Getting Back to What's Real

 By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

My dear friend, Rav Lipa Yisraelson, recently published the latest volume in his Siach Ish series of seforim on Yomim Tovim. They contain halachos, hanhagos and stories from his grandfather, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, and uncle, Rav Chaim Kanievsky; and are presented in a compact, easy to read fashion.

The newest volume is on the Yom Tov of Shavuos, which is upon us. Rav Elyashiv was known not to be a fan of segulos, but in the new sefer, I read about the one segulah that Rav Elyashiv actively publicized and brought to the attention of many people.

He would say that Shavuos presents a segulah for refuos. This is because the Medrash (Shemos Rabbah 7) teaches that at the time of Kabbolas HaTorah, all those who were sick recovered from their illnesses. Since the hashpa’os from when the Torah was given to the Jewish people on Shavuos are present again each year as we read of Matan Torah on Shavuos, those who concentrate properly during the laining of the parsha of the Aseres Hadibros can merit those same hashpa’os.

Rav Elyashiv would always tell people who were seeking segulos for various things that the best segulah for everything is Torah, but he made an exception regarding this particular segulah.

Let us examine the meaning of the segulah of Shavuos.

When Hashem asked the Bnei Yisroel if they would be interested in accepting the Torah, they unanimously responded, “Naaseh v’nishma.” Joyously and without asking what the Torah contains, they said that they would accept to follow whatever it says and would study it. By doing so, they demonstrated great faith in Hashem, believing that He would not give them something that would not be beneficial for them physically and spiritually. They also showed that they trusted that they would have the ability to follow the Torah.

Thus, when they offered their response, Hakadosh Boruch Hu questioned, “Who revealed this secret of the malochim (angels) to My children?” Angels do not have a choice – bechirah – about whether to do what Hashem tells them or not. They were created to serve Hashem and carry out their missions. They do not have a yeitzer hora that interferes to block them from following the word of Hashem.

Thus, when humans, who do have a choice, responded that they would set aside their ability to choose whether or not to follow everything the Torah would tell them to do, they were accepting upon themselves to act like angels.

In fact, the Medrash (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:15) teaches that when the Bnei Yisroel at Har Sinai heard the first of the Aseres Hadibros from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, that of Anochi Hashem Elokecha, the learning of Torah was established in their hearts. When they heard the second one, that of Lo yihiyeh lecha, the yeitzer hora was taken from them.

This seems to indicate that when Hashem gave the Torah, He justified to them the faith that they had placed in Him and gave them the ability to observe all of the mitzvos, removing from them the yeitzer hora that seeks to block their ability to keep all the mitzvos.

The Jewish people asked that their bechirah and ability to choose be returned to them, but the strength and ability that Hashem gave to them at Matan Torah remained with them. This koach is evident every year again at the time of Shavuos, when we read the pesukim that discuss Matan Torah. Those who properly prepare for that moment and apply themselves can benefit from those abilities that Hashem gave when presenting the first two dibros. [See Pri Tzaddik Rosh on Chodesh Sivan.]

This is based upon the idea that the influences of the day that we are commemorating on a Yom Tov are present once again thousands of years later, as developed by the Ramchal in Derech Hashem (4,7,6). He writes there that Hakadosh Boruch Hu arranged that any tikkun that was rendered and any great holy light of that time shines once more on that calendar day and the tikkun is available again.

This idea is also cited by the Sefer Korban Ha’eidah, a peirush on the Yerushalmi. The Yerushalmi (Rosh Hashanah 4:8) cites Rav Misharshiya in the name of Rav Idi, who said, “Regarding all korbanos, sin is mentioned, but with respect to Atzeres – Shavuos – there is no mention of sin, because Hakadosh Boruch Hu said that since you accepted upon yourselves the Torah, I will consider it as if you never sinned in your lives.”

The Korban Ha’eidah adds that every year on Shavuos, it is as if we are standing again at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah anew. He is basically saying the same idea, that every year, on this day, we have the ability to receive the same influences and blessings as when the Bnei Yisroel originally accepted the Torah. Of course, this is only if we accept upon ourselves the yoke of Torah, as our forefathers did on this day.

When does this happen? The Yalkut Shimoni (Yisro 271) writes that Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Am Yisroel, “Read this parsha [of Kabbolas HaTorah] every year and I will consider it as if you are standing at Har Sinai and accepting the Torah.”

We can now understand the basis behind the segulah that Rav Elyashiv promoted. In fact, it is plainly evident in the Yerushalmi, Midrashim and seforim hakedoshim. From here we also see the power of properly preparing ourselves for laining and paying attention as the baal korei reads the holy words of the Torah. As we listen, we hear Hakadosh Boruch Hu speaking to us. Not only do we merit to connect to the brachos that are read, as well as the hashpa’os of the mitzvos that are mentioned, but we also become connected to Hashem, as we say, “Yisroel v’Oraysa v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu,” the Jewish people and the Torah and Hashem are all one.

Not only on Shavuos, but each week at krias haTorah, we have a chance to connect to Hashem and His brachos. And not only at the time of laining, but also every time we open a Chumash, or a Gemara, or a sefer, and we begin studying Torah, we are connecting to Hashem as we study His words. They touch our hearts and soul, and affect our lives. Torah is not just some esoteric study. It is connecting with the words of the Creator himself.

There is no greater segulah than learning Torah. There is no better way to improve our lives physically and spiritually than the study and comprehension of Torah, reviewing and internalizing its teachings. It is for that purpose that Hashem created the world and created us. Can there be anything greater than achieving the Creator’s goal?

Conversely, someone who finds other things to do during laining is not only missing an opportunity to realize their purpose in life and gain for themselves all types of segulos as Hashem’s words jump off the parchment into the souls of the listeners, but they are also being spiteful and making as if they aren’t interested in fulfilling their goals and connecting with Hashem.

The words “Yisroel v’Oraysa v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu” don’t only make for a nice tune often sung over Shavuos. They remind us of who we are and what we are about.

When we chant on Simchas Torah, “Ein segulah kaTorah,” those words are not merely an appealing annual chant. They guide us in how to succeed all year round.

When we have proper emunah and bitachon¸ like the Yidden who proclaimed, “Naaseh v’nishma,” and we accept upon ourselves the Torah as they did, we become like the Bnei Yisroel at the time of Matan Torah.

As we sing “Yisroel v’Oraysa v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu,” we become one with Hashem. Our lives become better, our illnesses become cured, and we are raised to a higher level where petty things don’t bother us anymore. Silliness no longer interests us, and fleeting superficial nonsense no longer tempts us.

If you are looking for a segulah - and let’s be honest, who isn’t? - Shavuos presents an opportunity with the best one around. Yes, it’s harder to do than lots of the things that people do as segulos, but it’s real and will make you a better person as well.

This Shavuos, let us get back to what is real. Let’s recommit and renew. May we all merit receiving all the brachos that are available for us at this time.

When we sing, “Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu,” let’s really feel it this time.

Have a great Yom Tov.

Who We Are

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Since the second day of Pesach, we have been counting towards the first day of Shavuos. Each day, we have been getting increasingly prepared to be able to accept the gift of the Torah and its many benefits and obligations. We are one week away from the great day for which the entirety of the world was created.

During the initial days of this world, when there was little more than the earth and the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars, the world was waiting. Even after Adam Harishon was created and settled into Gan Eden, the world was still in a state of anticipation. The doubt would remain for centuries on end. Would the world continue to exist or would it be brought to an end?

Throughout the generations that followed, despite Noach’s piety in a world of darkness, Avrohom Avinu’s perception and teachings about a Creator, and Yitzchok Avinu’s readiness to be offered as a sacrifice, the question was not yet settled.

Even as Yaakov Avinu studied through the long nights and his sons marched forth, an army of soldiers of the Ribbono Shel Olam, the world was not yet perfect.

It was all a journey, a process leading finally to the Yom Hashishi, the sixth day of Sivan at Har Sinai, when the world received its heart and soul. Bishvil haTorah shenikreis reishis.

“Ve’am nivra yehallel Kah” (Tehillim 102:19). A nation, newly identified, newly charged with a mission, called out the two words that echo through the ages, defining us and what we are about: “Naaseh venishma.”

It was then that Klal Yisroel announced that they would live on a higher and loftier level by following the guidance of the Torah on all matters of life.

The world gained permanence when that happened. The mystery was settled, the question was answered. The world would continue to exist. All the animals would live, as would the trees, flowers and grasses. Millions of insects would continue crawling and fish swimming. The sun would rise and shine every day, the moon would gleam at night, the winters would be cold and the summers hot. The wonder of creation had received its sustaining purpose and would live on.

And next week, once again, we will be at the time of year when the power and potency of that day reign again and we are able to tap into its energy.

As we prepare for Zeman Mattan Toraseinu, the best and most appropriate preparation is to focus on how blessed we are with the gift we received and what those moments at Har Sinai and their reverberations mean to us.

If we take a moment and contemplate, conducting an honest self-assessment, we will realize that whatever might give us a degree of happiness - a new car or home, a good meal or a great vacation - isn’t the real deal. The feeling it gives us does not compare to the elation we feel when we gently stand up after a good shiur or seder, having learned with a child or chavrusa. Shetihiyu ameilim baTorah. The joy we feel when we understand a difficult sugya and it all comes together is like none other. We taxed our powers of thought and concentration, and it became clear to us. Aah! That is satisfaction.

The joy of Kabbolas HaTorah is eternal and hasn’t faded along with everything else. Every time we hear a good sevorah, vort, or shiur; every time we work hard to understand a Gemara, Rashi, or Tosafos, the joy that was felt at Har Sinai is felt again.

Everything else is fleeting. The world was created for Torah. The joy that was felt on that day in Sivan so many years back and all those feelings that were apparent on that day are eternal. We can feel them anytime we delve into the holy words of amar Abaye and Rebbi Yehuda omeir.

Hashem gave us the ultimate gift, and when we express our thanks, we allow ourselves to become vessels that contain it and open our hearts to its light. Hanosein matonah lachaveiro tzorich lehodio. This means, when a person gives someone a gift, he must inform the recipient that he is giving him something. Additionally, the word lehodio also has in its root the word hoda’ah, thanks, indicating that when a person gives a gift, he has a reasonable expectation that it will be appreciated and acknowledged. Therefore, we say thank you every day. Asher bochar bonu. You chose us. And on Shavuos, we celebrate it.

On Shavuos, when we reaffirm that we only exist for the Torah and our nation has a unifying goal, we allow the Torah to shine its light into our hearts. We remain awake at night, demonstrating our appreciation of the Torah’s role in our lives. We read through the entire Torah in Tikkun Leil Shavuos to show that we treasure every sefer of the Torah and the knowledge contained therein.

The Meshech Chochmah asks at the end of Parshas Yisro: What did Moshe Rabbeinu personally gain from Kabbolas HaTorah? He had already been worthy and was able to soar Heavenward even before having received the Torah. This was an indication that Moshe Rabbeinu had personally achieved perfection before Sinai.

The Meshech Chochmah’s answer is instructive and relevant. Until Mattan Torah, he says, Moshe Rabbeinu and man were able to serve Hashem with ruchniyus. The novelty of Kabbolas HaTorah was that now, acts of gashmiyus were invested with kedusha. Man was directed to sanctify himself, his corporeal needs, and his animal instincts.

This, says the Meshech Chochmah, is the idea of Hashem telling Moshe Rabbeinu at the sneh, the burning bush, “She’al na’alecha mei’al raglecha - Remove your shoes from on your feet. Remove the vehicles for your gashmiyusdike living. Remove your chomer as you approach Me. Here you must be an angel.” That was before Matan Torah. Afterward, the shoes became part of the package - the package called Am Yisroel, to whom the Torah was given.

After Matan Torah, Hashem tells Klal Yisroel, “Ve’anshei kodesh tihiyun li - And holy people you should be unto me” (Shemos 22:30). The Kotzker Rebbe explained this to mean, “Be mentchlich heilig. Be holy within the context of being human.” Figure out how to exist within society, to be a father and a husband and a friend who is holy. We are meant to be people who live elevated lives, not malochim. To be good, we don’t have to escape to a desolate island away from humanity. Rather, we are to excel as we live among others.

On Shavuos, we celebrate this concept. Hakadosh Boruch Hu desires our service. He gave us the Torah to guide us and address our physical existence. We celebrate the potential of man, who can use the Torah as the ladder to climb to ever loftier heights.

Hashem didn’t ask us to become malochim, but, rather, to remain human, to incorporate the Torah and its laws into our lives.

The Gemara states that while regarding other Yomim Tovim, Chazal disagree how much of the day should be dedicated to the purely spiritual, on Shavuos, “hakol modim deba’inan nami lochem.” They all agree that on Shavuos, we need to please the more physical side as well.

We can understand this to mean that on Shavuos, we need “lochem,” to proclaim that the physical is part of the Shavuos celebration. We demonstrate through our actions that Torah affects and impacts our basic human behaviors as well. The bein adam lachaveiro, the way we conduct ourselves and the way we deal with other people, is an integral part of Torah, not just the bein adam laMakom, the way we serve Hashem. Torah touches our souls, impacts our actions, and improves our personal conduct.

Perhaps this is a reason why the Torah is achieved through 48 attributes, many dealing with interpersonal relationships, because in order to excel in Torah, a person’s middos must be refined as well.

This is also a reason why the Torah was only given when the Bnei Yisroel were united as one. As the posuk (Shemos 19:2) states, “Vayichan shom Yisroel neged hahar,” using the singular conjugation vayichan, instead of the plural vayachanu, to denote that they came to rest at the foot of the mountain prior to Hashem giving them the Torah.

As Rashi famously states, “Vayichan shom Yisroel neged hahar - k’ish echod beleiv echod, as one person with one heart.”

In fact, prior to that, the posuk uses the plural forms to track their movement: “Vayisu m’Refidim vayavou Midbar Sinai vayachanu bamidar.” As long as they were divided and quarreling, Hashem did not yet see fit to give them the Torah. It was only after they were able to put aside their differences that Hashem said that now He could give them the Torah as He had intended since He created the world.

Individually, as well, in order to be worthy of Torah, we have to have perfected our character, for it is only when people have refined their middos that they are able to set aside jealousy, petty concerns and hatred, and are able to join together in harmony with others.

Achdus and the ability to live peacefully with others is not just a good tag line. It is the prerequisite for Torah.

Chazal (Pesikta Zutrasa, Va’eschanon) state, “Chayov odom liros ess atzmo ke’ilu mekabel Torah miSinai shene’emar, ‘Hayom hazeh nihiyeisa le’am.’ Every day, a person is obligated to conduct himself as if he accepted the Torah that day at Har Sinai.” We are all familiar with this directive regarding Yetzias Mitzrayim. In fact, it is the central theme of the leil haSeder, but we don’t think about it on Shavuos.

Imagine if today were the day you received the Torah. Imagine standing at Har Sinai and hearing the words of the Aseres Hadibros being called out. Imagine the sounds. Imagine the sight. Imagine being led out of Mitzrayim with very little knowledge or holiness, and trekking through the desert, becoming a better person every day.

Now, imagine how empty and meaningless your life would be without Torah. No Torah, no learning, no Shabbos, no tefillin, no Yom Tov, nothing that your life is centered around, nothing that gives your life the meaning it now has. You wouldn’t even have potato kugel or cholent, or a nice suit, hat or shaitel. You wouldn’t have a shul to go to and no reason to go to one altogether. Think of everything you do in your day, week and year. Now imagine that there was no Torah.

Imagine that today is the day you discovered the secret of the world. Imagine that today you were invited to study the Creator’s words, to bask in His glow, to find meaning, satisfaction and joy in your life. How excited you would be! How grateful and how dedicated!

Today is that day. “Ke’ilu mekabel Torah miSinai.”

Hayom hazeh! Today and every day. Despite the degeneration of the world, despite the struggles we experience with every tefillah and the challenge of concentrating fully when we learn, despite the many forces competing for our attention, we have a new Kabbolas HaTorah.

Our human shortcomings are not a hindrance. We weren’t given a Torah despite the fact that we are people, but specifically because we are mere humans.

As we prepare for Shavuos, it is a time to refocus on what Torah means to us and on how blessed we are to be able to spend time by a Gemara or Chumash or Shulchan Aruch, surrounded by talmidei chachomim and yeshiva bochurim.

We prepare to once again accept the Torah, just as our parents and grandparents have done for thousands of years. We cherish its words, raising our children and helping guide them to see the sweetness and brilliance of it all.

As we go about our daily lives and confront issues of parnossah, health, and everything else that we contend with and encounter in life, we have to keep focused on our roles as bnei and bnos Torah to deal with everyone and everything as befitting those who stood together at Har Sinai and were embraced by Hashem and given the Torah.

If we have a store or a business, we should view our task as helping people and certainly not to take advantage of them. We should go out of our way to help customers who come into our store, as well those who approach us for expertise and business acumen in our field of industry. We should never mislead people or charge them more than we have to just because we are able to. People are often naive and trusting. We should always be unfailingly honest and truthful in our answers and with our service and advice.

My belt was getting too big for me so I took it to a shoemaker near where I live, in the West Gate section of Lakewood, and asked him to add a hole. He took out his hole-puncher, did the job, and handed it back to me with a smile. I asked him how much I owe him for that service. He said, “Nothing.” He felt bad charging for something that took him 30 seconds to do. I told him that it’s very commendable of him, but that I don’t want to take advantage of him, so I gave him $5.00. I could tell that he was very touched.

As I was leaving his shop, I was thinking how nice it would be if every shopkeeper were like him, unfailingly honest and kind, happy and proud to help someone who had never even previously patronized his store. Wouldn’t it be nice if every business would be run that way and not as a vehicle to get ahead of others, squeeze and crush the little guys, constantly raise prices, and treat people flippantly and dishonestly?

Someone who runs his business like that shoemaker is guided by the principles of the Torah and is a mekadeish Hashem. I don’t know the gentleman, but I’d venture to say that when he drives, he doesn’t speed through red lights, or take up two parking spaces, and extends common courtesies to other drivers.

We need to be strong enough that we do not get pulled down and sucked in by the whirlwind connived by the yeitzer hora. We need to live the way the Torah guides us and take pride in who we are and our actions.

As we prepare for Shavuos and Kabbolas HaTorah, let us bear in mind that Torah is not some esoteric thing reserved for the bais medrash and for roshei yeshiva, rabbonim, kollel people and yeshiva bochurim.

It is what makes the world worth existing. It is what makes our lives worth living. It is intended to make us who we are.

Following it brings us joy and satisfaction, success and praise.

We have one last week to figure it out. Let’s not waste the week.

Reaching the Heavens

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Sefer Vayikra comes to an end this week as we lain the parshiyos of Behar and Bechukosai. Both open with the obligation to go to extremes in mitzvah observance. The mitzvah of Shmittah demands that the land of Eretz Yisroel is to lie fallow for a year, with no work done on it and no commerce conducted with any fruits or vegetables that happen to grow during the year.

Hashem promises that those who follow the laws of Shmittah will not go hungry and there will be food for them to sustain themselves.                                                         

Similarly, Parshas Bechukosai begins, “Im bechukosai teileichu - If you will walk in the path of My laws and observe the mitzvos of Hashem, then the rains will fall on time, the earth will produce its proper harvest…vishavtem lovetach be’artzechem. Venosati shalom ba’aretz ushechavtem ve’ein machrid - and you will live confidently and in peace.”

Hashem tells us that if the Bnei Yisroel observe the Torah, they will merit peace in their land. They will be spared enemies on their borders and harmony will reign in the country. If they are lacking in their observance of the Torah, their enemies who seek to engulf them will be empowered and there will be conflict between brothers.

The posuk in the Tochacha (26:15) declares, “Ve’im es mishpotai tigal nafshechem levilti asos es kol mitzvosai lehafrichem es brisi.” The Toras Kohanim explains that the posuk is stating that someone who doesn’t learn Torah and perform mitzvos will eventually develop into one who despises talmidei chachomim and religious people. This is the meaning of the posuk: Initially, the nonobservant becomes disgusted by Hashem’s mishpotim and says, “Es mishpotai tigal nafshechem.” He then endeavors to prevent others as well from doing mitzvos - “levilti asos” - until, eventually, that person becomes a total kofer - “lehafrichem es brisi.”

We see both extremes in Eretz Yisroel today, where there are more people since the churban scrupulously following the mitzvos of the Torah.

The Toras Kohanim, cited by Rashi (26:3), states that the mitzvah of im bechukosai teileichu refers to the obligation to toil in Torah study, shetihiyu ameilim baTorah.

Today, as well, we are zoche to multitudes of people who dedicate their lives to learning Torah in numbers unseen since Klal Yisroel has gone into golus. And indeed, we see the desert bloom and the land populated and built up as it has not been since we were sent out of the land at the time of the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh.

But everything is not perfect and the majority of the Jews who live in Israel are not Torah observant. And although the frum community there, through organizations such as Lev L’Achim, Shuvu and others, work to bring Torah and kedusha to those who are far removed from their heritage, there is still a long way to go.

Those who despise the mishpotim of the Torah are fighting strongly to maintain an anti-religious stronghold on the Jewish state. Their current battle is played out on the world media stage, as they hypocritically claim to be fighting for democracy, justice and equity.

Last week, their agenda flared up when the chairman of the board of Israel’s largest bakery joined a protest outside the home of Rav Gershon Edelstein. He wasn’t just innocently exercising his right to free speech. Omer Bar Lev was a minister in the previous failed Israeli government. He was a failure and couldn’t get past the primaries in his Labor party. He did the next best thing and got himself a job with the famed Angel Bakery, which has the Badatz hechsher and is familiar all across Israel, selling much bread and many pastries in the frum areas as well.

Last week’s protest in Bnei Brak was directed at the exclusion of yeshiva students from the army. Bar Lev posted a selfie of himself standing outside Rav Edelstein’s house and wrote, “Beyond and in addition to the importance of military service for everyone, the law of ‘lo shivyon banetel’ that the coalition intends to enact is the bribe being paid to the chareidi parties by Netanyahu and Levin so that they will vote in favor of the coup d’état.”

“Shivyon banetel,” translated as equality of the burden, is a code term used by Leftists as they demand that draft deferments for learning people be done away with.

A grassroots boycott against the bakery immediately sprung up, and on Friday, Angel products in religious neighborhoods sat untouched. Nobody bought their favorite challahs, cakes and other delicacies.

What any normal company would have done is apologize and say that Bar Lev doesn’t speak for them, and they treasure all their clientele and look forward to things returning to normal. But not this company and not in this war. The hatred for the religious community by people who have been cut off from their grandparents’ legacy and raised on a diet of spite and tarfus overcomes any thought of common sense and decency, just as the posuk foretells.

Yoel Spiegel, a grandson of the bakery’s founder, went after the frum community, posting on Friday, “There is no limit to the chutzpah of part of the ultra-Orthodox public in Israel. They eat for free … duck army service, have dark opinions and, above all, are hypocrites! Omer Bar Lev is the chairman of the board of the Angel bakery (the same bakery that my grandfather and his brother founded more than a century ago and of which my uncle has been the CEO for many years). But beyond his position as chairman of the board, he is a citizen of the State of Israel. As such, he has the right to protest wherever and whenever he chooses, as long as he does so within the framework of the law.”

And so, the hatred of the religious people drives the battle between the Left and the Right over who will control the country. Will it be the elected representatives of the people, or will the self-selecting judges be allowed to continue to dominate what happens in the country?

But there is room for hope. The rejoicing and dancing on Lag Ba’omer in Meron and around the world this week were expressions of the neshomah’s yearning, an appreciation of the great Tanna, Rabi Shimon bar Yochai, and the heights he scaled. He revealed the depth and potential of each Jew, assuring us that wherever we are, we can always raise ourselves ever higher. No matter how low any Jew has sunk, there remains hope for him. These same Leftists, and if not them their children, can do teshuvah and live lives of Torah.

The words selected as Rabi Shimon’s enduring legacy, emblazoned on the famous entranceway to his kever in Meron, quote his teaching, “Ki lo sishochach mipi zaro,” representing his assurance that Hashem’s children will never forget the Torah, despite all that will befall them.

Look at the pictures of the fire in Meron and other large gathering places, such as the massive lighting in Kiryas Yoel which I attended several times, and you will see that at the center, spiraling up from the ground, is a glowing flame topped by rushes of thick smoke that rise towards the heavens, surrounded by tens of thousands of good people overtaken by song and prayer. This is a portrayal of the neshamos that are aflame all around us, as good Jews everywhere devote themselves to Torah and mitzvos, seeking to improve their lives with the Torah as their guide.

As the fame of the Chofetz Chaim grew, people flocked to him, asking for brachos. Many times, he would respond with advice. “Why did you come to me for brachos?” he would say. “I am just a simple human being. Real brachos can be obtained by following the pesukim in Parshas Bechukosai, which proclaim that all the blessings of the world will flow to those who observe Hashem’s path - ‘Im bechukosai teileichu.’ The Torah, whose every word is true, guarantees brachos for shemiras hamitzvos. If it is blessings you seek, you would be well advised to spend your time advancing your shemiras hamitzvos and forgetting about me.”

The epitome of human existence is to sit with a Gemara detached from the physical world, connecting with Hashem, without anybody watching or paying attention to you.

Yeshivos and kollelim seek to function as islands of intense limud haTorah, inhabiting a realm more exalted than any other.

The Erev Shabbos shmuess at the home of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel was a special time. The Mirrer rosh yeshiva would speak in English, unlike the rest of the week, and the audience included not only Mirrer talmidim, but also American and European bochurim from other yeshivos in Yerushalayim. Rather than offer prepared remarks, the rosh yeshiva would actually “shmooze,” reflecting on his week as if in conversation, sharing his impressions and insights on that week’s experiences.

One time, he told the assembled bochurim that the need arose during that week to seek guidance from Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. This is what he said: “I came to Rav Elyashiv’s home and they let me into his room. He did not notice that I was there, so he continued learning. I listened to him, and this is what he was saying: ‘Amar Abaye… Abaye says... Amar Rava. Voss zogst du Rava? Ah, ich her. Ubber vos enfert ihr Abaye. Nu, vos zogt ihr tzurik Rava? Abaye, how would you answer Rava’s argument? Nu, Rava, what would you say back to that? Ah, I hear. Abaye?”

The rosh yeshiva continued describing what he had seen and heard. Rav Elyashiv was removed from his physical existence. He was inside the world of Torah with Abaye and Rava.

We can all go there. We can leave behind the nonsense of this world, the things that face and confront us all the time. All the pressures we are faced with and uncomfortable conversations we are forced to have melt away when we exit that world and enter the real world, the world of Torah, the world of im bechukosai teileichu, shetihiyu ameilim baTorah.

Every time we open the Gemara, we are opening our way to a different world, the world of brocha. Every time we work to understand a dispute between Abaye and Rava, Rabi Yehudah and the Chachomim, the Rambam and the Raavad, the Rashba and the Ritva, we have left the mortal life behind and touched the heavens. There is no bigger or better brocha than that.

We are counting down to Shavuos. Every day, we raise ourselves one more step and get that much closer to being able to merit receiving the gift that raises our lives and our existence. Each day, as we count the omer, we are getting one step closer to eternity. Let us make those days count and appreciate what our goal is, so that we will be blessed with all the brachos included in the parshiyos of this week. Amein.

A Personal Remembrance

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Rav Meir Hershkowitz was the type of talmid chochom we read about in storybooks and wonder why we never meet such a person. A talmid muvhak of Rav Aharon Kotler, he was a tremendous masmid who toiled in learning day and night. Aside from his hasmodah, lomdus and amkus in learning, he was a tremendous onov, always humble, and a tzaddik.

For many years, when I lived in Monsey, I would host an annual parlor meeting on behalf of the Stamford Yeshiva. It was a special honor to help two of the greatest talmidei chachomim, tzaddikim and anovim of the generation. I would pity them each year as they would approach my home, Rav Simcha Schustal bent over, Rav Meir walking with the aid of a cane. There were no gabboim, no assistants, no airs, and no fanfare.

I would stand there, walking over to greet them, and think to myself: Look at these two tzaddikei hador, how they trudge about to try to keep their yeshiva afloat. I’d wish that there was something more I could do for them. Though they were well known and respected in yeshiva circles, in the wider world they were virtually unknown. I’d beg people to contribute, but invariably, they would only get small donations - nothing large, nothing major, nothing befitting their greatness in Torah.

And I would wonder why that is. Is it because you need special zechusim to help such special people? Or is it perhaps because Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants to keep for Himself great people and keep them untainted by olam hazeh and inyonim shelo lishmah? I never did figure it out, but each time they came, I wondered anew and thanked Hashem for giving me the zechus of having them in my home.

Every few years, there was a push to help the yeshiva and a dinner was arranged to raise desperately-needed funds. Some ten years ago, a dinner was held and I was selected to serve as chairman. In my message, I said that Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach once remarked that he didn’t understand how there could be lamed vov secret tzaddikim in our generation. He said that there is so much to do in our world and so many issues that require urgent attention. How can a person stay hidden as a lamed vov tzaddik?

He said that in our time, a tzaddik does not have the luxury of being able to hide from the public and remain in his own corner alone with his Gemara. In our day, a tzaddik has to make himself available to the masses of people who seek Torah wisdom and guidance.

I said that Rav Simcha Schustal and Rav Meir Hershkowitz provide the answer to Rav Shach’s question. The secret tzaddikim of our generation upon whom the entire world exists do not hide themselves from the public. They are out there in plain view, learning, teaching, davening and doing all they do with so much tzidkus.

They are tzaddikim nistorim not because they hide themselves from us, but rather because we hide ourselves from them. They never sought fame and glory, dedicating their lives to the klal, but people didn’t seek them out and thus they merited to sit and learn and deliver shiurim without being disturbed.

Rav Meir was blessed that he was able to spend his entire life toiling valiantly in the vineyard of Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

He was a world-class talmid chochom and tzaddik, American-born and bred, who developed into someone upon whose Torah the world stood.

He showed what a person could develop into if he applied himself to learning. Never seeking anything but the truth, with amkus and a tremendous koach hachiddush, he developed into one of the greatest talmidei chachomim America has given birth to.

His depth in learning was matched by the depth of his pure simplicity and his devotion to his talmidim.

At his massive levayeh, he was referred to as a malach, and that is what he was: an angel in the form of a human.

During one of those times when he was in my home for a meeting, someone borrowed his pen. It was a simple plastic pen, the type that we would buy in those days for nineteen cents. When the meeting was over, the rosh yeshiva asked for his pen, but it was not to be found.

We had given out Parker pens to boys who participated in the summer Masmidei Yated program. I took a pen that was left from then and gave it to Rav Meir. He looked at it, commented that it was a nice pen, and asked why I would give it to him. I told him that we used the pens for prizes for boys who learned well and we had a few extra.

With simplistic humility, he returned the pen to me. “I knew I had to be here tonight, and it was on my mind during the day,” said the rosh yeshiva. “I am not sure I learned well enough today to deserve it. I can’t take it.” Regardless of what I said, he refused to take the pen. He felt he wasn’t worthy.

Such anivus, such simplicity, such emes, such gadlus, such chesed. A giant among giants. He has now gone on to his eternal reward, reunited with his partner, Rav Simcha Schustal, his rebbi, Rav Aharon Kotler, and his great chaveirim from the early days of Lakewood with whom he learned and shteiged. He will be in the Mesivta D’Rokia with the Tana’im and Amora’im, the Rambam and the Rashba, the Vilna Gaon, the Ketzos and Rav Akiva Eiger, Rav Elchonon Wasserman, and all the others whose Torah he slaved over.

May he be a meilitz yosher for the members of the Olam HaTorah, whom he loved so dearly, and all of Klal Yisroel.

A Battle for the Soul

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

The news landed last week like a thud. A heavily edited, carefully scripted and produced three-minute video announced that Joe Biden was running for reelection as president of the United States. The present occupant of the most prestigious and difficult job in the land is going to try to get another four years as commander-in-chief of this country and the so-called leader of the free world.

Normally, the announcement that an incumbent president is running for reelection would be a festive, heavily promoted, occasion. There would be incessant coverage, and a large crowd of dignitaries and supporters would line up alongside him, as the smiling president would proudly speak about all he has accomplished and his plans for the future, the crowd chanting, “Four more years!” The president would then take off for a bit of a triumphant tour of important battleground cities, where he would tout his achievements and test drive stump speeches.

But not this candidate. Apparently, even his own people don’t trust him to read a statement live from his teleprompter, and certainly not to speak extemporaneously, even on a topic as important as his reelection. So, they had him say in the video that he is running so that he can “finish the job” he started.

He didn’t explain what job he started that needs finishing. But he did rehash his poll-tested refrain: “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer. I know what I want the answer to be. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”

Most of the country didn’t notice the announcement, and those who did were underwhelmed as they went about their day. But no one was embarrassed. Nobody felt humiliated that a person who was always considered incompetent, bumbling and unintelligent is president.

Like the video, everything pertaining to Biden and his campaign is scripted and depends on the mainstream media playing and helping along, doing what he cannot do and campaigning for him because he can’t campaign either. They give words to actions, thoughts to his mindlessness, and attribute to him what his staff does.

For decades, Joe Biden was known as a gaffe machine, and now as well, every time President Biden speaks, he demonstrates how foolish he is and how disastrous his policies are. The media doesn’t report on that. Instead, they bash Donald Trump and people like you and me, portraying us as dangerous extremists who are fascistic, anti-democratic, anti-science and anti-progress.

None of the traditional media will be reminding voters of the Biden lockdowns imposed and sustained during Covid, the masks on school kids, and months of little or no school.

They won’t discuss the runaway inflation that Biden’s policies caused, nor the disastrous Afghanistan escape and the embarrassment that followed. They won’t be asking the president questions about the way he caused America to be snubbed by Russia, China, France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and many more major players in the world sphere who no longer respect or fear the United States.

The first week of the campaign, Biden didn’t do more than he usually does. He traveled a few miles to read a speech to a friendly union crowd. The next day, he had a small press conference with the children, thinking that he would do okay with them. He didn’t. While responding to their questions, he couldn’t remember how many grandchildren he had or where they live. He couldn’t remember his last foreign trip either. A child reminded him that he had been in Ireland. At the end of the week, a staff member revealed that very few activities were scheduled for him earlier than 10 a.m. or later than 4 p.m., lest he not be able to perform properly.

And now that he is an official candidate, don’t expect that to change. You won’t see Biden barnstorming across the country, engaging in town halls, shaking hands, and exchanging small talk with people. You won’t even see him debating Democrat presidential challengers, such as RFK Jr., who is approaching 20% support a few weeks after declaring his candidacy.

The president is simply not up to the task. He can’t travel too much too often. He can’t speak without revealing that he does not have a proper comprehension of what is going on. Every time he speaks, people watch and think to themselves that he should not be president and should not be running for reelection.

So why, you wonder, is the party allowing him to run? They have to know that he is weakened, not a good president or candidate, and seriously lacking in public support. A Gallup poll last week showed him at 37% popular support.

The answer is that, in essence, he is a prop for the Democrat party. The campaign will raise over a billion dollars and the party will put it to good use, as they have previously done, on a get-out-the-vote effort. They will hire people to go door to door asking people to sign paper ballots and then deliver them in the mail. To win, as they did last time, they don’t have to debate issues or tout their unpopular candidates. They don’t have to defend Biden and Harris, because the issues are not what decide elections anymore. In fact, they make little difference.

The country is basically tied. The race is basically decided by five percent of the voters in five states. The party that gets out the most votes, even by a slim margin, wins. So while the Republicans will spend their money demonstrating that Biden has opened the border, enforced nonsensical woke policies, is incompetent, and ruined a good economy and a strong country as it recovered from Covid, if they, like last time, don’t spend money on vote harvesting, they will once again go down to defeat.

And it won’t just be the party that loses. Since this is an existential election, the country will lose as well. The left will be empowered to continue their socialist slide. Not only will taxes rise and the economy continue to stumble, but the moral fabric of the country will come apart. In this paper, we don’t write about all the woke policies that the administration is formulating and enforcing in schools, businesses and government offices. We also don’t discuss these topics in our communities. But that doesn’t mean that we can ignore what is going on and support the dissolution of traditional family life by electing liberals and Democrats. We are deluding ourselves if we think that wokism won’t affect us.

There is an international battle going on now between the Left and the Right. Compare what is going on in this country to what is happening in Eretz Yisroel. Here, the Left is in power and is working diligently to assume total power over everything. Their plans were stymied in the first half of Biden’s administration by two stubborn Democrat senators who kept things tangled up, though they ended up voting for the party bills. Then Republicans won a narrow majority in the House in 2022. But they still control the Senate, and the president has advanced the progressive agenda by signing over one hundred executive orders.

In Israel, the Left lied its way into power, with Naftoli Bennett getting elected by promising never to form a coalition with Yair Lapid or Arab parties. Upon election, he did exactly that. After causing much mayhem and damage to the country, that coalition finally fell apart and the nation endured its fifth election in less than four years. The Right won a decisive victory and Binyomin Netanyahu was returned once again to the premiership. As Netanyahu began assembling his coalition, the Left started plotting to bring it down.

They took their plan public after Netanyahu’s Likud party began working with MK Simcha Rothman of the Religious-Zionism party to do as they promised in the election campaign and embark on reforming the country’s dictatorial justice system. Judges on the Supreme Court are not elected as they are here, but appointed by sitting judges. They are answerable to no one and have supreme power over every law and everything that transpires in the country. As we have been reporting here, the coalition is working to bring some checks and balances and democracy to the process.

The Israeli Left found its excuse, and with financial support from American secular Jewish organizations and donors, the Left unleashed its campaign to basically cancel the past election and cause Netanyahu and the Right to lose power.

As Biden and the Left did in America, they created the narrative that the Right is fascist and anti-democratic. Biden, though, just talks about it, such as in his reelection video, where he said, “Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they’ve had to defend democracy, stand up for our personal freedoms, and stand up for our right to vote and our civil rights. This is ours.” Once again, he painted Republicans as anti-democratic and exhorted Americans to vote for him because he will preserve democracy here. The Israeli Left has gone further, holding massive weekly demonstrations against the anti-democratic Right which they say wants to destroy Israel’s democracy by wiping out the justice system.

The Left seeks to have the election results overturned by claiming that they are fighting for democracy. The compliant media broadcasts their propaganda, creating the illusion that the majority of the country supports the Left. Leftist leaders shamelessly ply their lies to leaders of Israel’s allies and convince them to lobby Netanyahu to accede to the wishes of the Left if he wishes to enjoy continued allied friendship and support. They seek to hurt the country not only politically, but also financially, convincing tech leaders to announce that they will pull their money out of Israel and persuading credit rating companies to threaten to drop Israel’s grades. After all, everything is fair when democracy is at stake.

Just as former President Trump was bogged down with investigations based upon lies, Prime Minister Netanyahu has been battling corruption charges in court for the past many years. Though the charges are obviously bogus, the charade continues and the media reminds everyone that a pall hangs over the country’s leader. Not only that, but the prime minster is forbidden by the Leftist Attorney General to get involved in the battle over judicial reform and seek a solution to the issue ripping the country apart as a legitimate leader would be expected to. He is banned from doing so because he is a “nogeia bedovor” as a defendant in a case being brought by the government against him.

So while Bennett and Lapid work to delegitimize Netanyahu, his coalition government and the battle to reform an out-of-control judiciary, their clear goal is to overturn the will of the people, change the public’s positive perception of the Right, and besmirch the religious community as well.

Let nobody think that what is going on is anything other than a battle of Left against Right and wrong against right. It is a war over the soul of Eretz Yisroel. Will the Left be allowed to continue their campaign to trounce everything halachic in the state or not? Will they be permitted to continue working to eradicate everything Jewish about the state and turn it into a liberal, anti-religious entity, or will it be allowed to maintain its Jewish veneer and flavor? Anyone who watched or participated in the 600,000 person Right rally last week in Yerushalayim was able to note that every one of the speakers referred to the ongoing debate as a battle against Yahadus and a Medinah Yehudit.

Let nobody delude themselves into thinking otherwise.

And the current election here is much the same. This is not a race between Republican and Democrat, Trump and Biden, nasty tweeter and nice old man, or anything of the sort. This is a battle between whether the United States should be a country of traditional democratic religious values or a socialist anti-religious paradise. Every check next to a Democrat name is a vote against religion, against morality, against capitalism, and against everything that has allowed us to grow and prosper.

There will be much propaganda on both sides and billions of dollars spent to convince you to vote a certain way, but never will it be more important to understand what underlies it all.