Speech of HaRav Dovid Schustal at a Toldos Yeshurun Event
Harav Yitzchok, zecher tzaddik vekodosh livrocho, was mekabel Torah from his great father, under the Russians, under the communists, he continued the mesorah of Torah, from father to son
Speech of Rabbi Dovid Schustal at a Toldos Yeshurun Event
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Birshus Rosh Hamosad hakodesh Toldos Yeshurun, Hagaon Rav Ben Tzion, shlita, who came from Eretz Yisroel for the benefit of the organization
To further continue the gevaldike avodas hakodesh which his great father, Rav Yitzchok, zecher tzaddik vekodosh livrocho, established and left to continue to his great son.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu should give Rav Ben Tzion gevaldike siyata dishmaya and kochos to continue the help, and the tzibbur should take part in the gevaldike holy work.
Birshus ba'al achsanya, reb Yeachmiel Simins , zol zein gesunt, who has the gevaldige zchus that his home is an achsanya shel Torah, an achsanya for the gevaldge yagdil Torah ve'yaavid, that Toldos Yeshurun represents, there should be brocho in your home.
Mr. Simins and his akeres habayis are zoche to bring the Torah into their bayis. To bring the Torah into their bayis is eitz chayim hi le'machzikim boh, the Torah is a shtick chayim, true chayim, chayim amitiim, chayim nitzchiyim, and brings close all brochos of the eitz hachayim of Torah. Hakodosh Boruch Hu should give them takeh sheyokim hadivrei Torah hazos, to be zoche to see gevaldige hatzlocho in their own development, beTorah ub'gadlus, b'yiras shomayim ub'midos tovos, the gevaldike nachas, the kedusha of a wonderful family, precious, precious children whom they should be zoche zein to marry to rabbonon.
Birshus the gantze olam that's here that gave up their time, precious time, to be here and to be mechazek the avodas hakodesh of Toldos Yeshurun.
We're here today, everything has its own hashgocho protis. Nothing, by yidden, is coincidental. Every thing has been calculated. It is unusual to be here today, this morning, to contemplate the gevaldige avodas hakodesh.
We have just learned Parshas Behaaloischo, still, in the three days that passed, the krias haparsha is still with us. We have learned the gevaldige yesod of nevuas Moshe, the gevaldige yesod of emunah, of nevuas Moshe Rabeinu alov hasholom. Lo kein avdi Moshe, it's a different madreigah of nevuah, the nyesod of nevuas Moshe, the yesod of the emunah of Torah min ha shomayim.
Three ikkrim, the emunah shleimah of Moshe Rabeinu alov hasholom amitis, the gevaldige yesod of nevuas Moshe, a totally different madreigah of nevuah. In addition, lehaamin beemunah shleimah shkol haTorah metzuyah attah beyadeinu, nessuah l'Moshe Rabbeinu olov hasholom, which means, kol haTorah kulah metzuvah attoh beyadeinu, the whole Torah was given in the bechina of nevuas Moshe. That is the continuation of the first ikkar. The nevuah of Moshe is a different madreigah, peh al peh adaber bo, ukol haTorah metzuyah atah beyadeinu. Every dikduk that is metzuyah ata beyadeinu, is given by Moshe Rabeinu olov hasholom.
And one more ikkar: To believe be'emunah sheleimah that this is the Torah, velo sehei Torah acheres, me'eis haBorei yisborach Shmo. That is the ikkar of emunah of the eternity of the Torah. The eternity of Torah, mosar me'chol efes. Velo sehei Torah acheres, me'eis haBorei yisborach Shmo. When we talk about nitzchiyus haTorah, we mean the nitzchiyus haTorah on its own. And here we have the promise of the nitzchiyus haTorah, that it will not be forgotten mipi zaroh. This is holy, from the emunah, from the nitzchiyus of Torah. (ke lo heshkacha mipi zaroh, Hakodosh Boruch Hu is promising, the Torah will stay with Klal Yisroel. Ki lo heshkachah mipi zaroh. The emunah of the eternity of the Torah, that is known, what Rav Yankev Emden writes, in his hakdomoh to siddur. As Rav Yankev Emden says, he is giving an oath, one who contemplates the nes of the kiyum of klal Yisroel among the nations, will have a bigger chizuk in emunah than if he contemplated the nissim at yetzias Mitzrayim. Which means, of course, for us to relate to the nissim of yetzias mitzrayim, is a thing of the past! Of course, it lives in the Torah, but from thinking how we are living among the nations, this will do it. If a person wants to have a chizuk emunah me'ein, he should think about the neis of our nation among the nations.
I was zoche to hear from Maran HaGaon Rav Shach zecher tzaddik vekodosh livrocho, who said over in the name of Rav Chatzkel, zecher tzadik vekodosh livrocho, that an even bigger chizuk emunah is the neis of kiyum haTorah b'Yisroel. This is an even higher madreigah. More than the neis of ameinu b'umos is that Torah is alive in Klal Yisroel, a mipi zaroh, and we ask in our times, when Klal Yisroel has endured the churban of Europe, Rabbonon Vetalmideihem in Klal Yisroel, and still Torah is alive, Torah is flourishing, Torah grows und Torah blooms, that is the greatest chizuk haemunah, and we see this velo nishkecha mipi zaro. But seriously, raboisai, it is written in the Torah hakdosha, this promise. And when we say in davening, every day we say in davening in the morning, va'ani zos brisi osam, we cannot have more that the promise. But it is chizuk there, ve'ani zos brisi osam, amar Hashem. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is kores habris with Am Yisroel. Ruchi asher alecho, dvarim shesamti beficho, lo yamushu mipicho mizaracho umipi zero zaracho, omor Hashem, me'ato ve'ad olom. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is kores bris mit Klal Yisroel. The promise of the tradition of the Torah, ruchi asher alecho, sanctified by the tradition of the Torah, the hashkofos of Torah, the yiras shomayim of Torah, the middos tovos of Torah, this is the ruchi asher alecho, that is the ruach, kivyachol, that rests upon the talmid chochom, ruchi asher alecho, the ruach that rests upon a true talmid chochom, who has a ruach elyon, who is exceptional in his yiras shomayim und his midos tovos, his hashkofos of Torah and hashkofos of emunah. Udvorai asher samti bepicha, both together! Lo yamushu mipicha, umipi zaracha uzera zaracha, amar Hashem, meata ve'ad olam.
This is therefore the continuation of the yesod of yismach Moshe bematnas chelko ki even ne'eman karasa lo, that Moshe Rabeinu was the eved, the eved ne'eman, the novi who had a special madreigoh in speaking, who is the novi, the one to give over Torah min hashomayim, and the nitzchiyus of Torah, the be'chol beisi ne'eman of Moshe Rabeinu brings out the ne'emanus and the nitzchiyus of kiyum haTorah b'Yisroel.
We are here this morning, I have no better word, to celebrate the nitzchiyus of Torah hakdosha. It's a special, special bechina - Torah in
Reb Yitzchok, zecher tzaddik vekodosh livrocho, was mekabel Torah from his great father, under the Russians, under the communists, he continued the mesorah of Torah, from father to son, in the sdorim shebesdorim, from that heilige bayis, there was the tatte moser the Torah to his son. Ve'amartem osam es beneichem, with so much shleimus, with haruchi asher alecho, vehadvoroi shesamti beficho, from a true talmid chochom, a godol ba'Torah, a gaon ba'Torah, together with gevaldige gevaldige yiras shomayim, with gevaldige midos tovos. From there Reb Yitzchok has become, he grew up against all odds that one would think, grew up such a yochid! That was the yoke of lo tishkach mipi zaro. To continue Torah from Russia, the continuation of Torah, that is this yochid, this yechidah of father and son, ani u'bni, this was the ani u'bni, the holy ani u'bni, from which lo yamushu mipi zera zaracha.
And today we have the zchus, we have the third generation, the holy Reb Ben Tzion, zol zein gezunt un shtark, lo yamushu mi picha u mi zaracha, umipi zera zaracha, Raboisai!! omor Hashem me'atoh ve'ad olom.
Toldos Yeshurun is a dovor kayem le'olam, le'olam olamim – more you cannot have. Hakodosh Boruch Hu has sometimes an arvus that this kiyum, this kiyum of traditions, the ruchi asher alecho u dvoroi shsamti bepicha, which is going by them already into the third generation.
Whoever will take a look at Reb Ben Tzion, whoever speaks one word with Reb Ben Tzion, who doesn't hear the ruchi asher alecho, and the dvorai shesamti bepicho, how it goes over with such ne'emonus, with such purity, with such holiness! And the Aibishter promises, and it is in all completeness that we must have the zchus to be the shlichim.
So we are here today to celebrate the gevaldige gevaldige ploim, the ploim of the kiyum habris of lo yamushu mipicha umipi zeracha umi zera zaracha, amar Hashem, me'ata ve'ad olom. But it is our zchus, as the Rosh Yeshiva, Maran R' Kotler whose yohrtzeit just passed, has very often, with great hisragshus, given gehoibene shmuessen, and in the highest moments, on the yomim noroyim, the Rosh Yeshiva would elaborate at length that the Aibishter should give the zchus to be shluchim on the kiyum of that havtocho of lo yamushu mi pi zaro. Whoever is here this morning has the zchus to take part in that kiyum habris of amar Hashem me'ata ve'ad olom. It's promised! The question is, who will be zoche to have a chelek in the omor Hashem me'ata ve'ad olom?
And the Aibishter will make it that here, in this choshuve bayis of the ba'al achsanya, zol zein gezunt with his eishes chayil, we're here! Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives us the opportunity to take part in that omor Hashem me'ata ve'ad olom. This is not a small thing, it's not a small thing. We are zoche in Lakewood to continue the mesoros of Rabeinu haGodol who for sure was lo yamushu mipicho umipi zaracha umipi zera zaracha, omor Hashem me'ata ve'ad olom, who gave over the mesoros, there is no question that he continued them, and as the Rosh Yeshiva said in Mishnas Reb Aharon, boruch Hashem, it's continuing, me'ata ve'ad olom. But would we appreciate what this mesora of Toldos Yeshurun is? That is a different bechinah.
It's shayach how we can give to understand the whole thing! Only, dvar Hashem yakum le'olam, there cannot be a different pshat. If it says, lo yamushu, then lo yamushu. And if it says, lo tishachach, then lo tishachach.
We are witnesses, we here, our eyes see this! And we're here with our eyes to see Toldos Yeshurun. And we see the living continuation. Hakodosh Boruch Hu should give takeh the siyata dishmaya that we should takeh do what the Rosh Yeshiva would have wanted. And we all want to be his talmidim. But then, we must have a piece in this holy shlichus, the kiyum of that promise.
Let's be mechazek Reb Ben Tzion so he can go back to Eretz Yisroel and can continue in the holy work, more chavrusos, more programs, to build and to reach out in this kiyum of the promise for Russian Jews! Russian Jews, what they went through, opressed for generations and generations, but the Aibishter has not forgotten them, oh, the Aibishter has not forgotten them! The Aibishter gave them a Reb Yitzchok, who was a different world, who was more, and it is continuing, b'ezras Hashem. Takeh reach out to yidden in Eretz Yisroel, they come from those countries, one has to come up to them, they need to get the chiyus from the eitz hachayim of Torah. The Aibishter should help that we should takeh be zoche to be mechazek ourselves and be mechazek the holy work, and we should takeh be zoche to amar Hashem me'atah ve'ad olom, takeh be zoche to the time, very very soon we should be zoche to the time when the knowledge of Hashem will flow like water. The Torah promises that Yisroel will do teshuvah in the end of their golus, and this is takeh the time that we are living in, we should be zoche to that tekufah for Yisroel to do teshuvah in the end of their golus, and the Rambam expounds, and immediately they will be redeemed. And we should be zoche to that "immediately", to greet Mashiach Tzidkeinu, bimheira vyameinu, omein v'omein.
See also:
Speeches of Roshei Yeshivos of the USA for Toldos Yeshurun
Every Dollar Produces What It's Supposed To
A short video clip about Toldot Yeshurun
