The Chafetz Chaim's Uncharacteristic Warning: A Tense Moment in History

The Chafetz Chaim, the revered elder and beloved teacher of the Diaspora, was known for his careful speech, never uttering a derogatory word about a fellow Jew outside of halacha.

For years, he diligently studied to clarify all the complex laws in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, and penned his monumental work, "Mishnah Berurah," among many other writings meant to strengthen and encourage the Jewish people, including those in the Russian army, the poor, the distressed, urging Jews to believe in and anticipate the Messiah, to love kindness, and more.

Only once did he step out of character and issue a warning to a fellow Jew. What happened?

These were the days of the Communist revolution. The new "enlightened" authorities sought various ways to restrict those who observed the Torah, believing the new world should consist solely of productive, working individuals, and not those who believed in "nonsense." They employed all measures to that end, of course, officially and methodically, as befits the "enlightened."

Unfortunately, as our sages say, "You cannot cut down a forest without a tree providing the ax handle." Even here, the outsiders couldn’t harass Jews without informers from within the Jewish community collaborating and pointing out where "the harm" lies. Enlightenment figures and later the Yevsektsia played this role.

Kovner, an enlightened figure, detailed in his book "The Crucible" all the alleged sins of the rabbis, accusing them of meddling where "the spirit of enlightenment disapproves," and in his manifesto, he demanded the government shut down all study halls and yeshivas by law. Students were to become porters and water carriers, with only a few talented and economically stable ones allowed to continue studying Talmud ("The Crucible," p. 127). According to the enlightened, poverty stemmed from laziness. Indeed, during those days, the prestigious Volozhin Yeshiva—an institution beloved by a vast community yearning for traditional Torah study—was closed following government orders that restricted study hours (for the alleged health of the students, etc.), and also mandated secular studies, which constituted the majority of the "permitted" study hours...

A few years later, under the "blessing" of the Russian government, a meeting was convened in Vilna aimed at "improving the health conditions of yeshiva students." Leading this gathering was a well-known Jewish doctor, Dr. Shvad.

The Chafetz Chaim, who also served as the president of the World Council of Yeshivas, understood what was about to happen, anticipating the "loving hug" where these educated figures would "care" so much for the health of these "poor" yeshiva students. He sent Dr. Shvad a letter, which read: "Upon hearing that soon a doctors' assembly will take place, with you as the chair, I send you my blessings, that the Healer of all flesh will send you His help and blessing from on high. Having heard that the state of the yeshivas interests your assembly much, I wish to inform you that by the grace of Hashem, the yeshivas stand on a firm and stable foundation. The students receive all they need and are adequately fed three meals a day. They spend about two hours daily in recuperative walks and, with Hashem's help, they are healthy and whole. Surely, this must be a great joy for you.

P.S. I wish to remind you, it is written in the Torah: 'Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.' If touching the mountain brings death, how much more so touching the Torah itself."

The Chafetz Chaim, who never uttered a falsehood and certainly not threats, swallowed his pride to write a diplomatic yet threatening letter, fully aware of the "goods" on the other side (this letter is printed in the book "Chafetz Chaim on the Torah"). In doing so, he bought a few more years of peace for the sacred yeshivas, which are the secret of the Jewish nation's endurance.