Kavod and tiferes are terms which are associated with the dignity of man and the requirement of manifesting this sense of reserve and class. When we mention the gadlus ha’adam, greatness of man, one immediately thinks of Slabodka, the yeshivah whose Mashgiach/founder, the Alter zl, of Slabodka, Horav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, was its primary exponent. I take the liberty of expounding on the subject and its intended impact on the Jewish imperative.
When Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel was about to launch his yeshivah, he asked Horav Yisrael Salanter, zl, founder of the Mussar, character refinement, movement, “On which foundations shall I build my yeshivah?” Rav Yisrael replied, applying the pasuk in Yeshayah 57:15, L’hachayos ruach shefalim u’lehachayos lev nidkaim, “to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the despondent.” This pasuk became the cornerstone of the Alter’s work. His goal was to uplift his students’ spirits, broaden the horizons of their mind – not to think small, but to think globally. This was at a time when the self-image of the yeshivah students was on the defensive end of a Jewish community that treated them with complete disregard.
The Alter focused on man’s greatness and his power in the world. He shied away from the anochi afar va’eifer, “I am dust and ashes” attitude, which had won favor in the eyes of some educators; rather, he saw it as his imperative to develop man’s stature as vital to his elevation. He attempted to infuse each of his students with a sense of his own significance and responsibility, as the consequence of his role as the crown of Creation. When one realizes his incredible potential, he will begin to acknowledge the awesome responsibility that rests on him. This awareness is a great motivation for him to exert himself to realize his potential. Thus, with the realization of what he is and what he could achieve, he is availed that most wonderful gift which eludes so many: the gift of joy.
The Alter battled valiantly on behalf of the yeshivah student’s stature and sense of importance, in his own eyes and in the eyes of the Jewish community. Regrettably, yeshivah students were considered to be on the low end of the totem pole. The world was changing as a result of the changing “isms”: Communism, Socialism, secular Zionism. These movements were in addition to the pervasive Haskalah, Jewish Enlightenment, which was responsible for the destruction of the spiritual lives of countless of unknowing Jews. The espousers of these organized trends treated those who devoted their lives to Torah study as wastrels who had no part in the greater world outside. The appearance and manner of dress of the yeshivah students, often the result of poverty and neglect, certainly did not ameliorate their preconceived self-satisfying notions.
The Alter demanded that his students be scrupulous in their behavior, both within the environs of the yeshivah and in their interaction with the outside world. He insisted that they dress properly, neatly and respectfully – indeed, l’kavod u’letiferes, “for the dignity and beauty of the Torah.” He understood that one’s self image is affected by his external appearance. The attire upon which he insisted included a short-coated suit and a hat, no beard, and hair to be cut in a manner considered respectable by conventional norms. Slowly, the townspeople’s attitude toward the yeshivah bachurim changed. Even more important, the student’s self-image also changed. He learned to view himself as a person of stature, as a ben Torah, a talmid chacham, Torah scholar, who exemplified the embodiment of Torah – not an am ha’aretz, one unschooled in Torah erudition. In other words, the world saw where he excelled, over and beyond the characterization of the proponents of the Enlightenment.
One of the Alter’s most prominent disciples, an individual who represented Slabodka in the fullest sense, was Horav Meir Chodosh, zl, venerably known as the Mashgiach. He transmitted his Rebbe’s philosophy of life to his many students in Eretz Yisrael. In his biography, his daughter, Rebbetzin Shulamis Ezrachi, relates the following two telling vignettes:
Horav Isaac Sher, zl, was the son-in-law of the Alter and Rosh Yeshivah of Slabodka. He was a man who walked and stood with an erect carriage, eyes cast down to the ground. It is related that, in his youth, he would walk with a stooped nature. The Alter wanted him to walk erect, upright, the way one should walk. One day, he called Rav Isaac over and said to him, “Go buy yourself a pair of pince-nez.” These were a type of elegant eyeglasses which was stylish at the time. The problem was that they did not have ear pieces. They stayed on by pinching the bridge of the nose. The only way to keep the pince-nez from falling off was by standing very erect.
The student followed the Mashgiach’s instructions, purchased the glasses, and, a short time later, they fell off his nose and shattered. Rav Isaac felt terrible. The Alter noticed that he was not wearing the glasses, and, after finding out what had happened, gave his student more money to purchase another pair of pince-nez. This time, Rav Isaac was much more careful; he kept his head straight and his shoulders erect, so that he would not allow the glasses to slip downward and break. This is how Rav Isaac learned to walk with an upright posture.
Horav Simchah Wasserman, zl, came to Slabodka and introduced himself to the Alter. “How is your father?” the Alter asked. (This was a reference to Horav Elchanan Wasserman, zl, Rosh Yeshivas Baranovitz and one of Europe’s pre-eminent Torah leaders.) Rav Simchah replied, Nisht kasha, “Not bad”. The Alter became visibly upset: “Is this the way you speak about your father, as though he were a horse in the stable?” This is really the reason I came to Slabodka,” Rav Simchah replied. “I heard that here one learns how to speak (properly).” The Alter calmed down.
One last story: A Kollel fellow in Chevron visited Horav Meir Chodosh. During the course of the conversation, he asked the Mashgiach to explain the philosophy of gadlus ha’adam to him, as it was manifest in Slabodka. The Mashgiach answered, “All that I can explain to you will be theoretical and worthless until you see the behavior of Horav Zevullun Graz, (zl,) Rav of Rechovos. I suggest that you take a trip to Rechovos and spend a day with the Rav.”
The avreich, young man, traveled to Rechovos and presented himself at the house of Rav Graz. “Does the Rav have a place for me to spend the night?” he asked. The Rav asked no questions. Here was a young man, properly dressed, from a good family – why not? The Rav immediately invited him in and prepared a bed for him to sleep.
The young man was excited about his good fortune. He went to bed and feigned sleep. Perhaps he would notice something during the night that would validate what he felt were the strange instructions of the Mashgiach.
The night went by, and, after a few hours of learning, Rav Zevullun retired to bed. The young man figured that it was all a waste. One does not go to Slabodka to learn how to sleep, but the Mashgiach did say that it would all be explained. So, he was determined to remain awake all night. Something was going to happen that would make sense out of it all.
At two o’clock in the morning, Rav Zevullun arose from his bed to use the facilities. The young man figured that this was it. He might as well get a few hours of sleep and return to the Mashgiach with a “mission not accomplished.” Then the most unusual thing took place. Rav Zevullun went over to the closet, removed his kapote, frock, and homburg, hat, and then, when he was clothed in his rabbinic garb, he recited the Asher Yotzar blessing, with great kavanah, concentration and intention.
It now all made sense. The “greatness of man” is not measured by how he acts in public. The barometer for gadlus ha’adam is determined by how he acts in middle of the night, in the privacy of his own home. When he makes the Bircas Asher Yotzar upon leaving the bathroom, does he spend a few minutes to realize that he – the crown of Creation – is about to speak to the Creator, so that he dresses accordingly?
