A Blessed People. A Blessed Life.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Parshas Chukas is one of the shortest sidros of the Torah, but it contains many messages for us that are especially poignant in our time. This year we have the added pleasure of also layening parshas Bolok this week, but we will concentrate our remarks on Chukas.

As the parsha begins with the laws of the parah adumah, it states, “Zos chukas haTorah – This is the decree of the Torah,” a mitzvah for which there is no reason given.

Rashi famously explains that since the Soton and the nations of the world mock the Jewish people and ask them to explain this particular mitzvah and the reasoning for it, the posuk states straightaway that it is a chok, a mitzvah that was given with no explanation.

Ever since that Rashi was published, people have been trying to understand it. Typical questions include: Why is this mitzvah singled out for questioning by the nations? There are many other commandments in the Torah that are given without explanation. What bothers them about this one?

It is interesting that Chazal have another allegorical lesson derived from a posuk a few pesukim later: “Zos haTorah, adam ki yomus ba’ohel,” whose literal translation is, “This is the decree of the Torah, a person who dies in a tent.” The posuk goes on to state that when that happens, everything in the tent becomes tomei.

Chazal see a lesson there. They teach that the way the posuk is written, it is teaching that to excel in Torah, it is necessary to rid oneself of all physical needs. Someone who is encumbered by physical wants and desires is held down from succeeding in Torah.

We can combine the lesson of Chazal with Rashi’s statement and explain that to be successful in studying and observing the Torah, we must disregard the thinking of those around us and persist with our Torah way of life, despite the many detractors. To be Torah Yidden, we tie ourselves to the chok, the bond of Torah living, which goes beyond considerations of human reason and logic. To be attached to Hashem means to be detached from the ways of the world and to recognize that it neither accepts nor appreciates us.

There are always people from our world who seek to explain our ways to politicians and influencers, in the belief that they can convince them that we are a decent, honest and honorable people. For some reason, it never works. There is superficial success, but deep down and when there are no Jews around, their discussions betray that they harbor devilish beliefs about us and despise us.

No matter what we say and how we live and portray ourselves, they will view us essentially as scheming, backward, dirty thieves. They don’t want us in their towns and would rather we don’t come around to their places.

Every once in a while, there is a zoning hearing and they say what they really think. All the Jews go nuts, crying about anti-Semitism, as if what transpired is an exception and not the rule. They forget that this has been going on since we became a people. They think that with so-called education and effective public relations, they can cure the symptoms of the age-old hatred. In years past, they said that we killed their babies and poisoned their water. Nowadays, as the world has progressed, they aren’t as crude, but they go on blaming us for all sorts of things.

Just last week, the so-called progressive government of the most advanced nation announced that it is cutting all scientific and technological relationships and development projects in the West Bank, referred to by them as land beyond the 1949 armistice line. Why? Because the murderous warring Jews stole the land from its rightful owners. Does that make sense to anyone who cares about history and the truth?

When it comes to Torah, it doesn’t pay to try to explain things to the Soton and those who seek to aggrieve us. In a world of sheker, the truth carries no weight.

Rav Elchonon Wasserman would explain the posuk in Tehillim (119:142) of “Tzidkoscha tzedek le’olam” to mean that man cannot fathom the depths of Hashem’s justice, for society and its concepts are ever changing. What is considered just in one generation is viewed as unjust in the next. But “veSorascha emes,” the truth of Torah is everlasting. It neither changes for the times nor conforms to them.

Zos chukas haTorah. Torah is a chok. Torah is not about impressive dissertations, cutesy one-liners and clips, or a good PR firm. It is about following the will of the Creator as expressed in Torah Shebiksav and Torah Shebaal Peh. That’s just the way it is.

The Medrash Rabbah (Bamidbor 19:1) teaches, “Zos chukas, this is the explanation of the posuk in Iyov which states, ‘Mi yitein tahor m’tomei lo echod, there is only One who can produce tahor from tomei, Avrohom from Terach, Chizkiyohu from Ochoz, Yoshiyohu from Amon, Mordechai from Shimi, Yisroel from nations who served false gods, Olam Haba from Olam Hazeh. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? Only [Hakadosh Boruch Hu,] Yichudo Shel Olam.”

Avrohom, who spread belief in Hashem, came from the home of Terach, who was a priest to idols. Yoshiyohu, the righteous king who led the people to teshuvah, came from the home of Amon, the wicked king. And so on. Klal Yisroel was formed in the country of Mitzrayim, which was the lowest and most depraved of all the nations. Only the Yichudo Shel Olam can bring forth tahor from tomei.

Thus, concludes the Medrash, this is the same as we learned that those who prepare the parah adumah contaminate their clothing, while the parah adumah itself purifies clothing that had become defiled. Hakadosh Boruch Hu stated, ‘I have decreed a decree. You cannot disobey it.”

The nations don’t understand how good can come from bad, how the same parah adumah that purifies also creates tumah. On a rational level, it doesn’t make any sense. But if the Creator decreed it so, then that is the way it is, whether it complies with the understanding borne of prevalent thought or not. Through Torah, Hashem created the world, meaning that the world functions according to the rules of the Torah and not the other way around.

Those who deny Torah min haShomayim seek to make the Torah and its laws conform to the laws of the world and attempt to rationalize the rules of the Torah in a way that they and others can understand it. But that is diametrical to our beliefs. The reason we eat kosher is not because it is cleaner or more humane. If anything, kosher is cleaner and more humane because Hashem formulated the laws of kashrus.

Millions of Jews were led astray by movements that sought to bring Torah up to date and in conformity with the times. By rationalizing Torah and making it “make sense,” they twisted the entire Torah and led their followers astray.

For example, instead of teaching that melacha is forbidden on Shabbos because the Creator said so, they taught that work is forbidden on Shabbos because it is a day of rest. Thus, driving a car to shul is permissible, because it doesn’t involve work and is for a good cause. Once these people declare that driving is not forbidden because of the various melachos involved but because of some reason or another, the forbidden action becomes attached to the supposed reason and excuses are quickly found to rationalize that which has nothing to do with reason or rationale. And so, millions of people were driven away from Yiddishkeit.

If kashrus is about compassion to animals, cleanliness and health, then if you live in a developed country with compassionate methods of slaughter and USDA inspections, who needs to eat kosher? The other stuff is just as good, plus it is cheaper.

Social deviancy is all the rage across this country, with millions taking pride in aberrant behavior. Those who rationalize the Torah go along with the conduct, fitting it into their understanding of the Torah’s words.

To rationalize the Torah’s commandments and apply human understanding to them and their concepts is to compromise them and corrupt the holy. Today, society thinks one way. Tomorrow, it will think a different way. Very rarely, if ever, do the thoughts of the hedonistic society jibe with the words of the Torah. To attempt to join them is to deny the eternal truth of the Torah and make it as temporal as a fickle society.

Critical thinking and analysis lacking yiras Shomayim, a sense of mesorah and humility result in individuals who destroy instead of build, obscure instead of reveal, and cause others to repel the Torah instead of drawing closer to it.

In our day, the forces of tumah are firmly entrenched. They are no longer hidden or dormant, but are as strong as ever. Anyone who cares can easily detect that the behavior is sinful and far removed from anything that a moral people such as ours can be associated with. As the laws of the country are changed to accept what until a couple of years ago was considered by all to be sick, we need to strengthen chinuch for kedusha and tznius. We need to maintain our distance from those who enable and promote such behavior, as we pity those who have fallen so low.

We need to delve into the teachings of Chazal and remember that as followers of the Yichudo Shel Olam, we can use our power of bechirah to become as holy as Avrohom Avinu ha’Ivri. Though his father was an av hatumah, Avrohom became an av hakedusha, the av hamon goyim, who taught about emunah and bitachon and spread holiness and morality to a world devoid of them.

We became a nation in the crucible of Mitzrayim, the most degenerate country with the most depraved population. Yet, because we cleaved to the Yichudo Shel Olam in such a hostile surrounding, we became a holy, moral, people.

Our world is full of temptations, but every period has its temptations and nisyonos. Millions couldn’t resist working on Shabbos, and it’s not for us to judge them; the temptation was very strong and very difficult to resist. Millions couldn’t resist eating in treife restaurants and then brought non-kosher food into their homes. Millions couldn’t resist the pull to acclimate their children to the wonderful free world. Yidden then watched as their offspring assimilated with the gentile culture and became lost to the Jewish people.

In hindsight and at a different time in history, we don’t understand the pull and why so many were taken in by it. Didn’t they know? Didn’t they see where it would lead? But then, in our time, we have difficulty resisting the temptations of today and some think that they are insurmountable.

“Zos chukas haTorah.” Do you want to succeed in Torah? Do you want to have a blessed life? “Odom ki yomus ba’ohel.” Kill all those urges, temptations, and enticements that the physical world presents.

“HaSoton v’umos ha’olam monin es Yisroel.” When the evil one and the nations extend a hand to you and seek to draw you to their way of life, don’t debate them, don’t get into conversations with them, and don’t try to explain to them why what we do is right. Know that the Torah is a Toras Emes, as relevant today as the day it was given.

Those who follow it are blessed and lead a blessed life. They live their lives the way the Creator intended life to be lived. They grow and prosper as members of a nation with a holy pedigree. They are honest, moral and good, and will merit the coming of Moshiach very soon.

A World of Lies

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Summer is rapidly approaching. It is a time when people seek to tune out from the regular daily rigors of life and chill instead. This week, some people pack their belongings into boxes and suitcases, trekking out to cooler, calmer zones for the next two months. They spend more time shmoozing, connecting with their friends, and toning everything down a few notches. Grilling, swimming, bike riding and peaceful walks occupy the day. Nirvana has arrived. All concerns have dissipated. Worries have dissolved.

I hate to be a killjoy, and I am really not anything of the sort, but even during these lazy months, there is something that we have to be wary of, something that never sleeps or naps, and that is the yeitzer hora. He’s always lurking at the edges, looking to get us into trouble, so while we laugh and play, it’s a good idea to remember to look out for him.

That’s it. I won’t belabor the point. But when we study this week’s parsha, which we do even in the country, we get a glimpse of what he is capable of and why, and as smart as we think we are, we have to be on the lookout for him.

We learn Parshas Korach, and like our predecessors, we wonder how the tragic episode came to be. How could one man, said to be a tzaddik and very smart, think that he could take on those who Hashem had obviously chosen to lead the Jewish people? Not only had he himself witnessed the miracles Moshe Rabbeinu had performed, but he also saw how, upon the Creator’s direction, Moshe led the people out of slavery in Mitzrayim, took care of their every need, and brought them the Luchos at Har Sinai.

How could he think that he would be successful in a revolution against Moshe and Aharon? And how was it that he gathered to his side 250 leaders of the nation? Something doesn’t add up.

In discussing the yeitzer hora, the Chovos Halevavos writes that his objective is “le’ameis hasheker,” to make what is false appear to be true. To accomplish that, he uses things that we encounter in our daily lives to prove to us that fiction is fact. Once he is able to convince us of that, he can easily influence us to go down the wrong path and sin.

The novi Yeshayahu (59:15) foretold that in the period leading up to the revelation of Moshiach, “vatehi ha’emes ne’ederes,” the truth will be missing.

We are living in that time. The yeitzer hora seems to have perfected his game. We are living in a time when the fiction is so pervasive that it is very difficult to discern truth from lies. When we look at what is going on in the world, we see lies taking hold on social, political, and financial levels.

When you think about where the world is holding and what has become of this country outside of our protected areas, you can’t believe the change that has overcome this country since the past presidential election. Immorality is the new moral. You and I are the strange ones. Our beliefs are condemned and may soon be illegal, if they aren’t already. In this publication, we don’t discuss these topics, but they are out there and they are becoming a bigger threat to our community by the day. The lies have taken hold and the country is rapidly descending.

When the Russian communists began publishing a newspaper and wanted the people to believe what it said, they called the publication Pravda, which is Russian for truth. Of course, there was no truth there. It was all lies. They were ahead of the times, as today, lots of what appears in the mainstream media is false and twisted to fit a political agenda.

It is accepted because we live in a world of lies.

There ought to be a law against lying to people throughout a campaign to con them into voting for you, but there isn’t, because lying is part of the system. Everyone lies, they say, so when one politician lies a little more and a little better than others, it is not that big an aveirah. And now that a new presidential election season is getting underway, the lies are on steroids.

Korach was smart, talented and learned, but his yeitzer hora ate away at him. Every time he saw a different one of his Levite cousins with a better job than his, the yeitzer hora ganged up on him and made him jealous and angry. The yeitzer hora caused him to view himself through conceit as more worthy for the positions. Eventually, the yeitzer hora used the jealousy and conceit he had cultivated in him to convince him that he could overthrow Moshe and Aharon.

Acting like a politician, Korach used his cunning to spin the people against Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon Hakohein. With classic demagoguery, he portrayed Moshe as heartless and cruel to the poor, forcing people to do silly things. With deceit and sleight of mouth, he was able to gather around him serious leaders of the Jewish people and present a serious challenge to Moshe’s leadership.

The power of the lie is so potent that not only the known troublemakers Doson and Avirom rallied to Korach’s side and joined his attempt to supplant Moshe and Aharon, but also people who should have known better, the 250 nesi’ei ha’eidah, were convinced to go against everything they had stood for until then and join the revolution to topple Moshe.

How can people be so foolish? How can people who saw how Hakadosh Boruch Hu redeemed the Jewish people from Mitzrayim through Moshe forget what they had seen and experienced? How could people who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai as Moshe alighted to Heaven and returned with the Luchos then go and turn their back on him?

So powerful and effective is the power of a lie.

That is why the yeitzer hora works “le’ameis hasheker,” because when that is accomplished, people lose themselves and fall for anything. He plants the lie, enables it take hold, and then misleads people into thinking that there is benefit for them in believing the new facts.

This is why Korach and his clan were heard shouting from their group burial site in the desert, “Moshe emes veSoraso emes.” They were admitting that their insurrection was based on lies. Moshe pursued the truth and was all about the truth. They were all about lies.

When truth is our goal and we remain loyal to it, even when that is unpopular and old-fashioned, we will succeed. The storm will blow over, and the sun of victory and righteousness will shine upon those who remain loyal to the causes of truth and Torah.

When we are on guard for the yeitzer hora and don’t fall for his enticements and inducements, we remain motivated by and for the truth. When truth is our motivation, we are spared from the fate of Korach and his followers and those who acted as they did throughout the ages.

People who get involved in petty fights and are quick to judge others without giving the matter much thought become enmeshed in battles with no positive objective. What is plainly obvious to everyone else escapes them. They become entwined in their pursuit of victory and fail to appreciate the virtue of their opponent, losing their objectivity. They stumble, they fall, and they go down to bitter defeat.

In a world of falsehood, we must endeavor to always find the truth and not be taken in by sweet talk, convincing arguments, appealing demagoguery, and clever marketing. The truth is not always comfortable or popular, but we must always pursue it if we wish to feel fulfilled and successful. Quick gains and phantom popularity are fleeting and have no staying power. Ultimately, the truth wins out and sustains those who cling to it. The ones who are convinced by cheap chanifah, glib promises, and dreams of quick easy money are those who lose out to cheats and frauds.

The urge to make money clouds people’s vision and allows them to see fiction as fact. When the numbers don’t exactly add up, even if the presentation is convincing and the person making it is charming and appreciates your great wisdom, don’t write the check. Don’t send the wire. Don’t be taken in like the followers of Korach. Make sure everything he’s saying is true.

Just because you see a good advertisement doesn’t mean the product is good and that you should buy it. The designer is appealing to your narcissistic senses and seeking to overwhelm you. Don’t let the yeitzer hora guide you. Before making a move, contemplate if it makes sense and what the truth is. If it’s not true, then it’s a lie, and if it’s a lie, it’s not for you.

When you’re sitting around in the colony and everyone is bashing someone, before jumping to conclusions, before thinking that you understand everything, know that there are usually two sides to a story. The one you heard first is not necessarily the correct one. Everything has to make sense. If it doesn’t, despite how many proponents that side has and no matter how prominent they are, don’t get involved.

Korach had great yichus and a fine reputation, but his judgment was clouded. He allowed the yeitzer hora to take hold, and before he knew it, he was overcome by jealousy and used his immense talents to pursue a fictitious cause and connive others to sink along with him. They went down with him and earned eternal shame and a tragic death.

Torah represents the ultimate truth, so if you find fault with it, you are lacking understanding.

Don’t fight the truth. Embrace it. Pursue it. Fight to understand it. And fight to be part of it.

The yeitzer hora is quite clever. He’s been at this for a very long time. Don’t fall for his tricks. Don’t let him paint for you false impressions. Don’t let him present you with false narratives. Don’t let him lead you to take part in a machlokes shelo lesheim Shomayim.

During the summer, when you are taking it easy, as well as during the winter, when you are hard at work, know that the yeitzer hora doesn’t take a vacation. He’s lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to twist your thinking, to provoke you to say the wrong thing and make the wrong move. He has a bridge to sell you and you don’t want to buy it.

When you need to make a decision, think about what your father would say, and what your mother would say, and make sure your intentions are pure and honest. Then say, “What would Hashem want me to do?”

If it’s not true, it’s not for you. If it’s a lie, tell it goodbye.

Have a great summer.

Ups and Downs

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Parshas Shelach opens with the tragic episode of the meraglim sent to investigate Eretz Yisroel. The mission, which was led by twelve great leaders, ended in disaster, with ten of the twelve reporting to the people that they were facing insurmountable difficulties and that it would be impossible for them to enter Eretz Yisroel. Feeling that they were doomed, the people were disconsolate and became angry at Hashem, Moshe and Aharon (Bamidbar 14:1-3) for leading them into a quagmire that would lead to their death. “Had we remained in Mitzrayim,” they cried, “we would have been better off” (ibid. 4).

We study the parsha and wonder how ten great men, chosen by Moshe Rabbeinu to scout out the land Hashem promised to the Jewish people, could have made such a terrible error. We question what caused them to be so wrong and how were they able to convince the nation that their dream of entering the Promised Land was doomed.

How was it that the people who experienced Yetzias Mitzrayim and Krias Yam Suf lost their faith? The same people who recently recovered from the tragedy of the Eigel, and who complained about the monn and were plagued by the slov in last week’s parsha, doubted the ability of Hashem to fulfill His promises.

How are we to understand that?

The first Rashi in the parsha holds a key to the explanation. Quoting from Medrash Tanchuma, Rashi explains that the parsha of the meraglim follows the parsha of Miriam because Miriam was punished for the way she spoke about her brother, Moshe, and the meraglim did not learn lessons from her experience.

The common explanation of this is that witnessing the consequences of Miriam’s lashon hora should have deterred the meraglim from speaking lashon hora on the Land of Israel. I’d like to offer a different explanation of why Parshas Shelach follows Parshas Behaaloscha.

Miriam criticized her brother, Moshe, and said to Aharon, “Halo gam bonu diber Hashem. Why does Moshe think he is superior to us? Hashem spoke to us as well, not only to him.” She erred in thinking that she had reached the pinnacle of human achievement, as Hashem had spoken directly to her. She didn’t realize that no matter how great a person is, they must always reach higher. We must always seek to grow and reach a greater level of holiness and purity. Moshe knew that and thus raised himself to the higher level. The others did not.

This idea is seen again in the past parsha of Behaaloscha. The people who were tomei and unable to participate in the korban pesach complained to Moshe about their exclusion from the mitzvah. Their distress is understandable, but what did they think that complaining to Moshe could accomplish? The halacha that someone who is tomei cannot participate in the bringing of korbanos is explicit. Perhaps they should have accepted their fate and forgone the ability to bring a korban pesach.

We see from here that a person should never allow his understanding to interfere with his desire to grow and improve in Torah and the performance of mitzvos. Although there was no apparent way for them to be able to bring a korban pesach, they appealed to Moshe anyway. They said, “While it may be obvious that we have to be excluded due to our impurity, we are making our hishtadlus to do the mitzvah and have faith that Hashem will discern our sincerity and find a way to make it happen.” And indeed, their wish was granted.

We see that people should never complacently accept their situation and be satisfied with the  level they have achieved. We must always aim for more and be ambitious in our pursuit of fulfilling Hashem’s command. Even if by rules of logic the way we understand them there is no way for us to perform the obligation, we must seek to do the maximum.

The meraglim were sent to scout out the land that had been promised to the Jewish people centuries earlier. Since the days of the avos, Hashem had been telling them that this blessed land would be inhabited by the Jewish people. Throughout their bitter lives as slaves in Mitzrayim, they dreamed of the fulfillment of Hashem’s promise that He would remove the Jews from the land of their oppressors and bring them to the Holy Land.

When they were redeemed from slavery and miraculously left Mitzrayim, they were told all along that they were on their way to Eretz Yisroel, the land that had been promised to the avos. Many of the laws that are included in the Torah, which was given to them on their way to Eretz Yisroel, are only relevant in that Promised Land.

Here they were, on the cusp of entering the coveted land, and the meraglim decided that it was a no-go. It wouldn’t work. The Jewish people would not be able to live there.

If the meraglim would have been conscious about their prime obligation in life to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu and to grow in kedusha, they would not have seen the land in a way that led them to conclude that the Jewish people would not be able to enter there.

As they toured the country, had they been thinking about how blessed they were to be able to follow in the footsteps of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, how could they not have been overjoyed just to be there? How could they have found fault with the land that Hashem promised flows with milk and honey? If their motivation in life was to grow in mitzvos, how could they have found fault with the land in which many of the mitzvos of the Torah can only be performed there?

Apparently, the nesi’im, as leaders of their tribes, felt that they had reached the peak of their careers and there was no higher designation they could attain. Had their motivation in life been seeking improvement in the observance of mitzvos, they would have been overjoyed with the prospect of the opportunity to observe the mitzvos of terumah and maaser, for it would lead them to higher levels of avodah and kedusha. They didn’t learn the lesson from Miriam’s error and didn’t seek to attain higher levels than they already reached.

They didn’t learn from the impure people who sought to be included in the korban pesach and seek added obligations, even though according to their understanding of the halachos there was no way they could bring the korban. Had the nesi’im learned from them, they would have sought to go beyond their understanding of the situation. They would have changed their perspective and sought guidance from others to better comprehend the situation. With their limited vision and jaundiced appraisal, it appeared to them that the Jewish people would not be able to defeat their enemies, but they had an obligation to do hishtadlus and have faith that Hashem would keep His word and not leave His people to die in the desert or die in battling the occupiers of the land He had promised to give them.

The nesi’im also made the error of presuming how they were viewed by the inhabitants of the land they were scouting. They reported back to the Bnei Yisroel (ibid. 13:33), “In their eyes, we were like grasshoppers.” As bnei Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, recipients of the Torah and Hashem’s chosen people, we don’t pay attention to how we are perceived by the nations of the world if it will cause us to falter in obeying the word of Hashem. If Hashem has told us that He will lead us to this land, why do we care about how the people currently there view us?

They were standing at a crossroads. On one side, they had the promises of Hashem, made repeatedly over many years, that the Jews would inherit the Land of Israel and prosper there. On the other side, they feared that the nations presently in the country would not let them in. This, coupled with their uncertainty as to what their positions would be in the new country, led them to fear the change and seek to malign it.

When we fear change, when we see things that cause us to panic over what the future has in store for us, we must not lose our Torah perspective and faith in the goodness of Hashem.

We must never lose our faith.

When things occur that we don’t understand, we have to know that there is a higher purpose for all that transpires in this world and that nothing happens by itself. Hakadosh Boruch Hu tests us from time to time, and those who remain loyal and faithful are rewarded, while those who lose faith face the consequence of ruination. When faced with a challenge, sometimes what we need to do is examine our prejudices and influences that lead us to think that we are in a hopeless situation.

Torah study, coupled with emunah and bitachon, helps us maintain a positive disposition and a positive outlook on all that befalls us, preventing us from sinking into depression and thinking that we are in a hopeless situation. Positivity not only reduces stress and dispels sadness, it also helps a person escape negative situations. When you maintain your faith, you retain your equilibrium and don’t become so overwhelmed by fear, grief and panic that you are unable to think straight and extricate yourself from a difficult circumstance.

Yehoshua and Koleiv pointed the way for Am Yisroel. They didn’t pay attention to the nations. They didn’t let their emotions guide them. They didn’t forget Hashem’s promises. Wherever they went, they saw potential for kedusha, for gadlus, and for more mitzvos. They perceived that every step they took as they were fulfilling their shlichus in the eretz ha’avos was a mitzvah. Thus, they retained their greatness and merited to enter the Holy Land along with the next generation of the Bnei Yisroel, who had not become despondent and dejected after hearing the frightful report of the meraglim.

A story is told about a water carrier. A famous tzaddik came to town and met an old man weighed down by pails full of water on each shoulder, with a very sad look on his face. The rov went over to the man and asked about his welfare. The water carrier told the rov his tale of woe, explaining that he had no money and had to work hard despite his advanced age. The tzaddik blessed the man and went about his business.

The townspeople waited to see if the water carrier’s situation would change. Alas, it did not. Every day, he would trudge about, carrying water to people and getting paid pennies for his intense labor.

Several months later, the tzaddik was back in town, and again he met the water carrier. He went over to him and asked him how he was doing. The man’s face lit up. “Boruch Hashem, I am able to support myself, even at my age. How blessed I am to have a source of income and the strength to carry the water pails.”

Word quickly spread through the town and the tzaddik’s reputation remained intact after all. His brocha actually worked. He had blessed the man to have a positive outlook and find happiness in all he does.

Positivity breeds confidence in the present and the future. People who go through catastrophic experiences and maintain their faith and positive outlook are able to rebuild and regenerate what they lost. People who lose their faith become negative and are unable to resuscitate themselves. They become embittered and unproductive, unable to overcome the catastrophe that befell them. Our nation has known great tragedy throughout the ages, enough to destroy any other people, but we have persevered.

When all was dark and the future seemed bleak, we kept our faith and belief in a better day to come. We rebuilt from destruction. We are people of faith. We have ideals and we have spirit. We have a fabled past and a glorious future. We learn from the past as we look forward to the promised future, as we confront the challenges of the present.

We all go through ups and downs. That’s what life is all about. We all have challenges that we must deal with and overcome. We must remember that we can overcome them, we can succeed, and there is never reason to give up. If we maintain our faith in Hashem, if we study sifrei mussar, if we have a positive attitude, then we will succeed.

The parsha of the week provides us with stimulation and perspective. Every week, there are positive messages and lessons to guide, inspire and energize us. Pirkei Avos reinforces those lessons. Let us take advantage of the leisurely summer season about to begin and the longer Shabbosos to study the weekly parsha and perek and better our lives.

The Torah Revolution

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

This week, the Torah world celebrated a historic milestone. At a time when everything that happens in our world is described with the adjective “historic,” on Sunday night we witnessed and participated in a historic manifestation of the greatness, vitality and permanence of Am Yisroel.

Twenty-five thousand may not sound like a lot to the younger people of our society, but to those who lived through the Holocaust, or were born in DP camps after the war, or grew up in America during and following the war years, 25,000 bnei Torah gathering to honor the study of Torah is nothing short of phenomenal.

It wasn’t that long ago that people thought that Torah Yiddishkeit was dead. There were few yeshivos. Both of my parents, who were children of rabbonim, went to public school. Many of their friends and the people they went to shul with were not shomer Shabbos. There were no alternatives outside of New York. Millions of Jews were killed and millions were lost to assimilation. Orthodoxy was unpopular and frum people were small in number. Not only in this country, but in Eretz Yisroel as well. The gedolim who gave birth to the resurgence of the Torah community, such as the Chazon Ish and the Brisker Rov, had a miniscule number of talmidim. The few yeshivos that existed had a few hundred students all together. Yet, it was from these small groups that the burgeoning Torah community emerged.

It is a cliché, but it is true anyway, that in America, there were few homegrown talmidei chachomim and even fewer who remained in learning. Frum bochurim who obtained semicha and went into the rabbinate chose to lead Conservative and so-called traditional synagogues, because that’s where the future was. There was no future in Orthodoxy.

When my grandfather sent my father to New York to learn in Torah Vodaas following his bar mitzvah, the entire town mocked him and derided him for condemning his son to become a shnorrer and a loser. Who went to yeshiva? Continuing in public school for high school was the path everyone else in town chose, followed by college, for without a proper education, they felt that they could not be proper citizens and ever be able to earn a living. That entire generation was lost.

Kollel was unheard of in those days. It didn’t exist outside of Bais Medrash Elyon in Monsey, where my father continued after Torah Vodaas, and Bais Medrash Govoah, Rav Aharon Kotler’s fledgling yeshiva in Lakewood. By today’s measure, those institutions were tiny, but they spawned a revolution and the world we live in today.

As our communities are bursting at the seams, and as housing and places in schools are hard to come by, we take it all for granted, as we do the variety of available kosher food. Back in the day, cholov Yisroel was unavailable and glatt kosher meat was reserved for scrupulous medakdekim. Today, we walk into huge supermarkets where everything is kosher, the meat is all glatt, and the dairy products are all cholov Yisroel.

For the people who grew up in the years of struggle, when everything about being a Torah Jew required much mesirus nefesh, the Adirei HaTorah event this past Sunday night was a historic celebration of the resurgence of Torah, the vindication of those lonely years of struggle, and a proclamation that the Torah and its people are eternal.

There was an event last year as well, so this year’s was not the first, but the fact that it wasn’t a one-time shot shows the permanence of the revolution and its hold until Moshiach comes to bring us all home.

It was the largest event produced by and for bnei Torah anywhere. We no longer need to be lectured by educated professional outsiders on what is good for us and what we should be doing. We know, and now the world knows, that bnei Torah are at least as capable and qualified as those who have chosen other paths. The days of being mocked and vilified, the days of being looked at as shleppers and lo yutzlachs, are gone. This week, and since last year’s event, every ben Torah has an extra bounce in his step and every yungerman feels more appreciated than ever before. The argument is over. Long live the revolution.

Stadiums are arenas where winners and losers gather, but Sunday night it was different. All the attendees were winners. There was a pervasive energy in the room, a combination of ruchniyus and nitzchiyus, of haromas keren haTorah velomdeha vesomcheha. The spirit that guides and maintains us was tangible in the room. Nothing but Torah was mentioned, nothing but Torah was celebrated, and nothing but Torah mattered.

The speakers were there for their gadlus baTorah and not for any other reason. They are celebrated for their greatness in Torah and dedicating their lives to continuing the revolution Rav Aharon started.

Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, the Bais Medrash Govoah rosh yeshiva under whose leadership the yeshiva experienced its tremendous growth along the trajectory that began under his father, Rav Shneur, set the tone of the event with his sparkling message of the life-giving qualities of Torah. What was left unsaid, but not unfelt, was that he is third in line playing a leadership role in the transformation of the world of Torah. The revolution that his grandfather began and laid the foundations for took off under his father, and under him it has blossomed to qualitative and quantitative heights unprecedented in our history.

There were two special guests from Eretz Yisroel on the dais, both men in their nineties, gedolim in Torah and harbotzas Torah, who were set upon their trajectory to greatness in their young years when they fell under the spell of the Chazon Ish.

Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, under difficult circumstances, addressed the gathering. He is famed for his gaonus in Torah and renowned as the son-in-law of Maran Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach. Watching him speaking and delivering his message was a lesson unto itself, as he epitomized all that he spoke of, a giant in Torah who dedicates his life to learning Torah. His words were poetic, as he discussed how a person who learns Torah becomes a yedid Hashem, as does his wife, who makes it possible.

He spoke without pretention, with heart and humility. These qualities were most evident when, while addressing the large crowd and those listening at home, he switched from the language he is most comfortable in, Yiddish, to English. He struggled as he explained that he wanted those who are suffering to know that he cared, and that others care, about the single girls who wait to find their zivugim. He wanted to be clear and he wanted them to know that their situation is important to him, as he offered words of hope and the idea that they should recite Birkas Hamazon by reading it, instead of by heart.

The older people in the crowd closed their eyes and imagined what the world was like as they were growing up, while the younger people were pumped with pride as they glanced around the stadium, taking it all in and letting it sink in that they are part of something great.

The music blasted throughout the stadium and the crowd danced in joyful ecstasy, celebrating the present and the eternal, as well as the words of Abaye and Rava, Rashi, the Rashba, and the Ramban. They live their lives according to the Mesillas Yeshorim and the Mishnah Berurah, and demonstrated their happiness that they were born at this time, in this age, when a gathering such as this, and yeshivos such as Bais Medrash Govoah, are possible.

Contrast that celebration with the secular world, where truth does not seem to be important. Arrogance and blind ambition are the prime motivators. A lust for power emanates from the faces of leaders. It is hard to believe anyone in the public sphere.

Especially now, as the election season gets underway, we see politicians and business leaders practice the art of rhetoric. Everything that is spoken is skin deep, at most. There is no attempt to really understand an issue and analyze solutions. Everyone is looking to create the great sound-bite or tweet or pithy comment that can go viral. It’s all about the momentary fleeting pop and rush that come with it.

So much of life in the big world out there is about talk. It’s not about explanations or answers, firm positions or the truth, just about making impressions and trying to convince people that they are something which they are not.

Accomplishment, decency, experience and reliability matter little. It’s about style and spin. The people are as superficial as their leaders and don’t seem to care about much.

Torah must continue to be our guide. We need to banish those who rise to positions of influence through rhetoric and sound-bites, and strengthen those with real ideas and genuine accomplishments. We have to be intelligent enough to judge people by what they do, not by what they say they will do.

We are to be committed to a life of Torah, probing the depth of pesukim and dissecting the words of the Gemara, Rishonim, Acharonim and baalei machshovah, and becoming better people, with depth and greatness. Talmidei chachomim are not about empty words and cute sound-bites. They are real. The more we cleave to them and learn from them, the more immune we become to the falsity and vacuousness of the world.

In Parshas Beha’aloscha, which we shall read this week outside of Eretz Yisroel, the posuk (11:1) describes the sin of the misonenim: “Vayehi ha’am kemisonenim ra be’einei Hashem - The people were misonenim and Hashem was angered and caused a fire to burn that devoured the edges of the camp.”

Rashi explains that the word misonenim means excuse. The people were looking for an excuse to depart from the way of Hashem. They complained that they were traveling for three days straight and it was too difficult for them. “Vayichar apo,” Hashem became angry, because the trek was for their ultimate good, so that they would enter Eretz Yisroel quicker.

The people cried out to Moshe, who davened on their behalf to Hashem, and the fire sank into the ground.

Immediately thereafter, the posuk relates that the asafsuf (the eirev rav - Rashi), followed by the Bnei Yisroel, began bemoaning the lack of meat for them to eat. Rashi points out that they had left Mitzrayim with plenty of sheep and cattle, but they were once again searching for something to complain about. The facts didn’t matter.

They complained about the monn that fell every day to sustain them in the desert and spoke about the free fish the Mitzriyim fed them when they were slaves. Instead of being thankful for their freedom and bounty, they grumbled.

Shortly thereafter, the Torah tells of Eldod and Meidod, who prophesized in their tent regarding Moshe. A young man heard them and became upset with what they were saying. He rushed to Moshe to inform on them. Upon hearing their prophecy, Yehoshua advised Moshe to lock them up and force them to desist from prophesying. Moshe refused, admonishing his assistant not to be zealous on his behalf. He declared, “If only the whole nation could be prophets!”

Moshe learned the lesson of the misonenim and the asafsuf, and although he couldn’t have been happy with the subject of Eldod’s and Meidod’s prophecy, he wouldn’t lock them up. He only wished that more of the Jewish people would be worthy of prophecy. He saw the entirety of the situation and prayed for more holiness in his camp, ignoring any personal, selfish desires.

As we celebrate the Adirei HaTorah event and learn the parsha, we need to say: Enough of complaining, grumbling, and seeking to find fault. Enough of cynicism, pessimism, and negativity. Let us commemorate how far we have come, how much better off this generation is than the ones that came before it, and recognize the visionaries and philanthropists who made it possible.

The parsha concludes with the story of Miriam and Aharon speaking disparagingly of Moshe. Hashem admonished them, “Lomah lo yireisem ledaber b’avdi b’Moshe? Why did you seek to find fault in My eved, Moshe? You know that he is the leader of the people. You know that I speak to him regularly. You know of his greatness. Yet, instead of praising him, you mock him.”

The parsha opens with the commandment to Aharon to light the neiros of the menorah in the Mishkon. The lights were not for Hashem’s benefit, but rather for ours. The ability to achieve perfection in middos and to be people of substance, who examine an entire issue and seek to separate the bad from the good and support the good, is caused by the light of the neiros of the menorah. Those who are worthy see with that light, ki ner mitzvah v’Torah ohr, living lives of greatness.

That is the depth of the promise made to Aharon when he was upset that he had no role in the chanukas hanesi’im. Hashem told him, “Shelecha gedolah mishelohem,” meaning that his act of lighting the menorah will live on for eternity, while that of the nesi’im would not (see Ramban ad loc.). The nesi’im’s act was a one-timer. Aharon’s avodah set into motion an avodah that can be performed very day, for eternity.

The light that Aharon lit in the Mishkon is found in our day as well. Those who dedicate themselves to Torah can raise themselves and not only see and benefit from the light of Torah, but also help light it and keep it lit.

Our world is aflame, illuminated by Torah and the lomdei and tomchei Torah. Let us do what we can, each in our own way, to keep that torch lit for our own benefit and for the benefit of our families, our communities, and the world.

The Mishnah in Maseches Rosh Hashanah describes how bais din would let all of Eretz Yisroel and those in the golah (exile) at that time know that the new month had been proclaimed. They would light a torch on one mountain and people on the next mountain would see the flame lit. Those people would then light a torch on that mountain and so on, until the entire exile was lit up “kemahaduras aish, like a huge fire.”

We do the same in our day, the great yeshiva in Lakewood, founded by Rav Aharon, keeping his torch lit. Many other yeshivos in Lakewood and the New York area are lit by that light, and in yeshivos across the country, lomdei and chovevei Torah dedicate their lives to Torah, lighting torches of kedusha.

May the golah that Rav Chaim Volozhiner foretold would be the final outpost before Moshiach’s arrival be aflame with Torah in communities small and large across the fruited plane, raising our lives and the lives of those among us, until all of Klal Yisroel is appreciating and learning Torah, preparing the world for Moshiach’s arrival.

Remebering Rav Gershon Edelstein zt’’l

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

I can’t say that I was especially close to Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, but during the past several years, I would visit his home when I was in Bnei Brak. Originally, there was no waiting line and it was easy to get in to speak with a giant of his magnitude. As great as he was, that is how humble he was. He made an impression as the epitome of humility, a level he reached no doubt from decades of learning mussar and yegiah in Torah. He always spoke softly and measured each word that came out of his mouth. There was never an extra utterance. Each word was laden with meaning and gadlus.

Rav Gershon reminded me of my grandfather, Rav Leizer Levin, a Kelmer talmid through and through. Always calm, Rav Gershon’s room was the epitome of orderliness. He was kind, gracious, brilliant, and clearly a person who was molded by Torah. Since his youngest years, his only interests in life were learning Torah and teaching talmidim. It is said that when he was offered a candy as a young child, he refused it. “I get all the sweetness I need from Torah,” he remarked. For the past eighty years, he worked on developing and molding generations of talmidim through teaching them, learning with them, and loving them.

When I’d go to his home, I’d notice a small black-and-white picture of the Chazon Ish hanging on the wall. I would look at it and study it. One time, I noticed that under the picture were the words “HaChazon Ish shlit”a,” and I realized that the picture had been hanging on that wall for some seventy years. Rav Gershon hung up that picture when the Chazon Ish was still alive. For seven decades, that picture hung there. The same picture, on the same wall, in the same room. Nothing had changed.

And that was Rav Gershon. Nothing ever changed. His seder in life was such that every day, he would daven at the same time and learn at the same time. Everything he did was the same. He never changed. He lived for the past seventy years as if the Chazon Ish, the Ponovezher Rov, Rav Eliyohu Eliezer Dessler and his other rabbeim were there with him.

That picture hung on the wall, proclaiming quietly to the world the greatness of the giant who lived there: “Lehagid shevacho shelo shinah. In this home lives a gadol baTorah who hasn’t changed, hasn’t been affected by the world outside, is not temped by any allures, and seeks no fame or physical pleasures. Only Torah.”

So grows a gadol. So grows a leader of Klal Yisroel. So grows a man Klal Yisroel can turn to as a teacher, leader and guide.

Yehi zichro boruch. Mi yitein lonu temuraso?

One Heart, One Destination

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

As I write this, I am sitting on an airplane, flying to Eretz Yisroel to spend the Yom Tov of Matan Torah in Tzion: “ki mitzion teitzei Torah.”

It is now 1:30 a.m. and the end of a long day. I was tired until I got on the plane and began to silently thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu for enabling me to make this trip. My great-grandfather and his family in Lita were left with very little after the First World War, writing letters to people he knew, literally begging them to help him get to Eretz Yisroel. It never happened. He remained in Lita, dreaming of the day.

And here I am, his great-grandson, who boruch Hashem has never known the privation of pre-war Lita. I was born in freedom he never dreamed of and live in a land of plenty. I never take it for granted, as I enjoy its benefits. Our people have been blessed with a gift from Hashem in the merit of our forefathers and their devotion to Him. They had very little, and their lives were tough, but their lack of physical pleasures did nothing to temper their delight in spiritual pursuits and faith in Hashem.

Here I am, on a new $300 million airplane that is bringing me to the land our people davened to return to for thousands of years. I shake off my tiredness as I realize that in ten hours, I will be stepping out into the country Hashem promised us.

As I am having these thoughts, several babies begin to cry quite loudly. Who can blame them? They have no idea where they are headed, nor how blessed they are to be living in this time and to have the zechus to breathe in the avira d’ara d’Eretz Yisroel.

To drown out the noise, I put on my earphones and begin listening to music by Naftoli Kempeh. Without any prodding, my head dances to the words, “Shearecha anu dochfin ki atah rav selichos ubaal harachamim.” The music jumps. “Shaarei shomayom p’sach v’otzarcha hatov lonu tiftach.”

I could listen to those words all night.

Hashem, please open Your gates to us.

We are small, but You are kind, forgiving and merciful. Please replenish us from your plentiful warehouses.

The tune is captivating and takes me over. I feel the graciousness of Hashem as that music pulses in my head.

Hashem, please help us. Give us what we need. Allow us to connect to You. Shavuos is upon us, and on the day that the Torah was given to us, we are given the ability to receive it all over again.

I open Rav Elimelech Biderman’s Shavuos pamphlet that my brother handed to me as I left for the airport and begin reading.

I read the Chasam Sofer’s statement that on Pesach we commemorate something that took place in the past, as we say, “Zeicher l’Yetzias Mitzrayim.” Sukkos, as well, is a celebration of something from the past, as the posuk states, “Lemaan yeidu doroseichem ki basukkos hoshavti es Bnei Yisroel, so that your future generations shall know that Hashem fashioned for us sukkos when He took us out of Mitzrayim.” Shavuos, however, is different. On Shavuos, we celebrate something that is happening now. Today is the day of Matan Torah, back then at Har Sinai and now, wherever we are.

What a beautiful thought. On Shavuos, we can all receive the Torah just like when it was initially delivered to us on Har Sinai.

I start thinking about how great it is that we are given a new start, a jumpstart in Torah. And then I hear Kempeh again strumming his guitar, singing, “Chamol al maasecha.” Hashem have mercy on your creation. Be happy with them. And let them say to You, “Betzadekcha amusecha. Make us all holy, the pride of creation…”

If we apply ourselves, He will shine His mercy upon us and help us rise, like a grandfather lovingly takes the hand of his young ainikel and walks with him up a flight of steps, talking to him softly, encouraging him, teaching and guiding him.

“Chamol al ma’asecha.” Hashem, my hand is outstretched. Please, grasp it and help me climb so that I can be a pe’er m’kedoshim.

As I begin getting lost in my thoughts on preparing for the great day of Matan Torah, I hear the joyous, hopeful words, “Vahaviyosim el har kodshi vesimachtim bevais tefillosi.” A happy tune begins playing. Hashem will bring us to His home and we will be able to bring korbanos and be joyous in the presence of the kedusha. I feel like getting up and dancing in the aisle. How blessed I am, how blessed we all are, as we wait for that great day.

“Tishalu oti mi ani, al mah ani choshev gam bayom vegam balaylah, ani Yehudi ani agid lachem. Ani choshev al Yerushalayim ihr hakodesh ani cholem al haMoshiach sheyavo.” I’m drifting off to sleep and my earpiece sings into my ear. Ask me what I’m thinking about. I’ll answer you that I’m thinking about the holy city of Yerushalayim and I’m dreaming of Moshiach.

As I drift between being awake and asleep, he took the words right out of my head.

I dream of Moshiach taking us out of golus and bringing us all to Yerushalayim and the Promised Land. It will happen one day soon. Let that be today.

I wake up from my dream. Moshiach has not yet come, but I’m preparing to land in the country our people have yearned to live in for centuries. I’ll get into a taxi, and before I know it, I’ll be in Yerushalayim for the regel of Shavuos.

Millions of Jews would flock to Yerushalayim for Yom Tov. They would travel by foot and by donkey for days, celebrating together. They’d come laden with bikkurim and maaser sheini, and with money with which to buy korbanos and provisions for their families.

Today, we don’t have the Bais Hamikdosh and nobody is coming to Yerushalayim to bring korbanos and bikkurim. But as I wait for my luggage, passengers of another El Al flight join us. Then people come from a United flight and also from an American flight, all from the New York area, Yidden gathering at the carousels, a mini ingathering of the exiles, albeit for a few days.

At great expense and forsaking many comforts, they flew to experience that feeling as best as we can in our days.

The Shechinah hovers in the botei knesses and botei medrash, but being on Shavuos at the Kosel, the location from which the Shechinah has never departed, is being in a different world.

Thousands stream from all across Yerushalayim, young and old, bochurim and zekeinim, black hats and white knitted yarmulkas side by side. Waves of people, one after another, pulsing from different directions, joining together ke’ish echod, like on that fateful day 3,335 years ago. Some sing loudly and others hum tunes and holy words to themselves, several bodies but one heart with the same goal and destination.

For many years, I would be part of that throng and there was nothing like it. Now, however, that my feet don’t allow me that pleasure, I watch how the streets fill with people, foot traffic streaming to the closest place to holiness that exists, and I am comforted as I see the crowds grow. Hour after hour, through the night and the day, the traffic continues, thousands of people marching to kedusha.

They all ask Hashem as they go, “Shavoseinu kabeil ushema tzaakoseinu yodeia taalumos. L’amcha pnei zochrei kedushosecha. Hashem, hear and accept our tefillos.”

Yom Tov is very special. I visit my rabbeim, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik and Rav Dovid Cohen, and hear divrei chochmah and Torah that I wouldn’t hear anywhere else. I leave their homes infused, recharged and reminded of who am I and why I’m here; who we are as Jews and what we need to be doing. Life is rough. Klal Yisroel is in a tough position. What we do affects everyone. 

The plague of anti-Semitism is gaining acceptance and spreading again, and our spokesmen and publications speak with bravado about what we should be doing to respond, forgetting that we are in golus. They forget our place and how our people have dealt with the hatred throughout the ages.

Rav Dovid Cohen comments that Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman would often quote the words of admonition that Yaakov spoke to the brothers as they went down to Mitzrayim to seek food as Eretz Canaan hungered. He told them, “Lomo tisrau?” admonishing them not to make themselves conspicuous when they are in a land not their own. This warning is relevant for all Jews in golus, including us.

And while those spokesmen become concerned about anti-Semitic words and acts, they fail to pay attention to what Iran is doing and how they are advancing their nuclear program, strengthening their allies and surrogate states that surround Israel. Iran presents a very clear and present danger to Israel in particular and the world in general.

In Israel, it is brother vs. brother, as the left seeks to destroy the right and the religious citizens, removing vestiges of Torah and halacha from the country. The hatred that descended to the world at Sinai is prevalent not only among Christians and Muslims, but also among our very own brothers.

Many of our senior leaders are sick and weak. We cry out on their behalf, asking that they be granted recovery and strength, as we mourn the vacuum that has been created over the past couple of years.

A pessimist has much reason to worry, but we need to remember that nothing in the world happens for the reasons teva ascribes to them. They happen and are happening because Hashem wills it so and directed them to take place to achieve a greater purpose. More often than not, we do not know the reasons why. It is usually only with the benefit of hindsight that we get a glimpse of the jigsaw puzzle that is life and the world.

I’m back on the plane four nights later. The babies start crying. I put my earphones back on and the tune “Becha botchu avoseinu botchu vatefalteimo” begins playing. Our grandparents placed their faith and trust in Hashem and were rewarded with redemption.

We are a people like none other. We have survived every imaginable tragedy and catastrophe. And now, once again, we ask Avinu Malkeinu to hear our tefillos and grant us salvation from that which plagues us personally in our daily lives and communally, balancing our existence in golus. Heal the elderly gedolei Yisroel who aren’t well so that they can lead us to greatness in Torah and avodah and Moshiach Tzidkeinu bemeheirah beyomeinu. Amein.