Poverty and deprivation were the constant companions of
our great sages throughout history. Precisely through want
and lack were they able to reach such great heights. We
present a spectrum of facts and stories, most of which have
never seen publication, revolving around Torah study through
poverty. We have peppered this selection with stories
concerning study through pain, illness and suffering. We
offer grateful acknowledgement to the author of Hi
Sichosi.
He Wrote on the Wall with Coal
R' Yosef Bialitzer, a student of Yeshivas Volozhin, told of
the time Maran HaRav Chaim Soloveitchik ztvk'l of
Brisk sat before his students and revealed that he had in his
possession a letter from HaRav Yoel Sirkis, known as the
Bach, written to his son-in-law HaRav Dovid Halevi, the
Taz.
"Hashem gave me the wherewithal to order a new garment for
Yom Tov, but I am lacking a certain amount to pay for
its completion. Knowing that you have four guilden of mine
which I need very badly, I am asking you to repay them. From
the four, give six lesser coins to your wife, my daughter,
may she live and be well, to buy some nuts to gladden her for
Yom Tov."
R' Yosef told me that whenever R' Chaim would read this
letter at Succos time, he would shed tears and say, "Just see
how people lived in dire poverty, yet were satisfied with
their lot and sufficed happily with whatever they had!"
(Brought by R' Moshe Tzinowitz in his work Eitz
Chaim)
*
The following story is told of the illustrious R' Refoel
Meyuchos zt'l, author of Pri Ho'adomo on the
Rambam:
At the age of six or seven, he was already admitted into the
yeshiva of the astute and brilliant `lions' of Torah who
studied in the beis medrosh of the wealthy R' Yisroel
Yaakov Perera, where he studied with diligence amidst dire
poverty and deprivation. After the death of his grandmother,
he was forced to leave the house of his grandfather, R'
Moshe, the city trustee, who suffered a great financial
setback.
Difficult times lay ahead of him, coupled with pain and
illness. Despite these, he persevered in his study and from
the age of fourteen onwards, he remained in the beis
medrash from early dawn throughout the day and night.
(Pri Ho'adomo -- biographical notes)
*
From Pesach to Shavuos, I did not sleep on a pillow . . .
R' Shlomo Refoel Kalicko zt'l writes in his
introduction to his Shaar Hamitzvos as follows:
"And since I grew up amidst much suffering and pain through
various illness that afflicted me, compounded by a lack of
financial means, I knew no rest or repose . . .
"I sought to devote myself fully to study but was
dissatisfied with my lack of physical ability to do so. And
then, a spirit from Heaven stayed the hand of the Avenging
Angel and declared: What have you to do with the sorely
afflicted?
"I then undertook to compose this work . . . and from Pesach
to Shavuos, between one chapter and another, I did not lay my
head down to rest on a pillow. And I knew and saw that this
work was pleasing in the eyes of Hashem even though it is not
a fully comprehensive work. But it is a product of a willing
heart, which is what He desires. He expunges the heart of a
fool and fulfills what is written in Yechezkel
(11:19), `And I shall remove the heart of stone . . .
and I shall give My spirit in you to know Me, to fear and
love with a whole heart.' "
*
In the Chorus of the Burned Ones
HaRav Yitzchok Aharon of Wilkomir writes in the introduction
to his sefer:
"`Many are the thoughts in the heart of man but the design of
Hashem prevails . . . ' On Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av last
year, 5637, a fire was sent from above and for the duration
of two hours, just before midnight, it succeeded in consuming
almost the entire city by fire.
"Due to my sinful ways, I was also fated to be among those
who suffered the flames, but Hashem mercifully enabled me to
rescue all of my writings from the conflagration. I was not
certain, however, if I had succeeded in rescuing this one as
well. I searched among the ruins high and low and, thank G-d,
was able to locate this manuscript after several days.
"This event compounded my anguish over my previous hardship,
seeing that the entire community was devastated as well.
Besides, it also decreased my means so that my meager income
barely sufficed to keep me alive. The worst of the situation
was that all my suffering was as naught compared to the
terrible disappointment of my dashed hopes of ever printing
my writings. I had so yearned to do this, had hoped beyond
hope throughout my suffering existence on earth, amidst all
the physical pain and mental anguish accompanying it, that
all my affliction be requited if I could only print this
work. I described these thoughts and feelings to some degree
in the introduction of Kuntres Gei Hatzvuim . . .
"But in His infinite mercy, Hashem had prepared the balm
before the bane. I had been blessed from early childhood with
the power of scholarly innovation in Torah and even then,
fulfilled the words of Dovid Hamelech, `Were it not for Your
Torah, my beloved pastime, I would long have perished in my
misery.' Only the Torah was my comfort and consolation . . .
" (Introduction to Einei Yitzchok)
*
He wrote with coal on the wall for lack of pen and
paper
It is told of the author of Mogen Avrohom, R' Avrohom
Gumbiner, as follows:
After he married the daughter of a rabbi in the environs of
Posen, he became a melamed in order to support
himself, albeit at poverty level. His destitution was a
hallmark in Kalish to a degree that to this very day, people
point out the basement where he lived and its subhuman
conditions.
People point a finger at the walls, where one can see his
Torah writings chalked in black coal, for lack of money to
buy pen and paper. His descendants maintain the tradition
that despite his physical weakness, he would occasionally
walk all the way to Posen by foot just to study certain works
which were not to be found in Kalish.
(Tales of the Jews of Kalish)
*
He hid the pot of food in a chest of books
Tshaba, a small town with few people, was where the
[eventual] Rov of Undsdorf chose to live. His life was one of
extreme penury and deprivation. I heard from him that he
lived in a two-room apartment, one room of which was occupied
by his righteous mother. This was where he studied together
with his young students, since he kept it heated all winter
long. But in the other room, where he lived, no fire was ever
kindled in the stove, nor was the window opened throughout
the winter for fear of letting in the freezing air.
Nevertheless, he persevered in studying in this second room
during most of the night.
He was accustomed to fast every Thursday, but often as not,
he lacked something substantial with which to break his fast:
all he had was some coarse leafy vegetable stew which he
found altogether indigestible after the fast. He ate the bare
minimum just to keep alive. In order not to make his wife
feel bad, he would keep the pot in his chest of
seforim and during the night, whenever he felt faint
from hunger, would take a spoonful or two to stay the pangs
in his stomach. (Toldos Shmuel)
*
It is told of R' Leib Diskin, grandfather of the Maharil
Diskin, that when he traveled to Eretz Yisroel in a schooner,
there was only one gemora aboard the entire ship. His
fellow passenger was R' Dovid Shlomo, author of Levushei
Srod, and in order to satisfy both of their needs, he
took the gemora, split it in half, and each of them
studied from his half.
When each one had completed his half, they made the exchange
and continued to study from the second half.
(Sefer Kehillas Lomza)
*
It is told of R' Zalman Bonihad as follows:
I heard that when this saintly person studied by Maran the
Chassam Sofer, he was so impoverished that he would study by
the dim candlelight that was provided in the shul. In his old
age, he also spent eighteen hours each day in study. Neither
did he ever gaze beyond his immediate four cubits . . .
(Sefer Elef Ksav I)
*
It is told that R' Avrohom Shmuel of Eishishok, author of
Amudei Eish, acquired his Torah knowledge through
prodigious effort and exertion to the very point of literal
self-sacrifice. He was sickly from his youth and many were
the days when he despaired of continuing living, due to his
extreme weakness and illness.
He confessed that often, when he lay down to sleep at night
for just a little while, he would be surprised to wake up and
find himself still alive!
The power of his deep love for Torah was like a consuming
fire within him and would enable him to rise up in spite of
himself and resume his toil in Torah despite his tortured
nights.
*
It is told of the Baal Hoaderes:
Old-timers tell that he was enstated as rov in the town of
Pikelin at the age of eighteen, on the eve of Rosh Hashonoh,
5592 (1832). All his life, he studied Torah through
deprivation and hardship.
He pointed once to his writings explaining Rashi's commentary
on masechtos Shabbos, Brochos and Eruvin,
noting that while these were composed, he did not even have
the coarsest of bread in his home to sustain him.
Nonetheless, his diligence was optimal and throughout that
very month, he succeeded in completing a round of the entire
Shas.
He confided that one night in Teves, he succeeded in
finishing the entire tractate Chulin from beginning to
end.
