A Tear For Torah

Dear Editor,

At the Philadelphia Adirei Hatorah event, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, son-in-law of Rav Shach, was in the middle of aveilus for his seventy-year-old son who had passed suddenly once Rav Bergman had already arrived in the United States for the program. Due to health concerns, Rav Bergman’s doctors advised against immediately travelling back home for the levayah.

Rav Bergman spoke at the event, and everyone was menachem avel the rav right at the program. This brought to mind a story I saw from R’ Dovid Kaplan, longtime rebbi in Yeshiva Ohr Sameach in Eretz Yisrael. A star soccer player arrived in Israel (the big sport there). The man had been into soccer since childhood, and eventually became the top player in the country so much so that he was chosen to represent the country at that year’s Olympics in a European country. The non-religious papers across Israel blared this headline (if it was in the frei papers, it probably was not great hashkafas haTorah.) So, what had happened? While he was in Europe waiting for the games to begin, his father was niftar in Israel. Now, in Israel, even the non-religious sit sh’ivah, begging to question if this young man should return forfeiting his position in the games. He had prepared a lifetime for this once in a lifetime opportunity; one cannot be chosen a second time. Was it worthwhile to return and lose out?! The papers carried the headline: In the memory of Abba, For the sake of Abba, ‘Abba would have been happy, etc. Writes Rav Kaplan, “Is that really true, or is kavod a powerful force than can get in the way of rational thinking?!” The soccer player stayed on. No, he didn’t win any games, and hopefully, he – and others – have food for thought and will take out a lesson. So, of course Rav Bergman’s attending the event was with the highest levels of daat Torah, and to promote Torah, it is just the contrast that I am pointing out. Also, it is interesting, that when the Lakewood mishpachah of Rav Bergman went before Shabbos to the place where the rav was staying to be menachem avel, they were told that no one was being allowed in at that time, due to his health. Yet, at the event he had over twenty-thousand people being menachem avel at once! (Everyone recited Hamakom yenachem in unison.) So, Hashem has His ways!

S.R.
Queens, NY