23 Sivan 5786 – Two Years Since the Passing of "The Holy Saba", the Rosh Yeshiva, Our Honorable Teacher and Rabbi, Shalom Shmueli, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing

23 Sivan 5786 – Two Years Since the Passing of "The Holy Saba"

The Pure Menorah

A special sheet dedicated to the light and pure memory of the crown of our head, the holy and ascetic Hasid, the pure Menorah, the Elder of the Kabbalists, the "Holy Saba," the Rosh Yeshiva, Our Honorable Teacher and Rabbi, Shalom Shmueli, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, on the completion of two years since his passing – 23 Sivan 5786.

At the Start of our Words [Introduction]

Two years have passed since the crown of our head departed from us, and still "to his memory is the desire of the soul," and as the words of the poet: "The kiss of his love burns in my heart, from the day of his parting my soul is bitter upon me," and as the words of the lamenter: "This I remember and cry out in bitterness, over the loss of the holy vessels, the crown and the diadem."

It is one of the hardest labors in the Temple to describe the act of strength and might of the holy ones of the Supreme, whose loftiness and holiness are far from our attainment, especially when all their days they labored to hide their stature and high spiritual level from the eyes of the public, in the manner of "none but unto Hashem alone."

How much more so when approaching to write about the great and holy figure of "The Holy Saba," the Elder of the Kabbalists, our great Rabbi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, whose wondrous greatness and spiritual stature are loftier than our understanding. And as the size of his holiness, so was the size of his humility, for he would hide himself in a stubborn and wondrous way.

Our Sages of blessed memory say, "Greater are the righteous in their death than in their lifetimes." Regarding our Rabbi, the Holy Saba, this saying can be stated with an additional meaning: for all his days he was meticulous to conceal himself, and to cover his great ways and deeds. And specifically after his passing, many, many are becoming acquainted with his giant figure.

Even the craftsmen who began two years ago to collect materials and testimonies, to document and record, did not expect so many things to be revealed, and for such a vast amount of material that reached immense dimensions. And may it be the will [of Hashem] that Hashem will merit us soon to bless over the completion upon the publishing of the perfect compilation that will encompass – as much as possible – the story of the life history and holy conducts of the Holy Saba, may his memory be for a blessing for the life of the world to come.

A Tough Policeman Wanted...

But for the meantime, for the benefit of the holy public who are thirsty to hear, toward the 23rd of Sivan 5786 – the second anniversary of his passing, we saw fit to bring here within the framework of "The Weekly Treasure" a select and instructive compilation from his holy paths, facts and conducts from a high table, stories of majesty and wonder, and outlines of his character.

However, this we must clarify, that in truth we do not possess the tools to know the scope of his strength and greatness at all, and everything that we do know is a tiny bit, "crumbs" that the hand of Providence brought about to reach us, seemingly so that we would know to learn, to strengthen ourselves, and to walk by his light.

Due to the shortness of the sheet, we chose to focus on three areas in the service of Hashem that were very wondrous by our Rabbi, and on the other hand, they are among the things that need daily strengthening, particularly in our generation:

1. The trait of silence.
2. The holiness of eating.
3. The guarding of the eyes.

It is known what our Rabbis said on the verse "Judges and officers (law enforcers) you shall appoint for you in all your gates," that a person has "seven gates" in his body, which are the "open" organs: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. These are the seven "gates," which are like a gate, open to the inner body, and Heaven forbid a person can damage them, and therefore a person needs to place judges and officers over them, to rule over them with great strength, lest they bring him down and cause him to stumble, and to enthrone the Holy One, Blessed be He, over them.

Admittedly, out of the seven gates, there are three gates that require the most excellent guarding, constant guarding without a moment's distraction—these are the mouth and the two eyes. These three gates need a very tough "policeman"... who will stand on guard 24/7. Whether it is the mouth, which needs to be guarded well in the holiness of speech and the holiness of eating, or whether it is the eyes, which need extra guarding, particularly in our generation when the street is full of "sights of afflictions."

With our Rabbi, the "Holy Saba," these "gates" were guarded with very great and rare meticulousness! And they were under his exclusive and absolute control day by day, moment by moment, and therefore, with G-d's help, we will bring here a select compilation of his conducts and paths on the topics of guarding the mouth, the holiness of eating, and guarding the eyes.

The Best "Lineage" (Yichus)

Our holy Sages in many places were extreme by greatly, and mightily praising the virtue of silence and minimizing speech as much as possible. And we are not speaking here only about silence from forbidden speech, but about a virtue and special abstinence not to speak even permitted things!

And we will note the most famous of them: In Tractate Avot they said: "All my days I grew up among the sages and I found nothing better for the body than silence" (Avot 1:17). And they further said in Avot: "A fence to wisdom is silence" (Avot 3:13).

And from there to the sayings of the holy Amoraim, the sages of the Gemara:

• A. A word is worth a sela [a coin]—silence is worth two (Megillah 18a).
• B. What is a man’s craft in this world?—He should make himself as a mute.
• C. The silence of Babylonia is its sign of lineage [the silence of the Babylonians, that is the sign of their lineage] (Kiddushin 71b). And many more like these.

The Rambam also says (Commentary on the Mishnah): "Most of speech is superfluous and sins, because if a man increases his words, he will inevitably sin, for there will be in his words even one thing that is not proper to be said, and among the signs of the wise—minimizing of speeches, and the sages have already said that the minimizing of words indicates that the person possesses lineage."

It can be determined that almost every Jew, from a nursing infant to an elder, from a "layman" (Baal Bayit) to a Torah scholar, knows some saying about the virtue of silence, and the vast majority of people would also know to quote by heart at least one saying in praise of silence.

However, here the immense greatness of our Rabbi was recognized: he did not only know how to quote sayings in praise of silence, rather he lived this way with his whole essence! He did not only "believe" that there is nothing better for the body than silence, he experienced this on his flesh! For this was his craft for decades upon decades. Our Rabbi was an 'artisan of this world,' in the aspect of: "What is a man’s craft in this world? He should make himself as a mute"...

To You, Silence is Praise

The silence of our Rabbi was a byword; the children of Jerusalem used to call him "The Silent One." And the students of the Yeshiva and those who entered the synagogue would say: "The words of Rabbi Shalom can be counted on the fingers..." And indeed, all his acquaintances knew that most of all his days he was in a fast of speech! And even when he was forced to speak, he would select his words and speak with extreme brevity.

Our Rabbi would be silent in every place and at every time: at home, in the street, and of course in the synagogue and the study hall, even not during prayer times. In the study hall, it was simple that it was impossible to speak with him, because he would not answer! [And regardless, the holiness of the synagogue and the study hall was very important to him, and he would not allow them to doze or speak in the study hall].

Very few are the events in which he participated; these were only family events of close proximity that he was forced to attend, and there too he would learn and be silent. People would come and sit by his side, waiting for the utterance of his mouth, but he would simply sit and be silent for long minutes.

Even inside his home, he would minimize his speech very much. Even with his wife, the Rabbanit, peace be upon her, he would not converse much, rather only that which was necessary and forced. And when he wanted to direct or comment, he would do so with hints or briefly, and with great wisdom, without Heaven forbid any person being insulted.

One of his students related: "Until I knew Rabbi Shalom, I thought that to meet with people and be silent was a lack of manners, and I would search 'by force' for what to speak about, because 'it is not pleasant to be silent'... But after I came to know Rabbi Shalom, I learned that there is no 'not pleasant,' rather, if you do not have some special word of wisdom, it is better to be silent... 'And to You, silence is praise' – the great praise that is in silence!"

Zipper and Karpass

His son, Maran the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, tells about childhood life in the shadow of our Rabbi's silence:

At the Shabbat table it was forbidden to speak any mundane matter, rather we would learn in order the daily mussar [ethics] sections called 'Yosef L'Chok' from 'Chok L'Yisrael' of the entire week; each child would read one mussar. You could not speak any mundane matter, there was no such thing! Even a good thing, if it was a mundane matter, it was not possible to speak! And how much more so speech that was not "Glatt" according to Halacha.

Sometimes we would sit together, and there were certain matters in the world, you know there is a lot of news in the world... and by nature, since we were boys, children, sitting at home, we wanted to talk.

But if someone just started to open his mouth, Abba (Father) would immediately say one word: "Silence!" or "Closure!" – as if to say: "Quiet! Do not speak here!" Sometimes he would say: "KaRPaS" – by which his intention was the acronym: Klal Rishon Peh Sagur [First Rule: Mouth Closed!]. And sometimes he would say in jest: "Zipper" [meaning, to "glue" the lips together, like the closure of a zipper...].

This conduct was accepted by our minds even though we were children, and we did not see in it excessive hardness, and we would not embitter ourselves from it. On the contrary, his seriousness instilled majesty and awe upon us, and we felt that truthfully and purely this matter was in his soul and he did not come just to "educate" us...

The Gemara in the Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot, says: "All chatter is bad except for chatter in Torah," meaning, all speeches and "chatters" are bad, except for chatters in words of Torah. And our Rabbi was of the unique individuals of virtue who lived with such a feeling that all "chatters" are not good!

Our Rabbi fulfilled with great embellishment the commandment: "And you shall speak of them – and not of other things." For he endeavored to speak only words of Torah and mussar, and in things that were truly necessary.

"Go to the Student of the Chafetz Chaim"

Once he said to his students: "Do you want a good example? Go to the student of the Chafetz Chaim, learn from him how to be silent"... And who was that student of the Chafetz Chaim to whom our Rabbi referred? [For there were several students of the Chafetz Chaim who lived in Jerusalem at that period].

We asked his son, our master the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, and he relates, that on David Yellin Street there was a craftsman called a "Tapar" [stitcher] whose craft was the stitching of shoes. And that stitcher was old, and looked like a Gur Hasid, and it was known that he was the student of the "Chafetz Chaim."

In the shop of the old stitcher, it was known that it was forbidden for anyone to speak any speech! And anyone who would enter for the purpose of stitching would immediately receive from the stitcher a book of Psalms, in order to read from it until the shoes would be stitched and ready. Anyone who would try to speak in the shop of the stitcher would immediately receive a rebuke from him... and in cases where it did not help, the speaking person would risk his expulsion from the shop...

To this old stitcher our Rabbi sent his students so that they would see a personal example of what the labor of silence is! And already one of his students said: Our Rabbi sent us to the stitcher so that we would see what silence is; in his humility, he did not think that we had no need for this, because he himself was an example no less good than the student of the Chafetz Chaim...

In the Middle of the Lesson, He Looked at Me and Smiled

His son, our master the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, further tells:

As is known, our Rabbi in his youth worked for his livelihood as a shoemaker, and times occurred when he would make new shoes, and he would need to send the shoes for stitching to a stitcher. Abba (Father) would send the shoes for stitching with us – the children, to the old stitcher, the student of the "Chafetz Chaim." Because he wanted us to learn from him to be silent... and truly these visits in the shop of the old stitcher would enter into our heart fear and awe to speak forbidden things.

And I remember that once on the holiday of Purim, we went with Abba to fulfill the commandment of sending portions (Mishloach Manot), and Abba hurried in the direction of the house to which we needed to arrive. And behold, in the middle of the way, we saw the old stitcher who was also on the way to the fulfillment of the commandment of sending portions.

Abba did not think twice, and despite that he was hurrying, he took us to him with calmness, and requested of him that he should bless us. Suddenly Abba had all the time in the world... because he knew what the power of the blessing of the silent righteous person is. And we merited to receive his blessing, and these were the most important "portions" that we received for sending portions...

And I further remember, that when I learned in [the Yeshiva of] Porat Yosef under our teacher and rabbi, the great genius Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, once the matter turned about that the Rabbi spoke with us in the lesson in praise of the old stitcher from David Yellin Street, and he would look at me and smile... for his intention was to hint to me: 'I know that your father sends you to this stitcher with the shoes...' because the father of Chacham [Sage] Ben Zion also used to work as a shoemaker, and he too would send his son Ben Zion when he was a child, to stitch the shoes only by the stitcher...

Silence of the Second Type

If we contemplate, we will see that there are two types of "silence," both of which require stubborn self-work: the first silence is "general silence": silence from speaking mundane words that are not for a necessity and are not words of Torah and wisdom. About this silence we have spoken until now.

However, there is an additional "silence": perhaps even harder! Silence at a time of quarrel or dispute, and particularly when a person hears his reproach and his disgrace, and is silent. For upon such a silence our Rabbis said: The world does not endure except upon the one who bridles his mouth at a time of quarrel, as it is said, "He hangs the earth upon nothingness" (Chullin 89a). And our Rabbis further said: "Those who hear their reproach and do not answer them, the verse says, 'And those who love Him are like the going out of the sun in its might.'"

And it is known what the Vilna Gaon writes in the Iggeret [Letter]: "A person needs to afflict himself only with the rein of his mouth and his desire, and this is the repentance, and this is all the fruit of the World to Come, and this is more than all the fasts in the world, and for every single moment that a person blocks his mouth, he merits for its sake the hidden light that no angel or creature can estimate."

Even in cases like these, where for an ordinary person it is very hard to be silent, particularly at the time of an argument and dispute, or when he heard his reproach and his disgrace, in all these cases – our Rabbi was silent!

"He Wins Against Everyone"

Even in the days of his youth, there were those whose eye was narrow [envious] regarding the tight connection that he had with our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, and over the great esteem that Rabbi Sharabi held toward him, something that was not granted to anyone else, and these [envious people] would send subtle barbs. Our Rabbi indeed heard, he was not deaf... but he forgave his honor, heard his disgrace and was silent!

This conduct to be silent and to overlook was not restricted only to the borders of the Yeshiva, but also in his commerce, and in his business dealings with people, he would not argue, rather he heard his disgrace and was silent!

By the nature of things, there were sometimes in the Yeshiva or also in the house things that were done not according to his will and request, or things that it was clear that his mind was not at ease from them, even things that had the potential to anger him, and without a doubt he had something that he could have responded, nevertheless he was silent! And on one condition: that he did not see some matter that opposed the Halacha or the pure Hashkafa (religious outlook).

Rabbi Avigdor Naftali, of blessed memory – of the close associates of our Rabbi for many years, he would be amazed and say: "We did not see such a human being, always silent and nevertheless wins against everyone."

And what is the secret of the victory? People err to think that if they do not respond and 'put in his place' the one who does against them, the latter will continue to damage them and they will come out losers from their silence. But the truth is the opposite, for it is said, 'And the L-rd will seek out the pursued,' and if so, specifically the silent one – the pursued, he is the one who will receive Divine assistance and he is the one who will win!

A Simple One Who Does Not Know How to Ask?

There are people who think in their simplicity that such was the nature of our Rabbi from always and ever: a "quiet type" and not a talker, and by this, without intention, they diminish and dwarf his labor of silence. However, one needs to know that the truth is the opposite, for on the contrary and on the contrary, in his nature he was not quiet and silent at all!

From the testimonies that were collected about him, it emerges that in his youth he was far from the definition of a "quiet type," he was a talker and energetic like one of the count [an average person], and perhaps even of the heads of the speakers! He was a "cheerful and energetic" type, and when he would come to take shoes from the merchants, he would strengthen and encourage them at length.

And nevertheless, from the day he arrived at the proper mindset, he overcame his nature, and with great self-work and with positive stubbornness, turned himself into a "silent one."

There is a joke that says: "It is better that you should be silent and they will think you have nothing to say, than that you should speak and prove it..." because truly there are fools that when they open their mouth, the surrounding ones will know for sure that they do not have excessive wisdom... and indeed silence was preferable for them, in the aspect of "Even a fool who keeps silent will be counted wise."

However, our Rabbi was the absolute opposite: a wise and intelligent Jew, a mouth speaking straight things and producing pearls, and every word that did go out from his mouth testified to a solid opinion and excess wisdom.

If only our Rabbi desired, he could at every opportunity speak words of taste that draw the heart of the listener, and that prove his great wisdom. In light of this, we will understand how much the labor of silence was hard for him, for it was required to change his actual nature, to conquer and hide his wisdom, and sometimes even to be counted as a simple one who does not know how to ask...

The Condition of the Rabbi

His close associates and the members of his family, may they be separated for good and long lives, know how to point to the "turning point" in which our Rabbi accepted upon himself this trait of silence, this from the mouth of the report accepted in their hand from days of old:

In the first years of his marriage, our Rabbi was counted among several young craftsmen who gathered and sheltered in the shadow of our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, ZYA"A, who delivered to them lessons in the teachings of the Sod [Kabbalah].

In that period, one day, our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, spoke with his young students, the craftsmen, concerning the virtue of silence:

Rabbi Sharabi showed them the words of our Rabbi the Ari in Sha'ar Ruach HaKodesh, that the first condition to acquire wisdom is silence and that he should minimize his speech all that he can, and that he should not converse any idle conversation, and this is what they said, let their memory be for a blessing, 'a fence to wisdom is silence'. And he further brought from the introduction of our master, Rabbi Chaim Vital (which is called the introduction of Depart from Evil and Do Good) who brought ten things that one needs to be careful of, and the last of them: "Every speech that is not of a mitzva and necessary, be careful of it!"

And then Rabbi Sharabi said to them in this language: "If you learn by me, you will be able to reach far, to achieve achievements and to elevate very much, but one condition I have to you, and only the one who will endure with it – will succeed, and the condition is 'silence' because the first and last principle that includes everything is silence, and whoever merits it, will merit the inner wisdom."

And our Rabbi, his faithful student, nodded in silence. "In silence" specifically... and thus the first test he passed with success... and since then he accepted upon himself the labor of silence, in which he persisted all his days with strength and might and without concessions, as was his path in the holy labor.

"A Faithful Servant You Called Him"

The special thing in the silence of our Rabbi was that he did not decree upon himself silence without distinction, because when it was necessary to speak, when it was clear to him in one hundred percent that now this is the will of Hashem, then he was in the aspect of "open your mouth and your words will illuminate."

For a person who decrees upon himself silence without distinction, indeed is saved from many forbidden things, however upon him they said in the Holy Zohar, that just as a person is punished for bad speech, so he is punished for good speech that he was able to speak and does not speak, such as reproofs over sin and to be assisting a matter of a mitzva, and over this it is said, "I made myself dumb in silence; I was silent from good although my pain was intense." And already King Solomon, peace be upon him, said, (there is)  "A time to keep silence and a time to speak."

The Pele Yoetz says that the person "needs good judgement in a balance and with the scales of justice before every word whether it is proper to speak or good to desist," until here is a (translated) quote of his pure language. It seems there is no definition more fitting for the conduct of our Rabbi and his absolute control in his mouth and his tongue: "good judgement in a balance and with the scales of justice before every word."

He was a silent one, however in times in which there was a necessary need to speak, that this was the will of Hashem, he did not spare in speech. Because our Rabbi did not decree upon himself silence for the sake of being counted a "silent one" or for sake of honor, but only and uniquely for the sake of serving Hashem, to be a faithful servant, and if so, it was simple and clear to him, that when the Master commands to speak – when this is the will of Hashem, then we speak!

One important Torah scholar related that there was a period that peace did not reside in his house to say the least, up to such a point that his house was in danger of existence, may it not come upon us, and our Rabbi was the only one who could influence.

When our Rabbi understood that he could assist, he departed from his custom of silence, and sat with him and conversed with him a long time, until he saved his house! In later days that wise man said: "Not for nothing was our Rabbi called 'Shalom Aharon' because he clung to the trait of Aharon (Aaron), loving peace and pursuing peace!"

A Fast of Two Days or More

Since with the guarding of the mouth we are engaged, we will speak now about a special service of Hashem that our Rabbi had, which also is within the framework of the holiness of the mouth: the holiness of eating. "The holiness of eating" includes: fasts, and minimization of eating – only for the purpose of the existence of the body and not for desire.

Our Rabbi was a sign and a wonder for the holiness of eating in its highest steps [levels], and there is no doubt that very few are the unique individuals of virtue in our generations who merited to achieve and to ascend to such levels in the holiness of eating.

First of all, we will mention the many fasts that he would do: for years our Rabbi would fast day by day, and sometimes also two days consecutively or more, without others being aware of this, and sometimes even his wife, the Rabbanit, peace be upon her, did not know about the fasts at all. And during his youth there were periods that he would fast all the days of the week and only in the nights would he eat. And he would fast thus entire months!

And all this, besides the days of Shovavim [a period of repentance] that he would fast every single day even in his old age until the last years, and he would participate in all the fasts that were in the Yeshiva in Shovavim, and pretend as if he did not fast.

After Decades: Indeed the Matter Became Known

In later days, his wife, the righteous Rabbanit Marat Shulamit, peace be upon her, tracked and discovered to her astonishment the sequence of fasts of her husband, and feared very much from his fasts, and was afraid lest he be damaged from these fasts, and she would spread her worry before him, but he said to her that she has nothing to worry about. However, she still feared very much and did not know what to do.

Times occurred that she would turn to her mother-in-law – the mother of our Rabbi – that she should command her son to eat... but once she strengthened her courage and went to our teacher Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, to complain about our Rabbi that he does many fasts and afflictions, and that she fears very much, lest Heaven forbid he be damaged and become sick due to the fasts, and she requested from our Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, that he should forbid upon him to fast. And indeed, Rabbi Mordechai called our Rabbi, and commanded him to reduce from his fasts in order that his wife would be calm and would not fear.

After a few years, one of the grandsons turned to the grandmother, at a time of goodwill and with a mischievous curiosity: 'Grandmother, is it true that you "informed" on Grandfather to Rabbi Sharabi, that he does fasts?!'...

The grandmother answered him: "Perhaps I would not have gone from my own accord, but Grandfather himself thus said, I said to him out of worry for his welfare: 'What will be? You are weakening from all these afflictions,' and Grandfather Rabbi Shalom answered me: 'Behold you know that I am submissive to the opinion of the Torah (sages), and all that the Rabbi will say to me I do not move right and left.' And in this I saw permission and a reason to seek the counsel of our Rabbi, Rav Sharabi."

The grandmother went silent a bit, and added with a veil of sadness on her face: "I will reveal to you, before I went by the Rav Sharabi, my righteous husband Rabbi Shalom said to me a sentence that today I understand it: 'Know that days will yet arrive, that you will regret over this that you prevent me from elevating myself and drawing near to Hashem, may He be blessed, by means of these fasts...'"

"What shall I say and what shall I speak," added the Rabbanit, "only after years did I understand the size of the stature of my husband, when I would see that the giants of the generation arrive at our house and secretly discuss  with him about the Kabbalistic secret of the conversation of the holy seraphs... and also I saw the many salvations that he operated from the power of his blessings, and then I regretted over this that I prevented from him his holy will."

By the way, in a looking of decades backward, it is possible to answer the question: Did truly the fasts damage him? And the answer is clear, the facts do not leave any place for doubt! Rabbi Shalom lengthened days much more than his spouse and all the members of his generation! And also in his advanced age he remained in clarity of mind and in health of body and soul!

Here is to us the best proof, indeed the matter became known, that our Rabbi did not cause any damage to himself in his fasts, and all that he did, he did in his recognizing his capabilities, and only according to his capabilities!

Breaking the Fast

There are those who, at the conclusion of the fast, ruin the entire fast, as our Rabbi Abraham, the son of the Rambam, writes in his book Hamaspik L'Ovdei Hashem: "There are those who in their fast do not rectify their desire for the vanities of the world, because at the end of the fast day they reach a state of desiring to eat, and the desire of their eating overcomes them, and their reward goes away on account of their loss, because in practice they increased the strength of their desire."

However, how would our Rabbi break a fast at its conclusion? This was not a "regular" breaking of a fast, but rather it was a stirring sight, as his son, our master the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, testifies:

"Never, in any manner, was it possible to see him hurrying to eat, or anxious over the food; even though he was hungry and did not eat all day, he would restrain himself and not desire to eat, and when he already ate, he ate with moderation and calmness, and only that which was necessary and good for his health, and never did he increase in food to fill his desire, rather he would eat only that which was necessary in order that he should have strength for his service of Hashem, may He be blessed."

Our Rabbi worked on himself so much, until he had absolute control over his will to eat even after a two-day fast!!

The Fast of the Ra'avad

Now we will speak about those days in which he did not fast, particularly after the decree of his Rabbi to decrease from his fasts: his meals were very poor, and his close associates would say that if this is the food, it could be that it is easier to fast...

Our Rabbis the Rishonim [Early Sages] praised and lauded the minimization of eating while one desires to eat, and considered this as a "great and wondrous fence for the subduing of the inclination," and we will mention the known ones among them:

·         A. The Ra'avad writes in his book Ba'alei HaNefesh: "The great, good fence to subdue the inclination is the hungering the soul by the minimization of its pleasures and its delights in food and in drink, and it is needless to say that a person should guard from the foods that he recognizes that they damage him, for the one who eats them when other than them is possible, behold this one is a sinner against his body and against his soul because he goes after his desire, and it is the path of the Evil Inclination."

·         B. Rabbeinu Yonah in his book Yesod HaTeshuvah praises the idea of the Ra'avad to minimize in eating, and thus is his language: "And so said the Ra'avad that the great and wondrous fence is the withholding of foods, and at the time that his food is before him and he still desires to eat from it, he shall pull away his hand from it for the honor of his Creator, and not eat to the extent of his desire, and this path will prevent him from sinning and will remind him of the love of the Creator more than a fast once a week, because this is (observed) in every day, constantly," until here is the quote.

·         C. In the holy book Reshit Chochmah (Gate of Holiness 15b) he brings this foundation, that while he still desires to eat, he should leave from his desires for the honor of the Creator, and this also slaughters his inclination and it is atoned for him, for he certainly slaughters the physical desire, as it is written: "He who slaughters a Toda, honors Me," and our Sages of blessed memory explained: 'Everyone who slaughters his inclination and confesses, (Toda and confesses, share 4 common letters), he honors the Holy One, Blessed be He, in two worlds.'

And in the world, the concept "The Fast of the Ra'avad" is known and famous, which is a person who has a portion before him and does not eat all of it, but rather leaves from it only in order to overcome his desires.

Only at a Conclusion of a Tractate

And indeed, the food of our Rabbi from day to day was only simple and healthy food, like for example at breakfast: a slice of bread, a few pieces of cucumbers, and a bit of 'Eshel' [cultured milk]. Just indeed to sustain the body. And during the day he would not eat bread, except only in the morning.

And at noon: the cooked dishes and the hot meals, he would eat only from the foods of the Rabbanit, peace be upon her, and not from any other place. And there is nothing to speak of that never did he eat in a restaurant or similar to this. And even if he arrived at an event that he was forced to be at, he would not eat anything there! And regarding Sabbaths of a Groom, never was he at family Sabbaths of a Groom! Admittedly, when he arrived at a meal of Seudat Mitzva in the Yeshiva, like the conclusion of Etz Chaim or a "conclusion of a tractate," he would eat a little rice and peas.

He would not eat almost any chicken, and who speaks of meat, which he never ate at home, also not on Shabbat; there is none, they do not eat meat! And also on Shabbat, he would buy one chicken for the whole family, because there was poverty. The breast of the chicken they would grind and make from it meatballs in the soup of Shabbat eve. And the rest of the parts they would divide on Shabbat morning when they would eat rice, and the Rabbanit would scatter the pieces of chicken over the rice...

He would eat a little and with  good manners and extreme gentleness, and the order of his eating was a little and slowly, and already he has become 'satiated'... "Give thanks to Hashem for He is good"... and never would he eat when he was already satiated! To his acquaintances, it appeared that there was in him no desire for the pleasures of this world at all, and like one of the ancient righteous ones whose heart and thought were cleaved in the ultimate of cleaving to the Creator, may He be blessed.

And what would he drink? Not Cola and not juices... rather during the day he would drink only hot water with a little cinnamon and lemon and a little sugar.

Never would he eat in the middle of learning. Only drink, but to eat, he would not eat. Sometimes they would bring fruits here for the learners, but he would never eat here. And also on Shabbat, they would bring here blessings: to make a 'Mezonot' blessing, 'Ha'eitz' blessing, 'Ha'adama' blessing, and he would say to his grandson, Rabbi Sar Shalom, HY"V, not to eat in the middle of learning: "First to bless, to eat, to bless the final blessing, and afterward to learn consecutively without interruption," and he would say: "In the middle when one learns, one does not interrupt for nonsense!" What holiness!

Bitter Olives and Margarine...

And thus testifies his son, our master the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, in one of his lessons:

"Morning" meal Abba (Father) would eat at the hour of 9–10 in the morning after he would return from the Yeshiva, after immersions in the Mikveh and the Shacharit [morning] prayer with intentions [Kavanot], and a lesson in the Rambam and in the Tur Beit Yosef, and the learning of Chok L'Yisrael and the textual reading of 40 pages of Zohar...

And one needs to understand that by Abba, to eat at the hour of 9 in the morning, this means: to eat at the passing of 8 hours since he arose in the morning! Because he would arise for the service of the Creator already at the hour of 1–2 in the night! [By most of the world, in the first 8 hours of the day, they already managed to eat a few fat meals and a few snacks… but he now only opens the eating of the morning, which is also a type of fast…]

And what did he eat in the "morning meal"? You say if it is possible to call this a "meal"... Abba would eat only one slice that they would cut for him in the house, and we would endeavor to cut the slice in a manner that it would be a bit thick, because this was all his food, and Ima (Mother) would force him to drink a soft-boiled egg, that he would make a hole above in the egg and swallow it...

The eating of Abba was strange, because he would smear margarine on the slice, and over this he would smear "jam" – plum jam or something else – that Ima (Mother) would make in the house, and eat this slice together with a tomato, and with bitter Syrian olives that Ima would prepare in the house. You put this all together, let us see you eat this...

And this was a wonder in our eyes, how it is possible to eat so, but with him it was not possible to speak, so I would say to my mother next to him: "Look what he eats." And Abba would say: "Look into your plate, do not look into the plate of others!.." And afterwards Ima would force him to drink milk, and he would agree only if she would boil it.

And sometimes in (a state of) iniquities when we were children we would laugh, and Ima would explain to us that he does not want to benefit from the food and from the desires of this world, and only because he wants to cause to her satisfaction of spirit, therefore he eats from the jam that she makes and from the olives that she prepared...

And the matter was hard in our eyes, how it is possible to eat so very little, and Ima said to us: that the woman can know a little about her husband if he is true in his paths or not, and she would rejoice and say that she knows his piety and his abstinence, and that he is true in his paths and a man of truth.

And even on the holy Shabbat, I remember that he would eat only half a pita bread – in order that there should be the required amount needed to recite the Birkat Hamazon blessing – with a little tachina sauce and no more; besides this, he would not eat anything. Not chicken and not any cooked dish, and everything was in concealment.

With our Rabbi, the education and self-control were his system (of operation), whether in the days that he ate and whether in the days that he fasted, that the eating after the fast was with moderation and only that which was truly necessary. Because at every time and season he would withdraw from the delights of this world entirely. How fortunate he is, and how fortunate is his lot!

Full of "Sights of Afflictions"

Until now we gathered from the "service of Hashem" of our Rabbi, in the guarding of the mouth: in speech, in silence, and in the holiness of eating. And now we will move on to tell about another wondrous "service" of our Rabbi, in his being a "policeman" over two additional gates that are in need of excellent guarding day by day, hour by hour! Are they not the guarding of the eyes in holiness, without compromises and without concessions!

There is no need to lengthen and explain concerning the trial to guard over the eyes that they should not see what is not needed, "the eye sees and the heart covets," and as is known that sufferings and troubles come to a person by means of the sin of the eyes, May the All Merciful save us.

And all the body is dependent upon the eyes; there are doctors who check the person through the eye, because the pattern of all the body is in the eye. And how shall a person, Heaven forbid, see forbidden sights?! Behold, he makes a stain on his soul.

In every morning a person blesses "Blessed are You Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who gives sight to the blind" – the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives to a person eyes in order that he should learn Torah with them and do commandments, bring a livelihood, and with them he rebels and goes against Hashem, may He be blessed?! And the Torah says: "And you shall not spy after your heart and after your eyes!"

Maran, the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, the son of our Rabbi, may the memory of the righteous and holy be for a blessing, awakens over this issue from time to time in "The Weekly Lesson," because the street is full of "sights of afflictions" and he cries out: "How do you look into an 'iPhone' – the mother of all sin and all trouble, and when you walk in the street, for what purpose do you have the eyelids which are a cover to the eye?!"

And by the way, to the concept "guarding" there are 2 meanings with a different purpose intended: guarding over a thing that it should not be damaged, like guarding over an infant or a deposit, which is a type of guarding that it should not be damaged. But there is an opposite guarding: guarding that it should not damage. Like guarding over a biting dog, whose meaning is that it should not damage. And in "guarding of the eyes" there are the two types: guarding of the eyes that they should not be damaged from forbidden sights, and also guarding of the eyes that they should not damage the person, by means of forbidden sights.

The Photographer Who Followed the Rabbi

One of the eternal acquisitions of our Rabbi’s soul, this was the guarding of the eyes; he was very, very watchful over the holiness of his eyes in a wondrous and awe-inspiring manner. He was in absolute control over his eyes, and in a permanent manner would walk when his eyes were looking to the earth. And certainly all this came to him after stubborn and strong self-work, until he arrived at a great and holy acquisition such as this.

When they would say to him: "Honorable Rabbi, how shall we guard the eyes?" he would say in simplicity: "When you walk, look downward, do not look outside of your four cubits, and your heart shall be to our Father in Heaven." These were his words, and he was "one who expounds beautifully and fulfills beautifully," because thus he conducted himself.

As is known, the permanent place of the "Nahar Shalom" Yeshiva has already been for decades in proximity to the market, and over the years, in our many iniquities, the area was breached with "sights of afflictions" from a multitude of foreigners and their like who roam there, and our Rabbi, in his responsibility over the members of the Yeshiva, when he would see a need, would breach his silence, and would say to the students: "Place eyes downward."

It was a known thing, that if you walk on the path next to our Rabbi, even if you will be truly close to him, most of the chances were that he would not see you at all! He would not pay attention to you! Because he always was looking downward. The sons and the grandsons knew, that until they would call to him with a voice: "Father, Father" or " Grandfather, Grandfather", only then would he pay attention to them...

Many would come to behold the wonder that our Rabbi leaves from the Yeshiva in his old age without attendants, without a helper, walks by himself and his eyes are downward, and until his house he would not lift his eyes, always in guarding!

There was one time that one followed after him from close by and documented his face with a video camera, beginning from his departure from the Yeshiva until his house; afterward he contemplated the filming, and was very amazed and said: "Even one time he did not lift his eyes, from the moment he departed from the Yeshiva until he entered inside his house!..."

On one of the opportunities, his son, our master the Rosh Yeshiva, Shlit"a, said over this:

"How much these things awaken us! Behold we are all believers, sons of believers, in the holiness of the words of our Rabbis who said 'all your deeds are written in a book'; a person will come to Heaven after 120 [years], they will show him like a 'video' every moment and every second of his life: at what did he look?! over what did he think?! And this there is to learn from our Rabbi, who in his fear and in the purity of his heart recognized in truth, behold Hashem sees me, how shall I lift the eyes."

By most of the world, the eyes see in an "automatic" manner. But our Rabbi worked on the holiness of his eyes until he arrived at a situation of "and he lifted his eyes and saw," meaning, he needed to "lift" the eyes in order to see; he accustomed himself and fenced himself hour after hour, day after day, until the habit became nature and he would rule and dominate over the eyes not to look in an automatic manner, but rather only after thought and decision!

He Enters Humbly (lit. stooping), and He Exits Humbly (Sheif Ayil, Sheif Nafik)

And this was not only on the path and in the street, but also in clean places that there was not in them any concern for "sights of afflictions," and even inside the Yeshiva he would walk in a bent posture and lowered his eyes. And all the students of the Yeshiva knew that our Rabbi did not pay attention to who stands next to him, until they would awaken him: "Honorable Rabbi! Honorable Rabbi!". It is well known that because he walked bent over so consistently, his posture actually became permanently hunched, for it had become ingrained in his very bones."

The members of the family who were living with him would see this thing day by day, and it was a wonder to see a man who can live with such immense strengths!

After his passing, the members of the family contemplated many pictures of him, and behold they see again and again the same posture: the eyes downward. You see him in conferences, in mass events, sitting on the stage of the Rabbis, and the picture is the same picture: his eyes are closed, he is in the heaven of heavens, you do not know where he is located. He could for some quarter of an hour be like this, until someone would turn to him.

And also when he would speak with people, his eyes were downward, or they were closed. In the custom of the world, you bring some man into your house, "his eyes roam in everything" – he looks: what oven, what library, what vehicle in the parking... not so was our Rabbi; he entered "bending as he enters, bending as he exits," it does not matter to him and does not interest him what the second [other person] has; when he enters to the domain of others, bending as he enters – his eyes are downward.

When he would return from some conference or event, they would inquire by him if he knows what was in that gathering, and for example they would say to him: "Rabbi, did you see the beautiful hall?", or "Rabbi, did you see person Ploni [so-and-so]?", and he would nod in the negative as if saying "I did not see anything," because truly he did not see anything; he would walk bent and his eyes downward.

And the truth must be said: our Rabbi was not lacking in curiosity and cleverness. On the contrary! He was alert and clever and very curious. However, despite everything, he set the ultimate purpose of life before his eyes, and did not forget for a moment what is primary and what is secondary, and what is his obligation in his world, and by means of this he overcame his nature and closed his eyes against all things that would not draw him closer to the service of Hashem!

Our Sages said, that the holy Amora "Rav" would conduct himself with ten special customs of piety, and one of them "that he would not erect his eyes, but rather conquers (lowers) them every hour because of modesty" (Rashi, Menachot 110a and Responsa of the Geonim). And since the period of the holy Rav, unique ones of the world, the righteous of the generations, conducted themselves also in this special and hard conduct.

When the author of the Minchat Chinuch passed away, the author of the Shoel U'Meshiv – Rabbi Yosef Nathansohn, was pained and wept over him, and at the beginning of the eulogy said thus: "My teachers and my masters! If I said I will recount all his righteousness which he did, the sheet would finish from containing [it], but this is one which I will mention, that from the day he arrived at the proper mindset, he did not look outside of his four cubits" (Divrei Shaul, Drashot page 45b).

Meaning, this praise, that he did not look outside to his four cubits, it includes everything and it is the primary thing! And if so, also we the small ones will say over our Rabbi, that he would walk in a bent stature, and almost did not look outside of his four cubits!

And may it be the will from before our Father in Heaven that the words shall be for benefit and strengthening in the service of Hashem and His fear, and would that it be that we will merit to cleave a little of a little from his deeds, that although he was flesh and blood, he resembled an angel, and displayed self-sacrifice without weariness, for Torah, for mussar [ethics], for prayer, for kindness, in the refinement of the physical, and by means of this he ascended and was elevated. And we have a prayer that we shall merit for the coming of the Messiah of our righteousness and to see him through the resurrection of the dead in the complete redemption soon, Amen, so may it be the will.