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MO)l2003 VOlUMEXXXVl/rjO. 5

Sivan 5763 • May 2003 U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 ·VOL XXXVI/NO. 5

We join Kial Yisroel in mourning the loss of two Gedoli1n on Sunday, May 18/16 Iyar.

Hagaon Rabbi Michel Feinstein 'r:n Rosh Hayeshiva Yeshivas Beis Yehuda, was niftarin Bnei Brak, at age 96. A gaon and tzaddik of stature associated with earlier generations, he had been an exemplary talmid ofSlutsk, Kletzk, Mir and Brisk. He taught Torah on an advanced level in America and then, from 1952 until the present, in Eretz Yisroel. Reb Michel, as of late, delivered some eighteen shiurim weekly to differ-ent groups of kollel fellows. His legacy includes over 40 volumes of chid-dushim on Churnash and an about-to-be published Sefer Chai Davar on Seder Taharos. He leaves behind a bereaved family and an impov-erished generation.

Haga on Rabbi Tuvia Goldstein '::>":n, Rosh Hayeshiva of Emek Halacha in Baro Park, Brooklyn, was niftar at age 86. A talmid of Baranovitch, Kan1enitz and Mir, he absorbed the derech (outlook and methodolo-gy) of their Roshei Yeshiva, especially the Gaonin1, Rabbi Boru ch Ber Lei-bowitz and Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman. After spending the war years in Siberia, he came to America where he developed a close relationship \Vith Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He said shiurim in Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yaakov Yosef for many years, and then, eventually founded his own yeshiva.

Classic poseik, respected lamdan, teacher to generations of talmidim, he leaves a void that cannot be filled.

FAClNG THE CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ISRAEL

4 6

10

IS 17

A Spiritual Perspective, Rabbi Nissan Wolpin

Economic Assault on the Torah Superstructure, Rabbi Moshe Schapiro

Teaching Churban Europa to our Children, Rabbi Yaakov Feitman

Survivors, Debby Friedman

Shavuos and the Megi/la of Chessed, Rabbi Ahron Rapps

Focus ON TEFILLA

2 I Chazoras HaShatz - When the Chazan Repeats the Shemoneh Esrei:An Invaluable Opportunity,

Rabbi Moshe Hafberstadt

26 Torah in Germany? Rabbi Moshe M. Eisemann 28 Something to Think About,

Rabbi Yisroef Rutman

READER'S FORUM

3 2 Terrorism, Sugar Cubes ..• and Sharing the Pain

BOOKS-lN-REVlEW

3 8 A Torah Perspective for Our Challenging Times, by Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss, reviewed by Rabbi Labish Becker

40 Letters-to-the-Editor

FACING IHE CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ISRAEL

It is almost a cliche, but it must be said anyway: We are living through extraordinary times. On

just about every front, the Jews in Eretz Yisroel are beset with crises: In the area of diplomacy- yes, one does endeavor to make peace with adver-saries, but after Oslo and Camp David, followed by vicious attacks of terror and suicide bombings, is there any basis to trusting Arab declara-tions, agreements and assurances, or political roadmaps proposed by "dis-interested" world powers?

Yes, the workforce in Israel is intelligent, sophisticated, and reliable . . . but tourism is moribund, the economy is ailing, unemployment is at an all-time high, and the shekel is near its all-time low.

As for security, the army is well-equipped, vigilantly on the guard, quick to retaliate with precision. But it is made up primarily of reservists - their stamina is not limitless.

What can keep us going? According to Prime Minister

Sharon, in a speech he delivered on Martyrs' Memorial Day, one of the les-sons of Holocaust is that "security and peace can only be achieved for the

Jews through strength."

The Holocaust as a point of reference for this admonition is, of course, ridiculous. Was Jewish military strength, or lack thereof, a factor in

• We have an overriding obligation to avoid the pitfall of taking credit for our successes ...

• the annihilation of six million Jews?

Germany was defeated by the com-bined strength of the Allied powers -America, the USSR and Great Britain - after some five years of desperate, relentless struggle, painfully costly in lives, exorbitantly expensive in dollars. Could any degree of strength had made a difference to the Jews of Europe, reducing their loss of lives at the hands of the Germans?

Apply this meaningless message to our current situation, and one won-ders how we are to find guidance in Sharon's words. We certainly owe a boundless debt of gratitude to the members of Tzahal for risking life and limb to protect us over the decades. But is it anything less than a miracle

Nisson Wolpin

that the yishuv in Eretz Yisroel con-tinues to survive, surrounded as it is by a hundred million hostile, hate-filled enemies? Shouldn't we focus on the source of this miracle and rein-force it, if feasible, instead of glory-ing in our military strength?

THE RUCHNIYUS FACTOR

Thirty years ago, after the outbreak of the Yorn Kippur War (Sep-tember '73), Rabbi Moshe Fein-

steiu ?"lit addressed the national con-vention of Agudath Israel of America. He emphasized:

"Especially in this era of Ikvasa diMoshicha, when we are on the very threshold ofMoshiach 's arriva~ we have an overriding obligation to avoid the pitfall of taking credit for our success-es, attributing them to 'kochi ve'otzem yadi - my might and my power.' The final Mishna in Sota describes this era as a time when the honor of Torah will suffer, many economic and material problems will beset us, the young will not respect elders, and there will be no one to rely upon except our Father in Heaven. That is, after suffering mate-rial and spiritual deprivation, we will come to realize that all the underpin-nings that appear to support our many endeavors- ranging from basic human decency and the reliability of govern-ments, to general sobriety and the sol-vency of the national currency - these will prove to be totally unreliable, simply worthless.

"So, then, on wlwm can we depend? We can only rely onAvinu she'ba'Shamayim-

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

our heavenly Fa/her. "All the suffering we endure is

designed to bring us to this ultimate realization, and the sooner we fathom it, the sooner will we be spared further suffering. On the other hand, if we do not grasp this concept, Hashem may well find it necessary to repeat the mes-sage with increased severity, stressing the futility of relying on diplomacy, on the basic decency of other nations, or on our military might. And then, per-haps we will recognize the import of the events. After all, [Reb Moshe pointed out,] during the War of '67, we were exposed to the Hand of G-d. Had we all been fully aware of what we had wit-nessed and the impact of all the stories we had heard, we would not have need-ed this more recent war to awaken us.'' Once again, we are being called

upon to study our current situation .... Must the futility of relying on the decen-cy of others and on our own military prowess be exposed further? "We have no one to rely on but our Father in Heaven:' Isn't it obvious?

INVOKING HASHEMS INVOLVEMENT

The primary protection from the suffering of Ikvesa deMashica, we have been told, is through engag-ing in chessed and Torah study. While this can be seen as a mandate for each of us to enhance the spiritual content of our lives on an individual basis, it is also the formula for intensifying our nation-al security in Bretz Yisroel.

Time and again, Ghazal have under-scored how our ability to prevail in bat-tle depends on those who are involved in Torah study. (See Makkos !Oa.)'

The Talmud relates: Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught, 'If

you have seen cities uprooted in Eretz Yisroel, you should know that [this occurred!* because they did not main-tain the salaries of the teachers of Scrip-ture and Mishna [to the children]. What is the source? "Why did the land perish and become parched like the desert, without a passerby? Hashem has said, 'Because of their forsaking My Torah that I put before them."' (Yir-

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

miyahu 9, 11-12) Rabbi Yehuda the Nasi sent Rav

Chiya, Rav Assi, and Rav Ami to trav-el through the cities of the Land of lsrtgrdsp

this 9.c:>nCept, · .Hqsh~f1'1 rnav W$11 fi~dif··~~ces~dry

··to repeotthe rn~ssage

• Scripture and Mishna, as is written (in Tehillim 127,1): 'If Hashem will not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it; if Hashem will not guard the city, in vain is the watchman vigilant ... " (Yerushalmi, Chagiga ch. 1, hal. 7). The message of the rabbinical dele-

gation's response is clear: If the people of a city invest their trust in the military guards, and ignore the Torah needs of the populace, that misplaced trust will be the cause of the city's destruction.

In the article that follows, we will focus on how we have experienced a phenomenal growth in Torah study and scholarship in Bretz Yisroel in the past few decades, and how this is now being threatened. As will be pointed out, this

growth is the product of many factors - among them, financial support from the Israeli government. The fact that this support is going to be radically reduced may at first be shocking. Con-sidering, however, that the Chareidi community is but a minority, and tak-ing into account the virulently hostile attitude toward Torah and mitzva observance harbored by the secular parties in control of the government, this shock may simply be a jolt that wakes us up to a long-standing reality {as has been discussed at length in recent issues of)O). The government's long-term support of Torah over the years may have had its political moti-vations, but their largesse cannot be guaranteed forever.

Our purpose in spelling this out once again, then, is to sound an alarm, and - at the same time - to wake us up to a deeper reality. The details in the article that follows will make it apparent that both the neshama and the body of Kial Yisroel- its spiritual status and its phys-ical security - are under enormous threat.

We are truly helpless without Hashem's divine intervention - all the pride and confidence broadcast by Israel's military and political leadership notwithstanding. And investing our hope in the "Centurions" instead of in the "Torah Guardians of the City" is not only folly, it can be catastrophic.

We can only depend on Avinu she'ba'Shamayim. And He in turn is looking to us to continue to engage in Torah study and to promote its spread. How do we increase our own awareness of this deeper reality? And how do we spread this awareness among the mul-titudes of Israeli citizens - many of them open to our message?

Bear these thoughts in mind, as you read the pages that follow. •

* Rabbi Yeho~hu~~ Levi said, "What is the meaning of: 'Our feet were standing in your gates, Jerusalem'? (Tehillim 122,2) Who caused us to prevail in battle? The gates of Jerusalem -wher-ever they were engaged in the study of Torah." Makkos lOa.

** Bracketed explanations are from the com-mentary Korban Ha'eida.

5

FACING THE CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ISRAEL

I. OF GROWTH AND THREAT

In the last twenty-five years, Torah study has flourished in Bretz Yisroel to an unprecedented degree. As a

result, we now are living in a golden age of Torah erudition and widespread religious observance. Never since the times of the Second Beis Hamikdash have so many Jews in so many different parts of the country lived their lives in accordance with the precepts of Torah and halacha. Never have so many ded-icated so much of their time to full-time Torah study. Never have so many reli-giously alienated Jews returned to a Torah way of life.

Twenty years from now, if all turns out well, we will realize that that which we have been witnessing is actually his-tory in the making. But at this particu-lar moment, the future looks bleak, since there is a strong danger that everything that has been achieved in the past two decades will be destroyed.

I am referring to a set of drastic eco-nomic measures being legislated at this very moment by the Israeli government, which will make it impossible for many of the people who are to a large extent responsible for this religious revolution to continue their work. The direct result will be rnthe end of the flower-ing of Torah in Bretz Yisroel.

Are members of the Torah commu-nity the only residents of this country who will be negatively affected by the current economic measures? No, that is not the case. But whether by design or coincidence, the plan happens to severe-ly and disproportionately incapacitate every single important pillar upon which the Torah community stands. And every member of the family unit will feel the effects.

Kolle! families lead a precarious existence as it is, but most manage to get by. The wives usually work, and togeth-

Moshe Schapiro is a journalist who lives in Jerusalem. His byline appears in a number of English~language publications around the globe including the English language Yated Ne'eman, where he is a regular columnist. A frequent con~ tributor to these pages, he was last represented by "Our Generation's TzaddikofJerusalem: Rabbi Refoel Binyan1in Levine, ':r::it" (May '02).

6

Economif Assault

on the Torah Superstructtri'e er with the husbands' kollel stipend and after-hours odd jobs, plus the monthly child allowance payments from Bituach Leumi, they make ends meet.

Housing is still a problem for young couples, but until now, most young cou-ples could take out a heavily subsidized government mortgage and buy a decent apartment in a new development area.

Sometimes the refrigerator is not

Moshe Schapiro

bursting with surplus food, but all in all, if they live intelligently and prudently, a young couple can remain part of the kollel scene for many years.

The Dynamo Behind the Revolution

This institution called "the kollel way oflife" is the dynamo that is running Israel's religious revolu-tion. Kollel-men-volunteers are the life-force of such kiruv organizations as Lev I:Achim and Arachim. They are the teachers, the tutors, the big brothers.

The young kollel wives are the fac-ulty members who staff Chinuch Atz-mai schools across the country side and who teach the secular children enrolled by Lev r: Achim how to say Krias Shema. If these kollel wives didn't exist, some-one would have to invent them, because they and their husbands are the prime resources for strength, determination, and sheer Yiras Hashem needed to educate tough secular children and turn them into mentschen.

Without those teachers, there would not be any Chinuch Atzmai kiruv schools, and without those kiruv schools, there would not be any enroll-ment drives, and without the enrollment drives, there would not be the many fresh baalei teshuva coming into the Torah world.

The New Economic Strangulation

It is undeniable that the State of Israel is in economic crisis and that the country's bloated budget must be

slashed. The Chareidi community accepts that reality. But when one sees where the cuts are directed and how cruel they are, one must question the motives of the slashers.

As a result of the government's dras-tic economic measures, Chinuch Atz-mai's allotment of teaching hours has been cut by ten percent - an over-whelming total of $I 0 million. The Torah school network will have no choice but to lay off 700 teachers.

The ripple effect of this one economic

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

sanction alone is staggering. For one, it means that at a time when the Chinuch Atzmai network is in a growth pattern, it must ask: "Where will all those new thousands of secular children be enrolled? What will secular parents who are seriously considering enrolling their kids into Chinuch Atzmai schools think when they discover that in order to contend with the cut in teachers, dif-ferent grades will have to be combined into one class, and on some days chil-dren will be dismissed from school at 11 :00 in the morning? And what will happen to the teshuva movement when secular parents stop enrolling their children into Torah schools?"

Exactly. It will sputter and die.

Attacking the Kolle! System

Other serious economic sanc-tions are severely affecting the Torah community. The pro-

posed budget would have a dispropor-tionately negative impact on yeshivas and seminaries, as compared with other educational institutions. University stu-dents' tuition stipends were increased by 17% last year and will remain the same under the new economic plan. But reli-gious institutions' grants, which were cut by 10% last year, will be cut an additional I 0% this year- as part of an across-the-board downsizing of ministries, includ-ing the Religious Affairs Ministry- if the plan is enacted. What is more, the budg-et proposal includes a further I 0% cut in all allotments provided in the form of the grants that go toward the salaries of religious institutions.

The budget proposal would also cancel all government support for yeshivas and religious high schools with fewer than 100 students - eliminating nearly one third of Israel's yeshivas from the assistance rolls. So-called "senior" yeshiva students (those above the age of 23) would see their monthly stipends cut in half; stipends to those over 27 would be eliminated entirely. In other words, the scholars with the potential for Torah greatness will be cut off, period.

Another new edict cancels funding for

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

yeshiva and kollel students with foreign citizenship. There are currently 16,000 foreign students studying in yeshivas and seminaries. It's not difficult to imagine how this will affect yeshivas such as Mir-Yerushalayim, whose enrollment includes some six hundred young men answering to this criterion. (Don't the designers of this edict realize - or care - that foreign students and their visit-ing relatives are responsible for a steady flow of foreign currencies to Israel, in a measure that compensates for the expense of subsidizing their education? Future economic studies will doubtless list this as a classic case of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Is there a better way to explain this shortsightedness than to say that the secularists are ready to make this sacrifice in order to win the battle against the growth of the Torah yishuv?)

In the short-term, many kollelim could be forced to shut down. And unless a solution can be found for the continuing expansion of Chinuch Atz-mai's kiruv schools, the teshuva move-ment could go into a state of suspend-ed animation - or sharp decline.

If this worst-case scenario material-izes, it could well change the face of Bretz Yisroel for the worse in a very significant way. Learning full-time could cease to be a viable choice for young couples, and could come to be regarded as something reserved for yechidei segula (the chosen few) who have rich parents willing to support them, or the exclusive domain of those with an other-worldly dedica-tion that has roots in I 9'h century East-ern Europe, but is not common in this time and place.

This could rn be the beginning of the end for the golden era of Torah study in Bretz YisroeL Unless, that is, the world Torah community - but primarily the American community, whose generos-ity dwarfs that of all the other Torah communities in the world - undertakes to do something about it right now. But even these resources would be inade-quate for the scores of millions of dol-lars needed.At the very least, this could prove to be the way for a broad cross sec-tion of Torah Jews in America - and Europe too - to acquire a significant

Facts anti Figures 1'ot}ll govet11~ fonds budgeted

for all'Torah mosdos as of Jan. 2002: NIS l ,2 !31llion. Wrtlltuts, govet'nment supl>O(tw.ill go down to NIS250 mil.-lion, Cut of app, 00%.

Tot~I . pu mber of re~ognized rorah/'!IOSCfoS~oftoday:2,0CJ\'l.After 100.S~~ijent mlniltlum requirement tor f!lpding, only 500 will remain.

!()talnumb~t ofavreichit.n (kol-lel feH\)WS) toclay:; 43,()Q().4Si~·. ()f th~;~.()()().,26,00\l vvill !oseaH fuhc!-Jngbecause they are over 21 years Of age, An additi9rial 15,!>00"17,000 ~n the ages23-27wlUl6sehalf of their fundlnJi. Only some 6,000 avr~ii.bim, undetthll!l!!}eof 23, will r~ll!i.ve full funtlipg.

Total. number()fforeign students in l

Torah scholars as compared to univer-sity students (noted above) is obvious, but it is not unexpected. There is, how-ever, a human dimension to this situ-ation that we must make note of, and which should shake up the chiloni'im as well, no matter what their ideological orientation.

The fact that Chinuch Atzmai will be forced to lay off 700 teachers means that 700 households have now been plunged into an ea:momically impossible situation, because the main wage earner has sud-denly found out that he or she has joined the ranks oflsrael's 300,000 unemployed in an economy where there are virtually no jobs to be had.

The drastic reduction of kollelim, the proposed ceiling of age 27 for recognized kollel members, the disqualification of kol-lelim ofless than 100 members, and other such arbitrary cuts boil down to thou-sands of kollel students in their late 20s, whose wives may very well be among the 700 teachers laid off by Chinuch Atzmai, suddenly discovering that they are no

longer eligible to receive kollel stipends. That makes two strikes in very rapid suc-cession.

To this, add the 75 percent reduction in Bituach Leumt's Kitzvat Yeladim pay-ment to needy families with more than four children. For a family with six chil-dren', for example, that would amount to losing approximately $1,000 from their monthly income. Bear in mind that this is all happening simultaneously. At this point the readers are invited to put them-selves in their shoes: Yesterday you were managing, today you're facing financial ruin. And your friends, relatives, and neighbors are no better off

For young couples who married recently, the government has another sur-prise in store: the cancellation of subsi-dized mortgages for young couples. Sud-denly housing is a whole new consideration. Even if the yeshiva boy and Bais Yaakov girl who just got married somehow raise enough money for the down payment on their apartment in a development area, how can they possibly

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pay the mortgage when there are no job opportunities for her, and his days in kol-lel are numbered?

When they have children, how will they feed and clothe them without Bitu-ach Leumi? How will they send them to school, now that the government has can-celled transportation subsidies for stu-dents commuting to schools outside of their immediate neighborhood? (This is another hardship, not mentioned earli-er.)

What is paralyzing about these eco-nomic sanctions is that they are being leg-islated simultaneously. Each one alone is serious in its own right, but the effect of getting hit by all of them together is sim-ply overwhelming, certainly a complete-ly new reality.

The immediate result will be thou-sands ofkollel families being plunged into a state of abject poverty - this means hunger and homelessness, not just an overdraft in the bank- even if both spous-es start immediately looking for jobs -which don't exist, anyway.

It is inconceivable that any other seg-ment of the population would be so sum-marily, drastically and precipitously dis-enfranchised, with neither warning, gradualism, nor some kind of cushion or safety net to soften the blow. It stretches credibility to say that the designers of these cuts were unaware of their far-reaching implications. They knew! Such indiffer-ence spells callousness and cruelty, which are simply alien to the Jewish psyche.

Yet, in keeping with the Ghazal, "Hatred distorts one's line of reasoning;' their often articulated hostility to Torah has apparently blinded them to the human dimension of these targeted financial cutbacks, which are totally out of line when compared to finan-cial reductions in any other areas of the State's budget.

*There are currently 1.16 million Israeli citizens living below the poverty line, and government researchers estimate that the budget cuts under consideration will add an additional 20,000 peo-ple - leaving 661,000 children destitute. A fam-ily with four children will receive nearly 9,000 shekels less per year than in the past; and larger families - which more often than not are already facing serious financial pressures -stand to lose much more: a family with eight chil-dren, more than 37,000shekels annually; one with ten children, nearly 60,000 shekels.

The Jewish observer, May 2003

Other Ramifications

One wonders how the designers of these draconian cuts could be unaware of other ramifications of

their projected cuts targeted against the Chareidim. Do they truly want to force the exile of Torah study from Eretz Yis-roel, and to compel serious students of Torah to transfer their pursuit of Torah knowledge to other countries?

Do they really wish to formalize the split between the Torah community and the secularists, and to put the State of Israel firmly on one side of the divide? Is an all-out, no-holds-barred fight against Torah their real agenda?

Are they ready to surrender to the Israeli-Arab population explosion, and permit Bnei Yishmael to determine the demographic character of the State in the next generation? (Or do they expect to maintain a "Jewish" majori-ty through non-Jewish Russian immi-gration, as) indeed, Prime Minister Sharon implied in a recent ferusalen1 Post interview?)

Torah concerns are of top priority to us. Even if one or another crisis area will be ameliorated, the total picture of threat to Torah viability in Israel looms large. Hopefully, these issues should be recog-nized as legitimate, and be met by those in control of current government - if not for sharing com1non cause with us, then at least on the basis of enlightened self-interest. B

Digest of Meforshim

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9

Why it must be done now

In two years, the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz will be commemorated. It will be a bitter-

sweet occasion. The pain is still fresh, the wound unhealed and gaping. But we have more than survived as a nation. We are, thank G-d, flourishing and the Nazis are gone. And yet, we must now grap-ple with the question: who will be left to commemorate it at all?

Let's do the math. If someone was, let us say, ten years old at liberation -arguably the youngest to have mean-ingful memories - they will be seventy in time for the anniversary. Most of the survivors, however, are much older. Or gone. My parents 7·-,n are no longer here, nor are most of their generation. To be sure, others can - and very soon will have to-tell the story. But there is noth-ing like the tale of a survivor. Nothing can match the passion, the pathos, the horror, the immediacy, and - most importantly - the credibility of a sur-vivor.

They are perhaps the most endan-Rabbi Feitman, Rav of Kehillas Bais Yehuda in Cedarhurst, N. Y., a well-known lecturer and author, is a frequent contributor to these pages. He teaches, among other courses, "Churban Europa - the Holocaust" at Reenas Bais Yaakov High School in Hewlitt, N.Y.

10

gered species on the face of the earth. And there is tragically nothing we can do about it. We can treasure them, nur-ture them, and pray for them. But above all, strange though it sounds, we must use them. We have but one more short generation when we can teach Churban Europa with the great moral authority of people with numbers on their arms. Yes, many of them have been recorded on videotape, but tapes cannot answers questions and they cannot refute deniers.

I. WHAT HAS TAKEN SO WNG?

For nearly a generation, very little was written or spoken about this Churban in Kial Yisroel. And then

the floodgates opened. Why the silence then, why the torrent of words now? Our Gedolim have given a number of answers. Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe, N"1""1!1 has taught us that the manhigei hador (leaders of the generation) immediately after the Churban felt that explanations, hashkafa and interpretations of the Churban were a part of the rule of "Hanistaros LaHashem Elokeinu. The secrets of G-d must remain with Him:' (Devarim 29.28) These answers will in truth not be known until Moshiach arrives. There-

Rabbi Yaakov Feitman

fore, the mandate of that generation was to concentrate on the things that fall under the rubric of"Haniglos lanu ule'-vaneinu- That which has been revealed and given to man." 1

It was a time to rebuild, to start fam-ilies, to engage in LIFE. And so, the zekeinim did not engage in theology or explication. They simply allowed the present to become the future without dwelling upon the painful past. In their wisdom, the Gedolim knew that too much preoccupation with death and the past would paralyze the colossal task which had to be undertaken - literally the recreation of the Jewish world. Ghaz-al tell us that "there is a Heavenly decree that one forgets about the tragedy of a death so that life can go on:'2 It is clear from our sages that without a special divine edict, man could be emotional-ly crippled by the catastrophe of a death

1 See "Te.achi~g Churban E~rop~ Our Chil-dren," edited by Rabbi Joseph Elias, page 5. This important booklet published by Torah Umeso-rah, includes the entire next of the Novominsker Rebbe's address on Rosh Chodesh Av 5760, set-ting forth the philosophy of a curriculum for teaching Churban Europa. All of the quotes from the Rebbe in this article are taken from that speech but this presentation incorporates other approaches as well. 2 See Bereishis Rabba 84, 19 and Rash~ Bereishis 37,35.

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

in the family. Multiply this by the cat-aclysmic results of Churban Europa, and one must indeed marvel at the miracle of rebirth and revival.

This triumph over death is actually a dual one. In the late 1940's, my Rebbe, Rabbi Hutner ?··~r, once greeted a recently arrived survivor by standing up and declaring, "If you lived through the war and the camps and you still cover your head, you are truly a great tzaddik:' The miracle of Jewish renewal after the Holocaust reflects the fact that we sur-vived physically, but also the amazing spiritual resilience of the Jewish people. Our faith also survived, and that is both a tribute to the Jewish people and some-thing for which to be grateful to G-d. Rabbi Dessler teaches that when the Tochacha ends with the words "Despite all this ... , I will not find you abominable to destroy you," this refers to our spir-itual state as well. G-d has always made sure to preserve our spiritual status as well as guarding the actual existence of Israel. 3

At the most recent convention of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, Rosh HaYeshiva of Telshe Chicago, recounted eloquently the herculean labors of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz and the other great builders of Torah, who miracu-lously did spiritual CPR upon a gasp-ing nation. This could not have been done while wearing shrouds in a grave-yard, with but Kaddish on their lips. The events of the Ch urban had to be set aside - temporarily, but decisively - so the Jewish world could be rebuilt. This is one explanation for the silence of the post-Churban generation.

The Silencing Factor of Pain

!believe that another answer is based upon an insight taught to us by Rabbi Mordechai Gifter ?"Oil, the

Telzer Rosh Ha Yeshiva. The Midrash4

records that Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi

3See Mid~-t;v M'EliYa-hu, Voi~I·: p. 233; II, p. ioO: 148; III, p. 47; lV, p. 26 4 Eicha Rabba, Ch. III, section 4 (Wagshall ed., p. 117).

explained a certain verse in Eicha twen-ty-four different ways. Just one gener-ation later, Rabbi Yochanan was able to explain the same verse in sixty ways. Why the discrepancy? Our sages explain that Rebbe, who was one generation clos-er to the Churban, was only able to dis-cuss the tragedy intellectually until he had derived twenty-four interpreta-tions. He would then break down and weep. Rabbi Yochanan, just a generation 5-R~bbi Mo~-d.~chai Gift~~r, "A Path~ Through .. the Ashes," in A Pash Through the Ashes, edited by Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, ArtScroll, 1986, p. 57

later, was that much more removed from the sensations of the event and was able to discuss and analyze the same verse without such emotional upheaval.

Rabbi Gifter used this Midrash to criticize the "emotional bankruptcy" that permits us to speak so casually about the Churban Europa.5 This Midrash, how-ever, may also help us understand the relative silence of our Gedolim during the two decades or so after the Holo-caust. Their quiescence resulted from a profound state of aveilus for a lost world and the spiritual grandeur that disap-

Rur years ago, we set out to build a first class, ut;of~town yeshivah ~ including a Mesivta, Bais Medrash and Kolle! · right in the heart of the New York

metropolitan area. We chose leafy, upscale Manhattan Beach,

located minutes from the Verazzano Narrows Bridge, far enough to be

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peared with it. Aharon's response to the tragic death of his sons was silence ( Vayikra J 0,3), and Yechezkel (24,17) was con1manded to "be silent fro1n groan-ing" upon the sorrowful passing of his wife. Sometimes silence is the most elo-quent of elegies.

Time to Rebuild: An Overriding Priority

We may conclude that the silence of a generation, far from a precedent, was a life-

affirming imperative. That silence was both therapeutic and psychologically

12

indispensable. I remember attending annnal hazkaros (memorial gatherings) with my parent in the 1950s for their decimated cities of Chust, Czechoslo-vakia, and Strzemiashitz, Poland. There were a few of us~ the Second Genera-tion - because families were small. Most of us didn't know it at the time, but we were the New Children, the Substitute Children, the Children on Earth. Our parents- older than that typical Amer-ican parents - reminisced about der heim, recalled the world that was, and invariably returned rapidly to the pres-ent. To dwell on the past was painful, but

more i1nportantly, no one could remain sane, smile, laugh, and be a normal par-ent with images of smokestacks and cre-matoria in front of their eyes. The mitz-va was to rebuild, to grow families, to triumph over death and the icy hand of Amalek that threatened to destroy them even now fro1n the grave. Therefore, there was no Holocaust talk on the way home. There was no follow-up on the hazkara except to lament that Reb Yos-sel had passed away, or how well Mrs. Goldberg looked today. Then back to life.

That heroic and gallant generation has done its job. They rebuilt upon the still smoldering ashes, and produced children who today are attending their own grandchildren's simchos. But the time has finally come to confront the issues and educate future generations about what happened and - of course, here is the challenge - why it happened, to the extent that we are capable of extracting this terrifying secret of Chur-ban Europa.

I recall one Torah Umesorah con-vention at the annual session when we were privileged to ask Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky 7"'.lll our hashkafa questions. One principal rose and inquired, "Rebbe, how do we explain the Holocaust to our children?" Reb Yaakov responded sharply with a query of his own: "Und ihr farshteit yeh? (And you yourself do understand?)" Reb Yaakov, in his wis-dom, picked up on a psychological crutch upon which we often lean. When something is beyond our comprehen-sion but unco1nfortable to explore) we make it a "Chinuch question:' Let's put it on the children. In truth, that princi-pal merely reflected the reality that twen-ty" five years ago, this was a subject rarely explored or properly elucidated.

II. THE MANDATE TO TEACH - NOW

Dealing with Anti-Semitism

0 ne of the most crucial reasons to teach about Churban Europa at the present time relates to the

dangerous new trend in world anti-

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

Semitism. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League ofB'nai Brith and the Wiesenthal Center have been marshalling alarming statistics indicat-ing the rapid proliferation of anti-Jew-ish incidents around the globe. Radical Islam has proven itself to be the source of deadly attacks against the Jews in gen-eral, not just the State of Israel. Anti-Semitic tracts such as Mein Kampf and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion have become best sellers and beguiled a new generation of compliant readers. Our children need to understand these phe-no1nena in the ancient context of "Halacha b'yadua sheEisav sonei l'Yaakov - It is the Law that Eisav hates Yaakov."6

And Yishmael is an eager partner. They adopt new guises from gener-

ation to generation and fron1 setting to setting. They may call it Pan-Arab ism or anti-colonialism. They 1nay be campus liberals or Bible-belt reactionaries. Their target, under whatever banner, is Jews, and we must learn to accept it as part of our destiny as the children ofYaakov. Most importantly, the metastasizing of anti-Semitism should be an impetus to teshuva, if we have the wisdom and courage to recognize vvhat is happening before our eyes.

But there are other reasons to begin teaching Churban Europa now. The Holocaust deniers are growing in strength and numbers7 and those who 1nisinterpret, distort and pervert its meaning and message are publishing and publicizing their dangerous fabri-cations at every opportunity.

Sharing the Pain

Another reason to study the Chur-ban is to teach children to be n1itzta'er b'tzarasan1 she! Yisroel-

to share the pain and suffering of Kial Yisroel. The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva 3,11) writes severely of those who 6 sij~i:iie1ia'a1o;·c11~9:i.o; Rasf;·;-;;~;i;his-33,4~ 7 See Deborah Lipstadt, [)enying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Men101y (N. Y.: Plun1e Publishing); Ted Gottfried, Deniers of the Jfolocaust: Who they are, what they do, why ther do it (Connecticut: Brookfield); Werner Cohn, Partners in Hate: Noa111 Chon1sky and the J-folo-caust Deniers?

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

"abandon the ways of the congregation of Israel;' including in this category those who do not feel the anguish of the community. Our children have become disconnected from this catastrophic event and we must help them become aware of the scope of the tragedy, which befell us so recently, yet seems so distant to a generation largely unmoved by what is now known as the Holocaust. I have seen young people complete a Holocaust Museum tour without a tear or even a shudder. A Torah curriculum on this matter would include the man-date to share, at least retrospectively, the profound pain of those who were there.

Refuting the Falsehoods

One must add at this point a somewhat parenthetical note, which carries an urgency of its

own. It is well known that a virtual Holocaust Industry has been created by this latest Churban. Thousands of books, nu1nerous films, museums, lec-tures and experts vie for the attention of those who do express interest in this subject.

From the Torah standpoint, a great deal of this media onslaught is based upon ignorance, heresy and often driv-en by various agendas, which lead to misunderstanding of one of the most seminal events of Jewish history and cer-

tainly of our time. Now that Gedolei Yis-roe/ have indeed granted us insights into the Churban, a vehicle must be created to allow this generation to study and absorb their \vords.

To Bear Witness, and Let Others Explain

And here we come to one of the 1nore sensitive issues regarding this curriculu1n. On the one

hand, as we have seen, the survivors are the key to establishing the credibility and emotional impact of the Churban. Yet, paradoxically, they are often not the best ones to determine the guidelines, approaches and hashkafos we must teach to our children. The very author-ity and impact that survivors alone can offer is often their disqualifying factor, as well.

It is well known - certainly to speak-ers who have had the misfortune of say-ing the wrong thing to the wrong audi-ence - that survivors abhor any exposition of the Holocaust even remotely using the terminology of reward and punishment, certainly con-sidered cornerstones of Torah philoso-phy. The reason for this abhorrence is that, of course, such talk hurts. We are not talking of someone who was killed in 1096, 1492 or 1648. We seem to be indicting someone's mother, husband or child.

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The Individual and the Greater Nation

In truth, we are doing no such thing, for even the approaches to the Churban that speak of retribution,

or Hashem>s rescuing us from spiritual extinction, do not indict any individual. On the contrary, all Torah perspectives recognize that "when the Angel of Death is given free reign, he makes no distinction between the righteous and the wicked" (Bava Kamma 60a). Under-standably, however, to a survivor, this is often not enough. Such talk feels like an attack, which requires a response. The discussion deteriorates into recrimina-tions and misunderstandings, and sadly all dialogue becomes impossible

Nevertheless, such approaches and issues must be discussed; otherwise we rob the Churban of all meaning and cheat the kedoshim of one of the most significant and meaningful aspects of their martyrdom - our ability to learn from this event. As Rabbi Dessler has taught us, "The ways of G-d's Providence

are beyond our understanding, and only this we know- that the ways of G-d are just. On the other hand, they require study to know our duties that the ways of His governance come to teach us."8

Our Gedolim have taught us that Kial Yisroel"was meant to go through world history and keep alive the teachings of Hakadosh Baruch Hu .... When we fall short. .. the middas hadin of Hakadosh Baruch Hu enters the scene to recall us to our noble task and make us rectify our failings:' They have referred to the "indisputable decline" in Kial YisroeI's spiritual stature since the advent of the Haskala movement, and the prediction of its consequences in writings such as the Meshech Chachma and the Ramchal. The details of this analysis of)ewish his-tory are certainly beyond the scope of this limited article. Suffice it to say that our Gedolim have taught us that accept-ing some sense of responsibility for our fate in major events is unavoidable for the believing Jew. A more thorough

SSee Michtav Af'Eliyai1u, Vol. III, P. 133. r.-------------------~

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exploration of this accountability actu-ally forms the most essential part of the hashkafa portion of the Holocaust cur-riculum itself.

A Context for Fundamental Teachings

Studying Churban Europa in depth with a teacher properly trained in this sensitive subject provides

many opportunities to disseminate fun-damental teachings of Judaism in a con-text that can be replicated in many areas of Torah hashkafa. In this article, we can only touch upon tbese essentials, for indeed their detailed analysis is reserved for the curriculum itself.

Tzidduk Hadin - teaching children the elemental lesson of accepting the will of G-d. This applies both to personal events and to a decree upon Kial Yisroel. Stressing this topic inculcates in children the paramount instruction that what-ever Hashem does is purposeful and for the best. Understanding and incorpo-rating this teaching alone would justi-fy such a curriculum.

The interconnection of all of Jewish history - Learning that what had hap-pened during World War II was not an isolated phenomenon or singular event, but part of the pattern of Jewish histo-ry is one of the most important lessons of Torah hashkafa.

Appreciating the loss -A Torah-true Holocaust curriculum details the hor -rific tragedy of losing a thousand-year tradition of yeshivas, kehillos, minhagim and family structure. Only intensive study of this lost world can help us appreciate the incredible parameters of the tragedy.

Spiritual heroism - While no one denigrates those who resisted the Nazis with whatever methods available, the world has until recently totally ignored the astonishing courage demonstrated by those who blew shofar in Auschwitz, lit Chanuka candles in Bergen-Belsen, and all those who maintained their faith in that purgatory. There are lessons here in Kiddush Hashem for a lifetime.

Disappointment in the gentiles -Rabbi Hutner ':>":n taught us that one of the prime lessons of Jewish history is

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

learning not to be enamored of the gen-tiles and their ways by recognizing their unreliability throughout the ages. The Churban is certainly an eloquent tem-plate to discover and study the failure of western civilization to contain or even resist the Nazi genocide.

The difference Torah makes - The sad saga of traditional American Jew-ish organizations and their apathy compared with the heroic story of the Vaad Hahatzolah and Agudas Yisroel teaches that Torah study does not merely create scholars but, when nec-essary, cultivates the most successful activism the world has even known.

Ashreichem - Rabbi Pam 7"on insist-ed that study of the Holocaust end on the positive note of the greatness of Kial Yisroel. The astounding rebirth of Torah after the Churban, the miraculous and heartening resurgence of the She' eiris Hapeleita (the community of Survivors), the heroism of Rabbi Aharon Kotler and others in rebuilding is a story worthy of inspiring all future generation, but must be told in the context of the Churban.

It is to accomplish these goals and many more that Torah Umesorah cre-ated the Zechor Yemos Olam Program. Under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph Elias, the historic work of training teach-ers to present Churban Europa has begun. As Rabbi Elias, the Education-al Director, has written, "There is a great deal of caution needed in proceeding with these studies," but on the other hand, "studying Churban Europa can be a potential source of beracha and revival of Torah:' As one who is privi-leged to have presented some of the pio-neering lectures in this new era of teacher training, I can attest to the tremendous interest in this curriculum and the thirst for guidance in present-ing the hashkafa of this Churban.

The Gedolim have spoken and given their enthusiastic endorsement to this important new Torah endeavor. It is now up to yeshivos, Day Schools and parents to implement a program that Rabbi Pam promised can bring great blessing to all of Kial Yisroel. •

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

SURVIVORS Debby Friedman

There I was, a little girl of five, sitting on my mother's lap. The Shabbos candles had been lit.

Mommy's tears, still shimmering on her gentle face, framed her smile to me.

"Come, Bruchele," she said. "Let me tell you about my Mamma and sisters and brother, and also about Bobb.a Esther and Zaida Elya and .... " The list would continue. A long list of beloved relatives gassed in Auschwitz. A list of people I knew only by name. People who would have loved me so much and whom I would have loved had they survived as my mother did. A sole survivor from a family in Auschwitz.

And then I was eight and I was very skinny and we learned about rickets and my .class-

mates started to point at me and tease me. "You have r1cketsl You have rickets!" I cried and I ran home to Mommy and I told her, "I have rick-ets!" She laughed and sa1d, "You're skinny, bu.t you don't have rickets." And then she hugged me and gave me chocolate milk arid smoothed my hair and as she laughed and hugged me and comforted me.

I wondered who laughed with and hugged and comforted her when she was scared - this sole survivor from a famlly in Auschwitz.

And then I was ten and a new girl came to our class and everyone made fun of her

because she had a fUnny name and she wore funny clothes and they said

that no one should be her friend. So she sat .all alone and played all alone and walked all alone. Then I saw that

she was nice so I sat with her and played With her and walked with her,

too. And then my classmates said no one should play with me and I cried and I ran home and told myMommy what had happened and Mommy soothed me and said she was proud

of me and that I made Hashem happy.

As she caressed me and hugged me and comforted me, I wondered who caressed and hugged and com-

forted my Mommy when she was hurt - this sole survivor from a fam-ily in Auschwitz.

And then I was 16 and I was watching a film about the Holocaust and I saw pictures

of stal'ving Jews and pictures of dying

Jews. and I saw children crying and mothers crying and I saw piles of clothes and piles of shoes and piles

of bones and so many trains, so many tracks and barbed wire fences and barking dogs and barking Nazis. And I saw eyes that were dead and then,

for a split second, I saw myself there in Auschwitz.

Then I knew I was there and I ran to my Mommy an.d I hugged her and I caressed her and I comforted her-me, a soul survivor from a family in Auschwitz.

Mrs. _Friedman teaches _in the Bais Yaakov_ Tiferes Rivka High Sch6ol) located in Neve Yaakov, Jerus:ilem. Her most recent article, "Breaking Down the Walls," appeared in JO Jan, '03. The author is named after one of herwould~be_aunts_who was killed in Auschwitz at the age of 16.

15

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On Shavuos, Kial Yisroel reads Megil1"s Rus. This Megilla, which records how a young Moavite

princess adopts Judaism and eventually marries Boaz, who - known as Ivtzan -is one of the Shoftim who led the Jews in the pre-1nonarchial era. Boaz and Rus were progenitors of David Hamelech.

Shavuos celebrates Z'man Mattan Torah, the day the Jewish Nation received the Torah from Hashem at Sinai. What aspect of Megillas Rus would warrant its reading on this Yam Tov of Kabollas Ha Torah!

The Rama at the end of Hilchos Pesach writes that there is a minhag (custom) to eat dairy foods on Shavuos. It would seem that in keeping with the festive aura of the Yam Tov, lavish meals featuring meat would be more appropriate. What characteristic of dairy meals could explain this unique practice?

Of the many themes present in Megillas Rus, the midda of chessed is most prominent. We are told of the phenomenal chessed that Rus bestowed upon Naomi, as well as the chessed extend-ed by Boaz to Rus. To better appreciate the awesome chessed of these great people, we would do well to delve into the source of the midda of chessed as it finds expression m human society-Avraham Avinu.

AVRAHAM AVINU -PARADIGM OF CHESSED

Everyone is aware of the magnitude of Avrahan1 Avinu's chessed. One could only marvel at the Chazal

that teaches us that Hashem sent Ma/achim (angels) to visit Avraham after his bris milla, because - even while bandaging his wound - he was lament-ing his lack of guests. Later, after the

Rabbi Ahron Rapps, a talinid of Yeshiva Rabbi Chain1 Berlin, writes a \veekly column on the Par-sha in the Yated Ne'eman. He is a Rebbe in the Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island as well as a lec-turer in Maalot Neve Yerushalayim Seminary in New York. His article, "Pesach and the Jewish Mandate," appeared in /(), March '02.

The Jewish Observer, Moy 2003

destruction of Sodom, he decided to move to a different region because with-out that great metropolis) there was a lack of travelers who would need his hospitality.

One might be tempted to simply say that Avraham was a kind, soft-hearted person who enjoyed doing chessed for others in need, but that would fall woe-fully short as a description of the man who was the very personification of the midda of chessed. The Vilna Gaon (Berachos 33b) explains that Avraham was far more than a nice, generous per-

son. At the Akeida (the Binding of Yitzchak), Hashem told Avraham, "Atta yadati ki yerei Elokim atta, Now I know that you truly fear Hashem:' An indi-vidual's personality is only discernible through his actions in situations of con-flict. When the person of chessed was ready to sacrifice his beloved son to ful-fill Hashenis will, we gain an invaluable insight. Had he been merely a nice per-son, how could he have been willing to offer Yitzchak as a korban? Obviously, there was a profound and sublime dimension to Avraham's personality that informed whatever he did, including his many seemingly simple acts. What then was the source of his actions?

While our patriarch Avraham was perfor1ning his extraordinary acts of

Rabbi Ahron Rapps

chessed, there was an entire society near-by that embodied the polar opposite of the principles that guided Avraham. Sodom represented the antithesis of Avraham, and with the very fire of their souls, they attempted to eradicate the midda of chessed from at least their pri-vate little world. Chazal place the ulti-mate cause of their destruction upon the tragic cries of a tortured young girl who had performed acts of chessed to someone in need. \!\That warped sense drove the Sodomites to punish her and murder her for chesseiP. We could sim-ply say that they were self-indulgent, ego-centric people, but obviously such

actions go beyond a pleasure-driven agenda. Why were they so extreme

in their rejection of kindness?

CHESSED-INSTINCTIVE, ALMOST,,.

The Maharal in Nesivos Olam explains the human drive to

attempt to act with chessed. In our superficial apprecia-

tion of the world, chessed see1ns almost instinctive.

Everyone feels an urge to extend kindness to others ... and

they do. But the Maharal points out that a human being's ability to

perform chessed is paradoxical. The capacity for doing absolute goodness to others is not a natural human trait. To give of oneself or one's possessions to others is a matter of establishing one-self in the role of a" Nosein" - a giver -while the receivers are the «Mekablim." "fhe Mekablim resort to receiving, for they are truly needy. But therein lies the paradox. Can a mere mortal proclaim, "I don't need and do not anticipate any needs in the foreseeable future, and therefore I can give"? As humans, we are always in need - now, or in the future - and thus the role of dedicated Nosein is beyond us. True, today l might have enough to meet my current needs, but what about tomorrow? Ultimately, that which I give to another in need because of my momentary state of excess, will eventually come to haunt me. How,

17

then, could I ever be considered per-manently not needy so as to be truly able to give?

Thus the question: How did Avraham Avinu achieve such chessed?

REFLECTING DMNE CHESSED

The Maharal answers that Avra-ham was emulating Hashem. Hashem created the world with

chessed, as it says "Olam chessed yiboneh - [Your] kindness will be built forev-er" (Tehillim 89,3). Hashem has the

absolute capacity to give because not only is He the source of all existence, He has no needs and thus can be - and is - the true Nosein. The ability to do chessed, then, is Divine. When Avraham was involved in chessed, it was as a reflection of the Divine chessed that per-meates the world, and as a result, he was instilling in the people of his generation the ability to experience and to fathom the existence of true chessed in this material world of ours. It was through these acts that Avraham established Hashem as the" Elokei Ha' aretz;' as well

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as the "Elokei Hashamayim" - L-rd of the Earth, as well as the L-rd of the Heavens. He was able to transcend his personal need of being a Mekabel, and represent the only true Nosein. This was the core of Avraham's fostering of chessed in Hashem's world.

In a sense, the depraved people of Sodom were right. Man cannot per-form chessed on his own. They had felt that one's acts of kindness today will make it incumbent upon that individ-ual to turn to the rest of the society to take care of him in his inevitable, even-tual time of need. But Avraham's chessed was not anthropogenic; it was not of his own making. It reflected Hashem's infinite power of giving. Thus, the more others were exposed to acts of chessed, the more they became aware that there must be an absolute Nosein: Hashem. And it is to Him that one should relate. Avraham was the conduit for the chessed of Hashem to be revealed in the world.

The Midrash records the procedure Avraham employed to teach people of Hashem. He would serve them, and when they would have expected to pay for the meal, he would tell them to thank the true source of their food. Everyone assumed it was Avraham to whom they owed their thanks. At this point he would tell them, "Don't thank me. Thank the true Giver, Hashem."

Avraham could not be the consum-mate Nosein, for he was mortal. Rather, he represented the True Giver- Hashem. Avraham did not do chessed for any pos-sible personal benefit, but rather as a vehicle of Hashem's Shefa- His Divine influence that He lavishes on the world.

AND THEN THERE WAS RUS

We marvel at the chessed of Rus, as conveyed in the Megilla. This, too, was not ordinary

chessed. It was the ultimate chessed that Avraham Avinu had projected. Rus, too, was totally selfless. When Orpa left Naomi, Rus was described as "Davka bah" - she clung to Naomi. To be attached to someone at the level of deveikus (" davka") implies a negation of

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

self. When relating to Naomi, Rus ceased to exist as an independent being, with needs of her own. She cared for her widowed mother-in-law and supplied her with food, focusing exclusively on the needs of the recipient. Her chessed to Naomi was purely as a Nosein, as a vehicle for Hashem's chessed, passing through her to Naomi.

At the end of the Megilla, the passuk states, "The neighborhood women gave him a name saying, 'A son is born to Naomi:" While Rus experienced the pangs of childbirth, the child was said to be Naomi's. Again, Rus's role res-onated with self-negation. The pure chessed of Rus was clear for all to see. Boaz appreciated what she had done, and he too extended himself to insure that Naomi and Rus would be provid-ed for in the most honorable way.

This Megilla is a story of absolute goodness and infinite kindness, where the giver receives nothing, but rather serves as the conduit for Hashem's chessed.

A TORAH OF CHESSED

Chazal tell us that the Torah begins with chessed and ends with chessed. We thus are given

to understand that chessed flows through the entire Torah: the middle is also chessed. At the outset we learn that Adam Harishon and Chava were with-out clothing, and Hashem fulfilled their need. At the end of Sefer Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu is niftar (dies). He must be buried, and here too Hashem fulfills his need accordingly. The middle of the Torah - Torah and mitzvos- conveys the obligations that Kial Yisroel is required to perform.

As humans, we might tend to con-sider our Creator's mitzvos as abstract obligations. In our stressed-out world, perhaps such a mistaken assessment could lead someone to reject the bur-den of more obligations, and even rebel. We are therefore told that Torah and mitzvos were not designed for Hashem's benefit, but rather are a func-tion of His absolute and complete chessed. Hashem takes care of the needs

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

derstood and unappreciated. There is a need for us to learn to comprehend this chessed, but the question is how?

of His people, His creations. Just as the chessed of Hashem is evident in the beginning and end of Torah, so too are the middle - all Torah and mitzvos -pure chessed. Hashem wishes to bestow the ultimate reward of "Lehisaneg al Hashem" - to rejoice and find pleasure in our union with Hashem.

Indeed, through Torah and mitzvos, we are creating in ourselves the ability to relate to our spiritual destiny, and to find joy in its fulfillment. The chessed of Torah and mitzvos is much more sub-tle, and unfortunately, it can be misun-

This Megilla reveals the true intent of the Torah. Our ability to clearly appre-ciate the unadulterated chessed of Rus and Boaz through the reading of this Megilla, endows us with the capacity to truly perceive the ultimate chessed of Torah. Reading Megillas Rus on the day celebrating Kabbolas HaTorah focuses on the chessed conveyed by Rus, and appre-ciating its fullest expression in the Torah. We begin to perceive how all that

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Hashem has commanded us is for the sole purpose of providing us with the taanug ha'amiti- infinite, sublime pleas-ure, for all eternity. We are the designated recipients of pure, absolute chessed, and Hashem is the ultimate Nosein.

THE MILKY WHITE PURITY OF ABSOLUTE SERVICE

Per haps we can relate the above concept of appreciating the chessed inherent to Torah to the

minhag of eating dairy products on this holy day. Among the many laws relating to the avoda - a kohein's service in the Beis Hamikdash - is the need to wear special garments while engaged in the Divine service. Included in the garments that the Torah mentions are the pure white

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begadim (raiments) of the kohein hedyat. The Maharal explains why the garments were white:

In absolute darkness, nothing can be seen. When we do see an object, we are absorbing the light that is reflected by that specific object. If we see that an object is of a certain color, it is because it contains a dye that reflects that specific color, while it absorbs all the rest of the light. Gen-erally, clear light, which is composed of the seven colors of the spectrum, is perceived as white. Black objects absorb the full spectrum of the light, while - for example -yellow objects absorb all the light except for the color yellow, which is reflected; the object is thus perceived as yellow. White objects reflect all the light of the spectrum and do not absorb any-thing within themselves. What you are seeing, then, is all the light that is being reflected. In a sense, when you see something that is totally black, you are really seeing the object purely in relation to its surroundings, because the object itself absorbs all the energy and does not reflect.

The Maharal explains that it is for this reason that the bigdei kohein are white. For a person to absolutely and completely represent another, he must totally negate himself. The function of a kohein is to be a shali-ach - a messenger - for Kial Yisroel. The only way that his physical actions could relate so profoundly to another is if he becomes a vehicle for that person. He is serving the other

person totally, and receiving nothing for himself. It is for this reason that he wears white garments during the avoda. just as white objects absorb nothing and reflect all light, so too during the avoda does the kohein dedicate all his actions for another; in a sense, he absorbs nothing. Thus, his white begadim portray the process that is occurring.

ABUNDANCE AT SINAI

There is no chessed in all cre-ation comparable to the chessed that Hashem bestowed on the world with the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. The Bnei Yisas-'char writes that milk is white, for it personifies a sense of absolute chessed. When a mother nurses her child, she receives nothing - she rep-resents a vehicle of giving life and sustenance to her helpless child. Milk, then, is white, for it is the embodiment of chessed. Therefore, similar to the garments of the kohein, its identity is portrayed by its color. Thus, the minhag to eat dairy prod-ucts on the Yorn Tov of Kabbolas haTorah: The megilla of chessed teaches us that all that is contained in the Torah scroll is a function of pure chessed. When we partake of the foods of chessed, we again are being taught that on this day, we are for-tunate to be the ultimate receivers of chessed.

Kial Yisroel always depends on the chessed of Hashem. But in the remarkable times through which we are living, we beseech Hashem to bestow upon us a shefa - an abun-dance - that the world has never seen. Through it, the world will reach the level that Hashem had intended for it in its initial creation. Perhaps if we were to appreciate the enormous chessed that is contained in Torah, we would be zocheh to new gifts of chessed, which will put Hashem and, thereby, Kial Yisroel upon their proper pedestals. Endowed with such an appreciation, perhaps we can truly advance to be mekabel Hashem's Torah on the Yorn Tov of Shavuos. •

The Jewish Observer, May 2003

Focus ON TEFILLA

A SECOND CHANCE - PLUS

These are tin1es when the critical importance of tefil/a is obvious, so we make an honest attempt to

daven with greater kavana (concentra-tion): "Some with chariots, some with horses, but we call out in the Name of Hashem our G-d" ( Tehillim 20,8 ). After all, our key to survival always has been, and today is, clearly, our power of tefil/a.

The essence of our tefilla is the She-moneh Esrei, in which Chazal have included thirteen prayers for specific personal and communal needs. More than an obligation, reciting Shemoneh Esrei is an opportunity to beseech Hakadosh Baruch Hu to fulfill all our requests; a chance to stand before Hashem and entrust ourselves to His will; a time to strengthen our en1una and bitachon - our faith and trust in Him.

Who would squander such an opportunity in such times as these? No one should. Yet, as creatures of habit, we often mu1nble our Shemoneh Esrei,

Rabbi Moshe Halberstadt is the Mcnahel of the Yeshiva Gedo la of Passaic, NJ. His book The Gift for Life, on the mitzva of hachzokas Ha Torah, was reviewed in these pages.

The Jewish Observer, Moy 2003

as our thoughts stray during the tefilla, and as a result we fail to daven with proper kavana . ... A lost opportunity. But not irretrievably so. Many of us are simply unaware that the same oppor-tunity repeats itself during Chazoras HaShatz - the Shemonch Esrei of the shaliach tzibbur, who represents us at the amud (podium) - if we but listen, concentrate and answer Arnein to his words. Rabbeinu Yona1 says: "One who answers An1ein after every beracha is considered as if he davened a second time!' Moreover, Chazal teach us: "One who has davened Shemoneh Esrei and did not have kavana, and then repeats the Tefilla, is assured that his prayers will be heard." All is not lost, for listening to the chazan and answering Amein dur-ing his repetition is in effect a second chance to daven Shemoneh Esrei prop-erly. In addition, it also provides an assurance that his tefillos will be heard!

THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE REPETITION

Chazoras HaShatz, besides afford-ing an opportunity to repeat and reinforce our own Shemoneh

Rabbi Moshe Halberstadt

Esrei, also provides a forum for the tzib-burto daven in unison. The Ariza/writes that Chazoras HaShatz has far more strengths and a higher status than the silent Shemoneh Esrei recited privately - \Vith an immeasurable difference between them! Chazal hinted to this when stating"Jf one has davened and not had his prayers answered, he should repeat his tefilla." (Berachos 32) The Vilna Gaon understands this as a refer-ence to the repetition of Tejilla through Chazoras HaShatz.

Why does Chazoras HaShatz have the power to assure that our prayers are answered? The passuk states, "Behold, Hashem, the mighty He does not despise" (Iyov 36,5), which the Gemora (Berachos Sb) explains to mean that Hashem never despises - and always accepts - the tefilla of the mighty tzib-bur. Chazoras HaShatz is in essence a powerful joint tefilla of the tzibbur. For this reason, Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pinkus i,":::,:r in the introduction to his She'arim Be'Tefilla, suggests why Cha-zoras Ha Shatz is recited out loud while the private Shemoneh Esrei must be recited quietly: The quiet Shemoneh Esrei, due to its importance and great

21

value, must be hidden and protected from any forces that would harm it or compromise its effectiveness. Chazoras HaShatz, however, because of its strength and lofty level of attachment to Hashem, is protected from being destroyed or disrupted by such powers, and may therefore be recited publicly.

It is because Chazoras HaShatz pro-vides these immense dimensions of tefilla that those who talk during Cha-zoras HaShatz are described by the Shulchan Aruch2 as "a sinner whose transgression is too great to bear3 •••• He should be reprimanded:' To this, the Kol Bo' adds: "Woe to those who speak dur-ing the recitation of Shemoneh Esrei, for we have seen numerous shuls destroyed because of this transgression."

A bayis - a home - provides protec-tion from the outside. Similarly, a Beis Haknesses, as a House of Prayer, is meant to be used specifically for serving Hashem, sheltering its holiness from out-side forces. Bringing gossip into the Beis Haknesses during the services of tefilla is contrary to its essence and - as the Kol Bo states - can even cause its destruction.

Unfortunately, even those who avoid gossip and other inappropriate talk may miss out on the opportunities inherent to Chazoras HaShatz. Sadly, many peo-ple view the time when the shaliach tzib-bur repeats Shemoneh Esrei as an inter-mission of sorts, during which they might recite Tehillim, catch up or daven ahead, put on Rabbeinu Tam-Tefillin, collect or give tzeddaka, or peruse a sefer. During any or all of these activities,

"Amein" might be recited absentmind-edly, informed by a faint awareness of the words of the shaliach tzibbur. [Of course, he will abandon his seferor other preoccupations long enough to join the tzibbur for Kedusha and Modim De'rab-banan.] The shaliach tzibbur himself is charged by the congregation to avoid

• A bayis - a home - provides protection from the outside. Similarly, a Beis Haknesses, as a House of Prayer, is meant to be used specifically for serving Hashem, sheltering its holiness from outside forces.

• "further delay" and rush through the Tefilla. As a result, the intent of the Cha-zoras HaShatz-to provide a joint, uni-fied tefilla - is lost. Even worse, those present may be responsible for making the Chazan's recitation berachos levata-

la; if there are not nine people listening attentively to the berachos, the Chazan's rendering of them is almost considered to have been in vain.5 Everyone present is therefore obligated to listen, assum-ing that without him, a quorum of peo-ple may be lacking.6

THE ULTIMATE BENEFITS

The Shela writes that those who are chareidim li'dvar Hashem- stead-fast in their devotion to Hashem - should place a Siddur before them-selves during the Chazoras HaShatz and focus their eyes and hearts therein, in order to have full kavana on every word 19• Although we may have difficulty concentrating while listening through-out the entire Shemoneh Esrei, the ben-efit from this avoda is enormous. According to the opinion of some poskim, it is considered as if we recited another two Shemoneh Esrei's: one, in keeping with shome'a ke'oneh- hearing the pronouncement of the berachos is the equivalent of saying them - and another for answering "Amein." The ultimate result is that we have now earned the equivalent of reciting three times 19 berachos2°, 57 berachos of Tefilla in all!

For this reason, one should avoid reciting other prayers or studying Torah during Chazoras Ha5hatz11• Putting on Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam is also disrup-tive, for answering Amein between the Tefillin shel Yad and shel Rosh is con-sidered a hefseik'2 (interruption) - even

Some Halacha Background Chazal originally instituted Chazoras HaShatz for the benefit of individuals who did not know how to daven on their own 7, yet could follow - and understand - the Teti/la being said by the shaliach tzibbur.' All minyanim, however, are required to have the Chazan repeat the Shemoneh Esrei, regardless of whether anyone present is incapable of davening himself'. Everyone must quietly listen and con-centrate with kavana to the words of

22

Shemoneh Esrei being recited10• It is proper to stand during the Chazoras HaShatz11 • The shaliach tzibburshould pause after "Baruch Atta Hashem" long enough for the tzibbur to say "Baruch Hu u'Varuch Shemo. " 12 After the Chazan has fully completed the beracha13, one must say "Ainein" slowly and clearly1'. before the Chaz-an begins the next beracha. 15 The Chaz-an must, therefore, pause patiently while the tzibbur says Amein1'. While

answering Amein, one must think:

"This beracha is true and I believe in

it." 17 In addition, during the middle

berachos, wherein we request our needs

[from Atta Chonein until Shome'a

Teti/la], one must bear in mind: "This

beracha is true, and I also pray that it

be Hashem's will that it be fulfilled.""

Obviously, all this cannot be done with-

out full attention and concentration.

The Jewish observer, May 2003

though they are put on without a beracha. Even removing tefillin during the Chazoras HaShatz is only permissi-ble if one is careful to continue con-centrating on the repetition while doing so23 • It is certainly not advisable to col-lect tzeddaka during the Chazoras HaShatz, if it interferes with the indi-vidual mispalleI's ability to concentrate on the Tefilla.

It is worth bearing in mind that the rewards that Chazal attribute to say-ing Amein properly are astounding. For example: "One who lengthens his Amein (and says it slowly) merits long life:' - "He who answers Amein with his full concentration, merits entry into Gan Eden." In sum, by answering Amein, one can gain rewards in both worlds!

It is an uplifting experience to daven in a minyan where all the mispalle-lim stand quietly, concentrating on

the words of the Shemoneh Esrei, answering Amein in unison. One sens-es being involved in a true tefilla b'tzib-

bur - a unified effort to beseech Hashem24 : Listening to and reviewing the Shemoneh Esrei one has just recit-ed, reinforces the Tefilla. For this reason, Chaza/ could assure us that, through the Chazara, our tefillos will be heard and answered.

Consider how we can bring great merit upon Acheinu Bnei Yisroe~ and

1 Quoted in Beis YosefOrach Chaim 11:4 2 Drach Chai1n 124:7 3 Rabbi Shimon Schwab, 7"Yl once observed: With regard to speaking between netillas yadayin1 and the beracha of Hamotzi, the Shulchan Aruch (siman 166) states: "Tov lehiza'her ... : It is good to refrain .... " Speaking during ChazorasHaShatz,, however, is characterized as "a great sin:'Yet peo-ple are more cautious about speaking after netil-las yadayim than during Chazoras HaShatz. 4 Ibid 124:7, quoted in Mishna Berurah 27 5 Shulchan Aruch Orach Chai1n 124:4 6 Ibid 7 Rosh Hashana 34b 8 Bais Yoseifl24 9 Rad, quotes Ramban1

lD Shulchan Aruch ibid,4 11 RMA on ibid

ourselves, by rallying minyanim to properly experience Chazoras HaShatz! This calls for maintaining proper deco-rum, with cooperative mispa//elim, led by a patient baa/ tefilla. It is surely worth the effort, for as a result, we will be gain-ing an invaluable opportunity to achieve a whole