“If one wants to establish a new program or spiritual undertaking for Klal Yisrael it must only be done on the foundation of the advice of Gedolei Yisrael. In addition to the haskama of the Gedolim, the underpinnings of any worthwhile program or endeavor for Klal Yisrael must also have their enthusiastic input and backing.” These words were said by Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, at a meeting with the Modzhitzer Rebbe, shlita, in the Rebbe’s Bnei Brak home.

Their conversation revolved around the Amud HaYomi program established by Dirshu just under a year ago on Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. The Rebbe was commenting on the program’s phenomenal success and the fact that multitudes the world over are learning the Amud HaYomi with a degree of depth that they had not learned in the past. When asked why the program has become so successful, Rav Hofstedter unequivocally stated that its foundation was established at an asifa in Bnei Brak led by HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka and attended by other Ziknei Hador, Roshei Yeshivos, Admorim and Poskim. Only something that comes about through the opinions of the Gedolei Yisrael has success,” concluded Rav Hofstedter.

The visit with the Modzhitzer Rebbe was a culmination of several visits that Rav Hofstedter and members of hanhalas Dirshu had with senior Gedolei Yisrael in advance of Rosh Hashanah. Among them was a meeting to celebrate a siyum with HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron and HaGaon Harav Chaim Feinstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo. The siyum was on Masechta Bava Metziah learned in the Dirshu Chaburas Shas program.

While in Bnei Brak, Rav Hofstedter together with senior members of Hanhalas Dirshu met with HaGaon HaRav Meir Tzvi Bergman, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Rashbi, and HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shaul Klein, shlita, senior Posek and Rav of Western Bnei Brak.

In Yerushalayim, Rav Hofstedter met with HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl, shlita, Rav of the Old City, and HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Bezalel, shlita, senior Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Porat Yosef.

In addition, there were meetings with HaGaon HaRav Aviezer Piltz, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Tifrach, and HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Freidman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yesodot and founder of numerous other yeshivos.

Aside from, of course, receiving brachos for the upcoming new year, the Hanhala of Dirshu had the opportunity to discuss numerous important issues relevant to Klal Yisrael and hear the opinions of these Gedolim on questions they had regarding Dirshu’s numerous programs.

The Question

One of the most fascinating meetings was the one with HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Piltz, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Tifrach Yeshiva and one of the senior Gedolei Yisrael of Eretz Yisrael. Rav Piltz spent much time advising Hanhalas Dirshu and answering important questions on prioritizing the needs of Klal Yisrael.

Rav Piltz is familiar with Dirshu’s programs and the bracha that they bring to the yeshivos as his yeshiva is a longtime participant in Dirshu’s programs. He is also very familiar with the profound accomplishments of Acheinu, Dirshu’s kiruv arm which engages in myriad programs and yeshivos for those who do not come from a Torah background. In fact, Rav Ariel Elbaz, a close talmid of Rav Piltz’s, runs the Acheinu Yeshiva in Petach Tikva.

During the course of their discussion, the subject of prioritization came up: Where should more emphasis and resources be put - on kiruv areas related to Acheinu or on more programs that facilitate limud haTorah in Dirshu’s programs?

Rav Hofstedter related that although they had asked a variation of this question to the Posek Hador, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the variables of the questions constantly change and consistently require the wisdom and guidance of the Gedolei Yisroel. The question is particularly relevant in our times when many yeshivos have lost significant amounts of government funding and even just simply supporting yeshivos has becoming critically important.

… And the Answer

Before answering the question, Rav Piltz bemoaned the difficulties facing yeshivos coupled with and the lack of understanding in the wider world regarding the life-saving role accomplished by the learning of bnei yeshivos. At the same time, he strongly cautioned against inflaming already existing tensions and advised the Torah community to retain a low profile during this difficult period.

Then, Rav Piltz addressed the question, responding that in truth this question comes up in many scenarios and is one that every marbitz Torah and Rosh Yeshiva faces at some point or another. For example, when a maggid shiur gives a shiur, some of the bachurim are outstanding and can absorb more information and more depth. Then there are bachurim who are a bit weaker and may become overwhelmed and confused by too much information. To whom should the maggid shiur cater, the kerovim or the rechokim, those who are outstanding or those who are more average?

“The answer I received from my rebbeim,” Rav Piltz explained, “is to focus on all the bachurim and to make sure that even those who are weaker can understand while simultaneously giving extra attention and care to those who are above average and try to enrich them at any time possible without neglecting the less gifted bachurim.”

Rav Piltz then applied these rules to learning in general and praised Dirshu for bringing yedias haTorah to the forefront. He also cautioned the hanhala of Dirshu to always keep things in perspective.

“The last few decades it was a busha to know masechtos. Some people were so focused on understanding the depth of a sugya that in some ways, they looked down at those who had also acquired wide-ranging knowledge. I was not brought up that way. Our Mashgiach in Chevron, Rav Meir Chodosh, insisted that in addition to the depth of iyun that we learned in the morning, we should make sure to complete a daf of Gemara every day.”

As important as it is to learn and be tested on bekius, Rav Piltz continued, it should never supersede the iyun seder because the point of iyun seder is to teach us “tzu kennen lernen – to know how to learn.”

He related that a kiruv organization once told Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva of Yerushalayim, that they had succeeded in enrolling 400 children into yeshivos. Rav Nosson Tzvi was pleased but added, “What did I do? I succeeded in getting 400 yungeleit to start saying chaburos.”

Hashem’s Goodness

The visit to the home of Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman was particularly inspiring. Rav Meir Tzvi, one of the shearei knesses hagedolah, one of the last remaining Gedolim of his era, who was a ben bayis by the Chazon Ish and a son-in-law of Rav Shach, received Rav Hofstedter and the delegation with remarkable warmth.

During their exchange of brachos for the New Year, Rav Bergman related an electrifying Torah thought. He cited the well-known halacha that is learned from a passuk that we say daily in Kriyas Shema, “V’nasati eisav b’sadecha liv’hemtecha, v’achalta v’savata.” The Gemara learns from here that before eating, a person is obligated to first feed his animals. When citing this halacha, the Rambam in the ninth chapter of Hilchos Avadim appends a critical addition and writes, “The early chachamim would first give their servants from every food and also give their animals. Only after that would they themselves eat.” The Rambam concludes, “does not the [passuk] say like the eyes of a slave is turned towards its master and like the eyes of maidservant are turned towards her ‘gevirtah, owner’s wife’?”

“That passuk,” Rav Meir Tzvi continued, “is referring to an eved kenaani. Now, we have no obligation to give an eved kenaani food. Why then does the Rambam say that we should give them and not only give them, but give them first? The answer is because the eved kenaani has no one else to whom he can turn. If we don’t give him, he will die from hunger. This is the gutskeit, the goodness of Klal Yisrael - they give to the eved kenaani even without an obligation and even if he doesn’t deserve it.

“However, the passuk that begins with the words, ‘like the eyes of a slave is turned towards its master and like the eyes of maidservant are turned towards her gevirtah, owner’s wife,’ ends off with the words, ‘kein eineinu el Hashem, so too are our own eyes fixated towards Hashem.’”

“According to this,” Rav Meir Tzvi concluded, “we have a much deeper understanding of what we say every Rosh Hashanah in the tefillah of Hayom Haras Olam where we say, ‘Im kevanim, im ka’avadim, if we are like children, have mercy on us like a father has mercy on his children but if we are like slaves, eineinu lecha teluyos – our eyes are turned towards you, depending on You, until You will favor us.’” Rav Meir Tzvi concluded, “I understood from this that on Rosh Hashanah we are begging Hashem and saying, ‘If we are like slaves, still You are the biggest baal middos, it is Your gutskeit that knows that we have no one else to turn to and therefore You must help us, just as You help the slave who has no one else to feed him so he won’t die’…”

Rav Meir Tzvi also bemoaned the fact that there is a gezeirah hanging over the heads of the bnei yeshivos and that there are those who want to take them out of the beis medrash. He emphasized repeatedly that learning Torah is the ultimate protection from our enemies.

“The Fact that Dirshu Experiences So Much Siyatta D’Shmaya is a Sign That it is Very Beloved by Hashem!”

One of the most inspiring visits was the visit to the home of HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Friedman, shlita, in the Moshav of Yesodot. In addition to being one of the senior Ziknei Roshei Yeshivos of Eretz Yisrael, Rav Friedman is one of the prime builders of Yeshivos throughout Eretz Yisrael. Rav Freidman has established tens of yeshivos across the country including some of the most distinguished yeshivos such as the Yeshiva of Tifrach, Yesodot, and numerous others. It is fascinating to note that many senior members of Dirshu’s hanhala are his talmidim from decades ago.

Rav Friedman has also had experience with yeshivos for baalei teshuva. Although Rav Friedman very much encouraged support for regular yeshivos, he simultaneously insisted that a yeshiva such as Yeshivas Acheinu that caters to baalei teshuva must also be supported and as long as there are talmidim that need their services, such a yeshiva must continue to exist even when there are budgetary constraints on the classical yeshivos. Rav Friedman said, “In Novardok, it was said that a person has to plant seeds everywhere. He must build yeshivos for all kinds of bachurim and when one sees the ‘fruit’ growing that is where he should pour more ‘water’ and invest even more effort.”

Rav Friedman concluded that the fact that Dirshu experiences so much Siyatta D’Shmaya and hatzlacha is a sign that it is very beloved by Hashem.

“The Practical, Modern-Day Halachic Rulings Make the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah Indispensable!”

HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl, one of the Ziknei Hador and great Poskim, welcomed the Dirshu delegation and Rav Hofstedter with visible simcha. As they entered his room to receive his bracha, the delegation saw a set of the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah on his desk that was clearly well worn and used. Rav Nebenzahl told Rav Hofstedter that the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah is a unique work that is an extremely important sefer for daily halacha. Rav Nebenzahl who personally published a Mishnah Berurah with his own commentary entitled “Yitzchak Yikarei”, highlighted the importance of the practical halachic rulings for modern day scenarios that make the Dirshu edition of the Mishnah Berurah indispensable.

Rav Moshe Shaul Klein: “It is No Surprise that the Amud HaYomi has Conquered the World!”

Rav Moshe Shaul Klein, Rav of Western Bnei Brak and a talmid muvhak of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, is no stranger to Dirshu. For more than twenty years, he has been accompanying Dirshu and many of their halacha programs, especially the Kinyan Halacha iyun program that was designed with his guidance and input.

Rav Klein, a true talmid of Rav Wosner, stressed how much Rav Wosner valued Dirshu and pushed Rav Hofstedter to expand and open more and more programs. Nevertheless, he said that twenty years ago he would not have believed that Dirshu could expand and become such an integral component in facilitating shteiging and Torah learning throughout the frum world.

During their conversation, Rav Klein hailed the new Amud HaYomi and said that he is not surprised that the new program has conquered the world with many hundreds of shiurim and tens of thousands of learners. He explained that the slower pace and the ability to chazer and retain makes it very geshmak.

Indeed, after all the visits to the Gedolei Yisrael, Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s Hanhala remarked, “The fact that so many Gedolei Yisrael value the tremendous role that Dirshu plays in the Torah world affords Dirshu the encouragement to continue further in strengthening the existing programs and devising new programs to be mezakeh es harabbim in the year 5785.”