By now most of you have probably noticed that the name of this monthly column is “Bringing Your Yiddishkeit To Life.” The goal of these divrei Torah is exactly that – to help us perform the mitzvos with liveliness and experience the joy of every Shabbos and Yom Tov. But what you probably do not know is that the person greatly responsible for showing me how to do that was my rebbe, Rav Moshe Twersky zt”l, may Hashem avenge his blood.
As Klal Yisroel mourns the Har Nof tragedy, we talmidim also mourn the personal loss of our rebbe. He didn’t merely teach us through his shiurim – he was a living example of a true talmid chachom and servant of Hashem in every sense of the word. But most of all, he showed us the elation and excitement we should have in our avodas Hashem. Before each Yom Tov, he would review with us the relevant halachos in order to bring it to life. His face literally shone as he spoke about doing the mitzvos of each Chag. His yiddishkeit was truly alive! This is what I try to pass on to you: the excitement we received from him. If we follow in his footsteps and put enthusiasm into the way we keep Shabbos, it will truly be a merit for his great neshama.
But the lesson does not stop there. I also have the privilege of being acquainted with Rabbi Shmuel Goldstein, one of the survivors. Butchered and left for dead, with super-human strength, he pulled one of the terrorists down, giving the other mispalelim time to escape. When the other murderer came running over, instead of killing Rabbi Goldstein, he unexplainably told him to get out of the shul! Rabbi Goldstein stumbled outside, and a passerby saved his life by wrapping his head with his shirt. Baruch Hashem, he is on the road to recovery, but he still needs our tefillos. Please continue to daven for a refuah shleima for Shmuel Yerucham ben Baila, together with all the other wounded victims.
A Heavenly-Sent Message
It is obvious that the tragedy was sent to awaken us to do teshuvah,and we all struggle to determine exactly what it is Hashem wants us to rectify. In truth, every person knows what he needs to fix, but it is helpful to have one specific thing into which we can channel our efforts. Rabbi Goldstein gave an interview that appeared all over the world; at its conclusion he implored those who are not keeping Shabbos to begin doing so, and those who already keep Shabbos to find ways to strengthen their observance.
When I asked him why he chose that specific idea his answer was quite shocking. He told me that when he first woke up after surgery, he did not know where he was. His first thought was that the day’s horrifying events had just been a terrible nightmare. After trying to go back to sleep three different times and continuing to wake up in the same strange room, he realized it had not been a dream. Still in a haze, he began disconnecting himself from the machines and monitors. This set off an alarm and two male nurses came running to stop him. He is not sure why, but he turned to one and asked him if he wears a kippah and is shomer Shabbos. When the nurse replied in the negative, R’ Shmuel did not desist until he reluctantly agreed to start keeping Shabbos!
“This is why I spoke about Shabbos,” he said. “I felt that if Hashem put this into my head right when I woke up, it was because this is what He wanted me to tell the world!” I told R’ Shmuel that I planned to continue spreading his message in this column, and he was very happy. “The more that people hear it, the better it will be!” Indeed, an Adam Gadol in Yerushalayim after hearing what had happened in Har Nof told his students that Shabbos is where Hashem want us to put our efforts.
This advice has a basis in the words of Chazal. Last month (12-5-14) we cited the Gemara in Shabbos (118a) that states that eating three meals on Shabbos saves us from the birth pains that precede the coming of Moshaich. If we want to be spared the pain, it makes sense that we should strengthen our Shabbos observance. Similarly, we have quoted the words of the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 25:12), that keeping Shabbos is one of the primary ways to bring the redemption.
How can we strengthen our Shabbos observance?
Shabbos = 613 Mitzvos
Many years ago, after a certain shocking world event I asked Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman shlit”a what message Hashem was giving us He answered with a smile: “To strengthen ourselves in all of the 613 mitzvos!” When I pressed him for something more specific, he answered that we should strengthen our observance of Shabbos. But I was still not sure what he meant – Baruch Hashem, I think we keep Shabbos in my home!
When I asked this question of a talmid chachom, he answered that Rav Shteinman probably meant that there are two areas we should strengthen: keeping Shabbos properly and honoring it. One way to strengthen how we keep Shabbos is by learning hilchos Shabbos with our families at the Shabbos meals. It is not possible to keep Shabbos properly without studying its various halachos. Honoring Shabbos could mean making sure that there is a proper atmosphere in the house. That includes not only what we read and the things we talk about, but also that the physical appearance of the house remains “Shabbosdik.” Our family learns one halacha each week at the Shabbos meal. And as far as honoring Shabbos – all our kids know that they do not get their Shabbos treats until they clean up their mess!
When reviewing my conversation with Rav Shteinman, I thought he had retreated from his first answer. But then I remembered that the Midrash tells us (see Rashi, Shelach 15:41) that Shabbos is equal to all the mitzvos. Perhaps its because a person who keeps the halachos of Shabbos and honors it is one who realizes that Hashem is his King and is standing right in front of him. Living with this understanding will help a person raise his mitzvah observance to a higher level.
Let us take this sage advice and use the story of Rabbi Goldstein to strengthen our Shabbos observance in all ways. Hopefully this will be that last hard contraction before the birth of Moshiach!
