A Nazir Sipping Wine?

On Tuesday Rav Gershon Edelstein, Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, died at age 100. Referred to as the Gadol Hador within charedi circles, Rav Edelstein was one of the first students when the Ponovezh yeshiva opened in Israel- and he never left. On Tuesday morning he awoke early to pray and prepare his shiur, even writing notes for the shiur. At this point he passed away suddenly, the page of notes still next to his bed as testimony to his determination to study until the last minute. In a remarkable picture from the ICU in Maayanei Hayeshua taken just hours before Rabbi Gershon Edelstein’s passing, the Rabbi can be seen doing what he had done for 75 years daily: giving his shiur on the Gemara to his devoted students. Despite all the tubes and wires surrounding him, the rabbi, fully attired and wearing a tie as befits the honor of the Torah, appears unperturbed and continues the schedule of study he has maintained for eight decades.

Rav Edelstein encouraged schools and teachers to educate each child according to his/her needs and abilities. Rav Edelstein directed his followers to abide by the restrictions imposed during the CoVID pandemic, and he told people to get vaccinated. Current Member of Knesset Benny Gantz was Israel’s Defense Minister during much of the CoVID pandemic. After Rav Edelstein’s passing he tweeted, “I will never forget his call to his believers: ‘Reading the Torah in public — will be a sin. For someone who prayed in public his whole life, this statement to his many believers was an extraordinary magnanimity that saved many lives. In this way, he revealed himself not only as great in Torah, but also as a lover of people.” In some ways Rav Edelstein was viewed as a moderate compared to some of his colleagues and predecessors. When referring to non-observant Jews, Rav Edelstein moved away from calling them “wicked”, and he acknowledged positive attributes denonstrated by secular Israelis. For instances, he said regarding secular Israelis, “If they give their souls to save others out of love for others, they have a place in the World to Come….” The ruling is also viewed by some as having opened the door to service in the army for Chareidi soldiers.

Rav Edelstein is a shining example of the idea that a life spent learning Torah and internalizing Torah values is synonymous with a life of sensitivity, responsibility, and concern for others. A Torah persona is expressed not just in the Beit Midrash, but also, and especially, outside of our formal study. In Parshat Nasso we read about the Nazir, a person who commits to a more ascetic life for a period of time. When that period ends the Nazir undergoes a process that involved cutting his/her hair and offering sacrifices. Then the Torah says, (Bamidbar 6:20) “Afterwards, The Nazirite may drink wine.” On one level, this verse makes no sense. If the person is drinking wine, then they are no longer a Nazir. The Torah is telling us that a successful Nazir is one that is impacted by the experience, even after it is over and the Nazir is once again drinking wine. We should always be on the lookout for enriching and uplifting experiences. But we must also think about how those experiences will continue to uplift and inspire us once they are over.