In acts of kindness to others there is an aspect of revelation of the Shekinah (Divine Presence), sometimes even more than the spiritual achievements people long for * The great affection the Lubavitcher Rebbe had for Rabbi Aryeh Levin, and for the stories of his acts of kindness * Even people who travel for a long period of time on the roads of our country, should not recite the blessing of Birkat Hagomel * Testimonies received indicate that Rabbi Neuwirth was forced to change his rulings in “Shemirat Shabbat Ke’Hilchata” due to the controversy, but in principle, did not retract from the halachic rulings
A story is told of a Chassid who gained wealth and honor, married-off all his children, but nevertheless, was missing one thing – he longed for giluyee Eliyahu ha’Navi – revelation of the prophet Eliyahu. He went to his Rebbe and asked for his assistance in the matter, and even said he would donate a large sum of money for that purpose. The Rebbe replied: “No problem, at the outskirts of the poor neighborhood, lives a widow with four orphaned children – they have no money to buy the necessities of the Passover holiday. Buy them all the necessities of the holiday, and celebrate the Seder night with them, and you will merit the revelation of Eliyahu ha’Navi.”
The wealthy man bought all the needs of the holiday for seven days, and a few hours before the Seder night, knocked on the door of the widow’s house, and asked to join her for the Seder. The widow replied: “My house is completely empty. We have nothing to eat, how can I host you?” The wealthy man replied: ‘I brought with me all the needs of the holiday’, and began to remove food from the cart for the entire holiday, and even fine dishes. And thus, he celebrated the Seder night with them. The widow and her four children were exceedingly happy, and they even had food left over, after Passover.
There was only one problem. The rich man did not merit receiving the revelation of Eliyahu. He returned to his Rebbe, and complained about it. The Rebbe replied: “Do it again next year, and with God’s help, you will merit the revelation of Eliyahu.”
The following year he returned, and arrived at the widow’s house about two hours before Seder night. While standing at the door, from inside the house he heard the children crying about their poverty, that they did not have the needs of the holiday, and did not even have matzah or wine. Their mother comforted them, and said: “Let’s be strong in our faith – maybe like last year, when God sent us Eliyahu ha’Navi who brought us all the needs of the holiday, perhaps this year He will send him once again.”
The wealthy man knocked on the door, and entered with all the needs of the holiday. The widow and her children were extremely happy, and the rich man was even happier, having realized that Eliyahu ha’Navi had appeared through him.
This is where the story ends, but apparently, after the rich man received the revelation of Eliyahu – understanding everything he needed to understand – he continued to care for the widow, and helped educate and marry-off the orphans, until they were able to stand on their own two feet.
Hospitality toward Guests is Greater than Receiving the Divine Presence
Our Sages said: “Hospitality toward guests is greater than receiving the Shekinah (Divine Presence)” (Shabbat 126b), for we find that God revealed himself to Avraham Avinu in Elon Moreh, but when Avraham saw three people walking towards him in the heat of the day, he asked God, blessed be He, to wait until he received the guests into his tent, and only afterwards, for God to continue to reveal Himself to him. This is because in revelation of the Shekinah, God is above, and man is below. In such a situation, man merits receiving inspiration from God to a certain extent. However, when a person welcomes guests, he himself reveals the word of God in the world, and the Shekinah is revealed through him (see Maharal, Netiv Gemilut Chassidim, 4).
Rabbi Aryeh Levin and the Relevation of Eliyahu
Reb Simcha Raz related the following story: “It once happened that Shai Agnon, the famous author, was walking on a street in Jerusalem and met the writer and linguist Yaakov David Abramsky (son of the gaon, Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky). Agnon said to him: ‘I just came from the house of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, who told me he is certain that Rabbi Aryeh Levin merits having the revelation of Eliyahu. I asked him: Why does Eliyahu ha’Navi need to appear to Rabbi Aryeh, specifically? Rabbi Kook replied: “Eliyahu ha’Navi most definitely needs Rabbi Aryeh… there are times when, from Heaven, a person in need requires assistance, and his salvation comes through Eliyahu ha’Navi, may his memory be for a blessing. However, in order for the salvation to appear natural, and not miraculous – it is presented to him by Rabbi Aryeh” (Tzaddik Yesod Olam, p. 323).
The Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabbi Aryeh Levin
Reb Simcha Raz told the story: “It was towards the end of the year, 1970. I was supposed to visit New York. I wrote to the secretary of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Lubavitch, that I would be staying in New York for a few days, and I would appreciate if he would schedule a private personal meeting with the Rebbe (‘Yechidut‘). He answered in the affirmative, and was told that I had been allotted ten minutes with the Rebbe in a nighttime meeting, scheduled to be held at three o’clock in the morning…
As I entered his room, the Rebbe was waiting for me at the door. When I introduced myself, he said to me: ‘A short while ago, I read in the weekly journal “Panim el Panim” an article about the Jerusalem tzaddik, Rabbi Aryeh Levin ztz”l (who had passed away a year before) – are you the author?’
When I answered him in the affirmative, he continued and asked: ‘Did Rabbi Aryeh leave behind him writings, and divrei Torah?’ I replied: ‘Maybe, but I’m not aware of it, but our Sages said: ‘A person should not take leave of another, only in a matter of halakha’, for by doing so, he is remembered (Berakhot 31a). And indeed, after the passing of Rabbi Aryeh – we remember his good deeds, and thus, in a sense, he is a walking halakha…’
The Rebbe asked me: ‘Do you have any other stories about Rabbi Aryeh?’
I began telling him stories involving acts of charity and kindness that Rabbi Aryeh had performed. And for the entire hour, the Lubavitcher Rebbe stood in the middle of his room, listening attentively. I continued, and told him the divrei Torah that I heard from him, and the Rebbe was amazed. He took my hand, and said to me: ‘This is the first time I have heard this commentary, and believe me, this is the truth of the Torah…’
As the conversation continued, the Rebbe asked me to sit at his table – I sat on one side of the table, and the Rebbe on the other. The Rebbe then said: ‘Tell me another story… tell me another story’… and all the time, the Rebbe’s eyes shone brightly…
Our conversation lasted over an hour, and slipped into the wee hours of the night. Only then the door opened, and the Rebbe’s secretary came over and hinted that there were many people waiting in line, and that I was being asked to end the conversation… I asked the Rebbe’s forgiveness, and was about to leave. At that moment, the Rebbe said to his secretary: ‘Leave him alone – I am the one who asked him to stay, because I want to talk to him.’
When the secretary left, the Rebbe said to me: ‘Nu, perhaps you have another story to tell me?… and so I told him – for another hour – story, after story, until dawn broke… At the end of this ‘yechidut‘ conversation, which lasted over two hours, when I was about to depart from the Rebbe, he said to me: ‘Stories of tzaddikim (righteous people) – they must be put in writing for the good of the public. There is a lot to be learned from the lives of righteous people – such stories penetrate the hearts and seep into the soul, and sometimes influence the readers even more than words of Torah. Do it!'” (Tzaddik Yesod Olam, p. 279).
Reb Simcha Raz indeed merited doing so in his first book ‘Ish Tzaddik Hi’yah’ (‘A Tzaddik In Our Time’), and in the follow-up book ‘Tzaddik Yesod Olam’, (‘A Tzaddik for Eternity’), books that deserve to be studied.
The ‘Gomel’ Blessing
Q: Rabbi, is it true that according to the Sephardic custom, one should recite “Hagomel” after an inter-city trip of 72 minutes, in other words, someone who travels from Modi’in to Jerusalem and back, should bless “Hagomel“?
A: One should not bless “Hagomel” for a routine trip, since the blessing of Hagomel was enacted for rare events in which there is danger. Not only that, but there are those poskim who are of the opinion that anyone who needed to bless Hagomel in the times of the Temple, had to bring a Korban Todah (thanksgiving offering) (Rosh, Ohr Zarua, and Smag). And the Chayei Adam (following Clal 69), wrote that it would be appropriate for those who bless Hagomel to donate the cost of a korban to Torah students. Nowadays, the price of a korban and challot is at least fifteen hundred shekels. Is it conceivable that a person who travels to work every day, and his journey takes 72 minutes (round trip), would have to bring a korban every day?!
Rather, the blessing of Hagomel was enacted for rare cases of danger, and the difference in Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs was regarding roads in the past that were all 100 times more dangerous than the roads today, and the question is whether to recite the blessing only on the most dangerous roads. Indeed, even today there are people who are killed in car accidents, but relative to the length of time people travel, it is a very low level of danger – no more dangerous than going down stairs, or taking a bath or shower. Therefore, with all the necessary caution while driving, one should not bless Hagomel for driving on the roads of our country (see, ‘Peninei Halakha: Berachot 14:6, the different opinions in the past, and the answer to them).
Concerning the Questions about Rabbi Neuwirth
In the previous column on Rabbi Neuwirth, I mentioned the disputants who spoke out against his book ‘Shemirat Shabbat Ke’Hilchata‘. I was left with two questions: 1) Are the changes le’chumrah (stringincies) in the second edition because Rabbi Neuwirth was convinced that he was wrong, or did he want to minimize the controversy, or did his mentor and rabbi, Rabbi Auerbach, convince him to change, and why?
2) did the disputants who offended him, ask for forgiveness?
I don’t have an answer for the second question, but for the first question I received some responses and testimonies. From all the answers I received, it appears that Rabbi Neuwirth did not retract his halachic rulings. And so he told Rabbi Ariel Mike: “Everything he wrote le’heter (leniency) in the first edition and changed in the new editions, was not because he retracted himself, but because inshei d’lo maalei (people who do not act as they should) begged him and pressured him.” And he also said: “Everything that he wrote in the previous editions can be relied upon le’chatchila in every matter, and he did not retract any ruling” (Sefer ‘Binyan Ariel’ 2013 on Hilchot Shabbat, p. 302). In a similar manner, Nocham Blas presented in his work a letter written by Rabbi Neuwirth to Rabbi Asher Wasserteil from 1 Iyar, 5725 (1965): “I must inform you that I was ready for all the loud shouting that were heard in Bnei Brak, and therefore I did not take their “le’shem Shamayim” to heart, even if they wrote about it in the ‘Ha’Modia’ newspaper, and also published their “le’shem Shamayim” in America”.
Rabbi Yehoshua Van Dyke wrote in a different style – that Rabbi Auerbach advised him (Rabbi Neuwirth) “that in order for the book to be accepted by all of Israel, it is appropriate to consider some of the laws with other elders, and change the ruling, or the style…” True, there were slanderers who claimed he “succumbed to chumrot because of pressures”. However, according to the testimony of his acquaintances, he was “a man of truth, who conducted himself fearlessly, and was undeterred.” But because of his humility, “he negated his opinion, in favor of the opinion of the Gedolim” (‘Me’bashan Ashiv’ Vol.1, p. 617).
After everything, as a result of the position of Rabbi Auerbach who instructed Rabbi Neuwirth to change in order to avoid controversy, we do not know what their halachic opinion was on major, and important issues.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated
