Upon arriving at the shul, he found only a few good Jews present—men who had never missed davening with a minyan. They were waiting for ten men to gather so they could quickly pray and return to the safety of the shelters.
In the corner of the shul, Rav Shalom saw his friend and colleague, Rav Yeshayah Wingotz zt”l, sitting bent over his Gemara, learning with sweetness and delight that made him oblivious to the war outside. It was as though there were no bombs, no shells, no chaos—only the Gemara before him, which he studied with a melodious tune.
Rav Shalom was astonished by this sublime scene. How was it possible to forget the turmoil and ignore the war and chaos that enveloped the city? Even more astonishing was that Rav Yeshayah appeared to be studying intensely, with great focus and calm, completely immersed in the discussions of Abaye and Rava, as though he were in a different world—the world of Torah.
Approaching Rav Yeshayah with emotion, Rav Shalom greeted him with a heartfelt “Good morning” and asked him innocently how he had managed during the dreadful night.
“It wasn‘t so bad,” Rav Yeshayah replied with a smile.
“How can you say that?” wondered Rav Shalom. “I and my family couldn‘t close our eyes the entire night. We wandered like sleepwalkers, shaken by the deafening noise and the shells falling around us.”
“I‘m surprised at you, Rav Shalom,” Rav Yeshayah gently rebuked him. “From a talmid chacham like you, I wouldn‘t have expected such a reaction. Why should you be so alarmed and worried? Yes, I, too, initially heard the heavy bombardment. But when I realized that this was the intent and purpose of these wicked Arabs—to torment us and rob us of our peace—I took a Rambam in my hands. I immersed myself in the depths of a complex discussion, exploring all its details, perspectives, and the views of the halachic authorities on it. Before long, I was submerged in the vast sea of our holy Torah.
“The commotion hardly bothered me anymore. On the contrary, precisely because of the challenge and effort required to concentrate on the sugyah during such difficult times, I came up with remarkable explanations and sweet, novel insights. As Chazal testify in Pirkei Avos (end of chapter 5): ’According to the effort is the reward.‘”
The esteemed Rav Avish Eisen zt”l, the Rav of the Unsdorf neighborhood here in Yerushalayim, recounted that on several occasions, he observed Rav Yeshayah walking down the street, completely absorbed in the depths of a sugyah. So immersed was he in his study that he would sometimes speak to himself as he worked through the intricacies of the discussion, meticulously clarifying each point. Occasionally, he would even cry out loudly amid his learning, for his entire mind and focus were directed solely at resolving the sugyah before him. His singular preoccupation was: “What is the meaning here?”
“In him,” Rav Avish concluded, “we were privileged to see the true essence of Toras chaim—a Torah that fully encompasses all aspects of life, permeating one‘s entire being, from head to toe, through all 248 limbs and 365 sinews.”
Once, while drawing water from the central well in the courtyard, as was customary in those days—before water flowed freely through faucets and the residents of Yerushalayim relied on central wells in the large courtyards—Rav Yeshayah was seen lowering his bucket into the well. Suddenly, he let go of the bucket, ran to the side, pulled out a pen and paper, and quickly jotted down several densely written lines. A sudden flash of insight had illuminated his brilliant mind, resolving a problematic question troubling him all along. Fearing that he might forget the brilliant resolution, he immediately sat down to record it in writing. He returned to drawing water from the well and retrieving the bucket only afterward.
