NO MOVEMENT WITHOUT REASON
Wondrous stories circulated in Kelm about the amazing degree of control that the Alter had over his every limb and over each of his senses. Rav Yeruchom would extol this ability, describing how every movement that the Alter made was the result of forethought. Even the movements of his eyes were carefully controlled.
For example, the Alter never let his gaze wander sideways. When he needed to look at something that was to one side of him, he turned his whole body in that direction and looked at it straight on. Generally in Kelm, turning one’s head to the side, unless it was for a very good reason, was considered something to be ashamed of.
Rav Nosson Wachtfogel, who was mashgiach in Lakewood, related the following:
“My teacher, Rav Doniel Movshovitz, who was one of the leaders of the Kelm Talmud Torah, never refrained from discussing any topic that cropped up, even when there was a widely held preconceived view on the matter . . . Whatever the subject, Rav Doniel would examine and argue and would try to establish the truth. Yet, when the discussion turned to some aspect of the Alter’s conduct or outlook, he would annul his own opinion and would stake his very soul in order to fathom the Alter’s thinking. He toiled in order to comprehend the Alter, whom he considered to be someone that it was imperative to understand.
“When asked to explain his special approach to the Alter’s conduct, Rav Doniel said that his great admiration for him arose after he had monitored his movements and actions and had discovered that he never made even the slightest movement without first having thought about it. The Alter did nothing without forethought. He didn’t open an eye or move his little finger without a reason or without preparation. Everything was calculated, befitting the level of an earlier generation.
‘So,’ Rav Doniel concluded, ‘how can we imagine that we are capable of fathoming someone who didn’t move his little finger without thinking about it first?’ ”
Among Rav Yeruchom’s discourses, we find the following comments on this subject:
“The Alter of Kelm explained the meaning of the terms kallus rosh (irreverence) and koved rosh (decorum) as being simple translations. Kallus rosh, he said, is exactly that: having a light head, while koved rosh is also just that: having a heavy head. A person whose head is full of wisdom doesn’t turn it sideways and he doesn’t laugh readily. When looking at a layabout, however, one sees what he’s like in a moment. From the way he moves, it’s clear that he isn’t weighed down with any kind of content. His head is quite simply light. At every rumor and every slight noise, his head wags” (Da’as Torah, cheilek III, 117).
WHY WAS HE CALLED 'THE ALTER'?
The source of the title Der Alter, by which most people refer to Rav Simcha Zissel, is not generally known. One of the Talmud Torah’s best-known talmidim, Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, once explained the name’s significance:
The Alter of Kelm didn’t feel worthy of being considered a talmid of Rav Yisrael Salanter, despite the fact that the latter was universally regarded as having been his main Rebbe. Rav Simcha Zissel was of the opinion that only someone who has acquired Torah from his Rebbe can be counted as a talmid. Although he esteemed Rav Yisrael highly, he felt that so long as he did not adopt his Rebbe’s conduct as his own and try to follow in his path in at least some small degree, he should not regard himself as his talmid. Out of respect, Rav Simcha Zissel would refer to Rav Yisrael as Der Alter, meaning “the Elder”.
Eventually, Rav Simcha Zissel’s own talmidim started referring to him by this name. Far from Kelm, the town’s name was added.
The Alter himself writes: “Not everyone who listens to a great man can be called his talmid, as I heard about Rav Chaim [of Volozhin], who said that he could not be called a talmid of the Gaon. This is because a talmid is one who receives wisdom from him in the proportion that a talmid receives from his teacher, as opposed to one who receives only a little. It is impossible to call the one the Rebbe and the other his talmid, for there is a great gap between them.”
By: Tzvi Munk-Shema Yisrael Network ~ Matzav.com Newscenter
