Some time ago, Mesorah Publications put out a book about the late Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh, Rabbi Eleazar Menahem Man Schach. The book is titled Rav Schach on Chumash.
The book, which was authored by Rabbi Asher Berman, a grandson of Rabbi Schach, and translated from the Hebrew by Rabbi David Oratz, is a veritable treasure house of Torah interpretations and moral exhortations as well as stories — stories about Gedolei Yisrael told by Rabbi Schach and stories about Rabbi Schach– illustrating his love of Mitzvot, his immersion in the study of Torah and his ever readiness to help a fellow Jew.
Regarding the title of the book, we are told in the introduction by the author that “faced with a huge collection of inspiring rulings and enlightening stories,” he decided to organize them according to the weekly Torah portion “so that each person can be inspired anew each week and have his faith more strongly embedded within him.”
As we are standing at the threshold of a new year, let us start with an ingenious explanation that Rabbi Schach provides for a statement by Maimonides in his Hilkhot Teshuva.
In the chapter on the portion of Aharei Mot, in the book before us, we read:
Every year, each person comes before Hashem for judgment and for a decision whether he will live or die that year. Rambam (Hilkot Teshuva 3:3) explains that if a person’s good deeds outweigh his bad deeds or if his bad deeds outweigh his good deeds, Hashem renders the verdict on Rosh Hashana. If however, the good deeds and the bad deeds are of equal weight, the decision regarding that person’s fate remains in abeyance until Yom Kippur. If he repents , he is granted life; if not he is sealed in the “Book of Death.”
Rabbi Schach then quotes the question of Rabbi Itzel Petersburger, a close disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter: “Since we are referring to a person whose good deed and bad deeds are equal, why must he repent in order to be able to live? Indeed, even if he does only one good deed, the scaled will be tipped on the side of merit!”
Rabib Schach offers the following insight: At this stage the one good deed is of no avail in changing the balance because — now that it is after Rosh Hashana– the good deed he does belongs to the new year’s account. Only an additional good deed before Rosh Hashana could have tipped the scales. Now, however, only repentance can change the outcome of last year’s account.
We are told in the book that Rabbi Schach stayed in the Beit Hamidrash of the Ponevezh Yeshiva during the entire morning and afternoon sessions. He did not remain there for the night sessions, saying that he was permitted to miss them in order to be able to write his books.
He would arrive for the prayers and the study sessions before the students. In addition, he would put back the Sefarim that were left on the tables to their proper places in the library, and would take the chairs that had been placed on the tables before the floors were washed and put them back on the floor.
Rabbi Schach tried to arrive early not only for the study sessions and the prayers but also on other occasions, such as Bar Mitzvahs weddings and meetings, because he wanted his students and acquaintances to be punctual.
Rabbi Schach’s love and care for his students can be seen from the following story. He once asked the Yeshiva’s librarian to give him a certain volume of the Shulhan Arukh, requesting “an old print with torn binding,” When asked why he needed an old and torn edition, he answered that if hee were to take a newer edition, one of his student might have to use an older volume from which he might not be able to study properly, and he, Rabbi Schach would be responsible for the lost Torah learning.
(To be continued)
The Jewish Press, Friday, Septemner 23, 2005 p. 77