Rav Yehudah Leib Zirelson was the Rav of Kishinev (Moldova). He was a great individual, but Kishinev was “off the beaten path” in terms of what was going on in the Torah world of his time. In other words, it was far removed from Central Europe and the major Torah communities of the day – Poland, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, etc. Rav Zirelson used to correspond with a Polish Rav named Rav Moshe Nachum Yerushalmski.
One day, Rav Moshe Nachum received a letter from Rav Yehudah Leib of Kishinev in which he wrote the following: “I recently received a letter that a group of Rabbis intend to start a new organization called ‘Agudas Yisrael’ and they want to place at the head of this organization someone known as the ‘Admor of Gur’ (the Gerer Rebbe). They are asking me to go along with their decision. Please tell me, who, is this fellow known as the ‘Admor of Gur’ and should I acquiesce to his being given this leadership position in the proposed new organization?”
This is what is called “being out of it”. However, he simply did not know any better. He was stuck in Kishinev in Moldova and he simply did not have his finger on the pulse of what was going on in the wider Jewish community.
The Polish Rabbi wrote back to his colleague in Kishinev as follows: “Yes the Admor of Gur is someone who can be relied upon. He is in fact a great Tzaddik and indeed has thousands of Chassidic followers. Furthermore, I know that he is a person who has “Siyata d’Shmaya” [Divine Assistance]. He is certainly worthy of the position.”
Rav Yerushalmski proceeded to relate the basis of his first-hand knowledge that the Gerer Rebbe possessed “Siyata d’Shmaya”: In my little village there is a Jew named Rav Sheinfeld, who happens to be the uncle of the Gerer Rebbe. Every so often, the Gerer Rebbe comes to visit this uncle and — as was the custom in Europe – whenever a visiting Rabbi visits another town, he pays a courtesy visit to the town’s official Rabbi (Moreh d’Asra). Therefore, I had yearly visits from the Gerer Rebbe. During one visit, I was discussing with him the weekly parsha and I told him that I had a question on Parshas Vayeshev.
The pasuk states that “Yosef was a ‘na-ar’ [youth or lad] with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah” [Bereshis 37:2]. The Medrash questions the use of the term ‘naar’ here, which connotes a young immature child, as at this time Yosef was already 17 years old. The Medrash infers from this description that Yosef did childish things. Rashi, citing the Medrash, explains that Yosef used to fix his hair and groom his eyes so that he should look attractive.
Rav Yerushalmski asked the Gerer Rebbe, that by Akeidas Yitzchak, the pasuk says, “I and the ‘na-ar’ will go up to here” [Bereshis 22:5] where the word ‘na-ar’ refers to Yitzchak, even though he was 37 years old at the time! Why does the Medrash not question the use of the term na-ar for Yitzchak, who was more than twice as old as Yosef when he was described as a na-ar?
The Gerer Rebbe dismissed the question. He explained that in the story of the Akeidah, Avraham Avinu called Yitzchak a na-ar. To a father, a child is always a child! It is not at all noteworthy to hear a father refer to his son, regardless of his age, as a young child. However, in Parshas Vayeshev, the Torah calls Yosef a na-ar, not his father. Therefore, this usage can be used for Medrashic exposition!
Rav Yerushalmski, who lived on the second floor of his building, went to accompany the Gerer Rebbe out of his apartment when the visit was over. A 100 year old widow lived on the first floor of the building. The widow came out of her house and upon seeing the Gerer Rebbe she asked him for a Bracha. The Rebbe gave her a bracha. This woman had a son who was 80 years old. She then requested of the Rebbe “Give my little one a blessing as well.” Here then was an 80 year old man who was referred to as “my little one” by his mother.
The point of Rav Yerushalmski was that literally within moments of the Gerer Rebbe giving an answer to the question, his insight was validated with a real life story, proving from Heaven as it were, that the ‘vort’ was true!
The current Tolner Rebbe (Jerusalem) asks on this answer of the Gerer Rebbe one basic question: In the Akeida we find a later pasuk in which the Angel from Heaven calls out to Avraham and also uses the term ‘na-ar’: “Do not send forth your hand to the ‘na-ar'” [Bereshis 22:12]. This was not a parent speaking. Why then does the Medrash ignore the Torah’s use the term na-ar by Akeidas Yitzchak?
The Tolner Rebbe answers that the Angel speaks in the Name of Hashem and to the Almighty, every Jew is like a child! “For Israel was a na-ar and I loved him…” [Hoshea 11:1]; “Children are you to the L-rd your G-d” [Devorim 14:1]. Once we are like the sons of G-d, it is understandable why we should always be thought of as a young lad (na-ar).
