Klal Yisroel’s Collective Soul

By Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l  Translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

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[Shavuos is when we received the Torah, the greatest thing that ever happened to Klal Yisroel.  The worst thing that can happen to us, therefore, is a diminishment of Torah.  The following thoughts were taken from paragraphs 4 and 5 of Mishnas Rabbi Aharon Chailek aleph – in a Maamar entitled, “v’Talmud Torah K’neged Kulam.” yh]

SOMETHING HORRIBLE

The Navi in Shmuel Aleph (3:11) states, And Hashem said to Shmuel [regarding the house of Eli because Eli did not rebuke his sons for doing bad things], “Behold, I am about to do something in Israel, about which the two ears of everyone who hears it, will tingle.”  Chazal tell us in the Yalkut Shimoni (on the pasuk) that it refers to when the Aron was captured.  Similarly, when the Maggid came to Eli (Shmuel I 4:17-18):

THE CAPTURING OF THE ARON DURING ELI’S TIME DIMINSHED TORAH STUDY

And the one who had reported the news, answered and said, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people, and also your two sons perished, Chofni and Pinchas, and the Ark of Hashem was taken.” And it was, when he mentioned the Ark of Hashem that he (Eli) fell off the chair backward [through the gate opening, and his neck broke and he died].  And this is what was said to the Navi [Shmuel] concerning Klal Yisroel – for the greatest shock to Klal Yisroel is the capture of the Aron.  This causes a diminishing of the study of Torah and a weakening of the influence of the Torah from High.

And who else is like our generation which suffers from forgetting of Torah and a diminishing of her influence?

KLAL YISROEL HAS ONE COLLECTIVE NESHAMA

The greatest Hatzolah that can be done for our nation lay in strengthening the tent of Torah where students study and engage in deep Torah study.  This is what gives life and sustains the entire nation for all of our neshamos are tied to one another.  Indeed, there is one general neshama for all of Knesses Yisroel.  It is for this reason that there is the notion of Kol Yisroel areivim ze lazeh – All Jews are guarantors for each other.  How great is the chessed of those who support Torah in various places – those who toil in the Torah of Hashem day and night.

THE TEACHING AND SUPPORTING OF TORAH

Chazal have said in Sotah (49b) on the pasuk in Aishes Chayil (Mishlei 31:27), “And the Torah of chessed, lovingkindness, is on her tongue “ – And is there a Torah that is not one of chessed?  Rather, it means the teaching of Torah – this is the understanding of a Torah of Chessed.  The explanation is that all study of Torah is chessed – however, there is a higher and greater aspect of it, a chessed of chessed – and that is the teaching of Torah.  This concept also applies to those who support Torah and to those who honor it.

The translator can be reached at [email protected]

IF ANYONE WISHES TO SUBSCRIBE TO THESE DIVREI TORAH FROM RAV AHARON KOTLER ZT”L, PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] WITH THE WORDS “RAV AHARON” IN SUBJECT.