The Legacy

Derech eretz and middos tovos cannot be compartmentalized. A person either has integrity, decency, and uprightness, which he applies in all situations in dealing with all people, or he does not.

The Netziv defines yashrus as the central value from which everything flows; ... According to the Netziv, the Book of Genesis teaches the highest principles of derech eretz, middos tovos, and bein adam lechaveiro through the lives and deeds of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

Reb Avraham Yitzchak writes, “We must try to spread the knowledge of truth in the world, not concentrate the truth in a small narrow circle. Rather, our goal and purpose is to sanctify the Name of Heaven in the world and to spread it throughout earth.”

Those of us who still saw the remnants of the Mussar world after the Holocaust were always struck by the serenity and devotion, the care and love that were apparent in every word of their prayers. When they were engaged in prayer, it was obvious that all of the distractions of this world – that ever-present cacophony of sound and noise – somehow melted away and that their souls spoke directly to the Creator. This was also true in the study of Torah. ... It is interesting to note that Torah study was always carried out with a vocal volume of sound, and even melody; while prayers were conducted more softly and quietly. Dveikus comes in many forms and expressions, and even in different decibels.

Order and discipline are not the enemies of emotion and dveikus.

Moreover, one who does not indulge in overly fanciful expectations is not easily disappointed or depressed by life’s realities and society’s unavoidable shortcomings. Wry humor and an appreciation of human folly and foibles became an integral part of Litvishe Jewish life

An arrogant person is disconnected from the truth, for there is a denial of his shortcomings. Awareness of personal flaws would temper feelings of superiority over others

The verse describing Moshe’s humility is conventionally translated: “And the man Moshe was very humble, more than all other people.” Reb Lazer Yehudah translates the Hebrew mikol ha’adam as literally “from all people,” meaning that Moshe was so very humble because of the inspiration that he drew “from all people.”

The holiness of mitzvos derives from Torah learning. A verse in Proverbs states: “Mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light.” Reb Chaim Volozhiner explains the verse to mean that “Torah” – that is, the words and ideas of God Himself – is the source of the light of the mitzvos; and without Torah, the mitzvos are empty lamps that produce no light. The sanctity of mitzvos flows from Torah learning, reflective of God’s wisdom. According to this explanation, the prescribed actions are not intrinsically holy; the source of their holiness is the Torah wisdom expressed through the Written Torah and the recorded content of the Oral Torah found in the Talmud and its commentaries. Rabbi Mordechai Gifter explains Reb Chaim’s view with the following illuminating analogy: on a superficial level, one might assume that turning on a tap creates a flow of water. The truth, however, is very different: water flows from the tap because it is connected through a complex and vast system of pipes to a central reservoir of water. Without the reservoir and pipes, water would not flow from the tap. The mitzvos are taps which can be turned on, allowing the life-giving waters of God’s presence to flow into our lives. The reservoir at the source is the Torah – with all of its words, ideas, and principles

Reb Moshe held that every properly qualified talmid chacham with proper integrity and yiras shamayim – fear of Heaven – is duty-bound to rule as he sees the halachah. A distinguished talmid chacham once asked him whether it was appropriate to live in Bnei Brak and to teach there, even if he differed in opinion from the widely acclaimed and revered Chazon Ish. (The Chazon Ish was no longer alive at the time, but he was the founding father of Bnei Brak and his halachic opinions are accepted there as a matter of course.) Reb Moshe found the concern “incomprehensible.” He answered that the Chazon Ish would never have said – nor even contemplated – that his opinions would not be challenged by other qualified talmidei chachamim. On the contrary, it is a mark of respect to the Chazon Ish that his views are considered so weighty that they are mentioned and analyzed in the course of halachic debate. A great Torah sage lives on after death, said Reb Moshe, through people learning his teachings, even when he is quoted by scholars who disagree with him. Reb Moshe writes that when differing from the Chazon Ish, the scholar in question should, obviously, do so with the utmost respect and derech eretz. Reb Moshe’s view was that the scholar was actually obliged to pasken as he sees the halachah and not as the Chazon Ish had ruled, and that he was not permitted to defer to the psak of the Chazon Ish

On ideological issues, Reb Elyah Meir stressed the importance of acknowledging the elements of truth in a matter, rather than taking a completely one-sided approach, which alienates people because of its lack of honesty

Rav Shimon Shkop says that love of self is a natural force in every human being; but the task of every person is to expand the definition of self-identity to include as many other people as possible. A lowly, coarse person sees himself as only a physical body. Someone slightly more elevated includes his soul as part of his self-identity. At a higher level, one includes his or her spouse; and on the next level, one’s children are included in the definition of self-identity. And so it goes. The more spiritually elevated a person is, the more people are included in his sense of “I.”

In the introduction to his siddur, Rabbi Yaakov Emden famously wrote that the miracles performed by God to ensure the survival of the Jewish People throughout the many years of exile are even greater than the awe-inspiring miracles of the Exodus from Egypt

every moment and every aspect of life is meant to be lived with a “sense of mission.” There are many missions that a person fulfills throughout life. A grand vision is fulfilled through a detailed, practical on-the-ground approach.