Parshas Shoftim 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Aug 29
- 4 min read
על פי התורה אשר יורוך ועל המשפט אשר יאמרו לך תעשה לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל ... (יז-יא)
This week marks the first Yahrzeit of the famed Riverdale Rosh Yeshivah, R’ Avraham (Avremel) Ausband zt”l. The Rosh Yeshivah was a pillar of strength for his talmidim, who knew they could turn to him not only for Torah guidance but for personal advice and support. His devotion to his family, his yeshivah, and Klal Yisroel was unwavering, and his legacy will continue to live on through the thousands of talmidim he shaped, many of whom have gone on to become Roshei Yeshivah, Rabbanim, and marbitzei Torah around the world. Many talmidim would call him to discuss problems, ask shailos and seek his advice. He would always demand they say over something in their learning. One talmid describes how he could never call the Rosh Yeshivah unless he had a good kashya to ask him. “Sometimes I had a pshat that I thought was good and after I would tell the Rosh Yeshivah, he would scream at me that the Rambam certainly doesn’t mean what I’m saying and I MUST call him back with correct pshat.” The talmid mused, “He always said to me, ‘You need to feel EMES over feeling good!’”
A number of years ago, recalls another talmid, we learned the sugya of seudah mafsekes with the Rosh Yeshivah. We concluded the sugya with a big kashya on a Gra in Shulchan Aruch. I told the Rosh Yeshivah that I was going with my kids in two weeks to Lithuania and we would be stopping in Vilna, at the Gaon’s kever. Rav Ausband called me the day we were leaving and asked me to review exactly what the question was. He told me that I need to ask it to my kids at the kever of the Gaon and call him if we are zoche to a teshuva there. I did as the Rosh Yeshivah told me and I asked the question but unfortunately, we did not come up with a good Tirutz. When I told the Rosh Yeshivah later that we never got an answer to the question, he said the reason is because I didn’t really believe the Gaon was listening to my kashya! Had I had the proper amount of emunas chachamim, surely the Gaon would have given me the answer!”
Another talmid recalls: When R’ Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi zt”l was niftar, I mentioned to Rav Ausband how he would stay in my home on his frequent visits to the U.S. One time, he sat in the same chair in my house learning and writing chiddushim for almost 20 hours straight. He only had one meeting all day and the rest of the time he just sat there learning. At 2:30 am, I came downstairs and told Rav Ezrachi that he should really sleep a bit as he was already leaving back to Eretz Yisroel and he needed his Koach, at least for the flight. He told me, "אני אף פעם לא הולך לישון, השינה רק נופלת עלי" - “I never go to sleep, sleep just overtakes me!” Apparently he never went to sleep in a bed during the week.
When Rav Ausband heard this, he was blown away. When I asked why, he replied, “Yes, it is true, there are many masmidim in the world. But R’ Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi had such an enormous personality. He had so much to say and was a real ‘people’ person. The fact that he can also be such an amazing masmid talks to me much more than anyone else!”
Rav Ausband was also a “people” person. But he taught his students to be masmidim in learning and also to be normal. One prominent talmid who is a successful businessman, would have a weekly seder with the Rosh Yeshivah and another friend, in Riverdale. They usually learned for 2 hours in the middle of the week but if things didn’t work out, they would come early Friday morning and learn with Rav Ausband after shacharis. “We would prefer to learn on Friday morning because we learned a valuable lesson from the Rosh Yeshivah when we did. We would daven earlier and then drive to the Yeshivah and wait in the Rosh Yeshivah’s office until he finished davening. When he would walk in, he would take off his Talis and Tefillin, and a bochur would bring him breakfast. He would push the food aside and pick up the yeshivah phone. He would then call his wife and ask her how her day was going. He told us that before he does anything, he calls his Rebbetzin and asks her how was the night, how did she sleep? It was a short one minute phone call, but it taught us the importance of Shalom Bayis.
“Until today, I will never forget that lesson. One can be a masmid and a huge Talmid Chacham, but before anything, one must be normal and think of others, especially one’s own wife. Because there is nothing more important than Shalom Bayis.”