Difference between revisions of "Rav Elyah Lopian"
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Without another word, Rabbi Lopian reached for a book of Tehillim and started praying. “Rabbi, what are you doing?” asked the student. His teacher responded, “I am 86 years old and blind in one eye, and I am still affected by human nature. You are young and in the prime of life. If you are not affected by immodest sights, then perhaps you’re sick. I am saying Tehillim for your recovery!”<ref>Windows of the Soul P. 61.</ref> | Without another word, Rabbi Lopian reached for a book of Tehillim and started praying. “Rabbi, what are you doing?” asked the student. His teacher responded, “I am 86 years old and blind in one eye, and I am still affected by human nature. You are young and in the prime of life. If you are not affected by immodest sights, then perhaps you’re sick. I am saying Tehillim for your recovery!”<ref>Windows of the Soul P. 61.</ref> | ||
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| + | === Nusach 2 === | ||
| + | "Once, a ''talmid'' asked Rav Lopian permission to attend a cousin’s wedding in a different city. Upon hearing which city it was, Rav Lopian was reluctant to grant permission. “That city is well known for the improper mode of dress of its citizens,” he said. “It is no place for a ''ben Torah.”'' | ||
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| + | The ''talmid'' respectfully argued. “''Rebbi,'' I work very hard on guarding my eyes and thoughts. I will not be affected by that place.” | ||
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| + | Rav Lopian responded, “In that case you should see a doctor, because obviously you’re not well. I am already past 90 and blind in one eye, and I know that such sights would affect me. And you are so sure that they will not affect you?”<ref>Zos Brisi p. 43. | ||
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| + | "In Yiddish he told him: "You with your two meaty eyes מיט דיין צוויי פליישיק אויגן won't be affected?'" —Dr. Shlomie Zimmerman</ref> | ||
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| + | == Lessons == | ||
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| + | * #HashemHelpMe: I always tell over the story of R' Elya Lapian, which is written in the sefer. And I heard it from one of his great grandchildren. Look at the ''gadlus'' here, we're talking about a tremendous tzadik. The lesson is ''you're not a bad person because you have an urge''. A guy can be clean for a hundred days and he has an urge and he looks at it, oh, "I'm a loser", "I'm terrible", "how can this happen even after 100 days?" I tell him "Buddy, when you're 85 years old and half blind you'll also have urges. Hashem doesn't want us to ''act on our urges'', but the urges are going to be there as long as you're a healthy person". | ||
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| + | * In Zos Brisi, he expounds on the story as follows: Rav Lopian’s insight is actually expressed in ''Sefer HaChinuch'':<ref>Mitzvah 188.</ref> ''If someone finds that he does not have a strong lust for immorality, he should not tell himself, “Since this is the way I am, why should I refrain from gazing at women? After all, I know that this will not excite my yetzer hara!” Many have said this and have stumbled. This is alluded to in the words of Chazal, who state that at first the yetzer hara seems very weak, but with time it gains more and more strength.'' | ||
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| + | == More from Rav Lopian == | ||
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| + | * ''"The first aspect of avodas Hashem in which one must invest effort in his youth is kedushah'', '''''for this is the foundation of the entire Torah.''''' ''The degree to which one advances in his level of kedushah is in proportion to the degree that he avoids satisfying his physical passions."''<ref>''Lev Eliyahu,'' vol. II, p.40. Zos Brisi p. 43.</ref> | ||
| + | * Rav Lopian would allude to the importance of ''shemiras habris'' in his ''shmuessen'' throughout the year. Once a year, during the week of ''Parashas Vayishlach'', he would deliver a ''shmuess'' on this topic (from Introduction to ''Sefer Lev Eliyahu'', p. 33).<ref>Zos Brisi p. 44.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:41, 10 November 2020
One of the greatest Ba’alei Mussar was Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, who taught Torah for over seventy years in Europe and Eretz Yisrael.
One of his students was invited to a wedding where the laws of modesty would not be observed. He asked Rabbi Lopian if he could go to the wedding. When asked what he would do about the lack of tzniut, the student told him that the sight of immodest women does not affect him.
Without another word, Rabbi Lopian reached for a book of Tehillim and started praying. “Rabbi, what are you doing?” asked the student. His teacher responded, “I am 86 years old and blind in one eye, and I am still affected by human nature. You are young and in the prime of life. If you are not affected by immodest sights, then perhaps you’re sick. I am saying Tehillim for your recovery!”[1]
Nusach 2
"Once, a talmid asked Rav Lopian permission to attend a cousin’s wedding in a different city. Upon hearing which city it was, Rav Lopian was reluctant to grant permission. “That city is well known for the improper mode of dress of its citizens,” he said. “It is no place for a ben Torah.”
The talmid respectfully argued. “Rebbi, I work very hard on guarding my eyes and thoughts. I will not be affected by that place.”
Rav Lopian responded, “In that case you should see a doctor, because obviously you’re not well. I am already past 90 and blind in one eye, and I know that such sights would affect me. And you are so sure that they will not affect you?”[2]
Lessons
- #HashemHelpMe: I always tell over the story of R' Elya Lapian, which is written in the sefer. And I heard it from one of his great grandchildren. Look at the gadlus here, we're talking about a tremendous tzadik. The lesson is you're not a bad person because you have an urge. A guy can be clean for a hundred days and he has an urge and he looks at it, oh, "I'm a loser", "I'm terrible", "how can this happen even after 100 days?" I tell him "Buddy, when you're 85 years old and half blind you'll also have urges. Hashem doesn't want us to act on our urges, but the urges are going to be there as long as you're a healthy person".
- In Zos Brisi, he expounds on the story as follows: Rav Lopian’s insight is actually expressed in Sefer HaChinuch:[3] If someone finds that he does not have a strong lust for immorality, he should not tell himself, “Since this is the way I am, why should I refrain from gazing at women? After all, I know that this will not excite my yetzer hara!” Many have said this and have stumbled. This is alluded to in the words of Chazal, who state that at first the yetzer hara seems very weak, but with time it gains more and more strength.
More from Rav Lopian
- "The first aspect of avodas Hashem in which one must invest effort in his youth is kedushah, for this is the foundation of the entire Torah. The degree to which one advances in his level of kedushah is in proportion to the degree that he avoids satisfying his physical passions."[4]
- Rav Lopian would allude to the importance of shemiras habris in his shmuessen throughout the year. Once a year, during the week of Parashas Vayishlach, he would deliver a shmuess on this topic (from Introduction to Sefer Lev Eliyahu, p. 33).[5]