“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech
22 Elul 5783/September 8, 2023
MY GRAND-REBBE
I have been blessed to learn from many wonderful rebbeim in my life, each
of whom has left an indelible impression upon me.
One of those rebbeim was my eleventh grade rebbe, Rabbi N. Aryeh Feuer. I
loved his shiur. Aside from being engaging and challenging, Rabbi Feuer was
somewhat unpredictable in shiur, saying funny or unexpected comments at any
time. He once explained that he did that to keep our attention by keeping us on
edge. I recently told Rabbi Feuer that I try to emulate that component of his
teaching style with my own students.
But far more significantly, Rabbi Feuer is a quintessential student of
Mesivta Chaim Berlin, a deep thinker who expresses lofty ideas with clarity.
The late Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Chaim Berlin, Rabbi Yitzchak Hunter,
instilled in his students a sense of regality and pride in being one who
studies Torah. For that reason, students of Rav Hutner are recognizably
distinguished.
Rav Hutner was also known for his unparalleled ability to plumb the
depths of any topic in Torah, and to mentally transport the listeners of his
lectures into a different world. Particularly during or before Yomim Tovim, Rav
Hunter shared deep ma’amarim (as the lectures were called)
about the essence and depth of the Yom Tov and its endemic mitzvos.
His successor, who passed away last week, Rav Aharon Schechter, conducted
the yeshiva in the same vein. The ma’amarim that Rav Aharon
said before each Yom Tov were built upon the foundational concepts Rav Hutner
taught.
Rabbi Feuer is a full-fledged student of Rav Aharon Schechter and Mesivta
Chaim Berlin. His Gemara shiurim were methodically structured and detailed. But
it was his Friday morning Chumash shiurim that really opened me up to the world
of machshava. When Rabbi Feuer would frequently quote “the Rosh
Yeshiva” he was referring to Rav Hutner, while “my rebbe”referred to Rav Aharon
Schechter.
Rabbi Feuer introduced me to the writings of the Maharal, the seminal
Torah thinker upon whom Rav Hutner’s approach is based. He also demonstrated
how to view the lives of each of the Avos and Imahos, particularly the “worlds”
of Rochel and Leah, as different but necessary components containing the
building blocks of the Jewish People.
I only met Rav Aharon Schechter on a few occasions. But whenever I did, I
was able to see the similarity between Rabbi Feuer’s presentation of Torah
thoughts and that of his rebbe.
However, I did have one encounter with Rav Aharon Schechter a few years
before I was a student of Rabbi Feuer.
When I was in eighth grade, I and a few classmates decided to publish a
yearbook for our graduating class. I looked at some old yearbooks to view their
content and get some ideas. I noticed that some yearbooks contained letters
from Gedolim to the graduates. So, I wrote letters to a few of the Gedolim
requesting written berachos for our class and mailed them to the addresses
printed on top of their stationery.
A few months
later, I received a letter in the mail from Rav Aharon Schechter. It was
written in Hebrew, and I had no idea what it said until my father translated it
for me. I must admit that at the time I was disappointed with the letter
because Rav Schechter addressed it to me personally, and therefore I couldn’t
include it in our yearbook.
Over the years, however, it has become a treasured possession. In fact, I
can recount the entire letter from memory, not because I tried to memorize it,
but because I’ve read it so many times. With the rav Shechter’s passing last
week, the letter is now invaluable.
In typical style, the letter contains an innovative idea, befitting a
person of depth.
The following is my loose translation:
“26 Shevat 5754
To the precious young man, Doniel Alexander Staum,
From in between the lines of the letter that you wrote to me at the
beginning of the winter, has risen the reiach (smell) of love
for Torah that is absorbed in the soul of a precious young man.
The law is that on a beautiful smell that has a root one is obligated to
recite a beracha. Therefore, it was hidden in my heart from then to send you
alone my blessing that you continue in your ways, to proceed from loving Torah
to toiling in it, so that it will be fulfilled in you (the words of the
Gemara): “you have toiled and you have found (succeeded)”, to bring joy to your
parents and the souls of all your friends. And along with you all your
classmates will be blessed as well.
Aharon Moshe Schechter”
It is superfluous to write about how busy Rav Schechter was and how
valuable his time was. The fact that he took the time to write a beautifully
thought-out letter in his impeccable handwriting, to some kid from Monsey that
he never met, who wanted a written blessing for his class for his yearbook,
says a great deal about his greatness.
Whenever a tzaddik passes away it is a national loss and tragedy. Through
Rabbi Feuer, Rav Aharon Schechter was also my “grand-rebbe”, my Rebbe’s Rebbe,
and therefore the loss is more personal.
One of the many lifelong messages he personified was that understanding
Torah requires depth and thought. We shouldn’t be satisfied with superficial
knowledge or cursory understanding.
If only our society would heed that message.
May Hashem comfort all of Rav Schechter’s students and all of Klal
Yisroel.
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani
and Chani Staum
