As we celebrate the tremendous simcha of the birth of a baby boy to the Rosh Yeshivah haGaon Reb Tzvi Kushalevski Shlita, let us take a look at our forefathers who experienced this, and learn the lessons from Chazal.
As we have previously discussed, Yitzchak Avinu and his wife, Rivkah Imenu did not have children for many years. Desperate for a yeshua they davened for children who would eventually become Klal Yisrael. Theirs was no ordinary tefila, rather “hirbeh v’hiftzir bi’tefilah”, it was fervent and intense. R’ Yitzchak said: Why did Hashem make our forefathers barren? It is because He yearns for the tefilos of tzaddikim.
The sefarim also stress that during times of tzaros it is important to daven without a break, to not give up until we receive our yeshua.
There is, however, another profound point to be made.
El hana’ar Hazeh Hispalalti
Chanah was childless for many years. She spent countless hours davening, crying her eyes out to Hashem until finally she was blessed with a son - Shmuel. She went to the Beis Hamikdash and pledged that as soon as Shmuel would turn three she would dedicate him entirely to Hashem. He would be brought to the Beis Hamikdash where he would learn Torah under Eli the Kohen Gadol. When the time came and Shmuel turned three, Chana, true to her promise, brought her precious son - the son of many years of tefila - to the Beis Hamikdash, dedicated to Hashem’s service.
Unfortunately things didn't proceed as planned. Shmuel began learning Torah from Eli the Kohen Gadol but one day a question was asked of Eli and young Shmuel, having excelled so much in his learning, knew the answer and was moreh halachah bifney rabo - he paskend a halacha while in front of his Rebbe. The punishment for doing so is misah - the death penalty, even if the ruling is correct. Eli therefore planned to execute the three-year old Shmuel.
When Chana heard about the plan to execute her dear son whom she had dedicated to the Beis Hamikdash, the child for whom she had yearned, davened and cried for so many years, she was heart-broken. She pleaded with the Kohen Gadol to relent. She had waited so long to finally bear a child; she could not face him being executed.
Eli heard her and wanted to help, but his hands were tied - Shmuel was liable to the death penalty. He therefore came up with another solution: he promised Chana another child who would be even greater than Shmuel. But Chana refused; she insisted that he spare Shmuel’s life, famously declaring “el hana’ar hazeh hispalalti - it is for this child that I davened.”
A Child of Teffilah
R’ Shimshon Pinkus poses a powerful question. Chana was acted entirely l’shem shamayim. Her profound desire to bear a child was not for her own enjoyment and the reason she did not want Shmuel executed was not sentimental. It was all for the sake of his service to Hashem. Many mothers find it difficult to send their teenage boys away to learn, even if they return a few times a year. Chana was willing to send Shmuel to the Beis Hamikdash indefinitely at the age of three. She bore this child purely for the service of Hashem. The Gemara in Brachos relates that her plea to Hashem for a child was due to the tza’ar of the Shechina, not for her own sake. If so, why did she insist that Shmuel be kept alive when Eli had promised her another child who would be an even greater tzaddik than Shmuel?
R’ Pinkus answered that Chana was expressing a deep and profound idea. She was saying to Eli, “Even if you grant me a son who is far greater than my current son, there is something special in this child that no other child, regardless of his greatness, can replace. This child was born through many years of davening to Hashem. This child came about through countless tears. This child is an ‘oysgebetener kint’ (a child who came about through an abundance of tefila). Even a child of higher caliber cannot replace him.” Shmuel was a child who had come in to the world soaked with the tefilos of his mother. When Eli said, “I will send you a child who is even greater”, she responded, “el hana’ar hazeh hispalalti - for this child I davened countless tefilos”. This granted him a special chavivus; it made him irreplaceable.
The Long Wait!
Hashem often puts us in situations in which we are missing something, when we are in the need of a yeshua. This causes us to daven and cry out to Hashem. Certainly Hashem desires our tefilos and for us to thereby draw closer to him, but this episode of Chana and Shmuel reveals something more.
When a young couple have their first child within a year, the simcha and gratitude to Hashem is tremendous. If, however, this does not occur and five years go by with no children in sight, they pour out their hearts in tefila to Hashem each day. They go to the Kosel and to kivrey tzaddikim to daven. If finally, after many years, they are blessed with a child, that child is far more precious - it is an “oisgebetener kint”, a child of tefila.
This gives us a further appreciation in the tremendous simcha we are currently celebrating with the Rosh Yeshivah Shlita. This child was born with perhaps more tefillah than ever before in recent history. This child is truly an “oisgebetener kint” and together with all of Klal Yisrael we bench the Rosh Yeshivah that all of the many Tefillas over the many years should be answered letova and the child should merit to grow in his father’s ways and give nachas to his parents and all of Klal Yisrael.
On a Deeper Level
Let us explore this more deeply. The Ramchal states in Derech Hashem: “Hashem puts the ability and da’as in a person’s hands to see to his affairs and his business. On the one hand this has particular benefit. On the other hand it creates a yerida and sakanah. Through his affairs he can become engrossed more than he should do. Hashem therefore created a tikun - man can first draw close and stand in front of Hashem and ask his requests from Him. Hashem will give him and this will be the first and the main hishtadlus. After this, while he performs the (mundane) hishtadlus that follows, he will no longer get caught up in the gufniyus and earthliness, since he has already placed it all on Hashem...”
This teaches us that tefila transforms our mundane matters into ruchniyus. And this was Chana’s intent. “Even if my second son will be a greater chacham or a greater tzaddik, this child who came from Hashem through tefila, from Hashem's hand, has special kedusha and unique closeness to Hashem.”
From the Table of Hashem
If a person constantly davens to Hashem to give him his needs, they all becomes ruchniyus. His food and drink, his clothes, house and all his mundane needs become kadosh bi’kedusha elyona and served from the table of Hashem.
The Mishnah Berurah (157) quotes a Zohar that states that a person should daven constantly for his basic food. Why? Because in so doing his bread becomes an “oysgebetener shtikel broyt” a piece of bread procured through tefila and tachanunim. It is soaked with kedusha and comes directly from the hands of Hashem.
Current Times!
At times we go through difficult times, financially, war related or otherwise. This compels us to daven and cry out to Hashem like never before; we are crying simply for our bread and basic safety. This is certainly pulling us closer to Hashem, however, in light of all of the above, this actually does much more. Since the bread that we eat our life and safety have come to us by dint of crying out to Hashem, they attain a special level of kedusha. Our food and our very life are oysgebeten; they are more precious than ever before.
We must realize that when we endure difficulties, and come cross challenging times, they are actualy oysgebetene times and are worth far more than the regular times that we experienced. “El ha’na’ar ha’zeh hispalalti” - all we have during these times come to us by means of tefila. May the shefah of the simcha of the Rosh Yeshivah Shlita be nispashet and may we merit to the continuation of the passuk - “va’yiten Hashem li es sh’eilosi”, and may we receive shefa but through continued tefila and connection to Hashem.
