B"H 15 Sivan 5781
To my dear friends, members of the Jewish Community in the Tucumán Province in Argentina:
I received with joy the good news from my emissary the faithful educator Rabbi Yehudah Stroll shlit"a, about the decision in your congregation to strengthen their commitment to Torah, with the establishment of the first Torah school in your city, with a beautiful building you have built with the help of the donations of the dear residents of your community who understood the importance of this need.
We also received the news about what transpired in your city after the dedication of the school building, that by Hashgacha Pratis, the police were made aware of the plans of a group of Jew-haters who sought to commit a terrorist attack against your community, and by Hashem's abundant Kindness, the police succeeded in arresting the culprits on the very day they sought to enact their evil plans.
This reminds us of a teaching from the Holy Zohar in Parshas Behar (110b), that sometimes a Heavenly judgment is decreed upon the Jews that some suffering should befall them, but our Father in Heaven creates an opportunity for them to perform some great mitzvah, in order that the merit of this mitzvah will protect them and rescue them from the trouble.
This demonstrates the tremendous mitzvah of establishing a Talmud Torah school for Jewish children, which Hashem prepared for you as a merit to escape the harsh judgement. Chazal say (Shabbos 119b) that the world only exists by the pure breath of the mouths of the Jewish school children, who have no sin. This has a special power to cancel the evil plans of Jew-haters, as King David said in Sefer Tehillim (Psalm 8:3) "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have established strength because of Your adversaries, in order to put an end to enemy and avenger".
Along these lines, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Chagigah 1:7) tells us that three Sages once travelled to visit every Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael, to ensure that no community lacked a Talmud Torah school for their children. When they came to one community which lacked a Talmud Torah school, they asked the residents of the community to bring them the city guards, and the residents brought the police officers. The Sages told them that they did not mean the police officers, but the teachers of the children, who are the true guardians of the city, because the merit of their Torah study with children protects the city.
It is also taught in the Midrash (Breishis Rabbah 65:20) that a group of Romans once gathered around their great Philosopher, Avnimus the Weaver, and asked him how to attack the Jews. He answered them: "Go visit their synagogues and study halls of Torah. If you find children chirping with the voice of Torah, you will not be able to attack them!" This is why Chazal say (Shabbos 119b) that Jerusalem was destroyed only because the school children were prevented from studying Torah in their schools.
It was this power that Mordechai used after the decree Haman made to destroy the Jews. Mordechai gathered 22,000 Jewish children and studied Torah with them, as the Midrash explains (Esther Rabbah 8:7), that in this merit, Haman suddenly came with the royal garments and the royal horse to bring Mordechai to ride, and Haman's entire plans were turned around to be positive.
It is possible to say, that this is hinted to by the name "Shlomiel ben Tzurishaddai", who was the prince of the tribe of Shimon, who taught Torah to the children (Rashi to Genesis/Bereishis 49:7), which is hinted to with his name: "Shlomiel" - meaning Hashem pays for me, "ben Tzurishaddai" - that in the merit of the child who learns, my Stronghold in Heaven said to my troubles "dai" (enough), as Rashi explains in Parshas Mikeitz (Genesis/Bereishis 43:14) that this is the hint in the name "Sha-dai", that Hashem said enough to our troubles.
This power comes from the holy energy of the Holy Shechinah which rests predominantly in a Jewish school, which is like a small Beis HaMikdash, as the Holy Zohar says (Zohar Chadash Vol. I 42b) that someone who teaches Torah to children lives with the Shechinah, which is why Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai would go to see the children study, and he said "I am going to greet the Shechinah".
Comments
Post a Comment