Page 38 - DAAT HAIM-1

Rabbi Chaim Walkin ןיקלאוו םייח ברה
Sefer Da’at Chaim םייח תעד רפס

2nd ma’amar ׳א ר ָמ ֲא ַמ
the Holocaust he was the Rosh Yeshivat Aksa-la-ben in France) – that וי ָתוֹבוֹח ה ָמ ה ָעי ִדי ִו ה ָר ָכּ ַה ךְוֹתּ ִמ וֹח ְתּ ַפ ְלוּ "וֹמ ָלוֹע" ת ֶא תוֹנ ְב ִל בָיּ ַח
he was once told by the Gaon Rabbi Mordechai “My dear student, take
the sefer “Mesilat Yesharim” and learn this sefer one thousand times, ם ָד ָא ָה ח ַתּ ְפִי - ה ָרי ִה ְבוּ ת ֶר ֶרוֹב ְמ הֶי ְה ִתּ וֹז ה ָעי ִדְי ר ֶשׁ ֲא ַכּ .וֹדוּעֵי ְו
but know clearly that even if you do this you will not reach even the ת ָתּ ְשׁ ֻמּ ַה קֹמ ָע י ִמי ִנ ְפּ ן ֶכֹת ְבּ שׁוּד ָג ְו א ֵל ָמ ,וֹלּ ֶשּׁ ִמ "ם ָלוֹע" וֹמ ְצ ַע ְל
starting point of understanding these words.” In this way he continued
to encourage and implant in his student words of mussar that would ן ָתי ֵא דֹמ ֲעַי ה ֶז "ם ָלוֹע" .וי ָתוֹלּ ֻג ְסוּ וי ָתוֹנוּכ ְתּ ל ֶשׁ י ֵבּ ַר ֵמ לוּצּ ִנ ל ַע
penetrate his heart to avoid the superficiality and shallowness that a .וֹכוֹת ְל רֹדּ ְחַי אלֹ ַעי ִר ְפ ַמוּ ע ַר ר ָב ָדּ ל ָכ ְו ,וֹמוֹק ְמ ִבּ קוּצָי ְו
person must first identify and appreciate, that within the innermost
layers of his soul lies an even greater concealed depth of understanding. א ָבוּה ֶשׁ )'ג ,בל ה ָבּ ַר א ָר ְקִיּ ַו( ל"ַז ֲח שׁ ַר ְד ִמ ְבּ םי ִשׁ ָרֹפ ְמ םי ִר ָב ְדּ וּניִצָמוּ
However, even though this nature of delving deeply into all aspects "'וֹג ְו ם ֵשּׁ ַה ת ֶא ...בֹקִּיּ ַו תי ִל ֵא ְר ְשִׂי ה ָשּׁ ִא ן ֶבּ א ֵצֵיּ ַו" קוּס ָפּ ַה ל ַע י" ִשׁ ַר ְבּ
of our lives, learning mussar is the very basic first step that one
must internalize. What is very much lacking is the enthusiasm to א ָתי ִנ ְת ַמוּ .א ָצָי וֹמ ָלוֹע ֵמ ר ֵמוֹא י ִו ֵל י ִבּ ַר ,א ָצָי ן ָכי ֵה ֵמוּ" :)דכ א ָר ְקִיּ ַו(
delve deeply into the learning of mussar and absorb the depths of its ה ֶנ ֲח ַמ ךְוֹת ְבּ וֹל ֳה ָא ע ַטּ ִל א ָבּ .בָיּ ֻח ְמ א ָצָי ה ֶשֹׁמ ל ֶשׁ וֹני ִדּ תי ֵבּ ִמ ה ָר ְמ ָא
lessons and then apply them to life, as this deficit exists even in our וּר ְמ ָא .י ִנ ֲא ן ָדּ י ֵנ ְבּ ִמ :ם ֶה ָל ר ַמ ָא ,ןא ָכ ְל ךָ ְבי ִט ה ָמ :וֹל וּר ְמ ָא ,ן ָדּ
yeshivot. (A) A young man who enters into a schedule of learning mussar
does not utilize his time properly as he superficially skims through one וֹני ִדּ תי ֵב ְל ס ַנ ְכ ִנ .בי ִת ְכּ - ם ָתֹב ֲא תי ֵב ְל תֹתֹא ְב וֹל ְג ִדּ ל ַע שׁי ִא :וֹל
sefer and then switches to the next sefer, and then to the next sefer, and ןוֹשׁא ִר ט ָבּ ַמ ְבוּ .וֹנוֹשׁ ְל ןא ָכּ ד ַע ,"ף ֵדּ ִג ְו ד ַמ ָע .בָיּ ֻח ְמ א ָצָי ְו ה ֶשֹׁמ ל ֶשׁ
does not learn any one sefer intensely. They do not make effective use
of the limited time allocated to learning mussar; the main problem is that םי ִשׁוּר ֵפּ י ֵנ ְשׁ ןָי ְנ ִע ָה ק ֶמֹע ְבּ ם ָלוּא .םי ִד ָר ְפ ִנ םי ִשׁוּר ֵפּ י ֵנ ְשׁ ם ֵה ה ָרוֹא ְכ ִל
they do not learn mussar with enthusiasm and a depth of understanding .הֶז ת ֶא הֶז םי ִמי ִל ְשׁ ַמוּ ד ָח ֶא ה ֶנ ָק ְבּ םי ִלוֹע וּלּ ֵא
as did the men who learned mussar in earlier generations.
ָ
In our generation these are the predominant things that interfere \ הָי ָה אוּה .ה ָלְי ַל ןי ִבּ וֹל ךְ ֵפּ ַה ְת ִה תי ִל ֵא ְר ְשִׂיּ ַה ה ָשּׁ ִא ָה ן ֶבּ ל ֶשׁ וֹמלוֹע
disturb \ that compete with us in our attempts to learn and internalize ת ֶא תוֹנ ְב ִל ל ַכוּי ם ָשׁ ,ן ָדּ ט ֶב ֵשׁ ,וֹמּ ִא ט ֶב ֵשׁ ְבּ וֹק ְל ֶח הֶי ְהִיּ ֶשׁ ַחוּט ָבּ
mussar. These disturbances – this superficiality – directly affects us in
all aspects of our lives – as these lessons of mussar are not internalized ר ֶשׁ ֲא ַכּ ם ָלוּא .וי ָתוֹפי ִא ְשׁ ת ֶא םי ִשׁ ְג ַה ְלוּ וי ָתוֹיּ ִנ ְכ ָתּ ת ֶא שׁ ֵמּ ַמ ְל ,וֹתי ֵבּ
as they should be if we would delve deeply into the depths of mussar וֹמ ְצ ַע ת ֶא ע ַת ֶפ ְל א ָצ ָמ וּנ ֵבּ ַר ה ֶשֹׁמ ל ֶשׁ וֹני ִדּ תי ֵבּ ִמ בָיּ ֻח ְמ א ָצָי
and spend more time learning it.
ה ָת ְנּ ִשׁ וּנ ֵבּ ַר ה ֶשֹׁמ ל ֶשׁ וֹני ִדּ תי ֵבּ ִמ ה ָאי ִצְי ַה ֶשׁ א ָצ ְמ ִנ .ר ֵח ַא ם ָלוֹע ְבּ
With help from Hashem, we will attempt to explain the methods and the .וי ָל ָע ב ַר ָח י ִמ ְצ ַע ָה "וֹמ ָלוֹע" .ף ֵדּ ַג ְמ ַה ל ֶשׁ י ִמי ִנ ְפּ ַה "וֹמ ָלוֹע" ל ָכּ ת ֶא
ways by which a person can acquire for himself the ability to strengthen
his learning of mussar, and live our lives in a framework of mussar. וֹב ָצּ ַמ ל ָכּ ִמ א ָצָי אוּה ְו ,ה ָנּ ַתּ ְשׁ ִה ְו ע ַז ְע ַדּ ְז ִה י ִמי ִנ ְפּ ַה י ִשׁי ִא ָה וּה ֵנ ְב ִמ ל ָכּ

The source for internalizing mussar and community – said in yeshivat Ateret Torah in his drasha Seudat Shelishi, Shabbat
living life in the framework of mussar – the perashat Chukat, that after this man emerged guilty from Beit Din, Moshe
development of spiritual emotions. Rabbeinu himself offered him residence with him in his “tent” and the man
refused. How very great could he have become had he placed himself under the
guidance and influence of Moshe Rabbeinu!
The foundation of internalizing mussar and living life in the framework

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