EDITORS
NOTES One of the most significant contributors in assisting me
in learning how to deliver a speech or lecture was Rabbi Paysach Krohn, the
well-known fifth generation Mohel and modern-day Maggid and author. Rabbi Krohn
impressed upon me the importance of story telling in sharing ideas and getting
them to stick. Often someone who hears a story will give over the story with
its message and that’s the first step in lilmod ulelamed, in our requirement to
learn and teach. Stories with their emotional hook touch our hearts and our
souls and encourage us to ponder their life lessons. My father z’l, would tell
over his grandmother’s memories of sitting in the great synagogue in Baghdad
for hours at a time on Shabbat day hearing Rav Yosef Haim, the Ben Ish Chai
deliver his derasha which often ran three hours and by weaving in anecdotes and
stories he held onto the attention of a crowd of countless men, women and
children.
Whenever I hear a good story, I take the time to write
it down and file it away for use later on. And often the act of writing it out
helps me to remember it.
Each winter Shabbat, during lunch and before we pray
mincha gedolah, I have the opportunity to give an hour-long class. I typically
print out notes on Friday afternoon and prepare the class in my mind on Friday
night. This past Friday night I had prepared a class on Har Sinai and the
contrast with Har Sabor and Har Carmel based on the teachings of the Shvilei
Pinchas and on notes from Rabbi Yosef Farhi. But as we read the Torah that
morning, I looked at the crowd which included a group of ninth graders on a
Shabbaton that weekend and reconsidered. I instead recalled a five minute talk
given the day before by my friend Rabbi Ariel Mizrahi on jealousy, pulled some
volumes of the Talmud, the Ben Ish Chai and Ohr HaChaim on the Perasha and with
Hashem’s help wove it into an hour long class with the help of stories and B’H,
the kahal was very involved and pleased. The secret was in the stories.
This morning I hear Rabbi Paysach Krohn tell a story
which he heard from Rabbi Chanoch Ehrentreu z’sl. Rabbi Ehrentreu who passed
away a few months ago, served for many years as the Av Bet Din, the head of the
London Bet Din in Great Britain. The Rabbi was a leading authority in all areas
of Jewish law, with particular expertise in the fields of Medical Ethics,
Conversions and Kashrut. After hearing the story, I played it again and wrote
it down. In the story he mentioned a number of Rabbis and as I did not know
them, I googled each to get a better understanding of the players.
But as often happens, when googling the players, Hashem
directs me to a link where the story I just spent time writing down is told in
more detail and that’s exactly what happened this morning.
And I would like to share it with you. I also liked the
story as it has to do with Telz and our synagogue through one of its most
important families, grandchildren of Rav Mordechai Gifter, z’sl, form Rosh
Yeshiva of Telz in Cleveland, has a direct connection with this ancient
Lithuanian town.
Last night I spoke about Mishpatim being the portion of
bring the world into balance. We see the symbol of judgement as the scale. The
Zohar for Mishpatim focuses on the concept of reincarnation and if you have
time to listen to the class, one can see that the goal of gilgulim seems to be
to bring people, souls and creating into balance. Rabbi Abittan would often say
that it’s not necessary to rely on a gilgul to accomplish this, its part of our
every day lives. Unfortunately, being within the painting doesn’t allow us to
step back and see the entire painting although we are sometimes given a
glimpse. It’s these hints that should build our Emunah and bitachon, our faith
and trust reminding us that Hashem is guiding our lives always.
So with respect to Rabbi Krohn, here is the much longer
version of the story as told by Rabbi Hanoch Teller.
SOMEONE
once observed that in the yeshivah of Telz,[1] the concept of
“adequate” was anathema to the students. To the connoisseur, adequacy is
insulting.
This lofty standard was not unique to the yeshivah, founded in
1875. It pervaded that famous Lithuanian town where fear of Heaven was
cardinal, chessed was the breath of life and Torah study was…
everything. After the turn of the century, the Jews in the majority
of European towns -- even those with a dominant Jewish population -- were
irreligious and often anti-religious in outlook and practice. But Telz was a
“college town” whose central focus was the yeshivah. Rabbi Akiva Eiger
commented about the Telzers, “Even the wagon drivers are as full of Torah as a
pomegranate is of seeds.”
ONE
Telzer wagon driver considered the possibility of the venerable Rosh
Yeshivah stumbling late at night through Telz’s dark alleys so
appalling that he insisted on sleeping on the bench where the Rosh
Yeshivah learned. When the Rosh Yeshivah would arise
at the conclusion of his studies, deep in the night, the wagon driver would
awaken to bring his illustrious passenger home. In appreciation for the wagon
driver’s sacrifice on his behalf, the Rosh Yeshivah blessed the
humble man with a long life. The wagon driver first divulged this story at the
age of 109.
One
itinerant repairman in Telz would knock on doors and offer to inspect – for
free – the kashering boards that were a fixture in every kitchen. His true
intention was to engage the women in a discussion regarding the halachos of
kashering meat to ensure that they clearly understood the laws. If repairs for
the boards were necessary, he would never charge more than a few pennies.
Even
the train depot in Telz was a nucleus of chessed. One Telzer couple
would wait there until the last train made its stop late at night to collect
the weary passengers who had not made lodging arrangements. Sometimes the
couple was so successful that they filled every bed in their home, including
their own – whereupon they would remove the doors from their hinges and sleep
on these jerry-rigged “mattresses.”
There
was an elderly Jew who would wait at the depot to attract the attention of
incoming travelers by yelling, “Help me! Help me!”
The
passengers had only a one-hour layover, so except in case of an emergency they
were reluctant to detrain and jeopardize the continuation of their journey.
“You must come to my house now!” the old man would continue to wail.
“Is
someone ill?” the anxious passengers would inquire as they hurried down to the
platform.
“No,
no, there’s only a short time before the next train and you must allow me to
feed you and give you a bed to rest. Please – my house is right across the
street!”
The
Telzers’ love of Torah was so intense that during the yeshivah’s daily recess
people would step outside to catch a glimpse of the scholars’ radiant faces.
One laborer would loiter in front of his shop in the hope that a student would
pass by so that he could provide a minor service like giving the time of day.
The
proceedings at one conference of the local, fire department are illustrative of
the degree to which Torah permeated Telz. The Roshei Yeshivah sent
some of the older yeshivah students to represent the Torah outlook to the
conference and to demonstrate the yeshivah’s appreciation for the service that
the non-religious fire-fighters provided. The department seated the yeshivah
students up front in the section reserved for dignitaries.
When
the department’s burly, unlettered chief arose to speak, he wished to afford
the scholars some honor, but he had nothing of Torah content to convey. So he
commenced his address with a phrase that was the most commonplace expression in
Telz: “Chazal zuggen - the ancient rabbis of blessed memory
taught…” – and continued with words that bore no Torah content and were in no
way connected to his opening idiom.
And
now that we have an image of Telz, the story I heard from Rabbi Krohn …
WHEN
RABBI YEHOSHUA HELLER vacated the position of Rav in Telz in
order to become the Maggid of Vilna, it was understood that
his replacement would have to be a scholar of the highest caliber and
refinement of character. Several candidates were considered.
Topping
the short list was a resident of Telz, Rabbi Abba Werner, the av bet
din, who was considered a shoo-in for the prestigious position. A different
candidate, by all means worthy, but not as well known to Telz, was Rabbi Lazer
Gordon, one of the great students of Volozhin and a disciple of Reb Yisrael
Salanter. For reasons that will forever remain a mystery, Rabbi Gordon was
selected. It was this very gaon who would subsequently be
revered as the gadol hador.
Rabbi Werner was hurt that he had been passed over for what he
thought was naturally his. In frustration and humiliation, he left for foreign
pastures. After a brief tenure in Copenhagen, he assumed the position of Rabbi
in Machzikei Hadass in London’s East End.
RABBI
GORDON’S RESPONSIBILITIES as the new Rav of Telz included inspecting the
slaughterhouse. There, he noticed one of the shochtim, Mendel
Rappaport, shechting in a way that he felt could stand
improvement. Rabbi Gordon suggested to Rappaport to employ a specific technique
that would free his work of any shailot.
The shochet took
the recommendation as a personal affront. He was convinced that the new Rav did
not care for him; and, not wishing to continue working under such
circumstances, vanished from Telz.
Over thirty years later, in 1908, fire destroyed the Telz
yeshivah building, thrusting the yeshivah into a financial crisis. Considerably
more money was needed to restore operations than had ever been collected
before. Faced with such an awesome debt, Rabbi Gordon decided to employ an
innovative approach. In those days, the standard collection route included the
major cities in the area: Vilna, Kovno, Warsaw. It was a well-beaten path,
one meshulachim trod often.
Innovatively, Rabbi Gordon sailed to untapped, virgin territory:
London. Upon his arrival, as Rabbi Krohn tells it, Rabbi Gordon did not know a
soul in town, and he came to the great Machzikei Hadass synagogue in London’s
East End. Mendel Rapapport who had been the shochet in Telz and who after
arriving in London was blessed with extraordinary wealth, recognized the Rabbi
as the Rosh Yeshiva of Telz and invited him to his palatial home.
.
Rabbi Gordon was delighted to be escorted by his host to the home of an alter
Telzer (former resident of Telz) who had become an affluent Londoner.
After the preliminaries at the door, Rabbi Gordon was ushered into the gvir
Rapapport’s parlor. After enjoying a meal together, Rabbi Gordon
asked, “It is a long way from Telz to London; what brought you here?”
“You,” the former shochet said, pointing a
finger of accusation. Rabbi Gordon was an intelligent man, but this was beyond
him. “How so?”
Mendel Rapapport reminded the Telzer Rav of his arrival in the
famed Lithuanian town and his first visit to the slaughterhouse. “I was the one
whose work you found sub-standard. I understood that that meant it was time for
me to pack my bags.”
Rabbi Gordon cringed. “Nothing, simply nothing,” he exclaimed,
“could be further from the truth.” He had never had the slightest grudge
against the shochet; he had only sought a more mehudar
performance of the mitzvah. Rabbi Gordon apologized profusely for an affront of
which he had been totally unaware. With sincere remorse evident in his words,
he managed to appease Mendel Rapapport. The former shochet accepted the apology
and explained that all was from Heaven as by leaving Hashem blessed him
greatly.
The wealthy host then suggested they visit the leading Rabbi.
That rabbi was none other than Rabbi Abba Werner.
Rabbi Werner was honored to have such a distinguished guest, but
he informed his unsuspecting visitor that there were some accounts to be
settled – and explained what had brought him to London. He
suggested that the least his guest could have done was consult with the Av Bet
Din before accepting the position. By not doing so, Rabbi Werner explained that
he felt his time was over in Telz and made for the exit.
Again Rabbi Gordon became slack-jawed. He had not known of “the
short list,” nor that he had competed against his London host. He immediately
begged, and received, Rabbi Werner’s forgiveness.
ALAS,
ideas that are theoretically sound are not necessarily practicable. The primary
reason London was not a collection hub was that Anglo Jewry had not yet evolved
into a community of donators. Several days into the campaign, Rabbi Werner
inquired how his guest was faring. The report was far worse than Rabbi Werner
could have feared. After knocking on numerous doors and visiting virtually all
of the area shuls, all Rabbi Gordon had to show for his efforts
were a few pennies. The trip was a disaster for the yeshivah, an embarrassment
for the Telzer Rosh Yeshivah, and a fiasco for kavod haTorah.
But
with the help of Mendel Rapapport, a Melaveh Malka was called for Motzei
Shabbat and the wealthy man pushed for others to join. Rabbi Gordon gave a
passionate plea and funds were raised to be sent to Telz,
Later that night, Rabbi Gordon’s lofty soul was summoned to the
Heavenly Yeshivah. Rabbi Chanoch Ehrentreu,, when telling over the story
suggested that undoubtedly, the two conceivable impediments to immediate access
to the Almighty’s inner sanctum had just been removed, but they required a trip
all the way to the British Isles to be actualized.
Rabbi Gordon could not have known this, nor do we know the
consequences of what we do.
Strangely
enough, the eulogy and burial that took place on soil very foreign to Telz,
Lithuania. Because of strained relations between the governments of England and
Lithuania the body could not be sent back, and was to be buried in London. But
if you visit his grave, you will see, that he is buried next to the gvir Mendel
Rappaport.
Often we discuss gilgulim as a
chance to right wrongs from previous lifetimes, but wouldn’t it be better to
right wrongs while we still can in this world.
Rabbi
teller closes his story with a beautiful thought: “Perhaps we can derive a
modicum of consolation from the fact that Reb Lazer Gordon left this world pure
and sinless, having finally resolved any grievance against him. But we should
not be too quick to be consoled before we internalize the lesson of how deep
and demanding are the consequences of resentment. Rancor is the fire but an
eternal grudge is the ash. Let’s bury that too, today, and let the Almighty
have mercy upon us all.”
Let’s
each and every one of us do our best to right any wrongs now! It’s truly best
for all.
