Torat Eretz Yisrael: Celebrating Religious Essays from the members of the Zionists Personalities YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago and their Torah and YU Torah Mitzion Beit Midrash Thoughts Zichron Dov of Toronto RAV AVRAHAM SHAPIRA ZT”L: TORAH AND ERETZ YISRAEL BY RABBI REUVEN BRAND Rosh Kollel, YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago Rav Avraham Elkana Kahana Shapira shiurim in Yeshivat Mercaz Harav for being in the radiant glow of Rav zt”l, or simply Reb Avrum as he was over fifty years, serving as a posek and Shapira zt”l on many occasions, from known to his countless rabbinic and dayan for over thirty years, publishing davening and “duchening” with him lay disciples, was a central figure in innumerable articles and sefarim and in the Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Kiryat the 20th-century Torah community. leading Israel as Ashkenazi Chief Moshe neighborhood to experiencing Although diminutive in size he was Rabbi from 1983–1993. his shiurim on Achronim on Motzei a towering Torah giant, delivering I had the remarkable privilege of Shabbat in his modest nearby 5 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779 apartment. These moments gave an Rav Shapira’s emphasis on Torah American teenager the chance to learning was not limited to the appreciate a tiny glimpse of legendary confines of the Beit Midrash. In an greatness. interview while serving as Chief Born in 1913, Rav Shapira was a Rabbi, he noted that the main goal brilliant “Yerushalmi” talmid chacham of the religious community in Israel should be to expand Torah education who studied under and corresponded 2 with the gedolim of his generation, to all Jews in Israel. including Rav Yechezkel Sarna, Rav Rav Shapira emphasized that there Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Brisker Rav, is “no Torah like Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Rav Avraham Shapira zt”l the Chazon Ish, Rav Yaakov Moshe and he combined his passion for 1914–2007 Charlap and Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank. Torah with a passion for Eretz Yisrael. On a personal level, he was a warm, He was a colleague and successor of Shapira stood firm, maintaining this approachable person with an ebullient Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook zt”l at Mercaz position, which emanated from a sense of humor. He was a beloved Harav and shared Rav Zvi Yehuda’s longstanding view that rabbanim rebbe to generations of talmidim and religious insistence on settling all should be involved in public policy mentor to the entire Religious Zionist of Eretz Yisrael. On one occasion, a decisions regarding the Land of Israel. community. group of Mercaz Harav students were In an interview shortly after the Six- Although Rav Shapira served detained by police at a rally in support Day War, he invoked the Mishna in alongside Rav Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l of new settlements in Yehuda and Sanhedrin that a Jewish king may not as Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi for Shomron. Rav Shapira arrived at the wage a milchemet reshut — voluntary ten years and was extremely active prison soon after with a large Gemara war — as an example of the role in communal affairs, his primary life and quipped, “chaval to waste time. Is Torah sages should have in military mission was his role as a rosh yeshiva. it not possible in the State of Israel to decisions.5 give a shiur in a prison?”3 His chief concern was learning and Even after his passing in 2007, Rav teaching Torah. On Shavuot morning One of Rav Shapira’s most notable Shapira’s Torah leadership continued at the Kotel he would recite the rulings on Eretz Yisrael was regarding to inspire the growth of the Religious bracha of Ahava Rabba slowly and the removal of Jews from Gush Katif. Zionist Torah community and the with intense focus and tears, asking In a public letter he declared that it 1 expanding Jewish settlement of Eretz Hashem to open his heart in learning. is forbidden to transfer land in Eretz Yisrael. Yisrael to non-Jews based on the Ameilut BaTorah — the rigorous effort prohibition of Lo techanem and the invested in Torah learning — is the Endnotes focus of one essay in his three-volume mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael. He therefore ruled it is forbidden for work, Minchat Avraham. He cited 1. Related by Rabbi Yehoshua Magnes anyone — civilians and soldiers — to the Gemara (Berachot 6a) that even in a video tribute: https://youtu.be/ ReleHMlBweE. a solitary individual, who sits alone participate in removing Jews from Gush Katif as it violates the Halacha. and is “osek BaTorah” — engaged 2 Interview with Shaul Shif, Hatzofeh, with Torah — merits the company of In a letter dated 2 Menachem Av 5765, September 9, 1990. Hashem’s presence. It is the quality of he invoked the Rambam’s statement: 3 Related by Moshe Krona. The exchange of letters between Rav 4 אין צריך לומר אם גזר המלך לבטל המצוה being immersed in and struggling with Lichtenstein zt”l and Rav Shapira zt”l’s אין שומעין לו. .Torah that adds spiritual elevation This, Reb Avrum zt”l explained, is the It is obvious that if the king decreed to grandson Rabbi Avraham Silvetsky is rationale for the Bach’s observation violate a mitzvah, we don’t listen to him. published in Nitzanei Aretz 18. (Orach Chaim 47:1) that our practice Hilchot Melachim 3:9 5 Hatzofeh, November 10, 1967. is to recite the bracha “La’asok Bdivrei This position sparked a controversy Torah,” which focuses us on the goal of and a dissenting letter from Rav effort and toil in Torah learning. Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l.4 Yet Rav 6 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Yom Haatzmaut 5779.