The precise circumstances in which I became president need
not be repeated here. Suffice it to say that there was no one else was willing and
able to do so. My decision to accept the post was based on the dictum of Hillel
at Avot 2:6:
וּבְמָקוֹם
שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ
In a place where there are
no men, strive to be a man.
I very soon discovered that, before I could be of any
service to the synagogue, I had a great deal to learn about its membership and
its governance. In this I was greatly assisted by long-time members and Board
members both past and present. I also received a large number of suggestions
and pieces of incidental information from the membership at large—many of which
appeared irrelevant at the time but have since found a place in the jigsaw that
comprises the community which the synagogue serves. Here I was guided by the
maxim of Ben Zoma at Avot 4:1:
אֵיזֶהוּ
חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם
Who is wise? One who learns from every person.
I soon found myself swamped by shul business and struggled
to juggle my many commitments within the time available. It was apparent at
that juncture that, since I could not function without food or sleep, and
synagogal responsibilities were so many and so pressing, the easiest commitment
to push aside was my Torah learning—but it seemed to me that, the less learning
I did, the more shul administration there was for me to tackle. Nechunyah ben Hakanah
at Avot 3:6 had already noted this possibility when he taught:
כָּל
הַמְקַבֵּל עָלָיו עוֹל תּוֹרָה, מַעֲבִירִין מִמֶּֽנּוּ עוֹל מַלְכוּת וְעוֹל
דֶּֽרֶךְ אֶֽרֶץ, וְכָל הַפּוֹרֵק מִמֶּֽנוּ עוֹל תּוֹרָה, נוֹתְנִין עָלָיו עוֹל
מַלְכוּת וְעוֹל דֶּֽרֶךְ אֶֽרֶץ
One who accepts upon himself the
yoke of Torah is exempted from the yoke of government duties and the yoke of
worldly cares; but one who casts off the yoke of Torah is saddled with the yoke
of government duties and the yoke of worldly cares.
I had initially hoped against hope that, if I learned a bit
less now, I could step up my learning again when I had mastered my presidential
duties. But this has not happened. Again, Hillel warns, at Avot 2:5:
וְאַל תֹּאמַר
לִכְשֶׁאֶפְנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה
And do not say "When I
free myself of my concerns, I will study,'' for perhaps you will never free
yourself.
Potentially comforting is the assurance of Rabban Gamliel
the son of Rebbi at Avot 2:2:
וְכָל
הָעוֹסְקִים עִם הַצִּבּוּר יִהְיוּ עוֹסְקִים עִמָּהֶם לְשֵׁם שָׁמָֽיִם,
שֶׁזְּכוּת אֲבוֹתָם מְסַיַּעְתָּם, וְצִדְקָתָם עוֹמֶֽדֶת לָעַד
Those who work for the community should do so for the sake of Heaven, for
then the merit of their fathers shall aid them, and their righteousness shall
endure forever.
It’s difficult to know what to make of this, since I’m still
swamped with duties and responsibilities and don’t feel that I’m receiving any
aid. Does this mean that I’m not acting
for the sake of Heaven, or that those from whom I am descended have no merit to
aid me—or that I am already receiving aid from Heaven on account of the merit
of my forebears, but that I ungratefully do not appreciate how much more I
would be struggling in its absence? I doubt that I shall never know.
But not all hope is lost. One of the 48 ways of acquiring
Torah (Avot 6:6) is to be
נוֹשֵׂא בְעוֹל
עִם חֲבֵרוֹ
One who bears the burden along
with one's fellow.
The solution is clear. What I must continue to do is to find
others to help me and to share the strain of carrying out tasks that are currently
left to me alone. Where there are no obvious candidates for helping me to take
the strain, I shall have to train them myself. Many commentators on the baraita
at Avot 6:6 have expanded its application beyond sharing the burden of learning,
to embrace financial and moral support and even an element of counselling since
it is only when a person’s mind is free of anxiety and stress that he or she is
free to learn Torah to the full extent. Why should not this principle apply
also to freeing up another’s time?
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