A well-known story involving Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910-95) zt"l (May the Memory of the Righteous be a Blessing), which bears repeating and which is relevant to the day.
A student in the Kol Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, approached his Rosh
Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l and asked him the question:
May I leave my Torah studies in the yeshiva to go and pray at the graves
of tzadikim in the Galil, the north?
Rav Auerbach answered, “It is better to say in yeshiva, and study Torah”
The student replied, “Isn’t there a time I could go to visit the graves
of tzadikim? Doesn’t Rav Auerbach go and pray at the graves of
tzadikim?
Rav Auerbach answered, “In order to pray at the graves
of tzadikim, one doesn’t have to travel up to the Galil. Whenever I feel
the need to pray at the graves of tzadikim, I go to Mount Herzl, [the
national cemetery for fallen IDF soldiers in Jerusalem], to the graves
of the soldiers…who fell “Al Kiddush Hashem” for the sanctification of
God.
Shared by R' Yisrael Meir Lau.
For those who don't know Jerusalem, the Mount Herzl military cemetery is about a ten-minute walk from the Kol Torah yeshiva.
There's a reason why Gedolim like him were accepted by the entire Orthodox community while today's "Gedolim" are seen as Chareidi political leaders only.
ReplyDeleteI'm unsure what's said here but it triggers Psalms 95:2 memories in me.
ReplyDeleteThanks
That's a great response. I think that many of us need to take it to heart.
ReplyDelete