Part II
"Each story, each fact, made a tremendous impact upon me and
enabled me to gain knowledge and understanding for all
periods in life," wrote Maran HaGaon R' Shach, ztvk'l,
about his illustrious uncle, HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer,
whose 41st yahrtzeit is on 10 Kislev.
*
"I learned from my master, the Alter of Novardok," he once
noted to the Mashgiach, R' Meir Chodosh, "that in every
situation, there is always the aspect of personal self
interest. For example, when deliberating whether to pay
respects to so-and-so, the question inevitably arises whether
that person deserves the honor of my taking the trouble to go
to him, or does not deserve it. If it befits my dignity or
not. But one should also take into consideration natural
laziness, since perhaps I am simply putting too much weight
upon my own natural disinclination to get up and go and do
what needs to be done?"
How, then, must one go about doing what needs to be done?
They tell of the Alter of Novardok that whenever a great man
came to the city and the question arose as to who should pay
respects to whom, he would put on his outer fur coat and head
in the direction of that sage's lodgings and, along the way,
he would decide what exactly to do. As he approached, he
usually reckoned that since he was already so close, it only
made sense that he go to visit him already, and welcome him
deferentially.
"And this is what I am accustomed to doing," R' Isser Zalman
would say. "When people come to me to ask for letters of
recommendation, the first thing I do is to write the letters
out so that in my deliberations whether to write or not to
write, there should be no element of laziness on my part. And
after I have already written the letter before me, I
generally see no reason not to sign it and give it to the
person who requested it."
Rebbetzin Chaya Feiga, z'l, wife of HaRav Dovid
Povarksy, ztvk'l, told how one time when she was
living in Slutsk, she experienced a sudden strong bout of
pain in one of her fingers. She was alone at home at the time
with her young daughter and simply grabbed her and rushed off
to the home of R' Isser Zalman to ask his rebbetzin, Beila
Hinda, what to do.
Seeing a deep infection and inflammation, she immediately
sent her off to Rebbetzin Gutel Shach, who happened to be a
professional nurse. Since it was evening, dark, and very
muddy outside, and there was insufficient street lighting, R'
Isser Zalman offered to lend his lantern to Rebbetzin
Povarsky. She knew that he would be needing it soon to go to
yeshiva, and refused. He adamantly insisted that he would not
let her leave the house without the lantern.
Having no choice, she took the lantern. When she finally
arrived home, she noted that her five-year-old daughter was
burning with fever and was greatly alarmed. Feeling all
alone and frightened, she heard a knock at the door. There
stood Rebbetzin Meltzer together with her daughter, Rebbetzin
Kotler, who had come to fetch the lantern and bring it back
to R' Isser Zalman.
Seeing the child's condition, Rebbetzin Kotler immediately
diagnosed diphtheria. Off they went to fetch a doctor. When
he arrived and examined the patient, he told them that had he
come five minutes later, it would have been too late to save
her!
The little girl's life was saved, thanks to the fact that R'
Isser Zalman had not allowed Rebbetzin Povarsky to return
home without a lantern.
*
Autumn in Kletsk was very muddy. When winter came, the
puddles froze over, snow fell and navigating the streets was
much easier. In order to facilitate walking during the rainy,
muddy season, people used to lay down narrow planks in the
streets, but these were only wide enough for one person at a
time.
R' Isser Zalman was returning home one evening from yeshiva
together with his disciple, R' Moshe, who walked behind him.
Suddenly, R' Isser Zalman sensed that R' Moshe had stopped
walking and he too, halted, turned around, and asked him
why.
"There is nothing the matter," replied R' Moshe. "I am ready
to proceed."
R' Isser Zalman insisted on knowing why he had suddenly
stopped. R' Moshe had no choice but to tell his master that
he had a pencil in his pocket. "I took it out for a moment
and it fell into the mud."
"Was it a new pencil or an old one?"
"Not exactly old. I bought it this week."
"If that's the case, then it is new," said the Rosh
Yeshiva. Thereupon, they both began searching for the lost
pencil, but in the dark and in the mud it was an impossible
task and so, they continued on their way. But as soon as R'
Isser Zalman arrived home, he opened the door and called out
to his wife, "Beila Hinda, please bring me out the lantern. I
must go back with R' Moshe to look for the pencil he just
lost. It was my fault that he lost it. He was accompanying me
home."
The rebbetzin was shocked. To go out in the chilly evening
weather in the dark, just to look for a pencil! She would not
allow it!
R' Moshe was equally shocked. He felt most uncomfortable by
the fact that he was causing his illustrious master such
trouble — all over a simple item like a pencil.
An argument broke out between the rebbetzin and her husband,
with R' Moshe and the other people who were there at the
time, siding with the rebbetzin. They all concurred that
searching for a pencil was altogether unnecessary and
uncalled for, since it was not worth more than a few pennies.
The Rosh Yeshiva argued that he was to blame for it having
been lost and he knew that R' Moshe was disturbed about it.
He insisted that it was worth going back to try to find
it.
*
HaRav Isser Zalman was once invited to participate in a
seudas mitzvah in Yerushalayim. Upon arrival, he
noticed several people from the Botei Rand shul seated
at a table and he went over to join them. One of the hosts of
the evening noticed him seated there and hastened to invite
him to sit up front at the head table. He refused, saying
that he preferred to sit with his friends. "I daven
with these people. Why shouldn't I sit together with them as
well?" he said.
Seeing that he had failed, the host asked someone from
Yeshivas Eitz Chaim to invite R' Isser Zalman to sit up
front. "It is not fitting for the yeshiva to have its Rosh
Yeshiva sit anywhere but at the dais," he said.
R' Isser Zalman nodded in agreement and rose. He looked all
around and asked, "Where is the mizrach here? Where is
the head table?"
*
On Shabbos, Rabbenu used to daven minchah in the
shul near his house in the Knesset neighborhood. His
disciple, HaRav Yitzchok Arieli zt'l author of
Einayim Lamishpot, also used to go there at that time.
The first time he came after having been officially appointed
as the rabbi of the neighborhood, he arrived after R' Isser
Zalman was already seated at his usual place of honor next to
the aron hakodesh.
As soon as R' Isser Zalman saw his disciple, he rose to his
feet and said, "Now you will sit here. This is the proper
place for the rabbi of the neighborhood." R' Yitzchok strode
to the front and was about to sit next to the Rosh Yeshiva,
but Maran would not let him. He insisted that he sit next to
the aron hakodesh, upon the seat he had just
occupied.
"G-d forbid that I sit in the seat of my master and teacher!"
he exclaimed in shock and trembling.
"But this place is rightfully yours according to
halochoh now that you have been appointed our local
rabbi," he told R' Yitzchok.
The worshipers watched this scene, transfixed. What would be
the outcome of this strange argument between two men of giant
stature, one the master, the other his disciple? When R'
Yitzchok saw how adamant the Rosh Yeshiva was to vacate his
place, he took an equally firm position. "If the Rosh Yeshiva
refuses to sit in his usual seat, I will leave this
shul."
When R' Isser Zalman saw how determined R' Yitzchok was to
actually leave, he became thoughtful for a moment and then
said, "Perhaps you are right, after all. From now, you are
the rabbi of this synagogue. But it is possible that I
already have a chazokoh on this place, having occupied
it all this time."
When R' Yitzchok Arieli heard this concession, he agreed to
stand next to the Rosh Yeshiva, allowing the Rosh Yeshiva to
maintain his place.
*
HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth, ztvk'l told a story which
highlighted the exalted ethical level of Maran.
"I once illuminated a passage of Rashi's in Pesochim,
feeling strongly that my interpretation was true and exact.
R' Isser Zalman heard me out and said, `If we are to
understand Rashi's words according to you, then it is clear
that he was not one of the followers of Yeshivas
Volozhin!'
"This took place shortly before Rosh Hashonoh. On Erev Rosh
Hashonoh, a messenger suddenly appeared with a fervent plea
of appeasement from R' Isser Zalman asking that I forgive him
if he had in any way insulted me.
"A year later, before Rosh Hashonoh, he chanced to meet me
again and again repeated his plea that I forgive him. And
then again, a year afterwards, he met me once more and again
asked for my pardon. For three successive years he asked for
my forgiveness for a single remark. This, then, is true
mussar."
*
When one earns a good name, one must use it for the benefit
of others. This is why he once told his good friend, R'
Shlomo Zalman Zalaznik, zt'l, rosh yeshivas Eitz
Chaim, that he made every effort to attend simchas to
which he had been invited.
One time, the hosts of a wedding came to fetch the Rosh
Yeshiva and take him to their simcha, since he had
agreed to attend. Because they wished to be there early, it
happened that he was the very first guest to arrive at the
hall. He remained there throughout the ceremony and stayed
for the entire meal. In fact, he was among the very last
guests to leave.
Since he had been gone from home for such a long period, the
rebbetzin became anxious and when he finally returned, she
asked him worriedly why he had stayed so long. She was upset
and said, "If your hosts made the mistake of picking you up
so early, it does not mean that you had to stay to the very
end! It really does not befit your honor to remain at a
wedding for such a long time!"
R' Isser Zalman replied, "When Hashem grants a person honor,
he must utilize it to the benefit of others and let them
enjoy that honor as well."
Upon a different occasion, when R' Tzvi Broide came to visit
the Rosh Yeshiva, the rebbetzin greeted him and said, "The
Rosh Yeshiva was gone for two whole hours and I had no idea
where he was. I was beside myself with worry.
"I had gone off to the Machane Yehuda market to shop, leaving
the Rosh Yeshiva at home. But when I returned, he was nowhere
to be found. I didn't know of any plans of his to leave the
house and could not imagine where he could have gone. I was
overwrought until he finally returned, two hours later."
Where, indeed, had he been? While she was gone, two Jews came
to Rabbenu and told him of a funeral about to take place.
They asked him to attend and he complied.
There were many eulogies said at that funeral and each time
when he was about to leave, someone else got up to speak. R'
Isser Zalman did not want to insult anyone by leaving in the
middle of his talk, and so, he remained for the full two
hours until it was all over.
"Where did he have the strength to stand on his feet for so
long?" his loyal helpmate wondered aloud as she told the
story to R' Tzvi.
