Inside ArtScroll - Season 3 Episode 3: Rabbi Shai Graucher – Remembering Maran Rav Chaim Kanievsk...

[Music] Hello everyone and welcome back to inside art scroll where the books you read and the people who write them come to life. Today it's a unique privilege to be sitting with Rabbi Shai close Talmud of the Godor Revski. We're sitting here just several weeks after Rev's. So it's a privilege to speak to you but it's also difficult because it's hard to put into words exactly what you're feeling. Tell us what is it that's going through your mind. Your became such an important part of your life. You spent literally years at 23 bench. Tell the world what's shy feeling today. So first of all when I flew m Shabas leaving Israel I had a min that every single time before I fly I'm going to to theb to get a I think that 40 50 times one time told me not to fly and of course after I saw that was a miracle but just going on a plane and not passing I went to the grave. I went to the grave. I say to him, but not getting the bra and smile. It was hard. It was hard. You know, it's it's you it's a feeling that you lost everything you had. Wasn't just of course was our father. Was our doctor was our lawyer. every single thing, every single question, whatever we needed, whatever we had, we went to and didn't speak a lot. He didn't it was a word, two words, a smile. Yes. No. Bua, but that that was that was our life. And it's very very hard. It's not easy. But coming here and even not believing that I'm the new safer on the it says zatal but for sure that's the of continuing and and doing what the told us to do and that was important for him to be for day and night because I always told people and everybody's asking me on the plane and wherever I I I told I'm telling everybody could have locked his door being in his house learning day and night every single mo every single charity whenever they came to and they used to ask him for a where they're going to always used to write they should let me learn and everything on that on that note let me ask you the last time we had a conversation We did an interview. We reminisced a little about the history of how you got involved and you became a Benias by God which is quite unique. How many years is it since you first went? So the first time was 18 years ago. 18 18 years ago and when we started or with art school right then that was the the secret key to get in of course with you with tremendous persistence and even a little you went to's house you started hanging out there somehow you became a bambias many people probably wonder or ask you you know it's very nice that you want to have a kesh but where do you get the audacity to just sit there with him. There's a picture that went around after the of you sitting with on Kipper I think a few hours before Colid both of you were wearing your your your K and you're saying to Him and people probably wonder to themselves who who has the sit at the table or God. What would you say to those people? So I'll tell you a ma that I had there was a person that had a problem in his business and he called me that he needs a he needs a from the so I went to the first time and I said that's the situation what should he take upon himself that he should have so said he should learn shass I went back to that guy learn shass is was hard and And I went two days later and I'm asking the same question, the same name. I called the guy. The guy says, "Listen, me to learn chass not going to happen. But I have a we'll take aim and theim will learn the sh and they'll get the they'll give the guy the he's going to pay it and the is going to give him the so I went back and I told her says learn I said if the guy takes aim and he pays them money will he get no I said and says there's no if you want if you have things work out you're going to get there you're going to get there and that was one story but always he didn't say but you saw in every single day every single morning when he woke up after when I used to come once 1 1:00 at night, 2:00 a.m. every single step. So that's what we saw. And I think and I believe that seeing it and being there and trying and pushing that that was the that was the power and and I wanted it was it was it wasn't easy. Did anyone mind that you were kind of there all day every day? You know, did you ever get any push back from Let's Let's not go into this, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. And it's Did ever say make comments to you that you know, you hear all the time? No, you used to say a lot and like kind of things that okay, you asked enough today. Uhhuh. But in a nice way, you would tell me. But but it was it was it was a special special feeling. It was a special kesher and it's it's the biggest I ever had to be there day and night special the last days and and and purim every it was it was it was special after the you know thousands maybe I don't know how many videos went out of doing this saying that many of them featured you you asking the ro different questions but perhaps the most poignant video that people were very moved by is a famous video of and rebbitson saying answering a to each other. There was such a unique dynamic in their marriage. Tell us about that. What what did you learn from and about the relationship between husband and wife? Obviously they they were each malim in their own way but what did you see that you could share with us? It was it was so first of all I didn't see much because in that years when the rabbitson was with the ro I had very very small period of time being there but what I heard and also the ro a few times spoke it was it was it was she the rabbitson was matel herself her life for the ro and it doesn't matter I remember the rebbitson having tremendous pain tremendous pain even the last yum kipper her last kipper tremendous pain and like she didn't let the rov feel any single thing that she knew if he'll know it's going to bother him. It's gonna it's gonna make him it's going to make him feel I don't know if he's going to stop learning but it's not just the learning. It was the she was she came from a house of revel and that was her whole life to be vat herself to the ro with no no nothing. She didn't go to weddings because the ro needs to to eat. She didn't go to her friends. Whatever the ro needed she was there. and and and that's how that's how close they were and how special this house that with all the pain with all the learning everything they gave this I'm not going to call it love or something but they gave the the the the tremendous amount of of of of and just giving and giving and giving and you He stood out the other way around also. It was well publicized that would never start eating until the rabbitson came. Yeah. Right. That was that because he showed a tremendous amount of tremendous amount coveret for her. The tremendous amount of coveret and you know they always say you want to have cover it starts in the house. You know outside it's very very easy. But inside the house inside when they were there that was something you cannot find it today. You know it's now after you started becoming a bambi in Raim's house the last decade or so really didn't speak that much right he was he was very frugal in his words and yet together with art scroll to put out safer to safer to safer from toim and now the newest safer is on and many people may be wondering Ripshai where in the world are you getting are you getting all this material from from a god who was sitting and learning the whole day where did you manage to collect all this material from so first of all there's tremendous amount of letters that hasn't every single subject in the Torah wrote letters to other people he used to write letters people used to ask him every single person he used to answer and every single letter can be 10 questions 20 questions two questions and All the letters are saved. So, but he these are letters that he answered to people. Answer to people. So, someone made a copy of them before he mailed them. No, the he Yeah. They used to send the copies, but the original letters the family has. Well, the original letter of the family is help and there's a lot a lot a lot of materials. Every single letter is saved. So besides this, his son Rabbi that was with him 11 years in the house day after day and didn't leave him. He has all the letters and all the materials and we took this and basically we put it into he gave us materials. He he's the one who every single s that comes out every single story he goes through it. He knows everything does and also you have hundreds of stories literally hundreds of stories and that's doesn't end it doesn't end. And that's coming from your tukshaw primarily a lot of them also anacles that are helping us. There's a few anacles that help us to put out all the sorim bringing more materials. We have people that used to eat their chabases that the ros used to say stories. Yeah. During the suda Yeah. during the suda. So we got a lot of things from there. So we have a lot and we're just warming up. You're just warming up. You're saying there's still a lot more to come from from There's so many. There's so many. Wow. Wow. So here we finished this forum for Shabas is getting ready right now and this safer which just came out was really supposed to come out anyway anyway before the butitz had right away he said I have to give for the I have to give and it really really gave not only for the for the son for the it really gave for people having the sitter and I used with him every day but especially in the 40 days of until you saw what is there's a lot of things to say about but mo with his finger in the word after word he didn't dong he didn't you didn't see his hands flying in the air you didn't see something you know I didn't see crying when he was a lot of drama yeah But was so important. Now, it's interesting. I pointed out last time these that you're putting out with art school in English is brand new material that was never put out in Kadesh. Right. A few of the things was putting out like the we took from the vorts that are but a lot of the things are new. Let's say this is this is new material. It's not a translated safer. No. Which is unbelievable. Why why would you think to go to the English demographic before you would publish a safer in Kadesh? I first of first of all we took so many things if it's the and the comments the emails and the amount of people that are enjoying it and a person is sitting in America and he wants to get close to 23 it's hard to get close so people feeling by learning stuff and hearing the stories and listening to the stories and all these things together and having a nice vort I felt that it's very very important. It's interesting you mentioned how everyone felt close to everyone. It's an amazing thing. Everyone everyone right after the people started sending around pictures of themselves with they posted on different platforms. Every person started posting and originally it bothered me a little bit. Here you have the and all a person cares about is that he once went to 10 years ago with his brim up and that's the picture he's posting. So it rubbed me the wrong way but only for a minute because I quickly realized that that was the way that people were associating with every single person felt the connection to it was an unbelievable thing. I I don't I don't recall such a thing where every single person felt I was bye I got a I got a picture from you know you for you it's mish like family because you lived there but everyone really felt that right everybody felt you're saying an amazing thing I had the same thoughts in the beginning right after like even before shabas people started to post pictures but that's exactly ripe gave love to other people's I'm not talking just about Raboni Rashi Shivas Rash I'm speaking about the people from the army the people from more in people that came with that communities a guy that flew with me in all and he saw me with a safer he's not sure and he has a daughter that's not feeling good who's this what's this can you please take me and you take him and the guy starts to be closer to Shabas closer to mitzvah and and that's from two words that told him two words and he told him what to do say to him how many pro one perh knew he saw what should I tell this guy how should I tell this and you just felt love gave people love and it's not and even when he didn't speak when people just came into the room they felt right they felt they felt this kind it's interesting because initi even the non non communities had a tremendous forim they all respected it was like a very very unique shabas when the body was in his room in the room I'm very very close to bi natanyao and he came there he came there he said I have I need this this praa and he comes there and he is only talking about the one time that he came to he remembers every single single detail and it's not only him it's every single person that ever came to you cannot forget the the the the moment the excitement the kesher the smile the love that was that was you know I'm telling the whole world it's such an interesting thing that I'm speaking to you now for uh quite a few minutes and we're talking about the masid had we're talking about the goador who knew but I keep hearing from you about his and his so I'm telling everybody in the same level it cannot be different that was I'm not talking about every single matching today everything is matching they're get raising for buildings and they're doing campaigning there's no campaign and that's a guy that's working in this campaign and telling me there's no campaign in the world that didn't start in's house a word what's going to be this one who's going to help whoever's going to donate it a parasa every single didn't go and ran and you know sneeze you have to learn if you're not going to learn he didn't do this things he sat in his house he spoke in his bar mitzvah and in his wedding he he didn't speak right he didn't speak he sat down a word a letter and that's That's it. The Gansum was it starts here and it ends here and there's nothing to change. You know how many times people tried even in COVID when there was the hardest questions doctors are sitting in the room doctors and you know I'm s standing on the side of course they wanted to throw me out of the room I stand I said I'm not moving okay and you see them explaining to this thing or the vaccination vaccine came everything and and decides and z the final word done you cannot move him you cannot not move him whatever decided people wonder and I think it's a legitimate question to ask for us to try to understand was mka from maza mka go right mamish mk he didn't he and heav wanted it that way there are many stories that say that he tried to forget he d he said I'm I'm ding he said it a few times I'm dvening that I should have in my mind only tora nothing else merely the alma not street names nothing else nothing else. So the people ask how did someone like have the ability to so effectively guide cla on very very complicated matter. He came, they explained the politics. They came, they explained the time saw, you know, his Gmorra is open. He's giving an answer and it's finished. It's done. It's there's nothing to talk about. So where So where did that come from? whatever said came out of says there's there's a famous there's a famous letter eight years ago that someone's asking how come a person is coming now for a person doesn't have children this one have grow your beard this one on wine this one givea every single say tell him learn kushim every single person gets a different answer so he wrote called whatever comes out of my mouth is from above. He wrote it that doesn't matter. He writes about this also. He writes when you come to sometimes you see this one gets this answer. He says it depends how much you have. When you come to ask the god between me and you, everybody knows when a person stands himself with a sitter and he has a pure amuna told me a few times it's it's important it's not even a question went but but when a person has that the sitter he's ding now and he is answering so he sees a Yeshua a strange question and I hope it's appropriate to ask was selfaware here. Did he know that the whole world revolved around him? That looked to him? Did he Did he know that? You're asking the question. I don't know if somebody knows the answer. Mhm. I don't know if somebody knows the answer, but probably the real answer is no. He just he knew that people were coming every day. People were coming. He went to places 20,000. You know the last event people are s he's sitting and learning 10 20,000 people are and he's sitting and learning that's what he has in his life nothing else before he went they told him there's a few times they told him [Music] rebah we're taking you here there you know so they explained to him it's going to give a big like they in that moment when he was sitting in a big hall with 20,000 I don't really know if he what he felt that time but he didn't he just he just wanted to he just wanted to learn just wanted to learn just wanted to learn now you've heard many many stories you've written many stories what what's the story that you've heard of late especially now you're probably being bombarded with material people calling you what's a story that jumps out in your mind that's like unique everyone knows the grasshopper story we know I know Every story, every story is unique. Every story is special. Every single thing is is is the the $2 story, you know. No. What's that? So that the grandson told me that used to have and around 22 years ago, it got stolen. Everything got stolen. The whole money got stolen. And him and the rabbit, they really didn't know what's the reason. But said, "There's a reason. things don't happen. Stop. There's no such a thing, you know. Something happened. So then he figured out that his sister's sister had a whole Koopa with money and she had her a $2 bill and a $2 bill and Raine gave it. Rhine took the $2 and gave it. He didn't think he said she needed money, not a $2 bill. In that time, probably the $2 bill wasn't. And he said that the whole reason the whole reason that all his money all his money got stolen and there was a lot of money was zucker money's money he said only because the story. So what happened? The $2 bill was not his to give. No he took it from his sister. After that he went back. He went back. He found the $2 bill. He went to the mishbah. He gave it to them on the shiva. The person came with that $2 bill to show them. Here's the $2 bill that gave back. And that was the whole reason that he said that the money was stolen. That the money was stolen. Wow. You see what a person, you know, every day we're having stories, the car, we're in a traffic. This one, we missed a flight. We're busy. The bank is not giving us the loan. We're not getting this. You know, every thing that was that was his life. Thousands of stories. Everything is with a reason. Everything is not coming st there's no things. You have to think, we have to know. We have to figure it out. And we have to and that was the really the underlying theme of all his chu was that there's a reason that things happen and if you're something on yourself, right? and the co every single time there was something if there was attacks bomb attacks if it was co he always used to give a letter what's the what we we have to be mis we have to be right and gave to people you know I I told somebody that he asked me what was the biggest thing told a person to take upon himself I says it's not it's not a right question because gave every single person an different answer and every single person saw what what He needs to have the and not only this never told a person to do more than one thing. He said the person take take upon yourself 10 and do it. Just do it every single day. Every single day every single person I have loan I have loans. I have debts says I have also I owe I owe I owe. What is me? Every single day saw and he told people take it and go with it. And there's there's there's no nothing hard. If you'll do it, you'll be there's nothing nothing hard. And that was that was that was the gave the gave people not only the of the or he gave people hope. He he wanted people to change. Even when he told people long sleeves or have a shirt without a sign or a few things that you know sometimes but the most the real reason you we have to change we can we people come al you know kabalis not to be the same person rash keeper the whole musian but said you're not if you're a person that's saying every single day now one per you're not the same person so you'll have a yeshua That was from my eyes. Again, maybe there's other reasons, but that's what I saw. That's what I saw. 2023 Rajam became the address perhaps the most famous address in what's going to what's going to happen now with now we still have a net minion every day every day in the house. Every day a net's minion and people are coming there to see the house. The it's like a museum. I mean, is it same thing? Everything is the same, you know, and people could just walk in and look around. Basically, there's no times yet. Shakras is open. Whoever will come to Shakas will get in and there all the there is is everything is there is not leaving. It's it's a moes. It's it's staying there and we're continuing what the RA told us about the and which is what what did he tell you about the that we should we should publish as chu in the right way. We're doing it in Hebrew. We have a whole that we open it's called that his son and his grandson Yanke are running it now and continuing continuing it and we're having a lot of chas from the and every single subject if it's in if it's in and a lot of the stuff we're taking also to the English material we have aim that are sitting and learning in it and it's going to be a very very big thing and we're doing all this from the house and whatever told me including his famous kucas that the rabbit used to do already from the scipler and he got it and gave it to his son that the twice a year before pes to help the families the with giving them food and giving them what they needed because always cared and he wanted people to have what they needed even if it's a smile and even if it's uh if it's if if it's real food or any single thing they needed. So the house is going to we have to continue it. You know, it's not like you're saying everybody felt so close. Everybody everybody felt that that and they felt a connection for sure. A question. Now the last the last 18 years every single time you had a Shila a question on anything you you had an address to go to. Address. Not only me, every single person. I used to get 30 40 emails a day, right? For every single a business, there's a stock to sell the stock, not to sell a stock. There's a guy who needs to pay now $2 million or if not, they're throwing him to give it or not to give it. Did ever tell you, I don't know. Or did he always have an answer? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. First of all, if he didn't want to give an answer, he didn't give an answer. So he used to say bua bua bua but I didn't give up you know I sat there and it was hard for me to come to people especially when there was really really hard questions really hard without an answer so I was begging the ro and the most important thing is not only the begging and getting the answer after a person gets the yeshua I used to have to go back to the I got it from my father my father he told me it's not my father's close to and he told me that a few when he goes back to that sadik and there was a few sadikim I'm not going to mention his name they stood up for my father so they asked my father I asked what's going on he says your father only doesn't only come to ask sh ask shilis and that's also where there's a good news so we have to stand up for him you sometimes we don't so you would go back to and tell him there was a yeshua you always told me what did he say? He used to smile and say it. But uh even a human being sat and learned I'm sure when he heard it when a person didn't have children for six years or a person didn't have a sh for 10 years and they got the Yeshua I don't even have a sick that it made him feel good. Had a tremendous sense of humor apparently. Tremendous. Tremendous. Tremendous. It's unbelievable because he was but he had that kite all the time but he was able to all the time all the time all the time every single time I used to ask him especially if it was questions or when I asked him that I want more children. So I told him, so he said only I says I I said I have so he says you're going to have two girls now and and a boy like he used to he used to he used to enjoy he used to speak it was hard it wasn't easy I'm not saying it was easy but when you want something and you you're pushing and you have and I don't have a sick that it's hard like you said and I I I I still don't believe it, you know, and especially you're coming to art school and seeing the zatal it's it's it's hard to see it. It's hard to believe in it. I don't know what's going to be without the seal, right? Without the wine, right? being their nates and seeing the row of malik finishing the whole tora and it's not just being in this I saw him learning every day if it's rasher times that you know people are busy and I'm sure with all this that is watching us from above and he's looking at us and and he's praying for us and and if We're going to continue publishing and doing the sid now and the sid for shabas and more and more and more. That's going to be for sure the biggest biggest thing for him cuz that's what he wanted. That was his his his whole life is for him. How many wrote with 122 really 122 122 my started with writing when I when I came first time when he told me we spoke about it. Yeah. He told me sit and learn but write what you're learning. He told me write and he wrote and he wrote and he wrote for him and he wrote letters for people and it was that was his life. So we we need to continue it. We have to continue it. The people people want people want to to have the cash. So you keep releasing and I'm sure that there are people banging down your doors to sponsor the who wouldn't want this to sponsor a safer of how do you decide what do you do what's the process so first of all banging at the doors is now when we started the first time I took loans really we couldn't find and I would never forget it that I went to and I told him we're doing now and we're working and the what's going to be. So he told me like you said we're working a month two months Gdalia calls me new the safer what's with the dedicator says we have to find him I'm working on it let's see what's going to be and really two three weeks before the safer is coming out I didn't know what to do so I said I'll go to America for one day my father got me some meetings and I said I'm going to go go find the sponsor so I'm flying I'm going to I go to the I said they'll have a but I need the money. Can you give me an should I grow a beard what whatever the R tells me I'll do. I'll finish. So the Rab looks at me and he tells me don't push. I go to the airport and I sit in my chair with this with the kisad and start working out. somebody's sitting next to me and we didn't even take off and the guy took the sponsorship really and since then it's really really I feel it and I see it and there's a lot of people who want to dedicate it but I see that every single and every single dedicator there's a story every single dedicator and now I believe that the dedicators that are going to have this is people that is now next to he is sending them so Now it's not going to be hard to know who's the one but I saw tremendously just on this I can write a book just on this. So I rip I must tell you I think that people are very grateful to you for two things. First of all, you said before and you showed people that if you really want to have a kesher with a god and you spoke about your history last time how you you know you were the last guy in the world who should have had a sh at 23 bomb you a regular kid you growing up but you decided this is what I want and look how much you gained from it but to magnify that out of that relationship grew so manyeshum that you're putting out. You're perpetuating legacy. You're keeping it going and for that is very grateful. So we thank you. It's it's special and it's a it's there's no co there's there's nothing. It's it's it's pure and a lot a lot of dav with tears. is that the rough should be a for you art school did did amazing things especially the last year for the kanyi families people know 1% but what he did and the whole family of art school I don't even have a suffic that this is standing and like I told you we're just warming up it's going to continue and we're going to vis do more and more and more things. Amen. Thank you. Thank you so much. [Music]