By Shmuel Botnick
Rav Nota Greenblatt
Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Mandelman’s relationship with Rav Nota had a unique genesis. Long enamored by the great gaon tucked away in southwest Tennessee, Dr. Mandelman made it his mission to receive semichah from Rav Nota. This was an ambitious goal; Rav Nota seldom conferred semichah.
An Appointment with Rav Nota
Nonetheless, Dr. Mandelman traveled to Memphis and made an appointment to speak with Rav Nota. He arrived at the given time and waited in the study. Rav Nota entered and shared a recently developed Torah thought. Dr. Mandelman responded in kind and the two engaged in conversation, sharing Torah thought after Torah thought for a whopping eight hours. None of this followed the protocol of a typical semichah exam, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Rav Nota pulled out pen and paper and drafted the coveted certificate.
“Now, what is your mother’s phone number?” Rav Nota asked.
Dr. Mandelman’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, why does the rav need her number?”
“Well,” said Rav Nota, eyes twinkling, “I’m sure you caused her enough headaches. It’s time to give her some nachas.”
Dr. Mandelman had admired Rav Nota’s prowess as a posek, but, in a later encounter, he also came to recognize his ocean-deep compassion. It happened when Dr. Mandelman placed a call to Rav Nota on Erev Yom Kippur. His wife was expecting and there were complications. The question for Rav Nota centered on if and how his wife could break her fast should the need arise.
Forbids the Husband from Going to Shul
Rav Nota, before addressing the question, issued an unasked-for ruling: “You have no permission to go to shul,” he said with no uncertainty. “You will daven at home.”
They then discussed the question, reached a halachic conclusion, wished each other a gemar chasimah tovah, and ended the conversation. Yom Kippur came and went, and all was well in the Mandelman home. After nightfall, they made Havdalah and, sometime later, Dr. Mandelman’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen: Why was Rav Nota calling? It turned out to be a brief conversation. “Reb Shmuel,” said Rav Nota, “how did Yom Kippur go? How is your wife doing?” Dr. Mandelman assured him that all was well and hung up the phone. It took some time before he realized that Memphis was an hour behind Eastern Standard Time. Rav Nota had called just moments after his own Havdalah.
This was an ongoing facet in Rav Nota’s model of issuing halachic rulings; he provided the relevant answer, but was always sensitive to the circumstances that lay behind the question.
Reprinted from the Parshas Vayeishev 5784 edition of At the ArtScroll Shabbos Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Rav Nota – The Story of Rav Nota Greenblatt” by Shmuel Botnick.
