On Shabbos Chanukah, at the direction of Maran the Rosh Hayeshiva HaRav Gershon Edelstein, the Ponovezh yeshiva was in full session, to take advantage of the special status for Torah success that is present.
On Motzei Shabbos there was a special Chanukah mesiba and the Rosh Hayeshiva came with a special message.
We sang, "Ashrei ha'am shekochoh lo, ashrei ha'am sheHashem Elokov." What does this mean? The emunah of Am Yisroel that Hashem is Elokov. Hashem is the middah of Rachamim and Elokim is the middah of Din. Whoever has this emunah, Ashrei ha'am shekochoh lo! A person and a people that live with the emunah that Hashem is our Elokim, that everything is in the hand of Heaven, this makes us fortunate! That everything is the hands of Heaven and Somebody cares for us and gives us whatever we need. A people and an individual, one and many, who have this emunah, they are fortunate in This World.
We say in davening: Ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu, uma no'im goraleinu, uma yoffoh yerushaseinu. We are fortunate — in what? That we say Shema Yisrael. What is Shema Yisrael? As it says, "Hashem is Elokeinu Hashem is One." In this we are fortunate. This is the happiest life possible, in that we have a merciful Father, and everything that Heaven does is for the good. Everything is in the hand of Heaven and everything is for our benefit. Everything is for the good of the Jew that Hashem is his Elokim. He who lives with this emunah, he has a happy life. Fortunate is he in this world.
This is only possible with Torah. As it says in Pirkei Ovos (6): This is the way of Torah. Eat bread with salt, and water in measure and sleep on the ground and live a life of difficulty but you toil in Torah. If you do this, you are fortunate in olam hazeh. You have none of the pleasures of the world, but you toil in Torah. It might appear that the toil in Torah is another effort, but this is not the case. That is the happiness in Olam Hazeh. That is the happiest life.
Bnei Torah learn Torah and enjoy the Gemora, the Rashi, Tosafos and the Acharonim. Torah is sweeter than honey, and such is the happiest life. Fortunate are you in Olam Hazeh. This is the posuk in Tehillim we quoted earlier. Boruch Hashem that we have this. Boruch Hashem that we are bnei Torah and all bnei Torah, throughout the world, are the happiest.
It is a shame that not all of Am Yisrael shares this happiness. A big part of Am Yisrael does not have this happy life. May Heaven have mercy on them so that they will have this happy life.
We pray, "Return us our Father to your Torah," in the plural, praying for all Klal Yisrael. Why do we pray? Because we believe in the power of prayer. As is well known Rabbi Yisroel Salanter said that prayer for ruchniyus helps because ruchniyus is not bounded, as it says, "open your mouth and I will fill it." Prayer for ruchniyus helps.
May Heaven have mercy that Hashem will help them and all of Klal Yisrael will have a happy life for Torah and emunah. "Ashrei ha'am sheHashem Elokov."
