I would like to share a hergesh about the war with Iran. I will explain but I cannot prove. It is just a feeling, but perhaps it can help us all get through a difficult time and even make a difference.
We all heard on Motzoei Shabbos that President Trump joined Israel in the fight against ancient Poras and modern Iran. Of course, the president should be thanked, but as Torah Jews we must always remember Who is making this happen. Shlomo Hamelech (Mishlei 21:1) teaches that “lev melech b’Yad Hashem – the heart of a king is in the Hand of Hashem.” The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh (Devorim 10:17), Ralbag and Malbim on Mishlei and many other meforshim explain this to mean that rulers of countries have free will only in their personal matters. When it comes to decisions they make affecting the world and especially Klal Yisroel, they have no free will at all. Therefore, we must primarily thank Hashem for sending us President Trump and his willingness to make difficult decisions and take actions that are in our favor.
However, I must go back a day to review one of the headlines whose significance may have been lost in the larger picture. When I heard and then read and saw pictures of Bnei Brak having been bombed, I was shaken to the core. Since my rebbetzin is related to Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and Rav Chaim Kanievsky, I had access to these tzaddikim in ways and times I could have never achieved on my own. One of the teachings I always heard in their homes was that Bnei Brak has a special shemirah from Hashem. I was told that whenever Rav Chaim was planning to visit the Kosel, he would first stop off at his shver’s house to ask Rav Elyashiv for a brocha and permission to visit the Kosel. The implication always was that the unparalleled concentration of Torah in Bnei Brak grants it unique protection even in times of danger. Leaving the city requires a hetter or at least a brocha.
Then this. An Iranian missile hit a school, entire buildings have become rubble, shattered windows have caused their own destruction, and the hearts of these residents have been “trembling all day long.” But it is one thing for Ramat Gan, Rishon Letzion or Tel Aviv to be hit. Of course there are Jews there and even kollelim, yeshivos and tzaddikim. But wasn’t Bnei Brak insured by the Creator Himself?
Now, I am not naïve enough to think that in our day and age, we are worthy of such an open miracle, although many more quiet ones have happened in recent days. But Bnei Brak? Again, the hergesh hit me like that ton of bricks that struck the city of Torah. It was Rav Chaim’s presence that protected us. When the tzaddik is gone, his beauty, his glory and his protection are gone as well (see Rashi, Bereishis 28:10).
I certainly never say that Rav Chaim was wrong about anything. However, perhaps he was wrong about what was protecting Bnei Brak. He thought it was the city or others. But perhaps it was…just him. This is not to negate any of the other gaonim and tzaddikim of this wonderful Ir HaTorah. But when we lost the acknowledged Sar HaTorah, something substantive changed.
What is the Torah source for one person protecting an entire city? It was actually in last week’s sedrah. Moshe Rabbeinu instructed the meraglim to ascertain if there is a tree in Eretz Yisroel. Rashi explains from Chazal that this referred to a “tzaddik whose merit would protect them.” The Megaleh Amukos asks why Moshe didn’t clarify that he meant a righteous man and not a tree. The great mekubal answers that Moshe knew very well that Iyov lived in Eretz Yisroel at that time and that he was a gilgul – a reincarnation – of the soul of Terach, who was an oveid tzelamim, an idol worshipper, since the first letters of oveid tzelamim spell eitz, meaning tree. Iyov inherited Terach’s proclivity for idolatry, but fought it and won. This one gentile who lived in Eretz Yisroel could have saved the entire country from Am Yisroel. Therefore, when Koleiv and Yehoshua returned from their own survey of the land, they reported, “Their protection has departed from them; Hashem is with us. Do not fear them” (Bamidbar 14:9). In other words, although the Torah (Vayikra 18:3) testifies that the residents of Eretz Yisroel at that time were evil and Iyov did not prevail, at least he tried and that would have been enough to save them.
What does this have to do with us? If we lost Rav Chaim, what can any of us do?
First of all, we can at least try to be like Iyov, to do our best to improve ourselves and others. This can be our secret spiritual Iron Dome. Imagine. Iyov was not even Jewish, yet his heroic efforts could have spared his entire country from Klal Yisroel’s attack. Let’s multiply this by the power of our learning more of Hashem’s Torah. The Medrash (Tanna Devei Eliyahu 29) tells us that when Klal Yisroel was depressed, Hashem said to Moshe, “Go and give Klal Yisroel chizuk.” Moshe asked how to do this and Hashem answered that he should teach them more Torah. Rav Zalman Sorotzkin (Oznayim LaTorah, Bamidbar 15) points out that the best balm and salvation for Klal Yisroel is Torah. Imagine if each of us would learn an extra line, daf or even more during this difficult time. It could be the game changer.
This may be further illustrated by a story with my rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Hutner, when he was young. He was learning in Slabodka, but one day, during seder, his head began to throb and he needed to rest for a while. He was going back to the dorm when the Alter saw him walking on the grass and stopped him. “Yitzchok,” he called out in a serious tone, “you are stepping on thousands of malachim, as we know that each blade of grass has a personal angel that hits it on the head, declaring ‘Grow!’ Why don’t you watch where you are going? Aren’t you embarrassed to step on angels?’”
My rebbi absorbed the criticism, but answered, “I was thinking about the sugya I was learning and didn’t notice where I was going.”
The Alter smiled and responded, “Ah, if that helped you to understand what you learned, tens of thousands of malachim are prepared for you to step and even trample on them.”
Rav Hutner later related, “The Alter taught me all the Torah of Slabodka in a single moment. It is worthwhile for thousands of malachim to cause grass to grow so that it should be easier for one person to absorb more Torah. In fact, the entire universe was created for those who would learn Torah deeply.”
Yes, we are sadly not Rav Chaim. I speak, of course, for myself. There are now hundreds of Shas Yidden who are following in his footsteps, to say nothing of his own wonderful descendents. However, the combination of tzidkus and gaonus may not yet have been replicated on the face of the earth. But each of us has a share in the Torah and in the creation of the world. If we would just try a bit harder to achieve our own personal cheilek in Torah, middos and mitzvos, perhaps the bombs will not fall on Bnei Brak or anywhere we are found. Let us do our hishtadlus and Hashem will surely do the rest.
