The Ability to Remember | Rabbi Shlomo Landau

R’ Dovid Jungreis was a תלמיד חכם מובהק. People said he was an encyclopedia of Torah, so much so that the Satmer Rebbe would say that when R’ Dovid's around, you don't need a Seforim Shrank, you don't need a bookcase because he has it all. For years, people would ask him: How do you have such an incredible retention, such an amazing Zikaron? How do you remember so much? And he always shrugged it off. He says: When you learn, you remember. One year, they decided they needed to understand the secret behind his superhuman Zikaron. It was Purim, and they gave him to drink wine. Chazal teach us: .נכנס יין - יצא סוד They wanted to get the secret. Initially, he drank, but instead of telling them secrets, he just got up there and for an hour straight, he gave a Drasha that encompassed hundreds of Mekoros from across all the different parts of the Torah. But they gave him some more wine and some more wine. And finally, one of the Chevra went over and put their arm and said: R’ Dovid, how is it possible? How do you remember so much? It's just incomprehensible. He says: You really want to know? He said: Yes! He says: You say it every single day. He goes: What? He says: It says at the end of Shema, Don't stray after your hearts and after your eyes. And what does the Pasuk say immediately after that? So that you should remember. I've been careful with Shemiras Ha’einayim, and in return, the Ribono shel Olam has given me incredible Zikaron. You know, think about it for a moment. We all want to retain what we're learning, whether we learned a Daf, we learned with a Chavrusa, we hear a vort. Imagine if we remembered everything. Our lives would be immeasurably improved. Let's try to upgrade our Shemiras Ha’einayim, and Im Yirtze Hashem, the Ribono shel Olam will give us back למען תזכרו the ability to learn, but more importantly, the ability to remember.