The Chofetz Chaim’s Plea

Just one Mach Shavah. To begin really the final stretch of the Daf Yomi miss cycle. And that is so we just started learning Seder Kodashim. Now everybody knows that in Brisk and all the sniffin of the Brisk, they learn Kodashim. Now I'm not 100% sure why. But I'll tell you what I heard. I heard that the reason they learn Brisk and Kodashim is obviously because it was instituted by Maran Agrees by the Brisker Rav. And the Brisker Rav felt that he had a very unique derech halimud, which is an understatement. And he felt that the best way for him to be able to convey and impart his unique derech halimud would be through the limud of Kodashim. And the reason he felt that way is because all the other limudim Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, Bava Basra, Gittin, Kiddushin, Yevamos, Kesubos, Nedarim, Kerisos, Bechoros, and he felt that there's so many s'varos that were already said by gedolei acharonim. And as a result, he's going to ask a kasha. So he'll say, "Ploni said that teretz. Ploni said that teretz." The kasha is not going to be the end of the world because there's already competing machalokos to try to be meyashev this kasha. But the Brisker Rav saw Kodashim as a white board. He saw that he had an opportunity to be mechadesh and he can ask kashas when nobody said terutzin. And as a result, he'd be able to impart his derech halimud in a very, very clear way. Because really his machalokos is the only machalokos in town. And as a result, there's no competition, so to speak. And like this, he'd be able to really, really convey the derech halimud, which is something that's being meluvaus now l'doros already, that he felt was very, very critical. And that's again what I was mekabel is the reason that in Brisk they learn Kodashim. I know there's other theories, but kach kibalti merabosai. But it's yedua that there was another school of why maybe Kodashim is something that should be learned. And really that was something that was very very much professed by the Hafetz Chaim. Hafetz Chaim throughout his forum talks the arichos about the shivas of learning coaching. It's everywhere in his writings. But most notably in his safer Torah Ohr. The safer Torah Ohr, if you're not familiar, is a safer that was written by the Hafetz Chaim with the specific purpose of trying to be me'orer Yidden to learn coaching. And if you go through Torah Ohr, it gives you a whole bunch of different reasons. But without a question, the ikker reason that Hafetz Chaim felt that Yidden should learn coaching is based on something that Chazal say in different places. And that is that if somebody learns coaching, it's as if he's bringing the korban that he's learning about. Which means maybe today we brought korbanos l'shem Ohr. I'm not sure. But if somebody learns about an olah, he's bringing an olah. The total. But limud coaching is really nechsav as if the person brought a korban. And just to demonstrate with a few very very well known gemaras. The gemara says in meseches Menachos daf kuf yud alef amud alef. Amar Rav Yitzchak, "Ma dichsav, 'Zois toras ha'chatos, v'zois toras ha'asham.'" So Rav Yitzchak said, "Kol ha'osek b'toras ha'chatos, k'ilu hikriv chatos. V'kol ha'osek b'toras ha'asham, k'ilu hikriv asham." Another gemara. The pasuk says, "B'chol makom muktar umugas lishmi." Says the gemara, "B'chol makom muktar umugas lishmi? You can't bring korbanos b'chol makom. You can only bring korbanos in specific places." Amar Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani amrabi Yonasan, "Eilu talmidei chachamim." It's referring to the talmidei chachamim. "Ha'oskim b'Torah b'chol makom. When they learn Torah b'chol makom, ma'aleh ani aleihem k'ilu hikrivu umigshu lishmi." When a talmid chacham learns coaching, I will consider it as if he brought a korban. When a Yid learns coaching, he's actually bringing korbanos. One more gemara. This gemara is in meseches Taanis daf chof zayin amud beis. And it's also in gemara meseches Megillah daf lamed alef amud beis. The gemara says, "Omri Rabbi Akiva Rabbi Abahu, "Im lo l'ma'an motes, were not for carbonos, lo in the sky u'shmayim v'aretz, shmayim v'aretz would not be able to exist." How do we know that? Shema amar, the possuk says, "V'yomer Hashem Elokim b'ri eidah k'reisha." So, this is in the context of the bris bein ha'bsorim. Kodesh Boruch Hu promises Avraham Avinu, right, over and over and over again, he's going to get incredible, incredible brocha. And finally, Avraham Avinu tells Hakodesh Boruch Hu, "I mean, it's great that I've been promised all these amazing things, but how do I know that it's actually going to happen?" Well, what was his question? What, he didn't trust Avraham Avinu? That what Hakodesh Boruch Hu was saying he's going to do, he's going to do? "Omer Avraham, but Avraham Avinu meant to say was as follows, "Ribono shel Olam, shema Yisrael chaitu l'fanecha." How do I know that the Yidden aren't going to sin? V'at Elohim k'dor ha'malach k'dor ha'flaga. And maybe you're going to wipe them out like you did to the dor ha'malach dor ha'flaga. So, Hakodesh Boruch Hu said, "I'm not going to." "Omer l'fano." So, this is where Avraham Avinu kicked in and he said, "Ribono shel Olam, hodi'eini b'meirah she'eina." Prove it to me. How do I know? I mean, it doesn't make sense. Because if we're going to sin, we're going to deserve to be wiped out, and I'm assuming you're going to wipe us out. "Omer Alai." So, Hakodesh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu, "K'chi li eglah meshuleshes v'iz meshuleshes." Stop bringing all the animals of the bris bein ha'bsorim. Why animals? "Kol asher bo chem." Bring animals, bring korbanos, because you're going to bring korbanos, and like this, everything's going to be okay. But, "Omer l'fano." But, Avraham Avinu continued. He said, "Ribono shel Olam, tein nach b'zman she'eina Beis Hamikdash kayem." Avraham Avinu saw with his vital ogen, he had ruach hakodesh, he knew that there'd be a day that we wouldn't have a Beis Hamikdash, where we wouldn't be able to take an eglah meshuleshes and an iz meshuleshes. "B'zman she'ein Beis Hamikdash kayem, mah aleihem?" What's going to be with them then? "Omer Alai." So, Hakodesh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu, "Kvar tikanti lahem seder korbanos. I already instituted seder korbanos. B'zman she'korein bahem l'fanai, marani aleihem k'ilu hikrivum l'fanai, v'ani mochel lahem al kol avonoseihem." When the Yidden learn korbanos, I will consider it as if they brought the korbanos, and I'm going to give them the same exact mechilah they would have gotten had they actually brought the carbonas. And this theme of kol is sick This theme of this man she is royal. It's something that underpinned the writings of the and this was by far the primary reason that he felt that you didn't children cotton. So I just want to read two paragraphs from the words of the time. Word being I'm very taken aback. Over the fact that you didn't do not make a crease to learn cotton. Imagine somebody would have done something for the king. And the king says because of what you did, I owe you big time. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to give you a piece of paper and this paper gives you a to spend 10 minutes in my and you can come and you can take silver tens of thousands of rubles. Is it possible that this person would take that he would put it in his little chest somewhere. You know, wait for a rainy day when I have nothing going on and then I'll go and call in my chips. And if you would know a person that did that everybody would look at him and what a fool he is. Any person that would hear what he did WOULD SAY IF I HAD IT I WOULD MAKE SO MUCH MONEY. OVER SAYS the time. He says today we're like that person. >> The one we just read. Then when we learn caution in addition to the caution of we're going to get another caution. That caution will probably be no way he's going to back out. But actually saying no. We're lazy. We leave that proverbial piece of paper that I have to leave it in the corner. And we don't even pay attention. Just imagine we get the right now today that the was built. I don't care who you are. Every person who would figure out a way and he would spend tens of thousands of dollars to go to Israel. To bring a carbon for all that says that he was over. For all the feelings of that he wishes he could have brought a carbon for the rest of his life. Now he would take this opportunity to bring the title. And like this is like a postscript in the if the person It's possible that's what he would do. I'm skipping a little bit. And now now we can do this. You don't have to wait for the base of the be built. You don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars. It's something we can do today. Are you really moving carbon the carbon the carbon the carbon awesome the carbon the carbon the carbon the carbon We could do everything that we need to do. Just a little bit of a feel just a taste of what's going on here in the safer really an idea that permeated that permeated all the foreign of the Hafiz time. What came to mind as I was going through the safer a little bit was the that we mentioned several years ago that Shapiro the founder of gave on his name after So Shapiro was master of his time incredibly. was less than two months after his name after But Shapiro was master of the his time and when he was master of him one of the themes of the was that his time was a time. And he was the of the dark that said that it was borrowed to everyone in the generation that if the would have been built in that dark the would have stepped in and he would have been the and he talks about how much the meant to the time how much the of the time was something that was important to the time etc. etc. And he says as follows. He says the this is talking about time the all your of the time every word every thought was his time back to he said read the to all HIS THE TIME THE OTHER all of the other show >> This what he writes. He said the first time was obsessed with He was obsessed with that way that the base of those. HE SAYS AND YOU SEE IT IN HIS FORUM. TALKED as much about learning culture as he talked about there's not good this is the way it was it's something that he always always always talked about and this huge huge thing of the of the and then he feared as follows. He said that we know on Yom Kippur Yom Kippur night so the Godel would have to stay up. The reason is he shouldn't become Tommy and they would keep the Godel up the entire night and it was it wasn't so easy to keep him up and we know these we learned them when we were in the first in the in the first but big not in the mission says in the event that the was trying to fall asleep so the young man in the front of the they would hit him with a finger. They would say my master the I might stand up for like stand up on the floor. They would keep him busy until this now how would they keep him busy? So if he knew how to learn they would tell him learn and if he didn't know how to learn I told him how many times that I read the Daniel. So the time is this is the the Leviathan and being master of him. So Shapiro got up and he said that I want to be what was going on in those a little bit he said the standing I was about to do the he's doing the on Yom Kippur. Where was he for the last seven days? That's the beginning of seven young You put him, he was cast away and when he came into the Yuma Kodesh, he was on such a high madrega. The madrega that he was on was mamesh ad lo hafli. So, the Kohanim came to the Kodesh Godol and they said, "Ish Kohanim Godol, my master the Kohanim Godol, am oyved v'hofeich achas al ha'ritzpa. Says, I know you're in the Himlen right now and you can't even relate to us. How are you going to relate to us? You're coming from seven days of seclusion, seven days of kiyum ha'Torah. But maybe one foot am oyved v'hofeich achas al ha'ritzpa, plant one foot here on the ground so you could be noiser boil, you could see a little bit what's going on with us right now. Because our situation right now is very, very dire. For you Kohanim lifnei v'lifnim b'Sefer Iyov, they would tell the Kohanim Godol that you're going to go into the Kodesh ha'Kodashim, you're going to do the avodah, don't forget Iyov, don't forget the tzaros of Klal Yisrael. They would tell him about Divrei HaYamim, don't forget Jewish history, it's been so hard, it's been so bleak, it's been so difficult and so challenging. Forget this Divrei HaYamim. THEY WOULD READ HIM SEFER EZRA. What does Sefer Ezra talk about? Binyan Beis HaMikdash. Davening which b'zchus to the Geulah. Sefer Daniel, Daniel's holding a voos about Beis HaMikdash. And this was the avodah this was going on. So, turns to the Chofetz Chaim, he said, "You are the Kohanim Godol of this day." He says, "K'mo kein anu kor'in elacha, we call out to you, Rabbeinu, Rabbeinu Ishi Kohanim Godol, am oyved v'hofeich achas al ha'ritzpa. Sham yishlach liton b'olam ha'elyon b'ad ha're'im. You're coming up to the olam ha'emes now. You know what's going on in the world. Imagine 1930s in Europe. Says, "You know what's going on right. You know how hard it is for Jews. You know of this disaster that feels like it's on its way. And he pleaded to him, he says, "Go up to Shamayim and talk about the Iyov tzusach don the velt. Talk about the Divrei HaYamim. And davening already Sefer Ezra and Daniel. This These were the words These were the words that R' Meir Shapiro said when it was mass for the Hafetz Chaim. The voice said, "Tomorrow tomorrow night, Chof Daled Elul, is the yahrzeit of the Hafetz Chaim. And it's a pelladigah zach. It's mamash unbelievable. When you appreciate how much limud kochi meant to the Hafetz Chaim that Klal Yisrael starting to learn Seder Kodashim on the yahrzeit of the Hafetz Chaim, to me from all the hashkafos that we've had in this last machseh, this might be number one. And it's not just how much It's not just how much limud Seder Kodashim meant to the Hafetz Chaim, but how much Daf Yomi meant to the Hafetz Chaim. And everyone knows R' Meir Shapiro is of course the one that's credited with founding Daf Yomi. It was his rayan, it was his idea, but it was done very much with the support of the Hafetz Chaim. R' Meir Shapiro was a younger man, mamash in his early 30s when the when Daf Yomi started. And he told the Hafetz Chaim that, "You know, I'm going to come up and I'm going to introduce Daf Yomi. No one's going to pay attention to me. You should do it. Right? Maybe one of the big rebbe's should do it." "If I'm going to No one's going to" But the Hafetz Chaim said, "It was your idea and ilu havi parnanka, you're the one that's going to have to say." He said, "But no one's going to take me seriously." He said, "Don't worry. I want you to be the last person to walk into the room." Everyone knows the story, right? It's a true story. Everyone knows the story that R' Meir Shapiro was the last one to walk in. The Hafetz Chaim was sitting The Hafetz Chaim stood up and made a mussaf for R' Meir Shapiro. And when everyone saw the kavod that the Hafetz Chaim gave R' Meir Shapiro, they said, "He's obviously not just another younger man, and we have to take him seriously." And as they say, a hundred and something years later, the rest is history. But when you appreciate how much limud kochi meant to the Hafetz Chaim, how much Daf Yomi meant to the Hafetz Chaim for hundreds of thousands of years and to start Kol Ha'Zman Achim on the yahrzeit of the Hafetz Chaim, I mean, it's poshut, something's happening over here that's above my pay grade. But either way, I think for those unsure whether or not this is the right time to jump in, I think it's a double poshut. It's a mona milsei in the beginning of a year. In the chos simon milsei hegeidole mizoo, I think in the of learning say say the culture and we that the hill on his yard side will be will be and will be and really wow and like I feel is we turn to the we say you should at least 12 times a month but with one foot down on this world take a look at what's going on over here. The the Daniel take a look at all the other clients on needs to go over there. This is our only way out of the situation that we're in and the of us learning and the of us bringing every day and the we should to the Islam and may I mean it.