safely return home.

“But he wouldn’t hear of it. He said that he had to write down the answer. I told him that he could write the answer there in the yeshiva. I would supply him with a pen and paper. But he said that he needed to write it in his notebook and that he couldn’t write it in yeshiva. He had to be home in order to write it properly. So he went home.

“Look at that love for Torah! Look how dedicated he was to understanding Torah! What a wonderful story. What an amazing lesson. What an astonishing person he was!”

He finished his hesped and everyone was impressed with his story and buzzing about it.

During the shivah, when he went to be menachem avel his aunt and family, his aunt called him over. “That was not what happened,” she said. He looked at her. “What do you mean that’s not what happened? It happened with me. I was there. I heard and saw everything. He came to me in the middle of the night during a tough curfew and asked me the kushya on the Rambam.”

“That part is true. He came to you during the curfew at night and asked you a kushya on a Rambam. You told that story to demonstrate the love of Torah of your uncle, and that is true, but everybody knew that before you told them the story. Everybody is aware of his love for Torah and his hasmodah. But now I’m going to tell you the rest of the story, and you will see a different side of his greatness.”

This is what she told him.

“He wrote his sefer Even Ha’azel and I helped him with it. He very much wanted it to be printed, as did I. But in those days, it wasn’t simple. The printer had a lot of work and it moved along very slowly. The printer told him that there would be a multi-year wait to get the sefer out. He was very upset, but there was nothing we could do other than wait.

“One day, I was notified by the printer that there was a cancellation. If I would get him Rav Isser Zalman’s transcripts by 8:00 the next morning, they would immediately get to work on the sefer. But, they told me, if they are not there by 8:05, we would lose our opportunity and they would give the slot to someone else.

“When he came home that night, I told him the good news. I was thrilled. Everything was prepared. The kesovim were all organized and ready to go to the printer. And now, we had an opportunity to have the sefer finally printed.

“But when I told him this, he turned white. I asked what happened and he explained: ‘You know that I included in the sefer a kushya and teirutz from Rav Aharon Cohen. I also have a kushya and teirutz from Rav Yechezkel Sarna. But I do not have anything from Rav Moshe Chevroni.’

“I told him that Rav Moshe Chevroni is humble and would not be hurt if there is nothing from him in the sefer, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said that he couldn’t fathom the risk of hurting him, even if it meant not printing the sefer.”

The rebbetzin related that she was so upset that she almost began to cry, but she had a brainstorm. She told Rav Isser Zalman that he should go to Rav Moshe Chevroni. “Ask him to answer a question that you have in your writings on a difficult Rambam, even though you already know the answer. Then erase the answer that you wrote and insert his answer into the Even Ha’azel and it will be ready to go to press.”

The rebbetzin told Rav Chevroni, “Rav Isser Zalman accepted my proposal and left the house, arriving at the yeshiva at 2 a.m. to hear your answer to the question, so that there would be no chance of your feelings being hurt.

“He came to you with his difficult Rambam and told you that he could not sleep. And that was the truth. He could not sleep if there was any chance that you would be insulted. He desperately wanted to print the sefer that he had worked so hard on. So he went out in the wee hours of the morning, at great danger to himself, to ensure that he would not hurt the feelings of another person. He asked the question to which he knew the answer, and then he ran back home to adjust the transcript and get it to the printer by 8 a.m.”

Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer was famed as a great talmid chochom, a great rosh yeshiva, and a great masmid who loved the Torah. But he was also exceedingly considerate of other people, to the extent that put his life in danger to prevent hurting another. And that is the greatness demonstrated in the story that Rav Chevroni told at his levayah.

May we learn the lesson taught by Rav Isser Zalman, who knew what it means to be a Yid: kind, considerate, gentle, and unfailingly thoughtful. May we learn the lessons of Sefirah and the passing of Rabi Akiva’s 24,000 talmidim, the teachings of Pirkei Avos, and the obligations included in the posuk, “Ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha.”

If we do, we will be better Yidden, we will make life better for other Yidden, and we will help prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our day.