ר' גֵ רְ שׁוֹן בֶ ן ר' חַ יִּ ים אַ בְ רָ הָ ם כ"ט אדר א' תשנ"ז
TO BE AN ISH EMES
During the Nazi Holocaust, the Brisker Rav Zatzal had fled Brisk to a distant city, but his wife was still in Brisk, and he sent R’ Gershon Zatzal to bring her back to him and his family. You have to picture what it entails to travel during WWII with German soldiers and police looking high and low to catch Jews and torture them to death, Rachmana Litzlan. They had their vicious dogs trained to tear people apart, Rachmana Litzlan. They had dead bodies hanging from street lights, with a sign attached to them which read: This is a Jew who posed as a gentile.
Who would be willing to travel in such a horrific Matzav except for a Novardoker like R’ Gershon Zatzal. In Novardok, Chodesh Adar wasn’t Stam a fun month; to tell stories and P'shetlach (Vorts) about Mordechai and Esther. They insisted on becoming a: וּמ רְ דֳּכ יַַלֹאַי כְר עַוְלֹאַי שְת חֲוֶׁהַַאסתרַגַב Mordechai who was not afraid and refused to bow to Haman. Rebbetzin Bender told me that Novardokers were energetic and fearless, building 85 Yeshiva’s all over Poland with loads of Mesirus Nefesh. Needless to say, the Brisker Rav’s Rebbetzin ע"ה refused to come with R’ Gershon. It was simply too scary.
On Purim, we daven that we should fear only Hashem, and not worry so much what people think of us. Then we’ll have a true Simchas Purim, when we are free of the “yoke” of constantly worrying about: מ הַיֹאמְרוַּה בְר יוֹת What will people say?? R’ Galinsky was sent by the Steipler Zatzal to a hostile Arab country to deliver an important message to someone. And the Chazon Ish Zatzal also sent him on a similarly dangerous mission. R’ Ahron Kreiser Zatzal told R’ Gershon Zatzal: “Why don’t you daven?!” “A person like you has the Koach to save the whole Klal Yisroel!” When R' Michel Shwartz Zatzal told R' Reuven Grozovsky Zatzal that he was a Talmid of R’ Gershon, R' Reuven started screaming: “An Emeser, an Emeser! (A real & truthful person!)”.
How Can a Person in These Turbulent Times Live Only for Himself?
It’s not so easy to be an Ish Emes. You can be a major Tzadik and Gaon, but when scary things happen in your life, you forget all those Tefilos you say every day with loads of Kavana (Yetzias Mitzrayim, Az Yashir) and all those beautiful P'shetlach (Vorts) about Yetzias Mitzrayim that you said. R' Reuven Grozovsky Zatzal was himself an Ish Emes and a Kano'i who was ready for Mesirus Nefesh for the truth. I have to thank R’ Gershon Zatzal for convincing me to become a Melamed (Rebbe). I was learning Geshmak in BMG in my comfort zone, until R’ Gershon Zatzal told me: “How can a person in these turbulent times live only for himself?”
R’ Gershon Zatzal was riding a donkey, going to far off places in North Africa, knocking on doors and saving hundreds of Sephardi boys from the clutches of Zionism, Rachmana Litzlan. I knew many of his Chevra. They became Roshei Yeshivos and Gedolei Torah and people who do Zikkui HaRabbim, etc. By Mordechai it says: וַיִז עַק ז עָקָה ג דֹלָה וּמָרָהַַדַא “he cried out a great and bitter cry” publicly. He also wore sackcloth, which was not allowed in front of the king’s gate, like it says: כ יַאֵיןַל בוֹאַאֶׁלַש ע רַה מֶׁלֶׁךְַב לְבוּשַַשׂ קַַאסתרַדַב. He was even inappropriate in his love for Klal Yisroel, and he went all out to save them, despite the fact that they disliked him! (Gemara).
And Esther went out of her way to get the Yidden to hate her, when she made a party with Haman. Now the Yidden would stop relying on her, and would rely only on Hashem. Dovid was loaded with enemies, and Moshe said: עוֹדַמְע טַוּסְק לֻּנ יַַבשלחַיזַד they are on the verge of stoning me! These are true leaders, who don’t care for their own Kavod. They care only for Klal Yisroel. This was R’ Gershon Zatzal. I heard him cry out in public several times.
to be continued...
R' Gershon Zatzal speaking
