Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein delivered a powerful message of chizuk to a group of melamdim and mechanchim in Holon, telling them that the Torah learned by young children represents Klal Yisroel’s greatest protection and declaring, “You are the real Israel Defense Forces — they stole the name from us.”
The staff members of Talmud Torah Beis Dovid in Holon visited Rav Zilberstein in his learning room in honor of the beginning of the Elul zeman. Hundreds of children learn at the Talmud Torah, which is under Rav Zilberstein’s nesius. The melamdim and mechanchim were accompanied by the school’s director, Rabbi Avraham Ovadia, and came to hear words of guidance and chizuk for their vital role in educating the next generation.
Rav Zilberstein began by addressing the tense security situation and fears surrounding Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“Look, my dear friends, do you know what the prime ministers here are afraid of today? An atomic bomb. It is clear to him that Iran has an atomic bomb, because the biggest liars in the world are Iran; they are the biggest liars in the world. He says that from the way they speak with passion and conviction, it seems to him that they have the bomb. An atomic bomb is the greatest fear in the world today, and I heard that the government here is afraid of the bomb.”
Rav Zilberstein then turned to the melamdim and told them where, from a Torah perspective, Klal Yisroel’s true defense lies.
“Do you know who the greatest force against the atomic bomb is? You! How? There are children who are free of sin — these tinokos shel beis rabban who are here. Their prayer is prayer, their learning is learning; there is no accuser. When Haman came to Mordechai and heard that he was learning with them the laws of kemitzah, he said, ‘I am lost.’ He also knew that the Jewish people have a weapon, and the weapon we have is not drums or dancing; our weapon is the children!
“You, my dear friends, are the weapon of the Jewish people. You teach tinokos who are free of sin, and they are our weapon. The children must learn well, and that is in our hands. Children who learn well are the shield of the Jewish people.”
Rav Zilberstein also stressed the importance of ensuring that children conduct themselves with proper derech eretz, particularly at a time when resentment toward lomdei Torah is intense.
“There are children whom I see in the street, acting a little wild, walking around like that, and it is very bad… We have to be very careful with the children in the street. If people see them outside wandering around freely… the anger against Torah learners is truly terrible. They say: ‘We are all here at war, and look how they are walking around the street, looking here, looking there; there are some who even smoke a few cigarettes. Your brothers went out to war and you will sit here.’ It is destructive!
“You, my dear friends, are today in charge of the Israel Defense Forces. What is the army that we have? The army — this is our army. Children who walk in the street with derech eretz and behave with derech eretz and seriousness — that is the greatest weapon in the world, and it is in your hands.”
Turning to the practical work of chinuch, Rav Zilberstein said that frightening children with talk of an Iranian atomic bomb may not necessarily be the proper approach. Instead, he urged the melamdim to inspire their talmidim through stories of tzaddikim that instill yiras Shomayim and demonstrate what genuine dedication to Torah looks like.
“To instill in them and tell them that there is an atomic bomb, I don’t know if that is exactly the right way. But look at this picture. This is my father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. Let me tell you what happened with him:
“In Yerushalayim, a hot-air balloon (zeppelin) once arrived for the first time. Rav Elyashiv heard that a hot-air balloon had arrived, so he left his house in order to see it. After taking one step, he immediately said to himself: ‘You should be ashamed of yourself. The Jewish people need yeshuos and you are going to see a hot-air balloon? Are you crazy? Is this why you were born into the world? To see a hot-air balloon?’ He immediately went back. Although he very much wanted to see this wonder, he restrained himself and locked himself in. There is no balloon, there is no flying; there is only one thing — the holy Torah!
“Stories of tzaddikim can help tremendously. Stories about tzaddikim are very, very important — stories of tzaddikim that bring inspiration and yiras Shomayim.”
Rav Zilberstein then shared two memories from the Yerushalayim of his childhood, illustrating the sensitivity and yiras Shomayim of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt”l, the author of the Even HaEzel.
“I’ll give you another example of stories of yiras Shomayim. I learned in Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim in Yerushalayim. I was a small child, and our rebbe was Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer zt”l. We followed him and saw that during the summer he would not take the shortest route from Eitz Chaim to his home, but would make a detour. We wanted to know why he made a detour. Whom do you ask? Only family members. They went and approached the Rebbetzin and said to her: We want to know, Rebbetzin, why does Rav Isser Zalman go this way? She answered: There are very beautiful watermelons there, and he is afraid that he will give an ayin hara!
“If someone else had told me this, I would have told him that either you are telling a joke or you don’t know Rav Isser Zalman. Maybe you are confusing him with somebody else. Why would he even look at the watermelons?
“But since it is written in the Gemara (Bava Basra 2b), Rav Abba said in the name of Rav Huna in the name of Rav: It is forbidden for a person to stand in his friend’s field when the crop is fully grown, and as Rashi explains there, ‘so that he should not harm it with an evil eye.’ What crops do we have in Yerushalayim? When there are good fruits, like a red watermelon, it is like what the Gemara was discussing. Therefore, in his great goodness, he was afraid and concerned about this. It is simply unbelievable.”
Rav Zilberstein then related another incident involving Rav Isser Zalman, this one concerning an ani who came seeking tzedakah.
“Another small story. These things are small, but in truth they are great, and we have to tell children stories of tzaddikim. I learned under Rav Isser Zalman in cheder. A poor man came, knocked and asked for tzedakah. Rav Isser Zalman told him: I don’t have money right now. So he left. A moment later, the Rebbetzin, Baila Hinda a”h, came in and told him that all of her milk had spilled from the pot onto the fire, and she said she did not know why it had happened. Rav Isser Zalman said: I know why… because he did not give tzedakah to the poor man.
“He went out into the street and ran after the poor man, Reb Yankel! So Reb Yankel, the poor man, says to Rav Isser Zalman: ‘Ah, something already spilled in your house’… Yerushalayim is a city of truth. Rav Isser Zalman saw this and did not respond. He only apologized that he had not had money.
“This is what stories of tzaddikim are, and this is what must be done. It is a mitzvah for each of our dear beloved ones to find a story about tzaddikim, to tell stories of quality, like this incident, which was a tremendous mussar haskel for me.”
Rav Zilberstein concluded by returning to his central message to the melamdim: that their daily work with Jewish children is itself part of the spiritual defense of Klal Yisroel.
“These are the things that must be said to talmidei chachomim who are engaged in the Israel Defense Forces. Who are the Israel Defense Forces? You! You who learn with the children — that is the real Israel Defense Forces. They stole the name from us. That name is not theirs. The Israel Defense Forces are us.”
Rav Zilberstein then directed the visitors’ attention from his learning room toward the adjoining kollel, where dozens of avreichim were immersed in their learning.
“Come and see what is going on here. Avreichim are sitting here and do not lift their heads from the Gemara for even a moment. Look. It is a mitzvah to look. Come, look here. Almost all of them have semichah for hora’ah, and there is not one person here speaking devarim beteilim. There is not one person dreaming about devarim beteilim. This is called the Israel Defense Forces. Look here, see here. They sit here day and night; you will not hear one unnecessary word here”…
Rav Zilberstein concluded his remarks with a heartfelt bracha to the melamdim for success in their avodas hakodesh.
“My dear beloved ones, may Hakadosh Boruch Hu help us succeed in carrying out our mission. The Iranians want to prepare only one thing — an atomic bomb — and that is everyone’s fear. But this is the answer: Do not be afraid. Rather, be here (in the kollel), or more correctly, be here (in the Talmud Torah). All the best to you, with God’s help.”
{Matzav.com}
