What Makes One Holy? | Rabbi Moshe Rotberg

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Vayimaen’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

As World War I was tearing through Europe, town after town being destroyed, and all too often, as the Polish and the Russian armies were fighting, it was the Jewish people that were caught in the middle, and always in the crossfire of these two countries. The town of Lipnishuk, which was in the shadows of Radin, where the great Chofetz Chaim was, my great grandfather, R’ Tuvia Rotberg, a tremendous Gaon and Talmid Chacham, a Talmid Muvhak of the Chofetz Chaim, was in that town, where he had a Yeshiva. And the government officials came to him and gave him the mandate to close down his Yeshiva, and if not, he will be killed. Without even thinking, he responded that he will not close down the Yeshiva, under any circumstances. They went and took him to the city square, where they were about to hang him. The different עסקנים came and pleaded with the government officials. They tried bribing them, they tried begging them, but to no avail. And when they brought him to the gallows, he silently said וידוי, as he wept and said Shema, as he was preparing for his death, but he would not close down his Yeshiva.

Jump to a moment

1. 0:08As World War I was tearing through Europe, town after town being destroyed, and all too…
2. 0:38to close down his Yeshiva, and if not, he will be killed. Without even thinking, he…
3. 1:09Everybody stood by in awe. As soon as he was done, he collapsed. At that point,…
4. 1:40My great uncle saw this. Think about the greatness of that generation and where we are…
5. 2:11But the Yerushalmi in יבמות adds a third Pshat. and the Yerushalmi in יבמות says, that…
6. 2:41the greatness of who he was and everything he's accomplished. She couldn't say he's a Kadosh…
7. 3:11which we have the ability to look at, that we shouldn't, when we make that choice…

Every second of this shiur plays inside Lehallel — a filtered YouTube library of Torah, music and shiurim. No ads, no comments, no autoplay.