This past Thursday night, I went to Har Nof. Together with countless others from around the country (and perhaps from around the world), I went to mourn with the families of those killed in last week's massacre.
Much has already been written and told about those who were killed. I did know Rav Kalman Levine Hy"d personally and learned together with him while in Yeshiva, but I don't have much to personally add beyond all that has already been shared by so many others.
I do however, think it is worth relating a small part of what I saw and heard Thursday night while visiting the Levine and Twersky families:
** Rav Kalman was unusually careful when it came to his financial dealings with others. When it came time at the end of the month to report his hours to his Kollel in order to collect his monthly check, he would omit the 5 minutes he took from seder to prepare for each tefilla. He wasnt sure if his preparation for tefilla was justified as counting towards his hours of learning and he therefore did not report it with the rest of his hours.
** One of his sons related that as Rav Kalman approached age 50, he would avoid telling people exactly how old he was whenever the subject arose. His family didn't understand why but never thought much of it. This week during shiva they discovered the reason behind it. The Torah says that a Levi over the age of 50 is no longer suitable to serve in the Beis Hamikdash. As he approached age 50, Rav Kalman was upset by the fact that he would not have the opportunity to participate in the avoda in the mikdash and therefore didn't want to discuss his exact age. It was similarly related that every morning during shacharis, Rav kalman would run to wash the hands of the kohanim. He might have been too old for avoda in the mikdash, but he still could serve the kohanim by washing their hands each morning and he literally jumped at the opportunity to do so.
** While I was in the Levine's apartment, Rav Rubin - the rav of the shul where the attack took place - came to be menachem avel. When Rav Rubin sat down, Rav Kalman's son said that the family believed that this was from Hashem and it was Rav Kalman's predestined time to be killed. Rav Rubin immediately interjected that the people in the Beis medrash that day were not just killed. They were offered up as korbanos. Rav Rubin said that this is what Rav Chaim Kanievsky had told him earlier that day (I believe this has since been publicized) - that at least on some level, these korbanos were taken by Hashem as a kapara for our generation to hasten the coming of Mashiach.
** Rav Rubin related how Rav Kalman was literally the spirit of the whole community during hakafos on Simchas Torah. "Without Rav Kalman" said Rav Rubin "we wouldn't have Simchas Torah in our shul". He compared it to the description of the Vilna Gaon who reportedly danced with special energy and fervor during hakafos on Simchas Torah.
** For years, Rav Kalman davened neitz at the earliest possible time in the morning. He was not an active participant in the Shacharis minyan last Tuesday morning, but rather he had already finished davening elsewhere and had to that shul to discuss something with Rav Rubin. He was learning in the back of the shul while the minyan was still going until Rav Rubin was available. His sons related that it was not typical for Rav Kalman to leave his tefillin on after finishing to daven Shacharis. Last Tuesday however, Rav Kalman decided to leave his tefillin on while he went to go speak with Rav Rubin. Rav Kalman was ultimately killed while learning with his tefillin still on.
** Rav Twersky's family related that he would not always go to the mikveh before davening in the morning. Last Tuesday morning however, he decided to go to the mikveh before going to daven Shacharis.
** The last words that Rav Twersky reportedly said to his daughter were "Ad bias goel" - A reference to coming of mashiach. This was a somewhat unusual thing for him to say. What is perhaps more notable is what was related by the person who was serving as chazzan in the minyan that morning. Apparently the last words of chazaras Hashatz that were said before the massace began was "Umeivi goel...". Rav Twersky's life indeed ended with the words referencing the "bias goel".
** As he was leaving the shiva house, Rav Rubin told the children that just as a parent leaves a physical inheritance, he also leaves a spiritual inheritance of character traits and Avodas Hashem. And just as physical inheritance is divided among the children, so too the spiritual inheritance can be divided. With so many impressive traits to go around, each child should choose one or two aspects of their fathers life that touched them and spoke to them, and work to become great in these areas, thereby carrying on their fathers legacy.
ובלע המות לנצח ומחה ה' אלקים דמעה מעל כל פנים וחרפת עמו יסיר מעל כל הארץ כי ה' דבר
I add one story: My daughter has a teacher named Rav Neuvort [son of the author of Shmiras Shabbos Ki-hilchaso]. He told the girls that he was planning to daven in that minyan on that fateful morning but he was five minutes late. True to his "yekke" heritage, he didn't want to be late and have to rush through the davening, so he left and waited for the next minyan. His desire to daven properly might have saved his life....
