An emotional l’chaim gathering was held this week in the home of Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, marking the publication of his new sefer Eshmera Shabbos. In the course of his divrei chizuk, Rav Zilberstein addressed the grave threats facing Klal Yisroel, including those posed by Iran, declaring that the Jewish people possess their own powerful “bombs” — the sefarim of Torah written through toil and mesirus nefesh.
The modest gathering, attended by close talmidim and associates, was held in honor of the appearance of the first volume of Eshmera Shabbos, published by the Zikaron Avigdor Institute. The sefer is the opening volume of a new series of chiddushei Torah by Rav Zilberstein on Hilchos Shabbos, based on Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Berurah cheilek gimmel.
After authoring dozens of volumes of Chashukei Chemed over many decades, spanning the entire Shas from Berachos through Niddah, Rav Zilberstein began work over the past two years on this new series devoted specifically to the laws of Shabbos. The work follows the well-known derech of Rav Zilberstein, plumbing the depths of each halachic sugya and extracting clear psakim on contemporary and practical questions, suitable both for lomdei Torah in the beis medrash and for discussion at the Shabbos table.
The roots of Eshmera Shabbos go back to the days immediately following the outbreak of the Iron Swords war, after the horrific massacre of Simchas Torah תשפ״ד. Already during the hakafos, Rav Zilberstein ascended the bimah by the Aron Kodesh and cited the words of the Ibn Ezra in the piyut Ki Eshmera Shabbos — Keil Yishmereini, explaining that one who strengthens himself in the learning and observance of Hilchos Shabbos is guaranteed special Heavenly protection.
Only days later, it became apparent that Shabbos-observant kibbutzim were spared from the terrible slaughter. On Isru Chag Sukkos תשפ״ד, Rav Zilberstein published a public letter titled “Eis Tzarah Hi L’Yaakov U’Mimenah Yivashea”, calling upon every Jew to learn two halachos of Shabbos daily. He concluded with a striking promise that whoever would do so would be protected from harm.
That letter reverberated throughout the Olam HaTorah, leading to the opening of countless shiurim in Hilchos Shabbos. Thousands took upon themselves daily study, with many reporting yeshuos beyond the natural order.
Rav Zilberstein himself fulfilled his own words. He instructed the avreichim of Kollel Beis Dovid in Cholon, which he heads, to overhaul their learning program and shift from Maseches Zeraim to an in-depth focus on Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Berurah, cheilek gimmel. Together with the kollel, Rav Zilberstein began learning Hilchos Shabbos and simultaneously writing the new sefer.
A unique feature of the Eshmera Shabbos series is the inclusion, for the first time, of previously unpublished manuscripts and handwritten notes that Rav Zilberstein composed for himself over many years on the Mishnah Berurah. After careful editing and review by Rav Zilberstein, these writings have now been brought to print.
The project, including the substantial financial investment required, was undertaken by Rav Zilberstein’s close confidant and trusted associate, Rav Mordechai Porges, who established the Zikaron Avigdor Institute in memory of his father. A team of talmidei chachamim served as editors, overseeing the work with great diligence.
After two years of intense labor, the first volume of Eshmera Shabbos has now emerged from the press, covering simanim רמ״ב through רס״ט. The volume is filled with timely and penetrating halachic discussions drawn from Rav Zilberstein’s vast storehouse of Torah, intended to illuminate the laws of Shabbos for all who learn them.
The l’chaim opened as Rav Zilberstein received the freshly printed sefarim directly from the press. With visible emotion, he recited the brachah of Shehecheyanu with Shem U’Malchus over the new sefer.
Rav Zilberstein delivered stirring divrei chizuk.
“I want to tell you something,” he said. “The Jewish people need tremendous rachamim. We are bnei yeshivos and we do not go to the army, because this is written in the Chumash. When HaKadosh Baruch Hu commanded the conquest of Eretz Yisroel, one shevet did not go — Shevet Levi — because although an army is necessary, Shevet Levi remained to sit and learn Torah. As the Rambam explains… today as well, baruch Hashem, we have bnei yeshivos, and they also do not go to the army.”
He then spoke sharply about Israel’s enemies. “Now these reshaim arurim arise, descendants of Haman ha’rasha, making ‘bombs’ to destroy Medinas Yisroel. What do you want from us? What do you have to do with Eretz Yisroel? You don’t even sit on our border. What do you want, rasha merusha? These bombs he makes…”
Rav Zilberstein emphasized that Torah labor itself is a form of מלחמה. “So we bnei yeshivos do not go to the army, but we must fight. We fight with amal and zeiah to write sefarim. We sweat — truly sweat. In our kollel there are fifty avreichim; there is not one who speaks devarim beteilim.”
“This,” he said, referring to the new sefer, “is our war with Iran. It was written with tremendous effort — two full years of learning. This is our battle. We do not go to the army, but we must do what was done in the days of the nevi’im. By us there is no idle talk — only ‘Ki eshmera Shabbos, Keil yishmereini.’”
He continued: “Those who do not go to the army must remember — we are protecting Am Yisroel. We must learn with strength. Baruch Hashem, by us no one speaks during learning. We only daven for all those who are there in the army.”
Rav Zilberstein concluded with words that deeply moved those present. “We want to protect all our brothers. Lomdei Torah protect, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu will help us see yeshuos for all of Klal Yisroel. Since he has declared that he wants to destroy the nation, we too declare: we will publish sefarim. Today he spoke in Iran about terrible bombs — we too have bombs. Sefarim. That too is a bomb. And our bomb will be bigger than his bomb.”
{Matzav.com}
