Sunday night 16 Cheshvan, during the shiva for the Rosh
Yeshiva, over 3000 people converged on the Lakewood Yeshiva
to hear Divrei Hesped on the Rosh Yeshiva, zt'l.
The new dining room of the yeshiva -- which serves as a
temporary beis medrash and is the largest room in the
yeshiva -- was filled to capacity with the crowd spilling out
into the hallways. There was a hookup to the main beis
medrash building of the yeshiva to accommodate the large
crowd. Additionally, 15 cities across America listened to the
hespedim via telephone hookup.
HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, the Lakewood rosh yeshiva,
started by mentioning that Elisha cried Ovi Ovi twice
when Eliyahu ascended to Shomayim. He explained that
Eliyahu to him had been both a father and a mother. As a
father he taught him Torah; as a mother he taught him
middos and ahavas haTorah. "At this time we feel
the same way about the Rosh Yeshiva zt'l. He was our
rebbi in everything, whether in Torah itself or in
ahavas haTorah and middos tovos. At this time if
we talk about his greatness and learn from it, we keep his
hashpo'oh within us, even though he's no longer with
us.
"The Rosh Yeshiva was an unbelievable masmid. He would
get involved in learning and literally forget about
everything else. HaRav Yoel Shapiro from Bnei Brak told me
that he visited the Rosh Yeshiva erev Shevi'i Shel
Pesach. The yeshiva was going to learn Pesochim the
following zman. The Rosh Yeshiva asked him `Have you
started learning Pesochim yet? He replied, `No I
haven't.' `Why not?' asked the Rosh Yeshiva. `I'm already
learning Pesochim, I'm davening Pesochim, I'm
eating Pesochim, sleeping Pesochim. When I go in
the street, it's Pesochim, Pesochim, Pesochim,
Pesochim! I've learned the masechta many times
already and have said many shiurim too, yet I'm
learning Pesochim like this -- and you haven't started
yet?'
"This is pshat in the posuk, `Behishalechecho
tishmor olecho, behakitzoso hi sesichecho.' He said
Pesochim with such a geshmak as if it was the
most pleasurable thing in the world.
"My father HaRav Shneur zt'l, related that when the
Rosh Yeshiva was learning in Kletsk, he once went on the
ladder in the beis medrash to get a sefer that
was high up. While on the ladder, he got so caught up with
what he was thinking that he forgot that he was on the ladder
and started walking as though he was on the floor. He fell
off the ladder because of his thinking in learning.
"We say in ma'ariv, `Venismach bedivrei sorosecho
uvemitzvosecho le'olom vo'ed' -- that we should learn Torah
and do mitzvos with joy. The Rosh Yeshiva would get such joy
out of learning, hearing a good vort or saying a
shiur as though it is the biggest simcha in the
world--which it is.
HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro remembers a snowy day in
Yerushalaim. He decided it would be a good day to spend time
with the Brisker Rov, zt'l. After all, it snowed and it was
hard for people to get out. He walked to Rechov Press (where
the Rov lived). As he approached the Rov's house, he noticed
someone moving about awkwardly in the snow. He got a little
closer and noticed it was Rav Shach, dancing in the snow! He
asked the Rosh Yeshiva, `Reb Leizer, why are you dancing?'
"The Rosh Yeshiva replied, `I heard such a good vort
from the Rov that I went outside to dance! I figured that
since it's a snowy day no one would see me.'
Someone once came with his son to visit him in his later
years in Bnei Brak. The boy remarked that it was a hot day
and perhaps they should turn on the air conditioner. The Rosh
Yeshiva looked at the boy and said, `What's the difference if
it's hot? When I was young we would learn through bitter cold
with no heat and through the hot summer with no cooling. Yet
we were satisfied because we were learning Torah. We forgot
about our condition.'
The gemora at the end of Kiddushin says that Rav
Nehorai says, `I'll leave aside all the professions in the
world and I will only teach my son Torah' (Kiddushin
82b). The Brisker Rav asks that Rav Meir (who was called
Nehorai) holds like Rav Shimon bar Yochai who says in
Brochos that one should conduct himself with derech
eretz, that he should learn a trade. So why here does Rav
Meir say not like that?
The Rov explains that Rav Meir held that a person achieves a
certain degree of simcha and satisfaction from working
for a living, which for most people is necessary in life.
There are those however who are able to achieve that
fulfillment in life just from learning Torah. Rav Meir said,
`I want my son to achieve through leaning the simcha in
life as one would normally get from working.'
This we saw by the Rosh Yeshiva. His simchas haTorah
was on such a level that it helped him overcome all his
trials in life.
. . . His yiras Shomayim was paramount. A few pages of
his copy of the Vilna Gaon's sefer Even Shlomoh were
worn out: the pages that discuss what the final judgment of
a person is like after he dies. Someone mentioned to the Rosh
Yeshiva that obviously he looked many times at these pages.
He replied, `I look at these pages three times a day!'
. . . His bikush ho'emes was legendary. He would stop
in the middle of a shiur or cancel the shiur if
he thought it wasn't 100 percent true. The Brisker Rov would
spend two weeks writing a shtikel Torah until it was
exactly the way he wanted it. He would give it to his sons to
read and he would then say, `Let's give it to Reb Leizer;
let's see what he has to say.' When Rav Shach would read the
piece, the Rav would stare at his face to detect any change
or nuance in his facial expression. He was the final arbiter
for the Rov, for the Rov knew nothing would go by him.'"
HaRav Elya Svei, rosh yeshiva of Philadelphia Yeshiva talked
about the arichas yomim the Rosh Yeshiva merited to
have; obviously Hashem felt it was necessary for our
generation to have him amongst us for so long.
"The Rosh Yeshiva's main goal in life was to be mashpia
on talmidim. He was a rosh yeshiva for many years,
first in Petach Tikva then in Rechovot and other places,
until he went to Ponevezh. He had nothing to do with the
world around him, just learning by himself and teaching the
bochurim.
. . . HaRav Aharon Kotler, zt'l felt there was a need
for the Rosh Yeshiva to get involved in klal matters
and prevailed upon him to join the Moetzes Gedolei haTorah.
Most people who knew the rosh Yeshiva figured he would
discuss the issue with the Brisker Rov before making his
decision. Yet he did not do so. He told the Brisker Rov that
Rav Aharon had asked him to join the Moetzes and that he
decided to do so. Rav Aharon's request was enough for him to
make up his mind and did not need to talk it over with anyone
else.
This was a turning point in his life. He became involved in
community issues until it got to the point where he was
involved with every issue facing Klal Yisroel.
The Rosh Yeshiva fought many battles against what he
perceived to be a breach in the mesorah of Klal
Yisroel -- sometimes alone. He spearheaded the campaign
against Lubavitch, protesting the Messianic movement that
arose in their midst.
He took upon himself the issue of kiruv rechokim,
demanding yungerleit to give up of their time to
bring others back to authentic Yiddishkeit. It's safe to say
that without the Rosh Yeshiva's involvement, we would not be
seeing the great success we see in this field today.
. . . The recent events of September 11 should motivate us
to reflection. That a group of Arabs could commandeer a bunch
of planes and cause such damage, points to the yad Hashem
that allowed this to occur. Obviously we are living in
Ikvisa Demeshicho. We must be careful to not allow the
talk of war, etc. to cloud our understanding that Hashem is
exhorting us to do teshuva and come closer to Him, as
the Rosh Yeshiva himself would urge us to do.
The Midrash relates that Yishmoel demanded a reward from
Hashem for giving himself a bris when he was 13. Hashem
replied that as long as Klal Yisroel doesn't have
control of Eretz Yisroel, you will control it. Yishmoel,
through his bris, has a connection to kedusha.
The Arabs today walk around very modestly -- the women
cover themselves from head to toe -- and claim to be waging
war against America's immorality. We must counter their false
claims of being connected to kedusha by strengthening
ourselves in this area.
We must maintain the legacy of Rav Shach who constantly
fought for kovod Shomayim. Be'ezras Hashem we will.
HaRav Chaim Ginsburg, a rosh chabura in the Yeshiva and a
talmid of the Rosh Yeshiva, said from the gemora in
Moed Katan that whenever an Amorah died there was a
change in the physical makeup of the world. Rav Shlomoh
Kluger said at a hesped on the Chasam Sofer that it
happens today in the world as well when a tzaddik passes
away; we just don't see it.
"Every generation has its own Avraham and Moshe. The Rosh
Yeshiva embodied both of them: His chesed and ahavas
Yisroel as taught by Avraham and his learning and giving
over the mesorah as exemplified by Moshe.
"When the Rosh Yeshiva was a ram in Petach Tikvah, he
complained to Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer, zt'l, his
uncle, that when he says over a Reb Chaim to the bochurim
and then says his own pshat they don't accept his pshat.
Reb Isser Zalman answered him not to be upset. You can say
your own pshat even if it argues on Reb Chaim. Obviously Reb
Isser Zalman felt he was worthy to do so . . .
"Once during bein hazmanim I took a walk. I met the
Rosh Yeshiva and he asked me, `What are you thinking about?'
I told him, `Not in learning.' He looked surprised: `I take a
walk to Tel Aviv (a distance of a few miles) and I think in
learning the whole way!'
"Tuesday was the day he said the shiur. His facial
expression was of one who was totally engrossed in what he
was doing. After the shiur he couldn't go straight to
mussar or daven Mincha because he was literally
drained -- his clothing was wet -- and he had to go home
first to relax.
"He had a very hard time during the First World War as was
already mentioned. . . . He went to Slutsk and learned by
himself for an entire year. He went through the entire
Teshuvos Rav Akiva Eiger during that time. Reb Isser
Zalman heard about him and invited him to stay in his home.
He felt it would be a shmirah for the home to have such
a talmid chochom in the house.
"When the first Avi Ezri was published, my grandfather,
Reb Chatzkel Levenstein, remarked that it's obvious that not
only is he a godol beTorah but also a tov, a good
person."
HaRav Mattisyahu Salamon, mashgiach of Lakewood Yeshiva,
cried out the words of the novi Yeshaya, " `Hatzaddik ovad
ve'ein ish som al leiv . . . ki mipnei horo'oh ne'esaf
hatzaddik.' Rashi explains that when a tzaddik departs
from the world, people must ask why was he taken from us. To
that the Novi answers because of the impending ra that
is going to befall the world and Hashem wants to spare the
tzaddik from seeing the destruction.
"We are living in a tumultuous time and when the Rosh Yeshiva
is taken from us, it's a sign of ra so we must do
teshuva. When Hashem takes away a tzaddik, he
doesn't do it so he can bring harm to the world; rather it is
to inspire us to teshuva so He won't have to bring it.
"When Mesushelach died a week before the Mabul, the
gemora in Sanhedrin says the hesped of a
tzaddik holds back the evil from coming. The Maharsha
explains that since they would be hearing so many things
about the tzaddik, perhaps it would inspire them to
teshuva. Let's keep in mind this is taking place after
120 years of Noach building the teiva, warning them to
repent; yet the death of Mesushelach was the last try by
Hashem to inspire them to teshuva.
"Rabbosai! The Rosh Yeshiva, who was the Mesushelach of our
generation -- he lived longer than anybody else in recent
memory -- has passed away. We don't know what we lost. He was
the talmid chochom of the generation, the yirei
Shomayim of the dor, the leader of the dor,
the marbitz Torah of the dor, the da'as
Torah of the dor. He was the only one we were scared
of in the dor. And now he's not here . . .
"Rav Shulsinger, who was very close to the Steipler, zt"l,
writes that a lady came to the Steipler with a big
dilemma: She was very sick and the only hope for her was to
undergo a dangerous operation. Should she go ahead with the
operation? The Steipler answered that . . . she should go to
HaRav Shach and ask him what she should do.
She went to the Rosh Yeshiva and he said she should go ahead
with the procedure but she should first go back to the
Steipler and ask him for a brochoh and he should
daven for her.
When she went back to the Steipler and told her what HaRav
Shach had said the Steipler exclaimed, "Boruch Hashem
he said that. He is the talmid chochom amiti of our
generation and what he told you is psak halacha. Now
it's no longer a pikuach nefesh. Rav Shach is the only
one who is thinking in learning every moment of the day; even
when he's talking to someone, he's thinking in learning.
Thus, the Torah itself told you to have the operation.
" . . . He was the mesorah of our generation. He taught
us how to learn Torah, how to learn mussar, and the
basic principles of emunah . . . His words reflected
his inner self, unlike most people.
"The letters he wrote to people are full of ahavas Yisroel
and all the things we mentioned above. He, like Reb
Elchonon Wassermann, zt'l of the previous generation,
wrote the hashkofo on the current political issues
without fear. He wasn't afraid to voice his opinion about
these issues.
"The Rosh Yeshiva told me that when he was three of four
years old, his yarmulke fell off. His mother cried,
`Leizer, what's going to be with your yiras Shomayim?'
He said, `Every time my yarmulke falls off I cry. When
I wake up in the morning and my yarmulke is off my
head, I cry.
"One time he missed the zman Krias Shema of the Magen
Avraham and cried the entire day! What yiras Shomayim!
"When Rav Gifter, zt'l was maspid the Steipler in
London, he gave a rousing hesped but didn't cry at all.
At the end of his hesped, he mentioned that the
Steipler had a partner in his klal work -- the Rosh
Yeshiva. He then cried and said we should daven he
should merit arichas yomim because he's the only one
left. What will we say today when he is no longer with us?
"HaRav Chaim Kanievsky would say that he's not concerned
about what's happening in Eretz Yisroel because HaRav Shach
is amongst us. What will he say today?
"We have to daven, `Lekayeim bonu chachmei Yisroel.'
"We should use this opportunity to do teshuva and
become a lev shomei'a so we can all do teshuva,
thus sparing ourselves any future tragedies and Moshiach
should come bimeheiro beyomeinu Omein.
