A Rebbe for Life

            It is just about the end of the Shloshim period for my Rebbe and the rebbe of thousands of talmidim from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim,  In the following tribute I would like to touch upon one or two unique aspects of the Rosh Yeshiva zt”l that stand out  in our generation. 

            All too often hespedim on a Rosh Yeshiva are homogenized as being a life of harbatzas Torah in raising talmidim to be bnai Torah , talmidei chachamim and yirei shamayim.  In addition to this aspect the Rosh Yeshiva was so unique in many other ways.  Over the years gedolei Yisroel have marveled at the Rosh Yeshiva’s ability to have so many “talmidim.”  As the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Mordechai Gifter, zt”l said, “I have many students who learn in my yeshiva but “talmidim” perhaps I have five!”  In order to understand the Rosh Yeshiva’s ability in having so many talmidim we must focus on a Chazal regarding what your rebbe is.  Chazal state im harav dome lmalach hashem zevakos yivakshu Torah mi’piv, v’im lav al yevakshu mi’piv.  Our rabbis are teaching us a nature lesson in the transmission of Torah that a talmid should only seek out a Rebbe who is similar to an angel.  The difficulty is apparent; how can we possibly know if the rebbe is like a malach?  I once heard from an odom gadol two answers that so aptly describe the Rosh Yeshiva zt”l.  Indeed we have no concept of what a malach is yet to the extent that our finite minds can possibly fathom an angelic being who seems to exude qualities and attributes that border on perfection.  It is from such a person that you shall seek out Torah. 

            I will never forget my first encounter with the Rosh Yeshiva.  I was finishing high school and I had my doubts as to where I wanted to go for Bais Medrash.  I made an appointment with the Rosh Yeshiva to find out more about whether Yeshivas Chofetz  Chaim was for me.  It was an extremely hot day and when I rang the bell on 67-18 Groton Street, in Forest Hills, the Rosh Yeshiva answered the door without a jacket, welcomed me with a big smile and said ‘it’s extremely hot, maybe take a drink of soda that was on the table.’  I was immediately impressed with the down to earth mannerism and warmth that exuded from his very being.  We spoke for about an hour and at the conclusion I said to myself that I don’t know much more about the yeshiva but I know that this is the person that I want to be my rebbe.  Over the next twelve years, I learned in   the yeshiva and I had a special zechus to become extremely close to him.  For a period of about eight years I would be in the Rosh Yeshiva’s house bein hasedorim organizing the shiurim and shmoozim that he had delivered to his talmidim over the years.  That period of time also afforded me the opportunity to speak with him about hundreds of issues in the realm of sichas chulin shel talmidei chachamim tzrichim limud, the idle talk of a Talmid Chachom are filled with lessons that need to be learned.  In retrospect, we now see even clearer what captivated me and so many of my chaveirim in addition to the thousands of talmidim over the years to be drawn to the Rosh Hayeshiva.  We witnessed a human malach whose entire essence from morning to night in every sphere of his endeavor was striving for perfection in gadlus of Torah and tzidkus.  There is a second explanation to this Chazal as follows.  We know from Rashi in Beraishis that one malach cannot fulfill two missions and it is for that reason that separate angels have to be dispatched to tell Sara that she will have a baby, to heal Avrohom and to turn over the city of Sodom.  Chazal’s words are seemingly difficult.  Is then the ability of a human greater than a malach for a human can multitask whereas the malach only seems to be able to do one function at a time?  My father-in-law Reb Nisson Alpert said that there is a major difference between the activity of the malach and the human.  Indeed a human can do more than one thing at a time, but those activities will never be perfect.  They will inherently be flawed because of the diversion of concentration to numerous tasks.  The angel on the other hand is dispatched by Hashem from heaven to do its task which it carries out with utter completion and perfection.  What Chazal then is teaching us in regard to a rebbe being like a malach is to seek Torah from a personality who depicts angelic features of having a singular mission which they strive in their lifetime to complete in its totality.  As I stated earlier all roshei yeshiva teach Torah and attempt to  imbue their talmidim with yiras shamayim and midos tovos.  Those talmidim then go off into many different spheres of life occupying all different types of positions in earning a livelihood and raising families.  The Rosh Yeshiva had one motis operendi which was to enlighten Klal Yisroel wherever they may be with the glory of our prize possession, namely the Torah.  All aspects of the Yeshiva and his personal involvement with his talmidim were focused solely in this direction.  He inculcated us with a yearning to teach Torah.