31 Oct HOW TO RESPOND TO THE WAR OF 5784 – PART THREE

In the 6th perek of Pirkei
Avos, we are taught that
there are 48 acquisitions
that one needs to practice
to truly acquire the Torah.
The Tiferes Yisroel adds
another angle: one who
wears the crown of Torah must practice
these 48 traits. The 37th acquisition
is, “Nosei b’ol im chaveiro,” to have a
heightened sense of empathy for your
fellow Jew. Rav Irving Bunim, zt”l,
zy”a, in his sparkling commentary on
Pirkei Avos, points out that nosei b’ol,
‘bearing the yoke’ is a very graphic
metaphor, for when an ox shares a yoke
with its fellow, it feels every bump and
jolt that its companion experiences. So
too, the Torah personality is expected to
feel the hour to hour vicissitudes of our
persecuted brethren in Eretz Yisroel.
Just this week, when the sirens went off,
two million people in Tel Aviv, many in
panic, had to rush to bomb shelters. The
empathetic person mentally visualizes
babies rudely shaken out of sleep, and
pregnant women, people with walkers,

those under the influence of sleeping
pills and painkillers being prodded in
a sleep induced fog, having to navigate
narrow steps to descend to makeshift
shelters. The nosei b’ol thinks about the
wife of a soldier or his mother waiting in
fear for the next text message to hear that
they are still alive.
This trait of empathy has always
been the hallmark of great Jews. The
holy Bobover Rebbe, Rav Shlomo
Halberstam, zt”l, zy”a, when he was
on the boat escaping from the Nazis,
yemach shemam v’zichram, was
caught in a storm. Everyone aboard
became savagely ill from nausea. The
chassidim somehow managed to procure
a coveted kosher sucking candy for
the Rebbe which would greatly help to
relieve his nausea. To their surprise, the
Rebbe absolutely refused to take it. He
proclaimed that, ‘While there are still
Jews suffering in Europe, I won’t put a
tzikeral in my mouth.’
After the great fire in Brisk of 1895,
Rav Chaim Brisker, zt”l, zy”a, refused

to sleep in a bed and instead slept on
the floor while there were still people
who were homeless in the city of Brisk.
Rav Elchonon Wasserman, zt”l, zy”a,
Hashem yinkom domo, may Hashem
avenge his blood, when there was no
food in his yeshiva of Baranovich,
refused to eat any food at home.
They once asked the saintly mashgiach,
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz, zt”l, zy”a, how
many times a person turns from side
to side during the night. He thought
that it was a nonsensical question. But
then they told him that a person with a
broken shoulder or a wounded hand or
foot cannot turn to the other side!. When
hearing this, he was shaken. ‘If so, I
haven’t felt properly the plight of such
an injured person.’ This is the depth of
nosei b’ol im chaveiro.
In Tehillim, Dovid HaMelech testifies,
“Imo anochi b’tzarah,” that Hashem is
with a person in his distress. This was
the vision that Hashem showed Moshe
Rabbeinu at the burning bush; that he
was suffering together with Klal Yisroel.
Since this is the way of Hashem,
when we suffer together with our
brothers and sisters, we are fulfilling
the lofty mitzvah of v’halachta
b’drachov, walking in the ways of
Hashem. The Pele Yo’etz and the
Ksav v’Kabbalah add that feeling the
pain of others is a true fulfillment of
v’ahavtah l’rei’acha k’mocha, loving
your friend like yourself.
On the other hand, if we just go about
our lives like normal, the Gemora
calls us a sinner. For we are taught
in Berachos [12b], “Kol she’efshar lo
l’vakeish rachamim al chaveiro v’lo
bikeish nikra chotei – Whoever has
the wherewithal to pray for mercy
for his fellow and does not do so is
considered a sinner.” (Those that
started the cycle of amud yomi will
learn this page this week!)
We are taught that Moshe Rabbeinu
was chosen for greatness because
he left his cushy environment in the
palace of Paroh, “V’ayar b’sivlosam,”
to see the suffering of his brethren
at the hand of the taskmasters of
Egypt. Rashi elaborates, “Nosien
einav v’libo lihiyos meitzar aleihem –
He fixed his eyes and his heart to be
distressed about their plight.” From
Rashi, it seems to be important to

actually visualize what is going on. And
therefore, although one should certainly
not become a news junkie, seeing an
occasional visual of hundreds of missiles
in the air or frightening terrorist attacks
can help to make a person more sensitive
to the plight of one’s brothers and sisters.
In a similar vein, my Rebbe, Rav
Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, zy”a, writes in his
Igros Moshe, [Yoreh Dei’ah, 1:223] that
visiting the sick over the telephone is
insufficient, for one reason, because you
don’t get a true picture of the suffering
of the choleh.
The Chazon Ish, zt”l, zy”a, in the
Koveitz Igros Chazon Ish [1:123], gives
the following strategies for how one can
increase one’s empathy for others. He
says we should extend ourselves to help
the people (such as sending money to
United Hatzoloh, Zaka, organizations
that provide supplies such as certified
ceramic bullet proof vests) and to pray
fervently even before you really feel
the need. These outward attempts will
affect one’s inward feelings and convert
one into a true nosei b’ol im chaveiro.
In the merit of our care and concern
for all of Klal Yisroel, may Hashem
bring a speedy victory, a recovery of the
hostages, healing to the wounded, and
the coming of Moshi’ach speedily in our
days.