Rabbi Tuvia Wein, the scion of a famous rabbinical family and one of the few students of the Chafetz Chaim still among us, has arrived for a visit in the U.S.
The rabbi, who also studied in Mir, settled in the Land of Israel in 1935, teaching Torah in various parts of the country. For many years now he has been working on Yen HaTov, a Hebrew translation of the Aramaic Targumim of the Bible, accompanied by source references and explanatory notes. To date there have appeared Yen HaTov on the Pentateuch, the Five Megillot, Tehillim and Isaiah. The volumes were very well received and are found in almost all synagogues in Israel.
Yen HaTov on Tehillim includes an appendix relating to fundamental concepts of Judaism mentioned in the Aramaic Targum to that book.
Rabbi Wein wrote his books to encourage Jews to study the Aramaci Targumim, the neglect of which, according to Rabbi Zelmele, Brother of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin has impaired our understanding of Troah.
I recent weeks I wrote in this column about how Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and Rabbi Leible of Kovno studied for several hours on Motzaei Yom Kippur while others ate and rested from the fast. They maintained that the study of the Torah sustained the universe; therefore the world must not be devoid of Torah for even a moment.
A reader, Ira J. Friedman of Flatbush, Brooklyn wrote to me that a similar story is told about the Chofetz Chaim. “After Yom Kippur he remained in the Beth HaMidrash to study until the first group of students arrived, following the breaking of their fast. When told that Jews elsewhere (in a different time zone) would have already started learning, and that he could consequently break his fast, the Chafetz Chaim explained that this would not be enough. Radin, too must have learning, rather than merely relying on those in a different time zone.
As I had never heard nor read this story, I asked Rabbi Wein for his comment. He said that he didn’t know of such a practice of the Chofetz Chaim, but added that at the time he studied in Radin, the Chofetz Chaim was already very frail. He also said that there were pious acts which the Chofetz Chaim performed only in private, out of the sight of others.
Rabbi Wein continued: “Let me tell you a Yom Kippur story about the Chafetz Chaim which my brother Rabbi David Shemaya- who was a close disciple of the Chofetz Chaim and later served for 31 years as rabbi of Holon- heard from Rabbi Elhonon Wasserman, ZT”L.
“On Kol Nidrei night after all the students had left the Beth Hamidrash, the Chofetz Chaim would remain there alone. Curious to know what the Chofetz Haim was doing there by himself, Rabbi Elhonon hid himself in the place. He heard the Chafetz Chaim reproach himself for having wasted precious time, which he could have used for study. He cited occasions on which he could have studied Torah but failed to do so. The total amount of the wasted time throughout the year was less than three hours. (A similar story is told about Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. It is said whenever he wasted a minute he would make a dot on a sheet of paper with his pen. On Erev Yom Kippur he would go over the sheet, crying over the time he had failed to use for study. Reportedly, the dots never added up to even 60. T.P.)
After he had criticized himself, the Chofetz Chaim vowed to do better in the coming year. He would “create” more time for Torah. The Chofetz Chaim, like most people, wore shoes with laces. He now decided to buy himself a pair which had no laces. The minutes he would save every day by not having to tie his shoes would be additional time for Torah.”
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Friday, October 25, 1991 page 48, The Jewish Press