Community Magazine November 2003

36 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE TISHREI 5763 OCTOBER 2003 36 s ” xc R A B B I D A V I D S U T T O N Giants of The Glory Days WISDOM IN GUIDING HIS STUDENTS Soon after Hacham Ezra’s return to Eretz Yisrael, Hacham Avraham Ades appointed him Rosh Yeshiva upon Rabbi Laniado’s passing. Although Hacham Ezra was primarily charged with teaching the top class in the yeshiva, he knew every boy, tested each student personally, and made sure they were given the appropriate guidance. Hacham Shaul Kassin remembers being tested by this sage. His standards were high, but his words were gentle. When he saw one student wearing short sleeves, which he deemed inappropriate in that situation, rather than admonish him harshly, the Hacham lov- Hacham Ezra Attia k"mz Part II of II DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF HACHAM SHAUL COHEN km"z BEN ZAKIE He once overheard two boys comparing some of the various Rishonim (rabbis from the medieval period). Who was greater, the Rambam or the Ramban? Hacham Ezra interpolated and answered their questions with a metaphor. “You can use a balance scale to measure very small things, but if you try to weigh bars of gold on the scale, it could break. The Rishonim are like boul- ders. You’re going to weigh the Rambam, the Ramban, and the Rashbah? The scale cannot hold such weight.” One student who began to learn with Hacham Ezra was a “class clown”; very bright and witty, but without the proper respect for learning. When the boy made a wise crack one day in class, Hacham Ezra outwitted him with a quick response. The boy was taken aback, but answered with another quip and again Hacham Ezra responded with an even more clever remark. The exchange con- tinued until the boy ran out of things to say. After that day, he became a serious student. Before this incident, this boy thought that the life of a Rabbi was bor- ing and lacked any form of humor. When this boy saw that one can learn seriously, and still retain a sharp wit, he was no longer afraid of being serious. Hacham Ezra was able to see into this boy’s psy- che—and in one interaction, turn him onto a straighter path. “How many hours do you learn on Shabbat afternoons?” he asked his students. One . . .two . . .three? In the summertime there are 8 hours from the end of Musaf until Minhah time. “Learn 7 hours,” he told them. A group of boys, including Hacham Baruch Ben-Haim, Reb Naim ben Eliyahu, and Reb David Shaharbani, approached him excitedly on Sunday. ‘We learned seven hours this Shabbat.” Recognizing an opportunity to encourage the boys even more he told them “This Shabbat? It should be every Shabbat!” He once said, “Who is a serious and diligent student? After eating the Hamin (hot Shabbat food), he is able to learn Hoshen Mishpat (a complex section of laws).” When there was deliberation as to whether to introduce a public speaking course in the Yeshiva, Hacham Ezra strict- ly opposed the initiative. He explained his