Stories Of Greatness

The Rosh Kollel of the Medrash Eliyahu Kollel Avreichim in the city of Elad in Central Israel, is Rav Avraham Pechter shlita. He is not only a well-known talmid chacham, but also an accomplished fundraiser, who maintains contact with businessmen and wealthy benefactors all over the world, and often travels to the United States and Europe to raise money.

One of the most famous midrashim on the Torah concerns the Arbaah Minim that we take on Sukkos. “‘Fruit of the hadar tree’ symbolizes Israel: Just as the esrog has taste as well as fragrance, so Israel has among them those who possess learning and good deeds. ‘Branches of palm-trees’ also applies to Israel: Just as the palm tree has taste but no fragrance, so Israel has among them those who possess learning but not good deeds. ‘And boughs of a myrtle tree’ likewise applies to Israel: Just as the myrtle has fragrance but no taste, so Israel has among them those who possess good deeds but not learning. ‘And willows of a brook’ also applies to Israel: Just as the willow has no taste and no fragrance, so Israel has among them those who possess neither learning nor good deeds. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? To destroy them is impossible. ‘However,’ says the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘let them all be bound together in one bundle, and they will atone one for another.’”

After the Mabul (Flood) wiped out mankind and civilization as it were, Hashem spoke to Noach and commanded him to rebuild the world once more. Noach was not simply a “survivor”; he was charged with an awesome task, a responsibility like no other. He must go forth and repopulate, replant, resettle – and basically restart life on this world.

The problems facing a fellow Jew are our pro blems, and the tears streaming down their faces are just as real to us as they are to them. If we are looking for ways to repent our sins with a complete t’shuvah and herald the holy day of Yom Kippur when we reunite with our Father in Heaven, this is where we must begin. We reach upwards by reaching outwards.

A remarkable personage who, according to tradition, occupied the throne of Poland for a short time was a Jew by the name of Shaul Wahl.  As legend goes, his father had done a great favor for one of the Polish princes, Nicholas Radziwill, and in return, the prince took young Shaul, whom he had searched for and located studying in a yeshivah in Brest-Litovsk (Brisk), under his wing.  He was so captivated by the brilliance and depth of Shaul’s intellect that he brought him to his own castle, provided for all his wants, and supplied him with all possible means for study.  The noblemen who visited Radziwill’s court marveled at the wisdom and learning of the young Jew, and thus the fame of Shaul spread throughout Poland.

When the Bolshevik Revolution overtook the Russian landscape, one of the primary objectives of the ruling Communist Party was to dismantle the practice of religion, particularly the Jewish religion. To that end, many decrees were issued against the practice and observance of Judaism, and many Jews were forced to flee their homes or professional practices in secret. Moscow, which had recently become the capital city of the USSR, forbade Jews to reside within its limits, and only certain worker permits were issued to Jews in special cases.