Li-ilui nishmas R' Baruch ben Yosef, Barry Gavarin ztz"l
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalommmmmmmmmmm sweeeetesttttt friendsssssssss!!!!!
Tonight [Thursday] is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Shach ztz"l. Rav Yechezkel Abramski ztz"l said that the date someone dies is no coincidence. It is no coincidence that Rav Shach passed away Erev Shabbos Parshas Vayera [20 years ago]. He always quoted the words of Rabbeinu Yonah [Shaarei Teshuva 3-13]:
ויש במצות עשה מן החמורות שאין המון העם נזהרים בהם כגון הזכרת שם שמים לבטלה שנאמר (דברים ח') את ה' אלקיך תירא ואמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה הוזהרנו בזה שלא להזכיר שם שמים לבטלה. וכן ג"ח שהיא מ"ע שנאמר (שמות י״ח:כ׳) והודעת להם את הדרך ילכו בה זו גמילות חסדים. ואמרו גדולה גמילות חסדים יותר מן הצדקה שהצדקה לעניים וגמילות חסדים בין לעניים בין לעשירים. על כן אמרו על שלשה דברים העולם עומד על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים. והנה הצדקה בממונו. וגמילות חסדים בין בגופו בן בממונו. כי חייב אדם לטרוח בדרישת טוב לעמו ולשקוד בעמל נפשו על תקנת חבירו אם דל ואם עשיר. וזאת מן החמורות ומן העיקרים הנדרשים מן האדם שנאמר (מיכה ו׳:ח׳) הגיד לך אדם מה טוב ומה ה' דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד. וכן מצוה להכנס לפנים משורת הדין שנאמר (שמות י״ח:כ׳) ואת המעשה אשר יעשון ואמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה זה לפנים משורת הדין. ויש בענין זה דרכים רבים אשר תהיה בהן המצוה הזאת מן החמורות הכל לפי ענין הדין. כמו שאמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה לא חרבה ירושלים אלא על שהעמידו דבריהם
על דין תורה ולא נכנסו לפנים משורת הדין.
Among the positive commandments in the Torah are some of the weighty ones that the masses are not careful about - for example the mention of [God’s] name in vain, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “You shall fear the Lord, your God.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Temurah 4:1), “We have been warned with this not to mention [God’s] name in vain.” And likewise acts of kindness, which is a positive commandment, as it is stated (Exodus 18:20), “and make known to them the way they are to go” - that is acts of kindness (Bava Metzia 30b). And they said (Sukkah 49b), “Acts of kindness are superior to charity, [since] charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich.” Therefore they said (Avot 1:2), “The world stands upon three things: On the Torah; on the service; and on acts of kindness.” And (Sukkah 49b) “charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money.” For a person is obligated to exert himself in seeking good for his people and to dedicate himself to the betterment of his fellow - whether poor or rich. And this is one of the main weighty commandments required of a person, as it is stated (Micah 6:8), “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you - only to do justice, and to love kindness.” And likewise to go beyond the law, as it is stated (Exodus 18:20), “and the practices they are to follow.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 30b), “This is going beyond the letter of the law.” And there are many ways in this matter, such that this commandment would be from the weighty ones. It is all according to the contents of the case - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 30b), “Jerusalem was destroyed only because they established their rulings on the basis of Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law.”
WOW!!!!! חייב אדם לטרוח בדרישת טוב לעמו ולשקוד בעמל נפשו על תקנת חבירו אם דל ואם עשיר. "For a person is obligated to exert himself in seeking good for his people and to dedicate himself to the betterment of his fellow - whether poor or rich." THAT is what it is all about!!!
And that is the way Rav Schach [and so many other Tzadikim!!!] lived his life. There are so many stories about how he went above and beyond the letter of the law to do chesed for others and to make them feel good. He used to say on the pasuk in this week's parsha describing how Avraham saw the angels וישא עיניו וירא וכו' וירא וירץ לקראתם - It says the word וירא - "he saw" twice. Why??
Said Rav Shach: The first seeing was to physically see them. The second means to "understand" [as in "oh, I see"]. He worked hard to understand - What do these "people" need!!! THAT is chesed. Always thinking and trying to understand "what does this person need?? What can I give him/her?"
Rav Shach famously wrote a public letter against the "Michlala" because he felt that the curriculum wasn't fully in line with our tradition [some of my BEST FRIENDS went there (not that I have ever spoken to a girl in my life) - so NO OFFENSE!!! My wife third cousin nine times removed went to Bar Ilan University which Rav Shach didn't even bother saying a word about b/c it was so beyond what he would consider acceptable!!! Happy postscript: Today this "cousin" is frummer than frrrrummmmmmm. Hollllyyyyyyyy!!!!!
]. Rav Binyamin Beeri [a Rebbi in Kerem Bi-yavne] told the story of his own daughter, who was learning at the time at Michlalah, along with the daughter of a famous eye doctor in Yerushalayim, Dr. Zilberman. Once, when Rav Shach had an appointment for an examination, Dr. Zilberman suggested to his daughter that some girls come to get a blessing. She got together a select group of girls, who came full of excitement, not knowing what Rav Shach would do. (No one can contradict this story; there is a picture of my daughter together with Rav Shach.) When Rav Shach finished his exam and came out, he gave them a ten-minute drasha of chizuk in Torah and yirat shamayim. He also said good things about Michlalah, and, of course, gave them a bracha. (I once had a personal discussion with him on certain matters, and mentioned certain things that were said in his name. He responded that he did not say that, and that he can contradict everything that is said in his name.) He had a warm heart for everyone, but was completely engrossed in his learning. [I remember hearing from one of my Rabbeim that soon after Rav Shach came out against the Michlala one of his students became engaged to a girl from there - with Rav Shach's blessing].People would come to him day and night for years and often apologize for bothering him. He would respond that he is HAPPY that they came and invited the person to sit down and talk.
A boy once came to Rav Shach on the night of Bedikas Chometz complaining of depression etc. etc. Rav Shach said that there is a mental health expert in Bayit Vegan who can help him. Rav Shach calls him up. It was 11:15pm. Erev Pesach.
He says "It's Shach".
"What can I do for the Rosh Yeshiva?"
"There is a boy here who needs to speak to you now."
"OK. He can come".
"I am coming with him".
He didn't want Rav Shach to trouble himself so he said "Don't come!! If the Rosh Yeshiva comes I will not see the boy".
About an hour later [the time it takes to get from Bnei Brak to Bayit Vegan], the boy gets to the office and the man sits with him until 2am.
The next day at daveing in Bayit Vegan he hears people saying that they saw Rav Shach - then already an old man - pull up with a car at about midnight and he was walking back and forth for close to two hours!!!!
THAT is what Rabbeinu Yonah meant when he wrote חייב אדם לטרוח בדרישת טוב לעמו ולשקוד בעמל נפשו על תקנת חבירו אם דל ואם עשיר. "For a person is obligated to exert himself in seeking good for his people and to dedicate himself to the betterment of his fellow - whether poor or rich."
Rav Shach would cry when he would read the continuation of the words of Rabbeinu Yonah:
ומצאנו בענין אנשי סדום שהיו רעים לה' מאד בכמה עלילות נשחתות כמו הגזל והחמס ועיוות הדין וגלוי עריות. עם כל זה הזכיר הכתוב כי אבדו ונשמדו בעון בטול הצדקות. שנאמר (יחזקאל טו) הנה זה היה עון סדום אחותך גאון שבעת לחם וגו' ויד עני ואביון לא החזיקה.
And we find with the people of Sodom that they were very bad to God on several [plains] of corruption, such as theft, extortion, perversion of justice and forbidden sexual relations. Nevertheless, Scripture mentions that their souls were lost and destroyed by the sin of nullifying charity, as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:49), “Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom; arrogance - plenty of bread, etc.; yet she did not support the poor and the needy.”
He would say the words בעון בטול הצדקות [the sin of not giving Tzdaka] with a special heart rending niggun.
There was a man in Bnei Brak who owned a grocery store. He mentioned to Rav Shach that he is marrying off a child and needs a large loan. Rav Shach said that when he is in Yerushalayim he will speak to the manager of a Gemach and ask for a loan. The man insisted that Rav Shach not trouble himself. Rav Shach in turn insisted that if a person needs a loan he goes in person so Rav Shach is going in person.
A few weeks later the grocery store was very busy. Someone told the owner that Rav Shach was standing outside waiting for him. The owner came out and Rav Shach explained that he couldn't come in b/c he knew that everybody would move aside for him so that he could cut to the head of the line and he didn't want that. He added that he spoke to the manager of the Gemach who agreed to give this man the biggest loan possible.
NU SWEET FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How FORTUNATE we are to have such role models. There are countless incredible stories and these were just small examples [see my blog for more]. We too can be like him. Not all of us will be able to reach his level in learning but we can definitely strive to "exert ourselves in seeking good for his people and to dedicate himself to the betterment of his fellow". And we can start .... RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After all - as descendents of Avraham Avinu this "chesed thing" is totally part of our DNA. אלו תולדות שמים וארץ בהבראם - The word בהבראם also spells באברהם is you scramble the letters. The whole world was created for the middah of Avraham - chesed!!!! LOVING KINDNESS!!!
The Gemara says that even though we say the names of the other Avos in Shmoneh Esrei "בך חותמין" - with you [Avraham] we seal off the bracha. ברוך אתה ה' מגן אברהם. The Chidushei HaRim explains that the whole galus will end bi-zchus the middah of Avraham - namely chesed. בך חותמין. The galus will end with Avraham's special quality.
LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dedicated this Dvar Torah to the memory of R' Baruch Gavarin, the father of my beloved friend R' Eitan. He was the personification of the middos of chesed and ahavas habriyos [in addition to his unquenchable thirst for learning and many other positive qualities]. I remember meeting him when he came to Israel once to visit and being so impressed by how friendly he was to me - a complete stranger [not to mention "strange"]. May he be an inspiration for all of us to improve ourselves. And may his special devoted wife Mrs. Gavarin, R' Eytan and the whole family find nechama after the incredibly painful loss of this Tzadik.
A SWEEEEEEET DELICIOUS SIMCHA-DIKE CHESED-DIKE SHABBOS TO ALL!!
Bi-ahava rabba,
Me
PS - Some parsha shiurim here here and here [and much more BS"D].
