The Short Vort
Good Morning!
Today is Friday 11 Elul 5779 and September 13, 2019
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Rabbi Baruch Veisbecker Shlit”a is a very special Talmid Chachom.
He was born in Tel Aviv in 1940 and his parents sent him to learn in the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Kfar HaRoeh.
Kfar HaRoeh was the Religious Moshav of the Mizrachi movement.
It was named for HaRav Avrohom Yitzchok HaKohen Kook Z”L .
The letters “heh” and “reish” from the word “HaRav”, combined with the letter “aleph” from Avorohm and “heh” from HaKohen, spells: “HaRoeh”.
כְּפַר-הָרֹאֶ"ה
The yeshiva began in 1940 as a place where Torah (learning Torah) and Avodah (physically working the land) were essential.
The Rosh Yeshiva was Rav Moshe Zvi Neriah Z”L who was known as the “Father of the Kipah Sruga (knitted yarmulka) generation.”
Rav Neriah was a man who believed in learning Torah and physically working the land.
When parents began to request that secular studies be added to the curriculum instead of physical labor, Rav Neriah famously replied, “Hair will grow on the palm of my hand before I will allow secular studies…”
Eventually, secular studies did find their way into Kfar HaRoeh and Rav Neriah reluctantly came to peace with this.
Rav Baruch was a student who was driven to Torah as a thirsty man runs to water.
Rav Neriah saw in Rav Baruch a fire for Torah which was uncommonly bright and alive.
He encouraged him to travel to Bnei Brak and become part of the famed Ponevez Yeshiva.
He recognized greatness when he saw it and wanted Rav Baruch to get the best Torah education possible.
At Ponovez Rav Baruch learned studiously under the tutelage of Rav Schach Z”L and Rav Shmuel Rozovski Z”l.
He was destined for greatness and after a stint as a Rebbe at Kol Torah, in 1981 at the age of 41 he established Yeshivas “Beis Matis” (Beis Matisyahu) in Bnei Brak.
“Beis Matis” is one of the most well known and successful yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel.
Beis Matis has over 500 Talmidim.
Rav Baruch is known to be involved personally with all of his Talmidim.
Rav Veisbecker has successfully created a true Makom Torah in the city of Torah.
He is very strict in the running of the Yeshiva.
Cell phones are totally prohibited,
Even “kosher phones” are not allowed.
Students may not have a drivers license.
All Talmidim must daven in the Yeshiva.
All Talmidim are prohibited from leaving Eretz Yisroel, period.
As you can see Rav Veisbecker has put in place many restrictions which he feels are needed to allow each student to reach his spiritual potential without distractions.
However, there was one restriction which Rav Veisbecker wanted to put in place however, he felt the Talmidim could not abide by it,
That was until this week.
This week in a rare and extraordinary display of his personal life, the Rosh Yeshiva wrote a handwritten letter to the entire student body.
Rabbi Veisbecker has been battling cancer these last few months.
In the emotional letter, Rav Baruch describes how the doctors wanted to treat him with biological therapy for cancer.
Biological therapy for cancer is used in the treatment of many types of cancer to prevent or slow tumor growth and to prevent the spread of cancer. Biological therapy for cancer often causes fewer toxic side effects than do other cancer treatments.
As you can imagine, Rav Veisbecker was overjoyed over this new advance in treating cancer and was looking forward to benefiting from it.
However, when the doctors ran tests to determine his eligibility for the treatment they found that cigarette smoke had damaged his internal systems and he was deemed ineligible for receiving biological treatment.
Rav Veisbecker was stunned as neither his parents nor he had ever smoked a cigarette.
He asked, “how could cigarette smoke wreak havoc within his body?”
The doctor asked if he was ever exposed to secondhand smoke?
Rabbi Baruch Veisbecker recalled his many years in yeshiva when cigarette smoking was commonplace in every Beis Medrash, dormitory room and yeshiva dining room.
The doctor regretfully informed him that because of his exposure to cigarette smoke years ago, even though he himself did not smoke, nevertheless, the damage done to him was irreversible, thereby disqualifying him from receiving biological treatment for his cancer.
Rav Veisbecker recounts all this in vivid detail.
He concludes his heartwrenching letter with a personal and emotional appeal to all of his students.
"חוסו עליכם ועל בני ביתכם. לא סיגריות ולא אלקטרוניות"
“Have pity on yourselves and on your entire household. Don’t smoke cigarettes nor e-cigarettes.”
!קחו אחריות על עצמכם, החליטו ותבצעו – מהיום הפסקנו לעשן!"
“Take responsibility for yourself! Make a decision and declare: “From today onward we will no longer smoke!”
He ends his letter with the hope that “Words which emanate from the heart will penetrate the heart….”
Signed,(Rabbi) Baruch Veisbecker
The story speaks volumes.
Please daven for a Refuah Sheleima for
Rav Baruch ben Tzivya among all of the sick of Israel.
“If Not Now, Then When?”- Hillel
Ron Yitzchok Eisenman
Rabbi, Congregation Ahavas Israel
Passaic, NJ
