More than 25 years ago, I was a guest for Shabbos at a particular community that was looking for a Rov, as the old Rov had recently retired, and as the shul was divided into various factions, there was difficulty in making a clear choice. After Shabbos was over and thankfully my shiurim passed the test and I was invited to meet with the shul’s board of directors.
Following a very enjoyable and informative interview, one young man asked that very “important question” as to what is my view of Hallel on Yom Hatzmut. I responded that though my heart never left Eretz Yisroel, on this issue, I am to small too make my own interpretation and so since I have been blessed with having two great Rabbeim in my life, my Rebbe in Torah was Rav Henoch Leibowitz ZT”L from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim and in Halacha it was Rav Moshe Feinstien ZT”L, and since neither of them do so, I just follow my Mesorah.
At that point, the young man who raised the question jumped up and said, “I thought so, you are from the “’Shach school of thought” and that is not for us." To clarify, he was not referring to the great classic commentary on Shulchan Aruch referred to as the “Shach”; what he was disrespectfully referring to was the Gadol Hador, Rav Shach ZT”L. The realization that I follow my Mesorah and do not say Hallel on Yom Hatzmut, aligned me with that Gadol’s view of Zionism and therefore it was not the Hashkafa that he wanted in a Rov.
Immediately after his disrespectful comment, the entire board of directors present began to scold him for both his manner of speech and disrespect to me. I stood up and asked for the floor and said that I take no offence what so ever and appreciated him speaking his mind, however with the disrespect shown to the Gadol Hador by his remark ( something akin to the comments in the aforementioned article) that I would like to respond. I shared the following story.
In the years I was zoceh to learn in Eretz Yisroel, I made it my business to visit and become close to many of the Gedolim there, including HaRav Shach ZT”L. I would go to him very often on Friday afternoon which was a more quiet time for him, and I was able to spend a considerable amount of time in his company.
One Erev Shabbos, as the house was full of people, I was awaiting my turn to speak to him. All of the sudden, his grandson came in and asked everyone to leave, because the doctor had arrived and Rav Shach ZT”L had a serious infection on his foot that needed to be cut out. Everyone left, but with the insolence of youth, I decided to stay to observe, that maybe I could learn something by observing this great Gadol. I stood in the library behind the bookcase and watched as a serious discussion ensued between the doctor and the Rosh HaYeshiva. The doctor wanted to give the Gadol a shot of a pain killer to minimize the pain that he would feel with the knife cutting out the infection, but he refused. He was in the midst of preparing for his Shiur Klalli that he was to give the following week and he didn’t want to have the pain killer that would affect his ability to think clearly and deeply. And so reluctantly the doctor agreed. However there was a concern that due to the pain, he may suddenly jerk his leg, and could jeopardize something more serious happening. All of a sudden the grandson spotted me and called me over to help hold onto the Rosh HaYeshiva during the procedure so he doesn’t move.
My hand grasped the Rosh Yeshiva’s hand and he was to press my hand when in real pain. There was the doctor, one grandson, one attendant, the Rosh Yeshiva and myself. Throughout the approx. 15 minute procedure, I was amayzed (as I am still, so many decades later) that the Rosh Yeshiva sat there, eyes closed in deep concentration and he didn’t cry, didn’t scream, didn’t press my hand any harder before, during or after the procedure.
Now to Act II.
It was about 9 months later, again it was an Erev Shabbos and I was having a conversation with the Rosh Yeshiva as a long line was waiting their turn. A grandson walked in and whispered into his ear the terrible news that just came out that an army helicopter just crashed in a training mission and all 6 soldiers were killed. The Gadol Hador right in front of me burst into tears and into incredible sobbing, and we were all asked to leave. I remember leaving the house and standing outside for quite a while trying to absorb what I just witnessed. This same Gadol, who months earlier I personally witnessed a doctor cutting into his body with a knife and not even one tear was shed, now that same person, hears news about an accident and the loss of 6 soldiers, none who were Talmidim of his or any Yeshiva and yet he cries uncontrollably. How is that to be understood. And then I understood, that for this Gadol Hador, the pain of the suffering of another Jew, “Any Jew” is more painful to him than a knife cutting into his own body.
And so I said, to that young man in the room filled with the shul’s board of directors, that I have just been accused of belonging to the “Shach school of thought” ; to me that means I belong to the school of thought that we must love all Jews to the depth of our being, where their pain should hurt you more than your own physical pain. How proud I am to be part of such a “school of thought” and I truly hope and pray that one day I will truly merit to to share those types of feelings of Ahavas Yisroel. And having said that, I said my good-byes and I left the room.
