Posted on 06/09/23
Exactly seventy-eight years, shortly after the end of World War II, a major gathering of the full spectrum of Torah observant rabbinic leadership in Israel met in the Jascha Heifetz Convention Hall in Tel Aviv to strategize how to restore the enormous loss of Torah scholarship and devotion that transpired in that terrible upheaval of thousands of years of communal accomplishment.
From the greatest sages of the time, such as the great gaon and illustrious Rosh HaYeshiva of the famed Yeshiva of Kletz, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, to the Chief Rabbis of Israel, and virtually every leader from within the varied orthodox communities, Litvish, Chassidish, and Sephardic, despite their differing political affiliations, all united to the call of the time, to restore the glory of a previous world that had now been decimated.
The widely admired Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi, Rav Isaac HaLevi Herzog, was the second speaker after Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer.
He first bemoaned the catastrophic cessation of the great centers of Torah and their scholars who perished, in a tragedy that can only be comparable to the destruction of the Temple itself. He cried over the loss of the exemplary baalei batim — laymen, great scholars, and devotees to Torah learning, that had been lost to future generations.
Writing of Torah scrolls in their honor is commendable, he added emotionally, but what we needed, he emphasized, was the restoration of the lifeforce of our people, the unadulterated and pure study of Torah, that can only resurrect from within the ranks of the tinokos shel bais rabban — the youth, as our Rabbis taught, the Divine Presence dwells among us in the merit of the children who study Torah in purity.
Many nations lit a 'candle of culture and enlightenment' to the world — Egypt, Greece, and Rome — however, their lights all extinguished over time.
It is only the 'Light of Israel', that truly illuminates the world, as Moshe tasked Aharon with the mission, בהעלותך — to 'Kindle', את הנרות — the Lamps', to ignite the world with the brightness of Torah.
But there is one caveat.
The verse immediately preceding this charge, in the previous portion, reports how when Moshe arrived at the Tent of Meeting to speak to him, he heard the Voice speaking to him from atop the Cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony, from between the two Cherubim…
The faces of the Cherubim, דמות תינוקות להם — are in the image of children.
This reality, educating the children, is the prerequisite to igniting the flame of the candle that will enlighten the world. If the Voice of Hashem, will emanate from their mouths, then we are assured that the Light of Israel will burn for eternity.
But how can we assure we will succeed in transmitting the Torah to our children? Is there a special formula that guarantees success?
We are taught that although the two Cherubim were nearly identical, according to one version, one had a אפי רברבי — a large [adult] face, and the other a אפי זוטרי — a small [child] face. (רבינו בחיי)
The Maharsha suggests that the adult face corresponds to Avraham, and the child's, to Yitzchok. The Masters of the Secrets of Torah reveal that the numerical value of the word for a Cherub, כרוב, when doubled, to represent the two Cherubim, equals 456, the same value as אברהם and יצחק together.
Evidently, it is not merely the mention of children, that is significant, but more so the paradigm of a father and son, not just any pair, but that of Avraham and Yitzchok, that is the key to the secret of bringing eternal light into the world.
Avraham's sole ambition in life is encapsulated in G-d's promise to him that he will burgeon into a mighty and blessed nation "For I have loved him, because he commands his children… that they keep the way of G-d… (בראשית יח יח-יט)
When a child knows that the sole ambition of his parent/rebbe is for their happiness, even at the expense of the teacher's personal expense, inevitably that sincerity of mission is contagious and caught by the child.
There are two individuals we find that our Sages said we should all aspire to be the students of. In Avos it mentions and admires the 'students of Aharon', and the 'students of Avraham'. (א יב, ה כב)
Aharon is the embodiment of the verse that tells us, For a priest's lips shall guard knowledge, and teaching should be sought from his mouth, for he is a מלאך messenger of the Lord of Hosts. (מלאכי ב ז)
The Talmud instructs us, If the Rav is akin to an angel, then one should seek Torah from his mouth. (מועד קטן יז.)
It is attributed to the great gaon, the Rebbe of the Chasam Sofer, the saintly Rav Nosson Adler, that an angel is termed an עומד — one who stands, in contrast to a human who is a הולך — one who goes. Man strives constantly to grow in each stride forward in his aspiration for greatness. An angel has one mission, that which he was tasked for, there is no drive for personal ambition.
A teacher who sees as his sole aspiration, to impart Torah to his student, allowing his personal attainment of spiritual growth to wait, primarily focusing on his charges needs, is a teacher one must seek and learn from, for he is willing to be like an angel, and 'stand'.
Rashi brings an alternative interpretation of the word בהעלותך in context of lighting the Menorah, as referring to 'going up', ' there was a step, in front of the Menorah, שעליה היה הכהן עומד ומיטיב — on which the Kohen stood to prepare [the lamps].'
Beneath the simple reading of this technical detail lays the secret of Aharon as the exemplar teacher of Torah.
Aharon 'stood', as an angel focused on his task, not thinking about his own strivings, 'preparing' the 'lamps', the fiery souls of his disciples, dedicated to them and never waning in that task.
Reb Dovid of Zavlitov, understands the description of Avraham attending to his three guests, as והוא עומד — and he stood over them, in the same light. Avraham succeeded instilling faith in his many disciples because he too, relinquished his own personal aspirations for the sake of promoting G-d's word to others, a true angel!
Kalman Shmuelevitz was a five-year-old when the Nazi's deported him with his parents. Not knowing their fate, they grabbed whatever meager possessions they were permitted to. His mother's gaze fell upon her silver candlesticks on her mantelpiece. The Germans may take my life, she thought, but Shabbos is something that they would not be able to obliterate. The hope for her continued spiritual legacy and its future in the hands of her son and his hoped-for progeny, was embodied within this treasured instrument of spiritual light.
She became separated from her son who found his way to an orphanage, while she and her husband perished with the other six million holy souls. She succeeded in sending the candlesticks with an American humanitarian group that was permitted to enter the camps, providing an address in America for them to deliver it to. Young Kalman after spending several years disguised as a gentile child, was discovered after the war by an uncle, eventually wending his way to Israel where he married, raising generations of children in traditions of his blessed parents. He retrieved his mother's prized candlesticks, polishing them each Friday and lighting them at every family get-together and simchah. Their lighting brought him much joy and meaning.
His daughter retold how her father has over a hundred descendants, who are all fully observant.
She said, "It all started with the candlesticks. When my son was born and I named him after my grandfather, my father lit the candlesticks at the bris and said, "If my father had known that one day these candlesticks would be lit at the bris of a great-grandson who would carry his name, perhaps his final journey to Auschwitz would have been easier." (My Father's Candlesticks, Ami-Living May 24, 2023)
A parent whose sole mission is to convey the beauty of our Torah and tradition, selflessly, focused exclusively on that objective, will succeed in inspiring children to follow in their path.
The question remains, what are the 'candlesticks' we each preserve and treasure that our children will perceive our honest love and devotion to this goal?
May we each emulate the two great teachers of our people, in 'standing' tall, willing to forfeit our own personal ambitions for the sake of conveying to our children, our disciples, the pure and unadulterated message of our magnificent tradition, forward to eternity.
באהבה,
צבי יהודה טייכמאן