Prominent Torah Families in Monsey and Spring Valley, NY

A Prominent Monsey, NY Family Loses Senior Members to a Higher World

By Dovid Eidensohn

Even in a city of noted Torah personalities, Monsey, NY is special. I was in Israel recently for a few weeks and did not know of the recent passing of a very prominent member of our community, Emil Tauber. He was devoted to promoting Torah scholars and for a long time established funds to support the most promising youth to become leaders of the Jewish people. One of his most promising products was his brother Yechiel Tauber, who eventually established a large and beautiful building housing many prominent Torah scholars. Emil Tauber passed away when I was in Israel and Yechiel Tauber passed away before then, but not before he established the beautiful building for Torah scholars and Beth Din.

When we mention the great who have passed on, it is appropriate to turn to Monsey, NY, itself, and its history. Going back a few generations, we find that Monsey, at least where many lived, was essentially a farming village with here and there a shull or Yeshiva. Even in the past generation when I came to Monsey, across the street from me was an apple orchard, and I once killed a snake in front of my house a short distance from a major shull.

About this time a prominent Torah personality from New York came to Monsey and recognized its potential. He had a major Yeshiva of his own in New York City, but saw that Monsey could eventually challenge in Torah terms even New York’s Torah community. He came to what was the Spring Valley Yeshiva and joined the board of directors. He advised them to go to the center of the business community in Spring Valley. Route 59 stretched along major communities including Monsey and Spring Valley. This New York rabbi saw that precisely in Spring Valley and Monsey, the potential for fantastic money existed for those who would buy now, when things were yet very much like a tiny place nobody would spend much money to purchase. But the Board of Directors dismissed him completely. Somebody commented, “What a dreamer.” The property at that point had little commercial value. But today its value is incredible. And those few, such as somebody I know personally for many years, who realized that the rabbi from New York was right on target, began immediately buying up properties. These people are today quite wealthy.

At the time of the expansion of Monsey, at least at its early phases, I had left Lakewood where I learned for the last two years of the life of the Gaon Reb Aharon Kotler zt”l, and had moved to Monsey. I had, at this time, begun to teach in a Monsey school, and my subject was Tanach. But I could not find good sources for Tanach. As the Gaon Reb Yaacov Kaminetsky zt”l once said, “Nach does not have strong commentators other than the Malbim, and his style is unique.” I did find various comments on Nach but they were strange to me. I read them carefully and came to the conclusion that these sources were Kabbala, something I had never studied. I bought a beginner’s Kabbala book, and found it was studying a biblical teaching, but what it wanted to teach was beyond me. I stuck at it, and finally came up with a proper explanation. I subsequently became strongly interested in Kabbala, but I needed a rebbe. And that I could not find anywhere.

One day, my wife wanted to visit a friend and I went along. As we left, the hostess handed me a booklet. I thanked her for it and we left. I read it when I got home, and realized that this book was Kabbala, and it had a lot that could teach me. I noted who the author of this book was, someone from Israel, and contacted him. He responded, and I began writing to him to the point that I was writing him very often lengthy Kabbalistic ideas. But at that point he felt I was too much into Kabbala, and should emphasize paskening Torah law. He challenged me on this and asked me why I don’t just join a Kollel that teaches how to interpret the Talmud. I told him that I wanted very much to find the right Kollel, but the only one I really wanted to join had a style where everyone had to learn exactly what the master of the school wanted them to master. I could not do such a thing, because I had my own style and liked to dig deep into things on my own. Eventually, the great rabbis of Israel Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Reb Yaacov Kaminetsky both complimented me for my ability in this. If I had any brains, which at that point were obviously lacking, I would know that my rebbe in this world and the next was right, and I would behave. But it seemed so remote that I just went my merry way.

Later on, I did begin learning halocho seriously. My style was to go to a senior rabbi who had mastered the Talmud and its commentators, and ask a question on the Torah. While he was thinking about my question, I would interject with my own understanding. He would accept or reject it. One day I came to such a rabbi and asked a question. His phone rang and he was off to answer somebody’s question. You may or may not do such and such. So I waited. But this time the conversation was going into a different sphere, and I was amazed. There was obviously some major problem there, and I had no way to listening to it. So, I just sat there. Finally, the rabbi concludes the conversation, and told me that he would not answer this particular question. But he did advise me to go to the Strassberger Rov, the senior Rabbi in Israel on Gittin, who was visiting his son-in-law Rabbi Eichenstein zt”l, who lived right down the block from where I was with that Rov.

I came to see this rabbi and was let into the house. He soon appeared and I asked him the question. He did not answer it. He sat silently. This happened even after I repeated my question three times. I was not going to repeat it again. Then he said, “Rav Eidensohn…” When I heard that, I knew I was going to get a real beating. And I was right. He continued, “A Rov never says what you just said.” Well, I thought, the next thing is for him to throw me out of the house, and awaited that, even though I had no idea why he felt that way. But he suddenly got up and went into the next room, where I could see him clearly. He was obviously involved in an important decision, and went back and forth. Then he came back to me and said, “I have a serious shaalo.” When I heard that I didn’t know what world I was in. First he tells me that I don’t know how to talk. And now he tells me, of all  people, that he has a serious Torah question.

He said to me that he must ask Reb Moshe Feinstein zt”l a question, but does not know how to reach him. I realized that I was in a very strange world now. Here is the person who is the expert on Gittin in all of Israel, who is desperate to ask a question of Reb Moshe Feinstein, somebody he surely had spoken to many times, and he asks me, somebody who doesn’t know how to talk, how he gets to Reb Moshe? But my policy always was and is, if a great rabbi will talk to you,  strike. And I did. “Rabbi,” I said. “I am a close disciple of Reb Moshe, and will gladly bring your question, after it is written by you, to Reb Moshe. I will leave for Reb Moshe first thing in the morning.” The next morning, bright and early, I was on the bus and soon was racing up the steps to the house of Reb Moshe.

Suddenly, an arm of steel seized me and demanded, “Where are you going?” I answered, “I am going to Reb Moshe.” He replied, “Reb Moshe is not feeling well. You can’t go today.” I replied, “I have a letter from the Aido HaCharedis in Israel.” He immediately passed me on and I went flying up the steps. Yes, Reb Moshe wasn’t feeling well, and his rebbetsin was not thrilled that I had come to deliver something to him, but the gabbai of Reb Moshe, who was a friend of mine, welcomed me warmly, read the letter, and assured me that I would be issued an answer by Reb Moshe who would respond shortly.

Every day I called and every day the gabei told me the same answer. “Reb Moshe permits what he was asked, and I would soon receive an answer. But I never did. Finally, I was going to Israel to visit my rebbe, and I wrote to the gabei that I was going to Israel to visit my rebbe, and that once I am there, I would surely visit the Strassberger Rov, and I left his address.” I stayed by my rebbe a few days, and then, on Friday, I went to visit the Strassberger Rov. He welcomed me warmly, and told me that he would soon be going to the Mikva of the Rabbis, but that I would go to the regular Mikvah. Thus, he would be home earlier than I would be there. And so it was.

I came into the house and the Strassberger Rov was reading the reply from Reb Moshe. He asked me, “Did you speak nicely to Reb Moshe?” I was stunned and replied in a manner that left no question about that. It was only much later than all of this became perfectly clear to me. The Strassberger then explained to me what was puzzling him when I visited him in his house and added to it an additional problem that was created by Reb Moshe’s letter. It seems that his problem was about a young man who came from a country with few rabbis if any. And nobody knew if this boy was born a Jew or something else, and maybe, he was a mamzer or a doubtful mamzer who could not marry a Jewish woman. If the person was a gentile it was easy to convert him to Judaism. If he was a mamzer it was easy to marry him to a mamzeres, and there were organizations that did this. But if he is a doubtful mamzer, it is much harder, and the only hope is to find a gentile woman, and to convert her to Judaism, and even this is only permitted because the child had no hope basically in his situation and some loophole had to be found for him which was this.

At this point I visited my rebbe Reb Fishel Hershkowitz zt”l, and told him the entire story. He was furious at the Israeli rabbis who were considering marrying this boy, who was extremely religious, to a gentile woman with no Jewish experience or roots, something which could not last. He told me that the only hope for this boy is to ask Reb Moshe Feinstein the shaalo, and he it is expected would permit the boy to marry a Jewish woman. There was, however, a problem in this. The senior rabbi in Israel was completely opposed to marrying this boy to a Jewish woman. And he demanded that he marry a gentile woman who would go through the proper process. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, it was Friday before Shabbos, and the Strassberger told me that the letter from Reb Moshe permitted the Israeli rabbis to marry the boy to a gentile woman who would do what the Shulchan Aruch advises for a doubtful mamzer. The only question now was to clarify if the boy must make a berocho at the wedding or not. He told me to go to the senior rov was controlled the rabbis of Israel and ask the question to him. I went, found the rabbi, and told him that the Strassberger Rov asked the above question. The Rov answered that they should take a gemora that has a similar question, read the words, and that would take care of the question.

Something began to bother me. So, they are going full blast, with Reb Moshe’s permission, to make this marriage. But Reb Moshe is not in charge at all. I suddenly said, “Rebbe, this is an Agunah shaaloh.” Meaning, perhaps we could ask Reb Moshe the shaalo as my rebbe Reb Fishel had demanded. The Israeli rabbi exploded at me and said, “Somebody wanted to say that and we wanted to put him Cherem.” When I heard that, it just blew me away. The next thing I knew was that two hands reached into my head, parted my skull, and threw a paper into my head. It shot out of my mouth and I heard myself saying, “The Rov should pasken, not suggest, that the boy ask Reb Moshe the shaalo.”  But the Israeli Rov wasn’t even looking at me. He was looking away from me, towards somebody who was very prominent, and talking to him. I saw nobody. So I repeated myself again about the Rov paskening that the boy go to Reb Moshe to ask his shaaloh.

The Rov suddenly swerved back to me and said strongly, “I heard you the first time. Yes, I pasken that the boy ask Reb Moshe the Shaaloh.” Obviously, the two hands in my head that shot out the paper were the hands of Reb Fishel, who flew in seconds from America to Israel to save me from being put in Cherem.

When I heard what the Israeli rabbi had said, that the boy should ask Reb Moshe the shaalo, I reverted to style, to bother every Gadol without mercy until they hinted to me that my time was up. I sat with him Erev Shabbos about half and hour and returned to the Strassberger Rov with the pleasant news. Obviously, when he was searching for Reb Moshe, he had the same idea in mind. But he could not rule against the major Rov in Israel. Now that this Rov has reversed course, the Strassberger was happy to add his agreement that the boy should ask his shaaloh from Reb Moshe. I then found a major Rov who agreed that the boy should ask Reb Moshe his shaaloh.

I now prepared to return to America and present my treasure to the boy himself. The boy, however, immediately demanded that Reb Moshe is an American and he only wants Israeli rabbis to rule on this. I went to a prominent American rabbi who spoke to the boy who agreed to go to Reb Moshe as all of the Israeli rabbis had demanded. I never saw him again.

Now, of course, it is surely time to return to the beginning of our discussion here, the departed Tauber brothers who build such mighty Torah structures. The two were Emil and Yechiel Tauber in a family filled with special rabbis who served others with heart and soul. I was in Israel for Pesach this year and did not hear that Emil passed away just before Pesach. I called his son Akiva Tauber who had showed the greatest kindness to me when I had to borrow money for my wife, that he would drive to me not that I came to him. Emil was also very considerate about helping me in such situations, despite the terrible problems he personally was suffering. But the large family were all very kind and helpful people. And surely the great souls of Emil and Yechiel will rejoice in heaven when people on this world voice their appreciation for the wonderful Torah community that they and their relatives established.

Pesach a time of joy in English and Hebrew by Dovid Eidensohn

Pesach is Coming!  English and Hebrew

Dovid Eidensohn

Pesach is coming! Don’t eat bread! Prepare a luscious meal for the holidays! But what does Pesach really mean to us?

Pesach translated in English means “to jump.” The Jews were slaves in Egypt and were now, in Pesach time, about to be released from slavery and brought to the Holy Land. There were delays, but ultimately, the Jews did enter Israel and until this day have had thousands of years in Israel.

We will now enter into the word Pesach on a deeper level, one that benefits from the exact translation from the Torah and the teaching of Elijah the Prophet in Melochim 1. In English Elijah the Prophet lived at a time when the king and his pagan wife worshipped idols and his wife had hundreds of pagan worshippers who ate at her table. Elijah the  Prophet summoned the king Achavav and urged him to bring all of the pagan worshippers to a debate with Elijah, to see if the G‑d of Israel is to be worshipped, or the pagan gods. The king accepted this and summoned the pagan worshippers to confront the Jewish prophet Elijah. We turn now for benefit of pure translation to the Hebrew, which for me, a person who plans soon to move to Israel, finds an opportunity to brush up on my Hebrew which will surely come in handy!

Again, we quote the book of Melochim as Elijah the Prophets accepts the challenge of the pagans and the pagan King of Israel and his wife a full fledged pagan who murdered the prophets of HaShem. Now the Hebrew from the Book of Melochim 1:21.

ויגש אליהו אל כל העם ויאמר עד מתי אתם פסחים על שתי הסעיפים. אם השם האלקים לכו אחריו ואם הבעל לכו אחריו ולא ענו העם אתו דבר. ויאמר אליהו אל העם אני נותרתי נביא להשם לבדי ונביאי הבעל ארבע מאות וחמשים איש. ויתנו לנו שנים פרים ויבחרו להם הפרה האחד וינתחהו וישימו על העצים ואש לא ישימו ואני אעשה את הפר האחד ונתתי על העצים ואש לא אשים.  וקראתם בשם אלהיכם ואני אקרא בשם השם והיה האלקים אשר יהנה באש הוא האלקים ויען כל העם ויאמרו טוב הדבר. ויאמר אליהו לנביאי הבעל בחרו לכם הפר האחד ועשו ראשונה כי אתם הרבים וקראו בשם אלהיכם ואש לא תשימו. ויקחו את הפר אשר נתן להם ויעשו ויקראו בשם הבעל מן הבקר עד הצהרים לאמר הבעל אננו ואין קול ואין ענה ויפסח על המזבח אשר עשה.

ויהי בצהרים ויהתל בהם אליהו ויאמר קראו בקול גדול כי אלקים הוא כי שיח וכי שיג לו וכי דרך לו אולי ישן הוא ויקץ. ויקראו בקול גדול ויתגדדו כמפשטם בחרבות וברמחים עד שפך דם עליהם. ויהי כעבר הצהרים  ויתנבאו עד לעלות המנחה ואין קול ואין ענה ואין קשב. ויאמר אליהו לכל העם. גשו אלי. ויגשו כל העם אליו. וירפא את מזבח השם ההרוס. ויקח אליהו שתים עשרה אבנים כמספר שבטי בני יעקב אשר היה דבר השם אליו לאמר ישראל יהיה שמך. ויבנה את האבנים מזבח בשם השם ויעש תעלה כבית סאתים זרע סביב למזבח. ויערך את העצים וינתח את הפר וישם על העצים. ויאמר מלאו ארבעה כדים מים ויצקו על העלה ועל העצים. ויאמר שנו וישנו. ויאמר שלשו וישלשו. וילכו המים סביב למזבח וגם את התעלה מלא מים. ויהי בעלות המנחה ויגש אליהו הנביא ויאמר השם אלקי אברהם יצחק  וישראל היום יודע כי אתה אלקים בישראל ואני עבדך ובדברך עשיתי את כל הדברים האלה.  ענני השם אנני וידעו העם הזה כי אתה השם אלקים ואתה הסבת את לבם אחרונית.  ותפל השם השם ותאכל את העלה ואת העצים ואת האבנים ואת העפר. ואת המים אשר בתעלה לחכה. וירא כל העם  ויפלו על פניהם ויאמרו השם הוא האלקים השם הוא האלקים. ויאמר אליהו להם תפשו את נביאי הבעל איש אל ימלט מהם ויחפשום וירדם אליהו אל נחל קישון וישחתם שם. ויאמר אליהו לאחאב עלה אכל ושתה כי קול המון הגשם. ויעלה אחאב לאכל ולשתות ואליהו עלה אל ראש הרמל ויגהר ארצה וישם פיו בין ברכו. ויאמר אל נערו עלה נא הבט דרך ים ויעל ויבט ויאמר אין מאומה ויאמר שב שבע פעמים, ויהיה בשביעית ויאמר הנה עב קטנה ככף איש עלה מים ויאמר עלה אמר אל אחאב אסר ורד ולא יעצרכה הגשם.  

ויהי עד כה ועד כה והשמים התקדרו עבים ורוח ויהי גש גדול וירכב אחאב  וילך יזרעלה. ויד השם היתה אל אליהו וישנס את מתניו וירץ לפני אחאב עד באכה יזרעלה. ויגד אחאב ליאזבל את כל אשר עשה אליהו ואת כל אשר הרג את כל הנביאים בחרב. ותשלח איזבל מלאך אל אליהו לאמר כל יעשון אלקים וכי יוספון כי כעת מחר אשים את נפשך כנפש אחד מהם. וירא ויקם וילך את נפשו ויבא באר שבע אשר ליהודה וינח את נערו שם. והוא הלך במדבר דרך יום ויבא וישב תחת רתם אחד וישאל את נפשו למות ויאמר רב עתה השם קח נפשי כי לא טוב אנכי מאבתי.  

We return now to the end of the story in English. Eliyohu is taken to heaven, and HaShem tells him to appoint a successor the prophet Elisha.

For our purposes, we see that Pesach means jumping, here and there. There are good times and bad times. Few Jews are perfect, and most of us sin. But when we repent Hashem forgives us. Ultimately, great peace will come into the world, and all people, even gentiles, will worship HaShem. But until we merit that in the Messianic times, the world will have it moods, its “jumping” and we must maintain our ability to serve HaShem in the thick and thin of life. May we merit to have a happy Pesach and a life for ourselves and our families and all people of more and more happiness and blessings and the ability to tolerate and rise above the problems until we will merit the end of testing and the permanent joy of the Future World.

Hebrew parsha of Shemini - English stories of Chofetz Chaim

ויהי ביום השמיני

דוד אליהו אידנסון

פרשה זו ויהי ביום השמיני כולל כמה ענינים שקשה מאוד לעמוד עליהם. וע' בכלי יקר על התורה שם בסוף שמיני שמאריך בזה ואומר שהעולם הזה יש בו ז' ימים והם נגמרים עם שבת יום הז'. וכל זה המספר של ז' הוא של העולם הזה. שמיני הוא בחינה למעלה מן העולם הזה. והוא הבחינה שמוסיפים על הז' ימים אחד לעשותו ח' דהיינו שמיני. ובזה מתקדש היום יותר מן הבחינה של ז' של העולם הזה וכבר נכנס קצת למעלה לקבל אור גדול שהוא שופע להראויים אליו בבחינת יום השמיני. וכן הברית מילה שהוא ביום השמיני להלידה של הילד הוא מתקדש יותר מן היום הז' לבד. ודוחה את השבת.

עוד מוסיף הכלי יקר שיש עוד בחינה למעלה מן הח' והוא כאשר עולים עוד יותר להוסיף עד י' שהוא האות היותר קודש כבר נכנסים לרשות של מעלה ממש יותר מח' ע"ש באריכות.

והנה בפרשה  סוף פרק ט' וז"ל ויבא משה ואהרן אל אהל מועד ויצאו ויברכו את העם וירא כבוד השם אל כל העם. ותצא אש מלפני השם ותאכל על המזבח את העולה ואת השלמים. וירא כל העם וירנו ויפלו על פניהם עכ"ל

פרק י' וז"ל ויקחו בני אהרן נדב ואביהוא איש מחתתו ויתנו בהן אש וישימו עליה קטרת ויקריבו לפני השם אש זרה אשר לא צוה אותם. ותצא אש מלפני השם ותאכל אותם וימתו לפני השם עכ"ל ע' בכלי יקר על זה אריכות גדול ואומר שיש סוברים שהיו חוטאים נדב יאביהו שהיו הולכים אחרי משה ואהרן ואומרים זה לזה מתי ימותו זקנים הללו ונעשה אנו המנהיגים ע"ש שדוחה כל הפירושים הללו שמוכח שלא חטאו נדב ואביהוא אלא במה שמפורש בתורה שהביאו מה שלא צוה אותם השם. ובאמת מה שדחה הכלי יקר כמה פירושים גדולים ונוראים על ידי הדיוק שלו צ"ע שהלא מצאנו בתורה ובנביאים והכתובים כמה קושיות על תיבות או לשונות, ולא מצאנו עליהם ביאור מספיק.  ועל זה אמר הגר"א שכן הוא דרך התורה להניח קושיא גדולה באמצע הפסוקים של התורה או הגמרא, ומי שמצער עצמו לעסוק בהם להבינם זוכה לסודות התורה גדולים. וידוע שהגר"א היה ראשון ביחד עם השאגת אריה, שהשאגת אריה הוא שנתן להגר"א התואר "גאון" שנשאר עליו יותר משאר הגאונים. והגאון אמר על השאגת אריה "אני והוא בקבלה הוא ואני בנגלה." אבל סתם שיש קושיא מן הפסוקים כן הוא בכל התורה. והעיקר לעסוק להבינם והקב"ה מאיר בהעוסק באמונה שיזכה סודות התורה או אפילו ענינים גשמיים שהוא צריך אליו, כגון שצריך לעשות עסק גשמי או שידוך, אם עוסק בכל כוחו להבין המצב שלו יזכה מן השמים להבינו. וכן רבי אהרן קטלר זצ"ל שהיה מסופק אם ללכת לארץ ישראל או לארצות הברית ועשה גורל הגר"א והיה התירוץ שילך למשה שהוא הבין הכונה רבי משה פיינשטיין זצ"ל בארצות הברית וכן עשה, ושם קבע ישיבת לייבוואד כמה כוללים וגם פשט את ידיו גם בארץ ישראל לעשות כמה כסף לצרכי היהודים בארץ ישראל שהעניות גבר מהם בהם. וכמה יהודים וילדיהם נשארו בני תורה ולולא זה היו הילדים נאבדים מן התורה כמו בילדי טעראן ר"ל שהציונים  השמידו אותם.

ואביא על זה ביאור על הפסוק הראשון שבתורה בראשית ברא אלקים. ופרש"י שבראשית תמיד צריך לתיבה אחרת עמו כגון בראשית ממלכת פלוני אבל לומר סתם בראשית אינו מספיק. והוא קושיא גדולה על הפסוק והתיבה הראשונה שבתורה. אבל להגר"א יש לישב זה שמי שעוסק באיזה ענין להבינו משמע אפילו ענין גשמי יזכה לאור של מעלה ויבין הענין. ובזה י"ל הכונה בראשית שבאמת בדיוק נשאר ריקם בלי שום תיבה אחריו לגלות מהו הבראשית מה. והכונה שמי שעוסק להבינו אפילו אם הוא ענין גשמי כגון להשיג סברא בעסק גשמי או שידוך  מגלים למי שעוסק להבינו ויודע מה לעשות. וכן פה בראשית אין לו סיום והאדם חושב עליו ומתפלל להשם לגלות דעתו ולבסוף יצליח אם מכוין לשם שמים. ובראשית הוא תחלת התורה והוא שורש לכל התורה שמלא קושיות כאלה מהו הכונה ומה חסר פה ושם. ומי שעוסק להבין לשם שמים לבסוף יזכה להבין גשמיות או רוחניות בס"ד.

והנה מצאנו קושיא גדולה בתחלת התורה. בתחלה אומר בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים והארץ. ולבסוף איזה  פסוקים מתחיל בדרך אחרת לגמרי ביום עשות השם אלקים ארץ ושמים. והוא מן ההיפוך אל ההיפוך. בתחלה אומר בראשית ברא אלקים שהוא מדת הדין הקשה. את השמים תחלה ואח"כ הארץ. ולבסוף איזה פסוקים לבד משנה כל הדרך ואומר ביום עשות השם אלקים ארץ ושמים. לא ברא אלקים שהוא מדן הדין אלא עשות השם שהוא מדת הרחמים. השם אלקים הוא רחמים בעיקר ואלקים דין בטפל. שלולא השינוי היו צריכים להחריב כל העולם שהוא מלא חוטאים כדאיתא בחומש ובכל הספרים. שלכן קבע התורה הב' דרכים, הראשון מה שיש לעשות לכתחלה, שאם יתקיימו הרשעים בעולם אחרי שחוטאים יהיה חילול השם שהוא היפוך התורה. שלכן שינה הקב"ה לגלות שהעיקר שלא להחריב העולם שרק באצל נח מצאנו שהחריב הקב"ה העולם ושוב הבטיח שלא לעשות כן עוד הפעם. והבטחה זו הוא תלוי שלא להחריב העולם עוד הפעם אלא להניח הרשעים כמו שהם בעיקר ולמעט בדין.

ובזה אתי שפיר שהקב"ה לחם עם הלבנה שהיא מלאך שהבינה הפסוק הראשון שצריכים דינים קשים למעט חילול השם. והקב"ה הבטיח לנח שלא להוסיף על החרבן של נח עוד. א"כ בהכרח שצריך שלא להחריב העולם דלא כהלבנה. עד שהקב"ה ראש שאי אפשר לפייס הלבנה שהיא תובעת ותובעה שלא יהיה חילול השם של הרשעים בעולם עד שהקב"ה אמר על עצמו, הביאה עלי כפרה שמעטתי את הירח והוא תמוה ביותר ממש. הקב"ה בעצמו צריך לעשות תשובה ר"ל? אוי לאזנים שכן שומעות! אלא הגמרא אומר בע"ז דף ד' שהקב"ה הבין באחרת מן הלבנה, בזה, שהאעיקר לא שיהיו כולם צדיקים אלא שיש הרבה חוטאים ורשעים בעולם, אבל כל מי שיעשה תשובה כראוי יתקבל. והקב"ה גילה הכח הגדול של תשובה במה שהוא עצמו קיבל על עצמו לעשות תשובה בכדי לפייס הלבנה. אבל בעיקר לא חזר הקב"ה אלא לגלות שהעיקר בעולם לא להמית הבריות שחוטאים שכמעט כולם חוטאים. אלא שמי שיחטא יעשה תשובה ויתקבל.

וכן מצאנו שקין הרג אחיו הבל. ופעם פגע אדם בקין שהיה הולך ככה כאילו לא פוחד מאחד. ושאלו אדם והלא הרגת את אחיך ואתה הולך ככה בלי שום דאגה? אמר לו קין דיברתי עם הקב"ה והוא שאל אותי היתכן שהרגת את אחיך, והקב"ה אמר לו הלא דמי אחיך צועקים אלי מן האדמה. ואמר קין להקב"ה שרוצה לעשות תשובה.  וקיבלו הקב"ה והבטיח לו שיחיה הרבה שנים בלי שיזיקנו אנוש וכן היה . ומיד הבין אדם הראשון הכח של תשובה ורץ לאשתו לפייסה לעשות שלום ביניהם ואמר לה שהיא אם כל חי. ובכל זאת אנו אומרים בתפלות בזמן קידוש הלבנה שנזכה שהלבנה תחזור להגדולה שהיא רוצה. שהעיקר אצלנו הוא השלימות שיהיה העולם בלי חוטאים, והגם שהבטיח הקב"ה לנח שלא להחריב עוד את העולם, עדיין מתפללים להחזיר העולם להשלימות שרצתה הלבנה, למעט חילול השם. וזה יהיה לעתיד לבא. וכן הרמב"ם אומר בסוף מלכים שלעתיד יהיה מצב שהגוים עצמם יתפללו להשם.

And now we will begin the English section of our material, which is simply about stories of the Chofets Chaim. But these stories are very important, and reflect on the entire system of living in a world filled with evil and how to deal with it.

First story: A close relative of the Chofetz Chaim knew that he was accustomed to go when nobody was around to a certain shull, and to pray strongly to HaShem about something. He was determined to find out what this was about. He came and stood behind the Chofetz Chaim, who was crying out to HaShem, “Master of the Universe! I am a Cohen. And a Cohen has a tendency to anger. Please, spare me from anger?”

Second story: The Chofetz Chaim was accustomed to go upstairs in his attic and cry for long times to HaShem. The Mashgiach of Mirrer Yeshiva, Rav Yeruchom Levovitz, heard about this, and decided to listen in. He climbed up a few steps and heard some of the Chofetz Chaim’s crying to HaShem for his sins, and Rav Yeruchom fainted and fell down the steps.

Third Story: the Chofetz Chaim once announced that in the middle of the night in Radin, he would reveal a secret of the Torah. The entire community came to hear it. He said, “Elokei neshomo shnosato bee tehovra he……..etc.” He concluded with “And in the future You will remove it from me and restore it to me in the Future World.” The Chofetz Chaim noted that “restore it to me” is with a mapik hay and he asked why. He replied, “When HaShem will restore our souls to us in the future world, he will restore our souls exactly as they were in this world, with all of the sins.” That was the secret.

To conclude our English situation with a happier note, our above remark about Rav Yeruchom Levovitz the Mashgiach of Mirrer Yeshiva, can continue with when he passed away around the same time as the Chofetz Chaim, in the thirties. At about the same time that he and the Chofetz Chaim passed on, Hitler yemach shemo began slaughtering six million Jews. Suddenly, a very senior rabbis, also, close to his death bed, issued a ruling. The Yeshiva world should gather in Vilna. Reb Aharon Kotler obeyed, and one way or the other, thousands of Torah Jews assembled in Vilna. But what to do next? Shortly, either Hitler or Stalin would be in Vilna. A miracle  happened. Although Japan was then at war with America because it bombed Pearl Harbor, and America was bombing Japan, the Russians allowed a train to drive from Vilna to Japan. The one who took responsibility was a Japanese in charge of giving people permission to come to Japan. When his superiors discovered that he was giving out permission to all of the Jews assembled in  Vilna, they rebuked him. He took his book of passes and flew it out the window where hundreds of people took their sheets and were saved when they reached Japan. He lived until after the war and for a long time Jews praised him to the sky. And other Japanese were also friendly with Jews.

Let  us return now to our comments about Reb Yerucham Levovitz, who at this time had died. Now the leader of the trainload of Jews was Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein the Mashgiach of Mirrer Yeshiva. The Jews landed in Japan which was being bombed by the Americans for their attack on Pearl Harbor. No Jews were bombed. Each night Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz came to Reb Yechezkel Levenstein and told him where the bombs would fall the next day. The Jews were not bombed. Eventually Reb Aharon Kotler left Japan and came to America and the other Jews decided to leave all at once or none at all, and they eventually all left. Reb Yechezkel then taught in several places and finally in Israel.

The Contrast between Purim and Chanukah

Dovid Eidensohn

At first glance, Purim and Chanukah are very similar holidays. Both are rabbinical holidays. The heroes of both periods put their stamp on Jewish life for generations. A close study of the two holidays, however, and the inside stories of the heroes involved, paints a different picture. Both periods had their terror and their triumph. Both periods had their heroes and their villains. But the actual outcome for the heroes of the two holidays was much different.

Let us begin with Purim. The Purim story is about the Persian King Achashverush, a man of enormous wealth, who, originally, as taught by a commentator there, hated Jews more than Haman! He was changed when Mordechai, who knew the Seventy Languages, overheard officers of the king plotting to murder him. The king investigated and killed them. He wrote down that Mordechai the Jew saved him, but did nothing to honor him. And so it was for a long time. Then Mordechai had a falling out with Haman, who decided to kill him. It seems that at one time Mordechai was traveling somewhere with Haman when Haman ran out of money. He asked Mordechai for money and Mordechai replied that only if he would become Mordechai’s slave would he give him the money. Haman having no choice, agreed. Now Mordechai noticed that Haman walked around with royal clothes bedecked with pagan images. Mordechai refused to rise for Haman and his pagan images and when Haman objected, Mordechai showed Haman the paper signed by Haman that Haman was the slave of Mordechai. The Jews were terrified at the act of Mordechai to torment such a powerful person as Haman, and they protested to Mordechai, but he was obstinate.

Ultimately, we know what happened, that Queen Esther came to the king uninvited in his special palace, an act which could result in her being killed by the king, but he accepted her and proffered to her his royal specter, a sign of respect. She told him she came to him to invite him to a banquet to honor her, the king and Haman. The king accepted and ordered Haman to come. The king asked her during the banquet why she had invited him and she said she would tell him tomorrow at the next banquet. He agreed and they parted and came together the next day.

Until now Esther told the king nothing about her background. He only knew that she was a great beauty, which sufficed for him. He also suspected that her refusal to divulge her past was negative, probably indicating a lower level of birth, which would make it impossible to have a child from her, unless she was from royal blood. Thus, although they were married, the king limited himself to making sure he would have no children from her.

Now, at the second banquet, the king again asked Esther what her request from him was. She replied that she was requesting that the plan of Haman to wipe out the Jews would be reversed. The king was startled and went outside of the royal room to the place where his beautiful trees were planted. He noticed, in great dismay, that people were chopping down these trees. He asked why this was being done, and they, who were actually heavenly angels, sent to implicate Haman, told the king that Haman had instructed them to chop down the trees. Now the king was doubly furious. First of all because Haman wanted to kill his wife the queen, and secondly because Haman had told people to chop down the royal trees. He came back to where Haman and Esther were and noticed that Haman was actually on the royal recliner where the queen was sitting. The king exploded and roared at Haman, “Do you force yourself on the queen in my castle?”

Somebody told the king that Haman had constructed a huge tree to hang Mordechai on it. The king ordered, “Hang him on it.”

Haman was immediately draped so he could not talk or object to anything and was prepared for his death. The king then turned to Esther who, for the first time, told the king about her royal birth, as a descendent of the Jewish king Saul. Now the king, for the first time, spoke to her as a royal person to a royal person and treated her with great honor. For Esther, this was a great tragedy. For when she discussed with Mordechai about her attempt to reach the king she added, “And if I will be destroyed, I will be destroyed.” This could have meant that the king might be upset by her visit to him and kill her. But it could also mean that until now when the king forced himself upon her, she was not a sinner, and could continue relations with her husband Mordechai. But now that she had come to the king on her own, and he for the first time wanted to have a child from her, she could no longer relate to Mordechai. One reason was that if the baby emerged with the appearance of Mordechai the king could not use him as the next king. Also, Esther feared that her willingly going to the king without being forced would itself make her forbidden to ever be with Mordechai. Thus, Purim was a tragedy for both Esther and Mordechai, who deeply loved each other, and now were permanently separated.

 All of this is in contrast to the Chanukah story. There the group of Cohanim priests who fought successfully to drive the Greeks from Israel did not suffer in any way like this. True, some of them died in the battles, but they died as heroes in war, without the pain and the shame of being forbidden to their dear husband and wife. Furthermore, in the Chanukah story, the most prominent person was not a man at all, but a woman. She was a great beauty, the daughter of the High Priest, who was selected by a Greek as was their style, to be with him against her will. She came, and agreed to his wishes, but suggested that they begin with some delicious food she had prepared. He ate some, and drank some, and eventually, simply fell down unconscious. She then killed him, and took his head to the Greek general. When he saw the decapitated head, he became terrorized, and he and the entire Greek army fled Israel.

Thus, the heroine of the Chanukah story was a woman, who completely retained her honor. But the heroine of the Purim story lived the rest of her life in great shame and pain, although she gave birth to children of Achashverush who became beneficiaries of the Jewish people. And Mordechai, who lived without our knowing any more children from him, achieved great honor from the king, the Jews and Persians, but the pain of the loss of his beloved wife remained.

So, until we know the entire story, we are missing important details, which to us may not seem crucial, but for Mordechai and Esther they were crucial. May their memory be honored for all time, in this world and the next.

Yes, the Jews never had such easy lives. But there are various times and various problems. Purim and Chanukah are, in this sense, instructive. Whatever the Jews suffer from, their pain lasts in this world, and the hope is that that when they go to a higher world, they find the full glory they truly deserve.

Learning Torah and earning money. How much of each?

How much learning? How much earning?

Dovid Eidensohn

See Berochose 35b an argument between Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi. Rabbi Yishmael maintains that a Jew must work a full day to sustain a livelihood. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi disagrees, because if so, nobody will master the Torah. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi counters that a Jew should study Torah essentially and not work, but that others will work for him. The problem with this is that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi was running away from the Romans who wanted to kill him, and the Romans would surely not feed him. So it makes sense to accept the gemora there that “many did as Rabbi Yishmael and succeeded” meaning that others did not succeed. Okay, we seem to be getting somewhere. But wait. There are two gemoras that blow everything to pieces.

Sota 44A says that Derech Erets teaches us that a man should build his house, plant a vineyard, and only then marry. In other words, he should not marry until he is wealthy and has enough money to be comfortable and supply the needs of his wife and children. The Zohar adds that one who marries without a house and vineyard is a Tipashe, a fool. Also, the gemora in Hurius 10b says that Rabbi Yochanan decreed that Torah scholars need the money to be comfortable or some wealth.

This brings us to a terrible question. If a person has to spend most of his life learning Torah and only a small portion to earn a living, when does he become wealthy? Indeed, the gemora Berochose 35b rules that people do have to work hard during the day, meaning, not so much learning. This contradicts the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 156.1 that every Jew must learn most of the day and only a small part of the time for his earnings. This is not the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael, the dominant opinion and is not the opinion of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi, who says that strangers will support the learners, at a time when the Romans were searching for Rabbi Shimon to kill him. Surely they did not support him. Indeed, Rabbi Yochanan says in gemora Shabbos 11a that the law is not like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochoi but like Rabbi Yishmael. If so, how can we manage enough money to marry? Something has to give? Either Rabbi Yishmael is wrong, or Rabbi Shomon bar Yochoi is wrong, or no Jew gets married other than a few rich ones. This is surely wrong. This bothered me for a long time, especially as I didn’t find anyone else who asked these questions.

But the rule is, that when somebody gets stuck when he studies Torah, and he gives all he could to understand, HaShem helps him. The Vilna Gaon even suggests that there are questions on the Torah that seem to block all logic. But within these questions are the secrets of the Torah. I believe that this idea is the first word in the Torah, Beraishis, which, as Rashi says there, is a word missing a key word. In the beginning of what did HaShem create the heaven and the earth? Whatever we do, that word is missing. I believe the missing word is that there are things about heaven and earth that are beyond human understanding, but can only be revealed by HaShem to those who study Torah. And that is the key to all of the Torah and all of the gemoras. They are all riddled with questions. But if we struggle and ask HaShem’s help, we will find answers.

My answer is that children must be trained by the father to learn Torah most of the day but to also spend some time of the day to earn money. I actually wrote a treatise about a fictional boy, Shimi, who, at the age of five, was approached by his father. “Shimi,” he said, “you are a smart little boy, and you are learning nicely in Hebrew school. Yes, it is crucial for a Jew to study Torah. But we need money also. Yes, most of the day you will study Torah, and yet, a Jew needs money also. Would you like to earn some money even now?” Shimi was very interested in what his father was saying, and earning money, why not, sure!

Shimi’s father said, “Next time you go to Hebrew school, bring along some nice fruit from our farm, and trade it with your friends, who surely bring their own fruit to school.” Shimi did it, and he returned with some of his friends’ fruit. “Fine” said his father. “Let’s keep this up for a while, okay? You’re doing so well, that I think  you are a real business person!” Shimi puffed up his small cheek, and just swallowed in the compliments. The main thing, however, was the hope that more was to come. His father had talked about him earning money. Now, that was something special.

The time came when Shimi’s father told him, “Come with me.” They went a few blocks, and Shimi knew exactly where they were. This was the home of Shimi’s father’s best friend. “Here,” said his father. “Take these nice fruits, rap on the door, and sell them to my friend.” Shimi was a little nervous. But he did what he was told. He rapped on the door. The man of the house answered, and saw a tiny five year old child rapping on his door. What was this about? Then, he looked up, and saw his friend, Shimi’s father, watching the door. Aha. So that was the game. “Yes, my dear friend, and what can I do for you today?” asked the father’s friend of Shimi. Shimi replied, “Would you like to buy any of these delicious fruits?” Well, thought the father. I have a choice in the matter? My best friend won’t talk to me if I refuse. He reached in his pocket, and pulled out some nice change. Shimi was ecstatic. He, a five year old child, had a nice chunk of change!

The father was careful to go steadily up the ladder. Now he took Shimi to strangers. But the child was catching on. The coins were rattling in his pocket, and he was thrilled. What does a child with money want? He wants more money, a lot of it. And the father played this to the hilt. Next came a new level of training, and it would hurt. “Shimi, I know you have been selling various nice fruits and food, and you have made some nice change. Now, I want to graduate you to more expensive items. Are you ready to proceed?” Shimi responded, “If you want me to do something, I am ready to try it.” Well, said his father, this is an expensive leather piece from the farm. Find somebody, on your own, to sell it to, and tell me what they pay you for it.”

Shimi was paid, which was for him, an enormous amount of money. Much more than he got for selling an apple. Now he was given good money, not nickels and dimes, but solid dollars. With great pride, he showed his money to his father. His father was disappointed. “Shimi, you took twenty dollars for that leather piece, but it was worth fifty dollars.” Shimi was crushed, and he started to cry. His father was ready for this. He sat Shimi down and explained to him the entire situation and why Shimi should greatly rejoice in the very mistake his father knew he would make.

“Shimi, I have a dear friend, who married a rich girl. His father-in-law gave him a fortune as a nedan, a gift to the husband from the wife’s family, to encourage him to enter business and make a lot of money. Alas, my friend never lost a penny in his life, and had no idea how to proceed. He lost everything, and the money was so much, he could never pay it back. So I took you, a five year old boy, who sold an expensive piece of leather for less than its value. You lost about thirty dollars, and you know what, it is the smartest thing you ever did. Because I am training you to be a businessman, somebody who will one day not do what my friend did when he lost a fortune and could never recoup it. You will recoup the thirty dollars you lost a thousand times. You will have farms, fields, houses, and your wife and children will never have to worry about money. Now, wipe your tears, smile, and get ready for stage two. Now we are going to train you to buy property. Remember the mistake you made today. And be sure that you never make a mistake like that again.” Shimi resolved that he would be very careful next time he sold or bought anything.

“Tomorrow,” said Shimi’s father, “we are going to look at a property I am interested in. Pay close attention how I deal with the owner. Are  you ready?” Shimi was ready. The day came when Shimi followed his father to see him purchase a field from this person. They began to haggle about the price. Finally, the seller said, “I won’t sell for less than such and such.” Shimi’s father said, “Okay, let me think about it,” and left.

Shimi felt very bad for his father. He thought his father had lost out on the property. But his father was doing exactly what he wanted Shimi to see. Never buy property unless  you get a real good deal. If it is worth ten thousand dollars, make sure you don’t pay ten thousand dollars.

My original story of Shimi went on much longer, but suffice here to sum up that Shimi began buying property at economical rates. People realized that he was rich and they rushed to buy his properties and have their children begin Hebrew school on his terms. He insisted that the new people raise their children as his father had raised him, to begin earning money at a tender age. By the time he came of marital age, his parents found for him exactly what they wanted, and here was one growing and happy family.

What a happy world it would be if all children were raised to be happy and wealthy!

Ki Siso - Jews sin at Sinai while Moshe speaks to HaShem

Parshas Ki Siso

Dovid Eidensohn

The Parsha of Ki Siso begins with the building of the holy utensils of the Mishkan. It concludes with the heinous sin of the Jews worshipping the Golden Calf, an act of idolatry even while Moshe was on the mountain with HaShem learning the Torah and the Ten Commandments which included the entire Torah.

We have questions on the parsha. First of all, it is obvious that the mistake the Jews made to worship the Golden Calf was because they anticipated Moshe returning from talking to HaShem on a certain date, and they got the wrong date, at least, the people got the wrong date. This itself is very strange.   HaShem is talking with Moshe, who is supposed to return to the Jews on a certain date which he surely told the Jews, and they all got confused. Everyone, including the brother of Moshe, Aharon, who was the leader of the Jews while Moshe was speaking to HaShem on Mt. Sinai, accepted the cry of all of the Jews that Moshe was no longer alive and that they Jews needed a new god to lead them. Did the Jews have to worship idols because Moshe was a few hours late by their reckoning? And, more important, was Moshe really late? How can somebody talking to HaShem who is supposed to know when to return to the Jews, who told the Jews when he would return, tell the Jews something different than what he made up with HaShem?

This is the small question. The big question is on HaShem Himself. When the Jews assumed that Moshe was dead and that the Jews must create an idol to be their god, it is obvious that the entire date of Moshe’s arrival back to the Jewish camp was unknown to the Jews. And that more incredibly, they assumed he had died, and based on this, decided to deny HaShem entirely and worship an idol that emerged from a fire saying “I am your god.” Why did HaShem not ensure that Moshe gave the right date to the Jews, and why did HaShem not remind Moshe to leave on that exact date. It is obvious from the story in the Torah that there were many hours from the act of the populace in making the Golden Calf until Moshe was finally sent by HaShem on what was obviously a date that HaShem considered too early for Moshe to leave Him. If so, it surely is incredible that Moshe himself and the Jewish people and even HaShem were not prepared to honor the date Moshe told the Jews he would return.

But there is actually another question that quells all of the above questions, and it so stunning that it will, as we will see, answer all of the above questions even though it is incredibly amazing.

To prepare you for this incredibly amazing fact, it is necessary to prepare the process a bit, to make the result more palatable.

We have mentioned earlier in various discussions that this world is filled with people who sin, that the world is filled with darkness, and that “from darkness comes light.” Obviously, if at the time of the Giving of the Torah, the Jews built a Golden Calf and worshipped it, something went wrong. How did that happen? What terrible darkness came into the world to uproot all of the above?

The answer, as taught in Gemora Avoda Zora 4b and 5a, is that HaShem did it, deliberately. It was something crucial for the entire existence of the world, a world where people always sinned and the only thing that would save them from Gehenum was penitence. Furthermore, this heavenly mercy applies to people who sin against HaShem. But people who sin against other people must appease the hurt person and become forgiven, without the act of penitence alone by the sinner. (If the sinner does his best to appease the one he sinned against, this is another thing which we won’t go into now.) If so, sin is a terrible thing and since people are always suspected of doing this or that sin, even some sins that HaShem on his own won’t recognize the Teshuva, it was necessary for HaShem to teach people, along with giving the Torah, that they, as a nation that did a lot of sinning as is obvious from this week’s sedra and other holy works and gemoras.

The above gemora says that HaShem deliberately planned two terrible sins from people who were extremely remote from sin. One was King David who took Bas Sheva against her will. The other was the Jewish people at Sinai who achieved an incredible level of perfection from hearing the Ten Commandments spoken by HaShem and explained by Moshe. Hashem did this to teach everyone that if an individual sins, but HaShem accepted his penitence, then any individual knows they can repent to HaShem. If a community sins, HaShem proves from the Jews at Sinai that penitence will even save an entire people who did a terrible sin.

For HaShem’s plan to work the Jews had to be confused about the day of Moshe’s return. Now all of the questions are answered.

The only remaining question: Do we all know the teaching of the gemora to be sure that our penitence will be accepted? And if we repent, will we do as King David did, to devote his life in the Book of Tehilim to atone for his sin? And another question is: Do we imitate King David who once boasted, “My heart is still inside of me” meaning I cannot sin? HaShem spoke to David and said, “Is that so? I assure you that you will one day sin with a woman who is married to another man.” David trembled when he heard this, and when he saw Bas Sheva and felt a terrible desire, he realized immediately that this was now the test HaShem had promised him. He knew that he was able to conquer his evil inclination with great effort, but to do so would insult HaShem, who told him he would sin. To avoid that, he sinned.

This itself produced an uproar and HaShem was asked how he could forgive David who had stolen a married woman. HaShem answered that all of the husbands engaged in open battles wrote a document of divorce to their wives. Otherwise, maybe they would be captured or killed and no witnesses would know where they were buried to free their wives. To assure the wives, all husbands, privately got witnesses watch them give their wives a GET. It happened that Basheva’s husband was killed in a serious battle so David did not take Bas Sheva until she was divorced properly.

The Jews themselves at Sinai began the tradition that all Jews repent on Yom Kippur and many other times. And especially today when everyone learns Musar, penitence is part of life, as is asking forgiveness.

Poem A Special Shabbos

Poem about a Special Shabbos

Dovid Eidensohn

Oh! What a lovely Shabbos when my son from Israel visited us with his family,

And my two children in America came for Shabbos to meet him,

And brought their children along.

And, to get things moving here, I am a grouch.

Now, I am not a grouch when I talk to you. But if you would be a child, say two years old,

I would pretend I was a lion. And they loved it even as they ran away from the ‘lion.’

On this Shabbos when the house was filled with young children and some not so young,

I was busy roaring and chasing and the house was just popping with good will.

My son came from Israel only for a tiny visit. He is perhaps the leading expert on children in the world

And countries around the world pay him ridiculous sums to visit their schools and help with children,

And I his father was thrilled at the opportunity to talk to him about my ideas,

Which had to do with publishing my ideas on family and marriage

Because even secular magazines

Want my material.

Our lovely Shabbos came to an end,

And my son prepared to return home

And while finishing his packing, I approached him,

To show him my treasured Olympus,

A device which allows me to copy music, or sing my own music, or make audios.

He quickly understood how it worked,

And was especially interested in its ability to play music.

I have hours of music on my Olympus and computer,

And he, who travels around the world regularly in his task of helping Yeshiva children,

Needed some music and material to listen to while flying.

Then my son produced his surprise.

He showed me a device which cost five times what my Olympus cost

He took it and copied my material

And my voice boomed out.

So Shabbos came to an end,

A lovely day packed with food brought by all who visited

Meaning the three family of children who live in America

And my son packing after Shabbos indicated

That he was returning home the next morning.

I spoke several times at the table on Shabbos

And emphasized that when my children were young

I would speak on Shabbos for an hour or two

About the greatness of a mother who has children and raises them.

And these children grew up in a small house,

Packed with boxes from my wife’s business,

And that small house was packed with boxes,

And a growing family of children who loved each other and their parents.

Today I have daughters in Israel who are regularly paid large sums of money

To speak on “What it was like to be raised in the Eidensohn family.”

One of the stories was when my son, who now travels the world to help Yeshiva students

Asked me for permission to sleep at night underneath the kitchen table.

This Shabbos he and the other children gushed forth with happiness for those times,

And for their success with their own children, which is considerable.

Once at a grandson’s wedding, I, the grandfather, was honored with the first call to pronounce the wedding blessings

When I finished and turned to leave, the leader asked me,

Give a blessing!

I was stunned. I devoted my life to making happy family and children,

But just what kind of berocho should I give?

Then heaven helped me,

I said “May the couple be blessed with children who make them jealous.”

I then walked quickly from the Chupah into a New York sidewalk

And somebody asked me,

What blessing did you give?

I told him, “May you be jealous of your children.”

I explained that the Talmud says,

Nobody is jealous of their children and their disciples

But if somebody is jealous of his students and disciples,

It is because they are special.

Hebrew - Tsetsaveh - The Cohen is holy but there is a problem getting married

ועשית בגדי קדש לאהרן אחיך לכבוד ולתפארת[1]

דוד אליהו אידנסון

פרשה זו תצוה שענינו עבודת הכהונה בקדושה ובטהרה, ובפרט הכהן הגדול מאחיו שיש לו שמונה בגדי תפארת, גורם להעלות הכהן הגדול למעלה מכל ישראל. וכל כהן הוא מיוחד ונבדל מאחיו מחמת רוב קדושתו ומחמת שהוא לבד שייך לדור בבית המקדש או המשכן ששם שורה השכינה ממש. האמנם הכלל בכל התורה בכל העולם ובכל הדורות שאם יש אור וקדושה יש שטן ההיפוך, ואם הכהן הגדול או הכהן הדיוט מיוחד בישראל, וכולם חייבים לכבדו ולפארו, הכלל הולך ומאיר,  שתוך הגדולה והתפארת יש ח"ו הההיפוך. ופה נביא ראיה לזה.

בש"ע אבן העזר יש אריכות בענין הכהונה שפסולים להם איזה נשים.[2] וז"ל הש"ע – כהן אסור מן התורה בגרושה זונה וחללה ואסור בחלוצה מדרבנן. לפיכך אם עבר ונשא ספק חלוצה אין צריך להוציא. אבל גרושה אפילו אינה אלא ספק גרושה צריך להוציא כו' עכ"ל ואני מכיר איזה כהנים שקשה להם מאוד להשיג שידוך והם באים בשנים ולא זוכים להנשא, הגם שהם מצד עצמם חוץ מן הכהונה אנשים טובים ואוהבים ויראים מהשם בתכלית, בכל זאת קדושת הכהן מעכב מאוד בשידוכים. וכאשר אני פוגע בכהן כזה אני מצטער מאוד. ולידיד אחד שהוא כהן אני תמיד מזרזו שילך לארץ ישראל ואולי יש תקוה. והוא מודה שאולי צריך לעשות זה ואומר לי שהרבה פעמים כבר היה בארץ ובכל זאת לא זוכה להשיג שידוך.

ובאמת לענ"ד מחמת זה הכהן צריך להנשא על ידי ההורים שלו ככל האפשר קודם שיגיע לשנים שאין בהם חפץ, שהם מה שאיתא בפרקי אבות מי שעובר עליו שנת יח' עד כ' שבאותו הזמן שהוא כבר בן כ' נתקיים בו הצער של תפח עצמותיו. שודאי קל הוא לאדם שאינו מבוגר כל כך לישא אשה ואילו מי שכבר הגיע לשנת כ' קשה לו. וכהן הוא סובל יותר מכולם שאסור לו בגרושה וזונה וחללה מן התורה ואסור בחלוצה מדרבנן. ואסור לו בהחלט לישא אשה האסורה לו, ואם לקח אשה האסורה לו מן התורה אפילו ספק גרושה צריך להוציא.

וכל זה לכהונה. אבל לישראל יש תורה אחרת. ע' ש"ע אבן העזר סימן ב' שמתחיל שישתדל כל אדם לישא אשה הגונה. ושם בסעיף ה' וז"ל משפחה שנתערב בה ספק חלל כל אשה כשרה שנשאת לאחד מאותה משפחה ונתאלמנה אסורה לכהן לכתחלה.

הרי לעיל הבאנו שבש"ע שם שהכהן אסור לישא מן התורה גרושה זונה וחללה. ובש"ע שם סעיף ח' וז"ל איזהו היא זונה כל שאינה בת ישראל או בת ישראל שנבעלת לאדם שהיא אסורה לינשא לו איסור השוה לכל או שנבעלה לחלל אע"פ שהיא מותרת לינשא לו כו' עכ"ל

סעיף י' – אשת כהן שנבעלה אפילו באונס אסורה לו עכ"ל.

סעיף יא' – אשת ישראל שנאנסה אע"פ שמותרת לבעלה אסורה לכהן עכ"ל

סעיף יד' – כהן שקדש גדולה או קטנה ואחר זמן בא עליה וטען שמצאה דרוסת איש נאסרת עלילו מספק שמא קודם קידושין נבעלה או אחר קידושין עכ"ל

והנה בסימן ז' דין אשה שנשבית ואיזה היא נקראת חללה. סעיף א' שבויה שנשבית והיא בת ג' שנים ויום אחד או יותר אסורה לכהן מפני שהיא ספק זונה שמא נבעלה לכותי כו'. ובבית שמואל שם וז"ל אסורה לכהן - ואם היא נשואה לכהן תצא ממנו עכ"ל ע"ש אריכות.

ובסימן ז' סעיף יב' איזו היא חללה זו שנולדה מאיסורי כהונה כגון כהן הדיוט שבא על הזונה או הגרושה וכהן גדול שבא עליהן או על האלמנה או שנשא בעולה ובא עליה הרי אלו נתחללו לעולם עכ"ל

 נאח שמצד אחד גדול קדושת הכהן מאוד ומצד השני כל שיש רוב קדושה יש באותו הקדושה צער גדול מפעם לפעם כגון אם בא הכהן לישא אשה ההוגנת לו כנ"ל.

והנה ידוע המעשה של איש אחד שנכנס לבית הכנסת ושמע איזה איש צועק ובוכה לפני הארון הקודש, נכנס וראה שזו שצועק ובוכה הוא החפץ חיים זצ"ל. והיה אומר "רבונו של עולם! אני כהן! והכהן יכול להיות בכעס. עזרני שאנצל מן הכעס."

הרי עדות צדיק הדור והדורות, שמי שהוא כהן ונכנס בו רוב הקדושה, עדיין צריך לצעוק ולהתפלל לפני הארון הקודש מהשם שינצל מן הכעס.

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[1] שמות תצוה כח.ב

[2] סימן ו'