To Our Precious Bnei Torah

In our times, we witness the immense efforts that the yetzer hara, evil inclination, dedicates to waging war against bnei Torah, yeshivah students. Significant funds, which could support entire families, are spent solely to drive yeshivah students and kollel members out of the beit hamedrash. The methods are varied and the aim is singular: to strip bnei Torah of their esteemed status and turn them into mundane and materialistic people.

As the saying goes, "from my enemies, you make me wise." If the yetzer hara invests so much to deplete the king's legion, it indicates that bnei Torah standing at the forefront of the spiritual battle are the defense line of the generation against the forces of evil and impurity. Therefore, every kollel member and yeshivah student involved in various frameworks of service and activities must thoroughly check with daat Torah, rabbinic guidance, to ensure that these frameworks align with the Torah.

 

A person does not gamble with what is important to him—neither his home nor his life—and certainly not his soul and spiritual life.

 

In “Or HaLevanah” by Rav Mikikatz David Saadon, there is a legendary story that was passed down from tradition by the Jews of Djerba.

When the Rambam (Maimonides) was appointed as a "vizier" to the King of Egypt, the Rambam found that the king loved him dearly and they would sometimes play the game of chess. The Rambam would easily win each bout, but out of respect, would make game moves that allowed the king to be victorious.

One day, the king said to the Rambam, "I want to play for religion." The Rambam asked, "What do you mean?" The king responded, "If you beat me in the game of chess, I will become a Jew like you, and if I beat you, you will convert to Islam and become like me."

Astonished by this strange proposal, the Rambam relied on his ability to always win as the future gadol did not want to reject his highness. This time, he decided to play to the end and win.

On the appointed day and time, the Rambam and the king sat around the chessboard and began to play. To his dismay, every move the Rambam made put him into a deeper hole than the previous one. He realized that there was great criticism in the heavens against him resulting in the loss.

As time past, the Rambam began to understand that the king would probably win this game, resulting in a terrible desecration of Hashem’s name due to his commitment to convert if the king won. He tried with all his might to win, but the king's victory seemed certain and imminent.

Suddenly, there were knocks at the palace gate. The guards noticed an elderly, dignified man who requested urgent entry to see the king. Initially, the guards refused to let him in, but he insisted and was granted permission. When he entered, the man looked at the Rambam and said to the king, "Thank the Creator who brought me here, my master the king, to confront the man sitting before you. This honorable man borrowed a sum of money from me years ago and has not yet repaid his debt, completely denying it. I have not seen him since. Now, my master the king, please judge between us."

Puzzled, the Rambam said, "I have never known this man." Angrily the individual responded, "How can one be so bold before his creditor? I ask you, my master the king, to administer an oath to him in the wording I will recite, lest he resorts to trickery and deceit in the wording of the oath."

The king agreed, and the man turned to the Rambam saying, "I administer to you a severe oath that cannot be annulled. Restore your honor and admit the truth!"

"I have never known such matters," replied the Rambam. "So," continued the man, "Take hold of the edge of the cloth as a form of kinyan sudar, an act of acquisition using a cloth, and repeat after me word by word (in the language of the Torah): 'In the name of Hashem the Almighty One, if you draw a man to yourself, man in honor does not understand. If you take one of the sheep, it will not go in your favor. If you ride on your camel, you will fall behind it. If you ride on your donkey, you will tumble on your head. If you ride on your dogs, you will fall on your side. If you ride on the lion and its kind, you will kneel and fall—who will raise you? If you ride on your horses, your chariots will bring salvation.'"

When he finished, the man took his cloth, wished farewell to the king, and left. The Rambam, who did not recognize the man, understood that his purpose was to help him win. In all the words of the oath, the man hinted at different chess pieces, and the last phrase, "If you ride on your horses, your chariots will bring salvation," suggested that his victory would come through the horse (knight). Indeed, the Rambam used the knight, and the situation quickly reversed, leading to his victory. [See "Migedoley Yisrael" (Part 1, p. 71) by the great Rav Meir Mazuz. There the author adds that in our times there are no sheep, camels, donkeys, dogs, or lions (as Ibn Ezra mentioned) in chess, and it is possible that the chess pieces were different in their times. He also wrote that it is known in chess that the knight can surprise positively in the game].

The king was very astonished and understood that there was something more at play. He pressured the Rambam to tell the truth and promised that he would not force him to convert, provided he revealed what the anonymous elder had said.

The Rambam explained, "This man foresaw in divine inspiration the game between us and the unfortunate results, and came to advise me with wise counsel to win the game." The king did not believe his words and sent a messenger to call the elder. The elder appeared and said, "My master the king, this oath that I administered cannot be annulled forever, and if the man wants to retract and repay his debt, it will not help him as the time has already passed." The king looked at him kindly and said, "Honorable one, do not hide any more, tell the truth." Then the elder said, "I am your servant Abraham Ibn Ezra from Toledo in Spain. I saw the skies were dark and gloomy this morning due to the agreement between you and the Rambam, and I came here in a miraculous manner to save the Rambam from converting." "Is it possible to reach from Spain to Egypt within a few hours?" wondered the king. "Yes, my king," confirmed the Rambam. "We Jews have been given this power, and if you wish, I will show you this as well." The Rambam performed a miracle, bringing goods from a distant land with a customs stamp and date from the same day.

The king, upon seeing this, longed to be part of the Jewish people. He was circumcised in secret and studied Torah with the Rambam. This legend, aside from being fascinating and interesting, teaches an important moral lesson.

Even if you are as great as the Rambam, you do not have permission to gamble with your spiritual life, and shamayim, heavens, is strict about this stipulation. All the more so for us, who are far from the greatness of the Rambam, should not be wise in our own eyes and take steps that do not have the approval of the sages. Instead, we should submit to the greats of our generation and strive as much as possible to take refuge and immerse ourselves in the world of Torah.

(Beerah Shel Torah, parshat Bamidbar)

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Rabbi Leeor Dahan, a graduate of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim/RSA, is well versed in aspects of halachah and has written commentary on the Mishnah Berurah, and Shulchan Aruch. Rabbi Dahan encourages his congregants at Kehilat Avodat Hashem in Hillcrest, Queens to find time in their day for the study of Torah and associated halachic customs.