“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Bamidbar – Erev Shavuos
Pirkei Avos perek 6 – Kinyan
Torah
4 Sivan 5776 (48th
day of Omer)/ June 10, 2016
I have written a few
times in this forum about the wonderful trip to Eretz Yisroel, that I enjoyed
along with our bechor Shalom, this past winter in honor of his Bar Mitzvah. While
there we had the zechus to meet a few of the Gedolei Yisroel, including Rav
Aron Leib Shteinman shlita. It wasn’t easy even getting into Rav Shteinman’s
home, as we literally had to be pulled through the crowd waiting by his door. Even
when we were inside we had to wait some time. When Rav Shteinman finally
emerged from his room we had a few precious moments to receive a beracha from
the aged Gadol Hador.
Our connection there -
Reb Ephraim Landau (landauviptours.com) - told Rav Shteinman that Shalom had
just become a Bar Mitzvah and wanted a beracha for a “chayshek in lernen”
(desire/excitement to learn Torah). Rav Steinman replied, “He should have a chayshek,
but the Yetzer Hara won’t allow it so easily.” Rav Landau responded that the
Rav should then give him a beracha that he should conquer his Yetzer Hara. Rav
Steinman countered, “ubber der Yezter Hara hut ah shverd – But the
Yetzer Hara has a sword.” Rav Landau answered that the Rosh Yeshiva should then
give him a beracha that Shalom be able to take away the Yetzer Hara’s sword.”
Rav Steinman smiled and replied, “Vet zayn gut – It should all be good.”
Later during that week
I went to visit the home of the late ‘hidden tzaddik’, Rav Zundel Kroizer zt’l.
In an earlier Musings (#245) I wrote about my unsuccessful attempt to visit and
receive a beracha from Rav Kroizer during a previous visit to Eretz Yisroel. In
the interim Rav Kroizer had been niftar, but I was told that I could purchase
his seforim at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, where the Rav had lived
during his last years.
After being informed of
the address, we made our way to the simple home. We arrived there just as Rav
Kroizer’s daughter-in-law came home. I told her about my failed attempt to
visit the Rav a few years prior, and that I wanted to purchase some of his
seforim. After she brought out some seforim, I told her that we had come to
Eretz Yisroel for Shalom’s Bar Mitzvah. She then proceeded to give him a warm
and beautiful beracha that he grow in Torah, Yiras Shomayim, etc. She concluded
that he should be “כובש את רוחו ומשל ביצרו – conquer his spirit
and dominate his inclination”, in a perfect quote of the vernacular of the
Mishna (Avos 4:1).
We are now in
Graduation season - replete with caps, gowns, smiling graduates, teary-eyed
camera(phone)-wielding parents, and long-winded commencement speeches.
Ivy-league colleges often invite successful and famous personalities to address
their graduates and relate some of the life lessons they learned along their
road to accomplishment and achievement. Invariably the talks include reflection
about some major struggles and failures that the celebrity faced early on in
their career. They then tell the graduates that they have to expect setbacks
and challenges in life, for in the struggle lies the path to greatness.
A few years ago, our
shul honored one of our worthy members, Mrs. Sandy Friedbaum. In her speech, Mrs.
Friedbaum related that it is well known that Hashem gave the Torah to us on Har
Sinai, because Sinai was “the humblest of the mountains”. She then added another
personal lesson that she gleaned from the fact that Hashem gave us the Torah on
the humblest mountain:
Living entails
aspiration for growth and great effort to get there. But sometimes we strive to
accomplish too much in too little time, and thereby set ourselves up for
frustration and failure. Success in life and growth occurs when we set
ourselves attainable goals that allow us to feel accomplished. We always have
to be striving to climb our personal Har Sinais – a climb to the peak which is
not too overwhelming and daunting to the top. Then, when we arrive at the peak
of our Har Sinai, we can begin the climb up the next Har Sinai.
Our Yetzer Hara has a
sword, but as long as we are ready for the struggle and aren’t overly intimidated
by the uphill climb we can triumph. On Shavuos we celebrate our connection to
Torah - the ultimate spiritual climbing guide, and prepare ourselves to climb
our personal Har Sinai every single day.
Shabbat Shalom &
Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum