17 Nissan – Second Yahrtziet of Harav Shlomo Wolbe z”l
Rav Wolbe writes, (Mitzvos Hashekulos pg. 122) “Due to my lowly spiritual state I did not succeed even slightly in attaining [the spiritual levels] described in the abovementioned chapters (of the sefer Mitzvos Hashekulos). It was for mere moments that my eyes were opened and I was able to live and feel these lofty feelings (described above). However, though these days of spiritual uplifting were few, even this minimal level achieved was solely as a result of studying mussar.
“I can bear witness about myself: I lived in the far-flung country of Sweden for eight years, in a community that was barely able to pull together a quorum of Shabbos observant men. Just about all of those that held positions in the clergy went astray and their Torah observance fell by the wayside. If I was able in some way to preserve the appearance of a Torah Jew during these years that I was alone, it can only be attributed to the fact that I studied mussar on a daily basis. Without mussar, who knows what would have become of me? It was mussar that enabled me to retain my individuality in the secular society, thereby abiding by the teachings and following in the footsteps of my mentors, Rav Yeruchom Levovitz and Rav Yechezkel Levenstein.
“I write these words because I do not feel that they display even a little bit of haughtiness. This can be compared to a man who proclaimed that he remained healthy during the years of famine because he ate bread every day. He who wishes to become cognizant of his own uniqueness and individuality, should make certain that he maintains an undeviating regimen of mussar in addition to the times he sets aside for other areas of Torah study. Such a routine will, with the help of Hashem, lead one to success.”
Compiled by the family of the Mashgiach, Li’iluy Ul’zeicher nishmas HaMashgiach Harav Shlomo ben R’ Moshe z”l.
Important Numbers
