תורה בדרכו של אלן וינר
Izzy Wiener
.קידושין ל
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כל הַמְלַמֵּד אֶת בֶּן בְּנוֹ תּוֹרָה מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ קִבְּלָהּ מֵהַר סִינַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ״, וּסְמִיךְ לֵיהּ: ״יוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּחֹרֵב״
The Gemara in Kiddushin 30a, connecting two pasukim in Devarim, says that although a grandfather has no obligation to teach his grandchildren Torah, if he does so it is as if he (the grandchild) has received it from Har Sinai.
ירושלמי שבת א:ב
רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי הֲוָה יְלִיף שְׁמַע פַּרְשָׁתָה מִן בַּר בְּרֵיהּ בְּכָל עֲרוֹבַת שׁוּבָּא. חַד זְמַן אִינְשִׁי. וְעָאַל מִיסְחֵי בְּהָהֵן דֵּימוֹסִין דְּטִיבֵּרְיִאָ. אִינְהַר דְּלָא שְׁמַע פַּרְשָׁתֵיהּ מִן בַּר בְּרֵיהּ וְחָזַר וּנְפַק לֵיהּ… אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי חִיָיא בַּר בָּא. וְלֹא כֵן אַלְפַּן רִבִּי. אִם הִתְחִילוּ אֵין מַפְסִיקִין? אָמַר לֵיהּ. חִיָיה בְנִי. קַלָּה הִיא בָעֵינֶיךָ. שֶׁכָּל הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ פַּרְשָׁה מִן בֶּן בְּנוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא שׁוֹמְעָהּ מֵהַר סִינַי. וּמַה טַעֲמָא. וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ. יוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְי אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּחוֹרֵב .
The Yerushalmi in Shabbos 1:2 seems to learn the exact opposite from the same two pesukim. It relates that R’ Yehoshua ben Levi made a point to, every week, hear his grandson go through the parsha. One week, he was at the bathhouse on Erev Shabbos and realized that he had missed his grandson’s reading. He jumped up to leave, upon which the others present asked how he could do so considering that the Mishna says that one should not interrupt their bathing on Erev Shabbos. R’ Yehosua ben Levi replied, “Is this so unimportant to you? Anyone who hears a lesson from his grandson it is as if he heard it from Har Sinai!”
To me, Grandpa is the perfect representation of both of these. Not only would he be willing to jump out of his Erev Shabbos bath to hear any of his grandchildren share Torah, but he also has a way of embodying both of these Gemaras seeming contradictory lessons simultaneously.
When we lived in Allentown, Grandpa was the center of my Torah life. Whether it was a Mishna Berurah, NFL refereeing class or a visual aid accompanied dvar Torah on Shabbos, he taught me everything I knew. The highlight of it all was when we would learn on Shabbos right after kiddush, and it was here where I felt he perfectly embodied these two Gemaras. There is no other way for me to describe what I felt other than that every word truly felt like it was coming from Hashem, and Grandpa was the messenger. Both then and to this day, any time I have shared any idea or piece of Torah with Grandpa it feels like he is listening as if he is at Har Sinai.
Thank you Granpda for always being there for us!!
When thinking of grandfathers in the Torah, Yaakov Avinu is one of the first to come to mind. Grandpa perfectly emulates Yaakov Avinu. How, you may ask? The Gemara in Chulin 91a says that the reason Yaakov Avinu was alone when the angel came to fight him was because he had left some small pitchers behind and had gone back to get them. From here the Gemara learns that people value their possessions more than their own bodies due to the work they put in to acquire them.
Grandpa gives his all in order to find gadgets so obscure, and I think everyone can agree that he would put his body on the line to retrieve even the smallest one!
