The Jewish Spectator, September 1933.
When Poland lost her last tragic struggle for independence, in 1863, he was already in the prime of his life.
When the first Jewish pioneers left imperial Russia in 1882, to lay what has since become the cornerstone of the Jewish National Home in Palestine, he was no longer a young man.
When Nicholas II ascended the throne of the Romanoffs, he had already become a saintly and venerable figure, revered and looked at with awe by Jews of all shades of opinion.
On Friday, September 15th, a brief news dispatch, originating in an obscure Polish village, announced his death. Few people knew his real name, yet his fame was so widespread and that respect and veneration for him was so deep-seated, that the parenthetic explanation ("Chofetz Chaim") following in the obituary notice the proper and family name of the deceased, that of Rabbi Israel Meri Ha'Cohen, was sufficient to cause deep consternation and genuine mourning.
In no "Who's Who" would his name be found. In no lexicon of writers, essayists, poets or philosophers would you find any biographical data concerning him. If one were to be guided by the strict rules of accuracy, even the title "Rabbi" in the brief news dispatch must be regarded as slightly inaccurate, for the Chofetz Chaim did not occupy the position of Rabbi either at the time of his death or long before. It would be a safe guess to assume that were Rabbi Israel Meir Ha'Cohen to leave his place of residence, Radyn, near Wilno, and travel, not incognito, but under his own name, that name, when announced to the average Jew in Europe or in America, would not have evoked any particular interest. What a profound change, however, would have occurred in the attitude of that average Jew were someone to whisper into his ear, "That is the 'Chofetz Chaim.'"
A mere recital of the life story of Rabbi Israel Meir Ha'Cohen of Raydn would hardly suffice to convey to the Western reader the greatness to that unique figure which dominated the scene of traditional Jewish life and learning for nearly a century. Particularly must a pen-picture prove inadequate in depicting the background of majestic simplicity and peculiarly Jewish moral strength that was embodied in that intellectual and moral giant who became known to Jew and non-Jew alike by the unpronounceable description of Chofetz Chaim. Perhaps one sentence may provide the canvas upon which the lineaments may be sketched: He made a book on ethics a bestseller.
For the name and the fame of the Chofetz Chaim have had their origin in the title of a book he wrote and published in 1873. In Psalm 34:13, there is a passage running as follows: "Who is the man that desireth life (He'Chofetz Chaim)? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from guile." This passage, familiar to many, served him as the text for three volumes on human behavior and on character-building methods.
"Gossip is the spice of life" is a popular dictum in many climes and languages. Lawsuits involving slander and libel are most difficult to win in the best-regulated courts. But gossip is a factor most destructive of ethical and moral life, and slander a most damaging engagement before the court of conscience. It is a high tribute to the Jewish life that was [in the past] that the three volumes of the Chofetz Chaim, first in Rabbinic Hebrew and later in Yiddish, without the benefit of high-pressure salesmanship and without the stimulus of modern press agentry had a distribution of more than 400,000 copies. It is an indication of the moral strength of authentic Jewish life that these books, even today, have a reading public which is larger than some of the latest bestsellers could ever hope to reach.
But the influence of the man was even greater than that of this particular book or of his other books in the field of Halachah. Great as he undoubtedly was as a Talmudic scholar and commentator, he never aspired to dazzling brilliance in this domain. In the latter part of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, over which his long and useful life has extended, there appeared in Jewish life in Eastern Europe and elsewhere Talmudic scholars who were equally as great, if not greater, than he. As a moralist and champion of loyalty to Jewish tradition, he was never aggressive or a belligerent reformer. His strength lay rather in the integral simplicity and inviting directness of the example that he has furnished by his own life.
From January 11, 1839, when he was born in the village of Zhetil near Slonim, Government of Grodno, to September 15, 1933, there stretches a span of nearly a century's length. During this eventful period the whole order and outlook of life have changed many a time. Attitude, behavior, views, habits, fashions and modes have come and gone; science has undergone a most radical change; philosophy has taken on new and newer aspects and garbs; inventions have transformed the face of the earth; mighty Empires, at the peak of their glory on the day when the unknown Polish-Lithuanian was born, have crumbled into oblivion; peoples that have been suppressed and oppressed during the major part of his lifetime have gained new strength and life. Even in Jewish life itself the whole scene had radically changed. The Haskalah movement has come and gone. Zionism has emerged on the road to realization. Trends of thought, viewpoints, parties and groups of which no one dreamed during his boyhood and manhood have come to the fore. The Chofetz Chaim remained unshaken in his faith and exacting loyalty. In an age of storm and stress, of transition, of adjustment, of many compromises, he stood out as a rock. He steadfastly held high the ethical standard of Jewish life and the banner of loyalty to Jewish principle, thought and the Orthodox way of life.
In the stormy seas through which Jewish life has drifted during the past 50 years, the Chofetz Chaim has been looked up to by Jews of all shades of opinion as a tower of light and strength. The ship could not have drifted too far out of the course of historic continuity as long as he was there. The stream of Jewish life in the capitals of the world could not have traveled too far from its source as long as the sage of the obscure village of Raydn, modestly, passively but powerfully, continued to weave the traditions of Rabbi Akiba, Maimondides, the Ramo and the Gaono of Wilno.
The saga of the Chofetz Chaim is quite extensive. The many legends that have grown up about this unique figure deal principally with his uniform reactions to his constantly changing environment. The dominant note in these stories is a command: conform. The simple facts, however, are that, after marrying at the age of 18 into a well-to-do family in Radyn, his father-in-law had intended him to become the Rabbi of the town. He preferred, however, to instruct little children rather than to assume the duties of a Rabbi. When he had saved up 50 rubles, from the tuition fees he had been receiving, he established a grocery in the village, leaving the business in charge of his wife and devoting most of his time to his studies. A misfortune then beset him: his business was too successful. He became aware of the fact that the community patronized his store more than anyone else's. The Chofetz Chaim rapidly liquidated the establishment, declaring that he did not wish to have an advantage over his competitors. Around that time his book had become very popular and he thought that he could derive his livelihood from its sale.
One day a delegation of Baale Batim called upon him, insisting that he become the Rabbi of the community. He flatly refused this offer. When they persisted, he finally agreed to accept the post on the condition that no salary be attached to it. He further stipulated that he would remain in office as long as his decision would be obeyed. Shortly afterwards, two local businessmen came to him for a decision in a business dispute. The Chofetz Chaim rendered his decision, but one of the parties hesitated to abide. Immediately Rabbi Israel Meir Ha'Cohen resigned from the Rabbinate to remain "just a member" of the community until his last day.
Ephraim Caplan, the well-known Yiddish essayist and champion of traditional Judaism, related to the writer an interesting dialogue he had with the Chofetz Chaim several years ago in Radyn. The American visitor had asked the Chofetz Chaim for his definition of a Jew's duties in daily life. The aged saint expostulated at length, demanding complete and constant observation of all Shulchan Aruch regulations in minutest detail.
"Rabbi," said the American visitor, "judging by this standard many millions of Jews living today would have to be declared as non-observant."
"My dear friend," replied the Chofetz Chaim, "when one asks for spirits of 93 degrees in strength, the vendor must give you the genuine article. Dilution, if the purchaser should desire it, is his own concern."
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