Rabbi Joel Leib Herzog – the father of Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, the late Chief Rabbi of Israel relates in one of his books (Imrei Yoel, part 3, London, 1924, p. 188) what he heard from old men in Kovno when he was studying, in his youth at the Yeshiva of Slobodka.
Yom Kippur after the fast, Rabbi Leible, the rabbi of Kovno, was in no hurry to go home and eat. He remained in the Beth HaMidrash, studying for several hours. Astounded by his conduct, the people asked him why he continued to afflict himself and did not go home to eat, drink and rest.
Rabbi Leible replied:” You ought to know that the world exists because of the Torah. After the fast all eat and drink. They are tired and worn out, and I doubt whether there is one in a thousand who is able,or even has the desire, to study Torah. For this reason I feel duty-bound to study, lest the fire of the Torah which keeps the entire universe going, dies out.
“A captain of a ship must remain constantly at his post. If he wants to leave, another must be ready to take his place, otherwise all the passengers are in danger,” Rabbi Leible stressed. “The Torah is the ”engine of the world and the Jew is its driver. He is not permitted to leave his post, even for a moment.”
Rabbi Leible Kovner- Rabbi Aryeh Leib Schapira—was a student of Rabbi Menashe Ilya and Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. He served as rabbi in several communities in Lithuania and during the last four years of his life was rabbi of Kovno. He died in 1853.
Our literature abounds in stories illustrating the great piety and deep faith of Gedolei Yisrael, but Rabbi Leible’s conduct on Motzaei Yom Kippur is certainly unique.
Rabbi Yoel Leib Herzog – whose writings are the source of the above story- was born in Lomza. While still young, he became known in Poland as a preacher, propagating the rebuilding of the land of Israel. He served as rabbi in Leeds, England, and later in Paris, where he died in the1930s. Shemuel HaKohen Avidor writes in his biography of Rabbi.Y .I. Herzog, that Rabbi Herzog- who was then Chief Rabbi of Ireland- eulogized his father at the funeral in Paris. He declared that the internment was only temporary and conditional. Several months later he transferred his father’s remains to Jerusalem. Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, who was then already gravely ill- he died a short time later- rose from his sick bed to eulogize Rabbi Joel Leib Herzog.
Supercommentaries on Rashi
A very large number of supercommentaries have been composed on Rashi’s commentary on the Torah. The author of the supercommnetaries include Gedolei Yisrael who felt impelled to explain and discuss Rashi’s commentary. Among these were Rabbi Israel Isserlein, author of Terumat HaDeshen, Rabbi ELlyahu Mizrachi, Rabbi Ovadiah diBertinoro, Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe, author of the Levushim, the Maharal of Prague, his brother Rabbi Chaim ben R. Betzalel- whose super commentary B’erMayim Chayim was printed only in ourtime and Rabbi David b.Shmuel HaLevi, author of Turei Zahav.
Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Reich, who some time ago embarked on publishing facsimile editions of old, out of print rabbinical books, has in recent months brought out reproductions of several very rare supercommentaries on Rashi: The supercommentaries of Rabbi Shmuel Almosnino, Moshe Albida, Aaron Abu Alderei and Yaakov Kenizel (all four were printed in one volume in Constantinople, circa 1525); Yosef Da’at by R. Yosef b. R. Yissachar of Prague (Prague1609) Tiferet Yosef by R. Yosef Yoel Segal (Prague, 1725) and Karnei Re’em on Rashi and on R. Eliyahu Mizrachi by R. Yitzhak Haddad (Livorno, 1765).
R. Yizhak Haddad, who was rabbi on the island of Djerba, off Tunisia published with his Karnei Re’em which was printed during his lifetime. Zera Yizhak novellae and comments, mainly on Midrash Rabbah. The new edition of Karnei Re’em includes Zera Yitzhak, as well as an essay by the publisher, Rabbi Chaim Elezar Reich, about Rabbi Yitzhak Haddad and Rabbi Haddad’s teachers and colleagues, who are quoted in his two books.
Sept. 20, 1991 Jewish Press