This speech was delivered at a meeting of the Marbitzei
Torah Sephardim Organization that took place before the last
Knesset elections, but it is still relevant every day. The
issues may be more prominent during election campaigns, but
they are with us day in and day out. The issues discussed
include the general need for unity and the specific tasks
facing Sephardic bnei Torah.
I will begin with divrei Torah. When
reflecting about the parshiyos Behar and
Bechukosai and the connection between them, we find an
essential lesson. In parshas Behar the Torah commands
us to keep the mitzvah of shmittah. This particular
mitzvah teaches us that a person's possessions in this world
are not really his, but merely leased from the Ruler of the
World. The real baal habayis is HaKodosh Boruch
Hu -- "For the earth is Mine" (Shemos 19:5). For
this reason the entire Torah is equated to shmittah:
"Just as all the principles and details of shmittah
were given on Sinai so was the entire Torah" (Rashi,
Vayikro 25:1, citing from Toras Cohanim, Behar
1:1).
Actually all of man's belongings are owned by the Ruler of
the World, Who resuscitates the dead. This lesson is also
taught to us through other mitzvos mentioned in these
parshiyos. The halocho of ono'oh (not
deceiving another person, Vayikro 25:17) shows us that
a person does not even have the right to decide which price
to request from a customer. HaKodosh Boruch Hu sets
the price limit and if the seller adds more than a sixth of
its worth, the price is invalid.
The same is true with taking or paying interest on loans
(Vayikro 25:36). Logically speaking, paying for using
someone's money is quite acceptable, but since a person does
not have "his own" money he cannot demand a payment for a
loan but must lend it for free, without profit. The details
of the mitzvos of sodeh achuzah (27:15-21,
consecrating a field from one's ancestral heritage) and
botei orei chomoh (25:29-30, selling a residence house
in a walled city) also demonstrate to us that Hashem
possesses everything. When He wishes He takes away a man's
ownership, and when He wishes He returns it to him.
In parshas Bechukosai the Torah teaches us the
importance of toiling over Torah: "If you walk in My
statutes" (Vayikro 26:3) -- "You should toil over the
Torah" (Rashi). According to the above we have gained a new
outlook about such toil. All of a person's efforts, every
drop of his life, is leased to him for the purpose of
studying Torah. When a person uses his energy for other
purposes he is misusing the pikodon Hashem has given
him. Each ben Torah must be aware that all his
physical and mental faculties must be used according to
Hashem's desire. If Hashem's desire is that we should meet
together [in an election rally] we are obligated to do so
even when this involves bitul Torah.
Dovid Hamelech concludes Tehillim with the
posuk: "Let all souls praise Hashem" (Tehillim
150:6). Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 14:9) expound from
this posuk that a person should praise the Creator for
every breath he takes. This is not mandatory praise to
Hashem. The posuk is telling us that every single
breath is given to man for one goal only: To exalt Hashem's
name, for Him and for His benefit.
Let us now understand why it was necessary
for us as bnei Torah to meet together. Everyone in
whose veins the Torah of the yeshivos flows must
unambiguously feel that without the Torah's brilliance having
been radiated on us from the yeshivos kedoshos, not
one of us would have remained loyal to the Torah. This is not
ancient history. We ourselves have experienced this.
Enlightenment, Zionism, and wanton permissiveness have
penetrated into the cream of Sephardic Jewry. Only the
brilliance of the simchas HaTorah radiating from the
yeshivos elevates us, and the clarity of our mentors, such as
Maran the Chazon Ish and the guidance of all gedolei
Torah has saved us from spiritual destruction. We owe
them our very souls!
Moreover, ever since becoming intellectually mature, our
teachers have raised us to absolute obedience to gedolei
Torah. How fortunate are we to have leaders occupied
solely in kvod Shomayim and the benefit of Klal
Yisroel. This principle of obedience to gedolei
Torah has become deeply implanted. Likewise, in teaching
our daily Torah classes we tell the audience that this is the
only way to fulfill our obligations properly and achieve our
life's aim.
Besides the eternal pertinence of the above, we are today in
the midst of a dramatic campaign to differentiate between
kodosh and tomei, between those who love Hashem
and those who hate Him. Naturally we need to be active
participants in this tremendous campaign of declaring
Hashem's malchus.
Since we recognize the colossal contribution of chareidi
Jewry to Sephardic Jewry we are interested in only a pure
yeshiva education for our children. We want, and our aim is,
that our children be educated in the educational institutions
of chareidi Jewry (including chadarim, girls'
seminaries, and the like), since our way of life is bound
together with this wonderful group of avreichim
engaged in studying Torah despite their meager means.
As everyone knows there is no difference between gedolei
Torah of Sephardic Jewry and gedolei Torah of
Ashkenazic Jewry as far as Torah outlooks are concerned. If
so, our place with them is irrefutable. Every vote for the
Gimmel slate (the UTJ list of Agudath Yisroel and Degel
HaTorah) proclaims our acceptance of malchus Shomayim.
This is the message being conveyed at this meeting.
Morai VeRabotai! Who initiated the
consolidation of Sephardic bnei Torah with Ashkenazic
chareidi Jewry? It was Maran the Rosh Yeshiva shlita,
Rabbenu HaRav E. M. Shach, may HaKodosh Boruch Hu send
him a full and speedy recovery. This is what the Rosh Yeshiva
shlita wrote in his letter when this organization was
founded: "It is a mitzvah for each one of us to work and
influence others to work for the success of this holy
organization. By doing so we will be zoche to an
abundance of kvod Shomayim. The Torah's honor will be
raised, and the previous crown [of Torah] donned by Sephardic
Jewry will be restored." Maran HaRav Y. S. Eliashiv
shlita, HaRav A. Y. L. Steinman shlita, and all
eminent roshei yeshivos without exception, joined his
appeal.
It is therefore evident that our present urgent duty is to
unite all Sephardic bnei Torah. Although individuals
who are ovdei Hashem can elevate themselves and
succeed, as R' Shimon Ben Yochai said: "I and my son are from
those" (Succah 45b), in this spiritually impoverished
generation each person needs to be bolstered so he can remain
steadfast in his principles.
Fighting against blurred concepts is the first objective of
the Organization of Marbitzei Torah Sephardim which was
founded for this explicit aim. The boundaries between good
and bad have become totally blurred. Since we are at present
building a foundation for Torah hashkofos, we must
fulfill, "When others disperse we must gather together"
(Brochos 63a).
It is worthwhile to peruse the passionate letter of the
gaon and tzaddik HaRav Gershonovitz zt'l
in which he enumerates the basic principle of the
Organization of Marbitzei Torah Sephardim: "The entire desire
of Hashem is to clarify the division between light and
darkness, while the Satan always does the opposite -- it sows
confusion."
Undoubtedly every group of Torah observers has its own
advantages. Our aspirations concentrate in wanting clarity.
Success in obtaining such clarity is only through clinging to
gedolei Torah. Although this problem of blurred
outlooks is the whole generation's biggest problem, our being
Sephardic bnei Torah especially obligates us to join
the fight for clarity. Our tactics in this war are to be
proud of being bnei Torah and to believe in our way
despite the mighty torrents and temptations confronting us.
It is possible to say that our stand reinforces not only us,
but to a certain degree all of chareidi Jewry.
Nonetheless, besides strengthening the Torah
outlook, our uniting together is the guarantee of our
remaining bnei Torah. Without fully identifying
ourselves with a group, each individual is subject to alien
influences. If you are part of a group and feel really at
home there, you are protected. If the opposite happens: If
you are only like an orphan buying a suit for yom tov,
you are liable to one day slam the door and leave. If you do
not slam the door, your son might do so.
Unfortunately there are precious avreichim, wonderful
bnei Torah, among us who do not feel at home and do
not feel that they are fully accepted as equals. This is not
an inferiority complex -- facts and incidents have directly
caused these feelings.
What should our attitude to these feelings be? How can we
give a Sephardic ben Torah a warm home and answer his
agony? How can we give him the feeling that we have made a
serious attempt to reach a solution. For this reason a strong
organization is necessary for all Torah scholars and
marbitzei Torah. This is not only in the interest of
Sephardic bnei Torah, but of the entire chareidi Jewry
whose aim is not merely the war against the external enemy,
but building a superior society whose energy is directed only
for kvod Shomayim.
Some preach there is no necessity for such an organization
and unity. It is enough for an avreich to be obedient
to da'as Torah and live his life as an individual.
Besides the fact that Maran's letter contradicts their
outlook, and all gedolei Torah and roshei
yeshivos have joined him, the above explains the
necessity of uniting the Sephardic community through a strong
organization that will serve as a home for lomdei
Torah.
It seems to me that the outlook of those who deny the
necessity of the organization is shortsighted and overlooks
problems that with time will intensify. On the contrary, in
direct proportion to the strength of this consolidation will
we succeed to merge together on an equal basis and be
respected as equals.
We do not demand a representative in Degel HaTorah who will
procure favors for us. This is not our aim at all. Our entire
aim is to build a warm home for the Sephardic ben
Torah, and to gain the equality that will give each one
the feeling of his not being an object only for chesed
and being saved, but an equal. If we succeed in that, the
merger [with Degel HaTorah] will be appropriate.
Although our strength is inadequate, we have no tradition of
political activity, and we lack resources -- we do have a
strength of direction and spirit. The results of blessed
activity are already apparent. We now have full and active
botei knesses, chadarim and top quality
talmudei Torah. Everyone agrees that the buds of the
first initiative was of Maran shlita, who started the
Organization of Sephardic Marbitzei Torah. Surely the
initiative is responsible for the success, but the thrust
came from the aspiration to unite.
We do not have any other alternative. We must wage war within
our homes, and Torah Jewry is our only home. Our willingness
to sacrifice ourselves for this aim will advance it all the
more. Boruch Hashem, we already see an improvement and
unmistakable progress has been made. There is a written
agreement and the Organization of Sephardic Marbitzei Torah
is on the map thanks to the extraordinary efforts of HaRav
Shmuel Auerbach shlita.
R' Yehoshua Ben Lokish said that when Moshe
ascended to Heaven the mal'ochei hashoreis told
HaKodosh Boruch Hu: `Ruler of the World! What is a
mortal doing among us'" (Shabbos 88). We see that the
mal'ochei hashoreis were apparently opposed to
matan Torah for bnei Yisroel. On the other hand
that same gemora tells us that R' Yehoshua Ben Lokish
said that after each utterance of HaKodosh Boruch Hu,
Yisroel retreated twelve mil but the mal'ochei
hashoreis pushed them back to Mount Sinai. We see from
this section of the gemora just the opposite: the
mal'ochei hashoreis encouraged Matan Torah.
There is another saying of R' Yehoshua Ben Lokish: "After
every utterance emitted by HaKodosh Boruch Hu, bnei
Yisroel passed away . . . If they died after the first
utterance how could they hear the second? HaKodosh Boruch
Hu brought down the dew He will use in the future to
resuscitate the dead and resuscitated them."
Apparently when am Yisroel approached to hear the
first utterance they did not know their neshomos would
leave them, and they would need to be resuscitated, so why
then did they come closer again to hear another utterance? Is
it permitted to rely on a miracle?
It seems that Klal Yisroel clung so tightly and with
such enormous love to the Torah and to being near Elokim that
they acted with genuine mesiras nefesh. They were
prepared for their neshomos to ascend to their
origins.
I once heard that according to this we can explain that when
the mal'ochim saw am Yisroel had reached this
level of nearness to Torah they changed their previous stand.
They knew this was an even higher level than the
mal'ochim and therefore they and the entire Creation
immediately did their utmost to help Klal Yisroel come
even nearer and ascend to the summit of the mountain.
Dear Mentors! The members of the Organization of Sephardic
Marbitzei Torah were moseir nefesh to unite the
Sephardic bnei Torah. We see that real
mal'ochim like HaRav Shmuel Auerbach and HaRav Tzvi
Karelenstein have done their best to promote the success of
the Sephardic community of bnei Torah. I am certain
that a great many Ashkenazic bnei Torah are awaiting
to see the success of their colleagues, the Sephardic bnei
Torah. We are all born from one father, we are united
together in ideology and activity. May it be the will of
Hashem that their hopes and our hopes be translated to actual
results.
We are therefore obliged to work and influence others to work
for the Gimmel slate, since we are chareidi bnei
Torah, since we are submissive to pure da'as
Torah, since in this way we are fighting against
widespread confusion and blurred outlooks, and in this way we
are consolidating our own homes.
May it be His will that Hashem pour on us a Divine spirit and
we will soon be zoche to a revelation of malchus
Shomayim!
HaRav Gavriel Toledano is the rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Or Baruch.
