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The Short Vort
Good Morning!
Today is the 21st of Menachem-Av 5782, and August 18, 2022
Rav Chaim Brisker ZT"L
The dream of every Yeshiva bachur is to be accepted in the famed Brisk Yeshiva on Yerushalayim.
To say about someone, “He is a real Brisker” is the ultimate accolade you can place upon a Yeshiva bachur.
To be a Brisker implies a sense of intellectual superiority and prestige.
To be a Brisker is a sign of being a scholar of the first degree.
To be a Brisker is a status symbol that the person who carries this title is a true Lamdan- someone who knows how to plumb the depths of the Talmud. An individual who is capable of seeing the forest of true Torah scholarship and not being confused by the individual trees.
The moniker of a Brisker is “Lamdan” or Gaon; in short, being a Brisker is a sign of being a first-rate Talmid Chochom.
I am none of the above.
I cannot claim to be a true Lamdan or Gaon and certainly not a scholar of the first degree. Nevertheless, I, too, strive to be a Brisker.
Today on the 21st of Menachem Av, we remember the founder of the Brisker approach, the archetypal and quintessential Brisker, Rav Chaim (Brisker) Soloveitchik Zt”L (1853 –1918).
Rav Chaim Brisker passed away in Warsaw on the 21st of Menachem-Av in 1918.
He is buried in the old Warsaw cemetery next to his wife’s grandfather Rav Naftoli Zvi Yehudah Berlin Zt”L (the Netziv of Volozhin).
Rav Chaim revolutionized an analytical approach to the study of Gemara as he trailblazed a new interpretive method of learning the Talmud.
His approach is still considered the gold standard in Talmudic scholarship, and many – if not all – yeshiva bachurim strive, endeavor and hunger to be accepted in the Brisk Yeshiva.
They yearn for the day when they will deserve the coveted title of being referred to as a true Brisker.
This title is conferred upon those who spend years in dedicated, diligent, and intense Talmudic study.
These men have proven themselves to be worthy through their years of intellectual vigor to be able to “say-over” and perhaps even offer original Brisker Talmudic insights.
In short, “being a Brisker” is used exclusively to denote intellectual prowess and meticulous attention to detail in halachik observance and vigorous Talmudic study.
As mentioned, the archetype of this method is Rav Chaim Soloveitchik.
I do not have the prerequisite intellectual qualifications to be admitted to the exclusive and elite society of the Brisker Lamdonim.
Neither in mental capacity nor scholarly acumen do I meet the requirements for membership in the league of lomdus to be deserving of the appellation, Brisker.
Nevertheless, I also aspire to be a Brisker, albeit different from the cerebral distinction described above.
Rav Chaim Soloveitchik was indeed a genuine genius, a Gaon of Gaonim.
Rav Chaim was blessed with intellectual abilities and academic ingenuity, the likes of which are granted perhaps once in a generation.
However, there was another, perhaps less highlighted but no less important, side to Rav Chaim.
Indeed, one can compellingly argue that this side of Rav Chaim is even greater and more essential to focus on than the former.
As great as Rav Chaim was in lomdus and learning, he was even greater in his sensitivity, caring, compassion, and love for his fellow man.
Indeed, he was a greater genius in Middos (if you can believe this) than in lomdus.
Rav Chaim was a Gaon in Middos Tovos.
I heard directly from his grandson, the Gaon HaRav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik Zt”L, the Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon in New York, that he himself often saw when visiting his saintly grandfather, a stranger, a homeless person sleeping in Rav Chaim’s bed!
This was not for a brief nap; this was for the entire night over many nights!
When he asked his grandfather, “Why is there a stranger sleeping in the Zaidy’s bed?”
His grandfather answered with the simplicity of a genius, “The man had nowhere to sleep.”
Rav Meir Bar-Ilan (born Meir Berlin 1880-1949) was Rav Chaim’s uncle, although he was twenty-seven younger.
He writes the following anecdote, which captures Rav Chaim the Man.
One hot, dry summer day, a fire broke out in Volozhin, where Rav Chaim served as co-Rosh Yeshiva with his wife’s grandfather, the Netziv, who was Rav Meir Bar-Ilan’s father.
As everyone was busy trying to save whatever they could of their meager possessions, someone noticed that the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Chaim was nowhere to be found.
Many assumed he must have made his way to a small secluded Shul to continue his seldom interrupted learning.
However, a quick search of all the local Shuls and Batei Medrash yielded no sign of Rav Chaim.
Finally, as everyone was terrified of what had occurred to the Rosh Yeshiva, someone suddenly spotted a bearded man with two children in tow and one on his shoulders.
That man was Rav Chaim.
While most people were concerned with themselves and their personal property, one man remembered that there was a kindergarten/playgroup down the hill.
He figured the teachers would need help safely gathering up their charges.
The man -whose mind was legendary for its intellectual prowess- was now seen trudging up the hill with a child in each hand. And one on his shoulder. This sight left an indelible impression on the town’s residents.
The inspiration they absorbed from this act of unparalleled compassion and Chessed drove home the lesson more than any Drosha of what a life of Torah really means.
It is this Rav Chaim Brisker whom I attempt to emulate and echo.
I may not have been blessed with a mind like Rav Chaim, but Hashem blessed me with a Jewish heart.
And that same Jewish heart propelled Rav Chaim to be not just the Prince of Torah but also the King of Chessed.
To be a part of the lofty assemblage of Chessed doers, which Rav Chaim exemplified, I can also strive to be a part.
Rav Chaim taught us about excellence in Torah scholarship.
Even more so, he taught us about greatness in Chessed.
That is the Brisker I attempt to be.
“If Not Now, Then When?”- Hillel
Ron Yitzchok Eisenman
Rav
Congregation Ahavas Israel
Passaic, NJ
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