Shanghai Yeshiva
The refugee population of Shanghai included contingents of students from other Yeshivos, including Kamenitz, Kletzk, Lubavitch, and Lublin, among
others. Each had its own place of learning, but Reb
Chaim was responsible for the financial needs of all.
Exchanging foreign currency in Shanghai was fraught
with danger and Reb Chaim lived with a perpetual fear
of being apprehended by the authorities, but this in no
way deterred him from seeing to the needs of all the
yeshivos, while learning and teaching with unmatched
zeal.
During the years in Shanghai, Reb Chaim was like a
father to all the students, many of whom had been
orphaned as a result of the war. He himself would bring
food and medicine to the ill. And he cared for them
spiritually and emotionally, teaching them, learning
with them, and raising their spirits in any possible way.
In Shanghai, the yeshiva was confined to the ghetto,
together with most other Jewish refugees. As dean of
the yeshiva, Reb Chaim had the privilege of living outside the ghetto. Since he studied with a chavrusa whenever possible, the chavrusa slipped out of the ghetto
every night without permission, to learn with him. In
time, he was caught and the two of them were thrown
into jail for a day or so. During his entire stay in jail,
Reb Chaim was seen standing at the window engrossed
in his Torah thoughts.
Postponed Departure
A short while after arriving in Shanghai, Reb Chaim
received American visas for himself and his family. He
refused them, saying that he would leave only when all
the students had received their visas. This meant ultimately staying in Shanghai for over 5 years.
After the war, the yeshiva had obtained visas for all
the students and was ready to leave -except for two
boys who had become mentally unbalanced as a result
of the trauma of war and exile. The American government wasn't interested in admitting sick people to the
U. S. The enormous demand for the very scarce visas
made falsifying information for obtaining a visa highly
dangerous, more so than in normal times. Reb Chaim
took the two boys to the consulate and somehow induced them to sit still and not say a word. He did all the
talking and managed to convince the consul that they
were sane and eligible for visas. This he did at the very
real risk of being caught, but as was his life-long practice, there was little he would not do to help someone
else.
Move to Jerusalem
In 1947 the yeshiva moved again - as always, as a
single unit - this time, to the United States, where Reb
Chaim spent some six months before rejoining his
father-in-law Reb Lazer Yudel Finkel, in the Mirrer
Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Someone studying in Mir-Jerusalem at the time told this writer:
When Reb Lazer Yudel came to Jerusalem a
number of years earlier, he had started the yeshiva
with ten carefully chosen talmidim -ten of the
finest young men in local yeshivas - among them
Rabbi Yudel Shapiro (later Rosh Kolel Chazon Ish), Rabbi Chaim Brim, and Rabbi Chaim
Grainerman ztz"l - each an outstanding Torah
personality. When Reb Chaim joined the yeshiva,
the yeshiva was still quite small and all of the
students went to visit him. As was the custom, the
best of them related some of their recent chiddushim (Torah novellae), brilliant insights and
interpretation on Shas and Rishonim. Reb Chaim
sat through their presentations without a word.
They had felt that they had suitably impressed the
new Rosh Yeshiva from America.
Only then did Reb Chaim speak, telling each in
turn that whatever he had said could be found in
one Acharon (later commentator) or another -
and he told them where: "This you'll find in the
Teshuvas Rebbi Akiva Eiger, that in the Noda
Biyehudah, the next in the Yeshuos Yaakov."
"We left in a daze, awestruck that one man could
have mastered so much of such variety, with total
recall."
Reb Chaim remained in Mir-Jerusalem until his
passing some 32 years later, disseminating Torah and
mussar to thousands of disciples with shiurim and
shmuessen (lectures on Talmud and on ethical themes),
vaadim and chaburos (smaller groups convened on these
respective topics), teaching Toras Hashem.
His influence was felt far beyond the confines of the
Mirrer Yeshiva. Groups of talmidim from yeshivas all
over the country would come at any time and request a
chabura on this or that sugya (topic), in any volume in
Shas. "Come back in 20 minutes," he would say, and
they would be treated to a chabura - deep, brilliant,
and wide-ranging as if he had just been delving into the
very topic they had requested him to expound upon.
In 1964, after the passing of the mashgiach, his
brother-in-law Reb Chaim Zev Finkel, Reb Chaim
began to give shmuessen in the yeshiva. Their fame
spread, and people from all parts of Israel would flock
to Mir to hear his Sunday night shmuess. His eloquence, his ability to drive home a point simply and
lucidly, his wide-ranging knowledge, and his emphasis
on matters pertaining to man and his fellow were
among the reasons that they attracted standing-room-only crowds.
His Hasmada
Hasmada could be defined variously as diligence or
persistance. But the term falls short as a description of
Reb Chaim's single-minded devotion to Torah learning.
The Vilna Gaon explains that hasmada is an integral
part of one's character, an ability to concentrate. But
there is a higher level - that of being a daveik beHashem (cleaving to G-d). When one is intensely
devoted to G-d and His Torah, with divine assistance
one can become davuk beHashem. This dveikus is not
within the range of human capability. It is G-d's gift to
a chosen few whose every fibre of body and soul has
become permeated with Torah and avoda. One can say
that Reb Chaim was blessed by G-d with this special
gift, for his entire personality seemed to radiate it.
He once confided to his brother Reb Shlomo,
"The most difficult thing for me is to refrain from
my Torah thoughts when I'm in unclean places
where Torah study is forbidden."
Even when he was involved in the administrative work of the yeshiva, his mind would be
occupied with learning. "Nisht azoy iz pshat in
der Rashba (This is not the explanation of the
Rashba)," he'd say to himself although involved
in some task that apparently had absolutely no
connection with the Rashba - but anything and
everything he did reminded him of this Rashba,
that Tosfos, or some other part of Torah.
On his way to America from Shanghai, the ship
was teeming with refugees and it was almost
impossible to move around. Under those conditions it was quite difficult to study and almost
impossible to concentrate. Reb Chaim had
brought along a copy of Shev Shmatsa, which he
studied avidly throughout the entire trip, oblivious to his surroundings. A fellow passenger
inquired about the duration of the voyage:
"Where are we?" he asked. "In Shmatsa gimel
(Third section of the book)," replied Reb Chaim.
During his younger years he would learn with a
chavrusa every night - all night. This time it was
Reb Shmuel Rozovsky (later a Rosh Yeshiva in
Ponovitch). Their plan was to learn at night and
catch a few minutes of sleep during the day. When
day broke, Reb Shmuel went to sleep, leaving Reb
Chaim at study. Reb Shmuel awoke, and Reb Chaim still had not gone to sleep. Two full days
passed before Reh Chaim realized that he had not
eaten or slept for two consecutive days.
When he was older it was no different, night
and day he would be sitting by his Gemora.
During intersession, yeshiva students customarily
rest up to gather strength for the coming z'man. While
Reb Chaim agreed that recuperation was important, he
nevertheless told us: "It's hard for me to understand the
whole idea of bein hazmanim (intersession). It's like
having a bein hachaim (an interruption of life). Does
one ever take a vacation from life?"
A Character to Match
Reb Chaim's greatness in Torah was matched by his
sterling character. He was a giant in Torah and a giant
in midos. His all-encompassing concern for his fellow
Jew and his constant preoccupation with the well-being
of others were manifestations of the love that poured
forth from his great heart, a heart like that of a Prince in Israel: "His heart is the heart of all Israel" (Rambam
Hilchos Melachim).
Reb Chaim often said," A leader of Kial Yisroel
must feel the joy and suffering of his fellow Jew as
if they were his own."
He quoted the comment of
Chazal that Aharon Hakohein merited wearing
the Urim Vetumim (special breast-plate) over his
heart, as a result of his profound joy at learning of
the selection of his younger brother Moshe to be
the redeemer of Israel. Reb Chaim explained: "A
heart that had the capacity to truly rejoice in the
good fortune of another - that heart was the
appropriate place for the Urim Vetumim.
Through the Urim Vetumim, G-d revealed to
Aharon the solutions to the most difficult problems in a manner all but incomprehensible and
unfathomable - except to him whose heart could
so totally identify with the problem of his supplicant as to feel that problem as his own."
He too rejoiced in the good fortune of others as if his
own, and he literally became ill upon hearing of their
misfortunes, as was evidenced, for example, during the
weeklong Entebbe incident when he became physically
sick with concern.
This writer was standing near the Rosh Yeshiva
when the yeshiva was praying for the recovery of
the late Gerer Rebbe. His body was shaking
with sobs as he entreated the Almighty to spare
the life of this great leader.
His family often hid the daily Agudah newspaper Hamodia to spare him the anguish of seeing
requests for public prayer for the recovery of this
or that ill person.
On a shiva visit to a friend who had lost his
wife, Reb Chaim sat down and wept bitterly with
anguish over his friend's loss. After twenty
minutes, he arose, said "Hamakom · Yenachem
(May G-d console you) ... ," and left, offering
the greated comfort to the bereaved by bearing
with him the agony of his loss.
The baal kriya at Mir, Reb Yechiel Zilberberg,
captured the profundity of Reb Chaim's emotions: "On Shavuos morning, the drowsy
assemblage could barely stay awake for the reading of Megillas Rus; Reb Chaim, however, would
stand and sob-Why? In contrast to shallow
emotionalism, which is activated by a few banal,
sentiments, Reb Chaim's heart was stimulated by
his mind. He thought about Rus: The tragedy of a
splendid princess reduced to the most degrading
poverty, picking kernels with the rabble; and the
beacon of light that would someday emanate from
her, to enlighten a world-her great grandson
Dovid Hamelech.
"How else can one explain Reb Chaim's vivid
portrayal of everyday. life tragedies," continued
Reb Yechiel, "of an impoverished mother whose
tattered child begs her for a pair of shoes, and she must broken-heartedly refuse; of an agunah
deserted by her husband over twenty years ago, of
her bitterness and hopelessness."
"I doubt that the women themselves could have
portrayed themselves as vividly as Reh Chaim
did. This was because he thought about people,
strove to understand their sorrows and rejoice in
their fortunes," concluded Reb Yechiel.
In the same vein, we understand Reh Chaim's
shmuess about Yad Avshalom: Reb Chaim told
that he often would stand by Yad Avshalom and
say a tefila. He was once asked, "Wasn't
Avshalom a rasha-a wicked man? Why pray at
his graveside?"
He replied, "Contemplate Avshalom-he tried
to kill his father; and yet when he died, his father
David was brokenhearted and prayed for him.
This helps me understand what is meant by a
'father's mercy,' and I'm ready to beseech G-d:
'As a father has mercy on a son, so should G-d
have mercy on us!'"
Everyone's feelings are aroused by standing at
the Kosel. Who but Reh Chaim could respond to
Yad Avshalom?
Shmuel I recounts the rivalry between
Elkanah's two wives - Chana, who was childless,
and Penina, who was blessed with seven children.
Penina taunted Chana incessantly about her barren state, causing her much anguish; as a result,
Penina was punished with the death of her seven
children, one by one. Yet the Sages testified to the
nobility of Penina's motive's - to induce Chana to
entreat G-d for the gift of children (Bava Basra
16b). Reb Chaim asked, "Is this the reward for her
devoted concern for Chana's welfare?"
"Hurting someone," Reb Chaim answered, "no
matter how selfless and noble the reason, provokes an unpleasant divine reaction - not a
punishment, not retribution, but a reaction -
pure and simple - cause and effect. The purity of
one's intent in no way mitigates the pain inflicted;
and inflicting pain on a fellow human being can be
likened to putting one's hand into a fire. There
can be countless good, even imperative reasons
for doing so, but the hand will be burned nevertheless."
Reb Chaim often went to hear the shmuessen of an
elderly baal mussar living in Jerusalem - even in his old
age, when he was hard of hearing and could not hear
what was being said. His mere presence was an honor to
the speaker, and for that reason alone he would sit
there, looking for all the world as if listening to every
word.
Reb Chaim's shmuessen on the subject of hakoras
hatov - gratitude - are among his most famous.
Chazal tell us that Joseph's brothers sat in
judgment on him and deemed him deserving
death. In spite of-this, Reuven came to his rescue
because he felt indebted to Joseph for having mentioned seeing eleven stars in his dream, thereby
including Reuven among the brothers, and allaying Reuven's fear of being excluded from the
family circle for his "sin" with Bilha. Said Reb Chaim: "Let us consider what Joseph had really
done for Reuven. It was only a dream which involved no effort on Joseph's part ... a dream
which served to increase Joseph's prestige, certainly not Reuven's. But a dream that nonetheless
reassured Reuven. And for such a seemingly
minute favor, Reuven recognized such a profound
debt of gratitude that he was compelled to save
Joseph's life, despite the fact that he concurred in
the brother's verdict that Joseph deserved death.
"The requirements of gratitude go even further:
Jacob instructed Joseph to inquire after the welfare of his brothers and their sheep. Our sages
deduce from this that one is required to look after
the welfare of anything from which he benefits. -
But for what reason? Are the sheep consciously
helping their owner? Does it comfort the sheep
that someone inquires after their well-being?
-But herein lies the principle: Gratitude on the
recipient's part should not depend on the effort
expended on his behalf. Deriving benefit from
someone or something in and of itself requires an
expression of gratitude. This appreciation must be
shown not only to human beings, but to lower
orders of creation as well."
His shmuess on this subject, like all his shmuessen,
was not only a guide for others; it was a reflection of his
very personality. For the slightest favor he would be
eternally grateful. The parade of anecdotes regarding
this aspect of his personality is endless .... At the last
shiur of the zman, he would invariably thank his
students for giving him the opportunity to say the
shiurim.
During his stay in Shanghai, he sometimes had
long talks with his host about trivial matters of no
importance whatsoever - this from Reb Chaim,
the unsurpassed masmid. A talmid once asked
him why he wasted his precious time on such
small talk. Reb Chaim replied, "This man provided me with a home. How can I express my
appreciation? By learning with him? He has no
background in learning and it would have no
meaning for him. So I show my gratitude by lifting his spirits, talking with him about things in
1vhich he's interested, something he can more
readily appreciate."
Appropriately enough, the last shmuess of his
life, on Yom Kippur. of this year, dealt with the
profound debt of gratitude a man owes his wife.
"There is no one to whom one is so beholden as to
his wife."
Last Days
A few days after Succos of this year, Reb Chaim was
rushed to the hospital and, for the next two months, his
life hung by a thread. Even during the weeks of semiconsciousness his lips moved, and from time to time he could be heard mumbling divrei Torah - Torah Jewry
the world over stormed the gates of heaven pleading for
his recovery.
On Monday night the third of Teves, after the last of
the Chanukah lights had cast its glow this great light
had shined its last - a great light that for 60 of its 76
years had illuminated the byways of Torah with loving
kindness joined his colleagues in the Mesivta D'Rakia
(Heavenly Academy).
Reb Chaim often told us that the essence of life is
giving. "What is the purpose of life if not to give of
one's self to others?" With this he. explained the
Gemora (Nedarim 64b) that states that there are four
types of persons who, although physically living, are
considered dead - a beggar, a leper, a blind man, and a
childless person. Reb Chaim explained that their common denominator is their dependence on others and
their inability to give of themselves to their fellow: The
beggar needs the support of others; according to Jewish
law, the leper must live outside the community and thus
cannot help others; a blind man needs constant assistance; and a person without children has no one to
whom he can bequeath his legacy. In one way or
another, they are all limited in their ability to give of
themselves in all respects and so essentially they are not
living.
It would seem to this writer that we can similarly
understand the saying of our sages: A righteous man is
considered living even after his death because the living
world is still feeling the influence of his words and
deeds. He is giving, so he is considered among the
living.
So the great light that ceased to be on that third night
of Teves was really not extinguished. It is only the
candle that is missing. The flame, however, continues to
burn brightly. Reb Chaim is still giving. The light of his
Torah, his mussar, his chesed, the light of the very
example he set with his very being will continue to
shine brightly for years to come.
Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Klugman
