"And it came to pass, when Yitzchak had become old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing..." (27:1)You look at the expiry date on the package of milk. It's not good news. However, with the optimism born of necessity and an awaiting bowl of cornflakes, you peel open the package. The unmistakable odor of rancid milk greets your nostrils.
"Phew! This is terrible! Here. Smell it!"
Why is it when people smell something unpleasant they immediately wish to inflict it on others? Maybe misery loves company.
Our nasal sensitivity however, is not always so pointed. It's amazing how after a few minutes on a rush-hour train at the height of summer, we grow accustomed to the tang of over-crowded mankind.
The same is also true, unfortunately , with our spiritual sensitivities. We can easily grow accustomed to the smell of our own character failings. Nothing smells worse than a bad character. If we can't smell that, it's because we are already so accustomed to its stench that we no longer are aware of it.However, there are certain elevated individuals who never grow insensitive, neither to their own failings nor to the spiritual air that surrounds them."And it came to pass, when Yitzchak had become old and his eyes dimmed from seeing."
One reason Rashi gives that Yitzchak's sight failed is that Esav's wives were constantly offering incense to idols.Why was it only Yitzchak who suffered from the smoke of idolatry?The greater a person, is the more sensitive he is to evil. Yitzchak was more spiritually attuned than those who surrounded him, and thus he was more affected by the idolatrous smoke that contaminated his home.
In the spiritual world, the more we sensitize our "noses" to negative influences, the more we can be affected by those negative influences.
Source: Rashi, L. Weinstock
The Chariot of Fire
An appreciation of Rav Elazar Menachem Man ShachBy Rabbi Mendel Weinbach
"Father, Father, Chariot of Israel and its rider!"
This was the heartrending outcry of the Prophet Elisha as he witnessed his master the Prophet Eliyahu, being taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire.
This was the emotion that was felt throughout so much of the Jewish world at the news that the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Ponevez Yeshiva, Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach, had been summoned to Heaven by his Creator.
To begin appreciating the impact of this Torah giant on generations of Jews and to try understanding why so many hundreds of thousands of Jews participated in his funeral last week it is important to analyze the aforementioned prophetic outcry which echoes in the countless eulogies that are being said these days in yeshivot and synagogues throughout Israel and the world.
"Father, Father!," say our Talmudic Sages in the Midrash, is actually a cry of "Father, Mother!"
The true leader of his generation is both its father and mother. It was true of the Prophet Eliyahu. It was true of all the great religious leaders throughout the centuries. And it was so true of Rav Shach.
A father's role is to educate, to guide, to counsel and to protect.
Rav Shach was the world's foremost educator in Torah and piety for some sixty years because of his exceptional Torah knowledge - and his self-sacrificing dedication to his students. His writings on the most intricate Talmudic topics and the most inspiring issues of service to G-d are studied in all the academies of Torah where serious learning and growth are the order of the day.
Rav Schach was a guide form the generations he spanned in his long life because he was viewed as the transmitter of the wisdom and experience of earlier generations. Every head of a yeshiva, organization or religious political party turned to him for guidance and he was uniquely capable of providing unequivocal direction based on what he had learned from the Torah giants he had served.
Rav Shach was the protector of the Torah world against all the efforts of antagonists to harm it or dilute its purity. His great heart bled for the security and happiness of all Jews. It was his deep conviction that these sublime goals could be achieved only if Jews would return to their traditional roots which compelled him to sometimes sharply criticize, like a loving father to wayward children, those he viewed as obstacles or victims.
Like the chariot and its riders whose role is to protect the nation in war so did Rav Shach lead the battle against alienation and compromise. The secular media projection of him as the great political leader who founded two political parties in Israel and who critically influenced the making and breaking of government coalitions is a very narrow portrait of this Torah leader. Rav Shach was as far removed from the ambition for power as he was from material luxuries, as was clearly evident to anyone who visited his residence and noted its bare furnishings. He correctly viewed himself as the father of his generation and its protector against the attempts of those with ideas contrary to those of the Torah community to stunt its growth or dilute its sacred character. This was the only motivation for a Torah scholar to abandon the ivory tower of Israel's flagship yeshiva and become involved with the prosaics of political affairs. It was this unparalleled purity of motive which compelled even his political opponents to respect him.
But Rav Shach was not only a father. He was a mother as well.
He was the loving, caring mother to whom so many individuals daily turned to with their most pressing personal problems. Young people seeking advice and encouragement in their search for a marriage partner, childless parents asking for guidance and a blessing, philanthropists looking for direction in allocating their charities - these and countless other cases regularly came before the man who they knew would accompany his words of wisdom with a warm smile that warmed the heart. Although a dozen people could be waiting outside the door of his simple room to consult him about a wide range of communal and personal issues he communicated to the person before him that he was at this moment his only concern in the world.
This ability to deal with world-shaking issues as a father while showering upon his children the compassion of a mother finds expression in the anecdote related by one of his disciples, the head of a yeshiva in Bnei Brak.
In the midst of a stormy campaign on behalf of the Torah community Rav Shach received a visit from this student. "Are you ready to come with me?" he asked his visitor. Before the reply came he had already donned his hat and coat and proceeded to take a box of candies from his closet. The visitor, as well as members of the household, were surprised to see the aged Rosh HaYeshiva head for the door leading to the hallway and stairs he shared with the other residents of the apartment building rather than the special exit which had been built to enable him to quickly reach his yeshiva across the way. With his visitor trailing him Rav Shach quickly approached the apartment of a neighbor and knocked on the door. The children who opened the door were shocked to see this revered sage and leader standing before them and announcing: "I am here to make a sick call in fulfillment of the mitzva of bikur cholim."
Rav Shach had learned that these children were in need of substantial moral support. Their father was abroad with one of their siblings for medical treatment unavailable locally. Their mother had just returned form the hospital after giving birth. So this great man decided that he had to assume a motherly role.
To the children who quickly ran to grab their cameras and photograph their distinguished visitor the Rosh HaYeshiva said with a smile: "There's no need to rush. You will have ample time to take pictures because I am here for a sick visit." He then called over each child, gave him a loving pat, a warm word of encouragement and a candy from the box he brought along.
There are hundreds of such touching stories which are now coming to light as those who so loved and respected this father and mother share them with those who knew Rav Shach only as a living legend. Although the legend is no longer alive, his legacy of greatness and inspiration will live forever.
Written by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
Production Design: Binyamin Rosenstock
¿ 2001 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved.
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