She'eilos U'Teshuvos Mi'maamakim

The evening of Tisha B’Av, 5702 (July 22, 1942). Jews gather in a home in the Kovno Ghetto to say Kinnos and Megillas Eicha, mourning over the suffering of Jews in Galus while experiencing the brutal murder of masses of Jews and the destruction of their communities. In the midst of the Kinnos, German soldiers burst in and demand that the Jews participate in the night shift of slave labor. The participants, including Rav Oshry, are forced to go, and they work through the night. When the morning arrived, the Germans demonstrate unrelenting cruelty and coerce these Jews to continue working throughout the day. Many are unable to continue and simply collapse on the ground. Rav Oshry instructs the people who are fasting to eat the meager portion of bread and soup provided by the Germans, as it would be dangerous to do otherwise. A question is posed to Rav Oshry – one which reflects the resilience of the spirit in the darkest of times: does one say Nachem, the special Tefilla said on Tisha B’Av, when saying Birchas Hamazon?

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28 Sivan 5701 (June 23, 1941). The Germans invade Lithuania. In the mayhem and turmoil, many families lose track of loved ones. Mr. Lieberman of Kovno was travelling at this time to Vilna, and communication ceased between these two communities. A friend reported that Mr. Lieberman was travelling back to Kovno on foot with hundreds of other Jews when German planes bombed them, and he presumed that Mr. Lieberman had been killed. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Lieberman gave birth to a son and named him after her husband. After the war, Mr. Lieberman, who had survived and found refuge in Soviet territory, was reunited with his family. However, he adamantly objected to his son sharing his name. Should the son’s name be left as is, or should it be changed?

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A Jewish couple disguises themselves as non-Jews, abandoning all elements of Jewish identity in order to save themselves from the Nazis. After the war, they return to the Kovno ghetto and resume observance of Torah and Mitzvos. May the husband, who is a Kohen, fulfill the Mitzva of Nesi’as Kapayim? Does the Halacha preclude him from duchening because of his association with another religion?

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In the midst of the frigid winter, starving and freezing prisoners were marched by their Nazi guards at a frantic pace to their places of work to engage in grueling labor while being beaten mercilessly, and many died on the way. One such prisoner turned to his companion and asked him to violently shove him to the ground repeatedly in order to hasten his demise and spare him from further suffering. The individual, out of compassion, did so, and the individual eventually collapsed and died. After the liberation, searching for someone who could serve as the Shaliach Tzibbur for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the perpetrator was identified as the most appropriate Baal Tefilla. Could he serve in this role after causing the death of a fellow Jew?

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Kapos, those who served in a supervisory or administrative role on behalf of the Nazis, were generally vilified by their Jewish brethren. Even when the individual also used his position to help other Jews, the cooperation with the Nazis was viewed as treachery. One such individual, who was known to have helped other Jews while acting as a kapo, was subsequently murdered by the Germans. Before his death, he emotionally professed remorse for his actions and pleaded for forgiveness. The question was posed to Rav Oshry: could the father’s name be mentioned when his son was called up for an Aliyah to the Torah? Or is the mention of such an individual to be avoided, especially as it is so incongruous with an Aliyah to a Sefer Torah?

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After the liberation of the Kovno ghetto, religious life revived, and Shuls and Batei Medrash filled once again. A kapo who had cooperated with the Nazis and had caused suffering to his fellow Jews approached Rav Oshry and declared that he regretted what he had done and had done Teshuva for his wrongdoings. Could he serve as a Shaliach Tzibbur, or did his offenses disqualify him from the right to represent a Tzibbur of Jews in Tefilla to Hashem?

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A Jew witnesses the Nazis forcing an elderly Rav to burn a Sefer Torah in public. Panic stricken out of concern that he will also be coerced into publicly destroying his own Sefer Torah, causing a great Chillul Hashem, this individual takes his Sefer Torah in the middle of the night and throws it into the river. After the liberation, this person approaches Rav Ephraim Oshry and heartbrokenly tells his story. He realizes that his actions, however well-intended, may not have been justified. Does he need atonement for having destroyed his Sefer Torah?

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Today's Shiur: August 27, 1941 (4 Elul, 5701). The Nazis desecrate a Bais Medrash, the Naiya Kloiz, by gathering great numbers of stray dogs and cats and shooting them to death in the Bais Medrash. Jews are forced to witness the transformation of their Bais Medrash to a slaughterhouse of rotting carcasses. To further humiliate the Jews and cause degradation to the Torah, the Nazis force a number of Jews to tear up Sifrei Torah and use the parchment to cover the dead animals. The question is posed to the author of the Devar Avraham, the Rav of Kovno: what Teshuva and Kappara should the Jews undertake? What are the distinctions between those who actually tore up the Sifrei Torah, those who observed these events, and those who only heard about these horrific events?

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R' Aaron Cohen — She'eilos U'Teshuvos Mi'maamakim