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New Stories Korach 5776 Stories of Rav Aharon Kotler Zt”L Rabbi Tzvi

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New Stories Korach 5776 Stories of Rav Aharon Kotler Zt”L Rabbi Tzvi New Stories Korach 5776 frightening. I can't ever recall feeling that with any other Gadol. Stories of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l Summer in Lakewood Rabbi Tzvi Pruzansky Before I actually became a talmid, I Giving Shalom spent the summers of '58 and '59 in First, let me preface my remarks by Lakewood. I originally came to learn a saying that when I was a young bochur little extra, and I ended up in a day in Philadelphia, bochurim would camp here run by a Lakewood frequently go to Lakewood. And yungerman, Avraham Shachne Zucker. whenever a bochur returned, the What struck me then was that when question was: "Did you give shalom to Reb Aharon would come into the Reb Aharon?" dining room Friday night, before he'd It was a whole shailah of how to go make kiddush, he'd stop into the about it. Did you try and bump into kitchen to say "Gut Shabbos" to the him, or did you let him bump into you? cook. Her name was Mrs. Shoenig, a It was poshut a moirah - it was widow. In anticipation of Reb awesome to give him shalom. Aharon's coming, she would straighten out her apron and would pull down her So when the bochur would come back, tichel to make sure that not a hair stuck he'd tell his friends, "Yes, Reb Aharon out. It was a hachana for the gadol was waiting by the tea room," or "Reb hador. You could see that for her, it Aharon was waiting outside, and then I was worth her whole week's work just gave him shalom." to get that personal "Gut Shabbos" from Reb Aharon. Only after that He was such a malach Elokim that you would he come and say kiddush for were simply afraid to go and give him everyone. shalom. At the Shabbos tish, everyone spoke in I used to come to Lakewood for learning the whole time. After we grew Simchas Torah. For the first few years, up, one of the older boys told me, "'Es I would never give shalom. I would chatoi ani mazker ha yom.' We couldn't walk by and say "Gut Yom Tov" like understand why Reb Aharon wouldn't everyone else because I followed the let us just eat a little bit and enjoy the crowd, but to give him shalom was seudah." The reason was, for Reb Aharon, life was learning. There was 1 no division between time for learning Later on, it was no longer relevant and time for enjoyment. The oneg because those buildings were closed, Shabbos was learning. Noch a but such a minhag once existed. I chiddush. Noch a chiddush. Noch a know that Rav Schneur wanted to vort. Noch a vort. continue that minhag of "Si'u She'arim Rosheichem." It was actually one of Simchas Torah the biggest things in town on Simchas Later, when I used to go to Lakewood Torah. The whole town came out to for Simchas Torah, I would watch Reb see it - women and children - and it was Aharon. He would stand in his place, a big simcha. but by "Moshe Emes v'Toraso Emes," The Dedication of a New Yeshiva he would jump up a little bit. That Building minhag is brought down in seforim, but really, we followed Reb Aharon. He In 1960, when I was a talmid in was an elderly man, and didn't jump Philadelphia, they dedicated the new high, but the olam exaggerated it and building and Reb Aharon came to give we all jumped up as high as we could. a shiur. It was on Kesuba, whether it's d'oraisa or not. There were mareh There was also a minhag that the Rosh mekomos put up, and we'd try to follow Yeshiva would carry the Sefer Torah along, but how could we follow such a from the dining room to the Bais genius? He spoke with lightning speed. Medrash. In those years, the Bais I couldn't even mimic the words at the Medrash was on 7th Street and Forest speed at which he would talk, let alone Avenue. The dining room was on 6th follow along with my mind. I Street and Private Way, so when remember that once there was a senator everyone left the dining room on leyl sitting in the front of the Bais Medrash. Simchas Torah to daven Maariv, they I'm sure he didn't understand a word would dance and sing "Si'u She'arim Reb Aharon was saying, but he was Rosheichem." Reb Aharon, in his transfixed. And as Reb Aharon gave humility, didn't feel they should do all the shiur, his face mamesh turned red. this for him, so they brought along the It was red from the fire of the Torah. Sefer Torah, and it was as if they were dancing in front of the Sefer Torah, At that particular shiur, Reb Elya asked [and not him.] That's where this a kashe nobody knew. He asked it minhag started with dancing. quickly, and Reb Aharon answered it instantly, without pausing for a second. 2 Later that day, we asked one of the gave the honor of sandek to Reb older bochurim asked, "What was Reb Aharon. While sitting there in the Elya's comment?" He explained, "Reb sandek's chair, the father walked into Elya said, 'Rabbi Akiva Eiger zugt shul. So Reb Aharon got up from the fakert." Reb Aharon immediately seat and said, "Es belongt tzu dir." understood which comment of Rabbi Akiva Eiger's Reb Elya had meant and answered that this apparent A Big Gevir contradiction was not so difficult to understand. Another story I remember about Reb Aharon took place one year when I was A Shidduch and a Bris in Lakewood for Simchas Torah. There was a big gevir - I think his name My mother was close to Reb Aharon was Morgenstern - who pledged a lot of and the Rebbetzin because she was the money. First, he pledged $5,000 to the shadchanta for Rav Yankev Katz and yeshiva that the olam should learn Gruneh. Rav Yankev Katz didn't show Shas. And I remember Yankel Schiff up on the first date. There they were said, "The olam should get the money." waiting. The Rosh Yeshiva was waiting and the kallah was waiting, but Then he pledged $5,000 more to the he never came, and he didn't even call. yeshiva if Reb Aharon would learn 25 But he did call the next day, and my blatt. Reb Aharon, who was learning by mother said, "Ersht, muz ich dir the shtender, learned the 25 blatt right unshrayen, then you'll tell me your there on the spot. Those were the years excuse." when Irving Bunim was still alive. The Simchas Torah celebration was big His excuse was that there was snow back then. All the baalei batim came. and he couldn't even get to a telephone. They would sell "Atah Horaisa" and But the shidduch went through, and many different honors, but in the year because my mother was the shadchanta, that this gevir made all those pledges, she became close with the Rosh he passed away. It was a gevaldige Yeshiva and the Rebbetzin. As a result, zchus for him. she heard some of the Rosh Yeshiva's (http://www.shemayisrael.com/ravahar stories. on/rpruzansky.htm ) One story was in the town of Kletzk. There was going to be a bris, but the father of the baby was on a trip, so they 3 .
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