Modern Masters: The Admor Hachalutz | Rabbi Sam Shor | June 5th 2025

Good morning everyone. This is a a slightly different paradigm of a class than what we're typically do in modern masters. Typically in modern masters we meet great 20 20th and 21st century religious leaders and personalities through their writings and through their teachings. Um today what today is going to be more of a biographical sketch of a very influential and important leader of the religious Zionist community here in Israel in the 1930 19s 20s and 30s and 40s and he's lovingly name known as the admiralut the admir which means theidic master of the kalutim of the of the pioneers the pioneer rabbi if you will is how they often translate that term the admiral and his name is Rabbi Yesahu Shapi. Yesahu Shapi was the youngest son of the greatic master Rebell Shapi of Graisk. Rebell Shapiro Gajisk of course um his more famous son a more well-known son is is a personality we've discussed in and and learned from many times in this modern masters series and that's Rabbi Clonus K Shapi the rebby of Piaetsa the rebi the waretto and when we've discussed reclam Shapiro in the past we discussed how he buried his writings during the time of that those three years that he was incarcerated in the Warsaw ghetto. He buried those writings in milk cans with a letter saying to the soul that finds these writings, please see that if I haven't survived, please see to the to it that these writings make their way to my brother Rabbi Yeshai Shapiro living in in in Eric Israel. Of course, um, by the time those writings were found, Roshila, as we're going to learn about in a moment, had already passed away. And eventually those documents were brought to Roshila's son, meaning the nephew of Piaets the Rebi, who was who grew to be a very well-known personality here in Israel. His name was Yasco Shabir. Yasco Shabir was one of the founders of the Baka movement here in Israel. And Yasmir is the one who who publishes his uncle's works posumously. So, Yasabir was the son of Yan Khal. The Amar Khal comes on Aliyah in 1919 or 1920 I believe. And by the way, there's a typo on this biography. He died in 1945. He died eru 1945, not 1943. And one of the reasons why we're learning about him today is that his yard was just a few days ago. His ar shave his 80th yard. So we're commemorating 80 years since the passing of the kalutes. And what's fascinating about him is that he came on aliyah in either in in towards the end of 1919 early 1920 and he becomes very active in the polisra he is a kidic he's assigned toidic masters he himself could be a kidic master he's lovingly called the admore but um he decides very very much to become affiliated with the movement the religious zionist movement to build up the Yeshu here in Erit is and they see that as something sacred and he becomes a devoted disciple of Rafkuk and we're gonna learn about his connection to Rafkuk and his advocacy for Rafuk's Torah um together this morning as well. He also um travels extensively to many of many of the communities across Israel. Again, during that time in the 19s and 20s and 30s, many of the uh kibbutim and yesim were first being built and they were being established as farming communities as and literally people were building with their bare hands. They didn't have sophisticated equipment. They were using their bare hands to clear the to clear the fields to build communities and they were doing this under very very difficult circumstances. Many of them had lost had come as you know without family. They came as individuals um either as refugees from World War I or later later on in his life refugees from from the Shawah. And he is takes it upon himself to visit all these these Yeshu that were being built to visit the the pioneers and to encourage them and to give them hope and to give them and he lovingly becomes known as the if you take a look at the back of the packet you'll see first we're gonna take a look at the first p the first the first side this is what he looked like okay in his regular Oddmore outfit with a black keep on his head and a and a suit and tie. And uh in a moment we're going to learn more about this unique personality. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of written material of his own. Um what we do have today that we're going to learn from is a biographical sketch of the Amarut that was written by Rabbi Moshinia. Rab Moshinia is another one of the devoted disciples of Ravkok. and Ramosha Sinario wrote a beautiful pamphlet describing Rabil as he's known lovingly known the and the relationship between Rshila and Rafkuk. So we're going to explore some of this together today and we'll also learn about how how Rab Shaya becomes one of the um main proponents and and those who assist in spreading the messages and teachings of Ravkok and how he helps to publish a very succinct um codeex of Ravk's teachings on the sanctity of the land of Israel which is later known as the safer eritz and it's really that who takes Riff Cook's long poetic essays and kind of you know kind of what chat GBT does today. Chat GBT if I want to write if I want to write a shorter version of an article that I write for for Tara Tippets. So I take my original Tar Tibbitz article and I run it through Chat GBT and I say clean this up make it more succinct more more clear less less less wordy and more clear. And that's what Raya does with many of the beautiful essays, poetic beautiful essays that Rafuk wrote about the sanctity of Israel and the beauty of Israel. Rashila says, "Okay, these are beautiful ideas, but they're not accessible to the hamonam because most people don't have the patience to read these long flowerly poetic essays." So, he took those and we're going to learn more about his work Eritz um in a few moments together. So, we're just going to begin. Let's just just jump right in. Again, these are the recollections of Mosha. Ramoshinia is one of the last disciples to receive ordination from Rafuk. He becomes one of the founders of the Yeshiva Aka movement here in Eatel. And Ravaria is a prolific writer in and of his own in his own esteem, both his own Torah as well as the teachings of Rafk. But here we're going to learn a few snippets from a beautiful essay that Roaria wrote a short little pamphlet wrote about the admiral or where it says more to the text number one. Okay. He said which is 1920. Okay. as he be as as he meaning Rashila became aware of the bitter reality in terms of the physically difficult conditions the poverty and struggle for those living here in areas throughout the time Shapi said Shapi when he he became aware when became known to him how difficult the struggle was here in Israel Shapiro took it upon himself this bold this bold decision what was that bold decision He said he got up, picked himself up from Europe and without you know without being called um you know summoned for a position or without uh without hearing the proverbial call of the chauffear you know to to to come back to you. He picks himself up and takes it upon himself without any fanfare to come back to Israel. And already in his early days upon making aliyah, he decides and takes it upon himself that he's going to participate in building up the land of Israel. Big goof physically. He's not going to just stand on the side and be an observer. He himself is going to get involved. Banan Kadoshim. We're talking about a son, a descendant of holy ones. Okay? A a a descendant of of great ones who was in his upbringing, you know, he's from royalty. He was very distant from any physical labor in his lifetime. He was always in the in the bish in the realm of spirituality. He comes and he decides he's going to be actively active in building the land big day poin. He took off his rabbitic clo clothing that we looked at the first picture of him and he put on the clothing of a of a day worker. He's went out every single day to work in the brick and mortar in rubble and cement. And with all this work, he became one of the workers involved in building initially. This was what he initially did when he came to building the new neighborhoods in Jerusalem. And he wrote in a letter to his brother, meaning the PSS, the Rebi back in Warsaw. Listen to the words that he wrote to his brother. I take it upon myself to do whatever I need to do in order to what? Remain here in Israel. to be able to s to provide for myself and and remain here even if it means what? I have to be a garbage collector. He said I was a I was a I was a a rebel. I was the son of of Sadikim in Europe. But I was so in love with Israel and I so realized that we need to be here in Israel that I'm ready to do anything even if I had to be a garbage collector in order to stay here in Israel. That's what he writes his brother back in Warsaw. Okay. Now we're going to go to paragraph where it says Buf during that same pioneering period. Okay. He says during that same time, the pioneering time when there was an explosion of building up new communities across across Israel to con and to settle the land and to and to build on the land. Okay. that really the the efforts of the pioneers of the religious pioneers were split into two sacred tasks and not only involved in the idea of Torah and Avodav the combination between being and working the land but they were all very much involved in bringing the land back to life renewal the settling of agricultural agricultural settle ments just as they were establishing there were um groups to to build up the cities. There were also groups that what went out to settle in the Shamron and the Galo the and even for those those groups who were literally using their fingers to to remove boulders and rocks. Raf Shapi used to go to visit them and encourage them and get and strengthen them. He would travel not in a car on a on a regular road. He would ride a horse through the fields and appear dressed like a cowboy and his appearance, his presence warmed their hearts. You take a look now at the back page. Okay, this is a photograph of Raf Shapiro. Okay. Not dressed as the odd but dressed as the cowboy on his horse as he would travel to visit the various the various Yeshu to be. Okay. So let's go on. So he says again this all recollections. He says He said there there's a this wrote he was a member of a group that formed the yeshiv outside Shapi R Shapi was here at Matavanu he understood our became clear before him our situation but with his presence our situation, our circumstances improved a little bit. He says also the first of Shapi appeared before us and as a proper cowboy riding that horse. He says we learn from him. He taught us a a a song, a a a mantra, a beautiful song, a mantra. Beu Latin. And then we continued to recite and sing with our with with our mouths as the days passed la in order to ease the struggle of our of our acclamation here in Israel. And what were the words in this pone? The past is already non-existent. It's behind us. The future is not yet come. Okay. And the presence will pass before we know it like a blink of an eye. Okay. If that's true, what do we have to worry about? But these words were famously might seem familiar to some of us because David famously recorded a song called Damina. You can Google this afterwards. More mbdam. And it's based on these words that were taught by the p by the by the kalutes and these words of in of inspiration that that yes it might be that our present reality is difficult and yes it might be that in the past the Jewish people have suffered. He says but what the present the past are behind us. The present is going to pass before we know it. Okay the future is not yet here. He says, "So let's think about what we can do to make sure the future will be good and therefore we have nothing to worry about. Let's focus on the big picture. Let's see the big picture. What are what is going to be the totah the outcome of our hard work, our struggle? What beautiful things are going to come?" And therefore in presenting this short little this short little song, this this mantra he was mazic so many people. Okay. It wasn't easy for us to to to to experience an easement of the pain of our of our acclamation. We needed to really be be strengthened and and feel feel strong in our in our faith. Okay. And really hold tight to that. The essence of our hope was what? To think about better days yet to come. The we were able to survive by what? By having embedded in our brains this vision for a better tomorrow because the present days that they were living for through were very very difficult. There was great poverty there. It wasn't like today where everybody had could order lunch by by clicking a button on a phone. Okay. They lived through very difficult financial, fiscal and and physical times. We faced very very difficult obstacles both from within and from without. But the kaluts, okay, would literally go to visit all these who are literally picking up rocks and with their bare hands, okay, moving boulders with their bare hands and beaz them and say, "Yes, it's true that right now we're living through difficult times." And yes, it's true we've experienced some horrible things in our past, but there's a bright future that's yet to come that's going to be the result of our hard work. And that was Mkhazakm. And ultimately we have a state of Israel as a result of the hard work of those. Okay. So that's just a a quick biographical two biographical sketches about the about um at least uh that are recalled by by Mosha area. We're now going to talk about Roshila and the connection to the Torah of Rkook. Rashila when he comes in ali 1919 he's blown away by the religious personality of Rashila is not just a stam rabbi or or a or or a regular Jew is has been exposed he's the descendants of some of the greatest masters of Jewish thought the greatest masters and he comes to he's blown away by the religious personality that is Rufk okay so for him to be blown away by Rufk is impressive because of not only who he was in individually but who he grew up amongst who he was descended who his family associated with. Okay. So he's blown away and becomes a devoted disciple of RV cook. Now this is these are some words of Ramshayah speaking about RV cook explaining RV cook why he's why why he has such an affinity for him and explaining RV cook's religious approach. Okay is where it says two. We're going to start where it says a. We might bounce around a little bit. Okay. Great were the feelings of love for his fellow Jew that filled every fiber of his being. He's talking about okay. And he faced a lot of opposition and suffering throughout his lifetime from many of his co-religious meaning the many of the other rabbitic leaders of the time were not on board with Rafuk in terms of his love and embrace of those who were involved in building the secular Jews were involved in building up Medina Israel. Okay. And therefore Rafkuk took a lot of abuse in his lifetime as a result of that. Okay. And this love for his fellow Jew was not based solely on emotions. Ravuk had a okay that was very much based in in Torah sources in terms of his approach. Okay. philosophia. Okay's whole approach was based on on philosophy. Okay. He built this entire orientation towards loving every Jew endlessly to have no no limits to his love for his fellow Jew. Okay. and not only the righteous amongst the Jewish people but even those who have walked away from the ways of Torah. Now he continues continues to describe his offer of cook and even when it comes to the idea of building up the land of Israel and the the the Zionist idea. Okay. of cook had a very unique approach says. Okay. He says sorry. He did not see Zionism as solely what a modern movement to take a people that was struggling to find its place in the world to have a place of refuge from those who who who were were were um you know who were antagonistic towards the Jewish people but rather he saw as the beginning of what a return of the Jewish people to the source of our existence from where we emanate the Jewish people were coming home to where life our lives as a nation began but it's true certainly recognized and saw also the the issues that troubled the other rabbis. Okay. In terms of the movement of Zionism, he saw he wasn't oblivious to the challenges. Certainly saw them. He saw this proverbial he saw them as a proverbial thorns that surround the rose. By the way, we we've learned in this class before in modern masters, another one of Ravuk's great disciples, Ra Yakosharap. Okay? Because this this idea from really sums up this point in terms of rakita okay famously taught about there's a poem that we say after we read the migill poem the poem is called shosat yakov the rose of yakov right the rose of of Jacob asks why is it that the Jewish people are called the rose of yakov and he uses this analogy that that ray uses to describe cook's approach as well which is what that the Jewish people are that proverbial rose the Jewish people what is a rose a rose can only blossom and be fragrant maintain its fragrance when it's attached to its stormy thorny stem the minute you take it away from that stem and detach it from its thorns then it loses its pungency its fragrance its vitality he says so too the various thorny moments in Jewish history both in terms of the from with from without from our enemies as well as from within the things that maybe we see that are that are ch that are not the brightest most beautiful things the things that might trouble us that might seem like thorns they're also contributing ultimately to the vitality and the beauty of that rose and therefore says in describing rufk analogy how did ruk see the problems that were associated the potential religious problems associated with those who were involved in the enterprise of Zionism. He saw them as the thorns that surround the rose. Meaning they're contributing. They may be thorns now. They may be they may not be pretty now, but they're contributing ultimately to what? To the vitality of that beautiful rose that is the Jewish people. Okay. So then he goes on to this and he uses a very interesting analogy. He says when you think about anytime you're planting seeds and that's what we were doing. We're building we're beginning to plant seeds here. Anytime you plant seeds what has to happen the seeds have a sh a shell or kipa and that kipa has to decay and rot and then from that comes new life. He says so too. So too self. Therefore, Rufkook believed that all the problematic ideas would also eventually decay like the proverbial um shell of a seed. As that movement continues to blossom and grow and ultimately that will one day dis dissipate the and the redemption of the Jewish people will come to fruition completely and impurity. of was certain says that just as we begin to come to see the physical sprouts take place here in that soon one day we will also be to see the spiritual redemptive uh sprouts take root as well This is the last line. Was the great source of light was a great source of light that enlightened and inspired every single heart amongst the Jewish people, both those who were already close to Torah and those who were distant from Torah. So we just turned the page. I just want to do maybe two last paragraphs here um of Rashila Rashila describing his affinity for cookook. He says the second paragraph on Bun also the Zionist movement even though many of its founders would say the Zionist movement is completely secular. Okay. Said it was certain to him that what the source Zionism came into the world from a heightened a lofty holy source. It's not simply that the Jewish people who were hated by many of the other nations of the world were seeking a place of refuge from those who pursued and tried to kill us but rather that it's completely holy and all the activities to build up the Yeshu here in Israel politically, diplomatically as well as physically. Okay? All of them contain within them what? Many many holy and lofty um um sparks of holiness and says based on this whole orientation had an endless love and compassion for those who were distant from Judaism. from the light of Torah and he worked tirelessly to bring them closer. And he also treated with kindness those who were against his approach to the rights and he recognized their value, okay, of their approach as well. What did Rafuk strive to do? And this is what fell in love with. He strove to unite both the right and the left and to encourage each them to see and bring forth the the lofty the higher purpose in each of those approaches. And that was only one person could could accomplish this. Okay. to to be encouraged both the right to see the good in the left and the left to see the good in the right. There was only one individual in their said Rashila the admir again descendant of ofidic masters and there was one individual who had that co that capacity who was that one individual was cook so shila becomes a devoted student of a cook and his approach and it's as we mentioned in the introduction takes it upon himself to go through the many many notebooks and and writings of cook many essays and writings of rak that are very long and poetic beautiful language speaking about the beauty and sanctity of the land of Israel and Rasha takes it upon himself to put together a beautiful short pamphlet called it's not so short it's like 12 pro in the end but he basically takes these longer essays and distills them into you know a few sentences to where you get the basic gist of RV cook's beautiful ideas but without having to to to wade through the difficult poetic um language Okay. So look what look look at the des description of what motivated him to write to to to organize to edit the safer. This is threeishnit the teachings and the worldview of about the sanctity of it's not you can't get it all in one in one in one moment. There are many many many scrolls upon scrolls manuscripts. Okay. It's spread out throughout all his many writings and letters and speeches and teachings and especially since most of his writings were were not published in his lifetime that even those who have been published up till now it's difficult to Understand idea and the connect from idea to idea. Ideas that are very very lofty. Okay. Beyond sometimes human seemingly beyond the comprehension comprehension capabilities of the average human being. and of course they're written in a very lofty poetic style of but all those ideas they received what a new face but it maintained the warmth of their spirit but by by putting together this beautiful he was able to share the warmth and beauty and spiritual inspiration of and depth of Rafuk's teachings to a wider audience. He says Rafuk did never ceased, never was exhausted to speak about and write about the sanctity of the land of Israel and building it up both speaking about it as well as writing in every circumstance in all in all real and in every moment. Amra and the Shila Shapira. He took it upon himself. He was inspired to gather together and edit all the essential ideas of put them together in an organized systematic beautiful work of 12 chapters and called them by an appropriate name. The land we desire. It was po published in 1939. So Rafuk died in 1935. Eric was published in 1939. Okay. So rev Shapira who was became a devoted disciple of Rafuk. He made it his life life's work. The the one written work that we have of Shila is not only is not really his Torah. and he took it upon himself to to publish these beautiful teachings from zah. Therefore merited chauffeur shaman harat. He becomes so to speak the chauffeur, the soundpiece of the Torah, the proverbial voice of God, the power of Torah, the be the the the call, the voice, the sound that opens up the gates in heaven, the the gates that will bring forth the redemption of the Jewish people and the redemption of the land of a God and call them to come and make aliyah to build up Zion and Jerusalem. Roshila really is the first person to seek and to to make not only to seek to do this but to actually achieve this to make the beautiful teachings of Ruk the powerful teachings of Ruk accessible to the am I don't think there's an English written but we're going to learn one last snippet of of an actual essay the Rafilo did write himself that is translated into English okay this is the last page on your sheets Okay, this is a a short a short um passage from a longer essay called you should do the good and that which is just. Okay, again this this is Rashid's own words translated into English. One who wishes to observe the Torah in its entirety cannot be satisfied with observance of the explicit laws. He must also investigate deeply after the lofty goal implied by those laws and to strive to achieve that goal. There are really some things that are permit permitted by the law and have been prohibited only because because of the pas you should do that which is just and good in the eyes of God. Now, now when we are returning to our land and wish to establish authentic Jewish life here, it is our obligation to again set up for ourselves this goal of sanctifying life in all its depth and breadth. We must create here a way of life that will not only be permissible according to the law, but also in terms of you shall be holy as well as you shall do that which is good, just and good. The vision for the ishu here init shared by both anda the kalutz was a vision of holiness. Okay. moving beyond that which is quote unquote permitted by the letter of the law to embrace justice and goodness for all to build a society that's b and a life of that's based on a life of values of holiness of aut of yash of concern for one another of seeing the good in every single member of kalis and this is the legacy both of who we've heard from many many times but particularly the legacy of the immar Kalutz again and this morning being that it's now his yard site was Arish Shauvo his 80th yard site and being that he was such an important figure during those difficult years of of the enterprise to build the state of Israel and such an important figure in terms of promulgating the Torah of the powerful Torah of Cook that we all have embraced and and resonates so powerfully with each and every single one of us. He's a personality that sadly often goes overlooked, is not well known. And I thought this morning, that's why we did this this morning. I thought it would be only appropriate that we recall and as as we commemorate 80 years since his passing that we recall on some level this giant this giant of humility who could have been his own great you had his own great court who took off the cloak of the admir in order to wear the cloak of the cowboy and be able to travel and give to and who takes upon himself not to publish his own writings but to to make the writings of his teacher, his beloved teacher of cook accessible to the hamonam. He is a very very important personality. I'm glad we got to at least get a quick glimpse and learn a little bit from him and about him this morning. Have a great shabas.