Siach Emunim
In Conversation With Anshei Emunim
Rabbi Meir Gutman
Gerrer Shtiebel – Rechov Harav Dessler in Bnei Brak
For many years, Reb Meir Gutman has served as the gabbai amen in the Gerrer Shtiebel on Harav Dessler Street in Bnei Brak, a job he fills with uncompromising dedication. As one of the mispallelim in the vasikin minyan, he spends many hours sitting and listening to brachos from other mispallelim so that he can answer amen to them.
There’s a holy fire of chassidus burning in Reb Meir’s heart, reflecting the spirit of chassidim from previous generations. A conversation with him is an inspirational and spiritual experience, and it went on longer than planned, revealing deep understandings about the lofty virtues of answering amen and the obligation of every Yid to fulfill his shlichus in this world with determination, responsibility and dedication.
As usual, we first ask to hear a bit about Reb Meir’s schedule each morning.
Reb Meir is very modest, and doesn’t like speaking about himself. But out of appreciation for the importance of the mitzvah that he is so devoted to, he agrees to share his practice.
“For many years, I have been zocheh to rise early and daven vasikin,” Reb Meir begins. “As is known, the time of neitz is an eis ratzon, when tefillos are accepted with love and the Gates of Heaven are open. But for me, it’s enough that I have the zechus to fulfill the simplest meaning of the first passage in Shulchan Aruch: ‘One should overcome like a lion to stand up in the morning to serve his Creator, and he should arise with the dawn.’”
Later, Reb Meir shares his daily schedule: “I come early each day so that I can be zocheh to answer ament to the brachos of those who daven with the neitz. After the tefillah ends, I stay in the shtiebel unitl after nine in the morning. In order not to disturb the mispallelim of the later minyanim, I sit in a side place, and anyone who is interested – comes to me to make the brachos.”
Reb Meir then adds, surprisingly: “Aside for the mispallelim of the shtiebel, there are numerous people who regularly come only to make Birchos Hashachar for me, and then they continue on to the regular shul where they daven.”
How did you begin this practice of dedicating so many hours each day to hearing brachos from mispallelim?
“There was a wonderful figure who influenced me deeply,” Reb Meir shares. “In our shtiebel there was a remarkable chassid, a carryover of a previous generation, Reb Yosef Dovid Lapa, who was miraculously saved from the Nazis, ym”s. He would come to shtiebel each night at around 1 a.m., and sat engrossed in his learning until Shacharis.
He had a special hakpadah not to speak or engage in anything before davening, but there was one thing that he did not desist from – answering amen after Birchos Hashachar. He would plead with mispallelim to make their brachos in front of him, and the mispallelim, seeing how important it was to him, would accede and come to make the brachos.
I had the zechus of sitting next to him, and I joined him in answering amen, day after day. So, in his merit, the virtue of this mitzvah became deeply imbued in me, and after his passing, I continued in his ways.”
Did you ever ask Reb Yosef Dovid what his reason for cleaving to this practice was? Why did he pursue people to say Birchos Hashachar for him?
“The truth is that I didn’t ask him,” Reb Meir replies honestly. “I knew I wouldn’t get an answer, because the words of the Mishnah (Avos 1:15) ‘say little and do much’ were his guiding light. Yidden like him were busy with action and less with talk... He also hardly spoke about his experiences in the concentration camps. He maintained a deep silence, except for one remark that he would say each year: In the death camps the Nazis had etched the number 611 into his arm. On the day that the neitz was at 6:11, he would show the number on his arm, point to it with a smile, and say: “This is my day.’”
And yet, perhaps you once heard an explanation for his adherence to this practice?
“It is known that the Bais Yisrael of Gur, zy”a, would urge that every brachah should be said aloud, to give the listeners the merit of answering amen. It is possible that Reb Yosef Dovid, inspired by the Rebbe, adopted the practice of urging people to say Birchos Hashachar aloud and to merit to answer amen. I’ll add regarding the leadership of the Bais Yisrael, that in sefer Yagdil Torah (Parashas Bereishis), the mechanech Reb Moshe Ludmir brings that he heard from the Rebbe that ‘the first thing you have to demand of talmidim is to make brachos out loud.’”
And what gives you the strength to be consistent about this practice day after day?
Upon hearing the question, Reb Meir raises his voice passionately: “What do you mean? Anyone who sees the words of Chazal and the of the gedolim through the generations about the virtues of answering amen cannot remain indifferent. Take for example the words of Chazal in the Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 7 1): ‘There is nothing greater in front of HaKadosh Baruch Hu than the amen that Am Yisrael answer.’ If answering amen is the most important thing in Shamayim, how can I be lax about it?!”
“In addition, the Shaarei Teshvuah (Orach Chaim 6:5) brings that the Arizal would answer amen after the Birchos Hashachar of many people, and even if there were a hundred people – he would answer them. The hanhagah of the Arizal indicates the tremendous importance of answering amen to Birchos Hashachar!”
“I was taught,” Reb Meir concludes decisively, “that what is incumbent upon us to do – we have to do!”
