The Three Pillars of the World:
In honor of the Yahrzeit of my grandfather, the Kretchnifer Rebbe zy”a, which falls on the 16th of Iyar, we shall relate the words said by my father, the Kretchnifer Rebbe shlita, on a Yahrzeit several years ago:
My grandfather, Rav Mordechele of Nadvorna zy”a, told his sons, “There are tzadikim whose kochos are for Torah, there are tzadikim whose kochos are for avodah, and there are tzadikim whose kochos are for gemilus chasadim. My father (Rav Ber’chi of Nadvorna zy”a) was connected with all three of these like a “dovnia” (a kind of heavy plank that was used in those days to level the roads).” The same can be said about my father zy”a. He used his kochos for all three of the pillars that the world stands upon.
The Mishnah in Avos states: “The Anshei Knesses Hagedolah said: Be pleasant in judgment and establish many students and make ‘fences’ for the Torah. Shimon Hatzaik, who was from the remnants of the Knesses Hagedolah, would say that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on avodah and on gemillus chasadim.” We may ask what the connection is between these statements.
The explanation is as follows: After Klal Yisroel went into golus, much Torah was forgotten, as is seen in Sefer Ezra. Therefore, the Chochomim placed much emphasis on Torah study in order to “return the crown to its glory.” For this reason, they said that one should establish many students.
After the glory of Torah was returned to Klal Yisroel, Shimon Hatzadik said that while it is true that one should have many students, the world does not stand on Torah alone. It also needs avodah and gemillus chasadim. The world stands on three pillars, and it needs all three of them to remain standing.
My father, the tzadik and kadosh, utilized all his strength for all three of these things. He delivered many Torah shiurim – on Chumash with Rashi, Gemara, Shlah Hakadosh, Tanya, Chofetz Chaim, etc. He did not suffice with learning on his own. Rather, he used his kochos to teach others as well.
He also put much effort into his avodas hatefillah, putting much chiyus into his davening. Until today, there are many people who credit him with inspiring them to daven with enthusiasm and vigor.
Regarding the pillar of tzedakah, he distributed a lot of funds in secret. It is unknown how much tzedakah he gave out because he wanted to do it l’sheim shomayim, to the extent that no one knew that he was giving so much. Rav Mattisyahu Rubin shlita told me that he was my father’s shliach many times for this mitzvah. In addition to the large sums my father sent to those immersed in Torah, he also gave a lot of money to simple, poor people. During the month of Adar, he would distribute no less than 2,000 shekel to the poor every day.
I once met Rav Shlomo Volpe shlita, a well-known Rov in Rishon L’Tzion, at a simcha in his city. We did not know each other and he asked where I was from. I told him that I am from Kfar Ata, and he asked me if the Kretchnifer Rebbe was my father. When I said that he was, he told me, “Let me tell you a story about your father that you don’t know.”
He related, “When I was a bochur, I was very involved in communal needs. In the years after the war, many child survivors were brought to Eretz Yisroel and all their needs had to be cared for. I heard that there was a nice community of frum Yidden in Kfar Ata and I went there to try to collect some money for this mitzvah. I was walking in the street in Kfar Ata when I heard loud screams emanating from a shul. I ran in to see what was wrong and I saw a young man standing in front of the Aron Kodesh reciting Sefiras Ha’Omer in a loud, tearful voice. I was amazed by his passion and enthusiasm. It took him 20 minutes to recite the tefillah of ‘Ribono Shel Olam’.
“I waited until he finished and then gave him ‘shalom’. He asked me why I had come to Kfar Ata and I told him why I was collecting money. He asked me if I had a place to eat and sleep and I told him that I knew no one in the city and I had nothing. He personally hurried to bring me supper and prepared a bed for me.
“I had already seen that he knew how to daven but I also wanted to know if he knew how to learn. I had learned in Ponovezh and I was a lamdan, so as I ate supper, I told him a devar Torah. He got into it right away and had a deep pilpul with me. I then saw that he knew both how to daven and how to learn.
“The next morning, I went out to try to collect some money from the people in town. When I returned, he asked me if I had been successful. When I said that I hadn’t collected much, he explained that the residents of Kfar Ata were mostly poor war survivors who didn’t have a lot of money. He then told me, ‘Go to Chaifa. I will write you a note to give to R’ Simcha Fuchs.’
“I took his note to R’ Simcha z”l, who immediately took 60 pounds out of his wallet and gave it to me, as your father asked him to do in the note. In those days, most working men made about 20 pounds a month, so this was a lot of money.
“I thus saw that your father excelled in davening, learning and in chesed in unbelievable ways!”
In truth, there have been many tzadikim who put all their strength into all three pillars of the world. One example of such a tzadik was Rav Chaim of Sanz zy”a. Even in later generations, there were people like this, such as the Satmar Rov zy”a. But what was unique about my father was that he knew how to do each thing in its perfect time and in the perfect way. He knew when to focus on learning and when to focus on davening. He knew whom to give tzedakah to and how to give it. When he saw that it was time to focus on Torah, it was is if nothing else existed in the world. When he saw it was time to focus on any specific part of avodas Hashem, he treated that thing as if it were Hashem’s only command, and there was nothing else besides for it.
Whenever he davened, it was is this was the first tefillah he ever said, with as much passion as if it were his first time ever davening. At this time, nothing else existed besides for tefillah. And when he immersed himself in the mitzvah of tzedakah, it was is this was the only thing in the world.
May his memory be a blessing for all of Klal Yisroel.
