Humility:
Part 2
Bowing in Prayer: 2 Anecdotes
Rav David Feinstein, zt"l and Rav Chaim
of Tzanz, zt"l
In “Developing
Humility,” we discussed how concrete acts
help develop and intensify the character traits
they are related to. The many times we bow
during Shemoneh Esrei every day help strengthen
our humility before G-d, for bowing, according
to a number of sources, signifies utter nullification
of one’s self before G-d. We now add 2 anecdotes
and some reflections on them.
1. Rav Moshe Feinstein’s
great-grandfather, Rav David, supervised the
estate of a wealthy non-Jewish landowner (referred
to as a “poritz”). One day the poritz was
bragging to his drinking buddies about what
a tremendous Jewish supervisor he has. He
also spoke about his piety and holiness, and
he bragged that he prayed the afternoon service
in the fields with such concentration that
even if a gun went off he wouldn’t flinch.
The poritz and his friends had been drinking
for quite a while and, quite worked up, he
bet that even if you would shoot a gun at
him while bowing during prayer, he wouldn’t
even notice. The whole group grabbed a gun
and went out to the field around sunset and
there was Rav David standing in prayer. They
snuck up behind him, waited until he bowed,
shot at directly where his head had been,
and, sure enough, he didn’t flinch. The poritz
won his bet [and the story apparently came
to us through the talk of the non-Jewish section
of the town]. (The story appears in Rav
Mordechai Tendler’s and Rav Shabbtai Rappaport’s
biography of Rav Moshe Feinstein that introduces
the 8th volume of Igrot Moshe.)
Some reflections on the story: It obviously
demonstrates how intensely Rav David concentrated
during prayer, and how Hashem watches over
his servants. It seems particularly significant,
though, that the bullet whizzed over his head
as he bowed during Shemoneh Esrei. The following
drash has been made on the expression, “Mei’ayin
yavo ezri”. It is usually translated as “My
assistance came from out of nowhere.” However,
some read “mei’ayin” as “out of a sense of
my utter nothingness” and see the message
of the pasuk as, “The Divine assistance came
when I arrived at a sense of total dependence
on Him and total nothingness before Him.”
It is striking that Rav David was miraculously
saved at the moment he was bowing and experiencing
his subjugation before G-d.
2. Bowing is one physical
expression of total negation before G-d. The
ideal of one’s total physical makeup being
in tune with the Divine Will is exhibited
in the following anecdote (heard from Rav
Michel Twerski shlit”a of Milwaukee) about
the great Chassidic leader Rav Chaim of Tzanz:
Another Chassidic rebbe was visiting Rav
Chaim of Tzanz for Shabbat. One of the chassidim
brought some cooked carrots from the kitchen
to the table where the rebbes were sitting.
The other rebbe ate the carrots, but Rav Chaim
just picked up his fork, started to move to
take the carrots, but then retracted. After
a while the attendant noticed that Rav Chaim
was not eating his carrots and approached
him. “Is there something wrong with the carrots?”
he asked. Rav Chaim replied, “I don’t know.
Maybe check out where they came from.” He
went back into the kitchen and investigated
the source of the carrots. Eventually the
following story emerged. When a delivery boy
had done damage to the house of the rebbe,
the kitchen staff ran after him and took his
bag of carrots as payment for the damage caused.
The chassid went back to Rav Chaim and told
over the whole story. The whole assemblage
was very impressed by the whole episode, and
everyone was talking about the ruach hakodesh
(special mystical insight) of the Rebbe. One
person was upset, though – the visiting rebbe.
“Tzanzer Rov,” he asked, “if you knew that
the carrots were stolen why did you keep the
information to yourself? Isn’t my eating the
carrots just as problematic as your’s? Why
did you let me eat them?” Rav Chaim replied,
“You should know, I didn’t know the whole
story about the carrots. However, a person
doesn’t move unless it is for the service
of Hashem. I felt that my hand was not moving
towards the carrots, and realized after a
number of attempts that eating them was not
part of my service of Hashem. When they checked
it out I found out why, but I was not, G-d
forbid, holding back information from you.”
Rav Chaim is an example of someone who
took the ideal behind bowing during Shemoneh
Esrei, total subjugation before Hashem, and
carried it through to his entire behavior.
He so conditioned his body to service of Hashem
that he did not move unless it was for the
sake of the Divine.
On
stories of extreme piety: We often find
it difficult to relate to stories like those
of Rav David Feinstein and Rav Chaim of Tzanz.
Those tzaddikim, we say, are in such a radically
different place than ourselves – and our prayer
and our eating. However, these anecdotes are
helpful in two ways:
- They present models
of ideal behavior to strive for. Though
we’re not there yet, we are at least pointed
in the right direction.
- Telling them over helps
us internalize the values behind them –
albeit on our own level.
Next: “Getting
up from Bowing,” thoughts by Rav Dessler,
z”l, and Rav Kook, z”l.
