20 Tevet - Ketzos HaChoshen
Today, the 19th of Tevet marks the Hilula (celebration of the passing) of the Gaon known as "Ketzot HaChoshen" – Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Rabbi Yosef Hacohen Heller, may his merit protect us, buried in the city of Stretin, Ukraine.
Here are some excerpts from lessons in which our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, shlita, speaks about the greatness of Ba'al "Ketzot HaChoshen" and the elevated level of studying from his profound book:
**The "Ketzot HaChoshen" in life did not sleep, and he did not eat like everyone else. He ate at his parents' home, and she [his wife] ate at her parents' home. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman from Brod made this arrangement. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger from Brod had no money, no food, no home, nothing. So, every day he ate at his parents' home, and every day she ate at her parents' home. In life, they had no food; he did not see food in his lifetime. He did not sleep in a bed; he had a terrible and broken bed with a torn blanket. In winter, he would be under a torn blanket, writing the news under the torn blanket, and the ink would freeze from the cold. With thirty degrees below zero, all the windows were covered with frost, rain would come in and turn into ice. The entire house was covered in a layer of ice. So, he would put the ink under the bed warmer, attach it to his chest, maybe it would melt, and thus, he did not sleep and did not eat in his lifetime. In his lifetime, he did not eat even on Shabbat; they could not eat together. Each one would eat only at their parents' home. (Lecture given in the year 5777 on the "Ketzot HaChoshen")**
***
The portions of the Choshen were the true essence of our master, for our master did not offer innovations on the Gemara. Then our master revisited the portions, and that's when he wrote innovations on the Gemara. He departed along with our master, for our master passed away in 1901, and he in 1903. But he truly embodies the soul of our master, as his soul descended to the world to show that one must study the Gemara. In Basel, they don't know they need to learn Gemara; they've never seen the Rebbe learning Gemara. The Rebbe already completed Shas a hundred times, a thousand times, with the Etz Chayim, with everything. The rest already achieved; we have no achievements in this. The Rebbe said all my Torah is just a drop compared to what I truly comprehend, only I express it in children's language, in the language spoken in kindergarten. But these are achievements that don't exist in the world. The first thing is to merit intelligence. The Rebbe says a person received intelligence to learn Gemara with intelligence. Instead of learning Gemara, he looks at smartphones, he looks on the internet, just for intelligence, to show that there is intelligence in everything. The Rebbe is only pure intelligence, the Rebbe is pure, as written in the Rambam of Moshe Rabbeinu, that Moses remained only with intelligence. (Lesson delivered in the Ketzos Hachoshen Yeshiva in 1980).
***
For the main thing is the study of the Gemara. The Rebbe says, "Arise, cry out in the night," that is the study of the Gemara. The entire Chanukah is the study of the Gemara. The entire Chanukah is only the study of the Gemara, to study the portions of the Choshen. A person cannot connect sugyot, every page of Gemara is twenty sugyot, forty sugyot. It's impossible to connect them without the portions of the Choshen. A person who doesn't learn the portions of the Choshen doesn't connect anything and forgets everything.
***
A person comes to the world only to learn the portions of the Choshen. He needs to learn day and night, from 7:30 until 7:30, to finish the portions of the Choshen. A person can finish all the portions of the Choshen, there's no problem. Someone who was awake at night and will sleep another 12.5 hours, that's for 50 years. Someone who already slept can learn from 7:20 until 7:30, pray, and go back to sleep for another 4 hours. Night was created only for versions, that a person needs to turn all his days and all his hours, to turn everything, not to eat only Torah and Torah and Torah. And to give shiurim from 7:30 to 7:30, 12 shiurim. In every shiur an hour, another shiur in the portions of the Choshen, only the portions of the Choshen. That's what explains the Gemara. A person can learn the entire Shas and not know anything. He doesn't understand a word; he doesn't know how to connect the secrets, how they connect.
***
Joseph the Righteous, the Messiah son of Joseph, who is holy, holy, holy, guarding the covenant, can endure 12 years in prison, another year in Potiphar's house, and yet another 9 years in Pharaoh's house, facing trials that no mortal could withstand. All of this is attributed to the merit of dancing, singing, and even mending shoes. His sole occupation was stitching shoes for the Divine Presence.
And only through dancing can he accomplish this; he can learn Gemara, study the details of the breastplate. Without the breastplate, the Rav says, "Upon the melody of the harp" (Psalms 92:4), a person cannot sing if he does not study the details of the breastplate. Why wasn't there redemption? Why did they make the calf? Because they did not study Gemara; this did not help them. Only when a person learns the entire Talmud, all six orders, only then can he stand against the evil inclination. Without the six orders—without Talmud study—even if a person dances all day, it won't help him. Only Talmud study. The Rav says: three arrows in the brain, there are 'three hollows of the skull of the brain'—three hollows in the brain, but only if a person learns Gemara can he repel foreign thoughts.
If a person sleeps at night, all his work is worthless. The Rambam says: the service of God is only at night. The Rambam in the Laws of Torah Study (Chapter 3, Halacha 13) writes that a person should not lose any night in the year, not in eating. A person needs to learn the details of the breastplate for 24 hours; only this grasps the brain! If he learns Gemara without the details of the breastplate, he does not understand what he is learning! It does not connect to him; only when he learns the details of the breastplate can he understand what he is learning!
Several years ago, our teacher Rabbi Eliezer Berland, may he live long and happily, wrote a prayer for his personal Yom Hilula, which began on the 19th of Tevet:
Here is the complete prayer for reading and downloading:
Rabbi Aryeh Heller, may his memory be a blessing, departed on the 19th of Tevet, 5573.
Ketzot HaChoshen, Rabbi Aryeh Heller Zatzal, devoted his entire life's work solely to elevate the Shekhinah to its root and bring about the culmination of the redemption. His soul ascended beyond the crown of nobility in the realm of emanation, extending from the secret of the "Anpin" and the "Parzufim." This was an extended anpin of illumination, symbolized by the month of Tevet, radiating all ten Sefirot of wisdom, the foundation of all wisdom.
Rabbi Aryeh Heller was surrounded by a chariot of fire and fiery horses, reminiscent of Jonathan ben Uzziel, who, while studying Torah, was surrounded by heavenly fire. Rabbi Aryeh Heller's soul was extricated from the crown of emanation, a prolonged anpin, and Israel Saba reached the end of the splendor, an extended anpin radiating from Lebanon. This emanation was the source of all wisdom and understanding.
Throughout his days, Ketzot HaChoshen never ate at home, resembling Elijah the Prophet, who abstained from food and drink for forty days and nights. Through this asceticism, Ketzot HaChoshen achieved the revelation of the Torah, a divine gift bestowed upon us daily and hourly by the awe-inspiring Name, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh."
Ketzot HaChoshen lived in the aspect of the eyes of the congregation for all generations. His departed soul included ten existences, repeated multiple times. His soul was like that of the first man, descending to later generations to rectify and prepare everything for the arrival of Mashiach.
====
Lerefuah veleHatzlacha HaRav Eliezer ben Etya veChaim Berland shlit"a
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire