The following article was published in
the Flatbush Jewish Journal When the Finite Meets the Infinite;
The Eighth Yahrzeit of Akiva Shamai
Ehrenpreis It was the evening of October 23 and the participants of the regular Wednesday evening shiur in the Beis HaMedrash of Yeshiva Gedolah of Mill Basin in Brooklyn, New York were coming together. Several of them have never missed their Wednesday learning night despite extreme cold of winter or high heat of summer. After a full day of work as contractors, accountants, businessmen, etc., whe ther having
studied Torah in yeshivos or day schools or with
limited Judaic background, they gather to increase their knowledge of the
Jewish roots and their understanding of Torah. Since the program began, their
enthusiasm and interest continue to grow, and many bringing other residents of
the Mill Basin area and even their teenage sons to study as well. But the gathering on this particular Wednesday
night, the 25 of Tishrei, was to be especially
meaningful. This was the eighth yahrzeit of
Akiva Shamai Ehrenpries z”l,
the young Torah scholar in whose memory the learning program was created. The shiur
this evening was honored by the presence of HaRav Ahron Kahn,shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva at
Yeshiva University and Rav of Knesses
Beis Avigdor in Brooklyn. He is a renowned Torah
scholar and was a close Rebbi of Akiva
Shamai. Joining them, as well, this evening were Rabbi Eli Moskovitz and Rabbi Motti
Posen, the regular maggidei
shiur of the Wednesday night shiur.
Just over a year ago, Rabbi Moskovitz had created the community outreach
division of the Yedhiva Gedolah
of Mill Basin in memory of Akiva Shamai. This program, named the Lev Akiva Shamai Outreach Program, was launched with the mission of
perpetuating Akiva’s love for spreading Torah and
inspiring others to greater heights in Torah knowledge and mitzvos. In addition to the
regular shiur attendees, family and friends of Akiva made their way to the Yeshiva of Mill Basin to
remember Akiva, to hear the words of Rabbi Kahn, and
to partake in a seudas
mitzvah in honor of the yahrzeit. Rav
Khan is particularly ideal to share words of zicaron to
memorialize Akiva. Though Akiva
learned in Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and was a member of the Kollel Gur Aryeh,
he had a close relationship with the Rav, attending
his shiurim as a close chaver of
the Knesses Bais Avigdor and
Rav Khan was the Morah D’asrah for Akiva and his family.
The event was an opportunity for those who come to learn at the Lev Akiva program to hear about Akiva,
in whose memory they sit and study Torah. Each speaker shared anecdotes about Akiva to remember and illustrate the force and the impact
of his drive to bring Torah to every member of Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Moskovitz related that while awaiting surgery, Akiva noticed that the anesthesiologist was Jewish. “Did
you put on Tefillin today?” Akiva
inquired. When the doctor replied in the negative, Akiva
politely stated that he would not be permitted to administer the anesthetic necessary
for the operation. “Why?” asked the stunned doctor. Akiva
replied, “Because it is G-d (Ribono shel Olam) Who is in charge of the success of this
procedure and if you are to be His messenger, you must put on Tefillin
and say the words of Shema today.”
The doctor’s attempts to induce sleep were totally unsuccessful. Frustrated,
the doctor left the operating room, seeking Akiva’s
wife to ask her for Tefillin to put on. “I’ve
given your husband enough anesthesia to knock out an elephant and he is still awake,”
he said. “I guess I have to put on Tefillin.”
After doing so, he successfully administered the anesthetic so the operation
could proceed. Rabbi Efriam Levine, also shared the
memory of Akiva’s intense love of learning. Whether
here in New York, in the SEED programs of Torah Umesorah
around the country, and even with his fellow students learning at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim,
caring for the needs of anyone he knew and pushing them to grow in Torah and
learning was his overriding goal. A successful Manhattan attorney attended as a tribute and
memorial to his young friend. Remembering Akiva’s
impact, which in great part changed the course of his life. He recalled that
having met Akiva as a young law student with little
formal Jewish learning and having had the standard American bar
mitzvah party. Akiva encouraged him to
learn more; though just a teenager, Akiva would come
to his Upper East Side apartment to learn with him. Akiva
encouraged him to invite other professionals in his neighborhood for Shabbos
meals in Manhattan. Akiva also invited them to spend
Shabbos as guests of the Ehrenpreis Family in Brooklyn,
showing them the beauty and power of their Jewish roots. The former law student
has built a beautiful Torah-committed family and learns every day. In fact, he uses
Akiva’s Gemaras for his
daily learning, as a zechus for
his departed friend and mentor. The evening was an opportunity for Akiva’s
friends and family to remember how they watched him grow into the great talmid chacham
he became, as well as to recall the impact he had, in spite of his young years, on all those around him. Especially
meaningful was the presence of several chaverim,
his friends from his chabura at
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Even after eight years since his petirah, these young men, with
whom he learned and shared their years from elementary school through Mesifta, then in the Mir of Yerushalyim
and, for some, in the years of Kollel, recalled the force that was Akiva. “K'ish echad b'lev echad,"
"As one, with one heart” was his mantra, his concern for each of them
reflected in the close bond that even after all these years brought them to
this yahrzeit event. It gave them the
opportunity to see firsthand that Lev Akiva Shami continues to reflect Akiva’s
drive to bring every Jew closer to his roots. As a matter of fact, classes for
teenagers in the area and for women who live in the area are being initiated
this year. Perhaps most meaningful for the men and women of Mill Basin who
have come to learn, whether in a group or one on one, hearing the many stories,
is that they are coming to understand that in the words of Torah that they
learn that they are part of a divine mission, growing personally as well as
giving a gift to this holy neshamah in
whose memory the program was initiated. Rabbi Kahn, in his brilliant and inspiring talk, presented a
rare parable from the illustrious Gaon of Vilna as quoted by the Chofetz Chaim zt”l. The hebrew
word ‘“sasson” “happiness,” connotes happiness combined
with some sadness. In the parable, a man is offered all the booty of war that
he could gather within one day. He collected gold, silver, and great quantities
of the valuables, but he realized that the day was coming to an end and that
there was so much more that he would not be able to acquire. Rabbi Kahn pointed
out that what we have in this world is finite: Only the mitzvos and
the Torah learning give us the opportunity to touch infinity. Rav Kahn concluded that in his brief life, Akiva Shamai z”l gathered
his treasures, acquiring Torah and mitzvos and
bringing others to greater heights, reaching out to infinity. What we acquire
in this world is finite; only that which is directed through Torah and mitzvos connects
us to that which is infinite. Those who come to learn, those who have so
generously supported the establishment of Lev Akiva Shamai Community Outreach Program and the Yeshiva of Mill
Basin, are part of the holy mission to continue his legacy, and ultimately, to
have that which is finite touch infinity. Yehi Zichro Baruch. |
