Whenever Rabbenu heard an apt and illuminating svorah,
one could see him exult in joy, a joy that sometimes reduced
him to tears of emotion. This reaction invariably made a
tremendous impact upon the yeshiva students, including the
star disciple among them, R' Shlomo Heiman, who would often
tell his own students about the time he went into his
master's study. At that time when R' Boruch Ber, who was
deeply immersed in his learning, finally discerned him, he
rose to his feet, grasped R' Shlomo by the hands, and began
dancing around the room with him.
"At first," tells R' Shlomo, "I was astounded, and thought
that something had happened to my master. But when he
finished dancing, he said to me, `Now I have just divined the
meaning of a difficult passage in the Rashbo over which I
have toiled for the past three days!' "
*
One summer, a student came to study in Yeshivas Kamenitz.
After a short while however, despite his success in
integrating into the yeshiva, he decided to leave. It was
clear to his fellow students that he had become ensnared by
the lures of the Haskalah movement and that the chances of
his ever returning were less than slim. They decided to make
a concentrated effort to convince him to stay but he would
not even hear of it. They asked him to remain at least for
the Elul session, thinking that the special exalted
atmosphere of that time, of the Yomim Noraim in yeshiva,
would have a positive effect on him. He remained, but was
still determined to leave right after Succos.
Succos passed and Simchas Torah arrived. The student
participated in the hakofos and the dancing, and then
he announced that he had decided to continue in the yeshiva.
When he was asked what, exactly, had been the turning point,
he replied, "When I saw the great love and reverence for the
Torah, and with what fervor and exaltation the Rosh Yeshiva
danced, I decided to stay in yeshiva."
The teller of this vignette, HaRav Tuvya Goldstein
zt"l, author of Emek Halochoh, concluded: "The
young man remained in yeshiva and went on to become one of
the most outstanding Torah disseminators of the
generation."
What Do You Know of the Sweetness of a Svora?
His disciple HaRav Yosef Dinkels, author of Emunas
Yosef, tells that in the period when he lived in the home
of Rabbenu, the latter once woke him in the middle of his
sleep in order to tell him that he had just innovated a most
illuminating svorah in a certain subject with which he
had been grappling. The Rebbetzin had beseeched him to let
the young boy sleep, "He's tired!"
But Rabbenu had burst out, "What do you know of the sweetness
of a svorah? R' Yosef will surely be grateful to me
for waking him up with such news!"
Upon this same occasion, R' Yosef told that while living in
Slutsk right after his marriage, one frosty night, with snow
falling heavily, he heard footsteps by his house and became
alarmed. His house was at the edge of town and it was very
late at night. Then he heard knocking at the door. When he
opened it he found, to his great surprise, the rabbi of the
city, none other than the esteemed Ridvaz, framed in the
doorway.
When he asked him what he wanted, the rov said that he had
suddenly been struck by a marvelous chiddush on the
words of the Rif, for which "all the birth pangs of my mother
and my grandmother and all the mothers preceding them were
worthwhile — just for this innovation." He had been
unable to contain his joy and had come all the way to share
that pleasure with him.
Rabbenu added that he had sought to serve the Ridvaz a
steaming cup of tea to revive him from the intense cold but
the visitor impatiently refused. He was in a rush; he had
only come to tell the svorah in the Rif. And
thereupon, he turned around and began floundering his way
back home through the deep snow.
*
He was once discoursing in study with a group of students on
the depths of a passage in the Rashbo; he explained it in a
most elucidating fashion that amazed them. And in the midst,
he couldn't help exclaiming, "S'iz doch aza zisse
Rashbo — What a sweet Rashbo this is!" He rallied
from his excitement, exclaiming, "Ribono Shel Olom!
Forgive me, but indeed, all of the words of Your Torah are
more delectable than honey!"
"The Chief Goal of Torah Study is that One be Joyful and
Gladdened by It."
A group of students in the yeshiva decided that they were
going to study Torah lishmoh, for the pure sake of
study. They resolved to concentrate upon that goal all the
while, and if at any point they suddenly savored the
sweetness of Torah, they would redouble their efforts to
study purely for the sake of the Torah.
When Rabbenu heard this, he said to them, "I also was
determined once to study lishmoh, but I came to
realize the true way from my study of Nefesh HaChaim.
In fact, a group such as yours was once formed in the yeshiva
of R' Yisroel Salanter. The students truly worked on
themselves to study only for the pure sake of study. When R'
Yisroel heard of this, he came to the beis medrash and
began pacing back and forth between the benches. Finally, he
went up to the bimah and gave a klap,
announcing, `Lishmoh — I can see here. Torah
— I don't see here!'"
Rabbenu concluded with a quote from Sotah 47a, "A
person should always preoccupy himself with Torah [study] and
mitzvos, even if he does not do so lishmoh, without
ulterior motives, because by doing so from self- interest,
one will come to the pure thing." And thereupon, he dissolved
that group.
*
One time, Rabbenu was given a copy of Eglei Tal,
written by the author of the Avnei Nezer of
Sochotchov, to look over. He noticed that the introduction
dealt with the joy and satisfaction that one derives from
study. Rabbenu was deeply impressed by his words and even
read the passage out loud before his students. This, in
brief, is what is stated there:
"In passing, I recall what I heard, that some people err from
the logical path regarding Torah study. They say that if
someone studies, and innovates chidushim, and derives
great pleasure therefrom, this is not quite considered
studying for the pure sake of studying. It is not the same as
if one studied and toiled without deriving any true spiritual
satisfaction from his study. When a person studies with
geshmack and takes pleasure in it, he is mixing in
personal gratification.
"But this is a grave and widespread misunderstanding. On the
contrary, the prime object of Torah study is to revel in it,
to find bliss in study and enjoy it fully, for then Torah
will be absorbed into his very blood. The more one enjoys his
study, the more he cleaves to it. The Zohar tells us
that both the good inclination and the evil inclination
thrive on enthusiasm, satisfaction and pleasure."
His students tell that the image of Rabbenu as he toiled in
Torah was a vision of grandeur and splendor. HaRav Shraga
Grosbard told that whenever Rabbenu encountered something
difficult over which he had to toil and exert himself, his
face would verily turn crimson with effort. One could even
overhear him talking to Hashem: "Ribono Shel Olom,
help me!"
And when the question finally resolved itself and he
understood, his face would glow and he would express his
gratitude, "I truly thank You, Hashem!"
He would then turn to those around him and announce, "Today I
was privy to a great principle in the holy Torah."
One Must Make Oneself Sick until One Understands the Svora
in Tosafos
HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz told that during the period that
he learned in Kamenitz, he once asked Rabbenu in the middle
of a shiur for the explanation of a certain passage in
Tosafos. R' Boruch Ber did not answer his question, but
discussed other things on the same subject. After a brief
pause, he asked the question again, but Rabbenu refused to
answer. As before, he went on to discuss other things.
When he asked the same question a third time, he finally
replied, "One must [be prepared to] make oneself sick until
you understand the reasoning behind a Tosafos."
Much later, when he came to take leave of his master before
returning home, he said to R' Chaim Shaul, "I was not
referring to you specifically, but you should know that you
don't have to adapt the Tosafos to your head, but your head
to the Tosafos."
*
There was once a meeting of gedolim in Warsaw, in the
course of which HaRav Shimon Shkop made a suggestion for the
agenda. Another esteemed rabbi in Warsaw was adamantly
opposed. Thereupon, R' Boruch Ber rose and said, "How can you
contradict so blithely the words of a person who, for want of
understanding the words of a Rashbo, became bedridden with
illness?"
*
When he lived in Kremenchug (during the war), his home was
near that of HaRav Avrohom Yaffen, rosh yeshivas Novardok.
The two used to spend much time together talking in Torah-
related subjects. One evening when they were thus engaged,
they encountered a difficult question which defied
understanding. They tried to reconcile the question this way
and that, but failing, they eventually parted their separate
ways.
The question continued to preoccupy Rabbenu for the next few
hours. When he finally found an answer, it was already late
at night. Rabbenu hurried off to R' Avrohom's house, not
realizing that the house was dark since everyone had already
retired for the night. R' Boruch Ber knocked loudly on the
door and cried, "R' Avrohom! R' Avrohom! I think I've found
the answer!"
*
HaRav Shmuel Leib Svei, disciple of Rabbenu in Halosk, used
to sleep in his master's house together with HaRav Yaakov
Moshe. After the night seder, they would continue
studying with Rabbenu in his home. Sometimes they were very
tired, and they would retire for the night before having
clarified the questions that had arisen. Rabbenu, however,
would always remain awake until he had settled the question
to his satisfaction. Very often, in fact, he would wake his
son up to tell him how to understand that particular
sugya.
